Vol 41 issue 4

THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA

Food bank not allotted full levy Budgets plan underspending, repurposing of funds despite ongoing needs MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR Not all the funds from the food bank levy to which all students pay are being spent on the food bank.

According to emails from UTMSU and financial documents for past years, UTMSU anticipates funds being left over from the food bank on an annual basis, despite the problems that the food bank is currently facing.

These problems, reported on in an article last week (“Food bank calling for changes”), include limited space and resources despite growing usage.

“At the end of every fiscal year, we review all our operations,” said VP external Ebi Agbeyegbe in an email.

“When we have a surplus for the food bank operation, the surplus is moved to the UTMSU operating budget.”

Last week, The Medium reported that UTMSU’s preliminary operating budget for the 2013/14 year anticipated $2,790 being left unspent from the student levy at the end of the year.

The preliminary budget also contains actuals from 2009/10, the first year that the levy was in effect, show-

September 29, 2014 Volume 41, Issue 4 mediumutm.ca

Quiet start to election campaign NICOLE DANESI ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

board has the authority to allocate extra funding to the food bank if it exceeds its total budget, which he said was approximately $14,000 (the documents put it at around $12,500).

The campaign period for UTMSU’s by-elections began quietly last Monday for five vacant seats on the board of directors in three of five electoral divisions.

The nomination phase ended on September 19 and drew a total of 14 first-year students to register their candidacy for two positions vacant in the board’s Division 1. Running are Mohamed Dine, Maheen Farrukh, Abbas Godhrawala, Kavya Kumar, Vaibhav Narang, Farah Noori, Abdulla Omari, Antoinetta Jade Orprecio, Raj S. Pandya, Vibhuti Razdan, Mona Jawid Sheik, Alisa Angela Taube, Qiongwen (Rebecca) Xu, and Samiha Zaman.

Division 5, intended for students of the Mississauga Academy of Medicine, holds one vacancy, and only one candidate running for the position: Simon Feng.

Levy continued on page 3

Election continued on page 2

ZARA RIZWAN/THE MEDIUM

The UTMSU food bank is struggling with limited space and resources. ing that the only food bank expenses that year were on staff salaries and benefits, and none on food, leaving a surplus of $8,565.

The same document shows an expected surplus of $2,717 for the 2012/13 year and $3,700 for the

2011/12 year. It is unclear how much was actually left over since more recent actuals have not been provided to The Medium, and audits from past years do not break down the spending from this specific levy.

Agbeyegbe noted that the union’s

Consultants gather input on food MENNA ELNAKA ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR WITH NOTES FROM MARIA IQBAL NEWS EDITOR Kaizen Consultants were confronted with a host of complaints about campus food at UTMSU’s Food Open House last Thursday.

David Purcell and Edward Moreno, consultants working for Kaizen Foodservice Planning and Design Inc., presided at the town hall, which was the first of four open houses planned for the term.

“I’m absolutely thrilled about the turnout,” Moreno said. “There will be several sessions that we’re going to have. We want to hear the students. We want to get multiple voices. We want people to share their thoughts.”

Purcell and Moreno are currently in the process of drawing input on campus food service as part of a re-

Simple DNA extraction The new Science Literacy Week, dreamed up by a UTM student, has spread to multiple universities.

Medium News, page 3

So much for dropping fees If these funds really aren’t needed for the food bank, why just quietly absorb them into the union?

Medium Opinion, page 4

You’ve gotta Gotham The Medium watches the premiere of the highly expected new Batman backstory show.

Medium Arts, page 5 FACEBOOK.COM/UTMSU/PHOTO

UTMSU hosted an open house on food as part of the university’s review of campus food service. view being performed by Hospitality and Retail Services at UTM. The input will eventually be presented to the Food Services Advisory Committee.

At Thursday’s open house, stu-

dents expressed their dissatisfaction with campus food services. Most complaints were related to the high prices, with an emphasis on the view that the quality of the food is not worth the price.

“If you’re going to charge me this price, give me something that at least looks confident,” said a student who attended the event.

Forum continued on page 2

Not all created equal Study spaces. There are some new ones around. Compare and contrast for your homework tonight.

Medium Features, page 8

One thousand minus one The Blues’ 999th football game is no better than many of the previous ones. Here’s to the next 1,000.

Medium Sports, page 10

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THE MEDIUM 09.29.2014

Little Mosque on the Prairie producer gives talk at UTM September 18, 6:24 p.m.

Personal safety concern A female student complained about a female she did not know who approached her and spoke to her in an aggressive manner outside the main doors of the Davis Building.

September 19, 11:38 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 Campus Police investigated a theft of a cellular phone from a chair at the Innovation Centre. CCTV camera footage recorded the actual theft.

September 19, 5:25 p.m.

Theft under $5,000 Campus Police investigated the theft of a cellular phone from a bleacher at the RAWC, Gym A. The victim provided a description of a suspect, but the suspect was not found.

September 19, 11:18 p.m.

Liquor Licence Act Campus Police charged a student under the Liquor Licence Act with having liquor in an open container while walking on the sidewalk.

September 20, 12:48 a.m.

Bylaw offence Campus Police attended a unit at Schreiberwood and dispersed a social gathering there. Neighbours had

complained about excessive noise.

September 20, 2:12 a.m.

Mischief Campus Police investigated mischief to a glass pane in a community room at Oscar Peterson Hall.

Information received indicated that an intoxicated individual caused the damage.

September 22, 2:29 a.m.

Medical call Campus Police responded to a call in regards to an intoxicated person.

EMS transported the person to hospital.

September 22, 5:25 p.m.

Suspicious male Four women at the library reported being approached by an unknown male who asked them personal questions.

September 24, 3:50 p.m.

Disruptive behaviour A student was removed from the library for being noisy and aggressive.

September 24, 5:07 p.m.

Mischief under $5,000 A glass door at the Student Centre was damaged. Investigation by Campus Police is continuing.

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

Directors prepare UTMSU budget

ZARA RIZWAN/THE MEDIUM

Zarqa Nawaz spoke of her experiences portraying Muslims and Islam through her work.

OBAID SAID The Muslim Students’ Association collaborated with the English and Drama Student Society last Friday to host an evening with Zarqa Nawaz.

The writer, filmmaker, journalist, and UTM alumna spoke intimately about growing up in Canada as a Pakistani Muslim woman and how she created an internationally recognized show on CBC, Little Mosque on the Prairie.

“The big push, especially from our dads, was to become doctors […] as a little kid, that was the occupation that I had been taught would be the best occupation. It was like my plan A,” said Nawaz.

But soon after she received her Bachelor of Science, Nawaz could not deny the discontent she felt with her area of study. The pressure from her parents—who also attended the event—began to loosen at the time, and she decided to

change her path to journalism.

Nawaz described her work in journalism, documentary filmmaking, and TV shows as “satirical comedies about Muslims and stereotypes”.

Nawaz called her work an attempt to show “the suburban, regular Muslim: the people who pay their bills, the people who raise their kids”.

She pointed to Little Mosque on the Prairie as her most successful project, as it reached TV sets worldwide in the post-9/11 era, a time when she described Muslims as being “very self-conscious of their representation” and nonMuslims as having a skewed vision of Islam.

“At that point, the only televi-

sion shows that existed that portray Muslims were Homeland or 24, and the only reality you see as Muslim men were as terrorists […] and Muslim women as victims of terrorists,” she said.

During the Q&A session, the discussion shifted towards Nawaz’s efforts to show her audiences “the suburban, regular Muslim: the people who pay their bills, the people who raise their kids […] in that average boring suburban life”.

A childhood spent among a high degree of diversity inspired Nawaz to educate the public on the tolerance of Muslim communities and to in effect reduce the ostracism many Muslims face in Europe and North America.

Although Nawaz is no longer producing TV shows, she is still pursuing her writing career. Her latest book, Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, was featured at the event.

Open house input to be passed to Food Services Advisory Committee Forum continued from Cover

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

The campaign period began quietly last week.

Election continued from Cover For the two positions available in the board’s Division 5 tier designated for part-time students, only one candidate, Salem Aboghodieh, is running.

Interim elections for vacant positions are only required for Divisions 1–4, according to UTMSU’s constitution and bylaws.

Last Thursday, the candidate names and statements for seven of the 16 candidates were posted on the UTMSU website.

As of press time, statements for the nine remaining candidates had still not been published since the campaign period began last Monday.

The board of directors is the highest decision-making entity of the union, according to the constitution.

Among other things, the board is responsible for determining UTMSU’s budget.

Students will be able to cast their ballots from September 30 until October 2. The election results will be announced on October 6.

Other concerns included healthiness, the lack of vegetarian options, the lack of information on ingredients, and limited operating hours.

UTMSU president Hassan Havili commented that some classes run until 9 p.m. and that several vendors end at that time or earlier.

On Fridays in particular, many food options are closed early in the afternoon.

Most of the students also said that campus food was lacking in variety, especially during exams when they don’t find many places to choose from.

The consultants said that in price comparisons between U of T, U of Ottawa, Brock, and other universities in Ontario, UTM’s prices were either at or below the others’ prices.

In response, students complained that their tuition fees are already high, the quality of the food is worse, and that they are already in debt.

Students also argued that the food at other campuses looks fresher and “more edible”, and that the problem is the ratio of quality to price.

UTMSU VP equity Melissa Theodore suggested some solutions. She asked to have an option for a $5 meal every day through combos everywhere on campus. Theodore also recommended that the Pizza Pizzas on campus accept vouchers.

She also asked to have more information about ingredients and food sources.

Other students suggested the university have several food providers rather than just Chartwells.

In addition to the open houses, the consultants will be conducting online

surveys and hosting focus groups.

“We will be summarizing all the open houses, we will be summarizing customer surveys, then we’ll coordinate with the university executives […] so we will be discussing how this gets posted and gets communicated back out to the student body,” Moreno said.

The consultations are occurring in the context of an impending contract expiry for Chartwells, UTM’s current food service provider. The university’s contract with Chartwells was set to expire last April, but was extended for a year.

Ebi Agbeyegbe, UTMSU VP external, said that future open houses will not be hosted by UTMSU but by the university.

The next open house is scheduled for Wednesday, October 8 in the Meeting Place.

09.29.2014 THE MEDIUM NEWS

UTM student creates Science Literacy Week

NICOLE RAQUINIO/THE MEDIUM

U of T held the Science Literacy Week to garner student interest in science.

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»WHO ARE YOU VOTING FOR IN UTMSU’S BY-ELECTION?

Sumaiya Hersi 2nd year, linguistics

Anika Imam 4th year, life science

I don’t know anything about the elections.

I don’t know. I don’t understand politics.

Arjun Yadav 4th year, CCIT

Justin Murfitt 3rd year, geography

No clue. I didn’t see any promotion about it.

If I knew who was running, I would vote.

If you’ve walked past the library this week, you may have noticed a slightly different crowd of people at the tables outside or wandering around the T-room. U of T was hosting its first Science Literacy Week with demonstrations and free lectures aimed to get students excited about science.

Recent UTM grad Jesse Hildebrand came up with the event, which took place not only at U of T but also at York and public libraries in Toronto and Mississauga.

“If people understand and are eager to participate in scientific endeavours, history shows that time and time again we can make extraordinary leaps forward in our knowledge,” said Hildebrand.

“Ever since I was very little, I knew I wanted to go into large-scale science communication,” he said. “So the moment I finished my degree, I approached the libraries to see if they could help make this happen, and luckily for me they were really keen to help.”

Let’s Talk Science carried out live demonstrations of scientific concepts outside the library. Their experiments ranged from creating an

electromagnetic motor to using your own smartphone as a microscope.

There was also an opportunity to extract and isolate DNA from a strawberry using household materials such as water, salt, and detergent.

“I’ve got so many questions,” said Zaryaab Rauf, a first-year social sciences student. “I definitely want to try this at home to impress my parents! How can DNA extraction be this simple?”

“The best part was interacting with the university students from different fields,” said Tanzeela Tanveer, a CTEP student and one of the demonstrators at the Let’s Talk Science table. “Since one of the ideas behind LTS is to get people talking about science, it was nice to see that play out with students who weren’t necessarily in the science field.”

On display in the library’s T-room were various posters, demonstrations, and graphic novels created

by UTM faculty and students in the biomedical communication program. There were also several models, such as a 3D model of an ear and leap motion technology. Faculty and students hand-selected a display of books across the main counter aiming to get readers excited about sci-

ence.

Graduate student Kyla Ercit had selected Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation. “[The book] presents the weird sex lives of animals in the form of a sex advice column,” said Ercit. “The stories are short and entertaining and you don’t realise you’re learning. It’s pretty accurate and packs a lot of science in.”

At the St. George campus, there were free evening lectures throughout the week on various topics, including “Digging Dinosaurs: Fact and Fiction in Jurassic Park”, “Misconceptions about the Big Bang”, and “Explaining the Complex Lives of Parasites”. A night sky viewing was held at campus observatories to view phenomena such as the Ring Nebula.

Hildebrand hopes not only for Science Literacy Week to return next year, but to turn it into the largest event of its kind in Canada.

“All too often, great science writing can be quite droll and turn people off, but if you know where to look you can find real gems,” he said. “If one student comes out of this with a respect for non-fiction work, or wants to hug a librarian, I’ll be quite happy.”

Funeral cancelled after deceased’s photo published in obituary

Hepatitis C outbreaks at three Toronto clinics kept quiet

New Jersey student killed in bear attack while hiking

International space conference to convene in Toronto

Carleton student union issues cease and desist for blog posts

A church in Saskatoon cancelled a man’s funeral after his photo appeared in an obituary showing him with a mohawk haircut and wearing a T-shirt with the name of a TV show about a motorcycle gang. The church later apologized saying that the decision was made by a volunteer responsible for bookings and the decision did not reflect church policy.

Toronto Public Health has revealed that three colonoscopy clinics in Toronto have experienced outbreaks of hepatitis C in the past three years.

According to TPH, 11 patients caught the infection, possibly due to contaminated injections. Both TPH and a second body responsible for investigating the matter kept the outbreaks a secret.

A 22-year-old student was hiking in Apshawa Preserve with four friends when a 300-pound bear began following the group. The five ran in different directions and when four of them found each other again, they phoned local police who found the student’s body. Police officials said they euthanized the bear.

The International Astronautical Congress is expected to draw over 3,000 scientists and other experts to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre when it begins this week. The conference, which will start on Monday, is being sponsored by the provincial government of Ontario. Canada is hosting the event for the first time in 10 years.

Blog posts about “Fuck Safe Space” t-shirts that CarletonU’s orientation leaders wore earlier this month are the subject of a cease and desist order by the Carleton University Student Association. The post blamed the union for the oppressive culture that allowed the scandal to take place. The order was served to two bloggers and rabble.ca.

Source: National Post

Source: Toronto Star

Source: National Post

Source: Toronto Star

Source: The Leveller

FARAH QAISER

Financial documents not available online Levy continued from Cover it is unclear whether such an allocation of additional funds has ever happened.

It is also unclear at press time whether the board can or has intentionally allocated less funding to the food bank than the amount collected through the levy.

Agbeyegbe did not respond to follow-up questions on these points.

Many relevant financial documents are not available on the UTMSU website as of press time, though VP internal Bryan Chelvanaigum said they would be uploaded by Friday.

This year’s preliminary budget was also not available online, nor has UTMSU released it to The Medium despite claims that it would do so.

The actuals from 2009/10 show the only food bank expenses that year were on staff, and none on food.

Part-time and full-time students currently pay $0.55 per session towards the food bank levy, which has been increased regularly to keep up with inflation.

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09.29.2014

MASTHEAD EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Luke Sawczak editor@mediumutm.ca News Maria Iqbal news@mediumutm.ca A&E Maria Cruz arts@mediumutm.ca Features Madeleine Brown features@mediumutm.ca Sports Jason Coelho sports@mediumutm.ca — Photo Mahmoud Sarouji photos@mediumutm.ca Design Mubashir Baweja design@mediumutm.ca Copy Akshaya Sharma copy@medumutm.ca Online & Blog Michelle Bonsu Safia Amin blog@mediumutm.ca online@mediumutm.ca ASSOCIATES News Nicole Danesi Menna Elnaka A&E Kathelene Cattell-Daniels Features TBA Sports Eric Hewitson Fergus Talbot Copy TBA Photo TBA To become an associate, begin writing and speak with your section editor!

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From the levy to general fund Hard to argue against high food prices with planned food bank fund leftovers There’s not a whole lot that we take very seriously on this campus, at least politically, as students. Sure, we’re aware of some of the issues, but in a passing “I could go to that discussion event, but I could also play League of Legends” kind of way. We often don’t have the time, given, for example, the commute that most of us have.

But the one topic that will always make our ears perk up is food.

Putting aside, at least for a moment, the traditional complaints about our campus vendors, let’s take a look at the phenomenon of the food bank.

In an environment where we’re all concerned about what we pay for food, it’s actually quite refreshing that we have a source of free, anonymous food if we need it. And usage has gone up in the last year, so it seems more students are realizing that the option is there.

As they should. We pay a small fee for it, after all, and have for about five years. Across the student body, it adds up to between $12,500 and $14,000, which is a good subsidy for the more cash-strapped among us.

But not all of it, as our lead story this week begins to uncover, ends up allocated to the purchase of food.

It’s hard to tell, what with the UTM Students’ Union website being in transition and even the documents that they did bother to put online being unavailable, but it appears they chronically underspend this amount.

And the extra flows back into the operating budget, which isn’t bound by the same specific mandate.

And it’s not like we’re prepared to throw money away for food at the moment. This became a topic at the end of last year when Chartwells’ contract was set to expire (and then renewed for a short one-year period).

The idea of changing from what we have to something else was, because of a general if vague dissatisfaction, very exciting to Medium readers.

What is it about our food that we don’t like? This was the subject of an open house UTMSU hosted last week with outside consultants brought in, which I would say is upping the ante a little over previous attempts to answer the question.

One line of complaint was that the food just isn’t that good. Hmm, hmm, well, it’s hard to argue with that. Most of what we have is fast food. Some of it is “more edible”, as students said at the open house, but still. The newer options are better approximations of actual food, but we all know it’s still not quite there.

The complaint that keeps coming back and back, on the other hand, is the price. The consultants replied that price comparisons showed that UTM prices are the same as at other Ontario universities. (I’d argue that they certainly aren’t the best deals you can get in food courts in the GTA.) In any case, after some disappoint-

ing responses by the students at the open house to the effect that the price comparisons don’t matter because the tuition is too damn high, the parties apparently settled on the explanation that the food just isn’t worth the price, even if that price is average.

Fair enough. I just bought breakfast at Colman Commons. Two greasy sausages, each the length of my index finger, constituted “one item” that cost $2.99. If UTM prices are “at or below” those at other campuses, I feel very sorry indeed for York et al.

Why the complacency about a system whereby we pay more for our food bank than, as far as they determine year after year, we actually need?

What result will these consultants produce? Not clear yet. There are more open houses to come and students’ responses don’t include enough research or realistic suggestions yet.

Perhaps we’ll just get recommendations for the bidding to determine who replaces Chartwells next year.

Whether that comes down to any effect on real life is yet to be seen. (The union-introduced value meals, although still limited, are a more practical step than fighting something on the scale of a contract.)

The thrust of my argument here is that this was a UTMSU-run open house and the high cost of UTM food is a constant theme of theirs. So has paying lower fees in general. They seem invested in having students pay less and get more (except perhaps for the catering at their meetings).

So why this five-year complacency about a system whereby we pay more for our food bank than, as far as they determine year after year in their preliminary budgets, we actually need, while they don’t mind having the extra go into the general union pocket?

Isn’t this a little hypocritical?

By the by, I’m getting increasingly worried about access as we delve into this topic. We keep pressing for financial documents from the union supported by our own fees, and we keep getting “yeses” and no files.

YOURS, LUKE SAWCZAK

CORRECTION NOTICE The Sept. 22, 2014 issue included several typos. The photo for “Student groups: open up OHIP again” was taken by Christy Tam and the second photo in “UTM learns the art of eating lunch” was taken by Zara Rizwan. Also, the mention of an irrelevant egg mixture and burner in the “Blackboard Special” recipe was not intended.

09.29.2014

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Reading between the spaces John Ricco on “the spaces between us” and his new monograph MARIA CRUZ A&E EDITOR U of T’s John Ricco is an associate professor of contemporary art, media theory, and criticism. His work focuses on Jean-Luc Nancy’s philosophies of politics, among other things, as discussed in his latest monograph, The Decision Between Us. His latest work is billed as an “exploration of the spaces between us”, including “scenes of passionate, erotic pleasure as well as deep loss and mourning”.

Ricco took some time to talk to The Medium about his new monograph and his inspiration to write it, and provided a preview of his current project.

The Medium: What inspired this desire to conceptualize the staging of the space of decision in 20th-century art?

John Ricco: I have always been interested in thinking about social relations, and the spaces and forms of being together. In my first book, The Logic of the Lure, I focused on scenes of social sexual attraction.

In the new book, I was interested in moving from questions of attraction and what lures one out toward other places and people, to the spaces that are shared between us in our social relations and encounters—spaces that are ones of separation. I argue that the extent to which we partake

JOHN RICCO/PHOTO

Professor John Ricco is already working on the third novel of his trilogy. in the social pleasures is the extent to which we sustain this separated spacing. “Decision” is one name for how we participate in this space of shared separation. In the six chapters of my book, I look at works by various late20th-century artists, writers, and theorists as examples of such scenes of decision in drawing, photography, and installation art, amongst other art forms and genres. One might argue that such staging of the scene of

decision is present in art across the centuries, but my study is limited to examples from 1953 to the present, in part because this is the art historical period that I specialize in, but also because many of the works from this period foreground the participatory role of the audience or reader in his or her encounter with works of art, texts, etc. To decide to partake in the work, and thus immediately to be confronted with questions as to how

and why to partake, is another way in which I think of these as scenes of aesthetic and ethical decisions.

TM: What was it about Jean-Luc Nancy’s theories specifically that drew you to his works more than anyone else’s?

JR: There are so many things about Nancy’s work that I find compelling and useful for my own. First and foremost is the way in which he is committed to conceiving such es-

sential philosophical questions of existence and being, not in terms of the individual subject or ego, but as always shared. For Nancy, being is always “being with”. If that is so—and I completely think it is—then obviously the ethical is inseparable from the ontological because the ethical is the question of how to be and coexist with others.

TM: How long did this book take to complete considering your busy academic schedule?

JR: A book like this is almost always a long time in the making. It requires several years of reading, research, and conceptualization, along with many stages of writing and rewriting. Along the way, I presented parts of it at academic conferences, workshops, and public lectures, and/ or as articles in journals. I finished the first draft of the complete manuscript and submitted it to the press right around the end of 2011. It then took a little more than two years for it to be proofread and edited, and for it to go from manuscript to a fully designed, formatted, indexed, and printed book. This entire process from conception to publication took about five years to complete and many hands were involved in addition to my own.

Ricco continued on page 6

The origin of Batman’s greatest enemies Gotham premiere gives insight into some of the Caped Crusader’s greatest foes CHRISTOPHER ANTILOPE To celebrate 75 years of one of the most iconic superheroes in history, Gotham brings light to the dark beginnings of Batman. However, this isn’t a “Batman” show per se; rather, this is a “Commissioner James Gordon” show.

The O.C.’s Ben McKenzie stars as the rookie detective in the Gotham City Police Department. Before Jim becomes commissioner of the city, Gotham does everything it can to let audiences know that our protagonist is the good guy—in fact, he’s the best one there is. In a corrupt department run by the mob, Gordon is the lone moral compass.

The show begins with the start of Gordon’s career in Gotham. His first case is one that has been known by audiences for 75 years: the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne.

Hopefully this is the last time that fans will see the death, because it’s a scene that’s been filmed the same way for years. Cue a dark alleyway

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/PHOTO

Gotham is home to Bruce Wayne and his notorious villains. and two dead bodies… We get it. It’s no surprise, though, that the show would begin this way, because who would want to see a show about a famous detective chasing down small-time, insignificant thugs? We don’t want to see a man in a black

jumpsuit and a mask, we want the smiling maniac in his purple and green suit. In Gotham, you may just see why that archnemesis is smiling all the time.

Just as the DC Comics series tells the origins of Batman and Jim Gor-

don, Gotham also has some familiar faces and names made famous by the comics and film adaptations of the past few decades. Viewers should recognize one of the first characters seen in the show: a street-smart girl with feline movements, also seen

feeding a cat later on. While I’m at it, I must mention a character who gets almost as much screen time as Gordon himself: a wobbling, hooknosed, tuxedo-wearing servant who doesn’t like being called “Penguin”.

Full of what fanboys and girls call “Easter eggs”—fun little cameos and hints of the much wider Batman universe—Gotham’s first episode succeeds in showing fans the younger versions of well-established characters, and gives even better introductions for first-time watchers of all things Batman. If you want a show about a billionaire playboy by day and a cape-and-cowl-wearing vigilante by night, you’re not going to get one. However, if a new series that will expand your horizons on the origins of DC Comics characters is something that could pique even the interest of a Marvel fan (such as myself), then Gotham is the show for you.

Find three additional perspectives on The Medium’s online edition.

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THE MEDIUM 09.29.2014

Professor’s research deals with “pornographic faith” Ricco continued from page 5 In terms of my academic work, essentially whatever time is not allocated for my teaching or administrative duties is devoted to my research and writing. I try to strike a balance between all three aspects of my job, and to set aside time nearly every day to work on whatever research or writing projects I am currently engaged in. It is easier during the summer, when I am not teaching, to make significant progress on my own work—and, of course, sabbaticals, such as the one I am on right now, provide incredibly valuable uninterrupted time to focus on a long-term project.

TM: Tim Dean called you “one of our most brilliant philosophers of visuality”. Does praise like that influence how you write?

JR: Well, I can easily return the compliment and say, unequivocally, that Tim Dean is one of our most brilliant philosophers of sexuality.

Everyone should read his book Unlimited Intimacy: Reflections on the Subculture of Barebacking, which is hands-down the best book on sex and sexuality out there. So when someone whose work you admire and have learned so much from says something like that about you, you cannot help but be completely honored and deeply humbled at once. As

far as influencing the way I write… well, it certainly raises the stakes, doesn’t it!

TM: Can you tell me a little more about Non-Consensual Futures? How do you feel the use of violence has altered neo-liberalism?

“The first book was about attraction and the second was about decision, and now the third is about departure and abandonment.”

JR: You are referring to my current research and book project, which I had been calling Non-Consensual Futures, but which now carries the title The Outside Not Beyond: Pornographic Faith and the Economy of the Eve. It is the third book in a trilogy, following upon The Logic of the Lure and The Decision Between Us. As I mentioned earlier, the first book was about attraction and the second was about decision, and now the third is about departure and abandonment.

It grows out of two areas of research: one on the images of bodies falling from the World Trade Centre towers on 9/11, and the other on various instances of excess and the overflowing of corporeal limits. What ties them

together are the ways in which bodies come to be defined in terms of their exposure to the outside, a spacing that does not lie in some abstract or transcendent realm “beyond”, but rather is right there in such ordinary and everyday instances as the step of a foot, or the partial opening of the mouth. “Pornographic faith” is my way of naming the thoroughly corporeal comportment and exposure to this radical uncertainty, the pleasure, and of abandoning the sense of one possessing a secure ground from which to act, or a definite end toward which one will eventually reach. I argue that another name for this is “freedom”.

Much of my work on neo-liberalism’s use of violence originally emerged from two undergraduate visual culture seminars that I regularly teach in the Department of Visual Studies at UTM, one called “Capital, Spectacle, War” and the other “Architectures of Vision”. In my classes, we are interested in the ways in which images and visual spectacle are deployed by the militarized neo-liberal state to shock its subjects into states of fear and anxiety, as evidenced, for example, in the Bush administration’s use of such images of violence as part of its “war on terror”.

This interview has been edited for length.

Real issues, funny twist Dr. Cabbie is funny, but deals with serious problems

Learning how to adult

YOUTUBE.COM/USER/LEARNHOWTOADULT/PHOTO

New YouTube channel proves useful for young adults.

LAURA MCCALLUM I don’t know about you, but my 18th birthday came and went three years ago and I still don’t feel like an adult.

I still call my parents when my paycheque doesn’t come in and stare in fear at a clogged toilet. If you’re anything like me, and I’m pretty sure most university students are, then I’ve got the perfect YouTube channel for you.

How to Adult is an educational YouTube channel created in February, marketed as a how-to guide for young people struggling to manoeuvre their way into adulthood. Hosts Emma Mills (known on YouTube as elmify) and T. Michael Martin have a quirky maturity that suggests they only recently entered adulthood too. It’s reassuring to watch them, as grown adults in their mid-to-late 20s, share their own experiences at the end of each video and learn that it’s all right to make mistakes in life.

The most popular video, besides the channel introduction, is “How to Ask Someone Out on a Date”, featuring helpful tips like deciding on an appropriate location, clarifying that it’s actually a date and not just a hangout, and building confidence to ask that

person out. My personal favourite was “20 Tips to Ace Any Job Interview”. I’d recommend checking it out around summer job-hunting season to jog your memory.

I also love that the channel focuses on the more enjoyable parts of adulthood too, like making new friends once you graduate and baking chocolate chip cookies. The channel outsources select content to guest hosts for expert advice, so you never quite know what you’re about to learn.

The channel’s success—over 1 million channel views and 79,328 subscribers—is not only due to the usefulness of the content, but also the popularity of its executive producers: famous vlogbrothers John and Hank Green.

New videos are posted once a week, typically on Mondays. Why these life lessons and skills were never taught in high school I’ll never understand, but it’s good to know that someone’s finally taking a stab at it. Frankly, I think learning to change a car tire is way more useful than grade 12 math, but that’s just coming from a humanities student. I’m sure there are plenty of classes we would all sacrifice to learn how to pay taxes.

Rock with Raghav PSA held their first pub night last Friday SAIMA KHAN

CBC.CA/PHOTO

Vinay Virmani as Deepak, an Indian doctor hoping for a new life in Canada.

NAMRAH TAHIR Dr. Cabbie is a fusion of Hollywood and Bollywood. Although the combination sounds overwhelming, it has a refreshing—and sometimes hilarious—point of view of immigration, education, and employment.

The story hits close to home, taking place in Toronto. Vinay Virmani (known for his role in Breakaway) plays Deepak, the Indian medical student who immigrated to Canada in hopes of becoming a doctor.

Deepak, after years of studying, obtains his medical degree from a prestigious medical school in India. Little does he know that the piece of paper is useless in Canada. Dr. Cabbie is a retelling of the immigrant story: people

leaving their homes and high-paying jobs to migrate to a new country, only to face unemployment.

Deepak has the qualifications to be a doctor, but is undervalued and not up to par with Canada’s training.

What does an immigrant with an educated background do in the “land of opportunities”? Drive a taxi. The only twist in this movie that made it different from every other immigrant story was the humorous idea of Deepak running his own clinic… in his taxi.

The humour in Dr. Cabbie is very spontaneous, but also very stereotypical. It’s as if most of the jokes were written by Russell Peters and that the only way they could get away with it was that they are the minority being talked about. There were cringe-wor-

thy moments, such as the sentence, “Once you go brown, you will never frown.” Definitely Russell Peters material. The comedic aspect of the movie mostly revolved around Deepak’s obnoxious, flirtatious friend Tony (Kunal Nayyar, The Big Bang Theory).

Tony provides comic relief to the serious matter at hand.

The real Bollywood aspect of the movie was the dance number and the fact that the producer was Salman Khan, an iconic figure in Bollywood.

Overall, there was a bit of depth in the subject matter, which was essentially diversity. In some ways, the movie addresses controversial issues, but delivers them comfortably through humour and dialogue that make them easier to digest.

The Pakistani Student Association recently accepted the Most Improved Club Award for the 2013/14 year, and last Friday they held their first event at the Blind Duck.

“Rock with Raghav” consisted of performances by many local artists, a dance number by the Hindu Student Council, and a performance by award-winning Indian singer Raghav.

Before ending his performance, Raghav surprised audiences by bringing Bollywood stars Isabelle Kaif (who made her debut in Dr. Cabbie, a film that was released the same night) and Vinay Virmani onstage. The concert was promoted on social media through selfies with the celebs tagged #PSAUTM on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. By the end of the night, there were multiple lines at each entrance of the pub with audiences eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of Raghav and his guests.

The atmosphere was very much like a real concert, which added to the experience. The menu, although limited in variety, included delicious biryani

that had people returning for seconds. The event also featured a photo booth with photographer Teymoor Siddique from Tey Muzique Photography; couples and groups of friends were lining up for pictures throughout the night.

The event was held to start the year off with a bang, giving students the chance to meet and interact with other students before the overwhelming stress of midterms and assignments piles up. A great stress reliever, definitely—I was happy to be surrounded by talented performers and fun-loving students all under one roof. Everyone seemed to form a community, dancing side by side with their hands in the air.

That said, the organizers said they expected a better turnout, considering the concert was nothing like they’d held before, and put it down to a lack of awareness among the student population on campus. Had the concert been launched on a more formal platform such as radio shows and public advertising, the organizers were sure that the turnout would have been more than the legal pub capacity.

University of Toronto Students’ Union

Health & Dental Plan

Opt Out & Family Enrolment Dates: Students starting in September 2014: OPTING OUT deadline EXTENDED to: Aug. 25 to Oct. 3, 2014 October 10, 2014 at midnight Students starting in January 2015: Jan. 5 to Jan. 30, 2015 Who is enrolled? Opting out

Family enrolment

All full-time undergraduate, professional faculty, and theology students at St. George or Mississauga are automatically enrolled in the UTSU extended health and dental plans.

Students who have comparable health coverage may opt out of the health plan while any student may opt out of the dental plan.

Students are required to opt out on an annual basis.

Students may enroll their spouse (including a common law or same sex partner) and/or children in either plan at the start of your first eligible term. Additional plan fees apply.

Coverage begins on September 1, 2014. Accounts for new plan members (first-year students, students previously enrolled in part-time studies, or students returning from a leave of absence) are activated by the end of November and reimbursements are processed subsequently.

To opt out, go to studentplans.hroffice.com

To enrol dependents, visit the UTSU Office at 12 Hart House Circle

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Contact Green Shield: greenshield.ca/studentcentre 1-888-711-1119

Register at greenshield.ca/studentcentre to get personalized claims forms, claims history, to print your Green Shield ID card and to get discounts on dental and vision with exclusive Discount Networks.

Visit utsu.ca/health for benefits information and info about your students’ union

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09.29.2014

More room to breathe at last The Medium reviews the noise level, food supply, and work surfaces of three study spaces BESHAIER HAMDE Construction is finally done, and UTM has more study space now than ever before. The library, while an appropriate place of study, felt rather cramped last year thanks to the already minimal study space combined with the ever-growing population of UTM. You could go into the library at any given time and find that every seat on every level was taken. We had to find a “cozy” spot on the floor, between the bookshelves. Thankfully, Deerfield Hall, the Innovation Complex, and the newly renovated Colman Commons have provided new alternative study spaces, none of which are quite as full yet.

The appropriately named Deerfield Hall is located beside the North Building and has a beautiful view of the forest (and sometimes deer!).

The tables and cushioned benches by the North Side Bistro are probably best suited for grabbing a bite or just lounging around, although it can also be an appropriate spot for group study. Group study rooms are also available for booking on the building’s upper levels. Located across

NICOLE RAQUINIO/THE MEDIUM

The library is the quietest space, but it is too cramped nowadays. from the North Side Bistro is a much quieter study space with sectioned tables for individual study, as well as bar stools similar to those in IB. This place is not perfectly quiet, but the noise is not much. You can spread out your books easily and be comfortable while getting your readings done.

The building being four floors tall, there are other little study spots

throughout. As far as quiet study goes, the second floor individual tables are your best bet for getting a lot of work done. The food options also happen to be great at the bistro. They have “wood stone oven” (whatever that might be) pizzas, hearty soups, healthy salads, coffee, and pastries.

Next, we have Colman Commons, the cafeteria on the main level of

Oscar Peterson Hall. This space has been newly renovated and has multiple cafeteria-style tables, finished beautifully with an artificial fireplace.

This space has an amazing variety of food choices—probably the most diverse on campus. The salad bar has been expanded and customized, and if you’re looking for a healthy drink, a juicer has also been added. New

tables and chairs make the experience more enjoyable, although the space is better suited to group study.

The lively environment is probably not quiet enough to get readings done. The tables are nice and big, so you can easily spread out your books or take out your laptop. This area is set to have a full-scale opening after winter break. It will feature a tea and coffee bar with Sloane tea and Nespresso coffee—perfect for late-night studying!

Meanwhile, the Innovation Complex, an expansion of Kaneff, features many tables of various sizes as well as couches in the rotunda. This space caters to individual or group study depending on the noise level. To get the best studying done, mornings and evenings when there are fewer people are probably best. It can get quite loud around lunchtime. Beware, though: there are no outlets around the tables, only on the edges by the wall. As for study snacks in the Innovation Complex, there’s a Second Cup, which also features On the Go products.

Study continued on page 9

The ongoing Ebola outbreak: catch-up “Ebola-Zaire” is the deadliest form of the world’s largest outbreak of the virus to date ARANIE VIJAYARATNAM Since the beginning of 2014, various media outlets have produced a daily dose of “Ebola outbreak” news.

Even today, as we register more new cases and more deaths, not all of us are clear on what Ebola is or why it’s spreading so fast. And that’s understandable, especially on a student schedule, but if you’ve been out of the loop too long and need to catch up, here’s the what, why, and how on the disease.

The current outbreak remains the worst yet in Ebola’s short history, but it’s certainly not the first.

In 1976 we saw the first two outbreaks of Ebola: one in Congo (formerly known as Zaire) and a second in Sudan. While Ebola caused both outbreaks, each involved a different strain or distinct form of the virus.

The 1976 cases lead to the classification of “Ebola-Zaire” and “EbolaSudan”. Today, Ebola-Zaire remains the most lethal form of the virus affecting the world.

The outbreaks didn’t stop after 1976, either. The World Health Organization contained the outbreak then, but Ebola came back again

NEWSONWELLNESS.COM/PHOTO

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals is one of two Canadian pharmaceutical companies developing vaccinations. in 1995, infecting 317 patients and killing 245 of them. The next wave came in 2000, but the WHO stepped in again to stop the spread. Before 2014, the next worst outbreak was in 2007 when 247 people were infected and 183 died.

THE SOURCE Scientists still don’t fully understand

how Ebola first comes into contact with humans. They know that fruit bats host the virus family and infect non-human primates (like gorillas) and duiker (deer-like creatures). It’s hypothesized that the popularity of bushmeat in Africa led to the burst of Ebola outbreaks, since such meat is often infected. Once the eaters are infected and die, ceremonial cus-

toms like washing the dead increase the chances of spreading Ebola.

THE BLEEDING PHASE A simple touch of infected blood or bodily fluids begins the spread of Ebola from animal to human or human to human. The virus sticks to humans like glue, so much that men who survive still retain the virus in

their semen for almost two months from the date of infection.

As people become infected, more problems arise. It takes about a week for the symptoms to show up. When they do, the sufferer appears to have flu-like symptoms that gradually worsen. They lose their appetite, have trouble swallowing, and then, if these symptoms persist, enter the “bleeding phase”.

This phase begins a week after the initial symptoms, and the description is graphic. Ebola causes the blood to ooze out of puncture sites and mucus membranes—places protected by the body with mucus, like the digestive tract and nose. Patients vomit, excrete, and cough up blood, and some blood vessels break.

Once a patient enters the bleeding phase, doctors and researchers have concluded that only one end is possible: death. The blood loss affects the circulatory system, the system that delivers oxygen to different parts of the body. The severe lack of oxygen causes multiple organs to fail, and in the span of two weeks, the patient’s life ends.

Ebola continued on page 9

09.29.2014 THE MEDIUM FEATURES» 9

Watch that salmon flying The fishermen of the Credit River on the seasonal phenomenon

NICOLE RAQUINIO/THE MEDIUM

The Atlantic salmon, visible from the Erindale Park leg of the Credit River after major cleanup.

NATALIA RAMNARINE The broad trunks of looming trees fill the sky and sunlight filters through the dust of decaying leaves. Mist materializes from dew-topped blades of grass, and hints of dark flight appear amid the stony stream. The smell of damp soil fills my nose and the soft hum of flowing water resonates in my ears. Rows of extended hooks and rubber boots line the river. Dark shadows lie between the rocks, and transparent lines pull smooth salmon bodies from the water. Fishermen shout in glee and cast the catch back.

Don Lowe, one of the fishermen, was especially excited to have witnessed the Pacific salmon flying through the waters again. “I’ve been here every year since 2008. There’s a curious gravity to its capture—a satisfaction, really,” he said. “Holding it for a second before releasing it into the water, then seeing its body flow with the current and around each

rock effortlessly, yet with direction.

It’s beautiful.”

Another fisherman, Roger Wallace, reflected on the importance of Atlantic salmon to the Credit. “There is some concern, though, [about] the multitude of fish in this river,” he said.

“It’s grand and dandy when people catch the rainbow trout, brown trout, and Pacific salmon. It’s when they want the Atlantic salmon when the problems arise. They’re protected under the Endangered Species Act; we can be fined if the fish aren’t released immediately.”

Regardless, the fishermen were happy just to see the salmon back in the river. Garrett Boylan volunteered with the Credit Valley Conservation, planting more than 400,000 trees along the river to provide the needed shade for heat-sensitive fish.

“It’s amazing that we’ve been able to restore salmon to the Credit River, and so many fishermen to greet their return,” he said.

Indeed, The Toronto Star ran an article in August (“Rehab has made the Credit River a hot spot for salmon fishing”) about how none of this was possible 50 years ago, or even 20, before stocking and cleaning brought back the fish population that is both profitable and recreational.

We must remember to respect the lives of the fish as well. Walking along the rocks bordering the river, I saw two mutilated fish lying open with the sun reflecting off their grey scales. Fisherman Westen Yonge said it wasn’t an odd sight, since some people cut open the salmon for their roe before tossing the dead fish back into the river. According to Yonge, the practice is unhealthy for the other wildlife in the river.

In any case, the sight of salmon flying through the rapids of the Credit is not one to be missed. Whether partaking in fishing directly or passively observing its beauty, it truly is a wondrous experience.

Each week, The Medium chats with a UTM professor about one of their favourite recipes.

In my search for our professors’ best recipes, I was given a lead that professor Lawrence Switzky of the English and Drama Department knows more than just modern drama and video game narrative (the subjects of two of his UTM courses); he also knows how to cook—and well.

He decided to share his recipe for the classic dumpling: Chinese jiaozi.

He explains, “I’ve been told that ‘jiaozi’ translates to something like ‘coin purses’, because you pleat the tops of the dumplings to make them look like, well, coin purses.

“I learned how to make jiaozi during a lonely time in my early twenties,” he continues. “I was taking a year off after college and writing textbooks for a small publisher in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

I could count in Mandarin and repeat a few stock phrases from a guidebook, but other than that, I couldn’t speak the language. I spent most of my days composing short dialogues using basic English vocabulary and my nights buying and listening to every David Bowie

CD I could find in the city.” Sounds like a pretty exciting life, if you ask me, in comparison to long rides on MiWay transit, navigating the crowded Davis hallways, and taming the temperamental Blackboard system.

“I had a friend named Suzanne who said she would teach me to make jiaozi.

We ventured into a subterranean night market for the ingredients and then spent hours stuffing, wrapping, and then eating piles of them. It was the first time I felt at home in that city,” he said. I sympathize. Whether it’s a new recipe like that of jiaozi, or care packages of mom’s chocolate chip cookies, there’s nothing more settling than food.

“There are many variations between cooks,” says Switzky. “Since I’m a vegetarian I don’t use pork, though that’s the standard recipe, but substitutions are welcome. This is great to make with a group of friends so you can share the dumpling folding labour.”

With midterms approaching, I know exactly what—aside from an embarrassing number of hours spent creeping on Facebook—I’ll be doing to rid myself of stress and procrastinate. And I’ll be doing it one dumpling at a time.

Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS • 1 package of dumpling or wonton wrappers • 2 green onions • 4 to 5 cabbage leaves • 6 shiitake mushrooms (“or any other ‘meaty’ mushroom you like”) • 1 to 2 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce • 1 tsp (5 ml) fresh ginger root, minced • 2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil • salt, to taste • pepper, to taste METHOD 1. Finely chop onions, cabbage leaves, and mushrooms.

2. Mix vegetables with soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, salt, and pepper.

3. Lay each dumpling wrapper on a dry surface and gently wet the edges.

4. Place about a tablespoon of the vegetable mixture in the centre of each wrapper, fold the wrapper over the filling, and secure the top of each dumpling by pinching it closed at the top. (Switzky says, “The best pinches usually look like pleats where you fold the dough all along the top until the dumpling is entirely sealed.”)

5. Boil a large pot of water. Put about one third to half of the dumplings in the water and stir, then remove them with a large spoon, preferably a slotted one.

6. Repeat with the second and/or third batch of dumplings.

7. Serve with gyoza sauce or other dipping sauce of your choice.

The rush to find a vaccine Not-so silent study Ebola continued from page 8 EBOLA: TODAY The current Ebola epidemic has countries and organizations scrambling for a cure and vaccine. As of September 17, the United States has given $35.3 million towards Ebola research, and Canada has donated $5 million. Various organizations and individuals around the world have contributed a total of $26.7 million to the cause and the African Development Bank has donated $30.1 million.

But the WHO says this is not enough, and that nearly $1 billion is required to effectively fight the virus.

This cost is increasing each day as the death toll increases. The WHO broke it down in their latest report (they develop different disease reports each year, and all are accessible to the public). Direct treatment centres, burial locations, responders, and food security and provision make up the biggest part of the cost.

Many pharmaceutical companies around the world are in talks about developing vaccines and treatments.

In Canada, two drugs have hopeful chances of minimizing Ebola’s damage: TKM-Ebola, developed by British Columbia’s Tekmira Pharmaceu-

ticals, and ZMapp, developed by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. Around 800 to 1,000 doses of ZMapp will be donated to the WHO, according to the Ministry of Health.

Both drugs underwent Phase 1 trials at the beginning of September.

Phase 1 trials let researchers test an experimental drug on small groups of volunteers or patients (usually 20 to 80 people). Researchers identify side effects, evaluate the drug’s safety, and determine the recommended dosage range.

Treatment centres, burial locations, responders, and food security and provision make up the biggest part of the cost.

The WHO report also mentions the potential difficulties in delivering the drugs. Many of the African nations’ healthcare systems have collapsed under the pressure of the epidemic (and others because of war or lack of funding). These drugs also need to be stored in a -70 C environment requiring a special freezing fa-

cility and liquid nitrogen. Another obstacle to administering the drugs is the method of intake. Both drugs have to be delivered intravenously, so healthcare workers require the expertise and supplies to hang an IV bag.

Another problem is the lack of supply. Right now there are fewer than 30 treatments available for TKM-Ebola and less than 100 for ZMapp. Both companies are hopeful that vaccines will be produced by the end of 2014, or at the very latest before the spring.

The WHO says that “given the very limited quantities available, it is anticipated that the first treatment or vaccine doses will be allocated according to a transparent process”.

This process has yet to be discussed.

NICOLE RAQUINO/THE MEDIUM

Deerfield is a little like the IB, but with better food.

Study continued from page 8

STOP THE SPREAD As of now, the Ebola virus has infected over 5,000 people (more than half of whom are dead). The WHO and other health organizations urge those living in high-risk countries to thoroughly wash their hands and properly handle and cook bushmeat.

National governments have stepped in. Countries like Guinea banned bushmeat distribution and ceremonial washing of the dead, and have shut down their borders.

Paul Donoghue, UTM’s chief administrative officer, has also suggested that the campus might try different divisions and furnishings in the rotunda at peak study times, such as during exam season, to make better use of the space. On the other hand, the online announcement of the building mentions that the rotunda “will serve as an event and social gathering space”, which could mean that it won’t be available for studying at various times.

The study spaces that have been reviewed above are definitely not for anyone looking for the total silence of the library’s silent study zone. The quietest study space out of the three is Deerfield Hall, whereas the one with the best food is Colman Commons.

After talking to random students who have used these study spaces, the consensus seems that Deerfield is the best study space. It has beautiful architecture, a plethora of snack options, and somewhat quieter space on the upper levels.

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09.29.2014

In a league of our own Phys ed department director reflects on a partnership 20 years in the making JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR UTM’s entrance into the OCAA has shaken up the school’s sports landscape and could well create a whole new sports culture on campus for years to come. Though the past few years have seen a rise in participation for campus recreation sports, the physical education department has wanted to develop a higher tier of athletic competition for some time to benefit students who want to avoid the long commute downtown to play for the Varsity Blues.

While these sudden changes may seem surprising to student athletes who never dreamed of competing on a varsity team, the department spent nearly 20 years attempting to join the college athletic association before being accepted in February.

As Ken Duncliffe, the director of physical education at UTM, recalls, it was in the late 1970s that UTM first ventured into the world of varsity. The athletic director at the time made a bid to join the OUA, the division in which the Blues currently play.

“We wanted to have our own varsity program,” says Duncliffe. The OUA turned UTM down, since each institution could only be represented

MAHMOUD SAROUJI/THE MEDIUM

Director Ken Duncliffe (left) and varsity program coordinator Jack Krist. by one varsity team. There could not be a Mississauga and St. George team competing in the same league.

Next, in the early 1990s, UTM attempted to join the OCAA solely for basketball. “We were very competitive in basketball and at that time the athletic director wanted to play highly competitive basketball,” says Duncliffe.

The OCAA bid was unsuccessful as well, so UTM’s athletic director opted

Gee-Gees spoil historic game ADAM PENKUL Last sunny Saturday afternoon, the Toronto Varsity Blues took to the field against the Ottawa Gee-Gees to play their 999th game since the beginning of the program in 1861.

The Blues celebrated by honouring Rick Kollins, a 2014 hall of fame inductee. Both teams came into the game hoping for a win to recover from tough losses in the previous week. Both teams were looking for a rebound win after the 6th place GeeGees (2-2) lost a nail-biting Panda Bowl game against the Carleton Ravens from a last minute Hail Mary touchdown and the eighth place Varsity Blues (1-3) were defeated by a very strong Western Mustangs team.

The game got off to the worst possible start for U of T. Ottawa’s Jackson Bennett took the opening kickoff 101 yards to the end zone to give them a very early 7-0 lead. The Blues were rattled, and after some indecisive play from both sides, Ottawa put together a string of first downs. Toronto fought hard defensively, but still conceded a field goal. The Gee-Gees kept push-

ing and the valiant Toronto defence could not keep Bryce Vieira out of the end zone; he increased the margin to 17-0 for Ottawa as the first quarter approached its end.

The second quarter opened with both teams ready to fight for the win.

Toronto came close to scoring early when Ashton Rochester received and ran for 49 yards to give Toronto good field positioning. However, penalties and incomplete passes returned the ball to the Gee-Gees, who managed to get two long passes of their own, and scored on an over-the-top throw to a wide-open Ben Fisher in the end zone.

The 24-0 lead was daunting, but U of T would not be intimidated. The overly aggressive Gee-Gees were penalized multiple times, which helped the Blues find some consistency with their offence. Toronto finally capped off their drive with a one-yard punchin from Marcus Hobbes to get on the scoreboard. It seemed the Varsity Blues’ defence had also found their rhythm, as they made Ottawa fight for every yard.

Blues continued on page 11

for an alternative route. With faith that UTM’s basketball team could play at the highest level, the athletic department contacted the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in the U.S. in hopes of joining their league.

The league was equivalent to Division 3 NCAA, and would place UTM in the Northern loop division with the likes of Rochester, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, all the way down to the lower end of Ohio.

But the results from exhibition games played against the American teams were not as hoped. “They took what was then the most competitive basketball team [UTM] had and played some tournaments down there,” says Duncliffe. “We got annihilated.” UTM couldn’t beat rival universities that hired scouts to recruit top players and provided them with large scholarships.

As varsity program coordinator

Jack Krist recalls, the travel was possibly the biggest nightmare of all. “We had one student forget his ID, so we had to leave him at the border while the bus proceeded without him,” says Krist. “It was just horrendous.” UTM was the only Canadian team that would participate in these exhibition games in the U.S. in basketball and, later, soccer.

After a series of failed attempts to get the varsity program off the ground, UTM waited until the time was right to try again. “There was always a desire that we could get our own varsity program here,” says Duncliffe. “Students have been asking for it for many years.”

Fast-forward to 2012, when U of T held a review and student consultation to entertain the possibility of having a Blues team housed at UTM, specifically men’s and women’s lacrosse and rugby. “When the results of the review came out, there was a lot of angst from some of the current athletes on those teams about coming to Mississauga to travel out here,” says Duncliffe. These issues led to the program scrapping the idea, although the UTSC campus now houses varsity baseball and tennis.

OCAA continued on page 11

Piazza leads the pack

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Claudia Piazza currently leads the Varsity Blues in scoring and ranks 21st overall in the OUA. JASON COELHO SPORTS EDITOR The Varsity Blues women’s soccer program is on the upswing. Offence does indeed win games, and in the eight regular season games the Blues have played, they have consistently outmatched their opponents and found the back of the net.

Claudia Piazza has continuously put her name on the score sheet. The former UTM student (now at St. George) has four goals on the season thus far and leads the team in scoring, and is 21st overall in the OUA.

The second-year linguistics major began at UTM after turning down an offer to attend the University of Toledo in Ohio. “I decided to stay and I chose U of T because of the soccer program,” she says.

After her first year on the Blues, Piazza racked up one goal in 14 starts and was named an OUA East second team all-star.

Over the summer, the Varsity Blues midfielder prepared for her sophomore campaign by playing for a semiprofessional Kitchener-Waterloo team, KW United. Piazza’s summer with United helped her improve her game

and get used to the style of coach Stuart Neely, who was named the women’s varsity soccer coach in the fall.

“There is no doubt that Claudia learned some things over the summer and, after a slow start, became a midfield force adjusting to some of the physical and tactical demands of the game,” says Neely. “It has only been eight matches, but already she looks like a young experienced pro.” Neely sees this year’s squad as a team that will set a precedent for years to come.

Piazza continued on page 11

09.29.2014 THE MEDIUM SPORTS» 11

Blues lose in 999th game To varsity

and beyond OCAA continued from page 10

MARTIN BAZYL/PHOTO

After losing four of their five games of the season, the Blues sit eighth overall in OUA standings.

Blues continued from page 10 Seven minutes later, the defence got the crowd up on its feet when Jaiden McBride sacked Ottawa’s punter and Divonte Smith took the resulting fumble 22 yards into the end zone. The team was fired up, and a minute later, Toronto’s Brittley Mokube registered a sack of his own to keep the crowd excited. However, this did not stop the Gee-Gees, who managed to break through U of T’s defence once more when Derek Wendel took the ball in from seven yards out and ended the half with Toronto down 13-31.

The sunlight was glaring on the field as the teams took to the field for the second half of the game. Both sides seemed fatigued by the heat, because neither could get their offence going.

After two minutes, Toronto was forced into fumbling the ball and Ottawa gained possession. Nevertheless, Ottawa was not faring much better, and Toronto’s Jaiden McBride recorded his second sack of the game soon after and

regained possession.

Unfortunately, the Gee-Gees paid back Toronto’s earlier punt block with one of their own, which led to a oneyard score from quarterback Derek Wendel to increase Ottawa’s lead to 38-13. Toronto was immediately back on the offensive and kept possession until Lukas Gavac capped off an 83yard push with a touchdown run from just outside the end zone to make the score 38-20. The third quarter drew to a close with Toronto pushing up the field with growing confidence.

This momentum carried into the fourth quarter, and Toronto pressed Ottawa on offence and defence, gaining several yards through forced penalties. Two minutes in, they were rewarded with a safety from the GeeGees that brought them within 13 points. Toronto kept fighting and drove up the field multiple times, but couldn’t finish in the end zone and repeatedly lost possession in Ottawa’s half of the field.

As the game wound down, both

teams lost decisiveness, and possession was very scattered. Ottawa put the nail in the coffin by scoring a field goal with 25 seconds left in the game to make the final score 41-25 for Ottawa.

Though disappointed with the result, the Blues players were proud of their performance. “The effort was there. We fought right to the end,” says quarterback Simon Nassar. “The slow start didn’t help, but we came together as a team. We could’ve given up or we could’ve fought, but we chose to fight, and I think it showed at the end of the game.”

“We know that the guys play their hearts out every week, and that’s why we come out,” says first-year student Francesca Campos. “We know they’re not just playing for themselves, they’re playing for us too, which is why we support them. We all bleed blue!”

The Toronto Varsity Blues are looking to rebound with a win next week in Ottawa against the Carleton Ravens, who currently sit one spot above the Blues in the OUA standings.

Midfielder’s comeback season Piazza continued from page 10 The 2014 season has been a successful one for Piazza. After transferring to St. George at the beginning of the school year, she was named Athlete of the Week by U of T varsity sports for the week of September 8. “I was surprised when I was named athlete of the week, but it motivated me to want to be named it again in the future,” she says.

Piazza attributes her success in scoring to the unselfish plays of her teammates. “They encourage me to shoot more, which gives me confidence

[and] I’m able to finish and score,” she says. She believes the team’s recent success is owed to the the hiring of new recruits and coaching staff, as opposed to the 2013 season, when the men’s and women’s varsity teams shared a single coach. That coach, Anthony Capotosto, is still the head coach for men’s varsity and operations manager for women’s, but now Neely is coaching women’s varsity.

At the moment, Piazza is finding a way to juggle sports, school, and work at Lone Star downtown, where she takes morning shifts to work around

her school schedule. Piazza admits that it can be difficult to manage these responsibilities, but finds it easier to cope knowing that the majority of the players on her team and varsity teams across U of T are going through a similar experience.

The Brampton native expects to graduate with a degree in linguistics, with the hopes of possibly becoming a speech pathologist. “I would love to further my career in soccer and hopefully play somewhere professionally in Europe before doing my master’s,” she says.

Throughout the creation of the RAWC in 2006, the surge in enrolment in the last two decades, and increased participation in sports, Duncliffe continually received requests for a UTM varsity program.

After learning that schools like Trent, Lakehead, and Laurier had all approached the OCAA looking for entry, Duncliffe thought it was time UTM joined in.

In December 2013, Duncliffe made the pitch. The request was granted in February, and UTM became the 30th school in the association. “We thought it was the right time to try and play at the most competitive level, which is equivalent to the OUA in the college league,” Duncliffe states. “That is the road to how we got here.”

The OUA currently has 21 teams in its league, while the OCAA has 30, making the OCAA a much more competitive environment for student athletes.

Part of Duncliffe’s pitch to the OCAA was a five-year plan that would see UTM enter a number of sports one at a time. The indoor soccer, badminton, and cross country teams will officially kick off in the fall of 2015, and the new varsity teams at UTM won’t make it onto the courts until September 2017, when UTM enters men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. “Those will be big spectator sports,” says Duncliffe.

Duncliffe is pleased with the talent brought in to oversee the new programs. “The coach we hired for the badminton team [Lam Trinh] has great credentials,” says Duncliffe. Trinh is a one-time Canadian Athletic Association Coach of the Year and was named All-Ontario Coach of the Year twice when he coached Humber.

Though there is no athletic scholarship available at the moment for joining the Varsity Eagles, Duncliffe and Krist see this as a definite possibility in the near future. “College recruits athletes and turns them into students,” says Duncliffe. “We’re looking for students and hoping they’re athletes.”

Duncliffe envisions a plan that would offer residence to students

as well as tutoring if needed, a package the Office of the Registrar already offers to Blues football players who attend UTM. Krist plans on implementing peer study groups, which would bring together Varsity Eagle players on different teams who share a course, if not a sport. “It makes for a family approach,” says Krist.

“We’re trying to mix other athletes so that people can meet and identify and gain a better sense of community, which is what UTM has always been about.”

“College recruits athletes and turns them into students.

We’re looking for students and hoping they’re athletes.”

Once the varsity program is in full swing, athletes will need to meet new criteria in order to play on a team. For example, the department requires students to be fulltime registered students at UTM, and will monitor student athletes on a weekly basis to ensure that they have an appropriate course load.

The Varsity Eagles will breathe new life into UTM sports and the participation options for students on campus. There are also hopes to retrofit the existing seating capacity to house a larger audience, for outdoor games especially. Duncliffe imagines that stronger competition will attract more student support.

Meanwhile, as for the south field, the plan is to maintain its condition and hopefully implement an artificial turf with a dome covering the field. This is a hope that Duncliffe and others have had on the table for a number of years, and it now seems more possible than ever.

“If we are able to move some of our field-based sports that we play in the gym [like indoor soccer] to a more appropriate surface yearround, it frees up more time [in the gym],” said Duncliffe. “It’s a win for everybody.”

Current patient Nalie Agustin with brothers Albert & Justin

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