The Voice of the University of Toronto at Mississauga
MEDIUM T H E
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2008
VOLUME 34, ISSUE 18
www.mediumonline.ca
Rain - The Beatles “experience”
Creative Corner
Super Bowl XLII
Page 6
Page 9
Page 12
Big turnout for blood clinic SAIRA MUZAFFAR NEWS EDITOR Students rolled up their sleeves on Thursday, January 31, to donate at the Blood Donor Clinic in the Student Centre, an event that was organized by the Canadian Blood Services (CBS). CBS officials were impressed with the large turnout that saw 94 students do their part in replenishing a “growing need for blood and blood products,” according to Anne Edge, a volunteer at the clinic. “The amount of blood that is needed is quite a lot, accidents can take quite a lot. There’s also gunshot wounds, cancer patients, and burn patients - all have an ongoing need for blood,” she said. Potential donors began by registering their demographics and having their blood iron level tested. This was followed by filling out a questionnaire about the donor’s medical history and travel records. Students would then discuss the questionnaire with on-site nurses to rule out potential points for disqualification. “Recent travel to certain locations could pose a risk for infectious diseases such as Malaria. You have to be at least 110 pounds to donate a pint, which is, on average, a tenth of the blood in your body. There are also age restrictions if you are between the ages of 60 and 70 and are a first time donor,” said Prakash Masitt, the clinic’s supervisor. Once potential donors had their health status cleared they were guid-
ed to a bed and prepped by one of the nurses to donate. After about twenty minutes the students were taken to the ‘hospitality table’ where they were served juice, coffee, and cookies to sustain their blood sugar levels. The whole process from start to finish could take up to an hour; a commitment that most students found worth was worth their effort. “The staff and volunteers were really nice and you kind of have to wait, but it’s worth it because like the motto says, ‘it’s in you to give.’ It’s something that you have and it just requires a time commitment and nothing else,” said first-time donor Ahmed Faress, a third-year biology major. “This is my fourth time donating and I highly encourage everyone to come out and do it. It’s a good thing. You could potentially be saving someone’s life,” said Junaid Butt, a second-year commerce specialist. Out of the 94 students who came out, only 74 actually donated blood, with the remainder being disqualified for various reasons, which did not include CBS’s MSM policy on deferring male donors who have had sex with other men since 1977. “That’s the question we have been addressing on some of the campuses and it’s not the individual, it’s the criteria that we have for the safety of our patients to keep the blood and blood products safer. Because of the research we have so far, there’s a high incidence of HIV in this particular group,” said Masitt. The policy has recently been the
centre of much controversy with gay rights activists, who argue that it is based on homophobic and discriminatory beliefs, and not scientific research. “Yes, at this point we still have the criteria in place [but] we are looking into it and we are doing more research,” said Masitt. The supervisor was also seen handing out official notices from CBS on the MSM policy which explained that the policy is a cautionary measure to rule out potentially undetected cases of HIV. “[It’s] because our state-of-the-art test for HIV has a limitation. In the early stages of infection, known as the ‘window period’, the virus is undetectable. What this means is that, without a screening process, there is the potential for an infected unit to get through the system and be transfused into a patient,” the handout explained. University of Toronto Mississauga students still found the cause worth supporting. “I figured if you needed blood yourself you would want someone to help. So you should try and put yourself in someone else’s shoes,” said Michael Calis, a first-year psychology major. “I heard that 80 per cent of Canadians will need blood at some point in their lives and only threeand-a-half per cent of the population actually donates blood. That’s kind of scary,” said Catherine Chen, a second-year commerce student. CBS plans to organize another blood donor clinic at the university in March.
photo/Matthew Filipowich
Nurses prepare UTM students to donate a pint of blood during Blood Donor Clinic organized by the Canadian Blood Services. The clinic ended up collecting around 74 units.
Student investigated by RCMP for Internet postings BY JULIE TYIOS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF An upper-year UTM student has come under investigation by the RCMP’s counter-terrorism forces for comments he posted on Torontobased Internet forums and chat rooms. After a terrorist attack in Germany last September, Hossain posted: "I hope the German brothers were gonna blow up US-German bases in their country. . . We should do that here in Canada as well. Kill as many western soldiers as well so that they think twice before entering foreign countries on behalf of their Jew masters." He also posted "Canadian soldiers on Canadian soil who are training to
go to Afghanistan or Iraq are legitimate targets to be killed. Now it is possible and legitimate ... believe me, if we could have enough of our soldiers killed, then we'd be forced to withdrawn (sic) from Afghanistan." The postings, flagged as hate speech targeting Jews and Canadian forces, have prompted action from various levels of government. "The promotion of hate and violence has no place in Canadian society, and it is an offence under the Criminal Code," said minister of public safety Stockwell Day, quoted in the Mississauga News. "Our government carefully balances the right to freedom of expression with our duty to protect Canadians from harm." As well, Senator Colin Kenny, the chairman of the Senate National Security and Defence Committee, has
called for charges to be filed against Hossain. The rise of a group on Facebook entitled “Expel or Suspend Salman Hossain” has become the center of the student movement against Hossain’s postings, which many feel go against the right to free speech. “Unfortunately, freedom of speech means just that,” wrote one member of the group. “However, it doesn't mean that other well meaning, patriotic, Canadians can't also ‘express themselves’ to take care of the trash. Hypothetically of course.” UTM Students’ Union president Walied Khoghali made a short posting in response to the situation: “As a student union, we will forever acknowledge and encourage free speech, but there is a difference between free speech demonstrating
disapproval and free speech inciting the killing of others. As a union, we cannot support anyone suggesting the murder of others.” Hossain initially rebutted many of the postings against him, citing a link to his blog, “Eradicating Zionism!!!” with an explanation of his opinions and a response to an article about his case in the National Post, which includes allegations that he knows the Khadr family, thought by some to be involved in terrorist activities. “The National Post is a Zionist controlled newspaper,” he wrote. “It is with regards the issue and debate about ‘free speech’ since the Zionist Jews via their control of the mainstream media promote hatred against muslims [sic] on a DAILY basis. They always promote negative images of Muslims and Islam. So
what they say is done for propaganda purposes... So far the article has mentioned many true statements but at times taken them out of their original context or left out a few things that would damage their propaganda major omissions. Remember, in my conversations, I stated many many things. They only chose what would make me look really bad. “As well as that, some of the facts stated are not right. I personally do NOT know the Khadr family. I know OF them, and I know that they are NOT ‘terrorists’.” But Hossain claims that the original postings were meant to remain private before declining to comment further on the situation without his lawyer’s advice. The RCMP has not yet charged Hossain with any crime.