Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
Several members of university community see “fundamental” shift in role of capital at U of T Alex McKeen
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Bill Nelson started teaching at the University of Toronto when Sidney Smith was not a building, but the university’s president. Nelson went on to become chair of the university government committee in 1969 and held many administrative roles. Now 90 years old and retired, the history professor has observed one particularly significant change at the institution where he centred his career. “Something fundamental has happened to North American universities,” Nelson says, “Forty years ago, major universities were not primarily concerned with servicing the world of business and commerce. The primary concern was educating people.”
While much of the University of Toronto community does not have a perspective spanning 50 years, students, some professors, and experts agree that the institution is becoming increasingly intimate with the free market.
FUNDING AND GOVERNANCE To Nelson, the increasing corporatization of the university marks a widespread change in attitude brought about by the influence of private money. He says that individuals and corporations have exercised increasing influence through monetary means, such as endowments for academic chairs, which injure the pure academic foundation of the institution. “Going back 30 years, academics have been urged to go out and find private money,” Nelson says. “That’s not a way to run a university.”
Nelson also cites factors such as increased tuition that tie students to the so-called “corporate world.” In the Faculty of Law, for instance, tuition is around $30,000 for first-year domestic students — a number that, Nelson argues, forces students to pursue high-paying corporate jobs to pay off their debts. Glen Jones, Ontario research chair on postsecondary education policy and measurement and professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, says that universities are complicated corporations, which have to make difficult budgeting decisions when faced with increasing financial pressures. According to Jones, the university does not have to sacrifice accountability to various constituencies in this process.
CONTINUED ON PG 9
Yes or no: graduate students vote on CFS membership Allegations of student suppression arise ahead of vote Hannah Wilkinson
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
As the Graduate Students’ Union (gsu) at the University of Toronto prepares to hold a referendum on whether or not to remain a member of the Canadian Federation of Students (cfs) and the cfs-Ontario (cfs-o), new information has come to light indicating that certain signatures were deemed invalid during a petition drive a year ago. The landmark vote will take place between Monday, November 24 and Friday, November 28.
24 November, 2014
The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
A referendum can only be achieved once a petition is signed by over 20 per cent of the union’s population. The gsu had submitted their petition to the cfs last winter.
THE ROAD TO REFERENDUM In order to properly verify that all the names provided in the petition were valid, Deloitte, a professional services firm, was appointed by both parties to review the petition. Deloitte informed the gsu last March that their petition did not meet the necessary 20 per cent threshold and that a number of student signatures were deemed invalid.
The report provided by Deloitte raised a number of questions for the gsu. In response, they formed a Litigation Committee in order to properly investigate Deloitte’s conclusions. It was revealed over the course of the legal process that Deloitte was granted the power to make judgements as to what constituted a valid signature. This meant that the firm could apply either “strict” or “liberal” interpretations to what constituted a valid signature.
CONTINUED ON PG 10
INSIDE Comment To post or not to post? Is social media an appropriate forum for public debate?
PG. 12
Features Sounds of the street Meet the musicians of Toronto’s streets and subways
PG. 14
Arts & Culture Prize-winning poetry An interview with U of T master’s student and winner of this years Walrus Poetry Prize, Michael Prior
PG. 18
Science In conversation with Tyrone Hayes UC Berkeley endocrinologist advocates for unbiased research
PG. 21
Sports Previews and reviews A look back and a look ahead at this year’s Varsity Blues teams
PG. 25
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VARSITY NEWS
Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
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The Norman Bethune statue surrounded by the first snowfall of the year on November 20, 2014. Mallika Makkar/THe VarsiTy
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Associate Senior Copy Editor Hunter McGuire Associate News Editor Iris Robin Alex McKeen Salvatore Basiolone Associate Comment Editor Victoria Wicks Emma Kikulis Associate A&C Editors Daniel Konikoff Jacob Lorinc Associate Science Editor Nadezha Woinowsky-Krieger Associate Sports Editor Reshara Alviarez Associate Web Developer Ishan Thukral Contributors Lisa Bernard, Shaan Bhambra, Sam Caladrone, Emily Colero, Emma Compeau, Alexander Fernandes, Claire Fox, Jonathan Gass, Meerah Haq, Sam Henry, Emily Katz, Emma Kikulis, David Kitai, Danielle Klein, Spencer Knibutat, Daniel Konikoff, Jacob Lorinc, Tamim Mansour, Cassandra Mazza, Alex McKeen, Christian Medeiros, Malone Mullin, Arco Recto, Iris Robin, Cristina Roca Phylactopoulou, Zane Schwartz, Kasi Sewraj, Ayla Shiblaq, Caroline Shim, Simon Spichak, Thomas Vangou, Alex Verman, Hannah Wilkinson, Shijie Zhou, Xia (Alice) Zhu Copy editors and Fact Checkers Temilade Adevjinka, Mayte Anchante, Isabela Borgez, Kieran Buckingham, Michael Chepesick, Heather Eason, Ujwal Ganguly, Alexandra Grieve, John Elias Hadzipetros, Abdel Hameed, Malone Mullin, Sumaya Musse, Stanislav Nachev, Soham Parelkar, Anthony Piruzza, Elizabeth Prekas, Sean Smith, Jonathan Soo, Suhas Srinivasan, Divna Stojanovic lead Fact-Checkers Heather Eason, Sean Smith, Suhas Srinivasan Designers Kawmadie Karunanayake, Janice Liu, Vanessa Wang, Mari Zhou
Photographers and illustrators Julien Balbontin, Emma Compeau, James Flynn, Timothy Law, Subin Lee, Janice Liu, Jacob Lorinc, Mallika Makkar, Simone Santerre, Alexandra Scandolo, Ann Sheng, Catherine Solomon, Jennifer Su, Maya Wong, Shijie Zhou
Business Office Business Manager Karen Zhou business@thevarsity.ca Business Associate Parsa Jebely parsa@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executives Anna Afshar anna@thevarsity.ca rachel@thevarsity.ca Rachel Choi The Varsity is the University of Toronto's largest student newspaper, publishing since 1880. The Varsity has a circulation of 20,000, and is published by Varsity Publications Inc. It is printed by Master Web Inc. on recycled newsprint stock. Content © 2014 by The Varsity. All rights reserved. Any editorial inquiries and/or letters should be directed to the sections associated with them; emails listed above. The Varsity reserves the right to edit all submissions. Inquiries regarding ad sales can be made to ads@thevarsity.ca. ISSN: 0042-2789
WHAT’S GOING ON THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS MONDAY FEMINIST LUNCH HOUR – “QUEERING THE ARCHIVES: TRANS* ORAL HISTORIES”
143 North Building, UTM, 12:00 pm — 1:00 pm
Explore trans issues with Dr. Elspeth Brown as part of the feminist lunch hour series. The project connects over 200 life stories through collaborative research.
TUESDAY
THE EXPLAINER
CRUNCH TIME AND CRAPPY WEATHER Right now, you’re probably in the middle of cramming for tests and writing papers that you should have started two weeks ago. Add in the drizzly, grey, and cold weather, and you’ve just got the fixings for a bad time.
POLYTECHNIQUE – FILM SCREENING
We know how you feel. We’re students too!
OISE Auditorium, 252 Bloor St. W, 6:00 pm–9:00 pm
Here are some things to remember so that the stress doesn’t overwhelm you:
The film follows the events of the shooting of 14 women before the gunman took his own life on December 6, 1989. This screening marks 25 years since the École Polytechnique Montréal Massacre.
WEDNESDAY SMCSU PRESENTS: BLOOD DRIVE! Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor St. W, 12:30 pm–1:30 pm The St. Michael’s College annual blood drive returns for the first time in over four years. Come out and help alleviate the blood and plasma shortage.
THURSDAY BOOST YOUR STUDY SKILLS AND ACADEMIC CONFIDENCE AC321, UTSC,12:00 pm–2:00 pm Brush up your study skills in time for exam season with academic learning strategists and study skills peer coaches. Bring your textbooks, syllabi, or notes to receive hands-on help.
FRIDAY
1. In three weeks, the semester will be over, and you can spend about a month not worrying about school stuff. (Possibly — it depends on your courses. Also, you may have to spend a few hours in the Eaton Centre buying presents for people you barely see. You may have to use the extra time to pick up hours at your job.) 2. A nice snowfall is just around the corner. Skating, tobogganing, and building a snowman — there are so many ways to enjoy winter. Sure, that means shovelling. Yes, the salt will ruin your shoes and pants. Of course, the snow turns to brown slush within two days and will soak through every nook and cranny in your boots. But it’s not all bad! 3. Ever seen that movie The Faculty? Perspective! At least U of T isn’t ground zero for an invasion by alien body snatchers who want to destroy the human race. Things could always be worse.
Corrections: An article from November 10 incorrectly stated that this
POCO AND TRANSNATIONAL STUDIES TODAY
year’s eXpression Against Oppression was the fifth annual. In fact, the events have run annually since at least 2000.
Join the Hart House Literary and Library Committee and the English Students’ Union for this literary panel. Professors Uzoma Esonwanne, Smaro Kamboureli, and Neil ten Kortenaar will be speaking.
An article from October 20 contained incorrect information about the UTSU’s class definitions.
Hart House Library, 12:00 pm–2:00 pm
var.st/news
VARSITY NEWS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014
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Potential for TA strike looms TAs, postdocs give union strike mandates in November vote Emma Compeau VARSITY STAFF
Teaching assistants (tas) and course instructors who are members of Canadian Union of Public Employees (cupe) 3902 Units 1 and 5 recently voted to give the union strike mandates following a series of unfruitful negotiations with the university. cupe 3902 represents about 8,000 academic employees at the University of Toronto who work on contracts of one year or less. The vote for Unit 1, which represents students and postdocs employed as tas, course instructors, or in other academic capacities, saw a record-high turnout of 1,723 people, with 90.3 per cent of votes in favour of the move, as reported on the union’s website on November 11. The vote for Unit 5, which represents internally funded postdocs employed as researchers, saw a turnout of 179 people, with 81 per cent voting in favour of the move. Though the vote doesn’t guarantee a strike immediately, the union can now legally call a strike at any time. The implications of a potential strike are causing tensions between students, instructors, and the administration. For the union, the primary goal of negotiations has been to seek wage increases to match inflation, and increases to benefits. The union is also seeking tuition credits or waivers at U of T, as well as changes to university hiring policy. The tas’ funding package has been frozen since 2008. According to Ryan Culpepper, vice-chair of cupe 3209 Unit 1, the university has disagreed with every major proposal the union has brought forward and has given less than half of the bargaining dates from previous years. For Culpepper, this inflexibility is as unacceptable as it is unprecedented. “To my knowledge, this round of bargaining marks the first time the university has come to the bargaining table demanding a total compensation freeze on Day One of negotiations,” Culpepper says.
STUDENTS AND TEACHERS According to Culpepper, master’s and PhD students at U of T are awarded minimum funding
juLIEN bALbONTIN/THE VArsITy
of $15,000 per year for five years. The university may require graduate level students to work up to 205 hours under this funding package. Beyond these hours, tas are paid at an hourly rate that is negotiated by cupe 3902. Currently, the negotiated earnings are $45 per hour at an average of 5 hours per week. Culpepper told The Varsity that course instructors and tas at the university have been unionized for 41 years, and have opened negotiations with the university 18 times since 1973. These negotiations have led to three strikes, with the latest one occurring in 2001.
EFFECT ON UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS A strike by cupe 3902 would impact students who rely on tas and course instructors for grading, office hours, tutorials, exam invigilation, and lectures. According to Culpepper, a strike would mean the cancellation of all these aspects of work including the potential cancellation of some classes. If a strike were to occur, it is likely that there would be picket lines that may result in some buildings being closed.
Students are concerned that these actions would unfairly target learners who benefit from union members’ work. Anna McNeil, a third-year kinesiology student, said that she doesn’t think students should be penalized for any failed negotiations. “Their problem does not have to do with the students, but with the institution of University of Toronto, and [they] should find a better way to come to an agreement,” McNeil says. McKenzie Embree, an upper-year environmental studies and political science student, echoes McNeil’s concerns, adding that she thinks it is greedy for instructors to exert this position. “I think that the tas already receive more than they give by breaking down their wages to $45 per hour and benefits. They are... trying to use the fact that they can control our future by putting our education in the balance,” Embree says.
TA SPEAKS OUT Craig Smith, a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science and a ta for POL208, Introduction to International Relations, thinks that the motivation for the strike vote came down to negotiating in good faith. “The purpose of the initial strike vote
is to change the bargaining dynamics at the table,” Smith says, adding: “If the university bargained in good faith, none of this would have to happen. It’s in nobody’s interest to shut down the university.” Smith says that, as a ta, he does not want to jeopardize any learning opportunities for his students, but says that the university has put instructors in a tight situation. “It’s terrible that in every bargaining round they have to test the solidarity of the union, and test our willingness to put our students in the middle of this,” he explains. Smith adds that he — like most tas — loves his teaching position. “Most people who I know are doing this because they are passionate about the areas that they teach in, and they love to teach,” Smith says. According to Angela Hildyard, U of T vicepresident of human resources and equity, U of T offers tas a greater level of support than peer institutions such as McGill University or the University of British Columbia. Hildyard remained optimistic that negotiations will continue and that a strike will not be necessary. “[T]he parties have had a series of negotiation sessions which the university hopes to continue. Its goal remains to arrive at a renewal collective agreement that is reasonable considering all the interests at stake, one of which is to be responsive to the Ontario Government’s stated position that there be no net increases in compensation in broader public sector settlements,” she says. Smith emphasized that tas are often an integral part of the learning process for U of T students. “For most students, [tas] do the majority of the teaching. For the university to put those people in a precarious situation, I don’t understand their interest in doing that,” he says. Smith adds that the motivation to get involved transcends direct rewards for many tas and becomes a matter of political importance. “The reason that departments that are more political are so turned on to this stuff is because we realize that none of the gains that we have now would have been possible without solidarity and mobilization in the past,” he says. The current collective agreement expired on April 30, 2014.
Students march for a fossil-free U of T Fossil Free U of T event calls on university to divest from fossil fuel companies Jonathan Gass
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
“Divest! Divest! Put fossil fuels to rest!” chanted 170 University of Toronto students and alumni in protest against the the university’s current investments in the fossil fuel industry. At the Fossil Free U of T march on Wednesday, November 12, protesters toting signs marched from the corner of St. George Street and College Street to Robarts library, finally ending up at Simcoe Hall in front of U of T president Meric Gertler’s office. The march was part of a week of events and activities organized by Toronto350, an environmental group, to bring students and alumni together in the fight against climate change and encourage the university to divest its shares in the fossil fuel industry. In addition to Wednesday’s march, advocates of the movement engaged in streetcanvassing efforts on Tuesday and a postmarch bar night on Thursday. Divestment Action Week was just one of the many efforts made by Toronto350 to
Fossil Free U of T wants the university to divest from fossil fuels. jENNIFEr su/THE VArsITy
raise awareness about the importance of mitigating climate change. Students and alumni present at Wednesday’s march cited fears of rising global temperatures and greenhouse gas pollution as their main reasons for being there. Kate Raycraft, a former U of T student, says, “U of T needs to take the lead” on cli-
mate action — a statement echoed by many others at the march. Peter, a former U of T student who declined to give his last name, says that “the sooner big institutions like the University of Toronto divest [from] fossil fuels, the sooner other large institutions will do the same.” He, like others in attendance, hopes that
the university will sell its stock holdings in fossil fuel companies like Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell — leading other postsecondary institutions to follow suit. At a Governing Council meeting in March, Gertler formally announced an ad-hoc committee to “review the [divestment] petition and accompanying brief, and… consider the University’s response to call for divestment.” The committee is composed of 11 highranking experts from various U of T constituencies and is expected to bring recommendations to the Governing Council within a year of its first official meeting. If the university agrees to divest its stock holdings in fossil fuel companies, it remains uncertain as to where the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (utam) will reinvest the money. Graham Henry, a member of Toronto 350’s executive committee, says that “investment uncertainty is one of the greatest challenges facing this campaign.” If utam recognizes the potential financial benefits of divestment outlined in Toronto350’s divestment brief, Henry adds, the movement could take off.
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Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
VARSITY NEWS
news@thevarsity.ca
Centre for Jewish Studies gets $18 million endowment Centre renamed Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies following fundraising campaign Claire Fox
VARSITY STAFF
Dignitaries at the centre’s launch event. photo courtesy of the office of advancement
The Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies (cjs) officially opened on Monday, November 17, following a campaign led by Ken and Larry Tanenbaum, grandson and son of famous philanthropist Anne Tanenbaum. The community campaign raised approximately $18 million. Jeffrey Kopstein, director of the newly endowed centre, expressed his gratitude to the university and donor community at last Monday’s launch event. “The study of Jewish civilisation is a natural part of what we do at the University of Toronto, and must therefore be integrated across the university since it is too important not to be. I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to know that the university and the community both support the vision,” said Kopstein. Kopstein cited the importance of integrating Jewish Studies across the university and creating a seat of Jewish learning on a global level as the reasoning behind the enthusiasm for the community campaign. “It’s something that would benefit not only the students of U of T but, of course, the wider community,” Kopstein said. Ken Tanenbaum led the campaign in contacting and speaking to major donors in Toronto, both Jewish and non-Jewish.
David Cameron, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, and U of T president Meric Gertler both attended the launch event. The generosity of donors was acknowledged with a new wall that features the names of those who have given at least $50,000 in support of Jewish studies at the university. Cameron highlighted the importance of the centre to the university community. “Tonight, we mark the successful completion of a major philanthropic endeavour to foster education and research in Jewish studies,” he said. Gertler echoed Cameron’s sentiment, saying that the university was on its way to establishing the cjs as one of the world’s “leading forums” for Jewish studies. Ken Tanenbaum, co-chair of the campaign, said the centre would accomplish numerous goals. “It’s about further integration and conversation among the humanities to build understanding across faiths and cultures that are representative of Canada,” he said. Kopstein said original research would play a large role in the centre’s work. “What makes a great university is that we don’t just teach other people’s work, we actually are involved in inventing the knowledge that we impart. So I’d really like to back original research… to support our faculty members in their research, and to support graduate students.”
Hart House set for renovations Project to replace heating, plumbing, electrical systems Iris Robin and Emily Katz VARSITY STAFF
Hart House is set to undergo a series of major renovations to update the century-old building. According to Bruce Kidd, Hart House warden, the current plan is to carry out the renovations in stages, so that Hart House can continue to provide services to students and other constituencies throughout the construction period. “[At] no time have we contemplated completely closing the building,” says Kidd. “The project is necessary to replace the 100year old heating, plumbing and electrical systems, bring about other long necessary improvements, and do so in a way that reduces the environmental imprint and associated costs,” Kidd adds. Kidd says that the process of completing the Project Planning Report for Green Heritage Infrastructural Renewal (ghir) is almost finished. The Project Planning Committee for the ghir is one of six new project planning committees approved by the university’s Capital Project and Space Allocation Committee, and will prepare a formal recommendation for a capital project to move ahead. Baird Samson Neuert (bsn), an architectural services firm, was hired after it won a national competition to conduct a study of the building and to suggest a strategy for upgrading the building’s infrastructure in an ecologically sensitive way while preserving its architectural heritage. The bsn study was presented to the university on August 23, 2013. The Project Planning Committee for Hart House ghir is in the process of reviewing the bsn study in order to prepare a Project Planning Report, which will determine the optimal strategy to upgrade the building, along with the technologies and materials to be used for upgrading infrastructure in a sustainable way. The report will also recommend the extent to which Hart House is to be air-conditioned. Additionally, the report will outline how the
Hart House is slated to be renovated in stages. mallika makkar/the varsity
renovations will comply with external stipulations, including Hart House’s heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act, the Council of Ontario Universities’ space standards, and the University of Toronto’s space standards. According to the terms of reference given to the Project Planning Committee of the Hart House ghir by the U of T Governing Council, the report will also analyze the secondary effects of the renovation project and the impact on Hart House services. The report will provide a space and functional plan, detailing how Hart House activi-
ties will be accommodated in the areas to be renovated. The space plan will be based upon an assessment of the predicted activities and staffing of the building, with a view to maintaining accessibility and washroom facilities. Though the upcoming project is a major one, it is not the first time the building has been updated in its years of operation. Construction first began on the original building in 1911, and it opened its doors to students in 1919. In 2006, the Hart House elevator was unveiled, granting accessibility to multiple levels
of the building for the first time. Information such as the data and communication strategy, the sources of funding for the capital project, any reduced or increased operating costs once the project is complete, and an estimated total project cost will be available upon the release of the report. Kidd hopes to submit a near-final draft of the report to the Hart House Board of Stewards, Hart House’s highest governing body, at its next meeting in December or early in 2015. The project planning process has been underway for the last two years.
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VARSITY NEWS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014
All motions pass at SCSU AGM
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Motion to investigate online voting, Board of Directors removal among those approved FINANCES
The SCSU will now investigate the feasibility of online voting. james flynn/THe VarsiTy
Iris Robin
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Twenty-five agenda items were presented to students at the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (scsu) Annual General Meeting (agm) on November 12. Caitlin Smith, former president of the Ryerson Students’ Union, chaired the meeting. With the exception of a withdrawn motion to condemn the Board of Directors structure proposed by the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu), all motions on the agenda were passed. The motion was withdrawn on the grounds that the board structure had already been voted down at the utsu agm in late October.
BYLAW AMENDMENTS Following the approval of the agenda and the executive reports, five motions to amend the scsu’s bylaws were considered. One motion to change the number of meetings that a member of the Board of Directors could miss before being removed from office sparked debate. Students voted four times to extend the speaking list and continue the discussion. The motion changed the rules for removing a member of the Board of Directors from their position.
A clause in the motion increased the total maximum number of meetings missed for removal from office from three to five. The 15 directors meet approximately 12 times a year. Habiba Desai, the former presidential candidate from the New Political Student Party slate during last year’s scsu elections, spoke against the motion. “The scsu has a problem with making their directors attend meetings,” Desai says. Six of 15 directors were present at the most recent scsu board meeting. “[Election] packages clearly indicate that board positions require attendance at monthly meetings. If you can not make the commitment than do not run for the position,” Desai adds. Pallavi Suresan, a student in attendance, was in favour of the motion. Suresan said that people who are involved in student government are likely to be involved with other groups on campus, in addition to work and academic commitments. “I can understand the worry that people might abuse that or might take it as an excuse to miss a meeting, but these are things that would happen whether or not that rule was in place. If someone doesn’t want to go to a meeting, if that motion hasn’t passed they still wouldn’t want to go,” Suresan says. The motion achieved the two-thirds majority required to pass, with 660 votes in favour and 148 against.
ONLINE VOTING The scsu will investigate the feasibility of online voting for future elections after a motion moved by Desai was passed. According to Tahsin Chowdhury, president of the scsu, the scsu’s Elections and Referenda Committee and the Policy and Bylaws Committee will conduct the investigation and produce a report on their findings to scsu members at the first Board of Directors meeting in the winter semester. Students were divided on the issue, with some raising concerns about the security and accessibility of online voting. Others praised it as a step towards ending polarity on campus. Suresan supported the motion, and said that she would like to see online voting implemented in the future, adding that online voting could increase voter turnout and help students get involved. “I think that, if you give people more opportunities to be engaged and that you show that we are trying to open this up and we are trying to have more voices heard, that would really encourage people to come out,” Suresan says. She was one of the students who spoke in favour of the motion. “I am in support of the most safe, fair, inclusive, and accessible elections,” Chowdhury says of the result of the vote.
scsu vice-president, operations, Kaleab Mulatu presented the scsu’s audited financial statements for the year 2013–2014. Desai expressed concern with the state of the scsu’s finances, noting that about 85 per cent of the union’s revenue comes from its students. Desai alleged that a small proportion of student fees were allocated towards student services after orientation. “They spend $713,458 or 55 per cent on wages. The argument is the people hired work for the student, thus providing service,” Desai says, adding: “[O]ne must question how efficient and productive the student union [is] if we are paying people $753,458 to spend $117,500.” “Their lack of transparency when it comes to scsu finances is despicable. The people that are supposed to fight for us are using us for their own gains,” Desai alleges, saying that the scsu refuses to provide descriptions of full-time positions and salary breakdowns. A motion about socially responsible investment, which stipulated that the scsu initiate a review of the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation’s investments, passed at the agm. The motion asked that the scsu submit a report of its findings to university administration.
EQUITY The agm began with an equity statement, which acknowledged the unceded territory upon which the agm took place, as well as guidelines on how to maintain a safe and inclusive atmosphere. Motions to create an Indigenous Awareness Week, to advocate for Indigenous studies and programming, and to lobby university administration on consulting students in order to develop curriculum changes that better reflect the utsc population all passed easily at the meeting. A motion to oppose the ban of the niqab, a face covering worn by some Muslim women, was also passed. The scsu has taken an oppositional stance towards legislation that would restrict any Canadian individual in terms of their freedom of expression and/or Charter rights. “I was very thrilled with the turn out. Students came out, they questioned, and they spoke out,” Desai says. “I thought the agm went really well,” Chowdhury agrees.
Community rallies around detained alumnus Khaled Al-Qazzaz Former engineering student has been detained, uncharged, in an Egyptian prison for 500 days Spencer Knibutat VARSITY STAFF
The number 500 carries special significance for Sarah Attia. That is the number of handmade heartand dove-shaped chocolates handed out at Hart House on November 14, the number of winter coats being collected and distributed to Toronto’s homeless, and the number of days her husband, University of Toronto alumnus Khaled Al-Qazzaz, has spent detained yet uncharged in an Egyptian prison. Those receiving one of the handmade chocolates would have heard of Al-Qazzaz’s tale. Attia recounted how, after Al-Qazzaz completed his master’s in mechanical engineer-
ing (MASc) in 2003, the pair moved to Egypt, where they “started an International School that provided children with quality education and focused on skills development, volunteerism, community, and human rights.” Due to his work as a volunteer campaigner for the Freedom and Justice Party, a former Egyptian political party, Al-Qazzaz was eventually asked to join the Egyptian president’s office as the Secretary for Foreign Relations. It was because of this affiliation with the party that Al-Qazzaz was detained when Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s regime was overthrown by a military coup d’état on July 3, 2013. In the more than 500 days that have since elapsed, Khaled has remained in what Amnesty International describes as “a cramped
2-metre by 2.5-metre cell, infested with insects and without natural light.” His health has deteriorated since his imprisonment. He is currently in hospital, where he has waited a month for a surgery on his spinal stenosis, which, if left untreated, could result in permanent paralysis. Although the pay-it-forward initiatives raise awareness about Al-Qazzaz’s story, Attia says that they are intended to “pay forward [AlQazzaz’s] kindness, generosity, and dedication with random acts of kindness and generosity.” There are currently 10 pay-it-forward initiatives. While the majority are taking place in Toronto — such as the recent distribution of 500 flowers at Yonge-Dundas Square on
November 22 — some events are also happening across Canada and the United States. Al-Qazzaz’s plight has also impacted some current U of T students. “I got involved because I felt that I almost owed it to him, because of what he has done and the impact that he has left on the people that I looked up to... just being around his family and seeing his kids is heartbreaking, to know that they have been without their father for, at this point, over 500 days,” says Kayria Taghdi, a fourth-year student. Attia says that Al-Qazzaz’s friends and family will continue waiting for him “to come to Canada to get the medical care he needs, return to his passion in education, finish his PhD, and catch up on the lost time with his children.”
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Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
news@thevarsity.ca
Web services to be overhauled in coming year ROSI to be phased out in favour of new system Alex Verman
VARSITY STAFF
In the coming year, the university administration plans to overhaul Student Web Services in a move that will prioritize accessibility and responsiveness, with a view towards consolidating services into one central site. The Next Generation Student Information Services (ngsis) project is designed to develop a set of tools and platforms for various student services from residence booking to the Degree Explorer. rosi is set to be phased out. Accessible Campus Online Resource Network (acorn), the new course enrolment software that will be implemented as part of ngsis, claims to be designed with an interest in accessibility and clarity in mind. “There are a number of unnecessary hurdles along the enrollment process,” reads the University of Toronto’s ngsis project site. The developers and administration are concerned about the usefulness of the existing rosi framework, recognizing that one chief complaint about rosi in the past has been its incompatibility with mobile devices. “The existing functionality presents particular challenges for students to complete basic tasks like adding and dropping courses, understanding registration and financial statuses, and understanding their personal timetables,” according to the ngsis team. The existing technology that was used to build and maintain rosi as a hub of Student Web Services is no longer supported and has proven resistant to incorporating newer services — such as the Degree Explorer and Course Finder features — into a single website. Cathy Eberts, director of Solutions Development in the Information Technology Services department, said that the development of acorn has been a two-year enterprise and has involved significant student participation. “There has been active student participation in the development of ngsis tools, and acorn in particular, with
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approximately 900 students contributing in its development through surveys, interviews, focus groups and usability tests,” says Eberts, adding: “Student participation from all three campuses and nearly every faculty is also ongoing.” Beyond acorn, the team at ngsis has been focused on expanding rosi’s hours. At the moment, the service currently goes down for scheduled maintenance at different times. “The ngsis technical team has worked to increase rosi’s availability and has added an additional five hours per week during the past 12 months,” says Eberts.
“The team is continuing to review system maintenance activities in order to make further improvements,” she adds. In spite of these changes, the current rosi service is still causing some problems for students — particularly those on exchange. Exchange students cannot add or drop courses on rosi; they can only view their courses. All Faculty of Arts & Science course request changes, including practical and tutorial sections, must be done in person, as of September 2014, for exchange students. Eberts does not consider this problematic, saying that for exchange students particu-
larly, they have found in-person advisors to be more effective in course selection. “There will always be cases where in-person registrarial assistance is most effective, such as in the case of exchange students coming to the University of Toronto,” she says. Eberts said that she expects acorn’s system launch to take place in the early spring, but that there will be an “introduction to acorn” site launched prior to the December break in an effort to give students a chance to see and contribute to the final testing of the website. The project site notes acorn’s progress at 70 per cent completed.
UTMSU AGM highlights union’s initiatives Mental health, accessibility, rape culture set to be addressed in new campaigns Tamim Mansour VARSITY STAFF
The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (utmsu) held its Annual General Meeting (agm) on November 13. The meeting opened with a short video welcoming students to the agm and summarizing several utmsu activities. In an email that was widely circulated prior to the agm, Luke Sawczak, editor-in-chief of The Medium, utm’s student newspaper, expressed concern over a utmsu directive that forbade media from bringing audio and video recording equipment into Council Chambers for the duration of the agm. Last year, The Medium’s news editor, Larissa Ho, had her bag searched before she was allowed into the meeting.
IMPROVING AND CONSOLIDATING SERVICES In his address, Hassan Havili, president of the utmsu, spoke on several campaigns that the ut-
msu initiated in the past year, including #GenerationVote, a campaign to encourage student participation in municipal elections. Havili also spoke to the need to encourage more students to use the services available in the utm Student Centre. The Student Centre played host to several events during the past year, including a Haunted Carnival on Halloween and a block party to celebrate the final stages of the fifa World Cup 2014. The Student Centre also houses several student societies. Genny Lawen, utmsu vice-president, university affairs & academics, spoke on the success of two farmers’ markets held this past fall. Lawen saw this as evidence that students wanted healthy and affordable food, and said that the utmsu is considering holding more farmers’ markets in the future.
EQUITY CAMPAIGNS The utmsu is set to organize a peer-to-peer support group as part of its mental health awareness campaign.
Melissa Theodore, utmsu vice-president, equity, said that students have identified a need for a peer-to-peer support group. Theodore said it is necessary to have people with relevant experience facilitating the support group. utmsu coordinators will identify students from the lgbtq community and the disabled students community as facilitators for the support group. Tasneem Abdel Haleem, utmsu accessibility coordinator, is responsible for identifying potential facilitators from the disabled students community. The facilitators will be trained by the Health & Counselling Centre, utm’s health service provider. Haleem stressed that the role of the support group was to provide support for people going through a difficult time — not to provide professional counselling. The support group is expected to launch in January 2015. Theodore also spoke of the No Means No campaign during the agm. The campaign is aimed at denouncing and diminishing rape
culture on campus. When asked about the equity demands of the campaign, Theodore said that they included a victims’ advocate, mandatory sexual assault training, and the introduction of a campus task force for sexual assault. When questioned by a student about the progress on the 1.0 Drop Credit campaign, Lawen admitted that not much progress had been made since last year. The 1.0 Drop Credit campaign would allow students to remove a course from their transcript. According to Lawen, U of T is one of the few North American universities without this policy, and the utmsu is currently in the process of collecting signatures for a petition to open discussions with the dean’s office. For the financial 2013–2014 year, utmsu reported a surplus of $219,828. The student pub, the Blind Duck, also reported a surplus of $37,349. This is the second year for which the Blind Duck has achieved a surplus.
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EngSoc officers secure positions until end of academic year Quorum not met at EngSoc Accountability Meeting, voting procedure removed
Every undergraduate in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering is a member of EngSoc. jENNIFER SU/THE VARSITy
Caroline Shim VARSITY STAFF
The officers of the University of Toronto Engineering Society (EngSoc) have secured their positions until the end of
2014–2015 academic year. On November 12, EngSoc held its Accountability Meeting at the Galbraith Building. The meeting was designed for all full-time and part-time undergraduate students in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering to give feedback on the officers’ performance
and to remove them from their positions if their performance has been unsatisfactory. Each officer gave a PowerPoint presentation laying out their accomplishments, goals for the remainder of the year, and current society circumstances. Teresa Nguyen, EngSoc president, defined
the current core issues surrounding EngSoc, including balancing long- and short-term projects, various goals and initiatives, and closing the gap between EngSoc and its 80 affiliated clubs. Nguyen’s presentation was followed by Mehran Hydary, EngSoc vice-president, finance; Karan Shukla, vice-president, communications; Ryan Gomes, vice-president, academic; and Cory Sulpizi, vice-president, student life. Each presentation was followed by a question and answer session with the audience to clear any confusion about the information delivered. The meeting did not reach the quorum of 50 members, and thus members did not vote on whether each officer should continue in their current positions. The voting procedure was replaced with an opportunity for the audience to submit anonymous feedback to the officers. Members suggested that the team save quarrels for their own meetings and solve any internal problems on their own. Members also called for a clearer division of responsibilities for officers, and for officers to reach out more often to the engineering student body. Matthew Lee, an aerospace engineering student who hosted the meeting, passed all comments on to the officers after the session. Nguyen said that EngSoc’s practice of holding an accountability meeting that enables its members to evaluate the executives’ performance and give them the power to continue or terminate executives is relatively rare.
Speakers announced for 2015 TEDxUofT conference U of T event is titled “A Constellation of Insights” Meerah Haq
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
University of Toronto–educated physician, Joshua Liu, created an app that aims to reduce patient readmission rates after a surgical procedure. Liu, the co-founder and ceo of Seamless Mobile Health, is one of four speakers scheduled to speak at this year’s TEDxUofT, a community-organized branch of the global conference series. The other speakers include Avis Glaze, an educational leader who has made it her mission to increase graduation rates among students with disadvantaged backgrounds; Carmen Logie, an assistant professor at U of T’s Faculty of Social Work who researches health equity; and Kang Lee, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education who researches face processing and the development of lying. The speakers were announced at the 2015 conference launch event on November 18. This year’s conference, titled “A Constellation of Insights,” is designed to connect spirits, ideas, and discoveries. According to TEDxUofT chair and utsc student Jeanny Yao, the conference will centre on connecting pieces of the global puzzle to give the audience a broader picture. Nabhia Pasarcha, a launch event attendee, said the conference offers students an op-
The conference is scheduled for March 15, 2015. coURTESy oF pIERRE RoqUET
portunity to engage with research that often goes unnoticed. “These speakers are people in the community that you are not really looking at, and this conference gives you a chance to see the people doing work behind the scenes,” says Pasarcha. Amin Sharifi, TEDxUofT partnerships di-
rector, says the conference serves as both a learning experience and a networking opportunity. “There is a difference between watching a speaker online and listening to them in-person,” says Sharifi. Attendance for the event is limited due to space constraints. Victoria Banderob,
TEDxUofT social media executive, says that conference organizers plan to sell around 400 tickets. According to Banderob, the conference is scheduled for March 15, 2015. Conference organizers are currently seeking volunteers.
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“Women suffer disproportionately” Mosaic Institute event highlights women in armed conflict Emily Colero
VARSITY STAFF
“Women suffer disproportionately,” began Augusta Waldie, co-president of UofMosaic@ UofT at the Women & Armed Conflict Citizen Summit, presented by The Mosaic Institute on November 15, 2014. The day-long event offered a space for students to discuss issues affecting women in armed conflict. Waldie says that discussions surrounding sexual assault and gender-based violence have recently exploded on campus, creating a framework for students to think about justice on a global scale. “It is our hope that students will expand their interest and their pursuit of justice to an international context and work with us to ease the suffering of women trapped by armed conflicts,” Waldie says. Illana Landsberg-Lewis, who currently serves as the executive director of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, an organization dedicated to combating hiv/aids in Africa, spent eight years working for the un Development Fund for Women (unifem). During her time with unifem, she was instrumental in the development and management of unifem’s Trust Fund on Violence against Women. Landsberg-Lewis discussed her time working at the United Nations, as well as issues surrounding gender violence as a weapon of war. She focused on conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which she describes as “one of the worst places in the world for women” — where rape is normative and used to spread hiv/aids. When asked if she feels hopeful in spite of the hardships she witnesses, LandsbergLewis says that the she “runs on outrage,” and that the women she works with give her hope. Lee Maracle, traditional teacher at the University of Toronto’s First Nations House, also gave a talk on First Nations restorative justice and the Stolen Sisters. “Rape is not about sex, love, lust or the way you dress — but about powering out on someone,” Maracle said during the discussion, adding: “Girls need to learn to fight back.”
The summit addressed issues affecting women in war and conflict. emma compeau/THe VarsiTy
Another member of the U of T community also spoke at the event: James Maskalyk, a physician and author who practices emergency medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Members of the UofMosaic, a network of campus-based chapters of The Mosaic Institute, discussed why it is important for students to care about global conflict issues. “Toronto is full of multi-cultural identities that are able to connect with
these issues and should get involved,” says Abdi Hesi, a graduate student at U of T, adding: “Understanding international conflict can help people understand conflict in Canada between indigenous people and the government.” Alawia Sherif, an undergraduate student at U of T, says that “one of the guiding values of Mosaic is creating an inter community dialogue between communities in conflict and to harness diversity in a way that
creates a generation of global citizens.” Waldie adds that UofMosaic@UofT is currently working with the International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict to raise awareness about these global issues and create tangible change. Concluding her keynote address at the Women & Armed Conflict Citizen Summit, Landsberg-Lewis’ voice broke with tears as she told the audience that it is “so far past time to act.”
Statistics Canada survey shows higher literacy levels than previously thought
Like wasting time? There’s a course for that
NEWS IN BRIEF Ontario mulls over funding for international graduate students
Classes at Sidney Smith Hall interrupted following flood
To improve the global competitiveness of its universities, Ontario is now considering funding spots for international graduate students. Today, Ontario is one of the few provinces that does not provide financing for international graduate students. About 15 per cent of the University of Toronto’s graduate students come from abroad. The universities are currently discussing the topic with Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. While the provincial government wishes to maintain Ontario’s global reputation, opponents argue that only Canadians should benefit from government money. “We are not able to bring in the best and the brightest from around the world and we will start to see Ontario universities falling in the rankings. We’ve started to see that a little bit,” said Allison Sekuler, dean of graduate studies at McMaster University.
A flood in the basement of Sidney Smith Hall caused an interruption to regularly scheduled classes late last week. The flood took place Thursday in the basement of Sidney Smith, causing 17 classes to be displaced to alternative locations because of safety issues and water damage. A notice released by the Faculty of Arts & Science said that a “swift response by staff was crucial in keeping damage to a minimum.” The flood also impacted other facilities in the basement of Sidney Smith, including Sid’s Cafe, which is closed until Monday. As a result of the disruption, the Faculty of Arts & Science promptly posted notices of the classroom changes on their website Thursday. The notice did not detail the expected cause of the incident, but assured students that no injuries had resulted.
— Lisa Bernard With files from The Globe and Mail
— Alex McKeen
A new study administered by Statistics Canada found that Canadian graduating students have higher levels of literacy and numeracy than the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (oecd) claimed last year. The oecd suggested that about a third of postsecondary students in Canada graduated without adequate levels of literacy and numeracy, leaving them apparently unprepared for professional work. Statistics Canada now attributes the discrepancy to the fact that Canada has a high proportion of graduates with degrees issued by institutions outside the country. About half of the graduates from this group displayed lower scores when tested. Sixteen per cent of Canadian-born graduates showed poor literacy skills and 23 per cent had low levels of numeracy. Regardless of their literacy and numeracy skills, Canadian and foreign-born graduates have vastly different experiences in the labour market — Canadian-born graduates appear to be relatively unaffected by low numeracy levels. — Iris Robin With files from The Globe and Mail
Creative writing students at the University of Pennsylvania are now able to earn a credit for doing what many young people are already experts at: wasting time on the Internet. Kenneth Goldsmith, an instructor at the university, said he plans to enforce a constant “state of distraction” for students in the course, who must spend the three-hour seminar communicating through online platforms. The goal of the course is for students to write something good as a product of their time spent on the Internet. While Goldsmith said much of the prejudice against online dithering is unfair, he emphasized that the course is designed to force students into practising a bad habit that he hopes will discourage them from future multi-tasking. Students in the class will also look at how other time-wasters turned their loafing into works of literature. — Cassandra Mazza With files from The Washington Post
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Is U of T becoming too corporate? CONTINUED FROM COVER “We are a long ways away from the ‘60s when the vast majority of funds that the university obtained was from... government,” Jones says. The Ontario government has increased funding to universities by 83 per cent since 2003. However, Jones said that funding is down on a per-student basis. According to university statistics, 42.7 per cent of the university’s 2013 revenues came from government sources, while 36.9 per cent came from student tuition. “[The university] has to find new sources of income and it ends up spending a lot of effort on fundraising and on its relationship with industry and on other sales of services,” says Jones. Jones explains that U of T approaches these financial pressures in a unique way because of the “New Budget Model” adopted in 2005. The decentralized approach of this plan, Jones says, places funding decisions with the faculty deans. The New Budget Model is a model borrowed from the corporate world. For Jones, this has been a successful way of managing decisions in a complicated institution such as the University of Toronto. “It makes all kind of sense ... because it moves on the assumption that the best academic decisions are made lower down in the institution, rather than centrally,” he says. The other aspect of managing these pressures is university governance. The University of Toronto has a unicameral governance structure, which combines student, faculty, alumni, members of industry, and government appointees to the single-bodied Governing Council. This differs from some other universities with bicameral governance structures that incorporate both a board of directors and an academic senate. Nelson considers this structure as problematic because of its weaknesses and its resemblance to a corporate board. “It doesn’t attract the first-rate people from either the corporate world or the university world,” Nelson says of the Governing Council. “They like to see themselves as ceos.” Many of the university’s decisions are also made in secret. At a recent Business Board meeting on November 3, three items were considered in camera, including an information update on a real estate transaction. According to section 6.1 of the Business Board Terms of Reference, meetings may be held in closed session when “matters may be disclosed at the meeting of such a nature, having regard to the circumstances, that the desirability of avoiding open discussion thereof outweighs the desirability of adhering to the principle that meetings be open to the public, or… intimate financial or personal matters of any person may be disclosed at the meeting or part thereof.” Part of the problem identified by Nelson is that, under this budget model, university administration carries a large price tag. “Once you adopt this corporate model, then you’ve got to pay the president of the university a salary that’s respectable on a corporate basis,” says Nelson. U of T president Meric Gertler pulled in $351,748 last year. This is less than half the salary made by the top-paid U of T employee, William Moriarty, who made $772,547 last year as president of the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation. This is equivalent to the domestic undergraduate Arts & Science tuition fees for 106 students. According to the Ontario Sunshine List, Moriarty received one of Ontario’s top five public sector salaries in 2013.
DEGREE COMMODIFICATION While the university apparatus becomes more business-like, students are increasingly ques-
tioning the value of their degrees and the return that they will see upon graduating. Cara Lew, a fourth-year economics major, already has a job lined up at TD Securities after graduation. Lew says that investing in her University of Toronto degree has produced the desired return. Though Lew says it is true that a university degree is shaped by the efforts a student puts into it, Lew thinks that opportunities have been opened up for her as a result of her decision to attend U of T. “The fact that I was able to get past that initial [job application] stage shows that there is value in going to U of T, getting an economics degree, and being on the dean’s list,” she said. Lew attributed part of her feeling of success from the decision to enter the field of economics, which is known to have a relatively high rate of return in terms of job prospects and incomes. Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist at cibc, released a report last year detailing the relative incomes of graduates based on their degree programs. The report, entitled “Degrees of Success: The Payoff to Higher Education in Canada,” appears to confirm Lew’s inklings. The report found that math, computer science, engineering, health, and commerce were the program areas with the highest salary payoff in employment. Tal says that, in today’s economy, a university degree is still a necessary condition for a high-paying job — but it is not a sufficient one, due to increasing competition among university graduates. To Jones, this perspective is evidence of the commodification of the university degree. “Most of the conversation that we see on a daily basis is the implications of education for personal wealth,” he says. “It’s the notion that this is really about human resources, it’s about adding human capital to yourself through your investment and it’s good for you to do that.” The view of using university education as a means to good employment is supported by the government of Ontario’s Strategic Mandate Agreement with the University of Toronto. The agreement outlines U of T’s areas of strength in promoting jobs and economic growth. In Lew’s case, the investment has been worth it. For some other students, however, tuition has increased to reflect the “value” that the university degree is meant to provide. This affects international students in particular, whose fees are not regulated as domestic fees are under the Ontario Tuition Framework. Marine Lefebvre, an international student from France and co-founder of the International Students’ Association, thinks that increasing international fees could be, in some cases, a serious deterrent for international students to study at the University of Toronto. “The reason why a lot of [international] students are coming here and not going to the States is because it’s cheaper than the [United States],” Lefebvre says. Due to their deregulated fees, international students can be considered sources of profit to fill funding gaps at the university. Jones thinks that this is a result of commodification. “People look at international students differently than they did before. That’s another potential source of revenue,” he says. To Lefebvre, that perspective does not adequately address the role of international students in the fabric of the university. “The University of Toronto has a responsibility to respect us as people and not just as cashflows,” she says. The International Students’ Association is working to form a campaign to demand regulated fees and international student representation on the Governing Council. In the meantime, Nelson is waiting for another “fundamental shift” to occur. “You’re dealing with a fundamental social shift that’s temporary. It’ll change, but you can’t change it by pushing at it,” Nelson says.
BY THE NUMBERS
15%
of undergraduate population are international students
42.7%
of U of T revenues came from government in 2013
$772,547 Salary of William Moriarty, president of UTAM
$11,281
Amount that U of T international students pay in addition to what UBC international students in the same program (arts) pay
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GSU vote comes months after petition to defederate was rejected CONTINUED FROM COVER According to the fresh factum of the applicant, gsu, “A number of petitioners were deemed invalid by Deloitte because they completed the petition using the English version of their foreign names. While short forms of English names were deemed valid by Deloitte, the Anglicization of foreign names resulted in Deloitte deeming those petitioners invalid.” For example, according to the factum, petitioners using a short form, such as “Ed” for “Edward,” were deemed valid. “At least 75–80 petitioners on the cfs petition were deemed invalid on this basis. If they had been considered valid, the cfs petition would have met the 20% threshold required by the Bylaws,” the factum continues. The precise number of cfs-o petitioners have been deemed invalid on this basis is unknown. The gsu does not have access to a membership list. “While these facts have not been tested by the courts... in our opinions, this comes down to the cfs systematically disenfranchising the democratic rights of predominantly racialized and international graduate students at the University of Toronto. This is irrevocably hypocritical and unveils what we see as a lack of genuine commitment to anti-racism and international students,” a source with knowledge of
the campaign, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said. The cfs is a national organization that was formed in 1981 to unite student bodies across Canada in an effort to better represent student interests to the provincial and federal governments. Alastair Woods, chairperson of the cfs-o, says that Deloitte used its own self-determined processes and the federation had no input into procedures used to verify the names on the petition. Woods adds that the issue was due to the names provided by students on the petition not matching the names on the registration list provided by U of T to Deloitte. “To then claim that this verification process, performed outside the control of the Federation and conducted by an independent third-party somehow undermines the Federation’s anti-racist and equity work is offensive and false,” Woods says.
A CLASH OF CAMPAIGNS The referendum question asks: “Are you in favour of continued membership in the Canadian Federation of Student and the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario?” If the majority of students vote yes, the gsu membership will remain members of both the cfs and the cfs-o, and will not be able to hold another membership referendum for another five years.
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If the majority of students vote no, the $8.60 that students pay to the cfs and the $7.16 for the cfs-o will be retained, and the gsu’s membership with the cfs will end. According to the representatives of the “Vote No” campaign, it is only in the last year that the cfs’s engagement in student life at U of T has become strongly apparent. The No campaign has received five letters of support, as well as the endorsement of two department associations, around 60 student union executives nationwide, and three former cfs executives. According to the Yes campaign, the cfs provides services for students and saves them money on a monthly basis. As well as representing the student union in federal and provincial politics, the cfs supports sexual
consent campaigns, international student equity campaigns, and civic engagement campaigns. By remaining with the cfs, students may continue to access cfs services and campaigns, and will be connected to other student unions across the country, the Yes campaign claims. David Robinson, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the committee of cupe Ontario, and Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians, are among those who endorsed the Yes campaign. Voting to defederate would mean the gsu will stand on its own in federal and provincial politics.
THE DRIVE FOR DEFEDERATION The gsu is one of the student unions
in Canada seeking to defederate from the cfs; McGill University’s PostGraduate Student Society (pgss) is scheduled to hold a referendum to defederate in January 2015. “With our own referendum coming up soon, we at McGill are eagerly watching the referendum and its results at U of T,” said Jonathan Mooney, former pgss secretarygeneral. The gsu has taken no official position on the matter, with a statement on the gsu’s website reading: “The utgsu has not taken a position on continued membership with the Canadian Federation of Students and, as such, does not endorse the materials produced by either the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ campaigns.” Polling booths will be set up at various locations across campus during the voting period.
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Get ready to work for free Governor of the Bank of Canada Stephen Poloz leaves students bewildered at the prospect of unpaid work in the future
janice liu/THe VarsiTy
Christian Medeiros
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Earlier this month, Stephen Poloz, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, sparked national outrage when he suggested that unemployed Canadian youth would do well to seek out unpaid work in order to avoid the negative effects of unemployment. During a news conference after his speech to the House of Commons, Poloz advised Canadians to “[g]et some reallife experience even though you’re discouraged, even if it’s for free. If your parents are letting you live in the basement, you might as well go out and do something for free to put the experience on your cv,” as reported in the Toronto Star. Detractors spanning the political spectrum from across the country hammered Poloz for the comments and for the governor’s stance on unpaid internships, in which he glosses over concerns with regards to the efficacy and ethics of unpaid work. What is most immediately alarming about Poloz’s statement, and most deserving of criticism, is the outrageousness of these comments coming from someone in his position and what they necessarily indicate for the future of Canadian youth. The content of the message alone is enough to rattle young people entering the job market, but it is what Poloz’s comments imply about the foreseeable future that is causing the most concern. Since the 2008 financial crisis, central
banks worldwide have taken on a significant role in the path towards economic recovery, which includes keeping up the public’s confidence. Central bank statements therefore often include predictions: messages of hope for the future. It is alarming then that Poloz’s most recent comments are devoid of the usual optimism. The difficulties of finding employment and competing for higher education will continue to plague young Canadians for some time to come. Monetary policy and low rates, which will now be slowed down, have not, and will not, solve our employment issues. The fundamental causes of youth unemployment are much more deeply engrained and more broadly dispersed than the recession. When Liberal MP Scott Brison asked Poloz if he thought unpaid internships have greater benefits for wealthier youth, Poloz said: “I wasn’t trying to go deeply in this and it’s not a monetary policy matter.” Now that Poloz feels that he has stabilized the economy and secured jobs for the majority of core taxpayers, he can muse on half-baked solutions to what he perceives as minor issues. The uninterested and patronizing way in which he proposed a solution to the endemic unemployment of Canada’s emerging workforce indicates the extent to which he doesn’t think about the problem. Even though it is not simply a matter of monetary policy, Poloz’s inability to defend his response shows that he does not take responsibility for the economic well-being of Canada’s youth.
If he actually cared, he would have called on the standing committee of legislatures he was speaking with, people who are actually responsible for the matter, to pass laws to assist with youth unemployment. It is baffling that he can be so callous and apathetic when painting youth as basement dwellers that should work for free. The sad truth is that he should care. With every passing year that youth cannot find jobs, Canada’s work force — which is already in peril as the baby boomers retire in droves — gets weaker. A vibrant youth contingent is an integral part of a successful economy and is the surest path to overall economic recovery. Young earners will consume a fair deal; they will buy homes, cars, and start families. It is a travesty, not to mention dangerous, for our generation not to receive more support. Instead, we still have 200,000 young Canadians looking for work. Many more are working part-time to cover debt, and thousands more are currently in school pursuing expensive degrees in hopes of becoming more employable. These students are “looking for employment” — which by definition means trading hours of your life for monetary compensation, which they will then use to live. This is not to say that unpaid internships are not valuable, or that the jarring effects of unemployment are not real. But these young Canadians are no longer looking for, and can no longer afford, unpaid opportunities on their résumé — they already have enough of those.
Further, Ali Hamandi’s opinion piece in the Toronto Star suggests that those with unpaid experience are actually less employable than their paid peers. Poloz’s statement then raises the question: if there is enough demand for Canada’s unemployed youth to take on these unpaid jobs, then how is it that companies cannot pay them to take on all these vacant positions? The answer is likely that these positions do not actually exist. If these positions do exist, companies will take advantage of free labour to lessen their workloads. Most companies are not actively looking for free labour unnecessarily. They don’t need Poloz to give them the “okay” to take on free labour; they need to be coaxed into hiring more paid youth. Canada’s leaders need to take youth employment seriously, and not mindlessly promote potentially precarious solutions. Effective policies do exist and can be extended. For example, existing government subsidies and programs have been effective in creating paid jobs for youth. Canadian youth do need to make difficult decisions, and their prospects are not as bright as their parents’ — but we need support and we cannot simply settle for unpaid work. Poloz’s statements have helped youth in one area: he put the issue on the agenda. Hopefully more people, with better ideas, will take notice. Christian Medeiros is a third-year student at Trinity College specializing in international relations.
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Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
VARSITY COMMENT
comment@thevarsity.ca
Is social media an appropriate forum for debate? The Question
jENNIFER SU/THE VARSITy
Ranting on social media isn’t only ineffective, Despite the prevalence of spontaneous comment, there is good debate taking place online but inappropriate Emma Kikulis
ASSOCIATE COMMENT EDITOR
Rarely do any of us, when updating our statuses or composing a new tweet, take the time to go over our dialogue and edit — and I’m not talking about making sure you’ve used the correct “there.” Rather, editing for bigotry, insensitivity, and just plain offensive content is often an afterthought, if the status or tweet receives any attention at all. Unfortunately, sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are optimized for users’ convenience, making it easier to share thoughts and feelings online in the spur of the moment. This convenience, however, comes at a price. In our hasty posting, we don’t realize the often negative repercussions these comments can have in the future. Take for instance former Sportsnet commentator Damian Goddard, who was fired after tweeting his opposition to same-sex marriage. Or, more recently, Jian Ghomeshi’s infamous Facebook post, where he detailed his firing from cbc due to his less than “palatable tastes in the bedroom.” With over 100,000 “likes” and more than 38,000 comments, Ghomeshi’s post catalyzed the online community to throw in their two cents over social media as to whether or not the cbc was justified in firing the radio host. The point is, when posting your opinions on social media, especially when responding to sensitive issues like sexual assault in the case of Ghomeshi, you have to base your comments on
facts — something many people forgo in their haste to comment. Without facts, it’s hard to form a respectable or informed opinion on a subject, as you have no evidence to back it up. When you rant in a tweet or status update, you come across as biased, or worse. Rants have the habit of coming off as spontaneous and emotionally charged, making them unsuitable media for voicing your opinion. The use of all caps, emojis, interrobangs, and expletives has the effect of delegitimizing an argument. Rants are the domain of amateurs and are fraught with issues of credibility and honesty. This isn’t a condemnation of those who post their opinions on social media; in fact, I absolutely encourage people to voice their opinions via these networks. When done properly, an educated, well thought-out opinion is able to spark critical debate about important issues. However, these kinds of debates are rarely initiated and usually give way to senseless and barbed opining lacking real information. Before posting that rant on social media, take a few seconds to consider three cardinal rules of the Internet. The first, whatever you post is fair game for the public. Second, your online posts can be used against you — employers frequent social media sites in the hiring process. Last, but not least, if you post something particularly bigoted or inflammatory, it can, and will, go viral. So if you’re about to tweet or post, make sure you think before you click. Emma Kikulis is an associate comment editor at The Varsity. She is studying sociology and English.
Simon Spichak
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
In the day and age of the Internet, where news is only a few clicks away, it follows that debate is just as easily accessible, especially on social media. Of particular timeliness to this topic is the case of Jian Ghomeshi, who has recently been accused of abusing several women, resulting in his dismissal from the cbc. The circumstances of Ghomeshi’s conduct and subsequent firing have been discussed ad nauseam online with voices from all sides chiming in over social media. But is Facebook or Twitter the right place to condemn someone like Ghomeshi as the ultimate scum of the earth or to cast aspersions on his accusers? The Internet has gained a reputation for being a cesspool of social commentary, and yet, believe it or not, there is actually worthwhile debate taking place in some corners. There is a marked difference in the conduct and tone of online discussions depending on where you look. Sites like Twitter and Facebook cannot be relied upon for informed or well-researched commentary, but there is often insight and substance to the debates taking place on sites like Reddit. Many of the top-rated comments surrounding Ghomeshi-gate on Reddit reflect honest beffudlement over a lack of useful information. Whereas others hastily took
to tweeting and posting their unsolicited opinions, Reddit users would seem to be less quick to jump the gun with their thoughts. This is not to say that the Reddit community isn’t weighing in on contemporary debates and social issues. There are wellinformed positions on a wide range of topics from many of the site’s users, something other sites lack entirely. If you search through Facebook and Twitter, you may also find some of your friends or some of the people you follow are able to have balanced discussions on the topic. There is some degree of exaggeration in calling posts on Twitter and Facebook useless. Sure, we all have those Facebook friends that post ridiculous and misinformed commentary — but we also have several friends who are open to serious discussions. While my experience may not be representative of all posts on sites like Facebook and Twitter, it does prove that there is room for effective debate through social media. Aside from the comment sections on online articles, there is no way to comment directly on the news, and there is still no easy way of directly refuting the source of information. On social media, there is room for dynamic arguments complete with solid points and counterpoints that may just shift your opinion. Hopefully, an increase in accountability will encourage users to do their research. Simon Spichak is a second-year student at New College studying neuroscience.
var.st/comment
VARSITY COMMENT
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014
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It’s time to stop grade deflation U of T’s claim that it does not bell curve is questionable Zane Schwartz
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
If you told the average student at the University of Toronto that there is no such thing as a bell curve here, they would laugh. U of T makes this claim by adopting a rigid definition of bell curving that permits instructors to “calibrate” or “adjust” grades but not curve them. This is a distinction without a difference. There’s only a difference if you don’t want to admit that your grading policy is deeply problematic. U of T prioritizes institutional success over student success by forcing students into boxes instead of assessing them properly. A bell curve is good for lazy or incompetent instructors who create unfair assessments. It’s bad for students because it causes massive stress while writing tests, and then leaves them with less knowledge. After all, you can change a grade from a 40 to a 60 per cent, but the student won’t magically understand that 20 per cent of material. Giving out too many As requires professors to rock the boat. So if they’re tenured and feel incredibly passionate about it, they might. Though most don't. It’s a time-consuming process and it’s easier to hand out the expected grades and move on. For untenured faculty, part-time instructors, or teaching assistants, the pressures to simply hand out grades in their allotted divisions, regardless of what grades students deserve, are
catherine solomon/the Varsity
even greater. Bell curving and quotas are important because they hint at a larger problem — grade deflation. While other universities manipulate their grades, they mostly tend to do so as a way of inflating marks. In 2013, the most common grade at Harvard Univerity was an A, and the average grade was an A-. In October, Princeton University eliminated their decade-long grade deflation policy after
failing to meet the target of only giving out As 35 per cent of the time — 43 per cent of 2013 grades were As. This is roughly in line with the average at private colleges in the us. Indeed, a 2010 study found that the nationwide average gpa at private colleges was 3.3 on a 4.0 scale. Even within Canada, U of T’s grades are particularly low. A 2006 study found that students at utsc got lower grades on average than counterparts at Carleton University or Ryerson University due to marking, not ability. While
The death of innovation? Declining research income at U of T spells disaster for the future
ann sheng/the Varsity
Sam Henry
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Innovation is rapidly declining. One only needs to glance at the University of Toronto’s recent decrease in institutional research income from last year as proof of this fact. When compounded with the increasing number of students enrolling every year, U of T is wandering down a path that will inevitably see the institution dropping from the often-cited World University Rankings in short order. Take it from someone who’s worked in oth-
er labs in Europe and Africa: I am well aware that researchers at U of T are under stricter time constraints when it comes to publishing scientific results than its international peers — limited research funding requires that publishing take place within a year. Eager to start, researchers venture into gaining the latest insights, with one problem: the renowned scientists they need to consult don’t want to cooperate — the details of their experiments and recent breakthroughs are patented information. This reveals the greedy and self-serving side of patenting institutions that are primarily
four per cent of utsc students reported getting mostly As, 10 per cent of Carleton and Ryerson students reported the same. At utsc, two-thirds of students reported mostly B-s or less, compared to 55 per cent of Ryerson and Carleton students. The problem was bad enough that then-President David Naylor instituted an aggressive overhaul of the grading system responding to the concern that U of T students were struggling to get into graduate school at U of T as a factor. Naylor’s overhaul may well have led to some progress, but it’s happened behind closed doors. U of T doesn’t release average annual grades, or the most common grade, or even the grade distribution. I believe that grades at U of T are lower and that getting high grades at U of T is harder than at other Canadian universities. U of T should follow the lead of the elite American institutions it tries to compete with and reveal its grading data. It’s been nearly a decade since Naylor set out to reform U of T’s rampant grade deflation. It’s time to see if any progress has been made. Zane Schwartz is a fourth-year history student who contributes to the Globe and Mail and Macleans. He was The Varsity’s news editor last year. His column appears bi-weekly.
LETTER TO
THE EDITOR
Vol. CXXXV, No. 11 | November 24, 2014
concerned with maximizing institutional income and monopolizing the utility of their research — the results of which can feature heavily in addressing the world’s challenges including cancer and global warming. This culture of educational “individuality” inevitably repels fresh minds seeking to build original ideas on the existing research framework. The result is that researchers lower their standards by optimizing existing results in order to graduate, rather than pursuing their own innovative projects. Such is the case at U of T. The above argument shows how decreases in research funding at U of T hinder research efforts and foster a culture of individuality, which kills innovation. This is not the only threat to an innovative scientific community on campus, however, our subconscious attitudes and values are also eroding our capacity for breakthrough. Previous innovations such as the toilet, refrigeration, and the Small Pox vaccine revolutionized the world in the twentieth century. However, today’s diverse entrepreneurial innovations such as Facebook, Android, and the Xbox 360 haven’t tackled many problems, except for boredom, perhaps. The disappointing result is that this generation’s concentrated efforts have not, and may never, solve the tremendous challenges of our time. Instead of facing today’s challenges head-on, similar to previous generations, we have chosen to rebuild the infrastructures to empower the coming generations to contest these problems because these problems are literally too complex to tackle directly. Better tools are needed before feasible solutions can be attained. Hence, the innovation of this generation is around building these tools, not contemplating the end results. We could call it an infrastructural innovation, but it’s no less important than the grand innovations of the past. U of T should be at the vanguard in changing this system.
To the Editor: I am writing in response to your interview with Professor Scott Mabury, the University’s Vice-president of university operations (“Meet the man who keeps the university running” November 10, 2014). Asked about the “biggest operational challenge facing the university today,” Professor Mabury refers to the fact that “revenues lag expenses” before going on to add that “Expenses, primarily, at the University of Toronto are salaries and benefits.” It shouldn’t really be surprising to anyone that compensation makes up the bulk of expenses at an institution whose core mission is teaching and research. But Professor Mabury’s remarks might lead some readers to conclude that faculty compensation comprises the biggest budget challenge facing the administration of our university. In fact, total faculty compensation as a percentage of the University’s overall operating expense has fallen dramatically and consistently for many years. In 1997-98, faculty salaries and benefits made up 47 per cent of the total operating budget. In 2012-13 this figure had dropped to 27 per cent. Measured in relationship to the number of fte’s (i.e. in relationship to the number of students taught at the University), faculty compensation has remained virtually unchanged (in constant dollar terms) over the same period. In other words, if the University of Toronto faces ongoing budget challenges, it is for reasons other than that of faculty compensation. All members of the University of Toronto community might want to hear Professor Mabury explain why the operating budget, expressed in relation to fte’s, has grown by over 30 per cent while the relative cost of faculty compensation has remained static.
Sam Henry is a second-year student pursuing a master's of applied science at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Letters to the editor should be directed to comment@thevarsity.ca. Please keep letters to 250 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
Sincerely, Paul Downes Vice President, Salary, Benefits, Pensions University of Toronto Faculty Association
Soundtrac
Up close with the buskers and street musician Article and photos by Jacob Lorinc
I
f you’re listening carefully, you can hear it. Amid honking cars, streetcar sounds, and pedestrian chatter, a melody weaves its way through the urban din. Though the downtown core may seem like a wall of noise, the sounds of Toronto include the soothing tones from buskers and street musicians adding harmony to the overbearing crashes of construction and traffic in the city. They make their music on street corners and in subway stations with the strumming of a guitar or the crooning of a saxophone. While we often pass these street musicians without much thought, with the exception of sparing an occasional coin or two, they provide us with a gentle ambience to help ease us through our tiresome commute. While many street musicians busk in order to make a living, some simply do it to add some life to the monotonous atmosphere of downtown travel. Their sounds are varied and distinct, just as their stories are, and each has a reason for performing and bringing music to Toronto’s streets.
Amanda
DAVID RABINOVICH SPADINA STATION David Rabinovich estimates that he has been busking for 22 years in Canada. He immigrated here from Russia, where he had already earned the title of a professional violinist. “I work for the people, and I want to make the children more educated, because it’s not everyday that they can listen to a professional violinist,” he points out. In Russia, Rabinovich played in the symphony orchestra and received a master’s degree in violin, but immigrating to Canada presented him with several challenges. “I don’t want to wash dishes, I don’t want to drive a truck, and I don’t want to be a taxi driver,” says Rabinovich, adding, “Playing in the subway is not a personal decision… this is my way of surviving.” Aside from busking, Rabinovich is also a parttime violin teacher.
David Rabinovich
AMANDA BLOOR STREET WEST Having played around the Annex for the past three years, Amanda has garnered a reputation throughout the area. “When I play down at Second Cup, I get a crowd around me,” she says. “The best thing for me is when I see people’s toes tapping, and then they start to dance… I’m out here to spread the happiness.” But Amanda also has other reasons for taking up busking. “For me, it is for the love of music, but my husband passed away three years ago… so I grabbed a guitar and came out here, and this community has really helped me heal.” While some days she busks to make money, most of the time Amanda says that she “just needs to come here and belt it out.”
JASON (GOLDENFIRE MAGIC) KENSINGTON MARKET Jason’s career as a busker started off when he was a fire dancer/performer in Kensington Market, where he first developed his alias, Goldenfire Magic. As a street musician, he’s been playing for three years and does it mainly for practice. “I might as well practice on the street,” he says. “No one cares, and it’s good practice. It’s very grounding.” Apart from using the time to work on his guitar skills, he also uses the opportunity to work on overcoming stage fright and anxieties about playing in front of other people. “That’s the magic of music, how it filters the mood. The more I’ve started to see how it affects people, the less I’m scared to play in front of people… I really like the intimacy of [busking], and the fact that it is very accessible,” he says.
ck to the city
ns that bring ambience to Toronto’s downtown core
Andrew Lopatin Jason (Goldenfire Magic)
KATHERINE BUDB BAY STATION
ANDREW LOPATIN BLOOR STATION
In the passageway between Bay Station and the Manulife Shopping Centre, Katherine Budb is seated against the wall with her German shepherd, where she plays the guitar for passersby. Her repertoire consists mainly of her own compositions, which come from her folk-punk band that she plays with on the side. Budb has been busking for 15 years as a means of making money in order to successfully support her two children. When asked if she earns enough income as a street musician, she says, “Probably not ideally, but it’s more than minimum wage working at Loblaw’s, and fighting for hours, which is what I was doing before.” For Budb, busking is ultimately “a survival thing, something that I’ve always done.”
These days, Andrew Lopatin plays in the subway, mostly out of a sense of nostalgia, remembering the days when he would perform in the station to make a living. “I used to come here 12 hours a day five days a week,” he says. “I got a lot of opportunity from this. I got a lot of contacts… and now I go on tours once a year.” Three years ago, Lopatin started busking in order to make an income out of something he enjoyed doing. “My whole life I’ve been 50/50 between two different passions, one’s cars and the other’s music. When I was 21 I auditioned to busk here… at the same time I was looking for a mechanic job, but I got a letter in the mail saying I have a license to play here, and that’s when I realized that this letter would decide whether I became a musician or a mechanic,” he explains. Though he plays mostly for enjoyment and to bring music to others, Lopatin also busks for the sake of practice. “It feels good to be here,” he says, adding, “It’s the one place I know I can screw up all I want to.”
ROBERT GRANT THE PATH, QUEEN STREET EAST “My prime reason for busking is that initially it started out as I was travelling, and I needed money,” says Robert Grant. Grant, a busker for the past 20 years, spent a significant amount of time busking in the US. For Grant, busking in America was the best option for him. “When you’re in the United States, and you don’t have a visa, you need to busk so that you don’t have to get hired anywhere, and you won’t have to show a social insurance number,” he explains. When he came back to Canada, he was comfortable enough with busking to carry on with that job in Toronto. According to Grant, the money isn’t bad, and it is an enjoyable way to pass the time. “If you have a certain area that you go to, then the money is steady. People get used to you being here after awhile, and they enjoy hearing you,” he says. Grant plays in the underground pathway almost every day, where he spends half of his time playing music and the other half chatting with pedestrians who pass by.
Robert Grant
Katherine Budb
RED TAPE TO PEFORMING Subways are a prime locale for musicians. In 1980, the Toronto Transit Commission (ttc) developed the Subway Musicians Programme — the program provided the city’s local talent with access to performance space inside the subway system for the first time. Since its development, the program has held auditions to select designated performers on an annual basis and issues performance licences to 75 individuals. The Subway Musicians Programme reserves the right to refuse auditions from performers whose instruments and acts are not suitable to the subway environment — including the use of electric guitar or drum kits. Each year up to 200 musicians apply for licences. Musicians wishing to perform on streets in the city face similarly rigorous application processes. They must seek a permit from the city in order to be legally allowed to perform. Restricted areas include building entrances, transit stops, by postal boxes, or within nine metres of the intersection of two or more streets. Though these are the official regulations, a stroll down the major streets surrounding campus quickly reveals that not all performers abide by these restrictions — some simply take to the streets to play, permit or not.
Arts&Culture
VAR.ST/ARTS
24 NOVEMBER 2014
arts@thevarsity.ca
Cook the books Current and former students share their experiences balancing academia and kitchen work
On the left, Doug Jones works as a butcher; on the right, John* works as a cook and musician. alexandra scandolo/THe VarsiTy
David Kitai
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
A friend of mine, just out of culinary school, got a job managing a boutique grocery store making almost 50 grand a year (he took a $20,000 pay cut to work at the restaurant Canoe because he “missed the rush”). The average line cook is expected to produce dishes of consistent quality, incredibly quickly, almost 12 hours a day. The loud, fast-paced, demanding world of kitchen work is in stark contrast to the quiet, solitary work of a college student. Yet, many students in Toronto work as cooks to support themselves while in school. Three cooks, all of whom worked through college, found compliments, challenges, and outright contradictions in the life of a student cook.
DOUG Doug Jones is a cook who started out at Milestones and worked his way to
the kitchen of The Drake. He worked kitchen jobs through his two years at Ryerson University, working towards a degree in Computer Science. According to him, the shifts took a difficult toll on his academic life. Brunch shifts at The Drake, coveted by cooks looking for better hours, were typically 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. On a busy weekend he and one other line cook would hold down a 700-cover service. Jobs like these weren’t much of a choice for Jones. He had moved away from home in high school and had to pay loans. Still, kitchens were so emotionally and physically demanding for him that maintaining a work ethic for school became increasingly difficult. Jones had a firm grounding in computer science — he’d been programming for fun since grade 9 — but he failed many of his classes simply because he couldn’t make it to his labs. While he worked hard on shift, his off time was used “basically to get high and work off hangovers.” While his academics suffered, Jones,
Cheap arts
currently expanding his skills as a butcher, found a home in kitchens. Unlike school, he could “see the ladder clearly.” He was working right next to his bosses, learning from them, and putting those lessons to work immediately. He could see how a driven, hardworking cook could go far in the industry. Socially, the job offered a lot that he found was lacking in school. “Kitchens force you to socialize with people you’d never normally talk to,” he explains. Compared to the isolating experience of academia, the camaraderie of the kitchen held major appeal.
STEVE Steve* is a working musician, with a kitchen résumé that includes restaurants such as the Gabardine. He held kitchen jobs throughout both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in music performance. Steve found in kitchens the perfect complement to his musical career. Both kitchens and bands, he says, are ensembles. Playing in a tight ensemble he can set his
tempo off a bandmate’s breath. In the same way, a tight kitchen crew can coordinate a complicated table service with barely a word spoken. That feeling is much of what attracted Steve both to kitchens and music. Even for Steve, however, kitchen work exacted its toll. While he was in school, he had “wanted any kind of music job, even if it was just in a store.” He ended up in a kitchen, mostly because that was the only thing on his résumé. Steve got his first job dishwashing after his parents caught him getting high. Ironically, at least according to him, he learned to drink properly while he was working. While on shift waiters and cooks would ply him with shots, and after work staff made a direct beeline to the nearest bar.
JOHN John*, a cook at Sanagan’s Meat Locker in Kensington, got his first kitchen job after second year. “The next two years of school,” he says, “have taken me five.” Currently enrolled at U of
Under $10, pay what you can, and free arts events happening around the city this week
T, John describes the self-destructive atmosphere of kitchen life. Few jobs can match the physical and mental stress of working in a kitchen — because of that, the kitchen lifestyle lends itself to substance abuse. In John’s experience, “the constant stress and persistent hangovers make school pretty tough.” Despite “shit pay” and a damaging lifestyle, John, like his fellow student cooks, finds something deeply attractive about the work. Dealing with that level of intensity in the workplace makes more mundane jobs seem almost unbearably dull in comparison. Though the lifestyle has its detriments, John describes it as “pleasing.” Kitchens, he laughs, “are appealing to people who hate themselves.” Life as a student cook, though, has been hard to balance. The simple fact, according to John, is that “after a 12-hour shift on your feet, the very last thing you want to do is study.” *Names changed by request.
By Jacob Lorinc
Tinder Tales Live
Punk Rock Bingo
Barsa Soul
Motown Movember
Hirut Hoot
A night of live storytelling about the best and worst of online dating
Dress in your most convincing punk rock outfit and enjoy an evening's worth of bingo-playing and musical performances
Three DJs play a unique mixture of deep house and acoustic music in one of Toronto’s lovely heritage buildings
Twelve-piece soul/funk/jazz band Yasgurs Farm liven up the Lula Lounge to raise money for the Movember Foundation
Rookies and veterans of the comedy world bring entertainment to the Hirut Restaurant
Wednesday, November 26 9:oo pm–11:00 pm 1192 Queen Street West $1 per bingo card
Thursday, November 27 10:30 pm 26 Market Street Price TBA
Thursday, November 27 Doors at 7:30 pm 1585 Dundas Street West $10
Monday, November 24 Doors at 6:30 pm 218 Ossington Avenue Free
Friday, November 28 9:00 pm 2050 Danforth Avenue $5
var.st/arts
VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014
TIFF, just what do you think you are doing?
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Varsity November Playlist:
More mo’
Two students offer their take on TIFF's ongoing Stanley Kubrick exhibition
A collection of ’stachetastic tunes as Movember draws to a close By Jacob Lorinc As you walk amongst our bearded brethren this Movember, enjoy the sounds of musicians who have been known for both their tunes and their distinguishable facial hair.
"Blood Bank" – Bon Iver
The god of sad indie music by men who look like they just stumbled out of the forest, Justin Vernon and his noble beard are worthy to be first on this list.
"Free Until They Cut Me Down" – Iron & Wine
Is that Justin Vernon? Nope, it’s Samuel Beam. But who can tell the difference anymore — these fuzzyfaced crooners reign supreme in the kingdom of indie-folk music.
"DLZ" – TV On The Radio
This band makes it clear: the more facial hair you have, the better your music.
"Mustache Man" – Cake
Not only does Cake’s lead singer sport a magnificent face-do; he’s even been inspired to write a song about it.
A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE Cristina Roca Phylactopoulou VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Even for those who haven’t seen a Stanley Kubrick film, the exhibition currently showcasing his career at the tiff Bell Lightbox is a must-see event. Running from October 31 to January 25, and curated by Jesse Wente, the Director of Film Programmes, the exhibit is a visually stunning exposé of Kubrick’s long career.
TOURING WITH THE CURATOR Alexander Fernandes VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
I was lucky enough to interview Jesse Wente, its curator. The Kubrik exhibit itself has been travelling around for 10 years, only recently coming to Canada from Los Angeles. Wente described a number of differences in the tiff version. Speaking specifically about the layout, he explains, “We chose to do it chronologically. In Los Angeles, they had done it thematically, but you can see his growth and evolution as an artist, I think better chronologically.” To do this, Wente and his team expertly designed specific rooms to look just as they did on set, such as
the Overlook Hotel from The Shining or the space shuttle from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The most impressive detail was soundproofing the space shuttle room in an attempt to simulate the lack of sound in space. Not only did he curate the exhibit, but Wente also organized a section known as Perpetual Check, in which he created a compilation of clips from each film and organized them into a 20-minute viewing experience displaying the long and impressive career of Kubrick. When asked about why people should come to see the exhibit, Wente says, “If you have ever seen a movie in your life, you should probably come see the exhibition — because if you’ve seen a science fiction film in the last 30 years, you’ve seen a movie influenced by Stanley Kubrick.”
A rainy Halloween evening — the perfect setting for the opening night of the tiff Lightbox’s Stanley Kubrick exhibition. As I stepped into the theatre a robotic voice welcomed me inside — those familiar with Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey would immediately have recognized it as belonging to supercomputer HAL 9000. The exhibition itself is structured around Kubrick’s films, which are presented to the spectator in chronological order. Each area is dedicated to a separate film and recreates its particular ambience, including many iconic props, models, looping film clips, and haunting soundtrack music. The organizers have tried to emphasize the interactive nature of the exhibit: you can take a mirror selfie with the spaceman suit from 2001: A Space Odyssey, for instance. During my visit, two women dressed up like the twin girls in The Shining appeared. They walked silently through the rooms side by side but stopped and stared while we pho-
tographed them. When we thanked them, they gravely replied: “Come play with us, Danny.” The exhibition also includes correspondence, scripts, backstage pictures, notes, and artwork. The exhibition approaches Kubrick as an auteur, describing his particular ways of working and pointing out the overarching themes and patterns of his work. As I completed the first-floor circuit, I was surprised to discover that there was more: as the exhibition continues on the fourth floor. I exited Kubrick’s little sphere and re-entered the real world. After a bit of searching, I finally arrived at the deserted-looking fourth floor, where the second part of the exhibition acts like its “bonus DVD.” It includes material from Kubrick’s unfinished projects like AI: Artificial Intelligence (which was eventually directed by Spielberg), as well as some beautiful posters from the films and Kubrick’s work as a photo reporter before he turned to directing. This part of the exhibition is interesting, completing the picture of Kubrick as a perfectionist. However, it has none of the magic of the first part and makes for a rather anti-climactic end to the visit.
TIFF's Stanley Kubrick exhibition details his most famous films. Photos Courtesy of Geoff Gunn
"Hustlin’" – Rick Ross
Facial hair and rap seems to be uncommon these days, so shout out to Ricky Rozay for carrying the torch with pride.
"The Renegade" – Zeus
One of the greatest moustaches in Canadian rock (we’re not forgetting about you, Burton Cummings), Carlin Nicholson and the rest of the fourpiece collective are the brains behind some of Toronto’s best music.
"Beach Rats" – The Growlers
Another band that chooses bristles over beards; there will always be at least one member of this band sporting some lip-luggage.
"Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" – Father John Misty
Former member of another moustache-laden group, Fleet Foxes, Joshua Tillman’s solo project goes above and beyond his former band’s talent.
Bonus ’stache track: "Sharp Dressed Man" – ZZ Top
It’s not that this song is still worth hearing, but it would be simply unfair to leave out the two most famous beards in music history.
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Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE
arts@thevarsity.ca
The stakes of a poem U of T creative writing MA student Michael Prior talks to The Varsity in the wake of his Walrus Poetry Prize win
Michael Prior is one of seven students in U of T's creative writing master's program. Maya wong/The VarsiTy
Danielle Klein VARSITY STAFF
Michael Prior does not want to have his picture taken. In spite of this, he politely smiles through the experience, leaning on the air conditioning unit in his office as instructed by the photographer. Under his breath, he comments laughingly, “This is the weirdest thing.” A few weeks ago, The Walrus announced that Prior had won both their poetry prize and Reader’s Choice Award for his poem “Ventriloquism for Dummies.” The poem will be published in the December issue of the magazine. An ma student in creative writing at the University of Toronto, Prior’s work has been published in several literary journals. He has both a forthcoming collection of poetry with Vehicule Press in 2016 and a chapbook with Frog Hollow Press coming out “in a month or so.” Before coming to Toronto for the master’s program, Prior completed his bachelor of arts in literature at the University of British Columbia — he had never taken a creative writing class before. U of T’s creative writing program accepts only seven students, who engage in course work in their first year and in writing a manuscript in their second under the guidance of a mentor. Now in his second year, Prior’s mentor is Carmine Starnino, a Montréal-based poet and critic and a publisher at Signal Editions. “It’s very intimate, it’s nice,” Prior says of the program, adding, “It’s actually a very heavily academic program compared to a lot of other programs… It’s been a really good experience.”
THE VENTRILOQUIST POET Prior is currently putting together a thesis for his master’s, which will take the form of a book of poetry. “[T]he heart of the book is about my grandparents’ internment as Japanese Canadians 70 years ago,” he explains.
Family history is a major inspiration for Prior, who notes that this is common amongst Canadian poetry debuts. “It’s kind of hard to escape,” he says of the topic, continuing, “I don’t want to write about internment in the ways it’s been written about before… Joy Kogawa’s written about it, Roy Miki… I’m trying to talk about it through the distance of intergenerational inheritance — what it means to acquire memories, inherit memories across a family lineage… [E]verything is very indirect. I write through a lot of different voices and… a lot of different artifacts of Japanese Canadian culture.” In “Ventriloquism for Dummies,” Prior experiments with this notion of speaking indirectly through others and objects. “[L]ots of things I’m working through in this book are ideas of masks and ideas of persona and ideas of writing through intermediaries, so it seemed natural to take on ventriloquism, which is the ultimate kind of obvious mask or persona,” he says. The poem contains lines from Robert Browning’s “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” Prior notes that he adopted the poet’s persona in the work, as well as that of a ventriloquist dummy. Following up over email after our conversation, he adds, “[T]he poem, with all its ventriloquism, was a way of working through some of the issues of voice and appropriation that I deal with in the book, especially my grandparents’ voices.”
“BEING A GOOD READER” “This is cruel,” laughs Prior, when asked what his favourite books are. In addition to his writing, Prior is also a poetry editor at Echolocation, U of T’s graduatelevel literary journal, and an associate editor at Anstruther Press, which prints chapbooks. Prior emphasizes that reading is integral to producing good poetry. “I see hundreds of poems for both the chapbook press and for [Echolocation] — it’s important to read and to read widely… not only your
contemporaries… but you should also be reading all the dead people too,” he says, adding, “I think that’s the most important thing — being a good reader is integral to being a good writer.” Prior suggests carrying around a notebook at all times for those who are seeking inspiration. “The reason being is that, if something strikes you enough in this world today where we are bombarded by stimuli… to want to write it down, it generally means there’s something more there, something deeper that you can mine,” he explains.
THE EXPERIENCE OF POETRY When asked what makes a poem work, Prior is quick to add the caveat that there are many types of poems. Still, he is able to lay out some criteria for the sort of poetry he, at least, is interested in. “I think a poem needs to have something at stake. It can’t just be about language, it has to have something at stake whether something emotional or something political,” he says, adding, “It has to surprise and… it should be entertaining… I think when we think of entertainment nowadays, we think of things that distract us, things that take us away from our lives, but a poem should be a pleasurable experience... That doesn’t mean it’s an easy experience, it can be a very difficult experience, it can be an experience that makes you think very hard — but it should be entertaining on that level.” Prior also stresses that describing what a poem is about is itself a tenuous task, and that no interpretation of “Ventriloquism for Dummies” — or perhaps any poem — is the “ultimate” explanation. As we begin our interview, it strikes me as rather fitting that Prior does not want to have his photo taken, because his winning poem is so wrapped up in the idea of hiding; of being seen only through a mediator — but, of course, that’s only my take on it. “A poem is what it is,” he says, adding, “The poem is your experience of reading it, regardless of what that is.”
The fine print Major influences: Robert Lowell,
Amanda Jernigan, Elizabeth Bishop, Thom Gunn, Jo Shapcott, James Merill
Books you ought to read: Robert Lowell, Life Studies; anything by Emily Dickinson; Amanda Jernigan’s All the Daylight Hours; Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem
A poem everyone should read: “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy
New Canadian poetry to read:
Suzannah Showler, Failure to Thrive; Kayla Czaga, For Your Safety Please Hold On
Canadian poets to look out for: Vincent Colistro, Laura Clarke, Cassidy McFadzean, Richard Kemick
Song to read to: “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck
What’s a chapbook? “Limited-run, usually handmade artist books,” Prior describes. He adds that they are usually traded among writers and their friends and are very short.
var.st/arts
VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014
19
Making something out of nothing Ryan Hemsworth talks about his ongoing musical evolution during his recent tour
Ryan Hemsworth is currently touring to promote his album Alone for the First Time. Drew Stewart/Flickr by cc
Ayla Shiblaq
VARSITY STAFF
Electronic music as it exists today is a genre that refuses to be bound by one particular sound, or even by the use of physical instruments. With the genre’s evolution comes the creation of ever more categories within it — chillwave, vapourwave, trance, house, techno, and downtempo, to name but a few. Ryan Hemsworth is a part of this ongoing process. Starting off with a modest Soundcloud account, his music now has a following all around the world. His inspiration comes from all manner of sources from sampling to video game music to the goal of invoking an emotion. This in turn has created a unique layered sound synonymous with his name. Hemsworth’s recording patterns are nothing if not unconventional. Working with no specific direction or planned framework makes for an interesting process. “It backfires all the time if you’re just trying to make something from nothing, which is kind of the way I work,” explains Hemsworth, adding, “I’ll sometimes start a song and try to make it very dance-y and upbeat… something
you would want to dance to in a club on a Friday night, and ends up being a really low ambient sounding hum… It’s kind of what keeps it really exciting, because I don’t know what I’m going to end up with.” With the evolution of electronic music performances, many artists are driven to make their own reforms. Where artists like James Blake are “purists” and cringe at even the sight of a laptop on stage, Hemsworth is one of the few artists who is able to integrate his screen with an emotional experience. Hemsworth explains, “You can’t forget that you rely on computers completely for your music, and I try not to hide that. I think I’ll always have that incorporated in my performances. Hav[ing] that translate into the live setting is hard and… that’s something I’ve been learning over the years. With my set up now, I have this kind of weird visual show which I can control. It was an attempt to match what I do sonically with a visual.” Hemsworth is, indirectly, giving artists like Blake a run for their money. Although — as he himself notes — he makes 90 per cent of his music on his computer, it sure doesn’t sound like it. “I’ve found ways within that to make things sound more emotive using the right kind of
samples so you don’t sound like you’re doing everything on the computer,” he says, adding, “My songs have a lot of different layers, literally, on Logic. On my iTunes I create a lot of playlists, a lot of ambient stuff from the ’80s, that have artifacts and you can hear that people were in the studio and try to use sounds within that so it doesn’t sound [like] I’m using an electronic drum kit.” Hemsworth is currently working on his project Secret Songs, which he began curating this year. Secret Songs aims to showcase trends and new artists within the underground electronic music world. Speaking about his goal for the project, he says, “I wanted the songs to be a perfect balance of people being really confused but also really into it... I wanted to grow a musical family, so being able to put out people’s tracks and be able to sing my songs [so that] people start getting to know those artists. I’m also not a huge artist but I realized I can put on the artists that I like and… help them out in some way… it’s important to give back in.” Though his new album Alone for the First Time isn’t a complete solo effort, featuring artists from Lontalius to Dawn Golden, it’s our first chance as listeners to emotionally connect with
Hemsworth at a larger scale. Despite the pressure electronic artists face to make “dance-y” tunes, Hemsworth has succeeded in bringing emotion into his music. “Somebody messaged me the other day after I played FunFunFun Fest in Texas… this girl emailed me saying she just got over a breakup and during one of the songs she was tearing up… it’s a good thing to hear while people are drunk at a festival [that] someone is still emotionally connecting with your music,” he says. While his musical evolution has certainly not been a planned process, it’s definitely working. From making remixes to his own music and collaborations, Hemsworth says the experience has been eye opening. His current Sucker for Punishment tour is a perfect blend of all he’s learned, with the name serving as a nod to his past experience. “It’s just something my manager has called me a couple of times just from the tours I’ve done in the past,” Hemsworth explains, adding, “I’m not very good at saying no to offers, like ‘you want to come play this after party’ and then I’ll have a flight the next day. I’m kind of always getting myself into these situations, so I’m always trying to balance those situations, which I think my music does well.”
20 Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE
arts@thevarsity.ca
It’s good to be horrible Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis talk Horrible Bosses 2 Daniel Konikoff
ASSOCIATE ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
TO LOGISTICS: THIS PROGRAM OFFERS THE UNIQUE SKILLS YOU WILL NEED TO LAUNCH YOUR CAREER AS A FASHION BUYER,
says Sudeikis, adding, “Him and his writing partner, John Morris, are like two of the best scriptwriters, comic writers in, you know, Hollywood right now.” “I think they did a great job with the re-writing [of Horrible Bosses 2],” says Sudeikis in his unmistakably playful Virginian drawl. “When it makes sense with the film to get a little more stylized,” chimes in Day, “[Anders] put a little more style into it, and it fits the story. So I think he did a really good job that way.” Specifically, adds Sudeikis, “There’s a whole chunk in that looks like we’re starring in a [Soderbergh] film. And there are visual elements to it that feel like a Fincher movie. It’s like something right of Fight Club.”
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But of course, the real magic comes from the ensemble itself. Horrible Bosses 2 has more starpower than you can shake a stick at, and one of the finest supporting casts in recent cinematic memory, including Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Jonathan Banks, and Keegan-Michael Key. “It’s pretty cool when you can class up [this big silly commercial studio comedy] with some Oscar winners; it becomes a really nice balanced cocktail,” Bateman says of the cast. “Especially for a sequel,” concludes Day. “A sequel can lack the prestige of the first movie, and to get actors and actresses of that calibre joining the movie is great.” Horrible Bosses 2 hits theatres November 26.
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ply “made sense.” And Bateman is feeling confident — nay, “bullish” — about the outcome. “I’m pretty fair about being objective, and, you know, I really enjoyed the first just as a viewer and I watched this one with that same perspective and I genuinely liked it even more than the first. So I’m actually feeling kind of bullish. If people see it the way I see it, they’re going to be very happy with this one. So, I’m feeling good,” he says. Pushing Horrible Bosses 2 towards exceeding the hysterical heights of its predecessor is Sean Anders, who was brought in to warm up the director’s chair after Seth Gordon dropped out of the project last August. “[Working with Sean Anders] was great,”
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From left to right, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis and Jason Bateman star in Horrible Bosses 2. courtesy of Warner bros pictures.
Strategic Foresight and Innovation Students in the sLab, 2014. Image courtesy: Angie Griffith
Never underestimate the power of a well-constructed ensemble cast. When it comes to contemporary comedy cinema, finding the perfect group of players can make or break a movie; the actors either get to play off each other’s strengths and take the film to hilarious heights, or flounder in lacklustre on-screen chemistry. Luckily for Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis, in Horrible Bosses 2, things lean towards the former. I was lucky enough to participate in a conference call with the talented stars. “As actors,” says Day, “it was really fun for the three of us to get back together again because we enjoy each other’s company and we had this great time in the first one. As characters,” he adds with a chuckle, “it’s a terrible thing for the three of [us] to get back together again, because [we] keep getting [ourselves] into some serious trouble.” Released in 2011, Horrible Bosses received high praise, earning three-and-a-half stars out of four from Roger Ebert, of all people. The film was a box office smash, grossing nearly $210 million in international ticket sales. “[Horrible Bosses] did really well overseas,” explains Bateman, “which is not terribly common for a comedy. So Warner Brothers wanted to do another one, and we were certainly open to it because we had such a good time doing the first one.” Once things coalesced “creatively,” adds Day, and the three friends had found a story that worked, going ahead with the sequel sim-
Science
VAR.ST/SCIENCE 24 NOVEMBER 2014
science@thevarsity.ca
Herbicides, hormones, and the revolving door U of T endorses endocrinologist fighting to keep science safe from industry Myths and truths about second hand smoke and e-cigarettes An educational seminar organized by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research Tuesday, November 25 5:00 pm–7:00 pm Toronto Reference Library Novella Room on the second floor Free; register on Eventbrite
Necessary but not sufficient: How our current conceptualization of privacy and our approach to data protection fall short in the era of genomics and big data A lecture featuring Dr. Don Willision, associate professor at the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation Wednesday, November 26 4:00 pm–5:30 pm Health Sciences Building Room 108 Free; no registration necessary
Healthcare Quality Improvement seminar series
Kawmadie KarunanayaKe/the varsity
Malone Mullin VARSITY STAFF
Few academics can claim the notoriety of Dr. Tyrone Hayes, an endocrinologist at University of California, Berkeley. Hayes spoke at Victoria College last Monday, recounting a biotech company’s decade-long vendetta against his studies on the effects of a widely used herbicide. Hayes’ ordeal began in 1997, when he was hired by a company now called Syngenta. When asked to study the effects of the herbicide atrazine on ecosystems, Hayes came upon some troubling evidence. Allthough Hayes found a causal relationship between atrazine use and increased estrogen production in frogs, he says that Syngenta tried to suppress this conclusion. Endocrine disruption, an effect of atrazine that has also been noted in fish, birds, reptiles, and mammals — and which can cause a range of adverse impacts from infertility to cancer — wasn’t exactly the scientific result the company had sought from Hayes. Hayes left Syngenta, but he didn’t stop studying atrazine. His first paper on the herbicide talked about the “chemical castration” of frogs, an incendiary term that critics have used against him. “Chemical castration — the company hates that term,” says Hayes, grin-
ning, “That’s why I put it in the title.” His controlled study found that atrazine-treated male frogs could not produce enough testosterone to manufacture sperm or exhibit breeding behaviour. Consequently, out of all the mating incidences in the study, the atrazine-treated frogs failed to mate 85 per cent of the time. Atrazine, Hayes found — in concentrations much lower than what is often measured in drinking water — stimulates the enzyme aromatase, which is responsible for turning testosterone into estrogen, causing hermaphroditism and birth defects in male frogs. Hayes notes that, if atrazine works on aromatase in frogs, it likely does the same in humans. “Our hormones are so close to frog hormones,” he says. In female humans, the stimulation of aromatase is a notable cause of breast cancer. Hayes points out that Syngenta also manufactures a cancer drug, Letrozole, which blocks aromatase. “That’s why I call [Syngenta] a ‘one-stop shop,’” says Hayes. After Hayes stopped working for the company in 2000, Syngenta began a campaign to discredit him. The company actively pursued his downfall as a means of stopping his research against atrazine. Syngenta representatives followed Hayes to
his lectures, tried to entice him to sue, and hired writers to publicly question Hayes’ methodology and character. He says that he and his family were explicitly threatened by the company. “They say ‘it’s just some crazy guy at Berkeley and his frogs,’” he recalls, referring to accusations from Syngenta that his data on atrazine is irrelevant. “I’m still crazy — the crazy part holds,” he continues. “But the science is not only good, it’s been replicated around the world.” Hayes says that he told the us Environmental Protection Agency (epa) about his findings, but they didn’t consider his evidence sufficient enough to ramp up regulations. The epa considers the herbicide innocuous, despite data that say otherwise. Chris Davison, a spokesperson for Syngenta Canada, called atrazine a “well-tested, safe, and beneficial product that is critical to agriculture.” Davison added that the weed-killer has “environmental and economic benefits” that are “well-documented.” Syngenta has written articles about the safety of atrazine as a public relations gesture to drive this point home, publishing the work in newspapers under the guise of independent authorship. Davison acknowledged in an
email that “engaging experts to support [an organization’s] position” is “common practice.” Hayes condemns practices like these for causing widespread bias in scientific research. He blames the “revolving door” phenomenon, a term referring to the tendency for corporate executives and government officials to swap positions, as a primary reason for the epa’s reluctance to regulate atrazine. “The epa’s evaluation of atrazine was conducted by this guy,” Hayes said, pointing to a photograph of Humboldt University endocrinologist Dr. Werner Kloas, “who works for Syngenta.” To release public policy from the grip of industrial interests, Hayes suggests that tax revenue from big business could fund independent research, helping scientific findings remain neutral. Currently, companies in the us fund their own research directly, and thus have ample opportunities to generate results that favour their products. “I was taught that I should let the science speak for itself,” Hayes says. But when he realized that the epa wasn’t listening, Hayes took it upon himself to speak for science. “Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act,” says Hayes, quoting Einstein. “We have an obligation, especially when the epa is counting on us.”
Organized by the Institute of Health Improvement Open House, this seminar features Guna Budrevics, a performance improvement specialist from Sunnybrook Hospital Thursday, November 27 5:15 pm–6:30 pm Medical Sciences Building Room 4729 Free; register on Eventbrite
Introduction to Web Development Workshop Bitmaker Labs will be covering HTML and CSS with an overview of Ruby on Rails in this introductory workshop Thursday, November 27 6:30 pm–8:30 pm Bitmaker Labs Free; register on Eventbrite
2014 Herzberg Foundation Lecture Featuring Dr. W. Ford Doolittle, professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Dalhousie University, this lecture is organized by the Royal Canadian Institute and the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council Thursday, November 27 7:25 pm–9:25 pm Ryerson University Library Lecture Theatre LIB72, Free; register on Eventbrite
22 Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
VARSITY SCIENCE
science@thevarsity.ca
Science and ethics The inaugural Polanyi Conference examines the need for social responsibility in the scientific community Shaan Bhambra
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Although the Cold War ended over more than a decade ago, nuclear weapons still present a threat to human life globally. At the Polanyi Conference on Science and Social Responsibility, held at the Munk School for Global Affairs on Saturday, November 15, experts on the subject gathered to stress the continued need for social responsibility in regard to weapons of mass destruction. The conference is named after Dr. John C. Polanyi, a Nobel laureate and University of Toronto researcher, who has been a prominent member of the anti-nuclear movement since the 1950s. Polanyi, who served as a keynote speaker for the event, stressed the importance of public awareness around nuclear technology and scientific advances more generally at the conference. When asked about how science students should keep ethics in mind while continuing their education, he responded, “[Science students] should read outside of science, and they do. The students I’ve met [at the conference] cover a broad range of subjects.” “I think each individual is able to go and read some literature and some history and philosophy; that’s the way to being a human being rather than being a narrow scientist,” he adds.
A panel of experts provide various perspectives on social responsibility. SHIJIE zHou/THE VArSITy
Dr. M. V. Ramana, a physicist from Princeton University, was the second keynote speaker of the event. Ramana researches a broad range of subjects with a particular focus on the intersection
between science and policy. Ramana’s keynote drew parallels between the previous generation’s challenge with nuclear weapons and the current generation’s challenge with climate change.
Following the keynotes, a panel discussion featuring experts on the subject of nuclear war was held. Dr. Tom Nichols, a professor from the us Naval War College, presented a contemporary perspective on nuclear weapons, while Dr. Robert Bothwell and Dr. Jack Cunningham — both professors in the Department of History from U of T — provided a historical perspective. Dr. Nancy Doubleday, a biologist and lawyer from McMaster University, drew attention to the globalization of the Arctic due to the Cold War. The analysis of nuclear technology from a variety of perspectives gave the audience a chance to understand a number of different viewpoints, and to further understand the call for disarmament. The conference was organized by a small group of student volunteers who were led by Emma Hansen, a second-year student studying physics and philosophy. She was The Varsity’s associate science editor last year. Hansen believes that social responsibility remains an important topic for our generation. “The problem is to ensure that research has applications that serve humanity instead of threatening its destruction,” she says, adding, “As… Polanyi said when accepting his Nobel Prize, ‘human dignity is better served by embracing knowledge,’ it is to that end that people with scientific training have a special role to play.”
In conversation with Illan Kramer Dr. Illan Kramer of the Sargent Group discusses the breakthrough solar cell research being conducted at U of T starts behaving like something else. What we work with is a material called lead sulphide… Once we reduce the size of the lead sulphide to something in the neighbourhood of three to five nanometers, [it] starts behaving quite differently. [It] starts absorbing different wavelengths of light. [Its] electrical properties begin to shift as well. We take advantage of those differences to make, in our case, solar cells tailored to the applications that we want.
Dr. Illan Kramer. JENNIFEr Su/THE VArSITy
Shaan Bhambra
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
The Sargent group, a research team headed by Dr. Edward Sargent, has made strides in the field of photovoltaics and nanoscience. Their research has improved the efficiency of solar cells by harvesting light from previously inaccessible regions of the solar spectrum. The Varsity spoke with Dr. Illan Kramer, a postdoctoral researcher in the group, to discuss the group’s work and his personal vision for the future of solar energy. The Varsity: What makes you so passionate about studying renewable energy? Illan Kramer: I actually worked for a few years in a tech company in the Boston area. [It was a] big tech company that was… very set in its ways… but it was very not nimble. When an issue arose, it was kind of like turning a battleship. There was a lot of paper pushing needed… to
make changes happen. It was around that time, after a couple of years of working there, that I realized I wanted to work somewhere… where I had more control over the day-to-day work that I do… So that’s why I went back to grad school… in renewable energy specifically, because I think energy is a big problem that’s facing the world [right] now but mostly in the coming decades. I’m hoping I can be a part of the solution. TV: How would you describe the field of nanoscience in non-scientific terms? IK: When you go from working with bulk materials to working with nanomaterials, there comes a sort of threshold in terms of some critical dimension where the material stops behaving like that material. If you can imagine [that] you’re holding a piece of iron, for example, iron behaves [the same way] at a metre long, or half a metre long, or a centimetre long. But once you keep reducing that critical dimension down to a certain point, usually somewhere on the nanoscale, it stops behaving like iron and
TV: How has the Sargent Group contributed to the field of photovoltaics? IK: Photovoltaics is a… well-established field, dominated largely by materials like crystals and silicon. Those are the panels that you’ll see on people’s roofs or in a big solar farm… One of the things that solar cells can’t do is harvest sunlight in the infrared portion of the sun spectrum. Silicon does a very good job of absorbing visible light and a little bit of infrared light, but there is still a lot of light that the sun emits that silicon cannot absorb. So we work with materials that can absorb infrared light; mainly with quantum dots, which are… nanometre-sized crystals that float in solution so the solution looks like a dark ink. When we spin-coat, or spray-coat, or dip-coat the solution onto a substrate, we get a really dark film that is capable of absorbing both visible light and infrared light, which are the parts of the solar spectrum that silicon can’t absorb. Our biggest contribution is basically being able to access parts of the solar spectrum that were previously inaccessible by conventional materials. TV: What is a current research problem or topic of interest for the Sargent group? IK: We are always looking at: one, making our solar cells more efficient, and two, making them more [easily manufactured]. On the efficiency front, the best quantum-dot solar cells that have ever been published are about 8.5 [to] 8.6 per cent — they [were] recently published by an mit research group. We have solar
cells that perform just about as well. Between us and a handful of other research groups… we have always been among the leaders — if not the leader — in the field. But, 8.5 per cent is interesting scientifically, but it’s not interesting commercially, yet. If you want to make a solar cell that you think can realistically be put up on somebody’s roof or out in a solar farm, out in a field, you are going to need to be much more efficient than that. So this is one of our constant focuses — making more efficient solar cells. One advantage we have is that our materials are much cheaper than [those in] conventional silicon solar panels. We’re sort of operating on this paradigm that… if we’re half as efficient as silicon but we cost one per cent as much as silicon, then maybe we’re economically interesting. TV: Do you expect solar energy to be the solution to the energy crisis? IK: If you look at all of the numbers, it seems like solar energy is the only long-term solution. If you assume that one day we will exhaust everything that is buried in the ground, the sun hopefully will always be shining on the earth. We will always have that energy… for ‘free.’ That sunlight is going to land on the earth’s surface all the time, it’s very plentiful. [Only a small amount of land would be needed to capture enough energy to power a large population]. You could be very efficient at harvesting sunlight and turning it into power for the whole world. In the more immediate term, realistically, it’s not going to be our biggest source of energy, but it should be an increasingly large part of our energy supply, because eventually, we are just going to run out of new sources of natural gas or coal or other [sources of power]. And as it becomes cheaper and cheaper, there’s no reason not to use it. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
var.st/science
VARSITY SCIENCE
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2014
23
Making the “right” mistakes Study finds certain trial-and-error learning improves memory Shijie Zhou
VARSITY STAFF
A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition reveals that trial-and-error learning can be beneficial if a person is making the “right” kind of errors. The study is authored by AndréeAnn Cyr, a course director at the Department of Psychology at York University. She completed her phd at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Anderson, a co-author of the study and an associate professor at the Departments of Medicine (Psychiatry) and Psychology at U of T. The researchers discovered that making guesses that share conceptual similarity improves one’s memory performance, but guesses based on more arbitrary connections, such as word roots, complicates the learning process. Cyr and Anderson collected data from 65 younger and 64 older adults, both groups in good health conditions. There were two processing conditions for the experiment: conceptual and lexical. In the former, the participants memorized a target word given a cue of similar concept (flower as cue, tulip as target), while in the latter a lexical cue was presented (“st__” as cue; “strawberry” as target).
For each condition, there were two instruction types: trial-and-error, for which the participants made two guesses based on the cue before seeing the target word, and errorless, for which the right answer was given immediately after the cue. After the learning process, the participants were asked to recall the target words when presented a cue. In the cued recall test, younger participants performed better than older people under both conditions and instruction types. However, both groups showed better target recall in trial-and-error than in errorless learning for the conceptual condition and a reverse trend in the lexical condition. The results imply that conceptual errors are beneficial for memory processing. Cyr explains, “Conceptual errors, you can make sense of them. You can understand the relationship between your mistakes and your answer.” She adds, “Whereas lexical errors, you can’t really make a meaningful relation between them — what connects them is really superficial.” Cyr and Anderson argue that conceptual errors can help one remember by acting as “stepping stones” to the correct target. The errors generated when memory is being encoded can improve information retrieval later. However, this
TimoThy Law/The VarsiTy
only works if the errors and the targets have meaningful connections, which is why lexical errors are not as helpful. “Anybody who has ‘normal’ memory will find that trial-anderror is better so long as the errors are conceptual,” says Cyr. This even includes healthy older people, who generally have a reduction in certain forms of memory. “However, there is definitely more research that needs to be done for
people who have memory impairment as a result of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease,” says Cyr, adding, “In those cases we might find that they should avoid all types of errors… your errors are beneficial partially to the extent you can remember that you made them and you remember being wrong.” Many students may also find Cyr and Anderson’s research helpful. Cyr explains, “A lot of students have this impression that if you
read things over and over again, they think that the words will get into their heads for the exam, [but our]… research suggests that this is actually not a beneficial way to study for everybody.” She adds, “Get a friend to quiz you or even just quiz yourself; even if you are making mistakes and it’s kind of discouraging, the process of making mistakes is going to be a critical aspect of you learning it and being able to remember it later.”
World AIDS Day at U of T A day of remembrance and a day of action to overcome HIV/AIDS
subin Lee/The VarsiTy
Xia (Alice) Zhu
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
On December 1, 2014, the Great Hall at Hart House will open its doors for World aids Day. The event strives to increase awareness of the devastating effects of aids and the need to tackle this prominent issue. The multi-disciplinary event will feature a variety of guest speakers and performers and will showcase leading non-profit organizations and campus groups that are making a difference in this complex area. World aids Day at the University of Toronto is organized by Global Health Engage (ghe), a student-run committee of the University of Toronto International Health Program (utihp), that educates students on a number of global health issues.
Trillium Chang, an organizer of World aids Day and a member of the ghe, described it as an eye-opening interdisciplinary opportunity for students to be immersed in the challenge of effective aids mitigation. “[World aids Day at U of T] is an educational initiative… to get students to take action against hiv/aids”, says Chang. “The main message [we want students to take away from the event] is the idea of forgotten narratives… there are a lot of events that have a lot of hype, for example Ebola,” she says, adding, “We frequently forget that there are still a lot of systematic issues going on in the world and not a lot of attention has been paid to them: a great example would be aids itself.” Chang continues, “A lot of medicine has been developed and research has been focused on [aids], but we have not been able to lower the rates [of
the disease] as well as we could have.” She adds, “Therefore, this event is a celebration of our efforts against the world’s indifference to aids.” When asked about the challenges of effectively communicating the severity of aids to the general public, Chang replies, “I think first of all it’s a lot about how the media shapes the issue.” Chang points out that the vastness of the issue of aids may overwhelm students. “A lot of people will look at it and say, ‘it’s not an achievable goal,’” she says. “But that’s not the issue: the issue is that not enough attention has been devoted to it… it is not seen as a huge threat to our society,” she adds. World aids Day will include educational, fundraising, and community outreach components that strive to appeal to a wide range of audiences. The event will feature lectures by professors Peter Newman, Kelly MacDonald, Dan Allman, Carmen Logie, and LaRon Nelson. There will be an Earthtones performance halfway through the event. At the conclusion of the evening, a fair will feature local ngos and campus groups at the forefront of tackling hiv/aids. Some unique features of the day to look forward to will be that University College the CN Tower be lit up in red in honour of World aids Day. As well, the Carillon bells of Hart House will be ringing for the day. Marking World aids Day has been a tradition at U of T since 2004, and every year it has strived to promote dialogue on the difficulties of combatting the hiv/aids pandemic.
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Sports
VAR.ST/SPORTS 24 NOVEMBER 2014
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Goldring housewarming ends with two wins Men’s and women’s basketball teams both win in Goldring opening
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams won against Nipissing on Friday night. jENNIFER SU/THE VARSITy
Arco Recto
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s and women’s basketball teams hosted the Nipissing Lakers on Friday, November 21 at the brand new and much anticipated Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. Both teams were victorious at the grand opening night of the Goldring Centre. The women’s basketball team won decisively and commandingly with a
final score of 73–23. The men’s basketball team displayed resilience and composure, pulling away in the second half and winning 72–59. From the beginning of the women’s game, the team dominated with its superior athleticism. On the defensive side, the team constantly orchestrated effective fullcourt presses, forcing 34 turnovers from the Nipissing Lakers. On the offensive side, they made an effort to run in transition, creating constant disorganization in the opposing team’s defensive forma-
tion. The women’s team led from start to finish and never trailed. One of the reasons for the team’s victory was the performance of fifth-year forward Liane Bailey, who led all players with 17 points. “It was awesome to get everyone on the score sheet and everyone contributing,” says Bailey, attributing the win to the team. The men’s game proceeded shortly after the end of the women’s game. For the majority of the first half, the Blues found themselves in a tightly contested game. They trailed 29–30
at the end of the first half. However, in the second half, the men’s team played more efficiently and consistently, turning a one point first half deficit into a 13 point victory. Third-year forward Devin Johnson’s play stood out for the team. Punctuated by a fade-away corner three-pointer late in the game, Johnson tallied 23 points and 11 rebounds. Johnson notes three facets from the game that were critical in achieving the win: “Rebounding, for sure; cutting down on our turnovers; and making our offense simple.” Indeed, the Goldring Centre’s grand opening night was accentuated not only by two Blues wins — the fans played an integral and invaluable role in the event’s success as well. Seated all around the Kimel Family Field House, the fans were electric, energetic, receptive, and raucous. They blissfully cheered when a Varsity Blue scored and vehemently booed when a Laker shot a free throw. Lucky students and fans had chances of winning free tuition, a Merit Travel $500 travel voucher, and additional prizes. During timeouts and breaks, the fans were delighted by the lively and vibrant performances of the U of T dance, pom, and cheerleading teams, and fans were treated to the engaging and hilarious antics of the Varsity Blues mascot, True Blue.
Both head coaches commended the incredible atmosphere during the games. Michèle Bélanger, head coach of the Varsity Blues women’s team, praised the event, saying, “The department and staff did an outstanding job. The Kimel reception was wonderful. Alumni coming back, fans coming in, the athletes supporting the athletes — all of it was just magical.” John Campbell, head coach of the Varsity Blues men’s team, also applauded the event, saying, “It was a great atmosphere for the players to play in. The crowd was not only large, but they were engaged.” Beth Ali, director of intercollegiate and high performance sport, envisions the Goldring Centre as “a hub for campus spirit and school pride, a place where the University of Toronto community can come together to meet, train, compete, work out and enjoy all that the facility has to offer.” With a 2,000-seat international standard field house for basketball and volleyball, a high-performance strength and conditioning centre overlooking Varsity Stadium, and a state-of-the-art sport medicine clinic, the Goldring Centre will surely be a sanctuary for the years to come for students and athletes alike who are all bounded by two mutual interests: their love of sports and physical lifestyle.
How does it work? The science behind medical remedies used at the MacIntosh Clinic Kasi Sewraj
VARSITY STAFF
The University of Toronto has one of the top sports medicine clinics in the city: the David L. MacIntosh Sports Medicine Clinic. The clinic treats over 150 patients a day and has been in business for over 60 years. Over the time that the clinic has been open, sports medicine technology has greatly advanced. Machines allow doctors to diagnose injuries more precisely in order to create better treatment plans. In the past, invasive surgical methods were used to treat even minor injuries, but because of new technology, this is now often unnecessary. The MacIntosh Sports Medicine Clinic is equipped with a variety of different machinery used to treat patients. A very useful piece of equipment that we would traditionally not relate to sports medicine is the ultrasound machine. An ultrasound machine uses high frequency sound waves to create images of inside the body. A probe emits the waves that hit boundaries within the body, between soft tissue and fluid or
bone, which cause the waves to bounce back. The probe then picks up the reflected wave signals and uses a distance calculation to display different intensities projected onto a screen, therefore forming images of the soft tissue. Ultrasound therapy can be used to reduce healing time for certain soft tissue injuries by attracting more cells to the site and therefore increasing blood flow, speeding up recovery time. Ultrasound is also proven to stimulate the creation of collagen, which is the main component of tendons and ligaments and can further assist in healing any sprains or strains. Another healing method is the Stim machine, used for ems (electronic muscle stimulation), which can help strengthen weakened muscles in a process called re-education. Natural muscle contraction in the body has to do with electrical signals sent from the brain to various body parts. In this process, conductive pads are placed over muscles that need to be re-educated, and a lowlevel electric current is sent through the pads and contracts the muscles. This technology works to re-educate muscles that have been dam-
jULIEN bALbONTIN/THE VARSITy
aged and have not been used for a long period of time. In addition to other basic exercises, ems can build tone and help re-introduce the cognitive link between the brain and movement. For a variety of different pains and ailments, laser therapy is used, which is a treatment option at the MacIntosh Clinic. Laser therapy uses photon (light) energy to penetrate the skin
and interact with biomolecules that can help heal the body and restore natural function. This type of treatment has a wide variety of uses, from sprains and strains to fractures and joint dysfunction. Like ultrasound, this can stimulate the growth of new cells, decrease inflammation, and increase nerve function.
Treatments can range between 15 minutes for open wounds, minor sprains, strains, burns, or scars, to an hour for bone issues or multiple injuries. Sports doctors and therapists have been able to evolve from using surgeries and holistic remedies to using highly effective technology to make sure that our athletes can recover from any sports-related injuries.
VARSITY SPORTS
26 Vol. CXXXV, No. 11
sports@thevarsity.ca
One season down, one to go A recap of the Blues’ fall teams and previews of the upcoming season for winter teams Sam Caldarone
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Fall Recap MEN’S SOCCER The Blues men’s soccer team shone again this season, finishing third in the Ontario University Athletics (oua) after losing to eventual champions York in the semifinals. Paced by East division mvp Kilian Elkinson’s team-leading 11 goals, the Blues breezed to a 13–4–2 record. Although the Blues will lose Elkinson to graduation, they still figure to be a force next year with returning starting goalkeeper Rab Bruce-Lockhart and all-stars Lukas MacNaughton and Devon Bowyer.
WOMEN’S SOCCER Not to be outdone, the women’s Blues soccer team finished third in the oua East division with a record of 10–4–2. The Blues defeated Laurentian in the first round of the playoffs, but narrowly lost to University of Ontario Institute of Technology in the quarterfinals by a score of 2–1. The duo of returning sophomores Nicki Parkes and two-time all-star Claudia Piazza seek to lead the Varsity Blues into next season.
FOOTBALL Led by head coach Greg Gary, who is now in his fourth year of coaching, the Blues limped to a 2–6 record this season. However, those two wins came by a combined score of 131– 13, and a number of losses weren’t decided until the final quarter. The team set several offensive records, for total yardage (3,772 yards), pass attempts (330), and completions (205) in a single season. All that passing led quarterback Simon Nassar to break the school’s single season record for completion percentage (63.93 per cent). It also opened up the run game as the Blues’ top three RBs averaged over seven yards a rush.
FIELD HOCKEY After blanking Guelph and York in the oua playoffs by a combined 8–0 score, the Blues seemed well on their way to a championship by surrendering only one goal in three Canadian Intercollegiate Sports (cis) round robin games. However, it was not meant to be, as the Blues dropped the final to the University of British Columbia by a score of 2–0. The Blues will lose senior cis mvp Amanda Woodcroft; however, they will return with leading scorer and All-Canadian defender Alison Lee, as well as reigning coach of the year John DeSouza.
The women’s field hockey team placed second in the country this fall. Evan LukE/THE varsiTy
BASKETBALL
coming transfer student Abena Addo (formerly of McGill) and second–year Diedre Edwards to form a formidable and experienced backcourt.
The Blues will seek to build on a disappointing 4–18 campaign in 2013, with a pair of National Collegiate Athletics Association division 1 transfers. Julian Clarke, coming from Santa Clara, and Manny Sahota, coming from Cornell, will look to guide firstyear point guard Sage Usher as the team tries to end a three-year streak of losing seasons. The Blues hope that their luck will change as they enter a new era in a new stadium: the Ron Kimel Field House in the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. The women’s basketball team will try to improve after a solid ending to last season, culminating in a fourth place finish in the oua East. Returning fifth–year co-captains Jasmine Lewin and two-time oua allstar Jill Stratton will team up with in-
Entering a year that will end with the cis tournament held in the Goldring Centre, the Blues have high hopes for the upcoming season. The hype is warranted, as the Blue and White began the season ranked seventh nationally, and already has been bumped up to fifth. The reason for this is the stellar play of fifth–year veterans Charlotte Sider and Jennifer Neilson. The dynamic duo have combined to lead the team in kills the past two seasons, with Sider being named cis allCanadian last season, and Neilson earning an oua all-star nod. They will be charged with grooming the next great generation of Blues volleyball, headlined by newcomer and all-Ontario left side hitter Anna Feore.
Winter Preview
VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
TRACK James Turner, oua all-star and Panamerican team member, will lead the men’s track team after placing first in the 100-metre at the Canada games. He will be helped out by teammate Greg MacNeill, who earned three medals at the event. The first meet for the Blues will be the York Christmas Open on November 29. Three-time women’s cis coach of the year Carl Georgevski, in his twentieth season, will take on the challenge of winning the Blues’ first oua title since 2004–2005. He will lean on the performance of Gabriela Stafford to achieve this goal. Stafford represented Canada at the International Association of Athletics Federation World Junior Championships this summer, and was named an oua all-star. After finishing second in oua last year, the Blues will be hungry for first this season.
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27
Varsity alumnus profile: Andre Hidi Forward for the Varsity Blues hockey team from 1980–1984 recounts his time as a Blue
Andre Hidi at the 2014 U of T Hall of Fame Inductions. COURTESY OF VARSITY BLUES
Thomas Vangou
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
In the 1983–1984 season, the Varsity Blues hockey team won the provincial and national championships. It was “the best year of hockey I’ve ever had,” according to Andre Hidi, forward for the team. Those memories left a mark with
Hidi — he still remembers them clearly to this day. Hidi is a Toronto native and a graduate of the University of Toronto. Before attending U of T, Hidi attended the University of Toronto Schools. As a high school student, he always wanted to be part of the Varsity Blues program. Hidi began his university career at the age of 17 and played hockey for
various teams outside of U of T, including the Peterborough Petes. That was when he got to play for a tough but fair coach, Mike Keenan, who would eventually coach the Blues to the 1983–1984 championships. As a 19-year-old, Hidi recalls playing in front of 18,000 fans at the World Junior Championships in Finland. The team did not medal but gained valuable international experience.
Following that season, Hidi was drafted as a forward to the Colorado Rockies in the nhl, now known as the New Jersey Devils. The team sent Hidi down to their minor league team. “I kind of thought that was it for pro hockey,” says Hidi. His next hockey move brought him back to U of T in 1980. A core group of 7 or 8 players lead the team throughout his four years. There were some changes each year, such as dressing two rookie goalies in his final year, but the team stayed consistent. The team also had a new coach each season. In Hidi’s opinion, this was a good learning experience. Hidi and the other captains were leaders on and off the ice. “We tried to lead the Blues by example — working hard, playing smart hockey and being good teammates,” he says. His teams won the Ontario University Athletics championships in two seasons and a national championship in his final season. Hidi, as well as his 1983–1994 team, have been inducted into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame. The final game score of 9–1 sums up the domination of that team’s season. After concluding his final season on the Varsity Blues, Hidi signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals in the nhl while continuing in a master’s program at U of T. “It was a very dramatic shift. I was a ta for a political science course and I had a bunch of papers
to mark with me. So I’m in my hotel room marking first-year poli-sci papers in between practices and games,” says Hidi. Hidi’s “cup of coffee” in the nhl lasted seven games. He experienced the playoffs and played against the day’s top players. He was sent down to the minor league affiliate team and played another two seasons, but he chose school over hockey. Hidi attended Stanford University to complete an mba program. He then transitioned to a role as a banker on Wall Street. He has continued this career for the Bank of Montreal as the head of Global Mergers & Acquisition. His seasons at U of T are a distant past, but Hidi remarks he still uses the skills and attributes he developed as a varsity athlete. The leadership and teamwork skills from the hockey team are attributes he still uses in his career. “Working on a team is not all that different from being on the ice with five guys and a goalie trying to figure out how to score. And how to keep the other team from scoring on you,” says Hidi. Friendships from his time at U of T remain strong, and memories remain vivid. “We had a great group of people, guys and coaches,” says Hidi. “We’ll always be brothers.” As for his hockey career today, Hidi enjoys watching his son play in the ncaa and playing hockey for fun with family and friends.
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Sudoku
Fill the grid so that every column every row and every 3X3 box contains the number 1 to 9. Easy
Saturday, November 29 Nathan Phillips Square - 7 pm
See the answers online next Monday at var.st/sudoku
Varsity Publications’ Fall Meeting of Members Thursday, December 4, 2014, 5:10 pm The Fall Meeting of Members of Varsity Publications, the corporation that publishes The a Varsity newspaper, will be held for the purposes of:
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Enjoy a free concert, the first lighting of Toronto’s official Christmas tree, stunning fireworks and an open-air skating party!
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1. 2. 3. 4.
Consideration of the financial statements Consideration of the public accountant’s report Re-appointment of the public accountant Any other business.
Membership: All full-time undergraduate students who pay the Varsity Publicstions fee are members of the corporation and are entitled to attend and vote at this meeting. Proxies: Members who are unable to attend may proxy their vote by returning the for, of proxy to the meeting location at least 24 hours before the meeting. Location: the meeting will be held in the Varsity’s offices, on the second floor of 21 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON. For more information, to view documents to be considered at the meeting, or to download the form of proxy, please visit: var.st/fallmeeting-of-members.