VARSITY EDITORIAL
Page 11
“Stand up for Science” rallies highlight disturbing changes to research funding
Vol. CXXXIV, No. 04
University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
23 September, 2013
U of T has been falling in one prominent international ranking and rising in another for years. The Varsity investigates the methodology of university ranking systems
Liza Agrba and Teodora Avramov VARSITY STAFF
In the latest annual qs (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings report, the University of Toronto climbed two spots, from 19 to 17. Some senior university administrators have expressed uncertainty about the accuracy and comprehensiveness of university ranking systems. The Varsity asked a number of experts to discuss their take on the metrics and methodologies behind two of the most prominent rankings: qs World University Rankings, and Times Higher Education World University Rankings (the). In an interview with The Varsity, U of T president David Nay-
lor cautioned that while U of T’s strength in ranking tables is encouraging, students should take these rankings with a grain of salt: “It’s obviously very hard to boil institutions as complex as universities down to a single number,” he said. McGill University’s principal, Suzanne Fortier, expressed similar concerns. “These aren’t very accurate scientific studies, so the margin of error is big,” she said. While U of T has steadily climbed qs tables for the past four years, the opposite trend is apparent in the tables. “This doesn’t reflect the fact that we’re getting better or worse, it reflects the fact that two different ranking agencies use two different sets of measures,” said Naylor. He
stated that inconsistency across different ranking schemes, due to their varying metrics, is part of what makes them difficult to interpret. qs and the collaborated until 2010, when the made a dramatic change in its ranking scheme, choosing to partner instead with Thomson Reuters. “We moved from six weak indicators to thirteen more balanced and comprehensive indicators,” Phil Baty, the editor at large and rankings editor, told The Varsity.
Naylor expressed suspicion about this proxy, stating that longerterm measures, such as the degree to which students value their university education several years after graduating, are a far better measure of teaching excellence than student–faculty ratio. This ratio accounts for 20 per cent of the overall score in qs, and 4.5 per cent of the overall score in the. The latter system uses a number of other measures to make up the total 30 per cent weight of this category, includMEASURES OF TEACHING AND ing an academic reputation surLEARNING ENVIRONMENT vey and the ratio of doctorate to Some ranking systems use the bachelor’s degrees. ratio of students to faculty memBen Sowter, head of research at bers as a proxy for measuring the qs, acknowledged that the proxy quality of a university’s teach- is not ideal: “Teaching qualing and learning environment. ity, from our viewpoint, is about
more than having a charismatic lecturer. It is about the environment, and a key part of that is access to academic support. I think student–faculty ratio is reasonable proxy measure for this. That is not to say that I am satisfied with it though. We would consider other measures on the provision that they are globally available, sufficiently discerning, and not too responsive to external influences,” he said. Baty expressed that in his view, a heterogeneous approach to measuring teaching quality is essential. “A staff–faculty ratio is an exceptionally crude instrument for judging teaching quality — does the number of waiters in a res-
CONTINUED PG 7
THE SCIENCE FAIR GROWS UP
Read our coverage of the first Toronto Science Festival in this week’s Science
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VARSITY NEWS
Vol. CXXXIV, No. 4
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BIOPARTNERING SEMINAR: PERSISTENT DIGITAL WORLD — IMPLICATIONS OF UPCOMING TECHNOLOGY
Tom Barker, Digital Futures Initiative Program Chair, ocad University, will take part in this seminar offered by the Master in Biotechnology Program. Free September 24, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm U of T Mississauga Instructional Building | Room 120 DISORIENTATION – GENDER REVOLT!
ORGANIC HARVEST FAIR
Alternative student orientation. Free September 23 – 27 Various venues www.disorientation2013.com
Meet organic farmers and try some tasty food samples. Free September 28, 2 pm – 4 pm Big Carrot 348 Danforth
SECOND ANNUAL FOREIGN AFFAIRS UNIVERSITY CUP
WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES
Students from Ryerson and U of T face off in this debate presented by The Canadian International Council, Toronto Branch Free. September 25, 6:30 pm – 8 pm Hart House | Debates Room
A White Ribbon Campaign featuring men and women walking in high heels to raise awareness and funds to end violence against women. September 26, 12 pm – 2 pm Yonge-Dundas Square Pre-register: www.walkamiletoronto.org
TORONTO OKTOBERFEST
TORONTO SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Enjoy all things German at this annual festival. $20–$25 September 27 – 28 Kool Haus 132 Queens Quay E torontooktoberfest.ca
Celebrate science with talks, panel discussions, films, live music and dance performances, hands-on activities, and more! September 27 – 29 U of T St. George Campus tsf.utoronto.ca Coverage in this issue’s Science section
Writers
Liza Agrba, Teodora Avramov, Monica Carinci, Ameya Chamalia, Matthew J. Chow, Emma Compeau, Sampson Coutts, Monica Dairo, Benedict Darren, Noemie De Vuyst, Jelena Djuric, Jerico Espinas, James Flynn, Olivia Forsyth-Sells, Sara Gajic, Jesse Hildebrand, JP Kaczur, Aisha Kakinuma Hassan, Ruhi Kiflen, Emma Kikulis, Lia Kim, Trevor Koroll, Justin Lee, Julia Lewis, Sofia Luu, Anthony Marchese, Sarah Niedoba, Ishita Petkar, Corinne Przybyslawski, Kelly Rahardja, Rachel Rensing, Iris Robin, Laura Sanchez, Katrina Vogan, Breen Wilkinson, Theodore Yan, Ameena Youssef Designers June Dong, Kawmadie Karunanayake, Dan Seljak, Shaquilla Singh, Mari Zhou
Photo and Illustration Michael Chahely, Nancy Ji, Shafak Khanani, Carolyn Levett, Aileen Li, Janice Liu, Imelda Lo, Denis Ospiv, Kimberly Que, Lucinda Yae-Rim Ro, Mari Zhou
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Advertising Manager Victoria Marshall advertising@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executives Stephanie Lau stephanie@thevarsity.ca terence@thevarsity.ca Terence Leung vanessa@thevarsity.ca Vanessa Wen The Varsity is the University of Toronto's largest student newspaper, publishing since 1880. The Varsity has a circulation of 20,000, and is published by Varsity Publications Inc. It is printed by Master Web Inc. on recycled newsprint stock. Content © 2013 by The Varsity. All rights reserved. Any editorial inquiries and/or letters should be directed to the sections associated with them; emails listed above. The Varsity reserves the right to edit all submissions. Inquiries regarding ad sales can be made to ads@thevarsity.ca. ISSN: 0042-2789 Please recycle this issue after you are finished with it.
Questions answered. Answered questions.
Where can I get mental health assistance on campus? Looking for support with mental health issues? While not a complete list, below are a number of support lines and offices to contact. For more info on mental health on campus, see PG 4. Good2Talk (Ontario’s Postsecondary Student Helpline) 1-866-925-5454
OISE psycho-educational department 416-978-0620
Family Services 416-595-9618
Centre for Training in Psychotherapy 416-946-3690
Medical Centre for Person-Centred Psychotherapy (Covered by OHIP) 1-888-229-8088
Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) 416-978-8070
Gerstein Crisis Line 416-929-5200
The U of T Social Work School 416-946-5117
Toronto Distress Centres 416-408-4357
Telehealth Ontario 1-866-797-0000
RICHARD FLORIDA @RICHARD_FLORIDA “University of Toronto students desperate for scarce seats in fully booked classrooms are offering cash ...” http://marginalrevolution.com/ marginalrevolution/2013/09/marketsin-everything-43.html … — Sunday, September 22
FARABI SHIREEN @FSHIREEN don’t you hate it when someone is sitting at your favourite table in the library #UofTProblems — Saturday, September 21
BIANCA ESTRELA @BIANCAXESTRELA It is way too early in the year to be cooped up in robarts working on an assignment #UofTproblems — Friday, September 20
MITRA FAKHRASHRAFI @FAKHMITRA “...but I can cuddle with my high GPA” #uoftproblems — Wednesday, September 18
NATASHA @NATASHABASIR When you can’t cross the road because they are filming Suits in front of your class #uoftproblems —Wednesday, September 18
SIM SAND @SIM_SAND “i love sprinting from con hall to vic college in less than 10 minutes” said no one ever — Wednesday, September 18
TAYLOR STINSON @ONLY20SOMETHING Wait lists have officially dropped at #UofT..time to swoop in and get my 1st choice! #Muahaha — Monday, September 16
VARSITY NEWS
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
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Rooming houses in Scarborough provide inexpensive, illegal, places for students to live Growing student population, lack of residences and nearby housing leave students with few options Jerico Espinas
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Jessica Wang, Meera Mahendran, and Kumarasamy Kunanayaham were charged with operating an illegal rooming house near the utsc campus in February. The three appeared in court on September 6. Their rooming house, located at 1280 Military Trail, was a specially renovated, 3,000 square-foot home that contained 12 bedrooms, two kitchens, and six bathrooms. Eleven students were found living there when it was officially shut down by Scarborough’s Municipal Licensing and Standards division. GROWING STUDENT POPULATION With less than 800 students living on-campus, but more than 10,000 taking classes, utsc’s student population is dominated by commuters. Few apartment-style buildings near utsc means that the majority of commuters have to live far from campus. The lack of options makes illegal rooming houses an appealing last resort for students who want cheap, nearby housing. The problem of available housing will only worsen as the campus proceeds to increase its student body. Guled Arale, the Scarborough Campus Student Union’s vice-president external, said that the campus has grown “considerably” in the past couple of years. He explained that a new residence tower was being planned, but since the plans are “years down the road, there is a definite lack of op-
tions for our current students.” Arale admits that the creation of new residences will not be enough to stop illegal rooming houses. “It will be one way to address the problem, but there needs to be multiple things done, such as educating students and homeowners.” Locals have complained about the state of Military Trail, and how the quality of the neighbourhood has decreased as more students began living around utsc. “Some people think that the neighbourhood is changing too much, too fast,” explains Arale. However, he believes that students also have a right to complain, stating that “many students are being taken advantage of” by those who want to profit from rooming houses. To Arale, educating both students and homeowners about their “rights and expectations” is a necessary part of the solution. “The university needs to create cooperative links with the community to address these concerns.” ILLEGAL BUT INEXPENSIVE Under Chapter 285 of the Toronto Municipal Code, rooming houses are illegal in Scarborough and North York. In the 1998 amalgamation, East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the former City of Toronto merged to form the current City of Toronto. The merger was not smooth, and the irregularities of Toronto’s rooming house laws are just a part of its problematic legacy. Many students have chosen to live in the renovated bungalows and townhouses that line Military Trail,
despite their illegal status. “Some students choose to do it because the price is right, and the accommodations are acceptable to their needs,” said Michelle Verbrugghe, director of the Student Housing and Residence Life Office. Although the conditions are enough for a student to live by, they have received very poor reviews from ex-boarders. “Compare them to the residences. We have a high duty of care, we have our own maintenance staff, and we’re very responsive.” The office also helps students find off-campus housing, so Verbrugghe knows first-hand the troubles that students face when it comes to house-hunting firsthand. She wishes there were more options and different types of housing for students. STUDENT REACTION VARIES Some students are against the illegal status of rooming houses in Scarborough, and believe regulation to be a better option. “There’s clearly a market for cheap student housing, so why not capitalize on it?” said Henry Li, a third-year biology student. “That’s much better than cracking down on students who just want an affordable room.” He admits that the quality of life for those students who live in rooming houses is probably lower than their on-campus peers. Despite these concerns, he stressed that “these are the sacrifices we have to make for our degrees.” Other students believe that rooming houses are illegal for a reason, and support the current law. “I know housing is necessary,” said
NaNcy JI/THe VarsITy
Jen Wang, a first-year science student. “However, students should not sacrifice safety for a mere roof over their heads.” She heard that the landlords got rid of the fire alarms and CO2 detectors to evade inspections. “That is not only unsafe — that is simply dangerous.” Wang said that rooming houses might be a good option for students, but only if the houses are tightly regulated to prevent accidents. Some, however, are unsympathetic to the problems of utsc’s
students. Aaron Perera, a thirdyear physiology student at the St. George campus, has to commute over an hour to get to U of T’s downtown campus from Ajax. “Between the buses, the GO, and the subway, I’m spent.” He stresses that the problem of commuting is not unique to Scarborough, and that sometimes it is necessary to choose far off-campus housing if it means saving money. “It’s a bit unfair, but it’s not enough to change the law just for us.”
Student Societies Summit scheduled for October 7 Theodore Yan & Ruhi Kiflen VARSITY STAFF
The upcoming Student Societies Summit is causing increased tension among the parties concerned. Student representatives, including the heads of student government from each college and the Engineering Society (EngSoc), have been invited to discuss referenda by the Trinity College Meeting (tcm), Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (vusac), and EngSoc, among other topics. The referenda called for the diversion of student fees, currently being paid to utsu, to their respective student societies. The utsu considers the referenda illegitimate. Announced on September 12, the summit will bring together representatives from over 20 student groups, as well as those from the faculty and administration. Student leaders have expressed varying degrees of confidence in the summit’s potential. utsu president Munib Sajjad is concerned about those student groups who were not invited to attend, including clubs who would be directly affected by fee diversion,
and campus-wide unions such as the Association of Part Time Undergraduate Students’ Union. Although those groups will have the opportunity to make written submissions, Sajjad feels their absence will have a real impact: “Statements only go so far” he said, adding: “I feel there’s real value in having everyone in the room.” Of those student groups who will have an in-person presence on October 7, many remain skeptical of the summit’s ability to affect change. Mauricio Curbelo, president of EngSoc, holds the same position he has held since the referendum: he wants the utsu fees diverted. Among numerous complaints, Curbelo is concerned about the significant cost that the utsu maintains by having a salaried staff. “Engineering students made their wish clear in our referendum,” he said, “They would rather have services and representation provided by a more local organization that doesn’t spend 50 per cent of its budget on salaries — one that is made up of actual students who understand what their life is like, rather than paid staffers and lifetime professional activists.” Ashkan Azimi, President of New College Student Council (ncsc), on
the other hand, finds the notion of college governments wanting to take on the utsu’s job problematic. He understands the concerns of the various student societies who want to defederate due to endemic complaints about the union. However, he points out that utsu staff are full-time employees who have copious resources at their disposal. It would be misguided, he argues, for any organization to try to take on the union’s responsibilities without an analogous infrastructure. “utsu is composed of many fulltime employees, as well as a slew of volunteers,” he says. “They have all these resources at their disposal, and for these student societies, such as the ncsc, for us to want to tackle such tasks without having that administrative and financial backbone is very naive to me.” At least some of the defederating colleges do not seem to have a clear idea of what sort of changes they would effect if the utsu’s funds were redirected to them. “What we have decided to do is to take this year as a reflection and planning period,” said Meadow when asked what vusac’s policy plans are in the event that defederation is approved. “Those sorts of questions are going
to be asked over the course of the year,” said Meadow, adding that he would submit any final plan to the students of Victoria College at the end of this year. Trinity and the EngSoc have more definite plans for this year. The EngSoc compiled a comprehensive report detailing the utsu’s services and explaining for each one either how the EngSoc could provide it or why it is unnecessary. The document is similar to one prepared at Trinity. It revolves mainly around the contention that defederation could save engineering students the fees currently being paid to the utsu’s salaried employees, as EngSoc is staffed entirely by student volunteers. Benjamin Crase, co-head of Trinity College, agrees. “Trinity students understand that they see a terrible return for the fees they pay the utsu,” he said. “Since the majority of student fees go towards paying their salaries and overhead costs, such dissatisfaction is not surprising. At Trinity, we believe that student volunteers, who have a vested interest in their fellow students, should run our student government.” Some student governments have taken a decidedly ambivalent stance
on the issue. The St. Michael’s College Student Union, (smcsu), for instance, has weighed the potential advantages and disadvantages of diverting fees from the utsu. Alex Zappone, president of the smcsu, acknowledges that some criticisms of the union may be valid. “I can say on behalf of smcsu, most bodies would of course have issues with the utsu, but are largely concerned with developing St. Mike’s and haven’t spend too much time on it,” he says. He added that he is curious to see what the results of the summit will be, and that while St. Mike’s has considered fee diversion, no final decision, one way or the other, has been made. Professor Joe Desloges, who will serve as Chair of the summit, expressed hope that all parties will enter discussions with an open mind, willing to seek a possible middle ground. However, the issue of whether or not paid staff are a wasted expense or a necessary resource for providing student services seems to be one on which student leaders disagree. The first meeting of the Summit will take place on October 7 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in Simcoe Hall in the Governing Council chambers.
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Vol. CXXXIV, No. 4
VARSITY NEWS
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Co-Curricular Record met with cautious optimism James Flynn
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
On September 10, the University of Toronto launched the Co-Curricular Record (ccr), a project designed to facilitate tracking and recognition for extra-curricular involvement. The ccr is an initiative that recognizes the extra-curricular involvement of undergraduate and graduate students by recording that involvement in an official document, similar to an academic transcript, that lists the students’ position and skills gained. It also lets students search for potential activities on an online database, applying filters to their search such as time of day and area of interest. The ccr emerged in response to a recommendation by the University of Toronto’s Council on Student Experience, a forum established by the vice-provost, students, in 2006 to improve student experience at the university. In the report, the council addressed student concerns over engagement and overall satisfaction with student life: ultimately recommending the implementation of a Co-Curricular Record.
Office of Counselling and Psychological Services. Michael chaley/The VarsiTy
Long waitlists and overworked staff: the state of mental health at U of T GSU working with administration to improve system Laura Sanchez
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Being a U of T student can be extremely stressful: endless readings, difficult tests, and the pressure of that seemingly omnipresent question: what’s next? Many stressed students seek support from the Counselling and Psychological Services (caps) office. caps, which is housed in the Koffler Student Services Centre, attempts to provide students with adequate resources to overcome mental health problems and successfully pursue their academic goals. Services include one-on-one counselling sessions, as well as group workshops that deal with topics like stress and time management. Their effectiveness, however, has been consistently criticized by student leaders, particularly due to long wait times for students. “A major concern with caps is the sheer number of folks that need to utilize the services. They are in waiting lists forever, and when they need that service, they need it promptly. That is simply not happening now,” claims Brad Evoy, internal commissioner of the Graduate Students’ Union (gsu). Janine Robb, executive director of Health and Wellness Services at U of T, cited underfunding and “wasted appointments” as contributors to the delays. “We get students who make appointments and then don’t show up. Then we don’t have an opportunity to fill it in.” Demand for mental help has increased as campaigns advocating destigamization of mental health have become more widespread across Canada and internationally. Next month, for example, U of T will be hosting a
variety of workshops as part of mental health awareness month. In addition, Blue Space and Green Dot are permanent campaigns which aim to destigmatize mental distress and sexual assault respectively, while promoting an openly communicative atmosphere. Still, U of T psychology professor John Vervaeke says that “There is such a stigmatization [around mental health]. We tend to give people the benefit of the doubt if there is a physical illness but there is a lot more suspicion surrounding mental issues, and a lot more resistance to accepting it.” The intangible nature of mental distress, uncharacteristic of physical illness, is a major contributor to caps’ lack of accessibility. For example, to discern the student’s needs, a screening session via phone is necessary before counselling can take place. “There are two groups of people: the student who doesn’t have a mental health issue and is overwhelmed, and then there’s the student who does,” says Robb. “Everybody has this idea that their emotional experience needs to have an individual counselling session, and that’s not always the case.” In some cases, those who end up receiving counselling need to wait a long time in between sessions and are unsatisfied with their services. Melissa Beauregard, former head of arts at Trinity College, cited these as the main reasons for not referring her students to caps. Instead, she led them to their dean of students, an alternative for undergraduates seeking help. Beauregard described the administration as “incredibly supportive.” A student suffering from schizophrenia, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed similar sentiments: “In my case, there was a
willingness to modify the curriculum and allow me to complete the course... U of T will find ways to still assist you in completing your year.” After disclosing his illness to professors, he found support and an openness to discuss his illness through academic work. “School fostered an environment where I could selfanalyze and develop myself...it has been a maturing and healing process,” he says. While mental health training for faculty is not currently mandatory at the university, it is something Robb hopes “will get traction” as more attention is brought to these issues. But while some students’ perspective on caps remains bleak, the prospect for change does not. The gsu is taking proactive steps by forming a mental health committee that will work with the administration to mitigate these accessibility issues. “I’m very optimistic … so far we’ve had a positive response from Health and Wellness, who are willing to work closely with us to improve the system,” said Evoy Robb listed the creation and expansion of various venues for students to get help, such as a drop-in counselling program at Hart House and New College, a student-run peer substance abuse program in New College, and a positive psychology workshop starting in January. In addition, there is an active effort to build strong partnerships at camh, so that students in need of extensive care “receive it at the right time and for the right amount.” As for the criticisms, Robb says: “I could hire more counsellors, but I would still have a wait list because there will always be more [students needing help]. We need to promote health. Rather than being reactive, let’s be proactive.”
“The purpose of the CCR is acknowledging that there is significant learning and development that can occur through engagement in cocurricular activities.” —Kimberly Elias Program Coordinator of the CCR Organizers of the ccr believe it will allow students to present skills gained through extracurricular involvement to graduate schools, scholarship committees, and employers. According to Kimberly Elias, program coordinator of the ccr: “The purpose of the ccr is acknowledging that there is significant learning and development that can occur through engagement in co-curricular activities. With this, through research, we know that co-curricular engagement can positively impact a student’s experience and success.” At the moment, Elias continued, there are 37 universities or colleges across Canada with similar programs already in place, including the University of Calgary, Carleton University, and Seneca College. In practice, these programs are very similar to the ccr. However, none of the other programs have been implemented on such a large scale. In response to this unique challenge, the ccr is decentralized, with each individual unit hosting a “Local Evaluation Committee” that is responsible for assessing submissions in that unit. Walied Khogali, executive director of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union, feels that, overall, the ccr is a step in the right direction. However, Khogali expressed concern over who will recognize and validate student activities. Shawn Tian, president of the Arts & Science Students’ Union, agrees, saying the ccr “takes the burden off for students since it reflects verified and legitimate activities outside of the classroom.” However, like Khogali, Tian expressed concern over the process for verifying involvement. At this point, it is unclear how, and to whom, students will present verification of their involvement. All agree that the ccr’s success, or lack thereof, will be reliant on student participation. “We know that there are so many great opportunities across our three campuses and a great number of local units,” said Elias, “Student input on what activities are out there will really help in identifying those opportunities so that we can build up the database.”
VARSITY NEWS
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
5
Hart House student groups object to cost-cutting measures Warden Bruce Kidd presented balanced budget this year, despite rejection of student fee increase last February Sarah Niedoba
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Hart House has finally eliminated a deficit of nearly $1 million. However, cuts caused by deficit reductions are adversely affecting student clubs. Last February, Hart House requested a 5.2 per cent fee increase from the Council on Student Services (coss), which regulates increases to student fees. The utsu led coss, which is dominated by student representatives, to reject the fee increase. They cited concerns that students were already responsible for paying a significant amount of Hart House funding. Earlier last year, Hart House programming was cut by 18 per cent, causing the many student groups that Hart House supports to tighten their budgets. Last year, Bruce Kidd, warden of Hart House, told The Varsity that he hoped to increase the use of Hart House by outside parties, as a means to raise revenue. He said that this would not heavily influence student groups who need to book space, and that outside parties tend to book space several months in advance, whereas student groups tend to book only a few weeks in advance. Thus their booking timelines do not interfere with one another. Kidd stated: “While Hart House had to struggle with a planned deficit in 2012-2013, through cost trim-
The Hart House quadrangle. File Photo/the Varsity
ming, aggressive revenue generation, and the good fortune of a milder winter (that significantly reduced heating costs), we managed to bring the financial year to a close without a deficit. We have a balanced budget planned for the current (2013-2014) fiscal year.” Despite Kidd’s assurances, some student leaders say that there were definitely changes that made running their programming significantly more difficult than it had been in the past. The booking of space, which was in part dedicated to non-student groups, made the usual procedures of student clubs much more difficult
than they normally would be. A major change made during the past year was that all musical clubs at Hart House were asked to move their meetings to Monday evenings. There are six musical groups currently operating out of Hart House, meaning that it is now almost impossible for a student to be involved in more than one. Elizabeth Laushway, executive secretary of the Hart House Chorus, spoke with The Varsity stating, “The decision to move all of the musical groups to Mondays was made so that they would have more room to book external events on other nights, and it’s made Hart House less accessible, since people now have to
choose between the half a dozen musical groups we have and, realistically, only commit to one.” Laushway feels that this kind of rescheduling of student groups to accommodate outside parties is unfair to students, who should be prioritized. “I’ve known people who are musically inclined in more than one way and who have had to choose between between say the Jazz Choir and the Hart House Chorus,” she said. Karthy Chin, member of the Literary and Library Committee didn’t find that her committee was affected by the cuts instituted last year, as most of their events are held within the Hart House Library, a space dedicated to their use. “It was a real problem for other clubs who needed to book space though,” noted Chin, “only certain rooms could be booked on certain dates and there were a lot of problems getting the space that was needed.” Kidd explained that funds had to be diverted to pay for the upkeep of Hart House itself. He went on to say that the building is in desperate need of maintenance work, with the existing heating, wiring, and plumbing dating back 100 years. Hart House commissioned a team led by Baird Samson Neuert to conduct a study and will advise on how to renew the infrastructure of the historic building in a green and sustainable fashion. Kidd stated that once the plans have been finalized, a major fundraising campaign will be launched that
will hopefully cover the cost of the necessary maintenance. Louis Tsilivis, secretary of the Hart House Debate Committee, feels that more can be done to support the student groups at Hart House, but that the fault for lack of funding fell not with Kidd, but the utsu’s February decision not to increase Hart House’s budget. “Clubs and committees at Hart House are really feeling the strain of the utsu’s decision not to increase the ancillary fee, as Hart House requested. Warden Kidd has been doing a laudable job of trying to manage the difficult position that he has been put in, and trying to ensure that student programming is not affected adversely by this,” said Tsilivis. Munib Sajjad, president of the utsu, took issue with Tsilivis’ characterization, expressing surprise at being the only union targeted: “Both the Graduate Students’ Union and the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students at the University of Toronto, the Scarborough Campus representative and the Mississauga Campus representative voted against increasing the fee” he said, adding that Hart House did receive a cost of living fee increase last year. Ultimately, Sajjad said: “We believe that Hart House does wonderful work creating community on campus and work well with Hart House throughout the year on numerous initiatives.”
Friends of Kensington raised over $23,000 to study impact of Walmart Ongoing $120,000 fundraising campaign is designed to combat RioCan’s appeal challenging oneyear freeze on development Aisha Hassan
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
The battle between RioCan and the Kensington Market community over plans for a new retail complex in the area continues, with RioCan appealing to the Ontario Municipal Board (omb) against the one-year construction freeze imposed by City Council. In May, RioCan revealed plans to build a three-storey retail complex on the corner of Bathurst Street and Nassau Street, located on the edge of Kensington Market. The proposed building will include three levels, two of which will be occupied by Walmart, as well as an underground parking lot. RioCan’s proposal was immediately met with significant opposition from residents all over Toronto, most of which were specifically concerned with the negative impact a “big-box” retailer like Walmart would have on small businesses, residents, and the culture of the unique Toronto neighbourhood. Following the strong response from the community, city councillors Mike Layton and Adam Vaughan proposed an interim control bylaw on Bathurst Street, extending
from Dupont Street down to Queen Street West, on July 19. The control will prevent any new retail developments for one year. The proposal was passed by City Council, and as a result RioCan’s proposed retail complex has been put on hold as the city conducts studies of the area. However, RioCan announced earlier this week that they are appealing to the omb, which has the power to overturn City Council’s decision. Dominique Russell leads Friends of Kensington, a group dedicated to fighting the proposed development. She started a petition against RioCan’s proposal, which has gathered over 89,000 signatures. Russell characterized RioCan’s response to the by-law as not at all surprising: “RioCan’s appeal speaks so strongly that they just don’t care. They’ve said they’re listening and want to work with neighbours and businesses, but that has been proven to not be true,” she said. When it was announced that the area would be free from any retail developments for a year, many felt a sense of relief, she explains. “Some of our momentum was lost both over the summer and the assumption that it had been solved,” she explained. In July, Friends of Kensington started
an online crowdfunding campaign through Projexity, a website similar to Kickstarter. The project intends to use the money towards third-party traffic and market studies, as well as legal representation costs. “The crowdfunding was a response to the concern that if the city and the omb are relying entirely on Riocan’s evidence, then they are not necessarily going to get the most objective view.” Russell went on to explain, “Communities have a disadvantage, so the crowdfunding is to counterbalance the money that Riocan has to throw at this and get these studies done. We looked at the initial studies and they don’t correspond to the realities of people that live there.” The campaign aims to raise $120,000, and as of Sunday, it has fundraised over $23,000. For Russell, the next step is to keep the issue in the public eye in the hope that it will “roll out a really strong and unified message that all these different parts of the city are against this.” U of T students who reside in Kensington have also expressed their concerns regarding how a Walmart would impact the neighbourhood. Tom Mahoney, a fifth-year student who has lived in Kensington for two years, says, “Walmart is super-con-
A mural posted in Kensington Market, encouraging residents to express their concerns with the planned development. DeNis osiPoV/the Varsity
venient, which is a benefit; but in terms of what it means to the area, I think it’s a travesty…[Kensington Market] gives a cultural heart to the city.” Recent U of T graduate Nora Haroun, who lives in Kensington, expressed a similar view, saying that while Walmart is convenient, it diminishes the unique character of neighbourhoods where stores are built: “They create this kind of generic feel to the area which
you expect in every area they are located in.” While some students would prefer to preserve the characteristic neighbourhood over convenience, fourth-year student Mrinalini Dayal thinks otherwise, “Despite going to Kensington Market regularly for groceries and eating out, I still see the advantages of opening a Walmart nearby. As a student, convenience is the most important thing for me.”
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news@thevarsity.ca
Protesters call for increased funding of science research at Queen’s Park rally Rally part of nationwide effort to support open communication of scientific findings Iris Robin
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
“From small labs come big discoveries,” read a banner at the Stand Up For Science protest on September 16. Around 250 people gathered in Queen’s Park to rally against the cuts made to scientific research across Canada. In Ottawa, Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal and Queen’s Park, protestors simultaneously urged the federal government to make a greater commitment to science in the public interest by restoring science funding and supporting open communication of publicly-funded research. Many picket signs handed out at the event condemned the fact that 100 per cent of all new funding for Canada’s three granting councils in the 2013 federal budget is dedicated to research partnerships with industry.
Chris Austin, a master’s student studying biology at the University of Western Ontario, was one of 1,000 attendees at the Death of Evidence protest last year in Ottawa, which highlighted similar concerns. He was also at Queen’s Park on Monday: “These cuts are unacceptable. Canada used to be a leader in world research, and now it’s a joke,” he said. Canada is currently ranked seventh among the G8 countries in the percentage of its gdp spent on advanced research computing, and Austin is worried about the closure of field stations and research centres, such as the Experimental Lakes Area, a facility for ecosystem-scale experimental investigations and monitoring in northwestern Ontario. Evelyn Boychuk is also doing a master’s in biology at Western. “I’ve always been superpassionate about this,” the aspiring bio-journalist said. Boychuk highlighted the role of chance in scientific progress, noting that some
of the world’s greatest scientific discoveries came about entirely by chance. She fears that the cuts are “taking away that chance” and believes that “science isn’t a priority for the Conservative government.” Eva Everything, an environmental scientist, is especially concerned about the impact on availability of information about the effect of human behaviour on the environment. Everything pointed to a study by Fisheries and Oceans Canada research scientist Dr. Peter Ross as an example of the kind of information that would not be known without sufficient funding. The study found that killer whales had five times the toxicity level of beluga whales. Everything said she participated in the rally to encourage the government to “restore our science programs and fund research to pure science.” Speaking at the protest were Dr. Margrit Eichler, professor emerita and president of
Scientists for the Right to Know, and Brad Evoy, internal commissioner of the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union. Dr. Eichler hopes to see scientific funding become an election issue, calling science “the lifeblood of our future.” Evoy emphasized that “we’re not talking about a bad party; we’re talking about a policy.” The crowd also heard a statement from John Polanyi, the only living Canadian winner of the Nobel Prize. “[The benefits of science] will flow to your city, your country and the world. All three will thank you for ‘Standing Up For Science.’” After hearing the speakers, Evoy led the march down to Elm Street, before returning to Queen’s Park. Eichler’s closing speech thanked the protesters for “taking a stand,” and promised more rallies in the coming months.
Be it resolved, men are obsolete The Varsity takes to the streets to discover U of T students’ thoughts on latest Munk Debates topic Emma Compeau & Shafak Khanani VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
The bi-annual Munk Debates are a series of debates that invite distinguished individuals to come to Toronto and discuss a carefully selected major policy issue. Sponsored by the Aurea foundation (instituted by Peter Munk), the debates have grown to become internationally acclaimed as an outlet for great thinkers to present their informed opinions on pressing current topics. At each debate, a poll is taken of the audience before and after the event, and the winner is decided by the number of people in the audience who were persuaded to change viewpoints. The Munk Debates have historically featured male debaters — of 42 past speakers, only four have been female. After receiving much criticism from women’s rights activists regarding the lack of female representatives, Munk Debates not only invited a panel of four women to the table, but has made this year’s topic: “Be it resolved, men are obsolete.” The two pro debaters are arguing that women are becoming the standard by which success is being measured and that from a reproductive standpoint men are no longer necessary the way that women are. The two con debaters are arguing that treating men as the enemy is an ineffective form of feminism, and that nature is really to blame for male dominance. The topic itself has caused a recent stir in social media, with people voicing their opinions on both the panelists and the topic. The Varsity took to the streets to find out what U of T students think about the new topic:
Elena
Chanelle
Camille
“I side with con. It’s not right to say that men are obsolete, men are dominant by nature and that is the case. Women cannot solely run society; we need a balance of both women and men.”
“I think it’s great that to step up and have an all-female panel! I’m shocked that they didn’t have more women involved before.”
“I don’t think that the topic needs to be so extreme.”
Be it resolved, men are obsolete will take place on November 15 at Roy Thompson Hall between pro debaters Hanna Rosin and Maureen Dowd and con debaters Caitlin Moran and Camille Paglia.
Spasa
Rachel
Jesse
Do you have an opinion on The Munk Debates topic this year? Tweet us @thevarsity and share your thoughts!”
“Men cannot exist without women and women cannot exist without men. Munk Debates should give female activists a better argument.”
“It seems to me that Munk debates aren’t working to fix the problem of the lack of inclusion of women, but instead are drawing attention as to why they weren’t including them to begin with.”
“Obviously the debates should be including females. I’d like to see who’s running these debates — I’m assuming it’s white men. I think that this is a silly topic for any panelists, not just women.”
Fourth-year, International Relations
Second-year, Architecture
Fourth-Year, English & Linguistics
Fourth-Year, Political Science
Third-Year, Book & Media Studies
Fourth-Year, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
VARSITY NEWS
var.st/news FROM COVER taurant tell you how good the food is? It fails to take into account a whole range of issues, like the balance between intimate personal tutorials and large lectures, major variations in student-faculty ratios by subject area, and the data is exceptionally easy to manipulate depending on how you count your faculty,” he said. CO-DEPENDENT MEASURES CAN GENERATE A CATCH-22 The ratio of citations per faculty member accounts for 20 per cent of the overall score in qs, and 30 per cent of the overall score in the. This measure is meant to capture the influence of a university’s research output. Due to U of T’s high number of undergraduates, there is a large portion of faculty members whose primary activity is teaching, rather than research. At a Governing Council meeting in June, Naylor stated that the way U of T counts its faculty may put it in a Catch-22 situation. “If we don’t count all the faculty, we have a high student-faculty ratio, which is taken as a proxy for educational excellence in some of the ranking systems. If we count all of them, then publications per faculty member fall dramatically, and we lose again,” Naylor said. Sowter stated that qs is aware of this situation, and expressed that there is an ongoing effort to refine the system’s data collection approach. However, he stated that there are significant limitations in the availability of data that are specific enough to properly refine this metric, especially in developing countries. Baty stated that this scenario is another reason that the the system does not heavily weight student-faculty ratio, and emphasized the importance of a balanced range of indicators. CONCERNS ABOUT CANADA’S EGALITARIAN FUNDING MODEL Baty foreshadowed a future drop in rankings for Canadian universities, citing an overly egalitarian approach to funding as the main factor. He claims that while the Canadian government generally allocates funding to universities equally, other countries have been investing heavily into specific universities in order to gain a competitive edge in rankings. Naylor echoed Baty’s concerns in his presentation about university rankings to the Governing Council in June. He argued that investing into research flagship institutions is critical for catalyzing research and innovation, as well as for attracting both domestic and international talent. “All over the world, you see strategic investments being made by other jurisdictions to ensure that they have a set of institutions that are in that category. So far,
what’s been happening in Canada is not aligned in any way, shape, or form in that direction,” he said. For example, Naylor stated that U of T loses millions of dollars each year by paying for the cost of housing federal research grants. He argued that the federal government does not account for these costs, and that the resulting financial deficit negatively affects undergraduate educational quality. “While it’s fantastic that qs says we’re 17th in the world, and we can all have a little brief victory dance about that, or not, depending on our frame of reference, we are still swimming against the tide in this country. And frankly, it’s shameful,” he said. Sowter countered these views. “With Canada’s population spread over such a vast area, it would seem counter-intuitive to put all the focus on one or two universities”, he said. “From the standpoint of our ranking, Canada looks highly competitive and appears to be holding its ground much more robustly than the us. So I suppose I’ll have to disagree, it seems like Canada has a funding model that works for Canada.” He added that the achievements of universities are not solely a product of the efforts of the universities themselves, but also of their academic, economic, and social environments. RANKINGS AND UNIVERSITY FUNDING PRIORITIES Baty elaborated on the importance of university rankings in a broader context. He stressed that the rankings provide useful data for both universities and governments. “They are trusted by governments as a national geo-political indicator, and are also used by university managers to help set strategy. The data can help them [universities] better understand where they are falling short, and could influence strategic decisions,” he said. Sowter argued that ranking results should only be used in conjunction with other metrics to provide a comprehensive scope of where a university stands, and where it needs to go. He also stressed that university rankings should not bear heavy weight on university policy. “I hope they change nothing based on rankings. At least not in isolation. Universities need to remain true to their reason for being and not subvert their identity or mission priorities in pursuit of a ranking,” he said. Naylor addressed this by emphasizing that high rankings are a product of effective administration, not the other way around. “We’re on an academic mission, and the rankings are a happy side effect of trying to stay on mission. To actually change a program or an academic decision to deal with a ranking seems incomprehensible to me. If someone’s doing it, they’re either extremely rich as an institution, or very silly,” he said. With files from The McGill Tribune.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
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How the systems weigh criteria (percentile weight)
QS Academic reputation 40%
Citation per faculty 20%
Employer reputation 10%
International faculty ratio 5%
Student-to-faculty ratio 20%
International student ratio 5%
THE
U of T’s Academic ranking over the years
THE vs. QS
International outlook: people, research 7.5% Research: volume, income, reputation 30% Citations: research influence 30% Industry income: innovation 2.5% Teaching: the learning environment 30%
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Vol. CXXXIV, No. 4
news@thevarsity.ca
Over 3,000 signatures collected to hold referendum on leaving CFS, say graduate student organizers Referendum, if approved by CFS executive, will take place in March 2014 Jelena Djuric
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Student activists at the Graduate Students’ Union (gsu) have collected over 3,000 signatures requesting that the Canadian Federation of Students Ontario (cfs-o) hold a referendum on decertification this March, according to petition leader Ashleigh Ingle. On the morning of September 19, a petition asking the cfs-o to hold the referendum was received at the federation’s offices. According to a receipt provided to The Varsity, the package was signed for at 11:53 am by Ashkon Hashemi. Ashleigh Ingle, a former gsu executive, mailed the provincial petition and is calling for a decertification vote that is expected to take place March 2014. According to cfs-o bylaws, the petitions had to be received by the provincial office by September 24. Another petition must be sent separately to the cfs’ national office, where it must be received before the next national Annual General Meeting. Ingle, a graduate student at U of T who has been spearheading the petition drive, stated that the petition has surpassed the 20 per cent threshold required to trigger a referendum this year. This includes the signatures of over 3,000 gsu members.“There has been a huge amount of support from gsu members in response to this petition,” says Ingle, “This is the largest mandate provided by this membership to date, so the message is clear.” Ingle is working with student organizers across Canada, who are engaged with similar movements to leave the cfs. Brendan Lehman, a graduate student leading the effort at Lauren-
The Graduate Students’ union building. FILE PHOTO/THE VArsITy
tian, said he had also sent a petition to cfs-o via Canada Post. “Many were shocked at how out of touch the cfs is, considering the amount they pay them every year. Personally, I am optimistic about eventual decertification,” he said. Alastair Woods, chairperson of cfs-o confirmed that the package from Ingle had been received but stated that, to his knowledge, Lehman’s package had not. According to the cfs bylaws, after a petition is re-
ceived there is a period of validation where it is confirmed that it meets the specified 20 per cent threshold. At this point, the national executive is presented with the petition and is responsible for striking a committee to set a date for the referendum. The chief returning officer, appointed by the cfs, is responsible for executing the vote. According to Ingle, 15 student unions are organizing to leave the
cfs. Brent Farrington, cfs internal coordinator, cast doubt on that claim, stating that: “The people who are making the allegations are still not saying where this is alleged to be happening.” Unconfirmed reports from Laurentian allege that Anna Goldfinch, national executive representative of cfs-o, as well as other cfs executives, were present at Laurentian this week to work against decertification efforts. On allegations of counter-campaigns
by the cfs, Farrington would only say: “The national executive does not have a motive to discuss these things until we have received an initiative from the membership.” In the coming months students will be engaged in conversation on the type of organization they would prefer to participate in, says Ingle, “We’ve followed the bylaws, we’ve collected the thousands of signatures, and it’s time for the cfs to allow democracy to occur.”
News in brief Huron-Wendat remains buried after over 50 years in storage at U of T
Students selling course spots for cash
Suspects in violent Harbord street home invasion identified
After a seven-year battle with the University of Toronto, members of the Huron-Wendat Nation buried bones of their ancestors in Vaughan last Saturday. The bones were unearthed in the late 1960s during an archaeological dig, and had been studied at U of T before being placed in storage for the last few decades. It was important to the Huron-Wendat for the 1,760 bones to be returned to the earth as they believe that the souls reside in the bones and are therefore sacred. U of T has been in negotiations with the Nation for seven years. Although at times the negotiations were testy, both sides were very positive at the time of the burial. Konrad Sioui, grand chief of the Huron-Wendat Nation said: “We could be blaming . . . we could be angry, but we will not be.” David Naylor, president of the U of T echoed the sentiment, describing the day as emotional and the result of close collaboration and hard work over many years. — Monica Dairo
With the removal of course waitlists on September 15, some U of T students are offering cash to those willing to give up their prefered spots in coveted classes. Students have taken to Facebook and other social media sites as a marketplace to get into their class, with bids ranging from $20 to as much as $100 for humanities, social science, and science courses. Students frustrated with the “free-for-all” nature of ROSI, the course registration system, point to other reports of seat selling in previous years, as well as the absence of rules against the practice. Glenn Loney, assistant dean and registrar of the Faculty of Arts and Science stressed that the university is doing its best with the limited resources available to get as many students as possible into their desired course. — Anthony Marchese
Toronto Police have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for Jennifer Mulumba, 27, a woman alleged to have taken part in a home invasion at 184 Harbord Street on July 30. Said Egal, 19, who allegedly joined her, has been charged with two counts of robbery, using a dangerous weapon, and having property obtained by crime. Toronto Police are still searching for information on Mulumba. It is alleged that Egal and Mulumba gained access to the apartment on Harbord Street around 10 p.m. A knife from the kitchen was used to threaten the occupants into turning over their wallets. Another person, who came to investigate the disturbance, was also assaulted before the suspects fled the scene. Twenty minutes after the robbery, the victim’s credit card was used to purchase $2,000 worth of merchandise from a store on Queen Street. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-7350. — Trevor Koroll
With files from The Toronto Star
With files from The Toronto Star
With files from The National Post
NEXT WEEK IN COMMENT
VAR.ST/COMMENT 23 SEPTEMBER 2013 comment@thevarsity.ca
"The Question": State Secularism and the Quebec Charter of Values var.st/comment
CFS does not work for students Should U of T student groups defederate from the CFS? Olivia Forsyth-Sells
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
The ongoing campaign by some members of various cfs locals to decertify from the federation has recently received considerable attention. The cfs, or Canadian Federation of Students, presents itself as a nationwide body that provides a platform for student groups to have their collective voices heard on a national scale. However, there have been ongoing issues with the body that are now finally coming to a head. The basic concept of the federation is a positive and desirable one. However, given the obvious geographical and cultural challenges of accounting for the needs of all Canadian students, as well as its lack of financial transparency, local groups are certainly wise to defederate and move towards a more efficient system. After reading a number of articles related to the issue, the most pertinent issue raised was the lack of information given by the cfs in regards to its salaries. Brandon Clim, a money blogger, has published the cfs' budget for 2014. Yet again, despite numerous campaigns, salaries are not accounted for. Given that the cfs is supported by student fees, to a total of over $4 million in 2012, financial transparency ought to be the primary concern. Along with the obvious financial issues, it is also impossible to assume that every campus across the country could possibly be accounted for on a national scale. The cfs represents around 80 universities across the country, but
almost half are located in Ontario. With little representation from the prairies and the East Coast, it is inevitably unequal, opening the debate as to the extent that non-Ontario schools are represented. In fact, the cfs is so far removed from the daily routines of student groups that they were “shocked” when informed that decertification petition drives had been launched for many of their local affiliates. In the process of decertification alone, the almost absurd amount of associated bureaucracy proves the inefficiency of the entire system. It seems as though the mere act of certifying, decertifying, and making change within the system through alternative, less aggressive measures places the entire political structure in peril. The cost of lawsuits was also absent from the published budget. If the cfs is spending more time defending it's presence than providing a presence at all, it is a redundant system, which ought to be removed from the political framework. The cfs holds that the potential loss of 15 local groups across the country would weaken the overall message and tarnish the institution. But it seems, given the uproar, a lack of transparency and failure to equally represent Canadian universities has not justified the cfs in its collection of annual tuition fees. Unless a major overhaul is enacted, the cfs ought to be replaced with a more efficient system that can represent students’ needs more effectively. Olivia Forsyth-Sells is studying English and philosophy.
The critical divide Analyzing the role of entertainment critics Breen Wilkinson
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
When it works, the entertainment business can boast some of the most impressive profit margins that exist in today’s economy. That is not to say however, that movies are not a risky investment. Just ask the studio executives at Walt Disney, who were forced to report losses upwards of $80 million in a single quarter due to the now infamous box office flop John Carter, which cost over $200 million to make. A good part of the reason why this film lost so much money was the poor critical response it received prior to its release. Despite Disney’s multi-million dollar marketing campaign, the film could not garner box office success. The case of John Carter and its substantial financial loss bring to light the importance of the film critic to the movie industry. More than
anything, it is the structure of the industry that lends film critics their significance. There are studios who initially invest in the movie product, production teams that create it, and marketers who promote a film’s release. Finally, there are the bystanders who stand to gain by predicting the success or failure of ventures within this particular market. The film critic falls into this broad category, and that is a problem. Before going any further, let me be clear that I do not equate critics with financial shareholders. Critics do not stand to make massive profits at the loss or success of any given movie or book. What remains, however, is the fact that critics do consider what makes their own product profitable. There is no question that critiques are informed opinions that we may enjoy reading, while simultaneously reveling in agreement or disagreement with the particular judgment the piece provides. Nevertheless,
they are informed opinions with a purpose: to tell you whether a certain piece of entertainment is worth your time and money. In this sense, the critic must shape their review around not only their subjective opinion, but also how they believe audiences at large will receive the film. One should hardly expect a reviewer to attain any readership and subsequent success if they are always panning every film against the attitudes of most moviegoers. Hence, the successful film critic is able to predict what they believe most people will think of a given film. The confidence or predictive power that a film critic must have in the movie marketplace is troublesome. For one thing, it encourages a double standard that critics increasingly maintain. Take, for example, the type of movie that predominated at the recent Toronto International Film Festival. A universal characteristic of all of these films is that they
are artistically inclined and more earnest than your average blockbuster. Accordingly, the audiences for these films are usually more culturally sophisticated. As a result of all this, the reviews we see for these films are almost laughably "highbrow," dotted with various mystical cinematic terms. Yet the exact same critics will hold non-artistic but potential blockbuster films to such low standards as to call them a “whirlwind of fun” or a “joy ride." Now this double standard is, in one sense, perfectly warranted. If you want to see an intelligent, artistic film, then you will read an equally learned review. In contrast, if you just want to see a movie purely for the entertainment factor, then a simple review is probably preferred. But being able to find a professional review that actually caters to your outlook is becoming increasingly difficult. Suddenly, everyone can share and publicize their opinion and/or review on a piece of
entertainment. In many cases, these reviewers are perceived to be more personable and credible. To cement their market value, refined, experienced, and — most of all — professional reviewers must take steps to ensure a clear distinction between their reviews and the fare found on the Internet. It stands to reason that professional criticism has become even more valued and influential, as public commentary has grown through social media to become the equivalent of “phone a friend." As an upshot, the uniformly high standard of film critics does not bode well for films that look to purely entertain. Maybe many of the movies that we are passing up today are worth seeing. It just depends on how much value we place on the critic's opinion. Breen Wilkinson is a second-year student studying English, history and American studies.
10 Vol. CXXXIV, No. 4
VARSITY COMMENT
comment@thevarsity.ca
Exclusive discourse
How do you create a safe campus for all students when marginalization is latent everywhere?
Noor Baig
MSA EXECUTIVE The University of Toronto is situated in what is arguably the most diverse city in the world, and nearly all accounts of the institution take that into consideration. We have international students from all over the globe, and domestic students also bring an array of experiences and identities with them. A look at the students squelching across a wet Front Campus affirms the narratives we hear about a diverse, inclusionary university. I’m tired of hearing this visible diversity used as a defense of some great progress that we have achieved, to defer conversations on the urgency of promoting equity. This is not because I do not want to acknowledge the presence of a variety of experiences among our students, or the successes various people have enjoyed. It is that the context I hear this in is so often a sort of rebuttal, when students start talking about problems marginalized communities still face, like Islamophobia in our classrooms, and racism embedded in the way we approach our curriculum. There’s a romanticization of the concept of "progress," of moving forward with a society that has slowly realized its mistakes and an institution that has looked to further its academic merit by benefitting from intelligent minds, regardless of other aspects of their identities, I hear that I am being "too critical," or not appreciating the work that has been done so far.
Should I really be appreciative that I can now take classes and attend events at Hart House along with other female students? That implies an acceptance that things are slowly getting better, rather than a critique of how exclusionary our setup has been from the start. It also obscures the immense work that students and student communities put into creating an equitable institution. There is a need to openly acknowledge that the university’s structures are based on exclusion. From the systematic exclusion of women at Hart House to the continuing financial barriers to education, these things abound in the institution’s history and present. But what sneaks through with so little recognition are the constant validation of dominant perspectives and a refusal to acknowledge a Western, Euro-centric outlook that privileges certain types of thought and discourse. This is not an inclusive discourse. The innumerable times I have heard a professor mention something either offensive or just grossly inaccurate about Islam or Muslims in the four years I have been attending lectures serves mainly to remind me what my role as a Muslim on campus has to be. I have a responsibility to highlight the adverse impact this has on both Muslim students who feel marginalized by such rhetoric and those who may unconsciously pick up on these damaging nuances. There are projects happening on campus to incorporate gender-neutral washrooms, assess physical accessibility, and expand multi-faith spaces for students to pray or meditate. But
changes in perspectives of the professors who stand before hundreds, or at times thousands, of students are slow to come. Regular equity and antioppression sessions are deemed too difficult to enforce. Euro-centrism is defended and justified by noting that we exist in the West, and mentioning critical studies programs that employ different approaches. We are told there is space for debate and dialogue, but students are left to create those spaces themselves. Students and student groups like the Muslim Students’ Association were at the forefront of allowing women access to Hart House. It is knowledge
and experience that students of various identities need to push for more change. Larger and more established student groups have enough organizational history and knowledge of resources to find ways to approach administration for change, but the average student, disconnected from communities on campus (and let’s face it, many students don’t get or take the opportunity to get involved) is left with little to fall back on. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education professor George Dei, whose work is on anti-racism in education, often remarks that “any community is as good as we collectively work to make
it.” More concerted support from the university is essential to creating ways to address what prevents all students from engaging in the academic realm free of even subtle forms of oppression. The progress we have made should be looked to as a model, to learn from the work of those who came before us, not to make us complacent with what appears to some a comfortable status quo. Noor Baig is a final-year English and equity studies student and an executive on the Muslim Students’ Association. She has served as vice-president, equity with the University of Toronto Students’ Union.
Standing up for Idle No More Cultural exchange program sheds light on indigenous relations Benedict Darren VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Last February, after having been inundated with media coverage of the Idle No More movement, I came upon a cultural exchange program jointly offered by Canadian Roots Exchange and the Health Studies Student Union. The partnership sought to open dialogue about the realities of indigenous life in Canada and foster reconciliation between native and non-native Canadians. With a group of fellow youths from various backgrounds, I travelled to the Six Nations of the Grand River territory, a reserve of the Haudenosaunee people. Six Nations is fittingly named, with six different Haudenosaunee nations residing there. Under the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784, Six Nations was deeded a tract of land six miles on either side of the banks of the Grand River, from Lake Erie to its source. The approximately 950,000 acres of land was granted to Six Nations for its alliance with the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War. Now, Six Nations comprises of only 46,000 acres of land. We spoke one morning with two activists on the topic of indigenous peoples' sovereignty and land rights. They explained to us the
Demonstrators supporting the Idle No More movement . COOL REVOLUTION/FLICKR
mandate of their advocacy group, the Two Row Society, named after the Two Row wampum. John Borrows, a scholar in indigenous law, captures the symbolism of the Two Row wampum: “One row symbolizes the Haudenosaunee people with their law and customs, while the other row symbolizes European laws and customs. As nations move together side-by-side on the River of Life, they are to avoid overlapping or interfering with one another.” Some believe that the Two Row could serve as a functional frame-
work for decolonization and reconciliation. Driven by the value of non-interference, adherence to the Two Row would entail defending the rights of indigenous Canadians to have autonomy in indigenous matters, especially with regard to upholding land bases under their own systems of self-governance. The undercutting of this autonomy was a main instigator of the Idle No More movement. At Six Nations, our group’s visit came full circle when we visited the Mohawk Institute, a former residential school preserved for
educational purposes. The Mohawk Institute's past students had been given Christian names arbitrarily, in an attempt to erase all traces of their Onkwehonweh roots. The conditions inherent to residential school life were abhorrent. Pharmaceutical companies would administer unspecified drugs to students and sexual abuse was rampant. It was haunting to have stood within the wooden cavities of a residential school, mired in our nation’s dark history. More haunting still was the realization that we, the Canadian public, have been inadequately exposed to the extent and severity of these historic crimes. In this way, our group was confronted with the weight of Canada’s colonial history. The residential school era initiated a cycle of violence that continues today: the abused become the abuser, the caned justify the cane, and the oppressed in turn oppress. The effects of colonization are undeniably intergenerational; after all, institutions built on the removal of indigenous culture have a tremendous capacity to impinge on parenting and social skills. One of our group leaders introduced the idea that indigenous Canadians are undergoing a process of decolonization together, as a people. Some are in denial, others are angry, some are ready to reconcile. Given that the
last residential school was closed only in 1996, this is sensible. The trauma of colonization is a recent one, and it begs more attention than we have given it. How can we hope to address high rates of substance abuse in indigenous Canadians without understanding that health was used as a tool for manipulation in the days of residential schools? How can we promise economic productivity when modern legislation mimics the tactics of paternalistic landgrabbing? Why do we constantly tout such economic productivity when, in reality, it is of little concern to traditional Onkwehonweh societies? I am frustrated that too many imbue mistrust and stereotypes in their perception of native Canadians, without regard for the lasting effects of colonial institutions. There is a systemic injustice, manifested in policy and legislation, aimed at indigenous Canadians. The solution to this structural violence, which still encroaches on indigenous agency to this day, is not ignorance, but reconciliation. Our country’s dark colonial past was and is real. Now I know better; it’s time for all of us to share this burden, and be idle no more. Benedict Darren is a fourth-year student studying pathobiology and global health.
Editorial
23 SEPTEMBER 2013 editorial@thevarsity.ca
RESEARCH FUNDING
Conditional funding censors scientists On Monday, September 16, protestors filled the south side of Queen's Park to petition the Canadian government for evidence-based decision making on scientific research funding. Similar "Stand up For Science" rallies, organized by a group called Evidence for Democracy, took place in 17 cities across Canada this past week. The rallies aim to bring attention to both the federal government's policies concerning scientific research funding as well as the alleged censorship of scientists working in areas of research that conflict with the government’s political priorities. Evidence for Democracy argues that the government’s actions are holding Canadian science, and therefore the public, back. The Stand Up for Science campaign has particular relevance for the University of Toronto, beyond the geographical proximity of the rallies’ Toronto chapter to the St. George campus. U of T is Canada’s largest research university, and receives hundreds of millions of dollars every year in research funding from various levels of government. U of T is so committed to its reputation for research that some students have argued in recent years that faculty members unduly focus on their own areas of study at the expense of teaching and student interaction. U of T president David Naylor has called for government funding to be tied to the university's research output instead of its enrollment numbers — a move that would make research key to the university's financial future and even more central to its purpose. Evidence for Democracy "advocates for the transparent use of science and evidence in public policy and government decision-making" at a time when "governments can be tempted to make decisions based on ideology or political convenience." Students — and, more generally, the Canadian public — should be concerned that their elected representatives are putting ideological or political concerns before the well-being and prosperity of the people. The federal government is shifting funding priorities for scientific research away from successful, evidence-based projects that contribute to our health and safety, and diverting that money into industry partnerships. Last year, the government announced its intention to shift from its traditional scientific funding mechanism, the National Research Council, toward a new initiative called the Engage Grants Program. This transition takes grant money that had previously been earmarked for "basic research and discovery science" and allocates it towards research and development projects operating through industry in partnership with the government. The government has defunded projects like the Experimental Lakes Area in Kenora District, Ontario — which contributes important research to the study of freshwater ecosystems — much to the disappointment of the international scientific community. Other research programs committed to crime prevention, public health, and the environment have also had their funding revoked in favour of more profitable and commercially viable disciplines like petroleum engineering. Research capitalization — the commercialization of discoveries and technologies for profit — has been an increasing focus of Canadian universities as government funding has been cut, particularly in Ontario. New initiatives from U of T programs like the Institute of Optical Science, the Impact Centre, and TechnoLABS focus on converting ideas into businesses. While economic successes have often been a side-benefit of outstanding research, focusing every penny of Canada’s research funding on industry partnerships that have clear economic objectives is deeply misguided. First, some research does not and should not serve the immediate interest of industry. Most pertinently, research into the effects of industry on our environment and global climate is vitally important to Canada’s public interest, but would never come from an industry partnership. Moreover, the premise of industry-driven research is different from the premise of scientific research. Industry invests money in projects that have a perceptible, profitable objective. Scientists, on the other hand, see knowledge as an end in itself, while focusing on investigations that are likely to benefit the public. The wisdom of this approach has been proved time and time again as countless discoveries of great importance have resulted from simply inquiring into the unknown. By choosing to restrict all publicly funded research in this country to projects where an economic goal is in sight, the government has stifled all research that doesn’t serve an economic purpose and given up on real science altogether. This approach is shortsighted, narrow-minded, self-serving, and dangerous. Industry-focused funding is not, however, the only concerning trend. Evidence for Democracy is also protesting against what they have called "government muzzling" of scientists. They are rightly concerned that the government is enforcing silence on scientists who receive funding for their projects. Researchers whose projects are funded through government grants are restricted from speaking to the press and public regarding the details of their work, and run the risk of losing their funding if they transgress. By preventing scientists from discussing their research, the Canadian government is shaping science in this country along ideological lines. Ottawa's recent decision-making reveals a strong preference for economic interests over the public interest. International investment in Canadian science will now be based on our ability to troubleshoot industry rather than on our capacity to solve problems that the whole world is facing, such as climate change. It is bad enough that Ottawa is shepherding Canadian scientists away from projects whose value is supported by evidence; to also limit the amount of information these researchers can share with the public is censorship, and should not be acceptable in a modern democratic society. A well-educated and well-informed electorate is vital to a healthy democracy. This makes institutions like U of T critically important, but they can only fulfill their roles when researchers can tell the facts as they see them, both in classrooms and in public. The party in power censoring science that does not support its policies should be a nightmare to all Canadians. U of T’s scientific community has historically been the site of life-saving and world-changing discoveries: Best and Banting were the first to extract insulin, making life with diabetes a possibility for future generations. The world’s first artificial pacemaker was created by scientists at the institute named for Banting. Canada has helped stretch the understanding of our universe by contributing the Canadarm to the International Space Station project. We must not allow this legacy to falter, with our best and brightest forced to serve industrial interests, and to serve in silence. To be of any value, research funding in our university and across the country must come with no strings attached. The Varsity's editorial board is elected by the masthead at the beginning of each semester. For more information about The Varsity's editorial policy, email editorial@thevarsity.ca.
NANCY JI/THE VARSITY
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR Vol CXXXIV, No. 03 | September 16, 2013 Re: The UTSU should become a leader in sustainable food practices Universities should lead by example; in this case we are facing a self-engineered threat in the form of global climate change, one of the contributing causes of which is the massive amount of factory farming we do. It is a small change to change the menu to reflect this concern. — FrancesBull (from web) Leadership is the key. If people were more aware of how their choices effect the environment, others across the globe, and animals, I think they would think twice about eating meat. It would be great if the UTSU led the way with food. The Vegan BBQ tomorrow is a good step. Perhaps they will now be motivated to serve only Vegan Options at their future BBQ's! That would be fantastic. — Alex Burrows (from web) Re: Flat fees policy to be changed this year The degree to which the president's office is out of touch with the student body at U of T is incredible. I know a few people who have taken six courses for a term or so, but I don't know of anyone who has done it throughout their
university career as some sort of money-saving venture. I'm glad to see the provincial government taking a stand against universities attempting to squeeze every last penny from students. — CHUD (from web) Re: Annual UTSU Street Fair aims to engage students in campaign to pedestrianize St. George Street This whole push to pedestrianize St George seems just so bizarre... Aren't there more important causes on campus that utsu should be dealing with? I personally think it would be a huge, uninformed mistake to pedestrianize St George. St George is a major NorthSouth thoroughfare... if it's closed, where does utsu think all that traffic is going to go? Well, guess what, a lot of it would go to Queen's Park, actually serving to divide the campus even more, because it would make it more difficult and more dangerous for pedestrians to get to/from Vic and St Mike's. Did utsu not think of this? They should've consulted someone in the geography department's planning program for advice on this proposal before throwing their full backing into it. So much energy, time, and resources are being invested in this when it isn't even something we need. — whatawaste (from web)
Letters to the editor should be directed to comment@thevarsity.ca. Please keep letters to 250 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
From Tibet to Toronto Tibetan identity politics and the movement for independence in Toronto
by Ameya Chamalia
N
awang’s* decision to come to Canada was made in the hope of securing a better future for herself and her children. Before she arrived, however, she endured a decade of moving between India and Nepal as a political refugee. At 15, she set out on foot from Lhasa in Tibet, trekking for over three weeks through the high passes of the Himalayas with a group of strangers, leaving her family behind to escape into Nepal with the help of a paid agent. India presented a faith-based calling as the 14th Dalai Lama — Tenzin Gyatso — the spiritual leader of Tibetans — has lived there in exile for most of his life: “Every single day I dreamed of going to India and visiting the Dalai Lama.” “The first night, I thought I was going to die,” she recalled, referring to her fear of falling through the ice while crossing a semi-frozen river, or of being spotted by floodlights from a soldier’s outposts. In spite of her anxieties, she soon joined the large community of Tibetan refugees straddling India and Nepal. For many older Tibetans, Nawang’s ordeal is similar to their own tales of displacement. For younger Tibetan-Canadians, her story is reminiscent of their own families’ struggles, inspiring them to become involved with the Tibetan independence movement. Urgyen Badheytsang, national director of Students for a Free Tibet (sft) Canada, notes that many Tibetan youth grow up listening to these stories. His grandfather was imprisoned and tortured for taking part in the original Tibetan resistance in 1959; his father was shot in the leg while throwing rocks at Chinese troops during unrest in Tibet in 1989 and jailed, during which time he witnessed a monk get shot in the head. “You already know about everything that’s happening in Tibet, about the repression, and then you hear about your own father and grandfather who suffered at the hands of the Chinese government and it’s not anymore a story, it’s something that’s real, it’s something that’s affected your own relatives.”
A flourishing community Most Tibetans in Toronto reside in Parkdale and High Park. An array of tiny Tibetan shop windows lie west of Lansdowne Avenue at Queen Street West. A glance into restaurants Tsampa Café and Tibet Kitchen reveal chatty Tibetan families eating momos (dumplings stuffed with beef or chicken and served with a spicy paste made out of red chilies and plenty of garlic). The Tibetan community in Toronto has more than doubled since 1999. Roughly 5,000 Tibetans now reside in Canada, the majority of whom live in Toronto. Toronto is home to the second largest Tibetan settlement in North America. Lawyer Connie Nakatsu has represented several Tibetan refugee claimants since 1997. She explains that a growing awareness about refugee claims has put Canada on the map for Tibetans. Tenzin Tsundue, a fifth-year U of T student, came to Canada with her family in 2007 as part of this wave of Tibetan immigrants. Along with Youdon Khangsar, a fifth-year student, she started the U of T chapter of SFT in her first year. Khangsar observed, “When I started university here, I found people didn’t even know about Tibet. How can people get involved politically if they haven’t even heard of the country? They have to know about the culture at least, they have to be able to distinguish the Tibetan identity. That’s really important.” In October 2011, Khangsar created the Tibetan Renaissance Association, to promote Tibetan culture in a setting devoid of the political overtones of groups like sft. Despite the healthy influx of Tibetans to Toronto, some youth not born in Canada are concerned about the preservation of their language. Tenzin Thabkhae, a second-year engineering student born to Tibetan refugee parents in India, explains that Tibetans face identity issues: “Some Tibetan youth have trouble speaking Tibetan and are therefore uncomfortable to speak with other Tibetans.” Nakatsu noted: “There was already an issue with [Tibetans] being in India and Nepal, so 12
Tibetan protestors at National Uprising Day, March 10, 2013. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANTHONY LAMA
they were already straddling two cultures as it was, and now what they’re coming to is a third one, so that creates a different set of problems.” Badheytsang, however, remarked that people should not be alarmed. “I don’t think people are losing their culture. Right now, we have so many youth who might not necessarily have the best grasp of the language but are so involved. They are very passionate about the cause, and might actually know more about the real geopolitical scene than the older generation.” A compelling sign that the once nascent community is thriving is the Gangjong Choedenling (Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, or tccc), which opened its doors in the west end on October 17, 2007. Tibetan children receive weekend language instruction here in addition to classes on Buddhism and yoga. The facility includes a large auditorium; a well-stocked library with books on Gandhi, Buddhism, and other eclectic genres; classroom with whiteboards which have the Tibetan alphabet scribbled on them; and, often, the unmistakable fragrance of Tibetan food being prepared. The tccc has evolved into an indispensable hub for the community — itself an indicator that the community has come a long way since the 1970s, back when Tibetans formed the smallest immigrant group in the country.
Wake-up call In the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics in August 2008, anti-China demonstrations and protests were held in cities around the world. Images from inside Tibet show Tibetan demonstrators facing off with Chinese authorities. In Ottawa, Badheytsang and four others from sft chained themselves to the gate of the Chinese Embassy to draw media attention to the Tibet issue: “For me that was the marker. I had decided then that I was ready to throw away everything … to support the Tibetan cause and help our movement go forward. Ever since, everything else has seemed obvious. If you’re willing to go to jail for Tibet then you’re also willing to do a lot of the organizing and behind-the-scenes work.” Like Badheytsang, Tibetan youth across the country were restless to make the movement their own, with the incidents of 2008 serving as a wake-up call. The demonstrations brought out the activist in students like Tsundue, who quickly became a regional coordinator for SFT.
Badheytsang notes: “I would say that there’s been a lot more consistency now than before. Before it would have to be a trigger event…Now we have the Lhakar movement.” “Lhakar,” meaning “White Wednesday,” is a Tibetan self-reliance movement begun after 2008. Every Wednesday, an increasing number of Tibetans both inside and outside of Tibet make a special effort to wear traditional clothes, speak Tibetan, eat Tibetan food, and shop at Tibetan businesses in order to support the Tibetan community. In Toronto, students have been observing Lhakar for almost two years now. On Wednesdays, it is common for Tibetan students to be seen wearing chupa, traditional Tibetan clothing. On the first Lhakar of September, SFT performed a freeze flash mob in downtown Toronto, urging world leaders at the Russian G20 summit to focus on Tibet. In February 2009, footage of a monk in Tibet dousing himself in kerosene and setting himself abalze as an extreme form of protest, denouncing China’s treatment of Tibetans, shook the community. Tenzin Wangmo, a Tibetan student intern at the tccc, notes: “We definitely need more international pressure on the Tibetan issue… More than 100 Tibetans from within Tibet and from outside have self-immolated, yet it seems their voices have been lost.” MP David Sweet, whose successful motion to make the Dalai Lama an honourary citizen of Canada, adopted unanimously by the House of Commons in 2006, is one of the most vocal critics of China’s human rights record in Tibet on Parliament Hill. In a speech to the House of Commons on February 14, Sweet said: “Tibetans today live under such oppressive conditions that so threaten their culture, environment, religious freedom and human rights that we have seen, shockingly, over 100 Tibetans lighting themselves on fire in protest. We call on the leaders of China to meet in earnest with the leaders of the Tibetan government in exile to discuss the Dalai Lama’s third way for human rights and democratic, regional, cultural, and environmental autonomy for Tibetans within China.” Sweet also chairs the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet internship program, geared towards young Tibetan-Canadians. Six Tibetans from across Canada took part in the 2013 program in its fourth year running. Interns worked in
the offices of various mps, learning about the parliamentary system and simultaneously representing Tibetan culture on the Hill. This year, the interns shared a lighter moment with parliamentarians, away from the humdrum of sombre politics, by hosting a lunch reception where they personally cooked momos and made Tibetan butter tea for mps. “Interning at Parliament really solidified my belief in governmental and non-governmental organizations. It was so inspiring to see so many people work so hard to help others. At the end of the internship, I felt proud and connected to my community, and was much more inspired to work towards the Tibetan cause and also to help others,” said Wangmo, who interned at mp Peggy Nash’s office as part of the program.
Long road to reconciliation The Mosaic Institute’s conference, New Beginnings, Young Canadians: Peace Dialogue on China & Tibet, held on September 11 in Toronto, provided an opportunity for youth
Tibet is the highest and one of the most sparsely populated regions in the world, with an average elevation of 4,900 meters.
CHINA TIBET
History of conflict over Tibet
Tibet declares its independence after the collapse of the Manchu empire. China assumes control over Tibet after a major military operation.
The Dalai Lama goes to Beijing for peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders.
Chinese troops suppress an attempted Tibetan national uprising, forcing the Dalai Lama to abandon talks and flee to India in exile. Tenzin Thabkhae, Lhamo Kyi, Youdon Khangsar, and Tenzin Wangmo. CAROLYN LEVETT/THE VARSITY
from both Chinese and Tibetan communities to come together. Dr. Losang Rabgey, co-founder and executive director of Machik, an organization working to strengthen communities on the Tibetan plateau, urged everyone to put aside disbelief to make connections between the two communities: “When we have only a rights-based discourse as a framework for understanding Tibet and China, it creates a bipolar scenario.” Though rights are an important issue, people also need to encounter one another and explore new opportunities to work together. Michael Li, a Chinese-Canadian and a recent U of T graduate, found the event very engaging: “In 2008, I was surprised by the scale of the protests. I occasionally found myself getting rather angry in response to them because I did feel that the community I feel that I’m a part of was not being portrayed in a fair light.” He also acknowledged the importance of dialogue: “I realized that I didn’t know anyone
personally from Tibet, I didn’t know what they actually thought. Studying politics, you realize that there are things people say in perspectives that are put forward that don’t actually represent what people think. That is why I attended this session.” Other Chinese-Canadian students at the event felt that the older Chinese generations’ opinions on Tibet as a mystified, backward hinterland were outdated and misrepresentative. They expressed a desire to understand the genuine grievances of Tibetans. “There are lots of Chinese people who actually sympathize with the Tibet issue,” acknowledges Tsundue, adding that, “First and foremost Tibetans are fighting for the freedom of human rights.” Nawang, who left her parents and extended family behind in Tibet, is hopeful: “We are always patient. We have hope. Tibetan people are always hoping.”
The Dalai Lama has since resided in the north Indian town of Dharamshala, the seat of the Tibetan political administration in exile.
Explore Toronto’s emerging little Tibet neighbourhood and other Tibetan spots in the city online at: var.st/Tibet
*Name changed. 13
Arts & Culture
COMING UP
var.st/arts
23 sEPtEMBEr 2013 arts@thevarsity.ca
Interview with Our Man in Tehran director var.st/arts
The hungriest student in Canada JustEat launches Chompionship, a national eating contest for university students Justin Lee
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
It is difficult to ignore the rows of restaurant windows when walking up Spadina, they are always packed with people and their windows are clustered with review clippings and stickers, we can’t help but turn our heads and gaze. It is easy to notice the big, red stickers that read just eat. When I first saw them last year, my immediate reaction was a question: “What is this?” Walking around Toronto, I realize it's more and more common to see the words: "Don’t cook, Just Eat." Whether it is a pizzeria, sushi restaurant, or late-night shawarma spot, JustEat is slowly dominating the Toronto restaurant windows. To reveal a bit of the mystery behind the window sticker, JustEat is a website where people can order food from a number of restaurants in the city — customers are not limited to the downtown core. Last month, a sophisticated iOS app was also launched, so you can order on your phone too. An Android app is supposed to come out soon as well. JustEat offers a comprehensive list of local restaurants that the user can order from, with a variety of different cuisines — Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Indian, American, and many more. Click on a restaurant and the menu pops up; the user can choose their appetizer, entree, and dessert as if they were sitting in a restaurant. After picking everything, the food is then delivered to the customer's house. Payment can be done online. Plus, the restaurants on JustEat rarely require a delivery fee and often there are often 10 to 20 per cent discounts available — it can be cheaper to get delivery than to sit down.
Founded in Denmark back in 2001, JustEat is already a popular website in many European countries. The website spread to Canada in 2009 and more and more restaurants are hopping on to the JustEat network. With the new school year in session, JustEat is finally reaching out to prove that they are more than just window stickers. On October 28, the website will be hosting a national eating competition — a Chompionship, as it is called — in Toronto. They are inviting all university students across Canada. The grand prize is a tempting $25,000 and additional prizes are to be given out to the chompion’s university. JustEat is also inviting the worldrenowned competitive eater, Kobayashi, to the event — the man who has fixed the Guinness World Record four times. He is a monster when it comes to eating; at an eating contest in New York, he proved capable of eating 110 hot dogs in 10 minutes. This time around, at the Chompionship, Kobayashi will be the main judge. To enter the contest, the participant must create an online contestant profile on the Chompionship site. The first 500 to sign up immediately receive a $10 JustEat voucher. Then there is the voting process — the top 25 profiles with the most votes from each university will eventually move onto the semi-finals. Simply voting can get you a $5 voucher, but the semi-finalists will receive ones worth $200, which isn’t a bad deal at all. The semi-finalists are instructed to make a video submission, and the five lucky semifinalists with the highest scoring videos move onto the final round — the actual eating competition itself. JustEat will be sending the finalists to Toronto to “let the eating begin.”
aIlEEn lIn/tHE varsIty
The winner of the eating competition will receive the golden $25,000. JustEat is definitely giving out a lot of free money this month. The stomach is always the problem
when living in Toronto as a college student — oh how I miss residence meals sometimes. If you’re broke and starving, pick out some free vouchers from this competition. JustEat
is the best when you’re stuck at Robarts after midnight: You’re hungry, but street meat is mediocre and you don’t want to get up. The solution is simple: JustEat.
Straight from the source Our Man in Tehran unfolds the Canadian perspectives behind the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979 Monica Carino
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Our Man in Tehran has been described by many as Argo without the glitz, the glam, and Ben Affleck. However, after watching the film it becomes clear that the real men and women who were involved in the great “Canadian Caper” are just as charismatic and captivating as their Hollywood counterparts. The title of the movie is derived from a letter written by President Jimmy Carter, in which he refers to Kenneth D. Taylor, the former Canadian ambassador to Iran, as America’s “man in Tehran.” Interviews with Taylor reveal the charming personality underneath his snazzy suits. With a calm and intelligent voice he recalls the events that transpired
with modesty; however, the movie makes clear Taylor is nothing short of a hero, for both his incredible hospitality and for providing the White House with insights into the Iranian hostage camp. As if you didn’t feel a sense of pride already, not only is Taylor Canadian, but he is also a University of Toronto graduate and served as the Chancellor of Victoria College from 1998-2004. Another University of Toronto alum, and former Blue Jay, is Drew Taylor who co-directed the film with Toronto native Larry Weinstein. The two provide a mixture of interviews and archival material to deliver a brief history lesson of the tensions between the United States and Iran. This lesson in American history is similar to what audiences get from Argo; what Affleck’s adaptation lacks, however, is a Canadian history lesson. Taylor and Weinstein include footage
from the Canadian House of Commons in which Prime Minister Joe Clark and Leader of the Opposition Pierre Trudeau are seen in great debate. These clips reveal the secrets and tensions within Canada’s government over the nation’s involvement in the hostage crisis. “This wasn’t a movie. This was real life,” says Flora MacDonald, Canada's former minister of foreign affairs, near the beginning of the film. The real life events that transpired during the 444 days that the American men and women were held hostage, are surely movie material. The documentary reveals one of the key traits that made last years Argo worthy of the Best Picture title — the incredible story. From secret spies, to escape routes, to forged passports, Our Man in Tehran is riveting throughout and is a must-see for anyone interested in getting the whole story, straight from the source.
MEDIa PHOtO
var.st/arts
VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
15
The word in Queen's Park
Festival director of Word on the Street talks about one of Canada's biggest celebrations of literature Ishita Petkar
ASSOCIATE ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
This past weekend, Queen's Park was transformed into a bookish haven, attracting bibliophiles and great literary minds alike as over 200,000 people flocked to the annual Word on the Street (wots) Festival. Characterized by booths, stalls, and stages dotting the circle around the rom, Victoria College, and Hart House, wots is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating Canadian reading, writing and literacy through a free outdoor festival. In a recent interview with The Varsity, Heather Kanabe, U of T alumna and current festival director of wots, chatted about the importance of the festival, and why it’s such a great opportunity for U of T students: “I think the core of what we are has remained the same and true over time, and it’s a simple message — that we support books and magazines, and promote Canadian authors and literacy, she explained. “People love to have that chance to both browse different small publishers, books, connect directly with authors in that exhibit or marketplace, as well as to meet authors that otherwise they wouldn’t necessarily have the chance to.” With a carnival-like atmosphere, the festival not only gives its attendees an unparalleled spread of the best of Canadian literature, but is also important in supporting smaller publishers and booksellers, and emerging authors. Since its inception in 1990, wots has been a staple of the fall season in Toronto, with a smorgasbord of genres and events to suit everyone’s taste in literature. wots is proof of Toronto’s love of reading, having grown from a mere 40,000 in attendance on Queen West to a national festival
Word on The Street took place this past weekend in Queen's Park. DEnnis OsipOv/THE vArsiTy
dedicated to celebrating Canadian literature. “I guess you can say the word has gotten out, and people love it!” laughed Kanabe. What started out as a glorified book fair has expanded to include programming to engage with festivalgoers, where authors participate in thematic discussions. “For example, this year our “This is Not Shakespeare” stage, which is focused on teen audiences, has a panel discussion called We Found Love in a Hopeless Place, and it’s looking at these fun love stories from different authors and how that plays in different themes today,” Kanabe explained.
While this has been an ongoing initiative, new this year is Toronto Poetry Slam’s Guerilla Spoken Word, as well as a partnership with Moleskine to feature original journal content from authors such as Joseph Boyden, on sale in the Map Room at Hart House. With Canada’s proximity to the United States, it’s often difficult for us to see our country a separate publishing industry, however promoting Canadian authors and publications is the mission at the very heart of wots. As Kanabe relates, “Our mandate is to present 100 per cent Canadian au-
thors and I don’t think you’ll find that almost anywhere else, and definitely not at this scale.” With over 200 authors presenting their works at the festival this year alone, wots aims to reserve a quarter of its exhibit space for small presses, independent authors and writing associations in order to support emerging artists. “We’ve taken pride in being one of the first places for Joseph Boyden to platform his work, and now look where he’s come!” exclaimed Kanabe. For students, wots is the perfect way to engage with the literary
and academic world in Canada, according to Kanabe. “Some of my fondest memories are getting together with my friends and having my Sunday at wots, and because it’s around Queen's Park Circle, it just felt like a part of being a student and part of expanding our vocabulary and getting a feel for what it meant to be an academic in Canada.” However, even though the festival is right on campus, most U of T students are unaware of its occurrence, due to the fact that it takes place at the very start of term, and classes are just beginning to heat up. “That’s really interesting — perhaps we need to get some professors on board!” said Kanabe. “It’s both the best Canadian literature coming out for the fall, but there are also such great discounts on magazine subscriptions and other publications that you might otherwise not find, and those are the gems that are such a great part of your development as a student.” Even though, as students, we tend to shy away from reading much more than courses require in the heat of the school year, wots offers a wonderful opportunity to rectify that. “It’s tough, but I think the people who inspired me when I was a student were my peers that read above and beyond. Those are the ones that really brought different things and new perspectives to the classroom.” When asked what her must-see event at this year’s festival was, Kanabe gushed, “I think it would be Joseph Boyden because he is such an amazing author and The Orenda (Boyden’s latest book), has gotten such great reviews — I think he is where Canadian literature is at, and I feel like he completely reflects that sense of being Canadian that we’re all searching for as university students.”
A bare-bones performance Bone Cage is a well-staged first production but struggles to engage Sarah Niedoba
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Bone Cage is the story of a group of young adults trying to seek out a place for themselves in a barren community in the midst of decline. The play, written by Canadian playwright Catherine Banks and directed by Hart House Theatre alumnus Matt White, made its Toronto premiere last Friday. Set in rural Nova Scotia, the play focuses on Chicky, played by the talented Samantha Coyle, and her friends and family as they navigate through life in a declining logging town. The highlight of the production is the far and away Layne Coleman as Chicky’s aging stepfather, Clarence, who spends most of his time imagining what life would be like if his son, Travis, were still alive. Coleman manages to steal every scene that he’s in with a performance that’s both believable and extremely moving. The women of the show, Samantha Coyle and Lindsey Middleton, who portray Chicky and her brother’s fiancée respectively, both handle the material well.
Unfortunately, the other men of the show, namely Nathan Bitton and Kyle Purcell, who play Chicky’s brother Jamie and his best friend Kevin respectively, falls a bit short. As Jamie, Bitton has moments of believable anger and self-doubt, but often lapses into a performance in which his acting is forced and not entirely believable. Purcell, while also having his stronger moments, tended towards the melodramatic too often to properly do the show justice. Ultimately, Hart House’s production of Bone Cage shows the play for what it is: a gripping look into the lives of young-adults struggling to survive in an increasingly unforgiving environment. It is well staged, and has many insightful scenes, courtesy of director Matt White and actors Coleman and Coyle. However, the ultimate potential of the show is somewhat undermined by the weak performances from the male actors, leaving the audience with the feeling that while they could have witnessed a great piece of theatre, they instead were treated to something somewhat half-hearted.
pHOTO COUrTEsy HArT HOUsE THEATrE
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Vol. CXXXIV, No. 4
VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE
arts@thevarsity.ca
Behind Hart House: Sara Herron Hart House's senior graphic designer talks about creating designs that work for both the student body and theatre ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Hart House has always been one of the many institutions on campus that can seem mysterious. In first year, I remember seeing the posters for The Great American Trailer Park Musical all over campus and thinking to myself, “that's an interesting poster.” It has been three years and I still can’t help but stop and admire the posters. I recently got in touch with Sara Herron, Hart House’s current senior graphic designer and digital media specialist. For the past five years, Herron has been working closely with the Hart House team during the year to create the promotional materials for the Theatre, along with other projects under the Hart House umbrella. The Varsity: You’ve been creating work for Hart House for five years now, how has the design process changed over the years? Sara Herron: [Hart House] and I work together for a few months,
starting in April until the end of August. That’s when we develop the whole look for the season so that we’re ready to roll by September. But it hasn’t always been like that. The first year, I started in the month of August so everything was already done, but it was chaos. After the chaos of that year, we started to get a good system going. We wanted to present all of Hart House’s productions as a season. Before, they would do design work for one show… and then another. What I wanted to do was create a package because then you can sell that. Any other major theatre in the city would do the same. So we were trying to get on that track. TV: Since you work very closely with the rest of Hart House, do you have full creative control over the design materials or is it more of a collaborative process? SH: Initially, there was a lot of back and forth because it was a lot of figuring out what would work. It’s definitely very collaborative in a sense that I’m supposed to be creating what they need me to represent
in order to sell the show. We’ve had such success over the past three to four years and now it’s like, “Go off! Be creative,” but I still have to make sure they’re very involved. TV: When you’re designing the promotional materials, what do you hope to achieve besides, of course, getting people to go to the plays? SH: Traditional theatre advertisements consist of production stills. You know, the images of the actors that are in the show. It’s not necessarily — for someone who’s not into theatre — the most interesting stuff. It’s not something that you look at and go, “I really want to go to that.” What I want to do is take it away from being literal, and more so, create a mood. I want to do something a little more creative, so people will go, “Oh that’s interesting! What’s that about?” I don’t want to create a theatre poster. I want to create something that someone will want to rip down from a pole and put up in his or her bedroom. That is what’s interesting. That’s what’s going to get people to go to the shows.
SHAFAK KHANANI /THE VArSITy
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Review: Cronenberg: Transformation at MOCCA Julia Lewis
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
tiff has partnered with the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (mocca) for the exhibition, Cronenberg: Transformation, as part of its Future Projects and the Cronenberg Project events. Instead of exhibiting works from Cronenberg himself, the exhibit consists of artists whose personal work has been influenced by the director. As the useful and refreshingly concise introduction to the show puts it, the title of the show has two meanings: first, Cronenberg’s preoccupation with transformation, and second, how his work has in turn transformed the work of other artists. Laurel Woodcock’s piece, "walkthrough," is a series of adhesive vinyl phrases stuck to the walls throughout the exhibition space, sets the tone nicely with phrases seemingly plucked from generic B-movie screenplays, such as “deadly serious” and, my favourite, “The room goes totally silent. There’s the feeling that something terrible is going to happen.” Standing in a room full of Cronenberg-inspired works, it's easy to get that delightfully tingling sensation of vague fear after reading that phrase, and it manages to make the standard modern art exhibition space (concrete floors, bare white walls) suddenly feel much more eerie. The other works more directly hearken to Cronenberg by using film as their main medium. Candice Breitz’s "Treatment" is an eight-minute, dual-screen video; the two films run simultaneously, but their projects are opposite each other in a small
room, which makes it difficult to watch both at the same time. While one projection displays a scene from Cronenberg’s early work The Brood (1979), the other shows voice actors recording lines in a sound studio. The audio is the same for both, unifying the separate images. Seeing this piece, I thought of the increasing tendency to consume entertainment on multiple screens, such as browsing the internet on a laptop or tablet while watching television, a practice often actively encouraged by tv channels with the advent of “second screen” features. Can our brains truly handle that kind of divided attention? Is Breitz encouraging us to try to watch both simultaneously, or forcing us to take in one at a time? Most of the pieces question this influence of entertainment technology, which is unsurprising given how often Cronenberg deals with the ambiguity (and addictiveness) of technology in his films. While the show can be explored as you please, I happened to view James Coupe’s "Swarm" last, and it felt like a fitting end. A series of monitors, placed high enough so you have to actively look up to see them, show the very room you’re standing in. Instead of showing you, they show people just like you — people who look like average gallery-goers, slowly wandering through the room. The poles holding the monitors up are ringed with what look like cameras just about at eye level, with a bright green light making it seem as though they’re switched on and recording you, so that you might just end up on the monitors later for future viewers to watch. We’re watching the monitors, but they’re watching us right back — this an appropriate message given
MEDIA PHOTO
the pervasiveness of recording in society, from cctv and the nsa to Vine and Snapchat. I couldn’t help but find it amusingly apt that one of the pieces,
Jeremy Shaw’s, wasn’t working when I visited the exhibition due to a technical problem. As the show so well demonstrates, technology is everywhere — but we’re
not very good at controlling it, despite being its creators. Cronenberg: Transformation is at the MOCCA until December 29.
VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
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Banksy graffiti finds way into developing Toronto Guerilla artist's iconic image to be part of new condo development Emma Kikulis VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
According to developer Menkes, which is going out of its way to save a slab of concrete from the old opp Headquarters at 90 Harbour Street, graffiti is an invaluable art form. The slab, however, doesn’t depict your everyday profanity-laced anarchist rant, but rather a stencil of a uniformed police officer walking a pink balloon dog. What would motivate a developer to preserve an illustration parodying Toronto’s police force? Well, when the artist is the world-renowned Banksy, people tend to take notice. Banksy, the anonymous British guerrilla artist has gained enormous respect and popularity for his satirical and provocative epigrams. Stopping in Toronto in 2010, the artist left his mark on several buildings, signs and even a fallen tree while promoting his documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop. The film documents the artist’s illegal, but innovative pursuits. The Harbour Street
illustration, as well as another piece located at Church and the Esplanade (behind a Plexiglas screen added by the building's owner to protect the illustration), are the only two remnants of Banksy’s visit to Toronto, with five other pieces quickly painted over or destroyed. Menkes, which is developing the new condominium, Habour Plaza, on the footprint of the demolished police headquarters claims to have saved Banksy’s piece strictly for public enjoyment, rather than for aesthetic reasons. It's hard to determine the company’s real motives, however, Menkes will undoubtedly relocate the piece to a high traffic pedestrian walkway within the condominium in an attempt to expose residents to Banksy’s work. However, if the goal of the project is public enjoyment, why situate the piece of art within a strictly private space? In order to achieve maximum exposure and public awareness, wouldn’t it make more sense to exhibit the piece in a public place, somewhere outside the condominium, like Banksy had originally planned?
Perhaps Menkes’ decision to sequester the piece was motivated by an English auction, wherein one of Banksy’s epigrams reportedly sold for over £200,000. The illustration, then, could boost interest in the condo and possibly attract a much different and far less mainstream group of prospective buyers. No matter the motivation of the company, there is always the question of ownership and context, which is a grey area besieging guerilla art. Context, both physical and social, is of obvious importance to Banksy (stencilling a police officer on the opp headquarters probably wasn’t a coincidence), who definitely intended for the satirizing portrait to be chuckled at by passing pedestrians, rather than to be examined within the museumesque setting Menkes has proposed. Legally, the concrete slab, and whatever happens to be inscribed upon it, belongs to Menkes. But according to the street art counter-culture, which Banksy fostered and globally popularized, the illustration, was created for the public, and will always belong to the public.
Mari Zhou/The VarsiTy
I've got time for familiar faces: Majical Cloudz at Wrongbar Corinne Przybyslawski VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
Last Tuesday, Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto enchanted the audience as Majical Cloudz with their transfixing performance at Wrongbar. Concluding their tour with a mesmeric 70-minute set, the electro-indie tandem manned a minimalist set of a single microphone and a keyboard. Welsh, the duo’s singer-songwriter, powerfully delivered his emotive lyricism, and this intensity was enhanced by Otto’s whimsical and airy synths. Despite the intensity and conviction of his vocals, Welsh bridged the audienceartist barrier by welcoming the audience on stage, making his performance feel less
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like spectatorship and more like listening to a friend’s bedroom music project. Nonetheless, his delivery exceeded any amateur debut, warming the atmosphere even more so. Between songs, Welsh admirably took the time to acknowledge the crowd personally, either by pointing out the members “he spoke to earlier,” or even accepting a lipstick from a fan, saying, “we can’t be serious all the time,” then proceeding to put it on. By the end of the set the emotional honesty truly resonated as the duo’s lasting impression, endearing even those not accustomed to traditional indie. While Majical Cloudz may only be emerging here in Toronto, their talent, both from a vocal and instrumental perspective, is worth raising in conversations.
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Science
FROM THE SUMMER
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U of T team builds human-powered helicopter prize
23 sEPtEMBEr 2013
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Celebrating the science of tomorrow IMELda Lo/tHE varsItY
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The Toronto Science Festival (TSF) will begin on September 27 at 7:00 pm in Convocation Hall, with a keynote speech by a truly exceptional woman: astronaut Julie Payette. Payette is currently the director of the Montreal Science Centre, and one of only two Canadian female astronauts. She is also an engineer and a symphony-quality singer, and can converse in six languages. Her diversity of talents and accomplishments earned her a distinction as an Officer of the Order of Canada. She is a force for the public understanding of science, and lectures around the world on the importance of space exploration — a position that makes her an ideal candidate to kick off the TSF. As a representative of science — particularly, Canadian science — the organizers could not have chosen more wisely than a woman whose expertise and interest in so many fields give her such a unique insight into life in the universe.
Check out more of our coverage of the Toronto Science Festival online var.st/science
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U of T plays host to first-ever Toronto Science Festival Matthew J. Chow and Jesse Hildebrand
VARSITY CONTRIBUTORS
The University of Toronto will host the first annual Toronto Science Festival (tsf) this September 27–29. The festival is, at its heart, a celebration of science — bringing together experts in fields as diverse as biology, paleontology and astronomy. It aims to provide a comprehensive look at its central theme of “life in the universe.” How did life on earth begin? In what seemingly inhospitable environments can life be found? What form might life outside our planet take? These are among the many questions to be pondered throughout the event. Hoping to attract a wide variety of people to listen to and take part in these discussions, the festival boasts an impressive program of events. tsf is organized by U of T Science Engagement and the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics. Science Engagement works to raise awareness of the university’s strengths in science teaching and research and facilitate U of T scientists to engage effectively with the community at large. It also coordinates science journalism courses for U of T graduate students and the Science Leadership Program for faculty members. The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics develops new astronomical instrumentation to delve deeper into the universe and understand how it works. In addition to the tsf, the institute also organizes the Transit of Venus at Varsity Stadium event. Various academic units and administrative offices from the Faculty of Arts & Science have also contributed to the event. On Friday, September 27 at 7:00 pm, the festival will kick off with a talk by Julie Payette, a Canadian astronaut. She will talk about her unique experiences and the future of space exploration. Following
Payette at 8:00 pm will be Sean B. Carroll, a distinguished evolutionary biologist, who will talk about Jacques Monod — a leader in the French Resistance who was also a co-founder of molecular biology. Carroll will also discuss humankind’s place in the universe. The third keynote speaker will be Jim Bell, a planetary scientist, who will be discussing the Mars rovers and the search for life on the Red Planet on Saturday at 7:00 pm. There are many more intriguing and engaging events. One exciting panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Jennifer Carpenter (see interview on pg 20), will be debating the origin and evolution of life; another panel — moderated by Nora Young of CBC Radio’s Spark — will examine the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. There will also be a contemporary dance performance by the renowned inDance company; a jazz performance by Diane Nalini; screenings of Star Trek, with discussions by Hugo award-winning science fiction writer Peter Watts and U of T astronomy professor Michael Reid; and a screening of Carl Sagan’s Hugo award-winning film, Contact. The festival seeks to engage with the community to share the excitement of their new discoveries of the scientific process. By bringing together some of the brightest minds in a plethora of disciplines — including evolutionary biology, planetary science, oceanography, paleontology, geochemistry, astronomy, anthropology, earth sciences, and exobiology — the festival seeks to give a fresh and diverse discussion on life in the universe. The festival is also an interactive experience. The Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (meti) contest, for example, allows participants to compose a 100-word message, which will be sent via radio signal to two nearby star systems. The Café Scientifique Brunch will allow participants to have a casual conversation with world-renowned scientists while filling their appetites.
The festival will be a stimulating overview of the evolutionary and astronomical sciences. Unlike regular science lectures, the festival focuses on communicating the direction of future science and the possibilities for the future. In other words, the focus will be on “what is possible” and “what is probable.” Another focus is exploring the meaning of our current state of knowledge. For example, what are the implications of extraterrestrial life? What would we say to alien intelligence? The festival seeks to discuss tough questions from many perspectives and create a dialogue that informs the public about recent scientific breakthroughs. The amalgamation of so many different perspectives in discussing the search for life elsewhere in the universe may be the most important facet of the tsf. Reid says that the search is one that requires just such a multifaceted approach: “Biology defines what life is and tells us how we can go about looking for it. Earth science helps us figure out the conditions under which life can be sustained and how to distinguish life from inanimate processes which can mimic living ones. Astronomy allows us to identify potential sites where life might exist elsewhere in the universe, and gives us the tools to identify it from light-years away,” he says. Ultimately, it is a question we may never find an answer to — the difficulties of interplanetary and interstellar travel may prove to be insurmountable. However, the stellar list of participants being brought together to find a solution gives hope that we are on the right path. With the opportunity for the citizens and scientists of tomorrow to create a dialogue with the scientists of today, the tfs promises to engage and inspire all who attend, and give a peek into the extraordinary worlds of science. The Toronto Science Festival will run at U of T from September 27-29. To find more information, visit tsf.utoronto.ca/. Follow the festival on twitter. @tosciencefest for the latest updates.
Dr. Sean Carroll will be one of the keynote speakers at the TSF; he will be speaking at 8:00 pm in Convocation Hall on Friday, September 27. His talk is entitled “BRAVE GENIUS: Jacques Monod, Chance, and our Place in the Universe.” At 9:00 pm, he will be participating in a book signing in the Convocation Hall lobby. The Varsity asked Dr. Carroll about life on other planets: “Biology on Earth gives us some sense of what is possible or likely elsewhere in the universe — about the most likely shapes (rods or spheres?) and sizes (microscopic) of possible life forms,” he replied. Carroll leaves an interesting caveat however, saying that due to our perpetual surprise at the forms of life on our own planet that “perhaps we are not very prepared for what may lurk out there.”
Interested in attending? Tickets are still available to purchase online. Act quickly as many events have sold out. tsf.utoronto.ca/ tickets/
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
Master Ji Ru, Chairman of MABA-USA Lecture Series Schedules Organized by Buddhist Education for Modern Times Society Date
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9/28/13 SAT
2-5 pm
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2-5 pm
9/30/13 MON 10/1/13
Master Ji Ru Was born in Malaysia. He has studied Theravada Buddhism for six years before he served under the late great Chinese Mahayana Buddhist Master, Zhu Mo from 1986. In 1990, Master Ji Ru was invited by Buddhist organizations in New York to give Dharma lectures. In 1995 Master Ji Ru went to St. Louie, Missouri to assist spreading Buddhism to the Mid-West. He is the Abbot of the Mid-America Buddhist Association (MABA).
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Knowing the teachings of the Buddha Workshop 1
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5 King’s College Rd. Toronto, Ont. U of T Mechanical Eng.Bldg, Rm 102 5 King’s College Rd. Toronto, Ont. Tai Bay Buddhist Temple of Toronto 300 Bathurst St., Toronto, Ont Tai Bay Buddhist Temple of Toronto 300 Bathurst St., Toronto, Ont Hong Fa Temple 1330 Bloor St. W. Toronto,Ont Toronto Mahavihara 4698 Kingston Rd. Scarborough,Ont Toronto Mahavihara 4698 Kingston Rd. Scarborough, Ont Po Chai Temple 84 Swanwick Avenue,Toronto Ont.
Knowing the teachings of the Buddha Workshop 2 Contemporary Buddhism
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VARSITY SCIENCE
20 Vol. CXXXIV, No. 4
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Jennifer Carpenter: Life on Earth BBC science journalist and U of T professor discusses ecology, evolution, and the TSF Noemie De Vuyst
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
This year, summer ends with celebration — it’s the very first Toronto Science Festival (tsf), a three-day recognition of the curiosity and ingenuity that drive science. On September 28, a panel of scientists will look for answers to some of science’s most fundamental questions. “The Origins and Evolution of Life on Earth” panel brings together four evolutionary biologists to explore evolution’s universal patterns, and what they might tell us about life beyond our planet. The Varsity’s Noemie De Vuyst spoke with Jennifer Carpenter: U of T professor, science journalist, and moderator of the panel. The Varsity: As a student of ecology, I was pretty excited to see that the inaugural theme of the Toronto Science Festival is “Life in the Universe.” What can we expect? Jennifer Carpenter: Over the weekend of 27 to 29 September you have the chance to hear about life on and beyond our earthly confines. From astronaut Julie Payette’s experiences in space to scientists who are looking for extra-terrestrial life; from a conversation with astronomers and anthropologists about how humans might communicate with aliens to a discussion about what we can learn about life in the universe from lessons on Earth.
TV: Do you think the biologists’ knowledge of life on Earth might really shed light on what could be living in other parts of the universe? JC: I think so. And that is because biology is underpinned by chemistry, and chemistry is underpinned by physics, physics by mathematics. Biologist E.O. Wilson said this better — although a little wordier — than I: “…Quantum theory underlies atomic physics, which is the foundation of reagent chemistry and its specialized offshoot biochemistry, which interlock with molecular biology — essentially, the chemistry of organic macromolecules — and thence, through successively higher levels of organization, cellular, organismic, and evolutionary biology.” Essentially he is saying that underlying all evolutionary biology is ultimately quantum theory, which governs the physical behaviours at the molecular, atomic, and sub-atomic levels of everything in the universe. And because we don’t expect its rules to be different once you step off our planet, nor should the laws of biology. So in short, yes there is a lot to learn about the potential for life elsewhere from life on Earth.
TV: The panel is bringing together four evolutionary biologists, representing fields as diverse as botany to paleontology. What do you hope they’ll be able to cover in an hour?
TV: Back on Earth, every student who has taken first-year biology has come across Dobzhansky’s famous line: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” It’s clear that an understanding of evolution is a must for a biologist — but why does it matter for everyone else?
JC: I hope they’ll take us on a tour of how evolution works and how they study it by giving us many wonderful examples of what evolution results in. I hope the panel will admit that they are detectives looking for evidence that evolution has been at work. I’ve heard whispers that they’ll talk about dinosaurs, evolving pseudo-creatures, how life becomes complex from simple beginnings, and the adaptations that allowed vertebrates to become airborne, among other things. And once they have introduced us to all this, I hope they will give us clues about how we, the non-specialist, can look out for traces of evolution in the natural world on Earth and beyond.
JC: It is hard to answer this question without sounding really earnest. Here goes: If you aren’t interested in how and where life started, what life looked like in the past, how we evolved from a single celled organism barely able to steer itself; if you don’t want to understand why you probably know someone who has died of a disease that your parents thought had been eradicated, or if you don’t want to consider that life might exist elsewhere or wonder what it might look like, then sure, this doesn’t matter and you should stay home. If you are curious, then come — September 27 to 29.
Lucinda Yae-Rim Ro/THe VaRsiTY
Research Recap Exercise: a monetary pursuit? A study of 1500 adults found that money makes the stationary bikes go ‘round. Modest financial incentives — as little as five dollars a week — can increase the amount of exercise people are willing to do when recovering from injury. The study was completed by Marc Mitchell, University of Toronto phd candidate and Cardiac Rehabilitation Supervisor at Toronto Rehab. He was supervised by U of T exercise psychologists Guy Faulkner and Jack Goodman. The study took place locally, at Toronto Rehab’s Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Program. In a press release, Mitchell theorized that the money acted as a motivator because it changed the results of exercise from long-term benefits to instant gratification. “People’s actions tend to serve their immediate self-interest at the expense of long-term well-being,” said Mitchell. The positive — receiving the money — balanced out the negative — the discomfort and time commitment associated with exercise. The study is part of a larger focus on studying methods of rehab adherence. After suffering an injury or illness, patients must make an active effort to recover and rehabilitate. “Rehab adherence” is the term used to describe patient engagement in the rehabilitation process. The study will be published in the September online publication of The American Journal of Preventive Medicine. — Katrina Vogan With files from Science Daily and News-Medical.net
Scientists find a correlation between sharks and coral reef health A group of scientists from Canada and Australia have discovered that the overfishing of sharks leads to a decrease in coral reef health. With fewer sharks present in the reef ecosystem, the food chain in the reefs changes. The number of smaller predators increases, which leads to a decrease in the number of herbivorous fish that the smaller predators eat. The herbivorous fish are responsible for eating algae that grows on reefs. Without the fish to keep the algae in check, young corals trying to grow are overwhelmed. This cycle is especially damaging when reefs are recovering from natural disturbances such as cyclones, which are becoming more frequent because of climate change. The study offers a new angle for protecting the world’s delicate reefs. Reef sharks often remain within small territories associated with a single reef. The formation of new marine-protected areas around the sharks’ territories could prevent overfishing and keep the delicate balance that allows reefs to recover from damage and disruptions. The research will be published in the September 28 issue of the journal PLOS One. Lead author Jonathan Ruppert recently completed his phd at U of T. Marie-Josée Fortin of U of T’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology was also part of the team. — Rachel Rensing
Sports
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The best piece of advice Blues athletes share coaching pearls of wisdom that have made all the difference Lia Kim
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
While most coaches don’t receive their fair share of praise, make no mistake — the best athletes don’t achieve greatness all on their own. The masterminds behind those gold medals and national titles are lurking on the sidelines, whistles in hand, words of encouragement and high-fives at the ready. Often what coaches impart to their athletes has much to do with integrity, hard work, and good sportsmanship: they are the source of game strategy, fuelling, and crosstraining plans. They prescribe the workouts and tally the score. They ask if you’ve eaten your vegetables, and they teach the lessons that help us grow. “I think what constitutes a great coach is an all-around approach to the team and game,” says fourth-year Blues hockey goalie Nicole Kesteris. “[He/she should have] a great mind, great people skills, and the ability to interact and manage a team. A great coach needs to be able to manage resources, issues, and resolve or negotiate things that may [be distracting] the team. A great coach [also] has the ability to teach a team, whether it be how to do certain things better, or learn a new skill. I believe a great coach needs to have a level of openness, but at the same time creates an atmosphere where [everyone knows] that they are the boss. A great coach has a high level of communication, objectives, goals, roles for the team, and expresses how [those roles] add value to the team and its success,” she added. Read on to find out what some of U of T’s top athletes have learned from their coaches. Nicole Kesteris: first female hockey goalie in the Collegiate Interuniversity Sports (CIS) to be credited with a goal on Coach Vicky Sunohara: “[Coach Vicky Sunohara] reminds us sometimes that it’s not a right to wear our “T” and play hockey on this team,” says Kesteris. “It’s a privilege and honour to represent the University of Toronto and play a sport that we all share a passion for. Every time that we put on our jerseys and wear that ’T’, we are playing for the university, for the girl we sit beside in the dressing room, for our team, for our coaches, and for our families who give us their endless support in everything we do. And at the end of the day, whether we win or lose, we know that we represented and competed as a
Women’s hockey team begins season with two wins
NANCY JI/THE VARSITY
team for every one of those mentioned with respect, class, unlimited effort, leaving nothing left and no regret.” Alan Chung: 2012 OUA Men’s Water Polo Championship MVP on Coach Vlad Tasevski: “I remember I had a terrible game at this one tournament where I made several mistakes in a row. I was beating myself up a little bit, but my coach said: ‘You can’t change the mistake [you’ve made], so let’s just focus on the play and don’t make those mistakes again.’ These simple words have influenced me [to focus] on the future and what I can do next.” Colleen Hennessy: 2013 OUA Women’s 1500m bronze medalist runner on coaches Ross
Lia Kim
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
The Varsity Blues’ women’s hockey team defeated the York Lions by a score of 5-1 Thursday night at Varsity Arena. In this game, the Blues found the scoring touch that had largely eluded them in their first exhibition game, a 1-0 win against the Laurention Voyageurs. For a game that would end up being a convincing Blues win, it certainly didn’t begin well. The home side was outplayed in the opening minutes, with Toronto goaltender Michaela Logan making several strong blocks before York forward Amy Locke broke the deadlock 1 minute and 50 seconds into the game. It was a goal where Logan could not be faulted. York forward Sarai Whitty shot through a screen on a 2-on-1, and Logan managed miraculously to pick up the puck and get a glove on it, but couldn’t
Zack Chetrat: sixth-place swimmer at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Trials on coaches Byron MacDonald, Linda Kiefer, and Ben Titley: “[They] help me focus on the skills that we’ve been working on to get better at swimming. Training is constant practice for race day. When
we’re in competition, my coaches reiterate whatever specific skill we had been working on in training. It’s a similar dialogue, but in competition, there’s always the added confidence that we’ve worked to perfect these skills, [and therefore], they should come naturally.” Chetrat advises aspiring athletes “to completely trust their coach.” “Coaches have been doing this for a lot longer than we have. [They] can really pull on their experiences in training other people when it comes to helping you improve as an athlete. Trusting your coach takes the stress of designing a workout plan for the entire year off of the athlete, and allows them to focus on training and competing.”
hold on. Locke just had to tap the puck home. The goal was the wake-up call that the Blues needed. A period of even, free-flowing play followed before a series of questionable penalty calls led to a Blues powerplay in which the home side evened the score. Rookie Katherine Gale put home a rebound off the crossbar in what was her first of three points of the night. With three minutes to go, the Blues struck again with Sonia Weidenfelder, alone in the slot, wiring a shot top-shelf. Little over a minute later, the home team added another goal, with Captain Kelly O’Hanlon, who was superb all game, scoring a loose puck in a mad scramble in front of the opposition’s goal. In the second period, the Blues continued their dominance, and put the game out of reach with two goals by forward Taylor Day. The first, 2 minutes and 16 seconds into the frame, was a solid finish off of a slap pass from defender Stacey Oue.
Nine minutes later, Day struck again. This time, on a 2-on-1 with Gale, she waited until she was deep in the slot and put a perfectlyplaced wrist shot into the top corner. The third period was largely uneventful, with the team controlling the play and trying in vain to get Day her hat-trick. One particular highlight was a spectacular backcheck by Toronto forward April Looije to stop a rare York breakaway. The effort brought the crowd to its feet. With Thursday’s tilt being the first of three games in four days for the Blues, head coach Vicky Sunohara noted after the game that the conditioning of the team “could be [an issue],” but added that the team has been training for a while and that they “should be able to handle it.” Based on the Blues’ last two performances, fans shouldn’t have to worry about this aspect of their game.
Ristuccia and Terry Radchenko: “You can run with anyone,” Hennessy reminds herself. “The jump from high school to university is a big jump because you go from competing against your age group to competing against all ages at the university level. This was a big adjustment [for me] and I got swallowed up by the competition. Over the years, I’ve realized that I can run with anyone. I just have to be confident and go for it from the gun.”
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CAMPUS: University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) TIME: 1:00pm – 3:00pm LOCATION: Arts & Administration Building, AA160
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VARSITY SPORTS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
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Coping with a rainout
JP Kaczur
ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
JAMIE MACDONALD/THE VARSITY
Blues crews: men’s and women’s rowing profiles Oldest rowing club in Canada set to compete in its 116th season Kelly Rahardja
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
U of T athletics has been home to the Varsity Blues’ rowing crew since 1897, making it the oldest rowing club in Canada. Some of Canada’s most successful athletes can trace their roots back to Blues rowing. Today, the rowing season is underway, and the men’s and women’s rowing teams are set to maintain the Varsity Blues’ legacy. Nursing student Ryan Northway is optimistic about the men’s team’s progress this year. “I am looking forward to moving in small boats in the coming weeks, I feel as though we have some genuine potential. As it is my last year as a collegiate athlete, I’d be pretty happy
to make it onto the podium with U of T,” he said. Starting his second season with the team, Northway has had several highlights during his time with the crew, including competing at the Canadian University Rowing Championships in British Columbia last year. “It’s a gorgeous place to row in Canada,” mused Northway, who placed sixth in the lightweight men’s double alongside Jonathon Santos last year. That being said, rowing is a rigid sport that requires teamwork and discipline. A typical rowing practice will last between 60-90 minutes. The intention is to synchronize the crew, or, as Northway puts it, “crush the body.” The rowing crew begins their practices at 5:30 am at the Hanlan Boat Club, near Cherry Beach, stopping only
for high winds, lightning, or zerovisibility fog. The women’s team has enjoyed its own share of success, winning the silver medal in the lightweight coxed four, and gold in the lightweight women single at the Ontario University Athletics championships last October. The Blues also managed to secure first place at the 131st Royal Canadian Henley Regatta this past August in the women’s senior lightweight four. The Regatta, which is held annually, is one of the largest professional rowing tournaments in North America. “We have lots of new athletes this year, which is so exciting for the team as we had several valuable crew members graduate last year,” explained Emily Donaldson, who is competing on the team for her second year. “I am confident that we can
have some competitive crews this year, and we are experimenting with some slightly different technical approaches, so it will be interesting to see how that goes in competitions.” Undeterred by the demanding nature of the sport, Donaldson is grateful for what rowing has given her. “The most rewarding part of being part of the varsity rowing program, and this is going to sound cliché, is that the people are truly great. The feeling of community you experience in rowing is really hard to find in any other sport or environment.” On Saturday, both the men’s and women’s heavyweight varsity eights placed third at the Western Invitational with times of 11:30.6, and 13:24.1, respectively. Their next race will be the Head of the Welland on September 28.
I was well on my way to watch the U of T women’s fastpitch team play a double header against the York Lions before I was alerted that Mother Nature didn’t feel like letting the girls play ball. Instead she had decided to flood their feild. I was rather disappointed, to say the least, because the team is shaping up well this year. In particular, I was excited to see how the blend of Varsity Blues rookies, like Bermuda native JayLynn Hines, mix with veteran talent, like Danielle Ridout, who has returned for her 7th season. Inspired by this gutpunch of a game, I have compiled 7 things to do during a rainout—one for every inning of a Blues fastpitch game. 1. Think about the good things in life, like being a Toronto Blue Jays fan. 2. Regret leaving your umbrella at your friend’s house. 3. Find enough tarp to cover the field — university fields do not spring for such amenities. 4. Proceed to attempt to convince someone to join you in performing the baseball equivalent of the Crocodile Mile. 5. If you have been carefully saving your data for a rainy day, spoil yourself with a smartphone Netflix session on your way home, courtesy of your brand new BlackBerry Z10™. 6. Refer to Mother Nature as Bud Selig and question her motivation for suspening your game. Good news: the game is set to be rescheduled for October 9, barring Hurricane Selig rearing its bespectacled head.
Blues flooded by Marauders rugby performance U of T women’s rugby falls 71–0 to McMaster Marauders Ameena Youssef
VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s rugby team fell 71-0 to the McMaster Marauders on a rainy and cold evening on Saturday at the Varsity Centre. McMaster’s Stephanie Black started the game off strong for her team, with a try in just the first minute and a half of the game. Black was quickly followed by two more tries from teammates Sarah Farquharson and Emily Ricketts, raising their lead to 15-0.
Even with McMaster on the scoreboard early, the Varsity Blues never stopped fighting. Once half time turned, however, Toronto maintained a stubborn defense of their goal line: preventing the Marauders’ attacks, and denying them further scoring opportunities. At this point in the game, the teams’ offenses were switching quickly back and forth between one another. Even when there were only 10 minutes left on the board, and the Blues were trailing 67-0, they continued fighting to prevent being shut-out.
Speaking after the game, Varsity Blues head coach Gareth Williams said: “The score does not reflect our performance and potential. With that being said, there were no highlights for us today. We are going to go back and capitalize our mistakes and work at them.” With the Blues’ weaknesses being clear in this match, Williams added that: “McMaster played a great game, but we are still a workin-progress; we still need to instill more urgency, defense, and quick reaction into our girls. We will also
continue to work on our organization, just like we have been for the past month.” “It’s a young team,” Williams added. “Only four girls won’t be coming back next year to play with us. This gives us a lot of room to grow and develop, both as a team and as individual players.” Even with no wins to their name so far this season, the Varsity Blues have hope that they will improve in their remaining games. The Blues will play next against Queen’s University on Saturday, September 28.
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