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Monday, October 5th, 2010
Volume 37, Issue 5
UTMSU justifies blood ban STEPHANIE VEGA
Last Tuesday, the Canadian Blood Services hosted a Blood Donor Clinic from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Presentation Room of the Student Centre. As announced in the UTMSU newsletter, the clinic allowed UTM students to partake in the fourth annual cross-Canada donation challenge, “Blood 101: Canadian Students Saving Lives”. The challenge was led by students from university, college, and technical campuses. The Canadian Blood Services’ website states that “Approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood. In fact, according to a recent poll, 52 percent of Canadians say they or a family member have needed blood or blood products for surgery or for medical treatment. The good news is that one blood donation—in just one hour—can save up to three lives.” The site explains, “At the time of donation, you will be asked a number of questions to determine your eligibility.” A person is temporarily deferred from donating if they have had dental treatment (extractions, fillings, cleaning, restoration), and, in order to fully recover, must wait until the day after treatment for cleaning or filling or 72 hours after extraction, root canal, or dental surgery. If they have had a cold, flu, or sore throat, full recovery is required, with a six-month waiting period for those who have had ear or body piercing or tattooing. In addition to other temporary deferrals, the website enumerates the criteria for indefinite deferral. The site says, “Unfortunately, some people may not be able to donate. Serious health problems, possible exposure to infectious disease(s), or participation in high-risk activities can defer some prospective donors indefinitely.” Common reasons for such a deferral are living in certain geographic areas, possible exposure to CJD or vCJD, HIV high-risk activities, disease, diabetes (insulin-treated), false positive test results, and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, in light of the recent “To Ban or Not to Ban” debate hosted by OUT@UTM in conjunction with UTMSU’s Ministry of Equity, many students dispute the Canadian Blood Services’ prohibition of MSM (men who have sex with men) donors. For the indefinite deferral of HIV high-risk activities, the site explains, “All men who have had sex with another man (even once) since 1977 are indefinitely deferred. This is based on current scientific knowledge and statistical information that shows that men who have had sex with other men are at greater risk for HIV/AIDS infection than other people.”
Blood continued on page 2
Parking deck construction stalled due to weather conditions
Edward Cai/ The Medium
The lack of parking spaces leaves students circling the lots. RASHEED CLARKE WITH NOTES FROM KATHERINE LUCZYNSKI
Don’t expect the sight of huge trucks, heavy machinery, and hard hats around UTM to go away anytime soon. Several multi-milliondollar projects around campus are slated to continue until next spring, but one bit of construction is on the verge of wrapping up. Staff and students who drive to UTM will be able to park a few steps closer to the Recreation, Athletics, and Wellness Centre by the third week of October. The parking deck was originally scheduled to open on September 27. There are currently no plans to further expand campus parking. The second level of the new parking complex outside the RAWC will be able to serve 300 cars, with space for an additional 300 already available below. Paul Manna, project superintendent with Dineen Construction, the construction company responsible for building the new parking deck, said that the project has been delayed due to bad weather.
“We’re so close to being done, and we want to give it [the parking lot] back to the school, but whenever it rains we get a bit of a setback,” said Manna. “At times we’ve put in 12- to 13-hour days— and thankfully we did, or the weather may have pushed us back even further.” The waterproofing on the top level is complete, and the asphalt has been put down on about half of the top deck. The next step is the construction of a pedestrian bridge, complete with a ramp to the upper deck to provide wheelchair access. The new two-level parking structure comes with a $6-million price tag. With a limited amount of spaces reserved for department use, lot 1 is currently sold out to staff and faculty who purchased parking passes before students. Due to construction in lot 1, certain spaces were not available for sale, but have since been sold to students who were waitlisted. Meanwhile, the biggest projects on campus—the Instructional Centre and Health Sciences Complex—continue to take shape. The straight lines, steel plates, and glass panes should be polished
and completed in late March or early April of 2011. Meanwhile, Christopher Rizzo, Development Manager at the University, said that construction of the Instructional Centre (IC) is ahead of schedule, while the work on the Health Sciences Complex (HSC) is “a little bit behind”. The Health Sciences Complex will provide new laboratory space for life sciences research as well as expanded facilities for the Biomedical Communications program and U of T’s Academy of Medicine. The cost of the new building is pegged at $36 million, with funding coming from the government of Ontario, the University of Toronto, and private donors. The construction of the new Instructional Centre will make room for UTM’s growing undergraduate and post-graduate student population. The IC will boast eight new lecture halls, 19 new classrooms, multiple stu dy and lounge spaces, and food service. The federal government’s Knowledge Infrastructure Fund will fund the $70-million bill.
Parking continued on page 2
Environment Week kicks off ROHIT MEHTA
This year, students can be a part of the seven environmental organizations on campus: UTMSU Ministry of the Environment, the Environmental Affairs Office’s Green Team, Campus Roots, the Urban Agriculture Society, the UTM Cycling Club, Bikeshare, the Student Association for Geography and Environment Students, and the Green Party Club. Each group caters to different interests, but they are all united in their effort to reduce the negative environmental impact of UTM students, and to make the campus more sustainable. Through the newly formed UTM Environmental Alliance, all of these groups will meet often to collaborate, share resources, and work together. “You have to start branching out and doing extracurricular activities in university. If you don’t, you aren’t competitive and you don’t learn outside the classroom,” said Aubrey Iwaniw, the Environmental Project Coordinator at UTM, which offers work-study positions for the Green Team. Often, students email Iwaniw asking to get involved or volunteer, but she says that students should also take initiative as leaders, and that they will get support if they do. Students are often unaware of the opportunities to make a difference on campus.
Environment continued on page 2
Construction Forecast PAGE 2 Business Casual PAGE 5 Circus in Toronto PAGE 6 Highschool vs University PAGE 9 Leafs season in review PAGE 11
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