August 20, 2012

Vol. CXXXIII, No. 1

University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

20 August, 2012

THE Varsity thevarsity.ca

U of T student makes big-screen debut at TIFF pg 9

University opens work-study program to all Funding changes grant university control over eligibility Rida Ali ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

The University of Toronto is launching a revised version of the work-study program, this year, after taking over funding from the Ontario government.

The work-study program provides students with part-time jobs on campus that tend to have more flexibility than part-time work off campus.

Funding for the program, traditionally financed by provincial funds combined with university contributions, was eliminated in the

April 2012 Ontario budget — a budget that critics claim eliminates a total of $100 million in existing scholarships and assistance programs — as part of an effort to shave a billion dollars off the provincial deficit by next year.

U of T has said that the university will continue to finance the program, with 20 per cent of student wages coming from employer contributions and the remaining 80 per cent funded centrally by the university.

Students who have used the program in the past say it was an ideal way for them to earn money while enrolled full-time in school, and to

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

“Affording an education is a real concern affecting all students. The inclusion of part-time, out-of-province, and international students is a positive step towards recognizing that work-study programs are aid sources for all students.”

—Abigail Cudjoe, vice-president-external, UTSU gain work experience in their field without putting too great a strain on their studies.

“Prior to working on campus, I worked weekends and some weekdays at a not-for-profit organization,” said Ben Peel, an undergraduate student at U of T and former participant in the work-study scheme. “It was very demanding on me personally and academically since I never had any time to study or work on papers over the weekend.

“I never ran into that problem in any of my work-study positions. My employers allowed me to organize my schedule around my free time on campus.”

“The program provided an excellent opportunity to develop important skills and work ethic, meet new people, and make life-long friendships,” said Ezaz Uddin. “For many students … the work-study program provided their first professionally-relevant work experience.”

In the past the program was restricted to fulltime, domestic students who were receiving funding from OSAP. But the university has redesigned the program to give more students workstudy opportunities since taking full responsibility for funding; work-study positions are now open to all University of Toronto students.

The expansion of the eligibility criteria has

drawn mixed reactions from students.

While Uddin believes giving more students the option of working on campus is a positive step, “students with substantive financial needs should get priority, not only because of the financial aspect, but also because students who come from poor [or] stressed households are likely to have a hard time securing employment.”

“Affording an education is a real concern affecting all students. The inclusion of part-time, out-of-province, and international students is a positive step towards recognizing that work-study programs are aid sources for all students,” said Abigail Cudjoe, vice-presidentexternal of the University of Toronto Students’ Union, in a statement.

“At a time when many programs and initiatives are being scaled back or cut completely, it’s really great that the vice provost-students is dedicating funding towards the work-study program,” said Peel.

Students who meet the criteria can apply for the program at www.careers.utoronto.ca; applications open September 1 and the hiring deadline is September 28, or when the workstudy budget has been committed.

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MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012

VARSITY NEWS

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City council torpedoes proposed College Street residence The standoff over approval for an off-campus residence has reduced university-neighbour relations to their lowest point in years James Maiangowi VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Toronto City Council voted in July to oppose the development of a privately-run residence for U of T students, to be located on College Street. The vote is yet another setback in the university’s efforts to meet burgeoning demand for housing spaces on its St. George campus.

City councillors, who declined to approve the zoning amendments necessary for construction on the project to begin, opted to dispatch city staff to speak against the project when it comes up for appeal at the Ontario Municipal Board in November. A preliminary OMB hearing was held earlier in August.

Although the proposed residence would house U of T students, Toronto developer Knightstone Capital Management has been pursuing approval for the project at City Hall, as well as hosting the requisite community consultations on behalf of the university. The land on which the proposed residence would be built was leased to Knightstone by the university in 2010.

Knightstone initially proposed a 42-storey modern residence, later scaled back to 24 storeys after the degree of local opposition to the development became clear.

Ralph Daley, president of the Grange Community Association, said his main concern was that the residence was a poor fit for the surrounding neighbourhood.

“We’re in favour of students, we’re in favour of student residences; we are not in favour of this building,” said Daley. “It has to fit into the community.”

Although Daley and other community leaders stress that their concern is limited to the Knightstone residence, U of T and its neighbours have been at odds over development beyond the university’s perimeter for several years. The Knightstone proposal appears to have brought these simmering tensions to the fore.

“We’re going to war,” threatened Rory (Gus) Sinclair, a

board member of the Harbord Village Residents’ Association, to The Globe and Mail in June. “Co-operation is over.”

In a June op-ed in the Toronto Star, Daley and the letter’s co-authors allude to a history of conflict between U of T students and the communities surrounding campus. Last year, the Annex made headlines over a plan to license and regulate fraternity and sorority households in the neighbourhood, after repeated complaints about unruly student behaviour.

“This is a terrible housing proposal. It’s [the] warehousing of students in substandard housing.”

— Adam Vaughan, Toronto city councillor City Council considered the proposal late in session July 13. Following the unanimous approval of an amendment introduced by councilor Adam Vaughan, intended to close off a legal loophole concerning boarding houses, Council again voted unanimously to reject the Knightstone proposal as it stood, and instructed city staff to oppose it in the fall.

Vaughan, whose constituency includes a substantial portion of the St. George campus, has been a particularly vocal opponent of the Knightstone plan.

Vaughan expressed concern several times in the spring that the university has persistently “refused to divulge” information on the development. The university released its contract with Knightstone Capital in May, after initially withholding

the document because of a non-disclosure clause that has since been mutually waived by Knightstone and U of T. Relations with City Hall worsened when the university, in a statement accompanying the contract, charged that Vaughan had “uncharacteristically threatened to use his office to damage the University’s interests in various ways.” Vaughan denied these accusations in an interview with The Varsity in July.

“I’ve tried in the last six years to work well with the university,” said Vaughan, referring to his efforts to ease the development of university projects such as Rotman Central and the Mining Building. “But this is a terrible housing proposal.

It’s [the] warehousing of students in substandard housing.”

Vaughan has met with U of T president David Naylor twice in the last year. Both the university and Vaughan expressed a desire to return to a more “positively collaborative” relationship.

The University of Toronto is not the only Canadian university looking at private sector solutions to its student residence problems. Trent University entered into an agreement in 2011 that would see Residence Development Corp., a private realestate concern, own and operate a new student residence.

Under the terms of the lease the university stands to receive an annual fee of $350,000 for 99 years, adjusted for inflation. The money would be directed to Student Life programs and services.

But council’s opposition to the Knightstone proposal leaves the university in a difficult position. Demand for affordable student housing has increased significantly in recent years as the student population on the St. George campus has continued to grow. Currently, just one in four St. George students can be accommodated in university housing. Internal university reports have suggested that the best solution to the housing crunch would be to construct high-density residence towers like the existing Chestnut Residence on Dundas Street.

With local residents riled up, and city council seemingly unwilling to approve the construction of any such towers, the way forward for the university remains unclear.

var.st/news

VARSITY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012

U of T to offer free online courses

Toronto one of 12 new schools signing on with Stanford startup Leah Nosal VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Starting this September, the University of Toronto will offer free web-based courses through Coursera, an online education platform used by some of America’s leading universities.

Co-founders Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, computer science professors at Stanford University, announced on July 17 that U of T would be one of their company’s 11 new partners.

Initially launched in the fall of 2011, Coursera brought Stanford, Princeton, Penn State and the University of Michigan on board in April of this year. U of T is the first Canadian partner to join and currently offers five courses.

Coursera users are able to subscribe to lectures, browse reading materials, and take final exams for over 100 different courses, all for the price of an Internet connection.

While Coursera classes do not count for official university credits, students do earn certifications of recognition.

good for universities to give back.”

Williams imagines Coursera will be a powerful resource for those who are unsure about going to university.

Gries and colleague Jennifer Campbell add that high school students may use Coursera to take classes their school does not offer, such as computer science.

Coursera may also serve as an ongoing education tool for teachers.

For students worried that U of T’s online offerings will cheapen their own degree, professor Geoffrey Hinton insists that while “it will be nice for people not at the university, it will be even nicer for the people at the university.” He says that instead of threatening the value of a U of T degree, Coursera will enrich it.

The overlap of material between Coursera classes and U of T courses mean that Coursera’s online offerings can be used as supplementary study tools.

Coursera could also be used by U of T students to take classes that their degree may not allow.

“Coursera is a low-pressure opportunity to

“Humanities and Social Sciences.” Social science courses face unique challenges for classes with thousands of students.

“It’s the evaluation that’s the challenge for online humanities courses,” says Williams. “We’re not dealing with issues where this a right or wrong answer.”

Williams will be teaching The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness with Coursera this year.

Restoule also sees unique challenges for his online humanities class.

“There is a community-building process and an intimacy of sharing stories that takes place in the classroom that will be difficult to replicate online,” he says.

Campbell, however, notes the potential for peer assessment in these cases: the professor can outline a rubric and examples so that students may grade each other and judge their own progress.

The platform has the potential to expand beyond its current university base. “Right now Coursera is very North American. But why wouldn’t I want to take a course in India?” asks Williams.

Profiles Professor Charmaine Williams is the associate dean, academic of social work and U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Chair in Health and Mental Health. Her Coursera class, The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness, has over 2,000 students.

Professor Geoffrey Hinton works within U of T’s Department of Computer Science. He is a friend of Andrew Ng’s (co-founder).

His course, Neural Networks for Machine Learning, registered over 5,000 students just three days after launching.

Professors Jennifer Campbell and Paul Gries work within U of T’s Department of Computer Science. They are signed on for two installments of their “Learn to Program” course. Over 12,000 students are currently enrolled.

Professor Jean-Paul Restoule is part of the Leadership, Higher and Adult Education department at OISE, and co-chair of OISE’s Indigenous Education Network.

He will be teaching Aboriginal Worldviews and Education in February 2013.

Michael bedford/THe VArsity

Paul Gries, a lecturer in U of T’s computer science department, says that Coursera follows the efforts of the Khan Academy and Wikipedia to make quality education more accessible through technology.

To date, the company has over 680,000 students from 190 countries, which means more than 1.6 million course enrollments.

For the University of Toronto, Coursera is an opportunity to enhance its global image as a leader of innovation.

“U of T already has an international status,” says Gries. “This partnership reinforces a message that’s already out there.”

The U of T and Coursera partnership is not only a branding tool, but also a way to break down the elitist and exclusive stigma that surrounds universities, says U of T professor Charmaine Williams.

“This is a way for U of T to have an impact out there in the real world,” she says. “Our communities give a lot to universities and it’s

pursue further learning at [students’] own pace,” says U of T professor Jean-Paul Restoule.

Professors on board with the project agree that access to online material is no replacement for teacher interaction.

“In order to advance properly and achieve excellence, you need a more well-rounded experience,” says Gries.

“There is an opportunity for more depth, interactivity, and relationship-building in the pursuit of a degree,” says Restoule.

“There is more wholism to a degree than a set of courses taken from Coursera or other online learning platforms.”

Indeed, many professors view Coursera as the next step for U of T’s current “inverted classroom” model. Inverted classrooms offer fundamental course material online so that class time can be more interactive.

Coursera’s online courses currently focus on programming and technology and only 13 classes out of 116 are categorized as

Coursera’s financial prospects are heavily debated. The startup has $22 million in investments, and Ng and Koller admit that a pay system is possible in the future.

Charging for access to Coursera may encourage schools to offer full university credits online, but Coursera would have to sacrifice its accessibility.

Despite this uncertainty, U of T faculty insist that it is important for the university to be on board with this new wave of education innovation.

“Nobody really knows where this is going to go. But it seems like a good idea for U of T to be involved in the initiative,” Hinton says. “It’s much more important for them to be involved in this technology, however it turns out, instead of being conservative and not put resources towards it. The amount of resources being putting in is minor compared to the significance of this kind of education.”

U of T’s first round of free online course offerings through Coursera include: Neural Networks for Machine Learning

by Geoffrey Hinton Learn to Program: The Fundamentals:

by Jennifer Campbell & Paul Gries Aboriginal Worldviews and Education:

by Jean-Paul Restoule Learn to Program: Crafting Quality Code

by Jennifer Campbell & Paul Gries The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness

by Charmaine Williams

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VARSITY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012

THE Varsity VOL. CXXXIII No. 1

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

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Murad Hemmadi

editor@thevarsity.ca

Design Editors Suzy Nevins Dan Seljak

suzy@thevarsity.ca dan@thevarsity.ca

Photo Editor Bernarda Gospic

photo@thevarsity.ca

Production Editor Alex Ross production@thevarsity.ca Managing Online Editor Patrick Love online@thevarsity.ca Senior Copy Editor Laura Mitchell

copy@thevarsity.ca

News Editor Simon Bredin

news@thevarsity.ca

Comment Editor Joshua Oliver

comment@thevarsity.ca

Features Editor Simon Frank

features@thevarsity.ca

Arts & Culture Editor Brigit Katz

arts@thevarsity.ca

Science Editor Dennis Dobrovolsky

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Sports Editor Zoë Bedard

sports@thevarsity.ca

news@thevarsity.ca

Supreme Court rulings undermine Access Copyright July decisions prompt renewed calls to void controversial U of T agreement Justin Lee VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

A Supreme Court of Canada ruling has left a controversial agreement between the University of Toronto and Access Copyright largely intact, although the UTSU renewed its calls for the university to pull out of the agreement.

In July, the Supreme Court delivered a series of rulings that dealt a serious blow to Access Copyright’s business model, generously expanding the definition of the fair use of copyright materials for educational purposes, but only, it appears, for grades kindergarten through 12.

“The Supreme Court decision against Access Copyright gives students hope that the collection of these fees will be halted,” said Munib Sajjad, vice-president, university affairs for the University

of Toronto Students’ Union. “Students’ access to necessary material should not be burdened by unfair, unnecessary fees for Access Copyright.”

Access Copyright, a non-profit collective that represents copyright holders and publishers, signed an agreement with the university last January. U of T was one of only two universities (the other being the University of Western Ontario) to sign the contentious agreement, which drew swift condemnation from students, faculty, and copyright experts.

Under the agreement, U of T students must pay $27.50 (up from $3.38) to digitally access copyright materials as part of their education; the deal also introduced invasive restrictions on sending emails with links to such materials. Fourteen other universities, including Queen’s, UBC, Waterloo, Guelph and Carleton, refused to sign the agreement.

“Students rely on access to content for the purposes of education,” said Sajjad. “The Copyright Act allows students to access content for educational purposes — there should be no fee. Access Copyright is scamming students. We hope the University of Toronto joins its peers across the country and reconsiders its agreement with Access Copyright.”

When the agreement was signed, Cheryl Misak, vice-president and provost, stated that the university believed the agreement was “fair for all the parties — those who create the materials, as well as students who gain access to copyright materials through the university.” Since Access Copyright has demanded $45 dollars per student from other universities, it is possible that U of T, by agreeing early to the terms of the deal, may have saved U of T students some money.

Illustrations Editor Jenny Kim illustrations@thevarsity.ca Video Editor Wyatt Clough

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Associate Design Editor Nathan Watson Associate Photo Editor Vacant Associate Online Editors Vacant Associate Copy Editor Vacant Associate News Editor Rida Ali Associate Comment Editor Vacant Associate Features Editor Vacant Associate A&C Editors Vacant Associate Science Editors Vacant Associate Sports Editor Vacant

Contributors Rida Ali, Patrick Baud, Zoë Bedard, Simon Bredin, Simon Bromberg, Alberto Bustamente, Connor Emdin, Simon Frank, Catherine Friedman, Sunnie Huang, Stephan Jayratnam, Emma Jones, Brigit Katz, Danielle Klein, Justin Lee, James Maiangowi, Jimmy Yiu Nam Mo, Ishita Petkar, Aisha Raja, Zane Schwartz, Abdullah Shihipar, Dan Smeenk

Copy Editors Zoë Bedard Catherine Kabasele Brigit Katz Alex Ross

Designers Angela Brock Suzy Nevins Dan Seljak Nathan Watson Michelle Yuan

Fact Checkers Zoë Bedard Laura Mitchell

Photo and Illustration Minhee Bae Michael Bedford Jing Ling Kao Beserve Bernarda Gospic Jenny Kim

Cover Bernarda Gospic

Business Office Business Manager John Fountas

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Advertising Manager Tina Yazdi advertising@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executives Nick Brownlee nick@thevarsity.ca Victoria Botvinnik victoria@thevarsity.ca Sofia Luu sofia@thevarsity.ca Maokai Shen maokai@thevarsity.ca 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

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Content © 2012 by The Varsity. All rights reserved. Any editorial inquiries and/or letters should be directed to the sections associated with them; emails listed above.

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Crime Stats 1

Emergency telephone Calls

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Voyeurism (see facing page)

4

Breaking & entering

2

Mischief

7

Trespass

6

Theft

VARSITY NEWS

var.st/news

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012

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U of T-led team discovers 3,000 Students graduate from year old statue in Turkey Green Path Iron Age masterpiece uncovered in dig of Neo-Hittite city

University-run program eases transition for elite Chinese students

Zane Schwartz

James Maiangowi

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

A team led by U of T archaeology professor Timothy Harrison has discovered a 3,000-year-old statue of an ancient NeoHittite king on an excavation in southeast Turkey.

Harrison, who is leading a team of 40 students from universities across Canada, was digging at the site of Tell Ta’yinat when he found the statue, which depicts the King Suppiluliuma.

At around five feet, the partly broken sculpture is about half of its original height.

Still, the remains were remarkably well preserved, including colouration around the

eyes and other artistic details. On the back of the statue, text written in Hieroglyphic Luwian explains that Suppiluliuma enlarged his kingdom’s borders and built a monument to his father.

Last summer, an ornate stone lion was uncovered at the same site.

Harrison is the director of the Ta’yinat Archaeological Project. The project’s aim is to understand more about Bronze and Iron Age civilizations. While it was previously believed that the collapse of Bronze Age empires led to the resultant collapse in artistic and creative capacities, Harrison argues that his finds prove that artistic originality continued to flourish into the Iron Age, around the 9th century BCE.

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Top students from mainland Chinese high schools graduated last Thursday from the Green Path program at UTSC. Green Path — which translates from Chinese as “the way to success” — is an academic and ESL summer program that started in 2005. Nearly 200 students were enrolled in the program this year.

Green Path aims to build students’ English language skills and to familiarize them with Canadian academic culture before they enter UTSC in the fall. Extracurricular activities include day trips to the Toronto Zoo and Niagara Falls.

Mo Zecheng, class valedictorian, was initially attracted by the program’s reputation.

“So many fellow top students graduated from Green Path,” he said in an interview Thursday. He also spoke of encountering the culture shock many international students first experience upon coming to Toronto. “Sometimes we [international students] find it difficult getting used to living here. Even taking public transportation can be difficult at times.”

Zecheng gave a short speech during Thursday’s graduation ceremonies, sharing the stage with UTSC principal Franco Vaccarino and Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, Li Fang. Green Path is part of the University of Toronto’s recent initiatives to support international students, who comprise 15 per cent of the university’s undergraduate population.

U of T professor, first human “cyborg” allegedly assaulted Father of wearable computing claims he was accosted in Paris McDonald’s Dan Smeenk VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Steve Mann, a University of Toronto computer science professor, claims that three employees at a McDonald’s in Paris assaulted him after they objected to his use of the “Eyetap” device.

The incident allegedly took place on July 1st, 2012, while Mann was on a family vacation. Mann claims that despite obtaining approval to use the device from other McDonald’s employees — after showing medical prescriptions and a letter from a family physician — three other employees attempted to remove his Eyetap, tore up his documents, attempted to conceal their identities, and pushed him out on the street.

Mann also wrote in a blog post that when the employees tried

to remove the eyewear, the device was damaged, causing the camera to inadvertently photograph several stills of the incident that otherwise would not have been stored. Mann posted some of the images on his blog.

McDonald’s denies the incident took place in the way that Mann described. In a statement, the company said that, “several employees claim that their interaction with Mann was polite and did not involve physical altercation.”

Mann, a pioneer in the field of wearable computing, has been called the first human cyborg in media reports. The Eyetap was invented by Mann himself. It resembles a pair of eye-glasses and is attached to the face by a strip of aluminium; the device displays computer information to the user and allows the computer to process and possibly alters what the user sees. Mann has worn

variations of the device for 34 years, although the concept was recently popuarlized by an upcoming Google product known as Project Glass.

Mann has asked McDonald’s to fix his camera, and called for the company to aid vision research.

This is not the first time that Mann’s wearble computing device has led to a public incident. In 2002, Mann was detained by security in the St. John’s airport, where he claims personnel removed some of the implants and hardware utilized by the device.

The McDonalds location visited by Mann has a history of confrontation with customers who appear to be taking photographs.

In 2011, CBS News reported that a woman from Boise, Idaho was allegedly assaulted by an employee when she tried to take a picture of the menu.

News in brief Reinventing the toilet: U of T team takes third in Gates Foundation challenge

Man, 23, arrested for voyeurism on St. George campus

A University of Toronto team won third place this week in an international competition to design a toilet suitable for developing countries.

The award-winning U of T design uses sand and UV-lighting to process liquid waste, and a smolder chamber to incinerate and disinfect solid waste.

The University of Toronto was one of eight universities that received a total of $400,000 US towards their conceptual design. The design team, led by Professor Yu-Ling Cheng, was awarded an additional $40,000 this week to continue its research efforts.

The competition, hosted in Seattle August 14–15 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, allowed universities to showcase their response to the Foundation’s year-old Reinvent the Toilet Challenge. The need for appropriate waste disposal in developing countries is a pressing health concern, with an estimated 2.5 billion people without access to flush toilets. The Foundation’s challenge asked for submissions that were safe, user-friendly and could ideally recycle human waste into usable resources.

A 23-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday, August 14, after he allegedly pointed an iPhone under a stall in a women’s washroom on U of T’s downtown campus.

According to the police report, the incident took place in the basement of University College at 15 King’s College Circle. A woman was in one of the washroom stalls at 1 pm when she noticed an iPhone facing her from under the stall. When she asked the phone’s owner what he was doing, the iPhone was withdrawn.

She later left the stall and the man exited the washroom. Campus Police arrested the man shortly afterwards. Liang He, of Toronto, is charged with voyeurism and mischief. Police believe there may be more victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-5204 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.

—Leah Nosal

With files from CTV News.

UTSC creates six new departments, embarks on hiring spree University of Toronto Scarborough has finalized plans to create six new academic departments, the next step in an ongoing effort to meet the demands of a growing student body.

Principal Franco Vaccarino began the process of revamping the UTSC curriculum in 2008. The new departments, already in operation, will come out of the established Department of Social Sciences and Department of Humanities.

They include Departments of Arts, Culture, and Media, Anthropology, Human Geography, Historical and Cultural Studies, Political Science, and Sociology.

The new departments will also be accompanied by the creation of two extradepartmental units, designed to help students with their studies.

An expanded faculty will staff the new departments. This year has already seen thirty new hires, and more are likely to come.

—Emma Jones

—Sunnie Huang

UTSU executive director quietly exits post The executive director of the University of Toronto Students’ Union has resigned, and the union is currently seeking a replacement.

Amir Bashir, a veteran of Scarborough campus student politics, assumed the position upon the departure of previous director Angela Regnier.

Unlike other senior positions at the union, the executive director is hired rather than elected. UTSU executives declined to comment on the nature of Bashir’s work with the union.

Interviews for the vacant position will begin the week of August 20, conducted by a hiring committee including UTSU president Shaun Shepherd and vice presidents Munib Sajjad and Corey Scott, as well as two other directors.

Bashir’s departure was announced on the UTSU website and that applications for his replacement were solicited through a website called “Charity Village”.

—Simon Bredin

BEST OF THE SUMMER

VAR.ST/COMMENT 20 AUGUST 2012 comment@thevarsity.ca

Size matters

Grad students need to be integrated into the college system var.st/aj-

Requiring all students to take a seminar course could raise academic standards, hone presentation skills Patrick Baud

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

First year at U of T is notoriously dispiriting. Few incoming students, even those from the most overcrowded schools in Canada, will have ever experienced anything like a lecture in Convocation Hall. First-year chemistry, political science or psychology can be slow going in any case, but perhaps especially so in a giant lecture hall that makes it difficult to engage with the lecturer and other students. Labs and tutorials do little to improve the first year experience — they are often too large for any meaningful interaction to take place. No wonder many students struggle to make it through their first year.

In an effort to compensate for this unpleasant aspect of the first-year experience at U of T, Victoria College requires that all incoming students take a first-year seminar. This requirement can be fulfilled in a variety of ways ranging from the “Pathways” seminars offered by Vic, to the “199” courses offered by most departments, to the “One” programs pioneered by Trinity College and Vic that have since been adopted by other colleges. The requirement is intended to ensure that students have a chance to engage with their peers and their instructor, and to delve deeply into a subject that interests them.

A review of Vic’s academic programs commissioned by Victoria College president Paul Gooch last year noted that the “requirement that every [Vic] student take at least one small class is one that the reviewers heartily endorse.” Given the success of the Vic small class requirement, other colleges, and perhaps the Faculty of Arts and Science as a whole, should consider adopting a similar requirement. Such a change would likely do as much as, if not more than, the new breadth requirements to improve the quality of undergraduate education at U of T. Small courses not only represent an opportunity for students to engage more deeply with their studies, they also give them a chance to develop crucial presentation and writing skills.

Unlike tutorials, where students can often coast without participating much and frequently have little interaction with their teaching assistants beyond handing in assignments, the structure

of seminars requires active participation from students. This, along with requirements for formal oral presentations that are often incorporated into small courses, ensures that students develop the skills crucial for their success.

Indeed, given the success of Vic’s small course requirement in improving the first-year experience, colleges should consider creating a similar requirement for second and third year. While upper-year courses tend to be smaller than first year ones in most departments, the accompanying reduction in the number of tutorials, particularly in third year courses, is rapidly diminishing the quality of the upper-year experience. A small course requirement for second and third year could counteract this trend by offering students a further opportunity to hone their speaking and writing skills, and to pursue an aspect of their major or specialist program that particularly interests them.

Last year, Vic began to offer “Vic Two” courses on topics ranging from creative writing to China in the 21st century. These courses are open to students who have either completed a Vic One program or who have a 3.2 GPA. The Vic Two courses could be used to fulfill an upper year small course requirement. Some departments offer “299” and “399” courses, better known as “research opportunity courses,” which could also be used to fulfill the requirement. Departments could also create their own second and third year seminars on the model of the “199” courses, which would help better prepare their students for fourth year courses, and for graduate or professional schools.

Expanding the first year small course requirement to other colleges and to upper years would require additional funding. Small courses are more expensive for colleges and departments to operate than larger ones. But the benefits of small courses are significant, and they should make up an important part of the university’s commitment to improving the quality of undergraduate education. To this end, perhaps the provost, Cheryl Misak, could offer special funding to assist with the expansion of small courses as she has with the “One” programs, which recently expanded to Innis, New, St. Michael’s, University and Woodsworth Colleges.

Muslim chaplaincy ambition in full swing New chaplain would provide spiritual guidance, moral support Aisha Raja MUSLIM STUDENTS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

The Muslim Chaplaincy Organization at the University of Toronto is the first of its kind in a public university in Canada, and was established by the Muslim Students’ Association at U of T in the spring of May 2011. For nearly a year, community leaders, academics, university administrators, and students were engaged to complete the research and development phase of the project. The project then launched its #70in70 campaign in June 2012, aimed at raising $70,000 in 70 days to launch the Muslim Chaplaincy in September 2012. The objective of the Muslim Chaplaincy is to engage Muslim youth, and provide an inclusive space for them to foster a meaningful Muslim identity, which will be supported by

quality education and counselling services.

The MSA realized that there was a need for a chaplain in their university community after encountering students who were questioning their faith, their identity, and how North American culture integrates into their faith.

These students needed to speak about relationships, family, identity, faith, and career with someone who could understand them and could provide positive guidance to assist them in their personal and spiritual journey.

The University of Toronto is a centre of intellectual and cultural exchange in one of the most diverse cities in the world. It attracts great minds and talent, and produces exceptional individuals. Yet within this array of great intellect and success, there is also confusion and depression. A chaplaincy is important because it fosters and nurtures healthy

individuals by providing positive mentorship and spiritual care. The goal is to nurture individuals who can graduate from university having developed a strong sense of who they are, individuals who are aware of themselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and who are healthy civic citizens ready to give back to the society around them.

The Muslim Chaplaincy Organization follows the model already established by other faith communities at the University of Toronto. There are also many Muslim chaplaincies that exist in universities in the United States, such as NYU, Yale, Princeton and Hartford.

The chaplain would be a self-identified Muslim who is committed, well educated, balanced, and a positive role model, who is also well acquainted with youth issues and culture.

The full-time Muslim chaplain, whether male

or female, will be accessible to students on a daily basis, and will provide an open and inclusive environment for all individuals, regardless of faith or creed, to cultivate positive relationships. The chaplain will also be involved in engaging with the larger university community, in inter-faith work, and community service initiatives.

An important aspect of this project is that it is entirely financed by the community through donations. The university will provide institutional support, but does not provide faith community financial support. We’ve managed to raise over 50 per cent of the $70,000 needed and are confident we can get this service up and running by the start of the school year.

This is the beginning of a new era of Islamic leadership and it will begin at the University of Toronto!

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VARSITY COMMENT

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012

7

Publication liberation Making academic publications freely available to researchers and curious students should be standard practice Connor Emdin VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

As a University of Toronto student, I have access to all of the peer-reviewed articles I could possibly need. On campus, I can easily walk to Robarts and take out a book or journal. Off campus, in South Africa where I have spent the past three months working, access is just as easy; it takes a second to log on to the U of T library portal, enter my username and password, and immediately download any article I choose.

I tend to abuse this privilege. I’ll begin by retrieving an article actually relevant to my research (HIV prevention). But often, after attempting to gain some background information, I’ll realize that I’ve spent an hour reading about how the prevalence of malaria impacted European colonial policies.

It’s this gluttonous consumption of information that struck me when I met a researcher from Zimbabwe at a training session for HIV researchers in Cape Town.

He runs a clinical trial site that tests novel methods of preventing HIV transmission.

Reviews of HIV and contraception are essential to providing the best clinical care to his trial participants. But because he is not associated with a wealthy university, he lacks a subscription to a journal database, and cannot afford to individually purchase articles.

This is just one example of how the traditional academic publishing model prevents researchers in developing nations from retrieving the information they need. It is also one of the primary reasons why openaccess publishing has grown rapidly over the past ten years.

Open access publishers, such as The Public Library of Science and BioMed Central, publish peer-reviewed papers on the Internet, and don’t charge access fees. To minimize costs, they only produce electronic copies and charge authors to publish articles; typically this fee is covered by the department. But in return anyone from experienced researchers to curious high school students can immediately access the article. There are also benefits for the pub-

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

lishing author: articles published in open source journals tend to be cited more than those published in traditional journals, an important consideration for PhD students and assistant professors looking for tenure.

In 2009, however, only one in five papers published in the medical sciences was available through open access. My own experience conducting research at U of T mirrors this statistic. The vast majority of papers that I’ve seen published by U of T researchers are submitted to traditional journals, which restrict access. U of T has moved towards open education in other

areas, notably in the recent announcement that it will be offering free online courses through the American company Coursera (see pg 2). But our efforts to encourage open access publishing are lagging behind.

Two actions could bring U of T’s commitment to open access in line with other international institutions. First, the University of Toronto should join Harvard, Duke, and UCLA, and become the first major Canadian university to sign the Berlin Declaration of Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. The Berlin Declaration was created in 2003 to encour-

age researchers to publish their work in an open-access fashion, and to encourage institutions to reward researchers who do so. Second, U of T students and professors involved with research, whether in the sciences or social sciences, should make an individual commitment to submit their papers solely to either open access journals or open access repositories.

If universities across the world implement these policies, it will be as easy for researchers in developing countries to access the information they need as it is for me to waste an hour of my time.

UTSU’s to do list

The students’ union must repair relationships with the colleges and work to build school spirit if it is to improve the student experience Abdullah Shihipar VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Last year’s UTSU elections were eventful to say the least. Rather than bringing students together for a discussion about serious problems at U of T and how to move forward, they served as a mechanism to further divide students. Accusations of racism, negative campaigning, and a hostile debate environment only added fuel to the fire. Now is the time for the union and key political players on campus to move on and take serious steps to improving both the union and the student experience this year.

In order for the union to operate effectively, it must be able to reach all U of T students.

Ideally, this is where the colleges would assist the union, so that campaigns and events can be planned and initiated successfully. However, there is a longstanding divide between the UTSU and some of its constituent colleges.

The UTSU, in the past, has not been transpar-

ent enough with the colleges. Some colleges, for their part, have tried to undermine the legitimacy of the union (pulling out from UTSU frosh kits and excluding the UTSU from the St. George Roundtable, for example). It’s a poor relationship that seriously reduces the potency of the union to represent all students.

This year, the UTSU should take steps to mend this gap with the colleges by making meetings as transparent and accessible as possible to college representatives. By establishing this transparency, the UTSU would give colleges an open forum to air grievances and hopefully reach compromises, improving the dialogue between the UTSU and those who oppose it.

To make inroads with the opposition and colleges, the UTSU will likely have to make its electoral process smoother and more transparent as well. While the vote itself seems democratic, UTSU opponents claim the rules and regulations surrounding the elections penalize

the challenging slate. A Chief Returning Officer that plays favourites does not lend any democratic credibility to the election process, and thus, leads to students becoming disillusioned with the union’s ability to represent them effectively. The solution to this problem is simple: reform and relax the electoral code so that all students have a shot at holding office. To do this, the union may have to do a better job of asserting itself within the Canadian Federation of Students. Organizing nationally has proven beneficial to the UTSU; however, more autonomy is needed to change the election process.

Once the UTSU has addressed these issues and earned more of the students’ confidence, the union should tackle student life issues at the university. U of T is a large commuter school, and building community is a monumental challenge, one that needs to be addressed by the UTSU. Working with colleges, the UTSU should plan more events that bring together all students and build spirit. The UTSU should

also work more closely with the Varsity Blues to get students involved and excited about U of T’s athletic endeavours, and to improve turnout at Blues games. Additionally, building community at a large school like U of T requires a thriving clubs scene. The UTSU should do its best to increase clubs funding, allowing clubs to attract more students and take on more interesting projects.

Finally, the UTSU should continue to represent students and pressure the administration and government officials to reduce tuition fees, and address other grievances that students have. The UTSU must not be overly political, but they should not hesitate to be assertive with the government when it comes to making education accessible and affordable to all. That’s not being political, that’s representing students.

It is my hope that the UTSU and other student leaders on campus can take some of these steps to lead U of T into a brighter, better future.

Features

var.st/FEATURES

20 AUGUST 2012 features@thevarsity.ca

From the Archives

ETHAN CHIEL takes you on an acoustic tour of Toronto var.st/ai4

Eat Your Schedule

by Simon Frank photos by Bernarda Gospic

Easily transportable, satisfying, and frequently delicious: sandwiches can fill an important niche when you’re rushing from class to class. Nevertheless, simply gobbling down any assemblage of cold cuts and bread that comes your way can lead to disappointment.

Eating a sandwich that relates to your studies can keep you focused on readings or a paper even as you take a break. At very least you’ll eat well. Here are a few highlights not too far from St. George.

Patty on Coco Bread

Schnitzel Sandwich

187 Baldwin St.

99 Yorkville Ave.

The patty on coco bread is a confusing, beautiful thing. A flaky yet solid turnover pastry filled with sharply spicy ground beef should make for an adequate snack, right? In this case no, as the patty is bolstered by coco bread, a type of sweet Jamaican bun. This stacking of starches is a bit intimidating, but the way the soft coco bread interacts with the patty’s savoury crust and filling has to be tasted to be believed. $1.84

The Schnitzel Sandwich is about what’s inside. The bread is decent but the mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato — it’s all an afterthought. The construction of the sandwich is only an excuse to transport the Coffee Mill’s magnificent schnitzel far away from the Hungarian Yorkville eatery’s salon-like dining room. Grab one from the takeout counter and ferret it away to a quad or common room. The schnitzel will still be a piece of crisp perfection. $8.00

Recommend courses: Looking at

HUN100Y1 (Elementary Hungarian), you’ve probably already eaten this sandwich. But schnitzel is also associated with Vienna, speaking to Central Europe’s cosmopolitan past. Meet one of the city’s most famous sons, Sigmund Freud, in PSY100H1 (Introductory Psychology).

Patty King

The Coffee Mill

Recommended courses: If you’re taking

Caribbean politics, trade, and more in NEW324Y1 (The Contemporary Caribbean in a Global Context) could provide context for the patterns of migration that have made Jamaican patties such a popular snack in Toronto. The coco bread sandwich’s impressive structural integrity might also prove thought provoking for a Civil Engineering student enrolled in CIV352H1 (Structural Design 1).

Tofu Banh Mi Banh Mi Ba Le 538 Dundas St. W.

Spadina has its share of banh mi spots but Banh Mi Ba Le, around the corner on Dundas, quietly excels. Vegetarian banh mi can be lackluster, but not here; the tofu banh mi packs greaseless fried tofu into a small warm baguette along with a light tomato sauce.

It’s topped with a mixture of pickles carrots, radish, and a few sprigs of coriander for some added crunch and freshness. $2.60

Recommended courses: To understand the dynamics that created the banh mi, you’ll need a grounding in French colonialism. HIS241H1 (Europe in the Nineteenth Century) covers France’s first moves into Indochina, while HIS346H1 (Rice and Spice in Southeast Asia) examines the region through the lens of food and agricultural trade.

Smoked Meat Sandwich

Vegetable Empanada

Caplansky’s Delicatessen 356 College St.

Jumbo Empanadas

It’s been a few years since Zane Caplansky’s opened his shrine to the glory years of the North American Jewish deli, and he’s still going strong. You’ll probably need a nap after eating one of these sandwiches — each bite is a piece of salty, artery-clogging history, the disintegrating beef capturing the flavours of the strange journey from its origins somewhere in Romania to early twentieth century Montreal. $9.04

Within this bulging, lightly glazed empanada hides an abundant stuffing of spinach and mushrooms. The Chilean restaurant Jumbo Empanandas does not let its name down. Its empanadas are bigger and heartier than anywhere else in town, authenticity be damned.

The vegetable empanada tastes wholesome and earthy but is just as filling as any of their meat options (the olive, raisin, and egg-laced beef empanada is delicious too). $5.09

245 Augusta Ave.

Recommended courses:

Recommended courses: First off,

NFS284H1 (Basic Human Nutrition) might be useful to understand the dangers of this sandwich. From there, dive into ENG375H1 (Jewish Literature and Culture) to research Mordecai Richler’s deep connection with smoked meat.

Wander north for schnitzel, and west for everything else.

GGR341H1 (The Changing Geography of Latin America) can give a sense of the enormous diversity of South America — and the myriad regional variations of empanadas. At a higher level, there’s POL426H1 (Democracy and Dictatorship), which examines the tragic political events that led to the beginning of Canada’s small Chilean community in the 1970s.

Arts & Culture

var.st/ARTS

20 AUGUST 2012

From the Archives

arts@thevarsity.ca

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Runaway to the circus!

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

Brigit Katz ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

As Madeleine Bisson cradled a steaming cup of tea at the Aroma Café on Bloor, her eyes lit upon the small, complimentary square of chocolate sitting in her saucer.

“Oh look, they give you chocolate!” she exclaimed with a big smile. “I love that.”

Bright and effervescent, it’s hard to imagine Bisson with anything other than a sunny disposition. But her role in the upcoming film Foxfire, a drama based on the novel Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang by Joyce Carol Oates, required Madeleine to immerse herself in some undeniably dark material.

The film, which was directed by Palme d’Or winner Laurent Cantet and will premiere at TIFF in September, portrays a rebellious group of teenage girls living in upstate New York during the 1950s. Frustrated by the almost violently sexist climate of post-WWII America, the group of friends forms a secret, female society. The gang proceeds to carry out a series of gutsy and, ultimately tragically misadvised schemes in an attempt to liberate themselves from the oppressive force of male control.

Bisson, who graduated from U of T in June, plays Rita O’Hagan, one of the founders of the gang. Over tea and chocolate at Aroma, she spoke to The Varsity about U of T’s drama program, the Canadian acting industry, and of course, her role in Foxfire.

The Varsity: What has been your acting experience — professional or unprofessional — thus far?

Madeleine Bisson: I’ve been in theatre unprofessionally and professionally since I was about ten years old. I was in this theatre production that was in the basement of a church for four years … I was [also] part of a play at Young People’s Theatre. I auditioned for U of T’s drama program right after high school, and I was one of the lucky people who got in. They audition hundreds and hundreds of people and they only take about thirty. The final year … we [performed] a show called As Five Years Pass [by Federico Garcia Lorca].

TV: Did you enjoy your courses at U of T? Do you think that the drama program has influenced your craft?

this gang is kind of a pre-feminist movement. The big feminism stuff happened in the sixties … but [Foxfire is set] in the fifties. [The characters] are young girls who are rebellious and revolutionary.

TV: What was it like to work with Laurent Cantet?

MB: He’s such an amazing man… We were all inexperienced actors when it comes to professional film, so he was the one who taught us. He would direct us [during rehearsals], so we really felt comfortable once we got on the film set. [Being] on the film set was so overwhelming. There were so many people working on the film, there were cameras on your face, there were lights everywhere. It’s an overwhelming experience, but we felt so prepared … because Laurent worked with us so much.

MB: I’ve learned so much from [my teachers]. We really learned how to do improv and be present and just connect with each other. When I did the Foxfire audition, it was completely about improv … It was an open call audition … Apparently they auditioned 5,000 girls and they took six.

So I think I owe everything to the drama program.

Actually, most of Foxfire was based on improv, which was very interesting.

It wasn’t really about the script. It was about the story and about [the lead actresses] being present.

MB: I’m so new [to the acting industry].

Getting Foxfire is like winning the lottery. What’s scary for me is that, yes, I have this great movie and [I’ve had] this great opportunity, but I have no background. Casting directors don’t really know me… In Canada, unfortunately, casting directors like to cast who they know. It’s hard to get into that niche.

TV: Can you tell me about the character you play in Foxfire?

TV: Do you plan to pursue acting as a full-time job nonetheless?

MB: Her name’s Rita, and she’s the girly one in the gang... She begins as a very timid girl because she’s … been sexually assaulted by men. She’s actually the reason why the gang forms, because a teacher is abusing her. She has her tough moments, though.

[She’s] not all about being timid and sweet.

MB: Yes! I’m still young, so I might as well go with it now that I’ve had this opportunity. This is my one chance.

I’ve always loved acting … but I’ve always said that it’s such a scary job that I don’t know if I could do it. I [used to] say that if a director came to me and handed me a role, I would be set. And that’s actually what ended up happening. I got this role [in Foxfire], and I was just kind of thrown into it. But I’m still young, so I’m going to see what happens in the next few years. If nothing happens, at least I tried.

TV: The plot of Foxfire — both the novel and the movie — is quite dark, and as you just mentioned, you character is a victim of sexual abuse. How do you prepare for a role like that?

MB: In some ways, Rita is very similar to myself in the way that she’s so perky … and she always puts friends first. But Rita goes through some really tough things. It’s really hard [to play that sort of role], but I [would] always think that I want people to know her story… I didn’t let [the role] get to my head and I didn’t get frightened of it, because I want to tell the story. I want to let people know that [sexual assault] happens and it shouldn’t happen.

TV: Right. Sexual assault is hardly an exclusively post-war phenomenon.

MB: Yeah, it still happens today. And

TV: Is it difficult to land a part in a major film like Foxfire, especially if you’re just getting started as an actor?

TV: What advice would you give to other young actors who hope to break into the film industry?

MB: Just keep trying. I always think that some director out there is thinking of a [role] that’s perfect for you. You just have to find each other. So keep auditioning, especially [when it comes to] open call auditions because … that means that they aren’t looking for the most experienced person in the world.

Also, if you keep auditioning, and you do good auditions, casting directors will get to know you and remember you. Eventually, they’ll think of you for a role. So just keep going.

Girl Gangs of New York U of T grad Madeleine Bisson dishes on her role in the upcoming TIFF feature, Foxfire

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

10 Monday, August 20, 2012

arts@thevarsity.ca

Not in Louvre with art culture The AGO’s new exhibit “Laughing at the Art World” pokes fun at the pretensions of art and artist

Meeting of the Big Three by Walter Trier. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AGO

Freshly Pressed: Life is Good by Nas

Ishita Petkar VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

When I asked one of the AGO security guards where to find "Laughing at the Art World," he shrugged and asked “Miss, are you sure this exhibit is in the Art Gallery of Ontario?”

While this elusive collection might take a back seat to some of the AGO’s larger exhibitions, once its found, "Laughing at the Art World" proves to be a hidden gem. Concealed in two tiny side galleries at the back of the first floor, this satirical exhibition is a refreshing and welcome departure from the some of the more traditional galleries at the AGO. Although the exhibit is small, its curator’s vision is big: "Laughing at the Art World" aims to poke fun at art and artists, and to foster debate about the relevance and accessibility of art today. For such a modest installment, "Laughing at the Art

World" accomplishes this goal admirably. Showcasing the biting humour of cartoonists from the 18th and 19th century, the targets of the exhibit’s ridicule include art galleries, art connoisseurs (particularly visitors to Paris’ famous Salon), elitist art collectors, and even artists themselves.

These clever works are thoroughly engaging, and while some take a bit of time to puzzle out, their criticism of the art world is always witty. The focus of the various installments ranges from politics to the arrangement of the Grand Gallery in the Louvre, and each piece entertains with its satirical humour. A few of the works are somewhat obscure, as it is difficult to identify the object of their derision. That being said, these pieces certainly accord with the exhibit’s efforts to encourage discussion about the accessibility of art, regardless of whether or not the

artists were intentionally trying to be cryptic.

The collection of works that parody famous paintings is perhaps one of the most interesting components of "Laughing at the Art World."

Upon comparing the originals to the caricatures on display at the exhibit, it is clear that even the most subtle differences between the two are intended to poke fun at the original artists and their intentions. Even a sombre painting like “The Death of General Wolfe” by Benjamin West is transformed into a light-hearted crack at British politics.

After paying a visit to "Laughing at the Art World," you might find yourself chuckling at the many visitors milling around the Picassos and Group of Sevens that are currently on display at the AGO. The exhibit certainly inspires an appreciation of what art is truly meant to be: free of pretension.

Supplies in demand We give you the low down on what you really need to survive the school year

Stephan Jayaratnam

Danielle Klein

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

“Twenty years in this game/ looking 17,” Nas claims on “The Don,” the second single on his latest album, Life is Good. While certain tracks on Nas’ 10th solo album are certainly reminiscent of the works that he released as a younger man, the personal content of “Life is Good” proves that when it comes to his style and the emotional depth of his lyrics, Nas has definitely matured over the years.

In the past, Nas’ albums have been dominated by tracks about violence and street life, but these themes take a backseat on Life is Good. Instead, Nas opens up about his children and his divorce from singer Kelis. In the soulful hip hop tune “Bye Baby,” Nas takes a nostalgic turn and raps about the ups and downs of his married life, including his costly divorce and the joy he experienced with the birth of his son, Knight. In “Daughters,” Nas reflects on his parenting skills, admitting that he is not the strictest parent, but asserting that he tries to raise his daughter properly nonetheless.

Nas’ ability to tell a story through his thoughtful, and at times emotional lyrics, along with his intelligent wordplay, makes Life is Good his best work of the last decade. If he continues to infuse his impressive rhymes with heart, the future looks bright for this veteran rapper.

In all likelihood, by the time you reach university, you will have accumulated a hefty stock of school supplies. You’ve got pens and pencils, erasers and white-out, and you might even have a laptop. But these standard necessities are best supplemented by a roster of other supplies that you can’t find at Office Depot. For those who aren’t in the know, here’s what you really need to make it through the semester:

Neck pillow Necessary for ensuring your comfort and ability to nap during those three-hour marathon lectures in Con Hall. Also consider purchasing neutral coloured ear buds and a hoodie to cover them, so you can stealthily lull yourself to sleep with soothing music during class.

Camelbak For your caffeine supply.

TV series It’s critical to have all the seasons of any given TV show downloaded and ready for any time something needs to be done for school. You will likely need an absurd amount of these shows over the course of the year to help you procrastinate.

Complimentary campus maps For the throngs of lost first-years.

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

Complaints about school

to make new friends.

Complaints like, “Man, ROSI really screwed me, once again,” or, “Just back to school and I already have three essays due next week” are essential for bonding with other students. Such laments will surely prompt similar bouts of kvetching from your peers, and are a great way to break the ice when you’re looking

A touch of hipster A messenger bag, Ray-Ban sunglasses (or better yet, Ray-Ban glasses), a vintage-looking bike, and a plaid shirt are key to looking cool.

Pictures from summer break Show these to people (who cares

if you annoy them?) and recapture your summer mood when the back-to-school blahs start to get you down. Also consider buying a beach towel to lie on while you’re between classes.

Tissues For the moment the reality of being back to school hits.

Travelling? Write about your experience for Arts

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

var.st/arts

Monday, August 20, 2012

11

JENNY KIM/THe VArsity

Getting into the swing of things ALEX ROSS learns to swing dance and busts out the Charleston to some big band jazz.

A WEEK IN DANCE

I’ve always been a huge jazz fan. I was first hooked at the tender age of five when I saw Woody Allen’s Radio Days. Set during the ’30s and ’40s, I loved all the big band jazz the characters were constantly dancing to. Aside from Wallace Shawn shouting from a rooftop “Beware evildoers, wherever you are!” the film’s other standout moment for me was Barbara Hershey grooving in a kitchen to Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood” while talking about all the eligible bachelors in her life. I probably danced along, unaware at the time of how embarrassed I should be.

Now, as a tall, lanky, and slightly shy 23-year-old, dancing to swing, especially in public, might seem like the last thing I would ever do. Recently, however, I decided to take the plunge and learned how to do the Charleston and the Lindy Hop at Swing Dance Toronto.

Every Saturday night at Dovercourt House at 805 Dovercourt Rd., Swing Dance Toronto hosts an event called “Saturday Night Swing,” where you can dance the night away to tunes performed by a live jazz band. Thankfully for novices like me, they host a couple of beginner classes before the main swing dance event. The first hour is dedicated to learning the Charleston, and the second hour is devoted to the Lindy Hop. Both dances feature a few basic steps that act as the foundation for a variety of moves that range in both style and complexity.

I arrive at Dovercourt House at 7:10 pm for the Charleston class. I breathe in deeply, hoping that I won’t step on too many feet during the lesson. Joanna, one of the instructors, asks “How many of you have done the Charleston before?” In a circle of about 30 people, only a couple of hands go up.

The group is then divided into “leaders” and “followers”.

Conventionally, men lead and women follow, but we’re encouraged to switch up this dynamic if we want to. In our own separate groups, we learn the basic steps of the Charleston, which is done to a 5-6-7-8 count. The leader (which I chose to be) starts off every routine on their left foot. Followers begin every step on their right foot. One of the first moves is a “rock step,” where you go back on your left, tap with your right, and then go ahead with the rest of the dance.

For the Charleston, it’s a rock step, kick out with your left foot, kick out with your right foot, a little double kick as you move back, and then repeat. This is all done lightly, with a bounce in your step. Being the gangly, long-limbed person that I am, I find myself kicking out a little too far, sometimes messing up the rock step when we have to repeat it.

Eventually I’m able to get into a comfortable rhythm.

We then start partnering up. This is where things begin to get a little tricky for me. Doing the basics with a partner is fine, but then a move called a jig step is introduced, and I begin having trouble. A jig step involves doing a little kick between your partner’s legs. I’m able to do the basic steps, but when it comes for the necessary kick, I find my legs going all over the place.

The Lindy Hop class at 8:10 pm goes much better for me.

Instead of doing the traditional 5-6-7-8 count, for the Lindy Hop we do a 6 count, which makes it much faster. The basic steps for this Lindy Hop are a rock step, followed by moving forward twice and then moving back twice. When we partner up, the instructors decide to add a little flourish. After doing the basic steps, we then do a “rock forward” which is basically the rock step, except instead of going back on our left foot, we step forward and indicate to our partner to move in front of us.

“I’m sorry if I step on your feet a lot!” says my partner when we attempt it for the first time.

“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “I was born with two left feet.”

She laughs. “I’m going to totally fail!”

“Well, Faulkner once said that all art is about failure. It’s just about how well you fail.”

My moment of profundity is so distracting that we miss most of our steps when I bring her forward. We both laugh. Swing dancing and Faulkner don’t really mix.

The instructors then have us twirl our partners after we bring them forward. I get it right the first time.

“It feels so natural!” my partner says after a couple of successful twirls.

I’m able to loosen up with the Lindy as I successfully twirl several different partners forward and backwards.

By 9:00 pm, the lights are dimmed and the band starts playing. They’re called Up Jumped Swing! and they’re pretty amazing. Everyone at the dance is very friendly and supportive.

Some of the regulars teach me some other basic steps and let me work on the moves I learned during the classes. I’m able to hop along with my fellow beginners, messing up the moves, but still enjoying myself. Eventually, I lose my self-consciousness and just go with flow. It feels great.

Near the end of the night, my partner from the Lindy Hop class says after a successful dance, “You’ve caught the swing dance bug! You’re not going to be able to stop now!”

Swing Dance Toronto has convinced me that I’m not hopeless when it comes to swing dancing. I’ll definitely be back.

Hopefully, after a few more lessons I’ll be able to confidently declare: “You just can’t top the Lindy Hop!”

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Viennese Waltz beginner course (7–8 pm).

Trinity St. Paul’s, 427 Bloor St. West $25 for three classes

Cuban Salsa beginner course (7:30– 8:15 pm).

Social Dance Spot, 1209 St. Clair’s Ave. $20/class

Bollywood dance class (8–9 pm).

Joy of Dance Centre, 95 Danforth Ave. $18/class

Blues dance class (7:30 pm). Twice/ month at 805 Dovercourt Rd. Dance party follows. $7, $12 with class

Rock n’ Roll dance party —first Friday of the month. Time and location varies. $5 for the dance party, $10 for party and lesson

Beginner swing class (7–9 pm), dance following.

805 Dovercourt Rd. $13 for dance, $15–$18 for dance and lessons

Tango beginner course (3 pm).

Trinity St. Paul’s, 427 Bloor St. $20/class

BEST OF THE SUMMER

var.st/SCIENCE

Advances in gene sequencing could lead to better crops

20 AUGUST 2012 science@thevarsity.ca

var.st/aiz

Neutrons forecast space weather

Minhee Bae/THe VArsity

Science

Researchers develop mechanism for detecting imminent solar flares Timmy Yiu Nam Mo VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

It’s that time in the solar cycle again. According to physicists, solar activity increases and decreases according to an approximately 11year cycle. During periods of high activity, sunspots amass and solar flares grow frequent.

A new low period began in 2008: scientists observed a record scarcity of sunspots, and solar irradiance was extremely low. In 2009, NASA predicted that the sun’s activity would reach its next maximum in May 2013.

Sunspots have recently begun to pepper the sun. On July 6, the sixth X-class solar flare of 2012 erupted from a sunspot. July 19 saw the emission of an M7.7-class solar flare. M- and Xclass solar flares are the second-strongest and strongest classes of solar flares respectively; A-, B-, and C-class solar flares are weaker.

Hurling charged particles, x-rays, and other radiation towards Earth, solar flares have the potential to be destructive (though not, as

the film 2012 suggested, apocalyptic). During past cycles, solar flares have induced additional currents in power lines, damaging transformers and causing blackouts — the 1859 solar storm destroyed transmission cables and caused telegraph systems to catch fire. According to the National Academy of Sciences, a comparable storm today would cause one to two trillion US dollars in damage. Moreover, although the Earth’s magnetic field diverts some of the sun’s emissions away from Earth, radiation can seep in at the poles, where the magnetic field is the weakest. Passengers travelling by plane across the North Pole risk being doused with radiation during a solar storm. The radiation can also affect astronauts and spacecraft.

Although satellites provide scientists with a way to monitor the sun for flares, satellites cannot determine when a solar flare will hit Earth. Fortunately, scientists from South Korea and the University of Delaware have been investigating a way to determine both the arrival time and intensity of imminent solar

storms. The team, directed by Professor John Bieber of the University of Delaware, used neutron detectors located at the South Pole.

High speed protons irradiated by solar flares strike atoms in Earth’s atmosphere, causing the atoms to split and release neutrons downwards. The sensors detect these neutrons.

Not all of the solar flare’s protons move at the same speed, though; a fast-moving proton has more energy and consequently does more damage than a slow-moving proton.

Solar flares typically release larger numbers of slower particles, so the less energetic particles actually cause most of the damage. The scientists found that they could accurately estimate the damage an incoming solar flare would cause by attuning two sensors to neutrons of different energies and comparing the number of neutrons detected.

In examining data collected during solar storms between 1989 and 2005, the scientists found that protons moving at 53–76 per cent of the speed of light hit Earth approximately 95 minutes after a solar flare’s first protons

hit Earth. After an extra 71 minutes, protons moving at 29–39 per cent of the speed of light arrived. By detecting a solar flare’s first protons, the sensors provide scientists with a 166-minute warning before the slower, most destructive wave of protons hits Earth.

The almost three-hour warning would give astronauts enough time to take shelter and engineers enough time to temporarily turn off satellites in the flare’s path.

Although the South Pole detectors are far too large to be carried on a spacecraft, scientists are hopeful that Bieber and his colleagues’ research will pave the way for smaller, lighter sensors to be made. Lighter sensors would be valuable because spacecraft frequently travel outside Earth’s magnetic field, where there is no protection from the sun’s radiation. As a new maximum in the solar cycle approaches, Professor Bieber and his colleagues’ work seems more relevant than ever.

Sources: NASA, Huffington Post, Space.com, NewScience, ScienceNOW

Piquing our Curiosity Mars rover successfully lands, sends back important data about the red planet Stephan Jayaratnam VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

NASA’s $2.5-billion mission known as Curiosity successfully landed on Mars on August 6, with the final minutes of its intricate landing labelled “the seven minutes of terror” by NASA scientists.

After travelling roughly 563 million kilometers from Earth to Mars over a period of eight months, the rover officially known as the Mars Science Laboratory finally landed on Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater, roughly 2.4 kilometers away from its intended landing spot.

Curiosity’s main goal is to see if the red planet could have ever supported life. Using onboard tools, Curiosity went through the Martian surface, scanning for any evidence of organic compounds and other elements necessary for life to occur.

Curiosity was too large a rover to land like

the previous Mars missions Spirit and Opportunity, which were encased in small air bags and bounced along the Martian surface until they came to a complete stop. With Curiosity weighing 899 kilograms and measuring three meters in length, NASA had to come up with an entirely new landing system.

Entering the Martian surface at 21,000 kilometers per hour, the rover started to jettison its weights, and roughly 10 kilometers from the surface it deployed its parachute. Soon after, the mission’s heat shield was discarded, and at 1.8 kilometers away from the surface, Curiosity fell out of its back shell. It then turned on its landing engine to slow it down further, and 20 metres from the ground, the rover’s sky crane lowered it onto the surface using nylon cables.

All of these intricate manoeuvres had to be done with the utmost precision, leaving NASA scientists on the edge of their seats

during these final seven minutes. Due to the vast distance between the two planets, it takes 14 minutes for a signal from Curiosity to reach Earth, so it was only 14 minutes after the landing that scientists became aware of the successful landing.

Curiosity’s onboard inertial sensors have recorded data on the surface, but only one megabyte of data has been sent to Earth as of yet.

Curiosity will remain relatively stationary until September, undergoing testing by engineers to make sure that every part of the rover is running. However, this will not stop Curiosity from taking pictures of the red planet, which will help scientists test equipment and make a geological map of Mars, enabling them to guide Curiosity precisely.

Pictures sent back to Earth include a panorama image of the Martian surface, made

by NASA using thumbnails sent by Curiosity. Included in the panorama is a part of

Mount Sharp, a 5 km high mound in Gale Crater, which Curiosity will begin climbing in six months.

Mount Sharp appears to be made up of many different layers of sedimentary rock that were laid down during different periods of time. Scientists hope information from these layers will reveal why Mars lost its water over the years.

Curiosity will be able to zap rocks into pieces using an on-board laser, with a drill to work through sediment layers. Onboard equipment will examine the chemical compound of the pieces. Using the chemical analysis, scientists could be able to determine the geological composition of Mars.

Although the Curiosity mission is projected to last for only two years, the plutonium used to keep the rover running will last for 14 years, suggesting the project could be extended in the future.

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Simon Bromberg interviews the owner of a self-made solar house in North York The solar panel array that spans the roof of Lyndon Than’s home in North York is an impressive sight. But there’s a lot more to this house than meets the eye.

In 2009, Than and his wife, Phi, started planning to replace their bungalow with a more environmentally-friendly home. They soon stumbled upon the energy efficient Passive House standard. Buildings that adhere to this strict standard use 90 per cent less energy than a typical residence, but cost only about 10 per cent more to build.

Than’s new home, which he designed himself, will need to meet strict requirements in three key areas: annual heating energy demand, overall energy demand, and air-tightness. Adhering to these requirements will yield a home that uses less than 15 kilowatt hours per meter squared per year for heating, while a regular house would use around 100 kilowatt hours per meter squared.

Similarly, a Passive House cannot leak more than 0.6 times its volume in air per hour, where a typical home may leak more than three times that.

“The standard is very simple [and] elegant, in the sense that if you meet these three [criteria], it’s a Passive House,” Than says.

Achieving the criteria requires the use of special design software, which enables very detailed energy and air flow modeling. “The software looks at the exact dimensions of many parts of the building,” Than explains “The windows, the thickness of the frames, [even] the thermal conductivity of the soil.”

One of the most striking features of Than’s proposed home is the absence of a furnace.

Thanks to the house’s air-tightness, it will be warmed via its ventilation system by a heat exchanger that efficiently recycles heat from the air leaving the house by transferring it to air coming in, and then applies additional heat as needed.

Efficient windows that bring in more heat than they let out are also a critical component of a Passive House.

“A lot of houses that are being built today really skimp on the windows,” Than says. “It’s a massive shame because people don’t realize how much heat is being lost through them, and also how much heat is being gained through them if they’re placed in the wrong spot.”

Than explains that large, south-facing, high-quality windows are ideal for minimizing heat gain in the summer and maximizing heat gain in the winter. During the winter, when the sun is low, south-facing windows will bring in extra heat.

Although solar panels are not required

Passive Houses by the numbers

Passive Houses use 90% less energy than normal houses...

...and cost only 10% more

Passive Houses are required to retain 3x as much air as normal houses

Passive houses lessen energy impact in 3 ways: heating energy demand

In our society housing consumes

40%

energy demand

of modern energy demands so this is a good thing

air-tightness

Houses

everything else

in order to obtain Passive House certification, Than notes that there were benefits in incorporating a 50-foot wide array into his designs. For one thing, he estimates that the solar array will generate around 10 megawatt hours per year, which is double what his family will use. For another, the solar panels will essentially be earning their keep. All of the energy that the solar array produces will be sold to the city’s local grid through a government program called microFIT. The profits that Than earns from microFIT will cover the cost of the solar array in about five years. And while installing solar panels is expensive, Than notes that the cost is actually cheaper now than it has ever been.

“The cost of solar has been plummeting for the last couple of years,” he says. “Four years ago it was 10 dollars a watt; now it’s one dollar a watt.”

In order to share and collaborate with fellow environmental enthusiasts, Than has been blogging about his project since 2010. Than’s home is the first of what he hopes will be many, and he plans to “promote Passive House so that Ontario adopts it at a larger scale.”

Than is particularly adamant about the need to spread the Passive House standards because he believes that action needs to be

EDITING, TUTORING, ACADEMIC

takenPROPOSALS, in order to combat effects of cliGRADthe SCHOOL mate change.

APPLICATIONS, “We definitely doAND needWORLD-CLASS to do something,” RÉSUMÉS. he says. “In some circles it would just seem so ridiculous even say that, because it’s so SERVINGtoUOFT COMMUNITY obvious.

But there are still a lot of people who SINCE 1983. EXCELLENCE don’t realize that we are in a very dire situation and we GUARANTEED. need to take action.”

RESUME_EXPERT@CONSULTANT. Than notes that buildings consume approximately COM 40 per cent modern society’s energy OR of 416/539-9443. demands, so the do-it-yourself environmentalist’s home is definitely a great place to start.

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Sports Blues athlete makes Olympic history var.st/SPORTS

BEST OF THE SUMMER

20 AUGUST 2012

sports@thevarsity.ca

Read about Blues hurdler Sarah Wells’ Olympic qualifying journey var.st/ajg

Alberto Bustamente VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Though many Canadians are disappointed by Canada’s medal count at the London Olympics, the University of Toronto can take pride in a former Varsity Blues athlete who made Olympic history.

Former Varsity Blues swimmer Zsofia Balazs became the first Canadian to compete in the 10 kilometre open-water marathon swim at an Olympic Games in London, finishing the race in 18th place.

Balazs has been a member of the Toronto Swim Club for nearly a decade, and is trained by U of T swim coach Linda Kiefer.

A pool-swimmer for most of her career, the introduction of an openwater Olympic event gave Balazs an opportunity to showcase her impressive endurance.

“I was trying to be between the two [open-water and pool]. At the time it [open water] wasn’t an Olympic event, so I just looked at it as something that gave me a bit of an edge over the others because then I can go longer and faster,” Balazs said. “I like doing it. I’m actually one of the crazy ones that actually likes distance. Once it was introduced, I did really want to be someone who did make the pool and the openwater at the same time.

“It didn’t happen, but going for open water and being the first Canadian is still pretty cool.”

While pool competition garners the majority of public interest, Balazs has learned to accept that the open water is where she belongs. “I realized I just don’t quite have the

speed that the other girls do. I have more of the endurance.”

Nevertheless, the former Blues swimmer admits that she is only now “making friends with open-water.

For a long time I was scared of it — just not knowing what’s underwater, and the sharks and the fish.”

Balazs’ passion for swimming began at the early age of four. It was important to her mother that her children learned how to swim, so she signed them up for lessons. But Balazs was not content with learning in the shallow end — the deep end was where she wanted to be.

“I saw the bigger swimmers and I thought ‘I want to do that!’” Balazs recalls.

Not long after, Balazs began competing. Like most athletes who make it to the Games, Balazs’ Olympic dreams blossomed at a young age.

“It was around when I was 10, during the Sydney Olympics, I saw one of the Hungarians [Àgnes Kovács] win the Olympics [in the women’s 200 m breaststroke]… I thought she was the coolest person ever and I thought, ‘I want to be just like her and I’m going to go to the Olympics.’”

Balazs, who lived in Budapest, Hungary, till the age of 13, immigrated to Canada with her family in March 2004. Once the decision to come to Canada had been made, her father searched intently for a new place for his daughter to continue developing as a swimmer. That place turned out to be the Toronto Swim Club (TSC).

“That was it. We didn’t even look at any other club,” said Balazs. “I was swimming before we even had a place to stay. We didn’t have an

Blues going for gold A look at the U of T athletes who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics Kelly Rahardja | VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Jing Ling Kao Beserve/VARSITY BLUES

U of T swimmer becomes first Canadian in open-water marathon

apartment; we were living in a hotel.

But I was ready at six am to go to practice.”

Swimming is an individual sport, but for Balazs and her family, the whole journey has been a team effort.

“They went through it with me the whole time…driving me to practices, sleeping in the parking lot in the back of the car in pajamas. So, for them, it’s as big a deal as it is for me,” she says.

Her father’s decision to send Balazs to the TSC placed her in the presence of an abundance of Varsity Blues swimmers, which fostered her desire to swim for U of T. Balazs began swimming for the Blues in September 2009, before suffering a concussion a month later.

Though her time with the Blues was

short, Balazs is extremely grateful for all the help and coaching she received while a member of the team. “[Coach] Byron [McDonald] was always really helpful,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to even thank him enough ever.”

Though Balazs faced a rough stretch of races in 2011, things eventually turned around for her at the Pan-American games. After a few solid performances following the Pan-Am games, things began to fall into place.

“Crunching the numbers, on paper I saw I could do this…I got it in my head, ‘I can actually do this,’” Balazs said.

The memory of seeing Kovács win the gold medal is the earliest Balazs has of wanting to compete in the Olympics, but it seems her Olympic

aspirations started even earlier than that. During her rough stretch through the qualifying races, she received a gift that inspired her.

“My grandma sent me a drawing from her fridge that apparently I did when I was five. It had the backwards Olympic rings on it, so I guess it started a little earlier than I can actually remember,” Balazs said.

After getting through all the paperwork that accompanies qualifying — “I didn’t know this was coming with it,” she joked — Balazs emphasized how focused she was on her training and staying grounded.

Though the interview requests and Facebook posts began arriving at a frantic pace, she tried hard to not let anything change. “[I wanted to] keep my sanity a little bit and not get caught up in the whole shebang of it,” she said.

The day finally came and Balazs had the honor of being Canada’s first open-water swimmer at the Olympics. She made a strong start to the race, finishing the first lap in tenth place and climbing up to ninth after the second lap.

From there, however, Balaz was unable to maintain the pace and wound up finishing eighteenth in the competition. But her performance will undoubtedly raise the profile of the competition and garner it more attention in the future.

Balazs proudly remembers the day she decided to concentrate on training for open water.

“I sat down with Linda and said ‘I really want to focus on open-water…

I don’t want to stop the swimming pool completely, but that’s what I’m getting ready for, that’s what I want to do, and that’s what we’re going for.’

“I’m glad I made the decision.”

Zsofi Balazs

michelle li

jason burnett

rosie maclennan

trampoline 8th overall

trampoline 1st OVERALL

luke hall

colin russell

open water swimming - 10km 18th OVERALL

swimming - 50m freestyle 36th overall

badminton 4th OVERALL

swimming 4x100m freestyle - 9th OVERALL 4x200m FREESTYLE - 14th OVERALL

var.st/sports

VARSITY SPORTS

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012

15

Blues set for Labour Day home kickoff U of T men’s football team prepares for 2012 season

(clockwise from left) The Blues’ offensive line will be called upon to protect new quarterback Richard Quittenton; the establishment of a firm sense of unity will be a key component to the football team’s success in 2012; linebacker Christopher Johnson (#13) and the rest of the Toronto defense will look to fill the gaps left by graduates DeSouza, Sharpe, and Munroe.

ROB LEONE/THE VARSITY

Zoë Bedard SPORTS EDITOR

In football, no game is as important as the next and there is no time to reflect or fear the future when the present is all that matters.

For the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s football team which is standing on the edge of the 2012 season, there’s a sense of calm that the new team taking the field after the off season’s many departures and acquisitions can be competitive in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East.

The Blues ended last year’s campaign with a 3–5 record, seeded seventh in the OUA. In his first season as head coach, Greg Gary led his team to their first triumph over the Guelph Gryphons since 1995, as well as victories over York and Waterloo.

This season marks a key change in the Blues’ on-field leadership: Andrew Gillis, last season’s fifth-year quarterback who became the sixth Blues quarterback to surpass 4,000 career passing yards, graduated, ushering in the era of Richard Quittenton.

Quittenton saw action in four games last year. While game experience is an important asset, what may prove most useful to the sophomore quarterback’s training and growth as offensive leader is the time he spent in the Toronto Argonauts’ training camp this offseason.

“Working with guys like Ricky Ray was so helpful because not only did they offer specific advice about things like reads and foot-

work, they also allowed me to see what kind of people they are,” he said. “Ricky Ray is definitely a quiet leader, and I think of myself in the same way.”

Leadership, outside of footwork, arm strength, and accuracy, is one of the most important characteristics that a quarterback must possess as the figurehead of the offense.

“In my mind it’s important to balance being confident with being humble; I find that too many people confuse humility with complacency,” Quittenton explains.

While guidance and talent is key, the unspoken connection between a receiver and his quarterback is the linchpin of a team’s success. From Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, to Dan Marino and Mark Clayton, every team rides on the strength of the relationship between the quarterback and his receivers.

Receiver Alex Pierzchalski enters training camp as the 2011 team leader in receptions with 37 for 443 yards. Coming off of a stellar sophmore season where he was ranked among the top 15 receivers in the OUA, he’ll be called upon to immediately establish firm chemistry with Quittenton. “[Pierzchalski is] coming off a great year but we’re expecting even more from him in 2012,” Gary told varsityblues.ca. “If he transfers everything he’s done in training and preparation to the field, he’ll be hard to cover.”

Pierzchalski will be complemented by Paul de Pass, who ranked first in yardage in the OUA last season with an average of 21.2 yards per catch.

Every team develops unity in a different manner, but for Quittenton and his offense, the key to success is time.

“We’ve been doing it the old fashion way, working out during our free time. I think it’s important to practice for the practice, and that’s something that Pierzchalski, de Pass and I have been doing every chance we get,” Quittenton says. “I think as an offense we are going to have plenty of weapons this year.

“Guys like Pierzchalski and de Pass are versatile players and so they allow the coach to attack a defense in numerous ways, which makes my job a whole lot easier.”

Toronto’s defense proved last season that they could compete with the OUA’s elite, and the Blues are hopeful that it will only continue to improve. The loss of OUA AllStar linebacker Wilkerson DeSouza to the Calgary Stampeders through the 2012 CFL draft will be a challenge to overcome. Even so, strong players including Kevin Kinahan, Jaidan McBride, and Everton Williams will be called upon to fill DeSouza’s place, as well as those of fellow graduates Willie Sharpe, and Dorian Munroe.

A team’s success is not dictated by the records of its past or those of the years to come.

A team must live in the present.

The Blues are not looking at the strides made last season or the players that lead that team. Instead, they are ruthlessly preparing for this year and creating an identity for this season’s team.

“We’re going to win. I guarantee it,” promises Quittenton.

16

DIVERSIONS

MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2012

Out of this world 1

2

3

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by Catherine Friedman 6

7

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Across 1.

5.

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14.

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Luminous, gaseous body “Music of the lyre” Victim of biology class Grant or Elwes “_ ____ a drink!”

Routine Cajun staple

18.

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Only planet not named after a mythological figure Character on The Wire Euphemism for hell Self-referential “Me, too” Double reed instrument

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The planets, for example “__ route!”

Mazda model Fourth rover sent to Mars Hun king Lewis’ lion Spell starter Mother of invention Ye olde news source “People” counterpart Weighed down Relinquish Fragrance Fiddling Roman Slug, for example Pronto The queen’s dogs Prefix with sphere Demolish A single commercial ____ Kong Squirrel’s nest Suffix meaning “spiral or convolution” “Breaking __ __ hard to do”

DOWN 1.

2.

3.

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Highlander Currency in Bangladesh Pirate interjection Romney’s right-hand man Michelangelo’s only signed work Epitome of slow Bubbly chocolate bars “___ __ man put asunder” Hippy of today, abbr.

Versatile cuss word One star-cross’d lover Pontificate German city

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Verdi opera Artist of “Wish Tree” Yemen neighbour Mention Baby powder End in _ ___ (even) German article “___: Miami” Absolute, abbr.

Flat fish Cake company, ____ Lee Footnote abbr.

Peach or beech Mitten material Big Sean’s “Dance (___)” Jane Lynch on Glee Woodwind, abbr.

France’s Oscar Clear Only one of the Seven Dwarfs without a beard Extreme physical or mental suffering Of meat, lightly cooked Only Summer Goes Away indeed (abbr.)

Crete peak Andy from The Office refers to himself as the ____ Dog Where Honolulu resides Like much travel All-inclusive Pluto and Beethoven ___ and gear

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