The Dialog Nov. 2-15, 2012

Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

Unpaid internships: a boon or a bane?

Student Association passes new $25 fee

Disability Pride march & accessibility issues at GBC

Regent Park Film Festival shows a ‘hood in flux

2 Opinion

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

The problem with democracy is that it represents us

By Mick Sweetman Managing Editor

Many people don’t bother to vote, let alone lobby their elected representatives, sit in public galleries, or attend protests.

It’s not that people are apathetic or dumb. On the contrary, many people know that their votes and their voices really don’t count for much in our system. Once you cast your ballot you no longer have a say in representative democracy, you don’t get to speak at government meetings or cast a vote on the issues.

That is left to the politicians who consult, not with their constituents, but rather with elite sections of the ruling class.

When Dalton McGuinty wanted the provincial budget overhauled did he set up thousands of community council meetings where we could collectively discuss our priorities as the people of Ontario? No, he called in the former vice president and chief economist of the Toronto Dominion Bank, Don Drummond, to head up a commission.

Nothing could be a clearer indication about which class politicians get their marching orders from.

When McGunity prorogued the Ontario legislature this month, there were many columnists, pundits and opposition politicians who thumped their chests with righteous indignation saying it was the death of democracy in Ontario.

The average Ontarian, however, didn’t rise up against it. There weren’t even the modest-sized protests that Stephen Harper saw when he prorogued parliament in 2008 and 2009 to avoid a Liberal-NDP coalition government and to shut down investigations into the treatment of prisoners in Afghanistan respectively.

McGuinty’s decision to prorogue is no less controversial as it likewise closed an investigation into why controversial gas-fired power plants were moved out of Liberal ridings, costing the people of Ontario hundreds of millions of dollars.

No, far from a democratic uprising, most Ontarians gave a collective shrug to the shuttering of Ontario’s political system.

On campuses it can be even harder to achieve even the limited form of democracy that the “big leagues” have. Participation in student elections is generally abysmal.

Take the fact that only five per cent of students at George Brown College (GBC) need to vote in order for a candidate to be elected to the Student Association’s board of directors. In the 2012 spring elections only 1200 students cast ballots out of a total membership of over 24,000 students.

The representative structure of student government is no more participatory than the other levels of parliamentary politics that disdainfully ignore working-class people after an election.

This is the structure that allows the

r

Dialog Reporters: Preeteesh Peetabh Singh

www.dialog.studentassociation.ca Tel: 416-415-5000 ext. 2764 Fax: 416-415-2491 sapccoord@georgebrown.ca

Recently students Quebec won a major victory, rolling back a steep tuition increase, by going on strike for a record 207 days, defying a repressive “special law”, building a popular movement and helping force an early election that defeated the Liberal government.

One of they key reasons they were able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of students was that student unionism in Quebec has a radically different model than the rest of Canada. Consisting of general assemblies at the more manageable departmental levels, students in these general assemblies can participate directly in the discussions and then vote directly on proposals.

The question is will students work to build similar bodies of direct democracy in Ontario?

Or will they just give the whole thing a collective shrug?

Letters to the editor

Re: International Students pay ‘absurd’ tution. Oct. 19 Not only the tuition fee but international students dont get any bursaries for lodging, books or other school supplies whereas OSAP covers most of them for all domestic students. International students fees are a big contributor to the Canadian economy and government should introduce more programs to support their stay in Canada. -Anu on www. dialog.studentassociation.ca

Re: There are countless stories like Amanda Todd’s. Oct. 19 Bullying as with any controlling or agressive behavior is an outward manifestation of internal issues gone wrong. In other words, what did an individual see when they were a child? Problem solving? Communication? How were they treated? Then, layer upon layer depending on their relationships, life circumstances and inward pain, it is externalized. Mental illness is not always seen until it is acted out.

-Catherine Barrow on Facebook

Managing Editor: Mick Sweetman SA Publications and Communications Coordinator: Mick Sweetman Dialog Published by: Student Association of George Brown College

George Brown College student newspaper

Contact in person or mail: Room E122 - Casa Loma 142 Kendal Avenue Toronto, ON M5R 1M3

SA board of directors to propose a new $25 student levy to the college’s board of governors and afterwards be wined and dined by the GBC Foundation at an exclusive $500-aticket black-tie gala.

This is the structure that doesn’t need to consult students about a levy that could see almost $6 million of their money spent filling the gap left by a chronic under-funding of postsecondary education by the provincial and federal governments.

The feds contributed only one per cent of funds according to GBC’s latest annual report, compare that to the 45 per cent paid by the province and the whopping 47 per cent GBC students pay out of thier own pocket.

Will students in Ontario protest when their tuition, already the highest in the country, is increased again by guidelines set in the next provincial budget?

Daneille Feraday

Dialog Contributors: Karen Nickel Jason Miller Cover photo by Preeteesh Peetabh Singh of GBC student and former intern Christopher Daniels.

The Dialog newspaper is published by the Dialog Collective under the auspices of the Student Association of George Brown College.

The collective is comprised of student editors and reporters and is responsible for the overall vision and direction of the Dialog newspaper, as it coincides with the larger vision of mission of the Student Association.

The cost of producing a monthly newspaper is in part defrayed by advertising revenue and largely subsidized by the Student Association.

Occasionally, some advertisers, products and services do not reflect the policies of the SA.

Opinions expressed in the Dialog are not necessarily those of the Dialog Collective, the Student Association of George Brown College, or its editorial staff.

The Dialog will not publish any material that attempts to incite violence or hatred against individuals or groups, particularly based on race, national origin, ethnicity, colour, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability.

Contributions to the Dialog are always gratefully accepted. We request that articles be submitted as digital copies in plain-text (TXT) or rich-text (RTF) format.

Letters to the editor can be sent in an email message to sapccoord@georgebrown.ca.

Images should be in EPS format as vector images or TIF format (Mac or PC). We request that you submit a hard copy of your work. Originals only please.

News 3

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

M O N D AY

T U E S D AY

W E D N E S D AY

T H U R S D AY

F R I D AY Nov. 2 Deaf World: What would it feel like if hearing people lived in a Deaf world? 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Room 165B at St. James Fall byelections meet & greet. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Room B175 St. James

Nov. 5 Voting day for Aboriginal Constituency 10 a.m. 6 p.m St. James, room 165B 10 a.m. - 3 p.m Casa Loma, room E130

Nov. 6 Voting day for ASL Constituency 10 a.m. - 6 p.m St. James, room 165B 10 a.m. - 3 p.m Casa Loma, room E130 The Carbon Rush film screening with director Amy Miller. Bloor Hot Docs Cinema 506 Bloor West 6:46 p.m

Nov. 7 Voting day for International Students / ESL Constituency 10 a.m. 6 p.m St. James, room 165B 10 a.m. - 3 p.m Casa Loma, room E130 Opening night of the Regent Park Film Festival. www.regentparkfilmfestival.com

Nov. 12 Student Association fall byelections. Vote 10 a.m - 6 p.m. at St. James, Waterfront and Casa Loma & until 3 p.m. at Ryerson

Nov. 13 Student Association fall byelections. Vote 10 a.m - 6 p.m. at St. James, Waterfront and Casa Loma & until 3 p.m. at Ryerson

Nov. 14 Student Association fall byelections. Vote 10 a.m - 6 p.m. at St. James, Waterfront and Casa Loma & until 3 p.m. at Ryerson

Flu shot clinic 9:30 a.m - 7 p.m. Main Lobby at Waterfront campus

Flu shot clinic 9:30 a.m - 5 p.m. Main Lobby at Waterfront campus

Flu shot clinic 9:30 a.m 7 p.m. Main West Lobby, Building A at St. James campus

GBC theatre CFS asks season starts feds for with 5 plays funding George Brown performing arts students are preparing to open the Young Centre’s stage with five great plays.

The first, Saturday Sunday Monday, is set to open Nov. 7 and run until Nov. 17.

It’s about an Italian family and their friends preparing to have their traditional Sunday dinner together.

Peppino, the patriarch, suspects his wife Rosa of cheating. When you add a mix of colorful family in, this dinner is just asking for disaster.

- George Brown Theatre School

Students from all across Canada met in Ottawa to present Members of Parliament and Senators with their vision for improving the quality and accessibility of public post-secondary education.

Their vision focused on reducing the student debt across Canada by half, making education more affordable and adopting a federal post-secondary education act that outlines a national standard for higher education.

Public education for public good, the student recommendations document is available at www.cfs-fcee. ca. - Canadian Federaion of Students

Nov. 8 Voting for Student Association fall byelections starts 10 a.m - 6 p.m. at all campuses.

Voting day for LGBTQ Constituency 10 a.m. 6 p.m St. James, room 165B 10 a.m. - 3 p.m Casa Loma, room E130

Nov. 9 Student Association fall byelections. Vote 10 a.m - 6 p.m. at St. James, Waterfront and Casa Loma & until 3 p.m. at Ryerson Voting day for CWTP Constituency 10 a.m. 6 p.m St. James, room 165B 10 a.m. - 3 p.m Casa Loma, room E130

Nov. 15 Voting for Student Association fall byelections 10 a.m - 6 p.m. at all campuses.

Flu shot clinic 9:30 a.m - 6 p.m. Main Lobby, Building E at Casa Loma campus

DAILY

UP

GBC runners GBC Fiction workshop advance Sean Sweeney and Liz Seguin will be advancing to their respective men’s and women’s Canadian Colleges Athletic Association individual cross country championships on Nov. 10 at Parc Michel-Chartrand in Longueuil, Quebec, a regional park with over 400 acres of nature paths, ponds, plants and wildlife.

Sweeney, who won the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association men’s individual race last year as a rookie at George Brown, recovered from a nasty leg injury and finished with a bronze medal.

Seguin, a rookie at George Brown with three medals in four preliminary invitational races, finished seventh.

Seguin posted a personal best time of 18:46.8. This was also Seguin’s first year of competitive racing since Grade nine.

- George Brown Athletics and Recreation.

Over the course of a three-session workshop, author Ava Homa discusses crafting a piece of fiction: How to create characters who breathe on the page; The art of writing dialogue; Plot is the thing: Suspense and conflict; Point of View and Setting.

Short stories are distributed to the participants prior to the beginning of the workshop.

During each session, participants are encouraged to read the text and analyze one element. After that, members will be asked to read their own work out loud and get constructive feedback from peers. This way the workshops help the writers build skills from session to session.

Workshops run Fridays, Nov. 2, 9 & 16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in room 237E, at St. James campus.

– George Brown College

4 News

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15 2012

Student Association passes new $25 levy

ing to create a transparent process which is free of marThe Student Association’s (SA) ginalization. board of directors took 17 min- An estimated $149,600 colutes to discuss if their office walls lected from students every should have group photographs year would be used to supor individual shots, but approved port capital projects such as a potential $5.98 million student expansion and renovation at levy in far less time at the Oct. 15 the Waterfront, St. James and Casa Loma campuses. board meeting.

“It will allow for a stronger Natraj Ramachandran from the GBC foundation was at the meet- student voice in the planning ing to present the proposed student stages of facilities expansion levy of $25 per year starting in Sep- and renovations that will altember 2013. Supposedly 75 per low the SA to advocate for cent will be used towards student student issues such as inscholarships and bursaries and 25 creased multi-faith space and per cent will fund capital projects. women’s only gym time.”

The proposed student levy, which said Mackenzie.

However, the powerpoint was unanimously approved by the board, estimates an annual student presentation at the board contribution of $598,000 totaling meeting only mentions that $5.98 million over 10 years. Ac- there would be a “Variety of cording to Julia Mackenzie, the naming recognition opportuSA’s director of Internal Affairs, nities within the Waterfront Aumeer, Mackenzie, GBC foundation president / CEO Graeme Page and SA business rep. Jason Monaghan at a gala at Waterfront campus on Oct. 25 the accumulated funds will be in- campus and future expansion has a $1 million endowment fund The SA will also look to make the vested constantly and gain interest. projects.”

The new ancillary fee will be in and got a $50,000 donation from registration process very simple All funds will be managed by the addition to a variety of current fees the SA in past years. The interest and clear. “We do not want students GBC foundation. such as the application fee, mateaccumulated from the fund is used to say later that they did not know The criteria and qualifications rerial fee, administration fee, student to provide student scholarships and they could opt-out.” said Aumeer. quired for getting the scholarships activity fee, Canadian Federation awards each year.

“I think the split was really fair. and bursaries, types of awards, of Students fee and health insurWhat happens to this donation I believe that we as students have amounts and other specific details ance fee.

Note that the existing stuwith the arrival of student levy? to be a part of the college infrahave not been decided yet. Modent activity fee collected goes to While Aumeer said that it would structure.” said Chris Bourque, the hammad Ali Aumeer, director of capital projects, renovations, phocontinue, Mackenzie said that it SA’s Liberal Arts And Preparatory Education and Equity for the SA, tocopying, services, paying staff would no longer exist once the levy Studies education centre represensaid board members will be worksalaries, organizing events and run- comes into effect. tative, “GBC Foundation first came ning campaigns.

“On an average it produced less with a 50-50 split, but SA was not Aumeer said, “I than two dozen awards of $1000 in in agreement with it, so we settled do not support any a year,” said Aumeer about the cur- for 75 per cent of the amount colback-door tuition rent bursaries by the SA. The new lected going towards scholarships fee hikes through levy will see available SA awards and rest 25 per cent towards capital an ancillary fee. increase dramatically. According to projects in the college.”

But, in terms of Aumeer, opting out of the levy will A lot of questions remain still unpositives, It was not mean that those students will answered, which is a concern; it is great opportunity not be eligible for scholarships, or students’ money that is being levfor SA to provide they do not get access to the athlet- ied. The board’s approval of the more student sup- ic center. They will have the same proposal without seeing any legal port in forms of privilege as the students who par- document at the meeting was also a scholarships, bur- ticipate. bit muddling. saries, equity fo- The SA is hoping to create a flexIs the concept of students paying cused capital proj- ible model that will take into ac- for their own scholarships viable? ects, and capital count the potential for a lower than Why did a multi-million dollar investments.” expected participation rate. Similar proposal not go to a referendum?

Getting slapped stings. Paying an additional $25 The GBC foun- levies in Canada have seen volunfee can leave a mark. Cartoon by Joseph Destua dation already tary participation from students.

By Preeteesh Peetabh Singh Dialog Reporter

News 5

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

Lack of accessibility a big problem at GBC

By Karen Nickel

Special to the Dialog

George Brown College’s Disability & Deaf Services office is located on the fifth floor of St. James campus in room 582C; a fact I thought was peculiar given accessibility, but I after I went there I realized it was a matter of space. It could be my perception but there seems to be more space as each floor you go up.

Disability & Deaf Services provide students with disabilities the tools and skills to achieve success in their studies. They provide accommodations for students such as: note takers; sign language interpretation; tutoring; adaptive technologies like recorders for lectures; they work with instructors so the course load is more manageable for the student; provide online textbooks to make them more readable. They also assist students in developing strategies for learning and they can step in and speak with instructors.

I have a condition that affects my ability to study from time to time, but I have never gone to ask for assistance so my knowledge of how services work is lacking. To learn more I went to my classmate Liz MacDougall, a woman with cerebral palsy, who uses the college’s services. She was incredibly gracious in giving me her time and answering my questions.

abilities, although some of them need to be more competent in their jobs. They do provide services with staff to help people. It is good that they have staff that are knowledgeable in a variety of areas such as intake coordinators, consultants, learning strategists, and adaptive technologists. Although I do not use the Deaf and hard-of-hearing services, it is good that they provide these services.

LM: Well, considering I have not been to the two ones that have taken place, yes, I will.

KN:What is one thing you would like people to know about your disability and your studies here?

LM: Although I have cerebral palsy and attention deficit disorder, I do

not think I am “disabled” in regards that I am incompetent, or not apt and able in regards to my studies here.

Also, I do not think of myself as a victim, or that I should get “special privileges”.

MacDougall is in her last year of part time studies in the assaulted women and children counsellor/ advocate program.

KN: Are you involved with the Disability Pride movement? If so, how?

LM: I am involved in various groups that promote progressiveness for people with disabilities, and ones that lobby the government for change.

When it comes to the Pride march. No. Not in the “Pride march” which is in it second year. My partner and I intended to go, as we are both passionate about the Disability Pride movement, however on the day Karen Nickel: What is your big- of the march each gest obstacle regarding disability of us had something that came up. issues here at George Brown?

I have not seen or heard anything regarding George Brown’s involvement in this. For example, neither from Disability Services or postings around the college, saying they support KN: What is George Brown doing this and encouraging people to beright about disability issues? come involved.

LM: They have a Disability Services office, with staff who are fairly KN: Would you go knowledgeable about various dis- to future Disability Liz MacDougall: Often one elevator is not working. With the small size of them and so many students using them they are often overcrowded.

As a result, people with disabilities can not get in. This is also a result of students who are “able bodies” often pushing their way past people with disabilities.

Pride Marches?

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6 News

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

Are unpaid internships the new normal?

“Many leave empty-handed, unpaid: time wasted. Yes we gain experience, but we all still have to pay Christopher Daniels knows about the bills.” said Daniels. In a large internships. city like Toronto, the competition Daniels, 41, is a red-seal certified is fierce, and employers know this. chef, who worked as an intern in Despite the fact that internships Toronto’s food industry and is still seem to be the new normal for uniunsettled in terms of his career. versity and college graduates there Sometimes interns are paid. More are few statistics about how wideoften they work for free, hoping the spread the practice is. internship will turn into a “real” job “We do not know what exactly is or at least give them work experihappening in the labour market” ence and a beefed-up resume. But says Toronto-based lawyer, Anin an a economy still trying to drag drew Langille. “Specific actions itself out of a recession, today’s can only be taken when we have university and college graduates enough data on unpaid internships have it tough. in the province or country. Surveys “I was paid a minimum wage, less and research needs to be conducted than the dishwashers, despite being on a large scale.” educated in my field and having Talks have been going on in the five years of directly related exunions for 15 years but no concrete perience,” says Daniels, “It is not steps have been taken on this issue a proud moment when it comes to yet. LiseLareau, vice president of discuss one’s wage, after volunteerthe Canadian Media Guild (CMG) ing, educating myself, paying thousays that it is tough to strike a balsands to do so, then find out I am ance in providing people with instill working for minimum wage.” ternship opportunities and at the Even so, according to research same time not abusing them withconducted by Agata Zeiba, an MA out compensation.

“Unions in general, do not support unpaid internships” s a y s Carmel Smyth, national p r e s i dent of the CMG. “We help in sponsoring, raising awareness, speaking publically, educating people and pushing the gov“Many leave empty-handed, unpaid: time wasted. Yes we gain experience, but we all ernment to still have to pay the bills.” says Christopher Daniels who interned a a chef and is now taking finance at GBC Photo: Preeteesh Peetabh Singh / The Dialog

By Preeteesh Peetabh Singh Dialog Reporter

student at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University, a staggering 59 per cent of internships in Canada remain unpaid.

Unpaid or not, these days rejecting an internship offer is not an option for most students. An estimated 86 per cent of graduates are willing to work for free. With high unemployment it often seems the only gateway into the job market.

To economists, the new world of internships, job casualization and unemployment are combining to create a new and worrisome feature of the modern job market — precariousness.

After the economic crash of 2008, many companies viewed internships as a survival tactic which provided them free labour. It has now turned into a long-term business strategy and it won’t be surprising if it becomes a permanent one.

Daniels, who dreamt of becoming a successful, high quality chef in a French restaurant, says Canadian employers have gotten used to free labour and so has he.

do something about it. We are very committed to work on the social justice front but if you talk about individual work place, we cannot do anything with a company which we do not represent or that is nonunionized.”

The lack of statistics raises several unanswered questions. How many internships translate into paid employment? What is the length and duration of internships? How does it translate into actual applicable work experience required by the employer for a desired position?

Internships and precarious employment is prominent in cultural sectors too. In many ways that is how it’s always been for artists, writers, actors, musicians, or photographers, most of whom do not get a chance to work full time. Not that it makes life any easier.

They are seasonal or temporary workers with few benefits, lack of collective representation and little or no job security. Bryn McAuley, an actor and ACTRA member for 17 years, mentions how her life swings due to the precarious nature of her work, from making $48,000 in good times to $8,000 per year in bad times. The iconic children’s show voiceactress has to work in a restaurant to sustain herself at times.

For Daniels, internships turned out to be an unsatisfactory path.

He’s come back to school at GBC to retrain and look for a second career in finance.

“It’s time to work towards a future that will allow me to support a family. I do not see things changing rapidly and I think that people will have to prepare for a long battle with poverty before making it to the big leagues. It’s my belief that we need to constantly adapt and evolve, the world is constantly changing. By staying current and even creating a market for a service or product that exists or we create, we will have a future and we will make it ourselves.”

News 7

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

Disability Pride becomes annual march

By Karen Nickel Special to The Dialog

In 2011 the Disability Pride movement sprang out of the momentum of the Occupy movement, focused on how austerity, cuts and the lack of police training protocols adversely affecting their community. A main point was that persons with disabilities were the “lowest 1% of the 99%” and persons with disabilities need to be included as active movement leaders and participants.

This year’s Disability Pride rally and march on Oct. 13 continued demanding these issues be addressed.

Don Weitz spoke up for psychiatric survivors calling for “an end to disabling policies that disempower and violate the rights of our brothers and sisters”. “Ableism,” he went on to say, “was the hidden belief that persons with disabilities were ‘inferior’,” and “mentalism was the belief that disabled persons were incapable of making their own decisions.”

Weitz said, “mentalism and ableism work hand-in-hand to institutional-

ize and take away rights in a way that was not acceptable and not tolerable; but by working together we will strike a blow and win!”

Melissa Graham, co-organizer and emcee for the rally, began the event with a condemnation of all oppression against persons with disabilities through ableism and acknowledged that for some this can be experienced concurrently with classism, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. She rallied the roughly 40 enthusiastic attendees to be loud, visible and proud during the march.

There were a couple of things that were unique to Disability Pride march that showed the reality of the challenges faced and made plain the reasons why there is a huge need for change. There was the blown tire of a mobility chair requiring a van pick up; someone to watch for potholes; during the march people realized some chants were inappropriate if they referred to “standing up” and were quickly changed to “sit down” or “speak up”; there was the need to explain to bicycle cops why say-

ing “keep walking” and “keep moving, people” was offensive while hurrying us forward but making us stop at lights. Something I haven’t experienced in other marches.

One person who wanted to attend the march was unable to because when they arrived at their local subway station the elevator was out of order. There was no way they could make it to the rally.

Plans were undone because of one broken elevator. It’s impossible to guess how many people would like to attend the march, but for A couple at the Disability Pride march on Oct. 13 various reasons like Photo: Karen Nickel / The Dialog this, were unable to.

The second annual Disability Pride march took place Oct. 13 in Toronto.

Photos: Karen Nickel / The Dialog

8 Arts & Entertainment

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

Regent Park Film Fest builds community

The most important time to keep a community together is when it feels like it’s being ripped apart. For the The Regent Park area in Toronto, lopast 10 years the Regent Park comcated at the corner of Parliament and munity has come together to celGerrard, is known as Canada’s oldebrate a program that was dedicated est and largest social housing project. With people from all different walks of life, the community is as diverse as the city itself. When the new renovations started by Toronto Community Housing their mission was “to provide affordable housing, connect tenants to services and opportunities, and work together to build healthy communities”. Yet when the renovations and demolition of the old housing began it brought with it a reign of terror to the Regent Park community.

People were uprooted and moved into placement homes while their old houses were demolished leaving to keeping a community connectsome houses empty. According to a ed - the Regent Park Film Festival 2010 article in The Globe and Mail (RPFF), Toronto’s only free multiby Anna Mehler Paperny with these cultural film festival. new empty spaces came increased “We believe firmly in making high crime and violence in the area. Famiquality films and relevant stories aclies were afraid to let their children cessible to people from all walks of outside. life” says Ananya Ohri , executive

By Dani Feraday Dialog Reporter

director of the festival.

“We are very pleased to hold this year’s festival in our new home at Daniels Spectrum,” which is located at 585 Dundas Street East, “where we have our own screening room, s p a c e for production suites, and the opportunity to work admits other wonderful creative and engaged community organizations in Regent Park.”

Richard Fung, RPFF’s program director says, “It’s nice to finally be back in the community, before Daniels Spectrum was available the film festival committee was working out of 41 Richmond Street West.”

Daniels Spectrum has its own

REGENT PARK FILM FESTIVAL

theater downstairs in the building with seats for monthly community screenings and a childcare centre for free childcare while the festival is in production. There are also three edit suites upstairs that Fung hopes will be used for free youth film workshops in the near future.

“Film is a medium to articulate experience, to give it a voice and channel a viewpoint. All over the world, where and how we start out in life holds sway over the filmmakers choice of subject,” says Gail Picco who is the chair of the board of directors, “The purpose of the Regent Park film festival is to be a vehicle for Regent Park and inner-city communities around the world to express their viewpoint; to offer film as a means to be understood, to tell stories and share life. As we struggle with the problems of crime, poverty, and disenfranchisement in our city, the festival showcases a prospective we don’t usually see.”

RPFF is screening folks from Nov. 7 to 17. For more information see: www.regentparkfilmfestival.com

MORE THAN JUST YOUR STUDENT UNION - WE ARE YOUR TEAM! THE STUDENT ASSOCIATION OF GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING QUALITY SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO GBC STUDENTS. THOUGH WE FREQUENTLY WORK WITH THE COLLEGE, THE SA IS A SEPARATELY INCORPORATED NOT-FOR-PROFIT — RUN BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS. APPROXIMATELY 22,000 FULL-TIME GBC STUDENTS ARE PART OF THE SA, AND WE ENCOURAGE ALL STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE. FROM PROVIDING HEALTH INSURANCE TO THROWING PARTIES, THE SA WANTS TO ENSURE EVERY STUDENT HAS AN ENRICHING AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AT COLLEGE. CLUBS LEGAL COUNSEL TTC SALES FACILITIES TAX CLINIC SAFEWALK LIFEWORKS CAMPAIGNS FOOD BANK JOBS EVENTS MEMBER SERVICES ACADEMIC ADVOCACY BURSARIES LGBTQ CENTRE ASL COMMUNITYCENTRE THE DIALOG THE SOURCE ABORIGINAL STUDENT COMMUNITY CENTRE CENTRE FOR WOMEN AND TRANS PEOPLE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COMMUNITY CENTRE

Technology 9

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

Video game design skill swap at hit at GBC

By Dani Feraday Dialog Reporter

It started off as a conversation between friends in a bar. Randy Orienstien, Michael Todd and Fernando Restituto had a conversation about how there should be a place for people in the game design field to come together and help each other out, skill wise.

In an industry where you need to continuously be learning and picking up new ideas and skills to even compete for jobs, the Toronto skill swap was an idea waiting to happen and became a reality in May 2011.

Toronto Skill Swap is growing bigger each day; right now their Facebook page has 430 likes and is growing.

George Brown College offered labs in the St. James campus to house these weekly events. It has grown to hold a blend of industry professionals, students, a good chunk who are from George Brown, and indie developers.

Though the size of the audience varies depending on the speakers and subject, promotion also determines what the turnout will be.

The Skill Swap on Friday Oct. 26 was about “Introduction to Low

Poly Modeling, Optimization and Edgeloops�. It had about six people in the audience and was quite short notice being announced only a half a week before the date.

Another more publicized skill swap happened Friday, Oct. 12. Tim Miller; design director at Rocket 5 Studios was running a swap about making a 2-D sprite-based game with unity and had about 50 people some people were even sitting on the floor - who came out for this threehour lecture.

According to Randy Orienstien this was their biggest turn out yet. Unfortunately they were only able to get

through half of the project before time ran out.

If you want to know more about this system you can read about it at www.rocket5studios.com under the section Skillswap: Making a 2 player 2D game with unity.

Orienstien says this is an extra opportunity to learn. If you stop becoming involved in this industry your career will die before it even begun.

If you wish to become involved in the Toronto Skill Swap you can contact Randy through his twitter @ RandyOrenstein or become a member of the Facebook group Toronto SkillSwap!

When it comes to gambling, taking precautions just makes sense. safeorsorry.ca Take our quiz online for a chance at a home entertainment system.

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10 Sports

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

WOLFPACKTICKER

By Jason Miller GBC Athletics Men’s Soccer: OCAA East All-Stars Kyle Taitt Massimilliano D’Arcangelo Cross Country: OCAA Provincial Championship: Algoma University Sault St. Marie On. Hiawatha Highlands Conservation Area Women’s 5 KM Liz Seguin 7th – 18.46 Sarah Fournier 51st – 23.10 Men’s 8 KM Sean Sweeney 3rd – 25.31 Adam Czuchnicki 16th – 27.01 Theodore Tam 31st – 28.06 Sangau Ahmed 39th – 29.17 Edgar Malchic 52nd – 30.04 Oliver Kladnik 67th – 31.03 James Perico 71st – 31.32 Men’s team came fourth They are off to the CCAA national championship taking place in Quebec Men’s Basketball: St. Lawrence Basketball Invitational Huskies 77 – Champlain 91 (Dejazmatch James, 23, Bruno Silvestrin, 13) Huskies 79 – St. Lawrence 55 (Dejazmatch James, 13, Ted Johnson

13) Huskies 72 – Fleming 49 (Bruno Silvestrin 22) Bruno Silvestrin named tournament all-star Huskies win Bronze Medal at the St. Lawrence Tournament Huskies 80 – St. Clair 73 (Dejazmatch James, 19, Bruno Silvestrin, 16) Huskies beat Lambton Women’s Basketball: Huskies 51 – Sheridan 64 (Kalya Higgins 16, Shan Wilson 10) Huskies lose to Lambton Huskies lose to St. Clair Men’s Volleyball: Huskies 0 – Mohawk 3 Huskies 3 – Georgian 1 (Stephen Duong 10 kills, Sean Bennett 8 kills) Huskies 3 – Conestoga 0 (Edwin Sheon 10 kills, Theo Gordon 9 kills) Men’s Volleyball are 9 – 1 in preseason.

Women’s Volleyball Huskies 0 – Mohawk 3 Huskies 0 – Georgian 3 (Iris Su Wong had 7 digs, Brianna Perry 5 aces) Huskies 1 – Conestoga 3

(Iris Su Wong 10 kills, Vanetta Martens 9 kills) Extramural Dodgeball: Recently the dodge ball team represented the huskies and competed in a regional meet. They came third after some strong throws and dodges. I you would like to join an extramural team go to any GBC Athletic Centre and inquire.

Upcoming Home Games: Men’s/ Women’s Basketball: Nov. 2 Huskies vs. Centennial 6/8 PM Nov. 3 Huskies vs Fleming 2/4 PM Nov. 16 Huskies vs La Cite 7 PM Nov. 17 Huskies vs Algonquin 1/3 PM All Games held in Alex Barbier Gymnasium Men’s/ Women’s Volleyball: Nov. 14 Huskies vs Seneca 6/8 PM All Games held in Alex Barbier Gymnasium Movember: A few games throughout the month of November the Huskies will be accepting donations to go toward prostate cancer research. Stay tuned for more information and check out some of the GBC Huskies sporting a mustache.

Twitter: Tweeting about GBC Athletics? Use the hastag #huskienation and follow us @GBC_Huskies for all the latest news and scores.

BADMINTON . BASEBALL . BASKETBALL . CROSS COUNTRY OUTDOOR SOCCER . INDOOR SOCCER .VOLLEYBALL

www.athletics.georgebrown.ca

The Dialog Nov. 2 - 15, 2012

Sudoku

Harry Potter reveals an ugly side of reality

Incentive for students working for charity

The release of J.K.Rowling’s adult fiction novel titled The Casual Vacancy was surrounded by much hype.

The author steps out of Hogwarts to write about a dark, sarcastic and realistic story revolving around the sudden death of a council member in a tiny village, Pagford, in England. The novel revolves around the fascinating characters of the village, their everyday lives with a tinge of satire and tragedy.

For all Harry Potter fans, it is not a book with comical characters and magic wands; it’s a book which will surprise with an engrossing and captivating story which reveals the ugly side of social reality.

- The Concordian, Canadian University Press

Students working or volunteering in a registered not-for-profit organization for at least 30 hours in a week will be eligible for an extended grace period of one year for the repayment of their OSAP loans.

The Ontario government announced this incentive for the students reeling under OSAP loans, encouraging them to work in this important sector which will help the government to boost economy, create new jobs, and attract investments in the province.

- The Lance, Canadian University Press

First ever folk innovator award

Join the Dialog team!

Journalists play a key role in our student community. They gather information and prepare stories for our student publications and inform us about newsworthy events and happenings in our community. They present factual information on current issues and report on the actions of public officials, board members, corporations and others who exercise power.

We are currently looking for motivated students with a passion for storytelling to join our team. Please send a cover letter, resume and a sample of your writing to us at: sapccoord@georgebrown.ca or call 416-415-5000 ext. 2764 for more information.

Puzzles 11

Folk Music Canada, will hand over its first ever Innovator Award at the 2012 Canadian Folk Music Awards to be held in November at Saint John, N.B. The recognition will be given to a pioneer of the folk community.

The first of its kind music innovator award is not centered on musician’s recordings or plain folk music. Instead it is focused on the development of the folk community as a whole.

- The Fulcrum, Canadian University Press

B.C. government announces free online textbooks The B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education has promised to make some university textbooks available online for free. The proposal is to commission textbook authors or developers to compose online textbooks for the most sought-after undergraduate courses. They will be available through a Creative Commons license which will allow free use.

BCcampus, a non-profit organization will store the textbooks online.

The free textbooks will save hundreds of dollars for about 200,000 students per year, but it also might cut into bookstore sales.

- The Ubyssey, Canadian University Press

THE STUDENT ASSOCIATION OF GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE (THE SA) INVITES YOU – THE SA MEMBERS TO OUR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 11:30 P.M. – 3 P.M. GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE - CASA LOMA CAMPUS E112 (STUDENT CENTRE) 142 KENDAL AVE. - TORONTO, ON M5R 1M3

LUNCH PROVIDED AT 3 P.M.