Vol 41 issue 14

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

January 19, 2015 Volume 41, Issue 14 themedium.ca

Tour brings premier to UTM Exploring Wynne meets UTM students, faculty, staff, Medium in Deerfield last Thursday NICOLE DANESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Premier Kathleen Wynne visited UTM on Thursday on the fourth day of her campus tour in the province.

During her brief stop on campus, Wynne met with students, U of T president Meric Gertler, UTM principal Deep Saini, and local Liberal representatives at the North Side Bistro in Deerfield Hall, followed by a visit to a chemistry lab on campus.

Beginning at McMaster last Monday, Wynne’s postsecondary circuit led her to Western and George Brown before her UTM visit. The tour is intended to provide Ontario students an opportunity to discuss their issues and concerns with the premier.

In a sit-down interview with The Medium, Wynne discussed unpaid internships, flat fees, and sexual violence on postsecondary campuses.

The cost of postsecondary tuition was also discussed, a current focus for UTMSU following its launch of a “Drop the Fees” coalition the day before the premier’s visit.

“We will continue to work with

fall break options

FARAH QAISER STAFF WRITER

the flat fee system, which will be implemented starting this fall. The first changes will change the threshold of program costs instead of per-course costs to 3.5 credits, in place of the current 3.0 credits.

As of 2016, full tuition will be charged to students enrolled in 4.0 or more.

Starting today, the Office of the Principal will begin a week-long online survey about the possible introduction of a fall break at UTM. Email invitations will be sent out to all UTM undergraduate students, faculty, and staff.

The proposed fall break—which would be offered beginning in the 2016/17 academic year if the responses are in favour of the proposal— would last four days, from Tuesday through Friday following Thanksgiving Monday.

Survey respondents will be asked to select whether they are in favour or whether they are against the proposed fall reading break at UTM and will be able to leave feedback regarding the proposal.

Wynne continued on page 3

Break continued on page 2

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne discussed tuition, flat fees, and other issues during her visit. student groups and universities and colleges,” said Wynne in regard to tuition.

When questioned about the effectiveness of the current 30% tuition rebate available to some students, Wynne argued in support of the initiative, which was introduced by the McGuinty government in 2012 at the expense of provincial Work-Study.

“The 30% tuition is a very impor-

tant aspect of our commitment to students,” said Wynne. According to the premier, the rebate has since provided assistance to 230,000 students.

Wynne did, however, acknowledge disparities in flat fees across Ontario.

“We are trying to move everyone to a place where it’s more consistent,” she said.

Announced in December 2013, Wynne’s government initiated changes to

UTMSU to discuss MiWay changes Sixth commission focuses on fees, governance, and upcoming campaigns MENNA ELNAKA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

Get your govern on Candidates are vying for seats on the powerful Governing Council and Campus Council again.

Medium News, page 2

UTMSU’s sixth Commission Meeting last Tuesday focused on new plans with MiWay and campaigns concerning fees.

CHANGES TO MIWAY SERVICE According to UTMSU president Hassan Havili, union representatives will discuss extending the 110 bus schedule with MiWay next month.

The last 110 bus comes at around 11 p.m., which is allegedly inconvenient for some students.

UTMSU will also talk to Mississauga Transit about increasing the number of 44S buses running in the morning, which quickly fill up.

Havili also said that UTMSU will look at the possibility of adding photo ID to the U-Pass so that students do not have to present their T-Card.

On reflection at Dalhousie Popular outcry has more to do with vigilante justice than rule of law, and isn’t steering right in this case.

Medium Opinion, page 4

Inside Inside Blackwood features art meant to commemorate the loss of a mural that hasn’t been destroyed just yet.

Medium Arts, page 5

ZARA RIZWAN/THE MEDIUM

UTMSU representatives encouraged students to speak out about their concerns.

This will also help eliminate fraudulent use of the U-Pass, he said.

UTMSU is considering arranging for a Presto pass for students, since the U-Pass only covers MiWay services and does not work in other systems

such as Brampton and Oakville transit.

STUDENT FEES & BUDGETING Havili also enumerated a number of campus fees to the attending students.

These include per-course and per-

program fees, ancillary fees to the university, and incidental fees, like the $12 cost of ordering a transcript.

UTMSU continued on page 2

Living with less Ever wished your house could lose some weight? And you become a minimalist? Here’s a note on how.

Medium Features, page 8

Once and future Saugan This UTM hockey player born and raised in Sauga has no intention of leaving home soil anytime soon.

Medium Sports, page 11

2

«NEWS

THE MEDIUM 01.19.2015

Race begins for governance

January 8, 1:00 p.m.

Report A staff member reported damage to her vehicle by another vehicle while parked in lot 8. The other driver failed to remain at the scene.

January 8, 11:14 p.m.

Disruption Two UTM students were temporarily trespassed for the HMALC for being disruptive.

January 9, 7:59 p.m.

CDS Act Offence A non-community member was arrested by Campus Police for possessing a substance contravening the CDSA at the Blind Duck. The male was taken into custody by Peel Regional Police and transported to 11 Division.

to leave the area and left without incident.

January 12, 7:12 p.m.

Mischief Campus Police investigated a report of graffiti on a washroom pillar. Caretaking Services were contacted to have it removed.

January 13, 12:30 p.m.

Animal Services contacted A raccoon was removed from Davis by Animal Services.

January 13, 5:22 p.m.

Motor vehicle accident A car collided with a Mississauga Transit bus on the Inner Circle Road.

No injuries reported.

January 10, 4:15 p.m.

Mischief Campus Police investigated a report of mischief to a vehicle parked in the CCT garage.

January 13, 4:30 p.m.

Mischief Campus Police investigated a report of graffiti on a pillar in lot 8. Grounds Department contacted to have it removed.

January 10, 1:30 a.m.

Noise complaint Campus Police investigated a noise complaint from a townhouse unit. Patrons loitering outside were requested

January 14, 1:50 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 A student reported the theft of her jacket from an unsecured locker located inside the RAWC locker room.

These reports are those that have been released to The Medium and do not necessarily constitute an exhaustive list.

Students can contact the UTM Campus Police at 905 828 5200, Peel Regional Police at 905 453 3311, or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222 8477.

UTORONTO.CA/PHOTO

Three UTM students are running for Governing Council, the highest decision-making body at U of T. MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR Three UTM students are running for seats on Governing Council, U of T’s highest decision-making body.

A number of students are also competing for positions on the UTM Campus Council and its standing committees.

The names of the candidates competing for student seats on Governing Council and its several sub-councils were announced Thursday following a call for nominations earlier this month.

GOVERNING COUNCIL UTM student Ridwan Olow is one of 10 candidates competing for two Constituency I seats on U of T’s Governing Council—the body with the final word in most decisions concerning university priorities, capital projects, and student life, among other matters.

Positions in Constituency I are reserved for full-time students in the Faculty of Arts & Science, UTM, and UTSC. In addition to Olow, two of the three candidates running for the two part-time undergraduate seats on the council are UTM students Ray Khan, currently president of the ICCIT Council, and Amir Moazzami, UTMSU VP part-time.

Student governors serve one-year terms and provide input regarding university decisions.

UTM CAMPUS COUNCIL In addition to Governing Council, the names of candidates running for seats on the UTM Campus Council and its standing committees have also

been released on the GC website.

UTM Campus Council is responsible for discussing issues relating to academic and student life at UTM, along with business matters for the campus. The council makes decisions on behalf of GC on UTM-specific issues.

Candidates running for the two seats for full-time undergraduate students are Emerson Calcada, Alice Li, and Abdulla Omari.

In addition to GC, Moazzami and Khan are also competing for the sole part-time undergraduate seat on the UTM Campus Council.

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Under the Campus Council are three standing committees, and elections will be held for two: the Academic Affairs Committee and the Campus Affairs Committee.

The Academic Affairs Committee oversees matters concerning teaching and learning at UTM, as well as research. The committee also provides recommendations for amendments to current academic policies. These recommendations go through Campus Council and are then presented to one of the bodies of Governing Council.

Seven full-time students are competing for four seats on the AAC: Nour Alideeb, Best Anaele, Sarah Amjad, Vanessa Kattar, Ryan Persaud, Betsy Susan Yeldhose, and Samiha Zaman.

No election is required for the parttime seat, for which Leonard Lyn is the only candidate.

This school year, the Academic Affairs Committee has approved new programs such as the forensic science

minor to be available at UTM next year.

In the past, the AAC has also approved changes to the credit/no-credit policy.

CAMPUS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE Nine students are running for the four positions open to full-time students on the Campus Affairs Committee.

The CAC discusses issues affecting student and campus life and makes recommendations on matters relating to campus priorities, planning, and the management of campus resources.

Like the AAC, the CAC makes recommendations to Campus Council for approval before they are presented to the relevant division of GC. The candidates running for seats on the CAC are Albina Almetova, Nash Chikowore, Maheen Farrukh, Abdul Hadi Tariq, Lina Hassan, Hoda Khan, Abdulla Omari, Maria Rabbat, and Tsz Yan Tam. Since Amber Shoebridge is the sole candidate running for the part-time seat on the CAC, there will be no election for it.

Recent decisions approved by the Campus Affairs Committee include the recommendation to build a new parking deck at UTM and increase parking and other ancillary fees.

All full-time and part-time UTM students are eligible to run for seats on GC and its bodies if they are citizens of Canada and enrolled in a degree, diploma, or certificate program.

International students cannot currently serve.

Campaigning for the election will begin on January 26, with voting to be held in February.

Fall break possible in 2016/17 Break continued from Cover If the fall reading break is introduced, it could affect the length of the study break between the last day of fall classes and the first day of December exams.

“We remain committed to a 12week term and we cannot start classes here until after Labour Day,” said Diane Crocker, UTM’s registrar and director of enrolment.

According to Crocker, this is because of the time needed to “assess records” after summer programming and the need not to push summer schedules back.

The break will also not affect the two-week December holiday period

after exams.

The impact of a fall break on the study break length will mainly depend on when exactly Labour Day will occur each year. Calendars showing the impact of a fall reading week over the next five years will be available online.

In recent years, many Canadian universities have started introducing fall reading weeks. As of October 2013, 11 of Ontario’s universities had a fall reading break, including Brock, Ryerson, and McMaster.

The fall reading week issue has previously been raised at the Principal’s Town Hall meetings at UTM. The dates of UTM’s fall break would not necessarily coincide with those of U

of T’s other campuses.

Optional experiential education opportunities may be offered in the fall reading week, similar to the Alternative Reading Week program that occurs in the winter reading week break. For first-year students, this week could offer help for a smooth transition into university life.

The online survey will include further information about the impact of a fall reading week for all respondents to consider.

According to Crocker, the survey results are expected to be released by mid-February. The survey will exclude graduate and Mississauga Academy of Medicine students, unless they are also teaching staff.

01.19.2015 THE MEDIUM NEWS

UTMSU launches fee coalition

»

3

»WHAT WOULD YOU ASK

Thirty attend first “Drop the Fees” meeting last Wednesday

KATHLEEN WYNNE?

Kevin Lam 1st year, life sci

Oneeb Javaid 1st year, life sci

What do you actually do?

What’s the hardest part about being premier?

Stephanie Wighton 4th year, anthro & poli sci

Najat Dirie 1st year, humanities

What’s your action plan for social housing, especially in Toronto and the GTA?

What’s your favourite store to shop at?

ZARA RIZWAN/THE MEDIUM

UTMSU’s “Drop the Fees” coalition was launched last week. Meetings will be held every Wednesday.

SHANNON SCHILLING On Wednesday, UTMSU spoke to about 30 students on campus in the Presentation Room at 1 p.m. for about two hours during the “Drop the Fees” coalition.

UTMSU representatives discussed being fed up with the obligation to keep up with exorbitant fee increases. The speakers interpreted figures onscreen showing a significant rise in payments over the years.

The representatives spoke about the rising cost of tuition and how it

is holding students back. Ultimately, the student union says they are preparing for the goal of, one day, eliminating tuition fees in Canada. At least provincially, they talked about beginning with service charges and the possibility of using taxes—that everyone already owes—to curb costs.

The statement provided during the meeting was that “education is a right”, not an advantage only for the wealthy.

Student involvement was encouraged. The numbers representing

costs were shown to the audience on the projection screen, making students aware of the increase in educational costs over the years.

At the end of the event, the student leaders insisted on the need for greater attendance.

“We had an amazing turnout and fruitful discussions. Moving forward we will be having less [talk] and more actions,” said UTMSU representatives in a Facebook post after the event.

The next coalition meeting will be this Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Wynne discusses unpaid interns Photos could appear on future U-Passes

On the eve of Wynne’s visit to UTM, the premier hosted a roundtable at Queen’s Park discussing sexual assault on campuses with members of the Canadian Federation of StudentsOntario. Victim support services, student involvement in the creation of

campus administrative policies, training, consent, and campus resources were discussed.

“Having a safe environment for students and faculty and anyone who works on a campus is a very high priority for us,” said Wynne.

The roundtable precedes an expected action plan regarding sexual violence to be released by the Liberal government on International Women’s Day in March.

Following her visit to UTM, the premier travelled to Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday evening, where she announced more support by the provincial government for mental health initiatives on postsecondary campuses. The tour is expected to wrap up this Friday with upcoming stops on the premier’s tour.

A video of the interview is available on The Medium’s website.

Baird greeted by eggthrowing Palestinians on visit to West Bank

Target closing its Canadian stores after less than two years

Suspect sought after SUV reverses into Brampton restaurant

OISE professor to plead guilty to child pornography charges

RCMP officer fighting for life after shooting in Alberta casino

The Foreign Affairs Minister of Canada, John Baird, was greeted with egg yolks on his visit to the West Bank on Sunday. Palestinians threw eggs at Baird and his car in protest of Baird’s support for Israel. Canada was among the few countries against Palestine’s request to become a non-member state in the UN General Assembly in 2012.

Target announced its intention to close all 133 of its Canadian stores last Thursday. The U.S. retailer launched its operations in Canada less than two years ago, in March 2013. Target incurred almost $1 billion in losses in its first year alone, and continues to face losses.

Police are looking for a man suspected of reversing an SUV into the front of a Brampton restaurant, injuring three. A woman reportedly left her SUV running outside when she entered Island Cuisine. Police say a man then entered the vehicle and backed into the store. The restaurant remains closed for investigation.

A U of T professor is pleading guilty to charges related to child pornography, says his lawyer. Benjamin Levin, who taught at OISE, was arrested in July 2013 after an investigation that involved police officers as distant as in New Zealand. Levin’s lawyer, Clayton Ruby, did not indicate which of the charges the professor would plead guilty to.

An RCMP officer is facing life-threatening injuries after two officers were shot in Alberta. The officers had walked insider a casino when they were shot. The suspect’s body was later found inside a house a few kilometers from the shooting. One of the officers was released from hospital on Saturday.

Source: Canoe News

Source: CBC News

Source: Toronto Star

Source: Toronto Star

Source: OCanada.com

Wynne continued from Cover

Wynne did not mention plans to take further action on the issue.

“We’ve taken action on it,” she said.

“We feel at this point we’ve moved in the direction that we needed to.”

While addressing current legislation governing unpaid internships, Wynne stressed that such employment is banned under current employment laws unless prearranged through a university or college course.

“We are looking at precarious work, [...] and where do we find situations where people in the workplace are vulnerable because of the working conditions,” said Wynne.

The Premier also stressed the importance of striking a balance between the protection of workers and the ability for workers to gain experience on the job.

“Experiential learning and the opportunity to have hands-on knowledge of a particular sector is very important and we need to make sure that there are enough opportunities for students to get that,” she said.

Wynne called for a balance between protecting workers and allowing them to gain experience.

GOVERNING U OF T At the meeting, UTMSU also explained the university’s decision-making process, noting that decisions start with the Campus Councils, whose decisions are eventually brought forward to Governing Council.

According to Havili, the heated bus shelter and food truck rotation on Thursdays are a result of “speaking up”.

He added that the U-Pass, an initiative spearheaded by Aubrey Iwaniw

in 2004 and negotiated by admin and UTMSU with Mississauga Transit until its implementation in 2007, saves students over $1,000 per year.

He encouraged students to take action regarding their dissatisfaction with fees and asked them to attend meetings to that end.

Havili also mentioned UTMSU’s “Know Your Rights Campaign”, which began on January 12 and runs till February 13. The campaign will address housing, employment, justice, and academics.

At the end of the meeting, some students expressed their dissatisfaction with Turnitin.com, alleging that they have a right to refuse it.

The next Commission Meeting will take place in February.

UTMSU continued from Cover Havili criticized high schools for not teaching students how to budget for these fees as well as living expenses, adding that this is not only the university’s problem.

4

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01.19.2015

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Doing more to help than harm In the heat of emotion we ask for punitive justice, but it’s not the best way The Dalhousie dentistry case is a very interesting one. There are tons of differently nuanced opinion and news articles online—after reading through them, I think I’ve seen photos of the dentistry building from every conceivable angle—although they broadly agree. The most recent development I’m aware of is the police’s finding nothing criminally pursuable in the offensive posts. I haven’t seen any commentary on that decision yet, but I’m sure what will be said will represent, by and large, outrage.

And there should be outrage, of course, over the sorts of crimes these students joked about. There’s no question that it would take a horrible lapse of judgement to commit any of them, and that no decent person, let alone a professional, should joke about them in any context. The “hate sex” poll alone was beyond the pale.

But the outrage being shown is partly about the punishment chosen, and that’s where I’m not sure I understand where people are coming from.

Dalhousie at first said it would pursue a restorative justice route, with the implication (at first) that expulsion or suspension was not in the cards.

There were marches, social media like the hashtag “#dalhousiehateswomen”, and more to compel a “stronger” response from Dalhousie.

But action taken under the pressure

of public outcry is rarely the carefully considered kind. It has nothing to do with the rule of law and a little to do with vigilante justice. Out of curiosity, I took the opportunity to ask Premier Wynne her opinion while she was here on Thursday, and she pointed out that when people raise an outcry, we should think long and hard about changes that “should have been made 30 years ago”. But she conceded that it can’t always reliably guide a just response. Emotion can be manipulated by rhetoric; a crowd will often alternate between the debater it cheers for.

Hence we sentence people in court, not in the court of public opinion— except when the offence is not strictly illegal and a university administrator is doing the sentencing.

As Wynne said, public outcry is a compelling indicator of the things we need to change. And as a Star article pointed out, institutional justice alone would have had a hard time getting evidence in cases like that against Jian Ghomeshi. But public outcry is not always right, and in this case, I’m puzzled by the anger about the choice to use restorative justice.

Restorative justice is relatively new and doesn’t have solid research to definitively support it, but to me at least it seems more promising than punitive justice. It involves education, constructive conversation, restitution

more meaningful than just money, and more. It humanizes. There are also good reasons to believe it reduces the risk of reoffending. As long as we never risk the crime bring trivialized in our minds, there’s no particular reason to refuse restorative justice.

Except, it seems, when anger makes us cry out for something harsher. But surely cool reason is better. In an article we ran last week, Amanda Havey pointed out that we normally “throw

The problem is systemic issues that produce saddening behaviour by young men across all strata of society. the rapist in jail for life”, as if that were the best we can do as a society. In one article I read, a Dalhousie alumna says that she will make “damn sure” her grandchildren don’t get treated by anyone from the class of 2015. Bad news: it’s not the dentistry class of 2015 at Dalhousie that’s the problem, it’s systemic issues that consistently produce saddening behaviour by young men across all strata of society.

We can’t afford to perpetuate outdated ideas of criminality in which throwing an axe at someone fixes a problem

rooted very deeply in our culture.

Similarly, some faculty at Dalhousie raised a complaint about the proposed restorative justice plan, says a Globe and Mail article, arguing that it would be “long, complicated, and not driven by a set of formal rules”. Well, unfortunately, solutions for the sexual offences that are deep-seated in our society are not quick, easy, or listed in handy guidebooks. Expulsion would clear the current problem from the public table, but it would do less good in the long run.

When comments are offensive and troubling, we have more options before us than just attacking the person who made them. You don’t often teach someone a lesson very well that way. You get back what you put out, and I would hope that you teach a person to respect others by showing respect, at least better than purely by doling out force.

The Dalhousie students are getting both restorative justice in the form of a program, for their own good, and punitive justice in the form of suspension from clinical activities, for others’ good. As a response to their making unacceptable jokes, this is a fine start.

YOURS, LUKE SAWCZAK

01.19.2015 THE MEDIUM OPINION» 5

On constructive satire and the Prophet The Prophet is crying, and it isn’t hard to see why. Seventeen people killed in his name—the Kouachi brothers yelled, “We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad!” as they opened fire in the Charlie Hebdo headquarters— and countless others murdered across the Middle East by Islamic radicals.

The events of January 7 centre on the old debate of freedom of expression vs. blasphemy, or religious courtesy, if you like. More than a week later, people are still faced with a Hamlet-like dilemma: to draw facetious cartoons or not to draw; to reprint or not to reprint.

This week’s tragedy in Paris is the result of a deadlock created by the clash of ideologies. Stéphane Charbonnier, editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo, told Der Spiegel back in 2012, “I have no kids, no wife, no car, no credit. It may be a little pompous what I’m going to say, but I’d rather die standing up than live on my knees.” The staff knew the risks of their profession. Likewise, the Kouachi brothers, when they were holed up at the printing factory, surrounded by police, let it be known that they wanted to “die as martyrs”.

So a martyr for a martyr... making the whole world blind.

Neither party will back off. Western Europe’s tradition of free speech (and satire) is historically entrenched and will never make Islam an exception. Islam’s more radical branches will likely continue the death threats, firebombing, and cold-blooded execution against what they consider blasphemy. So what are we to do?

I don’t know if I have the answer to this question. For starters, one has to pick a side: you either support free speech, no holds barred, or you don’t.

Supporting it only when it’s inoffensive is a cop-out. Mind you, free speech does not mean hate speech, and in more murky cases it is up to the courts to differentiate. This was the case in 2007, when the magazine was taken to court by the Grand Mosque of Paris when it reprinted the infamous Danish cartoons. Hebdo was acquitted when the judge ruled that the magazine was ridiculing fundamentalists, rather than all Muslims.

Charlie Hebdo’s brand of ridicule was never about hate; they did not hate the Prophet as much as find him—and all other religious figures—ridiculous.

Perchance a more intelligent (virtuous? self-effacing?) person than myself would have given the answer given by almost all Canadian newspapers, which chose not to reprint any cartoons, despite their currently having, in the words of one journalist, “profound news value”. Support free speech, but within bounds, and let the bounds be set by what people find offensive, they seem to imply. Ridicule anything and anyone, but don’t touch radical Islam, because we all know what happens when you do.

The preservation of human life is a noble goal, but this is not the side my conscience advocates. To be inoffensive is to be bland, to cower... and to stand for nothing. The New Yorker’s cartoon editor Robert Mankoff was right when he wrote that the only “culturally, ethically, religiously, and politically correct cartoon” is an empty panel. The citizens of France, too, have chosen their side, swelling the streets of Paris with thousands of “Je suis Charlie” placards. I only hope that every one of those Charlies wields the sign with full awareness of its mean-

ing, which is the support for self-expression despite the threats, even if they involve terrorism on home soil.

In light of the self-conscious attitude of many of Canada’s news outlets, and in response to the recent op-ed by my dear friend, The Medium’s editorin-chief, I feel I must take a closer look at satire. By definition its aim is the reformation of folly and vice. Instructional humour, if you will. Many polite folk are quick to point out, after profusely defending Charlie’s right to exist, that mockery advances no cause, that offense serves no constructive end. But it does.

Let’s deconstruct the easily found Hebdo cover of Nov. 3, 2011. Released to “celebrate” the victory of an Islamist party in the Tunisian elections, its subheading read “Charia Hebdo”. In one corner was a note saying this edition was guest-edited by “Mahomet”.

On a green background, a caricatured Prophet grins, holds up a finger, and declares, “100 lashes if you are not dying of laughter.” On the one hand this is slanderously tongue-in-cheek, but on the other it is a strident attack on corporal punishment as practised under Sharia law. At face value, corporal punishment is, of course, no laughing matter. Take the very recent case of the Saudi writer and activist Raif Badawi, who was sentenced to a prison term and 1,000 lashes by the Saudi government. His crimes were apostasy and insulting Islam online.

The flogging has begun to be administered in sets of 50 over a period of 20 weeks, and “puts him at risk of death”, his wife told reporters.

Those who laugh at this Hebdo cartoon laugh to undermine the authority of extremists, because that is what

they hate most. Western governments can send warplanes to bomb ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq, but the average citizen can only laugh. Laugh in response to the fear sown by public acts like stoning, flogging, amputation, and decapitation. Those who laugh take back their sanity from the grip of the fanatics by finding them foolish. We live in anxious, angst-riddled times, and laughter is one of the few effective over-the-counter medications. So we laugh at things that make us angry, fearful, embarrassed, and offended, that make us feel vulnerable and see things as they really are.

Many people, not just this paper’s editor-in-chief, find that Hebdo “vilifies many legitimate ways of life”, but the Hebdoian response is that fundamentalism is not a legitimate way of life, especially not in a pluralistic society. The 12 murdered employees were not sixth-graders doodling on their desks. Much thought went into each publication; every cover was directly in conversation with its day. Though some may have indeed been in “bad taste”, there is a grain of truth in every mockery. That is what makes it funny.

This isn’t a clash between the West and Islam, but between democracy and theocracy. This isn’t an attack on Muslims, but on the radicals who kill because they’re offended, because they disagree. It is an attack on ISIS, on the Taliban, on Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram and every leader who is at this moment gathering supporters for the next attack. The Hebdo cartoons were—and still are—laughing at them.

Having said this, I must add that the roots of the attacks can be traced back to France’s treatment of its im-

migrants. The question that isn’t being asked enough is why four young people born and raised in France would turn to terrorism. The answer partly hearkens back to the country’s 2010 ban on face-covering in public and 2004 ban on conspicuous religious symbols in schools. It’s old news that there exist two Frances: one for the white native French, and the other for immigrants; Paris’s notorious banlieues (think Jane/Finch or Scarborough) are populated predominantly by immigrants and their descendants, many of them Muslim. Complaints by second- and third-generation immigrants that they are stereotyped by landlords, by potential employers, by the police, have fallen on deaf ears. The backgrounds of the Kouachi brothers fit this profile. They struggled with rootlessness, poverty, and integration all their lives, and their criminal records attest to this. The majority of French immigrants hail from Algeria and Morocco, and yet it has been said that France has still not fully come to terms with its colonial past. Although hopelessness and social isolation are obviously not excuses for violence, they too often go together.

This leads me to ask: apart from holding “Je suis Charlie” placards, what will French citizens and the French government do to make their immigrants feel accepted?

The latest Hebdo cover features the Prophet once more. On a green background the Prophet is holding up a “Je suis Charlie” sign and crying. The caption says, “Tout est pardonné.”

Deconstruct this one yourselves.

Valeria Ryrak Alumna, English

Urgent board reform requires compromise It’s been over two months since the UTSU Annual General Meeting, and the conversations following the meeting have been dominated by entrenched opinions and a lack of compromise. We are no closer to a solution to this crisis than we were after the AGM, and the clock is ticking down to an October deadline.

It’s time for action.

There is no question that students will be the true losers if their community leaders can’t work together on this pressing issue. The UTSU must conform to the CNCA by October, and it has become increasingly clear that the only proposal that could possibly be successful is one that brings everyone to the table and produces a

compromise.

On January 21, we will be hosting a joint board proposal meeting that we hope will produce an honest conversation between all stakeholders in our union. To ensure that a wide range of voices are heard, the UTSU, UTM campus leaders, professional faculties and colleges, as well as course and equity groups have all been invited to attend, with many already confirming their attendance. Beyond these groups, however, the meeting is open to all students who are interested in seeing and being a part of a resolution to this problem.

As the chairs of this meeting, we hope to host a fair meeting where all voices and opinions are respected and

heard. The conversation surrounding board reform needs a fresh start, and this meeting will offer everyone a chance to do this and find a solution that works for all of us. To accomplish this, we have three primary objectives: have an explicit structure for the meeting, set out clear goals, and ensure the space is safe.

To make sure that the meeting stays on topic, we will be using a set agenda to structure the meeting. This means clearly setting boundaries and constraints, openly discussing legal issues, and defining the needs of union members. We hope that by having a well-defined idea of what we want to produce, all parties will be able to engage in meaningful dialogue.

In addition, we want to get an explicit set of goals from those who choose to attend. What do our student leaders want to see in this new board structure? What sort of objectives do they have coming into this meeting? At what point are they willing to compromise on their ideal vision? These are all questions that we can’t answer alone: they have to come from everyone willing to attend and voice their opinion.

Finally, it is paramount to us that the space remains safe. A recurring concern from board meetings, AGMs, and other general meetings is the lack of a safe space to have this kind of discussion. We will be operating under a one-warning system, and there will

be zero tolerance for purposeful harassment or oppressive language.

As U of T students, we know how to think critically. Compromise must be the lens through which we build a new board proposal. Let’s create a solution together.

We hope to see you there.

Natalie Petra UC, Public Policy Ryan Gomes UTSU Board of Directors The Joint Meeting will be held January 21 at 5 p.m. in ES B142.

Please check our Facebook event for details: http://on.fb.me/1x1nPpb.

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01.19.2015

Inside Blackwood’s new exhibit Blackwood Gallery’s latest exhibit pays homage to student-made mural in North Building ANDREEA MIHAI Inside, the Blackwood Gallery’s current exhibit curated by John Armstrong, asks viewers to reconsider painting’s engagement with the rooms we inhabit.

Armstrong says his inspiration for commissioning the artists to make wallworks was the fact that the mural in the North Building— made by UTM student Denyse Thomasos in 1986—was slated to be demolished (see “Campus construction jeopardizes Thomasos mural”, Oct. 28, 2013).

“The original plan for the exhibition was to include portions of the mural cut out of the walls during the North Building’s demolition,” Armstrong said. “But the demolition was delayed, and so that did not come to be [yet]. The mural is still intact; however, the North Building has been closed to public access as of December 20.”

The gallery painted its walls white for the exhibition. Mark Bell’s Reverse Obsolence (Deerfield Hall, 2014), chalk, and nail loom on the wall across the gallery’s doors. The straight black and grey lines envision what the newly constructed Deerfield Hall might look like if it

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Inside decorates Blackwood Gallery with giant murals. were in decay.

Sara Hartland-Rowe’s untitled piece spans the wall next to Bell’s piece. From the gallery entrance, you see large grey coins falling across the wall to the ground, ribbons of pastel rainbows shimmering on both sides of the coins, and squiggles on the rest of the wall. Up

close, the squiggles transform into little figures. People kissing, fighting, pointing guns, and holding up enormous teddy bears populate the wall.

Hartland-Rowe says “the people pick her” and are part of a collection she’s gathered over time. “I live in Halifax, and I have a quiet, beau-

tiful studio,” she says. “I’m in there on winter days—I’m warm, I’ve just had my breakfast, I don’t expect a bomb to drop. It’s so strange to me that I can be so comfortable, so safe while right now, somewhere in the world, there are a lot of people who aren’t sure at all.”

The words “Don’t be sad that

it’s over; be happy that it ever began” lean against one of the walls in the e|gallery. Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky recreated a UTM student dorm wall covered in contemporary posters and knickknacks. Dark purple paint covers the mesh and plaster forms that make up the wall.

Also in the e|gallery is Denyse Thomasos’s Burial at Gorée (1993).

Her paintings that preceded Burial at Gorée represented the 18th-century slave ships that transported and kidnapped Africans from the Guinea coast to landings along the Delaware River. Burial at Gorée depicts a holding area for slaves arriving in the Delaware Valley.

Armstrong moderated Inside Job Part I, a panel talk with artists Pierre Dorion, Sarah Hartland-Rowe, Maria Hupfield, and Rhonda Weppler on Wednesday, January 14 before the exhibition’s opening reception.

Armstrong will moderate Inside Job Part II with artists Mark Bell, Dorian Fitzgerald, and Trevor Mahovsky in the Annie Smith Mezzanine at Sheridan on Thursday, February 12 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Inside runs until March 2 in the Blackwood Gallery and the e|gallery.

UTSU’s Frost Week heats up St. George The event hit capacity of 450+ students at the Great Hall downtown in anticipation of Lights JOEY CLOSE Students lined the hallways just outside the Great Hall at Hart House this past Thursday to attend a free concert featuring DJ Intrinity, Sam Cash and the Romantic Dogs, and Lights. The concert, sponsored by Skull Candy, Apus, and the University of Toronto, was just one of the many events organized by UTSU for this year’s Winter Week of Welcome: “Frost Week 2015”. The week was geared toward welcoming new students and returning students to the university and to perhaps help students brush off those terrible post-Christmas blues.

Upon entry at 7 p.m., students were given large Styrofoam glow sticks from the Guvernment nightclub in Toronto with the words “Guv Life” in black on the side. Just outside the hall, students started dressing up for the photo booth with Bob Marley wigs, Batman masks, and devil ears while others

MIKE DOPSA/PHOTO

Lights was the special guest performer at the Frost Week concert. enjoyed popcorn. Both the photo booth and popcorn were complimentary.

As more students slowly filtered into the hall, they were welcomed

by the sounds of DJ Intrinity, who kicked the concert off with a mix of light house music.

The historical hall was decorated with white lights draped across

the room and covering a couple of small trees. This gave the event a vibrant, eclectic, winter wonderland feel.

At the back of the hall a bar was

set up offering ciders, bottled beer, and juice, but most of the crowd consisted of underage first-year students, so the concert remained pretty tame and relaxed.

Around 8, VP external Grayce Slobodian and VP internal and services Cameron Wathey of UTSU took centre stage and presented the audience with a chance to win a backstage meet-and-greet with Canadian electropop musician Lights herself. In order to win this prize, Slobodian and Wathey said that students would have to come up on stage and sing a song of their choice.

Several students hopped onstage and belted out lyrics from the likes of Nikki Minaj, Coldplay, Hozier, and Sam Smith. The winner was a student who sang Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors” and was cheered into first place. In the end, UTSU granted the top five contestants backstage access.

Lights continued on page 7

01.19.2015 THE MEDIUM ARTS» 7

Divine voices, infernal show Through the scope Jesus Christ Superstar is HH’s first musical of 2015

A look into the life of the deadliest sniper CHRISTOPER ANTILOPE ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

SCOTT GORMAN/PHOTO

David Michael Moote stars as Jesus Christ.

MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR It’s not every day you see Jesus in skinny jeans, but director Luke Brown brought exactly that to Hart House with his rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Having dazzled audiences on Broadway for years, the musical was sure to be a hit at Hart House. I myself was expecting to be blown away by miraculous performances. Which, for the most part, I was.

David Michael Moote stars as Christ and from the moment he opened his mouth, he silenced the crowd. With easily one of the strongest voices in the entire cast, Moote nailed his songs with a clear, smooth, and beautiful voice. I will admit, though, that there were times Moote couldn’t quite nail the Steven Tyleresque high notes mid-song; his voice cracked a few times during his performance.

Aaron Williams may be Judas when he acts, but he’s an angel when he sings. He was incredible from start to finish. What was particularly lovely for me was how well Williams merged acting with song; when he was supposed to be sad or angry he naturally incorporated that into his songs,

making for one hell of a performance.

The quality was maintained by Claire Hunter, who played Mary.

Not much else can said about her other than that she was the calm in the eye of the storm. With so many loud, emotional rock songs, Hunter really balanced things out with her softer songs that allowed her to show off her talent.

I myself was expecting to be blown away by miraculous performances. Which, for the most part, I was.

Now, three side performances I feel obligated to mention are Simon (Harold Lumilan), Annas (Matt Gallagher), and King Herod (Saphire Demitro). These three were breathtaking.

Lumilan had no problems hitting the long high notes and Gallagher had a beautiful strong voice that he used with ease.

Enter Demitro: the sassy yet adorable queen that owned the stage for her one song. She earned as much applause after her one song as the entire cast did during final bow.

Now, being opening night, the play certainly struggled with some things.

First, the lighting was atrocious. Spotlights shone in front of actors and doorways, not on them, keeping the main focus of the scene in the dark.

The spotlight also visibly struggled to line up with actors several times.

At one point, the lights went off altogether while Hunter was in the middle of a song.

A few other technical difficulties presented themselves as well. The microphones had feedback or were scratchy as the actors sang, taking away from their performances. When the show first started, Williams’s microphone was so loud that his high notes thundered in my ears. In comparison to the others, whose microphones were not turned up that high, Williams was painfully loud.

The ensemble was full of terrific singers, but as a group they didn’t flow well. Their voices clashed with one another and the choreography only drew more attention to how uncoordinated they were. Their energy also didn’t fit well because some of them were more energetic and eccentric than the others.

But the play was worth a watch. It was fun, exciting, and full of wonderful performers. Quite a blast.

Lights lights up frosty nights at the Great Hall downtown Lights continued from page 6 Around 8:30, special guests and opening indie band Sam Cash and the Romantic Dogs took the stage to kick off the first of the two sets played, mostly drawing on their 2013 album Stand Together, Fall Together.

I must admit that I wasn’t familiar with Cash and the Dogs before the concert, but with Cash’s great vocals in songs like “Remedy” and “Steal My Car” and the overall uni-

ty of the band, by the end of the evening I had definitely become a fan.

Around 10 p.m., the Great Hall was full of over 450 students chanting, “Lights, Lights, Lights!” as heavy fog filled the room. With a genuine big smile and laid-back demeanour, Lights greeted her fans. The Toronto-based artist, who once had a more synth feel to her music, now projected indie pop with her latest album, Little Machines, released this past Sep-

tember. Lights performed songs from the album such as “Portal” and “Running with Boys”. She closed the night with her most popular song, “Up We Go”.

The night came to an end around midnight as DJ Intrinity played his last set to wrap up the concert. The night had a great turnout, but unfortunately—according to the volunteer welcome desk—there were over 100 students that weren’t able to get in because the event was overbooked.

Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, a U.S. Navy Seal in American Sniper, a true story directed

by Clint Eastwood. Kyle has hopes of living the only “American Dream” that matters to him: protecting his country. Having been raised in a staunch household based on defending those who mean the most by any means necessary, Kyle defends his family, especially his younger brother, by fighting on behalf of his country. He shuns living a life of ignorance towards what’s happening in war-torn countries and in doing so becomes addicted to fighting a fight that’s not his. In joining the war, he leaves behind his wife (Sienna Miller) and his children.

The film focuses on realism and the inner psyche of the soldier that people rarely see. What shocked me is how Kyle is one person in the war and a completely different person at home. But even when he’s at home, his head is still in the war. Eastwood’s directing executes this story sharply, showing the deterioration and brainwashing of Kyle after he returns home.

When we hear stories of soldiers, we hear that war is a gruelling experience, but sometimes imagine that all is well once the fighters return home. What

American Sniper does exceptionally well is put the audience behind the closed doors of a family that was built on the shaky grounds of preparing its children to enter the military. Audiences feel the tension between Kyle and his wife and get a glimpse of what life in the military is like, either through the character’s eyes or through the scope of a sniper, which truly captures the realism of the film. Not only do you see

Eastwood’s directing executes this story sharply, showing the deterioration and brainwashing of Kyle. and hear the bullet leaving the gun, but you also see the anxiety in the sniper’s face, as well as the collapsing body of a terrorist after being gunned down by, as TIME Magazine calls him, “the most deadly sniper in American history”.

Cooper and Miller bring a unique relationship to the screen, evoking the nerves out of the audience and emotion from their own acting arsenal. Cooper and the film are nominated for Best Actor and Best Motion Picture, and more accolades are surely coming their way.

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01.19.2015

Live with less for your own sake Minimalism, taken one step at a time, helps you trade useless stuff for self-development JELIN PHILIP Jefferson Bethke once wrote, “We refuse to turn off our computers, turn off our phone, log off Facebook, and just sit in silence, because in those moments we might actually have to face up to who we really are.”

When you take a look at your life and who you are, do you tend to “see” yourself in terms of the car you drive, the amount of money in your bank account, the name brands you wear, or the amount of gadgets you own? Do you have five different gaming consoles, even though you know you only need one? Have shelves of books you never read, always making a mental note that you’ll “get to them later”?

In contrast, I present to you the lifestyle of a minimalist.

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, best friends and coauthors of The Minimalists, write about living a meaningful life with less stuff. At the start of their 21-day journey into a minimalistic lifestyle—the amount of time it usually takes to form a habit—they write that people “saw our six-figure jobs, our luxury cars, our new gadgets,

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Some of us choose to have more, and some of us choose to have less. and our lives of opulence, and they thought, ‘These guys have it figured out. I want to be just like them.’ They saw all of those things—all of that superfluous stuff—and they just knew we were successful... But the truth is we weren’t successful at all. […]

Because even with all our stuff, we weren’t satisfied with our lives—we weren’t happy. And we discovered that working 70 to 80 hours a week and buying even more stuff didn’t fill the void. In fact, it only brought us more debt and anxiety and fear

and stress and loneliness and guilt and overwhelm and paranoia and depression. It was a solipsistic existence.” Millburn and Nicodemus note that happiness is not tied to wealth and accumulation, and that one should not let their happiness

be controlled by what they own.

They define minimalism as “a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution.” Minimalism helps clear the excess from your life to focus on what you find important. With different notions of living happily come different ideas of minimalism: the minimalist lifestyle of a 22-year-old single guy will differ from a 40-year-old married mother’s. Millburn and Nicodemus ask us to consider the following question: How might your life be better if you owned fewer possessions?

Rachel Bell, also a minimalist, describes her new life with limited material products as a daily “zen-like” experience on her personal blog, herbalcell.com. “Ideas like ‘the more I own, the more I’m worth’ and ‘I might need this someday’ no longer made any sense to me.

Minimal continued on page 10

How to eat healthy with UTM vendors Dietician Kimberly Green explains why you should eat subs instead of muffins MADELEINE BROWN FEATURES EDITOR I like my packed lunches (and, if necessary, dinners), as I discussed in “Eating good food? It’s in the bag” back in November. But it’s clear that for the majority, buying food on campus is still easiest. However, there’s no need to sacrifice your new year’s intentions to eat well as a result. In fact, according to our campus dietitian, Kimberly Green, UTM has more “good for you” options than ever. She jokes, though, that you might need to look beyond the pizza to find them.

“I’m very excited about several changes food services [Chartwells] has brought to campus. The new Vegilicious and Deli Station options at TFC, as well as the Greenery salad bar at the North Side Bistro in Deerfield Hall, are great additions,” she says. “And as of January, the On the Go fresh salad and sandwich offerings have printed nutrition information so you know exactly what you’re getting.”

Green explains that “healthy” doesn’t just mean anything low in calories and fat. She advises picking food that’s high in overall nutrition; for example, complex carbohydrates, fibre,

CHRISTY TAM/THE MEDIUM

On the Go is one of your least bad options. protein, healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals (besides being filling and tasting good). In fact, we may be thinking too much about calories and fat and not taking into consideration

those other nutritional values.

“Many students consume too much sugar and salt, and too few vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin D, iron, folate, and B vitamins, so these

are important considerations as well,” says Green.

So how do we maintain these healthy eating practices when confronted with the beasts that are our

on-campus franchises? Green has created a shortlist of what she refers to as her “Best Bets on Campus”, in which she gives her dietitian seal of approval on certain menu items at Subway, Tim Hortons, and Booster Juice.

Subway certainly has a fairly healthconscious image. Remember the Subway Guy Jared Folger and his pair of jeans? Jared attributed his weight loss to eating subs. Nevertheless, not all their menu items are equally good for you.

How would Green build the ideal sub? She suggests the six grams of fat or less sandwich options. “These include ham, chicken, beef, turkey, and veggie six-inch subs, which also happen to be significantly lower in sodium than other varieties. Choose whole wheat bread for more fibre, and skip the cheese,” she says. “Instead of pop, order milk or even chocolate milk to get a filling calcium- and vitamin D-filled beverage.”

She similarly recommends the made-to-order sandwiches offered in the TFC and OPH as well as the On the Go line.

Healthy continued on page 9

01.19.2015 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

Look past the pizza Healthy continued from page 8 What she particularly likes about these options is that you can add in lots of veggie toppings, and they use smaller servings of bread in contrast to the Subway subs, which equal roughly four to six Canada’s Food Guide servings of grain products.

If you’re pressed for time and desperate to actually start eating breakfast regularly (think of those good old days of eating a bowl of Fruit Loops while watching morning cartoons), Tim Hortons is the most obvious choice on campus. That said, like Subway, Green warns that some menu items are better than others. Here’s a surprise (for me at least) from Green: “Muffins and donuts make a good sweet treat or dessert once in a while, but muffins are not a healthy breakfast.” Apparently, even those haunting bran and whole grain muffins (come on, who would ever choose them first in an assorted box?) aren’t as healthy as your grandmother makes them out to be.

“Tim’s bran and whole grain muffins have the benefit of at least four grams of fibre per muffin, but still have anywhere from 11 to 15 grams of fat per serving, at least 370 milligrams of sodium (nearly a quarter of the recommended intake for the day), and are low in protein, so [they] will not sustain your energy level for long,” says Green.

In fact, for breakfast, Green actually recommends either a toasted English muffin breakfast sandwich with egg white and cheese (avoid the sausage or bacon) or mixed berries or maple oatmeal. If you’re like me and ordering a bagel from Tim Hortons is engrained in your genetics, Green says to opt for the fibre-rich wheat and honey or 12-grain bagel with peanut butter rather than the other lowto-no-protein spreads such as butter,

jam, or cream cheese.

“It should keep you full for quite a while. […] The 12-grain bagel has the most fat (nine grams) of all the varieties, but this is from the added seeds, which provide more protein, fibre, and iron due to the nutritional benefits of sesame and sunflower seeds, so it is actually a better choice,” she says. “Cream cheese can add 140 calories and 14 grams of fat to your bagel. Keep in mind that since most Tim Hortons bagels weigh about 113 grams, they are equivalent to three Canada’s Food Guide servings of grain products.”

Green suggests that if you’re looking to switch up your regular Timmies order, try their chicken ranch or chipotle chicken snack wrappers.

She notes that, surprisingly, two snack wrappers (with the exception of the chicken salad version, which has a higher fat content) have fewer calories (380) than a bagel, less fat (9 to 12 grams), and the same amount of fibre (6 grams).

Green also gives the go-ahead to their yoghurt and berry parfait, even with its 20–25 grams of sugar. “A good part of the sugar comes from natural sugar (lactose) in yoghurt and natural fructose in fruit. The yoghurt and berries provide filling protein and fibre, as well as nutrients like vitamin C and calcium,” she says.

Green ends her round-up of healthy choices on campus with “a big ‘caution’ […] for students who want to limit their sugar intake” about Booster Juice, despite the squeaky clean image of fruit and veggie smoothies. “Booster Juice’s classic smoothies have between 65 and 96 grams of sugar per serving,” she points out.

“Choose the smallest serving and read the nutrition information provided to know what you are consuming, or even better, eat a piece of whole fruit (or two) and some yoghurt.”

100 first-year stories RGASC employee compiling university transition guide

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Laura Taylor is working on a university survival guide for first-years.

FARAH KHAN Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

Let your mind wander back past last semester’s exams, your summer vacation, that last birthday—let’s go way back to your very first day at UTM. Feels like ages ago, huh? You’re pumped, full of energy, and you can’t wait to begin! It’s a whole new beginning—what’s not to like? But then, disaster strikes on the very first day.

You’re about to be late for your first class because, let’s face it, those two letters—be it DV or NE—aren’t exactly a map to where your class is. It’s 10 past the hour and you’ve just flat-out sprinted to class, and lecture hasn’t started. (Wait, what?)

We’ve all been through this; it isn’t a new story. The first few weeks are a nerve-wracking experience, but we eventually adjust and adapt to our new lives. The transition to university takes more than the first few weeks, though—we have to develop a wide range of core skills from perfecting time management to crafting essays.

It’s even more stressful to adapt or find the relevant resources to help you, especially if you’re new to the country or if English is your second language.

It’s this exact sentiment that propelled Laura Taylor of the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre to start compiling a survival guide for first-years

with the help of the International Education Centre and current UTM students.

Taylor earned her undergraduate degree in economics, but following a few years in the financial sector, she decided to switch gears and enter the teaching stream. She spent several years teaching abroad in both Japan and South Korea, and then went on to achieve a MA in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and a PhD in education.

“I never planned it out, but it all worked out in the end,” she says.

“We’re in an age where we don’t necessarily have to stick to our degree—we come to university expecting certain things to happen, and sometimes they do and we know what we want to achieve when we’re 19, but sometimes we don’t. But if you don’t, university can act as a learning experience.”

Today, Taylor is a lecturer at RGASC, where she works primarily with English language learners to assist students not only with their English but also to develop core skills through workshops, seminars, and meetings.

“The ESL/ELL population has never had a concentrated effort here at UTM,” she says. “I’m new here; students are new […] By us all working together to tell their stories in the survival guide, I’m hoping that I’ll develop relationships with current students.”

The survival guide isn’t a guidebook advertising UTM’s many facilities and resources, which is what many university resources boil down to. Instead, it will consist of personal stories from over 100 UTM students on a variety of topics, ranging from Orientation Week, how to survive group projects, dealing with culture shock, and more.

“This resource won’t just be limited to UTM students,” says Taylor of its future. “The goal is to create an e-book accessible to all. We’re planning on giving it an ISBN and to possibly put in on a platform such as Amazon, so that it’s publicly available free of charge to all incoming first-year students, wherever they may be heading to study.”

The survival guide also provides a unique opportunity for current international or ESL/ELL students to contribute stories about their own experiences regarding their first year at UTM. “I’d like to work with current students in order to help develop their writing, to get to know them, and to get them published in something useful,” says Taylor.

Submissions for the survival guide are currently being accepted. Students will be credited.

The guide will be edited over the summer and released at the end of the summer for the beginning of the Headstart sessions and in time for the new school year.

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THE MEDIUM 01.19.2015

Antibiotics grown in soil Well, unfortunately, we’re lacking a

Pizza or craft some sort of concoction

professor or staff recipe this week.

using the various condiments at the

But no need to worry. I’ve consulted a

back of the refrigerator and microwav-

culinary expert and guru of all things

able popcorn.

kitchen: my roommate.

My roommate, who shall remain

So much for professors, university

anonymous in order to preserve some

staff, or any real adults, for that matter.

of her dignity, developed her apple

We all know students have a great rep-

crisp recipe below from her Nana’s in-

utation for their cooking skills. Right?

famous version, which even her moth-

Who can whip up a bowl of Kraft Din-

er doesn’t attempt to make given the

ner with such swiftness? Who can boil

high status it holds in the family. My

a kettle for Mr. Noodles with a single

roommate says that she often forgets

press of the button? Who would ever

the details of the recipe, but a quick

have the creativity to combine leftover

Google search gives her some helpful

Thai Express chicken pad thai and

inspiration. She admits that it may end

pepperoni pizza? It seems to me once

up tasting like oatmeal with apples—

we finally land so-called careers and

cold oatmeal with apples, for that mat-

“settle down”, we lose all our freedom

ter, if you take her advice to let it cool

and free spirit in the kitchen. Come 5

in order to try to obtain some sort of

p.m., students never worry and say,

crispness. Hopefully you enjoy that.

“Oh no, what am I going to make for

And if not, then be a boring grown-up

dinner tonight?” Even with an empty

and look up a real apple crisp recipe.

fridge. No, students just call up Pizza

But where’s the fun in that?

Adequate Apple Crisp MAKES ENOUGH TO FILL A PAN INGREDIENTS

• 5 to 6 Macintosh apples (one of the worst apples to use for apple crisp) • 3/4 cup rolled oats or 2 packages of Quaker instant oatmeal apples and cinnamon • a shit-ton of cinnamon (because who doesn’t love cinnamon) • ½ cup sugar • flour?

• salt?

your own person.

4. In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, sugar, flour and salt (if you choose), and butter until it clumps.

5. Put the apples in the pan, dump the crumble mixture on top, and spread it out until no apples are showing.

6. Bake until the apples are soft when speared.

7. Check the crisp halfway through

• ½ cup butter, melted

baking time and if it looks like

METHOD

it’s not crisping, pour some more

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).

melted butter or maple syrup on

2.Take a pan—something with

top. If none of it crisps, at least this

depth—and line it with tinfoil.

3. Cut up the apples, choose whether you want to peel the apples—you’re

Researchers discuss whether new drugs can beat resistance

addition will.

8. Leave to cool completely—that will help to solidify it.

MICRO-BLOG.INFO/PHOTO

iChips can be used to capture the growth of a microbe in its natural environment.

ARANIE VIJAYARATNAM Bacterial infections and illnesses can be painful and time-consuming to cure. Our physicians provide us with a prescription for an antibiotic where the label says, “Take until bottle is empty.” Antibiotics help us cure most of our symptoms, but mutations occurring in bacteria inevitably make them resistant to the old drugs we’re so used to taking.

Kim Lewis and Losee Ling from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and the University of Bonn in Germany may have found an effective antibiotic that bacteria have yet to resist. This study, published on January 8 in Nature, presents researchers with new techniques and potential for learning more about “unculturable bacteria”—bacteria that scientists can’t grow on a petri dish in a laboratory.

BREAKING DOWN WALLS The new antibiotic described, teixobactin, prevents bacteria from creating a “cell wall”, which is a bacteria’s

safety blanket. Without a cell wall, bacteria cannot support themselves structurally and they become susceptible to viruses. Teixobactin latches on to the molecule “lipid II”, which creates the building blocks for a cell wall. By attaching itself to this molecule, lipid II can’t release the cell wall. A bacterium senses that it has no protection, so it undergoes lysis, a self-destruct mechanism for the whole organism. Without any protection, a bacterium is better off dead than weak and vulnerable.

To test how effectively teixobactin can kill bacteria, they injected mice infected by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), the bacteria that causes skin infections, respiratory diseases, and food poisoning in humans. They also injected it into mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), the main cause of tuberculosis. Lewis and Ling found that all the mice survived while the bacteria were dead and gone.

Clinical trials for humans are expected to be two or more years away.

RESISTING RESISTANCE What makes teixobactin so unique was that it was found and developed in ground soil. Lewis and Ling used an item called an iChip that provides blocks of soil sourced from various locations with nutrients, so when bacteria develop a colony, the researchers can take it back to the lab and analyze it further. This is different from the usual technique for antibiotic creation, where bacteria are grown and raised on a petri dish.

This new technique provides a unique look on how pharmaceutical companies and researchers can improve antibiotic creation. By looking at more natural sources and raising them in their environment rather than in a lab, we can find new antibiotics like teixobactin to eliminate the strongest bacterial infections.

Other researchers, such as Dr. John Conly quoted in a January 7 Globe and Mail article on the bacteria, contend that resistance is inevitable, contrary to the researchers’ claims. In either case, new sources of antibiotics at least enlarge our arsenal.

Reasons to try out minimalism Minimal continued from page 8 I now felt a new kind of lightweight freedom,” she writes. “Things occupying my space now had to pass the test of worthiness according to me.

Decisions to get rid of things were hard at first, but became easier the more I made them. If I didn’t ever use something, I got rid of it, and if I didn’t enjoy using something, I got rid of it.” Bell began her simpler life at home by getting organized and saving space: she got rid of her filing cabinet and kept what was necessary in folders, her CD and DVD cases for used paper envelopes instead, most furniture, and invested in a cheaper, lighter keyboard to carry around.

The minimalist lifestyle comes with many perks: more freedom, fewer expenses, and more peace of mind. Although Bell admits that “sometimes you’re going to regret getting rid of something—it’s an impossible thing to avoid. And sometimes it can feel like a socially awkward way to live.”

Bell mentions in a blog post about her and her husband’s move across the U.S. that “our only piece of furniture now is our memory foam mattress. We keep our bed in the living room because it’s definitely the nicest of all the areas in the house with lots

of windows and is connected openly to the kitchen. We also keep it on the floor, which we’ve done happily for several years. We use it for sitting, eating, using our laptops, watching movies, playing video games, and sleeping. We spend most of our time on it and it has definitely been worth what we paid for it.” For some of us, this sounds like a dream—to spend most of my time in bed? Sign me up! However, when asked about how their reduced furniture sits with visitors to their home, Bell replied, “They sat in the few chairs we had, but I think it can make them feel a bit awkward.

Everyone expects to have a comfy living room set to plop onto. I think once they get past that initial shock and realize they still have a place to sit, they’re all right with it.”

It can be agreed that many of the things we decide to purchase are based on how we want others to view us. We put stock in the unfortunate truth that others will judge us, so we find worth in ourselves often through the quantity of high-end things we own. One might hesitate to pursue a minimalist lifestyle because of the stigma that may arise from living with less than others—it is only natural we feel that way at first, because we are raised to care what others think.

I asked Bell for advice she would give to students, and people in general, who have trouble letting go of material things and are looking for a more condensed lifestyle change.

“Take baby steps. Pick one thing to organize, say, your DVDs, and take note of how much space they took up before (you could even take a before photo), and then how little space you were able to compact them into,” she says. “It’ll impress you so much that you’ll want to tackle another area. Living as a minimalist may be a controversial thing, but one thing that everyone always agrees on: it feels good to organize and get rid of things. So just chase that feeling. And make sure to reconsider everything in your house as something to potentially get rid of, so that you don’t fall back on what’s culturally expected. A lot of furniture and items are singlepurpose and could be eliminated by something clever that serves multiple purposes. Do what makes sense to you, not what other people expect you to do.”

You can read more about Rachel Bell’s experiences as a minimalist at herbalcell.com, and check out theminimalists.com for more information on Millburn and Nicodemus’s bestselling novel.

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Yunes’ Sauga hockey upbringing UTM hockey player Adam Yunes reflects on growing up and giving back to Mississauga hockey PHIL POWER In a year when the revamped Hockey Night in Canada travels from coast to coast highlighting the different small hockey towns across Canada, we thought it would be apt to shed light on homegrown Mississauga talents who continue to play the sport they love in the community they love.

Student athletes are plentiful at UTM, but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone more “Sauga” than Adam Yunes.

The “student” in “student athlete” may be the part that matters more for us. It is what unites all of us across the UTM campus, since we are, or at one time were, students. Adam is in his second year of studying social sciences with hopes of completing a double major in political science and criminology.

In addition to working hard on his studies, he is a defenceman on the Division 2 and tri-campus Eagles men’s ice hockey team. He first became in-

volved with UTM puck while he was in his first year. “I was hitting up the gym when I saw the flyer on the wall,” says Yunes. “Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to make it because it was

Growing the game at UTM JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR If you walk through the lonely halls of Davis past Gym C at a late enough hour, you might hear the echo of a ball colliding with a bat. Since the RAWC has covered the windows that originally allowed passersby to peek into the forgotten gym, you may not know what sound that is.

Well, it turns out that Gym C is home to UTM’s cricket club, where players gather twice a week for dropin or organized games playing the game they love in less traditional circumstances.

UTM’s cricket club has existed for over four years now and since its creation has grown in participation of students eager to play a game less popular in North America. Shahriyar Nisar, commissioner and VP finance, is proud of the reception the club has had at UTM. “The response has been great,” says Nisar, a third-year accounting specialist. “Every year we have had around 80 to 90 people playing in the league.” He adds that students are enthusiastic about the sport and that the playoffs garner crowds to cheer on teams. “For some people, it’s more than just a game—it is a great source of entertainment and an ideal means of relaxation.”

Nisar sees the club as a great way for newcomers to familiarize them-

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Yunes plays defense for UTM and hopes to eventually coach at the rep level.

selves with the sport and eventually play at a competitive level. “We have pickup cricket on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.,” he says. “This is where anyone can drop in and play.” It’s at the drop-in sessions that players socialize, learn the game, and form teams for intramurals that play a set schedule during the fall and winter semesters.

The game at UTM is slightly different from traditional cricket play, because it’s played indoors, which Nisar says is due to the weather. But he doesn’t think this hurts the game, but rather makes it “equally amusing, if not more”.

Nisar thinks cricket is a simple enough game that newcomers will be able to grasp rather quickly. In cricket, each team takes a turn to bat and bowl and the team with the most runs in the end wins—somewhat similar to baseball. There is a limit to the number of people who can bat and bowl, and players in the field—or, in the case of UTM, the court—are used to prevent the flow of runs. A batsman can be out for various reasons, but the most common is when a fielder catches the ball.

UTM does have a cricket team that plays against other universities and participates in a tri-campus tournament with other U of T campuses every year.

Cricket continued on page 12

filled with all former junior players, but luckily enough I got a defence spot on the team. It’s been a blast ever since.”

Yunes subscribes to the same lingo

as most hockey players across Canada, and jokes that his favourite part of being on the UTM team is getting babes and “popping ginos”, which is hockey player slang for scoring goals.

Adam’s hockey experience goes back a lot further than just his first year of university. He first started playing hockey when he was five years old. Like many Canadians, he played Timbits hockey—pre-hockey training, camps, and games sponsored by Tim Hortons.

As he got older he played in a few well-known hotbeds for Mississauga hockey. When he was young, he played house league for Applewood and when he got older, played for Meadowvale at the rep level. Yunes still has a fondness for those arenas and continues to be a supporter of local Mississauga hockey.

When asked about the biggest influences in his hockey career, he had quite a lot to say. His mom and dad were always his biggest supporters.

He also says that his love for the game comes from watching Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday night, mainly Don Cherry, who held his attention from a young age.

Yunes continued on page 12

Western win off late goal With a loss to the Mustangs, the Blues are 2-3 in the new year

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The Blues are 8-11-1 with 17 points on the season, which leaves them second last in the division.

FRANCIS LAM After a decisive 7-4 win against Ryerson the previous night, the Varsity Blues men’s hockey team fell 4-3 to the number two seeded Western Mustangs on Saturday at Varsity Arena.

With the loss, the Blues drop to 8-11-1, sitting at a lowly ninth in the OUA west division out of 10 teams.

“I thought we played really well,” said head coach Darren Lowe after the game. “We’re playing some good hockey, but against a really good team like them, we have to make sure that we play every shift, every period, of every game, hard.”

The game got off to a quick start when Mustangs forward Julian Cimadamore potted an odd rebound goal that skipped off his stick and

floated past the Toronto netminder a little over two minutes in.

Some undisciplined hockey from both teams developed into a penalty-filled affair as each team was handed four minor penalties. Intense hockey was the result, both teams showcasing their offensive and defensive prowess with their special teams. Impressive goaltending from Toronto’s Brett Willows kept the game within reach after a 1-0 first period.

Heading into the second period, fifth-year forward Michael Markovic got Toronto on the board with a seeing-eye goal in the first two minutes. Not long after, a horrific giveaway by a Mustangs defender gave Jeff Brown a clear and open slapshot in the slot, and Paul Van De Velde cleaned about the rebound to give

Toronto a 2-1 lead.

Toronto in the second period was clearly the better team on both ends of the rink. They outshot their opponents 11-4, got the better scoring chances, and only allowed Western to shoot from the perimeter. The home team ended with a 2-1 advantage heading into the final frame.

After riding on a high note at the intermission, the Blues quickly fell back down to earth when Western’s Steve Reese and Cody Brown found the back of the net within the first three minutes of the period for a 3-2 score. However, less than a minute later, Blues Dean Klomp evened up the game on a textbook 3-on-2 play with assists from U of T captain Andrew Doyle and Patrick Marsh.

Blues continued on page 12

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THE MEDIUM 01.19.2015

Keeping it local Cricket club a success Yunes continued from page 11 Yunes loved watching the Leafs, too, particularly former goaltender Curtis Joseph, known to Leafs fans as “Cujo”.

At this moment in his career, Yunes is finding inspiration from his teammate at UTM hockey, Rory Bourgeois, also one of the leaders on the team and a tri-campus all star. “He’s definitely a major influence on my playing abilities and the team in general,” says Yunes. “He has great leadership and helped lead us to the finals last year with his outspoken personality, which really inspires the team and myself in particular.”

Yunes finds Bourgeois a naturalborn leader on and off the ice, and as an up-and-coming UTM hockey

player Yunes hopes he can take on that role in the future.

But he hopes to finish where he started, returning to the house leagues in Mississauga to volunteer his time as a coach. He believes that giving back to the community that made him who he is will allow him to get experience coaching and hopefully move up to coach a rep team.

Yunes is grateful for all the people he’s met at UTM in his short time here, both teammates and head coach Chet Long, who, Yunes jokes, “finds the time to coach the team in between the hot yoga sessions he instructs”.

But most importantly, he’s proud of where he’s from and the Mississauga hockey community that has helped him grow on and off the ice.

Blues drop one 4-3 Blues continued from page 11 The game was tied 3-3 until the last five minutes of the third period, when a point shot from Western’s defenceman Colin MacDonald deflected off a Toronto body and into the net.

Toronto, with three minutes to go and with the man advantage, came very close to tying up the game when Patrick Marsh’s backhand shot was gloved down by the Western goaltender. The puck fell in the crease and a wild scramble ensued, but incredibly, the puck stayed out to preserve a 4-3 win for the Mustangs.

“They got a couple of fortunate bounces,” says alternate captain Mi-

chael Markovic. “We had our opportunities, but just couldn’t capitalize on all of them. The hockey gods weren’t really smiling on us tonight.”

Despite the loss, Markovic is still confident in his team and thinks that some adjustments can lead to success in a tough OUA east division. “In spurts we were the more dominant team, but we had some lapses here and there, and it cost us two goals and a lead,” he says. “Moving forward, we have to play a full 60 minutes if we’re going to be successful.”

The Varsity Blues return to the ice to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves in Varsity Arena on January 23; the puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

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Drop-in games for cricket are played Tuesday and Wednesday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Gym C. Cricket continued from page 11 Nisar hopes that cricket can get more recognition from UTM students and hopes to coordinate events this semester to introduce more students to the sport. The club held games in Gym A/B earlier this year to make the sport more visible to passersby.

Upcoming club events are telecasting the Cricket World Cup, “Stumped” (a cricket quiz game), “Hitz” (testing players’ skills in cricket categories), and, at the end of the semester, the medal and trophy ceremony for intramural players. Members of the club get access to all these events for free, with the fee for membership being $2 per

year.

Nisar looks to the future of cricket at UTM and sees many possibilities. For one, greater participation in extramural tournaments.

Nisar believes that with the talent at UTM, winning extramurally will come easily.

Another area that he hopes to shed light on is inclusiveness. At the moment, cricket is only open to men; women are only able to participate in special events held by the club, and while participation is not strong, the possibility of a coed league would allow more to learn the game.

“We still don’t have the numbers to make intramural cricket co-ed,” says Nisar. “If, at any point in the

near future, I believe co-ed intramural cricket is a possibility, I will certainly pitch the idea to UTM Athletics.”

The sign-up for the winter semester took place on January 13, with games beginning January 20.

But students can still join a team for the next couple of weeks after this date.

Last semester, eight teams participated with 10 players per team.

Nisar is hoping for more teams to participate this semester and thinks the talent this year is promising, especially among the first-years.

With another semester of cricket to be played at UTM, the sport is thriving and looks to be heading in the right direction.