January 23, 2012 by The Varsity

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a fee?

UTSU Dental Plan Amount: $102.76

Where your money goes: to dental fees not covered by provincial plans (OHIP) like oral examinations and surgery, denture cleaning, and polishing What you could buy instead: $102-worth of fuzzy peaches

UTSU Amount: $66.24

chart by MATTHEW D.H. GRAY text by SARAH TAGUIAM Source: ROSI

Where your money goes: to UTSU club funding, programming, and administrative costs. What you could buy instead: a pair of perfectly adequate blue jeans

UTSU Accident/PR Drug Insurance

ROSI System Access Fee

Amount: $120.64

Amount: $45

Arts & Science Student Union

Where your money goes: who knows? What you could buy instead: a good vibrator

Where your money goes: to keep ROSI afloat What you could buy instead: a massage (sans happy ending)

Hart House Amount: $143.26

Amount: $19

Where your money goes: to arts and culture programming, club subsidy, and recreation in Hart House What you could buy instead: a decent pair of leather shoes

Where your money goes: to printing Anti-Calendars, tutoring services for high school students, events, and annual awards and bursaries What you could buy instead: a monthly subscription for World of Warcraft and a three packets of ramen

CANCOPY License

10x Magnification

Student Life & Programming Services

Amount: $3.38

Where your money goes: to allow students to photocopy copyrighted materials What you could buy instead: a bunch of illegal photocopies

Amount: $237.48

Where your money goes: to all sorts of student life and programming activities all over campus What you could buy instead: almost a PlayStation 3

The Varsity Amount: $2.66

Where your money goes: to printing, slumber parties, and believe it or not, our private jet can get expensive sometimes What you could buy instead: a Tim Hortons breakfast sandwich

U of T Community Radio Amount: $7.50

Where your money goes: to funding radio programming, broadcasting fees, and salaries What you could buy instead: a pint of beer

Total: $6,413.50

UTSU Student Commons Amount: $12.30

Where your money goes: to construction of a student commons What you could buy instead: a gram of decent weed

Course Fees

Athletics

Amount: $5,372

Amount: $281.28

Where your money goes: to 10 Arts and Science courses What you could buy instead: a 2005 Toyota Echo Sedan with 170,000 km

Where your money goes: to gym memberships, maintenance of facilities, and drop-in programs like yoga, archery, swimming, and field What you could buy instead: a once-in-a-lifetime bottle of Scotch

VARSITY NEWS

news@thevarsity.ca

monday, January 23, 2012

Dissatisfied undergrads speak out Lack of school spirit, long wait times, and large class sizes among complaints in U of T report Dalana Parris ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

The bitter truths about U of T’s undergrad experience came to light in two reports issued by vice-provost, students, Jill Matus. The 2010 and 2011 reports, entitled “In Their Own Words: Understanding the Undergraduate Student Experience at the University of Toronto” and “Response to In Their Own Words: Best practices & strategies for enhancing the student experience at the University of Toronto” respectively assessed the quality of student life at U of T and recommended programs to enhance student experience. Students complained about the university’s unsupportive campus environment, lacking co-curricular student engagement, and an unsatisfactory undergraduate experience. Matus and assistant vice-president of student life Lucy Fromowitz said that students were also concerned about limited interaction with faculty due to large class sizes. They added that statistically, smaller seminars such as the Vic One program tend to be more successful in building student-faculty relationships. “I had personal relationships with all of my Vic One professors, which I know for a fact is a lamentably rare occurrence at U of T, especially in first year,” said fifth-year student Emily McNally.

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

Students also complained that more academic support systems across the campuses are needed. UTM students, according to the 2010 report, are concerned about long wait times and confusion among registrars’ offices, program offices, and Admissions & Awards. “It gets pretty busy, especially during the first week of school — there’s

even a waitlist,” confirmed third-year UTM student Ibrahim Kitine. Kitine said that the long wait times often discourage students from seeking advisors as there can be up to 30 people waiting and only two advisors on duty. “You either have to figure out [your questions] on your own or risk asking older students because you don’t

know how accurate their advice may be,” he continued. Furthermore, students expressed frustration in grading practices implemented at the university. “I am proud of my education and achievements at U of T. However, especially in my first couple years of my undergrad, I often felt discouraged and concerned over grades,”

said Julie Kawar, a fifth-year student at St. George. McNally agreed that more academic support is needed but noted that it’s not always accessible. “In my experience, many professors at this school are far more interested in their own research than in the young people they teach,” she said. Despite the grading practices, students take pride in U of T’s academic reputation but are careful to differentiate between “academic pride” and “school spirit” — which, they said, the university greatly lacks. “As a Varsity athlete, I am very disappointed in the degree of apathy I have encountered from the general student body toward supporting their fellow students and promoting school pride,” said McNally, frustrated. “My Varsity rugby team is extremely competitive, yet we rarely have many spectators at our games. “U of T is a school of individualists — it lacks a sense of shared experience, loyalty and community. It is an institution one attends predominantly among strangers,” she continued. The lack of school spirit extends beyond the Varsity Arena and increases the divide between campuses. “The student body is so large. There are three different campuses, and they are not close to one another… It’s hard to be involved across the board,” said Kitine. Continued on P6

CORRECTION An article entitled “U of T’s credit rating plummets from close ties with provincial finances” was published in the January 16 issue of The Varsity. The article reported on the university’s dropping credit score. The Varsity has since learned that this information is incorrect and has decided to change the headline to “U of T’s credit rating on negative watch from close ties with provincial finances.” Though Moody’s, a credit rating agency, put the university on “negative watch,” U of T’s credit rating remains unchanged. The Varsity regrets the error.

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VARSITY NEWS

monday, January 23, 2012

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Move over ROSI — make way for NGSIS $15 million makeover set to integrate with old system over the next 10 years Akihiko Tse VARSITY STAFF

ROSI, U of T’s age-old student web service, has reached the end of the road, making way for a newcomer — the Next Generation Student Information Services (NGSIS). ROSI is receiving a makeover to reduce wait times and create more efficient functionalities. The changes will gradually integrate with the old system over the next 10 years. $15 million will be spread out over five years with another $15 million being allocated to fund staff and resources. “The student interface, the way information is presented to students, and the variety of functions and services made available, are quite limited,” said Jill Matus, viceprovost, students. Matus said that students want a more user-friendly system that allows them to access services and information resources easily and hassle-free. “The collection of services should do the running around in the background so students needn’t go from office to office, re-entering information to perform the transactions they are required to do,” said Matus. Because NGSIS will contain more than 90 different services, she added that round-the-clock

“Many of us experience that when we try to log in to ROSI and it shuts down each night so the server can be reset.”

The familiar ROSI interface is about to undergo a $15 million change to improve user experience. WYatt Clough/THe VArsity

availability and real-time updates to course selections and enrolments are being considered. Services such as the degree audit utility, which speeds up awards payments, and the “Wayfinding” project, which uses an interactive map to help students find campus services, have already been intro-

duced under the NGSIS banner. “The objective is to make visible all kinds of important information related to getting around the university such as ‘Where are the accessible entrances to buildings?,’ ‘Where can I find a place to eat?,’ and ‘Where are my classes located?,’ she said.

Matus stressed, however, that the NGSIS is not a replacement system, and the database and function outcomes will remain largely the same as ROSI. The technical implementation and solutions of the NGSIS will be overseen by the office of the chief information officer, with input largely

being sought from the student body, as she said was the case with the recent email services project. To augment this, the vice-provost, students’ office will launch a tricampus student contest to determine the name of the new system. “ROSI was named by staff on behalf of students. This time we would like to see students name the new ROSI,” said Joan Griffin, special projects officer for the office of the vice-president and provost. She added that more wide range initiatives involving students would be held in the future. Corey Scott, vice-president internal and services for the UTSU, said that he was excited about the prospect of the new integrated system creating stronger social bonds among students but hoped many of the complaints raised by students will be resolved. “The ROSI system quite obviously needed an overhaul. It cannot meet demand and use. Many of us experience that when we try to log in to ROSI and it shuts down each night so the server can be reset,” Scott said. “This project involves a considerable investment from the operating budget of the university, and so we hope that administrators will continue to consult students to help shape the system so it will meet the needs of our members,” he said.

News in brief

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Number of university applicants steadily climbs

Information stolen from 150 SFU students

The number of high school students applying to Ontario universities has risen 2.2 per cent from last year, according to the Council of Ontario Universities. Statistics showed that student applications for the fall semester have increased consistently for the past 11 years, with 90,373 high school students applying by the January 11 deadline. Applicants, however, face the danger of competing against mature students for spots in university classrooms, as the recession held back many mature students from pursuing a university degree. There was also a three per cent increase in the number of mature students applying for the fall semester. Due to students’ increased prioritization of completing degrees, president of the Council of Ontario Universities, Bonnie Patterson, told Maclean’s that governments need to invest more in universities to meet the demand. This is “to ensure that the quality of the learning experience is not undermined by taking more and more students on board,” said Patterson. —Maya Akbay With files from Global.

A couple was deported after stealing the information of 150 Simon Fraser University students. Siyuan Gu and Jing Wang, both 31, pleaded guilty in December to using stolen student ID cards to get UPasses. U-Passes allow students unlimited access to Vancouver public transit for $30 per month, compared to the regular price of $151 a month. Gu and Wang acquired 128 U-Passes between September and November and had 47 fake SFU student IDs on them during their arrest. To steal 500 pages of student information, the couple made use of campus computers. They used keystroke loggers, which are small hidden devices that copy everything that is typed on the computer. BC transit police officer Jim Garnett told Maclean’s that students should be wary of using campus computers or putting private information on any computer they do not trust. —Evan De Souza With files from Maclean’s.

City budget cuts collapse

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Toronto city councillors defeated Rob Ford and saved $15 million in proposed cuts to services on Tuesday. The cuts would have hit daycare centres, homeless shelters, pools, and arenas that were threatened with closure and shortened hours, as well as TTC service. The surprise omnibus motion to prevent $15 million in cuts was brought forward by Councillor Josh Colle on Tuesday morning. Progressive, centrist, and even a couple conservative councillors like Councillors Gloria Lindsay Luby and James Pasternak, who usually ally with the mayor, rallied behind Colle’s motion. The amendment passed 23–21, resulting in one of the biggest defeats Ford has ever seen in office. A series of other proposals followed, meaning an extra $5 million will be drawn from the $154 million surplus. Colle’s motion, however, only involved “critical” services, so other issues like Councillor Sarah Doucette’s efforts to save High Park Zoo, had to be put forward separately. —Morgaine Craven With files from Toronto Star.

VARSITY NEWS

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Research misconducts exposed? Policy threatens to reveal names of scholars Sunnie Huang VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The names of Canadian university and college researchers found guilty of academic misconduct may be publicly displayed, according to a new joint policy by three federal research agencies. The 17-page document, entitled “Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research,” was released last December by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. It outlines various procedures on addressing misconduct allegations to ensure the accountability of public funds, and inspire responsible research. Associate vice-president, research professor Peter Lewis described the new framework as a complex system. “The subject of responsible of research involves many facets,” he said. “This framework involves a number of policies that are all put together in a single document. It covers quite a wide range.” Researchers applying for grants from the agencies are now required to sign a consent form disclosing their personal information. In the event of a serious research infraction, the agencies may publish the researcher’s name, employer, and the nature of the breach. The agencies will also post sta-

“[The system] balances the need for transparency and accountability in the use of public money. It instills public confidence that research is being conducted appropriately.” tistical information on the number of allegations considered and their outcomes on its websites. “Most developed countries have similar systems in place which permit names to be published,” viceprovost, faculty and academic life, Edith Hillan wrote in an email. “[The system] balances the need for transparency and accountability in the use of public money. It instills public confidence that research is being conducted appropriately.” All full-time and part-time faculty, staff, and students at U of T who seek grants or financial support from the agencies are subjected to this new measure. Continued on P6

Daniel, 3RD YEAR Political Science

“My worst transportation experience happened a few weeks ago when I called a cab. I live only 10 minutes away, and cab fare should have cost about $8. After a few minutes in the cab, I realized that the driver was heading in the complete opposite direction. When I pointed this out to him, he started arguing with me, keeping the doors locked so that I couldn’t get out. When he finally brought me home, the fare was $25. He wouldn’t let me out of the cab until I had both paid and tipped him.”

monday, January 23, 2012

Gabriel, 3rd year Latin American Studies

“Last winter, I rode the Dundas Avenue West streetcar home from work during a heavy snowfall. At Spadina Avenue, we ran into trouble. Snow was piled into high banks on both sides of the rode and at least 10 cars were parked far out into the street to avoid the banks. A towtruck had to be called to tow every single one of them. It took me two hours longer to get home.”

Transit troubles

compiled by Joan Sullivan

“I ride my bike year round. A few months ago, it rained heavily the night before, and there were puddles everywhere. As I was riding my bike to class, a car came speeding from behind me and ran through a huge puddle as it drove by. The splash from the puddle was so big that it knocked me off my bike. I was completely soaked in muddy rain water, and my laptop and phone both suffered severe water damage.

Graham, 4th YEAR Sociology, Political Science

“I was waiting for the subway at Spadina station at about 1:30 am and was so exhausted that I fell asleep on the platform. No one noticed me and I didn’t wake up until about 3:00 am. I ran to the exit but the turnstile got stuck. I ended up having to call 9-1-1. Fast-forward to six police cruisers at the scene and an elaborate rescue effort. Everyone had a good laugh at my expense.”

Brian, 2nd year History, Psychology

VARSITY NEWS

monday, January 23, 2012

On the inside looking out

8 launch

New prison exchange program offered at UTM this fall Rida Ali VARSITY STAFF

ways to

Imagine learning about the Canadian criminal justice system from inside a prison. Next fall, Inside-Out, a new program offered at UTM, would allow students to do just that. Inside-Out was founded at 1997 by Lori Pompa, a criminal justice professor at Temple University, and a select group of incarcerated individuals and students from Pennsylvania who had the common goal of studying crime, justice, and social issues that affect society at large. The program quickly spread to other Pennsylvania and out-of-state universities. Recently, it has started taking root in Canada. According to its website, InsideOut is built around the idea that “incarcerated men and women and college students might mutually benefit from studying crime, justice, and related social issues together as peers.” Professor Simone Davis, development coordinator for Inside-Out and visiting English professor at U of T, has been involved in bringing the program to Canada. She has held information sessions about the program for faculty from universities in Ontario and Quebec, including U of T. “One thing about Inside-Out in Canada is that it’s clear we want to move toward the collaborative design of a customized Canadian training — not only is the Canadian

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criminal justice system different from the U.S.’s, but both the challenges and the possibilities are distinct,” she said. Davis added that the “thinktank” — comprised of Inside-Out alumni — that was just formed at the Grand Valley Institution, a fed-

“It’s a really exciting initiative and the kind of thing that many of us should take as an inspiration in terms of really shifting our pedagogy and connecting with community in very substantive ways.” eral prison for women in Kitchener, will ultimately be trained as trainers to help co-facilitate Canada-specific instructor trainings. The Inside-Out program aims to help students in getting information about issues surrounding the criminal justice system. By inter-

acting with real inmates, students are believed to gain a deeper understanding of the system and social issues surrounding crime, as well as the psyche of the inmates themselves. The program also promises to benefit the “inside” students, as post-secondary education for those who are incarcerated. It contributes to helping those leaving prison to stay out of prison. “Inside students and outside students both report experiencing these courses as transformative experiences — they really involve a kind of collective, student-owned learning process that revitalizes the educational experience, helps people see themselves as problem solvers and strategists, and gives people a new sense of community connection and accountability,” said Davis. The program initiative also seems to be well received by other U of T faculty members. “It’s a really exciting initiative, and the kind of thing that many of us should take as an inspiration in terms of really shifting our pedagogy and connecting with community in very substantive ways,” said professor Judith Taylor of the women and gender studies program. An Inside-Out course that would be taught by professor Philip Goodman has been included in UTM’s fall 2012 calendar under the sociology department, but the course is still contingent on finding a partner institution.

Continued FRom P3 Matus and Fromowitz acknowledged a “need for greater emphasis on intentional cross-divisional collaboration” and are working towards projects that create a greater sense of community. Additionally, students blamed lack of participation in co-curricular activities on long commutes and heavy course loads. “It takes me about an hour and a half to commute to the university, each way,” Kawar said. “I often feel that I don’t have the time to engage in student life because I have to spend so much

time heading home, where I have to do homework, studying, volunteer in my area, or work at my part-time job.” As a student continuously shuttling between UTM and St. George, Kitine said that it’s hard to get involved in co-curricular activities, but also noted that involvement is rooted in individual initiative. “As far as participation is concerned, you have to meet it half way. In order to stand out you have to be willing to go the extra mile and get involved in your school,” he concluded.

Continued FRom P5 It does not, however, apply to students who participate in researches for credits or are employed as research assistants. The obligations of these students are outlined separately in U of T’s “Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.” According to Lewis, the additional consent form, however, shouldn’t surprise U of T’s research community. “When you apply for a grant through the University of Toronto, you sign the bottom of the grant and by signing the grant, you are implicitly acknowledging the rules and regulations that govern the grant,” he said. “‘[The Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information]’ is a separate document to highlight what that signature used to mean.” Lewis added that U of T discovers “just a few” cases of research misconduct every year. “It’s not a huge number when you think we have thousands of scientists at the University of

Toronto,” he said. “This is a fairly rare event.” Plagiarism — such as recycling data from one’s earlier researches without attribution or copying other research — is the most common type of research misconduct. Others include publishing false results, fabricating research data, and misusing research funds. The framework also suggests that breaches of research policies are “extremely rare” in Canada. Between 2000–2011, Canadian Institute of Health Research received 97 allegations but only 34 were found to be actual misconducts. CIHR only took recourse in 14 of the 34 confirmed misconduct cases. The Panel on Responsible Conduct of Research (PRCR) based in Ottawa will oversee the implementation of the new tri-agency framework and consider allegations. Members of the panel, who are all volunteers, are drawn from across the country representing a range of disciplines.

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Drowning in debt

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Bitter limericks by stressed students http://var.st/a5r

McGuinty’s tuition grant does nothing to address the true costs of university Abdullah Shihipar VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

In the mind of your average university student, thoughts about midterms, coffee, and the upcoming weekend can be found swirling about. However, for most students there is one additional pressing concern hiding in the dark recesses of the mind: the cost of post-secondary education. Tuition fees have gone up steadily in the past decade, and many students now rely on OSAP to fund their endeavours in higher learning. This effectively sentences them to years of debt payments later on in life. Drowning in a sea of debt, students cried out for help, and last year, during the Ontario election campaign, Premier Dalton McGuinty threw them a lifebuoy. He announced that should he be reelected, a grant would be given to all students that would effectively reduce tuition by 30 per cent (or $1600 a year) and that the grant would come into effect in January. The students rejoiced and McGunity managed to hold on to his title of premier. This month, the full details of the grant were made available. It appears that the grant was more of a scheme designed to win votes rather than a concrete solution to tackle student debt. While some students will receive a grant of $1600 a year, to pay for the grant, the government of Ontario has had to make substantial cuts to education. To students of high academic standing entering university this year, the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship will no longer be available. Also on the chopping block is the $150 textbook grant. Even worse, the government has cut research funding to the universities by $66 million, although the government insists this cut is not related to the tuition grant. All of this amounts to a Band-Aid solution rapidly peeling. The proposed effect of lowering tuition by 30 per cent will be erased in the

coming years, especially at the University of Toronto. U of T is a research-intensive university, and tuition fees may be raised to make up for the cuts to research funding. Clearly, our politicians are not treating the issue of post-secondary education with the seriousness it deserves. Students do not need a lifebuoy to save us from the sea of debt. We need a rescue boat. Currently, the main strategy for tackling student debt is to focus on the individual by providing loans through

upgrade their career possibilities. The possibility of excess student loan debt also has a deterring effect on the individuals yet to enter university. The current approach is also negatively affecting universities. The ivory tower is an expensive one, and usually universities do not make any substantial ‘profit’. However, their bottom line is declining while expenses continue to increase. So, universities are faced with the options of raising tuition fees and bringing on corporate donations to fund programs. Both have potentially detrimental effects. With higher tuition fees, more students may be forced into seeking parttime employment. With time divided between studying and working, students can expect negative effects on the social atmosphere of the university and potentially on their grades. With regard to corporate funding, this brings in the unsettling possibility of interference in the classroom and research projects. So, what should be done? Funding should be focused first on the universities and then on the individual. By doing this, the university’s costs decrease and as a result tuition fees themselves will be lowered, allowing the government to reduce the amount given to the individual, and to tackle the real problem of high tuition fees, rather than providing more cash to the student. In the amount WYATT CLOUGH /THE VARSITY that would be given to the student, the OSAP and offering a few grants. When stu- distribution of funds between OSAP and grants dents get stuck on OSAP, they provide a con- should be roughly equal. stant revenue stream for the government in Post-secondary education may not be a the future. hot-button issue in the Canadian electorate However, while this situation may be in the currently, but it will have major implications best interest of the government, it is not in for our country’s future. So, while this plan the best interest of the economy and the fu- may be costly to the government in the short ture workforce. Student debt payments lower term, it will allow for more students to be edthe amount of disposable income available ucated and it will drastically reduce the time to students once they graduate and may pre- during which students are in debt. And that vent them from pursuing graduate studies to is something worth investing in.

Respecting religion and democracy How moderate Islamic parties in Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco are addressing the needs of their citizens David Woolley VARSITY STAFF

The uprisings during the Arab Spring toppled the region’s brutal dictators only to fill the resulting power vacuum with radical Islamic theocrats — or so say many pundits and politicians. But do their statements have validity or are these people merely irked by the recent electoral popularity of the Ennahda Party in Tunisia, the Justice and Development Party in Morocco, and the Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt? While each of these parties is expressly Islamic in outlook, can we be certain that they will act like the Ayatollah of Iran or the Taliban, or is there more to the political philosophies of the Islamic parties of North Africa? In most cases the dictators that ruled North Africa before the Arab Spring suppressed religious freedom along with other human rights. While many of them

spoke with the rhetoric of Islam, they undertook crackdowns of Mullahs who expressed theological opinions different from the statesanctioned line. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood was one such organization. This resulted in the Brotherhood becoming one of the most vocal and visible organizations to oppose the regime during the Arab Spring. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Carrie Rosefsky Wickham explains that the Muslim Brotherhood’s support of the Freedom and Justice Party, and the party’s resulting popularity, has more to do with being known as opponents of dictatorship than it does their religiously inspired views. The largest party after Tunisia’s recent election was the Islamic Ennahda Party. Its leader, Rashid al-Ghannushi, is a strong supporter of human rights, equality for women, and democracy precisely because of his strong Islamic faith. Al-Ghannushi’s public claims

that the Koran mandates liberal positions have caused him to be banned from Saudi Arabia and Iran because of the fear that he would challenge the legitimacy of the undemocratic theocracies. Similarly, Abdelilah Benkirane, the leader of Morocco’s Justice and Development Party, stated in an interview with the French newspaper le Parisien that, even though he supports Islamic democracy, he does not wish to impose strict Shariah law and that he did not enter politics “to decide the number of inches women’s skirts can be… It’s not my business… No one can challenge the individual freedoms of Morocco.” He then further stressed his understanding that the Arab Spring was a fight for greater freedom, not less. In both Tunisia and Morocco, neither Islamic party holds more than a plurality of the seats in parliament. Their opposition in

each case ranges from centrist, to liberal, to socialist, which means they will need the support from each of these factions in order to get any of their laws passed. As a result, any theocratic sentiment would probably be moderated by the need for secular political parties to support the proposal. Since 2003, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has led the Justice and Development Party, which is similar in ideology to the above-mentioned parties in Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt. The most controversial action of Erdoğan’s premiership has been the attempt to dismantle the current ban on headscarves in public buildings and universities and allow Turkish women to decide for themselves whether or not to follow the Islamic custom. In addition, Erdoğan has stressed greater democracy, civil liberties and liberalization of the economy through the

rhetoric of Islam. This should be of little surprise to anyone who understands the influence within the party that Mustafa Akyol, author of Islam Without Extremes, holds. Akyol argues that human rights, free market economics, and representative democracy are not only supported by Islamic history but also mandated by Islamic religious doctrine. By arguing this, Akyol, Erdoğan, and the Justice and Development Party bring the growing religiously conservative majority of Turkey into a moderate political movement. If they left the sizeable group outside of acceptable political discourse, they would risk empowering more radical groups — similar to the Taliban or the Ayatollahs — to influence those who felt ostracized for their faith. In this way, putting moderate Islamic parties in power can actually strengthen democracy and weakens the possibility of theocratic dictatorships.

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012

THEVOL. VARSITY CXXXII

VARSIT HE

No. 16

TUDE

AP NT NEWSP

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Ford’s war on public transit

Why you should be concerned about the cuts to public transport

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Lylvell Gomes

Editorial Board

Expect a longer commute and more crowding come February 12, as many TTC routes face reduced service. Of the students that attend the University of Toronto, a substantial 85 per cent are commuters. The TTC is an essential service that we use to make the daily commute from home to school and from school to home again. As a student and a commuter, changes to public transit continue to be an issue of great importance to me. After taking office in December of 2010, Rob Ford made it clear that he planned to end the “war on the car.” In the months to come, it seems that Mayor Ford is ushering in what looks like a war on public transit. January 1 not only marked the first day of the new year; it was also the day that the TTC fare would increase by an additional dime. It’s not the first the time a fare hike has been issued— Ford’s predecessor, David Miller, oversaw similar TTC fare hikes— but this is the first of its kind. While Miller met fare hikes with expansions in services, the Ford administration is pushing in the opposite direction. Rather than seeing an improvement to public transit, as many as 37 routes will receive less service during rushhour and 35 routes will get reductions in the off-peak and weekends. Less service amounts to buses running an expected 30 seconds to two minutes further apart, and fewer buses also means more crowding. The longer wait and overcrowding coupled with rush-hour conditions results in service being subject to more delays. These delays will add to the daily to-and-from

Editor-in-Chief Tom Cardoso editor@thevarsity.ca design@thevarsity.ca Design Editors Matthew D.H. Gray matthew@thevarsity.ca Mushfiq Ul Huq mushfiq@thevarsity.ca Photo Editor Bernarda Gospic photo@thevarsity.ca Online Editor online@thevarsity.ca Sam Bowman Senior Copy Editor Maayan Adar copy@thevarsity.ca News Editor news@thevarsity.ca Sarah Taguiam Comment Editor Alex Ross comment@thevarsity.ca Features Editor Erene Stergiopoulos features@thevarsity.ca Arts & Culture Editor Ariel Lewis arts@thevarsity.ca Science Editor Bianca Lemus Lavarreda science@thevarsity.ca Sports Editor Murad Hemmadi sports@thevarsity.ca Illustrations Editor Jenny Kim illustrations@thevarsity.ca Video Editor Vacant video@thevarsity.ca Associate Design Editor Suzy Nevins Associate Photo Editor Wyatt Clough Associate Online Editors Mimoza Haque Patrick Love Associate Copy Editor Jasmine Pauk Associate News Editors Simon Bredin Dalana Parris Associate Comment Editor Davin Leivonen Fok Associate Features Editor Simon Frank Associate A&C Editors Assunta Alegiani Brigit Katz Associate Science Editors Ken Euler Yasmin Sattarzadeh Associate Sports Editor Zoë Bedard

Contributors Maya Akbay, Mayce Al-Sukhni, Brandon Bastaldo, Morgaine Craven, Evan De Souza, Dennis Dobrovolsky, Davin Leivonen Fok, Albert Gheorghita, Lylvell Gomes, Kevin Grace, Matthew D.H. Gray, Sunnie Huang, Maggie Keenan, Sean Kennedy, Lucia Kwan, Craig Maniscalco, Cristina Olteanu, Jordan Rivera, Abdullah Shihipar Copy Editors Reshara Alviarez Elizabeth Benn Nikita Gill Susan Gordon Ryan Hanney Tina Hui Laura Mitchell Yi Qing Sim Daniel Smeenk

Cover Tom Cardoso Erene Stergiopoulos

Designers Yasi Eftekhari Simon Frank Matthew D.H. Gray Mushfiq Ul Huq Jenny Kim Suzy Nevins Daniel Seljak Michelle Yuan Photo and Illustration William Ahn Minhee Bae Alex Bayliss Wyatt Clough Dan Epstein Shannon Garden-Smith Bernarda Gospic Mushfiq Ul Huq Ryan Kelpin Rob Leone Ian Mack Taraneh Zarin

Business Office Business Manager Arlene Lu business@thevarsity.ca Advertising Executives ads@thevarsity.ca Jamie C. Liu jamie@thevarsity.ca Kalam Poon kalam@thevarsity.ca ivana@thevarsity.ca Ivana Strajin 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., a not-for-profit corporation. It is printed by Master Web Inc. on recycled newsprint stock. Content © 2012 by The Varsity. All rights reserved. Any editorial inquiries and/or letters should be directed to the sections associated with them; emails listed above. The Varsity reserves the right to edit all submissions. Inquiries regarding ad sales can be made to ads@thevarsity.ca. ISSN: 0042-2789 Please recycle this issue after you are finished with it.

comment@thevarsity.ca

VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

where more people use public transit during the off-peak than those who use it during the rush-hour. “People had the confidence that whenever you travel, wherever you travel, transit is going to be available,” said Stambler. This is not the first change to public transit brought in under the Ford administration. As part of his vision, Mayor Ford scrapped Transit City, a project that planned to use light-rail transportation (LRT), making public transit available for almost all of Toronto. The TTC stated that the project would have transformed Toronto by increasing mobility, strengthening business, offering a greener travel alternative, and enhancing our quality of life. Ford’s main reason for killing the project was that cars would have to share the streets, deeming the notion a “disaster.” Ford took the funding for Transit City and used it to put the LRT underground. The TTC estimates that surface LRTs cost about $75 million per kilometre, while putting it underground brings the cost closer to the $300 million per kilometre of subways. Naturally, many are upset that public transit services are being cut, while money RYAN KELPIN / THE VARSITY is spent on cancellation fees and underground LRTs. The commute for students, like us. vented frustration is building The TTC needed $10 million from City and people are starting to get organized. A new Council to avoid the service cut. “We have group called CodeRedTO has emerged and it the money. There is no reason we should be seeks to challenge the expensive underground overseeing the decimation of our transit transit plans. “We believe that the best avenue system,” said current TTC commissioner Maria forward is to build upon existing and approved Augimeri to Toronto Star, referring to the $154 rapid transit plans to mitigate common and million surplus. valid concerns regarding community and TTC manager of service planning, Mitch traffic impacts,” reads a mission statement Stambler, explained that transit planners have found on their website. Ford may have ended been assigned the job of cutting a service that the “war on the car,” but he will not win the has attracted record ridership. It is at the point war on public transit without a fight.

BOO of T

From anal TAs to banal student politics, there’s a lot to improve at this school of ours Davin Leivonen Fok ASSOCIATE COMMENT EDITOR

No university is perfect. Still, U of T has its fair share of problems. Take the following harrowing academic situation. You’ve put a lot of effort into a paper, but when you get it back, the mark isn’t nearly as good as you expected. The trouble is, it’s not always your fault. TAs tend to mark papers with a heavy hand, nit-picking every detail — the word count, the punctuation, the footnote punctuation, and whether you spelled your name correctly.

As a political science student, one of the most absurd situations I’ve faced is being told by my TA or professor that I’m allowed to use a specific secondary source — only to have that same TA deduct grades because I used it. The same goes for primary sources. With this level of harshness, it’s no wonder that an estimated 30 per cent of first-year undergrads are clinically depressed. After having their egos boosted in grade 12, they come to U of T three months later only to have their egos ruthlessly crushed. If you thought grades and harsh

TAs weren’t enough, take a look at college student politics. It’s like secondary school, except the gossip isn’t as exciting, and they try to put on an aura of responsibility and prestige. That is to say, colleges, or at least their administrative councils, try to involve (read: indoctrinate) their younger students to such a degree that those students feel alienated because it becomes unthinkable to disagree. Often, this once-unified body of student politicians dissolves into various cliques. This can be due to whatever political views they hold, or even for something as small as

disagreements over which Glee character is their favourite. That kind of pettiness explains why there’s so much apathy when it comes to student politics. The level of viciousness is unwarranted when the stakes are so low, and most of us would rather protect our precious GPAs. So how can we forget about the problems in student life? It goes without saying that studying harder and attending those seldomsuggested writing centres is ideal, but it’s obvious that the best solution is alcohol. Apart from that, there doesn’t seem to be much more to do but to grin and bear it.

comment@thevarsity.ca

VARSITY COMMENT

New semester, new horizons

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Gather new skills, strengthen existing ones and benefit from exposure to new cultures and people. Ernst & Young’s Global Student Exchange Program is your opportunity to go outside your time and comfort zones. Visit ey.com/ca/possibilities to learn more.

See More | Opportunities

TARANEH ZARIN/THE VARSITY

Jonathan Gass VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

January is always a wonderful time of year, a time when we reminisce about all we have and have not achieved in the last 12 months. The first semester of the academic year is often full of surprises and, whether positive or negative, they are always enriching. Whether you’re a veteran fourth-year, confident, headstrong, and completely attuned to university life and all it throws at you, or a first year struggling with the new college lifestyle and high academic expectations, we can all benefit from the fresh start a new year brings. However good or bad the past semester was, it is important to maintain a positive outlook. Anything can happen. I began my first semester at the University of Toronto with a mixture of excitement and naivety. It was not until I spent well over 20 minutes lost in University College looking for my political science tutorial that I fully realized how new and unknown everything was. My first phone bill served as a pitiless reminder of my position as a newcomer to Canada, not to mention the harsh detriments of 13 per cent tax. Convocation Hall also failed to boost my morale, as it was there amongst several hundred students that I realized how insignificant I could appear in a sea of hopeful academics. Now that I am more comfortable with my schedule, my long walks trying to find a classroom have become a rarity. To further emphasize my maturity as a post-secondary student, I have bravely moved to the second row of my lecture in Convocation Hall in order to avoid the echo that is so prominent in the back. Maybe your first semester was everything you had hoped it would be. Perhaps you thrived academically, made some incredible friendships, and only hope that your remaining semesters turn out just like this one. Or maybe, this past semester was a mixture of ups and downs. To make the most of your university experience, you must open your eyes to all this campus and this city have to offer. That means not spending four years locked away on the top

floor of Robarts Library stressing about school, but rather, try to break out of your routine. I fully appreciate the importance of hard work and do not mean to encourage you to stray from your studies. I simply wish to emphasize the benefits of a wellrounded university experience when striving for success. I, like you, know what it feels like to work to the point of utter exhaustion. I know what a 2 am pre-exam panic attack feels like. I have seen the sun set upon my entrance to Robarts Library and seen it rise upon my exit. While we may from time to time be forced to live with such misfortunes, I can confidently say that I have learned the importance of balance between academics, extracurricular activities, and a social life, in my effort to realize my potential. If you have not already done so, get involved in a club, intramural sports team, or another of the many groups that the University of Toronto has to offer, and make the most of your experiences here. Lastly, if you’re struggling academically, or not opening yourself up to all that this university offers, I encourage you to think about your past. Why should we draw attention to the lifetime of work we are about to face instead of reflecting on everything that we have already accomplished? It may be fun to dwell on the future and the unknown, but I cannot put enough emphasis on the benefits of revisiting your past. I encourage all who are hoping for a good semester, even just for a brief moment, to forget about the monumental amount of work you may need to complete; instead think about what makes you who you are, how far you have come, and everything that you have already achieved. Every student reading this has a reason to feel optimistic. We have all been accepted into this institution and are all highly capable individuals. And amid this whirlwind of anxiety and stress over our futures and our GPA, we can’t forget about the most important thing of all: our sense of well-being.

Teach English Abroad,

Travel and Save! Stop by the Aclipse booth at the International Opportunities Fair on Tuesday. Seniors: Drop off me Your Resu to and Enter d o Win an iP Touch…

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Features

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

var.st/FEATURES

23 JANUARY 2012

How an ex-tea joint became home to the See the clip here: Monkey King. http://var.st/9zj

features@thevarsity.ca

#UofTsux The Varsity brings you the breakdown of U of T’s hits and misses. We may have harassed you on Facebook to complete this survey, but the results were well worth it. A total of 694 students filled out our survey. Hey Phys Ed, where were you? Sadface.

Science students

Social science

Engineering

Arts

Medicine/Clinical

Phys Ed

Rotman

1st year

Full-time

UTSC

2nd year

Part-time

UTM

3rd year

St. George

4th year 5th year or higher

TOP 6 THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT U of T

TOP 6 THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT U of T 50.9%

High tuition fees

73.6%

I can’t do well in school and still have a life

The campus is in Toronto 50.6%

43.2% 36%

Huge class sizes

Wide selection of programs and courses

40.5%

Good quality of teaching

No good food options on campus

34.7%

36.3%

Great gym facilities

Useless tutorials

34.3%

35.7%

Opportunity to do world-class research

Minimal school spirit

32.7%

33.9%

Classes are stimulating and worthwhile

SCIENCE STUDENTS 35.8%

ARTS STUDENTS 50.3%

38.3%

SOCIAL SCIENCE STUDENTS 36%

37.7%

39.7%

34.2%

33.5%

ENGINEERING STUDENTS 44.2%

41.3%

40.5%

68.8%

Useless tutorials

No hands-on learning opportunities

Useless tutorials

No good food options on campus

Minimal school spirit

High tuition fees

I can’t do well in school and still have a life

Classes are difficult

HOW ATTRACTIVE IS U of T? Chewbacca Two

Three

5% 13% 36.7%

3.5% Per cent of students say U of T’s asset is its hot professors

13.3% Per cent say profs aren’t hot enough

Four

Part-time model

33.6% 11.7%

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW…

Hot for Teacher

8.2%

4.5%

Per cent of students say U of T has a good sense of community

Only 4.5 per cent say U of T doesn’t offer the program they want

13% Per cent say U of T students are attractive

13.4%

Per cent say they feel under-represented at U of T

9.9%

22.5%

Per cent of students say Robarts isn’t awesome

Per cent of students list ROSI as a U of T sore spot

data compiled by Erene Stergiopoulos infographic by Mushfiq Ul Huq

*Note: a number of respondents took issue with the assumption that Chewbacca is less attractive than a part-time model. The Varsity would like to issue a formal apology for its Wookiee-ist stance.

23 JANUARY 2012

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Campus: ugly or pretty?

arts@thevarsity.ca

Arts & Culture

var.st/ARTS

A little more honey than blood

See Berd’s Eye: PUT LINK HERE

Jolie’s directorial debut focuses more on a kinky romance than the Bosnian War

$10 RESTAURATEUR with Laura Kathleen Maize

Pidza

858 Bloor St. West (at Ossington)

Bloor Street just west of Ossington is full of little dime a dozen–type storefront restos; they’re just hard to find. I had never heard of Turkish pizza, called “lahmacun,” but it turns out young people in Holland and Germany like their latenight drunk pizza as much as we do. A quick blogTO search of lahmacun places near our apartment brought me to Pidza, an unassuming little shop that made me rethink my eating habits. If you get one thing at Pidza, it should be the lahmacun: it’s ground beef or lamb with garlic, onions, tomatoes, parsley, and herbs, all piled onto a thin crust and served with even more parsley, onions, and lemon, which you squeeze on top.

For $6.99, this is an incredible dish. Also fantastic is the tavuklu kasaril, which, to the untrained eye, looks like a mix between a pizza, a calzone, and a submarine sandwich and tastes as good as all three combined. There is a variety of toppings to choose from, including chicken strips or Turkish sausage with mozzarella ($7.99). No matter what you get at this place, you really can’t go wrong; all the meals are made to order, and watching the process is almost as glorious as eating the result. The portions are generous — like “two sittings” kind of generous — the prices are a steal, and the couple who run the place couldn’t be nicer.

Brandon Bastaldo VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

dan epstein/THe VArsity

EVENT GUIDE

Jan 23–29

MONDAY Best. Monday. Ever. at SecondCity 8 pm $12

The last decade has seen actor Angelina Jolie’s celebrity status change quite a bit. Throughout the ‘90s, the world watched Jolie kiss her brother on the red carpet, wear Billy Bob Thornton’s blood vial, and generally excite us with her unrestricted promiscuity. Fast forward about 10 years, a new man, a few adoptions, and several humanitarian efforts later, the 2011 Jolie seems to be a woman on a much different mission. Jolie’s debut as a filmmaker and writer with her Bosnian war film In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) shows that this A-list director has definitely set her sights on trying to pay tribute to the atrocities of the Bosnian War; however, Blood and Honey still has hints of the seductive starlet’s divisive past and irrefutable penchant for a good old kinky sex scene.

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Izzeldin Abuelaish, Reading from his book I Shall Not Hate, Q&A at Hart House Library 5:30 pm Free

Tosca, Opera by Giacomo Puccini at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts 7:30 pm $22 for people under 30

Marvelous Darlings, Actual Water, Get Nuns, Troubadour at Sneaky Dees 9 pm $8 The Soaps at Comedy Bar PWYC

FRIDAY Oui Paris Installation Dance Party at 442a Dufferin 9:30 pm $3

In the Land of Blood and Honey tells the story of Ajla (Zana Marjanovic) a young, soft-spoken, and attractive aspiring painter whose life, along with those of many around her, is torn apart once Serbian forces begin rounding up Bosnian Muslims. Danijel (Goran Kostic), a top ranking Serbian soldier unclear about his allegiance to the Serbian cause, ferrets Ajla out to continue an illicit affair that began moments before the Serbian uprising. Although Jolie’s cinematic style is quite novice, she makes it perfectly clear that Blood and Honey was made with very serious intentions. Jolie has her Serbian actors speak in their own tongue throughout the film, a commendable choice considering that we live in an age when Hollywood gets away with making foreign films in English (ahem, Hugo). However, the sexual encounters between Ajla and Danijel are too

SATURDAY Nightbox at The Horseshoe 9 pm $8.50

steamy to be considered acts of purely narrative-driven love and instead become an excuse for forbidden and fetishized racy sex. Ultimately, Jolie’s determination for austerity with Blood and Honey’s message is undermined at times. The vicious rape scenes, human degradation, and graphic war sequences are presented as supplementary to Ajla and Danijel’s love story. All of the work she does to assure us of the film’s factual and grim intentions is pushed aside for the back-and-forth, fiery, sadomasochistic narrative. It seems that when the lovers’ storyline comes to a halt, so does Blood and Honey. The result is troubling because when Jolie does show us the gritty atrocities of the war, her authenticity is impressive. Blood and Honey promises us retrospection and insight into the gritty Bosnian War, but what seems to echo the loudest is Jolie’s well-known predilection for anything kinky.

SUNDAY Solaris at TIFF Bell Lightbox 2:30 pm $9.50 for students

all-week Big Smoke Music Festival at the Magpie 7 pm $6

MONday, January 23, 2012

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

arts@thevarsity.ca

The unstructured sprawl MATTHEW D.H. GRAY speaks with Larry W. Richards, professor of architecture at U of T, about why our campus may seem a bit scattered photos by Bernarda Gospic

he Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut is a place of great serenity. You can stroll along stone walkways bounded by lush gardens that criss-cross the grounds. Buildings are tightly woven and connected by gates and labyrinthine systems of underground passageways. While not all of the buildings look the same, it’s readily apparent that the campus has been built with an exacting attention to detail. U of T’s St. George campus, by contrast, is a jumble of architectural styles with little consistency, spread out across a massive urban campus. While U of T certainly has many beautiful spaces, it lacks the aesthetic coherence of Yale’s campus. New Haven is a small town dominated by a very dense campus, while U of T sprawls in a massive city. How can we account for the differences? History & colleges U of T was first established as King’s College in 1827 and had around 50 students until 1849, when its ties to the Church of England were severed and it was given its current name. Over the course of the next 150 years, colleges from around southern Ontario joined the university in a relationship not unlike the one that exists between the provinces and the federal government. According to professor Larry W. Richards, an alumnus of Yale University, former dean of U of T’s John H. Daniels School of Architecture, and author of University of Toronto: An Architectural Tour, U of T’s colleges “had different and distinctive notions about architectural styles that were appropriate to their religious beliefs.” Unlike Yale, the colleges initially had complete control over the architecture of their sites, resulting in some stark differences. When U of T was established, “it was in the

middle of a forest, at a site that was fairly far outside of the city of Toronto,” he continues. “It had a considerable amount of acreage with a lot of room to sprawl out. From the beginning, there was a notion of a picturesque campus set inside of a forest, and there was no need to build a super compact university.” Plans and vision (or lack thereof) Since its founding, U of T has lacked a unified architectural vision. Richards points out that by contrast, “the University of Virginia, which is very stylistically consistent, had the strong force of Thomas Jefferson, who set up the master plan for the university. He designed the first buildings there.” The strength of Jefferson’s unified vision for the school solidified over the two centuries since its founding, “with increasingly rigid planning guidelines that prevented people from going outside that box.” “U of T has had a pretty rocky road in terms of master plans,” he argues. “The university has reinvented itself every 30 years, and this has led to a huge range in terms of architectural styles.” While there have been periods in the university’s history when it had a master architect, they have been few and far between, often seeing the completion of only single projects.

Richards laments the effects of the university’s modernist vision that emerged after World War II, resulting from the scramble to accommodate the baby boomers. During this period, “too much attention was given to the car and not to the pedestrian experience.” Prior to this phase of expansion, “the architects and planners were mindful of the way that open space and the sequence of walkways and courtyards held the campus together. They built and imagined the university in ways that were very integrated and connected.” In the post-war period, U of T expanded the St. George Campus by buying up properties between St. George Street and Spadina Avenue, building new laboratories and student residences. The original plan called for a pedestrian-only area with plenty of underground parking, though provincial funding shortfalls caused this plan to be scrapped. Throughout the history of the university, funding disruptions have frequently caused ambitious architectural plans to be put on hold. “University College, for example, was supposed to be a full quad, which didn’t happen as they ran out of money. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the north side was added — 100 years later.” Richards explains, “There is a similar story with the whole engineering complex, where in

U of T has had a pretty rocky road in terms of master plans. The university has reinvented itself every 30 years, and this has led to a huge range in terms of architectural styles. —Larry W. Richards

the 1920s there was a major conception of the complex that was never realized. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the Bauhaus-style mechanical engineering building was built, and this led to a lot of inconsistency.” The future With most of the space for large developments on the St. George campus already filled, Richards predicts that “the campus can densify, as there are lots of sites on campus where small and medium scale developments can occur, with new attention to the pedestrian experience.” New student housing developments, he argues, will make the campus community more vibrant. Coining a new term, he argues “the ‘thick edge’ around the university is the next frontier [though] this is a very sensitive matter, as that thick edge very directly interfaces with the outside world.” This edge is particularly important as “the university is a very urban institution, but it must continue to be a distinct realm that is not like the rest of the city.” The western edge of the campus was conceived with the Spadina Expressway in mind — a project that was cancelled after widespread opposition from citizens’ groups and community organizations. Understandably, professor Richards describes the strip as being unattractive and full of challenges. “In the 1950s, people sought to privilege the car and elevated Queen’s Park, which is a very high speed roadway. In some ways, it is a dangerous place for pedestrians,” he explains. Re-imagining the space for people rather than cars is crucial to his vision for the university. “If there ever was the will and the money to lower the road and conceptually reconnect Queen’s Park with Hart House Circle, that would be fantastic — that’s one of my dream projects.”

arts@thevarsity.ca

arts’ arts

VARSITY ARTS & CULTURE

MONday, January 23, 2012

Airing our grievances with U of T … through haiku Lewisari Your session has timed out. Please log in again. Force quit. Still can’t get mail. —Ariel Lewis

It’s complicated a labyrinth, you are which i will conquer one day UC, please put out —Bernarda Gospic

Sid Smith Sorry I’m late. Got stuck fighting my way through the Second Cup traffic —AL

Injustice Music Library: “Gershwin,” I did not damage Forty dollars lost —BG

Room 204 Is above the stairs that are next to the cafe (not the stairs in the

Anthropology Essays and midterms have been written while blotto this shit ain’t that hard —BG

cafe), which are near the stairs behind the townhall that are across from the stairs that are in the lobby, which lead to the second floor. Make sense? —AL

streeted. if stopped on the street answer my simple questions. i come in peace, bitch. —BG Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

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Science

var.st/SCIENCE

23 JANUARY 2012

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

Greenhouse gases, illustrated

science@thevarsity.ca

The life of a life science student

http://var.st/a5s

JORDAN RIVERA gives you the lowdown on studying science at U of T

ife science programs at the University of Toronto are among the largest and most competitive programs in Canada. They focus on the science of life and living organisms and offer majors such as human biology, biochemistry, environmental biology, and psychology. Most of these programs demand the same first- and second-year courses such as inorganic and organic chemistry, cell and molecular biology, calculus, and physics. My less academically-inclined friends are always amazed at my neuroscience background — if only they knew what I’ve been through! Entering first year as the young and eager idealist that I was, I had no idea what to expect for those first few months. Telling friends (that had opted for the life science programs at Western, Queen’s, and Mac) that I would be going to U of T raised a few eyebrows. I had received early admission and a reasonable scholarship to attend, and like most 18-year-olds, I had an unwavering confidence about my future. But like most 18-year-olds, I had no idea I was exactly like most 18-year-olds. I now sat beside rows of students who had also received early admission — and even larger schol-

arships — and had even traveled across the world to study at this elite institution. First year in life science is known to be brutal. Most course averages are between the C- to C+. Adapting quickly to the high standards of this academic environment is crucial for survival. I took cues from other students on how much I should be studying; on many days, it would be for over six hours. I didn’t know about the importance of past tests and services like the Toronto University Student Book Exchange (TUSBE) until a few months in, wasting time and money I didn’t have. Your first year timetable pretty much looks like a brick wall — block after block of class, tutorials, and labs. Worst of all, you’re not even legal and can’t drown the pain and exhaustion. It would be a lie to say that courses get easier down the road because that’s only sometimes the case. What really happens is that you get better. You get smarter, braver, and stronger. Balancing a social life, extracurricular groups, internships, research, fitness, and volunteering requires immutable perseverance. It demands intense focus and losing hours of sleep. But it’s possible and so worth it. The long nights still happen. I

never have as much free time as I’d like as a 21 -year-old. But the feeling of working towards something much greater, whatever that goal may be, makes the experience bearable, and to some degree, enjoyable. This university has pushed my limits and motivated me to explore paths I would never have thought to venture. Readers, you should be open to these new experiences as well. A psychology professor once told me that the two most important indicators of future success are intelligence and conscientiousness. As students of this university, be assured you have the intelligence. But you may or may not have the conscientiousness to constantly strive for excellence and to adhere to the principles of conscience in every area of life. Fortunately, conscientiousness is something that can be learned, but only through practice. So practise it, whether you are aiming for medical school, law school, to found a multinational enterprise, or to uncover the mysteries of the human mind. This university has taught me that it all comes down to how badly you want it and how hard you are willing to work to get it. For this, I’m pretty glad I came here.

Bernarda Gospic/THe VArsity

SC ENCe n br ef Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami… fat? Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a gene that causes the expression of a taste receptor for fat, suggesting that some people are more genetically inclined to detect the taste of fat than others. The gene, called CD36, is associated with the production of CD36 protein. A genetic variant in the CD36 gene is linked with less CD36 protein production, resulting in decreased sensitivity to the taste of fat. Alternatively, high CD36 protein production leads to increased sensitivity to fat. Production of the CD36 protein in animals is influenced by both genetics and diet. A diet high in fat leads to decreased production of CD36 protein and in turn creates less sensitivity to fat. This finding follows research that had previously identified a role for this gene in rats. —Cristina Olteanu Source: Science Daily

Potential weapon against global warming discovered Scientists from the University of Manchester and the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, as well as the Sandia National Laboratory in the United States, have observed theoretical chemicals known as Criegee biradicals for the first time. First hypothesized by Rudolf Criegee in the 1950s, Criegee biradicals are able to oxidize many pollutants and convert them into less hazardous chemical forms. Current atmospheric pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, are oxidized into sulphate and nitrate ions. These ions are prone to forming cloud cover that can significantly reduce the rate of global warming. These atmospheric molecules offer great promise in reducing or possibly eliminating currently intractable atmospheric pollution and even global warming. —Sean Kennedy and Maggie Keenan Source: Science Daily

Another reason why alcohol can be addictive Results from a new study have provided confirmation that alcohol causes the release of endorphins in the pleasure centres of the human brain. The research, published in Science Translational Medicine, is the first of its kind conducted with human subjects to show the link between alcohol consumption and endorphin release in the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex, two areas in the brain connected with feelings of pleasure and reward processing. Using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, researchers observed the effects of alcohol on the brains of heavy drinkers and a control group. While alcohol intake induced endorphin release in all of the subjects, heavy drinkers subjectively reported greater feelings of intoxication as high endorphin release was measured in the orbitofrontal cortex. —Mayce Al-Sukhni Sources: Science Daily, Science Translational Medicine

New drug-resistant tuberculosis strain emerges

One clue: it is a Sudoku breakthrough

A completely drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis (TB), the second leading global cause of death, was recently discovered in India. Dubbed totally drug-resistant tuberculosis (TDR-TB), this form of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis is resistant to all known first- and second-line TB drugs — 15 in total. Studies show, however, that this case is not the first report of TDR-TB. Rather, it is simply a progression of the existing super extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). With similar outbreaks in Italy and Iran in 2007 and 2009 respectively, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified inadequate management of the disease as the greatest cause of the bacterium’s resistance evolution. Drug misuse and timeworn TB testing, combined with lack of TB drug developments in the past 50 years, have led to worrisome results in its global evolution. —Albert Gheorghita Source: Scientific American

Sudoku puzzles consist of a nine-by-nine grid divided into three-by-three squares. These puzzles become significantly easier to solve as the amount of number clues given at the beginning increases. Until recently, the minimum number of clues that produce a Sudoku puzzle with a unique solution was not known. However, Gary McGuire, a mathematician from Dublin, has demonstrated that in order for a Sudoku puzzle to have a single, unique solution, it must have at least 17 initial number clues provided. To figure this out, McGuire developed an algorithm known as a “hitting-set” algorithm. Using over 7 million computer hours on an extremely advanced supercomputer, McGuire managed to plug all possible digits into Sudoku puzzles with 16 initial starting digits, concluding that no unique solution was possible. —Sean Kennedy and Maggie Keenan Source: Nature

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To snooze or not to snooze

monday, January 23, 2012

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KEVIN GRACE investigates the sleep habits that morning and evening people keep

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any of us live according to the old phrase, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” filling our days and nights with essay writing, exam cramming, Xbox, and the occasional drink. On the other hand, there are those of us who cling to our precious hours of slumber as if God would kill a kitten for each minute we come up short. For students, it can often be difficult to strike a balance between our waking and sleeping lives, especially in the dog days of December and April when many a GPA hangs in the balance. To get the brass tacks on sleep, I spoke to the head of the Laboratory for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology in the Department of Physiology, Dr. Richard Horner. The good doctor warned me that there is a popular misconception when it comes to sleep habits: that one size fits all. Dr. Horner remarked that that the commonly held notion that we all need eight hours of sleep a night is like saying that we should all be wearing size eight shoes; it’s just not quite right. Now, that is not to say that you can just pick and choose how much sleep you get and when, but what it does mean is that sleep habits are significantly more flexible than most people might think. Dr. Horner points out that we need only look a few hundred years over our own shoulders to find human beings who had remarkably different sleep habits from our own. Historian Roger Ekirch, in his 2005 book At Day’s Close: A History of Night Time, maintains that before the invention of fancy electrical gadgets, like light bulbs, the sleep schedules of human beings were much more closely linked with the rising and setting of the sun than they are now. According to Ekrich, our pre-industrial ancestors would get their sleep in two chunks called first and second sleep. People would go to sleep an hour or so after the sunset, sleep for about four hours and then wake up. Apparently, they would use this time to contemplate quietly, visit with friends and family, or even do household chores. Imagine your neighbour mowing the lawn at 1 am. After all this late night fun, people would go back to sleep for another few hours until the sun came up. The industrial revolution and all the technological wonders that have come with it have allowed us to extend our days and consolidate our sleep in one big chunk. This modern change in sleep patterning is not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it cuts straight to the heart of one of Dr. Horner’s main points, which is that all organisms can adapt their sleep according to ecological constraints without compromising the major physiological

• Taught by educational practitioners: • 100 days of classroom experience benefits that sleep provides. current principals, teachers, textbook throughout the school year, 3 different Dr. Horner cautions that even though sleep authors & mentors. settings. is flexible in many respects, losing sleep can • Cross-curricular emphasis in a • 80% of the first graduating class has have serious consequences. He agrees that desupportive learning environment. a teaching-related position. nying oneself sleep is tantamount to picking a fight with the last 3.5 billion years of evolutionary biology. Since the origins of cellular 416. 218.6757 | 1.877.TYNDALE life on earth, there has been intense selecwww.tyndale.ca/education tive pressure for those biological traits that would serve to optimize the performance of an organism for life on a planet with a 24-hour (or circadian) cycle of light and darkness. Evolution has endowed every cell in our bodies with its own circadian clock, and it is the coordinated activity of these clocks that attunes us to the 24-hour rhythm of planet Earth. By remaining active in periods when the body is evolutionarily designed to be at rest, an asynchrony can arise between our environment and us, and in doing so, we predispose ourselves to an array of cardiovascular, endocrine, and cognitive dysfunction. So what is the primary reason behind sleep? Believe it or not, we still Are you interested in sustainability and innovations in building science? don’t know. This conundrum was actually The BCIT Building Science Graduate program offers a unique, named one of the top uninterdisciplinary approach that teaches the theory and practical skills answered questions facing scientific inquiry in necessary to deliver durable, healthy and energy-efficient buildings. the next quarter century Learn more about these degrees: according to Science in the issue commemorat> Master of Engineering (MEng) ing their 125th anniver> Master of Applied Science (MASc) sary. There are many theories of sleep function Apply now for September. currently out there, but Dr. Horner claims that his, unlike other theories, is the only one that can be universally applied to all organisms that sleep. He claims quite simply that sleep serves to optimize waking behaviour It’s your career. by priming brains to be Get it right. cognitively flexible and creative. Now, if that’s not reason to sleep, I don’t know what is.

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monday, January 23, 2012

VARSITY SCIENCE

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The tolls of university

DENNIS DOBROVOLSKY explores the physical, mental, and dietary aspects that contribute to the life of a healthy student illustrations by IAN MACK and ALEX BAYLISS

ou’re coasting on that ready-tostudy vibe when the inevitable happens: various assignments and tests pile up, crushing hopes and dreams beneath immovable mountains of academic oppression — basically, a repeat of last term. Here are a few quick tips that can help you escape the university rut.

Diet From the concept of the “freshman 15” to general student disdain of meal plans, healthy eating tends to be pushed aside to make way for more seemingly important tasks like studying. Breakfast is often a prime candidate to be skipped, with early classes and long commutes eating up all our morning hours. However, the first meal of the day is widely considered to be the most important. Dr. Andy Dicks, who serves as a lab instructor for various U of T chemistry courses, says that he’s “seen people in the lab pass out because they haven’t had breakfast.” “I think if you skip breakfast, you’re more likely to overindulge in lunch and dinner,” says Dr. Roy Baker, a biochemistry professor here at U of T. “And after all, ‘break-fast,’ the term, means breaking fast, which means that theoretically you haven’t been eating for 8–10 hours and your body is low on a number of fairly important things.” When asked what constitutes a good breakfast, Dr. Baker stated that it is important to avoid simple carbs (sweet foods) in order to prevent insulin spikes but that “there are more

complex [carbohydrates] you can use for sure, whether it’s wheat or rice… and it’s probably wise to mix those with some source of protein and a little bit of fat just to slow the uptake of sugar.”

Physical health It is well known that many students don’t get enough exercise. Just last month, a study by researchers at McMaster following 683 Canadian adolescents found that men entering university suffered the steepest decline in physical activity of their entire teenage lives. Exercise undeniably improves health, but some of its effects are not obvious. For example, a study published in Appetite found that 15-minute walks on a treadmill can cut chocolate consumption in regular eaters by half. Another study,

published in Cephalalgia, found that 40 minutes of exercise three times a week was just as effective as the drug topiramate for relieving symptoms in migraine patients. Dr. Baker feels that “the key is to [exercise] on a daily basis, and there are very few pathologies … that don’t respond to exercise.” U of T has a variety of athletic facilities available to students, whose membership is prepaid by the tuition fees: squash courts, gyms, tracks, and a pool at the Athletic Centre and Hart House. You’ve paid for it already — why not use it?

Mental health Stress and mental fatigue are age-old concerns among the student population. Recent research at the School of Nursing at UBC has recognized that students with improved stress man-

agement skills are less likely to suffer from depression. When it comes to dealing with the issues of isolation and alienation that inevitably arise in such a big institution as U of T and in such a big city as Toronto, no single strategy works for everyone. Daniel Dalessandro, a chemistry student at U of T, feels that one way “you can stay healthy at this school is to remember that everyone around you is a human being and they’re all in the same boat as you. A lot of the problems at this school, whether they are stress or tests, are because there’s not enough communication.” Volunteering at a homework club for elementary school kids is very important to Daniel Jacobs, a thirdyear EngSci student, who feels that “it’s really relaxing and it puts most problems back in focus.” Emily Lu, who is in life science,

enjoys playing ultimate frisbee to destress but finds that “if you think too hard about why you are doing your extracurriculars then they become more of a burden.” There are numerous outlets available for the relief of stress, not all of them directly involving interaction with people. A recent study by the American Psychological Association has found that various forms of expressive, personal writing such as blogs or diaries can help relieve social anxiety. The best advice anyone can give is to choose something you love to do and do it. As Amirah Momen, a third year neuroscience student puts it, “Pursue more than just good grades. Get involved in something non-academic that challenges and excites you; the character you end up building will pay back in spades and the fun you have [will] keep you sane.”

Genetic conflicts: a family affair How genes lead families towards arrested development Lucia Kwan The bond between parents and their children is often regarded as something loving, caring, and supportive. However, in evolutionary biology, we see this bond more as battle. To explain this, we have to visit the groundbreaking work of two evolutionary biologists: the late William Hamilton and Robert Trivers. Hamilton first introduced the notion of inclusive fitness (total fitness including kin such as offspring and relatives) to studies of altruism. Specifically, he proposed that a gene for altruistic behaviour can spread if the cost of the altruistic behaviour is equal to or less than the benefit gained by the recipient, while taking into account the relatedness between the actor and recipient. This came to be known as Hamilton’s rule, and it singlehandedly altered the way many researchers view social behaviours. A decade later, Trivers recognized that Hamilton’s rule could partially explain the social dynamics be-

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tween parents and their offspring. Focusing on relatedness, Trivers proposed that the fitness interests of parents and their offspring should differ because the offspring are twice as related to themselves than to their parents. This asymmetry in relatedness, now known

as parent-offspring conflict, should lead to differences in parental investment, with the offspring demanding twice as many resources than the parent is willing to provide. Support for parent-offspring conflict has been numerous and comes from both theoretical mod-

els and empirical studies. One interesting theory is that of the kinship theory of genomic imprinting. Genomic imprinting occurs when maternal and paternal alleles are expressed differently in the offspring. The kinship theory explains the evolution of genomic imprinting by using parent-offspring conflict as a platform. It focuses on parental investment on a genetic level; specifically, why and how are maternal genes expressed in the offspring versus paternal ones? Differences in gene expression are expected when the fitness interests of the mother and father differ. One key example would be in the case of polygamy, where the mother is equally related to all the offspring but the father is only related to his offspring and not those sired by other males. Recently, researchers have started to take a more applicable approach to imprinting by exploring the link between genetic conflicts and human diseases. Given the intimate contact between the mother and her (unborn) child in the

womb, it is no surprise the kinship theory has been associated with complications in pregnancy (an idea first proposed by evolutionary biologist David Haig). Aside from pregnancy, genomic imprinting has been linked to a number of behavioural, cognitive, and/or developmental problems after birth. More recently, there has even been a shift towards studying genetic conflicts in the brain. Bernard Crespi, an evolutionary biologist at Simon Fraser University, is starting to explore the role of genomic imprinting on mental disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Since the days of Hamilton, we have made great strides in our evolutionary understanding of how genes, albeit selfish ones, can cause rifts between the mother versus offspring and mother versus father. With potentially a few hundred imprinted genes in the human genome, perhaps we should think of the bond between parents and their offspring as a battle, just like we do in nature.

Sports var.st/SPORTS

23 JANUARY 2012

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

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The state of school spirit

Alberto BUSTAMANTE reports on the U of T Powderpuff Football team’s first home tournament http://var.st/a5o

Varsity Blues games and events are often as poorly attended as this football game against the Western Mustangs in October. ROB LEONE/THe VArsity

Craig Maniscalco VARSITY CONTRIBUTOR

The sound of 103,000 screaming fans exploded around me and out of Beaver Stadium into the small town of State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State sophomore Kevin Haplea had scored a final touchdown for the Nittany Lions to secure their victory, and all around me, people were celebrating. I returned from that trip with my intrinsically American passion for football awakened. A few weeks later, I found myself at U of T’s last football game of the season. There were 1,098 other fans in the stands with me; only 153 of those were students. On the field, you could hear a single fan if they chose to yell really

loudly, but mostly they didn’t. The contrast is almost surreal. Turnout for university athletics events is one measure of school spirit; while I may be biased by the cinematic enthusiasm I am used to seeing south of the border, U of T’s spirit seems sorely lacking. Laurel Reid, a class of ‘81 alumna, points out that U of T has not always been so spirit-deficient. “We used to go to football games every Saturday,” she remembers. “The stands would be full of students, and everybody would go. It was a lot of fun, a lot of shenanigans. It would be like one big party.” The only shenanigans today typically come from the Lady Godiva Memorial Band. While their attendance record and enthusiasm might

make them a model for school spirit, chants like, “There’s three kinds of turds: mustard, custard, and you you piece of…” don’t seem to be the kind of spirit I’m looking for. What is this school spirit that I’m looking for? If it is, as the motto of an Alberta elementary school states, “what makes school an interesting place to be” — simply a reflection of the character of the students — then the lack of support for the Varsity Blues teams does not mean that U of T has no spirit. We have our own ways of channeling our school pride at U of T. UTSU’s Winter Week of Welcome has just finished up, and U of T is home to hundreds of organizations that give students an outlet through which they can express their charac-

U of T has no school spirit — we’ll tell you why From the editor Going to my first Varsity Blues game was quite an experience. Though I’m a self-diagnosed soccer fanatic, I’d never watched anything bigger than a high-school soccer game live. The Blues didn’t disappoint, thrashing the Nipissing Lakers 6–0. The support at the game, though, fell well short of what I’d expected. There were maybe 150 people there — nowhere near enough to fill Varsity Stadium with noise and bodies. That’s not unusual, as students and athletes point out in this week’s section. Craig Maniscalco takes a comprehensive look at what school spirit is and how it matters. He spoke to staff at the Varsity Blues organization and at alumni relations to find out what they think about the sense of pride and belonging at U of T. Zoë Bedard talked to the people who make or break school spirit: the students. Her conversations with U of T-goers

uncovered the big role that apathy plays in driving down attendances at sporting events on campus. Finally, I had the opportunity to speak to athletes and hear their perspectives on support for athletics, both in the stands and off the pitch. The insights they had into the causes of low spectatorship and the ways to improve them show that our Varsity Blues care about having to play in front of empty seats. This week’s issue isn’t meant to be an indictment of U of T students for their lack of school spirit. It’s intended, rather, as an appeal — an appeal to get out and support our fellow students as they represent our university. U of T’s student-athletes put a lot of time and effort into their teams and events; they deserve our recognition. I hope to see you in the stands! — Murad Hemmadi, Sports Editor

ter and U of T pride. “How do we reach out to the university community and get them to come together for this common athletic cause which is … kind of a thread through a collegiate life?” asks Mary Beth Challoner, manager, events and marketing for the Varsity Blues teams. Challoner believes the answer lies in the new slogan the Blues have adopted: “Bleed Blue.” “We wanted the community to know that … it’s not just studentathletes who are the Varsity Blues,” says Challoner. “When you come to U of T, you are a Varsity Blue. And we all ‘Bleed Blue.’” But the campaign, which began at the beginning of the school year, has yet to produce substantial results, and Varsity teams remain scarcely

supported by the student body. I’m left wishing that our football games were more like those in the US. “I don’t think you can compare the football here to football in the US,” says Teo Salgado, manager of regional programs at U of T. “[Those players] are being groomed to play in the NFL.” The hype and atmosphere around sports in the USA is dramatically different from that in Canada. But it’s not only a love of the game that drives over a 100,000 students, locals, and alumni to every single game at a university like Penn State. Spectators come to show their support for a team that represents their collective spirit against that of their opponents. Continued on P18

Blues by the numbers

3,427 25

The number of point scored by Rachel Jewett to win the women’s pentathalon at the Fred Foot Classic at the Athletic Centre Field House. Jewett won the high jump and 800 m components.

The number of career shutouts recorded by Varsity Blues goaltender Brett Willows in the 3–0 win over the Queen’s Gaels in Kingston. The Blues are now 11–8–3 this season.

The number of points scored by Joanna Medri in the women’s basketball team’s 77–64 victory of the York Lions, a career high. The Blues won despite being tied 48–48 at the end of the third quarter.

Monday, January 23, 2012

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A lack of support isn’t a distinctly Canadian problem. The Maple Leafs have the highest TV viewership in the NHL and, according to Forbes, the second best fans in the league. Last year’s deplorable Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver prove that Canucks (and not just the NHL teamvariety) can get as worked up about sports as anybody else. Dedicated fandom isn’t restricted to professional sports teams either. At the university level, Queen’s University — just over one-quarter the size of U of T — averages approximately three times the turnout that the Varsity Blues do. “If you go to a Queen’s game, almost the entire school is there,” notes alumna Reid. Perhaps school spirit really is only “inflamed by sporting events … where the outcome has little bearing on the relative worth of an institution.” Ultimately, why should anyone care about the state of school spirit? Maybe for the money. According to Forbes, the Texas Longhorns football program was valued at over $100 million in 2011. To put that number into context, two years of football ticket sales at the Univer-

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sity of Texas would have more than paid for the construction of our roughly $60 million Varsity Stadium. And while U of T may never have enough interest in sporting events that a single team could fund the entire university athletics program, as Penn State’s football program does, not all of the benefits are financial. The quality of a university’s faculty and student body are also helped by strong school spirit, according to a research paper by Xian Yuhao and Liang Jie of Southwest Jiaotong University. “When you walk off this campus, why should you continue to care about your university?” asks Barbara Dick, assistant vice-president of alumni relations. “Obviously you care about your university’s reputation … so that the value of your degree will show true.” Dick points to the large number of alumni who donate time and money to the university once they graduate. “You’re not going to [volunteer and donate] as a graduate if you don’t feel that [sense of spirit].” There are numerous reasons to want more school spirit. If Xian and Liang are correct, the value of

our degrees will increase. What’s more, the profitability of the university could increase, and sports games could be filled with fun and shenanigans. A strong school spirit could also build a greater sense of affiliation with a large community of alumni on whom we can depend to share our sense of pride. Students are responsible for school spirit; we create the spirit of our university. The Varsity Blues marketing department can continue to campaign to get students screaming in the stands. It will all be to no avail, however, if students choose not to participate. If 10,000 of us showed up to support the Blues at their home games, we could really give Queen’s a run for their money. Attendance at Varsity Blues games is only one way to show pride in being a student at U of T, but it’s an important one. “Sports can play a very important role in creating a shared sense of identity, which I don’t think we necessarily have when we are part of a college or a faculty,” suggests Salgado. “I think that if students seek opportunities to belong to something that is university-wide … they can start to get a sense of belonging to something bigger.”

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monday, January 23, 2012

Be a good sport Varsity Blues athletes talk support at home games Murad Hemmadi SPORTS EDITOR

The Varsity Blues, U of T’s student athletes, face a number of challenges in their quest to represent this university at intercollegiate level. It doesn’t help that often, there are very few people to support them as they compete. “Despite the fact that it’s improved, I wouldn’t say that [attendance has] been satisfactory,” says Hannah Ehrhardt, a player on the Varsity Blues women’s rugby team. “And especially if you take parents out of the equation, we’d probably have very few fans.” It’s not always the students’ fault that they’re not in attendance when the Varsity Blues are playing. “We don’t really have any games or matches in town,” points out women’s fencer Jessica Taylor. “Usually we’re not in Toronto, so the kind of support we get is mostly from other team members. There’s not a big spectatorship.” If the team were to play on campus, though, Taylor would like to see some support from students. “It would be nice to have some people out there watching,” she says. “I don’t know how practical it is right now, unless we had the OUA Finals here — that would be really nice.” The Blues are aware of some of the factors that lead to poor attendance at U of T sporting events. “I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that U of T is a commuter school and that it’s in Toronto; there’s so much to do in Toronto,” notes Ehrhardt. The emphasis on academic achievement at

U of T is an oft-cited explanation for students’ lack of interest in intercollegiate sport. Perhaps the person best able to address that reasoning is Shujon Mazumder, a Varsity Blues men’s wrestling competitor and a Top Eight Academic

come out to games,” says Taylor, a PhD candidate in anthropology. “I would guess it would be maybe more to do with people’s relationship with the campus and the city.” Taylor concedes that academics may play

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All-Canadian last season. “It just seems that between classes, [students] really have a tight schedule,” admits Mazumer, an OISE student. “The student lifestyle is not really conducive to having time to watch tournaments.” Not everyone agrees, though. “I don’t know whether that is why people don’t necessarily

a role. “It could be related. It’s true that when I was an undergrad I never really went out to games — but I’m not a big watcher of sporting events anyway.” The Blues don’t agree on whether or not the idea that U of T has unsuccessful sports teams plays a role either. Taylor knows that this perception is untrue — the women’s fencing team

won the OUA championship last season. Still, that hasn’t gained them any more popularity. “I think people are more intrigued to find out we have a fencing team rather than coming into it with a preconceived notion of whether or not we’re good, because of U of T’s sporting reputation,” says Taylor. “Nobody wants to admit they’re supporting a losing team — unless you’re a Leafs fan!” quips Ehrhardt. “Unless you’re a parent or you’ve been forced to go, I guess if you’re not cheering for the winning team, you’re not cheering at all.” More than reputation, the Blues seem to think the lack of home support has to do with exposure. “The perception [that the Blues perform badly] probably does play into it, but a lot would have to do with knowing when games are, which is hard,” says Ehrhardt. Mazumder thinks that students are particularly unaware of certain events and sports. “We only host one [wrestling] tournament at U of T — the U of T Open. Leading up to the tournament, I think we’re overshadowed by the other programs, like hockey and definitely swimming. So I don’t think we get enough promotion for wrestling in particular.” While they’re aware of the reasons for the poor spectatorship at home games, the Blues athletes do wish they had some more support from their fellow students. Ehrhardt concurs. “Spectators really do boost your performance — everyone’s motivated to impress other people.”

The Varsity Blues: students’ perspectives Zoë Bedard ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR

Apart from the Varsity Blues football team’s infamous 50-game losing streak, it seems that U of T students have little to no knowledge of sports on campus. Does that stem from a lack of awareness of the Blues teams, or is it simply apathy? Excluding the championships, Blues games generally have empty bleachers and the glare of the opposition as the only spectators. “I went to a Blues football game earlier in the year. I don’t know football very well at all so I just followed along with the crowd. I didn’t realize until the end of the game that the loud cheering was coming from all the people who had come from Queen’s and that there was next to no one who was

actually cheering for the Blues,” says Hannah, a second-year arts student. Nicole, a second-year history major, is frank. “I just really don’t care. Even if the teams were doing well, I can’t think of anything that would actually compel me to go to a game.” It would seem that a large number of students on campus have a mistaken opinion of the Blues tainted, by that infamous football losing streak — which, for the record, has been snapped. People seem to assume that every Blues team has a similar losing record, yet teams like field hockey and soccer were ranked among the top in Canada last season. “I didn’t even know we had a field hockey team, to be honest with you. I thought we only had a football team,” says Amanda, a third-year student. Perhaps the apathy among stu-

dents is because of campus media’s failure to let students know how U of T’s teams are doing. Sure, some college papers cover intramurals, but would more focus on intercollegiate teams lead to a rise in attendance of Blues’ events? Marco, a second-year science student, doesn’t think so. “I’m not a sports-oriented person. Even if all newspapers had 10-page sports sections, I wouldn’t be drawn to them. I’m not going to pick up a newspaper to read the sports [section] when I have no interest in the team or players.” Sports and sports teams are clearly not what lure people to the university. “U of T is a very academic school and people come for their programs, not for the sports. The sports are a bonus for people who like sports, and

it’s only these people who go to the games,” notes Nicole. Some schools are labelled “party schools”; this university would be an “intellectual school.” Perhaps the fault lies in the city itself. “You’re in Toronto. The Leafs play here, the Argos play here, the Raptors play here. If you had to choose between the Blues and the Raptors, I’m pretty sure you’d choose the Raptors,” argues Blaise, a graduate student. When the Blues play a team from outside Toronto, the opposition can sometimes appear to have a larger, louder, and more enthusiastic following than our own. Perhaps in a large city such as this there are simply too many other sources of amusement to expect a large turnout at university-level

sporting events. “[The Blues] are in competition with the city,” agrees Marco. “Then there’s the plethora of international students who maybe don’t really know much or care for the sports [played here] because maybe they’re not popular in their home country. “There is stuff here for everyone [at U of T], but because of that, there’s not a surplus of people in a certain area. Sports has a crowd but not the mass amounts of people you would expect in a school outside of Toronto.” Perhaps the best answer to the question of why students don’t attend Varsity Blues games is the least complicated one — apathy. Nicole sums up that sentiment. “Why would I go? I just don’t care.”

Adriana, 3rd year and Ana Marija, 2nd Year Human Geography and Life Sciences

Sam, 1st Year International Relations

Sal, 4th Year Criminology

Jae Hoon, 1st year Engineering

Yusuf, 1st Year Engineering

“There’s not enough hot guys.”

“My high school stadium in Iowa is bigger than Varsity Stadium.”

“I’m in it for the chicks.”

“I’d go if we had good teams.”

“I’d go if I had more information — it doesn’t matter whether we win or lose.”

compiled by Bernarda Gospic

DIVERSIONS

20 monday, JANUARY 23, 2012

Weekly Horoscopes

Catherine The Psychedelic ‘70s byFriedman 1

12 17

23 25

13 19

41 46

43 47

“Low Rider” band Ugh Freudian concept The ‘70s highest grossing film “Evil Woman” band Do-re-__ Toronto Gold Skanky garden tool Artist of the best-selling single of all time 15, to Augustus Plural of “thou” Pa’s gal Fatal drug incident Comes after “Heave!” The eponymously named band, The ____

High-scoring Scrabble word Regret __ Diddley Legendary NYC punk club Mantra 007’s foe Kind of Dr. Concerning Remy __ “Baba O’Riley” band Scrooge’s cry Dorothy’s auntie First word of the constitution “Why should I care?” Snitch Girl band known for “Cherry Bomb” Gore or Franken Dutch cheese A fold or layer

Your approach to daily tasks is earthy and practical. Throw those habits to the wind this week and wear an elegant sash.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

If you’re reading this drunk, then you’re probably doing it right.

Aquarius

Leo

28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 35. 36. 37. 39. 40. 41. 43. 45. 46. 48. 49. 50. 51.

November 22 – December 21

June 21 – July 22

Virgo

Sagittarius

While the week might be off to an unusual start, rest assured that you have big things ahead. Specifically, cheese.

44 49

The planet Mars is telling you not to be shy about your successes. Create a new Twitter account and address your tweets to Ice Cube.

Cancer

July 23 – August 22

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Get in touch with your inner spirit animal. Also, visit the Groupon website for exciting shopping opportunities.

ACROSS

19. 21. 22. 23. 25. 26.

Taurus

The stars are telling you to pay attention to the finer details in life. Go ahead and order that skinny caramel soy limited edition Easter egg double macchiato.

1. 3. 7. 8. 10. 11. 12. 14. 15. 17.

If you’re reading this drunk in Robarts, then you’re probably doing it even more right than Cancer.

September 23 – October 22

May 21 – June 20

Aries, every single planet in the solar system is aligned with your sign this week. You are secretly Chuck Norris.

Gemini 39

Libra

March 21 – April 19

Work matters will be going smoothly at the beginning of this week. Wear your wizard costume mid-week for reinforcement.

by Destiny Starr

Aries

April 20 – May 20

The Varsity

August 23 – September 22 You see beauty all around you. Spend time with Cancers or Libras this week.

January 20 – February 18 Take a moment to finally dig through your Facebook timeline and check out your statuses from 2008. Then delete all of them.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20 Your deeply sensitive nature might be blinding you from reality. Studying in the peoplewatching room at EJ Pratt Library is never going to happen.

DOWN 1. 2. 4. 5. 6. 8. 9. 11. 13. 16. 17. 18. 20. 22. 24. 25.

Floyd’s dedication to Syd Barrett Promo French article ___ carte Album with “The Song Remains the Same” Yes, to Pedro Before — and after — George The __ Decade (1970s) Bunyan’s babe “Aloha-__” Accounting pro Rocky’s greeting The Deer Hunter setting Slang for “more” “Saturday Night Fever” genre Greatest guitarist in musical history

26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 32. 34. 35. 36. 38. 40. 42. 44. 45. 47. 49.

“B” in LGBTQ “Sneaky” Toronto bar Band of Mr. Fahrenheit VCR button Barbados Thread-starter Hockey tie-breaker Monopoly corner Egyptian god “That hurts!” Result of avoiding showers Like King George III Crichton’s TV series Nazi special forces __-da! Montgomery locale, abbr.

I vant advice with Ivana Listen Dear Ivana, I am a female in my twenties and would really like to experience sexual pleasure…alone. By that I mean I can’t give myself an orgasm. Is this normal? Dear Lonely Lips, First of all, it’s completely normal, especially for females, to not have experienced sexual pleasure outside of a relationship setting. Sometimes, we ladies just expect our boyfriends to do all the “discovering” for us. It’s even more common for achieving orgasm to be a personal issue for women. Some women just don’t feel a desire to finger-trek into their panties while others do but just need some guidance. Bottom line: there is nothing wrong with you. But that said if you haven’t heard the equivalent of the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme blaring inside your head upon endless waterfalls of pleasure, then head to a sex shop pronto. You won’t be immune to a durable, powerful vibrator. Trust Ivana. Got a question? Need some relationship advice? Email Ivana at ivanalisten@thevarsity.ca

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