Vol. 57 Issue 4

Inside...

FEAR AND HYPERBOLE ON EBOLA... 2 STUDENT CHOICE AT THE UTSU AGM .... 3 THE GOLDRING CENTRE AND STUDENTS.... 4 NETWORK OF SUPPORT FOR MENTAL HEALTH.... 6 READING FOR THE CURE.... 10 PIMP YOUR PILSBURY.... 11 WHIPLASH: THE COST OF PERFECTIONISM....13 VICTORIA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

VOL. 57 ISSUE 4 • OCT. 27 2014 • WWW.THESTRAND.CA

THE NORMALIZATION OF FEAR

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OPERA REVIEW OF MADAMA BUTTERFLY

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THE KEY TO SUCCESS AT UOFT DISCOVERED!

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EBOLA

OUTBREAK SPARKS FEAR, HYPERBOLE SARAH LEAPER CONTRIBUTOR In the two weeks between October 1 and October 12, 2014, roughly 1,503 cases of the deadly Ebola virus emerged in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone combined. In the same two weeks, the number of new cases of Ebola appearing in the United States and Canada combined was exactly three. Despite this, commentary on the spread of the virus in North America has been the concern of innumerable headlines over the past month.

Widespread public unease has accompanied this increase in media coverage, with politicians and medical professionals alike weighing in on the conversation.

Reporting by media outlets on the Ebola outbreak has been extensive, and in the wake of a tidal wave of information, the facts of the situation have become increasingly clouded by misinformation and sensationalism.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently remarked, “What has happened recently with Ebola reminds us that in an age of globalization, and particularly global trade and travel, what was a problem that was at one

time far away from us could arrive at our shores very quickly.” This was despite the measures taken by Canadian airports and travel officials, such as screening passengers arriving from West African countries, to stop the virus at the border.

Harper’s statement added to a chorus of commentary coming from other politicians. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the US, recently talked to CNN regarding his concern that the Ebola virus could eventually become airborne. US Senator Rand Paul appeared on Fox News to discuss the virus, stating that one could potentially contract the virus simply by standing three feet away from an infected person. Both of these assertions have been refuted by the World Health Organization, which affirms that transmission of the virus can only occur through human-to-human contact of “blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected people,” and that the chance of the virus becoming airborne is very unlikely.

Despite these refutations, comments like Dempsey’s and Paul’s have elicited articles with head-

lines like “The Ebola Crisis: Much Worse to Come” from The Economist and “How safe are we from Ebola?” from Macleans. Media coverage has been especially concentrated on Amber Vinson, a nurse who became the second American to contract Ebola after treating a patient in Dallas. Along with publishing upto-the-minute details regarding Vinson’s condition on television and online, photographs posted on Reddit by neighbours of Vinson depict news cameras lining streets near the nurse’s home, reporters stopping local residents for comment, and news teams setting up camp on community sidewalks waiting for Vinson to return from isolation.

As long as the Ebola virus continues to be a concern for the North American public, situations like Vinson’s, comments like Harper’s, and sensationalist headlines will continue to be a focal point in the media.

Still, US President Barrack Obama has reminded the public not to “give in to hysteria or fear” in response to a media frenzy that has spread perhaps faster than the Ebola virus itself.

RAPTORS POISED TO REPEAT AS ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPIONS JUSTIN NOVICK-FAILLE CONTRIBUTOR Last season the Toronto Raptors finished four games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets to capture their first Atlantic Division crown. Though they ended up losing to the Nets in the first round of the playoffs, look for the Raptors to once again lead the charge in the weak Atlantic Division.

The probable last-place finishers in the Atlantic Division are the Philadelphia 76ers. While the 76ers have many young, talented players who will likely one day excel in this league, the growing pains will continue for now. Their veterans are mostly serving as role models, and highly touted player Joel Embiid is expected to be out the entire season. Young players, such as Nerlens Noel and 2014 Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams, will continue their development, but the team will continue to purposely tank in order to get a better draft position next year. They will be lucky to reach 19 wins by the end of the season.

Also currently in the rebuilding phase are the Boston Celtics. The Celtics, who won 25 games last season, are in no position to contend. Though they have

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young talents such as Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger, the Celtics will probably endure another rocky season. There is even speculation that point guard Rajon Rondo will leave Boston, thereby worsening the Celtic’s chances. Additionally, rookies Marcus Smart and James Young are only beginning their development.

While Jeff Green and Rondo could steal a few games for the Celtics, expect results similar to last year’s.

The New York Knicks are an enigma going into this season. Though they have all-star Carmelo Anthony, the team struggled tremendously last season, underperforming with only 35 wins. Former Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith will need to have a bounce-back season, while players such as Iman Shumpert and José Calderón will have to step up and make greater contributions. Unfortunately for the Knicks, it appears as if they don’t have the firepower to contend.

The only legitimate threats to the Raptors’ crown are the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets come in with largely the same team as last year, minus an aging Paul Pierce.

Though the Nets’ starters, such as Deron Williams and

Joe Johnson, can match those of the Raptors, Toronto’s bench is deeper and slightly more talented than Brooklyn’s. Notably, Brooklyn has key players returning from injuries, which leaves the team’s performance uncertain heading into the season.

The Toronto Raptors should be able to build off last season’s 48 wins. All-star DeMar DeRozan and point guard Kyle Lowry create an excellent starting backcourt, while young talents like Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross are also valuable assets. The Raptors have some strong options coming off the bench with players such as Greivis Vásquez and Patrick Patterson, who played to the team’s advantage after coming to Toronto in the Rudy Gay trade last December. Other veterans such as Amir Johnson will also play a valuable role on Toronto’s team, which seems to be on the upswing.

Though they may not be the favourites to win it all, the Toronto Raptors are clearly the superior team in the Atlantic Division.

CATHOLIC CHURCH CHAPLAINS CHOOSE CHASTITY FOR HOMOSEXUALS IN CHAMBER CHOICE ANTHONY BURTON NEWS EDITOR The Catholic Church and Pontifex scrapped plans to reevaluate the Church’s position on homosexuality that would be revealed at a synod (a gathering of Church officials to discuss issues of doctrine) earlier this month. The purpose of the synod was also to take up issues of remarried Catholics and communion.

Both proposals were struck down when a pre-synod vote on whether to discuss them failed to give either issue the support of two-thirds of Catholic bishops.

The wording of the paragraph on communion seemed problematic to some, as many bishops reportedly felt that the paragraph in question was largely

symbolic and irrelevant. The following paragraphs moved for the Church to welcome homosexuals into the Catholic community. It was not an acceptance of homosexuality itself, as the church remained steadfast (and reiterated in the proposal) that homosexual relations are “morally problematic.” However, it called to “guarantee…a fraternal space in [Catholic] communities.” By losing the vote, the paragraph was removed from the synod’s proposals, and Catholic policy on homosexuality remains as it was. The issue is now on the table, however, and has its proponents, which is a step forward.

The Catholic Church has historically remained conservative on issues of social liberalism. Church

UTSU AGM PRESENTS VIC STUDENTS WITH STARK CHOICE BEN ATKINS NEWS EDITOR On October 29, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) will hold their 2014 Annual General Meeting (AGM). On the Order of Business published for the AGM is a series of bylaw amendments that, if passed, would dramatically redefine the composition of the UTSU’s Board of Directors. The UTSU, a registered national not-for-profit corporation, has a mandated one-year window to comply with the provisions of the new Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. Several proposals have been submitted to the Union in response to this, all with the goal of restructuring the Union’s Board of Directors. With the exception of the current proposal, which was drafted by the President’s Associate during the 2013-2014 school year, none of those submitted re-structuring proposals have been approved.

The current structure of the UTSU Board of Directors provides proportional representation to each faculty, college, or campus (in the case of the Mississauga campus). In this current composition, in the words of Pierre Harfouche, the UTSU’s Vice President – University Affairs (and an opponent of the proposed bylaw amendment package), each UTSU member elects representatives from their own faculty, college, or campus, in addition to at-large representatives for arts and sciences and professional program students.

All UTSU members can vote for the president and the four vice presidents, although their respective members can only elect college and faculty directors.

In terms of how it would directly affect Victoria College students, this bylaw package would remove all college and faculty director positions completely, replacing them with 12 “Constituency Directors.”

These would consist of an International Students’ Director, an LGBTQ Director, a Women’s Director, a Racialized Students’ Director, an Indigenous Students’ Director, a Mature Students’ Director, a Students with Disabilities Director, Residence Directors, Commuter Directors, and an Athletic Director. While there would be a Victoria College representative on the new Arts and Science Committee, who UTSU President Yolen Bollo-Kamara cited as being able to represent “Victoria College’s voice,” the representative would be appointed, not elected, and would not necessarily sit on the Board of Directors. Despite a lack of college representation on the Board, according to Bollo-Kamara, the Arts and Science Committee representatives would be able to sit on “committees that govern elections and referenda, policy and procedures, services,

and the budget” as voting members.

In light of such serious potential ramifications for college-specific representation at the UTSU, the Victoria University Student Administrative Council (VUSAC) approved a motion to “declare the VUSAC’s stance on the UTSU Board of Directors reform.” The motion, which was passed unanimously on September 26, declares the VUSAC’s resolve to “work with all willing parties to ensure the best possible success of college representation at the October 29 Annual General Meeting of the UTSU, keeping in mind the representative needs of all Victoria students.” When reached for comment, VUSAC President Rowan DeBues noted the merit in expanded representation for minority groups, but criticized the proposal as “poorly thought out, and in the words of [UTSU President] Yolen [who supports the proposal]… ‘far from perfect.’”

According to VUSAC Vice President External Kareem Jarrah, the VUSAC has already begun the initial stages of an information campaign about the proposed bylaw package, which aims to “inform all students of both options on the vote… in the hopes of [the students] coming to a conclusion by themselves.”

When asked whether this effort to inform students of both sides of the issue would be compromised by the VUSAC’s officially-stated stance, Jarrah replied that this stance would dispel “the false impression that VUSAC has a hidden agenda.” Only one bylaw amendment package is up for consideration, which in itself is controversial. According to Harfouche, this structure is the only one being presented because it is the only one that was voted in favour of. Harfouche states that, “It is important to note that this three-quarter decision was made by past Board Members, and that the new Board is highly split on this decision.”

DeBues also referenced the controversial nature of the single-option status of the AGM’s bylaw amendments question. According to DeBues, “Members have tried to work with a diverse set of groups across campus in trying to create alternatives. Unfortunately, those alternatives were blocked by the UTSU.” Bollo-Kamara argues that there are major benefits to approving the proposed Board structure. Within the new structure, Victoria College students would be able to run “for a variety of positions within the UTSU” instead of only being able to run for a Victoria College Director position. For Bollo-Kamara, the principal benefit of the proposed Board structure would

doctrine condemns abortion, homosexual acts, and contraception. However, these principles are founded not on a political basis, but purely on the teachings of the church. This separation has given way to Church condemnations of a variety of movements, such as liberalism, communism, socialism, atheism, feminism, and fascism. Principles of the Church’s social teachings are found in a variety of these movements, such as the Church’s support for labour unionization. As well, the socially conservative values regarding sexuality are in contrast to the Church’s economicallyleft-leaning social justice policies: in reflection of the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Church places a strong emphasis on helping the poor and vulnerable.

be its fulfillment of the UTSU’s mandate, with its commitment to equity and the protection of human rights.

“Students who are passionate about barriers faced by international students, anti-racism, sustainability, and other issues will be able to run for positions to do that work on a university-wide level,” which she views as a major improvement over the current college- and faculty-based voting model.

DeBues concedes that there is merit to giving a “greater platform” and an “improved voice” to the groups that would be represented by the Constituency Directors. Despite the potential benefits to be gained from the codification of “constituency” representation, DeBues characterizes the current proposed structure as an “ill-conceived hashing of disparate ideas.” DeBues also takes offense to the proposed structure’s implication that “the entire LGBTQ community can be summed up by one representative,” and questioned why women, “who make up 60% of the Uof T population,” get the same amount of representatives as the University’s “indigenous population, despite that population being much smaller.” DeBues also asserts that the proposal would apply proportional representation to UTM Directors.

Harfouche opposes the proposed Board structure on somewhat different grounds. While he supports the proposal to include identity-based representation, he takes issue with the idea of any student being able to vote for all director positions. “This would make a majority rule minority issues…allowing St. George students to vote for the UTM rep would be a joke in and of itself.”

According to Harfouche, if the proposed bylaw change is voted down on October 29, the UTSU will have one year (until roughly October 16, 2015) to file compliant bylaws under the new Not-for-profit Corporations Act. If the UTSU fails to come up with an alternative to the currently-proposed amendments within a year, Corporations Canada would impose a set of bylaws upon the Union that would have to be modified and approved by members. It should be noted that, while Bollo-Kamara characterized the current Board structure as “no longer legal” in comments to The Strand, Harfouche stated that the new law would “[create] more bureaucracy for the UTSU if divisions were to exist,” and did not refute the current structure’s legality. Legal status of the current Board’s composition aside, what is decided on October 29 will have far-reaching ramifications for Victoria College students, however they may be represented in the future.

Editor’s Note: Shortly before press time, Har fouche posted a lengthy note on his publicly-accessible Facebook page, urging UTSU members to vote “No” to the Board structure proposal. He went on to question the democratic credibility of the Board that approved the proposed structure last year, which he dubbed “a Board who was entirely acclaimed except for two positions and the executives who had a Yes/No vote.”

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TO BUILD COMMUNITY, A BEAUTIFUL SPACE IS NOT ENOUGH On the utility of the Goldring Student Centre REEMA KUREISHY CONTRIBUTOR Take a shot every time someone says that Uof T St. George is too large to provide any sense of community, and you’ll be drunk pretty quickly.

The “cons” section of every list about Uof T includes this criticism, and students must have uttered this complaint a million and one times. But this lack of community is clearly a valid concern for the student body, and has been for a while. Take the interactive campaign by Unite Uof T, for example.

You might have seen a large Bristol board outside Sidney Smith, where students posted responses to the question, “How does Uof T make you feel?”

Isolation, lack of community, and related mental health issues have been some of the most common responses, along with high tuition fees and crippling amounts of coursework.

It’s extremely hard to bring together a community of more than 67,000 students, thousands of whom are commuters. At Uof T, the college system is one method of creating smaller communities. But how does a college go about building community relationships, and how effective are the various methods of doing that?

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

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Last year, Victoria College inaugurated the Goldring Student Centre after several setbacks and delays. A considerable amount of funding—around $20 million—went into the construction of this building, including $7 million from Vic students.

The Goldring Student Centre is now a designated student space, along with housing some administration offices. The building provides meeting rooms, a commuter lounge, and offices for organizations like VUSAC and The Strand. There are also eateries, like Ned’s Cafe, and spaces for events, like the Cat’s Eye. There is always a need for more student space at Victoria College, which the Goldring Centre provides. In Old Vic, the only student space left is the student-run coffee shop, Caffiends. Plus, if you’re a commuter, having a space designated specifically for you is a welcome gift. The Goldring Centre also provides commuters with lockers, which is another benefit. Trudging from class to class with heavy backpacks and textbooks takes a toll on both your back and your overall sanity.

But there are so many aspects of a wholesome community atmosphere that just the presence of a

new space cannot fulfill. This includes the many problems of isolation felt specifically by commuters, the lack of a sense of place for students in general, and lackluster efforts from the administration to address mental health issues.

A sense of community is perhaps most important for the commuter students. But how many commuters actually make use of these facilities?

Say you are part of Victoria College, but all your classes happen to be at Bahen Centre. How much incentive does one have to trek all the way to Vic campus? People in residence have the benefit of having social interactions within their residences, or even through First Year Learning Communities (FLCs). But if commuter students don’t have classes around Vic, they might not have much reason to go to that side of the campus. It’s definitely true for me as a commuter, and perhaps it’s the same for other commuters as well. I’m sure many understand the challenge of drifting around campus because they are unable to find an ideal space to gravitate towards.

Another small but vital aspect of this placemaking is the history and sentiment of certain spaces like Old Vic. This was demonstrated in the summer when the Dean’s Office tried to get Caffiends to relocate to the Cat’s Eye or the commuter lounge in the Goldring Centre. After online surveys to poll student opinion on the matter and many letters of concern from students and alumni, Caffiends was finally allowed to remain in its aforementioned spot. Personal memories, history, and a sense of tradition end up forming a large part of the community experience. As a very new building, the Goldring Centre is far from having that sort of sentimental value yet.

Fostering a sense of community at Vic only works well if those who are most likely to feel alienated are able to get involved in these efforts. If academic pursuits or part-time jobs take up most of the students’ time (especially commuter students), then additional student space like the Goldring Centre might not mean much. Of course, it is up to the students themselves to seek out opportunities to get involved and balance their responsibilities, but the university administration has an important role to play, too.

This is especially true considering the extent of physical and mental exertion both Vic students and Uof T students generally face.

Community building on campus is a multi-faceted problem, and it needs a multi-faceted approach.

Groups like the Victoria Off Campus Association (VOCA) host free events like pancake breakfasts, which are great social events for any Vic student to participate in. However, structural changes from the administration’s side are also important. This may include the creation of learning communities for upper years and commuters in addition to the already-existing FLCs. We also need a stronger framework for addressing mental health issues at the college level.

This is an on-going, long-term discussion, and one that will—and should—continue as long as Uof T students still feel isolated in spite of the college system.

YOUR TRADITION IS

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JONAH LETOVSKY OPINIONS EDITOR The Varsity reported this week that on October 6, two amendments meant to make Trinity College more gender neutral were voted down at the Trinity College Meeting (TCM), one of Trinity’s governing bodies. The first proposal would have changed all 16 references to “Men and Women of College” within Trinity’s constitution to “Members of College.” The second would have eliminated the gender-segregated leadership roles within the TCM itself. Haley O’Shaughnessy, the president of Rainbow Trinity, an LGBTQ spectrum club, proposed both. Both were rejected.

The amendments were designed to break down the strict gender binary present in Trinity’s constitution—one that no other college constitution emulates.

Essentially, Trinity students that don’t identify as either “men” or “women” are forced to pick one side or the other in order to vote within their college.

TCM voting is usually done through simple hand raising. This time it was decided by secret ballot. Why? According to Luis Lopez, Trinity’s resident head of second year, “Nobody should feel guilty for voting their

real opinions.” The non-resident head of second year, Cas Legrand, further explained the logic: “Open voting would have simply resulted in a divided college, with certain individuals marked in addition to personal accusations of being deemed sexist [or] homophobic.”

Sorry, but fuck that. If your “real opinion” is sexist, homophobic, or transphobic, then damn right you should feel guilty.

And, as a Strand colleague so eloquently put it, Lord forbid they label homophobes as homophobic.

What could possibly justify the rejection of these amendments? How, exactly, does a more segregated TCM and constitution better serve the interests of Trinity students?

Here’s a hint: it doesn’t. The underlying argument for the decision seemed to be that Trinity should protect its institutional traditions. But institutional traditions are worthless if they’re only accessible to some members of the community. The greatest—and most important— tradition at Trinity, Victoria, and all the other colleges within Uof T is enabling students to succeed based on

merit, regardless of who they are or where they come from. This is another tradition that the TCM seemed very comfortable discarding.

This is an outrageous example of an oppressive power structure at work within our university. It’s no surprise that the latest manifestation is happening at Trinity, the least culturally-inclusive college in our system and one with a long and well-documented history of Anglo-Saxon elitism and outright hate. It is a disgusting example of cissexism on campus, and frankly I am ashamed to attend the same university as those TCM members.

I don’t care if it’s your tradition to specifically include the terms “men” and “women” in your official documents. Our university should be open and inclusive to all, regardless of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or race. Everyone counts, and to that end O’Shaughnessy should be commended for her advocacy.

There is no excuse to exclude. Period.

WHERE’S THE CONSENT CULTURE ON UofT CAMPUS? AMANDA AZIZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF As picking up a newspaper or reading an online news source can tell you, university campuses are not always the most progressive of places when it comes to condemning rape culture. In fact, universities foster an environment that often turns a blind eye to perpetrators of rape.

The Redmen football team scandal at McGill University, where three members were charged for sexually assaulting a former Concordia student, is a killer example.

Despite the charges, the three students were allowed to continue their studies and were encouraged to carry on with their athletic pursuits while still on campus.

To no one’s surprise, the administration at McGill did not have much public support for their mishandling of the situation. After many mistakes and, to be frank, a radically botched public relations stint with the media, McGill has been trying to create a counterculture to the rape culture they previously fostered.

Wise move, McGill.

The #ConsentMcGill campaign has been in the works since the summer of 2014 when McGill administration decided to hire both staff and students to promote the necessity of consent on and off campus. The campaign’s official debut was October 20, with events slated to run until October 24. The campaign is intended to educate students about the three aspects of consent: ask, listen, and respect. After a tumultuous past year, it seems like McGill is now hell-bent on becoming the comeback kid for campus safety.

McGill’s campaign has garnered media praise, and is quite accessible in terms of its events and social media presence. However, I personally decided look into the University of Toronto’s efforts in this area. I didn’t have to look too far, nor strain any muscles in this research, because my end results were pretty close to “stagnant.”

The Green Dot program, which promoted on-campus safety and aimed to teach students about consent, has been discontinued and replaced with the “Ask First” initiative. Akin to the Green Dot program, “Ask First” is mainly active within the orientation week of each new

academic year. Only equipped with the resources provided by the official web page, I became skeptical when the “Events” section redirected me to the defunct Green Dot program’s page. I looked up “Ask First” on Facebook and on Twitter, but found nothing. I found zero trace of attempts to continue the initiative after orientation week, save for a YouTube video and a few posters.

Other than that, “Ask First” seems to be inaccessible.

Providing credit where credit is due, I want to say that I’m highly appreciative that “Ask First” has online resources at all. But when it comes to providing a safer, more inclusive environment for students on campus, I’m looking for a campaign that is far more involved. We need a campaign with not only a physical presence on campus, but also a social media presence. We also need a campaign that is “by students, for students” (with help from staff and other professional guidance, of course).

We need a campaign that can help to create a stable culture of consent at Uof T. How many more assaults need to happen before we can achieve that?

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OUR MASTHEAD Editors-in-Chief

Amanda Aziz Emily Pollock Paula Razuri

News

news@thestrand.ca

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Jonah Letovsky

Features

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Geoff Baillie Chantal Duchesne

Arts & Culture

Holly McKenzie-Sutter

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Dominique Béchard Claire Wilkins

Stranded

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Contributors Sarah Leaper, Justin Novick-Faille, Jacob Harron, Angela Sun, Bronwyn Nisbet-Gray, Rachel Gordon, Reema Kureishy, Eric Leung, John Cross Copy Editors Bronwyn Nisbet-Gray, Alexandra Jones, Grace Bannerman Illustrations Lynn Hong, Emily Pollock, Victoria Chuen, Warren Goodwin Photos Victoria Chuen, Victoria College Cover Photo Genevieve Wakutz Correction Cover art for Volume 57 Issue 3

by Sarah Crawley The Strand has been the newspaper of record for Victoria University since 1953. It is published 12 times a year with a circulation of 2000 and is distributed in Victoria University buildings and across the University of Toronto’s St. George campus.

The Strand flagrantly enjoys its editorial autonomy and is committed to acting as an agent of constructive social change. As such, we will not publish material deemed to exhibit racism, sexism, homo/trans*phobia, ableism, or other oppressive language.

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Our offices are located at 150 Charles St. W., Toronto, ON, M5S 1K9. Please direct enquiries by email to editor@thestrand.ca. Submissions are welcome and may be edited for taste, brevity, and legality.

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UOFT’S MENTAL HEALTH CULTURE

EMILY POLLOCK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF October is Mental Health Awareness Month at Uof T, and the need for it has never been more apparent. For a school that has spent thousands of dollars each on psychology research, we’re embarrassingly uneducated on the topic of mental health.

University can be a competitive and isolating place, and students often don’t know where to turn when they’re having a difficult time. We pride ourselves on turning out self-reliant students, but that mentality makes people feel like they can’t reach out. While Uof T is an excellent school for learning, it’s not a great place to build a community.

One student group that aims to counter that trend is Active Minds, a group focused on eradicating the stigma surrounding mental health. On October 16, they hosted “Speak Out”, an event where students with mental health problems talked about their experiences. It wasn’t a dry PSA on How to Live Healthily: performers read poetry, performed slam poems, and even delivered standup comedy routines.

The atmosphere of the event was communal rather than clinical. Although there were brochures about mental health available, the emphasis was on forging connections between people rather than on education. As Active Minds President Chelsea Lauren Ricchio said in her opening speech, “I want us to be the kind of people who others can rely on for real things.” Active Minds is explicitly focused on creating communities for people with mental health problems, and they are constantly running events, like their student potluck (November 20, 6 PM-9 PM), in order to do so.

Ricchio stresses the importance of community as a part of what the group does. When asked what student groups like this can do that the university cannot, she responded, “I think that we’re more accessible. We’re always saying, ‘Add us on Facebook, message us anytime.’

Whereas university channels are like, ‘We’ll get back to you in two business days.’”

“Two business days” is a generous estimate for a university system with a notoriously long waiting list. Although CAPS has a triage system where students in immediate danger will get immediate help, those who aren’t as sick will wait around two months to get an appointment. Often, students are so tired of waiting for CAPS to get back to them that they drop off the wait-list entirely.

Ricchio is also concerned about how students navigate the system: “I think that it needs to be easier to understand. Like, when I first got involved with CAPS, I was so confused about the whole phone evaluation thing. I had no idea how it actually worked.” The current system, where students need to be evaluated by phone before coming in to the office, is confusing and alienating.

Uof T is an enormous university, and CAPS just doesn’t have the kind of resources necessary to deliver psychological help to all of its students. Because they can’t offer psychological counselling to everyone at the university, they focus on coping skills and mindfulness workshops. But these services are very one-size-fitsall, and lack the element of human communication that makes therapy so helpful. Furthermore, tips that help with garden-variety student stress can seem frustratingly inefficient against mental health problems.

These gaps in the system are what make student groups like Active Minds so important. Having peers to talk to doesn’t replace professional counselling, but it gives people a support system and the kind of warm, human contact that can be hard to find on campus. For students, especially those leery of the mental health system, that sense of community can be more important than anything.

Ricchio believes that this is why Active Minds will always be relevant. “Sometimes, you want to talk to someone your age, someone who talks like you do. It’s not as much about treatment as it is about community.”

And whether or not the university ever steps up its game on the treatment front, community will always be important.

STRIKE!

The Strand’s upcoming Winter Magazine is all about “work.”

Whether you want to write about terrible first jobs, labour rights or work culture, this is your time to shine!

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[

*

work*

articles (500-2500 words) art, photography, photo essays submit to magazine@thestrand.ca articles due November 2

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NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH: RACHEL GORDON ASSOCIATE EDITOR

It was new and flattering. But looking back, I took for granted that I was always with at least one of my taller, older, male friends when I went to these clubs. I didn’t put too much thought into the attention I received: people were nice and backed down if I didn’t reciprocate. To attribute that respect to my male friends, rather than to myself, seemed ridiculous. People weren’t that bad.

Mind you, this was my personal experience. An unfortunate number of my friends had experienced harassment, sexual abuse, and even rape throughout high school. However, I’d grown up around guys.

My best friend is one. I spent many of my formative years a “tomboy” because I liked sports and frequently found the other sex easier to hang out with. Not to mention the years of playground confrontations and tearful washroom escapes that led

me to the early conclusion that girls were mean.

Guys were too, but in a way that didn’t point out my above-average weight or bowl cut. I trusted men because I associated them with the many male friends who had always been there for me. I felt terrible that there were women who directly experienced the effects of rape culture, but I wasn’t one of them.

When I looked in the mirror at age 19 and saw the same awkward tomboy I had at age seven, the possibility of experiencing harassment first-hand never crossed my mind.

It was obvious from the beginning that going out in my smallish hometown was going to be substantially different from my Toronto experiences: less diverse groups, no subway, smaller crowds. It involved less exploring and more strategy. The lack of late-night transit meant factoring in walking dis-

WENTING LI

At the beginning of the summer, the first I spent as a fully legal adult, I remember feeling limitless. I’m a January baby, so I’d already been going out, ID in hand, for the whole of second semester. And let me tell you, it had surpassed all expectations. I found Toronto nightlife (the kind that doesn’t let you in on a sketchy fake and a hopeful smile) amazing. Not only was I exploring new parts of Toronto, meeting new people, and having a generally great time, but I was also being introduced to club culture.

This was a foreign concept to someone who spent their adolescence displaying all the sexual charm of Gene Belcher (and at times a very similar sense of style). If university was a new realm in male-female relations, city nightlife constituted a new galaxy. Suddenly, simply being female meant a lot of interest from people unafraid to express it.

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FE

THE NORMALIZATION OF FEAR tance, and smaller crowds meant finding out where the hell people actually went to have fun. This usually led to a clump of bars a few blocks from my house. The bars were fine, and the absence of many legal friends meant that going out was a relaxed affair. That is, until the first of my best friends from home turned 19.

She wanted to go to a club. A few seconds of research showed that the selection of clubs in our town made our bar selection look like a veritable smorgasbord. Using my tried-and-true strategy of trusting familiarity, we chose a club a few blocks from one of the regular bars. It was as packed as any club in Toronto, so I could look beyond the puddles on the floor and suspicious stains on the walls. As soon as we walked in, a group of guys approached our group of three and we paired up with them, spreading out across the floor. It was fine until the person I was dancing with started biting my neck.

It was a bit much for me, especially coming from a stranger, so I decided I’d go get a drink. Upon starting to pull away, he held me back from behind and kept doing it, and when I tried to walk away again, he grabbed my crotch, hard. I was confused and scared. I tried to move, but he had my waist in a tight grip. I struggled, but he was strong. I could’ve tried to defend myself, but in that moment all I knew was that a man much larger than me was touching me in a way I wasn’t comfortable with, and refusing to let me go. I was terrified. I stood immobile for much too long, feeling utterly helpless. I am not a helpless person. I am strong and capable, and this feeling was alien to me. After what felt like a very long time, I remembered I had a voice.

I don’t remember what I said, but I said something loud enough for my two friends to hear me and look over. I used this attention as an opportunity to step away while the person holding me, under the gaze of those around us, relinquished his hold and muttered to his friends that he had to pee. I didn’t say anything to my friends. For the rest of the night I danced alone on an elevated platform, where no one was behind me and I had a clear view of everything, and everyone. He didn’t approach me. When it was time to leave, one of my friends’ dance partners asked if we wanted to come back to his place. He stood in a group that included the guy I had been dancing with. Before my friend could speak, I said no and pushed us outside.

This set a precedent for the rest of the summer. I no longer felt limitless, ready to explore. I became less and less excited to go out and increasingly nervous every time I did. It was as if something intrinsic had changed within me, a mark of “victim” tattooed across my chest that only men could see.

A gentle whisper of “this one’s vulnerable” that caused me to be verbally harassed upwards of five times a month. A glowing invitation for a group of young men to make lewd gestures towards me repeatedly at a children’s carnival. I felt degraded and objectified, and I couldn’t help but wonder if all this

stemmed from my assault. It took me a long time to call it that: assault. To accept that, even though countless women go through so much worse than I had, what I experienced was an assault. I clearly did not want him to touch me, and he clearly did not care.

Around the end of summer, I finally worked up the nerve to go dancing with some friends. It was a smaller place and a bigger group, one of whom was large and male. It seemed safer. I spent most of the night sitting to the side of the dance floor, watching them, rejecting offers from those around me to enter the sea of bodies. They all backed down gracefully. I felt myself becoming more relaxed. This was a different place, not as big or dark as the club where I was grabbed. No one was pressuring me into anything and my friends were obviously having fun. With a burst of uncertain confidence I stood

I believe we can create change if we continue to speak up and engage in a dialogue...

It’s time to normalize the discussion. up and pushed my way into the crowd of people, trying to reach the ones I had come with. Upon finding them I said hello and made sure everyone was alright. My fear was dissipating. And then out of nowhere, a guy pulled me to him and grabbed my ass.

I turned around, stared at him and bolted, past my friends, past the crowd, into the fluorescent lit bathroom stall where I attempted to stop shaking and catch my breath. The thing I couldn’t erase from my mind was his exclamation of “What the fuck?” as I ran away, and the look plastered across his face that could only be asking what my problem was.

So what’s my problem?

My problem is that I can no longer go to a club unless my friends constantly surround me. My problem is that I no longer have the same trust in men that seemed natural for so long. My problem is that I feel the need to cover up so people won’t shout at me on the street. My problem is that I can’t begin to imagine how horrible it must be for those who have experienced more severe harassment and attacks when my experiences have impacted me this much.

My problem is that I was made to feel helpless. My problem is that there are people out there who re-

fuse to see that we live in a culture where this is deemed acceptable and people aren’t punished for their actions. My problem is that, according to the Sexual Assault Center for Hamilton and Area (SACHA), 60% of Canadian college-aged males indicated they would commit sexual assault if they were certain they would not get caught. While you could argue that the report is from the 90s and therefore obsolete, it maintains its relevance because the rate of sexual assault in Canada has not changed since 1999 (Stats Canada, 2004). My problem is that when I go to a low-key club, get scared, and have to go sit down, a man will say “What the fuck?” as if walking away when he grabbed my ass was a sin.

This past summer left me with a lot of regrets.

I regret not going back to the man who swore at me at the club and telling him that it is not his right to touch me. I regret that I didn’t tell those assholes on the street and at the carnival that my body, my clothes, and my presence that day did not give them license to comment. I regret that I didn’t go to security at the club that night and tell them what happened because I was worried they would think I was blowing it out of proportion.

It disgusts and terrifies me how many people go through these same things, but I always remind myself that there is power in numbers. According to self-reported victim data from the 2004 General Social Survey, approximately 512,200 Canadians aged 15 and older were the victims of a sexual assault in the 12 months preceding the survey, meaning 1,977 incidents of sexual assault per 100,000 people. Not only that, but “being young, attending school and frequent participation in evening activities are all factors that have been identified as increasing the risk of violent victimization” (Perreault, 2008; Gannon and Mihorean, 2005). And I’m not the only one who worries about reporting it. The same survey showed that less than one in ten incidents of sexual assault were reported to the police, with the most commonly stated reason of failing to report being “they felt it was not important enough” (58%).

That’s how normalized this behaviour has become: we believe that being harassed, assaulted, or raped is not worth reporting. This needs to change, and I believe it will.

I believe we can create change if we continue to speak up and engage in a dialogue about these issues. It’s time to criminalize the behaviour and normalize the discussion, creating a culture where others who were afraid to do so can make their voices heard and find the support they need. When I think back to that club, with a man holding onto me, I picture myself suddenly surrounded by peers who’ve experienced harassment of their own. Together, we pry him off of me and march over to the security guard united. Good luck telling thousands of strong and united voices that they are blowing their sense of agency out of proportion.

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READING FOR THE CURE: HOW TORONTO’S ART CHARITIES WILL SAVE THE WORLD

EMILY POLLOCK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF When the announcer at Read for the Cure asked how many people had participated in a Run for the Cure event, a few lonely hands went up throughout the room.

But when she asked how many people had been to another Read for the Cure event, the applause was thunderous. There’s no better way of explaining the popularity of the event, which draws in people who wouldn’t normally feel at home in the cancer charity circles.

Read for the Cure is an annual fundraiser started in 2006 by two Toronto women affected by cancer. Since they were in a book club together, they decided to create a charity to harness their love of reading to help others.

At Read for the Cure events (which now stretch from Ottawa to Vancouver), famous authors talk about their books and answer questions from the audience. The most recent event took place on October 14 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, and featured Gillian Deacon, Plum Johnson, and Miriam Toews. The writers had all recently written books about difficult events in their lives, from a brush with breast cancer to a family member’s suicide, and they talked about the process of transferring these stories to paper. Although the ticket price was steep (I was lucky to get a ticket through a

late cancellation), 100% of the proceeds were donated to charities like the Cancer Research Society.

That last fact alone makes it a standout in the world of cancer charities. Corporate attempts to cash in on cancer awareness involve slapping pink ribbons on everything from makeup to oil drill bits, with little appetite for broader social change. These campaigns are misleading about how much they actually give to charity, often donating only a fraction of their proceeds. Even worse, many of these companies actually create carcinogenic products, making their “Think Pink!” rhetoric utterly hypocritical. The mission of these companies seems to be more about making consumers feel positive about their products than about helping people struggling with cancer.

When the mainstream charitable offerings are this dispiriting, people begin to turn to alternative charities.

Some of the most interesting charities in Toronto have deep connections with the local arts scene. Art Against Cancer is one such charity that aims the power of the arts at making positive change in the world. Their contributors create in many different media, but all of them donate work that will be sold to help combat cancer.

Importantly, their website offers a breakdown of where

the money is actually going (50% goes to the Canadian Cancer Society, 50% goes to organizational costs).

Perhaps it’s naïve to suggest that arts-based charities are immune to corporate control, but the arts-related charities of Toronto are doing really interesting work outside of the charitable mainstream. In a world where charities are becoming corporations (such as the controversial Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation) and corporations are posing as charities, these self-started initiatives are crucial.

At Read for the Cure, the tone of the evening was refreshingly different. The speakers talked about the role environmental factors play in causing cancer— something that most cancer charities, leery of offending corporate sponsors, don’t do. Gillian Deacon, a prominent environmentalist and breast cancer survivor, talked about the health risks toxic products can introduce into our lives. She also touched on what breast cancer survivors call the “tyranny of cheerfulness,” or the pressure towards positivity that exists in certain pink-ribbon spheres.

Revolutionary? Perhaps not. After all, the event was corporate-sponsored. But Read for the Cure is a breath of fresh air nonetheless.

OPERA REVIEW: MADAMA BUTTERFLY JACOB HARRON CONTRIBUTOR

When I walk through the Four Seasons Centre, I feel as though I’ve stepped into a glass display case, or a vault where ancient treasures are sealed from the world to be kept shiny. The operas there are equally well-preserved.

A posh-looking woman smiles at me as I stand in line for the washroom, but likely it’s in approval of my outfit (the Nice Young Man garb being part of the evening’s excitement). After all, we must dress to the Canadian Opera Company’s tastes when consuming their product. Certainly the prohibitive admission costs ensure the Canadian Opera Company’s artistic integrity will not be swayed by ticket-buying trends among capricious youth. I am only able to enter by grace of a discount for those under 30. Oddly enough, I am here for a story about poverty.

Director Brian Macdonald has, symbolically or not, created a static world which lacks specificity. The stage is one bare platform, wooden and grey, with a grey backdrop featuring a mountain. Only protrusions of bamboo suggest that we have landed on another continent— something that might, given the lack of Asian actors, be easy to forget. This is certainly not the exotic paradise through which the lead character, B. J. Pinkerton, seems to be strolling, “searching for a flower to pluck.”

The lofty metaphors the male characters exchange have no counterparts in the austerity around them: nothing is “light as blown glass” or comparable to “a garland of flowers.” The sense is of an empty chamber so well-sealed as to be divorced from place and time. The curtains suggest boxes within boxes, and first open on Pinkerton and his marriage broker supervising the assembly of the bridal dwelling. Pinkerton demands the utmost security, but the set takes this as far as sterility.

Indeed, when Ciocio-san sings longingly of America, she gestures out to the audience, and it is to the audience she looks when awaiting the American’s return. It seems that we, the spectators, are America, peering into a box to watch a butterfly slowly perish. This forces us to question where exactly we’re peering, and the absence of an answer is the absence of a story.

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Are we looking through the eyes of Madama Butterfly herself? That might explain the set, as her country is ordinary in her mind, unlike the distant promise of America. The first visible change onstage is the slow dimming of lights as she awaits her husband, as though her naïveté and love have frozen the sun until now. The problem is that Pinkerton is not lovable. From the beginning, Stefano Secco, the actor who plays Pinkerton, almost slithers across the stage, and prances through his wedding as though it were a buffet. One despises him as easily as one would a leech, or any other American tourist. We do not understand Ciocio-san’s devotion to him, and we do not understand the man himself.

Finding sympathy for Pinkerton may be difficult, but it is possible (the band Weezer actually wrote an album with him as their muse). Furthermore, it is the director’s job. With only a caricature to consider, we learn little of his personal history. The whole tragedy is reduced to one man’s villainy, and thus feels unavoidable. Americans will be Americans; rich bastards will take advantage of young women. What could be changed?

Different actors play the lead roles on different nights, so perhaps Andrea Carè’s Pinkerton leaves less of a trail of slime behind him. For her part, Patricia Racette is commanding, exactly as Madama Butterfly should not be. This is far from a lack of acting ability, merely a miscasting. Racette’s voice soars along with Puccini, but from the beginning she feels entirely in control. This is to her advantage in the final scene when, despite my misgivings about the production, she virtually wrestled tears from me. Resistance was not an option. But before that grand burst of anguish, she has a hard time matching the delicacy and innocence constantly ascribed to her.

Her regal air just renders her susceptibility to Pinkerton less believable, along with her victimhood.

To the question of white actors playing Ciocio-san (and most of the other Japanese characters) I offer no answer, as I have none simple enough for a brief review.

I offer only this suggestion: colour-blind casting achieves

little if the entire cast remains white. Yes, acting is acting.

Yes, Shakespeare’s theatre shunned women, and now the thought of a man playing a female role seems harmless.

But we still have far fewer Asian roles in opera than we do female roles, and it seems especially insulting to give one to a white actor when so few are available in the first place. And it’s not as though Toronto is short on capable East Asian actors.

Ciocio-san does, in her first scene, say that she and the other women in the play have become geishas out of necessity, the only alternative being starvation for their families and themselves. Yet this statement never feels serious; the threat of financial ruin is never given shape. Ciocio-san is doomed ultimately because she falls in love with Pinkerton, but poverty forcing her to marry him at age 15 might also have something to do with her fate. Even as she awaits her husband’s return and Suzuki, Ciocio-san’s maid, insists their money is gone, none of it feels pressing. The world does not intrude on the characters’ bubble, and is so hazy that it probably couldn’t, anyway.

Even if Macdonald seeks only to rouse tears and pity with a love story, he fails to offer us escapism, as we don’t escape to anywhere in particular. Could we not be drawn into a gorgeous foreign land along with Pinkerton, so that we see something of ourselves in his transgressions?

Otherwise, we leave the theatre condemning an individual rather than a set of circumstances. With our government currently trying to eradicate the sex trade, Ciociosan’s social circumstances could have been a catalyst for commentary. But there is nothing of those circumstances implied, onstage or off, and Madama Butterfly’s heart bears all responsibility for her fall. Perhaps anything else would be as difficult for operagoers to imagine as it is for Pinkerton, but the theatre should prompt their imaginations. At least make them rattle their jewellery.

Madama Butter fly is running until October 31. Under-30 tickets are available for $22.00.

PIMP YOUR PILSBURY BRONWYN NISBET-GRAY CONTRIBUTOR University is a special kind of hell. It’s stressful, competitive, and busy. Perhaps most tragically, the food on campus is often subpar and expensive. Most students simply don’t have the time, energy, or interest necessary to dedicate themselves to cooking regularly.

Despite the temptation of warm cookies, flaky pie, or personalized flavour combinations, baking remains a challenge. Recipes require vast numbers of ingredients, attention to detail, sometimes hours of preparation, and

PUMPKIN HAND PIES

the results can be disastrous (as anyone who has tried to bake a pumpkin pie without pre-baking the shell can attest to). The allure of ready-made Pillsbury products is immense and undeniable, and I have nothing against them—in fact, I rely on them whenever I’m pressed for time, or I have an especially unpleasant family gathering to prepare for.

But it should not be overlooked that the basic formulations offered by Pillsbury products are prime can-

didates for adjustment. It’s not hard to experiment with the easy-to-make, relatively inexpensive, almost-guaranteed-to-turn-out-well Pillsbury line. Some of my favourite comfort foods include cinnamon croissants and pumpkin pie, so I’ve outlined a couple of quick adaptations that can be made in kitchens with limited equipment.

SUGAR AND SPICE CROISSANTS

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

This is one of the easiest recipes ever, and it takes very few ingredients to make. It’s definitely a comfort food, and is best eaten warm.

If you remain attached to the “ready-to-bake” PillsburyTM cookie, there are many ways to improve presentation and flavour.

Pie takes some mastery, but hand pies (a small, rounded take on the traditional option) are less time-consuming and are easier to bake and share.

Makes 10 pies Ingredients: • PillsburyTM pie crust • 1 cup pumpkin pie filling (not pumpkin purée) • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar • 1 egg white Instructions: 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Unroll the piecrust. Using a 2-2 ½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out circles. (A few pieces of advice: keep the pastry cold, cut pieces from the outside of the dough towards the center, and reroll the scraps of dough to limit waste.)

3. Place half of the cut-out dough circles on the baking tray.

4. Using your fingers, brush the perimeter of each dough circle with warm water, and plop a tablespoon of pie filling into the centre of each 5. Place another cutout onto each filled piece. Using your fingers, press around the edge of each hand pie to ensure the pie is sealed.

6. Using a spoon, spread egg white lightly onto each pie, then sprinkle with pie spice and sugar.

7. Bake the pies for 20-22 minutes, rotating the tray 180 degrees on the oven rack halfway through.

8. Enjoy these scrumptious morsels!

Makes 8 croissants Ingredients: • 1 pack PillsburyTM crescent rolls • 2 tablespoons butter, melted • 1/3 cup brown sugar • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, with the rack placed in the centre of the oven. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease the baking sheet to ensure the croissants don’t stick.

2. Combine the sugar and pumpkin pie spice, then set aside.

3. Unroll and separate the croissant pastry.

4. Spread the melted butter onto the pastry with a pastry brush (preferable) or a spoon.

5. Sprinkle spiced sugar over the dough, either by hand or with a spoon.

6. Roll up the croissants, starting at the wide end, and space them out evenly on your baking tray.

7. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 1213 minutes.

8. Feast on your delicious creations!

Chocolate-Dipped Cookies • Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.

• Carefully dip the bottom of each cookie, then shake any excess chocolate back into the bowl.

• Place the dipped cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray and leave them to set in the fridge.

• Enjoy!

Fancy edges • Pour sprinkles or coloured granulated sugar into a shallow bowl or soup plate.

• Roll the edges of the ready-to-bake cookies in the sprinkles (if they do not stick, dampen the edges of the cookie and try again).

• Bake and cool cookies as directed.

• Appreciate the delectableness!

Cookie sandwiches: • Bake and cool cookies as directed.

• Choose a filling (vanilla or chocolate icing are common choices, but Marshmallow Fluff, Nutella®, or mascarpone are also good).

• Spread filling onto one cookie and cover with a second cookie to create a sandwich.

• Cover the edges in sprinkles for a festive touch (optional).

• Relish in the sugary deliciousness!

WATCH THIS SPACE: FIFTY FIRST DATES So it’s already the middle of October… Isn’t time for you to actually speak to that cutie in your class instead of creepily staring at them from behind a laptop screen?

But—wait a minute—you can’t just ask them out for a simple coffee. You’re studying at one of the finest academic institutions in the country! There are expectations, you know. Thankfully, The Strand’s new dating column, “Fifty First Dates,” has got you covered! This intrepid reporter will travel all across Toronto to bring you a new date idea every issue. Each installment will include fun and romantic activities along with yummy gastronomic recommendations (because nothing is sexier than a good meal)—all on a student budget. So put on your dancing shoes and get ready to hit the town, because the first installment is on its way for The Strand’s next issue!

LYNN HONG

ANGELA SUN CONTRIBUTOR

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EMILY POLLOCK

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LIFE’S NO CAROL

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT ON THE WALKING DEAD ERIC LEUNG CONTRIBUTOR Terminus: the sanctuary-turned-trap which Rick and his crew of misfits finally reached at the end of Season 4 of The Walking Dead. In Latin, the word “terminus” means “end, boundary, or limit,” so it was clear from this ominous name and the hefty amount of foreshadowing in Season 4 that this place wasn’t going to be a sanctuary for anyone. The latter half of Season 4 saw the main cast travelling to this sinister location, where the characters hoped they could begin to build a safe, stable life, despite living in a post-apocalyptic zombie wasteland. The dramatic finale then left us wondering what the fate of Rick and his companions would be after they were imprisoned in a railroad cart and left to the whims of Gareth and his cannibalistic followers.

Needless to say, it’s been a long, arduous wait for the premiere of Season 5.

In this premiere, we are shown that Rick and the gang are able to make their escape only with the help of Carol, who creates a large explosion and allows some of the zombies in for a distraction. Her swift and decisive actions are worlds away from how she would have handled a scenario like this in season one, which testifies to the rich amount of character growth this series offers.

In the first season Carol was a dependent, abused wife who could barely hold a gun to defend herself.

After her family is killed, however, she begins a transformation into a tough-as-nails woman with some real grit under those fingernails. Her character development is explored many times throughout Seasons 3 and 4. In Season 3, she captures zombies on which to practice Caesarean sections in order to prepare for the birth of Lori’s child. In Season 4, without consulting with any of the other survivors, she chooses to immolate contagious residents of the prison to prevent the spread of the deadly sickness from which they are suffering; Rick ultimately exiles her from the group as a result of this decision. By the beginning of Season 5, she has thoroughly transformed into an apocalyptic veteran.

Ultimately, it is her pragmatism, creativity, and commitment survival that allow her to save Rick and the other survivors from the cannibalistic residents of Terminus.

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The Walking Dead is known for keeping its fans guessing at the kind of monsters Rick and his compatriots might turn into in their quest to survive. Season 5’s premier shows us that Carol has become a stonecold killer who cares about nothing but group survival, arguably at any cost. Her decision to kill Lizzie toward the end of Season 4 is reflective of this. The attitude of most of her friends and allies (and undoubtedly a popular opinion among most people not living through a zombie apocalypse) is that the lives of children should be protected at all costs. However, when Carol realizes that Lizzie has become a burden to herself and Tyreese, she ultimately decides to shoot her.

This sort of harsh utilitarianism can seem unpalatable, and raises the question of whether or not surviving is worth losing touch with humanity. Carol’s increasing moral ambiguity was often met with opposition from characters like Rick, who espoused the belief that the best course of action was always the one that benefitted everybody under his protection. This opposition

was perhaps best embodied in the aforementioned incident in Season 4 when Rick exiled Carol from the prison. Though her decision ultimately saved more lives than it ended, Rick’s belief that innocent people should not be killed rendered it incomprehensible (and unforgiveable) to him.

However, most of the characters, Rick included, have been undergoing changes comparable to Carol’s throughout the duration of the series. Rick is visibly more hardened in recent episodes, and seems to have lost much of the “save-everyone-you-can” mentality he harboured in earlier seasons. Every character except baby Judith has killed at least a few people at this point.

Though Carol’s transformation is arguably one of the most drastic, and many of the toughest and most morally dubious decisions have been hers, the message the show seems to be sending is that in a world full of monsters, retaining your humanity isn’t always an option if you want to survive.

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 10

WHIPLASH:

THE COST OF PERFECTIONISM CLAIRE WILKINS FILM & MUSIC EDITOR A common rhetoric of success states that, in order to be the best, you must be willing to make sacrifices; that if in the end you still don’t reach your goal, it is because you didn’t work hard enough; that life is like a bicycle, and in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving forward. But at what cost is greatness accomplished? What do we lose in falling off the tightrope, or even in just trying to toe the line?

Damien Chazelle’s new film Whiplash more closely interrogates the consequences of these sacrifices. Andrew Neyman (played by Miles Teller) is a young drummer attending classes at a competitive music conservatory. He dreams of greatness, but lacks a sense of self-esteem. Andrew is recruited into Studio Band, the jazz band of imperious conductor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), who will stop at nothing to shape Andrew’s raw talent into polished skill.

What follows is a powerful look into the dangers of perfectionism and a complex examination of power and abuse in student-mentor relationships.

Most of Whiplash’s 100-minute runtime is comprised of musical scenes with little dialogue. Short, fast shots of Andrew beating his drums are set against the swift movement of Terence Fletcher’s hands, swiping to the rise and fall of “Whiplash,” the jazz band’s main performance piece. These shots create a sense of anxiety, communicating the critical importance of each and every note in this musical arena.

Just like each one of Neyman’s drumbeats, Chazelle pays painstaking attention to every shot he takes.

Scenes of conversation mirror the fast-paced, hard-hitting notes of Studio Band’s music, Terence Fletcher hurling insults at Andrew Neyman at the snap of a finger, and Andrew’s anxiety making him short and cynical with those in his personal life. These scenes of dialogue are wicked sharp, shocking, and powerful. Watching Neyman and Fletcher interact is like watching a tennis match, where every interaction is either an assertion or contestation of power.

The intensity of these scenes is both entertaining and painful to watch. Fletcher tells Neyman repeatedly to “pick up the pace,” even when doing so seems to go beyond his physical and mental capabilities. The tension and isolation of Andrew’s dedication to Studio Band is slowly elevated throughout the film to an almost frightening level of desperation. His anxiety seems to increase alongside the speed of his drumstick stroke. Originally unable to conquer his

“double-time swing,” Andrew practices the tempo increase until his hands bleed. His determination goes over the edge of inspiring and morphs into its own kind of monster: wild, destructive, and out of control. However, Chazelle’s ending to Whiplash leaves the director’s take on that all-or-nothing ambition hard to read, with no clear resolution as to whether extreme dedication is worth its sacrifices.

The conditions of Whiplash are all too familiar to many young university students. October is Mental Health Awareness Month at Uof T, and for good reason. This time of year is particularly uneasy, when all of the excitement and freshness of the new school year begins to fade and serious pressure begins to build. Maybe Andrew Neyman’s story can be read as a cautionary tale of the psychological toll that perfectionism can take on young minds, and an examination of the true value of absolute ambition. Terence Fletcher’s harsh words of abuse and ridicule are heard by many university students—maybe not directly from a mentor or in direct words, but from the elders around them who tell them they are lazy and incompetent, from their friends who won’t admit their own failures, and from themselves.

As a glance into the mental consequences of perfectionism, Whiplash stands as a powerful and nuanced reminder of the scars that falling blind into ambition can leave. Subtle yet hard-hitting, Whiplash itself is a balancing act of dramatic artistry, toeing the line between fast-paced thrill and contemplative storytelling and leaving a lasting reverberation in the mind of the viewer for days after.

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DOMINIQUE BÉCHARD FILM & MUSIC EDITOR

YOU’VE CHANGED, ONTARIO

It’s easy enough to detect an artist that you like. You have pre-formed tastes and preferences, and these determine the music you choose to further define you. Of course, different genres are better suited to different days: I like folk when it’s muggy, jazz when I’m drunk.

But have you ever encountered a record label that simply encapsulates your entire being (regardless of mood, or weather, or whatever)? I’ve been searching for this my whole life. At first, I thought Asylum Records was the answer: they used to sign such icons as Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan. However, today they’ve taken a turn for the worse, associating themselves with hip-hop acts like CeeLo Green and New Boyz (I have nothing against these musicians; I just wouldn’t consider them defining aspects of my individuality). But I got over this, and for a time forgot about the search for the ultimate record label.

So, after years of spreading myself thin across dozens of labels to satisfy my diverse moods, I finally stumbled across something absolute—You’ve Changed Records. Their artists are all whimsically distinct, and the label changes the definition of what it means to be founded in an ideal.

What I mean by “an ideal” strikes me as very vague, so I’ll stop there, and allow you to gather from the music what you will.

You’ve Changed Records were founded in Welland, Ontario in 2009 by Daniel Romano and Steve Lambke (both incredible musicians; both sometimes signed with You’ve Changed). In about five years, the company has released around 20 albums, with more constantly being released.

For instance, indie rock group The Constantines recently released their newest LP, Shine A Light.

Within the next month, my favorite You’ve Changed

musician, The Weather Station, will be coming out with a beautiful, melancholic EP called What Am I Going To Do With Every thing I Know. The title alone evokes so much poetic potential. Also, on November 4, You’ve Changed group Marine Dreams will be opening for New York project Waxahatchee, so be sure to check out some incredible music on that blossoming winter night.

I don’t wish to define the record label too subjectively or specifically, because I want you to have the opportunity to discover their motley collection of corresponding sounds on your own, without any annoying discussing of what the label does or doesn’t achieve. All I really wish to indicate with this article is the following: You’ve Changed is cool, Ontarian, and I think you should check them out.

WHAT MAKES A SONG SCARY? GEOFF BAILLIE FEATURES EDITOR

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Bernard Hermann’s “Psycho Suite” over the dining room stereo system while our family ate dinner, by which point my mom had probably come to regret having ever bought the disc.

When I listened to Very Scary Music as a kid, I had never actually seen any of the movies the songs corresponded to, nor did I have any idea what they were about. I’ve since watched them all, and now when I go back and listen to the songs, my fear seems to be based on their association to the movies. This implies that there was something in the songs alone that I once found frightening, which begs the question: What is it that actually makes a song scary?

Horror movie music tends to be composed primarily using minor scales. But so are a lot of other genres, namely heavy metal and punk, which I don’t necessarily find very scary. So that leaves some unique quality that horror movie composers use to make their songs terrifying. Researchers on the subject have found that humans have a biologicallyingrained apprehension towards “non-linear chaotic noise.” This is likely an evolutionary by-product of early humans’ fear of wild animal calls.

When I listened to Very Scary Music again with this knowledge in mind, I found that the composers seemed to be intentionally playing into this Darwinesque fear. The songs emulate the sound of chaos through unpredictable chord changes, irregular meter, dissonance, and a lack of resolve. Some of the songs actually sound like the cry of animals. The Nightmare on Elm Street theme, for instance, uses an electronic drone that sounds like the ominous growl of a bear, and high-pitched synth squelches that sound like shrieking bats. I guess there was something in our biological makeup that made my sister

and me so afraid of this music.

By the time my family moved from Ailsa Craig, my sister and I had grown out of our prime trick-ortreating years, and Very Scary Music ceased to be part of our family tradition. Now that I typically spend Halloween in Toronto, I feel pretty detached from the concept of trick-or-treating. Listening back through the CD does as much to terrify me as to make me feel nostalgic for this childhood tradition.

LYNN HONG

For the first nine years of my life, my family lived in a village in Middlesex County, Ontario called Ailsa Craig. With a small population of 500, the community was very close-knit. Since everyone in town knew each other, festivals and traditions were made out to be a pretty big deal. Halloween, in particular, got everyone out of the house.

My family lived at the centre of Main Street, in close proximity to a haunted barn that a lot of locals liked to visit. This made us a popular stop for trick-or-treaters, and each year my parents would try to play up the spookiness of our old, Victorian-style house as best they could. They lined the sidewalk with ornately carved jack-o-lanterns, put Styrofoam gravestones in the yard, and hung plastic skeletons from the verge board trim above our porch. My mom usually dressed up as a witch and handed out meticulously assembled bags of assorted candy to the kids who came to the door.

One year, my mom picked up a CD called Very Scary Music: Classic Horror Themes. It was a compilation of theme songs from iconic horror movies and television shows like The Exorcist, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Twilight Zone, and so on. The disc was released in 2000, so I would have been six at the time.

She began to play it each Halloween night on a portable CD player in the front foyer of our house. The disc lent itself well to a spooky atmosphere and became a mainstay of our family’s Halloween tradition.

For whatever reason, my older sister and I became oddly obsessed with the sheer terror that these songs evoked in us. Starting on October 1, which was the date we deemed appropriate to start celebrating Halloween, we would listen to the CD on a regular basis. One night my sister and I insisted on playing

St ALL THE NEWS THAT ISN’T FIT TO PRINT

STRANDED AT A GLANCE TTC LEPRECHAUN STILL AT LARGE; OBAMA DEPLOYS DRONES TO AID IN SEARCH

FIRST CONFIRMED CASE OF “WANDERLUST” IN TORONTO

MAN WHO YELLS “BELIEVE!” AT YONGE AND DUNDAS TO BE AWARDED NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

RAY N. BOW

WANDA LUST

WARREN PEACE

The TTC Leprechaun, infamous for his refusal to move his backpack on a crowded bus, continues to elude authorities.

“This has gone too far, and desperate times call for desperate measures,” US President Barack Obama said in a press conference last week, following his authorization to send drones to Toronto.

The announcement was not met with enthusiasm from Toronto residents, who claim the deployment of drones to their city is a violation of their basic human rights. “We fear the imminent airstrike in Toronto as Obama searches for the Leprechaun. Should the search for one man really risk the lives of 3 million people?” asked a citizen who chose to remain anonymous.

TTC regulations have tightened postLeprechaun, and as long as he is still at large, Obama feels that North America is not safe.

Conspiracy theorists point out the strange correlation between Obama’s intrusion of a foreign city in the name of “justice” and his strong desire for gold. “We all know that there’s gold at the end of that Leprechaun’s rainbow. Is the USA’s motive really to make North American a safer place? Or is something else going on here?”

Stranded will continue to report as the search progresses.

Sources have confirmed that a 17-year-old patient is in quarantine at Toronto East General Hospital with a severe case of Wanderlust.

Tuesday morning, after returning from a threemonth trip to Thailand to “find herself,” the patient was rushed into critical care. It is believed that she caught the virus six months ago, after first being exposed to some Tumblr accounts belonging to Mumford & Sons fans.

The diagnosis was confirmed when, without even unpacking her bags after returning from Thailand, the patient said that she was leaving to go backpacking across Europe.

Says the mother of the patient: “At first we found it strange that our daughter was buying vinyl Arctic Monkeys albums and putting white Christmas lights up in her room. By the time she had a mason jar of babysitting money labeled ‘Adventures’ on her bedside table, we knew something was terribly wrong.”

A vaccination for the disease is currently undergoing trials at the University of Toronto.

Symptoms include the desire to shop at Urban Outfitters but claim the purchases are from Value Village, a feeling of being “born in the wrong decade,” and incessant soul-searching trips to foreign countries. In order to protect yourself and stop the spread of the virus, contact a doctor if exposed to Tumblr accounts featuring Lana Del Rey lyrics, grainy polaroids, or the promotion of outdated technology such as VHS or CD Walkmans.

After a riot broke out at Yonge and Dundas Square early last week over an argument about whether the urban area really was a square, or was in fact a diamond, the famed Toronto man who yells “BELIEVE in the Lord!” to unsuspecting pedestrians mediated the conflict by encouraging those involved in the riot to believe.

“It really was quite incredible,” says Anne T. Biotic, who was actively participating in the riot.

“Once everyone realized that we could just believe, we didn’t really care what shape Yonge and Dundas was.”

Soon after the event, Carl-Henrik Heldin, the Chairman of the Nobel Prize Committee, was proud to announce, “The guy who yells at people to ‘BELIEVE!’ deserved the Nobel Peace Prize more than anyone else.”

We were not able to obtain an interview with the man at Yonge and Dundas because, in response to every question our reporter asked, he simply replied with “BELIEVE in the Lord!”

We look forward to seeing if this story will develop further, and are excited to listen to this man’s acceptance speech at the Nobel Prize Ceremonies.

Our team of experts predicts that there is a possibility he may encourage those in attendance to “BELIEVE in the Lord.”

HOW TO WRITE FOR STRANDED WICKEE HOWE Stranded articles are written by some of the funniest, most experienced, and hands-down most attractive students in the world, so it’s no wonder that you’re nervous about this daunting task. However, articles published in Stranded can bring a whole new level of fame/notoriety to your public image, helping to launch the comedy writing career of your dreams (and scoring you a few hot dates while you’re at it). Whether you’re writing a new article or editing an article that’s already been written, here are some steps you can follow to go the extra mile and bring it up to Stranded quality.

2) Send your pitch to Stranded’s mysterious editors at strandededitor@gmail.com. Make sure you play it cool, keeping your pitch at a two to three sentence limit. You don’t want to seem too eager, you know? That way, we’ll know that you’re a serious writer who’s way too jaded to gush on and on about your article. For example: “This is a fresh article about the day my petunia allergy helped me find love in a hopeless place.” Make sure to tell us your approximate word count, as well as the main points you will highlight in your article. Then prepare a highlighter that matches The Strand’s latest colour scheme (this part can be tricky).

1) Pick a fresh new topic for your article. It can really be anything that fits either of these adjectives. For example, an intimate personal essay about the last time you used Febreze™ in your dorm room would be very “fresh,” and an article about the new menu at Burwash would go under “new.” The two categories don’t necessarily have to go together. What really matters is how passionate you are about your topic of choice, as well as its novelty and overall freshness.

3) Wait for approval, and then write your article.

Chances are we’ll get back to you pretty soon, and then it’s show time. You write that article! Yeah! You can do it! This is about all the motivation you’re going to get, kid. It’s a cold, hard world out there, and aspiring journalists have it tough. So get those fingers typing and send a finished version to that very same email address as soon as you’re done.

Tips: - Whoever keeps sending in that same Febreze™ pitch: thank you for the enthusiasm, but please stop. Once is really enough. Really.

- Don’t be afraid to go a little wild with your writing!

The motto here at Stranded is “Anything Goes” (note: as long as it’s “fresh” and “new”) - The Stranded Facebook group is a good organization to join for news and updates on this section, including potential article topics and content calls. You can find it by typing “Stranded @ The Strand” into your Facebook search bar - Microsoft Word is a highly recommended tool for writing your special Stranded article Warning: If you ever write an article for Stranded, you might be indicted into the super secret Stranded cult and forced to sign an agreement promising to write for every future issue in your own blood.

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POLAR BEARS: WHO NEEDS ‘EM? AYN STRAND CONTRIBUTOR

The environmentalists are out to get us again. Naomi Klein, author of such books as I’m a Scary Communist, has recently written a book about how capitalism contributes to climate change. I didn’t actually read the book, since it’s probably 500 pages of crying over dead polar bears, but I know that it’s poorly written and probably communist. After all, Klein uses the bogus “science” of global warming to argue against the important role corporations play in our lives.

Klein’s book is the perfect example of one of the left’s most inconvenient truths—environmentalism has become a gateway drug to “harder” forms of leftism, like labour rights and (gasp) feminism. The pinkos on our university campuses have spearheaded this movement—a group of young people so deluded that they think activism will actually solve global problems.

Young people are basically the worst: they take selfies, they use social media, and they hook up instead of immediately marrying their high-school sweethearts and spending their thirties filled with ennui and regret.

But even more damning is the fact that they’ve picked up on a cause that most of us have the good sense to ignore.

There’s a reason why only foolish young people care about environmentalism. Behind the liberal fear mongering, there is limited evidence that global warming is actually a problem. Did you know that only 97% of scientists believe in some kind of global climate change?

That’s THREE WHOLE PERCENT that think simple facts should be no barrier to the truth. And I, for one, support these brave individualists for daring to stand up to one of the most powerful and nefarious forces in the world. No, not the billion-dollar corporations who basically own our government. I’m talking about the “scientific establishment,” an entity with a title so vague and menacing that it must be a threat to our free market.

Environmentalists have long been known to be one of the world’s most secretive cabals, surpassed only by the Illuminati and the people who name paint chip colours. And in the last five years, their work has secretly been coming to fruition. Their nefarious plan?

Take on the poor, helpless corporations and foster ill will against them, destroying our economy. Talk about a leftwing agenda!

At their core, allegations of global warming are far overstated. For more substantive proof, we must turn our attention to anecdotes, a scientist’s best friend. Do you remember how last winter was really cold? Like, so cold the underpaid workers at my condo had to turn up the heat a whole five degrees so that we could use the indoor pool without freezing? Global warming, my ass! And do you remember that one study about global warming that had dubious data? Checkmate, environmentalists!

Of course, I’m not an expert on the situation. Heck, most of my sources are random friends who “are soooo mad about the 5-cent levy on plastic bags” and “just cannot watch that boring Al Gore movie one more time.” But one thing I do know is that environmentalism is just too founded in fairy-tale ideas about human nature to ever work out. I mean, when was the last time people ever banded together to create positive change?

Probably never, right?

When looking at “global warming,” we have to face the facts. No, not the science. The pure, intuitive facts, without any scientific biases getting in the way. Climate change just doesn’t seem real, and my journalistic intuition tells me that when something seems unbelievable, it probably is.

Even if the earth’s climate was changing, it would be too big to fix. Our politicians don’t care about it, our corporations don’t want us to think about it, and our fellow taxpayers don’t know anything about it. So the best solution is to do nothing, and to take cheap pot shots at the people who actually think we can solve it.

Silly liberal idealists, amirite?

Besides, we have more serious problems to worry about, like how to make buildings big enough to hold all the money the oil companies are making.

For more on how much I hate young people, see the next issue!

He’s probably an asshole, any way.

KEY TO SUCCEEDING AT UOFT DISCOVERED BREAKING NEWS: You will literally flunk out of university if you don’t get a front-row-centre seat in all of your lectures.

Do we have any tangible data to support this claim?

Not as of yet. However, that was the conclusion this reporter was forced to come to after observing the group of students milling around Room 102 in McLennan Physical Laboratories prior to the start of their lecture last Tuesday.

Despite the fact that another lecture was very clearly still going on in the lecture hall, the most intrepid and unflagging of students began entering the lecture hall ten minutes before the hour, ensuring that they would not get anything less than the absolute best seats in the room. Two rows back and slightly to the left just won’t cut it if you want to succeed at Uof T. As the minutes passed, these students slowly but steadily inched their way forward, determined to get to the very front before the previous class had so much as packed their bags. Did they let other students out of the rows before entering? Did they wait until the previous professor had finished her lecture before starting to talk about their own most recent problem set? No, of course not. Not these top Uof T students—not when something

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as important as a front-row seat was on the line.

And once the previous class had finally managed to squeeze their way through the oncoming horde of overachievers, these best-of-the-best Uof T students did what any good student absolutely must do: they saved entire rows of seats for all of their friends. How else are you going to avoid having to sit next to—ugh—a stranger?

So there you have it, dear readers: the only logical conclusion is that being front-row-centre is necessary in order to pass. Either that, or Uof T students just don’t possess the common courtesy that should be a given by this point in life. But this reporter certainly hopes that isn’t the case.