December 2, 2013

VARSITY SPORTS REMODEL

PG 20

THE BLUES’ TEAM SHUFFLE EXPLAINED

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 12

University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

Winter residence fees costly and unnecessary, say students University of Toronto Mississauga Students Union offers alternative to what it sees as limited, unaffordable residences Emma Compeau VARSITY STAFF

Many students living in residence will be required to leave their dorms for the winter break — from December 21 to January 5. Students living in the few residences on campus that allow students to stay during the break will be required to pay around $400. During the break, students planning on returning for the winter semester are permitted to leave all of their items in their dorm rooms, which will remain heated throughout the break. Those who elect to stay in residence will not have access to food or mail services, and often will have restricted porter’s office hours with few or no dons. Residents staying on campus during this time will also not be permitted to bring guests into their residence.

In light of this, the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (utmsu) is offering an alternative.

The union contacted local landlords to provide housing for students over the break. Rates range from $300–$400 for the period, and the host will provide two or three meals per day. “utmsu is against unfair fees. We believe that students should not have to pay for their stay over the winter break, because they are already paying enough,” said Melissa Theodore, vice-president, external of the utmsu. “With mandatory meal plans, residence fees increasing by 5 per cent, and tuition increasing by 3 per cent, students at utm are facing a dire situation.”

University College, Trinity College, New College, and St. Michael’s Col-

lege give students the option to stay on residence during the break. University College residents may pay $25 a day up to a total of $350 to stay during the break. St. Michael’s College also charges $25 a night, up to a total of $375 for the entire stay, with a limited custodial crew working.

Nikki Butler, the coordinator of residence services at New College, says that only the 45 Willcocks residence is open over the winter break, and that an extra $400 is charged to students at the beginning of the semester. As a result, around 75 per cent of students at 45 Wilcocks stay in residence during the break.

For students living on residence at other colleges who cannot find accommodations for the break, the university has released a housing form outlining nearby hostels and hotels — ranging from $25 to $150 a night.

Michelle Verbrugghe, a representative for student housing at the Scarborough campus, says that the average cost for winter break residence is $250. Students at utm face a similar predicament, and have demanded answers from the administration as to the reason behind these extra fees. Nengi Adoki, an international student at utm, wrote an open letter published in The Medium that outlined her stance towards the extra fees. “As an international student, I pay on average at least $30,000 a year, which includes tuition and housing,” she wrote. Although students have repeatedly expressed their concerns to the UTM administration regarding this issue, winter break residence fees will not be changing this year.

PG 12

2 December, 2013

INSIDE

Eight easy ways to cope with exam stress on campus pg 8

Steve Carell and Paul Rudd pg 14 talk Anchorman 2

OCAD hosts Startup Weekend Makers Edition pg 19

Article and photos by Alanna Lipson

A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO EATING LOCAL AND ETHICAL FOR THE WINTER SEASON

Grocery shopping at any major supermarket after September is a grim affair. You battle the elements to get there, and chart the gradual progression of your nose as it moves from frozen stiff, to beginning to burn, to an emergency tissue situation. You sweat profusely in your jacket, and battle old ladies for the last, flavourless tomato and chemical-coated produce from faraway countries.

With school almost behind you, at least in theory, there is time to explore some of Toronto’s many alternatives to convenient, big-box grocery stores over the winter break.

You can still find flavourful, locally grown fruits and vegetables in the city for belly-warming soups, hearty salads, and roasted veggies — even in the bitter cold of winter.

Farmers’ markets, Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) bins, and organic delivery services are all among the different ways to get fresh food throughout the year.

These events and services support local farmers by offering their seasonal, organic, and pesticide-free produce — rather than imported fruits and vegetables that often come from ethically questionable and environmentally unsustainable corporations.

FARMERS’ MARKETS Why are those carrots purple? What’s the difference between butternut and acorn squash? How do I cook beets without staining everything I own? The best part of visiting a farmers’ market is that it transforms shopping into an interactive experience. Unlike the sullen teenagers packing produce onto grocery store shelves, the vendors at farmers’ markets welcome questions about their produce, and they’re happy to dispense advice on everything from their products’ origins, to proper storage, to cooking tips and tricks.

The number of farmers’ markets in Toronto dramatically decreases during winter due to the harsh climate. Nevertheless, a brave handful of them move their vendors indoors and remain open all year long to serve ethically minded customers. Winter farmers’ markets are distinct for their strong community followings. Vendors and customers often know each other by name and are notably warm and welcoming to newcomers. In the winter, when produce is sparse, there is a particular sense of togetherness as everyone copes communally with this seasonal struggle.

St. Lawrence Farmers’ Market 92 Front St. E. Saturdays, 5:00 am – 5:00 pm Located in St. Lawrence’s north market, this spot has been operating since 1803. In terms of vendor variety and sheer size, it’s hard to beat. The vendors are there before daybreak, so it’s best to skip breakfast at home, head over early, and pick up freshly made coffee and scones at the market itself, browsing while you eat. You’ll find everything you need here throughout the year: fresh produce, cheese, free-range eggs, German pretzels, honey, meat, and — perhaps most importantly — a wide variety of freshly baked goodies. When you’re done picking up produce, you can head over to the south market and sample the mustards, olives, and peameal bacon sandwiches.

CSA BINS AND ORGANIC DELIVERY SERVICES Not everyone wants to brave the winter weather and risk ttc crowding or breakdowns for the sake of purchasing local produce — but there is an even more convenient, and certainly more ethical, option than the grocery store for the couch potatoes. Torontonians have access to a number of companies who deliver Ontario’s winter finest right to your doorstep, or to a community drop-off depot nearby.

Some involve signing up for Community Shared Agriculture, a system by which you buy shares of a farm’s harvest. Other companies work with farmers directly, and eliminate middlemen as much as possible in order to bring produce to their members at a very reasonable price.

These services not only save you the trip to the grocery store but also directly support farmers, and enable you to engage in a truly seasonal, local diet. Produce varies with each delivery, based on what is good and fresh at the farm, so what you receive can be somewhat of a surprise each week.

In case you were wondering what to do with that rutabaga that came in your delivery — and who wouldn’t be, really? — all of these companies offer you recipe suggestions, whether they come in a newsletter attached to your bin or from the recipe section of their websites.

Wondering what to do with your winter roots and tubers?

See our holiday recipes online at var.st/eatlocal

University of Toronto Scarborough Farmers’ Market 1265 Military Trail, Meeting Place (in the Science Wing) Winter markets first Wednesday of the month, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm The St. George campus farmers’ market has unfortunately closed, but the Scarborough market is alive and well. Once a month, the market provides an opportunity for local farmers, producers, and artisans to connect with utsc students, staff, and the local community. They have also lined up vendors selling local produce, honey, bread, and freshly-baked desserts, so it’s certainly worth the commute to visit.

The Stop’s Green Barn Farmers’ Market (Wychwood Barns) The Green Arts Barn, 601 Christie Ave., indoors November – April Saturdays, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm The Stop’s farmers’ market is easily one of the most beautiful in the city, and is located fairly close to the St. George campus. The emphasis here is on local, sustainable agriculture. Most of the farms are certified organic and the non-farmer vendors buy their ingredients from farmers in the same market. You can also get various local artisan specialties here, such as olives, jams, chocolates, and crackers. There’s a wide variety of food available each week, but if all the produce shopping starts to get you hungry, you can stop by The Stop’s Market Cafe, which is open during market hours, and serves up sandwiches, treats, and soups. The aromas will have you drifting in the cafe’s direction long before you even realize that you’re craving a hot bowl. The scones are divine, and are grilled and buttered right before your eyes.

Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers’ Market 875 Dufferin St., in the Dufferin Grove rink house during winter Thursdays, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm The winter market that takes place inside the rink house at Dufferin Grove Park is a slightly subdued version of the bustling market in the summer. Snowsuit-swaddled children holler and play while parents browse through the many vendor stands. The price point here is a little higher than in some of the other markets in the city, but most buyers consider it worthwhile for the pesticide-free produce.

Moreover, the vendors are all extremely knowledgeable about their produce, and are happy to explain the costs that go into producing each item, should you be so curious.

Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market 550 Bayview Avenue Saturdays, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm With all its vendors growing their produce within 200 kilometres of the market, Evergreen is another venue that is committed to locally sourced, seasonal food. The market is easily accessible by car, but the coordinators at Evergreen have also made it easy for commuters to visit as well. The market schedules a designated shuttle bus that runs there seven days a week, and a ttc bus that goes there every half-hour on market day. It’s worth getting there extra early to explore the surrounding gardens and buildings before grabbing your groceries.

Sorauren Farmers’ Market 40 Wabash Ave. at Sorauren, in the field house all winter Mondays, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm Given the size and popularity of this year-round farmers’ market, it is certainly surprising that it has only been around for five years. The Sorauren Market came about as a result of the West End Food Co-op. It is a collaboration with FarmStart, an organization that seeks to help newly established farmers and food vendors get on their feet. Even in the winter, when the market moves into the nearby field house, there are more than 20 farmers and food vendors ready to sell you fresh, Ontario-grown produce and provide advice for creative ways to cook with your winter goods.

Toronto Botanical Garden Organic Farmers’ Market 777 Lawrence Ave. E., indoors October – May Thursdays, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm This is the first year ever that the Toronto Botanical Garden Organic Farmers’ Market will be open year-round, so supporting its vendors to illustrate the demand for their winter hours will be helpful to the business, and your stomach. A number of ttc buses departing from Eglington station head past the park, making the commute an easy one. Before you shop, check out the botanical gardens — the grounds are still beautiful when covered in snow and ice, and you’ll have them all to yourself.

Plan B Organic Farmers Cost: A small share costs $25 a week, and comes with a local-produce-only option for the same price.

Plan B has been running its csa boxes for over 13 years. The certified organic produce comes twelve different farms across southern Ontario. They offer a weekly organic csa share for winter and early spring. The 22-week season begins in early January, and finishes at the end of May. Plan B is pickuponly for Toronto, and offers a number of Toronto-based depots — including ones in Etobicoke, the Danforth, the Junction, Withrow Park, the Beaches/East York, and North York.

Foodshare’s Good Food Box Cost: Small boxes cost a mere $13 and it’s $24 for all-organic produce.

Foodshare’s Good Food Box is a non-profit produce distribution system. Individuals place orders for boxes with volunteer coordinators in their neighbourhood, and receive a box of produce on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cycle. There are some serious savings to be had from the Good Food Box, and in case there is no pickup depot near you, you can become a volunteer coordinator and start your own — so long as you have 8-10 other people who also want to participate. This flexibility is unique to the Foodshare program, and, in combination with its very reasonable prices, makes the program a viable option for students who are seeking a compromise between cost-effectiveness and ethical eating. If you live downtown, Foodshare runs pickups out of the utsu office at 12 Hart House Circle and 49 St. George Street every other Wednesday of the month. There has also been talk of expanding the program to utm in the near future.

Mama Earth Organics Cost: $27.50 for a small basket, $25 for a small local produce only basket, plus a $2 fee if you wish to customize the contents of your basket. Delivery is free for orders over $25; otherwise, it’s a $2 fee.

Mama Earth’s goal is to provide a service for its members to have access to the freshest organic items available at a fair price. Local farms are given priority in their sourcing. Through their website, you can sign up for weekly delivery boxes, with the helpful option to opt to skip a week on occasion. Boxes come in a number of sizes and allow customers to prioritize local produce. They are delivered to your doorstep each week.

Green Earth Organics Cost: $37 for the smallest “Harvest” basket, or a minimum order of $47 if you want to customize your own produce.

Green Earth Organics delivers organic groceries to homes and offices across the gta. It offers a wide selection of certified organic fruit, vegetables, and other grocery products. Products are delivered to your doorstep for no additional charge.

Wanigan Cost: $25 for a fruit and vegetable bin, with a local-only option for the same price. They offer two free substitutions to the produce for their weekly baskets, or, for $25, you can completely customize your own bin.

Wanigan is a fresh produce company that has been operating since 1997 and has made more than 250,000 deliveries across the gta. In addition to organic produce, Wanigan carries organic dried fruits, nuts, and gluten-free items. Bins are delivered to your doorstep for no additional cost.

Fresh City Farms Cost: $27.99 (without delivery fee) for a regular box, or you can order a bin directly from the service’s online store and customize the contents yourself. It’s a $3 delivery fee if you want the groceries delivered to your doorstep; however, if you live in a house or apartment with more than three people ordering from Fresh City, it will waive the fee.

Fresh City Farms harvests from their sites all over the Toronto, which collectively make up over four acres of land. You have the option to pick up your box from its many depot locations, including (but far from limited to): 401 Richmond Street, I Deal Coffee at 162 Ossington Ave, The Depanneur at 1033 College Street, the Toronto Vegetarian Association at 17 Baldwin Street, and Patagonia at 500 King Street West. This produce is grown directly in Toronto, so the produce is immediately local.

Front Door Organics Cost: $37 for the basic box; $42 for the wholly-customized one.

Front Door Organics prioritizes Ontario-grown food and producers, though its organic produce is also sourced from outside the province during the winter. In addition to fruits and vegetables, it offers locally raised, certified-organic meat. Its products are delivered to your doorstep, and the cost is included in the price of the boxes; however, if you live outside of the delivery area, it offers a pick-up service from its warehouse, located in Etobicoke. Pick-ups receive a $3 discount.

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VARSITY NEWS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 12

THE VARSITY VOL. CXXXIV No. 12

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

WHAT’S GOING ON

THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS

editor@thevarsity.ca

thought the instructions for my test said “do not leave the room without singing”.turned out it was signing. very disappointed #uoftprobs

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

Senior Copy Editor Catherine Virelli

copy@thevarsity.ca

News Editor Zane Schwartz

news@thevarsity.ca

the week in tweets NICOLE BAMBER @THEOVERALLTREE

Masthead Editor-in-Chief Joshua Oliver

news@thevarsity.ca

— Monday, November 25

RHIANNON KYLE @RHIANNON_KYLE

Comment Editor Alec Wilson

comment@thevarsity.ca

Features Editor Danielle Klein

features@thevarsity.ca

Sometimes I question why I’m paying $50,000 to be constantly stressed & still know nothing. And by sometimes I mean all the time. #UofT

arts@thevarsity.ca

— Monday, November 25

Arts & Culture Editor Sofia Luu Science Editor Katrina Vogan

science@thevarsity.ca

Sports Editor Elizabeth Benn

sports@thevarsity.ca

Illustrations Editor Nancy Ji

KRISTY COOK @KRISTYYY123

illustration@thevarsity.ca

Video Editor Jamieson Wang

video@thevarsity.ca

Web Developer Natalie Morcos

web@thevarsity.ca

Associate Design Editor Mari Zhou Associate Photo Editor Vacant Associate Senior Copy Editor Lucy Genua Associate News Editors Liza Agrba Sarah Niedoba Theodore Yan Associate Features Editor Victoria Banderob Associate Comment Editor Vacant Associate A&C Editors Ishita Petkar Corinne Przybyslawski Associate Science Editor Emma Hansen Associate Sports Editor JP Kaczur Associate Video Editor Alexandra Butrón

Writers Christina Atkinson, Elizabeth Benn, Alex Cohen, Elyse Comeau, Emma Compeau, Sampson Coutts, William Deck, Jerico Espinas, James Flynn, Maria Francesca, Mary Githumbi, Sarah Glickman, Emma Hansen, Alessandra Harkness, Anika Hazra, Jennifer Hurd, Jonathan Ignacio, Stefan Jevtic, Ilona Kabanova, JP Kaczur, Daniel Konikoff, Trevor Koroll, Alanna Lipson, India McAlister, Yves Guillaume A. Messy, Evan Ottoni, Li Pan, Iris Robin, Tatum Ross, Jeffrey Schulman, Ann Sheng, Dan Smeenk, Breen Wilkinson, Laura Wittmann, Theodore Yan Photo and Illustration William Ahn, Sadia Awan, Julien Balbontin, Nancy Ji, Mashal Khan, Timothy Law, Carolyn Levett, Claudia McNeilly, Takako Nomura, Denis Osipov, Evan Ottoni, Max Stern, Aaron Tan, Elaine Zhu Copy Editors and Fact Checkers Alanna Brousseau, Heather Eason, Lucy Genua, Jennifer Hurd, Malone Mullin, Linh Nguyen, Chelsea Ricchio, Jonathan Soo, Sarah Thier, Rose Tornabene, Kelly Turner, Catherine Virelli

Designers Kawmadie Karunanayake, Emerald Misquitta, Lindsay Selliah, Dan Seljak, Shaquilla Singh, Mari Zhou

Cover Illustration Julien Balbontin

Business Office

Business Manager Timothy Sharng

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.

ALLAN GARDENS CONSERVATORY CHRISTMAS FLOWER SHOW See the conservatory filled with thousands of flowering plants and over 40 varieties of poinsettias.

December 1–January 12, 10:00 am–5:00 pm; open some days until 7:00 pm for candlelit tours.

Allan Gardens Conservatory, 19 Horticultural Avenue Free CO-PARENTING: MAKING IT WORK

#CANIT2013

Discussion about establishing a coparenting relationship that best meets the needs of children and parents.

Put on by the Centennial College’s ccpr Program. Live music, food, a silent auction, raffle, and more to support the Dixon Hall Out of the Cold program.

Wednesday December 4, 7:00 pm 19+ event 224 Richmond Street West $5 or five cans of non-perishable food items.

Tuesday December 3, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm Career Centre Seminar Room, Koffler Student Services Centre, 214 College Street Free

WOMEN WON’T FORGET

HART HOUSE SUNDAY CONCERT

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and the 24th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.

Bring a rose and a candle.

Award-winning piano quartet ensemble Made in Canada is featured in this month’s Sunday Concert.

December 6, 6:00 pm Philosopher’s Walk South side of Bloor, west of Avenue Road Free

December 8, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Hart House, Great Hall 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 download the form of proxy, please visit: var.st/fall-meeting-of-members

I love it when one little quiz brings your final mark down 6%.. #not #uoftprobs #biomech — Wednesday, November 27

MEGHNA SARAF @MEGHNAS9 The number of times I’ve considered dropping out is ridiculous #TakeMyMoney #SpareMe #UofTProbs — Wednesday, November 27

JESS CHAN @JESSCHANSMILES Just spent 45 mins looking for a book in the stacks...turns out they have it in the archives. #uoftprobs #timenotwellspent #robarts — Friday, November 29

LARYSA LEWYCKYJ @LARYRALEWYCKYJ it’s fucking freezing in the UC building #hypothermia #UofTProbs — Friday, November 29

JELENA DJURIC @DJURICJEL I love seeing peeps give campus tours. Its like, yes impressionable ones, come join the fun at Canada’s top institution #UofT #lol — Friday, November 29

SHANNON BENN @SHANNONBENN Thanks for your unavailability at this time ROSI. #gotmyback #loveyoulongtime — Friday, November 29

VIPASHA SHAIKH @VIPASHASHAIKH At #UofT on a Saturday morning, working instead of at home, sipping tea and shopping for deals @ Target.Exams really get to ppl,don’t they?

— Saturday, November 30

VARSITY NEWS

var.st/news

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

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Of moustaches and men Members of U of T community raise over $130,000 for men’s health issues India McAlister VARSITY STAFF

As November winds down, participants in Movember can finally shave off the moustaches that they have painstakingly groomed for the past month. Movember is a month-long event during which men grow moustaches in order to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer.

This year the University of Toronto Network on ca.movember. com, raised over $130,000. It is the number one university-based Movember fundraiser in the country.

U of T is ranked the fourteenthhighest fundraising network in the country. Its closest competitor among universities is Western University, which is ranked nineteenth overall in Canada.

Dr. Rajiv Singal, a urologist at Toronto East General Hospital and an assistant professor in its Department of Surgery, raised $35,000 — more than any other individual in the U of T network.

He kept a blog of his fundraising efforts over the course of the month. He used his blog posts to promote men’s health — in particular, to raise awareness about prostate cancer. In his blog, Singal states that: “The amount raised is really secondary.” Instead, he

Dr Raijiv Singal raised $35,000 for Movember. MEDIA PHOTO

cites the “visible presence” of doctors in support of their patients as his motivation for being a part of Movember.

Singal said that he relied on his “large network of friends and colleagues” and social media to raise the large sum. Dr. Singal is ranked sixth in Canada and tenth in the world for his individual contributions to Movember. The Toronto East General Hospital Department of Surgery is ranked thirteenth in Canada, raising over $43,639 for men’s health.

Other honourable mentions at U of T include Andrea Copeland,

who is the “Mo Sista” (female Movember participant) who raised the most money in the U of T network. She cites her interest in mental health as her motivation for getting involved in Movember.

As a medical student, she is aware that, “men are notoriously bad at visiting the doctor,” and hopes that campaigns like Movember will discourage men from “sucking it up,” and instead seek treatment for their illnesses.

Copeland notes that although all major mental health institutions advertise special services for women, very few appear to exist

The Brothers of Beta Theta Pi raised nearly $3,000 for Movember. MAx STErn/THE VArSITy

specifically to help men. She believes that: “Mo Sistas are critical to the success of the Movember campaign,” and encourages more women to get involved. Copeland is also a member of the U of T Meds team, which raised the second largest U of T team amount at just under $20,000.

Beta Theta Pi is the greek association that raised the most funds.

With a team of 36 members, it managed to raise nearly $3,000.

At Beta, the motivation for growing moustaches and raising money is personal, as the father of two of its members was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. The team is focused on reducing the stigma surrounding testicular and prostate cancer, and “starting conversations” about men’s health.

Canada tops the world’s Movember leaderboard, with $26,000,000 raised for men’s health programs so far.

Instructors argue that often-used “grade calibration” is not the same as prohibited bell curving James Flynn

VARSITY STAFF

“Bell curving,” a statistical method that lumps student evaluations into pre-determined grade categories, is a common concern among U of T students. Under a bell curving scheme, course instructors choose an average grade, and then distribute class grades to get to that average; this means distributing a certain combination of A B C D and F letter grades.

In most classes at U of T, the class average is around a C. University policy technically prohibits course instructors from using bell curve grading schemes — a little known fact among students.

According to the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy: “The distribution of grades in any course, examination or other academic assessment must not be predetermined by any system of quotas that specifies the number or percentage of grades allowable at any grade level.”

However, course instructors are permitted to “calibrate,” or adjust marks. According to the Academic Handbook: “Calibration is a perfectly acceptable — indeed, a responsible — practice… Calibration is the corrective process to ensure fairness in marking.”

If a test is too difficult, or too easy, course instructors are permitted to calibrate class scores. This does not necessarily require a linear manipulation — such as adding the same number to each student’s

test score — so calibration can theoretically result in grade distributions that look remarkably similar to a bell curve.

When asked for comment on the calibration process, Althea Blackburn-Evans, the university’s acting director of media relations, said that calibration is necessary to ensure consistent application of grade standards across university units.

“Assessments, particularly new or revised assessments, do require calibration and adjustment in terms of validity and reliability,” she said.

To that end, it is not uncommon for course instructors to calibrate class scores that do not reach a certain average. Students in bio120 had marks adjusted upwards by two per cent on a recent test. This adjusted the mean score from 64 per cent to 66 per cent. In a note posted to the Learning Portal after the test, Spencer Barrett and James Thomson noted that the mark adjustment was made to account for technical issues. “To produce a distribution more consistent with our long-term expectations, and to make some allowance for last-minute glitches with the DynamicBook textbook system and the audio recordings, we have added 2 percentage points to each student’s score,” the note read.

Students in psy220, a course taught by professor Ashley Waggoner Denton, also had marks adjusted upwards on a recent test. She states that the adjustment was made because the test took students longer to complete than anticipated.

Waggoner Denton, like other professors contacted, brushed off the notion that the adjustments constituted bell curve grading. “Bell curving grades is very different than bumping everyone’s mark up,” she said. “I never bell curve, and never alter marks down.”

Not all professors alter class scores; professor Derek Denis, a course instructor in the department of Linguistics, has not adjusted course grades since his first year of teaching. “Grade adjustments are sometimes necessary when instructors are trying new methods of evaluation or when instructors are new to test design,” said Denis.

“Test design is a skill that comes with practice.”

Arts and Science Students’ Union (assu) president Shawn Tian echoed Denis’s statement.

“When creating examinations, it’s difficult to gauge [precisely] how well a class will do,” said Tian, “so a bell curve after the fact may be inevitable due to some factor beyond the instructor’s control. This is especially likely when a professor needs to assess whether a new format for evaluation will be appropriate or not.” Tian also noted that he has never encountered instances of student grades being lowered after an evaluation.

“I feel students may have misunderstood the university’s stance against grade inflation, which I think is a stance [well] founded on principle, for a stance on grade deflation,” added Tian.

“What one struggling student

TIMOTHy lAw/THE VArSITy

may see as an instructor being unduly difficult is really just an intellectually stimulating challenge to another.”

Mauricio Curbelo, president of the Engineering Society (EngSoc) commented on the reason test scores tend to be calibrated. “I think the biggest issue is evaluations which do not reflect the term work. This is what results in wide distributions of grades, requiring adjustment,” he said. Curbelo suggested that the university should make available to students past problem sets, tests, and exams to help avoid this problem.

According to Blackburn-Evans,

the university has a number of mechanisms in place to prevent the need for grade adjustments.

She pointed to the university’s Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation as an example. The centre offers workshops on course design and assessment to course instructors. Blackburn-Evans also noted that assessment and grading practices are reviewed under the university’s cyclical eight-year review. The review is reported to the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance, a provincial body responsible for ensuring the quality of all post-secondary educational programs.

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Vol. CXXXIV, No. 12

VARSITY NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

Procedure conflict monopolizes AGM Minimal discussion on many motions at UTSU AGM draws criticism

Students vote at the UTSU AGM. Mashal khan/The VarsiTy

Despite students lining up at the opposed (right) and in favour (left) microphones to ask questions, the meeting was dominated by procedural wrangling. Mashal khan/The VarsiTy

Trevor Koroll & Iris Robin VARSITY STAFF

Every motion except one passed at the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Annual General Meeting (AGM). While UTSU president Munib Sajjad called for student engagement and campus unity, some members of the union left disaffected when their grievances were not heard.

Engineering society (EngSoc) director Pierre Harfouche motioned to remove items 2 to 10 from the agenda, after the Board of Directors ruled his motions out of order prior to the AGM. This sparked a procedural debate over the necessity of a motion to approve the agenda. “Robert’s Rules state that if an agenda is not approved, members can amend it by a majority,” argued Harfouche, referencing the rules of order to which UTSU AGM’s adhere.

Ashkon Hashemi, the chair, defined the order of proceedings for the meeting as an order of business rather than an agenda — meaning that the motion needed a 2/3 majority motion to pass, rather than a simple majority. “What we have before us is an order of business, as specified by UTSU’s bylaws. If you want to change things, you can, but it’s a 2/3 majority motion,” stated Hashemi. The motion did not pass. The order of proceedings distributed was titled “agenda,” was referred to as an agenda in documents leading up to the meeting, and an approval of the agenda vote has been at the UTSU AGM for at least the last three years.

“What it appeared to be was filibustering,” claimed Sajjad, describing Harfouche’s

tactics. “It wasn’t fair to any of the students commuting to campus, or coming from Mississauga, or any other place.”

Harfouche has already submitted a motion for next year’s AGM that would allow a referendum to be held by the Faculty of Engineering to reduce its UTSU membership fee to $0.00.

During question period, student Ryan Gomes asked how a $152,000 surplus became a deficit of $50,000 between the UTSU’s 2012 and 2013 audits. Gordon Lee, representative of Yale and Partners LLP, which conducted the audit, said that organizations like the UTSU should be focused on trying to get to “zero,” rather than turning a profit. “A $52,000 deficit on $13 million in revenue is very close to zero in my books,” said Lee. Despite students queuing up to discuss the audit, the first speaker called the question, putting it to an immediate vote. There was no discussion of the issue, and 480 members voted in favour of approving the financial statements to 205 opposed.

Sajjad said he voted on the motion to call the question in order to keep the debate moving after earlier delays. “I was worried about people leaving. I wanted to get to the motions that affected the students’ union,” he said.

Many members were dissatisfied with the rapid move to voting, and left the auditorium. Former St. George Round Table chair Scott Dallen was among those leaving the AGM. “They voted to stifle the debate on that issue; it just moved directly to a question. There’s no point in it,” he said.

Nishi Kumar, president of the University College Literary and Athletic Society (UCLit), said that while the debate over procedure was unfortunate, it could improve the AGM in the future.

“I hope that having seen this type of procedural

understandings, students are better able to work within the system that is presented to them, and that next year’s meeting can be more efficient,” she said.

The motion to reprimand Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) was the only item on the AGM’s agenda to be defeated. Michael Wainberg, who proposed the motion, alleged that the group was discriminatory. Wainberg pointed out that SAIA’s speaking policies prioritize equity-seeking groups, but do not allow speakers to self-identify as such — requiring organizers to decide, for example, whether individuals appear queer or trans. A student opposing the motion said: “SAIA stands in solidity with all oppressed groups, and opposes all forms of discrimination.”

In his opening remarks, Sajjad expressed a desire to engage students, unite them over the goal of affordable education, and avoid alienating the UTSU’s membership. “Tonight, you will have the opportunity to shape the future direction of the UTSU and ask us any questions you may have,” he said.

Aidan Fishman, a student member of U of T’s Governing Council, tested that statement by raising the issue of fee diversion and defederation during the question-and-answer period following Sajjad’s speech. Fishman asked whether there was any circumstance under which the UTSU would amend its bylaws to permit defederation. “Cutting up the students’ union isn’t the way to go,” Sajjad said in response, pointing out that student societies can hold referenda to increase their membership fees if they would like to expand services.

Sajjad’s absence at the Student Societies Summit was also addressed. Mary Stefanidis, president

of the Innis College Student Society (ICSS), asked why the UTSU had not sent its president to the summit, and claimed that the UTSU was the only organization not to do so. The ICSS had voiced its concerns in a letter to the summit on November 15, criticizing the current UTSU representatives.

Sajjad said that he was offended by the letter, that his vice-presidents can speak on the Summit’s issues just as well as anyone else at the UTSU, and that Stefanidis’s claims were false.

“I don’t look at myself as president and therefore the boss of the UTSU. I am simply the chief spokesperson,” said Sajjad. “I trust my executives that are supposed to be there.”

The motions that were passed included the motion to amend the bylaws to comply with the Canada Not-For-Profit Corporations Act, which will no longer allow voting by proxy at board meetings; a motion to create an online forum for members to report issues and concerns to the UTSU; a motion to investigate the board and commission structure; and a motion endorsing the “Raise the Minimum Wage” campaign.

While a number of colleges’ student representatives attended the AGM, Trinity College chose to abstain. Benjamin Crase, Co-head of College at Trinity, said that his group did not believe that the AGM fostered democratic debate, and encouraged to attend Trinity’s Christmas Dinner, which usually takes place on the last Wednesday of November. “As student leaders, we were not prepared to deceive our membership by telling them their voices would be heard at the AGM,” said Crase.

“I think everyone has a voice at the general meeting,” said Sajjad, highlighting online voting as a reform implemented because of opinions voiced at an AGM.

var.st/news

VARSITY NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

5

Toronto public transit prohibitively expensive, say students GTA’s complex situation makes keeping fares low difficult Alexander Cohen

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

As the board of the Toronto Transit Commission (ttc) recently approved an increase in fares, the high cost of post-secondary Metropasses is a hot topic yet again. Come January 1, the ttc will raise the price of transit tokens and passes. Monthly passes for Toronto’s postsecondary students, already among the most expensive in Canada, will now cost $108, up $2. Illustrating just how expensive the ttc is, a student in Vancouver could buy three months of their city’s passes for the cost of riding a month on the ttc. Vancouver’s transit system charges post-secondary students $35 for monthly passes; students in Montreal pay only $45. Most other Canadian cities also have significantly cheaper monthly transit passes for students, including Calgary ($57.50), St. John’s ($61.25), and London ($70).

Alastair Woods, president of the Ontario wing of the Canadian Federation of Students (cfs-o), is strongly in favour of lower fares: “One of the things we’re seeing is that transit, across the province, actually, is increasingly becoming more and more unaffordable,” he says. “We believe there should be substantial public investment to bring down that cost.”

University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) president Munib Sajjad echoed Woods’s views, stressing that “the financial burden of postsecondary education is not just about tuition fees. Students need to commute to campus as well.”

Three years ago, cfs-o, with the help of student unions, launched the Fair Student Fares campaign, which successfully pushed Toronto’s City Council to create a discounted Metropass for post-secondary students. Although the pass is 19 per cent cheaper than an adult Metropass, the reduction pales in comparison to those in Vancouver and Montreal, where student passes

are 72 per cent and 42 per cent cheaper, respectively, than their adult counterparts.

The cost of Metropasses hits hard — four in five students at U of T’s St. George campus are commuters. Caitlin Morishita-Miki, of New College, takes the ttc to campus every day from Donlands station. The Metropass is the only option, she says, and without a better discount on post-secondary fares, she feels “backed into a corner.” For Morishita-Miki, like thousands of others, having to spend nearly $850 for eight months of Metropasses is a heavy burden.

Universities in Ottawa have an unusual model. All students at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa receive a monthly transit pass, called the U-Pass. The pass costs $46 a month, and is a mandatory addition to student fees. High rates of participation in the popular program allow it to include greater numbers of students, and it therefore provides more leverage in negotiating with transit authorities.

Despite being Canada’s busiest system, the ttc faces a unique funding challenge.

With record ridership, the ttc will still have an operational shortfall of $6 million this year, even with the fare increase. The ttc is the least subsidized transit system in North America, receiving only $0.79 cents per rider from City Hall and nothing from the provincial or federal governments. The much smaller York Region Transit gets a whopping $4.49 per rider in subsidy. Transit systems in Vancouver and Montreal get subsidies of $1.62 and $1.16, respectively.

Even New York City’s system receives $1.03 per passenger. Subsidies account for only 27 per cent of the ttc’s operating budget, with the rest collected at the fare box. Every other transit system in the Greater Toronto Area (gta) gets more than half of its funding from government. In both Vancouver and Montreal, subsidies make up 46 per cent of operating budgets.

TTC tokens are a recurring expense for students in Toronto. Carolyn levtt/tHe varsity

Ontario Ministry of Transportation spokesman Bob Nichols emphasizes the province’s efforts to lower student fares on go Transit and build new transit infrastructure in the gta. However, he stresses that the province “is not involved in the daily operations of municipal transit services. Municipalities are responsible for all aspects of their operations, including the setting of fares.” He does not mention whether the province plans to provide a direct operational subsidy.

Adding to the problem is the fact that students in the gta often commute using different transit systems. While the ttc is the most popular, students also use the transit systems in Brampton, Mississauga, and York Region, as well as go Transit. Meanwhile, students in Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa generally use a single transit system, making the process of negotiating discounts much easier.

With an eye toward further enhancing the affordability of transit, cfs-o recently launched a survey, titled “Students for Greater Transit Access,” to determine its next move. Woods calls the survey a “factfinding mission,” gauging students’ views on the state of transit and expects that “a big piece of that will be talking about affordability issues.” The utsu is also pursuing what Sajjad calls a “network of discounts” for students commuting from elsewhere in the gta.

While the utsu is negotiating with provincial transportation authority Metrolinx about the possibility of a larger U-Pass covering all of Southern Ontario, a pass only for the ttc is not on the agenda.

As students expect to pay even more for transit, affordability remains a problem for many of U of T’s commuters, lacking a cohesive solution.

Russia’s homophobic policies decried Activists call for opposition to discrimination as Sochi Olympics approach India McAlister VARSITY STAFF

With the approach of the Sochi Winter Olympics, questions about Russia’s anti-gay policies continue to attract international attention. One Russian activist visted U of T this week, speaking out on behalf of Russian lgbtq athletes.

The co-president of the Russian lgbtq Sports Federation, Konstantin Iablotckii, spoke at Hart House on November 22. He delivered the keynote address of OutSport Toronto’s third annual scrum, a conference on lgbtq sport and recreation. Speakers included Hart House warden Bruce Kidd, Toronto Centre mpp Glen Murray, Toronto-Danforth mp Craig Scott, and ndp Critic on lgbtq issues, Randall Garrison.

In the past year the Russian government has passed homophobic legislation, and mounted homophobic propaganda campaigns that threaten the safety of the Russian lgbtq community.

Iablotckii explained that the anti-lgbtq movement in Russia is still young. He said that prior to 2010, gay sporting events received positive media attention in Russia. Recently however, the media have demonized the lgbtq community.

Iablotckii is promoting the Russian lgbtq Sports Federation’s plans to host “the Open

Konstantin Iablotckii speaks at Hart House Carolyn levtt/tHe varsity

Games.” These are to be a lgbtq sporting event that will be held in between the Olympics and the Paralympics. The hope is that this event will create a positive image of the Russian lgbtq community.

Iablotckii and his organization are trying to establish a Pride House in Sochi, a safe place for lgbtq athletes. So far the project has been denied by the Russian government.

Iablotckii does not advocate for a boycott of the Olympics. Instead, he asked for support for the Open Games, the Pride House, and support from the Canadian government and athletes.

Iablotckii said that Canada’s support is vital to showing the Russian government that this issue is being taken seriously internationally.

He also urged Canadians not to forget about

lgbtq Russians and anti-gay legislation in Russia after the Olympics are over. He predicts that after the games, when Russia is no longer under the international microscope, the situation for lgbtq Russians will get much worse.

Bruce Kidd, Hart House’s warden and a former Olympian, emphasized that, as U of T’s co-curricular college, Hart House is a place of inclusivity and diversity. “We are proud that we have been shoulder-to-shoulder with the efforts to win full rights for lgbtiqs and other oppressed minorities for decades.”

Glen Murray, the openly gay mpp of Toronto Centre and minister of transportation and infrastructure, spoke about the struggles of the Canadian lgbtq community. Referring to the crowd, mostly made up of lgbtq activists, he exclaimed: “We clawed our way up to our rights!” mpp Randall Garrison called for all Canadians to demand better of their government.

He spoke of the call for a visa ban on the authors of anti-gay legislation, the demand for a consular officer in Sochi for lgbtq issues, and the initiative for space to be made in Canada House to host Pride House.

As the night went on, an impromptu auction began, selling four t-shirts at $200 each.

The proceeds will go to the Russian Open Games’ Paypal campaign. The Open Games hopes to raise $200,000 through their Paypal campaign and other efforts.

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VARSITY NEWS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 12

news@thevarsity.ca

Ontario Municipal Board hearing on proposed 24-storey residence concludes Decision to be released in coming weeks Alessandra Harkness VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

On Friday, November 28, a hearing involving Knightstone Capital Management, the City of Toronto, and a number of residents’ associations and local residents concluded at the Ontario Municipal Board (omb). Knightstone, a private development company, appealed the omb’s rejection of a a new University of Toronto student residence at the corner of College Street and Spadina Avenue. Originally proposed to be 42-storeys, the current residence plan is for 24-storeys.

Concerns raised by the City and residents’ associations include that the building’s proposed size and scale are not appropriate for the area, as well as its relationship to U of T, and the legal rules under which it will operate.

Unlike U of T’s other off-campus residences, like Chestnut Residence, the proposed residence at 245–255 College Street and 39–40 Glasgow Street would be built by Knightstone and managed by The Scion Group. Scion is a private company based out of the United States that manages student residences.

During the cross-examination of Eric Luskin, the vice-president of Scion, the opposing council raised concerns ranging from how much social space Scion would provide for students to how many loading docks they had in place for delivery trucks. Additional concerns included who is allowed to live in the building and how people can be evicted. Both Knightstone and Scion said that the sole purpose of the building is to house U of T students from a broad range of ages and programs, to accommodate an increasing need for student housing in the downtown core.

However, because the site is off U of T property, U of T does not govern it. The building falls under the jurisdiction of the Residential Tenancies Act. This would make it difficult to evict individuals who are no longer students at the university, since they would be protected under this legislation. Furthermore, because the residence will be privately run, students from other universities may live in the building if there are rooms available. Local resi-

dents also asked who will inhabit the building in the summer, and if it will be run as a hotel.

Luskin said that his company has an agreement with U of T to fill the building with U of T students, and to make the terms of the lease last for 12 months to avoid the issue of renting out rooms in the summer. Scion has not signed any contracts with U of T that outline these policies.

Other concerns about the details of the residence — including the number of live-in staff, dons, and the operation of the cafeteria and security — were raised by the city and residents’ associations. Most details were not fully determined at the time of the trial.

The exterior of the building was also discussed, which brought architects and city planners to the stand. They disagreed on whether the residence would fit into its surrounding area, as its location is designated “mixed-use.” David Bronskill, representative of Knightstone, described other buildings in the area of similar height to the residence, or taller.

Residents expressed concern about the problems that a students residence might create in the neighbourhood. Furthermore, they were skeptical about the fact that a private company runs the project, claiming that its ultimate goal is to meet the company’s bottom line.

Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, a representative from the Grange Community Association, said that residents would be okay with something eight to 12 storeys high, but that something of the proposed scale does not fit the area.

During his closing remarks, Ray Kallio, representative of the city, asked the adjudicator to put less weight on the remarks of expert witnesses like Luskin — claiming that they contain inconsistencies. “Tall buildings don’t belong everywhere downtown,” he said, and asked the adjudicator to dismiss the appeal completely. “[This residence is the] most egregious development I have seen in this neighborhood in the last 40 years,” said Ramkhalawansingh in her closing remarks. “Another way residents have talked about this is this

STREETERS

The hearing on the proposed residence concluded Friday. sadia awan/The VarsiTy

is a form of home-wrecking. To match up 829 students with the 50 Glasgow Street residents is a way of wrecking their homes.

We don’t get it.” She urged the adjudicator to refuse the appeal.

In a statement after his closing remarks, Kallio said: “I think the city and the residents put in a strong case to persuade the

board not to approve it. We will wait for the decision to come out to see if there are any further steps.” Bronskill did not give any comments after the case.

The decision of this case could set a precedent for other proposed buildings in the area. The final decision will be released within the next few weeks.

Dan Smeenk | VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Question: How do you plan to spend the holiday break?

Connie

Ouwee

Krakna

Cyrus

“I will be catching up on my research, and will probably spend some more time with my family.”

“Skydiving. I’ve always wanted to do it.”

“I’m going back to Dubai to visit family and friends, having a good time, and being around familiar faces.”

“Mostly working, I didn’t get a chance to work this year because I was studying. I use the holiday break as an opportunity to make some cash. ”

Grad Student, Organic Chemistry

Second-Year, Computer Science

Third-Year , Finance

Third-Year, Accounting

var.st/news

VARSITY NEWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

7

CFS ignores defederation petitions, allege student unions Federation returns or fails to retrieve petitions from member organizations Theodore Yan

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Conflict continues to divide a major organization through which universities lobby the provincial and federal governments. The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) has made no changes in reaction to protests outside their Annual General Meeting (agm) by various student unions last week.

Jonathan Mooney, secretary-general of the Post-Graduate Students’ Society of McGill, organized the protests. The Concordia Student Union and the Dawson Student Union also participated.

“A couple weeks before the protest, some of the students within Montréal started talking to each other and said: ‘The meeting’s coming up; we’re really discontent; we’re really upset, and they keep refusing to recognize it,’” said Mooney, explaining how the idea for the protest developed. “We’re stuck in court waiting for the judge to rule on the issue. We’re extremely upset because we’re finding that a lot of the money that we would like to spend on important issues for students is being consumed on litigation costs...

And so we started talking and saying ‘Maybe we should draw some attention to the issue.’”

The protests are just one episode of what has been a long, complicated conflict between the CFS and the aggrieved student unions. The organizations in question argue that the CFS’s practices are undemocratic, and that it has a history of silencing dissent. Feeling that the federation has not responded adequately to these allegations, the unions have launched efforts to decertify from it.

Prior to the AGM, a number of students at CFS member universities, including the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (GSU), had submitted petitions to hold referenda to defederate from the CFS. While some of these petitions were received, others were not claimed upon delivery or were even returned to sender after being signed for.

Students vote at the GSU AGM, where the petitions were discussed. Denis osipov/The varsiTy

“One of our objectives was to hold the national executive accountable for this error, no matter how it came about, because it was a very grave error to miss students’ petitions and not deal with this issue,” said Brad Evoy, external commissioner of the GSU. “So we put forward a motion [at the AGM] to unseat the national chairperson.” The motion did not pass, but Evoy emphasizes that it was mainly an effort to get the federation to examine the unions’ grievances more carefully, and to try to push it toward reform.

According to Alastair Woods, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario (CFS-O), the CFS explained that the petitions were not received because of a clerical error. He added that the CFS has since received the petition from the Laurentian University Graduate Students’ Association.

Woods argued that organized protests were not the best way for student unions to advance their interests at the AGM: “Those student unions had an opportunity to bring

up those concerns as delegates to the meeting,” he stated. “They chose not to be delegates to that meeting and instead chose to protest outside the venue, and that’s a choice they have a right to make, but they could have also participated as delegates and brought their concerns to the plenary and to other students across the country.”

Woods emphasized that students risk their own interests if they seek to leave the CFS. Without the strength of numbers, Woods contended, it would be much more difficult for students to influence government.

“I think that students across this province and across the country are facing a huge crisis — whether it be tuition fees, employment, [or] standards of living — and I think what they need is a united student movement that’s able to move forward and actually affect issues that impact their daily lives,” said Woods. “From my perspective, the best way to do that and to move forward from this situation is to come together and actually tackle the issues that are

facing students — tackle the issue of student debt, tackle the issue of rising tuition fees, and ensure that more and more students are being brought into the movement so that they can participate in that and actually be part of that change that we need to see in order to save this generation from being pushed off the brink.”

Woods further argued that conflict between student unions only makes it easier for governments to pass policy that is detrimental to the interests of young people and students.

Guled Arale, vice-president, external of the University of Toronto Scarborough Students’ Union (scsu), offered a similar perspective: “It’s unfortunate, with so many issues facing students — especially at U of T — like students wanting to leave Access Copyright, tackling flat fees, and a couple other issues that, instead of having conversations to figure out how we can tackle it, there’s talk and time being spent just on things like people wanting to leave [CFS].”

The would-be defederators understand these concerns, but argue that they miss the point.

“Students want to work together; we want to be able to advance our common interests,” stated Mooney. “But when there’s an association out there that doesn’t respect basic principles like freedom of association and listening to the democratic will of students, it makes it a lot more difficult and wastes a lot of our resources.”

The GSU held its own agm on November 25.

At the meeting, the union passed motions to call on the cfs to abide by dates to hold referenda set in the petition. The union also passed an amendment to that motion, demanding that the federation replace Katherine Giroux-Bougard as Chief Returning Officer (cro) for the referendum. Giroux-Bougard was chair of the cfs in 2009, and actively campaigned against defederation during her term.

U of T, the gsu, and the cfs are currently discussing how the university can provide the cfs with student information so that it can verify the names on the defederation petition without compromising the privacy of the individuals on the list of students provided.

Ryerson pays $90,000 to access U of T’s libraries U of T students get access to other university libraries for free; other schools must pay a fee Jerico Espinas VARSITY STAFF

University of Toronto students have access to libraries across Canada with no extra fee.

However, members of other universities must pay a flat fee to be able to borrow books from the U of T system. Under the Canadian University Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement (curba) — which was enacted in 2002 — students, faculty, and staff of participating universities are entitled to borrowing privileges at other university libraries. curba combines the resources of the four provincial university library councils, comprising 87 Canadian universities from all 10 provinces.

In 2009, U of T introduced fees for direct borrowers, while still benefiting from curba. Students, faculty, and staff at all other Canadian universities must pay an annual $300 fee to access and borrow books from U of T libraries. U of T students are required to pay no additional fees to access other universities’ materials.

Larry Alford, chief librarian at the University of Toronto, said that this fee agreement was necessary to maintain the university’s library system: “Our research library is one of the very best in North America, with only Harvard and Yale ranking above it. In order to maintain its quality, we — and that, of course, includes our students,

through their fees — spend over $27 million a year on acquisitions alone.” U of T recently aquired the letters of General James Wolfe — a $1.5 million purchase paid for largely by Helmhorst Investments, a Toronto-based company.

For Alford, the asymmetrical access to other libraries for U of T students is not a problem. “Our reciprocal [fee] agreements therefore ensure that students and faculty from other universities can share in our valuable resources, but that U of T students are not subsidizing this access,” he said.

U of T currently has flat-fee agreements with other universities. Ryerson University, for example, currently pays $90,000 that allows its students to access a University of Toronto Libraries card. The card expires after one full year of access.

There are other exceptions to CURBA in Toronto. The Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) allows access to its resources only to Ryerson University and York University, and the libraries at Ryerson and York lend to all other Canadian universities except U of T. “Our collection is very small and highly specialized,” explained Jill Patrick, the Director of Library Services at OCAD. “Allowing undergraduate students from Canada’s largest university to freely borrow our books would very quickly deplete our shelves and leave our own students, who cannot borrow from U of T [without paying a fee], with no resources to do their work.”

Ryerson pays $90,000 so their students can access UofT libraries. Carolyn leveTT/The varsiTy

Cecile Farnum, Communications and Liaison Librarian at Ryerson, stated that this exception for U of T students was effective in the original 2002 agreement, even before the fee was charged.

These exceptions do not mean that U of T students are completely unable to borrow books from these universities, or that students from other universities are unable to borrow books from U of T. The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is one of

the four provincial councils in CURBA, and ensures that all Ontario university students are unhindered by library politics.

Students may request books in OCUL libraries through the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) using the Rapid Access to Collection by Electronic Requesting (RACER) service. These ILL RACER requests, however, take weeks to process and order without a $15 Urgent Request Form, making the loans accessible but untimely for many students.

8

VARSITY NEWS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 12

news@thevarsity.ca

Where to de-stress during exams Jerico Espinas & Ilona Kabanova | VARSITY STAff

Campus organizations provide activities to help students cope with exam season Classes officially end on December 4 for University of Toronto students. With final examinations starting on December 9 and ending December 20, students are given five days to prepare for a two-week stretch of intense and stressful studying.

Many on-campus organizations recognize the value of taking breaks to de-stress. Clubs such as the Arts & Science Student Union and University College Literary and Athletic Society are hosting pre-season events for students to relax and prepare themselves before the start of examinations.

Other clubs believe that a change in a student’s study environment can be a great way for them to prepare for their tests and connect with other exhausted peers. Rooms all over campus, ranging from the Innis Residence Events Room to Woodsworth’s Kruger Hall, are being converted into open study spaces in preparation for exam season.

The University of Toronto is offering a wide variety of exam de-stress and test preparation events. These events are free for all U of T students, and are a great way to relax or review for your exams this year.

Innis Exam Jam

Newman Centre Catholic Chaplaincy exam prep Coordinator: Newman Centre Catholic Chaplaincy Event December 2 & December 11: Exam Season Survival Kits Dec. 2, 4:00 pm–5:00 pm & Dec. 11, 11:00 am–12:00 pm on the corner of St. George and Hoskin, outside the Newman Centre The survival kits contain hot chocolate, candy canes, granola bars, pencils, pens, papers, and a few jokes for students.

December 4–19: Open exam prep and study space 10:00 am–6:00 pm, Newman Centre, 89 St. George Street.

The Newman Centre will host additional study spaces with coffee and study snacks for students. These study spaces will be available Monday to Friday until the end of exam season.

Exam season survival kits will also be available for pick up during these times.

Goals The Newman Centre Study Space provides a place where students can relax and spend time with their peers. The food and survival kits are intended to assist students with the pressure of exam season.

Coordinator: Innis Residence Council Events December 1: Innis Residence Council Potluck 5:00 pm, Innis Residence Events Room December 2: Yoga with Jenny 7:00 pm, Innis Residence Events Room December 3: Apples to Apples with Fresh Apples 7:00 pm, Innis Residence Fish Bowl December 4: Video Game Breather Night 9:00 pm, Innis Residence fourth Floor, TV Room December 5: Skate’n Create 5:00 pm, Varsity Arena December 6: Post-it Note Art and parfaits 2:00 pm, Innis Residence Events Room December 11-19: Open Study Space The Residence Events Room will convert into a 24-hour study space with hot beverages and healthy snacks for all students. This conversion will last the entire exam season.

Goals The Innis Exam Jam includes a host of recreational activities meant to help all University of Toronto students cope with exams, and opens up Innis Residence as a space for studying.

University of Toronto Mississauga Exam Jam

De-stress at the Office Coordinator: University of Toronto Muslim Students’ Association (msa) Event December 2–6: De-Stress Hour 12:00 pm-1:00 pm, 21 Sussex Avenue, Room 505.

The MSA is offering drained students a space to enjoy tea, hot chocolate, and board games.

The event is a way for Uof Tstudents to connect with the club’s executive members and to foster a closer sense of community in the msa.

Goals With a good reception from students, the msa is planning on making the de-stress hour a regular program throughout the spring semester.

The office would be available each day of the week, and students would be able to regularly drop by for a hot drink and board games.

The Exam Jam: review, refresh, de-stress!

Yoga, meditation, and art Coordinator: University College Literary and Athletic Society (ucLit) Event December 5: Yoga, Meditation, and Art 12:15 pm, Hart House East Common Room This exam de-stressor is intended to provide students with a chance to relax with a free session of yoga and meditation, followed by food and an art session. Students are urged to bring their own yoga mats if they own one, but ucLit will provide a yoga mat for you if you do not. The yoga session will be led by Hayley Lowe, a Toronto based teacher who specializes in working with children.

Goals Yoga can boost students’ creativity and confidence, and can be a great physical activity during a study break. This free yoga session is designed to give students an opportunity to de-stress during exams.

Coordinator: utm Health & Counselling Faculty Centre Event: December 4: Exam Jam University of Toronto Mississauga (utm) will be holding a campus-wide Exam Jam. The event will feature instructor-led study sessions for subjects including biology, sociology, and linguistics. Seminars that focus on answering multiple-choice questions and writing essays and short answer questions will also be provided.

The classes will be held across Mississauga campus. Class-specific details can be found on utm Exam Jam’s Facebook page.

Goals: The day-long event combines study-intensive review sessions with engaging activities that aim to maintain students’ mental health throughout the exam period. The faculty hopes that these events will establish healthy exam habits for years to come.

Cram Jam Coordinator: Upper-Year and Full-Time Students’ Directors Event December 4: Woodsworth College Students’ Association Cram Jam! 10:00 am–5:00 pm, Kruger Hall, Woodsworth College The Cram Jam will consist of open, quiet study space for all students with free snacks and light refreshments throughout the day.

Students are free to study and snack as they wish throughout the day.

Goals The space provides an open and relaxing environment for students to catch up on their studies in time for the exam season.

Coordinator: Arts & Science Student Union (assu), other on-campus organizations Event December 3 –5: Review Sessions The review sessions are instructor-led study groups, generally for large first- and secondyear courses in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

About 20 courses are being including several courses in economics, statistics, chemistry, and biology.

December 4–19: Exam Prep and Open Study Space The assu and other campus organizations are offering open exam prep spaces for students. These spaces are open to all students in all courses. Some study spaces are open at Woodsworth, Innis, and uc throughout the exam period. Over a dozen rooms in Sid Smith are available for studying between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm on Thursday, December 5.

December 5: Sid Smith Activity Day A plethora of free recreational activities are available for students in Sid Smith including free massages, pet therapy sessions, button making, and various free snacks and hot chocolate.

Goals Instructor-led review sessions are a great alternative to office hours for students who are struggling with difficult material.

Relaxing activities provide a much-needed break for tired brains.

VAR.ST/COMMENT 2 DECEMBER 2013 comment@thevarsity.ca

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

In defense of flat-fees var.st/comment

Business as usual at UTSU AGM

After much procedural squabbling all but one of the motions passed at the UTSU AGM on Wednesday evening. ElAiNE zhu/ThE VARSiTy

AGM shows UTSU's effective organization Yves Guillaume A. Messy VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

If you’re a student at the University of Toronto, and you find yourself exasperated about the state of our student leadership, think twice.

There is more to it. The 2013 Annual General Meeting (agm) of the University of Toronto Students' Union (utsu) was a perfect storm of humble goals and stunted ambitions. The meeting served to emphasize the utsu’s skilled coordination and mobilization expertise — in sharp contrast to the opposition’s splintered, under-active base — as both contend to represent mainstream grievances within the U of T community.

Notwithstanding the boycotting of the agm by a few college leaders, the meeting was more notable for its emphasis on bureaucracy than it was for its agenda. Three hours of debate over Robert’s Rules — guidelines for decorum during meetings and other events — and elaborate voting on whether votes apply and which format subsequent votes should take, is not a good way of keeping students engaged. The obstruction that the meeting faced was typical of past opposition attempts to hold up the utsu. The collective sigh that often accompanies talks of the utsu on campus does not amount to much — at least not at this Annual General Meeting.

The utsu’s support base, however, is lively, uniform, and unquestioningly loyal to what its detractors call "The Agenda." A large part of this base hails from the Mississauga campus, and is keen on actively supporting what its leaders stand for. The utsu’s supporters make the St. George campus’s current opposition pale in comparison, especially when turnout at meetings is concerned. The sharply drawn divide between these two groups and the leadership teams they stand for explains the gradually

professionalized and fringe nature of student leadership at U of T. Do we realize that this gives the utsu a prized opportunity to draft and wantonly rubber-stamp gravy train resolutions? The growing trend of colleges giving up altogether on engagement with the union ensures that opposition will be weak and that power will rest with whoever leaves the auditorium last.

The way the meeting ended is a perfect analogy of the present state of the utsu: with 25 minutes to go in a four-hour meeting, deputies hurriedly spoke in favour and against causes that students hardly had a chance to consider before voting. The whole democratic process is validated by a professional, resilient, and single-minded group of reliable union supporters. During this speedy voting, around two-thirds of the opposition had left — while possibly 80 per cent of the pro-utsu throng sat resolute until the last knock of the gavel.

By the meeting’s end, about eight opposition representatives remained, swamped by the pro-utsu crowd.

This process taught me that, while we have highly effective leadership at the helm of the utsu, it disregards many of the real divisive issues facing student politics at the St. George campus in favour of less provocative issues which appeal more to U of T students at the other campuses.

So long as they do little more than unfriend our utsu executives, discontented students lose the moral high ground. There is no shortcut to improving the students’ union. Ask yourself this: when was the last time you saw a mob of utsu reform-minded students in front of Convocation Hall, in the dead of winter, protesting for a better agenda? The answer speaks volumes more than we might like.

Yves Guillaume is in his final year of a specialist in political science. He is a political commentator on CTV National News.

AGM an exercise in spectator democracy JP Kaczur

VARSITY STAFF

The auditorium seemed subdued at the outset of last week’s University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) Annual General Meeting (agm) — surprising, when you consider the combative nature of these meetings in recent memory.

The agm began around 6:30 pm with the chair, Ashkon Hashemi, making announcements and stressing the need for decorum and professionalism at the meeting.

Andrew Langille, the guest speaker for the evening, discussed a number of hotbutton issues for students, including unpaid internships, and our generation’s job prospects and debt load Much of utsu president Munib Sajjad’s speech focused on the work that the union has already done for students, while also making note of the need to overcome the animosity that has hung over governance discussions on campus in recent months.

However, he did not make it clear how exactly he would change this culture — beyond of a vague notion of involving all campus groups to accomplish it “together."

Sajjad’s view of a centralized students’ union is opposed by several divisions on campus — such as the Engineering Society (EngSoc), as well as Trinity College and Victoria College. Many of these groups' leaders and supporters opted not to attend the meeting. Still, Pierre Harfouche, one of two EngSoc representatives on the union’s Board of Directors, ensured that opposing voices were heard.

During Harfouche’s first visit to the microphone, he motioned to dismiss each of the orders of business on the meeting’s agenda. If this motion had passed, it would

have effectively brought the meeting to an end. The crowd erupted in laughter at Harfouche's audacity. Harfouche’s motion was seconded by another opposition member, but was defeated because it didn’t receive the required two-thirds majority support of those in attendance.

Harfouche left the microphone briefly, only to return with a copy of Robert’s rules and a fresh procedural argument.

This prompted a procedural wrangle, as Harfouche and Hashemi argued over their respective interpretations of rules and bylaws. The disagreement ultimately resulted in Harfouche challenging Hashemi's decision, only to be shut down by a vote.

Hashemi was often visibly frustrated during the meeting. What he found “especially galling” was that the meeting’s proceedings had been entirely derailed up to that point

by Harfouche. Overall, the majority of the audience clearly supported the union, and patience for dissent had dissipated.

One cannot help but wonder how the meeting would have proceeded had the disgruntled student divisions made a bigger showing. Concerns over a $50,000 discrepancy in last year’s budget were glossed over in the auditor’s presentation, and a number of other questions were left unanswered.

Many other motions passed without much debate or scrutiny.

The utsu remains supported by those that are loyal to it, but largely ignores legitimate grievances from other members. For the time being, the utsu remains a centralized union, representing an increasingly divided campus.

JP Kaczur is a fourth-year women and gender studies specialist. He is also The Varsity’s associate sports editor.

10 Vol. CXXXIV, No. 12

VARSITY COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

Has Toronto's reputation suffered as a result of our mayor's scandals?

Policy matters more than spectacle for Toronto voters Christina Atkinson

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

From Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Colbert Report to Saturday Night Live, Rob Ford has become the butt of many jokes. Our mayor has become no more than an entertaining story to run, especially in the US, during a slow news cycle. It is noteworthy that Ford is not just portrayed as a mayor that smokes crack; he is known more specifically as the mayor of Toronto that smokes crack.

The question that intrigues me as a born and raised Torontonian is if we should really be concerned for our city's international reputation?

Perhaps I am too laid-back to get heated over this topic, but I care more about public policy than public indecency. I also do not think that Rob Ford will have any kind of significant effect on my life, like triggering a municipal or national recession, destroying our political system forever, or even wreaking crack-and-vodka-driven havoc on our streets.

In reality, the position of mayor of Toronto has fairly limited powers.

The mayor counts as one vote on city council and has no vetoing power. He has the power of the media, appointment, staff, and funds — but all councillors have these to some degree as well. Ultimately, a great mayor could use these advantages strategically and control council through persuasion.

But Ford, now left without council support, with the notable exception of his brother Doug Ford, lacks the

Mayor Rob Ford's scandals have not reflected negatively on the city. West anneX neWs/FliCKr

power to really affect policy making in Toronto. Even if maintaining his office and title is too much control in some citizens’ eyes. Council has stripped many of Ford’s powers leaving him basically limited to going to Argonaut’s games and being discussed in all of my political science classes.

This is where my concern for the issue stops. If Rob Ford does

not actually have the power to influence what I care about in my city’s politics — policy — then who cares if he is an embarrassment? Toronto is an amazing city in many ways, and the fact that we can function so well with a mayor that smokes crack shows our resiliency and functionality. In fact, I would argue it represents Toronto

accurately in one area particularly.

Toronto is not filled with alcoholics, crack addicts, or disrespectful people, but it is filled with people who have a sense of humour and an understanding of where our priorities lie. Torontonians knew Ford was a scandalous councillor before he was elected, and he was elected because he promised to stop the

gravy-train at City Hall. Torontonians value policy over distasteful conduct, which in my opinion is not a bad thing.

As publicists would say, all press is good press. No one can call Canada boring anymore, eh?

Christina Atkinson is a second-year student at University College.

“Boundless” within reason

University advertisements misrepresent the constraints on student life Breen Wilkinson

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

I own this shirt. It is navy blue with a white trim, a nice looking shirt. Perhaps you’ve seen this shirt. I wear it to the gym sometimes, especially the one back home where I show it off as if to say: why yes, I do attend university. Maybe you even own it too, I got mine for free and I know I’m not the only one. What really draws attention to the shirt is the message written across the chest: “I am Boundless.”

Now I'll admit it’s a great slogan.

The first thing you can say about “Boundless” is that it fits all the criteria you would expect from a university slogan. Ambiguity? Check.

Opportunity? Check. Infinite horizons? Check.

From a marketing standpoint, the obscurity of this term is what makes it so effective. It carries the idea that school is what you make of it, putting you in the driver’s seat. What’s boundless? Is it the diverse mix of research programs, exchanges, clubs, teams and all manner of opportunities that are readily available at U of T? No. It is you. You are boundless.

“Boundless,” perhaps more than anything else, denotes freedom. One could argue that this is exactly what potential students are looking for.

The meaning of the slogan is two-

U of T's "Boundless" campaign does not accurately reflect the university experience. Carolyn levett/tHe varsity

fold. It first posits that the university will help provide the necessary environment for you to explore your freedom, while at the same time, the slogan suggests that this environment will not restrict or bind you in any way.

On an academic level, this slogan seems to fit well with U of T’s cul-

ture. After all, this school offers some outstanding opportunities. Ironically — perhaps intentionally — this motto runs contrary to some of the popular beliefs about this university. Barring any outside criticism, many students at this school report that the academic demands on their time are too strenuous, and that they

invade too deeply into their social lives. This is of course merely the price one pays for attending a top school. Still, the fact that our slogan seems to run contrary to what many of us believe about this university is somewhat troublesome.

If this slogan only meant that we are boundless in the academic sphere

then perhaps there would be no issue.

However, the various ways in which this slogan is delivered play up both the academic and social advantages of the school.

In one sense, this is a must for the university's advertising. In an age where the value of any given university degree has shrunk, social networks are becoming increasingly important for many prospective students.

Accordingly, university ads seem to be advancing the social merits of their schools more than ever. In these ads, the message that the social value of the degree is tantamount to academics is not only promoted, it’s unequivocal. After all, how do you think alumni get to the top? When you play Frisbee in the shade of the campus quad with women in sundresses and men in Oxford shirts, yes there is great fun, but there is also an opportunity to make profitable connections.

The reality for many students is that the academic rigors of this school overshadow the social benefits of university. In this sense, our slogan is contradictory. We are not boundless, but heavily bound. We can only hope, then, that this hindrance to social freedom will be worth it in the long run.

Breen Wilkinson is a second-year student studying English, history, and American studies.

var.st/comment

VARSITY COMMENT

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

11

Controversial residence plans continue to spark debate Knightstone residence would benefit students as living costs in Toronto rise Li Pan

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

A new student residence is being proposed near College and Spadina. Knightstone Capital, a private firm, is planning to build a 24-storey tower, which could house 759 U of T students on property leased from the university. However, some members the local community, including City Councillor Adam Vaughan, oppose the project.

Many U of T students welcome the proposal. Housing costs in downtown Toronto are soaring.

A decent bedroom in a Bay Street condominium often costs $1,000 per month, and many students are more than happy to pay $600 just to find a living room to sleep in. On the other hand, commuting carries implicit costs. In addition to paying $106 a month for a ttc pass, commuters also tend to enjoy fewer of the auxiliary U of T services that they pay for. After all, few would be willing to commute back to campus after dark just for an intramural soccer game at 10:00 pm.

The project also appeals to the university. The university administration has some responsibility to offer accommodation to its substantial international and out-ofprovince student body. For years, however, it has been unable to expand its aging residence buildings due to ever-decreasing public funding. As the Knightstone

project is privately financed, the university can better serve its students while only taking on minimal financial risks. Besides, more student residences will always foster a sense of community on campus that big universities like U of T often lack.

Opponents to the project protest that a glass-and-steel tower would be incongruous in the otherwise low-rise area, and that students would cause a disturbance in an otherwise quiet residential neighbourhood. These are genuine concerns; however, they should serve as signs to proceed with caution, rather than as roadblocks to the entire project. Indeed, some measures have already been taken to address these problems. For instance, the university stipulated as part of its lease that the operator of the new residence must obtain its approval. It is therefore to be expected that student life in the new tower will be held to the same standard as any other U of T residences.

In their stern opposition to the proposed tower, community members also seem to have willfully ignored the enormous economic and social benefits that those 759 students will bring to the neighbourhood. Existing business owners will see an influx of customers, and residents will benefit from the opening of many new businesses.

The university owns many other underdeveloped properties,

Knightstone would help the university make up for residence shortages in the future. nancy ji/The VarsiTy

such as the three blocks bounded

by Harbord, Spadina, and Huron and Bloor. U of T owns all but 11 houses in the area. Building a mixture of new student resi-

dences and classrooms in the area will benefit the residents as well as students. However, if the Knightstone residence project is rejected, it will serve as a negative

precedent for other future development projects in the area.

Li Pan is a second-year student majoring in economics and mathematics.

Surviving as an international student

STUDENT VOICES

Globalized social media brings our generation closer together Francesca Morfini

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

William ahn/The VarsiTy

I was born Italian, raised in Greece, and cultured by the global media.

I moved to Toronto about one year ago from Athens, and easily adjusted despite the vast cultural differences between Canada and Greece — not to mention the change in temperature. I went through a drastic change very early in my life; the kind of change that many people never have the chance to experience. I like to brag about how easily I adapt to new situations, but how could I have adapted so seamlessly into a new life across the ocean?

Certainly, the fact that U of T has centers, advisors, and a number of other resources for newly arrived students was very helpful. I remember the first piece of advice I received at an international firstyear workshop: “When in doubt about starting a conversation, just ask a Canadian about the weather.

We love the weather.”

However, when it comes down to it, a signifigant number of U of T students were not born in Canada.

Whether they have fully transitioned into wearing Roots clothes head to toe and ending sentences in “eh,” or are still trying to figure

out how the college system works, all international students face the adjustment, the fears, the confusion, and the outright awkwardness of integration.

Nevertheless, we all adapt. In hindsight, what really made my transition so smooth were all of the interests and ideas that I had in common with domestic students.

This helped me make friends, but more importantly, it allowed me to feel comfortable and at ease without difficulty. Granted, we all procrastinate using Facebook, Instagram, and Buzzfeed, but there was something deeper in the way we got along. Globalization has allowed for more communication and awareness between cultures.

Due to this increased insight into each others' lives, there is less chance of straying away from those people with whom, from a distance, we feel like we have nothing in common.

When I was lost on campus, I didn’t mind asking the first passing student whether he knew which way was South — hint: look for the cn tower. I didn’t feel nervous making new friends, despite our completely different upbringings.

Our life experiences and cultural norms were in fact more similar

than they may have seemed at first.

We can find common ground on a Buzzfeed article that we all read, or a recent episode of a show we all watch. Social media, news, and the internet are pulling the globe closer together — making it easier for Italian-Greeks like myself and someone from another corner of the world to find the similarities between us.

Moving to a new city by myself, not knowing what to expect from fellow students was no longer my only concern. I wouldn’t know about their favorite food, favorite colour, or favorite subject in school.

I wouldn’t know who they are individually because our mutual interests are but a small part of our personalities. But I have been aware of my generation’s culture, what they follow, and what is important, regardless of where they grew up. This mutual understanding is what allowed me to get through the adjustment of dreadfully cold weather, the fears of making new friends, the confusion, and the outright awkwardness of pronouncing “Spadina,” “Spadeena.”

Francesca Morfini is a second-year student studying international relations and history.

Article and photos by Alanna Lipson

A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO EATING LOCAL AND ETHICAL FOR THE WINTER SEASON

Grocery shopping at any major supermarket after September is a grim affair. You battle the elements to get there, and chart the gradual progression of your nose as it moves from frozen stiff, to beginning to burn, to an emergency tissue situation. You sweat profusely in your jacket, and battle old ladies for the last, flavourless tomato and chemical-coated produce from faraway countries.

With school almost behind you, at least in theory, there is time to explore some of Toronto’s many alternatives to convenient, big-box grocery stores over the winter break.

You can still find flavourful, locally grown fruits and vegetables in the city for belly-warming soups, hearty salads, and roasted veggies — even in the bitter cold of winter.

Farmers’ markets, Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) bins, and organic delivery services are all among the different ways to get fresh food throughout the year.

These events and services support local farmers by offering their seasonal, organic, and pesticide-free produce — rather than imported fruits and vegetables that often come from ethically questionable and environmentally unsustainable corporations.

FARMERS’ MARKETS Why are those carrots purple? What’s the difference between butternut and acorn squash? How do I cook beets without staining everything I own? The best part of visiting a farmers’ market is that it transforms shopping into an interactive experience. Unlike the sullen teenagers packing produce onto grocery store shelves, the vendors at farmers’ markets welcome questions about their produce, and they’re happy to dispense advice on everything from their products’ origins, to proper storage, to cooking tips and tricks.

The number of farmers’ markets in Toronto dramatically decreases during winter due to the harsh climate. Nevertheless, a brave handful of them move their vendors indoors and remain open all year long to serve ethically minded customers. Winter farmers’ markets are distinct for their strong community followings. Vendors and customers often know each other by name and are notably warm and welcoming to newcomers. In the winter, when produce is sparse, there is a particular sense of togetherness as everyone copes communally with this seasonal struggle.

St. Lawrence Farmers’ Market 92 Front St. E. Saturdays, 5:00 am – 5:00 pm Located in St. Lawrence’s north market, this spot has been operating since 1803. In terms of vendor variety and sheer size, it’s hard to beat. The vendors are there before daybreak, so it’s best to skip breakfast at home, head over early, and pick up freshly made coffee and scones at the market itself, browsing while you eat. You’ll find everything you need here throughout the year: fresh produce, cheese, free-range eggs, German pretzels, honey, meat, and — perhaps most importantly — a wide variety of freshly baked goodies. When you’re done picking up produce, you can head over to the south market and sample the mustards, olives, and peameal bacon sandwiches.

CSA BINS AND ORGANIC DELIVERY SERVICES Not everyone wants to brave the winter weather and risk ttc crowding or breakdowns for the sake of purchasing local produce — but there is an even more convenient, and certainly more ethical, option than the grocery store for the couch potatoes. Torontonians have access to a number of companies who deliver Ontario’s winter finest right to your doorstep, or to a community drop-off depot nearby.

Some involve signing up for Community Shared Agriculture, a system by which you buy shares of a farm’s harvest. Other companies work with farmers directly, and eliminate middlemen as much as possible in order to bring produce to their members at a very reasonable price.

These services not only save you the trip to the grocery store but also directly support farmers, and enable you to engage in a truly seasonal, local diet. Produce varies with each delivery, based on what is good and fresh at the farm, so what you receive can be somewhat of a surprise each week.

In case you were wondering what to do with that rutabaga that came in your delivery — and who wouldn’t be, really? — all of these companies offer you recipe suggestions, whether they come in a newsletter attached to your bin or from the recipe section of their websites.

Wondering what to do with your winter roots and tubers?

See our holiday recipes online at var.st/eatlocal

University of Toronto Scarborough Farmers’ Market 1265 Military Trail, Meeting Place (in the Science Wing) Winter markets first Wednesday of the month, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm The St. George campus farmers’ market has unfortunately closed, but the Scarborough market is alive and well. Once a month, the market provides an opportunity for local farmers, producers, and artisans to connect with utsc students, staff, and the local community. They have also lined up vendors selling local produce, honey, bread, and freshly-baked desserts, so it’s certainly worth the commute to visit.

The Stop’s Green Barn Farmers’ Market (Wychwood Barns) The Green Arts Barn, 601 Christie Ave., indoors November – April Saturdays, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm The Stop’s farmers’ market is easily one of the most beautiful in the city, and is located fairly close to the St. George campus. The emphasis here is on local, sustainable agriculture. Most of the farms are certified organic and the non-farmer vendors buy their ingredients from farmers in the same market. You can also get various local artisan specialties here, such as olives, jams, chocolates, and crackers. There’s a wide variety of food available each week, but if all the produce shopping starts to get you hungry, you can stop by The Stop’s Market Cafe, which is open during market hours, and serves up sandwiches, treats, and soups. The aromas will have you drifting in the cafe’s direction long before you even realize that you’re craving a hot bowl. The scones are divine, and are grilled and buttered right before your eyes.

Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers’ Market 875 Dufferin St., in the Dufferin Grove rink house during winter Thursdays, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm The winter market that takes place inside the rink house at Dufferin Grove Park is a slightly subdued version of the bustling market in the summer. Snowsuit-swaddled children holler and play while parents browse through the many vendor stands. The price point here is a little higher than in some of the other markets in the city, but most buyers consider it worthwhile for the pesticide-free produce.

Moreover, the vendors are all extremely knowledgeable about their produce, and are happy to explain the costs that go into producing each item, should you be so curious.

Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market 550 Bayview Avenue Saturdays, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm With all its vendors growing their produce within 200 kilometres of the market, Evergreen is another venue that is committed to locally sourced, seasonal food. The market is easily accessible by car, but the coordinators at Evergreen have also made it easy for commuters to visit as well. The market schedules a designated shuttle bus that runs there seven days a week, and a ttc bus that goes there every half-hour on market day. It’s worth getting there extra early to explore the surrounding gardens and buildings before grabbing your groceries.

Sorauren Farmers’ Market 40 Wabash Ave. at Sorauren, in the field house all winter Mondays, 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm Given the size and popularity of this year-round farmers’ market, it is certainly surprising that it has only been around for five years. The Sorauren Market came about as a result of the West End Food Co-op. It is a collaboration with FarmStart, an organization that seeks to help newly established farmers and food vendors get on their feet. Even in the winter, when the market moves into the nearby field house, there are more than 20 farmers and food vendors ready to sell you fresh, Ontario-grown produce and provide advice for creative ways to cook with your winter goods.

Toronto Botanical Garden Organic Farmers’ Market 777 Lawrence Ave. E., indoors October – May Thursdays, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm This is the first year ever that the Toronto Botanical Garden Organic Farmers’ Market will be open year-round, so supporting its vendors to illustrate the demand for their winter hours will be helpful to the business, and your stomach. A number of ttc buses departing from Eglington station head past the park, making the commute an easy one. Before you shop, check out the botanical gardens — the grounds are still beautiful when covered in snow and ice, and you’ll have them all to yourself.

Plan B Organic Farmers Cost: A small share costs $25 a week, and comes with a local-produce-only option for the same price.

Plan B has been running its csa boxes for over 13 years. The certified organic produce comes twelve different farms across southern Ontario. They offer a weekly organic csa share for winter and early spring. The 22-week season begins in early January, and finishes at the end of May. Plan B is pickuponly for Toronto, and offers a number of Toronto-based depots — including ones in Etobicoke, the Danforth, the Junction, Withrow Park, the Beaches/East York, and North York.

Foodshare’s Good Food Box Cost: Small boxes cost a mere $13 and it’s $24 for all-organic produce.

Foodshare’s Good Food Box is a non-profit produce distribution system. Individuals place orders for boxes with volunteer coordinators in their neighbourhood, and receive a box of produce on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cycle. There are some serious savings to be had from the Good Food Box, and in case there is no pickup depot near you, you can become a volunteer coordinator and start your own — so long as you have 8-10 other people who also want to participate. This flexibility is unique to the Foodshare program, and, in combination with its very reasonable prices, makes the program a viable option for students who are seeking a compromise between cost-effectiveness and ethical eating. If you live downtown, Foodshare runs pickups out of the utsu office at 12 Hart House Circle and 49 St. George Street every other Wednesday of the month. There has also been talk of expanding the program to utm in the near future.

Mama Earth Organics Cost: $27.50 for a small basket, $25 for a small local produce only basket, plus a $2 fee if you wish to customize the contents of your basket. Delivery is free for orders over $25; otherwise, it’s a $2 fee.

Mama Earth’s goal is to provide a service for its members to have access to the freshest organic items available at a fair price. Local farms are given priority in their sourcing. Through their website, you can sign up for weekly delivery boxes, with the helpful option to opt to skip a week on occasion. Boxes come in a number of sizes and allow customers to prioritize local produce. They are delivered to your doorstep each week.

Green Earth Organics Cost: $37 for the smallest “Harvest” basket, or a minimum order of $47 if you want to customize your own produce.

Green Earth Organics delivers organic groceries to homes and offices across the gta. It offers a wide selection of certified organic fruit, vegetables, and other grocery products. Products are delivered to your doorstep for no additional charge.

Wanigan Cost: $25 for a fruit and vegetable bin, with a local-only option for the same price. They offer two free substitutions to the produce for their weekly baskets, or, for $25, you can completely customize your own bin.

Wanigan is a fresh produce company that has been operating since 1997 and has made more than 250,000 deliveries across the gta. In addition to organic produce, Wanigan carries organic dried fruits, nuts, and gluten-free items. Bins are delivered to your doorstep for no additional cost.

Fresh City Farms Cost: $27.99 (without delivery fee) for a regular box, or you can order a bin directly from the service’s online store and customize the contents yourself. It’s a $3 delivery fee if you want the groceries delivered to your doorstep; however, if you live in a house or apartment with more than three people ordering from Fresh City, it will waive the fee.

Fresh City Farms harvests from their sites all over the Toronto, which collectively make up over four acres of land. You have the option to pick up your box from its many depot locations, including (but far from limited to): 401 Richmond Street, I Deal Coffee at 162 Ossington Ave, The Depanneur at 1033 College Street, the Toronto Vegetarian Association at 17 Baldwin Street, and Patagonia at 500 King Street West. This produce is grown directly in Toronto, so the produce is immediately local.

Front Door Organics Cost: $37 for the basic box; $42 for the wholly-customized one.

Front Door Organics prioritizes Ontario-grown food and producers, though its organic produce is also sourced from outside the province during the winter. In addition to fruits and vegetables, it offers locally raised, certified-organic meat. Its products are delivered to your doorstep, and the cost is included in the price of the boxes; however, if you live outside of the delivery area, it offers a pick-up service from its warehouse, located in Etobicoke. Pick-ups receive a $3 discount.

Arts & Culture var.st/arts

2 DECEMBEr 2013 arts@thevarsity.ca

A glass case of emotion An interview with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd Daniel Konikoff

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

If they listened closely, I’m pretty sure Paul and Steve would have been able to hear my voice sweating.

Going in, I knew the chances were slim: of the 40-plus journalists from campus newspapers across North America who were in the conference call interview with me, only a handful would be chosen to ask a question.

Still, with the odds utterly unfavourable, I was possessed by a sort of excited nervousness. After all, no matter how Lady Fortune spun her wheel, I would still be able to tell people that I was, for about twenty minutes, on the phone with Paul Rudd and Steve Carell.

In 2004, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was released to favourable praise, earning the admiration of critic and viewer alike. Now, nine years later, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is on the verge of release, and is a successor that was born more out of camaraderie than anything else.

“For me,” said Rudd, “mainly [revisiting] it was like working with these guys again who I love. And, you know, it was such a blast doing the first one that I want — I would jump at the chance to come back and beat a dead horse.”

“I think we all felt exactly that same way,” added Carell. “We all just wanted to do it for the sake of doing it, and I think we all would have done it in a vacuum. Even if there was no film and any camera, we would have come back and done it, because it's so much fun.”

Almost a decade later, and the experience working on films of all budgets (Carell and Rudd have recently fluttered toward indie fare, the former recently being in The Way, Way Back, the latter in Prince Avalanche), get-

A scene from Anchorman. MEDia photos

ting back into the character of Brian Fantana was, for Rudd at least, a bit of a challenge.

“At times,” Rudd said, “it didn't seem difficult at all, like I feel we know these characters pretty well. But I would say throughout the shoot, there were — there were many moments where I thought, oh god, am I doing this right? I felt where I fell a little off track.”

Carell actually benefitted from the time away. “And the more lost I felt, the better that served me. The more out of sorts I felt, in general, the better I think that played into Brick. I am as a human being no smarter than I was 10 years ago, so that

I haven't improved as a human being. I haven't evolved in any way. So that really helped me with Brick.”

Being naturally talented comedians, both Rudd and Carell — as well as the rest of the film’s hilarious cast — did their fair share of improvisation. “There were just so many fertile minds working,” said Carell. “We ended up with way more material than we needed.”

When it came to specific details about the movie, Rudd and Carell remained close-lipped, playfully avoiding questions pertaining to the return of Sex Panther, Brian Fantana’s signature cologne,

as well as the recruitment of the film’s big-name cameos.

What Carell had to say about the latter, though, is that “not much arm-bending had to be done,” as “people just wanted to be part of the silliness.”

And I suppose wanting to be part of the silliness, wanting to bask in it with the Channel 4 News Team, holds true for the audience, as well.

You stay classy, U of T. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues opens in theatres Wednesday, December 18.

var.st/arts

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

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Planet in focus: Environmental Film Festival 2013 Showcasing the most pressing and thought-provoking environmental issues through film Tatum Ross

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR Planet in Focus (pif), Toronto’s Environmental Film Festival, ended on Sunday, November 24 after a successful four-day run. The festival aims to illuminate underrepresented topics affecting our planet today through the art of filmmaking.

Screenings were held at two of Toronto’s top venues; the Toronto International Film Festival (tiff) Bell Light Box and the Art Gallery of Ontario (ago). Festivalgoers were welcome to participate in gala parties, industry workshops, discussion panels, and more. pif is in its fourteenth year, and has become a lively forum for the environmental arts community — filmmakers, activists, scientists and students — to begin effecting change.

The various topics were represented: climate change, eco-tourism, aboriginal affairs, pollution, technology, and economics. The schedule was bursting with animation films, documentaries, features, shorts, and compilations.

The festival presented two Eco Hero awards this year to filmmaker Zaccarias Kunuk and Colonel Chris Hadfield.

media photo

Rather than accepting his award in person, Hadfield chose to Skype in from Europe on an account of an expensive flight with a highcarbon impact. Most famous for publicly documenting his recent space odyssey over popular social networks like Facebook and Youtube, Hadfield was able to share unique insights from his experience at the International Space Station. In short, when you are “earth-gazing” from space, you see our small, blue planet in a frame of wonder and pure vulnerability.

John Walker's film, Arctic Defenders, opened the festival and set the bar high for films to follow with sprawling shots of glaciers and arctic landscapes — leaving the audience awestruck. The film's cinematography captured the pace of life in the Great White North. Through archival video footage, the audience learned of the trials and tribulations of the Native peoples. "It was like landing on the moon," they said in the film in order to describe the Inuit's forcible move to

the North as they were plunked down as a Canadian flag in the Arctic. pif closed with a plea; Last Call: The Untold Reasons of Global Crisis, written and directed by Enrico Cerasuolo, refers to the first calls for sustainability in the 1970s. Based on the lives and findings of Limits to Growth authors, a team of economists, writers, political figures, and scientists — Last Call had an air of urgency. Through a series of interviews with the Limits to Growth authors, Cerasuolo ensured that the message was heard loud and clear: planet earth is finite and planet earth is exhausted.

While the subject matter at pif is heavy at times — perhaps even burdensome, audience members cannot walk away without feeling educated, energized, and motivated to begin enacting change. The helpful staff and passionate volunteer team readily provided information for opportunities to stay engaged.

Donations of all amounts were made to bring these thoughtful films to Toronto school children. According to Hadfield, education is the first step. Action and awareness can only follow understanding. As attendance climbs annually, Planet in Focus will be an irreplaceable catalyst for environmental change.

Living Library Project at Hart House Project allows visitors to explore the idea of people as readers and reading materials by openly engaging with "human books" Laura Wittman

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

This past Tuesday, Hart House held its third annual installation of the Living Library Project. The project gives attendees the opportunity to sign out a human book, and become a reader of their story. Similar events have been modeled all around the world in over 27 countries. The use of the word "libraries," and the notion of people as readers and reading material express a unique context for communication between individuals who are otherwise strangers. The organization’s focus is to prompt organic and spontaneous conversations between people — how you interact will depend on you and your book.

Samy Saad, who has organized the event at Hart House for each year it has run, expressed that its continued return has been the result of enthusiasm and praise for the project by those who have attended. Hart House has presented the event in a unique way, shaping it in partnership with other campus organizations focused around social awareness, and adapting it to the institution’s co-curricular model. Saad explained that this means offering learning opportunities that enhance what is learned in class, providing experiential methods of learning. The Living Library Project’s organizing committee received suggestions for the event's books from its on-campus partners, as well as through an open application submission. After reviewing all applicants, the best 15 to 25 are chosen.

With about 20 tables set up in Hart House’s great hall, the event was not nearly as crowded or bustling as I had expected it to be. In fact, it was very intimate. My first book was Michael Ianozzi, who was just as unsure of what to expect as I was. Along with a container of sour candies for readers to sample, Michael brought card stock sheets of facts of his life as well as cited information about mental ill-

Participants of various backgrounds participate as "human books" as part of the Living Library Project. laura wittman/the varsity

ness and stigma. He chose to share his experience and knowledge of our society’s inability to provide accessible resources to those who suffer with mental illness. Michael is now a French Linguistics student at U of T, who mentors through accessibility services in order to provide support for his fellow students. This discussion would be a reflection of the rest of the day: to be thrown into such an important topic, which is so seldom discussed in the open and between concerned individuals, and with little more than an introduction of names to preface such personal thoughts and experiences was both unnerving and eye-opening.

I spoke next with Nikki Clarke, who titled her story ‘‘You’re always on time to start over,’’ based on her experience with leaving her teaching career to start her own business and talk show later in life. Nikki’s show reminded

me of the Living Library itself, focusing on interviews with inspiring people and providing substance to media. Nikki’s show is available on YouTube but has been picked up by Rogers and will be airing in January. Nikki’s message of “edutainment” and determination went beyond merely inspiring her reader by providing proof that if you can see it, you can achieve it.

Terrence Rodriguez was another book who proved this, but in a very different way. Terrence is a transgender individual and advocate for queer youth in Rexdale, where he grew up. Before his organization, ‘‘RexPride,’’ there was no support centre for queer youth, and Terrence took it upon himself to correct this.

Terrence also works with Leave Out Violence (love), another youth organization. His work creates community resources, focusing on expression through arts and dialogue, and will

soon implement educational workshops to combat ignorance and stigma in the West End community.

The project, as Hart House runs it, is more about dialogue across differences than it is about listening to one person simply narrate those differences. Many books had engaging stories about facing adversity as immigrants, women, and members of the queer community, to name a few, but their insights were more than a lecture or a speech. By directly sharing their experiences one-on-one, the books acted as alternatives to second-hand information, creating dynamic, engaging, and minimally structured interactions. The experience was incredible and unforgettable, and should there be a fourth annual Living Library Project, I will be among the first to register. I highly suggest you do, too.

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Vol. CXXXIV, No. 12

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

arts@thevarsity.ca

Globetrotting with Nightbox From Dublin to Toronto, learn what it takes to be dance-punk band Nightbox TV: How has spending that much time on the road influenced the creative direction of the band?

Evan Ottoni

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Listen to Nightbox, and you’re left longing for the weekend. Since relocating from Dublin, Ireland to Toronto in 2010, the Kensington-based quintet have been moving crowds across North America to their unique blend of indie dance riffs and potent electronic breakdowns. With selfprofessed lust for raucous crowd response, the band member uses their captivating stage presence to deliver energetic displays of musicianship, punctuated with the occasional Daft Punk cover. I caught up with bassist Andrew Keyes and guitar player James Tebbitt before their most recent set at the Phoenix Concert Theatre to discuss life on tour, moving to Toronto, and the origins of their distinctive sound.

JT: Playing live, every day you see what’s good and you see what’s bad. It means when you go back to practice, we know what will get the crowd going. Things like at the end of our set when Andrew, Jake, and I grab sticks and go mad on the drums along with Nick, we know that works. Those sort of things, when you haven’t heard a band before and you see them going crazy, it gets you into it.

The Varsity: Tell us about the formation of Nightbox, and about the decision to relocate to Toronto from Dublin.

JT: It’s about finding a flow. Starting off easy, and building up to a climax of the set.

AK: It goes the other way as well.

You could be down in the basement and come up with an idea that seems crazy. But playing live, you learn restraint as well. You can’t just go up and play a set and run around for 40 minutes. It gets boring.

AK: Which is when we just gather around the drums and beat the shit out of them.

James Tebbitt: We all went to the same high school together, that’s the basis of how we met. Jacob Bitove (lead vocals) and I became friends playing guitar, later Keyes joined us on bass. Prior to that we were actually another band, The Trotsky’s. It had Nick Bitove (drums) and James Shelly (synths) leading the band. Shelly was the singer at the time. Eventually the two of them left for college in the States. A few years later, when we all had finished with school, we all moved to Toronto in 2010.

TV: Along with general touring, you guys have played your share of festivals this summer. Having played festivals over in Europe, what’s your take on the Canadian events?

Andrew Keyes: Jacob and Nick always had some family in Toronto, and we had always had it in our heads to take a year or two once we were out of school to try to start a band together. Initially, we never thought we’d take the band as seriously as we have. It was more of an adventure.

We ended up taking things year by year, and that’s where we are now.

TV: What were your initial impressions regarding the Toronto music scene when you guys arrived in 2010?

JT: When we first came we were still figuring out who we were as a band. We found that just the size of the city, with so many different types of music, so many more people, offered a lot.

AK: There’s a lot of really great venues around Toronto that never put on any bad bands. If you go to places like The Horseshoe Tavern, the Hideout, Wrongbar — these are all places right around our house. You never have to walk far, and you don’t always know who’s playing, but you’re guaranteed to have a good time and hear some musicians who kick ass.

Nightbox live in Toronto. eVan ottoni/the Varsity

TV: Nightbox definitely has incorporated a lot of great electronic elements, as well as guitar driven rock and roll into its sound. Who brings the different musical influences to the table?

AK: I think different lads in the band brought different things to the table. I find that myself, Nick, and Tebbitt have more of a natural inclination to rock out a bit, and make things loud. Jake and Shelly, they like to write a lot of electronic music. Sometimes it almost seems like Jake and Shelly will come to us with an electronic idea and we’ll rock it up, or vice versa. It’s yin and yang.

TV: Who were some of those acts that left an impression in the early days?

JT: We all have a mutual love for the same music though. I’ll listen to dance records a lot, maybe rock a little more. But we all listen to electronic a lot.

AK: Babe was a big one for us, though they aren’t together anymore. Bravestation too, they’re still working away.

JT: Any indie-dance vibe, with more European sounds, we gelled with, because we had something in common to talk about.

TV: Coming from a background of indie and rock, was it a big adjustment to start playing and writing music with a more electronic flavor?

JT: Well yeah, it's all a gradual process. When we first came to To-

ronto, we were trying to figure out what electronics were in our band, and how they fit in. Still today, it’s a process that is constantly evolving for us.

AK: Music is always a product of the environment that it’s created in. When we first moved over to Torontom, we played in a basement, which was loud, so a lot of the songs were naturally more guitardriven. Then we moved to another place, where we were practicing entirely through headphones. So we had an electronic drum kit, the bass and guitars became quieter, and as a result the songs became more electric. Now I feel like we are at the stage where we are finding a balance in terms of what works.

TV: Tell us more about the sound of the newer material in light of that balance.

AK: In the past, we were a lot more inclined to make sure that everything was very textured, and had a really lush sound to it. Now, we’re definitely embracing the negative space. We’re not afraid to have an awesome part on its own. We’re

AK: It’s a lot sunnier than in the UK, which is always a nice help.

Osheaga was awesome. Osheaga is probably my favorite festival we played this summer. That or maybe Squamish out in BC — the scenery out there is amazing. But the crowds generally in Montréal are really, really enthusiastic. We were the first band on a Saturday, and if that were Ireland or the UK, no one would be crawling out of their tents until four or five in the afternoon.

But they were out there. We were playing to a good few people, and they were really into it.

working on the vocals a lot more too, a lot more harmonies. Tebbitt happened to be playing a lot of acoustic guitar, so there’s a lot more of an acoustic element on some of the newer tracks, which we had never done before.

JT: That was the first-ever festival we had played in Canada, so that was awesome.

JT: It’s a blend of electric and acoustic together.

AK: That was actually our first show as Nightbox. That was terrifying.

AK: One thing I think we all love is when you hear acoustic elements in dance music. I lose my mind when I hear a sweet sounding piano or kick ass guitar on a dance track. That’s what we’re trying to replicate.

TV: Composed of a group of old friends, siblings, and roommates, Nightbox has referred to themselves not only as a band, but also as a brotherhood. Tell me what that means for you as songwriters and performers.

TV: Something that’s been big for your guys in the last two years is the non-stop touring. In that time, you’ve opened for Lights, Dragonette, and now Albert Hammond Jr. on various tours through North America and Europe.

AK: For me, I think we’ve gotten to the point where we know each other so well that we let a lot of things slide and know when to give each other space. I can know what Tebbitt is thinking in a given situation, and I could say the same for the other three guys. It helps with every aspect of our relationship because we really are like a gang. Working on songs, we don’t have to tiptoe around in case we are hurting each other’s feelings, because there’s never any offense given. Ever.

AK: We’re touring as much as we can. We even went out on our own and did a West Coast tour. We started in Toronto, to Vancouver, then to LA, and back. So we’ve been all over in the last year especially.

TV: You guys also played Oxegen festival in Ireland back in the early days of the band.

var.st/arts

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

17

Eight years that shook the art world The Great Upheaval: Masterpieces from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910-1918 at the Art Gallery of Ontario Élyse Comeau

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR The Great Upheaval: Masterpieces from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910-1918 exhibit made its only stop outside of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of New York at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). The vibrant art collection features the leading artists of the twentieth century: Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Marc Chagall, Vasily Kandinsky, and many others.

The exhibit, comprising 70 works in total, embodies a testament of storytelling through art, which unknowingly shaped the work of future generations.

This Pan-European movement consisted of artists from ten countries coming together to break down the barriers of traditional art.

The exhibit is organized chronologically, beginning with the precursors such as Gauguin and Cézanne, and ending with the works that were produced during World War I. Walking through the timeline of the exhibit, visitors see works of artist such as Picasso’s Reoccur — allowing first-hand observations of the evolution of the artist's absract style.

In an interview with The Varsity, David Wistow, the interpretive planner and art history expert at the AGO, explains that with a technological revolution occurring overnight, European countries went from having no means of long-distance communication and transportation to seeing the first telephones, radios, cars, trains and airplanes. In turn, this triggered a great sense of exhilaration, creativity, and innovation across the continent within a blink of an eye. For the first time in history, this leap in innovation, specifically in communication, allowed for the creation of networks between artists from all corners of Europe.

Art could now be moved around and artists in Milan could see work of artists from Paris.

MEDIA PHOTOS

Inevitably, not all fairy tales have happy endings. The numerous innovations led to the creation of a consumer society. Disenchanted by this reality, artists wanted to free themselves from these materialistic ways, and indeed, the artists found gateways to mentally escape this reality by collaborating together, creating never-before-seen art forms.

This energy was consequently reduced to shreds overnight in the wake of the First World War. The last room of the exhibit is characterized by the years of the war, from 1914 to 1918. The art that came out

of these years is astonishing, covering a surprisingly wide spectrum of themes — from vibrant and colorful pieces illustrating the sounds of the weapons, to injured and disembodied self-portraits of the artists as soldiers themselves.

Tracey Bashkoff, the chief curator of the collection and exhibit, claims that because of the "strong connections between these iconic works, the exhibition kind of curated itself.” As Bashkoff explains: “Artists banded together in groups, a phenomenon that not only increased the artists' chance of public

exposure through collective exhibitions, but also encouraged greater experimentation and facilitated means of interchange.” As I paced through the grand rooms, it was both fascinating and intriguing to observe the change and the growth of the artists, apparent in their art throughout these eight groundbreaking years.

The new pace of life and interconnectedness introduced between 1910-1920 allowed artists to pioneer a range of styles, from cubism and futurism, to abstract art — transforming traditional subjects

through varied coloration. The sky really was the limit for these game-changers as they engaged in experimentation.

I encourage you to explore this period of exciting political, social, and technological change, as I did. It allows one to look back from a modern perspective and observe the impact these works had on the course of twentieth century art and life.

The Great Upheaval: Masterpieces from the Guggenheim Collection 19101918 is at the Art Gallery of Ontario until March 2, 2014.

Oh, the spaces you'll go!

Sharing Spaces takes advantage of an ever-changing Toronto through the art of dance Sarah Glickman

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR Being a student in Toronto is a unique cultural privilege. At the same time, this special advantage serves as a constant excuse to procrastinate. Surrounding our collegiate hub is a bustling metropolis made up of distinctive neighbourhoods and filled with extraordinary opportunities worth putting off that philosophy paper for just a bit longer. No matter how hard one tries to hit the books and lock themselves up in Robarts, Toronto is always waiting — tempting and teasing, offering up what feels like a never-ending list of must-see events and venues waiting to be explored.

A couple of months ago, I was presented with a particularly tempting opportunity to further discover my city (and further ignore my readings), with an invitation to a Sharing Spaces production, “Light and Heavy.” The

contemporary dance show took place in the ex-dotcom central turned industrial loft haven neighbourhood of Liberty Village for a small price (the ohso-elusive pay what you can). What a lovely way to effectively procrastinate.

Growing up in Toronto, my experience with dance has ranged from preteen hip-hop classes and Martha Hicks recitals, to being asked to “quiet my breathing and stop fidgeting” at the National Ballet more times than I’d like to admit. I am no dance expert, nor do I claim to be. That being said, it doesn’t take an expert to appreciate the unparalleled experience that Sharing Spaces has to offer local audiences and dancers alike.

I begin at the beginning, with Barbara Frum: Toronto-born, Trinity College student, ex-competitive dancer and founder and president of Sharing Spaces. It was the combination of Frum’s love for her city and passion for dance that brought to fruition this revelatory dance production company. Frum

trained at both the Interplay School of Ballet and the Sean Boutilier Academy of Dance, practicing six days a week at the competitive level. Once she was sure she wanted to pursue higher learning, she decided to dedicate her time and energy to the behind the scenes side of dance and try her hand at entrepreneurship. Ultimately, Frum wanted to introduce an independent dance movement to Toronto on a larger scale, with a company that could offer local audiences the opportunity to enjoy the art of dance at an affordable price.

Sharing Spaces is a uniquely Toronto initiative. It is Frum’s goal to expose audiences to both local talent and local spaces that Torontonians would have otherwise overlooked. While some of us may see this city as a boundless metropolis, local artists — especially dancers — aim to move to larger cities such as New York and Los Angeles in order to make it big. Sharing Spaces aims to hone local talent — showcasing dancers in alternative performance

spaces and creating opportunities for them right here in Toronto.

The showcased artists originate from all over the Greater Toronto Area — bringing with them different artistic backgrounds, styles of dance, and creative influences. Most have had professional training and have performed competitively. Sharing Spaces’ artistic board is made up of a variety of artists all under the age of 22. Members' artistic backgrounds range from classical ballet to spoken word poetry — University of Toronto's own Lucas Regazzi is a member of the artistic board. All who work together to create an eclectic group of passionate youths.

Thus far, two of the three performances produced by Sharing Spaces have been improvised. I admit, I was initially thrown off by the somewhat chaotic nature of “Light and Heavy,” particularly during group performances where dancers would collide with one another. Yet, there were those moments, those unpredictable instances,

where a dancer’s movement seamlessly coincided with the music—an exquisite consequence no rehearsed choreography could create. It was a rush to catch such a rare scene — I had never felt so invested in a performance as an audience member before. On the stylistic choice, Frum explained: “Improv is so interesting because you can really see the performer accessing something subconscious, almost like a dream. You can see what’s in the core of the person’s creative process…

With improv, the dancers are forced to collaborate in front of a live audience — it’s risky, exciting.”

There really is something inherently exciting about it all. Sharing Spaces is not only taking advantage of what Toronto has to offer, but more importantly, sharing and celebrating it with others. As if that “Toronto-to-do list” wasn’t daunting enough.

Learn more about Sharing Spaces at sharingspaces.ca

Science var.st/sCIENCE

RESEARCH RECAP

Fast food ruins your mood

2 DECEMBEr 2013

var.st/science

science@thevarsity.ca

Future tense

WE WILL INDIVIDUALIZE THE PROCESS OF LEARNING The initiation of the Human Brain Project funded by the European Union (eu) and a similar brain Initiative in the usa may, in the next 100 years, lead to a complete map of the brain.

My prediction is that in the next 100 years, brain wave analysis will give us more accurate insight on how to teach a person new concepts in order to minimize the time spent teaching them and maximize their productivity.

Each student will be fitted with a brain-sensing device that will wirelessly connect to a mobile device so that the teacher can accurately assess what parts of the brain show more activity in the learning process.

Wearable brain sensing devices have already been released to the market; however, these are just prototypes that require a little tweaking to achieve great success.

As the year ticks to a close, many begin to look toward the future. In honour of the approaching new year, The Varsity’s science writers have made dramatic predictions for the future. Where will we be in 100 years?

— Mary Githumbi

Illustrations by Takako Nomura

UNMANNED SURVEILLANCE WILL CHANGE PRIVACY Canada has become a world leader in the design and production of unmanned aerial vehicles (uavs). These drones are not susceptible to human error, and are fully autonomous — they can sense their surroundings, react almost instantaneously, and fly in formation, coordinating with other uavs.

They also can be produced inexpensively— your neighbour has probably built one in his basement to spy on you.

The implications for surveillance and military operations are huge: illegally crossing a border is not merely a matter of evading the border patrol officers, but also of evading the thousands of uavs that monitor every stretch of ground, sending real-time updates and video footage of suspicious activity to a massive computer system. If privacy is disappearing now, it will become non-existent.

These drones are easily disguised, and are used by law enforcement agencies, espionage agencies, and military organizations to monitor the general population. The development of new methods of statistical analysis to sort through all this data will be a hot topic in international research. Finally, although there is no lack of public outcry, most passenger aircraft will qualify as uavs and will be flown entirely by computers.

SIGHT WILL BE DIGITIZED There has been a lot of buzz lately about Google Glass and other wearable tech.

But so far, nobody yet can see like Geordie La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation. La Forge, blind from birth, gains sight with a visor that attaches directly to his optic nerve. The visor allows him to detect and distinguish between electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet regions.

If visor technology existed and was made widely available in our time, we would have a universal cure for blindness. After that miraculous event, imagine the possibilities! visors would completely change the perception of our world. Artists would have their palettes expanded in an unprecedented way, and the technological developments that visors would allow are staggering.

As for neutrinos, the current method of neutrino detection involves a massive tank of water, through which the majority of neutrinos fly without interacting. Detecting neutrinos is difficult, but learning about their properties is very important for particle physics and especially for astronomy. With visor technology, we could replace the giant neutrino tanks with a few visor-equipped observers. Their job? Nothing less than peering into the vastness of space, hoping to see something magnificent, and they would.

AGING WON’T BE AN ISSUE It seems inevitable that humans are still going to be aging in the future. However, scientists have been pondering whether aging is avoidable or not. Thinking about a possible “fountain of youth,” brings up the mystery of what causes biological aging.

Several theories of aging have f loated around the scientific community, including one that suggests that the physical aging of our bodies is due to the gradual shortening and damaging of our dna as our cells replicate it.

It seems that preventing this gradual degradation of dna and rebuilding the “lost” parts of dna could become possible in the future. Research is currently underway as to how to repair dna, but it will probably take a number of years to develop.

Science fiction has already suggested a process to delay aging called cryonics. This is a type of preservation that freezes the body in a suspended state, preventing aging due to the freezing of the cells and dna replication process.

The body is kept frozen until it is possible to bring the body back to life, maybe a hundred years from now, when the process of aging is ancient history.

SCIENCE WILL CHANGE ITS PUBLIC IMAGE Soon , I hope, science will be accessible to everyone. Education in science and math will teach more than computation; it will be engaging and fun. More than that, good science education will be globally available.

We’ll find ways to tell the stories of some of humanity’s most beautiful achievements. We may not be able to hang quantum theory in an art gallery, but that shouldn’t mean that it is inaccessible to non-scientists.

Popular books are a great place to start, and it’s my sincere hope that practitioners of science will continue to communicate their discoveries to the general public, so that everyone can share in the excitement.

With this increased awareness of science, our respect for science will be tempered by an understanding of its limitations. We will stop idolizing science as an omniscient, Orwellian force, and we will see it for what it is: beautiful and magnificent, but ultimately a human enterprise, and therefore fallible.

As Joseph Rotblat said in his Nobel lecture, it becomes increasingly clear that we need to ensure that science does not “[become] identified with death and destruction.” We need to keep listening to the Sagans, the Einsteins, and the Rotblats of the world.

— Jennifer Hurd

— Emma Hansen

— Jonathan Ignacio

— Emma Hansen

RESEARCH RECAP Creation of first-ever 3D human heart model Researchers at U of T’s Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (ibbme) and the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine have created the first-ever living three-dimensional human arrhythmia model, with hopes of revolutionizing the field of cardiac disease research.

The product of the team’s original discovery is an understanding of the composition of the cell population of the heart, and the corresponding ratios of the cells. Using pluripotent stem cells and mixing differentiated cells together, Nimalan Thavandiran, a first author and fourth-year ibbme phd student, demonstrated that approximately 25 per cent of the heart cells are cardiac fibroblasts, while 75 per cent are cardiomyocytes.

From there, the team went on to grow the cells on three-dimensional “wires,” yielding live tissue samples, and it wasn’t long before they managed to produce a revolutionary three-dimensional arrhythmia tissue model. Professor Peter Zandstra, co-author and supervisor of the research, is eager for the uses of these miniaturized heart tissue samples in testing the effects of drug therapy on cardiac diseases.

Apart from pharmaceutical testing, the science behind this research could even lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic methods for treating various cardiac diseases.

— Stefan Jevtic

Over six centuries of climate change recorded in coralline algae Jochen Halfar, an associate professor from utm’s Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, has found a new method of modelling climate change by use of the algae Clathromorphum compactum. This species of algae is distributed throughout the Arctic and sub-Arctic oceans, and forms calcite crusts on the seafloor of shallow waters 15- to 17-metres deep.

Halfar worked with colleagues from Germany, Newfoundland, and the Smithsonian Institution to collect and analyze samples of this algae species.

It was determined that C. compactum can provide information for climate reconstruction because its growth rate depends on the temperature and amount of light received in water.

The algae will stop growing when snow-covered sea ice accumulates on the water over the algae, and will resume growing when the sea ice melts.

This climate-dependent growth cycle creates layers in the calcite crusts of the algae that demonstrate long-term annual growth.

C. compactum is a long-lived species, and can provide almost 650 years of information on annual sea ice cover change. According to Halfar, this is the first time coralline algae have been used to track changes in Arctic sea ice, and the algal record demonstrates a significant decrease in ice cover since 1850.

— Anika Hazra

VARSITY SCIENCE

Innovation, accelerated

Innovation, paradigms, buzzwords.

OCAD U hosts Toronto’s first-ever Startup Weekend Makers Edition VARSITY STAFF

ocad University, together with the Ontario Centres of Excellence and The Working Group custom software company, hosted Toronto’s first-ever Startup Weekend Makers Edition from November 22–24. The Startup Weekend was an entrepreneurship marathon — in the course of the weekend, ideas were transformed into reality, and new developments in healthcare and tracking technology were among the results.

On Friday night, budding entrepreneurs formed teams with strangers who would soon be their business partners. Just 54 hours after the 11 teams gave their initial pitches, the prototypes and business models were presented. Startups were born with the help of 3D printers, laser cutters, and mentorship. The teams were vying for the chance to compete in the Global Startup Battle.

Two startups targeted health issues in the senior population. LifeCapsule is a smart scheduled pillbox for stayat-home elders. A pillbox case is programmed with the patient’s medicine schedule and linked to a mobile app which notifies caretakers when the medication is taken. This allows for real-time monitoring, and LifeCapsule has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization due to drug misuse and overdose.

Another product of the weekend, StableRiser, is a silicone-based grip for banisters aimed at minimizing the risk of staircase trips and falls among the senior population. Falls account for 60 per cent of hip fractures, from which further complications can arise.

Other startups were varied in their design and in their target industries.

Highlights include ShipMetrix, a tracking and analysis system for highvalue shipping items; Griflens, a project with interactive story beads that took home first prize; and WaveRider, a device and app system that extends virtual sports tracking to the world of aquatic sports.

The Varsity spoke with Holly Knowlman, one of the event’s organizers.

The Varsity: What is the most rewarding part of this experience?

Holly Knowlman: I have been organizing Startup Weekend for a couple

of years now. This is the first Maker Edition we’ve done, and it’s also only the third Startup Weekend Maker Edition that’s happened at all. It’s always incredibly inspiring to see just what can be achieved in the course of 54 hours. These are teams who, at the beginning of the weekend, just had an idea. Most of them didn’t know each other, and now they have fullyformed startups, and some of these are going to go on to become legitimate businesses. It’s amazing and it’s energizing to see that happen.

Do these appeal to you? You should be writing for science!

contact us at science@thevarsity.ca

TV: Were the teams able to have people with technical or marketing experience to help them throughout their development? Do they get mentors afterwards?

Media Photo

Vaccine Process Engineer

HK: Throughout the event, we bring in a range of experienced mentors.

For example, ge, one of our sponsors, sent us 10 engineering mentors. And the people we have span design, development, customer development, product strategy, people who are experts at doing pitches and presentation, and teams have access to those people throughout the weekend. ocad also provided us with expert technicians who were able to assist with the physical aspects of the prototyping.

Alle vi

Media Photo

HK: The really interesting thing about Startup Weekend is it’s a pretty young company; it’s very agile, and it’s also a global organization. It’s a non-profit, grassroots organization, and they’ve shown themselves really willing to explore different verticals.

There was a Startup Weekend edu event in Toronto this summer, which is all around education startups — that’s something they’re exploring really heavily.

HK: Startups are really, really fundamental to the economy. To have people wanting to start their own businesses, and being nimble and able to take advantage of market opportunity — that’s going to be the future of business.

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What can you do with a Masters in Biotechnology?

TV: Where do you see the future growth of Startup Weekend?

TV: Entrepreneurship culture has been growing exponentially in the past couple of years — how do you see startups fitting into the economy in the future?

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Sports

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Men’s hockey finishes semester at home Saturday

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2 DECEMBEr 2013

sports@thevarsity.ca

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Sports remodel changes little in intercollegiate system Model intended to align with OUA and CIS sport models with few exceptions

CURRENT STRUCTURE

NEW MODEL WHO WINS WHAT?

UNIVERSITY DIVISION

UNIVERSITY DIVISION

Basketball Cross Country Field Hockey (women’s) Football (men’s) Hockey Rugby (women’s) Soccer Swimming Track and Field Volleyball

Basketball Cross Country Field Hockey (women’s) Football (men’s) Hockey Rugby (women’s) Soccer Swimming Track and Field Volleyball Golf

TORONTO DIVISION

TORONTO DIVISION

Badminton Baseball Nordic Rowing Curling Rugby (men’s) Fencing Figure Skating Water Polo Tennis Golf Fastpitch Mountain biking Lacrosse (women’s) Lacrosse (men’s) Wrestling

Baseball (men’s) Lacrosse (women’s) Rowing Rugby (men’s)

BLUE AND WHITE DIVISION Badminton Curling Fastpitch Fencing Figure Skating Lacrosse (men’s) Mountain Biking Nordic Tennis Water Polo Wrestling

downwards movement no movement upwards movement

Elizabeth Benn SPORTS EDITOR

On November 21, the long-awaited sports model proposal was released.

It was created in order to re-evaluate the current model that was formed in the 1990s. The previous model sorted all varsity teams and varsity clubs into two categories: the University Division, which housed 10 sports, and the Toronto Division, which housed 18 sports. The model now has three divisions: the University Division, the Toronto Division, and the Blue and White division, with most teams in the last.

If the revised model is approved, then every team on the previous list would remain, except cheerleading, which was removed from the varsity sport or high-performance club rank before the model underwent its redesign.

The only sports that will remain in the Toronto Division will be men’s baseball, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s rowing, and men’s rugby — every other team

previously categorized in that division will be demoted to the Blue and White division.

The model is based closely on the Ontario University Athletics (oua) and Canadian Intercollegiate Sports (cis) models in regards to the categorization of sports into divisions. Although U of T Athletics makes some minor adjustments from those models, such as classifying golf in the University Division — mainly due to their program’s financial support and their partnership with Angus Glenn Golf Club.

The model will also be benefiting those teams previously considered high-performance clubs rather than varsity teams: fastpitch, men’s lacrosse, and mountain biking. Now, the teams will receive more funding than before and receive the same types of benefits as all of the other varsity teams in the division.

With all of the hype created with discussion about the new model, athletes, coaches, faculty, students, and alumni will be pleased with the fact that teams will continue to receive a fair amount of support, with

many of the lower-ranked teams receiving more support than before.

The main change that will occrus in the model will be the scope of the programs. The model determines that months in which teams will be able to have priority over athletic and medical facilities in order train and practice for their seasons. The University Division will have the same benefits for the full year, while the Toronto Division will be provided with the benefits for six to eight months, and the Blue and White Division will for four to six months.

Along with the change in the scope of the programs, the level of support provided to each division will vary. The most significant variations will be between divisions, but there will also be inconsistencies in resource distribution among teams in the same divisions, depending on the teams’ requirements to compete successfully.

“The challenge for Canada’s largest university is to offer a breadth of university high-performance sport opportunities for students that reflects the university’s size

and diversity, while also providing a framework for athletic success at the provincial and national levels — and doing all of this within fixed resources, “ said Beth Ali, director of intercollegiate and high performance sport.

“With the announced revisions, U of T’s intercollegiate program will remain the country’s largest,” she added.

“We’re looking at a way to maintain a broad base of programming, and find a way to maintain a strong student athlete experience, and a strong student experience for the rest of the student body as well, while still being able to focus our resources on being more successful,” said Ali. Now that the model is fully drafted, it will go through a number of other phases that require other counsels and administration to approve it. As the discussion will be ongoing for the intercollegiate model, the tri-campus sports model and intramural sports model will be developed.

After a fully-approved intercollegiate model is set, it will be insti-

2003–2013

10 YEARS 77 PROVINCIAL TITLES 4 NATIONAL TITLES BADMINTON: 4 PROVINCIAL TITLES BASEBALL: 3 PROVINCIAL TITLES CROSS-COUNTRY: 2 PROVINCIAL TITLES 1 NATIONAL TITLE FENCING: 7 PROVINCIAL TITLES FAST PITCH: 1 PROVINCIAL TITLES FIELD HOCKEY: 6 PROVINCIAL TITLES 2 NATIONAL TITLES GOLF: 4 PROVINCIAL TITLES ICE HOCKEY: 1 PROVINCIAL TITLES INDOOR HOCKEY: 1 PROVINCIAL TITLES LACROSSE: 2 PROVINCIAL TITLES MOUNTAIN BIKING: 4 PROVINCIAL TITLES SOCCER: 2 PROVINCIAL TITLES SWIMMING: 16 PROVINCIAL TITLES 1 NATIONAL TITLE SQUASH: 3 TITLES PROVINCIAL TITLES TRACK AND FIELD: 1 PROVINCIAL TITLE TENNIS: 6 PROVINCIAL TITLES VOLLEYBALL: 5 PROVINCIAL TITLES WATER POLO: 10 PROVINCIAL TITLES

tuted, Ali hopes, by May, the start of U of T Athletics’ financial year, and will be implemented into the intercollegiate sports’ organization for the 2014–2015 season.

Every five years, teams’ placement in the model will be reviewed, which will give teams a chance to shift from one division of the model to another, if it seems called for. In some circumstances, they will move around based on how they are viewed and treated on a larger scale (the oua and cis scales), and other times they will be able to make a case for themselves in order to receive the perks that the higher-ranked teams receive.

“We have to have specific development plans for every team in every division. We will be as equitable as possible,” said Ali. “But we will also be looking for the type of support that will make the student athlete experience really good, but also make the program as successful as it can be,” she said. “Hopefully create programs that are interesting, create some campus spirit and school pride. For the general student body and not just the athletes themselves.”

var.st/sports

VARSITY SPORTS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2013

21

Religion and sport: momentous events The third of three pieces on the connection between religion and sports Elizabeth Benn SPORTS EDITOR

The upcoming holidays will provide a break from school stresses after the exam period. But the holidays are not rooted in breaks from the modern work schedule; the holidays are rooted in the Biblical calendar, so it is to religion that we owe our thanks for this holiday break.

For those who are religious, their religion’s calendar affects their lives around certain times of the year, such as ongoing Chanukah and upcoming Christmas.

Regardless of individuals’ present religious practices, prominent religious holidays’ names will be familiar. Similarly, it would be difficult to find someone who is unfamiliar with the World Series, the Stanley Cup, the Superbowl, and Wimbledon.

“There are certain markers in religion that are those special moments in time and are more sacred than the rest of the calendar,” said Peter Schwartz, co-author of Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game.

Like followers of religion, these events seep into the lives of fans of the sports; fans will organize their schedules around the events, dress in accordance with the games, and discuss and predict upcoming results daily. If the significant games take place during the day, an increase in “sick” workers can also be found.

“In both religion and in sport there are moments of heightened awareness

and heightened sensitivity that matter more to the observer and those interpreting it than other more profane moments along the way,” said Schwartz.

As the calendar and games progress to the end of the season, intensity levels rise, and regular-season games seem to hold more importance. Similarly, the time leading up to religious holidays slowly begin to hold more significance. Leading up to Easter, one of the most significant days in the Christian calendar, Christians go to church for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

Similarly, during the baseball season, few feel the intensity of a midJune day game between the Padres and the Giants, but as the season progresses, each game becomes a little more important, leading to the first round of division series of the playoffs, the championship series, and, finally, the World Series.

“The tension grows to a crescendo at those moments,” said Schwartz.

“Baseball mirrors this in a way, where it’s a close game during the dog days of summer doesn’t hold the same resentence as a 1-run game in October because so much more is on the line, and it’s not simply a matter of winning and losing, it’s a matter of feelings evoked in the players, and especially in the fans, while watching this,” he added.

Finally, along with the scheduled events, abnormalities will sometimes occur in a game that are so rare and unexpected that they cause an ineffable sensation. The players’ names and the games’ dates will go down in the sport’s history forever. A per-

fect game may never occur again in baseball, and a record may never be broken; when these rarities do occur, however, feelings and emotions are provoked, similar to those evoked by religious miracles.

The significance between these rarities in sports and religion are significant not simply because of their rarity, but because of the idea of the unexpected and the inexplicable being realized.

On May 7, 2011, I saw Tigers ace pitcher Justin Verlander throw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays. I had never seen a no-hitter in person before, and probably never will again. Despite the game occurring at Verlander’s opposing team’s stadium, the crowd was swept with an ineffable sensation and congratulated the pitcher on his feat.

The next day, Verlander signed my ticket from his no-hitter, and I kept this memento in my wallet as a reminder of this miraculous feat that I witnessed.

That November, my wallet was stolen. I didn’t care about the money that was lost, the cards that would need to be replaced, or the wallet itself, which was a black leather Marc Jacobs. What I was most upset about was the idea that this unique piece of memorabilia from a miraculous event would now and forever be rotting in the sewers of Toronto.

Baseball has affected me in a way in which nothing else has been able to up to this point in my life, just as religion has done for millions of people around the world, and I owe many thanks to it.

NANCY JI/THEVARSITY

Blues stay active over the winter break U of T teams are getting ready for second semester’s competition William Deck

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

For many University of Toronto students, the holidays are viewed as a break from school; it’s a period for rest and relaxation, spending time with family and friends, and, perhaps, a vacation to a sunny location.

Best of all, it is a time when we are free from the commitments and stress of school. For many Varsity Blues athletes, however, their commitments to their respective teams, and the Varsity Blues community at large, have them playing in important games and tournaments, and participating in training camps over the holidays while their non-athlete peers relax at home.

The holidays are often filled with big games for many teams, and this year is no different.

The men’s hockey team will travel to Ottawa on December 29 to take on the Carleton Ravens in their home arena. This will be followed by two games against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on January 3 and 4. The Thunderwolves are currently sitting

Swim teams placed first against Western this weekend. MICHAEL CHAHLEY/THE VARSITY

in first place in the Ontario University Athletics (oua) West with 10 wins and 3 losses, but the Varsity Blues, currently in third place, only have one more loss than Lakehead and could take advantage of the doubleheader to advance in the standings.

The badminton team will be participating in the badminton marathon on December 22 at home in the Athletic Centre. The annual event typically hosts over 70 players aged 12–60 from various clubs. Last year, the event raised $4,000 for the program.

Another big day for the Blues comes on January 5, when the women’s basketball team will face cross-town rival Ryerson in a doubleheader. Although the Blues, who currently have a 1–6 record, are reeling, the doubleheader will give them a chance to improve their record against the 3–5 Ryerson Rams team.

Many Varsity Blues athletes won’t have to worry about planning a holiday vacation, as their teams take them all over the country for tournaments, games, and training camps.

The women’s volleyball team will be making a long trip to Edmonton where they will partake in the University of Alberta New Year’s Classic, an exhibition tournament which features some of the best teams in the country. The Blues are currently 8–2 and third in their division.

One team that is participating in a training camp away from home is the track and field team, who is leaving to the img Academy in Bradenton, Florida on December 27 where they will participate in a final, focused, hard week of training before the start of their competitive season.

Apart from enjoying the heat of the sunshine state while their peers endure sub-zero temperatures, another reason for taking the team so far to train is to take advantage of the full, 400 meter outdoor track.

“A main reason we head south is to get onto a full-sized 400 meter outdoor track, which is more forgiving on overuse injuries than the tight corners of a 200–meter indoor track,” explained track athlete Rachel Jewett.

That said, there are more advantages to the training camp besides the heat and the outdoor track.

“Another huge part of training camp is getting the team together mentally and physically for an extended period of time as a bonding experience,” continued Jewett. “We train together, live together, cook together, and truly become a team at this camp.”

Around this time of year, many teams get into the holiday spirit by hosting charity events, or organizing group volunteering sessions.

For example, on November 30 Varsity Blues athletes hosted their Holiday Toy Toss, where fans brought toys to toss onto the ice between periods at both the men’s and women’s games. All toys were donated to the cp24 chum Christmas Wish.

All in all, the holidays provide the perfect time for teams to train and endure heavy workouts and teambonding activities that will build a stronger team, and play in some big games along the way. These opportunities allow the Blues to come back to school as stronger athletes and more cohesive teams in the second semester.

VARSITY SPORTS

Blues women`s hockey ends first semester with 4–2 victory

Blues women’s hockey team fnishes semester with 11-4 record. VIVEK SRIKANTHAN/THEVARSITY

Sampson Coutts VARSITY STAFF

The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team hosted the Laurentian Voyageurs Saturday afternoon, kicking off a doubleheader at Varsity Arena with a 4–2 win.

In attendance was a crew from CP24, who collected plush toys from generous fans as part of the Varsity Blues’ second annual Holiday Toy Toss. All donated toys went to CP24 chum Christmas Wish, which distributes toys to underprivileged kids across the Toronto region.

The first period ended with a 2–2 tie, the Voyageurs looking significantly better than their average record would suggest, and at times challenging the Blues in a manner that only some teams have so far this season.

The highlight of the frame came just over six minutes into the contest, with Blues defender Caitlin Maikawa scoring her first goal in the Ontario University Athletics (oua). For her efforts, both on the score sheet and defensively, Maikawa was named the game’s first star. After the match, an exuberant Maikawa admitted that it was: “good to finally get one,” but placed greater importance on her team getting the win.

The Blues broke the deadlock just over a minute into the second period, with captain Kelly O’Hanlon throwing a stretch pass to leading scorer Taylor Day, who fired the puck just under the crossbar for the eventual game winner.

Near the end of the period, the Blues scored once more, with Maikawa again in on the action.

Senior Amanda Ricker tipped a high Maikawa point shot in front of the Voyageurs goal, completely fooling Laurentian goaltender Emily Toffoli.

The second period was also notable for the excellent play of rookie Toronto goaltender Michaela Logan.

Starting for the first time at home this season, Logan overcame a tough start to the contest and played very well in the second and third periods. After her first home win, Logan admitted that she felt a bit nervous to start the match, but credited her team for having her back.

The final frame saw both teams stymied by solid goaltending, with Laurentian trying desperately to get back into the contest, and Toronto hoping to put the game beyond doubt. Logan was perfect in the third period, making several great saves, particularly on a late 6-on-4 Laurentian powerplay.

The win was the tenth of the season for the Varsity Blues, placing them in the upper-echelon of oua clubs. The women’s team has been fantastic all season, with excellent scoring depth, penalty killing, and some of the best goaltending in cis.

Maikawa commented that: “It’s been a good first half and hopefully the second half will be even better.”

Good seems like an understatement, and it is not unreasonable to expect that this hockey club will be playing deep into the postseason.

sports@thevarsity.ca

Washington Redskins owner refuses to change team’s name JP Kaczur

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

I’m sure by now many of you are familiar with the Washington Redskins controversy. Just in case, a quick primer: the owner of the Redskins Dan Snyder refuses to change his team’s name, although groups like Oneida Nation have stated that they find the name offensive.

“It’s a dictionary-defined offensive racial epithet,” said Ray Halbritter representative for the Oneida Indian Nation in an interview with cnn.

An obvious solution would be to just change the name, right? It might be costly to burn all of those t-shirts, jerseys, and hats with a racist moniker on them, but considering that whole empathy thing, it seems pretty obvious, no? Dan Snyder doesn’t seem to get it, though.

“We’ll never change the name,” Snyder told usa Today, on a break from jumping into large piles of coins.

“It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps!”

What Snyder is doing here is exhibiting a childlike reaction to a perfectly reasonable request. Many have called for Snyder to change the team’s name, but I don’t think that’s good enough at this point. What that little troublemaker Daniel needs is a lesson.

I propose he not only changes the name, but he also changes it to something that would make even a child understand that what they are doing is wrong.

In order to do that, we must first figure out what sort of childlike behavior he is exhibiting. Like most people who have taken an Intro to Psycholgy course, I feel qualified to make diagnoses that would normally be left to highly trained professionals.

According to one of the things I stayed up binge studying — this thing called

NANCY JI/THEVARSITY

Jean Piaget’s stages of development — Snyder appears to be exhibiting traits of Piaget’s preoperational stage.

The preoperational stage is characterized by a child’s egocentric behavior. At this stage, children only understand things from their own point of view. Typically it occurs from ages 2–7 — Daniel Snyder just turned 48 last week. Before you go poking holes, I will have you know that Piaget did mention that children could go through the stages at different ages.

One can see how the 48-year-old exhibits egocentric traits of a preoperational child through his treatment of groups like the Oneida Nation. This might seem obvious, but if he weren’t egocentric, his quote from usa Today would probably read more like, “I will change the name as soon as I can.”

During the preoperational stage, a child’s thinking is more intuitive than logical. This is evident in how “Danny the Menace” doesn’t seem to understand the dictionary’s power. A cognitively mature person would do a quick calculation in their head: offended group + a dictionary defined racial epithet = changing the name.

Instead, the pipsqueak’s thinking is still egocentric, thus his intuition is to think only of himself.

Snyder’s behavior clearly demonstrates egocentricism and intuition based thinking. I’m pretty sure, though, that the little rascal is over the “Animus” thing — this is where a child believes cars wont start because they are sick. Regardless, Piaget did insist that these stages couldn’t be skipped completely. New intellectual abilities and a more developed understanding of the world mark each stage. In other words, there is still hope for our little guy. He’s just a little behind.

In order for him to reach the next stage, he needs to stop believing that he’s the only one who exists. What I suggest is a tactic used on children in the preoperational stage. When a child does something that is wrong, and doesn’t understand that it is, their parent, teacher, or guardian, asks: “How would you feel if someone did that to you?”

With that in mind, I’m thinking that instead of keeping the current name of the team, we should rename them the Washington Stupid White Men. How would that feel, Daniel? Does it make you sad when someone calls you a name?

Forgive me if this came off as patronizing, but honestly, it’s for the boy’s own good. Soon enough, Mr. Snyder, you will be a part of what Piaget called the formal operational stage.

MATT IS DIFFERENT. ARE YOU?

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1. Body shop?

4. Acclaim 8. Course cry 12. Senate vote 13. Bad marks in high school?

14. Apt anagram of vile 15. Boom times 16. Slam, perhaps 17. Bulletin board fastener 18. Come to the point?

20. Shuttle cover 21. Cheater’s secret 23. Edited out 25. Went like the wind 27. Biscuit, to the gravy 28. Familial palindrome 31. Hindu incarnation 33. Far and near 35. Do goo 36. Kicker?

38. He wrote about Friday 39. Madagascan primate 41. Chickened out, in a way 42. Got one’s feet wet?

45. “Beau ___” 47. Abbreviated mystery writer?

48. 18-wheeler, briefly 49. Fish delivery?

52. Gambler’s option 53. Military group 54. Bluejacket 55. Half a matched set 56. Measure, old-style 57. Blue Angels’ domain

1. Serengeti sighting 2. Peke’s bark 3. Like a mantra 4. Diary protector 5. Rued the workout 6. Toughens by exposure 7. Serve to be re-served 8. Noisome 9. Common model-train layout 10. Houston university 11. “Benevolent” order 19. Act as a henchman 20. Not so hot 21. Mountaineer’s challenge 22. Best kind of review 24. Bossy sound?

26. Of a certain period 28. Turns aside 29. Natural soother 30. Changed locks?

32. CD appendage 34. Adroit 37. Dramatist O’Neill 39. Advances 40. Put the check in the mail 42. Hamper contents 43. Get the pot going 44. Hardly upbeat 46. Dig, for example 48. Bottom line 50. Cask material 51. High partner Last issue’s solutions are now online: var.st/crossword

Thanks for reading U of T! We’ll be back on January 6

Good luck with exams and happy holidays!