The Ontarion - 188.3

188.3

MARCH 12, 2020

YOUR NEWSPAPER ESTABLISHED 1951

Wetʼsuwetʼen Solidarity Walkout Becomes Divestment Protest Activists gather in the University Centre to speak out against oppression and fossil fuels. p.13

Plus Interviews with Deanna Bowen and Peter Disera, Art, Reviews, Puzzles, and much more

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CAST YOUR VOTE FOR VP ACADEMIC! MARCH 12 - 18 FOR VP VP ACADEMIC! ACADEMIC! MARCH MARCH 12 12 -- 18 18 FOR How to Vote: Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Check Your Gryphmail for "Central Student Association

Read the candidate bio via the link at the top of the

Make sure you see the "your response has been

By-election- VOTE" & select the "click here to vote" link!

ballot and vote for your preferred candidate!

recorded" message! Bonus: Tell a friend to vote too!

FOR M OR E I N FO, PL EAS E VI S I T

CSAONLINE.CA/BY-ELECTIONS-W20

I S SU E 18 8.3

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

3

IN THIS ISSUE: NEWS CUPE 1334

5

Public Health Announcement

5

Carbon Tax

5

On the Radar

5

The Next President

7

OPINION Ajay Sharma

8

Diary of a Vet Student

9

Bias and Accuracy

9

SPORTS The XC Biker

11

Talkin’ Dirty

11

COVER STORY A Case for Protest & Divestment

13

ARTS & CULTURE Hidden Black History

14

Da Vinci

14

Seductively (Un) Familiar

14

Miss J Alexander

15

Reviewing Cleanness

15

The Science Guy

16

Illuminating History

17

The Cat Keeps Coming Back

19

Fade Awaays

20

FUN PAGES

THE ONTARION INC.

EDITORIAL STAFF

University Centre Room 264 University of Guelph 50 Stone Road East Guelph ON, Canada N1G 2W1

Editor-in-Chief Kevin Connery

Phone 519-824-4120 Editorial x 58250 Advertising x 58267 Accounts x 53534 ontarion@uoguelph.ca theontarion.ca @theontarion

Copy Editor Jessica Ulbikas

Community Calendar

21

Horoscopes

22

Puzzles & Comic

23

CONTRIBUTORS

SPECIAL THANKS

ALEX LEFEBVRE ALLAN SLOAN ANDREA MAY CARLEIGH CATHCART DANA SHARE ELIANA SINICROPI IFRAH IKRAM JUSTIN LAGUFF KEVIN CONNERY LEAH MORROW LIABA NISAR ROBERT FLEWELLING TASHA FALCONER TIFFANY CARTER ZOEY ROSS

CLAUDIA IDZIK DEANNA BOWEN TYLER POIRIER GRAHAM BURT STÉPHANIE NAZYWALSKYJ AJAY SHARMA ALEX SPEARS

Multimedia Content Creator & Editor Alex Vialette

C ove r : H o re e n H a s s a n , C S A Vice P re s i d e n t E x te r n a l s p e a k i n g t o g a t h e re d p ro te s t o r s o n M a rc h 4 . P h o t o

by A lex V i a le t te .

Circulation Director Salvador Moran BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Director of Layout & Design Larissa Abrams-Ogg

President Heather Gilmore

OFFICE STAFF News Editor Allan Sloan

Executive Director Aaron Jacklin

PRODUCTION STAFF Social Media Coordinator Jacquelina Preza Web Developer Prabhleen Ratra

Business Coordinator Lorrie Taylor Marketing Manager Patrick Sutherland

Chair of the Board Josh Millen Vice President Finance Mehkansh Sharma Staff Representative Larissa Abrams-Ogg

DIRECTORS Alex Lefebvre Hannah Stewart Jonathan Marun-Batista Kanza Shams Miguel Mabalay Tasha Falconer

The Ontarion is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. Since The Ontarion undertakes the publishing of student work, the opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of The Ontarion staff and Board of Directors. The Ontarion reserves the right to edit or refuse all material deemed sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise unfit for publication as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. Material of any form appearing in this newspaper is copyrighted 2020 and cannot be reprinted without the approval of the Editorin-Chief. The Ontarion retains the right of first publication on all material. In the event that an advertiser is not satisfied with an advertisement in the newspaper, they must notify The Ontarion within four working days of publication. The Ontarion will not be held responsible for advertising mistakes beyond the cost of advertisement.

The Ontarion is printed by Hamilton Web.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020 AT 6 - 9 P.M. PETER CLARK HALL (WING A) ONTARION MEMBERSHIP LIST AS OF March 12th 2020 Aaron Jacklin Adam Maue Aidan Hamboyan Alex Lefebvre Alex Vialette Allan Sloan Alora Griffiths Anna Naim Ariana Longley Barbara Salsberg Mathews

Carleigh Cathcart Eliana Sinicropi Ella Harvey Hannah Stewart Heather Gilmore Jacquelina Preza Paule Jonathan Marun-Batista Joshua Millen Justin LaGuff Karen Tran

Kanza Shams Kevin Connery Larissa Abrams-Ogg Leah Morrow Lorrie Taylor Matteo Cimellaro Mehkansh Sharma Michael Stone Miguel Mabalay Mirali Almaula

Miriam Habib Patrick Sutherland Prabhleen Ratra Rachel Weitz Robert Flewelling Salvador Moran Tasha Falconer Taylor Pace Tiffany Agliani

If you believe you should be a member, please check the membership list to verify that you are listed. An up-to-date membership list will be maintained online at theontarion.com/agm starting Friday, March 13, 2020.

MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA

MEETING AGENDA

You qualify as a voting member of the corporation if one of the following applies to you:

1. Call to Order 1.1.

Extension of Speaking Rights 1.2.

Introduction of Board and Staff 1.3.

Territorial / Special Acknowledgement(s) 1.4.

“What’s an AGM?” + Q&A about the AGM 2. Items for Action 2.1.

Approval of the Agenda 2.2. Approval of Minutes from AGM 2019 3. Items of Information 3.1.

President 3.2.

VP Finance 3.2.1. Acceptance of year-end financial statements of April 30, 2019 3.3.

Editor-in-Chief 4. Board elections 4.1.

Outlining of board responsibilities 4.2. Board Director elections 5. Adjournment

You have contributed during a minimum of five weeks since January 1, 2019 OR You are an undergraduate student of the University of Guelph who has paid the Ontarion ancillary fees for Fall 2019 and Winter 2020 and registered your membership at The Ontarion office (UC 264) no later than Wednesday, March 18, at 4 p.m.

OR You are a member of the community at large who has come into The Ontarion office to pay the equivalent student fee for two semesters and registered your membership no later than Wednesday, March 18, at 4 p.m.

FOR MORE INFO For more information, please contact Aaron at: ajacklin@theontarion.com

NEWS

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

Alberta and Ottawa Butt Heads as Carbon Tax is Ruled Unconstitutional Now it’s up to the Supreme Court

By Ifrah Ikram

T

CUPE 1334 Tentative Agreement Reached!

By Allan Sloan

T

HE UNIVERSITY of Guelph and Local 1334 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have reached a tentative agreement following bargaining talks. The agreement comes after members of CUPE 1334 — which represents the trades, maintenance, and service workers at the university — voted on Feb. 13 in support of a possible strike action if an agreement could not be reached.

Both parties sat down on Feb. 24, where the tentative agreement was struck.

A statement released by CUPE 1334 and the University reads as follows:

“Together we have come to a fair agreement that recognizes the important contributions that bargaining unit members make to the U of G community while addressing key priorities of both the University and CUPE 1334. Talks between the parties were open, respectful and constructive.

Both bargaining teams should be commended for their hard work and dedication in reaching a renewal agreement.”

Details of the agreement will remain confidential until ratification, which is to take place on Mar. 13, 2020 at 8 a.m. at Peter Clark Hall in the University Centre. n

Infection Control “Lacking” at Guelph Nail Salon

By The Ontarion

W

E L LINGTONDufferin-Guelph Public Health is advising anyone who received pedicure or manicure services at Victoria’s Nail Salon on Stone Road in Guelph between Apr. 20, 2018 and Feb. 21, 2020 to speak with their physician about testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. An unannounced inspection by Wellington-DufferinGuelph Public Health discovered that the salon was not taking the necessary infection

prevention procedures for reusable equipment for pedicures and manicures.

The salon has since adjusted their procedures in order to meet infection control best practices.

The risk of contracting disease from Victoria’s Nail Salon is considered low. However, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says that it cannot be ruled out and advises anyone who received services during the time period to speak with their health care provider about testing. n

HE ONGOING question of the carbon tax and its constitutionality has once again come to the spotlight after the Alberta Court of Appeal has ruled against Ottawa. The 4-1 decision, made in February, has ruled the carbon tax (introduced by the federal government in 2018) as a way of meddling with provincial jurisdiction. The decision has declared the tax unconstitutional.

Trudeau’s Liberal government enacted the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act in 2018 as a follow up to the Paris Agreement.

However, provincial feedback to this Act was unenthusiastic, with Premiers actively rejecting the proposed carbon-emitting targets set in the Act. The Court of Appeals in Ontario and Saskatchewan heard similar cases, in which the decision in both provinces supported Ottawa’s carbon tax.

Alberta Chief Justice Catherine Fraser, writing for the majority, stated that there has been an invasion of Alberta as well as other provinces’ jurisdiction with the implementation of the carbon tax. In the court decision, she writes that the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act is a constitutional Trojan horse.

“Buried within it are wide ranging discretionary powers the federal government has reserved unto itself… Almost every aspect of the provinces’ development and management of their natural resources...would be subject to federal regulation.”

Chief Justice Fraser also confirms that allowing Ottawa this power would “substantially override” some sections of the Constitution.

The federal government has rooted its defence of the Act in intruding provincial powers due to the “peace, order and good government” clause of the Constitution. This clause is unique to Canadian federalism as it grants the federal government to override provincial jurisdiction under a national concern or an emergency. The provinces — Ontario, Saskatchewan, and

now Alberta — have rejected that the carbon tax is sufficient to address national concern.

United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney has actively opposed the federal government’s carbon tax. His take on the tax is that it punishes Canadian families who are merely driving automobiles and heating their homes. Premier Kenney strongly advocates for the government “remove the federal carbon tax … because really … that tax is not about the environment.”

Justice Minister David Lametti is confident that the “price on carbon pollution is within federal jurisdiction.”

He wrote a letter to the Justice Minister of Alberta, Doug Schweitzer, stating that the decision will soon reach the Supreme Court of Canada where “[it] will determine if a federal price on carbon pollution is constitutional, a decision that will answer this important question for our country as a whole.”

However, this is not a new issue in terms of federal-provincial relations in Canada. Since before the establishment of the Supreme Court of Canada as a final appellate court, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) made binding decisions on all Canadian courts. During this era, a majority of cases that were heard in the JCPC were related to federalism issues, especially when it came to the federal government interfering with provincial powers and duties.

While some may believe that those problems are of the past, it is important to note a sense of familiarity with what the root of the issue is in this case. Some view this case as a setback in finding a solution for climate change, while others celebrate a federalist win for Canada.

However, the decision made by the Alberta Court of Appeal is not binding. The case will be brought to the Supreme Court of Canada in March, where its decision will determine the future of the carbon tax. n

5

N ew s We’ ve N o t i c e d Fr o m t h e E d i t o r i a l S t a f f

ON THE RADAR Coronavirus has First Documented Case in Waterloo Region A Kitchener woman in her 50s who had recently returned from Italy has been reported to be showing mild symptoms of COVID-19. She went to the Grand River Hospital, and while she was assessed and released the same day, Waterloo Public Health is actively monitoring the situation.

It has been reported that Ontario’s first 4 cases of COVID-19 have all been resolved.

Joe Biden Passes Bernie Sanders in Democratic Presidential Bid The Democratic bid for who will run against President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election has just passed a milestone. Following Super Tuesday, Mar. 3, former Vice-President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders are now the top contenders for the presidential bid. Biden had won 10 out of the 14 states in the Super Tuesday.

Current (as of this writing) delegate counts sit at 664 for Biden and 573 for Sanders.

Gas Prices at Alltime Low In the wake of COVID-19, gas prices are at an all-time low with prices as low as 97 cents, CTV reported in Kitchener.

These low prices are expected to remain for the time being, however some experts are worried that the low prices could have a larger effect on the economy. @THEONTARION #ONTHERADAR

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I S SU E 18 8.3

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

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THE RESULTS ARE IN!

PRESIDENT TYLER

BY LE AH M O RROW

F

OLLOWING LAST month’s election, Tyler Poirier has been named the next president of the Central Student’s Association (CSA).

Poirier will officially take over from current CSA President Dena Van de Coevering on May 1, 2020 and will serve until the following April.

“I think this is a big step for me personally,” Poirier told The Ontarion. “I am super excited to move forward and get more involved on campus and make student life on campus better.”

When asked what inspired him to run, Poirier spoke about the dedication and work of previous CSA executives. It was through them that he came to understand the importance of the executive team, both within the CSA and university as a whole. He also spoke fondly about the time he has spent volunteering with SafeWalk.

“SafeWalk is super important

to me,” said Poirier “I have a lot of attachment to it. Especially because we have seen so much progress in SafeWalk. I think seeing that progress made me believe that I could do more for the university and this is a great opportunity to do it.”

In his upcoming year as president, Poirier hopes to have an open-door policy with students.

“I think it is super important for students to develop a personal relationship with the CSA,” he said.

Poirer grew up in a small town in a fairly disadvantaged area, and he told The Ontarion he hopes his background and personal experience will help him better understand the diverse issues students face.

Without this connection, Poirier feels that students would be less motivated to communicate with the organization. He said he will strive for transparency during his presidency, adding that he believes it is important for students

to have the ability to “communicate directly instead of through filters.”

While his passion and competence are clear, Poirier, who is always very polished when speaking, can come across as somewhat guarded. In the few times he has spoken with The Ontarion and dur-

steps into this new position and stresses the importance of fostering direct connections with students, it will be interesting to see him loosen his tie and relax a bit.

Addressing low student engagement is a top priority for the new president. He believes that an important aspect of engagement

ing to be going nowhere. Students aren’t going to see it.”

He plans on making sure all communications between the CSA and the student body is written in a way that those who are not involved in the CSA or other related committees can understand. Poirier wants to help build

“I think it is super important for students to develop a personal relationship with the CSA” — Tyler Poirier, CSA President-elect

ing the all-candidate debate last month, Poirier has appeared practiced and even a little cautious when he speaks.

This suggests that perhaps there is another side to Poirier, one the student body has yet to see. As he

is access to knowledge. “I think knowledge mobilization is really key and making sure that we stay in tune with how students receive information,” he told The Ontarion.

“If we don’t do that, all that information that we release is just go-

a bridge between the CSA and the students, and show that the CSA really is there for all students.

“We want to listen,” Poirier said. “We want to make sure that we are providing things that students care about.” n

8

OPINION

@TH E O NTA R I O N

In Conversation with Sharma B y Z o ey R o s s

I

N 2019, a small group of students began to circulate a petition to get Political Science Professor Ajay Sharma on a tenure track. I met with Sharma earlier this month to discuss his career and his approach to teaching. During our 45-minute talk, he told me that after the petition started going around, faculty began to approach him with concerns. It was making his colleagues uncomfortable.

Sharma quickly had the petition shut down, but not before it had amassed over 1,000 signatures.

Since then, the frustration that some faculty felt about the possibility of Sharma side-stepping around the academic ladder has seemingly subsided, but the push to recognize Sharma for his work has not.

The draw to a Sharma class is that he is an interesting and unorthodox professor who unabashedly cares about his students. His classes are often overenrolled, and, regardless of the day or season, attendance is likely high. It is not uncommon to see long lineups of students trying to get signed into one of his courses outside of Sharma’s office or at the podium at the end of one of his lectures. Classes, once taught by a different professor, have, in some cases, more than tripled the number of students registered.

I reached out to current students and alumni that have taken or are taking Sharma’s classes to find out more. The response was immediate, and a pattern consistent with my own reflections began to emerge — Sharma cares about students and he is not afraid to break down traditional barriers or conventions.

In class, it is not uncommon for a late student to enter and be comically, awkwardly, and abruptly greeted by Sharma with the phrase, “How was your lunch?”

Like a tight comedy routine, Sharma can control his audience and pivot to course material in a moment. What’s most impressive is his ability to inspire students to feel safe enough to share their personal experiences, which in turn, can help educate the class.

To help get people to open up, Sharma will often share a brief story from his past, in a way

that’s designed to make students chuckle. However, the comedy that comes with his stories is often just a way to delve deeper into the human side of complex issues.

It’s for this same reason that he works to create a classroom environment where people can share openly. Under his classroom leadership, I have heard heartwrenching first-hand accounts from fellow students about police brutality and discrimination, growing up during the Rwandan genocide, and the legal process that survivors of the residential school system must go through to collect reparations for the crimes committed under the watch of the federal government. Sharma’s teaching methodology places great importance on connecting course material to student experiences so that the humanity behind long-standing issues can be fully considered.

There are a range of views that get explored in any political science class, and in Sharma’s classes when it’s clear that a conversation is going against the grain, Sharma is more likely to explore that conversation by asking follow-up questions, instead of shutting it down. Sharma has no issue with polarizing issues taking class time, and it is not uncommon that a planned class will go in a different direction after a debate about a controversial issue arises. These conversations are encouraged but remain controlled.

If a student cannot back an overtly controversial claim, they will be cut off until they can contribute a bare factual reasoning for their argument.

While Sharma himself publicly leans left on a variety of issues including financial (OSAP) and health benefits for students, he goes to lengths to keep a nonpartisan class environment and his voting record out of the conversation. He holds the idea that you can ask him anything and he’ll answer, except who he votes for.

The spirit of breaking down barriers and openness is also consistent with Sharma’s legacy of care for his students. Current student Sabrina Valtellini, a four-time student of Sharma, has shared her thoughts on the way Sharma goes above and beyond to ensure the mental health

Photo by Alex Vialette

“There was one teacher that listened to me when I was 11, and he saw what I was going through.

He helped. He listened.”

— Professor Ajay Sharma

of his students. At the start of each semester, Sharma speaks directly to his students about how important their mental health is and how he is willing to be an active listener.

“If you walk into his office and say, ‘Hey Sharma, I need to talk,’ he will sit there with you, he will talk it out with you, he will get you connected to the resources on campus you need,” said Valtellini.

While many students do turn to Sharma as someone to talk to about their troubles, he is quick to acknowledge that he is not a trained mental health professional — although he wishes the department would offer training — and that he spends much of his time in these moments making sure students are aware and connected with the resources they need. On more than one occasion, he attests to walking students from his office directly to Counseling Services on campus to ensure they were getting the help they needed.

I asked him why he voluntarily puts himself in the position of active listener, when he is just at the university to teach. He says he couldn’t teach any other way, but the root of his nature goes back to his lived experiences. Sharma might be the funniest professor at U of G, but like many comedians, his wellspring of confidence springs from a place of hurt, confusion, and a need to heal himself.

Sharma was born the oldest of three brothers in Northern Ireland, and growing up brown in 1980s Belfast was not easy for him. As a boy, he recalls vicious bullying and abuse at home and at school. As he saw it, these acts were pseudo-sanctioned on two cultural fronts: the schoolyard bullying was pervasive and linked to racist attitudes towards immigrants during The Troubles, and he described home as traditional and patriarchal, with a normalized culture of abuse that was imported from India

when his parents immigrated to Northern Ireland.

Sharma lived in a valley of depression and physical and mental anguish until he left to do his undergrad in Political Science and History at the University of Toronto. These struggles would develop into a series of mental health issues over time, including chronic depression, which left him wondering why he was alive and causing him to nearly abandon education. In his challenging youth, one person helped him make it through.

“There was one teacher that listened to me when I was 11, and he saw what I was going through,” said Sharma. “He helped. He listened.”

Sharma insists that the hard parts of his early life did not

Continued on Page 10

I S SU E 18 8.3

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

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The Business of Information Not Affirmation

By Allan Sloan

A Photo by Alex Vialette

D i a r y of a Vet Stu d e nt

Wayposts and White Coats Exploring the milestones at OVC

By Carleigh Cathcart

I

N RECENT ARTICLES, I’ve focused on the darker side of vet school, covering issues such as burnout, the intense curriculum, and future challenges. These topics are very real and incredibly important, but I also consider it beneficial to remind myself of the happier aspects of the Ontario Veterinary College, however difficult they may be to remember in rough times. So here, I thought it may be enjoyable to share some uplifting rites of passage my classmates and I are approaching.

Last Friday marked a very exciting day for students in Phase 3 at the OVC — we received our fourth year schedules!

The fourth and final year of the vet program provides students with clinical experience in the form of rotations and externships. The placements we take are determined by which ‘stream’ we select: companion animal, food animal, equine, or rural community practice (mixed). Receiving our schedules is exciting because it makes the reality that we are future doctors tangible.

Fourth year runs from the second week of May through to the last week of April, and our schedules match this — meaning that when we look at the end of our schedule, we’re looking at the end of our program.

This transition into Phase 4 is marked by another milestone, the White Coat Ceremony. This ceremony is held at the end of March, symbolizing our transition from classroom to clinical training. Close friends and family join us as we celebrate (almost) finishing those lecture hall days and provide a little inspiration before what will surely be the exam season from hell.

Another exciting, albeit less

official landmark of third year at OVC is the opportunity to be a “surgeon” at the College Royal Teddy Bear Surgery station.

The College Royal open house is an annual event held by the Ontario Agricultural College every March. It opens the doors of the university to the general public, offering displays, activities, shows, and more.

On the OVC side of the event, a central draw is Teddy Bear Surgery, which is exactly what it sounds like. Children arrive with health woes for their stuffed animal. They gown up and join us third-year surgeons in the ‘operating room’ to see if we can fix things. How adorable is that?

Ultimately, these landmark moments are among the (often elusive) sparks required to keep alive a motivation that is very susceptible to disappearing, especially at this point in the school year.

They exist throughout other parts of the DVM program, too.

In Phase 1, for example, there is the hockey game mascot reveal, the blue coat Professional Welcoming Ceremony, and the receiving of the ‘vet med’ jackets featuring your class colour.

Last year, when I was in Phase 2, we had our first cow palpation lab, our first ‘asepsis lab’ (where we fully gown and glove), and our first fake ‘spay,’ which helps prepare for the opening milestone of Phase 3: the first real surgery!

All this is to say, sometimes there is a light at the end of the tunnel, however dim. The struggles are very real and it would be a lie to say I haven’t doubted myself on a regular basis. But sometimes those little moments are exactly what’s needed to push me along, reminding me of why I came here in the first place. I can do this! n

S A JOURNALIST, I try my best to remain impartial and to avoid any bias. While I do have broadly left-leaning tendencies, I recognize that there are merits to arguments heard on either side of the aisle, so long as they can be supported with evidence. So, when I was told recently that I was pushing a left agenda with my articles, I was taken aback and, as a journalist who strives for objectivity, a bit offended.

While studying journalism at Mohawk College, there was quite a bit of time spent focusing on verifying sources, which involves checking and rechecking everything that you are reporting, doing your research and your due diligence to ensure the accuracy of the story you are telling.

When journalists fail to be accurate, they leave themselves open to reasonable criticism, where readers may feel that not all facts have been accounted for or opinions not fairly represented. This leads us to the question: Does being accurate also mean being fair and balanced?

To attempt to answer this question I reached out to some fellow journalists to gauge how they feel about fairness and accuracy.

“I often tell students that fairness and balance is overrated,” said David Smilie, Co-ordinator of the Journalism Program at Mohawk College. “Accuracy is the important thing.”

According to Smilie, one’s adherence to precisely representing the facts of a story is paramount.

Smilie comes from a scientific background where opinions on a particular subject are irrelevant; the facts are the important aspect and should be treated with the highest priority.

Matthew Barker, a freelance journalist with credits to Mohawk’s Ignite News and CBC’s Fifth Estate, expressed sentiments that ran slightly differently to Smilie’s. As Barker explained, “You have to write a nice, well-balanced article that gives the views of everyone.” According to Barker, it’s nearly impossible to tell an accurate and truthful story without first seeing the views of every perspective.

Smilie and Barker have two very different approaches to journalism, though both have merit, and in each we see that facts are the foundation on which accuracy can be built.However, does being accurate mean that the ar-

ticle is unbiased?

Not necessarily.

“Everyone does have bias in some respects,” Smilie explained, “as journalists we try to ignore bias, but the only way to do that is by recognizing your bias. The onus is on us to do that.”

Barker has his own ways of getting around bias.

“If I come upon an issue that

Allan Sloan, News Editor The Ontarion

I’m writing about,” Barker explained, “I try to get as many angles and as many opinions as possible. That way I don’t have to worry about being accused of being biased.”

Still though, accusations of bias happen. An important thing

or belief systems even further.

Meaning, that when something factual challenges these thought processes or belief systems, we may perceive it as biased as a way to deny its truth or significance. This can lead to friends or family members reading any coverage of topics like climate, activism, or unions as pushing a left-wing agenda, rather than

Photo by Alex Vialette

taking the story for what it was, as reported.

In a landscape where journalists and the media are under constant scrutiny to be both first and correct, it is more important than ever to ensure that the stories we write stick to the

“I often tell students that fairness and balance is overrated ...

Accuracy is the important thing.”

— David Smilie, Co-ordinator of the Journalism Program at Mohawk College

to note when discussing bias is that while there are writers who let their biases shape their writing, there are also times when, irrespective of their approach, writers are perceived as having a bias.

As consumers of media, we have a tendency to gravitate towards media organizations, Facebook pages, and people that reinforce our beliefs. This, coupled with algorithms designed to send us content we “want” to see, can reinforce our thought processes

facts and that we are accurate in reporting them. Does that mean bias will be completely put to the side? I don’t know, but it’s worth a shot. Inherent bias may be difficult to avoid, but as a trained journalist, it is worth it to the story being told to make sure no stone goes unturned. As the late Jim Lehrer stated in a 1997 report by The Aspen Institute, “Acknowledge that objectivity may be impossible but fairness never is.” n

M A RCH 1 2 T H , 2020

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“If you walk into his office and say, ‘Hey Sharma, I need to talk,’ he will sit there with you, he will talk it out with you, he will get you connected to the resources on campus you need” —Sabrina Valtellini, a four-time student of Sharma

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heal. Suddenly, things started to make sense. It wasn’t research, or the idea of being a tenured professor that motivated him, it was teaching and helping others.

The patterns of his life reflected at him in the faces of each student he would help. His public-school teacher, his mentor Professor White, he was them now, and he understood how important it was to just breathe and listen.

Since then, Sharma’s academic interests have changed. He has moved away from studying government policy on climate change, towards researching political variables that determine student success, Indigenous environmental rights, and ensuring that those with special needs in this province have access to vital care systems and funding.

All the while, his dedication and student-first approach has remained.

In a Sharma class, you will find a professor that likes to make fun of himself, stir up academic thought, and inspire his class within an approachable learning environment. Student success, not research or progress on the tenure track, is his motivation to keep doing good work. While many instructors may feel the same, the success that Sharma manifests far exceeds intentions. He was not always the Sharma that many know as him today. He was not always a successful teacher or even a successful person, but through adversity, and by continuously exploring the potency of his teaching methods, he became the rare and needed example of someone students can learn from and rely on. No petition needed. n

Ed

translate into the immediate need to help others.

“I was a malformed human being,” said Sharma. “It’s never woe is me; it’s just reality.”

During his undergrad at U of T, Sharma worked multiple jobs to help support his family including back-to-back shifts at Walmart.

Several times Sharma considered leaving school, but inspired by the advice of Political Science professor and mentor, Graham White, he stuck with it. Sharma was successful in his undergrad, and went on to complete a master’s degree in Political Science with a focus on Public Administration at McMaster University. But before Ajay could become Professor Sharma, he would face more trials while doing his Ph.D. at Western University.

“One of the things people don’t realize about grad school is that it can be one of most incredibly lonely and frustrating experiences of your life,” Sharma told me.

He describes his unfinished Ph.D. as five years of depression that went by in a blink. During that time, Sharama met Savitha, the woman who would become his wife. He describes her as his rock and told me how she helped him get through. It was while doing his Ph.D. that something else began to emerge. In the early days of what would become his teaching career, students — only one or two a semester at first — started to come to him with personal concerns. He admits that there was a time he considered ignoring their requests to meet, but he chose not to. As he started talking with — and more importantly listening to — a greater number of students, he too began to

In Conversation with Sharma

at

Continued from Page 8

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DRAGONGUELPH.COM

University of Guelph

THE

ON

SPORTS & HEALTH

11

Talk Nerdy to Me Talk Dirty to Me B y Ta s h a Fa l c o n e r

Photo provided by Peter Disera

U of G Alum Pursues Olympic Dream Talking with Peter Disera B y A l ex L e f e bv r e

P

ETER DISERA is staring down the chance to take the starting line at the Olympics this July with a maple leaf on his back. Talent and hard work granted him this opportunity, but for the 25-yearold, sacrifice and creative problemsolving were key to his success as a pro mountain biker and a student at the University of Guelph.

Born and raised in Horseshoe Valley, Ont., Peter started mountain biking at a young age and raced competitively in Ontario and across Canada. He was considered a top talent early on, but all expectations were shattered when he earned a silver medal at the 2013 Junior (Under 19) World Championships in South Africa. The only other Canadian to achieve this result was Ryder Hesjedal — one of the most decorated Canadian cyclists — in 1998.

Although Peter established himself as a promising XC (cross country) mountain bike racer, the path to greatness was unclear. Many junior cyclists achieve success at a young age but either burn out or get injured before their career can truly form.

Before his silver-medal breakthrough, Peter had planned to pursue an engineering degree, and had, at the time, already been accepted to the University of Guelph. He was determined that he could do both, build a racing career and complete his degree as quickly as possible, but he admitted to me that it was challenging from the start.

“If there was ever a time in my life I was depressed, it was in those first four months because I went from a crazy high” — winning silver at Worlds — “and

coming into university a week after orientation.” He says he knew no one and describes feeling like he was already behind in his classes.

The mountain bike race season can start as soon as March, so early training preparation is critical to laying a foundation for a successful year. Peter had grand ambitions to win the Canadian National Championships as a first year professional with the Norco Factory Team in 2014. He needed to devote as much time as possible to his training, so he loaded himself with courses in the Fall semester so that he wouldn’t have to take any in the Winter.

It proved to be the wrong approach.

“I did not ride my bike for 4 months,” he said. “That year went sideways for me.”

Being so overloaded with coursework in the fall left him no time to train or do any physical activity. This hurt him when he got to Nationals. “The fact that I didn’t win Nationals that year was improbable to me. I was the top Canadian leading into that race and then just cracked.”

It was a realization that this balancing act would need to be refined.

In his third year, Peter reduced his course load, taking only four courses in the Fall semester and three in the Winter. This required careful planning so he could ensure he met the prerequisites his degree required. It was a risky plan.

There was zero tolerance for failing his Winter courses, as he wouldn’t be able to make them up the following semester.

While he described this approach as not for everyone, it allowed him enough time for the 18 to 20 hours of training he needed every week.

Being an intuitive and quick learner

aided him with his school work, but he credits his classmates with helping him get through when he missed classes. A pro-cyclist typically takes a week or two in February to dedicate themselves to intense training, 30 to 40 hours of riding a week. Peter describes coming back from this type of training camp exhausted and reaching out to classmates, offering a coffee or lunch in exchange for a run through of what material he missed.

“I owe so much to those peers who were willing to help me.”

Peter treated this grind as a race, pacing himself but always digging deep into discomfort when required.

Peter graduated in December 2018, and leading into 2020, he once again has great expectations.

Thanks to two career-best World Cup results in 2019, Peter is the top prospect for the Canadian Men’s mountain bike team. He placed 11th in Andorra and sixth in Les Gets France, the latter of which was a hard-fought battle to stay with a front group of six world-class racers — an achievement few North American male racers can attest to. Though it is worth noting that North American female racers achieve greater results on the international stage with American Kate Courtney recently becoming World Champion.

The next potential qualifying race will be a World Cup in the Czech Republic in May. Barring another Canadian placing within the top five of that race, Peter will likely be selected by Cycling Canada to race on Jul. 27, just outside of Tokyo. “To be selected for the Olympic team will be a dream come true… That has to be one of the coolest things.”

He has tempered expectations about medalling but remains driven by the idea of representing his country on the world stage. Peter tells me he is optimistic about achieving a respectable result for Canada.

“If I went top eight, that would meet and exceed expectations. Top eight would be a phenomenal day.”

Peter has been in Southern California and Girona, Spain this past winter, logging steady miles and pushing himself to lay the aerobic foundation he hopes will carry him through the season. n

Q:

IS “TALK NERDY TO ME” supposed to mean “talk dirty to me”? Also what does talk dirty mean?

A:

YES, “TALK NERDY TO ME” is a play on the phrase “talk dirty to me.” Taking dirty is a form of sexual communication that occurs during sexual activity. It is sometimes called pillow talk or erotic talk. The 2014 Great Australian Sex Census found that 42 per cent of people like dirty talk, 13 per cent like sweet talk, and seven per cent like stern directions.

Twenty-two per cent of those surveyed did not answer the question, and 16 percent said they do not like talking during sex.

Researchers in Australia found that there are two broad categories of dirty talk.

The first is mutualistic talk, which is talk related to communicating pleasure and shared experience. This includes instructive statements, such as “go faster/harder”; positive feedback, such as “I love it when you…”; reflexive calls, such as “yes”; and emotional bonding comments, such as “I love you.”

The second category is individualistic talk, which is self-focused comments. This includes sexual dominance comments, such as “take it”; sexual submission comments, such as “fuck me good”; sexual ownership comments, such as “you’re mine”; and discussions of fantasies, such as “I’m imagining…”

The researchers found that people enjoy and use mutualistic talk more than individualistic talk, but this may be influenced by the sample, which was mostly people in long-term relationships. That being said, these two types of dirty talk are correlated; people that dirty talk often do both in their sexual lives (though not necessarily in the same sexual interaction).

Both of these types of dirty talk are associated with sexual satisfaction, but mutualistic talk has more of an impact on sexual satisfaction than individualistic talk.

In general, sexual communication during sex can improve your sexual life. n

Got something steamy you want to know? theontarion.com/submit

12

@TH E O NTA R I O N

M A RCH 1 2 T H , 2020

Wet’suwet’en Walkout DON O’LEARY, UNIVERSITY OF B y R o b e r t F l ewe l l i n g

GUELPH VICE-PRESIDENT, FINANCE, ADMINISTRATION & RISK (PICTURED OPPOSITE) NOTED THAT HE FOUND THE PROTEST TO BE PARTICULARLY POWERFUL. WHEN ASKED FOR

WHAT HAPPENED

O

N MAR. 4, University of Guelph students walked out of classes and gathered in a show of solidarity with Wet’suwet’en.

They began protesting the RCMP, Guelph Police, and Canadian Armed Forces representatives on campus. The protest became a sit-in as demonstrators called for the university to fully divest from fossil fuels. University of Guelph Vice-President (Finance, Administration & Risk) Don O’Leary eventually committed to recommending full divestment to the Board of Governors.

“How do you spell racist? — R! C! M! P!” was one of the chants heard this afternoon, as protestors moved from Branion Plaza inside the University Centre, which was, at the time, full of students attending the Experience Guelph Job Fair. Among those tabling at the fair were representatives from Guelph police, Armed Forces, and the RCMP. Just before 2:30 p.m., Ben Stuart, an orange-vested protester, read a prepared letter addressed to the RCMP, police, and Armed Forces.

“We the students are officially serving the RCMP and all other institutions of colonial violence an injunction to remove themselves from the University of Guelph, University Centre space,” they said into a megaphone.

As demonstrators moved upstairs, towards the fourth floor to address Don O’Leary, the solidarity movement transformed into a divestment protest, echoing similar protests from this and previous years, calling on the University of Guelph to immediately divest its $4-million investment from TransCanada Energy.

U of G constables arrived shortly before 3 p.m. around which time the demonstration became a sit-in on the fourth floor.

O’Leary was surrounded by students who spoke and asked questions and continued to call on the university to take action.

“I’m not mad,” an emotional protester said to O’Leary. “I’m just sad and scared for my future. Not all of us here are mad at you.”

“My hands are tied,” O’Leary told the group. “There is a governance process.”

“Seven-year long process?” replied Ben Stuart. “We’ve given you the case studies.

We’ve given you tools. We’ve given you the tools. We’ve given you the pathways.”

Amidst the mounting pressure, O’Leary eventually relented, saying “I’m making a recommendation,” and after calling on university staff present at the time to support him should he receive pushback from the Board, he committed to recommending that the board divest.

“I’m making a recommendation to the Board of Finances that the university fully divest from fossil fuels.”

Speaking with me after the protestors dispersed, O’Leary, who has been with the University of Guelph since 2011, said, “I’ve changed over the years for sure … I will

make the recommendation to the board … to fully divest from the endowment.”

While a recommendation is not a promise of anything concrete, and nothing tangible has yet come from his declaration, this should be seen as a major step towards change.

WHY IT MATTERS

I believe there is an obvious hypocrisy to ‘green schools’ investing in fossil fuels.

How can an institution that prides itself on its socially and environmentally progressive image, also invest heavily in fossil fuels that aid in the degradation of the climate? It is in examining this question that we find a conflict of interest: The university’s existence should be predicated on serving the students and protecting the environment, yet potentially 10–15% of the U of G financial endowment is invested in fossil fuel companies.

Reflecting on this in the light of the walkout reminded me of another conflict of interest. The RCMP, police, Armed Forces, and federal public service pension funds are also invested in fossil fuel industries, namely TC Energy (the parent company of Coastal GasLink and the architects of the pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territories).

Earlier this year, VICE reported that Public Sector Pension (PSP) Investment Board, a crown corporation, manages billions of dollars in pension funds on behalf of public service sectors — the $12.1 billion pension fund for the RCMP being one of them. Upwards of 4.5 per cent (approximately $550 million) of the RCMP fund is reportedly invested in the natural resource industry, and PSP reported that it has at least $100 million invested in TC Energy across all of its funds.

Correlation is not causation. Most of those whose pensions are being managed have no idea where their pensions are being invested, so it’s not necessarily fair for us to portray the RCMP as cronies for TC Energy simply because their pensions are invested in the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Or at least, it wouldn’t be fair if their actions on Wet’suwet’en territories didn’t make it seem like that was fully the case.

Theoretically, the RCMP exists to serve the public, yet here they are on unceded lands, protecting the interests of CGL (and thus TC Energy) on behalf of the federal government, whose pension funds are similarly invested. Again, any individual RCMP officer may have no clue where their pension is invested, yet the federal government knows well enough where its money and interest lies.

Layers upon layers of bureaucracy have allowed for the faceless oppression of many, all around the world. Colonial violence hides behind policy, often framing issues as ‘in the best interests of the public,’ but in the face of the climate crisis, it’s the public who suffer the fallout of climate change.

Too often we’re told by officials, as was the case outside the VP’s office, that ‘our hands are tied,’ but when our institutions — be they the RCMP, police, or universities — serve financial interests over the lives of real people, they cease to serve the purpose for which they were created.

The government has a conflict of interest in protecting its investments and this reverberates from the top down. Canada’s current economic situation thrives on keeping industrial industries interested in its natural resources. Anything that threatens these extractive industries also threatens the economy, so having rail blockades and pipelines being halted affects Canada’s economic viability for investors. Thus, Indigenous people are a problem for Canada.

They threaten Canada’s economic viability.

They stand in the way of increased wealth.

Canada will not stop, or has no need to stop, its continued genocide against dissenting Indigenous voices unless the public puts enough pressure on our institutions to divest and reinvest in green industries.

That’s why the unfair treaties, relocations, and residential schools were introduced; to remove “the Indian problem” once and for all; to allow railways to connect British Columbia to Canada; to open up the Arctic for oil and defence; to open up the vast boreal forests for lumber and pulp; to open up the rivers for dams and factories; to open up the hills and mountains for mines. For as long as Indigenous people occupy and defend the land and their traditional and emerging ways of life, they also defend the futures of all people, and the future of the planet. Climate change is an international crisis that shouldn’t be compromised on behalf of CGL, TC, or any company that seeks to profit from the planets’ irresponsible, unnecessary exploitation.

The University of Guelph has a responsibility to listen to the voices and concerns of the student body, for they are the ones who pay tuition, who work in the labs and research centers as interns, and who contribute to the image of the university as a progressive place to live, work, and study. Decolonization and reconciliation aren’t achieved simply through land acknowledgements, and divesting from fossil fuels is only one of many steps necessary to make U of G an institution worth being proud of — but it is a necessary step.

The students who organized the walkout and those who spearhead the Fossil Free movement on campus, as well as everyone who attended, have put the ball in the university’s court.

On April 22nd. when the Board of Governors meets next, we will have a chance to see how the university responds. Change is possible and it is now up to the university to show the students and the community where it stands, either with one foot in the past, or eyes to a better and livable future.” n

COMMENT, HE SAID:

“The passion and emotions of the students are impressive and powerful.

I appreciate their leadership, dedication and commitment. I also share their concerns.”

FURTHER READING If these issues interest you, and you want to learn more about Canada’s economic fragility and the systemic issues that Indigenous people face, writer Robert Flewelling recommends these books. Ultimately, our learning as much as we can about Canada’s relationships with Indigenous people, both through treaties and without them, can make us better allies and better world citizens. There aren’t simply ‘Indigenous issues,’ but issues that First Nations, Metis, and Inuit face in a disproportionate way. All people must face climate change, social inequality, and economic exploitation, regardless of background. It is up to everyone, and in everyone’s interest, to uphold justice and fight back against systems of oppression. For when one suffers, we all suffer. n The Reconciliation Manifest,

Arthur Manuel and Grand Chief Ronald M. Derrickson, forward by Naomi Klein.

n Unsettling Canada, Arthur

Manuel, Grand Chief Ronald M. Derrickson, foreword by Naomi Klein

n Talking Back to the Indian Act,

Mary-Ellen Kelm and Keith D. Smith.

Photo by Alex Vialette

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

I S SU E 18 8.3

13

14

ARTS & CULTURE THE S CI E NCE GUY p. 1 6

Deanna Bowen and the Case of the Hidden Black History

By Eliana Sinicropi

RTIST DEANNA BOWEN first burst onto the Canadian arts scene in the 1990s with her films milk-fed and sadomasochism. Bowen, who was originally trained as a potter and sculpture, serendipitously stumbled into filmmaking by landing a job at a film coop in Toronto. Since then, she has focused on combing through historical archives to reenact the little known lives and events of black people in Canada. By relying on historical archives, Bowen is essentially, as she describes it, creating “another way of writing history by presenting evidence of an alternative narrative.” This evidence often differs from the common, erasive narrative available to the public.

Bowen is the recipient of the 2020 Governor General Award in Visual and Media Arts, an honour she was nominated for by her mentor and inspiration, Vera Frenkel. However, Bowen is no stranger to acclaim. Bowen’s list of accomplishments is long and includes a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Johnson Award. Bowen speaks of these accomplishments with humility and a touch of awe. A quick perusal of her art work will

show you that the acclaim is much deserved.

Bowen’s work specifically focuses on the black history in the post-slavery era, a part of history that is all but lost in the haze of white-European history which populates our history books. Bowen emphasizes that “there’s a way that Canada has presented itself as benevolent and free of racism and that is just fundamentally not true.” Canada often boasts of its cultural mosaic, but it is plagued with an unseemly habit of erasing the history of racialized communities.

Bowen’s art endeavours to shed light on these missing pieces of black history.

Today, she is focused on two projects which expand on the presence of black people in Canada.

A Harlem Nocturne, held at — Deanna the McMaster Museum of Art, depicts the overlooked black arts scene in Vancouver in the 1940s and 1970s. Drawing inspiration from her childhood in eastside downtown Vancouver, this project aims, in Bowen’s own words, to

Da Vinci Program End of Semester Art Exhibit

creativity and hard work. I was in awe at the fact that there was a program that can reach out to a variety of young minds and encourage such personal and creative work.

The Da Vinci Arts and Science Community and Environmental Leadership Program is an integrated, experiential learning program in which grade 11 students spend a semester at the J.C. Taylor Nature Center in the Guelph Arboretum. Upon completion of the program, students obtain credits in English, Biology, Exploring and Creating in the Arts, and Introduction to Psychology, Anthropology and Sociology. Yet what makes the Da Vinci program such a unique experience is the principle that the program is grounded on. The central style of teaching is concept driven and attempts to stray away from the canonical view of the fine arts, allowing students to find new ways of expressing their individual creativity, no matter their creative

By Dana Share

U

PON WALKING onto the fourth floor of the 10C Shared Space in downtown Guelph, I was immediately met with a welcoming and inspiring atmosphere. Young artists and their work filled the room as family, friends, teachers and other members of Guelph’s artistic community admired the abundance of

ON

T HE F A D A W A A YS p . 2 0

Photo by Lucius Dechausay, Courtesy of Stéphanie Nazywalskyj

A

THE

“poke some holes at this idea that there is no black community in Vancouver.”

Bowen’s second project, God of Gods, is far more ambitious. In 1911, an assembly of Albertan business men began a petition against the immigration of black and blackIndigenous peoples. If the petition was not obeyed, the group threatened black migrants with lynchings and hangings. Among those that signed the petition was Barker Farley, one of the most ardent advocates for the national importance of the Group of Seven — perhaps Canada’s most well-known arts collective, who are famous for their landscape painting, and who are a staple of nearly every young Canadian’s education.

Based off of Caroll Aikins’ play The God of Gods, Bowen attempts to shed light on how these white socially-elite artists, including the Group of Seven and Aikins, were pedalling white nationalist propaganda and contributing to the erasure of the black narrative. Bowen told The Ontarion that ultimately she attempts to “shift the cannon to a more historically accurate narrative” in order to recognize that “there has been a long history of blackness and other racialized communities.”

Bowen’s work is dominated by her own genealogy. She has painstakingly traced the migration of her family from Kentucky and Alabama to Canada. Using her family’s lineage as a focal point, Bowen then pulls from history to construct the social world around them and translates this into her art work. A large part of her art is attempting to understand her own family’s history, most simply described by Bowen as “who we are and what we’ve become.”

Bowen advises young artists “don’t be afraid of Bowen, Artist your family story, even if it’s messed up.” Bowen explains that it is only through oral and family histories that we can glean the role of those deemed unimportant by formal historical institutions. n

“don’t be afraid of your family story, even if it’s messed up.”

background.

The final exhibit at the end of January showcased mediums such as oil and acrylic paint, collage, music, film, interpretative dance, wire and glass, and photography. Each piece of art — from a wall of portraits done in oil paint, in which students were guided by a professional painter to create their own solidified personal perception of self, to collages made from magazines and newspapers — showcased how individual and communal experiences have a profound effect on how we make art and how we perceive ourselves in our art.

The imagination that was behind many of the works shown at the exhibit was astounding and illuminated how aligning education with alternative modes of creative expression allows young people to develop extensive skills — both artistically and intrapersonally.n

Seductively (Un) Familiar Spread by Carmela Laganse B y A n d r e a M ay

I

N SPREAD currently on display at the Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG), artist Carmela Laganse has created a fantastical simulacrum of a vampire’s dreamy abode, achieved through her creation of elegantly upholstered furniture.

Laganse displays capitalist ideas physically though her commodiable objects, pairing them with morbid vampirical consumption.

Each of Laganse’s pieces, is fitted with state of the art “equipment” to fulfill the vampire’s delicious desires.

For example, “Grenadine” — the name eliciting memories of sweet red pomegranates in a blood red cocktail — presents the form of a curving upholstered bench with a sink attachment, accompanied by a stool underneath. A far cry from a delicious cocktail. It, like much of Laganse’s work, straddles the line between the familiar and the unknown.

The ideas of pleasure and pain fill the space and allow for reflection on the connection between vampires and consumption. The smoke and mirrors of beauty and pleasure portrayed in Laganse’s pieces echo our seductive commodity culture, and the romantically luxurious upholstery draws us in to our ultimate ending, being betrayed and sucked dry at the hands of our obsessive lover.

After observing this exhibition, I was left wondering what it would feel like to fall prey to sitting on these beautiful pieces of furniture. n

Spread will be on at the AGG from Jan. 22, 2020 to April 12, 2020.

@laguff

I S SU E 18 8.3

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

15

Cleanness

By Garth Greenwell (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020) R ev i ewe d by Kev i n C o n n e r y

W Photo by Liaba Nisar

More Like Water Than Fabric Miss J Alexander speaks at Guelph

By Liaba Nisar

O

N MAR. 2, one would expect the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre to be filled with training athletes, students playing intramural with friends, and the few folks who haven’t fallen off their New Years’ resolutions just yet. However, that night, the Events Centre was brimming with excitement as fashion lovers and runway fans alike gathered to hear a keynote address from Miss J. Alexander: model, author, designer, former America’s Next Top Model judge, runway coach, and “Queen of the Catwalk” according to Tyra Banks.

Starting at 7 p.m., the keynote served as the cornerstone event for Black History Month at the University of Guelph. The event was presented by U of G’s Cultural Diversity Office in collaboration with Wilfrid Laurier University’s Centre for Student Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, as well as McMaster University’s Equity and Inclusion Office, and it was intended as a way to create a conversation around experiences related to the intersecting identities of blackness and queerness within the fashion industry — an industry that is often severely lacking in diversity and representation.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheer when Miss J entered the venue, clad in black patent leather.

A show-stopping long coat punctuated the whole look, with checkered red and black sequins that shimmered and rippled with each step, appearing more like water than fabric.

After sitting down, he immediately told us, “I have zero filter. So girls, get ready.”

Miss J dove right into his stories about growing up in the South Bronx. His earliest experiences with fashion consisted of messing around with his older sib-

lings’ clothing and taking items apart to make new garments all his own. Even from a young age, tearing down the boundaries between clothing and gender seemed to come naturally to him; it is easy to see how this unapologetic boldness would be an asset in the fashion world, where divergence from the straight, white, cisgender status quo is often disparaged. And it seems to have done him well.

Outside of his work as a judge on America’s Next Top Model, Miss J has made a name as a runway genius, coaching models such as Naomi Campbell and Kimora Lee Simmons and working with designers like Chanel and Alexander McQueen.

Yet, despite his prestige, he seamlessly transitioned between public speaker and close friend, often breaking off to make playful jokes, digs at phones ringing and cute outfits in the audience, and tangents that led into other stories.

His work took him to a multitude

unapologetic about who they are, despite the negativity and mediarelated pressure. Among news of the environmental degradation of fast fashion and the severe lack of diversity on runways, those who make their own spaces within these sectors are breaking boundaries and paving the way for many more to follow, changing the very makeup of the entertainment world.

During a time where conversations around diversity and representation within media are at the forefront of the entertainment industry, especially regarding intersecting identities surrounding race, gender, and sexuality, Miss J was a breath of fresh air. He blurred the line between keynote and comedy, making folks comfortable enough to laugh along with him and open up about their own struggles.

The keynote continued until around 9 p.m., ending with a question period, where audience members asked for advice, talked about media representation, and

hen “Harbor” appeared in the Sept. 16, 2019 issue of The New Yorker, it seemed to be a small story, finely crafted, as all of Greenwell’s stories are, but it did not linger on my mind. It did not haunt me. It wasn’t until Cleanness was published in January 2020 and I re-encountered the story that “Harbor” fell into place as a necessary piece of Greenwell’s expansive narrative.

Cleanness is a book about desire — actually, let’s give that a capital “D” — it is a book about Desire. It is about yearning and the mix of good and bad that this entails. It is also a book about moments; a life told in an exploration of events, of nights, of encounters, of looks — some small, some huge, but each in its own way profound. “Harbor,” for example, describes a night where colleagues (on the verge of becoming friends) drink together and go to the seaside only to watch one of their group, a priest, strip down and dive into the water. Alone, it’s a story about nothing. There is no grand moral to it, no swelling crescendo, yet as the priest swims to shore at the very end, fighting waters that try to drag him back out to sea, the reader is left with a sense of an unexplored vastness, something at the periphery of the story that is pulling at the narrator towards something larger. What feels un — or perhaps under — explored in this story alone, adds to the overall atmosphere of Cleanness as a whole.

The publisher describes

Cleanness as being about an American teacher in Sofia, Bulgaria, navigating a life transformed by the discovery and loss of love. This both captures the essential story and fails to describe what this book is truly about. No love story is ever just a love story, and this love story is, at its core, about desire and about shame far more than it is about love.

Garth Greenwell (What Belongs to You, Picador, 2016), is an American writer and poet, and with Cleanness he evokes a sensibility reminiscent of Alan Hollinghurst — not just in the queerness within (or as) mundanity that is a shared theme in both Greenwell and Hollinghurst, but also in their use of language, which, while being quite technically different, is similar in that both are masterful, artful, and never undeliberate. That Greenwell is also a poet, cannot be far from the readers’ attention throughout all of Cleanness.

Through the story, there are moments that are quite striking, but the true grace of this book is in how Greenwell moves from the safe and even commonplace, to such supreme and brutal violences in an instant, giving his scenes an element of the sublime. Yet throughout, neither Cleanness nor Greenwell cast judgement; they examine pleasure and pain, love and shame, lust and desire — all these sweet contradictions — in a way that refuse aspersions of morality or appeals to hedonism. The result is a kind of anti-moral writing, nuanced, profound.n

“I went where I wanted to go. I didn’t let anyone tell me where not to go. My black ass just showed up.”

— Miss J Alexander of locations, including Milan, London, Finland, and Paris, where he lives now, and his tales about working with models from all around the world and seeing beauty on every level, were awe-striking.

“I went where I wanted to go. I didn’t let anyone tell me where not to go. My black ass just showed up.”

Despite the industry’s many flaws, Miss J sees hope for the fashion world. He cites celebrities such as Laverne Cox and Billy Porter making huge strides by being

even requested a runway tutorial.

Miss J ended the event by stressing the importance of self-agency, and changing the social makeup of barrier-ridden groups by making one’s presence a statement in and of itself.

I caught up with Miss J after the event, and I asked him what his favourite thing about Guelph has been. Without missing a beat, he says, “The students. All these students, who want to change the world.” n

“It might be possible, I thought about the other writer, he looked at me sometimes in a way that made me think maybe I could have him, or he could have me, we could have a little romance, though really that wasn’t what I wanted; I wanted something brutal, which was what frightened me, I wanted to go back to that world R. had lifted me out of. It was a childish feeling, maybe, I wanted to ruin what he had made, what he had made me, I mean, the person he had made me.”

- from Cleanness

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@TH E O NTA R I O N

M A RCH 1 2 T H , 2020

The Science Guy Came to the University of Guelph Bill Nye answered popular questions sent in by students B y L e a h M o r r ow

B

ILL, BILL, BILL, BILL NYE the Science Guy visited the University of Guelph on Thursday, Mar 5.

The excitement was tangible as 2,300 students and community members filed into the Athletic Centre and took their seats.

According to the CSA, this was a larger turnout than convocation normally gets. Tickets cost $15 and were so popular that there were two rounds of ticket sales.

“People were re-selling them for $100, $200, even $300 on Facebook,” said third-year Bachelor of Science student, Jagdesh Birdi.

In the first round, tickets sold out in just under 30 minutes. For many of the students in attendance, seeing Bill Nye live was a nostalgic experience.

“I remember my first Bill Nye video probably back in grade four,” Birdi said he remembered his teacher, “rolling in the big box TV on the stand. They would roll it out and plug the VCR in and Bill Nye came up and I remember thinking ‘who is this guy.”

Nye’s visit took the form of a Q&A. Students submitted questions that they wanted Bill Nye to answer. Questions were fielded by physics instructor Jason Thomas, who goes by the stage name of The Great Orbax. This was a fitting choice according to students.

“Orbax is a great person to ask him questions,” said Anmol Bains, fourth-year Bachelor of Science student. “It’s nice to see someone who has a connection with students be able to have that connection with Bill and pass it on to us.”

Throughout the Q&A, Nye and Orbax had great dialogue even when Nye accidently mispronounced Orbax’s name. Nye talked about everything from space and aliens to climate change and whether artificial intelligence is going to be a good or bad thing in the future. He made sure to tell the audience that AI will be helpful and not harmful. The main message delivered throughout his talk was that students and people in general can change the world.

“My generation is going to phase out… aka die,” said Nye. “You guys are going to be left running the show.” n

Bill Nye speaking at the Guelph Gryphons Athletics Centre at the University of Guelph on March 5, presented by the Central Student Association.

“You guys are going to be left running the show.”

— Bill Nye, a Science Guy

A special experiment by The Great Orbax and Pepper.

Photos by Alex Vialette

I S SU E 18 8.3

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

17

S e l e c t i o n s fr o m A&S C

Illuminating History Curating Experiential Learning in Archival & Special Collections

By Melissa McAfee | Special Collections Librarian

Over the years, the University of Guelph Library’s Archival & Special Collections staff have partnered with faculty in Art History, Hospitality and Tourism Management, History, Landscape Architecture, and Music to support experiential learning projects based on rare, original primary source materials in the library’s core collecting areas. Examples of these include digital pedagogy projects such as the Scottish Chapbook Project and the What Canada Ate sites and physical and online exhibits such as “From Glen Notes to War Notes: A Canadian Perspective on the First World War in Rilla of Ingleside,” “More than Just Maple: A Collection of Canuck Staples,” “A is for Angler,” and Scotland in the Mail!

D

TOP: “St. Michael and the Dragon” from the Psalter.

BOTTOM: “The raising of Lazarus from the tomb” from the Book of Hours Images provided by Archival & Special Collections

URING THE Winter 2020 term, University of Guelph students were given an extraordinary opportunity to engage in a variety of experiential learning projects with a collection of original medieval manuscript codices, dating from the 13th to 16th century, through the “Manuscripts in the Curriculum II” loan program. An initiative of Les Enluminures, a rare book firm with offices in Chicago, New York, and Paris, the loan of manuscripts to the University of Guelph Library was one of only four awarded during the 2019/2020 academic year and only the second to a Canadian institution. Over the course of the term, several hundred students have been exposed to the manuscripts, the equivalents of which are not otherwise available within the university.

The earliest book in the loan is a German Psalter, which dates from around 1240. This book is bound in an early alum tawed leather binding, with five bosses and two strap and pin fasteners to protect the binding and its contents. Richly illuminated with red and blue pigments and gold leaf, this Psalter contains 150 songs which formed the core of the Divine Office and was most likely intended for lay use.

The loan also includes a printed Book of Hours published in Paris around 1526, just 70 years after the Gutenberg Bible (the first book to be printed from metal moveable type). Books of Hours were used for private prayer and contained prayers and psalms that were recited at prescribed hours of the day. The

most widely produced illuminated manuscripts of the later Middle Ages, they were popular well into the age of print. This Book of Hours has 17 large metalcut illustrations, which have been lavishly painted in the style of illuminated manuscripts.

The other books in the loan include a 13th century Bible, a variety of 15th century books that represent standard texts of the Middle Ages, including the Office of the Dead, a Breviary, Juvenal’s Satires, Da Vercelli’s Sermons, a Confessional, and a 16th century book of French feudal land holdings.

Although made for different purposes, all of the manuscripts in the loan (except for one) were written by hand on parchment (specially prepared untanned animal skin). Many contain elaborately illuminated and decorated initials and illustrations.

Students in three History classes taught by Dr. Susannah Ferriera (associate professor, History) joined forces during the Winter 2020 term to curate an exhibit, “Illuminating Life: Manuscript Pages of the Middle Ages,” based on the manuscripts in the loan.

History graduate students conducted the preliminary research on the books and developed the themes of the exhibit in seminars held during the Fall 2019 and Winter 2020 terms. The fabrication and design of the exhibit were undertaken by undergraduate students in a History WPL (Workplace Learning) course.

These students also planned a colloquium related to the medieval manuscripts. Undergraduate students in a Pre-Modern History course curated an online exhibit based on the physical case exhibit, which includes supplementary content. In addition, a First Year Seminar has organized three outreach events to share the manuscripts with the Guelph community: an exhibit preview; an open house for the Guelph community; and an open house for children in selected classes.

“Illuminating Life,” which will be launched at the “From Parchment to Pixels” colloquium in McLaughlin Library on March 12, can be viewed both in physical and online formats in the Exhibit Gallery on the second floor of McLaughlin Library. The books will be exhibited until May

12, 2020. The colloquium, which is sponsored by the University of Guelph Library, College of Arts, and the THINC Lab, will feature talks on medieval manuscripts by fourteen undergraduate and graduate students in History and Art History classes. Will Noel, Associate University Librarian for Special Collections at Princeton University, will give the keynote address on his groundbreaking Digital Archimedes Palimpsest project (the focus of his 2012 TED talk) and will share his thoughts on the need for Open Access for cultural heritage materials. In addition to illuminating the history of the Middle Ages, both the exhibit and colloquium also illuminate the power of student engagement with rare books through tactile encounters with the past.

The colloquium and exhibit launch are free and open to the public. All are welcome! n

COLLOQUIUM “From Parchment to Pixels” | March 12, 2020 from 12:00-6:30 | Robert Whitelaw Room, McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph EXHIBIT “Illuminating Life: Manuscript Pages of the Middle Age” | March 12 - May 12, 2020 | Exhibit Gallery, McLaughlin Library, Archival & Special Collections Reading Room, University of Guelph Gallery Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 8:30-4:30 + Wednesday, Thursday 10:30-4:30 Exhibit preview | March 10 from 3-4 | Robert Whitelaw Room, McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph OPEN HOUSE Guelph Community Meets the Manuscripts Open House | March 18 from 1-4 | Robert Whitelaw Room, McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph

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I S SU E 18 8.3

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

19

A Visit to Fred Penner’s Place

By Allan Slaon

D

O YOU remember the shows from your childhood? For me, they were The Elephant Show, Thomas the Tank Engine, Big Comfy Couch, and Fred Penner’s Place.

It’s been 23 years since Fred Penner’s Place stopped producing new episodes, but Penner, now 73 and currently on his 40th-anniversary tour of The Cat Came Back, is making a career performing for children and families across Canada.

“I enjoy what I do,” Penner told The Ontarion. Fred Penner is an accomplished children’s performer, and former host of Fred Penner’s Place which aired on CBC from 1985 to 1997. After a 40-plus-year career, Penner’s drive and dedication to his craft has not swayed in the years since the launch of his show.

“I like getting up on a stage and I like presenting my thoughts and feelings to an audience. I like how they respond to me. It is, truly, my life’s work. Forty... what is this, 48 years?” Penner laughed to himself in disbelief.

In the mid-’80s, CBC faced budgetary cutbacks that resulted in the cancellation of The Friendly Giant. CBC reached out to Penner to ask if he would be willing to host a TV program as a replacement. He said yes, but he was initially at a loss of how to do it.

“I never considered [a TV program], that was not part of the plan,” Penner said.

When creating the show, Penner drew inspiration from his experiences as a child.

“I started thinking about scouts, oddly enough,” he said. “I was in scouts for a time, and in scouting, if you’re going on a journey you mark your spaces.”

Fred Penner’s Place opened with Penner walking through the woods with a backpack admiring the scenery. He walked along the water, saw a bird in a tree, wandered through the trees to look at a little forest critter, to ultimately end up at the log which entered into Fred Penner’s Place. “I was just re-remembering my scout rules at the beginning.”

After wandering through the forest to his “sanctuary,” as Penner put it, he would crawl through the iconic log.

Speaking to the design of the introduction, Penner’s show reads very much like Mister Rogers Neighbourhood in the sweeping view of his neighbourhood ultimately welcoming the viewer at his front door, only in this case it’s a journey through the woods into a small little nook in the trees. “I thought, If I’m going to create a

TOP 10 *Canadian artist **Local artist

1

TV series for children, I want it to be a protected space,” Penner said.

“I want it to have calm, I want it to be gentle, I want it to be safe.”

The sense of calm and safety carried throughout the episodes, setting a tone of comfort and curiosity. Penner said that the concept was intentional.

“For me, it was about direct communication,” Penner said.

“When I talk to the camera, it was not going to hundreds of thousands of people, it was going to the one child.” Penner elaborated that his goal was to guide the child and expand on their curiosity. “We are here together, to share in something. What is it?

Well, we’ll find out.”

Penner continued, saying, “The curiosity of life was part of Fred Penner’s Place, and children don’t need flash and fast activity to draw in curiosity.”

The general sense of child-like discovery and exploration was prevalent from the first episode until Fred Penner’s Place abruptly stopped producing new episodes, after management changes at CBC’s Children’s and Family Programs division in 1997.

Penner’s career didn’t end with the show. He continued to tour and write music built for families, and has worked with World Vision for nearly two decades. In 2019, he released “Somebody Believes,” which he tells us he was inspired to write while listening to a speaker during a World Vision event three years ago.

“He spoke about his life journey, and one of the phrases he used was ‘somebody believed in me and that’s why I’m here today,’” Penner said. “And I thought, well there it is. That is probably the most universal topic that I’d like to present is having somebody believe in you, in your life, is critical.”

Forty years on from his release of the album The Cat Came Back, Fred Penner’s career is still going strong.

“I’m still getting calls,” Penner explained, “People are still interested in what I’m presenting.

I mean, that has to be where it comes from because you can’t force yourself on an audience.

The demand has to be there if it’s going to work at all.”

The demand is there. Penner’s The Cat Came Back 40th Anniversary Tour touches every region of the country which started in Regina, Sask. on Feb. 1, 2020, and comes to a close in North Vancouver, BC on Apr. 5, 2020 Fred Penner’s years of working as a children’s entertainer has left a long lasting impression on a generation of people. He is in the same ranks as Mister Rogers and a cherished Canadian icon.

While his show may have ended, his work continues to help guide children through their most vulnerable years worldwide.

“Never underestimate your ability to make a difference in the life of a human being, of a child.” n

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EMIE R. ROUSSEL TRIO*

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NAP EYES* Snapshot Of A Beginner (Royal Mountain)

20

@TH E O NTA R I O N

M A RCH 1 2 T H , 2020

Reid MacMaster and Owen Wolff, the guitarist and drummer from Toronto garage rock band Fade Awaays

Sex, Drugs, Growing up and Rock’n’Roll

C HECK O UT “SHE DO N ’ T KNOW W H Y” F ROM T A STE OF L IFE

BY F A D E AWAA YS

Kylie Miller from The Beaches.

B y T i f f a ny C a r t e r

I

’M SITTING in a local pub with a decent beer and two modern-day rock stars. Reid MacMaster and Owen Wolff, the guitarist and drummer from Toronto garage rock band Fade Awaays. It’s just a few hours before they’re set to perform with Goodbye Honolulu and The Beaches at the Guelph Concert Theatre, and their other bandmates, Sean Hackl and Duncan Briggs, are loading gear into the venue.

I asked where they get inspiration for their music and they told me they draw from many contemporary bands, such as Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, The Strokes, and in particular, Twin Peaks. “We found rock’n’roll coming out in the past 15 or 20 years is just as alive as music in the 60s or 70s,” Reid said. Fade Awaays’ sound takes on elements of indie rock and garage rock with each band member contributing to the make the sound their music.

We spoke about life on the road and pre-show rituals, and rather than the grand tradition of chugging a bottle of vodka or having a warmup orgy (which I thought may have been the case for four handsome, young Torontonians on the road), Owen told me that they stretch their limbs, think about their future performance, and practice vocal exercises together. “As kids that are 20 and 21 years old it’s difficult to put down the stogie but we realize we gotta be mature about this if we’re trying to make a career out of this,” Reid said.

“We started doing vocal warmups as a group pretty recently, just in the past few months, and we have found a mega difference,” said Reid.

These guys are not living that typical rock’n’roll lifestyle filled with sex and drugs. Instead, they are really in this for the long haul and want to have their name and sound succeed in the music industry.

As the opening band for The Beaches, there was a lot of apprehension and tension in the air to get the show started, but the Fade Awaays brought the heat. On stage, these guys absolutely killed it, bringing high energy and engaging with the crowd throughout the entire performance. Overall, the show was filled with orgasmic energy that pulsated through the crowd. Everyone was in a great mood, singing and dancing along. It was pretty rad that all three bands are Toronto-based and representing what Canada has to offer the music industry.

While Fade Awaays say they have no immediate plans to release an LP (they have a single and an EP) they are working to keep rock’n’roll alive for us kids stuck in the past.

Keep your eyes out for the next time they pass through. They are not to be missed! n

Sean Hackl and Reid MacMaster from Fade Aways.

Photos by Alex Vialette

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C A L E N DA R

TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

I S SU E 18 8.3

WHAT’S ON IN MARCH & APRIL MARCH 14 SUGAR MAPLE GATHERING Celebrating the Sugar Maple Moon with the Global Youth Network 10 am - 4 pm 200 Arboretum Rd MARCH 14 GUELPH CELTIC ORCHESTRA - ST. PATRICK’S CONCERT & CEILIDH St. Patrick’s concert and Irish and Scottish dances 7 pm - 10 pm 135 Ferguson St MARCH 15 DOG JOG 2020 Dog jog with OVC Pet Trust 9 am - 12 pm 270 Arboretum Rd

MARCH 18 HISTORY BITES: GUELPH CIRCA 1999 History tours of featured exhibitions and collections in the Guelph Civic Museum 12 pm - 1 pm 52 Norfolk St MARCH 18 MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS Learn about medieval manuscripts and how they were made 1 pm - 4 pm Archival and Special Collections, McLaughlin Library MARCH 21 EMERGE ECOMARKET Annual sustainability expo showcasing environmental organizations, green products and services 10 am - 3 pm Old Quebec Street Shops

MARCH 21 FREE INTRO TO DANCE WORKSHOP Learn Bachata and Waltz with Ballroom Class 3:30 pm - 5 pm 26 Eramosa Rd MARCH 21 & 22 COLLEGE ROYAL Annual College Royal Open House weekend 9 am - 4:30 pm University of Guelph MARCH 23 WEIRD COMEDY SHOW Stand up comedy show hosted by comedians Maria Nicole and Denise Nouvion 8 pm - 10:30 pm 49 Norfolk St

MARCH 31 2020 LAST LECTURE Opportunity for graduating students to reflect on their experiences at U of G and celebrate their accomplishments 5:30 pm - 7 pm War Memorial Hall APRIL 2-12 SWORDFISH BY TOM REIDEL A play involving finding love, antique markets, and the Mob Thurs - Sat 8 pm - 10:30 pm Sun 2 pm - 4:30 pm 176 Morris Street APRIL 3 GRYPHCON 2020 Annual games convention with RPG, board, card, and miniature games Fri 5 pm - 4 am Sat 9 am - 4 am Sun 9 am - 6 pm Peter Clark Hall

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22

@TH E O NTA R I O N

M A RCH 1 2 T H , 2020

HOROSCOPES ARTFULLY DIVINED BY LEAH MORROW

^

_

`

TAURUS Apr. 20 - May 20

GEMINI May 21 - Jun. 20

CANCER Jun. 21 - July 22

Fiery and ambitious, you are a true trailblazer. This month, let your ambition be your guide and don’t be afraid to forge your own trail if needed.

Variety is the spice of life.

Earth signs tend to plod along steadily throughout their day-to-day lives, and you are no exception, Taurus. It is important that you keep in mind that not everyone moves at your pace.

The death card in the tarot is often feared, although it shouldn’t be. The death card represents transformation— the death of one thing and birth of something new.

This month is all about rebirth and renewal for you.

Cancer, you just might be the type to watch horror movies alone in the dark.

The stars love that for you.

Fear is a powerful emotion, and you seem to work alongside it instead of against it.

d

e

f

LEO b July 23 - Aug 22

a

ARIES Mar. 21 - Apr. 19

When Icarus got too close to the sun, his wax wings melted. This could be a lesson in hubris or a lesson in preparedness. Never underestimate the power of planning. The sun will rise again tomorrow. Take your time.

h

g

c

VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sept. 22 A house cannot be built before a foundation is laid.

This is where you are at in your life. The foundation you worked hard to build has finally been perfected.

Reach forward and seize the success that awaits you.

i

LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

SCORPIO Oct. 23 - Nov. 21

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22 - Dec. 21

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

PISCES Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

It is said that Libra’s can be very dependent on others.

This is untrue. You are a force of nature. You can be a peaceful stream or a tornado. Either way, you do just fine alone. Embrace that gift this month.

Dear Scorpio, you attract more flies with honey than with vinegar. This month it is important that you continue to move forward with grace and humility.

These virtues will serve you well and help you build more connections.

As Blink182 said in their song “Feeling This,” “look to the past and remember and smile.” Look at all the goals you have accomplished, and be proud. But do not be afraid to revamp those goals to fit your current needs.

In ancient Greece, the Spartans would throw babies that were deemed ill-fit to become soldiers off of Mount Taygetus. Maybe don’t take things that far, but take this month to examine who really deserves to be in your life.

The quest to find the truth will consume you this month, water bearer. Do not hesitate to hold up a magnifying glass to those areas of your life that may be causing you difficulties.

Life is what you make it this month, Pisces. The energies you interact with this month may be difficult, but in the end it is up to you whether this will affect you positively or negatively.

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TH E O NTA R I O N .CO M

CROSSWORD

28– Roman statesman

43– I could ___ horse!

32– Bites

44– Variety of chalcedony

33– Boundaries

ACROSS

17– Yes ___?

1– Singer Young

18– Unstressed

35– ___ II (razor brand)

5– Reduces speed

20– Located

54– Recording of acoustic signals

1

55– Gullible

14

15

17

18

45– Pack animal

57– C.S.A. soldiers

36– -speak

46– One who wantonly destroys property

61– I’d hate to break up ___

14– Suffix with sock

23– Kitchen utensil

37– “The Crying Game” actor Stephen

48– Members of the Felidae family

15– Greek goddesses of the seasons

25– Attitude

38– TV part

50– Hamper

64– Dextrous, lively

26– Like marmalade

39– Shredded

27– Lever for rowing

41– Designer Geoffrey

51– Teaching of the Buddha

65– Bikini blast

16– Getting ___ years

DOWN

9– Zones

26– ___ a customer

43– Express support

56– Qty.

39

1– Classical starter

10– Link

27– Curved moldings

47– Black bird

44

2– Be human

11– Deal preceder

49– Bordeaux buddy

3– It’s not free of charge

12– Low-cal

29– Area with coinoperated games

58– Former measure of length

4– Gives slack

19– Some M.I.T. grads

5– Sleep

21– Gerund maker

6– Hermit

23– Prayer

7– Toward the mouth

24– Gossamer

8– WWII female enlistee

41– Former name of Jakarta

25– Song of joy

42– Plain

For your chance to win TWO FREE BOB’S DOGS, submit a completed crossword to The Ontarion office, UC 264, by MARCH 31st at 3 p.m.

Submissions must be cut from the paper and include your name. Winners and anyone else who fill in the crossword correctly are announced in the paper each issue and should collect their voucher from The Ontarion office.

ANSWERS FROM ISSUE 188.2

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41

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55

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60

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65

68

71

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6 2 7 4 1 8 9 5 3

27

32

33

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HITS ON

APRIL 2ND!

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34

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48

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49

29

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59

60

43 47

50

53

54 57

61

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58

Place the digits 1 - 9 once in each row, column, and 3x3 block.

4

3 8 7

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13

38

56

8

12

35

37

52

11

25

5 4 9 5 3 7 6 2 8 1

10

22

2 3 1 8 2 9 5 7 4 6

9

19

24

Better luck next time:

MEAGHAN THEODORE

8

21

SUDOKU

CONGRATULATIONS!

I

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54– Have ___ in one’s bonnet

Abigail Hariprashad

E

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31

11

53– Super server

7

23

16

55

WINNER FROM 188.2:

P

18 21

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51

52– For ___ Jolly Good Fellow

40– Egest

5

36

60– RR stop

51– WWII turning point

34– Attire

4

59– Lamb’s lament

50– Hawaiian dances

31– In base 8

23

63– Blind part

66– Gusto

3

20

22– Beliefs

30– Tooth deposit

2

62– That is to say...

10– Juniper

13– Pass catchers

I S SU E 18 8.3

1 5

1

4 3

1 5

8 3

7

6

5 9

2 8 3

8

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