STAR LANDING
Glitterati take to the streets to celebrate the 34th Toronto International Film Festival.
Monday, September 14 2009
Volume 36, Issue 2
Campus prepares for swine flu With students back on campus UTM officials put together swine flu plan ALAIN LATOUR EDITOR IN CHIEF As the world braces itself for an H1N1 f l u p a n d e m i c t h a t c o ul d infect up to 30 per cent of the population, and with Washington State University and University of Kansas alre ady reporting outbreaks, in addition to a 20-year-old Cornell student dying on Friday, UTM officials maintain that the campus is “in particularly good shape.” Preparations have been underway throug h o u t t h e s u m m e r . T h e y ranged from the simple and preventative – such as adding hand sanitizing stations, which now total over 100, and instructing the caretaking team at UTM to increase the frequency with which it sanitizes washrooms, food service areas and common gathering places – to planning ahead for a scenario in which up to a third of faculty and staff could end up sick. In an interview with The Medium, Dean o f S tu d e n t Af f a ir s M a r k Overton said that “U of T is heavily invested in pandemic planning.” Workin g w i t h t h e M i n ist r y o f Health and Long-Term Care, and with Peel Public Health in the case of UTM, university officials developed a strategy with an emphasis on prevention. So far, the strategy involves d i s p l a y i n g t ip s i n t h e Zoom frames hanging in the campus’ washrooms, forming Health Education teams to promote flu awareness, informing residence stu-
Matthew Filipowich/The Medium
Hand washing is the best way to prevent spread of H1N1 flu d e n t s a n d a dd ing a notice in Blackboard (U of T’s coursework portal). They have also set up a page dedicated to student information on the Pandemic Preparedness website. UTM V i c e-President and Principal Ian Orchard followed with an email informing UTM students about the H1N1 strain. And l a s t Th u r s d ay , the University released a flu-registry system, accessible through ROSI, U of T’s student web service, which allows students to record flu-related absences without the need to submit doctors’ notes to their professors. Skipping class – or, in the case of staff, work – is encouraged by both
Public Health Canada and the University. A memorandum was recently sent to U of T principals, deans, academic directors and chairs instructing them to “make reasonable accommodations for students who are unable to attend classes or complete academic requirements due to suspected or actual H1N1 illnesses.” “The rule of thumb for returning to class,” said Alison Burnett, director of the Health and Counselling Centre, “is 24 hours after the fever has subsided – without any medication. Lots of times people take Tylenol to reduce fever. That’s not the same as the fever subsiding on
its own.” A visit to the doctor becomes necessary if the fever continues after the first 24 hours or if flu symptoms worsen. Patients might then be given an antiviral drug such as Tamiflu. “Unlike in the UK, where these antiviral drugs have been given to everyone, here in Canada, they will be given only to people suspected of actually having the swine flu,” said Burnett. “Those with a regular flu will just have to ride it out. If you’re at a higher risk, then it’s more likely you will be given the drug.”
Flu continued on page 2
New childcare centre opens SAALIHA MALIK NEWS EDITOR
Establishing a permanent child care centre on campus has been a struggle for the last five years, leaving UTM as the only U of T campus without a permanent child care facility. But when students returned to campus last Tuesday, they found that the new Early Learning Centre had been completed. The demand for child care has been an on-going campaign between the student union and the UTM administration for the last five years. Initially there was a childcare facility on campus, but it was shut down due to low demand. Some parents were upset, however, and asked
the students union to intervene. The Erindale Part-Time Students Union and the Students Administrative Council (now UTSU) teamed up to campaign for a new facility. The University did not initially think there was enough of a demand, forcing the UTSU at UTM and EPUS to provide a facility in the student centre to accommodate families. This move did not satisfy the increasing demand for childcare. The centre could only accommodate five children at a time. At its highest, there were 19 children using the facility on a rotational basis, with over 20 families on wait list. After numerous meetings and careful negotiations, the UTM administration and the student union came to an agreement and the groundwork for the ELC was laid. The building of the new facility also had many setbacks, with logistical problems plaguing the preliminary stages of construction. Despite numerous delays
construction, construction began in March of 2009. The Early Learning Centre replaces the child-minding centre operated by the student union. Located beside the Leacock Lane residence, it can accommodate 26 children and provides both fulltime and part-time care to ten toddlers aged 18 to 30 months and 16 preschoolers aged 30 months to five years. The building is a huge improvement in terms of space as the original centre was located in one of the student centre board rooms. There are now six employees and an on-site supervisor at the ELC that can provide more programs for the children. The mission statement of the service provider states, “The Early Learning Centre will provide a superior level of support to the family unit of University of Toronto students, staff and faculty by implementing early childhood education
and care programs that strive for excellence.” The rates, however, have been questioned by the student union, who cited that the fees are more expensive than the previous centre. Whereas the temporary centre charged $5 an hour to a maximum to $40 a day for childcare – amounting to roughly $800 for monthly full-time care – the ELC is charging $982 for preschoolers, $1,286 for toddlers and $1,515 for infants for full-time monthly care. The student union will be running a campaign to pressure the University administration to lower costs and increase bursaries. “Students have been fighting for many years to gain an accessible child care facility on our campus. The child care centre finally exists but it is financially inaccessible to students, who are already burdened by soaring tuition fees,” said UTMSU VP Equity Vickita Bhatt.
Woman dies at U of T KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI Leah Kubik, 29, died after falling three storeys off the roof of a building at the St. George campus early on September 10. Kubik was on her first date with a 34year-old man she met on the internet. The pair were allegedly ghost hunting before Kubik plummeted to her death at a U of T building located at 1 Spadina Crescent. Kubik, who was originally from Indiana but had resided in Toronto for several years, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when she and her date entered the building through a window and climbed to the roof. The pair, who were not students at the University, tried to cross a gap in the structure. The man cleared the gap, but Kubik was not as fortunate. She tried to cross by stepping on the mesh wire used to prevent bird activity within the building. The wire collapsed, sending Kubik to her death. Police were called to the scene around 2 a.m. Kubik was immediately transported to St. Michael’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Later that afternoon, police released a statement confirming that the thrill-seekers had been exploring the building’s gothic architecture when the accident occurred. Police are now calling the accident a “death by misadventure.” Kubik’s date, whose name has not been released, is not a suspect and is unlikely to face any criminal charges. This is not the first death in the gothicstyle building, which is believed to be haunted and was home to another death in January 2001 when fifty-year-old professor and artist David Buller was found stabbed to death in his office. The case remains unsolved. The building, constructed in 1875, was the home of Knox College before becoming a military hospital during the First World War. It now contains art studios, several offices and parking s ervices. Although the building has witnessed two horrific deaths, paranormal activity has not been proven to exist within the walls of the structure.
INSIDE South Building renamed PAGE 2 Underwater sex PAGE 6 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch PAGE 7 Working out for better marks PAGE 10