November 18, 2013

VARSITY EDITORIAL

U OF T BUILDING BEYOND ITS MEANS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 10

University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

PG 11

18 November, 2013

Showdown in Toronto Centre Major parties jockey for students’ votes as byelection enters final week

One week away from the election that will decide the campaign seat, candidates discuss student concerns Theodore Yan ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

The race for Toronto Centre is heating up.

As the campaign for the seat previously held by Bob Rae enters its final week, the candidates are redoubling their efforts to get their messages out to voters. This has included voicing their opinions on issues that matter to students.

“Rising tuition fees are a big, big concern for students, and they just keep going up and up, and Ontario in fact is one of the worst in terms of support universities get in order to keep tuition fees low, so that’s something we need to work on,” said Linda McQuaig, candidate for the NDP. “The NDP has a very specific proposal on this,” she went on. “We think that the federal government should be involved; we think that federal money going to the provinces for post-secondary education should include a special package earmarked for reducing tuition fees. Universi-

ties, colleges, post-secondary education, that is a public good.”

“It’s absolutely important that universities and colleges be accessible, and they can’t be accessible if fees are unaffordable.”

Chrystia Freeland, the Liberal candidate, gave some context to the problem of rising tuition: “I think it’s an issue in a few ways,” she said. “It’s an issue for how do students afford it to be able to get access to university; it’s an issue in terms of the impact it has on the lives of students afterwards, and it’s not just that tuition costs are high, but that often translates into graduating with a lot of student debt, which then has to be paid off at really high interest rates.”

She added as a caveat that while rising tuition costs are a serious concern, universities need adequate funding in order to provide a high quality of education, which is also a major concern for students: “If we’re going to say ‘Okay, tuition costs can’t rise anymore,’ we need to realize universities are going to have to get their money from somewhere,” she stated.

McQuaig and Freeland are both career journalists. Both have written extensively about class differences and social welfare.

McQuaig has authored almost a dozen books on the topic. She has often criticized conservative economic policies such as corporate tax breaks and the social inequality she contends that they create.

John Deverell, the Green Party candidate, also began as a journalist. He argued throughout his career against Canada’s “winner-takes-all” elections, which he considers undemocratic, and instead advocates for a system of proportional representation for parliament. This would entail giving each party a percentage of seats equal to the percentage of total votes it receives. Deverell resigned from the party when it proved unreceptive to his proposals to change Canada’s electoral system.

Deverell was originally a Liberal but resigned from the party, and offers a different take on the matter of tuition. “We’ve got a whole cohort of young people, all of whom

are having difficulty in the labour market; it’s not just students or young graduates. So the broader question is the shorter of money in the pockets of people who need it,” he said.

“We put on a carbon tax to try to redirect the consumption patterns and the production patterns in our economy, but to avoid the charges of ‘tax grab’ and so on and so on, we turn around and say carbon tax money will be redistributed to all Canadians in a Canada income supplement, to all Canadians over the age of 18.”

Deverell argues that the Green proposal will allow more flexibility to students because the cash payment from redistribution of the carbon tax revenues can be used to help with any expense, including tuition, cost of living, and others. He contends that this is a more effective method of dealing with students’ financial difficulties because it directly addresses the broader problem of lack of income rather than trying to solve the problem through manipulation of the minimum wage or tuition levels.

CONTINUED PG 6

WAR OF WORDS STUDENT SOCIETIES SUMMIT HEATS UP

PG 5

2

VARSITY NEWS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 10

THE VARSITY VOL. CXXXIV No. 10

WHAT’S GOING ON

THIS WEEK

21 Sussex Avenue, Suite 306 Toronto, ON, M5S 1J6 Phone: 416-946-7600 www.thevarsity.ca

ON CAMPUS

editor@thevarsity.ca

This UofT professor’s picture is of a dog.

Production Manager Dan Seljak production@thevarsity.ca Managing Online Editor Murad Hemmadi

online@thevarsity.ca

Design Editor Shaquilla Singh

design@thevarsity.ca

Photo Editor Carolyn Levett

photo@thevarsity.ca

the week in tweets MICHAEL DEL SPEARS @MIKEBOOTAC

Masthead Editor-in-Chief Joshua Oliver

news@thevarsity.ca

— Tuesday, November 12

DAVID DENNIS @DJCDENNIS

Senior Copy Editor Catherine Virelli

copy@thevarsity.ca

Best week!! One day of class tomorrow.

Cancelled lectures and tutorials are the best #uoft

News Editor Zane Schwartz

news@thevarsity.ca

— Wednesday, November 13

Comment Editor Alec Wilson

comment@thevarsity.ca

Features Editor Danielle Klein

features@thevarsity.ca

ADAM PLUMMER @ACPLUMSAUCE

arts@thevarsity.ca

Blinked twice and reading week was over #uoft

Science Editor Katrina Vogan

science@thevarsity.ca

— Wednesday, November 13

Sports Editor Elizabeth Benn

sports@thevarsity.ca

Arts & Culture Editor Sofia Luu

Illustrations Editor Nancy Ji

illustration@thevarsity.ca

Video Editor Jamieson Wang

video@thevarsity.ca

Web Developer Natalie Morcos

web@thevarsity.ca

VENDOR QUEENS

Handmade and vintage arts market featuring items from local artists, vintage collectors, upcyclers, and artisanal food and drink vendors. Saturdays and Sundays only.

November 16 – December 29, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Launch party November 21, 8:00 pm 1093 Queen Street West Free

Associate Design Editor Mari Zhou Associate Photo Editor Vacant Associate Senior Copy Editor Lucy Genua Associate News Editor Liza Agrba Sarah Niedoba Theodore Yan Associate Features Editor Victoria Banderob Associate Comment Editor Vacant Associate A&C Editor Ishita Petkar Corinne Przybyslawski

Associate Sports Editor JP Kaczur Associate Video Editor Alexandra Butrón

Writers

Nasma Ahmed, Afiny Akdemir, Maria Alexiou, Elizabeth Benn, Nipa Chauhan, Sampson Coutts, Jerico Espinas, James Flynn, Sara Gajic, Susan Gordon, Elena Gritzan, Atta Habibollah-Zadeh, Alessandra Harkness, Jennifer Hurd, Ken Kongkatong, Trevor Koroll, Haman Mamdouhi, India McAllister, Sarah Niedoba, Devyn Noonan, Corinne Przybyslawski, Iris Robin, Tanya Rogova, Anamjit Singh Sivia, Aidan Slind, Taylor Stinson, Katrina Vogan, Theodore Yan Photo and Illustration William Ahn, Julien Balbontin, Wendy Gu, Nancy Ji, Carolyn Levett, Vivek Srikanthan

Copy Editors and Fact Checkers Armen Alexanian, Alanna Brousseau, Karen Chu, Lucy Genua, Donna Lee, Sarah Leeves, Cassandra Mazza, Malone Mullin, Linh Nguyen, Hana Osman, Chelsea Ricchio, Nicole Sconza, Kelly Turner, Catherine Virelli, Rachelle Wilson

Business Office Business Manager Timothy Sharng

Films from more than 25 different countries reflecting the excellence, innovation, and diversity of European cinema.

November 14 – 27 Royal Cinema, 608 College Street Free CYCLING IN FALL AND WINTER

Associate Science Editor Emma Hansen

Designers Kawmadie Karunanayake, Dan Seljak, Shaquilla Singh, Mari Zhou

EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL

business@thevarsity.ca

Advertising Manager Victoria Marshall advertising@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executives Stephanie Lau stephanie@thevarsity.ca terence@thevarsity.ca Terence Leung vanessa@thevarsity.ca Vanessa Wen 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 © 2013 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 Please recycle this issue after you are finished with it.

Learn how to ride a bicycle safely in the cold weather and how to maintain your bike.

November 23, 2:00 pm Lillian H Smith Library, 239 College Street Free

U OF T IDOL AT HART HOUSE

RHIANNON KYLE @RHIANNON_KYLE Substitute geology prof from UTSC: “There is an infinite amount of oil!” … but no. #UofT — Wednesday, November 13

MELISSA ANNE @MELISSASMUSINGS

A night of drama, suspense, fun, and good music put on by the Hart House Music Committee.

November 21, 8:30 pm Arbor Room, Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle Free

UofT made an invisibility cloak. We literally have a “great hall” in Hart House. UC looks like a castle. Now tell me I don’t go to Hogwarts,

LEFTWORDS FESTIVAL OF BOOKS AND IDEAS

JACOB LORINC @JACOBLORINC_

Presentations by Canadian authors on food security, women in a globalizing world, health activism, and more — plus the launch of the Socialist Register 2013.

November 24, 11:30 am – 5:00 pm Oakham House/Ryerson Student Centre 55 Gould Street Free

VARSITY PUBLICATIONS’ FALL MEETING OF MEMBERS Wednesday, December 4 , 2013, 5:00 pm Room 200, 21 Sussex Avenue The Fall Meeting of Members of Varsity Publications, the corporation that publishes The Varsity newspaper, will be held for the purposes of: 1. Consideration of the financial statements 2. Consideration of the public accountant’s report 3. The appointment or re-appointment of the public accountant 4. Any other business.

Membership: All full-time undergraduate students who pay the Varsity Publications 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 form of proxy to the meeting location at least 24 hours before the meeting.

For more information, to view documents to be considered at the meeting, or to dowload the form of proxy, please visit: var.st/fall-meeting-of-members

— Thursday, November 14

GZA speaks at UofT on creativity, consciousness, and the universe. Deep #WuTang #Genius — Friday, November 15

EVAN BALGORD @EBALGORD @UofTNews Campus Police treatment of Kevin Clarke was reasonable + measured. Police didn’t show up in 25 mins so I had to go. #TorCen #uoft — Saturday, November 16

EMILY DEIBERT @EMILYDEIBERT ROSI let me enroll in 5 courses 1st semester and 7 2nd (i.e. total of 6 FCE). But will I eventually get kicked out? #UofT @VicCollege_UofT — Sunday, November 17

JOSHUA MANDRYK @JMANDRYK McQuaig: Delighted to be back here at #UofT - was a student activist and writer for @TheVarsity in the 70s. #TorCen — Sunday, November 17

VARSITY NEWS

var.st/news

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

3

Shaun Shepherd steals Trinity College symbol Prank deepens UTSU-Trinity divide as former UTSU president refuses to return hat stolen two weeks ago Trevor Koroll and Sarah Harrison VARSITY STAFF

Former University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) president Shaun Shepherd is alleged to have stolen from and harmed a bishop during a confrontation outside the students’ union building on Monday, November 4.

The incident happened during a Trinity College event called The Humbling, a decades-old tradition in which Trinity students parade from college to college, making satirical speeches and apologizing for the perceived inferiority of other colleges.

After visiting other colleges, a group of approximately 40 students participating in The Humbling gathered in front of the utsu building where they were joined by utsu president Munib Sajjad, and vice-president, internal and services, Cameron Wathey, along with Shepherd.

A few minutes into the speeches, Shepherd approached Trinity College bishop, Marissa Martins, and stole the ceremonial mitre — a bishop’s traditional hat — from off her head. In the process, he alleg-

edly scratched her face. Shepherd denied injuring Martins.

Shepherd then ran around the utsu building and out of sight.

A number of students carried on with The Humbling after unsuccessfully chasing Shepherd, and some Trinity students stayed behind at the utsu building. Sajjad said that some of the executives felt threatened by the group outside and called campus police, who informed them that the students had a right to be there if they were not blocking any entrances or exits.

“Calling campus police without cause is not an advisable strategy to prevent the growing dissatisfaction and alienation of your membership,” said Benjamin Crase, co-head of Trinity College.

Shepherd said that the incident was done in jest. “Trinity was dishing it so I figured they could take it,” he said, citing similar incidents over the years of Trinity pranking the utsu. “It was done in [the spirit of] friendly college banter,” he said.

Shepherd, now an alumnus, originally denied taking the item, but later admitted to it. While he said that the mitre is safe and un-

damaged, he claimed not to know its current whereabouts, and said he will help retrieve it.

Martins said she is disappointed at the actions of the former utsu president.

“Calling campus police without cause is not an advisable strategy to prevent the growing dissatisfaction and alienation of your membership” — Benjamin Crase co-head of Trinity College “I’m not so much shook up as just disheartened that a person who was in such a prominent position four or five months ago has the audacity to deny the wilful stealing of college property,” Martins said.

Martins said that the mitre, a valuable item to Trinity, was purchased several years ago through

student fees. While Martins said she received a scratch that night, she has since downplayed its importance. Above all, Martins wants the mitre returned.

“I spoke with the bishop [Martins], and I invited the bishop out for coffee, but she refused,” said Shepherd.

Shepherd has since said that he acted alone. Sajjad said that Shepherd asked him jokingly if he should steal the mitre, and he said no. “I didn’t think he would actually do it,” Sajjad said. He has since asked Shepherd to return the mitre.

Several Trinity College students present during The Humbling suggested that Shepherd and the utsu colluded.

“There’s been a natural culture that has been developed, in my opinion, within the Trinity realm, for them to look at the utsu and look at them as enemies,” said Sajjad.

Sajjad described past pranks by groups of engineers on the utsu, and said that they are mostly harmless. However, he said that Trinity’s pranks that involve first-year students can be more nefarious. A letter by Sajjad, sent

to the Student Societies Summit, cited more serious pranks, from: “instructing first-year students to urinate on our office, to delivering whole dead pigs to our office, to egging our door.”

“When it comes to hazing rituals of first-year students, that’s not something I’ve seen from engineers,” said Sajjad, adding that this is predominantly a problem with Trinity College. He maintains that first-year students should make up their own minds about what to believe regarding the utsu, and events like The Humbling encourage them to believe the worst.

Trinity College head of arts, Kate Motluk, who oversaw The Humbling, said that it can be expected that not everyone will appreciate the humour of the event.

Motluk said she is unsure about the future of the event. “This depends on next year’s bishop, and what they choose to do,” said Motluk.

As to the prospect for criminal charges being laid, Trinity College, Dean of Students, Jonathan Steels said he would not comment, as his office is currently investigating the allegations.

Annual audit of UTSU reports $50,000 deficit for previous year UTSU publishes audit for year ending April 30 in advance of AGM James Flynn VARSITY STAFF

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) recently released audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2013. The utsu is the second-largest student union in Canada, by membership. During the year, the utsu ran a deficit of $52,404. This compares to a surplus of $152,625 for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2012.

The utsu’s largest revenue stream for the year was $9,661,890 in health and dental plan fees. The fees, which are collected from utsu members at the beginning of the year, are spent on health and dental plan disbursements. The plans are underwritten by Green Shield Canada, a national not-for-profit health benefits provider.

Spending on clubs and other subsidies had the largest increase of any expense category.

Expenditures on clubs and other subsidies rose $93,040 — from $118,774 in 2012 to $211,814 in 2013. When asked for comment, utsu president Munib Sajjad was not willing to specify where the extra funds came from, only stating that: “Clubs funding was

increased all around last year. I encourage you to take a look at the minutes from last year. Just under 200 clubs are funded.”

Spending on office and general expenses, orientation expenses, ticket purchases, election and referendum expenses, campaigns expenses, meetings expenses, and equipment expenses also rose.

Spending on salaries, wages and other benefits decreased by $66,905, from $737,108 in 2012 to $670,203 in 2013. Sajjad said: “approximately 150 employees as enshrined by the Employment Standards Act are respected.”

The union employs nine fulltime unionized staff. Spending on Metropass, bank, financing, and interest charges; the book exchange; and the ttc program also decreased.

Specifics on wages, salaries and benefits for employees of the utsu are not publicly available.

Sajjad did not answer questions on why the utsu does not release staff salaries and benefits, or what the average salary and benefits received are.

In comparison, according to documents released by the Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson (cesar), which is in a labour dispute with its two full-time unionized staff,

BY THE NUMBERS $52,404

UTSU budget deficit for the year ending April 30, 2013

$152,625

UTSU budget surplus for the year ending April 30, 2012

$670,203

Salaries, wages, and benefits 2013 UTSU building. File photo: Bernarda gospic/the varsity

employees at cesar enjoy a significant range of benefits and salary increases. According to the association’s website, one of the staff members has received a 31 per cent wage increase over three years, and as of 2010 was paid $51,766.43.

Staff who have worked at the union for more than three years receive 75 paid days off per year.

All staff receive $300 for prescrip-

tion eye care every two years, and 100 per cent coverage of pharmaceuticals. Employees at cesar belong to cupe Local 1281, the same chartered local union as utsu employees. Sajjad did not address questions as to whether utsu staff receive similar benefits.

The audited financial statements will be considered at utsu’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, November 27.

$118,774

Clubs and other subsidies for the year ending April 30, 2012

$211,814

Clubs and other subsidies for the year ending April 30, 2013

4

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 10

VARSITY NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

U of T Veterans, old and new

The Varsity speaks with two U of T students who enlisted in 1957 and 2005 respectively Liutenant-Colonel Gherard Knopf (far right) joined the reserves in 1957. Photos Courtesy of gherard KnoPf

Jerico Espinas

India McAlister

VARSITY STAFF

Lieutenant- Colonel Gherard Knopf was a member of the 8th Signal Regiment and experienced the hardships of Nazi Germany first-hand. He came to Canada from Germany in 1951 to finish the last two years of his electrical engineering degree at the University of Toronto. Once completing his degree he joined the Reserves in 1957, and served for 52 years before officially retiring. Currently, Knopf is an active member of the Royal Canadian Legion and the university’s Soldiers Tower Committee.

The Varsity: Why did you join the military?

Gherard Knopf: My dad was in the army during wwi. He was in the cavalry and served in the Eastern Front against Russia. So I chose to be in the military, in part, because of him.

I graduated in 1957 with a degree in electrical engineering. I knew a lot of buddies that were going into the military, so I became interested. I looked at three different units that had something to do with engineering.

Somehow I chose [the 8th Signals Battalion], even though I was studying high-power stuff and Signals was low-power.

TV: Are there any misconceptions that people have about military life?

GK: Well, people didn’t really acknowledge ptsd [post-traumatic stress disorder] back then. It was something that came out of more recent exchanges, so it’s more recognized now than it was then. People used to think it’s just physical injuries, but it’s more than that.

I know people who went to Hong Kong and were imprisoned by the Japanese. You hear them, how they have bad dreams at night. And in Afghanistan now, you have some people who are also badly injured.

But you get these situations where veterans are required to go through all these motions just to get help. The government needs to be more aware of their problems.

Right now, there’s a lot of pressure put on Veteran Affairs to give veterans proper help.

Because some people lost their lives or return injured. So there’s that, too. The government is being hard on recent veterans. They think they can handle it, but they need this sort of help.

We need to make sure the government does not cut things off for the vets.

TV: What does Remembrance Day mean to you?

GK: You have to try to acknowledge what people did in the past, whether they were killed or whether they survived. And some people had some pretty rough times, even after they survived.

It’s also a good way to support veterans through donations, which is also important.

Staff Sergeant Craig Maniscalco (second from left) joined the US military in 2005. Photos Courtesy of Craig ManisCalCo

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Staff Sergeant Craig Maniscalco served for five years as a Special Forces Engineer in the United States Army, deployed in Iraq, the Philippines, and Nepal. Now he is a student at the University of Toronto, studying english and philosophy. In addition to his studies he is vice-president, administration at New College, and was co-head of the New College frosh week in 2013.

The Varsity: How do people at U of T react to you having been in the American military?

Knopf at 2013 Rememberance Day ceremony

TV: Do you think students adequately commemorate Remembrance Day? GK: It could be better. We tried, in earlier years, to have classes suspended for the two minutes of silence, but we faced some problems with that. Last year’s attendance was around 1,500, but this year’s was closer to 1,250.

But it’s still a good turnout. We used to get distinguished people and their families, and they attracted people. But people die, and we have to cope.

We also have a lot of international students from all over the world coming — a lot of, say, Chinese students in the area who are interested in Canada’s history. And I think that’s a good thing. It shows people still care about their sacrifices.

TV: Do students treat recent veterans differently from older veterans?

GK: I think it really depends on the student’s views and experiences. Usually he had some parents who were in the forces or grandparents from wwi. They usually relate that way, by having a family member be involved in a war.

Sometimes, students are just able to see what was done to keep our lives here, away from the tragedies that happened. And you see that all the time when students visit the Soldier’s Tower. The respect that they have is for all soldiers.

TV: How were recent veterans treated when you were a student?

GK: I think it was the same, actually. The difference is that many students knew a lot of people who were affected by the war. Again, it’s easier to relate if your family is affected.

You have different opinions, of course. And you have to respect that, too.

Well, as long as they support things in the end. One person I knew was a pacifist. He didn’t want to wear weapons, but he was able to do good for people by helping them survive medically in China.

So, even back then, it still depends on the student’s views.

Craig Maniscalco: In the United States, it is uncommon to meet a person who has no connection to the military. In Canada, they are sort of segregated, not in culture, but in distance, space. So typically the reaction is just surprise, awe. “That’s cool.” “What’s that like?” It’s just a lack of awareness; it’s like meeting someone who has three eyes.

Maniscalco all decked out for Innis College orientation week.

CM: While for all veterans, Remembrance Day will make them think of their time, their friends, and the veterans that they know, but I think it almost always also is a chance to think about how much the people who came before us did for us.

TV: Why did you join the military?

TV: Do you feel that your student life and your past military life intersect?

CM: It’s a legitimate option in the states, it’s a legitimate career option. There is a sense of duty and service involved. Personal philosophy would be the best short answer for why I joined the military.

CM: Not really. I think being a veteran in many ways makes student life very difficult. It makes it much more difficult to connect with people.

You don’t have a shared experience with people right off the bat.

TV: Do people ever respond negatively to you when they find out you were in the military?

TV: Do you think that’s any different then for any other mature student?

CM: I’ve had several people who are very confrontational, but it’s more academically confrontational. Like in the states, someone who dislikes you and dislikes the military will call you a “baby killer,” but in Canada somebody will ask, “Morally, what do you think gives America the right to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs?” That’s a legitimate question; alright, let’s talk.

CM: I would say that’s probably a regular mature student problem. Except for the fact that university students love to argue about politics, love to debate. It’s hard not to get sucked into that.

Many, many times I have had an opportunity to participate in a debate where my experience will have put me on an extreme end of the spectrum.

TV: Are there any sorts of misconceptions that people have about what it’s like to be in the military?

CM: The bottom line is that no soldier wants to go to war. No soldier wants to be fired at, or shoot people, but it’s a job and a calling that we all feel very strongly about. It saddens me quite a bit to know that my team went to Afghanistan without me a few months after I left. Knowing what I know now, I would have a very hard time leaving when I did.

You develop a family. Essentially, my family was in a place of grave danger without me. That’s hard.

CM: There’s a misconception that being in the military is necessarily incredibly hard or incredibly life-changing when that just isn’t the case. Being in the military is like being in a job. Three per cent of my job is what people would think of when they think of what the military is.

We didn’t have any casualties in Iraq, but we had several in the Philippines. There’s a misconception there, “Oh there was actual fighting in the Philippines?”

People died. So, that was hard. That was a hard deployment. My best friend at the time was in Afghanistan. He died while I was in the Philippines. It was very hard.

TV: What does Remembrance Day mean to you?

TV: Do you wish you had seen more combat?

TV: What was the best thing about being in the military?

CM: My sense of self is very different now than it was, or would have been, had I not been in the military. My understanding of what I am, what I can be, what I am capable of. Those are thing that I can never lose and I can’t give back. Plus, they paid for college.

The interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

var.st/news

VARSITY NEWS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

5

War of words: Summit heats up Accusations of unpreparedness, bullying, and “deliberate misrepresentation” colour fourth meeting Sarah Niedoba ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Conflict looms in the wake of the fourth meeting of the ongoing Student Societies Summit, which occurred on November 15.

New disputes have grown between some student divisions and the utsu.

On November 15, the Innis College Student Society (icss) submitted a letter to the summit detailing its concerns with the union’s involvement in the summit. In the letter, icss president Mary Stefanidis stated that she does not feel that the utsu representatives currently at the summit are knowledgeable enough to properly speak for the union. utsu vice-president, university affairs, Agnes So and vice-president, equity, Yolen Bollo-Kamara have been representing the union at the summit in place of president Munib Sajjad.

In the letter, Stefanidis wrote: “The subgroup discussions that took place during the last summit meeting only further confirm our concern with the current representation. It is not their capacity as representatives, but merely a lack of knowledge that only comes with experience.” Stefanidis went on to cite examples of these failings, including Bollo-Kamara and So not being informed about perceived problems with Canadian Federation of Students mem-

bers working on utsu election campaigns. Stefanidis stated that if Sajjad were present, the issue would have been resolved quickly because of his greater knowledge and experience. Stefanidis also stated that the utsu had not progressed to the same extent as other societies, maintaining the same arguments and remaining unwilling to compromise.

On November 1, the utsu submitted a twenty-page letter to the summit in response to a previous letter submitted by the tcm. The tcm letter in question outlined concerns about the utsu Board of Directors’ decision to rule engineering director Pierre Harfouche’s motions out of order. Responding to the letter, the utsu wrote that it was suprised to hear of these concerns, which it felt had not been presented to it in an appropriate manner. At one point, the letter reads: “We often first hear of issues in The Varsity or through being carbon-copied on letters addressed to members of the University staff.” The letter also addressed Sajjad’s concern that the union has been the target of bullying by various other student societies in the past year. Sajjad lists homophobic remarks towards the executive committee and vandalization of the utsu office among other issues that need to be addressed at the summit.

EngSoc president Mauricio Curbelo, posted his response to the utsu on Facebook on November 15. In the post, he addresses the

utsu’s claims that it was not made aware of issues before Harfouche’s motions were submitted. “This is a deliberate misrepresentation of years of past attempts to engage the utsu through their own processes to address our concerns,” writes Curbelo. He goes on to speak of the joint committee between EngSoc and the utsu that met several times over the 2010-2011 academic year about the issue of fee diversion, which the utsu did not mention in its letter to the summit.

Curbelo also raised concerns about Sajjad not attending the meetings, saying: “They continue to refuse to send their President to the Summit meetings, and did not make a written submission to the Summit until tcm suggested that the refusal to place Mr. Pierre Harfouche’s motions on their Annual General Meeting agenda may constitute undemocratic conduct under the University’s Policy for Compulsory Non-Academic Incidental Fees, possibly resulting in a withholding of fees by the administration.”

He concludes the letter saying that EngSoc does not believe any amount of democratic reform of the utsu will be a suitable alternative to fee diversion. In terms of other discussions being held at the summit, Curbelo stated: “Our referendum only addressed the question of fees — we continue to be open to exploring

different structures of governance which will allow the interests of engineering students to be well-represented in the university’s decision-making processes.”

Sajjad has not responded to request for comment as of press time.

The tcm wrote a letter to the summit in response to the utsu on November 8. The letter outlined the tcm’s ongoing concerns with the union, including Harfouche’s inability to get his motions included in the upcoming agm.

Ben Crase, co-head of Trinity College, writes that it is telling that Harfouche was unable to create motions that were in accordance with union bylaws, even after attending the utsu’s Policy Townhall. “It is unclear why the utsu Executive continues to reject proposals to better engage its membership, especially on issues critical to the future of the Union,” writes Crase. “One can only be left wondering if they are afraid of what they might hear.”

The positions of many of the societies remain the same — the Engineering Society (EngSoc), the Victoria College Students’ Administrative Council (vusac), and the Trinity Council Meeting (tcm) have all passed referenda pushing for fee diversion from the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu), and continue to stand by this decision.

With files from Alessandra Harkness & Maria Alexiou

Warmth and safety

University attempts to help homeless people around campus Anthony Marchese & Aidan Slind VARSITY CONTRIBUTORS

As winter approaches, more of Toronto’s homeless are looking for protection from the cold, and the University of Toronto, with its large downtown campus and plenty of public facilities, provides shelter for many.

According to a 2013 Street Needs Assessment, Toronto’s homeless population is over 5,000, an increase from previous reports.

The increase in the number of homeless people sleeping outdoors is particularly concerning for city officials, with a 24 per cent increase from 2009.

U of T’s St. George campus has over 15 million square feet of public facilities and 180 acres of land in the downtown core. As a result, homeless people have always been around the campus. Yana Langhammer, a library technician at Robarts Library, notes that this is not new. “I started working here in 1975, and I’ve always seen them around campus...I’ve seen numerous homeless people in Robarts using the facility,” she says. Other frequented areas include Sidney Smith Hall and Hart House.

Emma Arppe-Robertson, executive assistant to the warden’s office at Hart House, outlined the facility’s policy on homeless-

ness. “We welcome visitors from the community to share in our free events and to enjoy our common, public spaces...[but] we expect everyone in the House to respect the rules of the House,” she said.

Scott Mabury, vice-president, university operations, explained that this practice applied generally to all U of T facilities, stating on the matter that,“there is no university policy; there is no hard and universal rule.”

“The only time that we would ever ask anyone to leave a building is when there are interruptions of academic activities or the situation is determined that there is some sort of personal or community threat...If none of those are happening, we move on.”

In addition to allowing them to keep warm in university facilities, U of T tries to help the homeless in other ways. Mabury highlights the Campus Police initiative wherein special constables “make every effort to locate and assist homeless persons on campus, and provide information on the closest available resources...If the person refuses help, we notify the appropriate assistance to them.” Many of these agencies exist on campus, including the Newman Centre, which runs a monthly, student-led street patrol which provides homeless people on campus with warm clothes and food.

JULIEN BALBONTIN/THE VArsITy

Langhammer suggests that the university do more for homeless people on campus, such as directly linking them to housing sources, so that they do not have to be outdoors. Munib Sajjad, president of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, believes that the university’s actions towards homeless people can influence larger decisions. “We should encourage the university

to be proactive when addressing poverty and homelessness within the city,” he says.

Regardless of the criticisms, Mabury believes that homelessness is not becoming a more pressing issue for U of T. “My radar is full of stuff, but this isn’t one of them, [and] the numbers show there is no year over year increase in homelessness on campus.”

Bioethics lecture series launched Inaugural Olivieri lecture seeks to curb pharmaceutical companies’ influence on medical schools Tanya Rogova VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Friends, family, colleagues, keen university students, and those who are simply interested in bioethics gathered at the Bahen Center on Thursday to hear the inaugural Olivieri lecture on bioethics. More than 60 people were in attendance, including Dr. Nancy Olivieri, for whose father the lecture series was named.

The Harry Crowe Foundation, a branch of the Canadian Association of University

Teachers (CAUT) was involved in sponsoring this event. James Turk, executive director of the CAUT and secretary of the foundation, explained that the Harry Crowe Foundation was created in order to promote academic freedom. After the death of her father, Nancy Olivieri asked her friends and family to donate to the foundation in his honour. The Harry Crowe Foundation created the lecture series with those donations. Olivieri was herself involved in an academic freedom case regarding clinical trials funded by U of T and a pharmaceutical company called Apotex. This

case brought her in contact with the CAUT and, eventually, the Harry Crowe Foundation.

After becoming concerned that the drug she was testing was ineffective and possibly harmful, Olivieri revealed her findings to her patients and the wider academic community. Olivieri was working at U of T at the time. Facing legal charges from Apotex for disclosing this information, Dr. Olivieri turned to the CAUT for support — having, according to her, received none from the university or the hospital where the research was conducted. The association has been supporting her ever since.

The lecture is expected to occur annually and be hosted by various universities. The University of Toronto was the host of its first event. “It seemed appropriate with Dr. Olivieri’s previous connection to the university,” explained Turk.

The inaugural guest lecturer was Dr. Carl Elliott, a professor of bioethics from the University of Minnesota. His talk, titled, “A Clinical Trial, a Suicide and a Cover-Up: The Death of Dan Markingson at the University

CONTINUED PG 8

6

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 10

VARSITY NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

Students continue to turn to illegal rooming houses City of Toronto delays action on illegal residences in Scarborough Trevor Koroll & Afiny Akdemir VARSITY STAFF

The University of Toronto Scarborough (utsc) campus is front and centre of a political battle at city hall that is delaying action on the issue of illegal rooming houses affecting students that have few other housing options.

Before the City of Toronto was amalgamated in the late 1990’s, each municipality (Toronto, Etobicoke, York, Scarborough, and North York) had its own bylaws regarding rooming houses. After amalgamation, bylaws were not harmonized — leaving a number of municipalities with conflicting laws regarding the legality of rooming houses.

Shelly Carroll, councillor for Don Valled East, introduced a motion early in November to the city’s Planning Committee that would have seen illegal rooming houses in Toronto regulated and built in zones that were classified for that purpose. The motion was sent back for public consultation, leaving it to be debated by council at an unforeseen date.

“The planning committee wanted to see whether or not the city could enforce any of the regulations and whether or not there is enough money,” said Ward 44 councillor Ron Moeser. He says he has been dealing with the issue for 22 years, the entire time that he has been in office.

“My main concern is the safety issue, and then how does it fit into our neighbourhood,” he said. “Many people are worried about the single family nature of the community,” said Moeser, who added that there is no easy solution to the issue.

The heart of the issue revolves around whether or not community members feel like there is space in a family community for the burgeoning student community that has developed around Military Trail. There have been noise, parking, and crowding issues that have been brought to light as a result of the increased density of the area.

However, for Scarborough Campus Students’ Union vice-president, external, Guled Arale, that reason is not entirely justified.

“You can’t ignore the fact that we have an institution like the University in Scarborough in the area,” he said.

While he has not been to any of the rooming houses near campus, Arale says that housing is always going to be a big issue because of the rising cost of tuition and cost of living. “Housing is not an issue that is going to be solved by one thing.

We need to work with the community and people in the different levels of govern-

“CANDIDATES” CONTINUED FROM COVER The candidates also spoke about the issue of youth unemployment. “The burdens that we’re putting on young people right now are burdens that we’re transferring to Canadian families overall,” said Freeland. “There’s this amazing number that 43 percent of Canadian families with children in their 20s have had those kids ‘couch-surf’ at home.”

“This is an untypical [sic], not very political answer,” Freeland continued, “but I think we shouldn’t trust anybody who pretends this is an easy problem to solve, or there is an obvious answer that you can write on a postcard and that’s it — press this button; it will be fine. This reality is nobody’s figured it out yet, and the first step is to try.” She contended that the first step to solving the economic problem is acknowledging that one exists, which she said the Harper administration has failed to do.

NaNcy ji/THe VarsiTy

ment to address issues when it comes to housing,” Arale said. “Every stakeholder could be doing more.”

However, while Toronto city council continues to debate the issue, Phil Nazar, housing manager for the Toronto Centre for Christian Resources, has been trying to get something done about it. “What our organization is trying to push forward is to allow rooming housing in all of Toronto,” said Nazar.

“Affordable housing in Toronto is a huge issue, not only for students, but for people in general,” said Nazar. “There are over 150,000 people on the waiting list for social housing in Toronto,” Nazar said, adding that legalizing rooming housing is a relatively inexpensive solution to increase housing. “It doesn’t have to be built, but just allowed.”

Rooming houses are only allowed by law in the old city of Toronto, parts of Etobicoke, and parts of York, said Nazar. “It saves housing for people, because when rooming housing exists that is not legal, there is no mechanism to inspect the standards that rooming housing ought to have.”

“The answer isn’t to close these places, it’s to allow and regulate them. It makes no sense to allow them in some places but not in others,” said Nazar. “Something has to be done. There needs to be will to either build for or allow affordable housing. There are all sorts of ways to make this happen, but it requires political will,” said Nazar.

Student residences came up during a town hall meeting, where students and faculty asked questions about the future plans for residences on campus.

“We showed our preliminary plans for a residence for 700 beds, with a full cafeteria, which would be ready by 2017 built at the north campus” said Don Campbell, media and relations officer at utsc.

The current enrollment in utsc is 11,700 undergraduates, with the total number of residence beds coming in at 765.

Campbell said that in addition to the university and community committee, created to address concerns with students living within the Highland Creek community, the university is also providing services to students regarding their rights and responsibilities as tenants.

“This includes educating students on how to conduct a search for off-campus housing and to create awareness about their rights as tenants and the legal responsibilities of their landlords.”

Deverell stated that the the government ought to help those who have difficulty paying back their loans after graduation. “Those who are able to cash in on their university degrees and make more income should pay back their loans,” he said. “Those who have great difficulty after they’ve acquired their degrees should get a gentler treatment on the tax side of things.” He noted, however, that not everybody goes to university, and that the government must be careful when deciding whether those who entered the workforce without pursuing a degree should need to contribute to this aid.

McQuaig gave her take on youth unemployment: “That’s something I would say the ndp has been very concerned about addressing,” she said. “For instance, we argue the Conservative and Liberal governments before the Conservative government have been dramatically reducing corporate tax

cuts, and they argue that this is a way to create jobs. It hasn’t worked; we have massive unemployment, and among students, among young people, it’s double the national average. The ndp argues instead, if you’re going to give corporations any tax breaks, it’s got to be linked to job creation.”

Freeland, McQuaig, and Deverell participated in a debate at Carr Hall on November 16. The candidates discussed two questions at this event. On the issue of foreign aid, McQuaig committed to meeting the Pearson government’s guarantee to contribute 0.7 per cent of gnp to aid, which Canada has thus far almost always failed to meet. Deverell argued that emphasizing trade rather than aid would be a much more effective way to promote prosperity for developing countries, and Freeland stated that the Liberals would raise current foreign aid commitments, without committing to the 0.7 per cent rate.

The only other question the candidates had an opportunity to discuss was on what issue they would be most likely to vote against their own party. Freeland stated that she would vote against the Liberals if they were to advance an anti-abortion policy. McQuaig and Deverell said there were no issues on which they would vote against their party.

After this, the debate ended early because of an interruption by independent candidate Kevin Clarke. Clarke shouted at the candidates from his seat, and then stood up and loudly challenged Freeland and McQuaig to a debate while running around the room. He, at one point, jumped onto a piano. Organizers attempted to calm him down and return him to his seat twice, and then called campus police to escort him from the building.

Geoffrey Pollock’s campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The by-election is scheduled for November 25.

VARSITY NEWS

var.st/news

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

7

Washroom Inclusivity Project promotes gender-neutral washrooms SGDO, Multi-Faith Centre, Family Care Office, embarking on advocacy campaign Taylor Stinson VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The university promises them in every new construction, but despite the fairly straightforward name, few students actually know what gender-neutral washrooms are. They are becoming increasingly prevalent on and off university campuses, suggesting a looming shift in the labeling of shared spaces to enable universal access.

Gender-neutral washrooms, sometimes referred to as unisex washrooms, are public washrooms that are open to all, regardless of gender or gender identity. By definition, they are single-stalled; however, other options such as private single-user washrooms also function as genderneutral washrooms.

Universities across the country, including Queen’s and McGill, have been making the switch from gendersegregated washrooms as official policy, and U of T has also made a strong effort to provide a variety of washroom options for students. Further, the term “gender-neutral” doesn’t

just appeal to those who don’t identify within a specific gender binary.

“It’s often more than just a sign on the door, but also the accessibility and privacy of the space,” said Corey Scott, public relations coordinator of U of T’s LGBTOUT. “We have been able to get the university to commit to ensuring gender-neutral washrooms are available in every new building constructed. [Now] we need to work with trans communities and other key stakeholders such as students with disabilities to determine the needs and desires for these spaces.”

It is difficult to find an area of campus where gender-neutral washrooms are not available. “Having these washrooms available in every building indicates that the university understands that gender is not necessarily set in a binary; it also shows that the university is committed to a broader sense of accessibility, equity and access to education,” said Scott.

Allison Burgess, an officer with the Sexual and Gender Diversity Office (SGDO), mentioned a plan in the works called the Washroom Inclusivity Project. For this project, the

Gender-neutral washrooms allow access to all. CAROLYN LEVETT/THE VARsiTY

SGDO is collaborating with a number of other offices including the MultiFaith Centre and the Family Care Office to represent the washroom needs of U of T students.

“This project will involve conducting an inventory of washrooms to update the campus map with useful information about U of T’s washroom facilities. The project is addressing four specific areas of interest: physical accessibility, single-user wash-

rooms for broader gender inclusivity, baby change stations, and footbaths for Muslim students who wash before prayer,” said Burgess.

The Women and Trans Centre, as well as the SGDO both have online resources for locating gender-neutral and private washrooms. The list is constantly growing and being updated. Previously unmapped locations include Woodsworth College and St. Michael’s College.

Tracey Greig, director of facilities at St. Michael’s, was unable to give exact locations within the college but did say in an email that the university has: “more than 20 gender-neutral washrooms throughout campus.” Kevin Dancey, assistant to the dean at St. Michael’s, was unable to clarify their location, but did assert in a separate email that the college has gender-neutral bathrooms.

GZA The Genius on consciousness and the power of science Wu-Tang Clan member seeks to make science accessible through music Emma Compeau VARSITY STAFF

GZA the Genius, a master lyricist in the Wu-Tang Clan, came to U of T to speak on consciousness, creativity, and music on Friday, November 15 at the Earth Sciences Centre. The event was hosted

by Project Freedom, a Scarborough-based student group. The Project is run by Jo’el Douglas and Falak Mujtaba who aim to motivate uninspired youth by incorporating curriculum that they argue will have greater relevance to students than much of what they learn in the classroom.

The problem in schools today, said Mujtaba, is that: “Students are unengaged because the curriculum isn’t designed for them.

It’s a euro-centric curriculum.”

Douglas and Mujtaba are working to bring in Afro-centric history

and music classes in an effort to make learning more relateable to students. GZA is known as one of Wu-Tang’s brightest MC’s, and has been using his influence in a positive way to encourage youth to bring rap music back to what it once was by creating thoughtprovoking music with intellectual raps relatable to everyone.

“Wu-Tang’s music is a combination of chess, martial arts, sports, political and social issues, violence, creativity, struggles, heartaches, ups, downs, winnings and losings. It’s important to use music as a form of social dialogue,” said GZA. Since his Wu-Tang days, he has been pursuing the study of astro-physics, which he says is a result of consciousness, creativity, and music. For GZA, science is a way of becoming more in tune with the world around him, and awakening his consciousness.

GZA has been involved with Project Freedom since its inception, and acknowledges the effect music can have on young students. “While I don’t know many kids who love science, I know many who love hip hop.” GZA spoke of a friend who is a teacher at a school in New Jersey. He raps science lectures to his students as another ground breaking method to educate youth about science.

Together, they launched a program called Science Genius in 10 schools to help students explain science concepts to their class.

The auditorium was well over capacity. Every seat was full and eager attendees sat on the stairs and in front of the stage, while others stood in the back and listened from outside the open door.

Throughout his speech, GZA incorporated relevant rhymes from classic Wu-Tang lyrics. Each time he did so, the crowd would break

“Literally a beginning/ this cosmic clock was ticking/ and allowed space to flow while it was spinning/ Everything we see around us/ the sun the moon the stars is a world that will astound us / The universe inside is hard to fathom /It was composed of a region small as a single atom” — GZA The Genius Member of Wu Tang Clan

its hushed silence to speak the words in unison.

GZA is working on a new album called Dark Matter encouraged by his scientific studies. The name Dark Matter is also a personal metaphor for GZA in relation to the darkness of the mind, and the birthplace of thought and imagination. In his closing words, he performed a few lines from his new album: “ Literally a beginning/ this cosmic clock was ticking/ and allowed space to flow while it was spinning./ Everything we see around us/ the sun the moon the stars is a world that will astound us. / The universe inside is hard to fathom. /It was composed of a region small as a single atom.”

GZA attributed his scientific inspiration to scientists like Stephen Hawkings who help to explain science in a relatable way.

First global health competition held at Hart House Atta Habibollah-Zadeh VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Juxtaposition, the University of Toronto’s global health magazine, hosted its first annual Toronto Thinks competition on November 8 and 9. Toronto Thinks aims to further expand awareness of global health. The winners of the competition were Nour Bakhache, Danielle Smalling, and Betty Yibrehu.

According to India Burton, one of the Toronto Thinks co-directors, the opportunities for global health are limited in undergraduate studies.

Sarindi Aryasinghe, the other co-director, discussed her plans to “Make U of T a central hub for other universities to connect with us.” Many students seem to think that their only option for involvement in the global community is to go abroad. “This allows them to

interact with the same issues and use the same skills they would employ abroad, here at home,” said Aryasinghe.

The competitors were asked to prepare arguments for properly dealing with traffic incidents in Ghana. Eight groups competed, representing a total of 25 undergraduate students, competed. Bakhache, Smalling, and Yibrerhu’s arguments mainly focused on building

a community-based approach to this issue.

The winners cited proper work ethic as the key to their victory in this competition. “You really have to commit yourself and the team to the project, and say ‘we’re not going to bed, until we do this, because this is what needs to be done,’” stated Yibrehu, who is studying physiology, pharmacology, and classical civilizations.

“I think it was a phenomenal event,” said Smalling, who is majoring in human biology, global health, and psychology. She then stated that the event could have been improved had they had an extra day to prepare.

The team will be leaving for Emory University, Atlanta in May for the 2014 International Emory Global Health Case Competition. Last year, students from John Hopkins University won the top prize, $6,000.

8

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 10

VARSITY NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

Abortion debate hosted by pro-life group Iris Robin VARSITY STAFF

On Friday November 8, the University of Toronto Students For Life (utsfl) hosted an abortion debate, the topic of which was: “Is abortion harmful to women?” The debated featured Stephanie Gray, executive director of the Canadian Centre of Bio-Ethical Reform (ccbr) taking a pro-choice stance, arguing against Dr. Fraser Fellows, who was speaking in favour of the pro-life movement.

During her 20-minute opening statement, Gray argued that abortion harms women, using the controversial model that links abortion to breast cancer as evidence. Gray also cited the risk of pre-term birth and the emotional damage done by “robbing a woman of her pre-born child” in her argument, backing up her views with a variety of epidemiological and psychiatric studies.

Fellows argued that abortion was helpful to women. He showed graphs demonstrating

higher rates of maternal mortality in countries where abortion is illegal. “Abortion is a necessary requisite to providing health care to women,” said Fellows.

In the cross-examination part of the debate, Fellows said that he was disappointed with Gray’s endorsement of the connection between breast cancer and abortion, while Gray was dissatisfied with Fellows’s stance that the mother has the right to choose whether to abort a human being. Fellows’s rebuttal was that 75 per cent of Canadians support a woman’s right to choose. Gray rebutted that “abortions do not solve problems— they do not make a woman ‘un-abused,’ or ‘un-raped.’”

The ccbr takes the stance that abortion is wrong, contending that it constitutes the intentional termination of a human life. The organization has gained national media attention for its use of graphic images in its campaigns to end abortion in Canada.

In the past couple of years, the utsfl has kept a low profile. Blaise Alleyne, education coordinator at the organization, said “The [utsfl]

has always been active, but as with any student club, activity rises and falls as leaders graduate and new members arrive.” Alleyne stated that the years from 2009 to 2011 were a period of much activity for the UTSFL, and is happy that the club “has become especially active” this year, with weekly meetings and a weekly outreach program, such as Aid to Women.

The debate was the last event of Life Week, a series of events aimed to raise awareness of the abortion issue. Although the utsfl does not hold a debate or a Life Week every year, they often hold similar events. Diane Tam, president of utsfl, stated that this year’s Life Week was not intended to change people’s minds.

“We are confident in our pro-life stance, and hope that people will look at the evidence and come to that conclusion themselves,” she said.

Tam was pleased with the outcome of the event, and said that; “We did what we set out to do.” When asked about future plans for utsfl, Alleyne said “we are looking at bringing new forms of activism to campus next semester.”

courtesy of the canadian centre of Bio-ethical reform

Students For Life plans to be active on campus following years of little activity

Stephanie Gray , executive director of CCBR

Conference highlights benefits of music therapy U of T Faculty of Music works with Room 217 Foundation on fifth annual conference Afiny Akdemir VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The fifth annual Music Care Conference, organized by the Room 217 Foundation in conjunction with U of T’s Faculty of Music, uncovered new findings in the field of musical therapy, a practice that involves the use of music in caregiving. The Room 217 Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to improve the quality of Canadian’s lives through music.

The conference brought together people from different disciplines: health care providers, volunteer and family caregivers, music educators and therapists, students, teachers, and music lovers. “The first conference was meant to be for palliative care resources, but now it has become much bigger than that,” said Joanne Ingrassia, media relations representative for the Room 217 Foundation. Bev Foster, founder and executive director of the Room 217 Foundation, said that the conference aims not only to explore why music works in healing but to help caregivers integrate music into their care practices. She said that the conference is about usage of music not only as a form of entertainment but also as means of rehabilitation “Music can restore and stir memories.

It can add meaning and create a purpose to a person’s life,” said Foster.

“BIOETHICS” CONTINUED FROM PG 5 of Minnesota” presented an incident which happened at his university in 2003. He argued that the interference of pharmaceutical companies in academic and clinical research proved fatal for one of the test subjects, a young man by the name of Dan Markingson.

In 2003, Markingson, aged 26, was admitted to Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota after experiencing his first psychotic episode. He was declared to be incompetent of making his own decisions. His later involvement in a drug study conducted by Dr. Stephen Olson of the University of Minnesota for AstraZeneca caused his condition to

“Music Care is an approach not only to caregiving but an approach to life. Music Care is not necessarily music therapy; it is much broader than that. We gather, believing no matter our age, stage, or health status, music enhances our quality of life and sustains the human spirit,” said Foster. One of the themes of the conference was how the caregiver, not just the patient, can benefit from music therapy. “She hears the music, and it helps her, but the tempo is 60 beats per minute (bpm), which is the resting speed of the heartbeat, so it helps me as well,” said Ingrassia about her experience as a caregiver. Jennifer Buchanan, the president of the Canadian Association of Music Therapy spoke at the conference about how people can collaborate by writing sentences, and making them into a song. This cooperation can allow the caregiver to anchor moods, feelings, and emotions.

“Music touches every part of us and can make a difference in our quality of life and well-being,” said Foster. Dan Cohen presented his project, a non-profit organization called Music and Memory, which promotes the use of music players to improve the quality of life for elders suffering from dementia. “People with dementia are unable to experience pleasure, but the power of music can reach a person no matter the state of dementia a person is in,” said Cohen, adding:“The person with dementia, for a moment, reacquires his identity through music.”

Foster announced the Artists’ Circle, a platform for Canadian musicians who partnered with the Room 217 Foundation by sharing their own story of how music has or

is making a difference to their health and well-being. The inaugural group of musicians in the Artists’ Circle are Liona Boyd, Dan Hill, and Amy Sky.

worsen. In April of 2004, Dan Markingson committed suicide.

The university launched no formal investigation, and it denied any connection between the study and Markingson’s death.

Elliott then proceeded to provide evidence of the infringements he claimed are committed by the university academics and pharmaceutical companies involved, including: conflicts of interest, lack of consideration for protocol, and data manipulation.

The industry’s manipulation of results and use of university professors as researchers has allegedly led to biased results in some instances. It has also allegedly impacted academics’ ability to control what

they disclose and how they conduct their clinical trials.

Elliott alleged that these are issues that have come up not only at the University of Minnesota, but also at other institutions, including U of T. Elliott stated that despite the alleged little accountability demonstrated by Minnesota for Dan Markingson’s death, giving up on the case is not an option for him.

“We don’t have anything close to the real story,” he said.

The presentation was followed by a reception in celebration of the launch of the academic initiative. Olivieri remarked that she was particularly pleased with the lecture.

Bioethics professor Carl Elliot. media Photo

Murray McLauchlan performs at Music Care conference. Photo courtesy of Joanne ingrassia

NEXT WEEK IN COMMENT:

VAR.ST/COMMENT 18 NOVEMBER 2013 comment@thevarsity.ca

How much does international aid help? Donate locally var.st/comment

nancy ji/thevarsity

Toronto's divisive political geography Mayor Ford may be on his way out, but Ford Nation is here to stay Devyn Noonan

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

We’ve certainly had an interesting few weeks in Toronto. Rob Ford has turned our proper and polite city on its head, introducing a scandalous cast of crack dealers, gang members, and potential prostitutes into the salacious drama that our municipal politics has become. To put it in Mad Men terms, Toronto has gone from Jackie to Marilyn — and if it were television, rather than real life, I’d say I like it this hot.

Every day, there are Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail authors hailing the end of Ford as fanatically as Harold Camping preaches the Second Coming. They denounce him as “brazen and dishonest," “shocking and embarrassing," and a disgrace to the city.

But let’s drop the rhetoric and be reasonable for a moment. Is it really Ford’s fault that he’s

a fatuous drunkard? Probably. Is it his fault that he’s a racist crack head? Almost definitely.

But enough of this was obvious before he ever came into office. How can we blame him for continuing to be exactly the man he was before we elected him with a whopping 47 per cent of the vote?

When it comes to Rob Ford, the buck stops with the voters. The question we need to ask isn’t how we can get rid of the mayor, but how the hell we elected him in the first place.

Thankfully, it is a question with an answer: Mike Harris.

In 1998, Harris’s pc government proposed merging the old city of Toronto with five adjacent suburbs. The move was met with stunning opposition — referendums held in the regions opposed amalgamation three to one.

Yet, flying in the face of democracy, Harris forcibly created the uncomfortable and incoherent sprawl we now call Toronto.

If we look at the 2010 mayoral election results, the wards that voted Ford and the wards that voted Smitherman are divided almost exactly between the city and the suburbs.

Simply, the old city said Smitherman, but the megacity said Ford.

The 2010 election is a perfect, microcosmic representation of the reality of modern Toronto: two distinct ideologies, one suburban and the other metropolitan, warring for dominance of the city. In handing the political majority to Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York, we’ve given the suburban creed a serious advantage in that battle.

Admittedly, we need to get rid of Ford. It isn’t right to have such a man at the helm of our city. But our basic problem is much, much larger than him — and that’s saying something. Ford might leave the mayor’s office, but the people who elected him aren’t going away. Like it or not, they’re not going to vote

any more rationally than they did when they called themselves Ford Nation.

The real problem is not Rob Ford, but the simple fact that the suburbs control the downtown core. Some have called for de-amalgamation as the answer — a nice idea, but probably unrealistic. The cost makes the idea politically unattractive, and somehow I don’t think Toronto wants to sacrifice its prestigious title as North America’s fourth largest metropolis.

Realistically, our best chance is to adapt to the circumstances — to stand strong as a city behind a single progressive candidate. Even if Ford were to win 47 per cent of the vote again, 53 per cent is still up for grabs. It is by no means a perfect solution — Ford Nation is an intimidating beast. But in the jumbled reality that is Toronto, it’s just about the only hope we’ve got.

Devyn Noonan is a third-year English student.

Change to flat-fees policy coming

A letter to University of Toronto students Munib Sajjad

UTSU PRESIDENT

FIlE PhOTO: ThE VARSITy

As president of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, I am compelled to write to you about an important issue we have been tackling with our colleagues in the Arts & Science Students’ Union and many of you over the years.

At the University of Toronto, the implementation of a flat-fee tuition system has made worse the already serious financial barriers to our education.

With flat fees, students in the Faculty of Arts & Science are forced to pay for a full course load no matter how many courses they are taking. If one student takes 3.0 full-time equivalent credits, they will be forced to pay for a full five credits.

During the market crash in 2009, this University of Toronto policy lost the university over $1 billion in investments. The academic community rose up, and students, teaching assistants, workers, and faculty spoke out against the extreme measure.

Five years later, the undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts & Science are still waiting for justice. In 2011, after much student pressure, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities of the Ontario government announced a moratorium prohibiting other post-secondary institutions from instituting a similar policy. After years of discussion and protest, I am relieved that the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Brad Duguid, listened to students and will implement a policy announcement on the reform of the controversial flat-fee program.

We want to make sure that the minister knows what an impact this will have on students and how much we truly need it. As students, we shoulder the burden of working one, two, or even more jobs to support families, our dependents, and ourselves.

While enrolled in fewer courses, the additional pressure to take on the financial responsibilities of the full five credits has a serious impact on our finances and our mental health. We need to encourage the minister by telling him stories. Join our campaign and send a message to the government at utsu.ca/flatfees.

Munib Sajjad is president of the University of Toronto Students' Union.

10 Vol. CXXXIV, No. 10

VARSITY COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

Rob Ford controversy distracts from Remembrance Day ceremonies The mayor's appearance at Old City Hall detracted from the solemn afternoon

News of Ford's indiscretions continues to distract from more important matters. West Annex neWs/flickr

Elizabeth Benn VARSITY STAFF

On Monday, November 11, veterans, members of the community, and politicians gathered in front of Old City Hall to pay respect to those who fought in the Canadian military in the wars and missions that have taken place since the beginning of the twentieth century. However, based on the reaction of some who attended the ceremony, attention was not fully devoted to honouring the country's war veterans — Rob Ford's presence was seen by many as the event's main spectacle.

In order to continue a long-standing tradition, the mayor attended the ceremony and gave a brief speech to honour veterans on behalf of Torontonians. Despite the content of his speech, some in the crowd decided to take this time to express their disapproval of the mayor: he was greeted with boos upon arrival.

Whether or not the mayor should have attended the ceremony wearing the Mayor's Chain is another question. In the end, Ford decided that he would put his embarrassing issues aside and take part in the Remembrance Day ceremonies, just as mayors

before him have done for decades. His presence or absence at the ceremony was up to him alone.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, reporters flocked to Ford looking for answers to their questions about his personal life and his intentions for the future, in light of the confirmation of his drug use and the release of a video of him yelling vulgar and threatening slurs.

Those who attended the ceremony and decided that it was an appropriate time for them to vocalize their disapproval for the mayor were mistaken. Remembrance Day is the one day of the year where the community gathers together

to honour those who have fought and fallen for the well-being of the country.

To erase the boundary between this day of honouring, remembering, and mourning and current news concerning the mayor's personal habits blurs the meaning of the day and, puts veterans in a subordinate place to the highlyentertaining, disappointing, and controversial life of a man who unfortunately holds the position of mayor. This Remembrance Day, those who spent a solemn ceremony focusing on Ford's behaviour disrespected veterans in an unforgivable way.

groups rioted throughout Canada, beating and looting immigrants. The government soon after effectively banned all immigration from India. Sikh immigrants were not allowed to bring their families along, were unable to vote, and were only allowed to work low-skill manual labour jobs, regardless of their work experience or educational background.

Despite not being treated as an ordinary Canadian citizen, Singh saw much hope in his adopted country. Thankful for all that Canada had given him, he enlisted in the twentieth Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1915. Like the thousands of Sikhs from India fighting on behalf of the British Empire, he soon found himself fighting in France. He received severe wounds to the head in June 1916 during the Battle of Mont Sorrel. Recovering in three weeks, Singh joined the war effort again. Less than a month later, however, he was wounded in combat again and sent to No. 3 Canadian General Hospital. The hospital was run by none other than University of Toronto graduate and poet, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, who wrote the famous poem In Flanders Fields.

In England, after recovering from his injuries, Singh contracted tuberculosis and was sent back to Canada. He spent a year in Kitchener’s Freeport Hospital and died on August 27, 1919. He was buried in Kitchener’s Mount Hope Cemetery by the military, without any family around him. The recent discovery of his Victoria Medal by historian Sanded Singh Barr has provided the Sikh-Canadian community an incredible hero to be proud of.

Singh’s story has helped Sikh Canadians unite two seemingly distinct histories and be

proud of their contribution to protecting the freedom of this country. Attending the Remembrance Day Ceremony in Kitchener with the Sikh Students Association this weekend, it was heartwarming to see young Sikh boys and girls drawing inspiration from Singh’s story, ready to fight against injustice and inequality in the world. When they read In Flanders Fields, they are reminded of not only the Canadian contribution to the war, but also that of Singh: a proud immigrant.

Singh set the ball rolling for a multicultural society that celebrates its differences. Canada has changed immensely for the better since 1907 — a time when Sikh immigrants were not even considered to be citizens to a country where Sikhs pride themselves in wearing the turban while serving in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan, among other peacekeeping missions.

As Canadians, we are at an important juncture where we must reflect on our accomplishments and move forward to a country that continues to be equitable for all. Québec’s new Charter of Values does little more than institutionalize prejudice by ostracizing minority groups, and is a direct insult to the decades of contributions from immigrant communities to Canada. This is not the time to move backwards and undo the great battles that our ancestors have fought to make our great society the envy of every nation in the world.

Elizabeth Benn is The Varsity's Sports Editor.

Unity through diversity

Canada's history is rich with immigrant stories

Stories like those of Buckam Singh reflect Canada's rich immigrant history. PHOtO cOUrtest: U Of t sikH stUdents AssOciAtiOn

Anamjit Singh

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

This summer, when Brigitte Frot, directorgeneral of the Quebec Soccer Federation, said: “[Sikh children wearing turbans] can play in their backyard. But not with official referees, not in the official rules of soccer. They have no choice." She portrayed the Sikh Canadian community as outsiders, inspite of its proud and tireless contribution to this great nation for the past century. But this mindless statement was not the end of this controversy — soon came Quebec Premier Pauline Marois’s Charter of

Values, which seeks to ban all public servants from wearing religious clothing — including hijabs, turbans, and kippas. If the bill is passed, many Quebecers, including Sikh public servants, will have to make an unfortunate choice between their work and their religion.

In times like this, it becomes crucial for communities to seek stories that provide inspiration to move forward and attempt to find commonalities in our history. One such story is that of Private Buckam Singh, a Sikh pioneer who fought for Canada in World War I. Singh emigrated from Punjab at age 14 in 1907, and worked on farms in British Columbia and Ontario. This was a time when anti-immigration

Anamjit Singh is a second-year student studying engineering, as well as the Global Affairs Coordinator for the University of Toronto's Sikh Students Association.

Editorial

18 NOVEMBER 2013 editorial@thevarsity.ca

LETTERS TO

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE

U of T building beyond its means New University of Toronto president Meric Gertler wasted little time expressing the university’s dissatisfaction with provincial levels of funding for post-secondary education, citing funding pressures as a key challenge for the university in his installation address. The Varsity has recently highlighted the alarming growth of deferred maintenance at U of T, as well as the interaction of provincial funding structures and donor priorities with what gets built and fixed at the university. Despite the constant talk of funding levels and priorities, questions around deferred maintenance are still rarely discussed.

For many students, the first of these questions will be: What is deferred maintenance? Deferred maintenance occurs when the university spends less on maintaining its buildings in a given year than it thinks it should.

The Facilities & Services department monitors how much upkeep has been delayed until future years in this manner, and their reports make alarming reading.

As of 2012, the university has some $484 million in deferred maintenance. If U of T were to decide to do all that work today, it would cost one quarter of the university’s endowment. Amazingly, that’s not the alarming part of the problem; even if U of T were to spend that money catching up on maintenance this year, we would still have significant levels of maintenance necessary next year.

The university certainly benefits from exciting new buildings, but it needs money for maintenance, as well as more classrooms, residences, and student space.

It is not difficult to see how the university has arrived at this point, and U of T’s administration is not doing anything that other large Canadian institutions have not done. Every year, U of T has to spend more than it earns — something that it cannot do. Many public institutions — including the ttc, school boards, and the provincial government itself — face this yearly dilemma. The province makes ends meet primarily by incurring debt, but other institutions often make up the funding gap by deferring spending on maintenance. If U of T were to defer other expenses — such as salaries, heating, or financial aid — people would notice. However, the university can easily get by unnoticed without spending millions on removing the asbestos from Sidney Smith, or other projects that are advisable in the long term but not immediately necessary.

It is important to note that deferred maintenance does not pose any immediate danger to the people using these buildings. Facilities & Services monitors the university’s infrastructure, and urgent repairs are carried out before they become a hazard. The problem, however, is that while the asbestos in Sid Smith can be safely contained for now, it will eventually have to go. The same is true for every job that can, for the time being, be safely put off until next year. Deferring maintenance also provides short-term savings at the expense of longterm costs, since labour, material, and evaluation costs increase every year.

Until 2008, U of T was slowly improving the situation; from 2005–2008, the amount of deferred maintenance decreased from about $300 million to less than $200 million, as U of T actually spent more on maintenance than the annual requirement. Since 2008, however, the trend has reversed. Both the rate of increase and the amount of deferred maintenance are now growing every year. Even though U of T’s contribution to maintenance has actually increased steadily since 2008, provincial funding has been declining, and total funding is not keeping pace with need.

This problem of ever-increasing deferred maintenance is compounded by the fact that donors and politicians alike want to fund exciting new projects, particularly innovative or glamorous new buildings. By going along with these plans, U of T maximizes the total amount of grant and donation money it receives, and continues to grow its infrastructure and enhance its reputation. All of these are positive developments, and they often lead to tangible benefits for students. The downside is that the university can’t quite afford to maintain the buildings it already has. While some donations fund renovations, which include maintenance or revival funding, new building is almost always part of the deal, leading to even more maintenance cost as those buildings age.

Administrators have argued that U of T can neither tell donors what to fund nor change the government's mind, and that it has to take advantage of these opportunities or risk falling behind its global competitors. This argument ignores the reality that, eventually, deferred maintenance will catch up with us. The university can devote more money to innovation and growth today by deferring maintenance spending. By doing so, however, administrators ensure that at some point in the future, U of T will have less to spend less on these goals as it is forced to divert funds to urgent up-keep spending.

Allowing donors and capricious provincial grants to set the university’s agenda for growth also puts decision-making in the wrong hands. The university certainly benefits from exciting new buildings, but it needs money for maintenance, as well as more classrooms, residences, and student space. We expect that the provincial government will spend money where it is needed, whether it is glamorous or not. The university and its students — who donors always express a willingness to listen to — must ask that donors provide money for what faculty and students are really asking for, rather than what benefits their reputations or desires for legacy projects. Gertler is a world-renowed urban geographer, and we hope that his academic background will inform a more comprehensive and thoughtful plan for the university's development.

The Goldring family’s support for the Goldring Student Centre is an excellent example of donor funding for student space. This kind of support is very rare, and has been totally absent from the Student Commons fundraising process, which places the whole burden of funding on students.

The question of deferred maintenance is a question of leadership. The university is sabotaging its long-term growth to further its short-term growth. By incurring an enormous and growing amount of deferred maintenance, and by allowing donors and grants to set a haphazard course for growth, we are undermining the university’s future. University and provincial leaders are taking credit for the university’s current strength and growth, while ensuring a weaker future.

The Varsity's editorial board is elected by the masthead at the beginning of each semester. For more information about The Varsity's editorial policy, email comment@thevarsity.ca.

THE EDITOR Vol. CXXXIV, No. 09 | November 4, 2013 and The Varsity Magazine, Fall 2013 Re: U of T St. George defends twoday fall break utsc student here. It was a great victory having worked with the Vice-Dean and seeing other sectors of the campus revamp their schedules quickly to get this going. Earlier start times (earlier orientation, out of sync with the parade that the utsu organizes) might have been the only drawback, but the fall reading week has definitely been welcomed all around!

— Adrian De Leon (from web) Re: There is no quick fix for rape culture The real problem with "rape culture" is that both men and women buy into the narrative about masculine sexuality: that there is a point of no return, and that men are fundamentally unable to control their own sexual urges. Every rape case is held up against that narrative to see if it matches. If so, the woman is at fault for goading the interaction.

How do women perpetuate this myth?

If Wente had a son, whether she intended to or not, this is the message she gives him every times she claims women shouldn't binge drink.

— ebf (from web) Re: Lack of interest in science is hurting the economy There is a definite solution to this problem: make stem subjects mandatory. Grade 11 and 12 students get to pick there own subjects, how does that make sense? Make a core of subjects mandatory and let students pick options to fill out their programs.

— CanadaLoanSearch (from web) Re: University is not for everyone People have to better understand, or form for themselves, the connection between post-secondary education and preparation for joining the workforce, along with realizing that a successful career is perhaps best formed by considering both one's natural capacities, preferences ALONG with the realities of the labor market. Academic success does not simply equal career success, and I think that's the assumption that makes people fall prey to thinking that universities — the highest institutes of academia — could guarantee that.

— Gianluca Canaletti (from web) I would not agree that we need "fewer universities." I think what we need is a more competitive education system, with high schools setting higher standards thus eliminating the current grade inflation (hey, all the folks who got into U of T where the best in their class!), and universities being more selective during the undergraduate process, leading to greater drop out rates or rather, to reorientation of those who do not do well enough toward a skill-based ba aka college, not just the other way around.

— E I (from web)

Enormous debts and vocational universities haven't been the norm until recent years, you shouldn't believe they are incontrovertible facts. Neither should you believe people don't value "impractical knowledge" as much as you think they do. Learning about Darwin or reading 19th century literature doesn't add practical and specialized knowledge, it can however provide personal fulfilment.

— B.R (from web) Re: Constructing aspirations I greatly enjoyed this article. I appreciate the desire for architectural unity as it would serve to create a greater sense of identity for U of T's large student population. But I fear this idea stands in stark contrast to what makes U of T unique, especially given its Canadian context: it is a large, multifaceted university totally integrated into a rich, urban landscape. I relish the fact that U of T is not the backbone of a university town. The infinite possibility made available by urbanity should not be tamed by one dominant architectural theme. The range of human experience should be cherished and U of T has a respectable variety of a architectural experiences. Yes, the Medical Sciences Building and Robarts are Brutalist piles and they are not particularly pretty. But cities are not about prettiness or uniformity. They are about variety, both welcome and unpleasant.

I look forward to U of T's architectural evolution and hopes it continues to engage with its urban context.

— Erik J Bracciodieta (from web) Fantastic article! I agree that U of T needs some sense of architectural unity, but I do not know if it needs to be so pronounced. U of T's strength comes from the variety of experiences it offers to its students, and I feel like its buildings reflect that, in some odd way.

— Vshh (from web) Re: Defense of a passion Unfortunately, what you wrote about inefficiency and lack of time to practice is true. To many people, professional gaming may seem only like such a joke, because of its nature, and because it is a game — not to be taken seriously from a general standpoint. Take Aui_2000 for example, he says fortunately his program isn't as demanding as other programs so he's been able to balance school and Dota 2, while of course seeing to it that he gets his work done regardless. However, for players that are interested in taking Dota 2 seriously, the only method available is to rise up the ranks in in-house leagues such as ixdl. You gotta spend countless hours playing, yet those countless hours don't exist when you're in university. Despite the community not being naturally friendly, networking remains extremely important. It's important to get to know professional players and other personalities that are working and lounging around the scene. It saddens me how overwhelming this whole thing can be.

— parick tan (from web)

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.

Metropasses and granola bars Commuter culture on the St. George campus

by Daniel Konikoff

F

ar more than the fare it’s worth, commuting is an all-encompassing experience — a metallic, engine-powered beast shackles its passengers to unpredictable departure times and overcrowded, sardine-like travel conditions. Approximately 80 per cent of the University of Toronto’s St. George campus’s 55,000 students are commuters, a large chunk of which come from all over the gta.

A certain culture accompanies the commuter experience on campus, derived from both the inherent nature of commuting as well as from the individual experience of each weary traveller. Every commuter sacrifices hours of their day, but everyone goes about it differently, some opting for the subway, others for the bus, the bike, and so on.

Commuter culture is not defined by living offcampus, but by the reasons students find to stay on campus. Breaking the chains of the ttc and establishing positive ties through campus life is as crucial to commuter culture as Metropasses, granola bars, and invasions of personal space by mouth-breathing businessmen.

METROPASS

BARRIERS TO COMMUTER INTEGRATION

The most troublesome issue faced by the common commuter is a temporal one. With commuting, time is constantly of the essence: waking up on time, leaving enough time to eat, making the bus on time, and getting to class ten minutes after the hour.

Will Power, a second-year commuter from Victoria College, said that the time his commute takes has hindered his ability to actively enjoy campus life: “I’m not really involved with anything. I don’t have time to do anything on campus because between the three hours a day I’m on transit and studying, it doesn’t leave much time for anything else. I would have liked to have been involved with cinssu [Cinema Studies Student Union], Raindance, some art shows, I’d like to get into those. There’s not enough time for these, though.”

Many commuter students have part-time jobs to support their various expenses, such as transportation, quick meals, textbooks, and tuition.

With work hours as well, balancing a commuter’s schedule becomes even more difficult, and academic life can become monotonous and repetitive, the only enjoyment coming from watching the landscape rush by from the window seat of a crowded go train.

There are also significant institutional barriers to the involvement of commuters in campus life at the university. Classes that either start too early in the day or finish too late in the evening can wreak havoc on a commuter’s schedule and their ability to participate in extracurricular activities. Commuting early in the morning and late in the evening can also jeopardize students’ mental health by causing stress and lack of sleep.

Commuters may have to compromise in their course selection based on the times when courses take place. With the need to fulfill program and breadth requirements, avoiding an inconveniently timed morning or evening course is often challenging. Classes in the morning coincide with rush hour, making getting to campus in a timely manner difficult.

More flexible timetable options or lowering residence and meal plan fees are potential ways to mitigate the inconveniences that commuter students face. Creating a central, campus-wide commuter space would also foster positive community relations. University College (uc) offers rooms in residence for $15 for one evening, which is another way to accommodate commuters who need to stay on campus for late-night classes.

A MATTER OF PERCEPTION Sarah Qidwai, a fourth-year history specialist and the commissioner of the University College Off-Campus Commission (ucoc), contends that commuting is about perception: “I could choose to commute and say that it is the worst, but I don’t. It’s all about making a conscious decision regarding your time spent commuting.”

As head of the ucoc, Sarah, her deputy Eric Schwenger, and the members of her commission work to overturn the stigma associated with commuting through planning commuter-friendly events.

“We have tried to have a constant stream of events that cater to commuters’ availability,” said Schwenger. “The biggest part of being commuterfriendly is timing. Having events that end earlier, or that are ongoing throughout the day, so students can come and go as they see fit with their schedules, makes these events commuter-friendly.”

The fundamental goal of ucoc, says Schwenger, is to ensure that the off-campus population is engaged in student life on campus. The paradox of commuting is that in order to embrace it, you have to decide not to be a slave to it.

Commuters who seek to be involved in campus life need to compromise the “go to school, go home,” mentality that is a model for many offcampus students who operate on ttc schedules rather than social calendars. Instead students should establish ties to clubs and activities on campus that provide reasons to stick around after class, in spite of the sacrifice of getting home later. This integration can manifest in different ways, such as joining a course union, finding a work-study, taking on a lab role, or joining a college council.

COMMUTER COMMUNITIES Integration can also occur when commuters embrace their identity as such and get involved with commuter initiatives on-campus, fostering an on campus community for off-campus students.

“The crux of the off-campus community,” said Schwenger, “is the community of stu-

dents… who are there for each other, who help each other out, who can come together in a similar way students in a residence house would, but even closer, because of the challenges they face.”

Christine De la Cruz, the Commuter Commissioner of the Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (vusac) and a co-chair on the Victoria Off-Campus Association (voca), plans events that cater to the needs of commuter students: “Judging from the amount of students at our events, as well as the way people interact with each other, I feel like there is a sense of community there.

These are the people who keep coming back every week, and I think the reason they keep coming back is because they’ve made friends at these events. Interacting with other commuter students, forming friendships — that’s how I think community is built. It’s very important, especially for commuters, as it would take more time for us to make friends here at U of T.” Every college has its own ways of fostering a unique commuter identity. As most of these involve free food, it is apparent that the way to the commuter’s heart is through their stomach. New College recently held a grilled cheese breakfast in their lounge, which was open to all students; Woodsworth throws lavish pancake brunches every Wednesday; uc holds tea and cookies at the Union; and the Cat’s Eye at Victoria College has pancake breakfasts.

Other initiatives, not involving food, have also been successful. Innis has a monthly spirit day, in which they give out a free Metropass to one lucky commuter. uc, Vic, and St. Michael’s College have hired community coordinators, whose role is to provide support for commuters and implement them into both campus life and the commuter community. uc is also home to the Commuter Student Centre, a beacon of commuter activity since its establishment in 2007. Housing both a quiet study space and a rambunctious back area, the Commuter Student Centre (csc) is a haven for commuters and residence students alike, and is open to students from all of the colleges.

Ezra Shanto, an English major from New College, says that commuting brings people together: “Making friends simply because you have to take the same ride home is a good feeling. It’s always a good feeling to have someone who doesn’t need to understand what you’re taking, but just understands that you’re taking the same long commute home as them, and you have that personal connection.”

Commuting is a necessary evil, but it also offers students the potential for genuinely fulfilling engagement with the downtown campus. Commuter culture grows stronger by perpetuating itself. It establishes more reasons for students to seek ties to campus and bond with like-minded individuals, and forges a sense of community.

CHECK OUT COMMUTERS’ SWEET STREETCAR STYLE ONLINE AT VAR.ST/STREETSTYLIN

KEEPING BUSY DURING YOUR COMMUTE

COMMUTER ETIQUETTE

Read: There’s something about reading Faulkner on a crowded locomotive that just seems right. You’re already the object of everyone’s awkward eye contact, so make the most of it by milking your intellectualism. They’ll think you’re much more interesting than you really are.

DO give up your seat. Be chivalrous by letting an elderly person take your spot. You’ll be out of a seat, but you’ll feel better for it.

Listen to music: Most albums are just under an hour, which is probably similar to the length of your commute. Drown out the sounds of other people’s loud music with your own.

Work: In all likelihood, you’re terribly behind on your readings.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to whip out the highlighter, the pen, the sticky notes, and the Plato, and grasp the Form of the Good.

Your participation marks in tutorial will thank you for it.

Sleep: The glass partitions on the ttc are perfect for leaning your head against and catching some shut-eye. They’re also breeding grounds for bacteria, but what’s a bit of lice to the fastest-moving catnap in Toronto?

Prepare your next move in Words with Friends: Maybe if you stare at the board just a bit longer, the perfect word for the coveted triple-word score spot will appear to you.

People-watch:

DON’T take phone calls. If it’s done at a reasonable volume, go ahead. But if it’s shouted and vulgar, then no. Think of the children — and the generally disgruntled patrons who don’t want to hear all about your day.

DO avoid eye contact. This is one of the unspoken rules of commuting. Rumour has it that the rule stems from a sixteenthcentury tradition in which European settlers in the Americas would have to battle to the death after making eye contact of more than two seconds.

DON’T blast your music — especially if you are listening to something particularly profane or embarrassing — because everyone is judging you.

DO the electric slide — otherwise known as musical chairs.

If you are sitting directly beside a fellow commuter and a seat opens up elsewhere, it is your sworn duty to switch to the available chair. (Note: the person from which you have moved away may take offence, and may start to wonder if it was something they said).

You’re bound to find all sorts of colourful characters on public transportation to keep you thoroughly entertained.

HOW TO BE A BUSKER Getting on the subway is as easy as a swipe of a Metropass, a clink of a token, and the whirl of a turnstile. Getting on the subway as a musician, though, is a little harder.

The ttc is full of buskers, musicians scattered about subway entrances and platforms who perform for the commuting masses. Before getting there, the buskers have to compete for a muchcoveted license.

Each year, the ttc takes applications for subway performance permits. The first 175 musicians to submit an application get an audition. The auditions are held during the first three days of the Canadian National Exhibition (cne), and the public is invited to attend to watch them take place on a stage near the food building. Each busker is allotted a seven-minute audition, and must perform three songs. Adjudicators award licenses to 75 musicians to play in the subway. The license itself is billed at a fee of $150.

While most stationary instruments, such as drums, are not permitted, a lot of buskers like to keep things interesting, breaking up the procession of acoustic guitars. More eclectic options — such as accordions, violins, cellos, pan flutes, dizis, and steel pans — are all likely to be found on any given day around the subway. A notable exception is Billy James, a popular busker who has been joyfully strumming away on a dilapidated acoustic in stations all over transit lines since 1978, the first year the ttc allowed performers in the subway.

Subway buskers are given free entrance to the station, but aren’t given free passes for transportation — so becoming a busker is unfortunately not a way to cut down on your fare expenditure.

Catch up on texts: Let us all give thanks to Wilson, Yorkdale, Lawrence West, Glencairn, Eglinton West, Kipling, Old Mill, Keele, Davisville, Rosedale, Victoria Park, Warden, Kennedy, Lawrence East, Ellesmere, Midland, Scarborough Centre, and McCowan. Make the most of cell service before it’s gone.

THE SUBWAY IN HAIKU

FINCH Start of the Yonge Line GO bus, YRT, all there Home of Pan Flute Guy

BESSARION Sweet Bessarion Secret of the Sheppard Line Naturally spotless

DAVISVILLE

KIPLING

HIGH PARK

The end of the line Closer to Mississauga Than Islington. Ugh.

Across from the park!

Want to go frolick outside, Must stay on subway.

Come up for fresh air The day shines bright upon me Getting cell service

ST. GEORGE Classes lie beyond, Bedford or Bata, your choice; Where dreams come to die

BLOOR Green and yellow meet Packed in the train like sardines Until mass exodus

KENNEDY Four levelled station, RT, but not a retweet Scarborough crime hub

Arts & Culture

COMING UP

var.st/arts

18 NOvEMBEr 2013 arts@thevarsity.ca

A look at Artscape's new project var.st/arts

A mental meet-up Rendezvous with Madness' program aims to use art to educate and raise awareness about mental health issues

PHOTO COURTESY OF HART HOUSE

Hart House Theatre: Twelfth Night Haman Mamdouhi

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

MEdiA PHOTO

Elena Gritzan

VARSITY STAFF

One in five children under the age of 18 have a diagnosable mental health issue. 70 to 75 percent of mental illnesses appear before the age of 20.

Only one in six have access to the treatment they might need.

All of these are reasons that youth mental health is an important topic of discussion, according to child psychologist Dr. Marshall Korenblum. He was speaking at the Youth Mental Health Symposium on the last day of Rendezvous with Madness, a six day festival showcasing films from Canada and abroad with a focus on mental health.

“The goal of the festival is to sort of expose people to mental health and to decrease stigma, eliminate discrimination and prejudice that goes toward a lot of people with mental illness and addiction,” said program manager Jeff Wright in an interview with The Varsity. The festival is presented by Workman Arts, a local organization that provides training and opportunities for artists with mental illnesses.

While the festival explored a variety of angles and perspectives on mental health, it was bookended by art representing the experiences of children and adolescents.

The opening night was a screening of Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term

12, a startling and engrossing film about a foster care facility. The main character, Grace (Brie Larson), herself a survivor of abuse and her own mental health challenges, sees much of herself in new charge, Jadeyn, and goes to great lengths to reach out to her. The talented ensemble cast brings each characters’ story to life, creating a highly relatable and human portrayal.

Saturday afternoon’s symposium featured a pair of films, both documentaries, of treatment facilities and the experiences of the young people who go through them. Echoes of Short Term 12 were apparent in Allan King’s Warrendale, despite the latter having been made almost 50 years prior. A documentary filmed for the cbc — which for decades refused to air it — Warrendale is an observational look at the treatment centre in Etobicoke, showing reactions of the children and the attempts of the staff to restrain and console them. In a subsequent discussion, Korenblum pointed out that it shares many themes with Short Term 12, and the other films show "much much has changed and how little has changed" in the field of mental health in the past 50 years.

The second film, Nuria Ibañez’s The Naked Room, continues with the theme of emotional realism by presenting a series of interviews with children in a mental health facility in Mexico. The camera remains trained

on each child’s face, even when their parents are the ones speaking, revealing every reaction and creating an remarkable amount of empathy.

The whole festival aimed to instill empathy in its audience members, as emphasized in the panel discussions following each screening designed to create conversations about mental health. “If people aren’t that familiar with mental health issues to come see a film, they might have thoughts or questions they might want to ask, and we sort of give that platform for them to ask and we have people there who can answer better than going home and googling,” said Wright.

Rendezvous with Madness certainly succeeded in making me think more consciously about mental health. Statistically, six of the 30 people on the streetcar ride home with me deal with these kinds of issues on a daily basis. I thought about what Wright said about what he learned while programming the festival: “You see people in the street and it’s a lot more evident how many people are affected by it, and that’s just visibly. And to think that so many people are suffering from mental illness without it being a visible thing, and maybe the stigma or prejudice that goes towards people with mental illness, not being able to speak about it or get help.”

Twelfth Night was the second Hart House Theatre production of the year, the classical Shakespearean story of a love dodecahedron.

In this play, directed by Matthew Gorman, we find Viola (Darcy Gerhart), a shipwreck survivor, disguised as the servant Cesario, in the service of the influential nobleman, Duke Orsino.

Herein, we develop a very amusing set of love triangles that leads the play onward through a series of very enjoyable flirts, fights, pranks, and promises.

This play is character-heavy and features an impressive set. The tavern stands as the main setting for most of the play, and is cleverly used in various lighting in order to appear ominous or inviting.

The director made use of heavily caricatured characters in an effort to translate Shakespeare's wit for the modern audience. However, this took away from the audience's overall enjoyment of the play: for example, the superfluous flamboyance displayed by Malvolio and Sir Aguecheek came off as childishly offensive, and served no dramatic purpose other than mockery.

Twelfth Night presented a group of actors with a very large spectrum of talent: some actors impeccably embodied the characters they played. David Tripp’s portrayal of Sir Toby Belch was

PHOTO COURTESY OF HART HOUSE

full of vim. The arrogance of his character was well-interpreted and energetically displayed. The chemistry between Tripp, Christopher Manousos (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Alison Blair (Maria), and Leete Stetson (Fabian), was solid and heart-warmingly amusing — the actors played very well of each other, and their energy transmitted itself contagiously into the audience.

The choice of live musical accompaniment was a poor one, as the music often drowned out the lyrics. The witty fool Feste’s (Alexander Offord) musical abilities were pleasant to all the senses. However, the character's classic music became an independent demonstration of Offord's musical talent, accompanied by interludes of modern music. These interludes served little to support the play’s theme, tempo, or timbre, giving the impression that Offord was cast more for his musical abilities than his acting skills.

In the end, the play fails to deliver anything more grand than a lighthearted, family entertainment. Although certain theatrical strategies were outstanding, they were mostly undermined by the caricatured characters. The directing, acting, and design all come together to form a mildly entertaining play, but fall short of the expectations from a Hart House production.

Twelfth Night is at the Hart House Theatre until Nov. 23, 2013. For more info, visit www.harthousetheatre.ca.

var.st/arts

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

15

Up Close: Jon Hopkins Talking to the Mercury Prize-nominated producer about self-hypnosis and creating his own personal brand of electronica a home computer. It really started to happen when I was 18-19, pcs were affordable, programs were accessible.

Corinne Przybyslawski

ASSOCIATE ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

TV: When you compose,do you use hardware or software predominantly?

Hailing from across the pond, producer Jon Hopkins invites audiences to a sketch of his personal realities in his third studio album, Immunity.

The album was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize this year.

Hopkins brands his self-written music with an entrancing digital ambiance.

His use of hypnosis extends his production beyond any natively progressive genre like electronica.

Hopkins’s techno abilities have allowed him to collaborate with Coldplay and Bat for Lashes' Natasha Khan and make remixes for Four Tet to Nosaj Thing.

JH: I really try to stop myself from doing everything on the computer, but mainly tracks that incorporate many synths/bass, I refuse to let myself do that. Let them sound different. On my previous album, the majority of it was composed on the piano, but I knew Immunity had to be different.

Logic is what I write on. It’s perfect for arrangement and automation; if you have an idea and an effect, it’ll immediately latch right on. Automation keeps everything alive and prevents it from going sterile. They’re all the same, it’s whatever you started with.

Logic and Cubase are easiest for me, but I’m sure Ableton is great too.

The Varsity: What is the most important influence to your music?

Jon Hopkins: To be honest, I’ve got very little idea of what the current stuff people are listening to.

My writing stage lasted for nine months, listening to the same music. I never really listened to anything new. I’d go back to old records, ambient stuff. My own production is really just a collection of things I’ve listened to over the years, which was European techno, ambience, breakbeat. Anything I bonded with as a child. I have confidence, I like what I do, and it does something to me.

TV: What sorts of instruments do you predominantly rely on?

JH: I’ve relied heavily on piano. I’ve had this one for nine years, it’s come with me into every studio I’ve been in. It’s my main instrument for its

Photo Courtesy of steve GulliCk

nostalgic value. I was predominantly self-taught, but when I was eight, my parents put me into lessons. I resisted, of course, but soon realized how valuable they really were. It’s an amazing instrument. To realize the value of the technique is so useful. It’s very applicable in composition and production.

TV: What is the music scene like in the UK? Do you feel like your music reflects that?

JH: I feel like my music is terribly different… It’s not better or worse in any way, but it’s just not part of any particular scene. I don’t really care about whether or not it sounds new, I’ve been lucky enough to get people behind it and that’s been what’s helped

me take it to a good audience. I do implement certain rhythmic techniques, hi-hat patterns and 4/4 beats you’ll hear today, but I make a conscious effort to use acoustic sounds and beats that are more interesting than relying on sampling.

TV: What inspired you to begin producing?

JH: It’s always been what I liked most.

At about 10 years old, my parents got me a portable studio. It was a secondhand, brown old thing. It was four tracks onto a cassette, and I didn’t really know what it was, but I started layering up tracks and realizing what certain things were. Time, how you could make sound go left and right,

add treble, add bass... Then it became instantly fascinating. Music was always built into me for some reason, though. The first band I heard on the radio was Pet Shop Boys. Their electronic sounds — rather than band music — inspired me, but music was an obsession, ever since I was two years old. My mum used to use it as a means to calm me down.

TV: Did you continue with music during your post-secondary education?

JH: I went to music college, and there I learned about professional synths.

Sounds were more than just something people made. I grew up in a good time. Technology was finally getting to the point where you could have

TV: I’ve read that you have a fascination with self-hypnosis. How did that translate onto Immunity?

JH: Mainly “Sun Harmonics,” the 12-minute song on the album. It functions along the premise of repeating a thought for a long period of time to move into a deeper state of being. Upbeat tracks will do that too, and bring you to a higher state of consciousness accessible through meditation. It’s all about tapping into that part of your brain that you wouldn’t normally.

Jon Hopkins will be playing at the Hoxton on November 21 with Clark and supporting act, Nathan Fake.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

The best of the Tube Celebrating the art of Youtube filmmaking at the first Buffer Festival Nasma Ahmed

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

On the weekend of November 9, the popular video-streaming website YouTube came to Toronto. The first Buffer Festival was a multi day theatrical event involving the best creative works from video creators on YouTube. Over 100 YouTube creators came down for the festival, including TheFineBrothers, Hannah Hart and Daily Grace. It was an opportunity to see great content normally reserved for the computer screen, on the big screen.

Corey Vidal's ApprenticeA productions is the organization behind the Buffer Festival. Vidal gained recognition after creating a musical tribute to composer John Williams and was one of the first Canadians to join the Youtube Partnership program. He later created ApprenticeA productions a leading online video production company with over 75 million views.

Inspired by his experience at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011, Vidal, in collaboration with CFC Media lab created the Buffer Festival. The Varsity sat down with Corey Vidal before the festival began.

The Varsity: What do you see for the future regarding the festival?

Corey Vidal: We want to be involved with similar partners and be in the same area. A lot of attendees couldn't make so we are going to keep throwing it every year. Each year it is going to get bigger and bigger. This is our first event and we couldn't be happier, down the road it is going to push more for YouTubers to release content that people haven't viewed before. Using it as a launching point for some of their creative content.

I am a YouTuber at heart and my goal was to merge YouTube with big projects. I want to be a part of YouTube but I care a lot also about the film making process and Vlogumentary is an opportunity to do a traditional feature film that is 100 percent YouTube. Buffer Festival is an opportunity to be in a theatre but not go traditional, be 100 percent YouTube.

TV: Any advice for YouTube Creators who aren’t getting noticed, or just starting up?

CV: First make crap, than make your crap better. A lot of people are obsessed with making their first video good. If you look at any of your favourite Youtubers, their first videos

are all crap. I hate my first 150 videos and so does every other YouTuber.

It isn't about making one video; it is about being in the constant state of video creation.

TV: How do you think it is changing our culture?

CV: What we are doing is depleting the amount of time spent watching television. Instead of sitting there watching tv we are only watch a couple of hours of tv and then we are on the Internet. People have more control on when they want to watch it and how they want to watch it. Whereas before you had to watch tv at a very specific time and if you didn't watch it you missed it. I think it is very empowering for the consumer; we have more control than we ever had.

TV: What do you see in the future for YouTube?

CV: The numbers keep growing and growing. I always check out the stats and right now there are over 80 hours of content uploaded every minute. I remember when you could go on YouTube and check out the latest uploaded videos and you could scroll through a day's worth of

nanCy ji/thevarsity

videos; that was seven years ago. It never stops more people have access to the Internet, more people have access to cameras, people have high quality cameras on their phone. We are going to see more content creators; with YouTube a lot of the viewers are the content creators. Some-

body attending Buffer Festival today can be premiering content at Buffer Festival next year, because that's how even the playing field is. That is exciting.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

16

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 10

arts@thevarsity.ca

Cube Squared shows you don’t have to be a square to work in a cubicle Author Christian McPherson discusses the follow-up to The Cube People Sara Gajic

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Media Photo

Christian McPherson’s Cube Squared follows the exploits of writer and government worker Colin MacDonald, whose dealings with his coworkers are rivaled in wacky eccentricity only by the adventures he undergoes as a father. Most notable among these adventures is Colin’s epic quest to retrieve his daughter’s lost teddy bear, Mr. Honey.

The Varsity went to talk to McPherson about his new book, Cube Squared, a sequel to his previous work, The Cube People. McPherson studied at Carleton University and currently lives with his family in Ottawa, but he spent the weekend in Toronto to promote his new book with a reading at Queen West’s Type Books. We met at The Niche, a café on Queen Street West, to discuss Cube Squared.

Some of the scenes in Cube Squared read like extraordinary hyperbole. MacDonald's coworker, for example, sells candy out of his cubicle. However, a lot of MacDonald's life is autobiographical, and this is one of the

reasons why McPherson found the book so easy to write.

“There is a lot of me in Colin MacDonald,” he says. Jokingly, he adds, “For example, we share dreams of literary stardom.”

In the book, Macdonald's literary dreams find their outlet in a novel-within-a-novel called The Mosquito and The Maggot, a tongue-in-cheek vampire story. This was McPherson’s favourite part of the book to write; writing helps both McPherson and his protagonist deal with their cubicle-driven existences.

“Writing is what drives me. It’s my goal to get out of the cubicle and write full-time. I have a desire to leave that whole world,” says McPherson. This is a desire that many U of T students undoubtedly share, and McPherson doesn’t deny that he would prefer to write than to work at his office job, but he acknowledges that there are benefits to office work.

“It’s the worst thing you can be doing,” he says with a wry laugh, “and yet it allows you to be stable, have a steady income, and you can take breaks to write. There’s a lot to be said for pension and stability.”

Any U of T student with a loan will probably agree with McPherson on this point, though it must be said that his life is not all office drudgery. He has been able to tour in Toronto for the release of Cube Squared, and has received critical acclaim from The Ottawa Citizen and Quill & Quire for The Cube People, though he is most excited about recently receiving his first piece of physical fan mail.

Fan mail might seem like nothing to get excited about, but it’s significant because it’s rare for art to be well-received critically and publicly. How does McPherson manage it? I suspect it’s because anyone can relate to MacDonald.

“I mean, he’s got three kids, a minivan...he works in a cubicle. He’s an average working Joe,” says McPherson.

There are lots of working average Joes, but McPherson has managed to create one whose story is both heartwarming and funny. Cube Squared is a great read, and if you’re worried about ending up in a cubicle after graduation yourself, reading it will have the added bonus of assuring you that it’s not all bad.

Todd James and Marc Bell at the Cooper Cole Gallery Vulgar pop art and complex illustrations Ken Kongkatong

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

From the 1959 debut of the Asterix and Obelix comics to its induction into Paris’ famed Louvre museum, cartoons have certainly come a long way from being a mere adolescent pastime, ands has long since become a serious medium of artistic expression. The same could be said for the opening of two exhibitions at Toronto's Cooper Cole Gallery: Marc Bell’s No Jabronis and Todd James’s Splash Damage.

Take James, whose work appears to be nothing more than crude and vulgar renditions, similar to Keith Haring’s pop art style. The recurrent motifs of the stereotypically unintelligent blonde engaging in vice, the poker-face chain-smoking cats, and the carefree Somali pirate drinking tea in Splash Damage leave much to be desired.

Although whimsical at best, James’s Splash Damage touches upon a provocative theme that seems to be lost on his largerthan-life subjects: a world gone mad.

In Splash Damage, James's incorporation of oil pastels and lead has a childlike quality. However, when used to create something such as a cartoon-version of an AK-47, these features become double-edged metaphors of the obliviousness and recklessness of violence prevalent in society.

Bell’s solo exhibition, No Jabronis, is a far cry from James’s Splash Damage in terms of political underpinnings and creative approach.

Influenced by expressionist artist Christian Schumann, Bell created four complex drawings that depict surreal and comical landscapes, which serve as a backdrop for his creative universe.

Unlike James, Bell’s focus was not so much an exploration of the sociopolitical connotations of art as it was a celebration of the imagination of the artist.

He opted to include “a collection of many subjects,” including many famous real-life places and attractions, such as the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Ontario College of Art and Design, and gave them a unique “cartoon-y” twist by placing them in comical and lighthearted environments.

At this point, it’s no surprise that one would take note of the explicit relationship between No Jabronis and John Keats’s 1819 poem Ode to Psyche; the latter attempts to celebrate the creative ingenuity of the artist by illustrating the ways in which he or she can delve into the imaginary world of his or her literary masterpiece through aesthetic means.

As with Psyche, Bell celebrates the creative ingenuity of the artist — breaking down the barrier between reality and fantasy by creating a lighthearted and comical landscape, where his subjects are free to roam.

James and Bell have certainly proved that the cartoon genre is a serious medium, capable of conveying the depictions of the grim reality that we are too often confronted with.

Both artists' exhibitions continue at the Copper Cole Gallery until December 7, 2013.

For more info visit coopercolegallery.com/ exhibitions From top, left to right; a selection of Todd James' works; Marc Bell's Mr Giant Stroller; Todd James's 123 Here We Go; four of Marc Bell's drawings. Media Photos.

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

var.st/arts

Are you some kind of art-loving snob?

Read more online at thevarsity.ca

Write for us! | arts@thevarsity.ca

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

17

ANNUAL

SAUL GOLDSTEIN

THE

MEMORIAL LECTURE

INNOVATION FRONTIER: Where Public Institutions meet the Twenty-First Century Speaker: Janice Gross Stein

Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the Department of Political Science and the Director of the Munk School for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

Tuesday, November 26 @ 5:00 p.m.

Kruger Hall Commons, Woodsworth College, 119 St. George St. All are welcome

FREE reception follows lecture

Register: www.alumni.utoronto.ca/woodsworth More Info: events.woodsworth@utoronto.ca or 416-978-5301

www.wdw.utoronto.ca www.wdw.utoronto.ca

PIECE TOGETHER A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE WHAT IS MScSM? The MScSM degree is a 20-month graduate program for individuals interested in management careers in sustainability-related divisions and organizations.

Visit our website for the details of the program and to mark the calendar dates for our visit to your campus.

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA mscsm.utm@utoronto.ca | 905-569-5803 | www.utm.utoronto.ca/mscsm

Science

ONLINE THURSDAY

var.st/sCIENCE

Neuroscience in Translation

18 NOvEMBEr 2013

var.st/science

science@thevarsity.ca

Learning in the lab Research opportunities abound for U of T’s undergraduates for an average of 25 positions,� said Marquez, who then insisted that he encourages all students to apply, as even the application process is beneficial to them. By applying, he says, students learn how to present themselves professionally on paper, an important post-graduation skill.

If one application is not successful, students should remain positive and keep looking, even if that means investigating opportunities outside of U of T — Toronto’s hospital system is a great place to start, for example.

According to Aggarwal, persistence is key: “One of the things that really prevents undergrads from getting involved in research is that they don’t know how and they’re just too scared ‌ the key is not to get discouraged ‌ if you keep attempting to contact the people whose research you’re genuinely interested in, eventually you’ll hear an affirmative answer. But you need to keep trying.â€?

Elena Gritzan VARSITY STAFF

As a science student, it can be easy to forget where all of the theories and equations encountered in class come from. The long days of trial-and-error, of running experiments, and of chance discoveries can be hidden by the passage of lecture slides. Going behind the curtain and participating in the actual research process can be extremely rewarding for an undergraduate student; thankfully, a research-intensive university provides many opportunities to do so.

Participating in an undergraduate research project is an early opportunity to be exposed to the inner workings of your chosen field.

An “early opportunity where an undergrad can be exposed to research in the lab, outside the classroom, would be a good experience to understand more what [the field] is,â€? said Armando Marquez, undergraduate counsellor for the Department of Chemistry, “and possibly develop that interest so that ‌ students would continue and do research, go to graduate studies, do a lot more research down the line.â€?

It can be hard to know if a research career is right for you unless you try it, and the wide range of opportunities at the University of Toronto make undergraduate years the perfect time to give it a whirl.

The experience can certainly boost a resume. “When students get involved with this, it gives them a better opportunity as an experience, that when they go out, when they finish their education here, it makes them a very competitive person when they do apply to graduate studies or work,� said Marquez.

Yet even if you decide to apply to work in industry, professional school, or change fields entirely, a summer or semester spent doing research provides benefits that will stay with you for years to come.

Some of these wide-ranging benefits are detailed in a document by the Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (lmp) department, and include gaining important lab skills, learning how to design an experiment, critically analyzing data, and communicating results. Students gain a deeper understanding of course material and will also have a wide range of work op-

APPLICATION DEADLINES  BY DEPARTMENT

WIllIaM ahN/thE varsIty

portunities after graduation. These important skills can also be taken back to the classroom.

Not only can research enhance scientific knowledge, it can also contribute to one’s personal development. “One of the opportunities for the students who get involved in research is that they are able to network with the grad students [and] with the faculty, and are given the opportunity to do presentations,� said Marquez, adding that, “students who go through this develop a more critical way of thinking instead of just what is fed to you in the classroom.�

Ishita Aggarwal, campus ambassador for the pan-discipline Undergraduate Awards program, pointed out that doing research can affect your worldview. “When you participate in research, even at the undergraduate level, you really are able to better interpret claims that are made, not only in the academic set-

ting, but also in popular media and everyday life,� she said. “I think it’s really important not only to be a producer of research, but also to be a better consumer of research.�

U of T offers a wide variety of opportunities for undergraduates to do research, including the second-year Research Opportunity Program (rop) courses and summer research positions aimed at second- and third-year students. Each department awards positions differently: some require an application to the department as a first step, whiles others require the interested student to email potential supervisors before applying.

In the Department of Chemistry, students submit a rĂŠsumĂŠ, cover letter, and application to the department before the supervisor selection process. “The competition is so fierce that we could probably have between 150 to 200 applications

Apply to the Department first: Š (OUINKSOYZX_ ,KHX[GX_ Ä‚ Š )NKSOYZX_ 0GT[GX_ Ýý Š /SS[TURUM_ 0GT[GX_ Ýú Š 6NGXSGI_ ,KHX[GX_ Ăť Š 6NGXSGIURUM_ GTJ :U^OIURUM_ 3GXIN Ýÿ UX ,KHX[GX_ ßÿ JKVKTJY UT VXUPKIZ Š 6N_YOIY ,KHX[GX_ ÝÝ Š +IURUM_ GTJ +\UR[ZOUTGX_ (OURUM_ SOJJRK UL ,KHX[GX_ Š 3KJOIGR (OUVN_YOIY 3GXIN Ăž Find a supervisor first, then apply to Department: Š 2GHUXGZUX_ 3KJOIOTK GTJ 6GZNUHOURUM_ 3GXIN ĂźÄƒ YKVGXGZK GVVROIGZOUTY LUX L[TJOTM J[K YUUTKX Š 4[ZXOZOUTGR 9IOKTIKY 3GXIN Ăť Š )KRR GTJ 9_YZKSY (OURUM_ ,KHX[GX_ Ăż Š 6N_YOURUM_ ,KHX[GX_ ßĂ Š /TYZOZ[ZK UL 3KJOIGR 9IOKTIKY /39 ,KHX[GX_ ĂťÄƒ No formal procedure, contact professors directly: Š 6Y_INURUM_ Note: Does not include accredited research courses offered by the Department of Psychology. Information subject to change

International Year of Statistics draws to a close Jennifer Hurd

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Interested in monitoring climate change? Worried about crime rates?

Curious about how opinion polls work or how to interpret them?

Concerned about the risks of a new medical treatment? The solutions to all of these problems rely on statistics, the science of analyzing and interpreting data. Not surprisingly, statistics have a powerful influence on every aspect of our lives, yet very few people understand how they actually work or exactly what information we can learn from them.

In honour of this science, 2013 was proclaimed to be the International Year of Statistics.

Increasing public knowledge about statistical methods and raising public awareness of the impor-

tance of statistical research are two of the primary objectives of the International Year of Statistics, a partnership between 2,280 organizations around the world, including the International Statistical Institute, Statistics Canada, and the American Statistical Association.

Over the course of 2013, hundreds of lectures and events have been organized in 128 countries, celebrating the many ways that statistics are being used to solve real-world problems. U of T is a partner organization, and its Department of Statistical Sciences decided to hold a series of six public lectures in honour of the occasion, inviting world leaders in statistical research to present their work to a wide audience.

Professor James Stafford, chair of the Department of Statistical Sciences at U of T, confirms that

public outreach was a major goal in organizing the lecture series: “I wanted the audience to be people I didn’t recognize,� he says. “I didn’t want it to be a seminar series.� For Stafford, statistics is “by its very nature interdisciplinary,� a science that has applications in many fields, including biology, computer science, political science, and even the study of medieval manuscripts.

The department recently created a new specialist program in Applied Statistics. Students in the program also complete a concentration in a related discipline — like psychology, linguistics, or genetics and biotechnology, where skill in quantitative analysis is vitally important. Stafford’s own research has focused on disease mapping.

By looking at the distribution of cases of a disease, researchers can identify places where there may be

higher incidence of that disease.

If they find such a problem area, the next question is simple: Why? Is the higher rate of cases in that area due to environmental factors, social factors, economic factors, or something else entirely? Analysis is often complicated because, for rare diseases like lupus or mesothelioma, data sets may be messy or incomplete. Yet statistical analysis, if done correctly, can still inform advances in policy and medicine.

The increasing importance of statistics is not only due to its interdisciplinary nature, but also due to the increasing amounts of data available. In the last 30 years, computers, smartphones, tablets, and the Internet have radically changed the way that information can be collected and analyzed. Fittingly, the final public lecture at U of T is entitled “Smart Use of

Smart Phones and other Mobile Devices to Improve Health.� Professor Susan Murphy will deliver the talk. Murphy is a professor of both statistics and psychiatry at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on methods of data analysis that inform the development of new interventions in hiv treatment, diabetes, depression, autism, alcoholism, and obesity.

The goal is to deliver analysis of that information, and therefore interventions, in real time, by using smartphones to collect information about a patient.

Professor Susan Murphy’s lecture, “Smart Use of Smartphones and other Mobile Devices to Improve Health� will be held this Thursday, November 21, at 4:00 pm in McLennan 103

VARSITY SCIENCE

var.st/science

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

U of T researchers invent functional “cloaking devices” Katrina Vogan

SCIENCE EDITOR

Two members of U of T’s Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have invented a functioning invisibility cloak. Professor George Eleftheriades and phd student Michael Selvanayagam used the principle of wave interference to conceptualize a thin “cloak” of atennae that renders an object invisible to radar. To accompany the research, published last week in the journal Physical Review X, Selvanayagam built a functioning model of the device for less than $2,000.

Radio devices read the appearance and position of objects by interpreting the waves that bounce off object — the same principle behind human sight, but in a different spectrum. The cloaking device built by Eleftheriades and Selvanayagam radiates a field that cancels out the waves bouncing off the object it covers, rendering the object invisible in the radio spectrum. The device can also alter the appearance or the apparent location of the object when viewed through radar.

The device was created in an effort to improve upon existing research, says Selvanayagam. “The idea of cloaking an object was first proposed in 2006 or so by a group at Duke University... they were the

ones who first showed that cloaking is something that you can actually do using specially designed materials and structures.” A structure of metamaterials shields the object inside from rays by bending light around the object. The problem with these structures was their relative scalabilty and complexity: early structures were large and awkward, and techniques designed to shield smaller objects weren’t very modifiable. Eleftheriades and Selvanayagam’s research has solved these problems — their device is scalable and flexible, and can also be retuned to work with different wavelengths.

Though for a functioning invisibility device an under $2,000 cost seems impressively cheap, Selvanayagam didn’t view the budget as a limitation. “The reason it was a small budget was because we wanted to do everything as simply as possible,” he says. “So all the components are discrete parts, we didn’t try to integrate anything into a package, we did everything very modularly, very system level, very part-bypart, so we could switch things in and out for the ease of the experiment.” A larger budget would allow experimenters to fully integrate the device — or make it more reactive.

Currently, the device must be manually tuned, but in the future, the device may contain a mechanism that would allow it to detect radio waves

19

RESEARCH RECAP Anthropomorphizing social causes could lead to more dollars for charity

Wendy Gu/THe VArsiTy

and then automatically tune itself to the approproiate frequency.

The most obvious applications for the new device are military — hiding or disguising objects from prying eyes. “But in general, there are some more basic, not-very-fancy, but more down to earth applications,” points out Selvanayagam. “If you think about the city of Toronto, there are antenna towers all over the city, that’s just how our wireless system works. And some of them are being blocked by various objects, there are buildings in the way.” The device could cloak buildings that interrupt cellular communications. “If

you pinch around them with these antennas, the buildings disappear.”

Further applications — especially those that would require use of the technology in the visible spectrum, including medical imaging applications — are a matter of technology.

“We did it with radio waves because the technology is mature enough that you can apply established technological ideas like atennas,” explains Selvanayagam. “At higher frequencies, as you approach the visible spectrum or the region beyond x-rays, the technology is very different, so there are some serious challenges in taking what we did and moving it up.”

Recently, a group of researchers demonstrated that anthropomorphizing social causes can lead to a greater impact on audiences and even evoke emotional responses.

A study conducted by Pankaj Aggarwal from utsc and the Rotman School of Management, along with researchers from Wilfred Laurier and Hanyang University (South Korea), showed that putting a human face onto objects resulted in greater support for the advertised cause.

In the study, an organic-waste bin was given a “sad” face, to convey its unhappiness about being ignored, and was shown to participants.

Compared to participants shown a normal food-waste recycling bin, participants who viewed the sad bin stated they were more likely to recycle their food.

These reactions to anthropomorphized objects are linked to viewers experiencing a feeling of guilt upon viewing a human face in pain and the implication that their ignorance is the cause of the pain.

Aggarwal says that the results of the study may allow for an inexpensive way of gaining support for many social causes.

— Stefan Jevtic

Maternal infections during pregnancy interfere with fetal brain development

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

A research group from U of T has shown that injection of Interleukin-6, an inflammatory protein, into the body cavity of pregnant mice resulted in an expanded forebrain neural precursor pool and perturbed olfactory neurogenesis in offspring months after the fetal exposure. These findings suggest a new explanation for the development of neurological deficits in infants.

For years, scientists have noticed that specific infectious diseases suffered during pregnancy — such as toxoplasmosis, rubella, and influenza — may cause severe long-lasting side effects in the fetus. Prenatal infections have been associated with neurological conditions such as epilepsy and psychological disorders like schizophrenia.

It has been shown that maternal infections may have a negative impact on infant’s brain cognitive functioning after the birth. These side effects have been attributed to various factors such as the causative microorganism, inflammatory reactions, and prescribed medications. The new research strengthens the connection between maternal health and the health of the offspring.

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

FROM TRADE SHOWS TO WEDDINGS TO CULTURAL

FROM RETAIL MANAGEMENT

FESTIVALS, THIS PROGRAM

TO LOGISTICS: THIS PROGRAM

OFFERS THE UNIQUE SKILLS

OFFERS THE UNIQUE SKILLS YOU

YOU WILL NEED TO LAUNCH

WILL NEED TO LAUNCH YOUR

YOUR CAREER AS AN EVENT

CAREER AS A FASHION BUYER,

COORDINATOR, SPECIAL

BRAND MANAGER, PRODUCT

EVENTS ORGANIZER, ACCOUNT

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER,

REPRESENTATIVE, CORPORATE

VISUAL MERCHANDISER

MEETING PLANNER AND

AND MANY OTHER EXCITING

MANY OTHER EXCITING

CAREER OPTIONS.

CAREER OPTIONS.

APPLY NOW!

APPLY NOW!

— Aria Shakeri & Arash Shakeri

business.humber.ca/postgrad

Like research?

Recap your own.

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATES

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATES AT ITS VERY BEST

business.humber.ca/postgrad

AT ITS VERY BEST

Write for us: science@thevarsity

but not many more

VARSITY SCIENCE

20 Vol. CXXXIV, No. 10

LuCINDA yAE-RIM Ro/THE VARSITy

Science and Cinema: The Fifth Estate Tracing the fall of internet privacy Nipa Chauhan

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

science@thevarsity.ca

The recently released motion picture The Fifth Estate is the latest pop culture discourse on the controversial issue of “hacktivism.” Benedict Cumberbatch brings star power to the movie with his onscreen depiction of Julian Assange, the controversial founder of WikiLeaks. The film is quite topical, given the recent alarming exposure of the Naional Security Agency (nsa) and the ongoing discourse surrounding Chelsea Manning.

These issues have brought internet security to the forefront of public consciousness. Social media users are now debating the legitimacy of their online privacy settings — what if it isn’t only your friends perusing your pictures and life events, or laughing at that witty status update you just posted?

The problem might not be as discomforting here as it is in the United States, where the nsa has been spying on its citizens for over a decade and counting: with this program, the US government has been keeping tabs on the phone calls, geolocation information, and internet communications of its citizens.

The worst part of the program is that the public didn’t know anything about it until Edward Snowden, former nsa contractor and former

cia employee, leaked information about this surveillance. Through thousands of leaked documents, Snowden also revealed confidential information regarding European nations. Before this controversy, Assange made thousands upon thousands of confidential documents available to anyone with an internet connection. Assange and Snowden have been labeled as black-hat (or criminal) hacktivists by the government, and have been effecively exiled from the countries they “betrayed.”

From governments’ perspectives, hacktivism is a matter of national security. Supporters of the surveillance argue that the decisions made by a government are for the greater good of its people and that there are good intentions behind the surveillance.

Various hacktivists around the world argue that they are simply promoting human rights and ethical judgement by uncovering and exposing digital information. Detractors commonly reference dystopian works such as 1984 by George Orwell or V for Vendetta by Alan Moore. They claim that programs like the nsa represent blatant breaches of privacy reminiscent of the police states in these works.

VINYL, CDS, EQUIPMENT The trailer for The Fifth Estate depicts an arguHigh Quality Vinyl and & lesserment between Cumberbatch’s Assange known WikiLeaks co-founder Daniel Domscheitreconditioned equipment Berg (Daniel Brühl)AROUND about the ethics AGAINof releasing the Manning documents.

“Lives areSt at stake!” yells 18 Baldwin Domscheit-Berg, upset about the danger posed to those named WANTED: in the documents his partner plans CHRISTMAS GIFT to release. The argument is a dramatic WRAPPERS - representation of the debate that led to Domscheit-Berg’s Creative individuals, Locationssplit from WikiLeaks.

(He later would go onNorth to form his -- Downtown Toronto, own organisation, OpenLeaks).

Even hackivists are York, Brampton.

Managers split about howto best and most ethically deal with $11.50/hour + bonuses. releases of confidential government information.

Wrappers to $10.60/hour.Full Too often online, heart of the debate is the & Partthe Time Avail - December question of who1— between the hackers – 24.

TO APPLY, GO TO:and the government —www.TorontoWraps.com is protecting citizens, and who is merely paranoid. But the debate is not nearly so simple. The internet matures and the debate SUBJECTS WANTED complicates furtherResearchers , and there is at unlikely the to be a clear resolutionDepartment anytime soon. of Linguistics,

McGill University are looking for speakers of Russian who wereCLASSIFIEDS born in North America or who moved to North America WANTED: CHRISTMAS GIFT beforeWRAPPERS or at the age of 5, who Creative predominantly speak individuals English, but whose parents Locations speak Russian.

DowntownCompensation Toronto of $20.South If interested, Etobicoke please contact Cole Imhoff at cole.

Brampton.

Managers to $12.00/hour + bonuses. imhoff@mail.mcgill.ca.

Wrappers to $11.00/hour.

This research is being Full & Part Time Avail - December 1 – 24. supervised by TO APPLY, GO TO: at Dr. Larissa Nossalik www.TorontoWraps.com larissa.nossalik@mcgill.ca

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

FROM PROJECT MANAGEMENT TO

FROM PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

PUBLIC FINANCE, THIS PROGRAM

TO ADVERTISING, THIS PROGRAM

OFFERS THE UNIQUE SKILLS YOU

OFFERS THE UNIQUE SKILLS

WILL NEED TO LAUNCH YOUR

YOU WILL NEED TO LAUNCH

CAREER AS A COMMUNICATIONS

YOUR CAREER AS AN ACCOUNT

OFFICER, PROGRAM OFFICER,

EXECUTIVE, MARKETING

POLICY ANALYST, BUSINESS

MANAGER, MARKETING

ANALYST AND MANY OTHER

SPECIALIST, PRODUCT

EXCITING CAREER OPTIONS.

MANAGER AND MANY OTHER

CLASSIFIEDS

VARSITY CLASSIFIEDS Cost $12.00 for twenty-five words. $0.25 for each additional word.

Rates include one line of bold type for the ad header. No copy changes after submission. Submit ads by email, mail or phone. Ads must be submitted at least four days prior to publication. Contact us for more info.

DENTAL CARE

EXCITING CAREER OPTIONS.

APPLY NOW! APPLY NOW!

DR. ELON GRIFFITH

Cosmetic & General Dentistry

416-923-3386 drgriffith@rogers.com 25 Charles ST.W

business.humber.ca/postgrad

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATES AT ITS VERY BEST

business.humber.ca/postgrad

AT ITS VERY BEST

BAY ST.

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATES

BLOOR ST. W. CHARLES ST. W. Our Office

YONGE ST.

Toronto ON M4Y 2R4

changed to becom to wome for non-m Social ing for seems a power w more con have chi with age steep for 30s. Wom lure of a t a woman have bio children, sitions w is anythi might w establish find the is the ca en, she m fore thes which po eggs is ve

+

Acc sev with Bo Dis

Leg Pen clien Infla or C Acc

Co

1-88

Plea accu

LEGA0048_Accutane

Sports

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Winter is coming: Learn how to throw a snowball

var.st/sports

18 NovEMBEr 2013

sports@thevarsity.ca

var.st/b0l

Religion and sports: unfathomable feelings and community The first of three pieces on the connection between religion and sports Elizabeth Benn SPORTS EDITOR

In the 1992 film A League of Their Own, Jimmy Dugan prayed to God in a pre-game talk with the Rockford Peaches: “May our feet be swift; may our bats be mighty.”

Although the prayer piqued confusion from the players and laughter from the film’s spectators, it reflects a connection that is very prominent in the world of sports: the connection between sports and religion.

A trend has been growing where athletes will start off their victory speeches by thanking their respective deities before thanking teammates, coaches, the organization, and of course, “the [winning team]’s fans: the greatest fans in the world.”

Charlotte Marcotte-Toale, a member of the Varsity Blues cross country team and member of the Christian athletic organization Athletes in Action, stated that: “The gift of God’s love in Jesus allows a student or an athlete to perform out of an identity of love that they didn’t earn, and that isn’t going to change, which frees them from worries, insecurities, fears, and doubts.”

Marcotte-Toale, like many other athletes, relies on religion to continue competing in her sport with the highest amount of effort that she can possible exert. She believes that university athletes and professional athletes, often use religion as

nancy ji/thevarsity

motivation to compete, to continue to compete, and to “compete with heart and soul.”

Beyond the direct influence of religion on athletes, however, other connections can be drawn between

the two traditions. One possibility is the experience of inexplicable sensations brought about by religion and similar sensations prompted by events and moments in sports.

In New York University President John Sexton, Peter J. Schwartz, and Thomas Oliphant’s book Baseball as a Road to God, the writers explore experiential connections found between baseball and religion through chapters discussing such topics as miracles, faith, and doubt.

One prominent theme discussed in the book is a type of experience shared between religion and sports, the ineffable: “It’s really our moments in life that analysis and cognition can’t capture,” explained Schwartz.

Just as the enlightenment and lessons that come with religion may cause this sensation, so too may success in sports. When Don Larsen pitched a perfect game in game 5 of the 1956 World Series, the Yankees and their fans were undoubtedly overcome with a feeling unlike any other — a combination of joy, relief, and the inexplicable.

With these shared ineffable feelings also comes a bringingtogether of fans and players alike.

This unification of people into a community is one major theme promoted by most religions, and is seen in the confluence of sports fans on municipal, national, and international levels.

“There’s something that a community identifies with in a sports team in a manner probably more closely than other aspects of civic life,” posited Schwartz.

On a daily basis, fans wearing a team’s colours or logo will ex-

change nods on the street, and will cheer in unison in the stands of a stadium or arena. Beyond these traditions, sports have the power to unite a more substantial group of people and provide them with feelings of security and comfort.

In 2009, the New Orleans Saints appeared and won their first Super Bowl Championship. In the summer of 2005, Hurricane Katrina rushed through and destroyed much of their city, killing many of its citizens, and leaving another portion homeless. During the storm, the Louisiana Superdome, where the Saints play, provided shelter for over 26,000 people.

When the Saints won the Super Bowl, fans of the Saints, citizens of New Orleans, and those watching across the globe were united by joy for the team and its ability to overcome the effects of the tragedy and bring something to be proud of to their city.

The feeling of community that arose from this championship victory was on a monumental scale, similar to religion’s ability to bind together millions of people around a common cause.

“There’s an ability to unite about a common cause, and sports seems to be a medium where that seems to be more acute than other aspects of life,” added Schwartz.

Peter Schwartz will be giving a talk on November 20 at 7:30PM at 1700 Bathurst Street in the Hurwich Boardroom as part of a series of talks entitled “Jews in Sports.”

Graduating athlete: Katy-Jo Williams Champion field hockey player Katy-Jo Williams just finished her final season for the Blues field hockey team Susan Gordon

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The Varsity Blues women’s field hockey team will be losing a Canadian Intercollegiate Sports (cis) allCanadian this year, as netminder Katy-Jo Williams has wrapped up her final semester at U of T. Williams has spent the last five years playing on the squad, contributing to the great success of the team, with one cis title, one second-place finish in the cis, and two Ontario University Athletics (oua) championships.

Williams, a long-time ice hockey player, got a late start in field hockey — having learned the game in high school. Her success got her noticed by the Blues coaching staff, who recruited Williams. The team’s great reputation, as well as Williams’ familiarity with some of the players, made U of T an obvious post-secondary choice.

“My high school was actually huge for field hockey, and a lot of the girls actually came to U of T, and then they kind of pulled me into U of T as well”.

However, Williams’s start on the team did not go as she expected: “In my last year of high school… I dislocated my shoulder; it was awful. And then I dislocated it again two months before I was coming to U of T… My first year on the team was pretty difficult. I didn’t get to play because I had shoulder surgery just after the season.”

In her second year on the team, Williams finally got her opportunity to play. In her third year, she was able to really showcase her talent.

“I ended up playing in the cis finals, which was awesome, and I had worked really hard all season…

I think that was a huge leadership step for me,” she says.

The cis gold would be the highlight of Williams’s career,

PhOtO cOUrtesy OF varsity BLUes

but there were still many more memorable wins to come. She stepped into the starting role in her fourth year, helping the team to an oua championship.

Last year, Williams’s fifth season as a Blue, the team again made it to

the cis finals, which were hosted by the Blues at Varsity Stadium. However, the result wasn’t what they hoped for, as they ended the tournament with a silver medal.

“We had a great season, we came second in Canada, and came first in

the oua, but when you’re that close to winning, it’s really tough to take the loss.”

This year, after a very strong regular season, the team was disappointed again in the post-season, taking home an oua bronze.

Despite this, Williams remained positive: “It’s different, it’s my first bronze, but I’ll take what I can get.”

Moving forward, Williams is planning to stay involved in field hockey, by helping with the Varsity Blues team next year, and trying out for the indoor national team in January.

Although she is leaving the team, Williams has clearly made memories that she will never forget.

“My overall time with the team was just the most amazing experience you could ever ask for. I was extremely lucky and privileged to have the opportunity to be on such a close-knit team, and I wouldn’t have changed it for anything.”

VARSITY SPORTS

22 Vol. CXXXIV No. 10

sports@thevarsity.ca

Women’s Varsity Blues hockey dominate the Waterloo Warriors

Blues women’s hockey team stymied the Warriors offense after a shutout from goalie Nicole Kesteris

Sampson Coutts VARSITY STAFF

Above and above right: The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team on ice. FILE PHOTO/THE VArsITy

The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team hosted the Waterloo Warriors Saturday afternoon as part of a double-header at Varsity Arena, and convincingly defeated them.

Although the game would end up being a comfortable win for the home side, it didn’t initially appear

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE THIS PROGRAM OFFERS A CLEAR

CHOOSE YOUR CERTIFICATE

PATHWAY TO CAREERS IN THE LUCRATIVE FINANCIAL PLANNING INDUSTRY. IT PROVIDES STUDENTS

ADVERTISING – MEDIA MANAGEMENT

WITH A BROAD RANGE OF

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

FINANCIAL, BUSINESS AND SOFT

EVENT MANAGEMENT

SKILLS, PLUS THE OPPORTUNITY

FASHION MANAGEMENT & PROMOTIONS

TO EARN THE LICENCES AND

FINANCIAL PLANNING

DESIGNATIONS THAT EMPLOYERS

GLOBAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

ARE LOOKING FOR.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

APPLY NOW!

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT MARKETING MANAGEMENT PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

APPLY NOW!

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATES

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATES business.humber.ca/postgrad

AT ITS VERY BEST

business.humber.ca/postgrad

AT ITS VERY BEST

that that would be the case. Despite carrying the bulk of the play early on, the Blues only managed to fire six shots on Waterloo netminder Rebecca Bouwhuis in the first period, and relied heavily upon star goaltender Nicole Kesteris on several early penalty kills. After the game, Blues forward Kristi Riseley acknowledged that the first period was frustrating, but felt that the team responded well during the second period.

A stellar individual effort by Blues forward Sonja Weidenfelder ended the deadlock early in the second period. Weidenfelder, who was excellent throughout the game, stole the puck from a Waterloo defender in the slot, faked a shot, and then backhanded a shot under the crossbar for the go-ahead goal. The goal would prove to be the eventual game-winner.

Just over three minutes later, Weidenfelder scored again, this time off a Taylor Day rebound in close. After Day just narrowly missed putting a shot past Bouwhuis herself, the Blues scored again. Nearing the end of a great shift, Riseley found herself alone in front of the Waterloo goal, corralled an Arden Cowley feed, and fired a shot just over the Waterloo goaltender’s pad. It was Riseley’s first goal in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (cis), and one that was wholly deserved. In her second season with the Blues, Riseley has garnered much respect from fans for her hard work and shot-blocking, and it was great to see her put one on the board.

The Riseley marker forced a Waterloo goaltender change, with sophomore Allie Mitchell taking over just past the halfway point of the game. It proved to be of little effect, however, as Blues defender-turned-forward April Looije converted on a rebound beside the goal less than two minutes later to give the Blues a commanding 4-0 lead.

The remainder of the game saw the Blues play smart, disciplined hockey against an increasingly frustrated opponent, with Kesteris rising to the challenge when called upon. It was a characteristic victory for the Blues; they outplayed their opponent and benefited from some of the best goaltending in cis.

var.st/sports

VARSITY SPORTS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

Men’s hockey easily defeat the RMC Paladins Underdog RCM Paladins spoil a shutout for goalie Brett Willows late in the third period Sampson Coutts VARSITY STAFF

Hi there sports fans! There’s more online at var.st/sports

The Varsity Blues men’s hockey team defeated the Royal Military College (rmc) Paladins 4–1 Saturday night at Varsity Arena, capping off a great day of University of Toronto hockey.

The Blues jumped out to an early lead just 37 seconds into the contest, when Paladins goaltender Paul Dorsey dropped the puck on a seemingly routine glove save and Blues forward Tyler von Engelbrechten tapped it in for an easy score. The Blues never looked back, holding the lead for the remainder of the match and, at times, completely dominating the Paladins. The Paladins nevertheless deserve a lot of credit for the way they played. It would be easy for a team that is winless this season to give up when trailing, but RMC battled all game, even when the result was never in doubt. In fact, Blues goaltender Brett Willows praised the Paladins work ethic after the game, saying that: “They’re the kind of team that works hard regardless of what the score is.”

The Blues continued to control the pace of play in the second frame; adding two more goals and goaltender Brett Willows was sharp when called upon. Just over three minutes into the period, the Blues took advantage of an rmc line change and

burst into the offensive zone on a 4-on-2 rush. Veteran Paul Van de Velde threw a great pass to an open Corey Jackson, who made no mistake blasting a shot by Dorsey’s glove. The Blues took a commanding 3–0 lead just over ten minutes later, when rookie defender Charlie Connell scored his first goal in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (cis). Connell jumped on the rebound from a shot by forward Jeff Brown, and put the puck past a sprawling Dorsey.

The third period was more equally contested, as rmc sought to prevent a Brett Willows shutout and the Varsity Blues’ intensity fell off a tad. Willows was stellar in the final frame, with an early 2-on-1 opportunity for the Paladins. The goaltender slid across the crease to deny what seemed like a sure goal for rmc forward Brett Pinder, bringing Blues fans to their feet. The Paladins were finally able to put one past the Willows with under four minutes remaining, spoiling what was otherwise a perfect outing.

The game ended with an empty-net goal by Blues sophomore forward Andrew Doyle, who benefitted from an extremely selfless play by Blues star Michael Markovic. Markovic found himself on a 2-on1 rush with Doyle in the dying seconds of the match, and elected to forgo what was a reasonably good opportunity to score, passing to Doyle for a guaranteed goal instead. It was a great end to a dominant performance.

TWELFTH NIGHT TWELFTH NIGHT

By William Shakespeare Directed by Matthew Gorman

Nov. 6–23, 2013 www.harthousetheatre.ca BOX OFFICE: www.uofttix.ca / 416.978.8849 Adults $28 / Seniors $17 / Students $15 $10 Student tickets every Wednesday!

Season Sponsors:

Partners:

23

DIVERSIONS

24 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2013

CROSSWORD by lovatts media 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

22

27

29

31

44

45

46

24

25

26

42

43

33

35

37

11

30

32

34

10

21

23

28

9

36

38

39

40

41

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

thevarsity.ca

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Certain investments, for short 4. Like many a cellar 8. Halter for a horse 12. Grassy tract 13. Caddie’s suggestion 14. Game delayer 15. Dobbin’s morsel 16. Series opener?

17. Without purpose 18. One-ups 20. Work with a shuttle 22. Play thing?

23. Haberdashery item 27. Mold or fashion 29. Bottom line?

30. ___ polloi 31. Preschoolers 32. Baby bloomer?

33. Took one’s turn 34. Brink, so to speak 35. Like a fiddle?

36. Effrontery 37. Pianos have them 39. Island rings 40. Betel, e.g.

41. Beverly Hills home, stereotypically 44. Facts, familiarly 47. Deliver a tirade 49. Doze 50. Close up 51. Savvy about 52. Harbor craft 53. Ocular ailment 54. Secure overhead, say 55. “Charlotte’s Web” setting

1. Stop flowing 2. Letter opener 3. Soaked 4. Endearing facial feature 5. Come to light 6. Oui’s opposite 7. Furrowed, as brows 8. Keep in touch, in a way 9. Outwitted 10. Salad topper 11. “___ takers?”

19. Swabs 21. Target 24. They’re game 25. Charged particles 26. Lousy eggs?

27. Big first for a baby 28. Moved, nautically speaking 29. Marching syllable 32. Left Bank hangouts 33. Legal summons 35. Kind of shot 36. Grant 38. Positive pole 39. Slowly, on a score 42. Talk up 43. Provocative 44. Contingent factors 45. Alternative to ready?

46. Wing it?

48. “High Hopes” creature

Last issue’s solutions are now online: var.st/crossword

• • • • •

U of T Ad.indd 1

11/12/2013 3:32:30 PM