September 17, 2012

FROM THE PAGES OF SCIENCE

Shaking things up!

Considering the Quake: Seismic Design on the Edge highlights the intersection between aesthetics and engineering in designing buildings in earthquake-prone areas see pg 18 Vol. CXXXIII, No. 3

University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880

17 September, 2012

THE VARSITY thevarsity.ca

ROB STEWART talks about his new documentary Revolution pg 15

SMC writing centre hours slashed Confusion reigns as administration works to replace popular resource

Dan Smeenk VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The St. Michael’s College Writing Centre will adopt radically reduced operating hours for this academic year, The Varsity has learned.

The centre will be open for a single day on Thursdays, down from its Monday through Friday availability in previous years. First- and second-year students will have priority in booking the new reduced time slots.

Resources that had been previously allocated to the writing centre are to be devoted to alternative initiatives around the college according to St. Michael’s College principal Dominico Pietropaolo. The reallocation is intended to fill the void left by the writing centre’s new hours, and will include a personal librarian program, library research centre, research and writing workshops, and a new website.

The decision to reconfigure writing resources at St. Michael’s College was made

by Pietropaolo, who said he had consulted students, and staff including Steve Hoselton, the director of the centre, beforehand.

“There was not complete agreement on all sides,” said Pietropaolo, “but compromises were made which I believe left everybody relatively satisfied.”

Hoselton declined to comment to The Varsity on the changes, or his involvement in the consultative process described by Pietropaolo.

Bernarda Gospic/THe VarsiTy

“I’m not 100 per cent informed,” said SMCSU president Mike Cowan. “It is on my radar, and I am concerned. It was a useful resource.”

Cowan said he had not yet consulted with Pietropaolo about the changes but had been in contact with the principal’s office about scheduling a future meeting.

News of the changes comes amidst con-

“There was not complete agreement on all sides, but compromises were made which I believe left everybody relatively satisfied.”

—Dominico Pietropaolo principal, St. Michael’s College

fusion and speculation about the future of the centre, which is based in Kelly Library.

Rumours this summer suggested that the SMC writing centre was to close entirely.

“I used the SMC writing centre for the summer courses that I took,” said Yves Utanes Lamanilao, adding that she found the service to be very helpful. “I just hoped there would be a lot more available time slots to make an appointment and use the centre. I remember having to watch the online schedule closely in order to get a space.”

Students like Lamanilao may be disappointed by the new course laid out by Pietropaolo. While the centre is to remain open for one day a week, many students and staff at the college still have only a vague idea of the changes to come.

“I’m still attending meetings trying to figure out what the new system is,” says St. Michael’s College campus life coordinator Christina Peter. Peter hopes to clarify the situation to the student body once she herself has received more information.

“I’m waiting for the go-ahead,” said Peter. “Once I understand what’s going on, it will be all systems go.”

Three of the services touted by Pietropaolo, including the writing centre, the personal librarian program, and the library research centre will continue to emphasize one-on-one help with writing and research. There will also be workshops offering group sessions aimed at undergraduates.

According to Pietropaolo, the operating hours of all three facilities will be roughly equivalent to the availability previously offered at the writing centre. All of the changes have already been implemented, except for the new website, which has been held up by technical difficulties. Pietropaolo promised Friday that the new site is likely to be online “within the next few days.”

Pietropaolo said that the changes were a result of his administration’s focus on “efficiency,” and not the result of a budget cutback. Cowan alluded to financial difficulties faced by the college, but stopped short of attributing the change in hours to the college’s budgetary situation.

In an interview with The Varsity, Pietropaolo suggested that the changes would allow staff at the centre, who are full-time employees, to work full-time, rather than for only a few hours each week.

Last year, staff at SMC including the writing centre employees unionized to form Unit 4 of CUPE 3902. It was not immediately clear what role the union has played in recent changes.

2

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

THE VARSITY VOL. CXXXIII No. 3

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

VARSITY NEWS

Community rallies in response to sexual assaults Hundreds march against sexual violence after summer of rattling incidents James Maiangowi ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Murad Hemmadi

editor@thevarsity.ca

Design Editors Suzy Nevins Dan Seljak

suzy@thevarsity.ca dan@thevarsity.ca

Photo Editor Bernarda Gospic

photo@thevarsity.ca

Production Editor Alex Ross

production@thevarsity.ca

Managing Online Editor Patrick Love online@thevarsity.ca Senior Copy Editor Laura Mitchell

copy@thevarsity.ca

News Editor Simon Bredin

news@thevarsity.ca

Comment Editor Joshua Oliver

comment@thevarsity.ca

Features Editor Simon Frank

features@thevarsity.ca

Arts & Culture Editor Brigit Katz

arts@thevarsity.ca

Science Editor Dennis Dobrovolsky

science@thevarsity.ca

Sports Editor Zoë Bedard

sports@thevarsity.ca

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

video@thevarsity.ca

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

Contributors Rod Al-Kamisi, Katherine Baird, Patrick Baud, Zoë Bedard, Elizabeth Benn, Simon Bredin, Natasha Britto, Sri Chaudhuri, Ethan Chiel Dennis Dobrovolsky, Amanda DiVito, Stephanie Gaglione, David Gelles, Susan Gordon, Daniel Horowitz, Evan Hutchinson, Imelda Lo, James Maiangowi, Madeline Malczewska, Milena Pribic, Eric Vanderbeek, Irene Velentzas, Dwayne G. White Copy Editors Hannah Clifford Catherine Kabasele Surbhi Gandhi Susan Gordon Jasmine Pauk Asiyah Rahim Alex Ross Mohana Sarmiento Dan Smeenk Madeleine Trimmer Catherine Virelli Riley Watson Photo and Illustration Bernarda Gospic Dan Seljak Nathan Watson Dan Epstein

Designers Ethan Chiel Suzy Nevins Dan Seljak Shaquilla Singh Nathan Watson Fact Checkers Catherine Kabasele Surbhi Gandhi Susan Gordon Madeleine Trimmer Riley Watson Cover Bernarda Gospic

Business Office Business Manager John Fountas

business@thevarsity.ca

Advertising Manager Tina Yazdi advertising@thevarsity.ca Advertising Manager Victoria Botvinnik Nick Brownlee Sofia Luu Maokai Shen

victoria@thevarsity.ca nick@thevarsity.ca sofia@thevarsity.ca maokai@thevarsity.ca

The Varsity is the University of Toronto's largest student newspaper, publishing since 1880. The Varsity has a circulation of 20,000, and is published

by Varsity Publications, Inc. It is printed by Master Web Inc. on recycled newsprint stock.

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

The Varsity reserves the right to edit all submissions.

Inquiries regarding ad sales can be made to ads@thevarsity.ca. ISSN: 0042-2789 Please recycle this issue after you are finished with it.

news@thevarsity.ca

Hundreds of women walked Saturday in Toronto’s annual “Take Back the Night” event to raise awareness about sexual violence. This year’s event comes in the wake of a string of sexual assaults in downtown Toronto over the summer.

Following a community fair and rally featuring live music and speeches from survivors of sexual violence, the women-only march proceeded through Parkdale for several hours.

“This night is important not only to create awareness of sexual violence, but to also empower survivors of sexual violence,” said Deb Singh, one of the event’s organizers.

Singh, who works for the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, also emphasized that encouraging women to be more cautious is only half the battle.

“I think it’s really sad that we’re still talking this way about sexual violence and we’re not talking to men about stopping rape.”

This is “Take Back the Night’s” 32nd year in Toronto. The international movement began in 1975 in Philadelphia following the murder of a woman walking alone at night, and has since spread to numerous cities worldwide.

Although incidents of sexual assault in Toronto are down overall for the year, there have been several high-profile incidents near campus in the Annex and Kensington Market over July and August, all believed to be related.

Police say at least 10 women in those neighbourhoods have reported sexual assaults in the

last two months. In each case the woman was walking alone at night and assaulted from behind by a stranger, making identification of the suspect difficult.

These incidents have propelled the topic of sexual violence against women back into the public consciousness. A community rally at Christie Pits Park, near where several of the assaults occurred, drew over 300 participants on just three days notice.

Despite the increased public awareness, not all the attention directed towards the victims has been encouraging.

Krista Ford, niece of Toronto mayor Rob Ford, ignited controversy following a tweet advising women not to “dress like a whore.” Ford’s tweet drew comparisons to a Toronto police officer’s comments last year that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”

In response to Ford’s tweet Alice Moran, one of the women assaulted this summer, posted an open letter on her Facebook profile, addressed to “a lot of people, but specifically Krista Ford.” The polite but firm letter soon attracted media interest.

“I believe you have a right to your body and regardless of how you do or don’t dress it I believe you have a right to respect and personal security,” Moran wrote.

“I guess that’s the key difference in our thinking.

You could wear a t-shirt that says ‘I’m literally asking for it’ and I’d still advocate for your security,” Moran continued. Ford has since apologized for her tweet.

Police warn individuals to take precautions as

Be safe: use Walk Smart when travelling alone at night BErNArDA GoSPIc/THE VArSITy

there may have been further unreported incidents.

Students concerned about their safety on campus are advised to use the Walk Smart service, which provides escorts to walk students home at night. Staff Sergeant Mike Caskenette of the university’s campus police also recommends that students with personal safety concerns to visit the Community Safety Office at 21 Sussex Ave.

Former UTSU president returns as executive director After serving two terms as chair of provincial lobby group, Sandy Hudson back at the union she once led Sheena Singh VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Former University of Toronto Students’ Union president Sandy Hudson has returned to the UTSU in the role of executive director.

Hudson, who served as president from 2008 through 2010, returns to the union where she began her career, after two years as chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students– Ontario (CFS-O).

“I’m really committed to the student movement and to education,” Hudson said. “Especially at U of T, I wanted nothing more than to continue working with students and working within education advocacy.”

Initially brought back as “operations coordinator,” Hudson believes it was her long-standing involvement with the Student Commons Project that got her the executive director role recently vacated by Amir Bashir.

The Student Commons project, which has been in the works for several years, seeks to create a student-owned and operated building on campus, most likely in the current John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture building. Hudson served in a consultative capacity on various meetings and was present

DAN EPSTEIN/THE VArSITy

for the initial planning stages of the project. She believes her involvement on the project was probably what appealed to her new employers.

Walied Khogali, executive director of UTMSU, has worked closely with

Corrections In “Boycott of publishing giant Elsevier gathers pace,” Elsevier’s 2010 profits were incorrectly stated as $12 billion. The correct figure is $1.16 billion.

In “Organizers: orientation week no place for corporations,” the photocap incorrectly stated that the 99.9 Virgin Radio tent was at the UTSU Club’s Fair. The Varsity regrets the errors.

Hudson in the past. He was pleased to hear of her return to the UTSU. “Sandy is very talented,” said Khogali.

“She is very well-respected across U of T, by everyone from colleagues to student unions, even at UTSC and UTM.” Other campus figures are more wary of the circumstances surrounding her return.

Samuel Greene, Trinity College student head, said he was skeptical that the job was “conveniently waiting for her at UTSU” once her term at CFS-O was over. Greene says this type of favouritism is “symp-

tomatic of a culture at the union where allies of the incumbents are rewarded with patronage.”

Amir Bashir, Hudson’s predecessor, had been intimately involved in student politics at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

Hudson describes her new post as an “everything job.” She is responsible for facilitating the smooth internal functioning of the union, as well as ensuring that the UTSU stays within the bounds of the law. These duties required several weeks of training and research on applicable government policies, as well as the UTSU’s internal policies and bylaws.

Hudson also touts her experience with the CFS-O as a major plus in her new role. Hudson has been involved with the CFS-O since as early as November 2009, when she began to establish her rapport with the provincial lobbying organization over the issue of allowing students without immigration status to continue to go to school.

Khogali points to her success on that issue as evidence of the skills that an executive director ought to possess. “You need a strong, highly qualified personality like her to be executive director — someone who understands both the lobbying role and the services component.”

Hudson says she is looking forward to an extremely busy but fulfilling school year, sensing potential gains for the U of T student body, and reiterating her commitment to the university. “There is so much opportunity, but we’re not in a good place right now,” she says regretfully of Ontario’s post-secondary education system.

var.st/news

VARSITY NEWS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

News in brief 85,000 enroll in U of T Coursera class

Campus police patrol UTSU offices for Initiations Week

The University of Toronto’s first online course offerings have attracted over 85,000 students. Three computer science courses are being offered for free in partnership with Coursera, an online learning platform that also offers courses from universities such as Princeton and Stanford.

Suzanne Stevenson, vice-dean of teaching and learning in the Faculty of Arts and Science, sees the high demand for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) as the next step in bringing university education to a wide range of people.

“Passive in-class lecturing is being replaced with interactive video clips and online materials,” she said.

For Jennifer Campbell, who is co-teaching two of the courses, one of the challenges is loss of face-to-face time. Though students will be assessed through quizzes, exams, and assignments, “instructor-student interactions aren’t possible in a MOOC”, she noted.

The first course, “Learning to Program: The Fundamentals,” will begin September 24.

University of Toronto Campus Community Police have placed 12 Hart House Circle under 24-hour protection during Initiations Week, according to officers at the scene.

The building is occupied by the University of Toronto Students’ Union.

Regular patrols were carried out by officers on foot, supported by campus police vans around King’s College Circle. Heightened security measures appear to be new this year.

Officers indicated that patrols would likely continue for at least the next several weeks.

Several colleges and faculties are known to have traditions involving desecration of the site during the second week of September. UTSU executives have complained about mischief around this time of year in the past. Pranksters have previously left a decapitated pig’s head outside the building, frightening employees within who had been working late.

Campus police have declined to comment further on whether anyone had been detained as a result of the patrols. Activity Reports from the Special Constable Service have noted groups of trespassers in the area on September 13.

— Rod Al-Kamisi

Macleans exposes links between Carleton student club, Tehran The Iranian Cultural Association of Carleton University, a student group, has attracted interest after its president Ehsan Mohammadia solicited funds from Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, chief of staff to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The money was intended to fund a celebration of Persian New Year at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

In a letter displaying the logos of Carleton University and Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), Mohammadia said he intended to invite a variety of dignitaries, including members of Canadian provincial and federal governments.

Mohammadia is the son of Hamid Mohammadia, previously Iran’s cultural counselor at the embassy prior to its closing last week. Both men declined to comment on the matter.

Carleton University spokesperson Steve Reid insisted the university has no policy about such transactions; each group is “accountable to its members and ultimately the CUSA.” After plans to use the National Arts Centre fell through, the Iranian Cultural Association organized a smaller affair at the university in March.

—Natasha Britto With files from Macleans

—Colin Tessier

Medicine faculty launches Boundless campaign The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine has announced a new $500 million fundraising campaign, part of U of T’s broader $2 billion Boundless campaign. The campaign is the largest fundraising inititiave for a faculty of medicine in Canadian history.

The campaign started Thursday night with a gala for benefactors, volunteers, faculty, and students. The event attracted attracted over 300 supporters and members of the medical community.

In a statement announcing the campaign, Dr. Catherine Whiteside, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine said the top priority of the campaign was to “attract and retain the best academic talent in the world.”

“The complexity of the health challenges we face today requires solutions that can only emerge through innovation,” she said. “The Faculty of Medicine’s integrating role uniquely positions us to spark the discoveries and drive the changes that will transform health globally in the 21st century, with the help of our supporters.”

Whiteside also announced the campaign has already raised $252 million to date.

—Amanda DiVito

3

4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

VICTORIA COLLEGE 21st Annual BOOK SALE - 2012

5 DAYS OF HEAVEN FOR BIBLIOMANIACS! Thousands of good books: used, new, old, rare!

All subject categories; Amazing prices!

Stock replenished daily!

Thursday September 20: 4pm - 9pm* Friday September 21: 10am - 8pm Saturday September 22:11am - 6pm Sunday September 23: 11am - 6pm Monday September 24: 10am - 8pm (half-price day!)

(First night only*-- admission $3; students free with ID) In OLD VIC 91 Charles Street West (at Museum Subway Exit) For more information call: 416-585-4585 vic.booksale@utoronto.ca www.vicbooksale.utoronto.ca Proceeds to Victoria University Library.

VARSITY NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

Former Blues quarterback involved in City Hall controversy Andrew Gillis one of several Ford staffers involved in conflict over mayor’s football coaching Simon Bredin NEWS EDITOR

Former Varsity Blues quarterback Andrew Gillis found himself at the centre of controversy at City Hall last week, when an exclusive investigation by The Globe and Mail found that Gillis was one of several staff hired by mayor Rob Ford whose duties seem to include coaching football teams.

The revelations by the Globe came just one week after Ford testified under oath that he had ceased all use of taxpayer-funded resources in relation to his volunteer involvement with football coaching.

“I did use my staff [for footballrelated activities] and I was wrong to do that,” Ford said during his appearance before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. “That’s been rectified numerous years ago,” he added.

But as recently as last Tuesday, Gillis’ activities included assisting Ford in leading the Don Bosco Eagles in a practice beginning mid-afternoon at the Etobicoke high school.

Gillis was hired as a “special assistant” to the mayor last year. Special assistants are the most junior staff in the mayor’s office. Their salaries are not publicly disclosed.

At the time of his hiring, Gillis had finished his fifth season with the Blues and graduated with a major in urbanism.

Gillis was involved in efforts to turn around the Blues’ fortunes, breaking a 49-game losing streak in October 2008 and winning the accolade for best offensive player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport in 2010.

A self-professed football fanatic, Ford has been known to occasionally attend Varsity Blues games, including the 2012 home opener earlier this month.

Although it remains unclear whether Gillis’ coaching duties with Ford were undertaken on a volunteer basis or as an official component of his job, the Blues have a history of donating time and effort to community improvement through such initiatives as the Huddle Up Bullying Program, the University of Toronto United Way Campaign, and helping move incoming freshman into residences during Frosh Week.

Requests for comment from Blues management went unanswered as of press time.

In addition to Gillis, two of Ford’s “special assistants,” Chris Fickel and Isaac Shirokoff, were listed with contact information on the Facebook group for the Rexdale Raiders, one of the teams patronized by Ford.

The cell phone numbers listed have

Rob Leone/THe VARsiTy

since been confirmed as official City Hall phone lines, meaning the bill is footed by taxpayers.

Ford, who played football for Carleton University, promised during his mayoral campaign that he would cease his coaching efforts at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School if he won the election. After his victory in December 2010, he continued coaching and even expanded his involvement. Ford started the Rexdale Raiders in 2011.

Since the revelation, the mayor’s communications team have prevented Gillis and the other staffers in question from speaking with press, in spite of initial signs that they might be permitted to provide details about their involvement with the football teams.

“We’ll get these two folks out, they’ll clear the air and then I’d like to see what they say after that,” said Doug Ford in an interview with AM640’s John Oakley.

But by Thursday, the Fords had

backtracked from the plan.

“That will not happen,” Rob Ford’s press secretary George Christopoulos told the press.

Neither the mayor nor his spokesperson has confirmed whether staffers like Gillis were involved in coaching duties on a strictly voluntary basis. Instead, on Wednesday, Ford released a statement suggesting that journalists criticizing Ford’s staff were “cowards.”

“I’m okay if councillors want to criticize me for helping kids. That’s their right,” said Ford. “I’m a big guy and I can take it.

“However, councillors should not be criticizing my staff. Each and every one of them works hard every day for the taxpayers of this great city. They put in at least 40 hours of work for taxpayers every week. Often more.

“Only a coward would criticize my staff. They can’t defend themselves in the media against elected officials.”

VARSITY NEWS

var.st/news

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

5

Office closures could spell trouble Shuttering of Canadian embassy in Tehran the latest in a series of decisions that have left international students worried Irina Vukosavic

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Canada has severed diplomatic ties with Iran, the latest instance of an ongoing rollback in the Canadian foreign service that has seen embassies, consulates, and visa-granting offices closed in countries all over the world.

The closures could spell trouble for U of T’s growing population of international students.

In a press release last Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said the Canadian embassy in Tehran had been permanently closed.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade suggested Canadian-Iranians should instead resort to Turkey for consular and passport services. Baird cited issues like terrorism and jeopardized diplomat safety as reasons for the surprise decision.

Since January 2012, Citizenship and Immigrations Canada has announced several office closures in locations including Tokyo, Berlin, Dhaka, Belgrade, Buffalo, and Kuala Lumpur.

The closures have already impacted students in British Columbia.

According to a report in the Ubyssey, more than 80 international students at UBC, 30 to 40 at SFU, and at least 10 at UVic have found themselves in bureaucratic limbo, delaying the

start of their scheduled classes until January at the earliest.

“The overall increase in processing times is due to the high volume of applications across the entire visa processing network,” Citizenship and Immigrations spokesperson Danielle Vlemmiks said in an email to the Ubyssey.

According to university spokesperson Michael Kennedy, the University’s Centre for International Experience has not received any requests for assistance from students as a result of the change in Canada’s relationship with Iran. But experts say that the series of closures could pose a problem in the foreseeable future.

“A lot of international students, specifically Canadian-Iranians, who have been direct victims of the closure, are very worried. I think that a lot of them will definitely have problems renewing passports or travelling back home,” said Ramin Jahanbegloo, Iranian-Canadian philosopher and associate professor of political science at U of T. And for Middle Eastern students at U of T, stories about difficulties obtaining travel documents and visas are all too common. The Varsity spoke to two students, both of whom wished to remain anonymous in light of this controversial issue.

By the numbers Incoming international students for the 2012-2013 from countries with shuttered consulates (since January 2012).

3

63

13

Syria

Malaysia

Iran

39

7

Bangladesh

Germany

19 Japan

210 USA

Student numbers courtesy president Naylor’s office

“I missed about 25–30 different flights to Canada because I waited five months for my visa, more than double the time that we had expected. As a result, I took a last-minute 14-hour flight to Toronto and arrived just a day before my classes started.

It was, overall, a pretty stressful experience,” said a second-year arts and science student from Pakistan.

One Egyptian student studying international relations said she waited about five years for her Record of Landing papers. This process usually takes six months

according to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website,. She said that it was a stressful situation for her and her family.

According to Jahanbegloo, the difficulties posed by Canada’s cessation of diplomatic contact with Iran affects all Canadians, not only students. Three Canadians — Saeed Malekpour, GhassemiShall, and Hossein Derakhshan — are on death row in a Tehran prison. Jahanbegloo, who was placed in solitary confinement for four months in Tehran, says he

knows first-hand that the outlook is pretty bleak.

“I know for a fact that if you don’t have an embassy to support you, your destiny is pretty much left out. I don’t think Canada should have closed these communication channels with Iran because it will make this tragic situation for the imprisoned Canadians worse,” said Jahanbegloo.

A university spokesperson advises international students at U of T experiencing issues with visas to contact the advisors at the Centre for International Experience.

6

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

VARSITY NEWS

Think tank, StatsCan sound alarm over tuition costs

Tuition rates across the country (2011-2012 and 2012-2013)

8000

6000

4000 Source: Statistics Canada

A spate of new findings refocuses attention on ballooning tuition fees across the country

news@thevarsity.ca

2000

Zane Schwartz VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

According to a new report by Statistics Canada, tuition has increased by 5.4 per cent in Ontario, raising the average cost of education from $6,815 to $7,180.

A day earlier, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a report that found the average cost to attend university rose 6.2 per cent annually between 1990 and 2011 nationwide.

These findings have renewed debate over the price of a post-secondary education in Canada, just as students return to classes for a new school year.

“Governments are continuing to shift the cost of public education onto the backs of students and their families,” said Adam Awad, national chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. “By increasing tuition fees in a time of economic uncertainty, provincial governments are further reducing access to education and skills training.”

The 5.4 per cent increase means that the cost of tuition is rapidly outpacing inflation.

Between 1990 and 2011 inflation ran at an average of only 2.1 per cent.

“Tuition rates go up in keeping with costs,” insists Jonathan Scott, president of the University of Toronto Liberals.

But according to the Centre’s report, if tuition had increased on par with inflation, the national average would be $3,096. Instead, the current national average is $6,186.

Over the past 20 years, tuition fees have increased by 206.9 per cent, while inflation was a cumulative 70.1 per cent for the same period.

Expressions of frustration with rising costs have spread. Quebec has been rocked by student-led protests over a plan to increase fees.

The protests drew hundreds of thousands into the streets, and may have contributed substantially to the ouster of Liberal premier Jean Charest in this month’s provincial election.

In Ontario, a 30 per cent tuition rebate introduced after the last election failed to placate some student leaders.

“The province definitely needs to invest more than a 30 per cent coupon,” said Katherine Ball, president of the Arts and Science Students’ Union.

0

NF

PEI NS

NB QC ON MB SK

“Thirty per cent was a promise to help middle and modest income students,” says Scott, who compared frustration with the rebate to “saying the cost of your Macbook went up, but you still have a 30 per cent off coupon.”

Sarah King, chairperson of the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students has a different view. She says Ontario students are paying the highest tuition nationwide for the fourth year in a row.

“Per-student funding for colleges and universities in Ontario is the lowest in the country, resulting in the worst student-faculty ratios,” adds King.

On their website, the CFS-O raises concerns about professor-student ratios, class sizes and the transparency of consultations held over the summer.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives highlights further concerns, including

AB

BC

significant financial burdens that remain in accessing education among low-income earners. The report finds that while more than half of students from the top quintile of wealthy families attend university, less than a third from the bottom quintile manage to do so. In addition, 34.8 per cent of 18 to 24 year-olds said they did not go on to higher education because of financial barriers.

“This government has done more than any government in our lifetime to increase scholarships and bursaries and improve OSAP,” counters Scott, describing recent reforms to OSAP designed to make it easier for students to pay off debt, as well as the targeted investments in specific institutions.

As students across the country hit the books again, the question on everybody’s mind is: are classes this year really worth $365 more than last year?

SAVE UP

TO 90%

ON USED TEXTBOOKS

AND 35%

ON NEW TEXTBOOKS

BEING OF ADVENTUROUS SOUL but of meek wallet, I will hereby spend less for my textbooks in order to save money for what can’t be learned from a book.

var.st/news

VARSITY NEWS FEATURE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

7

Summer Camp for Activists Quebeçois strike leaders spent a weekend this summer showing Ontarians how to stage a movement of their own. EVAN HUTCHISON details what he ate, drank and learned

The Ontario Student Strike Training Camp was organized and convened from July 27–29 by members of the U of T Graduate Students’ Union. Intended to give Ontario student activists the benefit of Quebec student strikers’ political and tactical experience, the event was mostly held at the Earth Sciences building on U of T’s St. George Campus. It was my first encounter with the strikers and their ideas. I had, until that weekend, been nurturing vague suspicions about the strikers, founded on no concrete information. The expectation of seeing that suspicion vindicated was one part of my motive for registering. The other was curiosity about my fellow participants, many of whom would like to import student strikes to U of T and other Ontario universities. When the weekend had ended, my hostility to the Quebec strike and the would-be strikers had abated. This story is only incidentally about politics and protest. It is, however, a faithful account of the condiments and hot beverages supplied at the training camp’s four complimentary meals.

BREAKFAST The cream cheese, if there ever had been any, was gone by the time I arrived at the Ontario Student Strike Training Camp on Saturday morning. The only condiments available for the large remaining volume of bagels were olive oil-based margarine and a vegetable paste that did not appear to be baba ganoush.

Although I had been registered and provided with a program for the weekend with great efficiency, supervision of institutional-size coffee makers next to the bagels in the Domtar Student Lounge had been neglected, and the massive urns had been allowed to empty. No one in the adjoining area would admit either the responsibility or the ability to deal with them.

I had tea.

FIRST PLENARY The first plenary session began only slightly behind schedule.

The room was about as full (approximately one-third) and as energetic (approximately not very) as at the early morning lectures it might usually host. It seemed to me that I was not the only one to whom the insufficiency of coffee must have come as an unpleasant, disabling surprise.

The logistical announcements occupying most of the plenary were uncontroversial, except for the cancellation of the morning workshop entitled “Building a Diverse Student Movement.”

This occasioned rancorous comment from one of the audience.

“Shame,” she said. The plenary leaders explained, unashamed, that the cancellation was due to the unexpected absence of the workshop’s facilitator.

SESSION 1, WORKSHOP 1: GETTING THE WORD OUT There were 19 people in the room, including two facilitators from Quebec and two people from the media — a reporter for the Socialist Worker, the publishing arm of a Canadian organization called the International Socialists, and me.

After their presentation, the facilitators of the workshop took questions. When asked how to deal with “hostile media,” they advised us to avoid the mainstream media entirely and proposed, as an alternative to independent campus media outlets, student union-controlled papers “halfway between propaganda and fact-based news.”

The facilitators’ final message for us: formulate bold messages and bold demands. “Don’t be reasonable,” they said.

SECOND PLENARY Before the plenary, I noticed that many of the people in the Domtar Student Lounge were carrying Starbucks cups. I regretted that it hadn’t occurred to me to compromise with corporate power in exchange for coffee, since our own supply had still not been renewed. Later, one of the leaders of the plenary reminded us that we were exploited academic labourers.

During the plenary, the organizers announced, for the second time, that strikers in Quebec would be converging on Montreal in mid-August to block the re-entry of CEGEP students to classes. They invited the audience to join them on a “fieldtrip to Montreal” and “see an actual picket line.” Then they read out a list of cancelled afternoon workshops.

SESSION 2, WORKSHOP 8: GENERAL ASSEMBLIES At the door of the General Assemblies workshop they took down the names and student numbers of everyone entering. What I briefly and apprehensively believed was an attempt to catch training camp infiltrators turned out to be part of a simulation: the workshop was conducted as a mock General Assembly (GA).

Although we were now subject to solemn rules of order, the atmosphere in the Reichmann Family Lecture Hall was informal and cheerful. I credited this partly to the Starbucks, partly to the excellent vegan chili served at lunch. I made a note to get the recipe from one of the organizers (at press time, the organizers had not replied to requests for comment on the chili).

One of the workshop’s facilitators, who had been to France, described the raucous atmosphere that prevails in student General Assemblies there. Apparently, smoking cigarettes and imputations of fascist sympathies are common. Brawls are also an occasional feature.

THIRD PLENARY The organizers had divided themselves into two teams: one erected pickets outside the doors of the Reichmann Family Lecture Hall, while the other played irate students trying to access the room. The scabs attempted frontal assaults and flanking manouevres; eventually it was the weakening resolve of the picketers, whose success was delaying the plenary, that ended the blockade. Strikers and students dismantled the barricades together.

The Quebec students, the organizers, and some of the participants had evinced some hostility to the CFS. Later that day, one of the organizers, Ashleigh Ingle from U of T’s Graduate Student Union, announced that she would be happy if “the CFS stayed the fuck out of my business.”

When an organizer renewed the invitation to go to Montreal, he noted that anyone who came would be welcome to stay longer than Aug. 13–17, the dates of the scheduled convergence: “it just occurred to me that you can’t just picket on the first day [of CEGEP classes]”. As it transpires, all of the striking CEGEPs voted to return to classes, making any pickets, and any Ontario picketers, superfluous.

One of the audience asked whether Quebec laws like Bill 78 apply to Ontarians in Quebec (they do). Her question prompted a spirited debate about whether anyone has actually been charged, tried, or convicted under Bill 78. No consensus was achieved. The law’s first ever application occurred August 27 at the Universite de Montreal, one month after the training camp.

SESSION 3, WORKSHOP 16: THE STRIKE AS A TACTIC Corey Scott, the UTSU’s vice president internal and services, arrives 15 minutes late. Later he would reflect on the successes that UTSU has achieved in fighting fees at U of T. The significance of these achievements seemed diminished by comparison to a CEGEP in the Gaspésie mentioned by one of the Quebec students, where the General Assembly approved resolutions rejecting the bourgeoisie and to “approve of communism.”

STRATEGY SESSION: U OF T, YORK, RYERSON, GEORGE BROWN Among those attending the strategy session for the Toronto area were a whole firmament of UTSU and CFS stars: Scott, VP university affairs Munib Sajjad, former CFS-O chair and current UTSU executive director Sandy Hudson, former UTSU President Danielle Sandhu, and Sarah Jayne King. Repeated requests were made to them for comment on the position of the CFS or UTSU on a strike in Ontario. All the current members of the UTSU and CFS executives demurred.

In the back of the lecture hall, one member of the audience concentrated on his beard, grooming it ceremoniously with what appeared to be a specialized brush for most of the session.

The strategizing, which had not produced a plan for fomenting a strike in Toronto, ended with an exhortation from one of the participants to emulate the ethnic and cultural tolerance that had been characteristic of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

THE FINAL PLENARY The final plenary was conducted as another mock GA. A considerable number of motions were proposed and debated, amidst questions about the legitimacy of the GA, which, some held, did not really represent anyone and so could not make decisions on their behalf. Eventually, it was resolved that all of the resolutions, including ones proposing a one day strike, a day of action, a series of wild cat strikes, and an effort to democratize the CFS would be approved “symbolically.” This the General Assembly proceeded to do: 17 in favour, one against, six abstaining.

Illustrations by William Ahn

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

VAR.ST/COMMENT 17 SEPTEMBER 2012

Read DWAYNE G. WHITE’S interview with New College mentor Paul Lindbald

comment@thevarsity.ca var.st/aj-

Students protestors march in Quebec. Should we hope to see such demonstrations in Ontario? PEdRO fAiT dE lA PhOTO/fliCkR

Personal sacrifice or shared burden?

Carter West and Abdullah Shihipar face off on what the results of the Quebec election could mean for the future of tuition fees across the country

Serious solutions needed to balance quality and cost of education Carter West VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

On September 4, Pauline Marois’ Parti Quebecois won a minority government in Quebec. Marios’ election was based largely on her promise to cancel Liberal Premier Jean Charest’s proposed tuition increases of 82 per cent over seven years. The importance and effectiveness of the PQ promise became clear after months of protesting from a minority of Quebec students, galled at the thought of having to pay more for postsecondary education. The students’ fight against the Liberal government received a surge of public support after Charest’s government introduced Bill 78, aimed at curbing public demonstrations.

Across the country and abroad, red squares of cloth were sewn onto garments to signal support for the protestors, and from New York to Vancouver, impromptu marches were held. Even Toronto was not immune.

Though I declined several Facebook invitations, I found that the prevalence of these marches across this city made encountering them unavoidable. Outside the student union building and down Harbord Street, I found my lunch and evening strolls being interrupted by an insufferable clatter of pots, made worse by indecipherable chants and speeches dinned over megaphones by individuals who seemed not to have grasped the very point of an amplification device. Quebec, it appears, was as put off by this racket as I was, and as with anything that makes enough noise, the protesting students of

Quebec were catered to. Instead of giving them a soother or a teddy to console their grievances, they were given a province.

However, the greatest benefactor of the PQ’s victory was not the students, but a student. With the election of 20 year-old student protest leader and PQ candidate in the riding of Laval-des-Rapides, Léo BureauBlouin, Quebec proved that the child in the super market who screams the loudest will indeed get a bonbon.

The turn of events in Quebec has the potential to ignite a serious debate about Ontario tuition hikes. The same “lower fees, better education” slogan, fought for so doggedly to our east, may quickly become a very loud bandwagon in Ontario. In a June 18 article for this publication, Abdullah Shihipar told us that if we “support making education a priority, we should stand with the students of Quebec.”

Statements such as these are understandable given the success of the Quebec protests and Ontario’s comparably higher tuition fees. A recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives suggests that Ontario students could be paying as much as $9,231 by 2016. If Ontario, and in particular the University of Toronto, is to engage in a debate about lowering the cost of tuition, two rules must be followed: the parameters of ‘can’ and the retirement of ‘ought’.

In the coming months, if you find yourself or others expressing the sentiment, “We can have a better education for less money,” be sure to ponder how this will be achieved.

Education is expensive. Buildings must be heated, professors must be paid, and thousands of clubs and activities must be funded.

If someone can demonstrate how we can reduce or freeze tuition rates without the cutting of essential government programs or the degradation of current standards, I will be the first to go knocking on Premier McGunity’s door.

Next, when uttering “We ought to have a better education for a lower price,” please check yourself or the person speaking. You or they are being silly. Ours is an entitled generation, and this certainly has its perks.

Its drawback, however, is that we expect a quality product with a minimum of consequences. It is a privilege to receive an education at the post-secondary level, and that means that we must sacrifice to get it. Right now, this sacrifice is at worst a $28,000 loan from your bank over four years at a generous interest rate, and that’s only if government grants and merit based scholarships fail you. The maximum for our neighbors to the south is as high as $200,000 over four years.

We’re getting a bargain.

When you hear people making arguments advocating for lower Ontario tuition fees, hold them to these standards. If they do not, be wary. This is now an issue with traction in this country, and those who seek to pursue it do so in full knowledge of the populism of their argument. Those who wish to debate this issue must offer a road ahead and not, like M. Bureau-Blouin, have broader political aspirations concealed beneath the hip stitch of the red square. Those who can see that road should share it with us and instruct us on the feasibility of lower tuition for better education. But please, leave your pots at home.

We should all pay for higher education Abdullah Shihipar VARSITY STAFF

Last week, Pauline Marois and her PQ party achieved a minority government in Quebec.

There are some who are quick to blame students, saying that their pressure ousted Liberal Premier Jean Charest. This is an oversimplification of the facts.

Charest’s government was marred with allegations of corruption and his disapproval rating was at 70 per cent. Furthermore, the student movement did not back a party, and the priority of most voters was said to be health care, not education.

My colleague argues that education is expensive. I concur, but I do believe we can afford cheaper education, if we make it a priority. The scandals of the past few months have proven that the provinces have plenty of cash, and that it’s just being wasted. Ontario ranks last of all provinces in per-student funding, and tuition fees have increased astronomically in the last few years, at a much higher rate than inflation.

Before Mike Harris took office in 1995, tuition fees were around $2,500 per year. We can afford lower tuitions — the question is, do we want to?

According to my colleague, the answer is no.

Post-secondary education is a privilege, and students must be expected to sacrifice to get it. The problem with this argument is that those with money will not have to sacrifice to get an education — the sacrifice will fall only to those without. Is this the society we want? At the moment, there are grants and loans available to students who need them, and that’s great. But these provisions are not nearly enough, and many students fall through the cracks.

Students who work multiple part-time jobs to pay their tuition might disagree with the notion that they are an entitled generation and that they don’t sacrifice enough. I agree with the concept of sacrifice, but collectively. Post-secondary education is an investment in the economic future of Ontario, and all Ontarians must pitch in.

VARSITY COMMENT

var.st/comment

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

9

Where have all the hard hats gone?

Loss of college and faculty rivalry is a loss to U of T as a whole Eric Vanderbeek VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

One of the most memorable moments of my first year took place in King’s College Circle, where a senior engineering student walked by, dressed all in black with robes and body armour. He had painted his hard hat black and had hired two private security guards to dress up in a similar way and protect him.

This year, at the Varsity Blues football season opener, first-year engineering students were walking around with their hard hats unprotected; no one was trying to steal them. How is it that, in just two years, the traditional rivalry surrounding engineers’ hard hats has virtually disappeared?

This might seem to be a small thing to lose, but it represents a larger trend at U of T: the rivalries between colleges and faculties are quickly disappearing. The change may be explained by continued efforts to unite U of T as a whole. The real tragedy in this is that U of T has the potential to have some of the most active rivalries, and therefore the most vibrant school community, of any university in the country.

U of T’s college and faculty system is unique in Canada, and it allows different communities within the university to develop their own distinct cultures and friendly

rivalries with other groups. These days, students seem to identify more with U of T than with their college or faculty. The problem is that this actually detracts from U of T’s school spirit as a whole.

The fact is that our campus is too big and has too many different things going on for the entire student body to easily come together as a single group.

However, when we are separated into colleges or faculties, we are surrounded by students whose interests and routines are similar to our own. It is in these smaller niches that school spirit can really develop. As a university with infamously poor school sprirt, maybe it’s time we changed how we look at competition amongst different organizations within the university.

Instead of trying to find non-existent common ground, we should celebrate our differences.

When the Senators play the Leafs, the rivalry and animosity between the fans is huge. But when Canada played the United States at the Winter Olympics, the energies of both Leafs and Senators fans were channelled into the incredible support the Canadian team got in Vancouver. U of T needs to take a lesson from this and allow competition and rivalries between the colleges and faculties to continue, so that when U of T goes up against Western or York, we can turn that competitive energy into collective support for U of T.

Should we be worried that we see fewer spirited students every year? Bernarda Gospic/THe VarsiTy

U OF T PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE LISTENING SESSIONS

The University of Toronto is engaged in the search process for the selection of the sixteenth President of the University of Toronto. The Presidential Search Committee is committed to ensuring wide and deep consultation within the University community, as well as among alumni, friends, and supporters of the University.

The Committee is engaged in an extensive schedule of consultations, which include a listening session at each of the three campuses. The dates and times for these are as follows:

St. George - Thursday, September 20, 2012 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Council Chamber Simcoe Hall, 2nd Floor Scarborough - Friday, September 21, 2012 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Council Chamber, Room AA 160 Arts and Administration Building Mississauga - Monday, September 24, 2012 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Council Chamber, Room 3130 William G. Davis Building The views of all members of the University community, as well as those beyond our community who are knowledgeable about and interested in the University of Toronto, are important to the success of the search.

For more information about the Presidential search, including a list of the specific areas on which the Committee is seeking advice, please go to http://www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/Page498.aspx.

10 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

Our problems won’t wait for a majority government PATRICK BAUD VARSITY COLUMNIST

Elections held two weeks ago in Ontario and Quebec proved disappointing for the governments of both provinces. Premier Jean Charest’s Liberals lost 14 seats in the Quebec general election — including Charest’s own seat in Sherbrooke — leading Charest to resign as Liberal leader and reducing the Liberals to official opposition status. Neither the Parti Québécois nor the Coalition Avenir Québec gained enough seats to form a majority government. Instead, the PQ will form a minority government led by Premier-elect Pauline Marois, who will be Quebec’s first female premier.

Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals retained the seat in Vaughan that was up for grabs in by-elections held the day after the Quebec election. But the Liberals failed to capture the seat in Kitchener–Waterloo, held by the Progressive Conservatives since it was created in 1999. The by-election results leave Premier McGuinty in the same minority government position as after last October’s election — one seat shy of a majority. Both McGuinty and Marois face significant challenges in the coming months as they seek to make their minority governments work and seek out opportunities to boost their seat counts.

Both premiers will face opposition parties buoyed by their performances in the recent elections. In Ontario, the New Democrats will be encouraged by their victory in Kitchener– Waterloo, where MPP-elect Catherine Fife garnered nearly 40 per cent of the vote. Since the New Democrats saw the vote in Kitchener–Waterloo as a referendum on the McGuinty government’s proposed ban on striking by teachers, New Democratic leader Andrea Horwath will likely see Fife’s win as a mandate to take a more combative stance against the government. Although the Progressive Conservatives, led by Tim Hudak, have supported the McGuinty government’s tough line on negotiations with teachers, they have generally been unwilling to work with the government.

In Quebec, Premier-elect Marois faces three opposition parties: the now leaderless Liberals, the CAQ under François Legault, and Québec Solidaire, a socialist party co-led by Amir Khadir and the newly-elected Françoise David. While Québec Solidaire seems likely to support many of Marois’ plans, its leaders represent the only two seats it has in the National Assembly. The Liberals are only four seats behind the PQ, and will represent a significant impediment to Marois, especially once they elect a new leader early next year. The upstart CAQ could play a similarly disruptive role.

Since both McGuinty and Marois face strong opposition parties, they will likely find it difficult to move their agendas forward. Aside from the small Québec Solidaire in the case of Marois, neither leader has any obvious partners in the opposition.

Moreover, neither Ontario nor Quebec has much experience with minority governments, and the recent federal minorities under Paul Martin and Stephen Harper do not offer much of a model for how to run a productive minority.

Instead, both premiers and opposition leaders in Ontario and Quebec will need to show leadership in working to address the challenges facing their provinces. These challenges, ranging from mounting deficits to the need to improve the quality of education and health care, will not wait for a majority government. It is in the interest of all parties, at least in the long term, to ensure that their province moves forward. The only way to ensure that is for government and opposition to be willing to work together. Minorities can work, but only if leaders make them work.

Patrick Baud’s column appears every two weeks

VARSITY COMMENT

comment@thevarsity.ca

Bernarda Gospic/THe VarsiTy

University is the time to develop marketable skills While graduates face a tough job market, there are many ways for students to gain an advantage Dwayne G. White VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

As droves of ambitious students embark on another academic year, many will be thinking about the skills they will need to acquire in order to get jobs after graduation.

While a postsecondary qualification remains a strong indicator of future earnings, graduates today confront uncertain job prospects.

To overcome this challenge, students should explore opportunities that develop marketable skills for the workplace during their postsecondary education.

There are many factors that contribute to the competitive and weak labour market. The increasing number of students obtaining a bachelor’s degree means a large pool of potential job candidates. At the same time, older workers are taking jobs that in the past went to recent graduates. The newly-convocated are forced to compete with both their peers and other individuals with more experience. There is also pressure on students to compete for desirable jobs to finance their rising student debts. These factors lead some critics to wonder whether young people should pursue a postsecondary education at all.

The answer is simple: the alternative is worse. A Statistics Canada research paper titled “The Higher Education/Low Income Paradox: College and University Graduates with Low Earnings, Ontario, 2006,” shows that on average, the employment earnings of post-secondary graduates are higher than

those of individuals without postsecondary qualifications.

Still, not all industries have a weak labour market, so students need a positive attitude and an understanding of the changing nature of the market. “It’s important for students and recent graduates to develop a job search strategy that has a career focus and the flexibility to adapt to new situations and opportunities” says Mary Giamos, Coordinator, Strategic Programs and Institutional Engagement at U of T’s Career Centre.

Resilience and tenacity are valuable. “It’s best to teach students not to give up easily. Otherwise, it will diminish their chances of success in being hired,” says Paul Lindblad, a mentor with the New College Mentorship Program and the Governing Council appointee for Hart House’s finance committee. “And, if there is a student with an attitude to give up easily, it could just as easily affect their career if they were already in a job. The attitude needs to be never to give up, to keep trying, and learn from disappointments.”

There are many ways to gain marketable skills during a post-secondary career, ranging from school assignments to extracurricular and community involvement. Employers are seeking the skills that students develop in the classroom: critical thinking, reasoning, and communication skills.

Essays and exams are opportunities to develop critical thinking, reasoning and written-communication skills.

Oral communication skills can be developed in class discussions, presentations, and when meeting with TAs and professors.

At the same time, students can hone their soft skills by engaging in extracurricular activities and involvement in the community.

A support network and mentoring groups are just as important as obtaining a degree. U of T’s Career Centre can help with developing these interpersonal skills through various services that include “career option workshops, connecting students with employers through job fairs and networking events; career assessment information found on our website; and working with our coaches and counsellors,” according to Giamos. She advises students to “begin to develop a network and learn about opportunities that are not being advertised.”

When networking, discuss the type of job you are seeking, what you can do, your strengths, and how your attitude contributes to the company. Your interpersonal skills come in handy when conducting an informational interview — a meeting in which a job seeker asks for career and industry advice rather than employment.

Partnering with a mentor is another way to explore hidden skills and gain insight into the student’s industry of choice. Lindblad says, “a mentor can share their years of experience … [and] provide other information on an industry or career choice that can only come from having actually worked in the industry.”

With its abundant supply of prospective employees, the labour market can appear to favour employers, but getting involved and being committed can give students a competitive advantage.

Have your say Direct letters to the editor to:

comment@thevarsity.ca Letter should be 200 words maximum and may be edited for length or clarity

VARSITY COMMENT

var.st/comment

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

11

Beyond the statistics

How U of T’s growing international population benefits all students Sixteenth internationally and first in Canada according to the 2012 Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings; fourth for its MBA program, 10th for its arts and humanities program, and 27th according to the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s world university rankings — U of T’s achievements are likely unsurprising to both newcomers and returning students alike.

For an unspoken proportion of our student body, both domestic and international, these numbers are what make U of T attractive. With its steady improvement in program quality and impressive rankings, U of T draws an increasing number of international students each year. The number of international students on the St. George campus increased by 400 last year, compared to a domestic student-increase of only 100. At the undergraduate level, the proportion of non-domestic students has risen from 9.6 per cent in 2006 to 11.2 per cent in 2011.

An increase in international admissions is the inevitable result of a policy in Canada’s Global Commerce Strategy to attract the “best and brightest� international students to Canada.

Hopefully, the university will continue to take pride in its cultural diversity, rigorous environment, and exceptional student life. How can this be achieved? By maintaining a balance between supporting domestic students and attracting the world’s most promising young minds from other corners of the globe.

Why is an increase in international student numbers desirable? Locally, international students contribute significantly to both academic and student life while weathering a host of unfortunate myths and cultural barriers. The academic benefits of encouraging international students are countless. From the diversity of their classes, U of T graduates gain an increased appreciation for international customs, preparation for a workplace with cultural and language barriers, a competitive academic environment, and courses with a global focus and relevance. Socially, the number of cultural student associations on campus is rivalled only by the number of cultural enclaves in the city of Toronto. Every

student has a unique opportunity to connect with his or her cultural background while discovering others, encouraging both cultural understanding and a sense of community that are invaluable both professionally and socially.

Beyond the campus, the Canadian government has highlighted the economic benefits that international students provide.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, foreign students spend over $7.7 billion and generate $445 million in tax revenue annually, and support 81,000 jobs. With over 218,000 international students in Canada in 2010, an increase of 40,000 from 2008, spending by international students rivals many large Canadian export industries.

As U of T grows, let us hope it will continue to welcome ambitious international students as part of a spirited U of T community. Beyond the statistics, U of T’s vibrant mixture of local, exchange, and international students gives us an edge. The experience and global-mindedness that U of T students gain is just what Canada needs, and that is something that should truly be at the top of our lists of what makes U of T a great place to be.

9+91

2008 Canadian 45,609 International 4,836 % of international students 9.58

a On

tario

2008

RT

Un i

ve rsi y

Dat

O PASSP

: r ce Sou

m Co

on m

2011 Canadian International % of international students

46,923 5,911 11.18

2011

RT

O PASSP

b on ati r t s Illu

Emily Tommolino Clinical Student

REASON #9: IN 2012, OUR GRADUATES ATTAINED RESIDENCIES IN 17 SPECIALTIES ACROSS THE US AND CANADA. The prospect of attaining a competitive residency is just one of the many reasons students choose American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) to fulfill their dream of becoming a doctor.

AUC OFFERS STUDENTS: r )BOET PO FYQFSJFODF FBSMZ JO UIF DVSSJDVMVN r " TVQQPSUJWF FOWJSPONFOU XJUI GBDVMUZ XIP BSF committed to teaching and student success. r $MJOJDBM SPUBUJPOT BU 64 BOE 6, UFBDIJOH hospitals. r 1SPWJODJBM MPBOT BSF BWBJMBCMF UP UIPTF XIP RVBMJGZ FIND YOUR REASON AT AUCmed.edu.

For comprehensive consumer information visit aucmed.edu/consumer-info.html Š 2012 Global Education International. All rights reserved.

ATTEND OUR OPEN HOUSE: Saturday, September 29th at 10 am 5PSPOUP .BSSJPUU #MPPS :PSLWJMMF )PUFM REGISTER BY SCANNING THE QR CODE OR VISIT AUCmed.edu.

th an Wa tso n

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

+

Stephanie Gaglione

a yN

Features

var.st/FEatUrEs

17 SEPTEMBER 2012 features@thevarsity.ca

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

See more Toronto architecture var.st/az8

Spaces and Places Exploring U of T’s architectural heritage

by Ethan Chiel illustrations by Dan Seljak

U of T is not simply one big space, but a conglomerate of many smaller spaces. Many of these smaller spaces are shaped with very deliberate ideas in mind, and still others are created after the fact, by happy accident. What follow are observations and stories about just a few of the small spaces and buildings that make up U of T’s environment. The following examples are best taken as items in a cabinet of curiosities, united by their relation to this place where many work, live, study, and play. Take them as an invitation to learn, be reminded, and disagree (gently or otherwise).

UTSU Building/Stewart Observatory Many students probably recognize the UTSU building by its distinctive dome, but only some may know that the building was originally used as an observatory.

Even fewer people probably know that the building is constructed from masonry that originally sat a kilometer south on King’s College Road. That observatory was completed in 1855, replacing a wooden observatory built fifteen years earlier.

By 1907, though, the growth of the university around the observatory (including the construction of Convocation Hall) made using the telescope less effective and caused scientists to complain of noise and dust. The old observatory was demolished, and in 1908, its remains were worked into the very similar building that sits in Hart House Circle today. The building remained a working observatory until it was turned over to the Student’s Administrative Council in 1953. To this day, the only major change to the outside of the building (with the exception of the perennial repainting of the dome) has been the 1992 addition of a memorial to the victims of Tiananmen Square, a statute which takes the form of a crumpled bicycle on the building’s easternmost wall.

Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building If there’s one thing that’s wellthought-out about the Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building it’s light. An empty corridor cuts vertically from the open space at the building’s base all the way to its top floor, designed to allow natural light access to each and every floor. For a less subtle example of the building’s light design, you need to walk by it at night. Inside the large area at the bottom of the building hang two ovoid pods. By day, these pods are a silvery-white colour, but at night they glow with what seems to be an inner light, which shifts as the evening progresses on. But this light isn’t inner at all; in fact, the pods are classrooms. A lighting firm from Maryland used theatre lighting techniques to create the changing colors and shifting patterns that passersby can see.

Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research The Donnelly Centre, with its transparent glass outer walls revealing what lies within, is reminiscent of an ant farm filled with scientists. The comparison may seem silly, but it’s more apt than it seems. The building is home (or at least a home away from home) to members of several different faculties and departments and was originally conceived to get them to work together. The architects who designed the building followed suit, giving the Centre wide-open hallways and stairways in order to give its occupants space to schmooze.

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Graduate House

Philosopher’s Walk Philosopher’s Walk isn’t just a pleasant place to eat lunch — it’s the centerpiece of an area where time unfolds in space. The walk itself snakes through a ravine that runs from Bloor down to Hoskin, which was carved out by the Taddle Creek, a now buried river which once ran through the area. According to the university, the footpath in the Walk is an attempt to trace the original path of the river itself.

To the west of the ravine is a building of the not-so-distant past, proudly displaying the Jacobethan spires of Trinity College.

The original building was completed in 1925, when the college moved north from its original location on Queen Street West.

In the 40s and 50s, more wings were added, creating the college building as it is today.

On the east of the ravine is the Faculty of Law — particularly the Bora Laskin Library — which brings us to the present. The library is not particularly pleasing to the eye, and one architectural firm has even referred to it as “outmoded.” That firm, Hariri Pontarini Architects, have come up with a plan to transform the law school, which includes making Bora Laskin into “a luminous pavilion.”

Dean Moran of the faculty of law promises the design is one to “make the spirit soar.” Check back in 2015 to see if she’s right.

High above the western end of Hoskin Avenue looms a large, metal “O,” a companion to the “UNIVERSITY OF TORONT” wrought in glass beside it. This is a part of Graduate House. Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects, who has gone on to receive the prestigious Pritzker Prize, was a principal architect on the residence. The building opened in late 2000 and quickly sparked controversy: in a 2001 article for the magazine Canadian Architect George Thomas Kapelos wrote of a dinner party of academics, many of whom described the building “as ugly or out of place.” Kapelos himself argued for the merits of the building, saying the university ought to be a place for experimentation, in architecture as in other ways. Those at Morphosis seem to think similarly, saying the hanging “O” is meant to provoke thought over the boundary between the city and the university. Does it do the trick? No comment.

Rotman Expansion From the outside, the recently opened expansion to the Rotman School of Managment can seem intimidating, appearing as monolithic rectangles of tinted glass stacked atop one another. To get a real sense of the expansion you need to go inside, where glass is the name of the game. The transparent walls of the study rooms that populate the lower floors make it tempting to crack a joke about corporate governance. In the late afternoon, dappled light fills one of the central atriums, creating a peaceful effect. That the building is spacious and airy should come as no surprise: KPMB Architects, the talented Torontobased firm responsible for the TIFF Lightbox amongst many other buildings, designed it.

Arts & Culture var.st/arts

17 sEPtEMBEr 2012 arts@thevarsity.ca

THEATRE REVIEW

UC Follies – As You Like It var.st/am5

Young Guns John Taylor, Gus Wood, and Fraser Taylor. BErnarda GosPic/tHE varsity

Young Guns’ ambitious target UK band chats with The Varsity about social media, hectic schedules, and the importance of putting on a great show as they tackle the North American market Madeline Malczewksa VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

“Someone goes on there every now and again to change it to ‘John’s dead.’”

It's a Tuesday afternoon, and Gus Wood, lead vocalist of the UK band Young Guns, is talking about the band's Wikipedia page. Despite the success that Young Guns has had, Wood still seems a little surprised that the band even has a Wikipedia page, although it's clearly not always reliable.

The John in question – John Taylor – is, in fact, very much alive. He and Fraser Taylor, Young Guns' guitarists, are sitting on either side of Wood in a booth on the second floor of the Rivoli. The three of them, along with bandmates Simon Mitchell (bass) and Ben Jolliffe (drums), are in Canada for the first time.

Young Guns is still a relatively obscure name here in Canada; that’s not the case back home in the UK. When the band’s sophomore album, Bones, was released in February, it peaked at number 19 on the British Billboard, despite competing against such mainstream names as Adele and Coldplay. That’s quite an accomplishment for an indie rock band in the popdominated UK music landscape. The band’s social networking accounts are also very popular (over 100,000 followers on Facebook and 37,000 on Twitter), and have connected them with their burgeoning North American and European fan base. “[Social media creates] a relationship between band and audience that did not exist 10 years ago,” explains Wood, taking on a serious tone for the first time during the interview.

“[Previously] the band wrote the music and the people that liked the band listened to the music and went to the show, and that was pretty much the end of it. And now there has to be this dialogue. You know, you have to keep your fan base going and you have to keep [fans] aware that you appreciate them …

That’s not a bad thing… I think that it’s cool to let [fans] know … that you care about them as well, because we do.”

As the interview progresses, it becomes clear that Wood always has the answers to my questions on the tip of his tongue, and his eager way of speaking is reflective of his personality. Wood’s thin frame always seems to be teeming with barely-contained energy. If I didn't know otherwise, I would think that I was the only one interviewing him that day.

In reality, though, I am part of a long line-up of journalists coming to speak to Young Guns before they play their set at the Horseshoe Tavern this night.

The band’s Toronto gig is just one of many shows that they will be playing during their tour. Young Guns have already played a series of shows in the US, not to mention a two-week stay in Brooklyn, where they shot a music video and released Bones in North America. After playing in Toronto, Young Guns will head back to America, followed by a two-and-a-half-month round of gigs in the UK and Europe.

I ask the band how they stay sane while maintaining such a busy schedule.

“You don't,” John Taylor quickly replies.

“You have to give up [any] idea of a normal existence,” Wood adds.

I ask how Young Guns manages to keep its performances genuine, even after playing so many different shows.

“We tend to just play every song, every show … the same pretty much,” Taylor replies. “We just put as much energy into it we can. Whether it’s a big show or a small show, [we] just enjoy it, that’s the main thing.”

“That is the main thing,” Woods says.

“Crowds feed off of the energy that you put out onstage, and if you’re kind of like bummed out or tired … people will know that and they will respond in kind. We're about trying to bring it every show and get people singing, even if they don’t know who we are.”

I’m a little skeptical. It seems implausible that Young Guns could bring the sort of energy that marked their recent performance during the Olympic Torch Relay to a small pub in Toronto.

But later on that night at the Horseshoe Tavern, my incredulity is completely dispelled. Despite a fairly modest crowd, I cannot imagine Wood giving a more devoted performance. He is in an almost trance-like state, wailing as he bends backward and shaking his sweaty hair to the side when he hits particularly intense notes. The other members of Young Guns are also clearly committed to their set, energetically singing back up vocals and generally playing as if their lives depended on it.

While Young Guns is currently flying under the radar in Canada, I wouldn't be surprised if the next time they're in Toronto, they're playing to a much larger audience.

Their energy and enthusiasm demand it.

Getting to know Young Guns Five of the band's must-hear tracks:

1. Bones 2. Dearly departed 3. Weight of the world 4. Stitches 5. Learnt my lesson

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

var.st/arts

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

15

Big risks and big dreams Canadian filmmaker Rob Stewart discusses his new documentary, Revolution, and the need to take action against environmental decline Daniel Horowitz VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

In 2010, China saw the premiere of Toronto-born filmmaker Rob Stewart’s debut film, Sharkwater. During a promotional Q&A in Hong Kong — a city whose culture, cuisine, and economy thrive on shark fins — a young woman asked Stewart what the point of saving sharks was if all fish, according to the United Nations, will be depleted by 2048.

Stewart knew that there was no point, unless something changed. In that moment, it seems, Stewart realized the implication not only of humanity’s detrimental impact on the Earth’s ecosystems, but also of its apathy towards preserving the health of the environment. This realization would lead to his next film – one that is much larger in scope than Sharkwater.

“If I could make a film about the bigger picture, then maybe something bigger would happen,” Stewart explained during a recent interview.

Fifteen countries, four years, and hundreds of hours of footage later that film, Revolution, is due to be released in 2013. The film responds to Stewart’s previous documentary with a firm statement: before we attempt to save whatever lives under the ocean’s surface, we must first look at what’s happening on land.

“By the time I was done releasing Sharkwater, it was blaringly evident that there was a much bigger issue afoot,” Stewart said.

“It wasn’t sharks and trees and pandas we needed to be saving.

It was us.”

Unlike Sharkwater, which benefits from the specificity of its subject matter, Revolution covers a much bigger topic: people.

For starters, there are the people, the film’s subjects, who range from impassioned kids to expert ecologists. The most impressive story (and there are many others) focuses on a sixth grade class from Saipan, who, inspired by their teacher’s screening of Sharkwater, wrote to their local government, demanding that it put a stop to shark finning. Saipan is now the second authority in the world to completely ban the sale of shark fins, largely thanks to that sixth grade class.

And then there is the collective human race, which Stewart documents by displaying the final, ugly product of its actions.

Humans are treated as an off-screen antagonist, whose greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions, among other damaging practices, are contributing to (if not causing) ocean acidification. By destroying coral reefs and effectively killing the millions of sea creatures who live there, we are, in turn, destroying the very ocean life that provides much of our oxygen.

Stewart was laid back and often humble when he spoke about his latest film during our interview last week. It seemed hard to believe that someone so reserved about such a pressing issue could dedicate so much passion to his cause.

But Stewart’s greatest asset as an environmentalist is his personality, which informs his cinematic method. Rather than

Rob Stewart opens up about his new documentary Revolution. BeRnaRda GoSpic/THe VaRSiTy

simply scare his viewers, Stewart plays on our sentiments by capturing lush coral reefs and exotic sea creatures, and then juxtaposing those images with the grey wasteland of the Alberta tar sands.

The director’s humility also motivates and complements his agenda. “I don’t really know what sets me apart because I don’t really know what everybody else is doing,” he admitted. “I know what I’m trying to do: I’m trying to give the public all the information they need to make better decisions.

“The next step is getting Revolution seen by one billion people. The biggest issue facing the planet is awareness. Social media is going to be the tool and kids are going to lead this revolution.”

While the content of his documentaries is often bleak, Stewart remains optimistic that his film will not only inform, but also inspire his audiences.

“Sharkwater proved to me that humanity is good, that people, when educated about the issue, will make better decisions and they’d fight for ecosystems and species' survival,” he said. “I’m hoping with [Revolution] that people [will] know where they’re going.”

Stewart’s optimistic attitude does not, however, extend towards politicians — particularly

OPT-OUT Notice

the ones responsible for funding the fisheries and the oil and gas industries that are known to have devastating effects on the environment.

“I’m done trying to convince the politicians,” he explained during our interview. “The governments are in with the corporations, so the governments are not acting in the best long-term health and happiness of their citizens, but for short-term profit.

“The greatest surprise was learning how terrible Canada is environmentally … especially when the country has this veneer of being green and environmentally-friendly.”

In spite of these challenges, Stewart continues to have ambitious dreams, if only because he understands the gravity of ignoring the grave impact that humans are having on the environment.

“We have built a civilization over the last 250 years that is destroying the world we depend on for survival,” he said. “It literally consumes our life-support system and our economic growth comes at the cost of life.

“Things would change drastically if the public knew what was going on… We need big risks and big dreams right now. We need to change this world radically. It’s not going to take Priuses and recycling.

“It’s going to take a revolution.”

Students in the Faculty of Arts and Science who wish to OPT-OUT of the OPIRGToronto fees could claim their fees refund: Please come to the OPIRG-Toronto office (North Borden Building, 563 Spadina Cres., Room 101) to fill out the OPIRG OPT-OUT form, along with your student card AND proof of payment. You will be asked to sign the form indicating you have received your refund.

St. George Campus: Graduate Students: September 4th – 27th Undergraduate Students: September 10th – Oct 3rd Location: OPIRG-Toronto Office, 563 Spadina Crescent, Room 101 Monday – Thursday 11AM - 7PM Mississauga Campus: All Students: September 24th Location: UTM Student Centre (near the UTMSU office), 250 The Student Centre. 3359 Mississauga Road North.

12PM - 7PM Scarborough Campus: All Students: September 25th Location: Student Centre Cafeteria, 1265 Military Trail.

12PM - 7PM For more details, please contact the Finance and Administration Coordinator at opirg.toronto@utoronto.ca or call (416) 978-7770.

Our office is open Monday to Thursday, 11AM-6PM.

For a chance to win passes to the

Glenn Gould Variations at Convocation Hall this weekend, check out

var.st/ggv Winners announced Thursday!

16

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

arts@thevarsity.ca

Word on the beat The Varsity reviews four new and buzz-worthy albums

Hot Cakes — The Darkness

After a turbulent decade of rehab, breakups, and reunions, the original members of The Darkness — front men (and brothers) Justin and Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Ed Graham — are back with their recent release Hot Cakes. This album is the perfect way to hold on to the fun, upbeat sounds of summer as we begin the transition into the fall season. Hot Cakes certainly hits that deep, gritty, 1970s sound that few do as well as The Darkness. But the band balances its signature grittiness with a range of high-pitched vocals, which infuse the heavy-handed drums and bass in tracks like “With A Woman.” And while “Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us” might sound like a watered-down version of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” the song’s melody is infectious. All in all, Hot Cakes delivers a solid lineup of upbeat, catchy, feel good music. “Take off your thinking cap and listen to your heart,” the Hawkins brothers sing on “Everybody Have a Good Time,” and while listening to Hot Cakes, you can’t help but do just that.

—Irene Velentzas

The Sticks — Mother Mother

Canadian indie rock band Mother Mother is set to release their fourth studio album, The Sticks, on September 18. “Let’s Fall in Love,” the new album’s first single, showcases Mother Mother’s unique ability to combine gripping lyrics, eerie melodies, and hard beats with breathy harmonies and light instrumentals. The song proves to be a perfect representation of The Sticks, as the unusual composition of “Let’s Fall in Love” characterizes the entire album. Even The Sticks' most somber track, “Dread In My Heart,” couples lyrics like “There’s a God-awful, shitty feeling of dread in my heart” with light, folksy melodies and twittering birds in the background. This unexpected pairing of lyrics and melody is gripping, and the listener can’t help but appreciate Mother Mother’s sense of irony and humour. In fact, the band’s unusual sound proves to be somewhat addictive.

Fortunately, it is also nuanced, and The Sticks has something new for the listener to discover with each listen.

—IV

Turn Up the Stereo — Delhi 2 Dublin

Vancouver band Delhi 2 Dublin’s recent album, Turn Up the Stereo, features the band’s trademark fusion of bhangra, a type of Punjabi popular music, and Celtic fiddling. Upbeat and engaging, the album is characterized by a diverse variety of instruments associated with the Punjabi and Celtic cultures, ranging from the electric sitar and dhol drum to the fiddle. It’s an unusual combination, but thanks to the seamless composition of each of the album’s 13 tracks, Turn Up the Stereo manages to weave a tapestry of sound that is both unique and memorable. The album’s vocals are also phenomenal; by singing in both Punjabi and English and incorporating rap and pop influences, the vocalists add to the diversity of their sound. Fiddler and singer Sara Fitzgerald especially succeeds in bringing the seemingly disparate Punjabi and Celtic traditions together with her warm, sultry voice and lively, expressive vocals. All in all, Turn Up the Stereo is a one-of-a-kind album, an East-meets-West aural experience in 13 parts.

—Imelda Lo

Written by Tom Stoppard Directed by Matthew Gorman

SEPT 21 – OCT 6, 2012 BOX OFFICE: w w w. u o f t t i x . c a / 416.978.8849

Adults $25 / Students & Seniors $15 $10 Student tickets every Wednesday!

Sun — Cat Power

While Cat Power has in the past been known for a melancholy repertoire of music that was perhaps best suited as a post-breakup soundtrack, her latest album, Sun, offers up a considerably different sound. Six years after her last original studio release, the notoriously somber Cat Power, a.k.a. Chan Marshall, is back with a refreshingly up-tempo collection of songs. In contrast to Marshall’s previous albums, which were marked by slow melodies and acoustic riffs, Sun sets a vibrant tone with its lively synths and repetitive drum beats. Admittedly, the album’s lyrics are not always cheerful; Marshall frequently sings about both personal conflicts and issues of a larger scope. In “3,6,9,” for example, Marshall reflects on her struggles with alcoholism, while in “Ruin,” she criticizes the naivety of Western society. Yet Sun benefits from being tinged with a bolder, more accessible sound than Marshall’s other work. Although the album isn’t the gritty and sorrowful display that Cat Power fans are used to, the fresh sound on Sun is indicative of Marshall’s ability to transform her music without compromising the depths of her lyrics or her identity as an artist.

—Milena Pribic

SEASON SPONSORS:

SEASON PARTNERS:

WWW.HARTHOUSETHEATRE.CA

var.st/arts

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

17

Gallery Profile: “Sovereign Allies and Living Cultures” The ROM’s recent exhibit shakes up popular perception of First Nations’ culture and their role in the War of 1812 Ishita Petkar VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Good things do sometimes come in small packages at the ROM. Although the massive exhibit “Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana” is currently receiving most of the limelight, a new and much more innovative exhibition has popped up in the First Nations gallery. It is called “Sovereign Allies and Living Cultures: First Nations of the Great Lakes.” Although its name is a bit of a mouthful, this tiny exhibit provides an innovative and intelligent look at First Nations perspectives on the War of 1812.

Commemorations of the War of 1812, in its bicentennial this year, too often overlook the crucial role that First Nations groups had to play in this historic battle between Canada and the United States. Dr. Trudy Nicks, the curator of the “Sovereign Allies” exhibit, felt that the time had come to make some of their stories heard. As she walked with me around the single glass case that houses the exhibition, Nicks spoke eagerly about the thought that went into each carefully chosen artifact, and the significance behind this novel exhibition.

According to Nicks, "the objects and collections [in the exhibit] represent important stories and histories," and as a result, she wanted to let the artifacts in the collection speak for themselves. The stories of six influential but lesser-known Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe war leaders thus became one of the main focal points of the exhibit. The array of artifacts attributed to these men is diverse and telling; each object speaks volumes about its owner’s stature and the respect given to him by the British.

The choice to focus on these particular war heroes — John Norton, John Brant, John Smoke Johnson, Oshawana, Wabjijig and Shingwaukonse — instead of the more famous Tecumseh, was intended to illuminate the important but little known roles that these men played during the War of 1812.

But Nicks’ main objective in creating this exhibit was perhaps to highlight the true nature of the relationship between the First Nations and

Portrait of John Brant, Unknown Artist. ImAge coUrtesy the rom

the British during the war. As the title of the exhibit suggests, their interaction was very much a meeting of two allies — two sovereign nations.

Nicks was quick to point out that the assortment of medals and adornments in the exhibit that are made from silver, a metal that has sig-

nificant spiritual significance to First Nation peoples, embodies this reciprocal relationship and highlights the mutual respect between the First Nations heroes and the British.

"What's important to remember is that the Native people were fighting for their own lands, not for the glory of the British,” she said.

The rest of the display is devoted to the “Living Cultures” aspect of the exhibition, which aims to debunk stereotypes about what it means to be an aboriginal person in Canada. The first work in this piece is by far the strangest: a diorama of a Mohawk family that was previously banished to the basement of the ROM in 1970, and has now been re-imagined with the three members holding an iPod, power drill and camera respectively, while dressed in traditional clothing.

According to Nicks, this installment represents exactly what the rest of the “Living Cultures” component of the exhibit seeks to demonstrate: the mingling of traditional and modern that defines First Nations life today.

It reminds the viewer that First Nations’ traditions and ceremonies are still very much alive, but that the people who practice them are not stuck in the past and are very much looking forward to the future.

This fresh perspective on the history of First Nations people in Canada is a welcome respite from other displays in the gallery, which depict the practices of indigenous peoples in the past but fail to acknowledge the progression of their culture into the present.

The words of a former chief of the Assembly of First Nations, inscribed on a plaque on the diorama of the Mohawk family, perfectly captures the First Nations’ desire to alter the current perception of their culture: “We do not want to be depicted the way we were, when we were first discovered in our homeland in North America.

We do not want museums to continue to present us as something from the past. We believe we are very, very much here now and we are going to be very important in the future.”

Hopefully, “Sovereign Allies and Living Cultures” is the first step in making this vision a reality.

Science

FROM THE ARCHIVES

vaR.ST/SCIENCE

A new theory in tectonic plate movement from 2007

17 SEPTEMBER 2012 science@thevarsity.ca

var.st/4s0

Earthquake architecture exhibit bridges the gap between art and engineering Exploring Considering the Quake: Seismic Design on the Edge Dennis Dobrovolsky VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Engineers and architects don’t always get along. Architects try to increase the aesthetic appeal of a building, sometimes at the expense of safety. If engineers were given full control over cityscapes, you might end up seeing a lot more buildings that look like U of T’s Athletic Centre around the city. Clearly, the collaboration between engineers and architects is of prime importance when it comes to building design, as was made clear by Design Exchange Canada’s Considering the Quake exhibit.

Curated by Dr. Effie Bouras and Professor Ghyslaine McClure, the exhibit highlights the works of renowned architects and how they tackle the design of buildings in earthquakeprone regions. The exhibit opened to the public last Wednesday and will be open until November 9 at the Design Exchange, just north of Wellington on Bay Street.

“The examples that we brought here are all about when architects and engineers just get it right, and when they actually work well together: when the architect understands the technicality of engineering and the engineer understands the aestheticism of architecture,” says Bouras. “All of these projects represent that perfect union of architect and engineer.”

One of the projects featured at the exhibition was Rem Koolhaas’ Shenzhen Stock Exchange, a 250 metre-high glass tower encircled by a rectangular platform that seems to levitate off the ground, as if by magic. Photos of the tower displayed its sleek design from all angles. A simulated video of the structure swaying during an earthquake illustrates the complex

engineering design principles that went into building it. Architects had to consider every beam, and for that they needed the expertise of their engineer colleagues.

“They were just playing with the idea of the base. You know how you usually see the base and then the skyscraper [above it]? But since this is a stock exchange … and it’s all about elevation and stocks getting higher, they raised this podium to represent that,” says Bouras. “Doing these kinds of daring designs in these kinds of areas is really risky.”

The elevated base will broadcast the results of the stock market to the whole city.

Another project — the CCTV headquarters building in Beijing — features another bizarre-looking building. Resembling a huge, leaning arch, nothing about its appearance from first glance suggests stability.

“Usually in earthquake engineering, they want everything to be very regular, you know, so [the buildings] don’t form any eccentricities and cause torsion,” says Bouras. “Well, you can imagine that this building would undergo a lot of torsion, but they actually put it on a large seismic table to test it.”

Bouras explains that the exterior of such a building often features an earthquake-resistant shell designed to withstand strong torsional forces. The outer reinforcement frees up space inside the building that would otherwise be filled up with strengthening beams.

It would be hard to find someone more aware of the importance of uniting engineering and architecture than Dr. Effie Bouras. She completed an undergraduate degree at McGill in engineering and then went on to receive her bachelor of architecture from Dalhousie.

“I kind of did a 180 [turn]; I went from designing beams to actually thinking about a structure and a space and what it means to the people who use it in a sociological aspect,” says Bouras. “So it’s kind of like using a

different part of your brain.”

Bouras believes that the interdisciplinary education she got is crucial for any architect or engineer to have.

“A lot of architects, they think up these things in isolation, and then they throw it into the engineer’s lap and say, ‘make it work.’ So there’s a disconnect.”

Exhibits like Considering the Quake seem to suggest that that disconnect may soon be a thing of the past.

BERNaRda GoSPIC/THE vaRSITy

Science in brief New DNA mapping technique looks at humanity’s ancestors German scientists have created a new technique for sequencing old and degraded DNA, allowing them to sequence the genome of an archaic Siberian girl. The new method works by creating multiple copies of the same strand of DNA, amplifying over 99 per cent of the genome ten-fold while maintaining a level of accuracy comparable to the genetic map created by the DNA of a living person.

Scientist Matthias Meyer and his team from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have catalogued the differences between this old genome and modern human DNA. The ancient DNA was acquired from the 50,000 yearold finger bone of a resident of Siberia’s Denisova Cave.

The Denisovans were found to be close relatives of the Neanderthals, interbreeding with the ancestors of some living humans at a low rate. Genetic analysis of the genome reveals that the Denisovans had differences in genes currently associated with the wiring of the nervous system, including a gene implicated in autism and the FOXP2, gene which has been implicated in speech disorders. These new findings suggest that Neanderthals differed from modern humans in their neural capacity for language.

This breakthrough came about because the researchers were working with single strands of DNA instead of double strands. Old DNA is prone to breaking up into single strands which are difficult to sequence with current techniques. Meyer overcame this hurdle by binding special molecules to the ends of the single strands of DNA that held them in place while the enzymes replicated them. The new technique is simple and cheap enough to be used in wide-scale research, and further sequencing of more human fossils is already underway.

—Alexander Mihaescu

South American glaciers melting fast A recent study led by researchers at Cornell University reports that the Patagonian Ice Fields are thinning faster than expected. Over the past 12 years, these glaciers have released enough water to cover the entire United States with 3.3 cm (1.2 inches) of water.

Collaborating with the Center for Scientific Studies (CECs) in Chile, the study’s authors used over 150 satellite images taken since the year 2000 to map the Southern Patagonia Ice Field, which combined with the Northern Patagonian Ice Field, is smaller than only Antarctica in the southern hemisphere.

The team, which used data from NASA’s Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, compared their findings with measurements from the twin satellites Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). The results indicated that on average, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field has thinned by almost 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) per year since 2000.

In addition to observing the greatest thinning at the highest elevations, the scientists also found that warming air temperatures led to increased precipitation versus snowfall. This results in more water beneath the glacier, decreasing friction and allowing it to move faster, supplying even more glacial ice to the ocean. In addition, lakes that rise on the front end of glaciers may further accelerate melting of the glacial ice edges.

This melting results in a global sea level rise. From 1970 to 2000, melt from both Patagonian Ice Fields contributed an average rise in global sea level of 0.042 millimetres per year, which has since increased to 0.067 mm annually, representing an increase of two per cent in total sea level rise since 1998.

—Sri Chaudhuri

VARSITY SCIENCE

var.st/science

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

19

Increasingly efficient prosthetic limbs challenge able-bodied athletes Performance gap between Olympians and Paralympians narrows as a result of prosthetic technologies James Maiangowi VARSITY STAFF

In 1987, Oscar Pistorius’s legs were amputated midway between ankle and knee. The year before, Pistorius had been born with fibular hemimalia, a congenital disorder resulting in the loss of his calf bones. His parents were forced to make a painful decision between consigning their son to a wheelchair or amputating.

After consulting experts, they chose the latter.

Twenty-five years later, Pistorius proudly carried the South African flag at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics.

He had just made history as the first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics, a feat made even more impressive by his chosen sport, sprinting. Pistorius continued his outstanding achievements at the Paralympics later in the summer, setting two world records.

By all accounts a world-class athlete, Pistorius has nevertheless found himself in the middle of a heated debate about the nature of disabled athletes, which is centered around one question: how much of a disabled athlete’s performance can be attributed to their abilities, and how much to prosthetics?

Though prosthetic limbs have existed since ancient Egypt, they were comparatively primitive and awkward until the nineteenth century, and were more decorative than functional. The twetieth century saw an increase in the use of materials such as carbon fibre and advanced plastics to make prosthetics both stronger and lighter, thereby making them more usable.

The design of upper body and lower body prosthetics has recently begun to differ. Upper body prosthetics, such as hands and arms, are becoming increasingly realistic, while lower body prosthetics have been instead designed to maximize efficiency at the cost of the resemblance to a natural leg.

The development of modern prosthetic legs began in 1975 when Ysidro Martinez, an amputee himself, invented a below-the-knee prosthesis that did not attempt to recreate the natural

leg with joints in the ankle or foot. Martinez’s considered joints responsible for poor gait, and instead designed a light prosthesis with a centre of mass that facilitated acceleration and reduced friction.

Modern prosthetics limbs follow Martinez’ lead, opting for ergonomical design without regard to appearance. For example, the Flex-Foot Cheetah ‘blade’’ a carbon fibre foot designed for sporting activities, resembles nothing so much as a sleek letter ‘J.’ Pistorius and fellow record blade holders Marlon Shirley and April Holmes used the Cheetah.

Despite these technological advances, problems persist in the Paralympic world. Visibility and media awareness have historically been much lower for the Paralympics than for the Olympics. This year, the London Olympics sold some seven million tickets — several times more than the Paralympics, which sold 2.7 million.

Greg Wells, associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology, sees Pistorius’ place in the Olympics as a sign of the future. “The performance gap is definitely narrowing between Olympians and Paralympians,” he says. “Performances like [Pistorius] only demonstrate this.”

Pistorius himself sees his performance at the Paralympics as ample cause for his being allowed to compete in the Olympics.

“These are not guys who just came off the streets and [strapped] prosthetic legs to them,” he said in a January interview.

“They’re guys who sit in the gym and go on the track as much as I do. They’re hard-core athletes, but you don’t see them running remotely the same times.”

Like dinosaurs?

Write for Science.

Email science@thevarsity.ca

CLASSIFIEDS VINYL, CDS, EQUIPMENT High Quality Vinyl & reconditioned equipment AROUND AGAIN 18 Baldwin St HIRING C.E.S. is looking for enthusiastic students to join our advertising team.Earn great commission by referring clients to us,promoting our services through posters and other inovative marketing.

Details 416 280 6113 TUTORING Polytopos Tutoring. Expert mentorship for success in social sciences and humanities. Help with essay writing, research, editing, and more. Free first session! www.polytopos.ca 416-825-7496.

Organic foods not healthier: study

Women and men see the world differently

In recent years, organic foods grown without use of pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, or growth hormones have gained in popularity. Many believe buying organic is the healthier alternative, and so people are willing to pay a premium.

Surprisingly, according to new findings from Stanford University, this may not be the case.

In an effort to determine whether organic foods are really healthier, a team from Stanford compiled findings from many different studies which investigated the comparable qualities of organic versus conventional foods. Researchers scanned through thousands of papers and identified 237 studies as being most relevant to their investigation.

Most papers selected compared the nutrient levels or the bacterial, fungal or pesticide levels of various organic foods to their conventional counterparts. Other studies investigated the health outcomes of populations consuming organic vs. conventional diets (ranging from just two months to two years).

In Stanford’s comprehensive investigation, it was found that there was not much difference in the nutritional content of the various organic versus conventional foods. It was also discovered that conventional foods do not pose much of a health risk, since pesticides and other contaminants are usually at acceptable levels. It was therefore determined in the Stanford study that there is little evidence supporting the claim that organic foods are healthier. However, it was found that organic foods generally have 30 per cent lower risk of pesticide contamination and contain less antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Researchers from Brooklyn and Hunter Colleges of the City University of New York conducted a study to test vision differences in men and women. The participants were over the age of 16 and had normal colour vision and 20/20 vision (or 20/20 when corrected with glasses or contacts). Published in the journal Biology of Sex Differences, the study found a few significant results.

Men are less able to discriminate between long wavelength colours, perhaps explaining why your boyfriend compliments your pink dress when it is actually magenta. The researchers also found that men are better at discriminating rapidly moving images by asking participants to view flickering horizontal and vertical bars alternating in closeness. Both sexes had greater difficulty resolving the images when the speed of flickering increased.

In addition, men were also found to have a greater sensitivity to detail. An underlying biological mechanism involves androgens being more prevalent in the male brain and responsible for the processing of images. In fact, the male brain has 25 per cent more neurons that are developmentally controlled by androgens than in females.

The study supplements years of research looking at other marked differences between the sexes, including in olfactory and hearing systems.

—Katherine Baird

—Cristina Olteanu Source: Cornell University

20 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

ADVERTISMENTS

ads@thevarsity.ca

Sports vaR.ST/SPORTS

BATTER UP

17 SEPTEMBER 2012 sports@thevarsity.ca

Look out for Saturday’s baseball game recap later this week var.st/sports

Field hockey set for successful season This year’s team is ready for a CIS championship Susan Gordon

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Though many U of T students don’t know anything about their sport or team, the 2010 CIS and 2011 OUA champion-Varsity Blues women’s field hockey team is looking forward to a season that will make their school proud.

The team, one of the most successful in U of T’s history, is hoping to rebound from last year’s disappointing fourth place finish at the national championships. The Blues entered the tournament ranked first in Canada, but quickly fell to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, and later to the University of Calgary Dinos and University of Guelph Gryphons, to finally land in fourth place.

“It was really hard finishing fourth last year. The worst thing was knowing that we had the potential and the talent to have been in the final. It was probably one of the most frustrating finishes to a tournament that I’ve ever been in,” says Blues veteran Heather Haughn.

“But,” says Haughn, “I think, if anything, the disappointing finish last year has only impacted this year’s team positively.

It’s allowed us to learn from the mistakes we made and made us even more determined to succeed this year.”

“The team’s strengths last year were definitely our coaching staff, technical skill, our ability to work as a unit, and the depth and diversity of our players. This year we have a lot of the same strengths and are only adding to them with a lot of new talent.”

The team has a long history of success, winning the firstever CIS championship in 1975, and more recently recording an incredible 10 triumphs at the last 15 OUA championships.

The Blues are led by award-winning coach John DeSouza, who earned recognition as the OUA and CIS coach of the year in 2011.

The Blues can also count many celebrated players among their ranks, with four CIS all-Canadians on the team in 2011.

This year the team’s roster is full of talent, including 2011 OUA and CIS rookie of the year Amanda Woodcroft, 2010 CIS championship MVP and 2009–2011 all-Canadian Kaelan Watson, and veterans Britt Siu, Haughn and Sara Ali. The team’s extensive experience has influenced their strategy for this year and the mindset they are trying to achieve going into the season.

“This year I think we need to take everything one step at a time,” cautions Haughn. “Last year I think we got ahead of ourselves a bit and instead of building gradually we tried to jump right to the big leagues. I think as long as we stay in the process and mentally prepare ourselves we can succeed.

The U of T field hockey team playing at Varsity Stadium last season. BERnaRda GOSPic/THE vaRSiTy

“We definitely have our eyes set on nationals, but there are a lot of other goals we need to fulfill before we get there. We want to play Blues-style field hockey which is quick, dynamic and strategic and we won’t settle until we get there.”

The team will be under even more pressure to succeed this year, as the university hosts the 2012 CIS tournament. But Haughn isn’t worried that this will hurt the team’s chances.

“Hosting the CIS championship does add a bit of pressure to succeed, but I don’t think it is anything we can’t handle.

Especially because it brings with it so many good things. There is nothing like playing at home in front of everyone you know.

You get so much more support and there is more incentive to win. You’re reminded of what makes it so special to be a Varsity Blue and what you are representing when you put on a jersey.”

“Of course there are a lot of things we still need to work on, but a lot of it will come during the season. We need to play games in order to improve. I’m just excited to get going. I have a really good feeling going into this year.”

The Blues kicked the season off in spectacular fashion, winning their first two games of the season in Waterloo over the weekend. Toronto defeated the Waterloo Warriors 2–0 on Saturday with sisters Tegan and Emma Stairs notching both of the Blues goal. U of T then recorded their first shutout of the year on Sunday with a 7–0 win over the Queen’s Gaels in which six different players scored including Alex Thicke who had two goals, and both the Stairs sisters.

Haughn is optimistic. “We’ve got lots of potential and I want to see where we can go with it!”

Ontario University Athletics championship wins 1971–2011 Toronto

Guelph

York

Waterloo

U of T falls to strong Windsor squad Blues crash to 55–4 defeat against Lancers at home Zoë Bedard

SPORTS EDITOR

In a tale of teams, the Varsity Blues were mercilessly crushed 55–4 by the visiting Windsor Lancers at Varsity Stadium.

The last time the Blues played in Toronto was on opening weekend before a crowd of nearly 5,000, who cheered on the players as they shut out the Laurier Golden Hawks.

Nonetheless, in the two games since that memorable match, the Blues have conceded an atrocious 117 points while scoring only 11 in eight quarters of play.

Last week’s loss on the road could be attributed to the 135 penalty yards the Blues incurred. But penalties could not be blamed for Saturday’s loss against the Lancers, with Toronto

only being flagged nine times for just over 60 yards.

“I think it’s more our approach,” said Blues head coach Greg Gary. “Right now we’re not behaving like a competitive football team, we’re not flying around, we’re not hitting people properly, we’re not doing the kinds of things to be considered somebody that people have to worry about.”

The Blues defense allowed Windsor 554 total yards of offense, over 250 of which came on the run. Windsor running back Mitch Dender had over 100 yards on 15 carries, while fullback Kamal Darius had an average of 8.5 yards a carry.

“Right now teams are pretty comfortable playing against us,” Gary admitted. “They’re running all their stuff and we haven’t taken anyone out of their comfort zone. We have to get better at stopping teams that want to run on us.”

The Blues started the afternoon on a high after Toronto’s

Spenser Stewart recovered Windsor running back Jamal Darius’ fumble deep in Blues territory. However, on the following play Toronto quarterback Richard Quittenton’s pass was intercepted at the 18-yard line, ultimately leading to a Windsor three-yard rushing major.

The four points that Toronto was able to acquire came off a safety in the second quarter and a Lomasney 26-yard field goal. Lomasney ended the day going 1–3 on field goal attempts.

But the general rule in football, as Gary noted after the loss, is, “Don’t leave the game in the hands of your field goal kicker.”

“Kickers are good to get you three points and try to keep things rolling when everything is going well,” Gary said. “But if you’re relying on your kicker to get you back in the game you’re

CONTINUED PG 22

22 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

VARSITY SPORTS

sports@thevarsity.ca

The NHL Lockout The details behind the controversy between owners and players David Gelles VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

Walk around campus and you’ll notice that many students are sporting the jersey of their favourite hockey team. In recent years, hockey has seen a rise in popularity, with record highs in viewership and revenue. However, this state of affairs has been jeopardized as the NHL entered its third lockout in 18 years with no end in sight.

While not every fan will be deeply upset if there is no hockey this year, most will, and some will turn their attention to other sports, and perhaps forget about hockey altogether.

For this reason, it is important that fans know exactly what is threatening to deny them the pleasure of an entire hockey season. Enter the collective bargaining agreement negotiations

PRACTICAR FOR WEEKENDS $99.99 SPECIAL INCLUDING INSURANCE AND TAXES PICK UP FRIDAY 4PM RETURN BY SUNDAY 4PM 374 DUPONT STREET TORONTO

TEL 416-536-8513

Visit thevarsity.ca

Former Blues player Bryon Elliott signed with the Cincinnati Cyclones, an NHL-affiliate. Bernarda Gospic/THe VarsiTy

— the “what.” Now, add the NHL Players’ Association, representing the players, versus the NHL Commissioner and the owners of each NHL team — the “who.”

The September 15 expiration of the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) means that the NHLPA and the NHL have to negotiate a new agreement that dictates, primarily, how NHL revenue will be divided. The agreement is not about the rules of the game; it is about contractual and financial considerations. The NHL owners and the commissioner are hoping to reduce the share of revenues that players get. Under the previous agreement, players were entitled to 57 per cent of revenues, while the owners got the remaining 43 per cent. The NHL now wants their share of the revenue to increase beyond the 50 per cent mark with the claim that the cost of hockey operations has increased.

At the same time, the league seeks a higher percentage of revenues in order to pay for struggling franchises in subpar markets. The owners of teams in poor markets need more money to keep their teams afloat financially. Although it is good for the sport to have many teams throughout North America, the NHL’s stubbornness on having teams in the southern US has proven to be a financial black hole, prompting the league to seek

more money to bail them out rather than move them to more lucrative markets.

The players, on the other hand, are fine in principle with ceding some of their share of the revenue. The issue for the players is that the NHL is asking for too much. The players feel that while it is true that hockey-operating costs have increased, they want a fair agreement that reflects their contributions to the sport. After all, no one goes to a game to see the owners.

Moreover, once the players’ share of the revenue goes down each players’ salary decreases to reflect the new distribution of revenue, meaning that existing salaries will decrease. The players accept this fact, what they really want is a fair agreement; they do not want to be coerced into accepting a biased resolution.

At the end of the day, what will most likely end up happening is an agreement that is close to a 50–50 share of revenues. On top of that, while there may be a year-long lockout, it is possible that the season will start around November or December in the hope of still playing the Winter Classic. What matters the most though, is that there is a season. If fans feel like they are being taken for granted, which will happen if the negotiations drag on for too long, then the progress that the sport has made in the past few years will be marred by yet another work stoppage.

Bernarda Gospic/THe VarsiTy

CONTINUED FROM “WINDSOR” PG 21 already in a fire fight. Our kicker shouldn’t be trying to get us back in a game where we’re down 55 or something.”

The Toronto offense did not make things any easier for Lomasney as the team moved within the 20 yard line on only three occasions.

Toronto’s offense struggled throughout the day. Quittenton, who was under pressure all afternoon and was sacked four times by the Lancers defense, ended the match going seven for 22 with three interceptions as the Blues receivers continually dropped passes.

“If you look out there the bodies weren’t

that much different so we got to come back to preparation and how you went about getting ready for the football game. And that comes back on me and we need to do a better job of preparing our players to play. And that comes back on me. So I take full responsibility for out team not being able to score in the red zone.”

There are close games made of a series of missed opportunities—dropped passes, missed tackles, and botched field goal attempts — where if one play had gone differently, the end result could have been vastly different. But there are also games when one team simply doesn’t come to play and it’s clear within the first quarter how the game is going to unravel. This was one of those games.

VARSITY SPORTS

var.st/sports

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

23

Canadian legend Wickenheiser dominates as Blues fall to Dinos

U of T avoids shut out loss with late game goal in 6–1 loss VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The Varsity Blues women’s hockey team fell 6–1 in exhibition play to the visiting University of Calgary Dinos.

The Dinos come into the upcoming season as defending CIS champions. Their roster has not changed much from last year, when they posted an outstanding 20–4 record. Led by captain Tanya Morgan, the Dinos have a team with a multitude of experienced leaders including Hayley Wickenheiser, the captain of Canada’s women’s national hockey team, widely considered one of the greatest female athletes in sports history.

Wickenheiser was one of the first women to break the gender barrier that can greatly influence women in sports. She played for the Kirkkonummen Salamat, a men’s hockey team in the Finnish second division in 2003, and Eskilstuna Linden, a Swedish men’s third division professional team in the 2008–2009 season. While playing for Salamat in 2003, Wickenheiser became the first woman ever to score a goal in a men’s professional league.

Wickenheiser is currently a full-time student at the University of Calgary, completing her degree in kinesiology and hoping to continue her academic studies. “I am applying to medical school right now and will likely pursue that when I am done competing. I will play through Sochi 2014 and see where things will go. I enjoy playing still, and the Dinos set up is very good to work with.”

Despite the loss, Blues’ head coach Vicky Sunohara was not disappointed in her team’s performance. “They [Calgary] [have] a great team. They’re CIS champions and they didn’t really lose many players either,” she explained.

“They’ve got a great team and it was a great way for us to start our season, to play against the best team.

“They only make us better, and we know we’ve got a lot of work to do, but I thought that our team skated well against them...

If we play the bottom of the pack teams, it doesn’t show us where we need to get

to... I’m not disappointed with the way it started.”

The game began with Wickenheiser winning the faceoff, and it did not take long for Calgary to take the lead. The first Dinos goal was scored

by Stephanie Zvonkovic less than five minutes into the game. Blues goalie Nicole Kesteris was able to save most of the shots driven towards her by the all-star Calgary lineup, and Toronto left the first period only down by one goal.

The Blues won the faceoff to begin the second period and came close to getting on the board with strong shots at the beginning of the period, but the Calgary defence stood strong against the Blues’ onslaught, eliminating their opportunities to make a dent in the game. The Blues looked more aggressive than in the first period, but with 2:18 to go in the second period, Wickenheiser scored, followed seconds later by a goal from Calaine Inglis, giving the Dinos a 3–0 lead.

The Blues started the third period still hoping to make a comeback, but Calgary came back on the ice even stronger than before, doubling their goals with a second from Gavrilova, and goals from Erika Mitschke and Sinead.

But U of T refused to be shut out. With less than eight minutes remaining in the game, Jacqueline Scheffel scored for the Blues, off an assist from Courtney Tougas. Unfortunately, Toronto found their rhythm too late, and they were unable to make up lost ground.

Sunohara was the assistant captain to Wickenheiser on Team Canada from 2001 to 2008.

Danielle Goyette, the Calgary head coach, played with Sunohara and Wickenheiser on the national team, winning gold in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympic games.

Wickenheiser believes that Sunohara is a great coach for U of T as they try to put together a contending team. “I think [you’ll] see teams like U of T really take off in the next few years by keeping players in Canada. With Vicky and other former players coaching, that will really help to grow the game and develop things for sure.”

Wickenheiser’s talent and experience were evident from the beginning of the game: skating smoother, playing more aggressively, and

WICKENHEISER’S MEDAL COUNT MPIC WINT LY

THE XVII

GAMES ER

O

X X II X X OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES

LIGHT THE FIRE WITHIN

NAGANO OLYmpiCs, 1998 UsA 3–1 CANAdA

sALT LAKe CiTY OLYmpiCs, 2002 CANAdA 5–2 UsA

TOriNO OLYmpiCs, 2006 CANAdA 4–1 sWedeN

VANCOUVer OLYmpiCs, 2010 CANAdA 2–0 UsA

NATHAN WATsON/THe VArsiTY

NAGANO 1 9 9 8

communicating with more skill than any other player on the ice. Despite her talent, her sportsmanship and leadership shone through; she was the first player on the ice warming up between periods and as she led the Dinos bench to shake hands with the Blues’ lineup after the game ended.

“My role [on the team] is to lead them and share my experiences with them that I have had in the game. As much as I lead and help them, they help me as well,” Wickenheiser told The Varsity.

Brittany Kirby, a defenceman for the Blues, was not playing against Wickenheiser for the first time: “I got the opportunity to play against her when I was fourteen years old when I played for a women’s team, so it was nice to see the difference now that I’m so much older.”

The Blues will be hosting Wickenheiser’s Dinos and the rest of the CIS’s top teams at the end of the 2012-2013 season, with the CIS championships being held at Varsity Arena.

With the regular season beginning in just a few weeks on October 5, the Blues are continuing their preparations for their first opponent, the Ryerson Rams, who Toronto met and defeated 2–1 in the first exhibition game. Exhibition games are important for Toronto’s tough schedule this year; they show the Blues which parts of their game need improvement.

“I think it’s a really good measure for us right now because [we now know] what we need to work on,” said Kirby. “We need to know the speed where we’ll need to be at, so it’s a really good start for us.”

WYATT CLOUGH/THe VArsiTY

Elizabeth Benn

ADVERTISEMENTS

24 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012

var.st

r r! o f f e of est $5 m e ra st s t Ex r fir u yo

25

$

/mo

UNLIMITED Data + Talk + Text

mobilicity.ca Taxes are extra. Limited time offer. Receive $5 off per month, for the first 4 months while on the $25 or $35 Back-to-School plans. $5 off offer valid only at participating locations listed here with a valid student ID. Restrictions may apply on combining offers with other offers or promotions and only applicable to new activations. All unlimited features included in each plan/add-on, including unlimited talk, text and data features, must originate and be used within the Mobilicity Unlimited Zones. Premium and special numbers are excluded. Offer valid only while customer is on automatic monthly payments (preauthorized credit/ debit payment). Additional terms and conditions apply. Subject to change without notice. (c) 2012 Mobilicity. ‘Mobilicity’, ‘Now that’s smart’, the Mobilicity designs and the Mobilicity logo are trademarks of Mobilicity. Other trademarks shown may be held by their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Visit us Visit usatat

Mobilicity: 542 Yonge St Mobilicity: 104 Dundas St E Mobilicity: 491 Dundas St W, Unit A ABC Mobile: 80 Bloor St. West

University of Toronto.indd 1

12-08-29 3:12 PM