Ultra Vires Vol 16 Issue 1: 2014 September

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 | ULTRAVIRES.CA

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF LAW

Broken promises: New Law School Building delayed until February 2016 KENT KURAN (2L) PHOTO BY NADIA GUO (3L) sense to do at that point in terms of using the “In October there will be a furniture fair and THE FACULTY OF LAW’S EXPANSION building.” Options include moving the school there will be samples for people to look at and project is on track to be completed for February give their views,” said Brunnée, explaining that 2016, according to Interim Dean Jutta Brunnée, back midway through the 2016 winter term, or waiting until the following school year. interior features will be decided on soon. though there is still “some wiggle room.” While The Class of 2016 had been promised they As for accelerating the project, which had construction over the summer seemed to progress slowly from the outside—with the founda- would have the building for their last year of stud- been raised by former Dean Moran, Brunnée ies, and the Faculty’s “Building Construction was less certain: “At any given time things haption for the new additions only becoming visible pen as fast as they can happen.” She said there in September—Brunnée explained in an inter- Timeline” webpage still erroneously lists summer 2015 as the “Substantial Completion” target. are currently no plans to move up the target view that the project “is now going on schedule The delays are due in large part to permit issues completion date. This reflects a departure from and on plan.” Students following the video feed with the City of Toronto. Prior reporting by Ultra remarks given last academic year by the Uniof the worksite have been waiting to see the new Vires, based on U of T’s Governing Council re- versity’s VP Operations, Scott Mabury, about structure rise up, but much of the work remains ports, indicated that the local councilor in Ward “active discussions” to “make up lost time.” largely unseen.

20—Trinity-Spadina (Adam Vaughan, who is The Expansion Project includes significant Brunnée, who is looking forward to the renovations to the existing Bora Laskin Pavilion speedy conclusion of the delayed project, is al- now the federal Liberal MP for Trinity-Spadina) ready drawing up plans for the Faculty’s even- “withheld approval of the tree removal permit” Wing, which overlooks Philosopher’s Walk, as due to residents’ concerns. However, the Univer- well as the construction of the new Hal Jackman tual return to the west side of Queen’s Park sity managed to secure the necessary authoriza- Crescent Wing on Queen’s Park Crescent West, from Victoria College: “In the second term [of 2015-16], we will hopefully be able to take pos- tions after City Council voted to approve the proj- with views of downtown Toronto. Additionally, ect, overriding the regular bureaucratic process. a new Queen’s Park Forum will connect the two session of the building. In due course, early next As development on the project continues, the glass structures to the existing heritage-desigyear to the middle of next year, we will have to Faculty is starting to focus on the finer finishes. nated Flavelle House. While Flavelle, a former start talking with people about what makes

Millionaire’s Row mansion which still retains much of its antique flair, has seen renovations in the past, it is not part of the current revitalization project. However, the Faculty’s Chief Administrative Officer, Paul Handley, notified the law school community that the basement of Flavelle will undergo limited asbestos and mould remediation in September. The mould and asbestos was discovered as part of room inspections conducted in the summer.

According to the University’s Report on Capital Projects as of May 31, 2014, the building cost has so far increased by $600,000 over the original $54 million projected cost. (To put it in context, $600,000 could cover one year’s tuition for nearly 20 students). According to Brunnée, the decision on how to rectify the cost overruns, including extra rent for the longer stay at Vic, has yet to be made. Former Dean Moran had proposed additional fundraising, lower quality finishes, or somehow absorbing the costs into the regular budget.

EDITORIAL/NEWS

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Editor’s letter PALOMA VAN GROLL (3L) & DAVID GRUBER (3L) THE LAW SCHOOL IS OPERATING OUT of borrowed space for yet another year. Construction of the new Hal Jackman law building is delayed, and Flavelle House is a right mess.

An asbestos kind of mess. A good number of our administrators, including the esteemed dean, are new or temporary hires. 1L is going through its experimental phase, and the firstyears are the lab rats on which this radical and impulsive study is being conducted.

The Year of the Guinea Pig. It’s a title the last three classes of U of T 1Ls have felt entitled to—and with good reason. Our year, the current 3Ls, were the first 1Ls to be subject to the new grading system. The current 2Ls were the first 1Ls to start their legal life in the “transitional space” (where the only thing permanent is the feeling that nobody’s driving this bus).

This new crop of students is the first to experience the virgin semesterised system.

The new building construction is a daily visual reminder of what’s happening to U of

T’s law program: gutted from the inside and not yet fully formed. When the dust settles on all these developments, will we be a better, more “elite” law school?

Finally, the legal profession is at a turning point, and there’s a more-than-insignificant chance that the turn it takes will be for the worse. Hiring numbers for law school graduates continue to look increasingly ominous for those of us who have mortgaged our futures on this proposition. And our administration has consistently opted to address this issue through a fingers-in-ears, “La, la, la, I can’t hear you!”-type of approach.

“Change We Can Believe In,” Obama said in 2008. Will we, the student body, and also we, young legal professionals, emerge from these academic and professional transformations like phoenixes rising from the ashes of the schools and legal landscapes of yore? To put it another way, Ultra Vires does not foresee any shortage of material for the upcoming

year. Writing in Ultra Vires has been an outlet for those who want to speak out about these changes, and we hope to continue in that tradition. We are continually impressed by our fellow students’ abilities to engage with these issues and make their voices heard.

Based on our experiences last year, we have high hopes for what’s to come. Emily Debono ushered in a new day for our humble publication. The news was more scandalous, the analysis more insightful, and the tasteless gags more numerous than ever before. We also established a significant online presence, which helps us reach beyond the (literally) crumbling walls of this institution and connect with students and legal professionals from across the country.

Over the summer we assembled a crack team of editors, writers, photographers, yarnspinners, and soothsayers to help us run the show. But we can’t do it alone. We’re counting on your contributions, articles, photographs, comments, criticisms, and—if the mood

should strike—perhaps your praise.

We invite anyone with an inside scoop about what’s going down at the law school to get in touch with Brett, who’ll be running News. Tali and Alex are the ones to holler at if you feel a burning desire to write a Feature. Even if your desire is merely lukewarm, they can help you work it out. If you’re feeling particularly opinionated (which, as law students, is all of you at all times) drop a line to David Pardy and Marita of Opinion Editors fame. Lastly, the everso-wonderful-and-witty Alanna and Lisana are the ones you want to go to with all your farcical, strange, and silly Diversions ideas.

If you want to write or have any feedback of any kind, contact us at ultra.vires@utoronto.ca, send us a Facebook message, tweet at us at @ UltraVires, or contact a section editor directly.

—David & Paloma

Report confirms things are as bad as you thought BRETT HUGHES (2L) THE COST OF LEGAL EDUCATION IS affecting students’ career goals. First generation students are hugely underrepresented in law school, particularly at U of T Law. Students do not believe that their law school administrations, the Law Society of Upper Canada, and the Government of Ontario are “genuinely concerned” about the escalating financial barriers to legal education. These are among the findings of a major report released last week by the Law Students’ Society of Ontario (LSSO).

The report is based on the results of the 2014 Survey of Ontario Law Students’ Tuition, Debt, and Financial Aid Experiences. Conducted in February 2014, the survey received 941 responses from students at law schools across Ontario, including: Osgoode, Toronto, Windsor, Ottawa, and Western. It received 233 responses from U of T Law.

The survey was “was conceived as a means to start a conversation about the real impact the economics of legal education are having on pocketbooks, classroom diversity, mental health, career outcomes, and the public interest itself.” The results provide plenty of conversation starters.

DIVERSITY The survey data indicates that Ontario’s law schools have greater visible minority representation (27.6%) than the Canadian population at large (19.1%), though it roughly matches Ontario, where 25.9% belong to a visible minority. The LSSO report focuses on Canadian population data, rather than Ontario. Chinese law students are especially well represented (9.5%) compared to the Canadian population (4.0%). South Asian students also do well at 6.0% (versus 4.8%).

Only 2.4% of respondents identified as Aboriginal, compared to 4.2% in Canada. Students from rural areas are also poorly represented (10.4%) compared to Canada as a whole (18.9%). At U of T Law, only 7.2% of respondents were from rural areas.

On a more positive note, the gender split was roughly 50/50, suggesting gender parity at Ontario law schools. (Very few selected Trans, Other, or Prefer not to disclose.) Additionally, the results indicate that there are more LGBTQ students at Ontario law schools (8.9%) than in the Canadian population (5%, according to one source).

As one of the written comments points out, however, “It is not sufficient to speak about diversity without including class.” In that respect, Ontario law schools – and U of T Law in particular—are woefully unrepresentative.

An astonishing 88% of students at U of T

Law have at least one parent with a post-secondary credential. This compares with 81.8% for all respondents. The report notes that only 53.6% of Canadians over the age of 15 have a post-secondary credential. This age range may not be the most relevant comparator, but further review of Statistics Canada data shows that only 69.2% of those aged 25-44 and 59.2% of those aged 45-64 have post-secondary credentials.

Furthermore, 61% of respondents entered law school with no pre-existing debt, even though other sources suggest that as few as 40% of students complete undergraduate degrees debt-free. In a similar vein, 30% of respondents expected to graduate law school with no debt owing to governments or banks.

Continued on page 5

Ultra Vires is an editorially independent publication. We are open to contributions which reflect diverse points of view, and our contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the Faculty of Law, the Students’ Law Society, or the editorial board.

Editors-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus News Editor Features Editors Opinion Editors Diversions Editor 1L Editors Web Editor Layout Editor

David Gruber & Paloma van Groll Emily Debono Brett Hughes Alex Carmona & Tali Green Marita Zouravlioff & David Pardy Alanna Tevel & Lisana Nithiananthan Michael Robichaud, Nathaniel Rattansey & Rona Ocean Ghanbari Aron Nimani Alyssa Howes

ERRORS If you find any errors in Ultra Vires, please email ultra.vires@utoronto.ca

ADVERTISING Advertising inquiries should be sent to ultra.vires@utoronto.ca.

SUBMISSIONS If you have an article submission or a tip for us, please contact us at ultra.vires@utoronto.ca.

Ultra Vires reserves the right to edit submissions for brevity and clarity.

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NEWS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 3

FREE LAW SCHOOL! WE SWEAR! MARITA ZOURAVLIOFF (3L) ON SEPTEMBER 15, OSGOODE HALL Law created quite the hullabaloo when it announced on its website that it would be launching an Income Contingent Loan Pilot Program in fall of 2015. This initiative hopes to see at least 5 JD students admitted to the school on an income contingent loan basis every year. These students will pay nothing in tuition while in school and will only have to repay their tuition loan once their income “affords them the ability to do so”. If their income never reaches this currently nebulous point, then the loan will be forgiven incrementally. The eligibility requirements are to be hammered out in the next couple of months but the program will start off with $1 million in initial funding.

Last year in UV, our own Brett Hughes and Padraigin Murphy advocated for U of T to adopt a similar program. At this point, though, U of T Law isn’t on the income contingent loan train, and now Osgoode has stolen our thunder. Instead, we have a little something called the Post Graduate Debt Relief Program (PGDRP) or ‘back end debt relief’ which comes from the same family of inventive loan repayment structures. According to our faculty, the PGDRP is meant to encourage students to choose a career path based on interest, not based on their crushing debt. That’s the idea anyway.

U of T law students who qualified for financial aid while in school may apply for a PGDRP loan (has such a nice ring to it, don’t it?) anytime during the 10 years after they graduate. Once a post-grad is deemed eligible, the school will loan them money to help pay back their existing loans. For example, in 2013, if an eligible applicant was making under $56,327, they did not have to contribute anything to the repayment of their loans that year—the school would lend them money to cover the principal amount and interest. If an applicant’s income surpassed that amount, they were expected to use 30% of their excess income towards repayment and the school would spot them the rest.

A portion of the PGDRP loan is forgiven each year, starting with 10% in the first year.

The forgiven portion increases by 10% every year. If your income stays low enough and you manage to stay in the program for 10 years, then you win and the entire loan is forgiven (yay?). Otherwise, you have to start paying the PGDRP money back to the school as soon as you are not eligible for the program any more.

For example, in year five, if you are no longer eligible for the PGDRP program, you will have to pay back 50% of your PGDRP loan, because 50% has been forgiven. And you will have to continue paying back your pre-existing student loans yourself.

As of 2013, the average number of years in the PGDRP was 2.5. So yeah, you probably aren’t going to win.

ICLPP V PGDRP (2014) While they might be cousins, our back-end debt relief program is different than Osgoode’s ICLPP in a few significant ways.

Firstly, applying for PGDRP happens after law school. When you start at U of T, you have to just cobble together the money somehow and hope you make the PGDRP cut-off.

On the other hand, Osgoode’s program claims to look at both front end and back end circumstances by assessing financial status at the beginning of studies and requiring the loan to be repaid only when it’s feasible, making it a more united process.

Secondly, our dear old PGDRP funding is not available for all types of loans. According to the U of T website, “this loan typically covers the principal and interest repayment obligations on eligible law school academic debt”.

The average total eligible debt load in 2013 was $36,723 and so the average PGDRP benefit was $3,850. I know what you’re thinking $36, 723 seems kind of low for three years of law school debt. What gives?

‘Eligible law school academic debt’ is essentially only government loans like OSAP, and any “interest-free loans” secured through the Faculty’s financial aid program. Now, by “interest-free loans” what the Faculty means to say is the portions of Scotiabank loans that the Faculty agreed to pay your interest on while you were in school (our Faculty is not, in fact, in the business of loaning money… though it could be a lucrative opportunity for them).

Apart from those portions, Scotiabank loans through the Professional Line of Credit don’t count. Meanwhile, Osgoode’s ICLPP appears to apply to tuition in its entirety.

more quickly and accumulate less interest” in PAY-IT-FORWARD: the words of CFS. But that is true even if in- NO, NOT THE MOVIE come contingent loans are not offered. A Some American states have recently sought graduate who is making less money will take support for a “pay-it-forward” tuition plan that longer to repay any sort of loan and therefore would have students attend college for ‘free’. pay more interest.

Once they graduate, these students would have The interest structure of Osgoode’s ICLR to pay a percentage of their income back to the scheme wasn’t revealed in the press release school for a fixed amount of years. This money and Dean Sossin indicated through email that would then fund future students’ tuition. Earlistudent leadership will be involved in design- er this year, Michigan formally submitted a ing the undetermined features. A starting proposal to its legislature that would see uniprinciple will be that the interest provision versity students pay 4% of their income, whatshould be no less favourable than for the Can- ever it is, for five years to the tuition fund for ada Student Loan Program. As for when the every year of education. So for a four year deinterest meter would start ticking, Dean Sossin gree, the student would pay for 20 years. Using pointed out that: a fixed percentage means that students do not “Given that income contingent loans are have to worry about fluctuating interest rates. distinct in that the debt at issue is to the Uni- A drawback is that students who are aiming to versity (not to a third party lender), this sug- make tons of money will probably not want to gests interest should accrue only upon gradu- participate at risk of paying back their tuition a ation, but on the other hand we need to be hundred fold. So while this might be an intermindful of equity concerns… so if some non- esting idea, it might be hard to get the Bay participating students are charged interest by Street-bound on board… the University for late payments of tuition, can or should participants in the income con- TOMATO/TOMATO? EVERYONE’S A CRITIC tingent loan program be distinguished from The reality is that for the majority of Canadian A lot of the reaction to Osgoode’s announce- this group?” law students, loan repayment is going to conment was, frankly, exuberant. The possibility This sort of careful thought is understand- tinue to be a headache unless tuition fees start of a free law degree is certainly appealing. able, considering that the interest structure will to decline. The current price tag is brutal no While it may be that Osgoode will see an in- make a dramatic difference to students who matter the payment plan. And while we concencrease in applications next year, their little eventually pass the threshold of being able to trate on ever more creative ways to manage our brainchild has reopened a debate that has “afford their tuition”. debt, the numbers inch ever higher. been raging since the '50s when Milton Friedman first introduced the idea of income contingent loans. The primary concern with these programs is two-fold: firstly, they are simply used in tandem with skyrocketing tuition fees, and are therefore not addressing the real issue—the cost of post-secondary education is getting too damn high. Secondly, their introduction will only intensify inequality amongst students and in the workplace.

In the '90s, both the federal government and the Council of Ontario Universities proGet the most out of your legal training with a program that’s tailored to your career goals. posed the idea of a widespread ICLR scheme for university students. However, this plan was At Gowlings, you’ll have the tools, guidance and opportunities met with a barrage of criticism and never you need to thrive. Gain experience in business law, advocacy and intellectual property law — and be a part of one of came to fruition. In particular, the Canadian Canada’s largest law firms.

Federation of Students (CFS) “mounted a massive campaign” against the plan. The CFS arLearn more at iwantgowlings.com gues that the introduction of ICLRPs in other countries has resulted in increased tuition and higher debt loads. The Federation points to New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom as prime examples. These countries all introduced ICLRPs in the late '80s and early '90s and saw tuition and debt soar.

However, it should be noted that both the UK and New Zealand were introducing tuition fees for the first time. Ever. And in Australia’s case, it is always possible that tuition fees would have continued to climb regardless of whether the program was put in place.

After all, that seems to be what happened to Ontario in the '90s. The ICLR schemes were rejected but tuition continued to climb exponentially. Dean Lorne Sossin of Osgoode made a similar point on his blog in defending income contingent loans. The ICL programs are in response to the rising tuition and debt, not their catalyst. He also argues that because these loans would be offered by the university, and not by the government, they would have no bearing on the government regulated tuition framework.

The second prominent concern is that the introduction of these programs exacerbates Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP existing social inequalities. “Graduates with lower levels of income would repay their loans montréal • ottawa • toronto • hamilton • waterloo region • calgary • vancouver • beijing • moscow • london over a longer period of time, while those in high-paying jobs could repay their loans

your legal career tailored to fit

NEWS

4 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

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Who’s who at the Faculty of Law in 2014 BRETT HUGHES (2L) ongoing dialogue between Faculty and Stu- as Interim Dean, and had gained an apprecia- the reality better.” dents on Tuition and Financial Aid. She re- tion of the inner workings of the Faculty that It seems fair to say that many students do plied that “there will be space for that discus- she was not exposed to as a professor, but looks not view the Faculty as a bastion of “inclusivity sion.” However, in response to a follow-up forward to returning to teaching and research, and affordability.” But is it actually students, question, she indicated that if the dialogue at least for now. rather than the admin, who do not understand suggests a need for change, it will have to wait the reality? Nabila Pirani—Co-Chair, Exterfor her successor.

JUDITH MCCORMACK, ACTING nal of the South Asian Law Students’ AssociaStepping into the role at a time of transi- ASSISTANT DEAN, STUDENTS tion—said she finds it “worrying” that the tion, with so many new faces in the adminis- According to the job posting on LinkedIn, the challenge is conceived of in terms of how to tration—whether permanent or acting—has Assistant Dean, Students “manages and over- “communicate the reality better.”

JUTTA BRUNNÉE, INTERIM DEAN While U of T Law’s diversity statistics porIn an interview with Ultra Vires, Brunnée de- not posed any major challenges, she said. sees all non-curricular aspects of the JD ProFrom the administration’s perspective, things gram including student services, academic pro- tray a relatively diverse school, Nabila said scribed the role of Interim Dean as ensuring have been running smoothly. In particular, gram administration, and public interest the statistics are problematic and incomplete, that “things stay on a steady course until the Brunnée said that Judith McCormack was programs.” This includes responsibility for “all and there is still plenty of substantive work to new Dean takes up their role,” which means chosen to fill the Assistant Dean, Students po- student wellness and success programs” and do. This includes addressing “the lack of sono “radical changes.” (If she were part of an sition precisely because she possessed the ex- “all student activities.” cio-economic diversity at the law school, sysinterim government, she would not “institute a Judith McCormack—whose full-time role is temic and financial barriers to entry, as well carbon tax.”) Brunnée has been serving as In- tensive institutional memory necessary for a smooth transition.

Assistant Dean, Graduate Program—is actual- as students’ concerns about diversity during terim Dean since May, and will continue to do After the Faculty added three new hires last ly returning to this position, having filled in the hiring process.” so for one year, or until the Provost appoints year, there will be no formal hiring process during former Assistant Dean Archbold’s maJerome said that “current students’ experithe new Dean. this year in order to provide latitude for the ternity leave in 2010-11. She has been with the ences can provide insight on how we’re proShe is the Metcalf Chair in Environmental new Dean to make new hires in due course. Faculty since 2001, serving as an Adjunct Pro- gressing and where there’s room for improveLaw, and is internationally recognised for her fessor and Executive Director of Downtown ment.” I suspect many more students will have work in Public International Law and Interna- One new change coming out the Interim Dean’s office this year is that Faculty Council Legal Services for nine years, before becoming some insights to share. tional Environmental Law. A Fellow of the documents will no longer be hidden from stu- an Assistant Dean in 2010. Judith was previRoyal Society of Canada, she has published dents, and displayed instead on the general ac- ously a partner at Sack Goldblatt Mitchell, and PROMISE HOLMES SKINNER, and lectured extensively on these topics. cess part of E.Legal. before that, the Chair of the Ontario Labour ACTING ABORIGINAL LAW Brunnée said that her role includes making When asked if she had any interest in taking Relations Board.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR sure that “things that are in motion continue I asked Judith if the role felt any different this Promise is rejoining the Faculty one year afto be in motion,” so I asked about the commit- on the role on a more permanent basis, Brunnée said she felt it was a “real privilege” to serve time round. While it is “very familiar,” she wrote ter graduating as part of the Class of 2013, ment made last year at Faculty Council to an that there are now “more programs to increase and after articling with a criminal defence access to the law school,” more diversity initia- firm. As a student, she served as President of tives, new clinical programs, and more. the Aboriginal Law Students’ Association, Former Assistant Dean Archbold mentioned founded and was co-President of the Aborigiin her exit interview with Ultra Vires that the nal Law Club, and worked with the Indigerole grew significantly during her tenure— nous Law Journal. from four direct reports to 14. I asked Judith if In her role as (Acting) Aboriginal Law Proshe was stepping into the same role, or if it gram Coordinator, she will “facilitate and dewould be changing. She responded that the velop academic and experiential programrole is “in essence” the same, and that she was ming for all law students at the Faculty.” briefed extensively by her predecessor. Al- Promise said the role also involves providing though some students have been concerned “supportive counselling to current and prothat the office might be getting overextended, spective Aboriginal law students” as well as it appears that the administration has decided support for students involved with the Aborigthat the “portfolio will be exactly the same,” inal Law Program. as Archbold put it in her interview.

There is apparently a busy calendar planned Interim Dean Brunnée told Ultra Vires that a for the Aboriginal Law Program this year. permanent replacement should be announced The following list highlights a small number of sometime this semester. the activities and opportunities that Promise shared with Ultra Vires. Events include: the JEROME POON TING, SENIOR Fall Feast, a speaker series featuring some of RECRUITMENT, ADMISSIONS AND Canada’s most influential Aboriginal leaders, DIVERSITY OUTREACH OFFICER a new Visiting Elder Series, firm tours, a dataJerome is one of the few new permanent hires base project on Missing and Murdered Indigthus far. He replaces Neel Joshi, who only last- enous Women, and events related to the forthed one year in the position before departing for coming Supreme Court decision in R v the Rotman School of Management.

Kokopenace—a case dealing with jury rolls The role entails “strengthen[ing] and and First Nations people in Ontario. expand[ing] the Faculty’s efforts to enrol outMore generally, Promise said that being back standing students based on their personal at the Faculty so soon after graduating allows qualities and demonstrated intelligence, de- her “to really relate to students and provide a spite any barriers that they may face,” Jerome fresh voice to the Faculty from someone who said by email. He has spent the last 20 years in just completed the program.” admissions and recruitment, including at There will be an information session on the Queen’s University and the University of To- Aboriginal Law Program on Tuesday, Sepronto, where he has worked for 12 years— tember 30 from 12:30-2pm in FA 3. Lunch mostly at the Scarborough campus. will be provided.

I asked Jerome what challenges he sees U of T Law facing with respect to diversity and accessibility. He responded: “From the outside, Unfortunately, we did not have space to cover all our perceived level of inclusivity and afford- the new staff in this issue, so profiles on the Inability hasn’t caught up to the reality.” He terim Registrarial Assistants, the Facilities and said that the admission process “rewards Services Coordinator, and others will have to achievement and recognizes potential,” and wait for a future issue. that the Faculty provides the most comprehensive financial support in the country. Thus, © 2012–2014 Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. All rights reserved. | 416 869 5300 there is work to do be done “to communicate

WHETHER YOU ARE A FIRST-YEAR or upper-year, you have probably noticed a plethora of emails from members of the administration containing sign-offs starting with “Interim” or “Acting” (we’re looking at you, Acting Interim Dean-for-a-day Alarie). This article is intended to help acquaint you with some of the new faces in Falconer.

Cassels Brock 2014/2015 season

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Contact: Heather Murray hmurray@casselsbrock.com 416 869 5782 - fax 416 642 7137

Please PRINT a hard copy of the file and either FAX it or SCAN and EMAIL it back to me, thanks!

NEWS/FEATURES

ultravires.ca REPORT CONFIRMS THINGS ARE AS BAD AS YOU THOUGHT Continued from page 2 FINANCIAL BARRIERS While many responses related to financing law school will come as no surprise to students, the data may be of interest to the administration.

In particular, it should give the administration reason to rethink its longstanding insistence that the cost of law school does not affect career choice, and that there is no connection between debt and mental health.

Over 55% of respondents from U of T Law agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “The cost of attending law school has impacted my career objectives or rationale for pursuing a law degree” More than 40% of respondents from U of T Law agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “Financial stress related to law school costs has negatively impacted my mental health.”

A clear majority of respondents (70.1%) had sought to secure a line of credit to fund their legal education. Nearly one quarter of them “encounter[ed] problems” in trying to do so, and 5.7% were unsuccessful. Of those who required a co-signer, 13.5% indicated that their parents were not eligible co-signers.

These numbers are concerning in light of the emphasis placed by law schools—especially U of T Law—on the willingness of private financial institutions to lend students money as a prerequisite for accessing financial aid. It seems plausible that students facing difficulty accessing credit may simply avoid schools like U of T Law altogether. This would be consistent with the fact that 61% of respondents started law school debt free.

When first generation students are able to secure credit, they end up with much more

debt than their peers. By third-year, first generation students have an average of $90,354 in debt, compared to $63,970 for students whose parents both have post-secondary credentials.

OTHER RESULTS Unsurprisingly, most respondents completed an Arts or Humanities or Social Sciences undergraduate degree (69.7%). Just over 12% completed a Business undergraduate degree, followed by Science or Mathematics (10.8%), Engineering or Computer Science (3.2%), and Other (3.9%).

Osgoode students are most likely to have a parent with a PhD, while students at U of T Law are far more likely than others to have a parent with a professional degree (i.e. JD, MD, MBA).

Just over 20% of U of T Law respondents indicated that they would have chosen a different law school, knowing what they know now.

Toronto and Osgoode students were the most likely to express this sentiment.

STAY TUNED Although the full dataset is not publicly available at present, Ultra Vires plans to work with the LSSO to get some more disaggregated data on U of T respondents for a future issue.

Let us know if you have any suggestions for cross-tabs we should run or anything else we could learn from the responses! For now, read the full report via the Ultra Vires website, or visit the LSSO website directly at lsso.ca.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 5

Orientation Week A Teaching Experience YONA GAL (1L) “WHAT ARE THE FACTS OF THE CASE?” Was the professor talking to me? Well, he did say my name.

As I sat in my first law school class squinting at my classmate’s brief, I wondered what the facts of the case were.

“I am referring to Mustapha v. Culligan. What are the facts?”

Everyone in the room was silently staring at me as if I was the professor. But not only was I not the professor, I was starting to dislike his habit of calling on people to provide information he should know himself.

I decided to share the facts of the case with the professor. But then he wanted the issue.

The issue? He didn’t know the issue either?

Didn’t he prepare for his first class?

So I told him the issue, but he wasn’t satisfied. Apparently, he wanted me to do his job for him.

But I wasn’t in class to do his job! I was there to check my Facebook newsfeed... like everyone else.

Later, when I was finished teaching the class about Mustapha, I reflected on my odd professor and his clumsy teaching approach. “Should

I email him the readings the night before class?

No. I couldn’t guarantee that he would read them. Should I send him my brief? Wait, I don’t have a brief. Should I share my classmate’s brief with him?”

In the end I decided to just do his job for him.

After all, that’s what friends are for. And we were friends, at least according to Facebook.

Those are the facts.

Be who you are.

Law is what we do, but it doesn’t define us. We’re looking for individuals who are passionate about everything in life, including being a lawyer.

If this sounds like you, please check us out at www.torys.com to learn more about us.

FEATURES

6 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

ultravires.ca

Moving on up Alexis Archbold's last words as Assistant Dean TALI GREEN (2L) TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE END OF her nine years with the law school, Assistant Dean Alexis Archbold sat down with UV to talk transitions, tuition, and mental health.

Below is an excerpt from the full interview, which is available online.

NG: What was your role supposed to be when you were hired and what did it expand to?

AA: In 2005 I was hired as the LAWS director, and in 2008 I was asked by Dean Moran to cover then-Assistant Dean Students Bonnie Goldberg’s leave of absence. I was terrified of this job, and it was much bigger than what I was doing at LAWS. After a year, when Bonnie didn’t come back, I stayed on.

When I first stepped into the role, I had four direct staff reports covering LAWS, admissions and financial aid, and records, and I was responsible for all of the student affairs and the student accommodations.

There are now fourteen people who report directly to my position. I now also oversee the CDO, the student programs coordinator, LAWS, PBSC, IHRP, DLS, the Asper Centre, the Center for Innovation Law and Policy, the Aboriginal law program, and, until one month ago, records.

I also oversee many of our diversity access and outreach programs, including the Law School Access Program, the Aboriginal Youth Summer Program, the “See Yourself Here” annual open house, a new LGBTQ Law Access and Mentoring Program, the law school’s Youth Summer Program mini-law summer camp, and of course, LAWS.

NG: From a student's point of view, you were the single point of contact for all of the school's administrative issues. Now that you're leaving, will the job be fragmented?

AA: Students know they can call me and ask any question and that I’ll deal with it or I’ll refer them to someone else. That’s going to stay the exact same way. Assistant Dean Judith McCormack is covering in an acting role for approximately 2 months. She covered my maternity leave in 2010, and so really knows the job. The law school is in the process of hiring someone into the permanent role—they should be here sometime in the fall.

NG: How did the law school change over your nine year term?

AA: Dean Moran, from the beginning, established herself as a dean very focused on the student experience. She supported me thinking about mental health issues and student wellness in general, and I think that this has been a cultural shift in the law school. For example, Mayo was very firm about staff being friendly and respectful and compassionate in every interaction with students. She didn’t tolerate grumpiness or a bureaucratic way that university faculties can sometimes feel like—where when you interact with the staff, you feel like a number. She was very clear that students should feel welcome here the moment they walk through the door. She was also very keen that we consult students in a variety of ways. She was supportive of setting up the CDO advisory committee, the health and wellness advisory committee, and the

lunches that Dean Alarie and I set up where we met with every single 1L student and most of the 2L class.

NG: This year the school is getting a new dean and a new assistant dean. How is the school going to make these transitions go smoothly?

AA: We’re making all efforts to ensure that students should feel this transition as little as possible. For example, it is important to us that Assistant Dean McCormack is introduced as the Assistant Dean Students to the incoming 1L class during OWeek. That way, at least a third of the class, hopefully won’t really know any difference.

NG: But she will only hold that position for about two months…

AA: Yes, but I am sure that Assistant Dean McCormack will make all efforts to make the transition to the next person very smooth.

While change is always difficult, this is a time of incredible opportunity for the law school.

This role is pivotal to the law school, and having someone come with fresh ideas and fresh enthusiasm and quite possibly a different way of doing things is healthy to injecting and breathing new life into it.

What I’ve come to learn is that people leave, but everyone moves on so quickly. You guys are never going to notice that I was gone.

You’ll just move quickly to the next person. I think it’s a really exciting time for the law school. I think the next few years are going to be very interesting to watch.

NG: Is your departure in any way related to Dean Moran’s departure? Do you feel that it was inevitable that if she leaves, you will have to leave too?

AA: No. Not at all. In fact, I’ve known that her term was coming to an end for a long time.

And that didn’t impact my decision to leave.

Having said that, when a boss leaves, it’s not completely uncommon for folks who have worked very closely with that person to think, oh, maybe—what’s next? And is it here, or maybe someone else? I never felt like I was somehow linked to her…it just so happened.

NG: But her departure got you thinking about looking for other opportunities?

AA: Yes, I think so. That’s a good way to put it.

NG: Can you speak a little bit about your decision to go?

AA: Every job has a certain life span. For me, it happened that that span was about six years. I got to a point where I started to feel like I had accomplished almost everything that I really wanted to accomplish here, and it was time for me to move on to the next place where I can apply my creativity and my talent to a new set of circumstances. It just happened organically. And around the same time, Rotman presented the opportunity. It was a torturous decision but it felt natural when it happened. I had started thinking about it before Mayo even announced that she was leaving.

NG: When you started here in 2005, tuition was about $17,000. It is now over $30,000. What are

the tangible outcomes of that sudden burst of cash?

AA: This is a very good question for a dean, who has their hands on the entire law school.

From my perspective, from what I understand, the increases in tuition went to the rising costs of administering a law school. For example, compensation gobbles up the majority of any institution’s budget. Most of our staff and faculty are unionized. Annual salary increases negotiated with the central university are built-in cost increases.

The higher tuition also gave the law school the resources and better ability to attract and retain really incredible talent—the top graduates coming on to the faculty market. When you have excellent professors, you attract excellent students. Then top rate students attract top rate professors. And it is a self-perpetuating cycle. The strength of our class and faculty has a lot to do with why our students get so many jobs. And that’s why U of T has such a great reputation world-wide. Deans Daniels and Moran wanted to make sure that we have the best faculty we can possibly have.

The increased tuition also allows us to sustain an expansion of a huge array of programs and offerings such as our Alumni mentoring program, our 1L Academic Support Program, more than 130 upper year courses, more combined program than any other law school in Canada, unique exchange programs, a highly successful mooting program, four student journals, the Aboriginal Law Program, the only post-graduation tuition relief program in the country, and one of the largest financial aid programs in the country.

NG: A large part of your role was helping students

deal with mental health issues and arranging accommodations for mental illness. What do you think can help keep law school stress under control?

AA: I’ll answer from my own law school experience. I remember going through law school and worrying a lot that I wasn’t going to meet some external measure of success. There is this sense that there’s only one definition of what it means to have made it as a law student or as a young lawyer. And there’s not a lot of space given for other ideas of what success can look like. I felt that very much in law school. I worked for Planned Parenthood Toronto before I came to law school; I was doing some great work in the community and I really saw myself as being an activist. I saw law school as being my next step in becoming a leader in that field.

But that strong sense of self and pride for what I had accomplished before I got to law school unraveled at Osgoode. I felt that a new definition of success smothered my own vision of what that would be. In hindsight, I wish I had held on longer and tighter to my own sense of self. Because the reality is that, especially in the law, there are a million different definitions of success. There are so many things you can do with a law degree, and our students are so successful in the end in getting positions—we know this statistically—that there is a lot of hope there. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had held on tighter to that hope and to a sense of enthusiasm about what is coming next.

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FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 7

The Definitive(ish) Guide to 1L ALEX CARMONA (2L) THIS IS A WEIRD TIME TO BE A 2L. We spent all of last year battling through the seemingly unconquerable slog of readings, papers and 100% finals that is 1L, all the while overawed at the bastions of knowledge and wisdom that were the upper years (or at least that’s how I’m playing it off ). Now that we’re past that mountain, we’d normally get to pay all the help we got forward to the new 1Ls—to enjoy being the ones with all the answers. Except this year, you, 1L reader who is probably wondering where I’m going with this, don’t have the luxury of talking to people who’ve done it all before.

You don’t have anyone to tell you to “Relax, because if we can do it, you can do it too, and here’s a step by step guide to tell you exactly how everything is going to work.” In fact, last year’s September edition of Ultra Vires included just that—a “Definitive Guide to 1L”. But even though there’s no one who has gone through the same exact Sisyphean nightmare as you’re about to, the old adage remains the same—relax. You can do it, and the upper years are here to give you what help we can. So without further ado, here’s the Definitive(ish) Guide to 1L. STUDYING, STRESS, AND STRESSING ABOUT STUDYING To the five or six of you who didn’t skip right to the grades section, kudos. This section is way more important. Managing your stress and mental health is absolutely essential to a successful 1L year. This is in a sense unfortunate, because it’s probably the most difficult as well.

The new 1L structure was mainly meant to tackle this problem, but with every 1L taking two large sections, a small group and graded LRW this semester, you can bet the work will start to pile on soon. When it does, you need to trust yourself, because you’ve gotten this far for a reason. When you talk to a classmate and find out he spent 10 hours briefing cases in the reading room last night, and you only spent a couple hours reading before going to gym/playing video games/hanging out with friends/anything else that isn’t studying, the absolute worst reaction you can have is to freak out, scrap your whole routine and try to emulate someone else.

That isn’t to say you don’t need to put in the work—believe me, you do—but what’s important is to keep your head and stick to the work and study habits that have clearly succeeded for you in the past. People learn in different ways, and at different speeds. In other words, see above: Relax, and trust your instincts.

Another thing not to stress about is that creeping feeling you get sometimes that everyone else knows what they’re doing, and that you’re the only one who is confused, struggling, and stressed. The reality is that every single person here has felt that same way at some point or another, and if they tell you they haven’t, they’re a filthy liar. It may seem like your year is a pack of hyper-intelligent, super-accomplished geniuses, and that your admission here was some kind of cruel joke or horrible mistake. But it isn’t. The admissions committee knows what they’re doing, and since you’re here it means you have it in you to excel.

If you’re looking for something more substantial and less Yoda-esque than that, keep in mind that the Faculty offers free, confidential academic counseling and the SLS can match you into a study group if you don’t make one on your own, so take advantage of those if the workload starts to appear too daunting. Which brings me to…

other people’s interpretations of the material FOUR BRAINS ARE BETTER THAN ONE their fair shake.

I know I just told you that everyone is a unique snowflake and learns in their own way and at their own speed, but seriously, join a study • Do the online practice exams under timed conditions, and, again, take up the answers group. Your peers, as you probably have figured with your study group. This will give you the out by now, are an amazingly intelligent group feel for what it’s really like to try to cram every of individuals, and attacking legal problems successfully means analyzing every angle. A few “in the alternative” legal argument possible in a differing viewpoints, along with sheer com- paltry three hours, and will lead to much better time management when you’re actually bined brainpower, will be an invaluable tool for writing the exam. you not just during exam time, but throughout the year as well.

EXTRA-CURRICULARS The law school has innumerable clubs, clinics, GRADES, AND WHY THEY’RE NOT journals, and associations all ready and willing AS IMPORTANT AS YOU THINK to devour every second of free time in your Nobody is going to make the case that grades schedule. There’s always the urge to sign up for aren't important. What many 1Ls don’t realize is a ton of different things since they all look that they aren’t the be all and end all when it worthwhile—and it’s highly important to resist comes to finding employment. True, nobody is that urge. Think quality over quantity. It’s much going to hire you with transcript chock-full of LPs (I didn’t even bother talking about Fs, be- better to get actively involved in one, two or at most three things than spread yourself thin over cause literally no one fails), but the vast majority five or six. It will lead to leadership opportuniof students will be applying to firms with Ps and ties down the road and more interesting small Hs. These students will get plenty of Bay Street talk in job interviews. And if you’re so inclined, interviews (whether or not this is something you you’ll have another two years to try out things want is another conversation altogether). What’s you skipped over in 1L. Whatever it is you pick, important after that point, however, is how you make sure it’s something you actually enjoy— handle the interviews your grades got you. Law is about customer service, and firms want socia- interviewers can smell chronic resume builders from a mile away. Here’s an overview of many ble, interesting, and personable people, even if those people have average grades—not a walk- of the different extra-curriculars you can join, ing pile of HHs with nothing else to offer. Good- complete with shameless plugs by their upperyear members. mans took a 1L summer last year with an LP on their transcript, and Davies rejected someone with HHs across the board. If you want to work JOURNALS There are five student-run legal journals at U in New York, you’ll need higher grades, and of T Law: The University of Toronto Faculty clerking at the SCC will obviously require you to of Law Review (UTFLR), The Journal of Law be near the top of the year, but for the majority of and Equality, The Journal of International you, don’t skip out on opportunities to build your Law and International Relations, The Indigehuman capital and improve your small talk skills nous Law Journal and Critical Analysis of the to get an extra hour or two of case briefing done.

Law. As a first-year student editor on one of these journals, you’ll generally be given severEXAMS al articles to read and comment on. The subHere’s where the guinea-pig nature of this year’s 1L program really comes to the fore. Until now, ject matter of these articles will depend on the journal or the cell group that you are a part of.

December exams were a time to practice your skills, and find out what works and what doesn’t. Some journals also require first year students to do footnote checking or to conduct backMany people received a rude awakening when ground research to determine whether an arthey got their December exam marks back and ticle has been plagiarized, puts forth novel arused that preparation to great success for the real guments, etc.. exams in April. Now December exams are the U of T’s journals offer 1Ls the chance to real deal. You’ll be given mid-term practice tests, learn about subjects not often covered in the 1L but whether those will be as effective as a true practice exam period remains to be seen, espe- curriculum. Alternatively, if you’re interested in working in a specific practice area, signing up for cially considering you won’t be given much time a journal/cell group can signal your interest to off class to prepare for these practice tests. To employers in that area. Most importantly, stuthat end, here are some basic tips to streamline dent editors get to debate the merits of interesting the trial and error period: articles over free food!

• Make a concise map: A beautiful 50-page sumCLINICS mary with detailed briefs on every case will be The various clinics give you the opportunity to less than useful in an exam scenario. A good experience nitty gritty, real-world legal work. map is short, to the point, rule-based, easy to You won’t be checking citations or inquiring navigate and, simply put, essential to doing well philosophically about the state of modern tort on an open-book exam. If you’re not sure how law—you’ll be expected to do legal research to make a map, ask your Peer Mentor, or any and writing for a practical purpose or specific upper year, really, to send you a good one or client, or even get on the phone and call the two as a template. other side. If that sounds intimidating, don’t • Go over your map with your study group: Do- worry—the 1L clinics are supervised, and there’s plenty of infrastructure to keep you from ing this will (hopefully) expose any gaps in your making any lawsuit-worthy mistakes. map and force you to confront areas of the course material you’re less comfortable with.

You’ll realize that this point or that point is ac- • Artist Legal Advice Service: “Volunteering tually more complex, vague or downright con- with ALAS is a great opportunity to learn more about intellectual property and entertainment fusing than you gave it credit for, and you’ll law. A typical shift involves shadowing lawyers benefit from puzzling it over with help. Most who are giving legal advice to artists, actors, importantly, don’t just assume your map is right musicians, writers, and filmmakers. The lawand anyone else’s that differs is wrong—give

yers actually make sure that you understand the advice, which makes ALAS a valuable learning experience. For the rest of the shift you answer phone calls and emails in order to book appointments with clients for future shifts. ALAS also only requires that you attend three shifts each semester. So, this clinic is great if you can’t commit a lot of time but are still looking to volunteer in a clinic setting.”—Natasha Chin • AIW: “Volunteering at AIW was great and memorable. You are given three files as soon as you start, and serve as your clients' legal representative in workplace insurance disputes. This involves regular client interaction, developing case strategy, crafting written submissions and perhaps an oral hearing, if you're lucky. It can be overwhelming at first, but the upper-year volunteers are extremely supportive and patiently hold your hand while you learn to navigate the shadowy world of workers' compensation law. The supervising lawyers are two lovely people, who go above and beyond to ensure that you're constantly learning and producing high quality legal work. The work is incredibly rewarding and is a great way to build up karma before you spend the rest of your legal career (i.e., three years) working for Big Business. The time commitment is three hours a week, though sometimes more is required if a deadline looms.

The best part about AIW is the view: a roof with a dog.”—Brad Valley • David Asper: “The Asper Centre is unique in providing first year students the opportunity to deal with constitutional and Charter rights issues and to examine the impact of current government legislation on real people.

There are plenty of options to become involved: join a working group, contribute to the Outlook, work as a Summer Research Assistant, enroll in the upper-year clinic, or lead a working group. As a 1L I volunteered with the Refugee Law Working Group. I gained knowledge about immigration and refugee law I wouldn’t otherwise have learned in class, not only through researching for a memo, but through the other group members, the refugee law practitioner who supervised our public legal education workshop, and the frontline workers at the workshop.”—Alex Wong • DLS: “Working at DLS is a great use of your scarce free time because it gives you the opportunity to develop working legal skills while experiencing law in the context most of us got into it for.

You get to help the poor, the underrepresented and those who face down a legal structure that they find both menacing and troublingly obscure.

When you talk to your first or second (or seventh or eighth) client on the phone about their legal problems you also realize how much you really do know about law. On a personal note, you also develop the exact kind of skills that future employers (and OCI recruiters) want to hear about.

You learn to manage documents, docket time, deal with clients, manage case strategies and work as part of a team. In short, you get a better grasp on what being a lawyer actually means day-to-day then any class will be able to teach you.”—Bernd Buschke • PBSC: “PBSC) is a national organization that started right here at U of T in 1996. Our students volunteer with amazing clinics and organizations working in family law, human rights, immigration, LGBT rights, health law, and so much more. When you volunteer with PBSC, you develop the kinds of skills will serve you Continued on page 8

8 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

FEATURES

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Getting to Know T.O.

Casa Loma: One eye to the Past, One to the Bright Future SAMUEL LEVY (1L) WHEN PITCHING U OF T LAW TO ITS valued prospects, a ubiquitous selling point is the city itself. However, I gave little heed as a certain admissions director spoke about life in Toronto, contemplating instead how much of this “life” one could readily experience from the sooty window of the Bora Laskin Library; I doubted I’d have the chance to “see Toronto” at all.

I changed my mind.

Toronto is cementing its reputation as a truly global city. Bolstered by multiculturalism, commerce, world-class education institutions (ahem) and a reputation that can surely be described as ‘resilient,’ the city emits a palpable energy of a society on the rise. Just this year Toronto, the 4th largest city in North America, was also ranked 4th on the Economist’s list of most liveable cities in the world. In short, it’s a city worth seeing, even if only for a study break. I hope that this feature can be a way to highlight some of the great activities in Toronto, as I familiarize myself with the city as well. First up is the revitalized Casa Loma, located at Spadina and Davenport.

Casa Loma (Spanish for “Hill House”) began as the vision of Canadian energy mogul, Sir Henry Pellatt. He started work on the Gothic-style castle in 1911, completing it in 1914 with famous Canadian architect E.J. Lennox (of ‘Old City Hall’ fame). The prized property went under the management of the Kiwanis club in 1937—after Pellatt’s financial demise during WW1—where it remained a relatively stable tourist destination for 84 years. This January however (after three years of negotiation), the management reigns passed to Toronto’s Liberty Entertainment Group, a company who also manages the historic ‘Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex,’ ‘Rosewater’ and

‘Courthouse’ venues. New Casa Loma President Catherine Bridgman maintains that the group’s track record of managing historical buildings made them a natural fit for Casa Loma: “We want to fulfill the vision of Sir Henry. He wanted it to be one of the great homes of high society, where you could entertain and host royalty, diplomats, and VIPs from Canada and the British Isles.”

“The City was looking for someone who could breath life into the programming, and bring Casa Loma back to Torontonians.”

And in just nine months, the group has done just that. With an up-front investment of $7.4 million, Bridgman’s team has meticulously restored the castle and the beautiful gardens surrounding it—“making it as beautiful as it possibly could be.”

They have added a space for rotating exhibits on Toronto’s history, and made plans for a gourmet steakhouse where professionals and families alike can escape the city and dine under the stars. Taking a page from Sir Henry himself, the group started a hugely successful concert series, ‘Symphony in the Garden,’ in partnership with the acclaimed Toronto Concert Orchestra. I went to their final performance on September 3, and was blown away by the music, the glitzy setting, and the diverse cross-section of the city that attended; it was Toronto at its best.

Bridgman also believes Casa Loma is important to Toronto’s international emergence.

She states: “We have a great relationship with Tourism Toronto, [whose] goal is to position Toronto as a world-class city.”

The new management has been actively promoting the venue’s international appeal as well.

On June 26, during World Pride in Toronto, Casa Loma hosted the largest same-sex wedding

THE DEFINITIVE(ISH) GUIDE TO 1L Continued from page 7

you can be a woman in the law, and we are here to help you succeed. Join one of U of T Law's oldest and most established clubs to meet mentors, make friendships, and build networks that will last a lifetime.

well for the rest of your career, let alone the skills employers want to see in a student. You get exposure to areas of the law you might never encounter otherwise, meet practitioners devoted to those fields, and work with like-minded students to help people who really need it. It doesn’t stop with 1L, either. Our upper year placements provide opportunities to work with small claims court judges, the Law Society of Upper Canada, and even to personally represent the underrepresented. Some of our most exciting upper year placements even recruit students from their first year placements, so it’s never too early to get started!” —Aron Nimani CLUBS Got an interest? There’s a club for that. And if there isn’t, go ahead and start one. Some clubs are geared more toward building human capital, others toward cultural groups and social causes, and yet others toward putting out a specific event or product. What’s below is just a small cross-section of everything that’s out there.

• Women in the Law: Ever since women legally became people in 1928, "being a woman" has become increasingly popular. Today, you can even be a woman in the law! This has led to many commentators to ask, "how do they balance being a woman and being in the law?”, or "does she REALLY have it all?"

Women & the Law wants to assure that yes,

in North American history. 120 couples, several from countries where same-sex marriage is not yet legalized, tied the knot in a ceremony officiated by ministers from 12 faiths.

Other initiatives include an exhibit on the Toronto International Film Festival, and hosting Princess Marconi of Italy, when she met the spouse of the Prime Minister Loreen Harper during Italian Heritage Month.

With such amazing success in such a short

amount of time, Casa Loma seems destined to regain the prominence, or rather pre-eminence, it boasted in Toronto’s early history. It also demonstrates that Torontonians are ready to embrace the idea of Toronto as an enviable global destination, now and in the future.

Casa Loma will be starting its Tuesday Concert Series beginning October 21. To find out more, contact me through Facebook, or check out http://www.casaloma.org/events.index.gk.

volvement. Last year’s performances featured scenes including: “Bay Street’s Back”, a showstopping song and dance number parodying “Backstreet’s Back,” and “Raptor and Raptor LLP”, a sketch about a 2L student interviewing at a firm run by raptors (the dinosaur, not the • Ultra Vires (that’s us!): “Let’s face it—legal NBA team), and a Breaking Bad spoof video writing can be intellectually stimulating, thought featuring Professor Stewart as Walter White provoking and downright insightful, but it’s and Professor Niblett as Jesse Pinkman. The stuffy as hell. If you’ve got the writing bug, UV is show is definitely a highlight of the year, and is a great place to write about the legal universe well-loved by students, faculty, friends and famand the goings on in the law school, but in a ily. Law Follies also records an annual music much more relaxed, informal environment (we video, parodying well-known songs and dances. can swear!). God help you if you miss a deadline Last year, it was a ‘90s mash-up, and the year though—that part doesn’t change when you before—well, it was the year of Gangnam Style. switch to journalism.”—Alex Carmona Getting involved with Follies is really easy—no theatre or writing experience is necessary. The • Law Games: Law Games is a cross between time commitment is what you make of it—evthe Olympics, Bring It On, and a three day, half- eryone is welcome to submit scripts (and come lucid jaunt through a distillery with hundreds of to the sometimes rowdy brainstorming sessions), other people. You will play sports. You will and play as big or as small a role in the produc“network” with students from other schools. You tion and performance of the final show as they will get uniforms with a colour scheme that is, choose.”—Hayley Ossip like, totally in this season. You will meet, laugh, cheer, compete, dance and, due to hotel accom- • Board Game Club: “The Board Games modations, spoon with your fellow classmates. Club is awesome because you get to meet people You will create memories and recall them later in a social setting that forces co-operation, neunder the luminous glow of heartfelt camarade- gotiation, deal making and more than a little rie. But most of all, you will never experience backstabbing. In short, it's the best environment lower performance expectations in your entire to get used to the Seven Sisters/OCI experifirst year of law school.—Tyler Henderson ence. Of course I'm joking, but the club allows people from different years to meet up and actu• Law Follies: “Law Follies is one of the biggest ally interact with one another, which can be student clubs on campus—and one of the most pretty difficult in the existing structure of the fun! Every February, Follies showcases a law- school. We play everything from advanced themed comedy show written and performed strategy games (super fun!), to joke/word games entirely by law students, with some faculty in- (learn who's funnier/smarter than you!). The

club is inclusive, low commitment, and lets you wind down in a place where you will have a great reason not to drift into discussing your most recent LRW assignment (seriously, don't talk about LRW).”—Bernd Buschke • Trivia: “The trivia competition is a popular event that involves everyone at the law school.

Last year there was great participation by all years, so it's a great way to meet people outside your section and outside your year (we make the teams). Some staff and faculty even joined in! The time commitment is minimal—just one lunchtime and there a few more if your team advances. The winning team goes on to face Osgoode and a team of alumni at two separate pub nights. Last year we... embarrassed Osgoode and we're hoping for a repeat!

And if we beat the alumni they provide a generous subsidy for the Law Ball. Did I mention the trivia part? Yeah, Graeme Rotrand and I wrote the questions and we think they're preeeetty neat.”—Andrew Lynes INTRAMURALS SPORTS YEAH. Ahem. Intramurals are a great way to get some guilt-free procrastination (also commonly known as “exercise”) in and meet new people. There’s a wide variety of sports on offer, from hockey and basketball to squash and ultimate Frisbee. Plus, sometimes teams go for beers after to negate all the calories they just burned. Win-win.

OPINIONS

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Word on the Street 1. Who is your favourite fictional lawyer?

2. What really caused the building delays?

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 9

JD/MBA The Prodigal 3rd Year Students Return JOE MCGRADE (3L)

GILLIAN SINGER (1L)

PHILIP OMOROGBE (1L)

ALEX REDINGER (1L)

CHRISTINA GALBRAITH (3L)

1. Diane Lockhart 2. Tuition’s too low

1. Saul Goodman 2. It’s a really big building!

1. Harvey Spector 2. Intrinsic property of Toronto

1. Atticus Finch 2. Obvi ghosts

PAT CHAPMAN (2L)

KATHLEEN ELHATTON-LAKE (3L)

JORDAN STONE (2L)

LISANA NITHIANANTHAN (2L)

1. Sandy Cohen 2. Hal Jackman’s holding back funds until we he gets his statue

1. Alicia Florrick 2. Embezzlement

1. Charlie Kelly (Bird Law Expert, Paddy's Pub LLP) 2. Hatred for the class of 2016

1. Jessica Pearson 2. They need to swindle more money out of us.

KATIE BRESNER (2L) 1. Alex from Law and Order (SVU) 2. Construction workers are busy playing with baby squirrels

Make your mark.

The Toronto Student Experience

For information contact:

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LIKE A PILGRIM WHOSE LIPS TOUCH THE sweet cool waters of a mountain stream after wandering for months through the barren desert, like a four year old child who drops the staggering weight of their backpack on the floor of the front hall upon returning from their first day of kindergarten, like the prodigal son himself upon returning from months of hedonism and worldly excess, the moment that I walked through the doors of Vic College and felt the wisdom of centuries of legal knowledge pulse through my brain, I was flooded with one overwhelming feeling—relief, sweet relief.

First things first, business school is not the worst. You learn cool things, get a lot of free food (better free food, i.e. not pizza, sorry Law), and the building is very nice (e.g. the FIREPLACE in the foyer… such opulence!).

That said, the culture is much different. Exhibit A.) Suits per capita is infinitely larger than the Law faculty (even during OCI week). B.) Tipsy Tuesday, the MBA Pub Night, has the attendance of a Law Pub Night at around 9:30pm. C.) The curriculum is like intensive week for 1L’s (i.e. rife with small annoying assignments that make you want to gouge your eyes out with your highlighter) for an entire year. I never felt at home in Rotman the way that I did at the Faculty of Law. All of the things that I missed about law school can be summarized in two words: the people. I miss having predrinks to the predrink, I miss cat videos in the reading room, and I miss a smaller number of questions in class, all of which are very much with it. Now, I realize that I wasn’t dead last year, and that the reading room was open to me, but it’s harder to stay in touch when you don’t have classes with people, or share common spaces between classes, and when you have groups who need you to step up and do everything for them at Rotman. I wish that I had spent more time at Vic, and my advice to all MBA’ers this year is to do so!

As a result, the biggest challenge of returning to Law as a 2/3L (seriously, I get that question all the time, and have to explain that I’m a 2L if I started at 0, or a 3L if you go up to 4, can someone please just hold a referendum to determine the correct nomenclature?! Editor’s note: 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year, 4th year is the standard nomenclature as of right now.) is integrating back into the law school ecosystem. Firstly, half of your 1L class is abroad, working diligently night and day to master very important concepts of international law, (and definitely not travelling to Ibiza or Taiwan on the weekends for raves), and in their place, you have these 2L’s, who you realize are your new graduating class, but with whom you haven’t spent a great deal of time, and a whole new class of 1L’s on top! Effectively, you are a 1L trapped in a 2/3L’s body, but without the pressures of actual school (lol sorry 1L’s).

Thankfully, I have felt the same welcoming spirit and kindness this year that I was privileged to enjoy in my own 1L year. Operation “Law School Integration” is coming along nicely. All of my old friends who saw too little of me while I was deep in the bowels of Excel have welcomed me back to their tables in the reading room; my new graduating class is sick, and I get to know them better each and every day.

I’ve also met more 1L’s than ever before, and the future of UofT (and future pub nights) looks bright.

All in all, I am grateful for the gifts that my MBA year have given me, namely the deep and unbreakable bond shared between my fellow JD/MBA’s in the trenches of Rotman, grade 10 level math skills, a book full of buzzwords to use at cocktail parties, and those lovely memories of naps by the fireside, but I am very excited to dive back into the U of T law community and enjoy it’s laid back brilliance, it’s welcoming and friendly atmosphere, and all of my old and new friends.

My JD is first in both my designation and my heart. <3

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OPINIONS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 11

Point | Counterpoint

Is it Better to Go on Exchange or Staycation In Toronto?

ERYN FANJOY (3L) & JACQUIE RICHARDS (4L) Exchange is not just for the 1%: You do not need tocount your change in order to go on exchange. First of all, the Centre for International Experience provides a grant for those going on exchange (bless them). Plus, rent in residence or in apartments abroad is typically at par with or much less expensive than rent at home. Food is cheaper than Canada pretty much everywhere, and tuition will inevitably be the same *bargain* price we’re paying already, except your school will have a building, and the building will be a castle, and it will be Hogwarts awesome. Really, though—the only significant added costs of exchange following your reimbursements will stem from travel…. …Travel! Basically everywhere outside of North America provides you with access to cheap, amazing travel. Unplanned weekend in Kreuzelberg? South-East Asia Backpacking adventure after class? Carefully rehearsed explanations in 3 different languages for why you’re “not American”? All of this can be yours on exchange. And if you want to have something interesting to talk about while schmoozing with the legal world’s bigwigs, now’s the time to scrounge for some content. “It’s positively appalling that the Crypta Babli is not more highly attended than the Coliseum,” you will say, as they ooh and ahh.

Thank you, exchange.

New Friends! Let’s be honest, frequenting the Fox and the Fiddle with your favourite Bora Laskin study buddies has grown tired over the past two (or three) years, and clubbing with Spanish and Australian law students [probably] counts as professional development. New people from new places means new perspectives, new ideas and 94% fewer conversations about Bay Street jobs/clinic work/that time the tuition was really, really high.

Varied humanity is a splendid, splendid thing.

New Laws! While haters “anti-exchange people” (gotta keep it pc ‘round here) often argue about the quality of educaEryn Fanjoy Is Having Fun tion at partnering institutions relative to that at home and about how they’re learning more “work relevant” material in their 3L courses on Admiralty law, let’s get real. Law school could probably be 2 years, you are not a pirate, and 3Ls are more often “rounding things up” and “forgetting how to wear pants” than developing any particular new legal skill set.

Might as well button up dem jeans, re-engage and learn about a new legal system.

New Current Events! Toronto is a cool place to live in and read about in part because it’s pretty safe, stable and relaxed and in part because Rob Doug Ford is running for Mayor again or something, but the wild ol’ world outside is chock full of actual craziness right now, and on exchange you can be a part of huge, world changing events like Scotland becoming independent and, depending on your location, reasonably possible annexation to Russia. What’s more, what’s boring or regular to the locals in a place can be really, really interesting for an exchange student who can’t understand the language menus are written in.

YOLO. You may have heard of it—Drake endorses it. We’re all about to chain ourselves to 10-months of self-induced articling hell all in the hopes of having the opportunity to slave away for the rest of our lives. Now is the time to live a little. And, Jacquie Richards Is Making Friends with Locals Just Fine, Thank You Very Much no, “living” is not pulling an all-nighter to read Driedger’s, “The Construction of Statutes.” Rather, “living” is climbing We probably don’t need to go on but we will continue anyway… grassy mountains, swimming in turquoise natural pools and spending magical evenings taking sake bombs in a dive bar in Exchange is a pass fail venture, and nobody fails: One Berlin while your peers are in Securities Regulation. As Drake less semester to jam-pack that transcript with straight Ps for your puts it in his game changing classic, “Hate Sleeping Alone”, mother’s fridge? A “Kristin Stewart’s monotone voice” flat grade curve with a Tim Hortons Hockey Camp fail rate? Why are your “[You have] choices [you] should make/ I think [you should choose exchange] right now”. bags not packed yet?

Also, accents. Accents everywhere!

“Exchange Image”: Casually mention that you’ve sort of “lost track of Netflix” because “you’re studying abroad” in some fabulous exotic locale and people get all “how romantic!”, “what a regular academic!” and “you’re the most cultured person I know!” Friends and family get freshly excited about your life decisions and stop asking why you’re “still” in law school, and your Instagram account suddenly looks like a blurry, poorly lit National Geographic spread.

Who wouldn’t want that kind of cache, especially when, in reality, you’re chugging $1 beers in some sketchy (but gloriously foreign) alleyway or eating free pizza in the “Freshers Lounge” just like at home?

POINT: GO ON EXCHANGE—THE WORLD’S MOST ONE-SIDED DEBATE We’re sceptical that this issue is worthy of a point-counterpoint because the reading room smells terrible and because it’s late September and Jacquie’s classes haven’t even started yet, but UV has assured us that Ramin is actually really happy as a 4L. So, really, what makes exchange the only reasonable option best choice ever?

First up: This is what a “Case of the Mondays” looks like on exchange:

RAMIN WRIGHT (4L) COUNTERPOINT—STAY IN TORONTO, YOU’LL THANK ME LATER. It’s an odd day when you’re asked to explain why something so obvious is true. For those of you who haven’t already forgotten the lovely Jacquie and Eryn, let’s go over their big mistake.

The process: Going on exchange ain’t a matter of just buying a plane ticket and showing up. There are forms, essays, interviews, and due dates. Note to our lovely 2Ls: this process starts right bang in the middle of OCIs and continues through your winter break. Save yourself the headache—the odds of getting the school you dream about are slim anyways.

Meeting locals… not: Wouldn’t it be amazing to go abroad to a place where you don’t know anyone, and integrate with locals in a way that admin law would aptly describe as holistic? Guess what? Once you get there, your “crew” will consist almost entirely of others in your exact situation. You’ll be travelling around the city with other exchange students that the locals will find more impenetrable and cliquey than the SLS. Your classmates: “No!” you say, “I’ll make friends with the local classmates and integrate sooooo well!” Guess what—your local classmates are still in their undergrad—‘nuff said. Enjoy. $$$: Grants, free room & board, and cheap drinks. Don’t be fooled by the frankly irresponsible assertion that going on exchange is cheap. I don’t want to sound like your mother, but those weekend RyanAir trips to Prague are going to add up fast.

And if you -don’t- go on these trips, you’ll be stuck in residence wishing that your fiscally-responsible self would just yell out YOLO and string out more debt.

Let’s not spend this whole time exposing the truths on exchange like Al Gore on climate change—there are equally many reasons why staying in Toronto during your 3L (or 4L like me) year is the ultimate staycation.

Expand your bubble: For many of us, Toronto is a narrow rectangle bounded by Bloor, King, Bathurst, and Church.

Did you know that there is actually some Real Cool Shit™ outside of that? I didn’t. I have already skipped countless lectures learning that there are grassy fields in the land of “Ossington”, and that the city rises up again in the North at Eglinton. Ever been to High Park? Me neither, and it ain’t called that for nothing. Check it out. Or—whoa—check yourself out while in it. :| Slog it solo: Rather than a 3-month commitment, take your vacations as you please. The rumors are true—it is absolutely ok to take a week or two off at a time and skip town. Go to New York, Niagara, LA, PEI, Vancouver, VEGAS. There is seriously a lot to see on this continent, and Porter has you covered for $100 round trips to anywhere a short haul away. Hell, if you’re looking for something farther away, visit your friends who did go on exchange and get the best of their experiences in just a few days. Rumour has it Eryn Fanjoy herself is welcoming a few of her wiser non-exchange peers in Hong Kong this fall, implicitly conceding this point.

Meet people: “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” It turns out that this depressing business adage is true. While it might be nice to know other students in Europe, we’re really talking about building a network in the city in which you work. Sure, we all now know 200 lawyers, but what we really need is diversity.

Go to events in and out of your field, meet the players outside of the legal profession, find a mentor or two and actually meet with them regularly, get. your. face. out. there. werk. bitch. This is the year that matters to do these things, and you need to be in Toronto to do it.

Take some time for yourself: Last, but not least, your final year at school is very likely to be just that. After this, you will be a “real person” with “real responsibilities.” This may be your last chance to embrace your inner sloth like you never knew you could – skip pub night because you never got out of your pyjamas that day, eat a butter sandwich because online grocery shopping hasn’t yet reached Canada, and—here’s a novel thought—enjoy your classes without the stress of reaching for an HH or nailing that participation mark. This year belongs to you, and I hope you take some time to yourself to enjoy it. Live your life.

My name is Ramin and you can find me coming in to class late, because fuck it, 4L.

OPINIONS

12 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

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Financial Aid

New Changes—And New Ideas SPENCER BURGER (2L) NOW THAT EVERYONE’S SETTLED IN, I wanted to take this opportunity to make a public service announcement of sorts regarding changes made to Financial Aid last year, suggest a few potential areas of change for this year, and, most importantly, encourage students to participate in the process.

Last year, former Dean Moran tasked the Financial Aid Committee with designing significant ways to improve the Financial Aid program.

Your SLS representatives on the committee did exactly that, and several significant changes have been introduced that will be in place for this year’s Financial Aid evaluations: 1. Treating all students equally according to need—ending disparate bursary treatment based on year. A common complaint among upper year students was that financial aid seemed to decrease significantly after 1L. Students felt that was problematic because i) it did not focus money solely where it was needed and ii) it created a bait-and-switch situation where students would decide to attend U of T based on financial aid commitments that they later found out only applied to their first year.

Indeed financial aid was previously distributed with some form of an envelope reserved per year regardless of need. SLS members on the Committee (Peter Flynn, Enoch Guimond and myself) emphasized this issue in particular after a series of

consultations with students and passed amendments in this area to ensure that all students will be examined entirely based on financial need— the spirit of U of T’s financial aid program—and regardless of their year. (Consultations with students were crucial in getting this issue addressed.)

2. Improved access to credit: The limit on Scotiabank loans has been increased from $100,000 to $150,000.

3. A pilot process to get a better understanding of the individual profiles of students, to better target funds.

These were some of the key changes passed through Faculty Council last year and subsequently negotiated by the University. But I think we left a few stones unturned, and there are a number of additional areas that could further benefit U of T students and enhance the accessibility of the institution: Competition among loan providers: At the moment, the Law Faculty works almost exclusively with Scotiabank to provide specialized loans for students to keep up with constantly increasing tuition fees. The University has negotiated a rate of prime—0.5%. The Rotman School of Management also arranges opportunities for its MBA students to access loans; but they have

two banks competing for their students’ business—RBC and BMO—and needless to say, the interest rate is more generous than that of Scotiabank: just prime. This is despite the fact that University of Toronto Law graduates have a higher job placement rate than Rotman graduates—while the MBA and Law programs charge very similar amounts for total tuition.

In other words, Law’s better job placement rate should merit a lower interest rate for Law students than we have otherwise received, and I believe encouraging competition among lenders will achieve that. The Financial Aid Committee should explore this approach to help drive down borrowing costs for students. It won’t fix our financial woes entirely, but it might make them just a little bit easier to handle—at no cost whatsoever.

Bridging credit issues for financially vulnerable students: One particularly glaring gap in the school’s financial aid system is that there is no safety net for students who may or may not qualify for financial aid, but have difficulty accessing credit to meet financial obligations. For example, students who had to borrow heavily to finance their undergraduate degrees may not be able to access credit according to Scotiabank’s credit limits. Students who may have made mistakes in the past or have not had the opportunity to develop strong credit scores are also often refused loans by

International Presence. Local Essence.

private banks.

This is a difficult issue to wrestle with, but I think it’s one the Law School should address. The business model, so to speak, of the Law School is dependent on accessible credit: that is, the idea that tuition increases can be paid for by students without detrimentally affecting accessibility through a combination of loans and targeted financial aid. We clearly need to do a better job providing options for students in difficult circumstances to ensure all are able to continue to access the Law School regardless of financial need. An option worth exploring may involve including the Law School as a co-signor for specific circumstances and with appropriate safeguards.

A large takeaway from last year’s process was that student consultation and feedback was crucial in getting many of the above changes (and others) through. As such, my colleagues on SLS and I would really appreciate it if fellow students would communicate their thoughts or ideas regarding the financial aid program at the school—from petty frustrations to perceived systemic issues. Please let your representatives know what you think.

Financial Aid is the Law School’s most powerful tool to ensure unmet financial need is addressed to support a successful experience at U of T Law regardless of financial background. In our world of deliriously increasing tuition rates, we need to ensure we get this area right, and continue to improve how our Financial Aid system operates.

Aside from being part of a truly international legal firm, you’ll benefit from practical, hands-on experience and exposure to various areas of practice.

Law around the world

thenortonrosefulbrightdifference.com

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Behind Closed Doors

Dean selection process remains a covert operation

OPINIONS/DIVERSIONS

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 13

Can you spot the differences?

Try and find the differences between these two photos of the construction site, taken months apart! Answers below.

ELLA HENRY (3L)

Answer: no differences.

THE CURRENT DECANAL SELECTION process, by design, ensures that meaningful student input is precluded. The almost complete lack of transparency, coupled with the insular nature of the committee, is making for a process that feels more like a coronation than anything else. Let’s recap.

When the Provost announced the process, it looked like it might be collaborative and consultative. In addition to the Provost, the committee would include: three to five faculty members, one to three students, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, one librarian, two to three scholars (internal or external), plus alumni and other members of the legal profession.

Students immediately sought to ensure students’ voices would be adequately represented in this process. Although the Provost would make the final decision on who to appoint, students overwhelmingly agreed that their representatives on the committee should be selected based on a democratic vote. The SLS asked the Provost to extend the nomination deadline to allow it to hold a vote. The Provost refused.

Students were not deterred. The SLS ran an email vote, with large turnout from the student body, and informed the Provost of students’ choices. The response was to snub our democratic process. None of the students we selected were appointed.

To be clear, this is not to discredit the students who were chosen. Natalie and Aaron have been doing a great job—organizing consultations during the summer, and working with the SLS to organize the upcoming town hall—but their hands are tied by the process.

At other universities, it’s common for a dean selection process to include a public shortlist, and an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to hear from candidates and provide feedback to the committee. This could include public talks, roundtable discussions, a reception, etc., followed by an opportunity to provide written feedback to the committee on the candidates who have made the list.

A transparent and collaborative process would make for a better Faculty of Law. Our classmates are a brilliant group of people, with impressive and diverse backgrounds. We have an accomplished and renowned group of alumni. The administration likes to point this out in recruitment materials. Instead, the Provost has sought to keep these voices as far away from the process as possible.

The committee is incredibly insular, with only one person external to the University of Toronto (an alumna). Otherwise, the only members of the committee from outside the Faculty of Law are the Deans of the School of Graduate Studies, Arts and Science, and Rotman.

It is a committee designed to pick an internal candidate, even if the best choice for U of T Law might be an external candidate willing to shake things up a little.

A perceived “front-runner” is on everyone’s mind, despite the fact that this process isn’t supposed to be an election.

I would bet good money that when the new Dean is announced this fall, it will be Professor Edward Iaccobucci, and while his colleagues on the committee can interact with him every day, students have had no chance to learn about his vision for the Faculty and hear why he should be Dean. My point is not about whether Professor Iaccobucci should or should not be dean. It is about the process that will get us there. Complete disregard for the principles of shared governance, where students and faculty—not only the Provost—have a say in how the institution is run, will in the long term lead to a dysfunctional institution.

Without space for meaningful input from students, faculty, and staff in how the Faculty of Law is governed, that is where we are headed.

14 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

The

UV Quiz

DIVERSIONS

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DIVERSIONS

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SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 15 for physical contact (because who are we kidding, none of them are being touched by females outside the drunken depravity of a "dance-oriented pub night," which by the way is the most boring way to describe what truly is a sweaty mess of trashy pop hits and interchange of fluids that we call those beautiful Thursday nights), that they will be essentially powerless against you. I predict that you will have your pick of all of the men! So in a word my dear, my advice today, is patience.

With lubed up love, Dr. V Dear Dr. V.,

Dear Dr. Valencourt Vicki Valencourt, gorgeous model/singer/dancer/sex expert, has been around the block and back. From late night infomercials to Vanna White’s stand in Episode 2: Season 3, (original air date November 9, 1985), this soap opera mainstay boasts an impressive resume. She’s here to answer every burning question U of T Law’s got with her trademark candour and infinite wisdom.

Dear Dr. V, How can I start this school year with a bang?

—Dryspell Dear Dryspell, I like the cut of your jib. You’ve got your head on straight, unlike a lot of these ninny law students.

Who cares about signing up for clubs and editorial boards when you’re due for a good old fashioned ruttin’? I personally can’t get anything done when I’m unsatisfied and wet between the stems. I remember when I first started law school. Trying to do readings was killer until I realized you’re not learnin’ if you’re yearnin’.

And by yearnin’ I mean itching for a nekked body up against yours, lubed up so good you’d think you were on a slip ʼn slide.

My best advice is to send a loud and clear message that you’re at school almost exclusively to get down and dirty. I would show up to the next pub night in a Borat-style swimsuit and/or nipple pas-

ties (if you need to borrow some, holla at your girl) and lick your lips seductively at anyone who dares to meet your eye contact. Go for the casual crotch graze if you gotta. Don’t hold back. If you can, try for couples—as my aunt Bethesda used to say, the more private parts, the merrier. Why limit yourself to one peter or virginia?

Trust me, this is the way to do it—no need to get all pretentious and shit because you’re in law school now. Don’t think you’re better than that.

Honey, you’re gonna be a lawyer, not a doctor.

Kisses, Dr. V Dear Dr. V., With the absence of any dance-oriented pub nights, it has become very difficult for me to prey on the young men of this law school. Any tips on how I can get in their pants?

—Missing simpler times

Dear Miss Simple, Please excuse my re interpretation of your name but I used to know a hooker named Miss Simple who was just a delight. Thinking of her also reminded me of simpler times, when I was just a gas station attendant working in rural Saskatchewan, who did some moonlighting as a drag queen at the local gay bar. Don't get me wrong, my genetalia is as female as they come, I just have such masculine bone structure that slap some heavy make up on me and tease my hair a bit and I give Ru Paul a run for his money. I was 11 at the time so of course I was flat as a board. Anyway, Miss Simple taught me how to give a proper blow job and I'll ~*simply*~ never forget her.

While the absence of dance themed pub nights truly is a travesty, I will say it may also be a blessing in disguise. See, I can almost guarantee that you will eventually get one - those SLS organizers are twerk-crazed lunatics and are sure to make it happen. And when you do, and the DJ cues up Sean Paul, and your hip starts to sway from side to side, almost without your control, the young men of this law school will be so starved

I’ve been secretly getting it on with a 3L in any abandoned classroom we can find. I don’t want to tell my friends though because everyone knows 3Ls are geriatric and boring and us 2Ls are the best and most fun. Should I break it off, or do I continue these secret rendez-vous?

—Loser fetish Dear LF, First of all I think all fetishes should be celebrated, loser or not. I went through a few "unconventional" ones myself: pigs feet, 1Ls and butt stuff! Now I know what some of you are thinking - "surely one of those things isn't a fetish!" and you're right, butt stuff is normal for a lot of people. But here is some real and true advice: as long as it makes you happy, you should continue doing it! And if that's not enough to let you sleep at night, then heck, just view it as community service. You really nailed it on the head—3Ls are the senior citizens of law school. They're past their prime and desperately grasping on to some form of social relevance. The smartest ones among them have already given up and just while away the hours sipping juice and watching tv. Spending time with them, especially sexual, is simply a form of "giving back" to the community, and in fact, I commend you for it! Keep up the good work! I for one would just love it if you could divulge some of these classroom locations. I'd love to watch sometime, if you don't mind! Live geriatric porn is so hard to come by these days.

Toodles!

Dr. V

10 Things Tuition Could Buy LISANA NITHIANANTHAN (2L) WELCOME BACK LAW STUDENTS! Isn’t it lovely to be hit with another year of school, another year of exorbitant debt? I mean, it’s not like you could have spent that money on anything else right? …*crickets chirp*…

This year, the cost of one year’s tuition at this fine institution, comes with a price tag of $30,230.

Yes, that is the right figure. And no, don’t bother to pick your jaw off the floor. Seriously. It’ll be dropping a few more times once you realize just how much money you pay to be here. To illustrate the magnitude of that expense, listed here are ten things you could have spent your tuition money on.

1

You could use $20, 000 to have Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin write you into and kill you out of his next book in

the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and use the leftover money to fly yourself and eight friends out to Dublin to take the GoT Tour, with a little over $300 left to spend at souvenir shops or pubs.

2

According some studies (i.e. Google) you could hire any one of: Ashanti, Jhene Aiko, Far East Movement, Hanson, Three 6 Mafia, Simple Plan, Gloriana, or Gucci Mane for your event.

3 4

For the McFlurry fiend in all of us (or maybe just me), that’s 12,648 regular sized Mcflurries. Or a McFlurry a day for the next 34 years.

Raptors fans could buy courtside season tickets for two, and still have over two grand left to spend on refreshments and merchandise.

5 6 7 8

15267 iced capps from Tim Horton’s, amounting to a little over 41 years of the iconic Canadian beverage blessing your life.

2 Harley-Davidson Forty-Eights, and a little under $4000 to spend on leather goods

A 10 day, all-inclusive vacation for you and 12 friends. In the Bahamas, staying at Riu Palace Paradise Island Hotel’s Oceanfront Suites.

A 2014 Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S, Hyundai Genesis 2.0T, Fiat 500 Abarth, Mini Cooper, or a Mazda MX-5. All with money left over.

9 10

A nice down payment on a lovely house or rental property.

Approximately 340 shares in THI (Tim Hortons Inc.)

Alternative ideas include paying off your undergraduate loans in full, travelling the world, and buying bars of gold. Alas, you cannot do any of these, because you simply do not have the money.

But one can always hope!

16 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

DIVERSIONS

Supreme Court establishes landmark doctrine of ‘CBS’* AMIR EFTEKHARPOUR (1L) dant was wearing a leather jacket “ just like the one my friend’s OTTAWA – IN THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED RELEASE older brother Ricky has,” adding, “Ricky lets me ride in the of their decision in Kras-Mingay Inc. v. Gehlen, the Supreme Court established, in an 8-1 majority, a new doctrine that up- back of his Corvette all the time, you guys.”

Chief Justice McLachlin expressed that the defendant’s sudates the legal standard for assessing and assigning damages or per-decent wheelie was a major component in the court’s decisentences in civil and criminal cases, respectively. sion, especially when considered in conjunction with the “mad Chief Justice McLachlin, writing for the majority, ruled that nasty” roar of the motorcycle’s 500CC engine. defendants in criminal or civil cases can be exonerated from Justice Moldaver formed the lone dissent, arguing that the any legal sanction so long as their actions may be constituted as defendant’s choice to look back at the explosion had a signifi‘CBS’, or “clearly bitchin’ shit.”

The doctrine, which Justice Rothstein described as “like, cant mitigating effect on how “clearly bitchin’” his actions were. pretty self-evident,” arose after the defendant was sued in a neg- “Cool guys don’t look at explosions,” he said, citing foundational precedents such as Die Hard I and II, as well as the famous ligence claim for fleeing the plaintiff’s company premises after a major gas explosion, instead of discharging his duty as a secu- obiter in The Italian Job. “The original,” he clarified, “not the remake with Jack Bauer’s dad.” rity guard. While the finding of fault was not contested, counsel Furthermore, all the justices agreed that the escape did not for the defendant argued that he should be kept from any legal meet the more stringent test established in Graham v. TAG. sanction, since the manner in which he fled the scene met the The ‘SFM’ principle arising from that case negates any legal major legal condition of being “totally wicked.” responsibility a defendant may have for his or her actions, so The members of the court agreed, expressing their delight as they viewed security footage of the defendant’s super slick es- long as they could be described as being ‘Super Fucking Metal.’ cape, which showed the defendant jumping onto a “friggin’ The SFM doctrine also has the further effect of awarding the defendant a seriously decent Red Bull sponsorship. sweet” motorcycle with “seriously cool handlebars—like the kind with skulls and shit on the front” before speeding off the premises. Justice Abella expressed her learned approval, de- *Thanks to my friend Jess for her help coining the phrase CBS scribing the defendant’s actions as “hella decent,” before highfiving Justice LeBel. Justice Wagner exclaimed that the defen-

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PROFESSOR JEFFREY MACINTOSH (image from www.law.utoronto.ca)

JEFF DANIELS (image from blogs.browardpalmbeach.com)