Doug Ford’s government says they’re “supporting” children and students through Bill 33.
THEY’RE WRONG.
Bill 33 is:
An attack on YOUR students’ unions, student-run services, student jobs, and your campus
A dangerous precedent for exclusionary education policies, targeting marginalized students
An overreach by the government to curb academic freedoms
An increase in policing and surveillance
A distraction from the underfunding of our colleges and universities
Doug Ford’s government does not care about students, workers, or families...
...ONLY ABOUT PUTTING PROFIT OVER PEOPLE!
International students concerned about feds’ reduction of study permits
By Psalm Mishael Taruc
The federal government announced they would reduce the study permits issued to international students from 305,900 this year to 155,000 in 2026—a 49 per cent decrease, according to the 2025 budget presented on Nov. 4.
Aligning with the goal of bringing immigration back to “sustainable” levels, Ottawa plans to lower the number of temporary residents from 6.5 per cent of Canada’s total population to 5 per cent by 2026.
Universities and colleges will take a hit with the new policy, as they lose funding from international students’ tuition fees, said Usha George, the former academic director of the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement.
George added that some institutions’ overdependence on international admissions is not a good way to operate “but that used to be the case.”
In 2024, the federal govern -
ment decreased the cap on international student permits by 35 per cent compared to 2023 according to the Government of Canada.
As a result, some colleges had to close certain programs created primarily to cater to students from abroad, George said.
Third-year creative industries
student Yeganeh Shajari at Toronto Metropolian University (TMU), expressed empathy for prospective students who planned their lives around studying in Canada, although she understood why the reduction was made.
Shajari, an international student from Iran, said the influx of students coming into Toronto put a strain on the city’s resources, particularly on housing.
“Where are we [international students] going?,” she said. “We [international students] don’t have enough housing and stuff.”
Less students coming in from overseas countries in the next three years does not guarantee that affordability and finding jobs will become easier for the inter-
Do students know anything about the TMSU?
By Jane McDowell
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students raise concerns about lack of outreach from the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU) ahead of the upcoming Fall 2025 byelections, saying they are unaware of the union outside of its reputation.
At the time of publication of this article, the campaigning period for the TMSU Fall 2025 byelections is scheduled to start in six days. Students will start voting on Nov. 24 until Nov. 26 to decide their executive committee and Board of Directors for the 2025-26 academic year.
This comes after motion by the TMSU to postpone the Fall 2025 by-election at a Special General Meeting failed on Sept. 29.
The TMSU Board of Governors voided the April general election. MNP LLP, TMSU’s independent investigator, reported that a Fall by-election would likely be subject to the same corruption as the Winter 2025 general election. However,
PIERRE-PHILIPE WANYA-TAMBWE/THE EYEOPENER
national students already here, said George.
The first time Kanhchana Ly, a first-year PhD student from Cambodia, heard about the changes, she hoped she would not be affected, as she is in the process of extending her study permit.
For prospective students, Ly said, “It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
Liesl Korompis, a third-year media production student from Indonesia, said she is already struggling to find community among international students. The thought of “having even less of that...makes me sad,” she said.
George says attitudes towards immigration in the last couple of years have “gone sour,” with more people saying that Canada should stop letting in too many immigrants.
“Canada used to be a pro immigration country, but in recent
times, we hear that people do not want more immigrants to come,” said George.
Regardless, George urged to empathize with international students who are “feeling the pinch of all of these policies.”
“Sometimes the confusion is palpable, and [international students] also don’t know where they go from here,” she said.
TMU international students who spoke with The Eyeopener said diversity and language were among the reasons why they came to Canada.
Korompis said she came here to express herself more freely and form her own identity outside the more traditional borders of her country.
“There were parts of my identity that I wasn’t allowed to explore...and I wanted to go to a place that was more open about those things,” said Korompis.
Having English as an official language was non-negotiable
when they chose where to pursue higher education, making Canada an enticing option, Shajari and Ly said.
Canada welcomed 45,380 international students in August just before the beginning of the fall term, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, bringing the total number of study permit holders to over 800,000.
In an email statement to The Eye, the International Student Enrolment, Education & Inclusion office said “TMU’s international student population is less than 10 per cent of its overall student population.”
“Despite the planned decrease, TMU will continue to align enrolment strategies with our core values of providing a high-quality education and enriching student experience for both domestic and international students,” the statement read.
the motion to postpone the Fall by-election did not receive the two-thirds majority votes required, as previously reported by The Eyeopener.
However, many TMU students who spoke with The Eye say they are unaware of the TMSU and the upcoming by-election.
James MacLean, a third-year media production student, told The Eye that while he is aware of the TMSU, he does not fully trust the union due to their past scandals.
“I would love to get to know more about it”
“I haven’t heard recent news of fraud, so I would say that’s good,” he said. “I would say...give them another year and then I’d fully trust them.”
Jonas Ibana, a second-year accounting and finance student said that he rates his knowledge of the TMSU as “definitely a one” out of ten.
“All I know about them is I received the emails from [the TMSU] and then I’ll read it, and
it’ll be like, “oh, wait, I’m not that interested”…I scroll off with the emails a lot,” he said.
Ibana said he does trust the TMSU but hopes that “as a student...they’d have the best interests for the rest of us.”
“I would say...give them another year and then I’d fully trust them”
Kate Lopes, a second-year public health student shared this same sentiment but expressed a willingness to learn more of the union.
“I’m actually not super aware of it. I’m not super into it, but I would love to get to know more
about it,” said Lopes.
Despite her lack of awareness, Lopes says that she thinks the TMSU is doing a good job to represent student interests.
“I feel like [TMSU] is very, very involved and they try their best to make campus very inclusive.”
Angela Hanasan, a second-year computer science student said she was unaware of the programs and services the union provides on campus.
“For the health and dental plan, [there should be] more knowledge about it, cause [in my] first-year I didn’t know much about it and I didn’t end up using the health benefits much,” she said.
MacLean says that preventing major scandals could be the best thing for the TMSU to do.
“If people don’t really [hear] about any scandals that could potentially be good. If I don’t hear about scandals going on, that must mean they’re doing their job, right?” he questioned.
The campaign period for the Fall by-election will be held from Nov. 17 to 21. Students will be given three days to vote, from Nov. 24 to 26.
The TMSU will be holding its semi-annual general meeting on Dec. 2, with an agenda scheduled to be published on their website on Nov. 18.
Community members demand TMU prohibit student clubs from hosting Israeli military delegations
Pro-Palestine student organizers held a press conference following a demonstration at a pro-Israel student event held off-campus, which saw five people arrested.
By Amira Benjamin and Negin Khodayari
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students and allies demanded the administration ban student groups from platforming military delegations and prohibit them from visiting universityaffiliated events, at a press conference on campus on Nov. 7.
The press conference comes following the arrest of five proPalestinian protestors at a TMU Students Supporting Israel (SSI) event off-campus on Nov.5, where a former Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldier was in attendance.
The Toronto Police Service confirmed on Nov. 6 that charges were laid against five individuals, including TMU students, who have since been released.
A video posted on TMU’s Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) Instagram account shows the former IDF soldier forcibly and physically removing demonstrators from the SSI event.
“SSI’s request to host the event on campus was denied”
Footage uploaded to TMU SSI’s Instagram acccount also shows the confrontation and the breaking of a glass door at the event.
Eight protestors were allegedly hospitalized after the confrontation according to SJP, while an unspecified number were injured. According to SSI, the soldier was also injured by the broken glass.
“We demand Canadian academic institutions to prohibit foreign military delegations from visiting
campus, being hosted by universitysponsored clubs or attending the institutions as either a student or faculty,” said Julia*, a TMU student organizer at the press conference.
In an email statement to The Eyeopener, the university said the SSI event was not sanctioned by TMU.
“SSI’s request to host the event on campus was denied due to a lack of transparency about the topic and guest speakers,” the email read.
They also stated that on-campus events “involving outside speakers, controversial topics, security matters, etc. must be submitted weeks in advance” and “IDF soldiers have never been permitted to appear on TMU campus.”
Public areas like Gould Street are not considered to be on-campus.
The SSI event was part of the “Triggered: From Combat to Campus” tour, which attempts to invite students to “learn, talk, and hear from an American-Israeli about life in Israel since October 7,” according to a post on SSI’s Instagram account.
According to a Facebook post, Ilan Sinelnikov, founder of the SSI program, stated that the TMU administration denied the group’s request for on-campus space three times before they found an offcampus location. The Toronto Star reported that the owner of the building at 49 Elm St. where the SSI event was held, was “completely unaware of the political leanings” of the event and was not made aware of the nature of the gathering.
“We refuse to quietly accept that war criminals could be brought into our city, into our campuses cloaked in the language of ‘dialogue’ and
‘safety’,” said Julia.
In October 2024, a United Nations (UN) commission found Israel had been committing war crimes and “acts against humanity” in Gaza in retaliation for an attack from Hamas, which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 2023, according to Brown University research.
The UN has since declared Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip a genocide, with at least 68,229 people killed by Israel from Oct. 7, 2023, to Oct. 21, 2025, according to Al Jazeera
At the press conference, Julia commended students who demonstrated at the SSI event. “Students did exactly what you’re supposed to do when your university chooses to host war criminals that are complicit in genocide.”
Julia said at the conference that the university was aware of students’ complaints.
“Before protesting, students did everything we were always told to do. We sent emails, we organized, we petitioned but we got no response from the administration,” said Julia. “TMU cannot pretend it did not know.”
Mohammed William, a member of the Toronto chapter of Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) was also among the speakers at the conference.
“We are here today because of an extremely alarming incident, one that exposes the systemic inequities within our institutions, creating an environment that is hostile to Palestinian existence,” said William.
“This event was a failure to protect Canadian students from being violently assaulted by a soldier in a foreign military.”
In an email statement to The Eye,
SJP listed several demands of the university, including a public condemnation by TMU administration of all SSI events and the disclosure of the university’s investments and divestments relating to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
TMU has recently released a list of its public market holdings managed by Fiera Capital.
Other speakers at the press conference included School of Journalism associate chair and Faculty for Palestine TMU member Sonya Fatah and Zoe Newman of Jews Say No to Genocide.
The university released a public statement on Nov. 5 and an additional one on Nov. 7 saying it is “deeply concerned” about the incident and “condemns any actions involving violence, property damage, or intimidation.”
“TMU cannot pretend it did not know.”
In the statement from Nov. 7 TMU said it will “reaffirm” its commitment to a “safe, respectful and inclusive campus environment.”
“The university respects the right to demonstrate but it is essential that community members conduct themselves with respect and civility,” the statement read. “TMU condemns any actions involving violence, property damage, or intimidation. On and off campus, such behaviour is unacceptable and counter to TMU’s values and policies.”
The Eye reached out to SSI for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
*This person’s last name has been omitted to protect their identity.
VANESSA KAUK/THE EYEOPENER
“It’s on the journalists”: TMU’s School of Journalism and Indigenous reporting
Journalism
students and professors grapple with their complicated relationship with Indigenous communities
By Ava Whelpley and Daniel Opasinis
Disclaimer: One source interviewed in this story has previously contributed to The Eyeopener while another has taught Eyeopener staff. This story explores themes of journalism and reporting.
An Eyeopener staff attended ‘To Clear The Sky: Mississauga Agency and Presence at the Treaty of Niagara’—an Indigenous Education and Treaties Recognition Week event—on Nov. 5 in hopes of covering the week of events on campus for the upcoming paper.
After the event, our staff member was hoping to conduct interviews with some of the attendees but didn’t get the chance—they quickly approached her instead, with cameras in their hands, identifying themselves as journalism students. They were on the hunt for sources for a class assignment.
The overwhelming presence of School of Journalism students at Indigenous-led events at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) isn’t new. In fact, the historic conflicting relationships between Indigenous peoples and journalists remains alive at the university, said Brian Norton, the program manager for Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii Indigenous Student Services (GMISS).
According to a brief by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)—Indigenous
Peoples and the Media—while reporting on Indigenous issues has increased since 2023, harmful stereotypes persist along with the dismissal of Indigenous voices.
“Reconciliation is all about learning and understanding different points of view,” he said.
“I mean, it’s great that the School of Journalism has prioritized Indigenous voices and Indigenous stories, but I think that the whole concept wasn’t completely thought through,” Norton said.
“If it’s your first time there, you shouldn’t be reporting on it”
While Norton does not work for TMU’s Indigenous Education Council—a TMU Indigenous branch whose mandate is to improve Indigenous curriculum across university programs—he said he’s heard of attempts to introduce more comprehensive Indigenous reporting techniques within the School of Journalism.
Shari Okeke, assistant professor in journalism at The Creative School said that the lived experience of students is an important factor in their ability to cover communities with care.
“I approach it by telling them that it is too early in their journalism education to be covering Indigenous communities,” she said. “So I do not want any of my students causing harm and my effort to prevent harm is by essentially saying that they cannot.”
Okeke stressed the importance of stepping into Indigenous spaces as a person before being a journalist. “If it’s your first time there, you shouldn’t be reporting on it,” she said, specifically in reference to powwow’s or events like Treaties Recognition Week.
While first-year journalism students are often sent out on assignments around campus, the students at the Nov. 5 event were taking videos, which Okeke explained would never be required of her students.
Norton echoed the importance of spending time with Indigenous peoples and making real connections.
“I think it requires a bit of foresight on students’ part, knowing that they are going to have to do reporting on Indigenous stories at some point, I think maybe that should be delayed until later years,” he said. “Maybe third or fourth year , because we can use those first and second years to actually inform a journalist and how they can build contacts, build relationships.”
Fourth-year journalism student, Sarah Bauly, said she believes more research should be done in first year. No t just on how to respectfully approach Indigenous people with the goal of getting a quote but on the complex history of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada.
“I feel like it can be done in a less harmful way,” she said. “Professor Okeke has done a great job in doing that.”
“My approach is more we need to start learning about some of the experiences, lived experiences, of these communities a little bit as a start. And so I like to introduce them to people,” Okeke said.
As part of her first year class— Introduction to Journalism (JRN 103)—Okeke said she introduces students to guest speakers, some being Indigenous, not to ask questions but to simply hear their stories.
“I encourage people to take the time, because you’re reporting on a group of people, on a nation, and if you get that story wrong, you’re gonna get roasted for it,” Norton said.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) outlines 94 calls to action encouraging the process of reconciliation in Canada with specific demands, as previously reported by The Eye.
“Media can be a really ugly thing when it comes to First Nations reporting”
TRC call to action 86 reads, “We call upon Canadian journalism programs and media schools to require education for all students on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations.”
Bauly feels the Reporting on Indigenous Issues (JRN350) course should be required for journalism students rather than an elective and should be introduced much sooner. “I don’t think that conversation is happening early enough in the program,” she said.
Evan Voutsinas, a second-year journalism student said that if people at the Nov. 5 event were upset by the presence of journalists, “it’s on the journalists.”
“Honestly, media can be a really ugly thing when it comes to First Nations reporting, and we’ve known that, that was one of the first things that we learned in first year, is how to be respectful of culture,” he said.
Voutsinas remembered an assignment in first year, where students were specifically told not to attend the TMU’s annual powwow as part of their assignment. He said first-year classes on reconciliation and Indigenous reporting have stuck with him, especially when it comes to the care it takes.
“We have a responsibility to respect the events that we’re going to…You can’t just run up to somebody with a mic in their face and expect them to interview [with] you if they’re running an event,” he said. “That’s not something that we were taught and we were actually pushed away from doing that in our first year. So if anybody’s doing that, then I guess it’s just a lack of consideration from what our program has already taught us.”
AVA WHELPLEY/THE EYEOPENER
Trapped in visa limbo
International student graduates are struggling with lengthy waits for work visas—current students worry what this means for their futures
By Julian Sharma
Visuals by Rachel Cheng
In April of this year, Harsh* graduates from a cyber security program at an Ontario college expecting success.
He had plenty of work experience in his home country of India and had succeeded in landing an internship during his two year program when many of his peers hadn’t. Harsh has done the work, made the connections and spent hours educating himself on his chosen field.
Following the rules, he applies for a Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP)—a visa introduced to help international student graduates gain Canadian work experience. He begins to look for work in the meantime.
Amidst these applications, recruiters will sometimes reach out, go through multiple interview rounds with him, only to reject him outright upon finding out he is waiting for a work permit.
Harsh has a work authorization letter to prove that he is legally allowed to work while waiting for the visa but says employers reject him anyway—which he believes is because his future in Canada is still in the balance.
One month into looking for a job, his optimistic outlook starts to decline. He becomes disheartened with the few opportunities available to him and with the treatment he’s receiving from recruiters.
“They treat you as if you don’t matter,” says Harsh.
With no luck finding work in his field, Harsh takes up ‘DoorDashing’ for extra cash. He drives up to 10 hours every day, six days a week. Enough to tire a person out and wear them down.
On one of these nights, 10 p.m. on a weekday, around 50 to 80 km from his house, Harsh is driving around waiting for orders. He says there aren’t as many deliveries on weekdays, and Harsh knew he’d have to drive all the way back home, likely without getting a single order. He’s anxious about his future and exhausted from the job search—that’s when he crashes his car.
He isn’t hurt, but the car is totalled. Harsh spends the next month in alone, without a car to get around and no way to make extra income. He’s depressed, scared for his future and unhappy with his life.
Harsh isn’t the only international student in Canada feeling uncertain about their future here.
Many international student graduates are living in a state of limbo, experiencing long waits for PGWPs and many are searching for employment and finding none. Some are working but remain unsure about their future in the country as their wait for a visa drags on.
Backlog and delays within the immigration system have resulted in waits for PGWPs being an estimated 226 days, according to the government’s application processing time calculator. This is leaving students without many options, unsure of where to go to find opportunities or who to turn to for help.
According to a journal article by Dr. Everton Ellis, a scholar and assistant professor of social justice at Mount Saint Vincent University, many employers will reject an applicant due to misunderstanding how the PGWP works. Either that, or they don’t want to risk hiring someone without knowing how long they’ll be here. Either way, the process is upsetting and isolating.
Ellis explains in an interview with The Eyeopener the effects this can have on students’ mental health. Graduates who live in a state of not knowing, trapped between a temporary and permanent identity as a Canadian, experience high levels of stress.
“It really takes a toll on them,” says Ellis. Harsh has since moved in with friends in Toronto. He’s using the insurance money he got from his accident to get by but says that won’t be enough. In two months, the money will run out and he will have to decide between going back to India or asking his parents for money, which he says isn’t feasible. The only thing left for him to do is keep searching and continue waiting.
Tomas Castillo is preparing to graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in the spring.
For many university students, their final year is hopeful, marking the end of an era and the triumphant start of a new one. Students might move back home or maybe travel the world, and start a job in the field they’ve been studying for the past four years.
For Castillo and many other international students, that final year looks different. In early October, Castillo is in Vancouver with some of his peers in the urban and regional planning program when he gets a message on his phone. His coworkers at TMU Housing and Residence Life
just shared that their manager is leaving.
Castillo got on the phone and found out his manager wasn’t leaving on his own volition but instead he wasn’t able to secure permanent residence (PR) status and would have to leave the country.
The government uses category-based selection for the immigration Express Entry program, which prioritizes certain indemand fields over others—and the manager’s job did not qualify.
Castillo took the experience as a reality check, a potential glimpse into his future post-graduation.
There’s no telling what awaits him after he crosses the stage at convocation
Castillo’s parents were already in Canada when he first moved here from Colombia in 2022. His dad is a doctor but was unable to find work in Canada and therefore could not apply for a work visa. Unable to stay, his parents went back to Colombia and Castillo remained here with his student visa.
Now, three years later, Castillo is in his final year at TMU, unsure of what’ll happen next.
There’s no telling what awaits him after he crosses the stage at convocation.
“There’s not a single day that I don’t stress about it and there’s not a week that I can go without…thinking about where this is going to end up,” says Castillo.
Whether they will be able to stay in the country isn’t the only pressure students face with anti-immigration sentiments rising across Canada, Castillo explains.
Harsh mentioned looking for jobs as someone from an Indian background can be an added burden. In Canada, Indian immigrants make up for 27 per cent of PR admissions, making it Canada’s top source country, according to the federal government.
Anti-South Asian racism is on the rise in Canada according to a 2024 article from the CBC, particularly in regard to newcomers and international students.
Harsh says he believes Canadians use isolated negative experiences with Indian immigrants to colour their perception of the whole population.
Castillo says he has friends who have been rejected from jobs purely based on their surname, yet when they changed their last name to something more Western-sounding, they were called in for interviews.
Even some students who receive work visas are not able to find jobs. If students are waiting for a visa, this delays their entrance to the workforce, making an
already-stressful situation much more difficult to handle.
They’re attempting to find their way in a society that is not making it easy for them, with no real guidelines on how to handle it.
Ellis points out that even if the government is actively working to process and distribute work permits in order for the international students to begin work, it doesn’t appear to be enough.
“A lot of the individuals tend to fall through those cracks,” says Ellis.
International students and graduates alike are more vulnerable to housing insecurity, according to Statistics Canada and are more likely to be exploited for low-paid labour, according to Ellis’ journal article.
Castillo says these are often the jobs Canadians don’t want to do. “Retail, cleaning, all of these jobs run on international student labour,” he says.
“Everything in this land is built by immigrants,” he adds.
Ellis explains that immigrants and international students are oftentimes used in Canada to fix structural challenges.
According to a 2024 BBC article, the Liberal government’s immigration policies aimed to fill gaps in the labour market and boost economic growth.
A 2024 article in the Journal of International Students, describes how Canada has continuously brought in highly-skilled students from across the world to improve their population and labour market. Now, it seems like those highly-skilled students are ready to work, yet aren’t able to.
Rebeka Maceda Salazar’s reality check came sooner than most. She was in Mexico, the summer before her first year at TMU, when her brother came back with the news that his PGWP had been rejected. Four years at Sheridan College, paying international student tuition and no visa to show for it.
Her parents started wondering if they’d made the right decision sending her brother to school in Canada. They’d sent him here so he could find opportunities outside of their home country. Now, it looked to them like this might not be possible anymore.
She doesn’t know why exactly her brother was rejected but she worries she might be next.
Eventually, her brother made the decision to go back to school in Canada for a one-year program so he could live and work here and reapply for the PGWP once he completed his program. This was in Maceda Salazar’s second year.
She remembers the anxiety and stress that overwhelmed her when she realized the path to building a life in Canada wouldn’t be as straightforward as it seemed. She’d grown up knowing she’d eventually move here for school but the reality of what that would entail never kicked in until that moment.
“Just realizing that it would be difficult,” says Maceda Salazar. “It would be more difficult than it already is.”
She’s in her fourth year of business technology management at TMU now. Since then, she has been burdened by the thought of waiting for a visa post-graduation or looking for a job. She doesn’t know why exactly her brother was rejected but she worries she might be next.
Soon after her brother came back to Canada he began looking for an apartment for the two of them to live together.
Maceda Salazar says the process was complicated. One landlord expected them
to pay half a year’s rent upfront.
“They want to take advantage of us be cause they know we need that apartment,” she says.
Situations like this are common across the country as international students are more vulnerable to housing insecurity, according to a 2024 report from Statistics Canada. Castillo says many get desperate and end up in unstable housing conditions.
Some may believe that because the cost of international student tuition is high, these students must be wealthy—however, this is a misconception, says Maceda Salazar.
She says the ones who aren’t wealthy, the ones whose families are saving up and taking out loans and working hard to pay for their kids to study in another country, suffer from the same issues Canadians do.
“I’m not doing anything wrong,” says Maceda Salazar. “I’m not taking advantage of anything.”
If anything, she says international students like her might have more to risk. The main issue concerning international students at the moment, she says, are jobs and the lack of them. If she doesn’t find a job, she will have to return to Mexico or go back to school. Her options are limited and she sees no way around them.
Then, if she does get a job, she has to worry about meeting the requirements of a work permit.
She’s anxious about the Comprehensive Ranking System—a points-based system that determines one’s eligibility for a work permit based on factors like education, language-proficiency and work experience. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has shifting policies that might affect her future as well. The amount of funds international students must prove they have has increased to $22,895 and the federal government plans to cut student visas by more than half in the next three years, which will have an effect on postsecondary institutions’ funding.
Maceda Salazar feels as if she’s on a timer, one that’s running out the closer she gets to graduating and applying for a PGWP, beginning the long wait for her application to be processed. It’s an uncertain future looming ahead of her, one that’s already begun plaguing her mind.
Harsh has built a routine for his post-graduate life— even if it’s not what he originally planned for.
Every morning he wakes up at around 7 a.m., and listens to a podcast about cyber security. He wants to stay updated in his field, even if he doesn’t end up with a job in Canada, he would need these skills to find a job in his field elsewhere. For the past six months, Harsh has been spending 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a typical work day, applying to jobs, reaching out to people on LinkedIn and tailoring his resume.
He keeps busy because he has no other option and has to keep trying.
“It feels very upsetting and pathetic,” admits Harsh.
In a month, he sends out an average of 200 tailored applications.
Ellis believes that Canada’s reliance on international students should make it easier for them to find employment, yet that doesn’t seem to be the case. He says there needs to be a tailored solution in order to make the process easier for them.
Ellis thinks labour and immigration policies should coordinate with each other to streamline the process for international students.
While Harsh has attempted to remain hopeful, it’s getting harder and harder as the months go by.
He says he left a good life in India, filled with jobs, parties and friends, to come to Canada in search of better opportunities, an inclusive environment and a great life.
He hasn’t found it yet, and it’s unclear if he will. Maceda Salazar isn’t the only one on a timer. If Harsh’s PGWP isn’t accepted soon, and his funds run out, he’ll have to pack his bags and move back home.
*This source has requested to remain anonymous. The Eye has verified this source.
Scholar talk at TMU spotlights Magnum Photos’ origins
Nadya Bair explored the international photographic cooperative’s influence on photojournalism
By Alexia Davidescu
Nadya Bair, a historian of photography, the press and mass visual culture, gave a talk on the Magnum Photos agency at the Image Arts building on Nov. 5. She touched on some of the first exhibitions and projects of the agency in the 1950s including Magnum’s First, a collection of once-lost photographs and Chim’s Children of Europe—both of which are currently being hosted at the Image Centre.
In the soft light of the lecture hall turned auditorium, guests scurried to their seats and patiently waited for Bair to take to the podium and teach the audience the history of this legendary company.
Bair first became interested in the Magnum brand when completing her PhD at the University of Southern California.
In an interview with The Eyeopener Bair said, “I was really interested in how photojournalists were working in the immediate aftermath of [the Second World War] and I learned about a project that Robert Capa did in the Soviet Union when he traveled there in 1947 and then that led me to discover what Magnum was and to start probing.”
Founded by a collective of photographers from across the globe in 1947, the Magnum agency upheld their goal of selling as many photographs to as many markets as possible.
Though many companies at the time had the same goal in mind, Magnum had two policies that set the agency apart.
“The first thing was this idea of collective and financial and editorial responsibility…The second really important business policy that Magnum inaugurated was that its photographers always kept their own films,” said Bair. This allowed the photographers to maximize their profits and the number of markets they could reach.
This is the first time Magnum’s First is being displayed in North America. The exhibit includes 83 original prints by eight of the agency’s first members, including Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Inge Morath and Ernst Haas.
The pictures included in the collection are not necessarily representative of the photographers’ best works but rather what the photojournalist market was looking for at the time. “Think about it as this time capsule that helps us understand not the Magnum brand but Magnum
TMU image arts alumnus exhibit explores nostalgia, girlhood and identity
Jessica Berger displays ‘Lost and Found’ at the Image Centre
By Maryam Parkar
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) graduate Jessica Berger brought her memories of girlhood to life at the Image Centre in late October. Her exhibit, titled Lost and Found, interprets the experience of feminine coming-of-age through a combination of photographic and collage-based works. Joined by her community of friends, family and fellow photography enthusiasts, the exhibit filled the student gallery at its opening party on Oct. 29.
Lost and Found is a collection of vinyls, mounted prints and framed prints. The artworks in the exhibit range from portrait photography to layered collages that incorporate symbolic imagery and pictures from the artist’s personal archives.
In an interview with The Eyeopener, Berger said, “Layering as a concept was pretty important to me— layered meanings and distortion.”
Berger was gifted her first pointand-shoot camera from her grand-
and the market conditions that it was navigating in 1955,” said Bair. The historian explained that the agency was formed after the Second World War—a time where photojournalism took hold to display the effects of the war and visually represented the struggles of life. One of the most famous examples of this is David ‘Chim’ Seymour’s, Children of Europe photoseries. Chim, a Polish photojournalist, documented the life of children after the war,
through their lens, raising awareness of postwar displacement.
Rebekah Nearing, an attendee at the talk, first learned about the event from her photography instructor. “We were taking a darkroom course…and our instructor was very passionate about doing your research when you’re doing film developing...So we knew we had to come.”
Alison Yeung, another attendee, found Bair’s talk intriguing and
explained that it’s important for photographer, like herself, to learn how they can channel Magnum’s spirit into today’s world.
Though the landscape of photojournalism today has drastically changed, Magnum’s impact on the industry cannot be overlooked. Magnum’s First and Chim’s Children of Europe will be on display in the Image Centre until Dec. 13 and return in 2026 on Jan. 14 until April 4.
ma when she was about 10 years old. She nurtured her creative passion from a young age, experimenting with photography techniques to see what kind of unexpected shots she could create.
“That camera was stuck to my side,” said Berger.
She added, “I actually use a lot of those images as parts of the collages in this series because it’s a project about girlhood and girlhood, for me, also involved photography.”
Exhibition curator at the Image Centre Gaëlle Morel describes Lost and Found as an “intimate exploration” of the emotional transitions that come with aging.
“I think she wanted to discuss that moment in time where you’re not a child,” said Morel. “But you’re not completely into adulthood yet.”
Berger infuses young adulthood with bubbling nostalgia. Despite telling these stories through an abstract and intuitive lens, Berger’s work can resonate with those who understand the unspoken language of girlhood.
Berger’s circle of friends often became part of her visual storytelling, appearing in many of her photographs. Gabriella Rigakos, also an image arts graduate, highlighted the playful environment Berger established when composing her photographs. Rigakos said modelling for Lost and Found was reminiscent of having a sleepover with her friends.
“Shooting this was really fun,” said another friend, Mia Jones. “When we were getting ready, I went into Victoria’s Secret model mode, where I was like, ‘okay, I’m gonna do this’.”
The group portraits were intended to “recreate sleepovers and getting ready—these acts of girlhood,” said Berger.
Lost and Found speaks to the shared memories and rituals that define early expressions of femininity.
The artist said she sought to reconstruct scenes of childhood, exploring the space where innocence and adulthood intertwine.
Among the exhibit’s most striking works is a medium portrait of a young woman with tattoos scattered over her arms and chest. She layered a colourful collection of children’s stickers over the ink in an effort to contrast something whimsical and childlike with tattoos, which can often symbolise adulthood.
“Tattoos are kind of like permanent stickers for your body,” said Berger.
It’s one of many ways in which Lost and Found blurs the line between Berger’s past and present selves.
“It felt sort of full-circle to have these sorts of visual conversations with my past self,” she said.
Berger said she initially developed Lost and Found as her final thesis project while completing her bachelor of fine arts in photography. Over time, the project evolved into a delicate juxtaposition between her artistic maturity and the amateur years when her love of photography first began.
Morel said, “We treat the student gallery exhibitions exactly the way we treat the other exhibitions.” TMU students and recent graduates must go through a selective application process to have their work featured.
After four years of hard work, “it’s kind of the cherry on top to have this great exhibition,” Morel added.
Lost and Found will be on display at the Image Centre in the student gallery until Dec. 13.
RIGHT: OMOLEGHO AKHIBI/THE EYEOPENER LEFT: AVA WHELPLEY/THE EYEOPENER
TEJAS SHARMA/THE EYEOPENER
Rep your flag
For some TMU Bold athletes, Toronto is just one place they call home
By Valeria Salas
For most athletes at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), wearing the Bold’s blue and gold is a dream fulfilled. But for a few, that dream reaches beyond TMU’s downtown campus.
In the off-season, some Bold athletes set aside their TMU jerseys for national colours, stepping onto international stages to represent their roots. With such a substantial international student population at TMU—the 2024-25 school year saw just over 4,100 international undergraduate students enrolled—athletes bring pieces of their heritage to the field, court and rink. Whether it’s hockey, soccer or basketball, players are carrying their country’s name and flag, along with the emotions that come with it.
“It gave me a deeper understanding of where I come from”
When first-year TMU Bold soccer forward Nydel Nelson first heard about Guyana’s national soccer team tryouts in Toronto, she was 14. “One of my teammates from my club team told me they were hosting tryouts here, looking for international players,” she said. “So I went, and that was for the U15 team.”
Though she didn’t make the team that year, she definitely made a mark, paving a way for her to compete on the international stage.
“The next year, when I was 15, they selected me for the U20 team,” she said. “That first round was for the World Cup Qualifiers in the Dominican Republic in 2022, and then recently, I went to Costa Rica and Antigua for the second round.”
Nelson competed at the CONCACAF Women’s U20 Championship, representing her family’s home country. “It was such a good experience,” she said. “All the teams were staying in the same
hotel, so we got to meet players from all over and learn different languages. It felt really professional—we had proper stadiums, warm-up areas, everything.”
Nelson’s time with Team Guyana wasn’t a one-time instance. She more recently participated in the 2025 World Cup Qualifiers in Antigua, during which she assisted the winning goal, leading to what she describes as “a historic win for Guyana.”
Born in Toronto with Guyanese roots through her grandparents, Nelson says the experience gave her perspective. “It gave me a deeper understanding of where I come from,” she said. “If I hadn’t played for the national team, I probably wouldn’t have as much knowledge about my culture.”
Meeting girls her age in Guyana showed her how different their lives can be. “In some of the countries we went to, things aren’t as easy or as safe as they are here,” she said. “It made me realize how grateful I am for the opportunities I’ve had.”
Now at TMU, Nelson brings that gratitude to every match.
“It was surreal when I first got the jersey with my last name on it”
For Kevin Toth, a second-year guard for the TMU Bold men’s basketball team, finding out he’d been chosen for Team Hungary at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket this past summer was unforgettable.
“That was super cool,” he said. “I had to go through a training camp process first. I wasn’t officially on the team when I got out there but my play ended up getting me selected.”
Getting such an opportunity brought Toth and his family every positive feeling imaginable.
“My parents were proud because playing for their home country— and my home country—is something special,” he said. “All my family’s from there, I’ve been go-
ing back every year for the past decade. So to represent them on that stage was super cool—it was always a goal of mine.”
Toth recalls numerous memories with Team Hungary that will stick with him forever.
“It was surreal when I first got the jersey with my last name on it,” he said. “But when we beat Sweden—we didn’t lead all game and then we ended up winning in the fourth quarter—that was probably the most memorable game for me.”
Beyond the sport, the experience was about pride, family and growth. “I had this connection from before TMU,” he said. “They’re definitely not frowning upon it, so that’s good for sure.”
Now back with the Bold, Toth is determined to bring his own share of leadership to the squad. “I just try to be more of a leader [and do] the little things that matter to help us win,” he said.
“It was nothing like I’d ever experienced”
Fourth-year TMU Bold women’s hockey forward Britni Yammine represented Team Lebanon at the Dream Nations Cup in New Jersey and helped the team win bronze. “Honestly, it was amazing,” she said. “It was nothing like I’d ever experienced before. The competition keeps getting better as more countries develop the game, so it was really nice to go there, represent Lebanon and win.”
She first wore Lebanon’s jersey at 15. “I was really proud,” she said. “My dad was born and raised in Lebanon and hockey wasn’t really a thing there, especially for women. So it was a proud moment for both of us.”
Yammine said Lebanon’s program is growing and she is glad to help build it. “It means a lot to have been there from the beginning and create a path for others,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of talented young girls coming up.”
“It reminds me why I love hockey and why I love doing it”
One goal of hers is to build an ice rink in Lebanon so future players can grow up on home ice. “That’s the dream,” she said.
For Yammine, her experience in international competition shapes how she plays back at TMU. “It’s definitely a different game here,” she said. “The players are stronger and the programs are more developed but playing internationally taught me a lot about adversity and positivity.”
Because Lebanon’s program is developing, Yammine often fills a leadership role. “Not everyone’s at the same level, so it helps you identify your role quickly. I’ve had to step up, be the one scoring goals or setting things up. That’s helped build my confidence,” Yammine said.
Coming back to TMU, she said the experience reminds her she has much to offer her team. “It
reminds me that I bring something to the table, even when I’m surrounded by amazing players,” she said.
For these athletes, representing their countries isn’t just something to add to their résumé—it’s an experience that stays with them for life.
“You learn to support each other right away”
Nelson said her time with Guyana changed how she approaches the game. “With the national team, you have to become a family fast,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of time together, so you learn how to support each other right away. That’s something I carry into my team here at TMU. It’s about being there for each other.”
Toth said that playing for Hungary helped shape his leadership. “I just try to be more...vocal and just doing the best I can to be a good teammate.”
For Yammine, her international experience keeps her grounded. “It keeps me in a good headspace and reminds me why I love hockey and why I love doing it.”
Across every team and sport, one thing unites them: pride.
These athletes have carried their countries’ flags across borders, and now, when they wear TMU’s blue and gold, they bring that same spirit with them.
Because for them, the feeling of representing home never really goes away.
AVA WHEPLEY/THE EYEOPENER
Kevin Toth with the TMU Bold against the Dalhousie University Tigers. OLIVER ULSTER/THE EYEOPENER
Nydel Nelson with Team Guyana during post-game handshakes. SUPPLIED BY: NYDEL NELSON
Britni Yammine dons her bronze medal with Team Lebanon. SUPPLIED BY: BRITNI YAMMINE
TMU students react to Snapchat ‘memories’ slash
Students frustrated by storage changes, citing concerns of subscription fatigue and digital ownership
By Jerry Zhang
Snapchat’s decision to cap free “memories” storage at 5 gigabytes (GB), with older content for deletion unless users pay for additional space, is drawing frustrations from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students and raising questions about whether social media is entering its own era of subscription fatigue.
The company announced the change on Sept. 26 through a media release, giving users more than five GB of saved photos and videos and a 12-month grace period to download or upgrade to a paid plan. Storage tiers now range from 100 GB to several terabytes through Snapchat’s new “Memories storage plans.”
For everyday users, especially those who have relied on Snapchat for years to store personal memories and exchanges, the news did not land well.
“I’m not a fan,” said Manan Jain, a third-year business management student at TMU. “I feel like slowly they are becoming a bit capitalistic and moving away from the originality, which was saving memories… making it unappealing for me to use on a daily basis.”
Jain expressed that his account contains nearly a decade’s worth of saved snaps, many not stored else-
where, leaving him with little choice but to pay. “I think I might have to get it, forcefully. I have no other option,” he said.
Not all students plan to stay. Haley Varone-Evans, a third-year photography student and manager of Analogue Club, said she deleted Snapchat long before the new change.
“I always thought it was kind of childish,” she said. “It’s just people sending meaningless images back and forth…like photos of a wall… and calling it a conversation.”
Varone-Evans expressed that the new limit could feel like losing part of people’s personal history. “Their whole life is in this little app…and those photographs are very treasured memories,” she said.
Varone-Evans said the collection of memories on Snapchat functions like a personal archive, making the prospect of losing it feel “traumatic and stressful.”
Snapchat first introduced its memories feature in July 2016, allowing users to save photos and videos within the app instead of on their devices. Since then, the company says users have saved more than one trillion memories globally, averaging roughly 240 saved per person. According to Snapchat, most users remain under the new five GB limit, which means only
Is Black Friday losing relevance among TMU students?
By Aditi Roy
As Black Friday approaches on Nov. 28, social media is flooded with ads and stores have plastered their windows with sale posters. Despite the incentivized deals, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students are reluctant to participate, citing growing concerns of consumerism and rising financial pressures.
Students say they are approaching this shopping season with more caution than excitement, focusing on essentials over indulgence and making financially sound decisions. Factors like student debts, inflation and economic uncertainty are affecting students’ participation in these sales. Many are tuning out social media campaigns and campus trends, prioritizing long-term investments over impulse purchases.
Black Friday began in the U.S. and expanded to Canada around 2009, according to an Ipsos briefing. TMU associate professor of marketing, Eugene Chan said that the event helps companies clear out retailers’ old inventory, enticing consumers with large sales.
Chan added that these sales condition the consumer’s long-term
spending habits. “If consumers find a sale at a particular retailer for Black Friday, they might think of the same retailer in the new year, when they need to buy something again,” he said.
Chan went on to explain that these retailers create the illusion of urgency, which makes consumers purchase more. “Consumers feel successful when they buy things on sale because they feel like they are winning at something…they feel like they beat the retailer,” he adds.
For some students, the biggest barrier to participation is simply money. Mina Ghahremani, a third-year film student, explained her need to save money during the sales. “I use Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and I have a lot of debt to worry about…saving the money I work for just to pay off school and housing,” she said.
Second-year social work student Amaya Medrano shares a similar financial mindset, prioritizing saving even in the midst of exciting promotions. “I feel like I just have to focus on my rent…I’m not really thinking about things,” she said.
An outlook report from PwC Canada finds that Gen Z intends to
frequent users with years of archived content will be affected.
As a film photographer, VaroneEvans said the change made her think about how little ownership users have online over their own data.
“With analogue, you own all of your stuff…you can sell print if you’d like,” she said. “No one really has that information. It’s very private. It’s very personal...when they can see everything, privacy is now completely out the window.”
Both students said the change reveals how fragile digital ownership really is. Jain said it “makes me realize” that companies rarely give clear warnings before major updates. Va-
rone-Evans shared the distrust, saying she doesn’t believe the platform truly deletes users’ content.
“We all know that those images are there forever,” she said.
Varone-Evans adds that the subscription model across apps such as Amazon has become “overwhelming.” “I pay for [it] out of my own pocket and then I go to watch a movie and they’re like, ‘I’m sorry, you need another subscription’…I have to get five different subscriptions within one subscription.”
She notes, “It adds up…and you just start to not really care about how much you’re spending.”
According to Michael Mulvey, as-
sociate professor of marketing at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, the shift reflects a broader monetization strategy across tech platforms.
“It’s a company and so it has shareholders, and their job is to make money,” he said. “They’re probably just looking at some money of what they gave away once upon a time, basically because it was like a lost leader.”
Mulvey said the cost of storing a massive amount of user-generated content is a factor for the companies rethink their costs.
Read more at theeyeopener.com
spend 34 per cent less during the 2025 holiday season—illustrating a clear shift towards prioritizing savings as the financial pressure deepens. Statistics Canada also reports that young adults are choosing to save more by dialling back on discretionary spending due to rising costs. The growing financial pressure explains the lack of enthusiasm many are expressing for the upcoming Black Friday sales.
Not all students are opting out entirely. Third-year business management student Nived Naveen plans to partake in the upcoming sales. He notes the need to be financially responsible, having seen friends waste their money. “One friend…doesn’t have a lot of money and he just spent a good four to $500 of his OSAP money on fashion,” he said.
Naveen plans to buy items pur-
posefully. “I have a list of items that I was going to buy anyway,” he said. “It’s not like I’m only going there because of the deals…technically, I am saving money.” He says his purchase will be limited to essentials like a new toaster and a microwave.
While money is the biggest barrier, some cite ethics as a factor not to partake. “Younger generations are increasingly more caring about sustainability and about the environment and fast fashion,” Chan said.
Medrano said the culture of fast fashion encourages overconsumption. “Without the sales, I think a lot of people will still feed into fast fashion because it’s already cheap,” she said. “When there is a sale to make it even cheaper, I feel like people will definitely fall into it more.”
Research indicates greater generational awareness of fast fash-
ion’s toll but few fully understand fast fashion’s environmental costs, while 62 per cent of Gen Z shoppers say they prefer sustainable brands, with 73 per cent willing to pay more for sustainability. Ontario generated 462,704 tonnes of textile waste in 2018, most of which ended up in landfills.
As an arts student, Ghahremani sees a trend among her peers to favour sustainable fashion over fast fashion deals. “We are very politically oriented, so a lot of just like keeping a climate in mind,” she said. As we near the Black Friday sales, Chan urges students to reflect on how they choose to spend their money this holiday season. “Perhaps spending it on your friends and family can be more fulfilling than buying a product that you might not necessarily need,” he said.
MYRTLE MANICAD/THE EYEOPENER
RACHEL CHENG/THE EYEOPENER
Eyebituaries
By Rustin Peace
Disclaimer: We’re back with more deaths that may or may not be completely fabricated (they are).
Your patience on the TTC
After years of delays, shuttle replacements and mysterious “signal issues” at Bloor-Yonge station, your patience for the TTC has officially died. Last seen screaming into the abyss while the Line 1 train sat motionless between College and Dundas stations as your midterm began without you. It will be remembered for its brief moments of hope every time the train started moving, only to stop moments after.
The campus Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi on campus has died for the 478th and final time this semester. Despite its many resurrections, it ultimately succumbed to the weight of 12,000 Chrome tabs, 333 Zoom calls and one desperate student trying to submit a quiz before the timer ran out. Known for its unpredictable nature and cruel sense of timing, it is survived by “TMU-Guest,” which only worked in the SLC lobby sometimes and also nowhere else. In lieu of condolences, please restart the router.
The TMSU
These guys have to be dead because I haven’t heard a single word from them in months…
People in line at Oakham Café
The people in line at Oakham Café have tragically passed away from old age while waiting for their breakfast sandwiches. Witnesses say some had been there since orientation week. Known for their optimism and commitment to locally roasted coffee, they will be remembered fondly by those who once believed “it won’t take that long.”
The hope that the streetcar will be faster than walking Lost to time and gridlock somewhere between Dundas and Queen. The funeral will be delayed indefinitely due to “traffic ahead.”
Ace the Blue Jay Beloved Toronto Blue Jays mascot and emotional support bird of the city, Ace passed away suddenly following the tragic World Series loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sources say he was last seen staring blankly at the CN Tower lights before quietly humming “Nokia” by Drake while accidentally flying off into a plane engine. He will be remembered for his unwavering spirit, his high-fives with children and his ability to not look dead inside during every seventh inning stretch. In his honour, students are asked to wear blue and white and mutter “next year” under their breath.
What I eat as a TMU student in November
By Julia Herrick
Disclaimer: This piece does not reflect the actual eating habits or experiences of all TMU students so please: do not try this at home or at HOEM.
For Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students, November is not just a month, it’s an endurance test. It’s the time where the midterms blur into finals and your bank account practically runs empty from late night Uber Eats orders and Value Village shopping sprees.
The concept of three meals a day becomes a luxury, “nobody even eats breakfast anymore,” you think to yourself. What follows is what a typical TMU student actually eats during this terrible, awful, no good, very bad and LONG month.
Nov. 1 - Meal prep era
Groceries are fresh, spirits are high and nothing has mysteriously rotted in the back of the fridge yet. Your bank account still believes in you and you genuinely think you can handle school, work, a social life and feeding yourself daily all at once!
Nov. 3 - Balanced breakfast
Eggs, toast and maybe even some fruit if you can possibly afford it. You make yourself a hot cup of coffee that tastes like dirt. You are energized. You are hydrated. You are doomed but you don’t know it yet.
Nov. 6 - Lazy lunch
Meal prep has stopped. You are now mixing and matching leftovers into different strange combinations that only look like food if you squint really hard. Pasta and salsa? Sure. Pop-Tarts and romaine lettuce? Why the hell not. Rice and despair? Delish!
Nov. 8 - The free pizza hustle
You’ve cracked the system. There’s always a club tabling in the Student Learning Centre (SLC) with free pizza. You nod along politely while they blabber on about some nonsense, staring at their pamphlet while plotting what you must accomplish to procure your next slice.
Nov. 10 - Just coffee for today Coffee. Nothing more, nothing less. You think about all the things your mom would yell at you if she knew this is all that you ate today.
Nov. 12 - Street meat
You grab a hot dog from the hotdog stand on campus, a Gould Street staple. You sit outside eating as you watch the pigeons fight over crumbs on the ground, and you feel a strong sense of community, relief and immediate stomach pain from whatever kind of meat that hotdog was made of.
Nov. 14 - SLC microwave gourmet experience
You have officially graduated from cooking to reheating. You are standing on the fourth floor of the SLC watching your 30 cent noodles spin while reevaluating all of your life choices.
Nov. 16 - The networking lunch
A free sandwich from an event hosted by the TMU Career & Coop Center, this “casual networking opportunity” for students is really a “casual food-getting opportunity” for someone like yourself. You don’t need to network but you do eat one unseasoned turkey sand-
wich and leave with a free sticker and tote bag. Go you!
Nov. 18 - The Metro spiral
You go to the Metro on campus with good intentions: noodles, some vegetables and maybe a snack. Your card declines. You stare at the display like it personally betrayed you and you leave with less dignity than you had walking in as well as a newfound respect for those who shoplift.
It’s 11 p.m. in Kerr Hall. You shake a random vending machine like it owes you money, and somehow you leave with a slightly squished granola bar that may or may not be four-years-old.
Nov. 23 - The group project snack
Someone brought Timbits. You eat two and realize it’s the first food you’ve touched all day thanks to lectures, deadlines and existential dread. Your stomach quietly mutinies as you try to focus on finishing slides three and four.
Nov. 25 - The stress snack
Lunch consists of nibbling on your pencil while simultaneously pan-
icking over a 10-page essay due by midnight and realizing the Wi-Fi has been down the entire time so none of your work is saved.
Nov. 27 - The existential snack
You find a single chip at the bottom of your backpack, your lucky day. You eat it slowly wondering if it counts as lunch or just as character development.
Nov. 29 - The airborne dinner Dinner is…nothing. Just the scent of someone else’s leftovers in the library. You close your eyes and inhale deeply. Calories via osmosis, you’ve got it down to a science.
Nov. 30 - Transcendence
You have evolved beyond food and you live purely off of caffeine, stress and the vague promise of winter break. Your body is 60 per cent coffee and 40 per cent deadlines, this is your true form.
And that’s November for you as a TMU student. Does December bring a full belly and something other than Red Bull to drink? That all depends on if your parents decided to buy groceries in preparation of your fabled return home.
Letter to the Editor
Re: Fourth year mistaken for WEREWOLF
Disclaimer: Unlike everything else on this page, this is actually true.
On Oct. 29, we received an email from Fayzaan Saeed, a Toronto Metropolitan University student pushing through midterms. Thank you for your kind words, Fayzaan.
To our readers, you’re always welcome to email us at editor@ theeyeopener.com with your comments, questions and concerns.
Dear Editor,
Please pass on my regards to Harry Mann, who wrote the piece on an engineering student getting misidentified as a werewolf.
During the tough midterm season, this article made me laugh and has slightly improved my mood.
Loved this edition of the paper.
Best, Fayzaan Saeed
RACHEL CHENG/THE EYEOPENER
GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!
DOWN
1. TMU undergraduate program for students who want to design buildings and urban spaces.
2. TMU undergraduate program focusing on financial, marketing and management skills.
3. TMU undergraduate program exploring individual behavior, society and mental processes.
7. TMU undergraduate program that trains students in helping people with physical or mental health challenges.
ACROSS
4. TMU undergraduate program for aspiring reporters, editors and media professionals.
5. TMU undergraduate program that trains students to work with children and youth.
6. TMU undergraduate program that prepares students to design and build infrastructure.
8. Program for studying the past, human society and cultures.
The Eyeopener is giving away two $25 gift cards to The Met Campus Pub. Find the giveaway rules through the link in our Instagram bio.
1. Complete the crossword! Only 100 per cent accurate puzzles will be accepted.
2. Complete the Google Form via the QR code below and add a photo of your completed crossword.
3. Await an email! The form will close end-of-day on Nov. 17 and winners will be contacted shortly afterwards and asked to come into our office for photos!
SUBMIT COMPLETED PUZZLE HERE
JOKES OF THE WEEK
Joke #1
What candy always makes the dean’s list? Smarties
Joke #2
Why did the library book fail its course?
It had been checked out too many times!
Joke #3
Why is the SLC elevator so nice?
It always brings people up!
Joke #4
When does a teacher have to practice losing their job?
