March 10, 2014

UTSU ELECTIONS: Full coverage

VOL. CXXXIV, NO. 20

PG 5, 7, & 8

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1880

10 MARCH, 2014

UTSU widely criticized for summit withdrawal Zane Schwartz & Theodore Yan VARSITY STAFF

The University Fund mechanism is a result of a new budget model adopted by U of T in the 2006–2007 financial year, intended to increase transparency and improve decision-making.

The Fund is a 10 per cent ‘tax’ taken off a division’s attributed operating revenue. Each division is allocated a portion of the University Fund, with a fixed amount (totalling $100 million) having been set in the first year of the new model, and the rest distributed at the discretion of the provost.

Professor Scott Prudham, current president of

While the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) election continued outside the second last meeting of the Student Societies’ Summit, Agnes So, current vice-president, university affairs of the utsu, quietly announced the union’s intention to withdraw.

U of T Voice presidential candidate Yolen Bollo-Kamara, who has represented the utsu at summit meetings throughout the year in her current role as vice-president, equity, was not present.

According to So, the decision was prompted by the exit of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (utmsu) last month, and by a survey of 1,200 undergraduate members conducted by the union. “Eighty per cent of the students we polled told us that they did not want the utsu’s future to be decided by administrative faculty,” said So in a letter sent to Summit participants. “It does not escape me that the university is extending a hand into this issue at a time when they are likely frustrated with us for our work on Flat Fees, Access Copyright, ancillary fees, the Transitional Year Program and other such issues,” she added. When contacted by The Varsity Saturday evening So further explained her decision.

“No one should have the false assumption that input from the union was being encouraged or respected. Our number one cry was always that all interested parties, especially within our membership, should be able to participate, and that was ignored,” said So. Combined with the fact that the Summit discussed cultural clubs, the Centre for Women and Trans People, and the Sexual Education Centre in disparaging ways, I am confident in the direction that I took to protect these necessary student groups.”

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WHEN STUDENTS SPOKE UP A history of student activism at U of T | Feature, pg 12

Undergraduate tuition subsidizes some professional faculties Murad Hemmadi VARSITY STAFF

U of T’s total budget is set to cross the $2 billion mark for the first time in 2014–2015, according to a report presented to the Business Board of Governing Council on Monday, March 3. Buried in that figure is over $40 million in within-university subsidies that will be transferred from undergraduateheavy divisions of the university to graduate-heavy and revenue-poor divisions. utsc and the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering give up the equivalent of 9.72 per cent and 6.94 per cent of their academic expense budget, respectively, through a budget mechanism called the University Fund. The Faculties of Den-

INSIDE

COMMENT

tistry and Forestry are among the net-recipients, taking in 32.83 and 72.10 per cent of their academic expense budgets respectively via the Fund (see table, page 6).

Sally Garner, executive director of the university’s Planning and Budget Office, said that seeing the transfer between divisions as evidence that undergraduates “subsidize” graduates is too simplistic. “On average, that is probably true, but I think that’s too broad and too general because you could also say first- and second-year are subsidizing third- and fourth-year undergrads,” she explained.

“Although the university fund is a reality, we must participate in due to the nature of the New Budget Model; our students at utm deserve more funding from the university,” said Hamza Ansari, vice-president, university affairs & academics of

the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (utmsu).

ARTS & CULTURE

SCIENCE

SPORTS

Chris Hadfield at Con Hall on Friday

Insider the RAWC at UTM

Burying the Transitional Writer-in-residence David Bezmozgis Year Program

THE UNIVERSITY FUND

While the fight for funding must certainly continue, it is important to bear in mind that axing a program’s funding is not the only way to kill it. Identity loss too is a form of death.

This is the writer who The Globe and Mail described as “a tad prickly, even downright hostile,” and who wrote a parody of an interview with himself in which he explicitly stated, “I hate being interviewed.”

Ten months back on Earth appear to have done little to diminish the popularity of Colonel Chris Hadfield, or to diminish his passion for sharing his experiences and promoting human space exploration.

The students, faculty, and alumni at utm have enjoyed the benefits offered at the school’s state of the art Recreation, Athletics, and Wellness Centre (rawc) since it opened its doors in 2006.

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Vol. CXXXIV, No. 20

THE VARSITY VOL. CXXXIV No. 20

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Business Office Business Manager Timothy Sharng

I don’t know how people navigate around campus in the Winter without a metropass #uoftproblems — Monday, March 3

SUSAN WANG @_SUSANWANG Vic to SS in 8 minutes. That’s got to be a record for me #UofTproblems — Monday, March 3

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Science Editor Katrina Vogan

Illustrations Editor Nancy Ji

the week in tweets SARAH MIAN @SARAHMIANXO

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

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business@thevarsity.ca

Advertising Manager Victoria Marshall advertising@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executives Stephanie Lau stephanie@thevarsity.ca terence@thevarsity.ca Terence Leung vanessa@thevarsity.ca Vanessa Wen The Varsity is the University of Toronto's largest student newspaper, publishing since 1880. The Varsity has a circulation of 20,000, and is published

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Content © 2014 by The Varsity. All rights reserved. Any editorial inquiries and/or letters should be directed to the sections associated with them; emails listed above.

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ZOË EDWARDS @ZO3GAZELLE GRADUATE STUDENTS’ UNION CFS REFERENDUM DEBATE Representatives from the CFS and the disaffiliation petitioners will debate: “Should the utgsu maintain continued membership in the Canadian Federation of Students?”

Monday, March 10, 6:10 pm Room 203, McLennan Physical Labs, 60 St. George Street Free PIE YOUR U OF T PROF FOR CHARITY The top professor, whose name raises the most money, will be protected; the remaining will be pied.

Tuesday, March 11, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm Great Hall, Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle By donation at the political science department, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 3025 BACK TO HAITI: HAITIAN MIGRATION IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Matthew Smith, lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica discusses Haitian migration.

BACKBENCH REVOLT OR PARLIAMENTARY REFORM: CHURCHILL DEBATE ON PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY Four of Canada’s top university debaters will debate whether Parliament should pass the Reform Act. Tuesday, March 11, 7:30 pm Music Room, Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle Free U OF T IDOL FINALE Hart House Music Committee is searching for the singer to crown this year’s U of T Idol Thursday, March 13, 8:30 pm Arbor Room, Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle Free

Thursday, March 13, 3:00 pm–5:00 pm Room 2098, Sidney Smith Hall, 100 St. George Street.

Free

VARSITY PUBLICATIONS’ SPRING MEETING OF MEMBERS Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 5:15 pm Room 200, 21 Sussex Avenue The Spring Meeting of Members of Varsity Publications, the corporation that publishes The Varsity newspaper, will be held for the purposes of: 1. Recieve the report of the Chief Returning Officer for the election of directors 4. Any other business.

I love studying at Hart House with the piano playing in the background. #UofT — Thursday, March 6

HILARY BARLOW @HILARYHBARLOW It is apparently Disney songs day in the student commons area at Sanford Fleming. #UofT — Thursday, March 6

VIPASHA SHAIKH @VIPASHASHAIKH I really wonder how people get work done when Twitter exists as a endless source of distraction. #UofT #oranyotheruniversityorworksetting — Friday, March 7

ANUM JAMALL @ANUUUMJ Wrote an email to my Proff asking for a better grade at 3 am so I can sleep better. @lifeatuoft #UofT — Sunday, March 9

MEG BASTABLE @MEGMAGGIEMAGS A student just arrived at the library in a houseboat. I don’t know what else to say. #UofT #fashion — Sunday, March 9

THE EXPLAINER UTSU ELECTIONS Voting Period March 11, 12, 13, between 9:00 am and 6:30 pm

PLEASE NOTE: Due to ongoing repairs at 21 Sussex, the location of this meeting is subject to change.

How to Vote At a polling station: Bring your TCard to a polling station at any one of these locations: Sidney Smith, Bahen, Gerstein, Kelly Library, Victoria College, Faculty of Dentistry, Instructional Building (UTM), CCIT Building (UTM).

For more information, or to download the form of proxy, please visit: thevarsity.ca/springmeeting-of-members

Online: Log on to utsu.simplyvoting.com using your UTORid and password.

Membership: All full-time undergraduate students who pay the Varsity Publications fee are members of the corporation and are entitled to attend and vote at this meeting.

Proxies: Members who are unable to attend may proxy their vote by returning the form of proxy to the meeting location at least 24 hours before the meeting.

VARSITY NEWS

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MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014

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Toronto350 makes its case for divestment to university admin Meric Gertler is “leaning in the direction” of appointing an ad hoc committee to consider the request Liza Agrba

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Toronto350, a student activist group, is asking U of T to divest its direct stock holdings from fossil fuel companies. On March 6, Toronto350 presented their case in a 20-minute lecture delivered by renowned lawyer Dimitri Lascaris, followed by a brief panel discussion. Toronto350 argued that U of T has an ethical obligation to divest. U of T president Meric Gertler, who sent a representative on his behalf to the presentation, said that he is “leaning in the direction” of appointing an ad hoc committee to consider Toronto350’s requests.

The presentation summarized a 190-page divestment brief, in which Toronto350 asked U of T to declare its intention to divest from fossil fuel companies and stop making new investments in the industry. They also asked the university to divest all its direct stock holdings from Royal Dutch Shell and 200 other companies with large fossil fuel reserves, within one year and five years of receiving the brief, respectively.

“It is the future of our children and our grandchildren that hangs in the balance,” said Lascaris. “Climate change is, to borrow the words of un Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the defining challenge of our time.

Future generations will judge us according to how we rise or fall in the face of this challenge.”

In 2012, The University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (utam) listed U of T’s two largest single-company holdings as $9.8 million in Royal Dutch Shell plc and $7.8

million in bp plc. utam also listed a $5.8 million investment in Rio Tinto plc, which is a mining company with large fossil fuel reserves. utam does not list all investment quantities. William Moriarty, president of utam, did not respond to request for comment as of press time.

U of T’s Governing Council adopted the Policy on Social and Political Issues with respect to University Divestment in 2008. This policy says that the university president can appoint an ad hoc committee to consider a divestment request once presented with a convincing brief endorsed by at least 300 signatures. The committee would “consist of individuals with relevant expertise from among the teaching staff, students, administrative staff and alumni.” If the committee is called, the Executive Committee of Governing Council would need to approve appointments recommended by the president.

Many prominent student groups endorsed Toronto350’s divestment brief. These include the University of Toronto Students’ Union, the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union, the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, the University of Toronto Environmental Action, the Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council, Trinity College Meeting, and the Muslim Students’ Association.

Environmental activist and academic David Suzuki, former Toronto mayor David Miller, and American Indian environmental activist Winona Laduke have also endorsed the brief.

Gertler was originally supposed to attend the presentation, but chose to attend the National Scholars Dinner, held on the same night. Dr. Anthony

Gray, director, strategic initiatives and research, attended the event in his stead.

In a sit-down interview with The Varsity the following day, Gertler said that he acknowledges the seriousness of the climate change problem: “I will say, for the record, that I am not a climate change denier. I am personally increasingly convinced by the science that underlies the climate change debate.”

Gertler said that the university must respect the balance between considering social and political issues with the responsibility to seek the maximum return on its investments.

“The purpose of this exercise is not to decide whether or not there is something called climate change and that it poses real risks. The purpose is to decide the appropriate course of action for the university to take in this regard, particularly with regard to the question of its investment practices,” he said.

Toronto350 argues that the business models of fossil fuel companies do not take into account the safe limit of fossil fuel-burning to avoid dangerously raising the planet’s temperature. They cite limits established at a 2009 un climate change conference, in a non-legally binding agreement called The Copenhagen Accord, which was signed by 114 parties, including Canada.

“Much of the value of these companies is illusory, based on an outdated assumption that we can use the atmosphere as a free dumping ground for co2. The energy sources of the future need to be compatible with a stable climate,” reads Toronto350’s divestment brief.

Stuart Basden presenting divestment brief to U of T admin. carolyn leVeTT/The VarsiTy

David Williams, head of media relations for Shell Canada, would not comment on the company’s business model relative to the Copenhagen Accord. Williams said that, in the short to medium term, Shell is committed to increasing natural gas — a lower-carbon fuel — in their production profile. Currently, he said, Shell’s global production is approximately 50 per cent oil, 50 per cent natural gas.

In the longer term, Williams said that the key to taking carbon out of the atmosphere is to introduce carbon capture and storage (ccs) technologies. Shell is currently constructing what will be one of the world’s first industrial scale ccs projects, connected to their oil sands operation in Alberta.

He also highlighted Shell’s $12 billion joint venture with Cosan in Brazil, called Raizen. “Raizen produces and sells over 2 billion litres a year of the lowest carbon biofuel commercially

available — ethanol made from Brazilian sugar cane,” he said.

Toronto350 argues that fossil fuel companies’ primary business practices, and continuing investment in new fossil fuel infrastructure, makes it unlikely for them to seriously address the climate change problem. As such, they argue, investor activism alone is not enough, and responsible investors must move away from fossil fuel companies towards renewable energy infrastructure.

Gertler said that he will likely decide whether to appoint an ad hoc committee within one or two weeks.

He declined to offer details on who would be appointed to sit on the committee, or how the student representative would be selected. He further said that it would be impossible to say, at this point, how long the committee would take to reach decision, since the 2008 divestment policy has never been put into practice before.

Bill regulating unpaid internships passes first reading at Queen’s Park NDP bill introduces greater regulation, tracking of unpaid internships Aidan Slind & Shaan Bhambra VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Earlier this week, Jonah Schein, mpp for Davenport and ndp gta Issues Critic, introduced legislation that would provide unpaid interns with a range of greater legal protection.

The proposed legislation would extend the provisions of the Employment Standards Act (esa) to interns, giving them the same legal rights regarding working hours and conditions enjoyed by paid workers.

The proposed legislation would also mandate a data collection system to determine the pervasiveness of unpaid internships, create a protocol for the Ministry of Labour to deal with workplace complaints, and legislate that a poster detailing workers’ rights under the esa be displayed in places of work. The bill had its first reading on Tuesday and was carried. It has not yet moved to committee, which is required before a second reading.

“Internships can offer valuable training opportunities for those entering the workplace, but we need to ensure that young people are getting the experiences they deserve,” Schein said, adding: “My bill will give unpaid interns greater protections under the law, and clarify the conditions of a legal internship for employees and employers alike.”

In Ontario, unpaid internships are nominally overseen by the Ministry of Labour. The ministry specifically exempts individuals who perform work under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology or a university from protection under the esa. According to a Ministry of Labour statement: “This exception exists to encourage employers to provide students enrolled in a college or university program with practical training to complement their classroom learning.”

In a recent statement, Yasir Naqvi, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, said that he was appreciative of the ndp’s

efforts. However, he pointed out that his ministry recently provided $3 million for the application of the esa and will be executing an “enforcement blitz” this summer.

“The government knows that investing in our young people means making sure they are treated fairly on the job and we have strong rules enforcing that. Our government has been active on this file to increase awareness, proactive inspections and protections for young workers for some time,” Naqvi added.

Joshua Mandryk, a University of Toronto law student and co-chair of Students Against Unpaid Internship Scams, an organization that has been demanding government action against unpaid internships, praised Schein’s bill, but added that it does not bring change quickly enough.

“Unfortunately, young workers don’t have time to wait for this bill to be passed, so we want to see these measures incorporated in the 2014 Ontario budget,” he said.

The bill will now be sent to committee, at Queen’s Park. michael chahley/The VarsiTy

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VARSITY NEWS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 20

news@thevarsity.ca

International tuition could rise another 50 per cent over next five years Current international students would pay 5 per cent more, new students would pay 9.2 per cent in proposed budget James Flynn

BY THE NUMBERS

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Tuition fees for new incoming international students are set to increase by 9.2 per cent next year.

Fees for existing international students are set to increase by 5 per cent. Scott Mabury, vicepresident, university operations, unveiled the plan at a meeting of the Governing Council’s Business Board on March 3. On average, tuition fee increases are assumed to be 3 per cent for domestic students and 6.5 per cent for existing international students each year of the five-year budget cycle: 2014–2015 to 2018–2019.

At the meeting, Mabury characterized international student enrolment as a “14-year experiment,” adding that, “when we increase international tuition fees, applications go up, and the take-up rate goes up.” A recent provincial government plan established a target to increase the number of international students by 50 per cent — to a total of 57,000 students — by 2015. Compounded, international tuition fees have risen over 50 per cent over the last five years.

Domestic and international tuition fee schedules are regulated under Ontario’s Tuition Framework.

Under the framework, domestic tuition fees are capped at three per cent per year for most programs and five per cent for graduate and professional programs. International tuition fee increases, however, are unregulated — individual postsecondary institutions can increase these fees as much as they like.

As per the university’s tuition fee policy, no student entering a program from 2012–2013 onwards will be subjected to a fee increase of more than 5.69 per cent per year for the normal length of the full-time program of study.

The Canadian Federation of Students (cfs) and Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (ousa) have both called on the provincial government to regulate international fee increases.

“There is a real double standard here,” said Cameron Wathey, who is running for re-election to the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) as vice-president, internal, with Team U of T Voice. “International students deserve the same rights as domestic students, not simply because we contribute to the tax base and the growth of the economy, not simply because many international students decide to stay in Canada after graduation and work within Canada, but simply because we all deserve access to affordable post-secondary education,” he added.

Wathey outlined the platform for U of T Voice, which includes lobbying the provincial government for the regulation of international student fees, pressuring the government for the removal of the recently introduced $750 international student fee, and advocating for international student

9.2%

increase in 2014/2015 academic year for incoming international students

5%

increase in 2014/2015 academic year for current international students

6%

increase in average international student per year

50%

increase in number of international students is desired by 2015

50%

increase in international student fees in the last 5 years

The Centre for International Experience is one of many supports the university offers for international students. CArolyn levett/tHe vArsity

seats on Governing Council. Under the University of Toronto Act, international students are currently unable to serve on Governing Council because they are not Canadian citizens.

“This discrepancy raises serious concerns to suggest that international students are being used to compensate for funding gaps in other underfunded sectors within the university,” said Anna Yin, who is running for election to the utsu as vice-president, internal, with Team Unite. “As a team that believes in equal opportunity and a fair education for all, we believe we must address the university administration and raise concerns within the upcoming provincial elections to suggest regulations for international tuition to be based on the real cost of education,” she added.

Yin outlined the platform for Team Unite, which includes pushing university administration to create more needs-based scholarships for international students, lobbying the provincial government to ensure that universities provide more international student support services, and lobbying the provincial government to allow international students to enroll in ohip without paying an additional premium.

Zakary Paget, special assistant, communications, for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, offered little information on provincial government funding for international students.

“Our role is to ensure that the bar is set high for post-secondary education in Ontario through the implementation of a policy framework that protects our shared, earned global reputation for quality programs, student protection, and a positive student experience.” Paget did not offer any information on what that policy framework would include.

“I think we’re very transparent about the fees that international students are charged. They understand this before they decide to apply,” said Richard Levin, university registrar, adding: “We’re clear about any scholarships in the letter of offer, and we determine our international targets based on academic priorities.

But we have to reflect the full cost in international fees.” While the federal and provincial governments provide per-student operating grants to post-secondary institutions, there are no per-student operating grants for international students. “[W]e will only go as far as we feel is academically appropriate in terms of number of students,” said Sally Garner, executive directo of the planning and budget office.

“The tuition has to be a reasonable rate when you compare it internationally to the quality institutions compared to U of T.” Katerina Valle, a fourth-year anthropology student from Peru, contended that the fee increases are unexpected. “Most of us find out about the yearly increase when we are already enrolled.

When I applied to U of T, I thought I would be paying [$20,000] every year. Next year, my tuition is going to be [$30,000]. People have budgets — if U of T can’t help from raising tuition, they should at least be clear about it,” she says.

Other international students, like Shah Taha, a second-year international relations and contemporary Asian studies student from Hong Kong, argued that the cost of international undergraduate tuition does not reflect the level of services international students receive: “What is perhaps most important is to give international students their money’s worth. Facilities provided at U of T are below par for the amount charged.”

Levin said that the cost of international undergraduate tuition is

not a reflection of additional services for international students: “We set fees to try and recover the full cost of the educational experience.

There are certainly services for international students — the Centre for International Experience, various divisions have particular supports in place, programs run specifically for international students — we work hard to try and support them. But the fee is really meant to reflect the cost of education.”

Some international students also expressed concern over the amount of financial aid that international undergraduate students receive. In 2012–2013, $164 million in student aid was given out to undergraduate and graduate students. Just $5 million in aid — merit-based and emergency — was provided to international students.

According to the university’s Policy on Student Financial Support, “No student offered admission to a program at the University of Toronto should be unable to enter or complete the program due to lack of financial means.” However, the policy does not fully apply to international students: “International students must demonstrate that they have sufficient resources to meet their financial needs in order to qualify for a student visa. They are not eligible for the university’s guarantee offered to domestic students.”

Valle expressed concern over this: “There are a lot of programs, scholarships, opportunities that are restricted to Canadians and residents only … [International students] pay more and we are excluded,” she said, adding: “International students pick Canada because it is cheaper.”

Michael Kozakov, a third-year computer science student from Israel, agreed: “Unlike most top universities in the United States, U of T does not offer financial aid packag-

es, and the merit-based scholarships cover at most 4 per cent of tuition fees. Given the amount of emphasis U of T puts on the diversity of the student body, I find these numbers very underwhelming.”

“I do not believe that the government should subsidize all international students (some students already receive government support from their home countries, others have quite high social economic status backgrounds), but I believe that there is a responsibility to provide support for top students with high levels of need,” said Dr. Glen Jones, Ontario research chair in post-secondary education policy and measurement and professor of higher education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (oise). However, Jones also pointed out that financial support for U of T graduate students is among the highest in the country.

Levin claimed that the low level of financial aid for international undergraduate students arises from the university’s decision to prioritize domestic students. “The only real source of support, if we were to provide additional support for international students, would be tuition and grant revenue from domestic students,” he said.

“Some governments have found the introduction of [international] scholarships politically difficult,” Jones added. “The Ontario government announced new scholarships for international students several years ago and received a great deal of criticism from opposition and some student organizations based on the notion that funds should be devoted to assisting Ontario students rather than international students.”

The university projects a balanced budget for 2014–2015, with $2 billion in revenues matched by $2 billion in expenses.

VARSITY NEWS

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“To ensure student voices are heard”

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014

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“Student union is built on democracy”

Interview with U of T Voice team presidential Interview with Team Unite’s presidential candidate Yolen Bollo-Kamara candidate Ye Huang

Yolen Bollo-Kamara, presidential candidate for U of T Voice. shijie zhou/The VArsiTy

Theodore Yan

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Yolen Bollo-Kamara, candidate for U of T Voice, was the utsu’s vice-president, equity this past year. She expresses pride in her accomplishments in that office, particularly her work surrounding mental health. “One of the activities we did that was really simple was this activity around just asking students how happy they were at the moment,” said Bollo-Kamara. “We ended up having tons of volunteers just going around campus with these giants signs that said ‘How happy you are” on a scale of 1 to 10?’

Students would fill it out and it really initiated a conversation about our well-being as students.”

This project was the beginning of her effort to fulfil her promise of instituting a “Mental Health Week,” which would have been a campaign to raise awareness about mental health issues. She didn’t quite do that, but she did collaborate with a number of mental health advocacy groups on campus to hold a five-dollar lunch at Hart House called “What’s on your mind?” “We were able to do outreach with all these different groups,” said Bollo-Kamara.

“And so students had the opportunity to learn what each of those groups did, but also be able to engage in a conversation about what mental health means for them.”

She wishes to continue her efforts with mental health on campus next year by pushing for a fall Reading Week. “I think that students want a break because, you know, breaks are nice, but it’s for sure important to realize that being a student can be really stressful, and especially first-year students, but really all students, have difficulty sometimes adjusting to the university experience, and it’s important to have time at which they can evaluate how the year is going, and get support if they need it, and, I really want to stress, before the end of term exams in the fall,” she says.

She explains that she plans to accomplish this goal by lobbying the university administration.

Indeed, advocacy seems to be the lynchpin of her platform, as she returns repeatedly to the idea of pressuring those with power, like U of T’s administration and the provincial and federal governments, in order to effect positive policy changes for students. “A few of our platform points kind of revolve around the issue of government funding for post-secondary education, as well as international students,” said Bollo-

Kamara. “One of the things that we recognize is that we have the lowest government funding for post-secondary educatidon in the province of Ontario, which contributes to the fact that we have the highest tuition fees and we graduate with the highest amount of student debt.”

The negative effects of U of T’s relatively paltry per-student funding are sometimes less obvious than tuition fees or student debt, however. Bollo-Kamara recounts how she has attended meetings at which members of the U of T administration express the need to attract more international students in order to subsidize the tuition of domestic students, a strategy that ties in handily with the university’s recent decision to raise international tuition by 9 per cent every year for the next five years.

Before this year, U of T also used flat fees in order to make up for the lack of funding, a policy that all students taking at least three fullcourse equivalents (fces) during a semester would have to pay tuition for five. This resulted in a substantial loss for numerous students who took between three and five fces. “I think that this year we had a huge victory with flat fees. We worked really hard; we collected thousands of petitions, and we got the government to finally increase the threshold at which flat fees are charged to students across Ontario,” said Bollo-Kamara. “We want to further push to eliminate flat fees altogether, because I still think that students should not be charged for more courses than they’re taking.”

Bollo-Kamara acknowledged that victory on both these issues, dramatic increases in international student fees, and flat fees for all students, rely on increases in funding for post-secondary education by the government.

Though she promises to continue the union’s work lobbying the government for those increases, there remains substantial work to be done. Bollo-Kamara could not remember the last time the union successfully secured an increase in per-student funding for post-secondary education. It has not increased since 1991.

All the union’s goals rely on success at this final hurdle. After all, the school must get money from somewhere.

“We want to continue that work, to build community, to support students’ voices, to ensure students’ voices are heard, and so I’m really excited to be working with this team,” concluded Bollo-Kamara, expressing the hope that she could be elected so that she could continue the work she has been doing.

Ye Huang, presidential candidate for Team Unite. shijie zhou/The VArsiTy

Sarah Niedoba

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Asked why he wanted to run for president of the utsu, Ye Huang responded in the form of a story.

“Last year in May, or June, I was finding school resources for my friends, because they were having a hard time,” he began, in the manner of someone telling a much practiced anecdote. “A lot of my friends are Chinese international students, they are not so much involved.” Huang then did his own research into the union, looking for resources his friends could take advantage of. What he ended up finding was unexpected, and troubling.

“I came across the Trinity report to the utsu, and the Victoria report, and I learned all these things about defederation and the possible dissolving of the utsu.” Huang explained how he saw the utsu as a great resource for students, and something that could continue to be so, if only someone was willing to change it’s structure internally. He says that he wants students to take advantage of what is provided for them by the fees that they pay.

Huang’s leadership experience comes from in his involvement with various Chinese student associations, and his founding and current leadership of the Alpha Kappa Si, a fraternity focused on academics. Yet, he does not describe himself as someone naturally drawn to leadership. “I’m not the kind of person that’s seeking, you know, a top position, from the beginning. I’m more of a moderate person.” He went on to explain that even though he does not necessarily seek out executive positions, that he has come to realize that sometimes stepping into the role of the leader is necessary in order to ensure real change.

Describing how he assembled his team, Huang had one definitive answer: talking to people. “Nobody knows who I am — seriously. Before this, generally, nobody. I mean like, publicly speaking. I knew some of my team members before hand, but other than that I wasn’t known. It was more about the communication I had with the people I wanted to work with — about showing them I want to do what my goal is, and can you fit into that, do you want to pursue that same goal?”

When asked if he was worried about his lack of a public profile in comparison to the incumbent team, which features two current utsu executives, Huang’s response was decidedly nonchalant. “I mean, experience is one thing, but we do think only having the experience will not guarantee someone to do a great job,” he said, smiling slightly, as if embarrassed to present any criticism of the other slate,

of which he has been unfailing complementary of thus far.

The conversation moved towards platform points and goals, and Huang immediately raised the issue of defederation. “As presidential candidate, I care the most, or well, one of the things I care the most about is that I don’t want the utsu to dissolve. I know a lot of college students, a lot of college councils are thinking about leaving the utsu, this is one of the biggest reasons I lead this campaign with my team, it’s also our common goal,” explained Huang.

“We hope that if we get elected people gain trust in the utsu. Have you know, college councils, college council leaders back on the table, to talk about how we can improve the utsu.”

The next inevitable question was what his response would be if student groups continued to stand firm and insisted on leaving the union. Huang paused for the first time in almost twenty minutes, and looked down, examining his hands. When he did respond, his answer was halting, but firm. “If I’m running an organization and it’s defederating I shouldn’t love this to happen. I should hate this to happen. I should hate it very much. But, the student union is built upon democracy and students will, so if that extreme case really happened, I, personally, I should respect that decision. I think that this is my job, it’s also the requirement of this job.”

Huang supports the expansion of the non-credit course policy — currently students can take up to two full year courses and receive only a pass/fail credit on their transcript. “We think that the school should raise that limit because first of all students can pursue their own interests in courses the more easily, without considering too much about affecting their own grades,” explained Huang.

Finally turning to the issue of transparency, Haung was reluctant to levy any real criticism against the current executive. Instead he simply said “I think that right now they’re fine, they’re doing good. They can do better — especially on the financial side.”

He explained that if elected his team would provide the actuals on financial reports and budgeting. He proposes working closely with college unions, club leaders and other student groups to create a more accessible and better understood budget. “In this way we avoid duplicating events, duplicating services, we don’t waste energy or money.”

Throughout the interview Huang is composed and courteous, but with an underlying sense of urgency to get his ideas across, and to make sure he is understood. His main focus is overwhelmingly that what his team’s name suggests: unity. “I still believe people should try their best to change things internally, instead of breaking things down.”

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VARSITY NEWS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 20

news@thevarsity.ca

“UNDERGRAD TUITION” CONTINUED FROM COVER utfa, suggested that the new budget model might create the false impression that each division of the university is financially independent. “[If] this way of looking at things creates the impression that Divisions are stand-alone fiscal entities whose budget deficits or surpluses are anything other than artifacts of administrative and subjective decisions within the University Administration, then that is unfortunate and incorrect,” he said.

“There are within-university subsidies,” admitted Scott Mabury, U of T’s vice-president, university operations.

“We have never, nor will we ever going forward say to a division, ‘You have to exist entirely separate from the university as a whole and you have to completely be to your own devices.’”

FUNDING FORMULA

George Luste is a former president of the University of Toronto Faculty Association (utfa), and the author of a 2010 information report entitled How Undergraduates Subsidize Professional Faculties: A Look at UofT’s New Budget Model. “I think our university is financially dysfunctional because we are trying very hard to be an internationally competitive university… but we’re not funded in any different way than major undergraduate schools like Lakehead, or Trent,” he said.

A major reason for the cross-subsidy structure, according to Garner, is the provincial funding model. The province uses a system called Basic Income Units (bius) to determine how much funding to provide to universities based on their enrolment. biu ‘weights’ are based on the perceived cost of education for different programs and disciplines.

Brad Duguid, Ontario’s minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, acknowledged that the biu system needed revision. He suggested that a review of the province’s funding structure is set to take place over the summer, but that such discussions could not take place before strategic mandate

“UTSU” CONTINUED FROM COVER DIRECTORS BLIND‒SIDED

The decision to withdraw from the Summit was immediately met with outrage from a number of directors, who were not aware the union had conducted the survey, let alone that a decision had been reached to leave the summit.

“It’s a completely disingenuous and slanted articulation of the utsu’s involvement in the summit meetings, specifically designed to confuse and deceive uninformed students,” said Aimee Quenneville, an independent director from University College who is currently in Paris on exchange. Ben Coleman, an independent Arts & Sciences at-large director, who was recently elected to the university’s Governing Council for the next academic year, was similarly critical of the survey. “I already talked to [So] and I made it pretty clear that I think the survey is bullshit, it’s designed to make people answer a certain way,” he said when contacted Friday. On Sunday, he was less frustrated, but more concerned with the long term effects of the union’s ability to engage with other groups on campus: “The way the survey has been done breaks trust with a lot of people,” he said.

Pierre Harfouche, an engineering director on board and candidate

Columns A to G taken from Budget Report 2014–2015 and Long Range Budget Guidelines 2014-15 to 2018–19. Loss/gain figures Varsity’s calculations University of Toronto.

agreements (smas) are finalized with the province’s universities. U of T president Meric Gertler indicated to Business Board last week that the university was in the process of finalizing its own sma.

U of T’s provost Cheryl Regehr said the university has not officially been informed of proposed changes to the provincial funding formula, and would “have to have a look at what the government has in mind and see what the impacts of that will be.”

Duguid acknowledged that the BIU-based funding model encourages universities to grow to boost funding.

“Throughout the system, you’ll see universities that are growing, but finding ways to grow even though they don’t need to, just to chase those growth dollars because the biu incents them to do that,” he explained.

Enrolment growth has helped counteract what members of the university administration call chronic under-funding from the provincial government; enrolment accounts for 89 per cent of the university’s revenue. But Garner

insisted the university is not growing for the sake of funding. “I wouldn’t say we’re increasing enrolment to deal with the financial picture; it is helping for now to deal with the financial picture but we’re increasing enrolment for other reasons,” she said. “Are we going to continue to grow enrolment just to make up for the declining grant? No.”

“I understand that the allocation towards this fund has been decreasing at a slow pace since 2006, but we would like to see more of our money allocated towards utm so that we can work closely with the utm administration to better utilize student funding in order to continue and build our student services,” said Ansari.

UTM

ARE SUBSIDIES INEVITABLE?

for vp, university affairs with Team Unite resigned in protest over the lack of board consultation. “The Board of Directors gave us clear direction in our February Board Meeting to consult our membership before taking action and surveys was a suggestion during the discussion,” said So. “When the Board gives the Executive Committee a direction, we follow through, whether that be the individual membership surveys, the clubs surveys or various letters we’ve written throughout the year.”

Nine utsu directors responded to request for comment when The Varsity contacted every member of the board Sunday afternoon. Many directors expressed concern about their lack of knowledge that a survey was going on, let alone what the content of the survey was.

“Neither was the Board informed that the utsu was planning to leave the sss, nor did we ever receive details of what happens at the meetings,” said Sanchit Mathur of New College. Bill Wun of the Faculty of Law added, “I am very disappointed that the executive chose to do this and I find it even more outrageous that the executive then proceeded to withdraw from the summit based on the results of this biased survey, all without Board approval.”

One director out of the nine offered a full-throated defense of the union’s actions, Nzube Ekpunobi, an Arts & Sciences at large director, and — according to his LinkedIn profile — associate president to

Munib Sajjad. Ekpunobi contended that 1,200 students is a “fantastic sample size” when compared with national surveys that use a similar sample.

Ekpunobi was very critical of the summit process, saying: “In my opinion, I think it’s better to discuss university issues in a panel-style manner, than in closed forums, privy to a select few of heavily biased individuals.

As a chicken, you don’t go into a den of wolves to discuss what’s for dinner.”

Sajjad said that no Board vote was needed. “There was a desire to have a motion; Ben left the meeting early and missed this,” said Sajjad, referencing Coleman.

“Our chair advised that it was unnecessary, since it was clear from the discussion that members of the Board of Directors were advising that consultations be sought.”

belo, president of the Engineering Society (EngSoc). “I think they should engage with the process in good faith — the way the rest of us are,” he added.“By them leaving, all that happened was their input will not reach the recommendations that will be presented to Governing Council. To me, that is a detrimental effect. That’s why I don’t agree with the utsu’s decision to leave the summit,” said Ashkan Azimi, president of the New College Student Council (ncsc). “I find it to be one of the most powerful tools we have for potential policy changes. If the utsu wanted to make a case, they had to make it there and then,” he added.

“I don’t think walking out of the student summit was a good choice on utsu’s behalf. I personally feel as though the summit was a neutral meeting ground where a bunch of student leaders across two campuses could come together and discuss matters in a way that was overseen by the university,” said Alex Zappone, president of the St. Michael’s College Students’ Union (smcsu). “The purpose of this meeting was that Governing Council felt there should be a body constructed to come to a resolution about how to make utsu better. Everyone’s concern was to make the utsu a better institution, and one that was more fair and democratic.

I really do believe that everyone at the table had those concerns in

The University of Toronto Mississauga is the biggest net-contributor to the Fund, and is set to pay in $15.8 million more than it receives back in the upcoming financial year.

“In an ideal world I would like to keep all of the uf money at utm, because our needs are huge,” admitted Deep Saini, principal and vice-president of utm. “[But] while wishing that would happen, and while advocating every year for that to happen, we also as citizens of the University of Toronto recognize that it may not happen in the real world.”

DIVISIONAL LEADERS REACT

On Friday, the student presidents of Innis, Victoria and Trinity expressed significant concern over the union’s decision to withdraw from the summit, and the survey which they used to justify the move. A number of other societal presidents have now joined them, voicing significant concerns. They made it very clear at the beginning that the university has no role in ensuring the accountability of student societies,” said Mauricio Cur-

Rick Halpern, dean and vice-principal, academic at utsc suggested that students benefit from cross-subsidization because it allows U of T to attract worldclass faculty, and provides a wider range of academic opportunities. “If we allowed one part of the university to suffer, if we were all going to just look after our own funds, the university’s reputation would begin a downward spiral,” he said.

Prudham pointed to the discretionary nature of the Fund as his chief concern. “From utfa’s perspective, in a large, comprehensive University like this one, some level of subsidization

of one division to another is normal and even desirable,” he said.

“The issue is not the fact of the subsidies or transfers between divisions. Rather, the issue is the magnitudes of those subsidies, whether those magnitudes are fair, and the processes by which decisions are made over those magnitudes.”

Regehr said that cross-subsidies will always exist. “[There] are certain divisions that will not be able to be financially independent,” she said, citing the Transitional Year Program as an example. Saini and Halpern both point out that the per-student value of the subsidy that their divisions pay out has reduced in recent years.

Duguid claimed the province cannot control cross-subsidies within university budgeting, but would discuss it if administrators raise the point during funding formula negotiations.

The proposed 2014–2015 Budget Report and Long Range Budge Guidelines 2014–15 to 2018–19 will be presented for approval to the university’s Governing Council at its April 8 meeting. mind,” he added.

IMPLICATIONS ELECTION

FOR

THE

“They are promoting that they should be the voice of U of T students,” said Ye Huang, Team Unite’s candidate for utsu president, referencing Bollo-Kamara’s candidacy.

“But right now, they are leaving the Student Societies Summit, which was a very great opportunity to discuss issues with college unions and the school administration, but now they’ve made this decision, which is actually something that won’t improve communication between utsu and the college councils and the school administration.”

“I do not think this was a good idea for them, and I really regret that they made such a decision,” added Huang. He expressed concern that the current utsu executives were declining to advance their members’ interests to other student leaders and the administration.

Yolen Bollo-Kamara did not reply to requests for comment as of press time.

This is an updated version of an article posted online on Friday, March 7, 2014. Since that date, numerous other parties have come forth with reactions to the union’s exit from the summit. This version reflects those reactions.

With files from Iris Robin, James Flynn & Sarah Niedoba

VARSITY NEWS

var.st/news

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014

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Contest in most directoral constituencies: U of T Voice, Team Unite, independents clash Unlike last year, nearly all director candidates have specific platform points

Candidates for arts & science at large, from left: Kevin Lunianga for Team Unite, Maha Naqi as independent, Kadija Tulloch for U of T Voice. Not pictured: Sania Khan, Shashua Qiu. Jennifer su/THe VArsiTy

Aisha Kakunima Hassan & Alex Verman VARSITY STAFF

Last week, candidates for the University of Toronto Student’s Union (utsu) Board of Directors were announced. Respective director positions for Arts & Science, Trinity College, University College, St. Michael’s College, New College, Innis College, Victoria, Woodsworth, Engineering, Kinesiology, and Professional are all contested. Most candidates are running as part of one of the two slates, U of T Voice or Team Unite, while a handful are running as independents.

Directors are elected annually, along with the executives of the utsu. The board is the final decision-making body of the utsu, and its approval is required for all resolutions before they are implemented. In the past year, major topics of discussion for the Board of Directors have included the implementation of online voting and rejection of colleges seeking fee diversion.

ARTS & SCIENCE

Kevin Lunianga, a fourth-year criminology student who ran for the position with the incumbent slate last year, is running with Team Unite this year. Lunianga commented on the difference between working with the two teams: “With Team Unite, we reflect and come up with our own ideas and we run as a slate, whereas I felt like with the incumbent slate, there is an agenda and everyone has similar minds and we all follow it. I really like the liberty I have in running with [Team Unite].” Lunianga’s platform points include planning events that promote equity, informing students about utsu services, and increasing unity between the colleges.

Sania Khan and Kadija Tulloch are running with U of T Voice.

Khan’s platform points include lobbying for the elimination of interest on tuition fees and increasing accessibility to physical and mental health services on campus. Tulloch’s platform points include advocating for the Transitional Year Programme (typ) and fostering a better learning and teaching environment on campus.

Maha Naqi, a third-year international relations and peace and conflict studies student and co-head of the Trinity College Meeting (tcm), and Shashua Qiu are also running.

VICTORIA COLLEGE

Zach Morgenstern, one of the race’s few independent candidates, hopes to accomplish a greater utsu commitment to causes relevant to students, remarking that he sees the directorship as an activist role. He is running against another independent candidate, Robert Fan, as well as Victor Lee of Team Voice. Team Unite’s campaign manager, Vip Vigneswaran, commented that the team supports all independent Victoria College candidates.

PROFESSIONAL FACULTIES AT LARGE

Two of the three candidates running are affiliated with Team Voice: chemical engineering student Andi Musa and second-year pharmacy student Thomas Huang, with only Tolu Alabi representing Team Unite. All three express interest in elevating the concerns of professional faculties students, and Alabi emphasizes reinforcing ties between faculties and ensuring easier access to social services as her key platform points. Huang refused to speak to The Varsity beyond expressing his pride in Team Voice membership.

WOODSWORTH COLLEGE

Team Unite candidates Junlin Liu and Jennifer Zhang, as well as Team Voice candidates Sydney Lang, Josephine Petrolo, and Jenny Lin, have remarked on the diversity of Woodsworth College, the university’s newest and largest college.

Both Unite directorial candidates emphasize fostering a sense of commonality to make sure their members are better represented.

Liu also prioritizes cheaper and more diverse food options on campus. Voice’s candidates had been involved in a variety of campus groups, including Lin’s three years as an executive on U of T United Nations International Childrens’s Emergency Fund, Lang’s role as residence don and member of the orientation team, and Petrolo’s presence on the Woodsworth College Students’ Association.

ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGE

The three Voice candidates, Lakisha Ledchumanan, Bamike Kuroyo, and Michael Kanopoulos, have all been engaged with organizations at St. Mike’s and across the campus and consider their diversity representative of the college student body’s needs. The Unite candidate, Yu-chun (Jim) Huang, stressed transparency of the union’s decisions as a priority.

INNIS COLLEGE

Llyvell Gomes, affiliated with Team Voice, hopes to pull from his experience on the utsu Clubs Committee to look out for the needs of clubs and associations on campus, looking to expand clubs services and reform the utsu’s Clubs Policy. Yiwen (Kevin) Wu approached Team Unite with his own platform that also prioritized clubs, as well as improving communication between the executive, the colleges, and the student body as a whole, which he believes starts with better meeting attendance.

KINESIOLOGY

Unite’s Ryan Schwenger’s platform includes promises to reach out to the wider union and keep Faculty of Kinesiology concerns on the agenda. Voice’s candidate, Niki Firmalino, has stressed campus inclusivity as her key platform point.

ENGINEERING

Though neither Unite nor Voice have made fee diversion a major electoral issue, the question looms large in the minds of voters in engineering, where 96 per cent of voters supported fee diversion in last years referendum. Team Unite is represented in Engineering by Paolo Piguing, Kunsu Chen, and Ryan Gomes, while Abhinove (Abhi) Amalsadia and Safinur Majumder are running with Team Voice.

Gomes and Chen both commented that they saw fee diversion and greater representation for international students to be high priorities for their constituency. “Our role is to represent the engineering body, and if they want something done, we are going to do it for them,” says Chen. Third-year student and Voice candidate Majumder sought out the slate in an effort to get more involved with the Faculty of Engineering. His running mate, Amalsadia, hopes to expand professional and academic co-op and networking opportunities for engineering students.

TRINITY COLLEGE

Patrick Andison, a third-year political science and sociology stu-

dent, is one of the few candidates running independently. “It’s not particularly daunting to be an independent. I’m running simply because I’m looking for the votes from the Trinity community, and I don’t feel the need or think it is appropriate to attach myself to a slate,” said Andison. His platform points include representing the tcm on the Board of Directors and promoting tcm platform points.

Andison’s opponent, Joanne Zhang, is running with U of T Voice. Zhang’s platform points include hosting more club showcases and inter-club events, creating more commuter centres, and expanding the utsu volunteer program.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Last Tuesday, Candi Chin-Sang, one of two University College director candidate for U of T Voice, dropped out of the election, citing differences with her slate. This leaves Alexandra McKinnon as the sole University College candidate for U of T Voice. McKinnon’s platform points include improving residence life on campus, lobbying for increased accessibility for physical and mental health services, and advocating for international student representation on Governing Council.

Team Unite has three candidates running: Michelle Hsiao, Felipe Vicencio-Heap, and Eric Schewenger. “As far as that goes, it really comes back to the idea that its about having candidates, period...It’s really about participating in the democratic process,” said Vicencio-Heap.

Last Wednesday, Schewenger was elected as vice-president of the University College Literary and Athletic Society (UCLit). “The UClit, from my experience this year and years past, [has] taken a little bit of a less prominent role compared with the other colleges in terms of things like the referendum and society autonomy at the university. . . at uc, we seem to be more of a neutral party. I’m hoping next year — if elected vp — to have students become more informed, be aware of what’s going around them. . . There is a severe lack of infirmity across campus — very few students know what they should know about the utsu and they deserve to be informed.”

NEW COLLEGE

New College is the most contested constituency, with seven candidates running for three seats. Xinwei Li, Daniel Marin, and Nick Grant are running with Team Unite. Silviu Kondan, Bukky Adeyinka, and Hank Ko are running with U of T Voice. Dennis Tuyishime is running as an independent.

Grant, who is currently a first-year representative on the New College Student Council (ncsc), believes that the relationship between the colleges and the utsu can be improved.“Transparency is a big issue and a lot of it’s just misinformation. There is conflicting opinions on almost anything and when we have debates on ncsc, the New College directors from utsu that come in disagree with us on a lot of points,” Grant said.

Positions for the director for the Faculties of Architecture, Law, Dentistry, Medicine, Music, Nursing and Pharmacy are set to be acclaimed, although students in those faculties have the option to vote “no” with each position. Candidates for UTM are to be released next week.

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VARSITY NEWS

Vol. CXXXIV, No. 20

news@thevarsity.ca

UTSU elections so far

Everything that you may have missed in the UTSU 2014 election so far Liza Agrba & Iris Robin

MONDAY, MARCH 3: CRO rejects Team Unite’s platform Chief Returning Officer (cro) Alex Flor blocked Team Unite from distributing some of its campaign materials. Flor cited concerns over a Team Unite platform point that said students annually pay $345.48 to the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu). Flor contended that students only pay roughly $17 to the union. According to rosi, members of the utsu pay $124.34 for dental insurance, $14.90 for the student commons, $68.24 for a fee labeled “utsu,” and $138 for health insurance — for a total of $345.48.

Ye Huang, presidential candidate for Team Unite, also addresed the issue that the cro was not available for a large part of the day to.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5: U of T Voice posters vandalized Several posters promoting U of T Voice candidates were defaced in the Gerald Larkin Building at Trinity College. The posters had some of their platform points altered, and features drawn on the candidates’ faces with black marker. In a separate incident, some of former U of T voice director candidate Candi Chin-Sang’s campaign materials were defaced after she dropped out of the election and endorsed Team Unite.

The person responsible remains unknown.

MARCH 4 TUESDAY, MARCH 4: CRO assigns 29 demerit points to Team Candi Chin-Sang, U of T Voice’s candidate for University College director, Unite members cro Alex Flor assigned a total of 29 demerit points to five members dropped out of the race and endorsed of Team Unite. Ye Huang, presidential candidate, and Nicky Bhatty, Team Unite vice-president, external candidate, both received 10 demerit points for alleged violations of the epc: five for “failure to follow grievance procedure,” three for “intentional misrepresentation of facts,” one for “misrepresentation of fact,” and one for ”unapproved material.”

Bhatty appealed the ruling and had his total points reduced to seven.

Pierre Harfouche, candidate for vp, university affairs; Baliqis Hashiru, candidate for vp, equity; and Anna Yin, candidate for vp, internal and services were assigned one demerit point each for ”intentional misrepresentation of facts,” “misrepresentation of fact,” and “unapproved material.”

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5: CRO issues demerit points to Voice candidate for unapproved poster with error The cro assigned three demerit points to U of T Voice candidate ZiJan Yang for an alleged violation of the epc. Yang is alleged to have posted an unauthorized poster on Facebook that stated “Advocate for the elimination of winter” as a platform point, which was deemed a violation for both “misrepresentation of facts” and use of “unapproved materials.” Yang explained: “Instead of just winter, the poster was supposed to say winter residence fees.” Although Yang received two demerit points for unapproved material and one demerit point for misrepresentation of fact, he appealed the cro’s ruling and his penalty was reduced to a single point.

Chin-Sang published an open letter explaining her rationale. She alleged that U of T Voice misrepresented her in their promotional materials, and willfully suppressed her individual opinions.

"I wasn’t consulted at all about the content of the posters — but since I’d discussed my platform points with [the U of T Voice], I thought they would represent me," said Chin-Sang.

She states that the first point on her poster is an exaggeration; the second is true, but not in her own words, and the third is a fabrication.

THURSDAY, MARCH 6: Only independent candidate drops out, others field student questions at executive forum Luis Moreno, former candidate for vice-president, external and the election’s only independent executive candidate, dropped out of the election and endorsed Team Unite. Moreno said that he shares Team Unite’s vision to improve the utsu’s relationship with colleges and divisional bodies, and believes that Team Unite can bring positive change to the union. Bhatty, Moreno’s former opponent, thanked Moreno for the endorsement. At the executive forum, students questioned candidates about transparency, eliminating rape culture on campus, sexism and men’s rights, improving accessibility, and the ongoing Student Societies Summit. The utsu has since pulled out of the Student Societies Summit.

With files from Theodore Yan, James Flynn, Iris Robin, Amitpal Singh, and Anthony Marchese

COMMENT VAR.ST!COMMENT

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MARCH

2014

comment@thevarsity.ca

THE QUESTION

On the important issues, where do the UTSU executive candidates stand?

Candidates face-off at the Executive Candidate Election Forum. ELAINE ZHU/THE VArsITy

Student politicians artfully dodge answering questions in favour of campaign rhetoric Stephen Warner

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

On Thursday, March 7, the five executive candidates from both Team U of T Voice and Team Unite met at the Bahen Centre for the University of Toronto Students' Union (utsu) spring election executive forum. Students from across campus had the opportunity to grill candidates on their platforms, and while politicians are notorious for dodging questions answering with buzzwords and rhetoric, there were some outstanding — and, of course some poor — candidates that need to be recognized.

The vp external candidates were Nicky Bhatty of Unite and Grayce Slobodian of Voice. While both candidates spoke with conviction, Bhatty was the only one to provide clear, concrete answers regarding his proposed goals for next year. Slobodian offered little to no particulars on how to improve transit, citing that she could talk about it, but wanted to prove her worth through her actions instead. Bhatty, on the other hand, clearly specified his objectives: improved shuttle service from utm to Hart House and making the buses more accessible, for example.

Certainly, credit must be given to both vp equity candidates: Najiba Ali Sardar of Voice and Baliqis Olaitan Hashiru of Unite.

Both women are clearly incredibly passionate about what they do, and showed an honest and genuine concern for achieving equality across campus. As a visually impaired student, I can say with honesty that I will have a tough time deciding which of these two to vote for.

Next up to speak were Pierre Harfouche from the Unite slate and Zijian Yang from Voice, both vying for vp university affairs.

While Harfouche was the better speaker, this does not necessarily make him the better candidate. He, like his runningmate Bhatty, identified some specifics goals, such as his desire to complete the Student Commons project; Yang, however, also expressed her concern over the existing grade-drop policy.

Competing for the position of vp internal were Cameron Wathey and Anna Yin. A member of Unite, Yin made clear her position on accountability and transparency, an issue close to the heart for many students.

She pledged to release utsu financial information and streamlining services, which is no surprise considering her slate is campaigning against the incumbents. When presented with a question about “groupthink” caused by slates, Wathey pointedly dodged it by answering with comments about his own policy.

Rounding out and summarizing the debate were presidential candidates Ye Huang and Yolen Bollo-Kamara. In her opening address, Bollo-Kamara ignored the ongoing issues facing the utsu in the form of defederation, while Huang dove into it head-on and outlined his changes.

A question from a current utsu executive about “uniting U of T” was answered well

by Huang, while Bollo-Kamara stressed the current utsu role in school unity. Just like the rest of their teams’ respective candidates, Team Unite addressed the concerns facing the utsu head-on, while the incumbent slate, as seems to be the norm, avoided these issues in favour of trying to frame the conversation around their achievements. In short, politicians acted as politicians do.

Stephen Warner is in first year studying English and political science.

Too many questions, too few answers at the UTSU Executive Candidate Election Forum Samantha Relich

ASSOCIATE COMMENT EDITOR

“Could I have a follow-up, because they didn’t really answer?” This statement, voiced by a student during the University of Toronto Students' Union (utsu) spring election executive forum last Thursday became a theme of the evening. This particular student was inquiring about candidate’s strategies for dealing with the nature of mental health on campus.

“Strategies,” “goals,” and “plans” were common in the evening’s questions; however, substantive answers were few and far between.

The majority of questions were met with answers that stuck to the slates’ and candidates’ platforms without really addressing the specifics of the queries. For instance, Zack Meadow, vice-president, external at the Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (vusac), asked the vp external candidates to explain their strategies regarding the dissatisfied relationship between divisional and college leaders and the utsu. Nicky Bhatty reiterated his platform, focusing on unity and collaboration. Grayce Slobodian offered a similarly vague response, after a lengthy pause.

When Meadow pressed for specifics, both candidates expressed that they did not have intimate experience with the Student Societies Summit, and were ultimately unable to satisfy the question — despite this being a pivotal issue affecting U of T student government.

Questions regarding the future of the Transitional Year Programme (typ), the Washroom Inclusivity Project, and potential union defederation were met with emotionally compelling comments about a commitment to unity, and often extensive reiterations of the facts of the issues, but not necessarily the concrete strategies and plans that the students asking those questions were looking for.

It would be unreasonable to expect the candidates to come to the debate with revolutionary ideas that would change the face of student life and government overnight. Questions about how candidates would effect change at the level of the provincial government are liable to end in predictable answers such as “lobby the government,” simply because ideas about promoting legislative change are hard to come by. However, when lobbying becomes the answer for the majority of issues, whether directed at the university or another institution, it becomes redundant.

When posing a scenario regarding visually impaired students being denied their accessibility needs to the vp university affairs candidates, Khalid Khan — a current New College director at utsu — qualified his question by saying, “please refrain from saying lobbying.”

Khan required a follow-up to the candidates’ answers, expressing that he felt his question had not been answered.

In running for a student leadership position, it is assumed that the candidates are willing to take on the implied responsibilities, including being familiar with key issues on campus and possessing the knowledge to address them when asked. The ideals the candidates are running on are admirable; collaboration and unity are important, lower fees for transportation and tuition are important, equity is important. But regardless of the merits of the ideals, they can only be achieved with a plan — or at least a suggestion for a plan — to see them come to fruition. Given the serious issues facing the future of U of T’s student government, one thing is clear: it would be more reassuring to head to the polls next week with more answers, and fewer questions.

Samantha Relich is The Varsity’s Associate Comment Editor.

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Vol. CXXXIV, No. 20

VARSITY COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

Presidential candidates statements

JENNIFER SU/THE VARSITy

JENNIFER SU/THE VARSITy

U of T Voice candidate Yolen Bollo-Kamara

Team Unite candidate Ye Huang

I recently learned that in its hundred-plus years of history, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (utsu) has had nine women serve as president. Three were racialised, two of whom served recently. This is meaningful to me in light of International Women's Day and the current campus discussions about the role of students' unions.

In my first year, I attended an event where a group of students arrived in blackface and were awarded for doing so by my college council.

I witnessed the flak that utsu and the Black Students' Association received for publicly condemning these actions. This and other incidents forced me to question my place in my college community and U of T as a whole.

I often reference this while running antioppression workshops, illustrating the responsibility of student leaders in creating and maintaining safer spaces. In my roles at utsu, I proudly took public stances against men's rights groups that promote rape culture, racist comments made by professors, and the administration’s support for an Islamophobic, and xenophobic speaker.

Even as an elected executive, it can be difficult to speak about issues I relate to on a personal level. I remember reading comments on The Varsity and in social media last year suggesting my executive team must have been picked for their ethnicity. I hesitated to comment for fear of being accused of "pulling the race card," or deflecting from real issues. In a Student Societies Summit meeting, I detailed some of the advocacy work the utsu does for students, and my comments were dismissed by a faculty representative as "minority issues."

Through participating in the Summit, it's become clear that students engage in student societies that represent them in different ways.

Direct involvement in utsu can range from using services or attending social events, to joining the Blue Crew or a commission, to joining a club that receives utsu resources. Some students build community by participating in college or faculty councils and feel fully accepted in those spaces. Some students could continue to pay tuition fees if they tripled and can afford to work unpaid internships, and don’t personally value advocacy on these issues. But I will always advocate for the students that need it, and take "controversial" positions when necessary to support our members and support justice within our communities.

I am certain that every student benefits from the work of the utsu. Our union’s recent victories include the student discounted ttc Metropass, eliminating flat fees in the Faculty of Arts & Science for students taking less than 4.0 credits, a guarantee to include gender inclusive washrooms in every new campus building, increased prayer space and childcare space, and the elimination of some ancillary fees, ensuring our university is more accessible.

I'm running for president because I know that utsu must continue to do this work.

I'm running with a talented and progressive group of students involved on campus in a myriad of ways. We created a platform that represents our collective experiences and concerns students have voiced to us.

On March 11 to 13, vote for an experienced, strong and principled voice to advocate for a better university community for all.

Dear U of T students, This Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, vote for Team Unite on utsu.simplyvoting.ca.

In the next a few years, our university will be undergoing a lot of changes and we will need a strong student union working with its members and fellow student societies to advocate for increased access to education, better services, and greater support from the university.

Now, you may be asking yourself, why should I vote for Team Unite? What does Team Unite have to bring that other student leaders could not otherwise give us?

The answer is simple: we are committed to working with you and student groups to understand your issues and those which your constituency faces.

For starters, it means that with flat fees being phased out and the university being hit with a supposed $16 million loss of revenue students will need to have a strong voice at university committee meetings. It means that the utsu needs to advocate keeping student services well funded, classing sizes small and ta/student ratios low. It means that when Arts & Science, for example, is discussing ways to keep costs low that we look for best practices in different faculties, other campuses, and universities.

Further, we will not run away from the tough questions which critical student leaders continue to ask. We will not avoid or delay resolutions on year long issues which have divided our campus and have put the ‘war of words’ between the utsu and colleges on the front page of The Varsity for months. We will

take a critical look at proposals, presentations and submissions by students like you, who are as qualified as we are to make suggestions on how to improve our campus. We will be the group to get the Student Commons (a student centre funded by YOU) approved, because we will not hide from the issues which have stalled it. We will work with utm students to ensure that expansion projects proposed are expansion projects they want and that the bus shelters they need are built.

Team Unite is committed to working in solidarity with you to lobby for matters that concern your education and experience at U of T. Team Unite believes in educating its union members before we exhaust student resources. Team Unite aims to work with its members to fight against issues such as unpaid internships and transit hikes and strongly supports campaigns that are backed by its members.

Lastly, our team is committed to fighting discrimination and improving accessibility on campus. Our team is dedicated to ensuring that mental health awareness and services are a key focus point next year.

Our team will collaborate with partners across this campus to develop mental health awareness tools that everyone can use. Our team understands that creating safer spaces on campus starts by working with local groups and associations.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, join us in challenging the status quo and changing U of T. Log in to utsu.simplyvoting.com and vote for Team UNITE.

main reason why we need to re-direct investment to climate-safe forms of energy. The fact that we have a long way to go is an argument for immediate action, not for further delay.

— Milan Ilnyckyj

at a great socio-economic-environmental cost.

— ZM (taken from Web)

cancel key events. It will certainly be interesting to see what, if any, audited financial documents are presented at their agm. I highly recommend as many Woodsworth students as possible attend and ensure that wusc is kept accountable for their finances, as they clearly are trying to keep it hidden.

He goes on to say that the best way for students to advance changes at the university is to stay informed by attending general meetings and any board meetings they can. Again it is difficult for students to stay informed when the association goes off-camera and effectively closes its meetings when it comes to crucial issues like financial affairs.

You can argue that defederation is the right option for many reasons but increased financial accountability and openness hardly seems likely under the current leadership with Rhys Smith at the helm.

— WCSA anon (taken from Web)

LETTERS TO

THE EDITOR Vol. CXXXIV, No. 19 | March 3, 2014 Re: Toronto350 campaign neglects to consider U of T’s current dependence on fossil fuels In a courteous response to our fossil fuel divestment campaign, Li Pan argues that the evidence for social harm from fossil fuels isn't as strong as the case that tobacco harms human health. As the Fifth Assessment Report of the ipcc makes plain, the link between burning fossil fuels and social injury from climate change is now unequivocal.

The article also argues that the university's reliance on fossil fuels is a reason not to divest. Our present global dependence on fossil fuels is the

This argument doesn't engage with Toronto350's brief at all. The brief explains that there is academic consensus on climate change — for instance by citing Naomi Oresekes' study on climate change related articles. That consensus is even backed by the more honest representatives of the fossil fuel industry. The brief also shows why divestment is financially sound. Not only is U of T's investment portfolio not overly linked to one industry, but the fossil fuel industry is a dangerous one to be dependent on. The capitalist need for constant growth is ridiculous to begin with, but it's especially ridiculous when the resource in question can be depleted and depleted

Re: Six colleges, EngSoc, Phys Ed. now support defederation While I agree with defederation in principle I think the reasoning outlined by Rhys Smith of Woodsworth College Students Association (wusc) is slightly hypercritical.

He mentions that "Several of our council members attended, and we were quite disappointed to see how the financial documents and the audit procedures were handled," yet at the January wusc board meeting the association chose to go off camera to discuss their financials; hardly the open manner in which they state the ustu should function.

In addition wusc has had tremendous financial issues this year. Having not received their fees for several sessions they were very close to having to

VARSITY COMMENT

var.st/comment

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014

11

Burying the Transitional Year Programme Move to downsize one of U of T’s landmark programs is disappointing Phyllis Pearson

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

In a meeting held last month, the University of Toronto’s Governing Council made the decision to move the esteemed Transitional Year Programme (typ) to Woodsworth College — evicting the typ from its home at 49 St. George St., which it has occupied for over forty years.

Provost Cheryl Regehr’s promise that “there is no intention to end typ,” has been well documented.

However, it is difficult to believe such an assurance when the program has seen nothing but budget cuts recently memory.

The typ has received some attention recently both from within, and from outside the U of T community as several groups have sought to prevent the program’s termination as it struggles to stay afloat amidst significant financial issues.

While the fight for funding must certainly continue, it is important to bear in mind that axing a program’s funding is not the only way to kill it. Identity loss too is a form of death. When something has been changed beyond recognition,

it does die in a certain sense. Eviction can do this to a program, especially in a case like that which has befallen the typ.

The typ has an impressive success rate with 70 per cent of students graduating the program and enrolling as students in the Faculty of Arts & Science. This has been largely attributed to the type of atmosphere that has been created within the walls of 49 St. George St., where the program has been housed. The typ operates within a supportive environment that has been tailored over the course of the program’s more than 40 years in existence, to fit the needs of the students who use its services.

Many typ students have had to face tremendous challenges and relentless adversity throughout the course of their lives. Many will become the first in their community to attend university. The typ invites their alumni back for regular visits in order to provide current students with mentors who have experienced many of the same challenges.

These visits have been identified by students and staff alike as integral to the program’s success. Unfortunately, concerns have been voiced

as to whether or not such visits will be able to continue after the program’s relocation, as the typ will be forced to make do with a much smaller space.

What is perhaps even more worrying is that such a reduction in space entails that some faculty members will no longer be able to discuss confidential matters with students, as private space becomes harder to come by.

The typ should be a source of immense pride for U of T, not something to be forced underground.

Burying equal-opportunity access programs is not the way forward for U of T. This move is not just a simple, arbitrary relocation, but an injunction that poses a slew of restrictions, whose ramifications could be devastating to the future of the beloved program. For now, the typ lives on, but for how much longer remains to be seen. There is really only one thing we can know for certain: that the type of expansion this program merits is never going to happen in a basement.

Phyllis Pearson is a fourth-year student at Victoria College studying philosophy and English.

timothy law/the Varsity

CAPS in a panic U of T’s mental health services are failing to adequately treat affected students Pratishtha Kohli

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Imagine yourself in a room with no door or windows, with exceptionally narrow walls that rise high above your head. The room is not a discernible colour, but it is dark inside. You are somehow inside this room and you don't know how you got here. You don't know how to get out.

Inside the room, you start envisioning all the nightmares you have had in the past. Your fears begin to crawl up your legs and sink into your skin, taking possession of your mind and body.

They make your heart race and your breathing shallow.

There is still a part of you that is in control. However, it has been locked behind bars, and it is very small. It is merely a spectator to the havoc inside your head, watching in horror as you lose control of an integral part of yourself.

As you lose your dignity and are overtaken by shame and self-hatred you cannot even pity yourself, but are disgusted instead. That is what a panic attack feels like for me. That is what people like me go through on a daily basis.

Once I understood that my problem was not going to go away by itself like normal induced panic, I decided to approach someone for help. I'm an international student with no doctor here in Canada, but I had heard about Counselling and Psychological Services (caps) on campus and I had walked past the office multiple times on my way to the bookstore. So I called in and booked an

appointment, and was scheduled in for a phone diagnosis.

After a long conversation with a doctor on an early Friday morning, I was told that they wanted to waitlist me for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (cbt) and regular psychotherapy. I had been preliminarily diagnosed with a Panic Disorder.

A real disorder with a name to it and a set of symptoms; something I had studied from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders when taking an intro to Abnormal Psychology course.

That was on January 28. As I write this, it is now March 5.

I don't want to criticize the work being carried out by caps because I know that they are short-staffed for the number of students who require their services, but it shocks me that it takes so long for a person to receive health care from a university service that is being funded by thousands of students. It seems very severe to limit people from accessing a psychologist on campus if they do not have "suicidal tendencies.” During my wait to receive treatment, I have often found myself wondering why I have to be suicidal in order to receive help in a timely fashion.

Furthermore, for students who are not covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (ohip), such as international students like myself, access to counselling and treatment for psychological issues is very limited — in Toronto at least. U of T Health Services and other walk-in clinics provide one-hour counseling sessions, but they primarily aim to provide medication to help a person get by, rather than a long term option that

KareN ZhoU/the Varsity

doesn't leave patients dependent on chemicals. Additionally, there are very few health forums online that are run by actual trained professionals. There are websites such as 7 Cups of Tea with individuals who would like to listen to your issues, but they cannot help to bring long-term relief.

Similarly, help lines such as Good 2 Talk or Kids Help Phone are wonderful for short term relief when you're

going through a bout of anxiety, but it is almost impossible to get the same nurse on call every time. These types of services do not provide long lasting support, as you end up rehashing the same problems over and over again.

This brings me to the question of whether there is any way for quick, inexpensive support to be provided to those living with anxiety and other mental health illnesses; or if thousands of students who suffer

from these issues have to just "stick it out" until services such as caps eventually get around to contacting them. If U of T support systems such as Accessibility Services require referrals from doctors — and doctors are not available — what options remain on the table?

Pratistha Kohli is is a second-year student at Woodsworth College, double-majoring in psychology and criminology.

When studen

By Alec W

A timeline of the past 40 years of student activism

Student activist movements at the University of Toronto, and perhaps throu fallen, messages have become co-opted, and over time, student movements been pulled from the pages of The Varsity from the 1970s to the beginning of ism, as the once formidable force of opinionated stu

1970–1979 The Robarts sit-in circa February–August 1972

“Tanaka comes and goes” Wednesday, September 25, 1974

“OFS lobbies Queen’s Park” Monday, November 19, 1979

In 1972, Robarts library was the source of a year-long conflict between the university’s Governing Council and a particularly determined class of undergraduates. Access to the stacks was intended to be limited to faculty members, graduate students, and fourth-year undergraduates.

The plan to restrict undergraduate student access was not initially publicized on campus, says Linda McQuaig, then Editor-in-Chief of The Varsity. When The Varsity found out about the issue, it quickly became a hot topic of discussion on campus. After several weeks of coverage in the paper, a number of widely attended protests were organized by the Students’ Administrative Council (sac), with support from the Graduate Students’ Union (gsu).

What began with the jailing of “about a dozen” students for staging a sit-in protest led to a heated stand-off as thousands of angry undergraduates filled Simcoe Hall for several hours.

In the face of overwhelming pressure, the interim president of the university, Jack Sword, addressed the mob and capitulated on behalf of the administration.

In 1974, Japanese Prime Minister Kakeui Tanaka visited U of T to receive an honorary degree and “toss off some finely-turned phrases on mutual solidarity” between Canada and Japan.

Prime Minister Tanaka’s visit could not have been scheduled for a more inopportune time, as frustration over Japan’s whaling industry was boiling over on campus.

Then-sac President Seymour Kanowitch declined his invitation to a “special convocation and elaborate lunch” to make a statement about the controversial visit. Protestors gathered outside with signs and copies of The Varsity featuring a cover story on Japan’s whaling industry. One of the demonstrators took the opportunity to shove a copy into the Japanese prime minister’s hands as he moved through the crowd.

At the close of the decade, the Ontario Federation of Students (ofs) mobilized to present a petition to the Ontario Legislature bearing 12,000 signatures from students in the province. The lobbying effort represented a follow-up to the widely circulated postcard campaign that started earlier that year. The petition was presented in the House by ndp education critic David Cooke on behalf of the ofs, and contained a number of recommendations for addressing the issues of accessibility and quality of education plaguing the post-secondary system in the province.

Over the course of the day, 100 students representing postsecondary institutions in Ontario met with roughly two-thirds of the mpps in the house to discuss their grievances. Members were asked by the ofs to write to their party’s leadership, as well as Dr. Bette Stephenson, the Minister of Colleges and Universities, in order to get the message out.

In a press conference after the presentation, ofs president Chris McKillop said: “At the outset we stated that if the mass were to heighten the legislature’s awareness of post-secondary education, it would achieve our objective. That has been accomplished.”

Police break-up library occupation in 1972 THe VArsiTy ArcHiVes

Student occupy the presidents office in 1987. THe VArsiTy ArcHiVes

1990–1999 “Low turnouts highlight underfunding rallies” Monday, October 21, 1991 One of the most chronic issues affecting well-intentioned activism has always been public apathy. Such was the case in 1991, when a measly 70 students turned out for a sac rally against provincial underfunding of universities.

Representing .002 per cent of U of T’s 36,000 undergraduates at the time, the attending activists’ message suffered from being partially funded by the university administration. After resigning over a disagreement on how best to protest funding cuts to post-secondary education in Ontario, sac external commissioner Stacey Papernick lamented, “I wish they didn’t fund this project. It compromised how we lobbied. If it’s going to tie my hands, I don’t want the money.”

Despite attempts to put up an “underfunding graveyard” of courses at U of T lost to funding cuts, the group could not overcome the unpalatable association with U of T higher-ups.

“Arrests rock PM’s visit” Tuesday August 10, 1993 Canada’s first and only female prime minister, Kim Campbell, was scheduled to have a private meeting with several Toronto Conservative mps during her first official visit to U of T. Her plans were frustrated when a dedicated group of students managed to break past a police line and into the meeting room at Hart House.

The students’ forceful move precipitated a swift unraveling of political decorum on the part of both the protestors and campus police. The protestors were violently expelled from Hart House, with a number being arrested outside for assaulting police. The purpose of the protest was completely dwarfed by the circus-like method in which it was executed.

All legitimacy was lost once the students resorted to force and the handcuffs came out.

“Massive demonstration against funding cuts held” Monday, January 30, 1995 “What a sight this is to see,” sac President Gareth Spanglett announced over the microphone at the podium in Convocation Hall, as he looked over the mass gathering of students collected to observe the national student strike and day of action.

The crowd in front of Spanglett consisted of 4,000 interested undergraduates who had come to hear a series of student leaders and faculty members speak on the federal government’s proposed elimination of $2.6 billion in cash reserve payments to colleges and universities nation-wide. Outside of Convocation Hall stood an additional 2,000 students, eagerly listening in on the event over speakers.

After departing from the hall, the group joined forces with contingents from other metro Toronto universities to take part in a collective rally that drew 10,000 people. The day of action saw the mobilization of 40,000 students across Canada, each feeling as first-year student Cheryl Mapp described: “The strike is our only alternative. We tried negotiation, we tried reason. Students have tried to do things logically, but at this point, this is the only way students are going to get any notice.”

nts spoke up

Wilson

m at U of T, taken from The Varsity’s archives

ughout Canada, have been on the decline in recent years. Turnout rates have s have had their signals crossed. The following headlines and snapshots have f 2010. The progression of time has seen a backwards slide in effective activudents with an agenda has grown weak in its old age.

1980–1989 “Students angry at Queen’s Park rally” Wednesday, April 2, 1980

“Students storm President’s office” Thursday, March 5, 1987

Unfortunately for the ofs, the previous year’s presentation to the Ontario legislature proved unsuccessful in the long run, as the province announced a hike in tuition fees in 1980. In response, the ofs organized a group of 2,500 to 3,000 students from “as far as Ottawa and Sault Ste. Marie” in a mass rally in Queen’s Park.

Outraged over the fee increase, as well as funding cutbacks and inadequate student aid, the large crowd demanded an audience from the province’s leadership. The protestors were addressed by a number of officials, some supportive, including Toronto Mayor John Sewell, who took the opportunity to whip the mob into a fervour by claiming solidarity with their cause.

Employing the tried and true protest method of simply showing up somewhere, sitting down, and refusing to move, 28 students and one professor marched from the International Students Centre on St. George Street to U of T president George Connell’s office one day in early March 1987.

The group, representing U of T’s anti-apartheid network and several of its affiliate organizations, descended on president Connell’s office after a student motion to address the university’s policies toward apartheid South Africa was struck from a Governing Council meeting agenda.

As the group moved in to protest, it became clear that President Connell was not only absent from his office — he was out of the city.

Members of the U of T administration described the group as being surprisingly well-behaved. Jack Dimond, Governing Council Secretary and acting university spokesman, was visibly unimpressed by the performance, remarking: “I’m calm; I’m a child of the sixties.”

“U of T abortion activists continue to speak out: Pro-life rally at birth-control centre” Monday, November 20, 1989 Braving what was described as below freezing temperatures as November shifted into December, 40 pro-life students under the “Students for Life” banner congregated outside the front steps of the Bay Centre for Birth Control, bearing signs depicting graphic images of aborted fetuses.

The group’s demonstration was characteristically Canadian, as the picketers let people enter and exit the building without confrontation. The only instance of public disturbance occurred during a minor shouting match between the placard-carrying students and a group of pro-choice pedestrians who happened to walk by. While the centre did not actually perform abortions in house, it was the largest abortion referral centre in Canada at the time.

Students particiate in massive protests agasint cuts to education funding in 1995. THe VArsiTy ArcHiVes

Students in 2009 drop-fees protest. THe VArsiTy ArcHiVes

2000–2009 “Students rally as Rae Report looms” Monday, February 7, 2005

“Turnout drops for Drop Fees” Monday, November 9, 2009

In anticipation of an announcement from the Ontario government that tuition fees were to be increased, a number of student activists from across the province were joined in front of Convocation Hall by a group of Ontario workers to march to the steps of Queen’s Park in the frigid February air. The cold crowd was emboldened by a series of addresses from provincial politicians expressing solidarity, including ndp Leader Howard Hampton — who called for “a ten per cent reduction, right off the bat.”

The spirit of the crowd was best summed up by Ryerson student Katie Mayerson, who said: “I’m hoping that people are looking out their windows and seeing this and understanding that people are skipping classes that they paid for, because this is really important to them.” Rather than the bitter attacks or moral superiority exemplified by earlier student protests, it would seem that the best students hope for in the new millennia is a little attention.

With tuition fees rising annually for the past several years, it comes as no surprise that student movements have had to re-examine their demands when it comes to petitioning the government for affordable education. In the past, students may have demanded bold cuts to the costs of post-secondary education — but compromise has apparently become the modern method of negotiation.

The loss of a strong position, combined with decreased turnout rates for events, has sapped student activism at U of T of all leverage. This was certainly the case in 2009, when the cfs attempted to direct a crowd to parade in protest for a poverty-free Ontario as part of their annual Drop Fees campaign. Predictably, the event drew anemic numbers, as many students opted to spectate rather than participate.

Looking ahead In order for student movements at U of T and in Canada to return to the glory days of worthwhile protest, a fundamental change must take place in the collective student psyche. Where we are disorganized, we must come together. Where we disagree, we must find common ground, lest we undo ourselves from within. Our messages need to be better articulated and to be spoken with louder voices. This change will require a sober recognition of the important issues — the things that matter to all of us — and a renewed dedication to being heard.

ONLINE: Read full articles from moments of student activism at U of T from The Varsity’s archives at:

var.st/activism

ARTS & CULTURE

VAR.ST"ARTS

10

MARCH

2014

arts@thevarsity.ca

"You don't need to know about the writer" In conversation with U of T's spring 2014 writer-in-residence, David Bezmozgis Danielle Klein VARSITY STAFF

Before I meet David Bezmozgis, I’m overwhelmed by nerves.

This is, after all, the writer who The Globe and Mail described as “a tad prickly, even downright hostile,” and who wrote a parody of an interview with himself, contained at the back of his bestselling short story collection, in which he explicitly stated, “I hate being interviewed.”

However when Bezmozgis meets me on a chilly afternoon at Massey College, he is cordial, kind, and pleasantly soft-spoken.

Bezmozgis, like many writers, is a character — in his public persona and perhaps in his own work. His short stories have been published in various magazines including The Walrus and The New Yorker, the latter of which also named him one of the most promising young writers in their “20 under 40” issue. His first book, Natasha and Other Stories, received various awards including a nomination for the Governor General’s Award. His second, The Free World, was published in 2011 to wide, critical acclaim. He is also an awardwinning filmmaker.

A TRILOGY, SOMEWHAT

Although Natasha and Other Stories was published first, it can be seen as a sequel to The Free World. While the first tells the story of a Russian immigrant family in Canada from Russia, the second describes a family in the process of immigration overseas. Bezmozgis believes that different stories are better suited to different mediums, and contests the frequent claim that Natasha can be considered a novel.

“I see [Natasha] very much as a book of short stories, in a tradition of books like it which they would call story-cycle books…

They’re individual stories that add up to something greater than their parts but they could be read individually… [The Free World] was… a much bigger story…

It took place over 70 years and dealt with two countries, so the canvas of it was much larger. It was told in three voices.

I didn’t see that as something that could be done in stories, whereas the experience in Natasha could be told… in individual stories… I just felt like the ambitions were different.”

Bezmozgis is currently working on a modern-day film version of Natasha. He has also written a second novel set to be published this fall, entitled The Betrayers. “[The Betrayers] continues my interest in the Russian Jews but from a different angle,” he says. “It’s very contemporary.

It’s set in the present day as much as possible, in Crimea and Ukraine which is very much in the news right now — it wasn’t all the years that I was writing — so it just deals with the question of… what legacy will these people leave, these Russian Jews, post-Soviet Jews? You could look at the three books as a trilogy in a way because they deal with different eras about this very same community.”

“READ A LOT AND GET OUT”

This semester, Bezmozgis is the Jack McClelland writer-in-residence in the Department of English at U of T, in partnership with Massey College. He teaches a writing class to a small group of students he selected based on writing samples.

“For me, teaching those classes is just an opportunity to talk about what makes good writing… What rules or guidelines can we follow to make our writing better? It’s as simple as clarity… basically we’re spending 12 weeks learning how to say what we mean clearer, better.”

Bezmozgis studied English literature at McGill as an undergraduate student. Reading the literature of others inspired him in his own work, and continues to be a crucial tenet of his writing practices.

“Being an English major meant I read,” he explains. “I read a lot. I should have read more… I spent four years reading… being exposed to things I wouldn’t have read on my own, and I don’t regret anything that I read over those years. I wish I remembered more of it, frankly. I wish I had been more adventurous.”

As a writer, Bezmozgis continues to read in order to research for his works, which describe the twentieth century Russian-Jewish experience. When he engages historical narratives, he does a great deal of research in order to ensure the factual integrity of the work.

“I read until I feel like I know well enough what I’m talking about and can convincingly write about it,” he says, “I think that’s one of the great virtues and pleasures of being a writer… you’re constantly learning something. Every book is like a phd in something.”

Bezmozgis encourages aspiring writers to read first and foremost. He advises, “Read a lot and get out into the world. Go places, see things. Later in life, it will be harder to do that — it will be harder to have time to read as much as you like. It will be harder to have the freedom and the liberty to go and do diverse and borderline dangerous things.”

THE QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN

Bezmozgis smiles when I ask him about his reservations about interviews.

“I just don’t think they’re necessary,” he explains, “I mean, you seem like a nice person.

I’m okay to do it, but… the writer’s main job is to write so you have something to read. So, doing a bunch of interviews takes up your time and, rather than writing, you talk about the writing you’ve already done and that’s kind of diminishing returns.”

Many critics have suggested that Bezmozgis’ work is semi-autobiographical. When told that many U of T English courses begin the study of a text with an introduction to the author, Bezmozgis responds that, while it satisfies a certain personal curiosity to learn about writers, it is not necessary to an understanding of their work.

“What questions remain when you read a story?” He asks, “Do they have anything to do with the writer? They might have something to do with time and place and history, but you don’t need to know about the writer to answer those questions.”

Writer-in-residence David Bezmozgis. CLARe SCOTT/THe VARSiTy

THE FINE PRINT Major influences:

Leonard Michaels, Isaac Babel, Vasily Grossman, Dennis Johnson, J.M. Coetzee

Every English major should read: The Bible.

In university, I wish I had read:

Middlemarch, Proust, more Victorian literature

Exciting new books:

Shroder, Amity Gage; Summertime, J.M. Coetzee

"Is there really anything new to be said about the Jewish immigrant experience? Quite a lot, in fact, as David Bezmozgis proves with his impressive debut novel, the follow-up to his much-celebrated 2004 collection, Natasha and Other Stories."

— Jeet Heer The Quill and the Quire

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Library series: Media Commons Media research not just for film majors

The Media Commons department houses audio-visual materials for students to borrow. PHOTO COURTESY OF MEDIA COMMONS

Ishita Petkar

ASSOCIATE ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

When most people think of the Media Commons, the first image that comes to mind is a bygone era of dvds to loan. Yet this unassuming small department, located on the third floor of Robarts, boasts an astonishing array of material that can be useful for students of all subject areas.

Divided into three sections, the Media Commons has extensive holdings spanning the areas of broadcasting, film, animation, advertising, popular music, photography, acting, spoken word and performance art, popular culture, Judaica, and teaching. The circulating film library alone has 17,000 titles, while their collection of microfilm numbers over several million.

The Media Archives, stored in a climate controlled cold vault at Woodsworth College, ranks as the largest repository for archival and contemporary audio visual research in any Canadian university. These archives include raw footage, budgets, financial statements, research notes, and anything else related to production. “We’ve got this ongoing program called ‘Films from the Archives’ and we do a public evening where we show something we think might be popular — they even go beyond the university community,” explains Brock Silversides, the director of the Media Commons. Last week, they hosted a Degrassi trivia night, with a documentary on the making of the show, in honour of the Media Commons' extensive collection of Epitome Pictures.

“We take film very seriously. It's a huge part of our history and culture,”

says Silversides. This dedication to the preservation and promotion of the value of film is evident in the Media Commons’ commitment to the accessibility of their materials. “Because in our archival collections we have almost every format that has ever been manufactured, whether that’s film, or video, or audio, we have to have the playback machines,” says Silversides.

“You don’t find this in every archival institution — a lot of them collect, but don’t know how to play it back, which is kind of weird.” In keeping with this belief, the Media Commons has made a point of collecting as many outdated and current playback machines, in order to ensure all their material is usable.

When asked about the common misconceptions that the collections at the Media Commons are geared towards film majors, Silversides is bewildered. “No, no that’s just one part

of these collections. I mean, content matters too!” exclaims Silversides. “For example, we’ve got the collections of Patrick Watson, who was a broadcast journalist, and he worked his way up to the president of cbc. We’ve got all the material relating to his 1980s series called The Struggle for Democracy, including the full interviews with politicians and philosophers.” This includes an interview with Muammar Ghaddafi about democracy, highlighting one of the most important and unique facets of these collections — this material isn’t available online.

“There’s this misconception that everything that is important, or worth something, has been digitized and is available online but that is so wrong” says Silversides. The digitization process is very expensive, and with materials numbering in the millions, it will take several years to make the majority accessible.

For those that believe that film is simply an art form without real substance, the Media Commons is a stark wake-up call. “There’s always people that say ‘Ah, it’s just popular culture. Who cares that much?’” muses Silversides. “But no, it’s more than popular culture — it is our culture! It’s not this little frill on the side. It’s a huge industry, and so much of what people make art about, that is our culture.”

With comfortable viewing booths, a bookable theatre, and onsite technicians to help with the more obsolete machines, the Media Commons works to make their collections user-friendly. Dedicated to having their materials used and promoting the use of film and other media in research, the Media Commons is a great tool to for students looking to incorporate art into their work.

A visual arts divorce Department of Art undergoes major redefinition Aliya Bhatia

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The 2013–2014 academic year has seen a significant shift in the Department of Art, with the year culminating in a divorce of the visual studies programfrom that of art history. A move that materialised in early 2013, result in the Department of Art now refiguring itself as the history of art department, with visual studies joining the Daniels Faculty. While many note the wise and strategic decision of the Daniels move, what will become of the history of art department and whether this is a matter of concern are some of the questions being raised.

According to the associate chair of the undergraduate Department of Art, Jordan Bear, the division of the department has been in the works for a number of years and “takes into account the particular needs of [the visual studies] program built around studio courses.” Professor Philip Sohm also notes that the art history and visual studies programs had little in common other than a few connections between the contemporary and modernist courses offered. Hence, the split allows visual studies students to utilize the variety of resources that

Daniels has to offer, which the Faculty of Arts & Science could not.

Glenn Loney, Associate registrar of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, says that from his perspective the split is largely beneficial. Problems regarding enrolment into small visual studies classes can now be handled by a more knowledgeable Daniels faculty and will not plague the Faculty of Arts & Science any longer. In addition, the first-year class enrolling directly into visual studies will streamline the academic and theory oriented identity of the history of art department, which prior to the split had little to no overlaps with the visual studies programme.

Professor Bear notes that key components of the history of art program remain the same, and occupy the same place in the Faculty of Arts & Science as it did before, making the shift seamless.

Third-year visual studies student, Julia Gasenzer, agrees with this, having taken several art history courses. She says that most students in the department haven’t even noticed the shift, and that perhaps the benefits will be better seen in the future. Additionally, she wonders whether the immediate effect will be largely beneficial to prospective students, as the Daniels faculty becomes a first entry division.

SIMONE SANTERRE/THE VARSITY

When looking back, professor Sohm recalls the significant proportions of visual studies students in art history classes and the diverse perspectives they brought, hoping that the split will still enable this inter-disciplinary interaction. Catherine Heard, a professor in the visual studies department, shares her past experiences working in

other universities' art departments and highlights the close and diverse social and professional connections that were facilitated as an invaluable part of working down the hall from art historians.

Ariella Minden, president of the Fine Arts Student Union (fasu), was concerned with the budget in relation to the division of fasu into

two separate unions: the History of Art Students Association (hasa) and the Srchitecture Visual Studies Student Union (avssu). Minden notes that visual studies is benefitting from their collaboration with Daniels, however she fears that less attention and funds will be allocated for hasa. Concluding optimistically however, Minden hopes to capitalise on the small community of hasa and ponders over future networking and social events.

The overall optimism, presented particularly by faculty and administration with few expressions of concern, lessens the notion that the new and smaller history of art department is now vulnerable. Professor Sohm notes that since his arrival to the university 30 years ago, enrolment numbers within the program has only increased. Stand-alone operation for the department will streamline the program and allow those students who are interested to mingle within a like-minded and now tight-knit community. Professor Bear too concludes by highlighting that though the shift is not one to be concerned with, as major components and constituencies of the department will remain the same, this is definitely something that students should be aware of.

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A mysterious date with Anser's Crowded Kingdom Exhibit is street artist's first showing in six years

Emily Katz

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Crowded Kingdom features new work from Toronto street artist Anser and a collaboration with toy designer Big Trubble.

Gallery photos by Courtney hallink Graffiti photo by MiChael Chahley

Despite the alias, Anser is perhaps one of Toronto’s not-so-secret graffiti artists.

Over the years, you might have come across one of his signature “Mysterious Date” faces drawn on various graffititagged and untagged surfaces across the city. The Crowded Kingdom exhibit at Dundas West’s #Hashtag Gallery demonstrates how recognized and admired his work has become in recent years.

This is his first major exhibit in over six years and features new renditions of the Mysterious Date face.

The gallery is comfortable and brightly lit, and showcases two rooms of portraits done on a variety of mediums. The installations in the first room are the Mysterious Dates painted over hanging brickwork canvases and are amongst the largest works in Crowded Kingdom. They are the first pieces the visitor sees when they enter the gallery and are, perhaps, a nod to Anser’s beginnings as a graffiti and street artist.

The walls connecting the two rooms of the gallery both have clusters of Anser’s smaller pieces. The pieces here are done on glass, paper, and wood, and many are framed.

They are placed closely together, and it is difficult to not be entirely captivated as your eye travels through the diverse colors and prints.

The Mysterious Date face has been through its own evolution. Anser’s previous exhibitions, like Funktion Gallery’s A Mysterious Date with Anser in 2009, show a series of portraits that are fundamentally graffiti-like in style.

The lines are faster, fuzzier, less controlled; at the same time there’s a sense of raw personality that can be read in these faces. This style can be seen in much of his original street work.

The collection on display in Crowded Kingdom is more stream-

lined and uniform than Anser’s previous work. Anser compromises shading and detail in order to experiment with media, and increasingly use bold lines and colors. There is less variation of subject here; it feels as though you are looking at endless interpretations of the same mysterious face.

As well as the drawings and paintings at #Hashtag, there is a series of small, three-dimensional ceramic heads with the mysterious faces.

These heads are a result of a collaboration with Big Trubble, a Toronto-based toy designer. There are 32 displayed together on one shelf, with black-andwhite heads book-ending the colourfully translucent ones in between.

The right-side wall in the second room has nine mid-sized portraits on rectangular glass sheets. The faces are filled in and around loosely with watercolors, beautifully painted on the backside of the glass. The remaining wall in the room has a square white canvas that fills the space, and is filled itself with hundreds of outlines of the mysterious face.

At a glance, Anser’s work seems alien; many of his faces lack eyes or pronounced expression. Yet at no point is this feeling conveyed through Crowded Kingdom; it is surprisingly human, and effortlessly relatable. The viewer is immersed in the repetition of the mysterious face, and Anser’s numerous interpretations convey a vast range of emotion and thought. In a 2009 Torontoist interview, Anser expressed his wish to shrink the divide between graffiti and street art, and make the former more accessible for the average viewer. This is exactly what Crowded Kingdom achieves. If the collection’s nearly sold-out status is any indication, many visitors are more than ready to hang a mysterious face on their own wall.

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You can have your cake and watch it too TIFF food on film program is one cinematic treat after another

julien balbontin/tHe Varsity

Sofia Luu

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

On Wednesday March 12, food and movie enthusiasts will come together at the tiff Bell Lightbox for a screening of Wong Kar-

Wai's 1994 film, Chungking Express. This screening will be followed by a discussion led by Peter Meehan, editor at Lucky Peach magazine. This is the first of six events planned for the third food on film subscription series.

Theresa Scandiffio, a U of T alumna and

REVIEWS

FILM: The Wind Rises (2014)

ALBUM: Real Estate — Atlas

The Wind Rises is visionary director Hayao Miyazaki's final feature-length film. Unlike most of his other works, this film carries a heavier, more realistic tone.

The film renders a highly fictionalized account of the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the chief engineer of Japanese fighter planes during World War II. Nevertheless, Miyazaki minimizes the destructive and political aspects of what Horikoshi is doing, in order to tell a tale that reflects the fleeting moments in life, and the human passion to accomplish dreams.

The Wind Rises, like previous Miyazaki films, carries a solemn quality, reflecting a somber time in Japan's history. The beautiful animation and artwork in the film deeply contrasts with the harsh reality of wartime Japan.

The care that went into the production reflects on the spirit of the Japanese protagonist.

This film is a touching last sentiment from Miyazaki, resulting in a truly magnificent film.

If, like me, you’ve forgotten what summer feels like, Real Estate is back just in time to remind us.

Despite Atlas being the third in a trio of hazy studio albums, the New Jersey natives haven’t lost any of their original magic. Atlas stays true to the band’s familiar melodies and flawless ability to conjure, each riff summoning endless days of suburban summers and picket fences.

It’s rare to find a band that can repeatedly situate itself in a unique moment, and it’s a moment that is filled once again with a sweetly irrefutable nostalgia. Each of the tracks run together like a lilo on a lazy river, in and out of regrets and reveries. It’s effortless, it’s simple, and it’s Real Estate: music’s answer to vitamin D pills, the cold beer you wish you had

by Monday lunchtime, and the voice that says "Hey, it’s going to be OK."

— Ondiek Oduor

— Sophie Munden

tiff's manager of adult learning, explains that the series aims to "create a wider understanding of how food is represented on screen." The series provides a chance for Toronto's diverse and eclectic food and film enthusiasts to come together to participate in discuss food, both on-screen and off.

Those who know me, know that I spend a lot of my time thinking about food. A renewed obsession with Studio Ghibli this past Christmas led to the rediscovery of one of the most important films of my unremarkable childhood — the 1991 animated movie, Only Yesterday.

Although I cannot recall much of the film's plot, one particular scene has stuck with me over the years. It involves the mother of a family dividing up a pineapple into individual slices. This is then followed by a scene depicting the family sitting around a table, each member consuming their own slice of the tropical fruit. Although everyone eats in silence, you can tell everyone is somehow connected through feelings of pure bliss, which can only be attributed to the communal experience of eating pineapple.

While there is no Ghibli on the program this year, the six films chosen for the series this year are as diverse as the guests speakers. The series starts with Chungking Express and ends in July with the sci-fi selection Soylent Green.

Guests include figures from the food industry such as Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar, who is the dessert mastermind behind Milk Bar's crack pie and compost cookies. Tosi

will be at tiff on May 17 to talk about the whimsical creations found in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

This is not a chance to view the latest food-centric films on the circuit — film lovers will probably have already seen the films at least once before. The series is actually a chance for viewers to engage in a community that would otherwise not exist outside of the Lightbox. The invited guests bring their expertise to the table, providing a fresh perspective to our beloved classics.

When asked for her favourite food on film moment from the past two seasons, Scandiffo talked about the time in 2012 when Jacquy Pfeiffer, one of the pastry chefs featured in the documentary Kings of Pastry, brought “hundreds and hundreds of hand crafted macarons and caramels,” a true testament of a man dedicated to his craft. During his Food on Film talk, Pfeiffer revealed to the guests off-screen moments that were left out of the documentary. Audience members not only left with the stories Pfeiffer had to tell, but with samples of the caramels and macarons he brought along.

Each Wednesday night screening is a treat within itself. The food on film subscription series brings together foodies and cinephiles in a forum to talk not only about the cinematic form, but the role and depiction of food in cinema. As students, this series gives us a chance to take part in and continue the conversation about two otherwise unlikely pairings.

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SCIENCE VAR.ST/SCIENCE

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2014

science@thevarsity.ca

Chris Hadfield and “Life on Earth”

RESEARCH RECAP Improper DNA packaging causes difficultto-treat childhood cancer

World-famous astronaut will speak at Convocation Hall Jennifer Hurd VARSITY STAFF

Ten months back on Earth appear to have done little to diminish the popularity of Colonel Chris Hadfield, or to diminish his passion for sharing his experiences and promoting human space exploration. The Canadian astronaut — recently returned from the International Space Station, and famous for his popular tweets, photos, and videos posted during his time in space — will be coming to U of T this Friday, March 14, to give a talk at Convocation Hall.

Hadfield’s five-month-long mission saw him become the first Canadian to command the International Space Station. In addition to carrying out scientific experiments, the astronaut took on a new and somewhat unforeseen role: re-introducing the world to the wonder and beauty of space, via social media. His remake of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” now has some twentyone million views on YouTube, and over the course of the mission, much to his own amazement, his Twitter account acquired over one million followers. His recent talk at the Toronto Reference Library, just off-campus, sold out in mere seconds online.

Since his return to earth, Hadfield has continued to educate and inspire the public, appearing at wildly popular events all across the country. His recently published book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, is by turns witty and thought-provoking,

and tells the story of how he became an astronaut in a time when Canadians were not even allowed to apply. It is also full of anecdotes from his own experience on three separate space flights, and his work behind the scenes at nasa and at the Canadian Space Agency. As it turns out, astronauts do “sweat the small stuff,” and always prepare for the worst, both because it keeps them alive and because it helps them deal with stress. Also, becoming an astronaut apparently does not mean that the days of exams and assignments are behind you; as Hadfield describes the everyday life of an astronaut on earth, “Most days we train and take classes — lots of them — and exams. In the evenings and on weekends, we study.”

Now officially retired from the Canadian Space Agency, Hadfield will become the professor, rather than the student — he has accepted a position as an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, where he will be teaching classes in the aviation program starting this fall.

Although the intensive media attention that accompanied the launch and landing of his mission may have faded slightly, Hadfield’s continued popularity speaks to a renewed public fascination with the wider universe, with pushing the boundaries of human exploration, and with the daily lives and extraordinary experiences of those privileged few who have left Earth’s gravity behind and travelled out towards the stars. As

media pHoto

Hadfield writes at the end of his book, his job was always to “support and promote human space exploration,” wherever he might be.

And though his own days in orbit may be over, it is clear that he will continue to do just that right here on Earth.

The marvelous zebrafish Talking to Dr. Xiao-Yan Wen, director of Zebrafish Centre for Advanced Drug Discovery Stefan Jevtic

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Dr. Xiao-Yan Wen is an assistant professor of medicine at U of T and a member of the Keenan Research Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Wen is also the director of the Zebrafish Centre for Advanced Drug Discovery, and a renowned scientist.

He contributed to the Ontario Science Centre’s (osc) permanent exhibit by helping design a zebrafish display as a demonstration of the hereditary nature of genetic traits and embryonic development.

This, however, was not Wen’s first collaboration with the osc; two years ago, he gave a lecture and organized a science competition at the osc Science School, which resulted in his acceptance of a grade 12 student into his lab for a summer internship. The goal of this science outreach program was to educate scientifically-inclined students and give them an opportunity to learn advanced life science knowledge, which would help them in their career development. Over the

past three years, Wen’s lab has trained seven high school students.

Part of the research that these students performed involved nutrigenomic studies to determine preventative or therapeutic effects of commonly consumed fruits and vegetables in chronic diseases, such as diabetes, while further projects involved zebrafish disease model development.

In an interview with The Varsity, Wen explained why he chose to work with zebrafish as opposed to a variety of other possible model organisms.

With a wry chuckle, he describes how he originally completed a phd in mouse transgenics at U of T, Wen switched to zebrafish research immediately upon obtaining his faculty position in 2005.

Some of the reasons for this switch included the zebrafish’s fast and external embryonic development, the ability to perform large-scale genetic and chemical screens, and most importantly, Dr. Wen’s childhood passion for fish and fishing.

While his graduate students mainly work on cardiovascular disease models, he is currently establishing multiple collaborations in creating

Julien BalBontin/tHe Varsity

zebrafish neurodegenerative disease models for drug screens.

Funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, his lab has also recently built a robotic automated high-throughput drug screening platform for direct drug screening on developing zebrafish embryos.

In addition, Dr. Wen continues to actively promote the zebrafish model in scientific research communities. Over the past few years, he has organized two zebrafish workshops: one on mutagenesis in

2011, and the other on chemical biology in 2012. He also successfully organized the first (International) Zebrafish for Personalized/Precision Medicine Conference in Toronto in 2013, which featured leading zebrafish experts from around the world through various lectures and presentations. He is currently planning the second conference for 2015, and will surely further promote the advancement of innovative research to combat the medical challenges that we face today.

Groundbreaking findings published this month in Nature have shown that epigenetics (the packaging of dna) is the main cause of a difficult-to-treat type of childhood brain cancer called ependymoma.

This research, co-led by professor Michael Taylor at the U of T, has also shown that current fda-approved drugs may be used to target this cancer. dna code is much like an instruction book that tells a cell how it should operate. Most cancers occur when the words in this instruction book are misspelled, added, or deleted. The main cause of ependymoma, however, is words that are in the wrong font (improperly packaged dna). Ependymoma is the third most common form of childhood brain cancer. Surgery and radiation therapy are used to treat this cancer, as chemotherapy is ineffective. Despite treatment, the cancer often recurs.

If funding is granted, the researchers plan to conduct a clinical trial to test whether drugs that target the packaging of dna can effectively cure ependymoma.

— Alainna Juliette Jamal

Liars find honesty more rewarding After reviewing two neural imaging studies recording brain activity, U of T researchers suggest that people, if given the same reward, prefer to tell the truth to achieve the reward rather than to lie.

“Our findings together show that people typically find truthtelling to be more rewarding than lying in different types of deceptive situations,” says U of T professor Kang Lee. Each study covered a different type of deceptive behaviour between a liar and a lie receiver. The first study involved the lie receiver being unaware that the liar was lying. The second study involved the receiver being aware of the lie, much like bluffing in poker. In both cases, telling the truth generated more activity in the liar’s cortical reward system than lying.

The research also suggested that lying is more demanding on the brain than truth-telling because lying causes more brain activation in the frontal lobe.

— Zareen Din

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Undergraduates testify to the value of research at Hart House Thursday’s undergrad research showcase featured around 90 student presentations

Left: Student discusses her project. Right: Guests examine student research display boards. trevor koroll/tHe vArsity

Elena Gritzan

ASSOCIATE SCIENCE EDITOR

On Thursday, March 6, Hart House’s Great Hall played host to around 90 student research projects. In a science-fair atmosphere, students had the chance to show off the results of months of hard work. The hall was packed with posters, presenters, and the curious students who came to learn about what their peers had accomplished. The Undergraduate Research Fair was multidisciplinary, topics ranged from art to zoology.

An undergradute research project is an entirely different experience than sitting in a lecture hall, or even conducting a guided experiment in lab courses. Jacob Chol participated in an earth sciences project studying volcanos in Hawaii along with two other undergraduates. “You cannot

get what we get here in a lab or in a class,” he said.

Many students emphasized how participating in research supplements the classroom experience.

Symon James-Elison, who worked on a psychology project examining a community-based tutoring program with at-risk adolescents, mentioned that the mentors and peers that taught her different ways of doing things come from different academic backgrounds. “We brought lots of different perspectives to our research,” she said, “which you don’t get to do in your standard classes, which can be very compartmentalized.”

Research programs also act as a career counsellor for second-year students who may be unsure of where their academic paths will take them.

Priscilla Perez-Saval studied the photosynthetic efficiency of cryptophyte algae within the Department

of Chemistry. “What I most like about the [second year] Research Opportunity Program is that it gives you a glance about what your future career will look like,” she said. “It shows you that it’s not only about understanding the concepts — it’s about trying to express that information.” Perez-Saval found that she could combine her interests in biology and chemistry by studying the chemistry behind biological systems. “I really would encourage students to take this step forward and just try to get involved,” she says.

Connie Tang and Jonathon Fossella worked on a chemistry project to develop a solvent-free aldol condensation reaction that will be used for chm249, the second-year organic chemistry course. “I don’t know what I want to do with my life,” Tang said.

“After doing this research experience, I’m seriously considering it as a career, which is something I never even

thought of.” Fossella sees the experience in a different way. “I’m actually not super interested in research as a career,” he said. “The reason I applied for this opportunity is because it had a means to an end. It was doing work for an end goal to deliver to other people. After I’ve done this, research is becoming a little more interesting to me. I don’t think I want to do it for the rest of my life, but I think this is a really good exposure to being a scientist. rop299 is just a really great experience on many different levels.”

Even those who have already decided to follow a research path can gain confidence in their career choice and develop new interests. Sara Pushdadian studied how dopamine levels, changed by the drug Ritalin, affect the colouring of guppies. “Guppies are the peacock of the fish world,” she explains. “Their gills are highly colourful and the females select for them. It’s

a great example of sexual selection.”

Pushdadian, who has always wanted to work with neurotransmitters, had her opinions of the inch-long fish change over the course of the research project.

“At first you just think they’re so cute, but they actually have so much to tell you about evolution and the dopamine pathway. I am now a fish lover!”

Students were able to take ownership of their research, learning firsthand how scientific data is collected and manipulated. Natasha Ouslis worked with professor Ian Spence to study how 3D objects are imagined. “I really benefited from developing the paradigm, understanding the counterbalancing, fixing and repeating the task.” Research teaches students to take pride from the concrete results of their academics.”It’s been a great experience,” said Ouslis, “Being able to say ‘This is my work!’”

With files from Katrina Vogan.

This is your brain on health food We continue our look at nutrition’s impact on cognition

In the second installment of this twopart series, we’ll continue our investigation of brain foods by exploring the effect of fat (specifically omega-3 fatty acids), carbohydrates, and one’s overall diet.

OMEGA‒3S

Omegas-3s are synonymous with brain health. As a matter of fact, anthropologists have found that early humans who lived near coastal areas and consumed diets high in fish (which are rich in omega 3s), evolved to have larger brains sooner than populations living in landlocked areas.

Omega-3s are essential: you’re reading this right now and thinking with the help of omega-3s. Despite their importance, omega 3s are only found in a limited number of foods (such as fish, algae, flaxseed and walnuts); furthermore, they disappear from the food supply because of their reactivity, which limits the shelf life of products containing them.

idea to consume omega-3-rich foods to prevent deficiency (which can lead to depression), the benefit of supplementation is controversial.

gy and spike your blood glucose, which might give you an immediate lift, but probably won’t carry you through to the end of the exam.

CARBOHYDRATES

THE WHOLE DIET…

While the brain is largely made from fat, it runs on carbs. The brain can’t store carbs, it relies on a steady supply delivered from the blood stream.

As a matter of fact, intensive cognitive demand can cause a reduction in peripheral blood glucose, thus illustrating the brain’s demand for glucose. Considering this, it’s understandable that low glycemic index carbohydrates (such as oats, barley, bulgur, brown rice, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, and bran cereals) have been shown to significantly improve cognitive function relative to high-glycemic index carbs.

This is because low-glycemic index carbs spend more time in your stomach, and are absorbed more slowly, providing a steady supply of glucose into the blood stream and thus the brain. High glycemic index carbs (such as white rice, white bread, candy and baked goods) are rapidly digested and absorbed. They provide a rush of ener-

At the end of the day, optimal cognitive performance is about more than just consuming one single food. While there are no studies investigating the effect of dietary patterns on cognitive performance, there’s some pretty compelling evidence illustrating the link between overall diet quality and brain health. For example, the Mediterranean diet (rich in olive oil, nuts, beans/legumes, and fish, while low in meat and dairy) has been shown to decrease risk for depression while consumption of fast-food and commercial baked goods is associated with increased risk for depression. It’s logical that at the end of the day, a balanced healthy diet is the surest way to optimal brain health.

Mary Scourboutakos is a PhD student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences.

The first half of this series can be found at http://var.st/e-d.

DENTAL CARE

DR. ELON GRIFFITH

Cosmetic & General Dentistry

416-923-3386 drgriffith@rogers.com 25 Charles ST.W Toronto ON M4Y 2R4 BLOOR ST. W. CHARLES ST. W. Our Office

YONGE ST.

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Because of scarcity, many people turn to omega-3 supplements. Can omega-3 supplements actually improve university students’ cognition? A recent study published in the journal Human Pharmacology: Clinical and Experimental showed that omega-3 supplementation (particularly supplements rich in epa, a specific type of omega-3) can improve neural efficiency in young people. Furthermore, a recent review reached the same conclusion.

However, Dr. Chuck Chen, a recent graduate of the Department of Nutritional Sciences who specializes in omega-3 fatty acids and brain health commented, “Even though studies have found higher cerebral blood flow and brain activation following omega-3 supplementation, this largely does not translate to improvements in cognition… in young, healthy adults.” He warned about the methodological details which can often bias results stating, “the dietary intakes of omega-3s in [the study] were not measured so it is hard to know if the supplementation is replenishing deficient stores or adding to the adequate stores of these young adults.” Therefore, while it’s a good

BAY ST.

Mary Scourboutakos

SPORTS VAR.ST!SPORTS

10

MARCH

2014

sports@thevarsity.ca

The science of sport A peek into the science of swings, skating, and concussions In speed skating, the ice temperature is -7 degrees celsius. The hardness of the ice does noticeably increase speed. Speed skaters can reach speeds over 50 km/h — about as fast as a car on a city street. Speed skaters work to become more aerodynamic. Their stances and tight equipment reduce drag. The skaters move fast enough to create draft.

Speed skaters also use clap skates; the blade is attached to the boot by a spring-hinge. The skate allows the skaters to remain in contact with the ice for longer periods, which transfers more force during their push. Clap skates are a great example of improvements in science and technology changing a sport. Their rise in popularity in the 1990s directly led to a flood of new world records and a change in safety regulations in competition.

Katrina Vogan VARSITY STAFF

THE SCIENCE OF THE SWING

Multiple sports, such as tennis, golf, hockey, and baseball, rely on the perfect swing The simplest way to look at the science of the swing is through energy transfer mechanics: when an object strikes another object, the energy involved in that collision will be transferred. A batter swinging at a ball needs to hit the ball with enough force such that the ball both changes direction and moves with significant speed.

Of course, swinging is more than just brute force; an athlete must also aim.

A popular problem in Canadian physics classes asks students to calculate the maximum angle at which a hockey player can direct the puck in order for the puck to hit the net from various positions on the ice. The angle shrinks as the defense pushes the offense from the centre and as the goalie comes out to “cut-off the angle.”

The decisions that an athlete makes about angle and force are influenced by their equipment. A heavier bat or a more flexible stick will provide more force to the ball or puck but an athlete might sacrifice some of his or her control. Even seemingly small decisions can have implications.

Tennis players are extraordinarily picky about the tension in the string of their racquets. The correct amount of tension allows players to control spin and power of the ball. Incorrect tension and vibrations from the collision between the racquet and the ball will travel up the athlete’s arm and could cause or aggravate tennis elbow.

The idea of minimizing vibrations in equipment and thus the loss of energy in the collision explains the science behind the “sweet spot” on baseball bats and racquets. If a collision is made at the perfect spot on a node of vibration energy is transferred more efficiently.

CONCUSSIONS

nAnCy ji/tHe vArsity

SLIPPING, SLIDING, & SKATING

We are able to skate primarily because of friction. When a hockey player or figure skater steps onto the rink, the force of friction between the skate and the ice surface “melts” a thin layer of molecules. It is on this thin layer of molecules that skaters glide.

You may think that the molecules on the surface of the ice are liquid water. This is incorrect. The surface physics of ice are poorly understood. Research on the physics of the skating surface began in 1886, and contin-

ues today. We know that the molecules on the surface are not the same as liquid water, nor are they molecules of solid ice: the most accurate description might be “liquid-like.”

The differences between hockey and figure skating are well-known. The grace and intricacy of figure skaters’ jumps is greatly aided by the relatively warm temperature of the ice which they skate on — the optimal temperature is -4 degrees celsius. Hockey is played at -5 degrees celsius: thus, their ice is harder, which allows them to reach greater speeds, but makes it harder to land jumps.

Concussions are common brain injuries caused by collisions. A concussion causes changes in brain function and these changes result in a wide range of symptoms. Mild concussions may result in headaches and increased sensitivity to light. More serious concussions can result in permanent brain damage including serious psychological effects like depression.

Brain matter is sensitive and is thus protected from the bone of the skull by a “cushion” of cerebrospinal fluid, in which the brain floats; there is between 100–150 millilitres of fluid in the skull.

During a concussion, a collision results in enough momentum being transferred to the brain that the fluids slow or stop the brain’s movement within the skull. The damage is caused when the brain makes contact with the bone of the skull.

The collision can cause linear, angular, or rotational movement. Rotational movement occurs when the head twists around the neck.

Think about the boxer on the receiving end of sharp left hook — their head will rotate sharply to the left as the punch lands. Multiple studies argue that rotational movement is the primary factor in whether a concussion occurs and the severity of concussions.

Blues squash returns from CU championships with multiple medals Squash teams finish season with multiple OUA and national wins, looking strong for future seasons Susan Gordon

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

The Canadian University (cu) championships in squash wrapped up this past week, with U of T bringing home multiple medals.

The Blues sent 10 women to the Canadian championship tournament in Waterloo, which ended early last week. Evelyn Moorhouse captured fourth place in the women’s open championship, and Natalie Londono finished fifth. Kathryn Milligan captured the silver medal, finishing 1–2.

Mabel Low won gold in the women’s A division championship, while teammate and team captain Jessica Omand took bronze. Christina Chow lost a difficult final in the C division to capture silver. Alexis Twiddy placed second in the B division final, and Rupangi Mehta brought home gold in the D final.

The men sent three players to the tournament to compete for Toronto. The Blues’ top men’s

player, Ruyan Bhatia, competed in the men’s open, while teammates Wilfred Ip and Akshit competed in the A division championship.

The strong athletes capped a successful season for the Blues. The women lost just one of 13 games in the regular season, while the men went 9–9. The Blues also showed their strength in the Ontario University Athletics (oua) tournament. The women’s team swept the tournament, capturing the gold medal after beating the Western Mustangs 19–14 overall in the tournament. On the men’s side, the Blues finished fifth overall as a team, just two points behind Waterloo and Queens, who tied for third.

On the women’s side, the Blues brought home a team gold, and finished a full 5 points ahead of second-place McMaster. The team was on top of the scoreboard from the first day, and ended the tournament with six players in gold-medal matches. Moorhouse was named as an oua All-Star, and teammate Londono won women’s oua rookie of the year honours.

Women’s team finishes season with 13-1 record. CArolyn levett/tHe vArsity

22

Vol. CXXXIV No. 20

VARSITY SPORTS

sports@thevarsity.ca

Blues to curl at national championships Men’s curling places first, women’s places third in OUA championships

The men’s curling team won its fifth OUA championship title this season. PHOTO COURTESY VARSITY BLUES

Susan Gordon

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

Both the women’s and men’s Varsity Blues curling teams are getting ready to curl for a national title at the Canadian Intercollegiate Sport (cis) championship tournament March 19–23. Both teams have been strong throughout the pre- and post-season, with strong finishes at the Ontario University Athletics (oua) championships.

These results come just one year after both teams failed to make it into the playoff round of the ouas, ending their seasons empty-handed in 2013.

The women earned their cis berth with a third place finish at the ouas.

The bronze acted as a continuation of a great regular season for the Blues, who went 7–2. The team’s two regular season losses came at the hands of Carleton and Guelph both of which

gave Toronto some difficulty in the playoffs. The women lost a hard game in the semi-finals to Carleton, but were able to rally to a 7–5 victory over Guelph, which came in extra ends.

The men’s team was also successful at the ouas, claiming a gold medal in an 8–1 routing of Wilfred Laurier University, the only team to hand the Blues a loss this season. It was the first provincial win for the men’s team since 2004, and only the fourth win in its history.

The victory gave the team a place at the cis championships as well.

In addition to the strong team performances men’s curler Evan Lilly was recognized for his individual performance and was named an oua first team all-star. Women’s team’s coach Scott Jenkins also received an award, as he was named oua coach of the year. The cis curling championships will be held from March 19–23 in Regina, Saskatchewan.

BY THE NUMBERS

7

Number of ends that the men’s curling team won to win the OUA championship

.778

Winning percentage of the women’s curling team

5 Number of OUA championships won by the men’s curling team

Varsity Blues fencing team competes strongly at OUAs Christian Crawford

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

In the heart of the Athletic Centre, the men’s and women’s varsity fencing teams practice in preparation for the national championships. The fencing program, which first competed in 1937, is coming off of a successful competition at the Ontario University Athletics (oua) championships.

The men’s sabre team won gold, and both foill teams walked away with silver medals.

Along with the team’s success, Andrew Wang won the individual sabre gold, a feat that has only

been achieved by a U of T athlete twice in the last 35 years.

Veteran fencers Alison Doyle and Tom Blazejewski described the team as a “tight–knit community.” The men’s and women’s teams practice together in order to better train and challenge each other. Blazejewski emphasized the importance of shared experience between the two teams and how the team focuses on development rather than housing already-established fencers.

Despite the teams’ recent successes, the women’s team continues to struggle with some challenges. Although the men’s team has continued to be a strong contender

for the past two decades, the women’s team is struggling with recruitment. Unfortunately, as head coach Thomas Nguyen explained, “Graduating women were not being replaced as quickly with rookies as the men’s team.” Although there continues to be a strong core group of athletes on the team, the need for athletic women to take up the sword remains.

Like many other teams, the problem of space and funding for equipment at the this level remains; the team is mostly self-financed by the athletes. Despite the obstacles that the members face, the team recognizes its room to grow and its strong future.

Haartek Salon offers discounts Monday to Friday for Full Time U of T students* 50% off Haircuts 30% off Blowdry/Style all Chemical Services (colour /highlights/ perms/ etc.)

all Aesthetic Services

(manicures, pedicures, waxing, facials) *Must show student card and proof of full time enrollment. Select stylists only.

var.st/sports

VARSITY SPORTS

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014

23

Behind the scenes: UTM Recreation, Athletics and Wellness Centre RAWC offers a range of fitness options for free to U of T students Reshara Alviarez

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The students, faculty, and alumni at utm have enjoyed the benefits offered at the school’s state of the art Recreation, Athletics, and Wellness Centre (rawc) since it opened its doors in 2006.

The centre boasts a series of special features, including a spacious double gymnasium with stadium-style seating, an indoor running track, a 25-metre swimming pool, an Olympic weight lifting room, and teaching studios that host a range of fitness classes throughout the year.

Over the last seven years, the rawc has become a very popular location for both recreational athletes as well as for a number of competitive sporting championships at the intramural, varsity, and faculty levels.

The rawc offers exciting and innovative sport instruction classes in tennis, golf, and squash. In addition, the centre offers a specialty course in martial arts as well as one in mind and body, incorporating elements of yoga, tai chi, pilates, and meditation. Some of these classes are registered classes while others are drop-in.

In addition to its athletic facilities, the rawc is also home to one of two locations of The Sports Clinic (tsc), which provides services in modern sports medicine and rehabilitation. The team of sports medicine physicians, therapy specialists, and clinic coordinators at tsc offer first-rate specialized treatment to professional as well as recreational athletes. Some of the services offered are treatment for aches and pains, injury rehabilitation and prevention, and athletic performance enhancement.

The rawc also offers a range of activities for children over the summer, such as swimming and tennis lessons and Camp U of T. Camp U of T allows children between the ages of five and 17 to choose from a number of summer sport programs like racquet camp, dance camp, and soccer camp, among others.

While free memberships are only available to registered U of T students, the rawc also extends its membership to U of T staff, alumni, and other members of the community. The centre offers free drop-in orientation with the centre during operating hours for anyone with an interest in learning more about the facilities.

The rawc offers a perfect opportunity for students looking for a break from their busy studying schedules. On weekdays, the centre is open from 6 am until 11 pm, and as of September 2013, has extended its weekend hours, which are now from 9 am until 8 pm.

The RAWK opened in 2006. jacqueline zimmer/THe VarsiTy

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thevarsity.ca

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Shake up 4. It’s in Kasparov’s corner 8. Escape vehicles 12. Bonanza find, perhaps 13. Equipped 14. Hot issue?

15. Don’t pass 16. Hand over 17. Creative 18. Chefs’ preparations 20. Yarn strand 22. Geologist’s sample 23. Comparatively compliant 27. Stagehands 29. Crooked or ironic 30. Some trial evidence 31. Lip shade 32. Poetic contraction 33. Cellar group?

34. “___ say!”

35. Flying hazard 36. Dog walker’s need 37. Humbler 39. Belfry sound 40. Dominate, in sports talk 41. Daikon, e.g.

44. Ocean predator 47. Biting 49. Draw back 50. April honoree?

51. Level, as a house 52. Alley serenader 53. Greek deli purchase 54. Bovine team 55. Bloodline extender

1. Classified information?

2. “Carmen” selection 3. Able to be decreased 4. Meet people 5. At the high end of the scale?

6. Past 7. Big ones, to an angler 8. Dramatic results 9. Crew driver?

10. Economy class syndrome 11. Two cents worth, so to speak 19. City desk shout 21. Ascribe, as blame 24. Utopia seekers 25. Extremities 26. Breakout?

27. Dark, as prospects 28. Carpenter’s tool 29. Costume component 32. Transport to Oz 33. Do library research 35. Minority 36. Like a winter sky 38. Leaf-eating critter 39. Game show offer 42. Fly dismissal 43. Mass number?

44. Not turned on 45. School builder?

46. Bedroll alternative 48. Rowers’ director

Grenada, West Indies

Chances are you already know a St. George’s University doctor.

There are over 11,000 SGU doctors in the US and around the world. And, SGU has put more doctors into the US health care system than two-thirds of US medical schools.* In 2013 alone, SGU graduates obtained over 800 residency positions in the US and Canada. Study medicine at SGU and join hundreds of SGU doctors from Canada.

HE DELIVERED YOU. Join us for an Information Session to learn more: Wednesday, March 12 7pm - 8:30pm Park Hya! Toronto 4 Avenue Road, Toronto Find out about information sessions and webinars in your area at sgu.edu/infosession ©2014 St. George’s University

IG#7UbUXU. % ,$$ ,--!*''+ Ylh" - %&,$ g[iYbfc`aYbh4g[i"YXi

*From an AMA data source, distributed in February 2010