Le journal bilingue de Glendon | Glendon’s Bilingual Newspaper
Vol. 60 Issue 9 : le 16 mars 2022
In This Issue Page 2 ● LETTER FROM THE EDITOR VIE ÉTUDIANTE Page 3 ● Alumni Feature: Après nous, le déluge EXPRESSIONS Page 4 ● Tous les débuts ont une fin Page 4 ● The Empty Ring Box ARTS ET DIVERTISSEMENT Page 5 ● Le Retour de Stromae Photo par Joseph Holmes
Page 5 ● The Art of Pole Dancing METROPOLIS Page 6 ● Alumni Feature: “Fight for those liberties that make a democracy so wonderful.” Page 7 ● Response To Alumni Article on Vaccine Mandates and Pro Tem Coverage of Current Events HEALTH AND WELLNESS Page 8 ● YorkU Active Minds Takeover: Mental Health Treatment and Where to Find It Page 9 ● Comment éviter l’adoption d’un mode de vie sédentaire pour vous sauver la vie ? Page 9 ● I can speak French, je le jure! ISSUES AND IDEAS Page 10 ● Asking the Ontario Government About their Licence Plates Page 11 ● Ukraine in Turmoil: A Canadian Perspective FUN & RELAXATION Page 12 ● Connect with Glendon Quiz La prochaine date limite : Vendredi 18 mars 2022
Joseph Holmes posing as a king on a throne, originally captioned “Do you want this man’s job?” Behind him, is a letter from President Dorothy Watson of the GCSU, begging Campus Security to shut down Pro Tem. The other letter is from Glendon Principal Philippe Garigue who praises Joseph Holme’s writing and newspaper leadership.
Alumni Feature: Après nous, le déluge Joseph Holmes Pro Tem Alumnus ‘81 If you think being Editor of Pro Tem is a boring job best performed by nerdy bookworms with ink-stained cuffs and coke-bottle glasses, I’m here to set you straight. There’s one particular year of Pro Tem that no one has ever told you about, but once you’ve heard the story I’m about to share, I’ll bet you look up the online archives, so you can read those amazing issues for yourself. As a published author who runs several companies that mentor social influencers and develop websites, I can tell you that the most valuable education I ever got was being Editor of Pro Tem in 1980-81. When I seized the helm of the Good Ship Pro Tem in the summer of 1980, the little weekly was in dire straits. We were still several years away from
the computer age, and the operation was decidedly medieval. Had Johannes Gutenberg been raised from the dead and brought into our offices, he would have run out screaming once he caught sight of our primitive publication. The typesetting was scattershot and hard to read, and the design and layout were cluttered, confused and boring. No wonder, then, that Pro Tem was barely an afterthought, ignored by most students or quickly scanned before being tossed into the wastebasket — it was clear something drastic needed to be done. Even though the entirety of my journalistic training consisted of watching “Citizen Kane” multiple times, the Pro Tem staff made the tragic mistake of selecting me as Editor, based on my ambitious plan to buy a new typesetting machine and to transform the newspaper into a magazine. It was a simple adjustment: turn the paper side-
ways, slice off one folded end, and put a couple of staples in the spine. Our first couple of issues looked horrendous, owing to our complete ignorance of the basic rules of page design. Week after week, however, our magazine improved, eventually becoming a shining ambassador of Glendon College. In fact, on York’s main campus, demand for Pro Tem at one point actually eclipsed demand for Excalibur! From the start, our goal was to get the students invested in their paper. Love it or hate it, either one was fine by us. We just wanted them to care. And to read it, of course. Our editorial policy was clear: we said what we meant, which was usually highly politically incorrect. We left no stone unturned in our efforts to raise hell among both the staff and the student body, offending, Continued on PAGE 3
The Pro Tem Team
Letter from the Editor
Notre équipe
Brianna Carrasco Editor in Chief / Rédactrice en chef ✉ editor@protemglendon.com
Ariana Mah Assistant English Editor / Rédactrice anglaise ajointe ✉ englisheditor@protemglendon.com
Sara Youssef Assistant French Editor / Rédactrice française adjointe ✉ frencheditor@protemglendon.com
Josée Philips Chief of Operations / Chef des opérations ✉ operations@protemglendon.com
Elton Campbell Layout Designer / Maquetteur ✉ design@protemglendon.com
Shilpa Ahluwalia Photographer / Photographe ✉ photography@protemglendon.com
Abigail Gillen Bilingual Journalist / Journaliste bilingue
Michael Aquilino English Journalist / Journalist anglais
Rejean Ghanem French Journalist / Journaliste française
Christy Lorenz Issues and Ideas, Health and Wellness & Expressions / Actualité et opinions, Santé et bien-être & Expressions
Anna Noumtinis Campus Life, Arts and Entertainment & Metropolis / Vie étudiante, Arts et divertissement & Métropole
À propos de nous Pro Tem est le journal étudiant du collège Glendon. Publié pour la première fois en 1962, c’est la plus ancienne publication de l’Université York. Opinions published in Pro Tem are those of the individual writers, and do not reflect the views of the publication as a whole. We will not print copy deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise oppressive. Les lettres adressées au journal peuvent être éditées au niveau de la clarté ou de contenu. All copy appearing in Pro Tem is at the discretion of the editorial team. Feel free to respond to what you read in the pages of Pro Tem! / N’hésitez pas à réagir à ce que vouz avez lu dans Pro Tem! To see past editions of Pro Tem, please visit our website: www.protemglendon.com. Be sure to follow us on Instagram for reminders about upcoming deadlines and events.
2 Pro Tem • www.protemgl.com • March 16, 2022
Bonjour, Glendonites! I hope you’re doing well, staying safe, and holding on until the end of the school year. Just a few short weeks to go! Nous sommes ravis que vous lisiez l’avant-dernier numéro du semestre. Dans ce numéro, nous avons un article sur le retour de Stromae sur la scène musicale, des conseils pour réussir un test de français et un poème touchant sur des fiançailles qui se terminent trop tôt. Mon article préféré est écrit par Joseph Holmes, ancien élève de Pro Tem, qui a écrit sur son temps chaotique et espiègle en tant que rédacteur en chef de Pro Tem de 1980 à 1981. Vous ne voudrez pas manquer cette histoire divertissante! We also have some fun news! On April 1st from 7PM to 8:30PM Pro Tem, along with the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations, will be hosting A Toast to Pro Tem - A 60th Anniversary Celebration. The event will celebrate the past, present, and future of Pro Tem and will include a panel featuring three Pro Tem alumni, Heather Scoffield, Michael den Tandt, and Teshini Harrison! Then, we will follow the panel with a literal toast to Pro Tem, where we will be sharing our memories with Pro Tem, and even sharing some of our own creative writing. Anyone who comes out to the event will be entered into a raffle to win a gift card and Glendon swag! To learn more about the event and register, follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/atoast-to-pro-tem-un-toast-a-pro-tem-tickets-272332322307. And we have even more awesome news! The next, and final issue of Pro Tem for the school year will be published in-person! After two years, you can begin to see physical copies of Pro Tem on campus again! If you’d like to contribute to this final issue of Pro Tem, and see your article in a physical newspaper, you can submit articles, editorials, poems, creative writing, visual art, recipes, or opinion pieces, to editor@protemglendon.com. Merci beaucoup pour votre lectorat ! Nous ne pourrions pas réussir sans vous ! À bientôt ! Brianna Carrasco Editor in Chief | Rédactrice en chef
Vie étudiante
Alumni Feature: Après nous, le déluge (cont.) amusing, enraging, insulting, ridiculing, entertaining, and stoking powerful emotions. Knowing that every good story needs a villain, I enthusiastically embraced that role. Simultaneously vilified and lauded, I put myself front and center and deliberately wrote incendiary editorial content that provoked outrage. I was an enthusiastic student of the Genghis Khan School of Diplomacy. Over the course of my tenure, students plastered Glendon with notices that read, “Say NO to Joe.” One outraged reader pushed me down a flight of stairs. Glendon’s Executive Officer called Pro Tem “a hamster nest.” Our News Editor was cornered in a bathroom by two irate students and barely escaped unscathed. The Frost Librarian wrote a letter threatening to have me arrested, only to write a letter the following week complimenting me on an excellent publication. Three insanely talented students – Lee Zimmerman, Larry Organ, and Linda Lisicky – formed the backbone of my editorial staff. They wholeheartedly embraced the concept of arousing our readers’ passions as a means of encouraging the normally-apathetic student body to vigorously engage with their campus newspaper. Their enthusiasm brought new talent into our operation. The best was Tim Haffey, who went on to become a successful Toronto sportscaster. Tim now teaches sports journalism at a Toronto-area college which shall remain nameless to protect its reputation. Often, we were juvenile, immature, and thoroughly unprofessional. Though, even when we were producing sober, insightful reportage, I did my best to infuse the staff with an irreverent attitude, encouraging them to never take their work too seriously. While I never censored a single word my writers produced, I gleefully affixed flippant headlines of my own creation onto their articles, which invariably gave them conniptions. My Sports Editor’s carefully-composed, balanced article gently critical of the Head of the Athletics Department became “Jensen is a Pinhead”, sparking massive outrage and pages of controversy in later editions. In the ’70s and ’80s, college campuses were often male bastions of neanderthal attitudes towards women (yes, even at Glendon – gasp! ). This was decades before #MeToo. To highlight this issue, we reprinted highly sexist Doonesbury cartoons by Garry Trudeau, a champion of the Equal Rights Amendment known for his
pro-feminist views, who used sarcasm to destroy his targets. Of course, the cartoons evoked outrage among those who didn’t understand the reverse-psychology technique, but our goal was accomplished: the discussion lit up our letters pages. Even our seemingly-puerile attacks were deliberate and carefully designed. In our very first issue, I wrote a long polemic about Campus Security entitled “Buffoons in Blue.”.That set the tone for a year of security guard bashing that eventually forced the University to double the Campus security detail – our goal from the start, after several incidents at the women’s residence had revealed the woeful lack of security. The pieces I wrote myself were valiant attempts at Gonzo journalism, featuring libellous commentaries and a blatant disregard for the facts. These were often the pieces that drew the most outrage and attention. I like to think that Hunter S. Thompson himself would have approved. As the weeks went by, our volume of readers’ letters exploded, and even included letters from York’s Keele campus! Some of our last issues featured several pages of letters – we printed every one we got, especially those which excoriated us mercilessly. If you knew what it takes to make a student sit down, put pen to paper, and actually write an honest-to-goodness real letter, you’d understand what an achievement that was. FINALLY! People were reading, and people cared! But of course, as someone wiser than I once said, a prophet is never respected in his homeland. A half-dozen students became so outraged that they created their own publication, mimeographing [millennials, ask your parents] a six-page handwritten issue that energetically vilified me while decrying Pro Tem’s editorial policies. One persistent refrain among our detractors was that I was arrogant and undemocratic. People complained that I operated the paper as though it were my own personal kingdom. So, for the cover of the issue where we announced a search for the next year’s Editor, I posed for a photo dressed as a king on a throne, above the caption, “Do you want this man’s job?” Ridiculous, unfounded rumours spread on Campus about Pro Tem and me. The modern-day equivalent would be postings from “Q,” accusing us of conducting Satanic child sacrifices below the Café de la Terrasse.
The greater the controversy, the more in demand the paper became, and the more engaged the students became with Pro Tem. Pouring oil on the fire, I allowed – and even subtly stoked – false and inflammatory rumours that I was bankrupting Pro Tem with lavish personal expenditures. Since I wouldn’t deny them, the rumours gathered steam. Canadian University Press started a formal investigation into alleged misuse of newspaper funds (they found none, of course). Nonetheless, near the end of the year, the Glendon College Student Union (GCSU), which I had ridiculed in several editorials, arbitrarily closed the paper down and terminated our contract with our printer because I wouldn’t dignify their nonsensical accusations by appearing at the GCSU meetings to refute them. To quote Emperor Darth Sidious, everything was unfolding exactly according to plan. During the week after the GCSU locked us out, my staff and I broke into the Pro Tem offices every evening after midnight, working by flashlight to avoid detection by the lone campus security guard on patrol, to produce our final issue – a lavish, double-sized edition, to boot! I contracted in secret with a new printer, then snuck the raw copies into the University print shop at York, where a friendly staff member let me use their machines to trim the pages. After distributing it in the dead of night on both campuses, we sat back and watched gleefully as the astounded student body (and GCSU members) gaped in consternation at the discovery of the unexpected issue.
For the next week, this outrageous, unsanctioned, “bootleg” issue of Pro Tem was all anyone could talk about, and once the supply of that final issue had all been snatched up, students passed around their own copies. It was the ultimate measure of success – like the original Star Trek, we were cancelled early by small-minded bean-counters, but our public loved us. Glendon College’s Principal Garigue said to me when I visited him the following year, “Half the campus loved you, and the other half wanted to tar and feather you, but they complained like hell when the paper was late and they all read every single word in it.” It was never about me, or about the controversies, or my countless incendiary editorials, or money, or notoriety, or juvenile gratification. It was what Marshall McLuhan said: “The medium is the message.” People got involved. Often, the number one topic on Campus was – can you believe it?! – PRO TEM. I encourage all Glendonites to look up online those wonderful issues of Pro Tem from 1980/81: https://protem. journals.yorku.ca/index.php/protem/issue/ view/615 Even after 40 years, you can still feel the enthusiasm, the chaos, the laughter and the controversy behind the lines. Just reading the letters is worth the price of admission. But be forewarned: those editions are politically incorrect in the extreme, and will most likely offend your tender 2022 sensibilities. If you read them, you will want to hunt me down and punch me in the mouth. At least, I hope so.
Photo par Joseph Holmes
Pro Tem • www.protemgl.com • le 16 mars 2022 3
Expressions
Tous les débuts ont une fin Anonymous Avertissement: La mort Depuis la naissance, notre corps commence la décomposition ; notre conception marque même notre fin. Avec le printemps vient la nouvelle naissance, et la mort inévitable qui suit. La mort vient après nous, de la même manière qu’elle vient après les animaux à la suite de la naissance, et après le feuillage à la suite de la croissance ; une récompense graduelle et rampante à la fin d’une très longue journée. La vie n’est qu’une malédiction, qu’une temporaire et qu’un éphémère dans son essence ; sa seule qualité rédemptrice est qu’on peut y échapper. Quittez la vie, et marchez vers la mort en l’acceptant. Des rêves morbides de chute, où je me jette du haut d’immeubles dorés vides, ou je tombe d’un viaduc, atterrissant sur les rails en contrebas. Avec des pas sûrs, nous courons vers une fin inévitable. Oh, le bonheur de l’oubli, ne viendras-tu pas à moi ?
4 Pro Tem • www.protemgl.com • March 16, 2022
The Empty Ring Box Stephanie Doherty Contributor Engaged at 20 With hope in my eyes Soul mate
Whispered in our ears Looking at the stars He proposed He held me under the stars A glimmer in time Watching the seasons change Together Hand in hand Forever and I do To never and we’re through
Arts et divertissement
Le Retour de Stromae Rejean Ghanem French Journalist Le chanteur belge, Stromae, revient après quatre longues années sur scène avec son nouvel album « Multitude » et avec une tournée de concerts. La chanson « L’Enfer » parle de sa bataille contre lequel il combatte la dépression tout le long de sa vie. Le début de la vie de Stromae n’a pas été facile, puisque son père a été tué pendant le génocide rwandais duquel il en parle dans sa chanson « Papaoutai ». « L’Enfer » a atteint le numéro un des charts en Belgique et en France ; le numéro 8 en Allemagne ; le numéro 3 en Suisse et le
The Art of Pole Dancing Brianna Carrasco Editor in Chief The music video for the song “Cellophane” by singer FKA Twigs is largely what inspired me to begin pole dancing. The video showcases FKA Twigs singing somberly, starting off slow but then swiftly swinging her body around the pole in a manner I could only describe as incredible and seemingly impossible. She climbs up the infinite pole into a heaven-like space, before she loses her grip and begins crashing down into a hellish pit, symbolizing her breakup with actor Robert Pattinson. I was transfixed after watching this video and developed a sort of obsession with pole dancing; Googling and watching videos on YouTube, and following pole dancers on Instagram. Unfortunately, I saw this music video in the middle of the pandemic, when all pole studios and gyms were closed. I felt stuck. I wanted to join a class and get on a pole immediately! But there was no way I could. La pole dance — pour ceux qui n’en connaissent pas — est un type de danse ou d’exercice qui se déroule sur une perche verticale. La pole dance est généralement associée aux strip-teaseuses et au travail du sexe. Alors que la pole dance peut certainement être une forme d’expression sexuelle, la pole dance peut aussi être un moyen de contracter les muscles. N’importe qui peut faire de la pole dance, d’un jeune ayant une bonne expéri-
numéro 11 aux Pays-Bas. Malgré sa pause, il domine toujours les charts européens. Stromae a pris une pause de l’industrie de la musique pour plusieurs raisons. Il a d’abord fondé une famille avec sa femme. Il préfère également vivre une vie privée. Cependant, il est évident que le chanteur est prêt à nous étonner avec plus de musique et qu’il fera des arrêts au Canada pour se produire ! Beaucoup d’étudiants à Glendon connaissent Stromae puisque nous avons probablement entendu parler de lui pendant nos cours de français et par nos amis. Sinon, vous pouvez consulter ses autres chansons à succès : « Tous Les Mêmes » et « Alors On Danse ». Stromae est une icône de la musique dans la communauté française et cet automne pourrait être une occasion rare de le voir se produire en direct.
ence de la danse à une femme d’âge moyen qui n’a jamais suivi de cours de danse. Beaucoup d’hommes font même de la pole dance ! From March 2021 to September 2021, I practiced off-pole exercises – mainly pilates. I highly recommend practicing pilates if you’re interested in pole dancing. Pilates emphasizes the proper form you will use while on a pole – pointed toes, soft movements, straight spines. Pilates is also known to enhance your core, legs, and upper body – all things that are needed to hold yourself up on a pole. En septembre, j’ai commencé des cours de pole dance à Inferno Pole Studio à Durham avec la monitrice, Courtney! Je me suis simplement dit que j’étais si heureuse d’avoir passé les six derniers mois à m’entraîner ! La plupart des cours de (barre verticale) poteau de départ vous enseignent l’art de marcher autour de poteau avec fluidité, ensuite ils vous enseignent des mouvements de débutants sur le poteau tels que la pose de chaise, qui consiste essentiellement à s’accrocher au poteau et à soulever vos pieds du sol. I’ve been pole dancing for about six months now, and it has honestly changed my life. I’m still a beginner, but every week in class, I can feel my body improving, landing more moves and poses that I couldn’t have done before. Pole dancing has allowed me to appreciate my body for more than just looks. People of all different ages, shapes, and sizes come into the pole studio and all of us express the magnificence of the human body and what it can do. Each week, I leave class impressed by my body’s own ability, which leads to more confidence in every area of
my life. If I can climb up a steel pole, flip upside down, while spinning and manage not to fall on my face, then hell yeah I can pass this test or ace this job interview. After each class, my arms feel pleasantly tender, my core aching but stronger, and I probably have calluses on my hands and bruises on my thighs from wrapping them around the pole, but I love every part of it! Si vous souhaitez commencer la danse de pole dance, voici quelques conseils. Trouvez un studio à proximité et inscrivez-vous à un cours ! Portez des vêtements confortables à votre premier cours.
En règle générale, le moins de vêtements que vous portez le mieux, car la peau nue vous aide à rester sur le poteau, mais beaucoup de femmes portent des vêtements en pantalon et à manches longues ! Si vous avez les moyens, achetez-en une bouteille de pole grip avec vous avant de partir. Le pole grip est de la craie liquide que vous mettez sur vos mains pour ne pas vous glisser du poteau. Enfin, amusez-vous ! N’ayez pas peur d’avoir l’air stupide ou de ne pas être aussi fort au début. Après chaque cours, vous deviendrez de mieux en mieux.
Photo par Courtney sur Instagram : @InfernoPoleStudio
Pro Tem • www.protemgl.com • le 16 mars 2022 5
Metropolis
Alumni Feature: “Fight for those liberties that make a democracy so wonderful.” Andrew Michalski Pro Tem Alumnus ‘71 Note from the Editor: The content of this article does not reflect the views of the Pro Tem team. This article is meant to present an opposing viewpoint to the vaccine mandate debate and coverage by journalists. In the fall of 1970, Pro Tem took a stand against the federal government’s implementation of the War Measures Act, a law that led to the arbitrary arrest and detention of hundreds of political activists. When asked by a CBC reporter how far he would trample on civil liberties, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau famously warned the country, “Just watch me.” Many students opposed the Act, but some made a “rally around the flag” demonstration on the main campus to support the Trudeau government. Open debate and dissenters were encouraged. 52 years later, Justin, son of Pierre, has invoked the Emergencies Act, hybrid child of the War Measures Act, to get rid of protesters he has described – and I paraphrase here – as misogynistic, racist and expressing unacceptable views about the vaccine mandate. It is worse this time because the draconian law comes from a guy who groped a female reporter in B.C., fired an Indigenous woman who served as his Attorney General, and wore black face to parties so many times he can’t remember how many. Yet, anyone who disagrees with him is dismissed as a “conspiracy theorist.” The progressive parties, who received my vote for those 52 years, have supported him in Parliament to implement emergency powers including the right to freeze an individual’s bank account and financial transactions anywhere in the country. The vast majority of Canadians support the law’s imposition while 27 percent also want the unvaccinated, like me, put in jail. Dissent about vaccines or their mandate is not tolerated. This whole pandemic has a sinister edge to it. We’re told to trust the approval of drugs by U.S. regulators and institutions who annually receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the drug companies. To trust Pfizer research despite its pre-Covid payouts totalling $11 billion for criminal fraud and faking data. To trust the government narrative despite physicians, researchers, and big pharma whistleblowers being told to stop asking questions about the science
or get turfed from their profession. To trust an experimental first world vaccine costing $35 per person over proven third world alternatives to be had for pennies. But then again, it was never about science. It’s about politics, money, and one of the most effective fear campaigns ever generated on a world population. Two years ago, I could never have imagined my friends – including some former radical students– gush so eloquently over every detail about how they jumped the queue to get the shot for themselves and family members. Did they not think that it might come at the expense of the more vulnerable? Pro Tem no longer seems to boast a prominently placed editorial page where the journal takes a formal stand on issues. No place to comment on Glendon students and staff having been forced to take the vaccine to keep their place at the college. No commentary on the Ottawa truck demonstration where police, without bodycam proof, claimed that demonstrators threw a bicycle at a police horse and its rider, but demonstrators with cell phones recorded an elderly Mohawk woman with a
6 Pro Tem • www.protemgl.com • March 16, 2022
Photo par Ringo Chiu/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images
walker being trampled by the horse. Like many immigrants, my extended family has experienced the tyranny of authoritarian regimes. One of my core values is a profound sense of gratitude for living in a democracy that now appears in free fall. What should the writers do at Glendon? Fight for those liberties that make a democracy so wonderful. Learn every effective communication skill the college has to offer. Good writing takes
you a lot of places. As a former journalist, social worker, and teacher, I can attest to the importance of defining your core values and, if they’re of any substance, you will be swimming against the stream and turning heads. Determine your level of courage in expressing them. Find a group of digital journalists where you can fine tune your skills, and if you can make some money to survive, that would be good too.
Métropole
Response To Alumni Article on Vaccine Mandates and Pro Tem Coverage of Current Events Rejean Ghanem French Journalist The pandemic has surely been a very tiring and exhausting time. I’m sure we can all agree that we want things to go back to normal as fast as possible. Upon receiving an Alumni Feature article on Pro Tem’s lack of reaction to mandates, Pro Tem has the right to kindly defend itself in a respectful manner. As stated by the alumnus, Pro Tem has not spoken up against government mandates. This is not because we are apprehensive about sharing our own opinions. Instead, it’s likely because most students are sick of hearing about the pandemic. When you are consumed with academics, work, and extracurriculars, writing about the mandates takes a backseat, and may not be prioritized by Pro Tem members. In fact, people are so tired of seeing COVID in the news that a new term has popped up: “COVID fatigue.”
However, we are a newspaper that represents the student body. Therefore, if someone would like to write about their frustrations with the mandates, they are free to do so. We represent the student body’s thoughts and feelings, and operate as a safe space for students to express themselves. However, we have not received any opinion pieces on mandates to this date. Of course, to reiterate, this does not mean that every student is in agreement with how the government has handled the pandemic. It could just mean that students are caught up in their own personal lives and have not found the time to write. Many people are emotionally and mentally drained. As mandates presently near their end, it is likely that people will prioritize travelling and going out. Additionally, it’s worth noting that mandates are a provincial issue, not federal. We have, however, received an anonymous contribution from a York University student who wrote about the ineffectiveness of the York University Covid
screening system, YU Screen. It could be that York University students are more bothered by completing the daily and tedious YU Screen than the fact that there are on-campus vaccine mandates. You can find this article titled “What’s the Deal with YU Screen” on the Pro Tem website. The division has equally stemmed from both sides. Pro Tem desires to unite students, and pointing fingers has never worked in favour of this goal. Good writing certainly does take you to “good places,” which is why we are proud to be Ontario’s only bilingual newspaper. At the end of the day, to promote unity we have to support
one another. This pandemic has wreaked havoc on people’s mental health, physical health, emotions, friendships, and family life. Instead of pointing fingers, we must ask ourselves: “How can we move forward?”
Pro Tem • www.protemgl.com • le 16 mars 2022 7
Health and Wellness
YorkU Active Minds Takeover: Mental Health Treatment and Where to Find It Brianna Carrasco Editor in Chief I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to write an article about how to access mental health treatment in Ontario through York’s chapter of Active Minds. Here are some excerpts of my article that you can find here: https://www.amyork.ca/community/ january-2022-a-guide-to-mental-healthtreatment/ I start off with the first step in accessing mental health treatment: admitting that you need help. “You may not have a diagnosis, you may think that you’re the only person who has ever experienced what you’re going through. That’s okay. If you feel like you have been experiencing an unreasonable amount of stress, anxiety, depression, mood swings, or simply feel like you’re not feeling your best, you deserve treatment. Whether you’re experiencing intense depression, or minor stress, seeing a mental health professional can be beneficial.” The next step is to receive a diagnosis or to clearly identify the problems you are experiencing. “You may have suspected that you’re suffering from a mental health disorder, such as Bipolar Disorder or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Or you may not even know if what you’re feeling has a name. If you’d like for your mental health to be assessed, (...) you will need to do a psychological assessment (usually a self-report questionnaire where you describe how you’ve been feeling). The York University Psychology Clinic offers psychological assessments for the cost of $2000, usually with a 12-month waitlist. Understandably, this is a long wait and might be too high of a cost for you. In that case, I would recommend visiting your family doctor or a walk-in clinic. Explain how you’re feeling and express that you’d like to be assessed. They can refer you to a psychologist to do an assessment for free.” Once you have a clear idea of the issues you are facing, “you can make a plan to begin tackling your mental health difficulties. You might decide that weekly or biweekly sessions with a psychologist might be best. During these sessions, you
can explain your feelings and define some goals you would like to work on with your psychologist. Currently, some diagnoses are only treatable with medication. If you require medication or would like to try it out and see if it will benefit you, you will most likely be referred to a psychiatrist, a professional who specializes in administering medications. They will help you find a medication and a dosage that works best for you. However, not everyone needs to be diagnosed with a disorder to access psychotherapy. As I mentioned above, having an assessment can be costly, and the wait times might not work for you. If you don’t want to be assessed, you can ask your doctor for a referral to a psychologist (...) or a psychotherapist.” If you’d like to skip the step of speaking to your doctor “you can find a psychologist or a psychotherapist yourself. The York University Psychology Clinic is currently accepting new patients. If you’d like to go somewhere else, you can search on PsychologyToday.com or simply Google “Psychotherapy in Toronto.” You can look at different therapists close to you, view how much they charge for an hour session, and see what types of people they have experience treating. You can call or email them to see if they are accepting new patients, and even ask for a free 15-minute consultation to see if you connect with this therapist! Don’t be discouraged if you do not connect with the first therapist you meet with. It’s okay to discontinue sessions with a therapist and find a new one who better fits your needs. Finding mental health treatment in Ontario tends to be expensive or entails months-long wait times. If you’re experiencing a mental health emergency “there are a few crisis hotlines you can call to speak to a professional. You can find the numbers here: camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources. If you need even more immediate help, do not hesitate to call 911 or go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital.” They will provide you with immediate care, resources for outpatient treatment, or provide you with inpatient treatment where you can recover. Mental health treatment can be expensive, and seeing a psychotherapist or a psychologist is generally not covered under OHIP (psychiatrists are). This means you will likely have to pay out of pocket for your treatment or use a health insurance plan. However, “Your employer, or your parents’ employer, might provide benefits for you to access psychotherapy from a social worker, psychotherapist, or psychologist. The York Federation of Students Health and Dental Plan offers $60 per visit
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for up to $600 per year in benefits when accessing psychotherapy. Lastly, some psychotherapists or psychologists offer ‘sliding scales.’ This means that they review your financial situation and offer a payment plan based on that. This allows people who cannot afford their regular rate to access psychotherapy.” If you’re interested in reading the entire article, don’t hesitate to follow the link posted above!
Santé et bien-être
Comment éviter l’adoption d’un mode de vie sédentaire pour vous sauver la vie ? Sara Yousef Assistant French Editor Nous sommes conçues pour bouger. Cependant, avez-vous l’impression de passer tout votre temps… assis ? En tant qu’étudiants universitaires, nous avons adopté par défaut un mode de vie sédentaire. Nous passons la plupart de notre temps souvent assis devant un écran plusieurs heures par jour. Nous sommes trop longtemps rivés à notre chaise ; nous ne faisons point suffisamment d’activité physique dans nos loisirs. Notamment, nous étudions au niveau universitaire dans l’espoir d’accéder un jour à des emplois nécessitant peu de déplacements. La mauvaise nouvelle : c’est qu’un tel mode de vie sédentaire est néfaste à notre santé. Plus
I can speak French, je le jure! Abigail Gillen Bilingual Journalist If you’re anything like me, there might have been a point in your Glendon career where you’ve been sitting in a FRAN course, sweating bullets writing a test on the finer points of French grammar while thinking: am I really going to use this beyond FRAN 3810? For myself, and most people studying their second language, the process of learning never really ends. What’s more, especially when it comes to applying for bilingual positions, the process of proving you’re competent in your second language doesn’t end either. Je me suis rendu compte que c’était vrai une fois de plus dans le processus d’embauche pour mon prochain emploi. Je suis très heureuse, c’est une occasion incroyable de faire quelque chose qui me donne franchement du plaisir, mais il y a un obstacle… un test de grammaire en français ! Pour être clair, ce n’est pas la grammaire en français en elle-même qui pose problème, c’est l’anxiété de quatre ans de cours FRAN suivis qui s’accumu-
nous passons en effet du temps en position assise tout le long de la journée, plus notre risque de mortalité et de complications augmente. La bonne nouvelle : c’est que nous pouvons contrecarrer les effets. Notre corps s’adapte afin de devenir plus compétent le plus qu’on bouge pour le travail physique : c’est le principe de l’entraînement. Les études récentes sont arrivées à la conclusion que des pauses régulières entre nos périodes de sédentarité génèrent des effets bénéfiques sur notre état de santé. En effet, nous n’avons pas besoin d’exercer des activités physiques de forte intensité. Nous pouvons simplement nous lever pour marcher ou encore faire de l’exercice très léger de faible intensité. L’idée principale est de bouger nos membres pendant deux minutes toutes les trente ou quarante-cinq minutes. Évidemment, l’idée de faire de courtes pauses n’est pas l’idéal pour nous, en tant qu’étudiants, qui passons de nombreuses heures en réunions virtuelles via Internet par Zoom et qui aimons travailler pendant des heures pour aller au bout de nos inspirations. Nous pouvons donc nous poser la question suivante : quelle quantité d’activité physique développée dans les mo-
ments de loisir peut contrecarrer les effets néfastes de sédentarité sur notre santé ? Il vaut mieux faire une bonne demi-heure quotidienne d’activité physique. En effet, il n’y a point de différence entre la longueur de quantité d’activité physique nécessaire à l’amélioration de notre santé que ça soit de petites pauses de deux minutes toutes
les trente ou quarante-cinq minutes ou que ça soit de longues pauses de trente à quarante minutes par jour. L’important est qu’à la fin de la journée notre corps nous remerciera de faire des pauses fréquentes dans notre adoption d’un mode de vie sédentaire.
lent dans mon amygdale et qui me mettent dans tous mes états lorsque je dois prouver que je suis vraiment bilingue. Having gotten so used to relying on my beloved Antidote software before sending off any French text I’ve written, sometimes I question if I’m truly bilingual. The idea of doing a timed, closed-book, Second Language Evaluation for Canada’s public service seems daunting, but I know that I really am qualified to do the job. If you can relate to this for similar public service positions or other entrance exams, keep reading for a couple of tips from my own experience preparing for the government’s SLE test. Conseil n° 1 : Faites n’importe quel type de test pratique sur lequel vous pouvez mettre votre main (ou plutôt la souris de votre ordinateur). Faites-le sans ressource, chronométrez-vous et notez tout ce dont vous avez du mal à vous souvenir. Vous pouvez trouver des tests en ligne pour le DELF, ou même le SLE du gouvernement pour vous donner une idée de leur niveau de difficulté. Conseil n° 2 : Ne trichez pas ! Même si une telle action semble attrayante comme un petit pense-bête à vous lors d’un test sans surveillance, cela n’en vaut pas la peine. Si vous le faites, vous pourriez vous retrouver dans des situations
délicates. Par exemple, on risque de vous confier un travail qui ne correspond pas à vos capacités et d’être pénalisé pour avoir rendu un travail de qualité inférieure à celle attendue. Dans le pire des cas, si vous vous faites prendre, vous risquez de perdre votre emploi, votre bourse d’études, votre admission à un programme ou tout autre élément pour lequel le test a été conçu. Tip No. 3: Face your own worst critic: to do well, you truly have to believe in yourself! If you’re nervous, doubting yourself, and switching back and forth between multiple-choice answers, you’re likely to make mistakes. If there are any questions that you aren’t sure of, try to eliminate the answers that are obviously wrong first, then make your best guess. Remember that even if there are a couple that you don’t
know, it’s still possible for you to do just fine overall! Tip No. 4: Put yourself first. If for any reason you aren’t feeling your best, whether it’s physically or mentally, reach out to the test coordinator to see if it would be possible for you to reschedule. From my experience, I’ve had very considerate and kind coordinators who valued my well-being and wanted me to do my best. In general, it’s much easier to reschedule the test for any kind of ailment than to try and get a rewrite if you’ve answered the questions in a fevered stupor— trust me! It’s a win-win for everyone this way. Ce faisant, je vous souhaite la meilleure des chances pour montrer votre connaissance du français. Bon courage : rendez Glendon fière !
Photo par Daniel Reche de pexels.com
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Issues and Ideas
Asking the Ontario Government About their Licence Plates Ameer Shash Contributor Embossed blue letters, a seven-digit, three-letter format, and a simple template were what Ontario used for its previous-issue licence plates from 1997 until 2020 when the Ford Government announced plans to redesign the plates entirely. The newly-conceived licence plates received criticism as they could not be seen at night, even when illuminated by vehicular headlights — prompting further concern of Premier Ford’s competency and priorities. The media swarmed the Premier with questions and reported stories throughout 2020 about the plate fiasco. This later led the Ford Government to recall the faulty plates, branded with the slogans “Open For Business” and “A Place to Grow”, a far cry from its decades-long slogan “Yours to Discover.” As of late 2021, the old “Yours to Discover” plates are back in circulation at ServiceOntario centres. The following are questions asked to the Ministry of the Solicitor General and Correctional Services (MSGCS). Ameer: Given Ontario’s temporary stoppage of licence plates in the whiteon-blue (“A Place to Grow”) design, will the prior white-on-blue (“Yours to Discover”) plates remain in circulation, or will they redesign these plates with new graphics sometime in the future? The Ministry: After thorough testing by law enforcement and other key stakeholders, alongside improvements in durability of the “Yours to Discover” plates, we decided that it was in the best interest of Ontarians to not move forward with the redesign of Ontario’s licence plate due to visibility concerns. Ameer: How will the province ensure that defective licence plates are exhausted from circulation and reused in
a way that does not cause environmental harm? The Ministry: All returned plates are recycled by Service Ontario. Ameer: What are the financial implications of manufacturing new plates for Ontarians? Are there projections or numbers that you are able to share? The Ministry: The current Trilcor cost to manufacture passenger licence plates is $3.60 per set. Ameer: From the raw material until its finished product, how long does it take to manufacture a licence plate? The Ministry: Three days. Ameer: When was the first date or month that A-series and B-series plates came into circulation? The Ministry: The A series passenger plates were issued starting in 1997. Manufacturing of the B-series passenger plate began in 2006. The C-series started
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in July 2016. It takes roughly 10-13 years to do a complete series of plates. We can estimate that we have roughly another 4-5 years of production for the C-series. Each series roughly encompasses 11,000,000 plates.
Ameer: How many plates are manufactured daily at Trilcor? The Ministry: Approximately 6,000-8,000 pairs of plates are manufactured at Trilcor daily.
Photo par Ameer Shash
Actualité et opinions
Ukraine in Turmoil: A Canadian Perspective Michael Aquilino English Journalist Readers Note: The information contained in this article is current as of March 8, 2022, and is subject to change as the situation in Ukraine continues to evolve. On February 24, 2022, Russian military forces stormed Ukraine, launching several attacks against Ukrainian cities. Underscoring the severity of the invasion, the National Post remarked that this is the first time since World War II that a European country has been threatened with the prospects of total conquest by another sovereign state. The situation in Ukraine is thus incredibly dire and advancing in ways that require immediate global attention. The roots of the crisis can be traced back to 2014, when Russia illegally occupied the Ukrainian territories of Crimea and Sevastopol, ultimately undermining Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russian influence upon Ukraine has since been extremely aggressive, threatening to destabilise the foundations upon which Ukraine is built. Russia has been reluctant to recognize Ukrainian independence, and, with Ukraine in pursuit of NATO acceptance, has taken measures to assert its dominance over the region. Be this as it may, the most recent developments north of the Black Sea are not constrained to Ukraine in their scope of consequence. The attacks, according to the Government of Canada, “threaten the values and principles that underpin international order” — encompassing global political, economic, social, and cultural effects. Democracy and the stability of Europe itself may be imperilled. Canada, the first Western country to recognize Ukraine’s independence from the recently-fallen Soviet Union on December 2, 1991, strongly condemns Russia’s “illegal and egregious” actions.. Ever since recognizing Ukraine, relations between Ukraine and Canada have been largely amicable — cooperating on matters such as security and defence, trade, and democratic and economic reform. Historically, Ukrainians have also played a remarkable role within Canadian culture. Attracted by agricultural prospects, the Canadian Encyclopaedia noted that the initial influx of Ukrainians into Canada occurred in the 19th century. According to
Cochrane, Blidook, and Dyck’s (2021) work on Canadian politics, Ukrainian people were integral in 1960s Canadian cultural reform, successfully pressuring the government to recognize other ethnocultural groups in the country aside from those who spoke English or French. Ukrainian-Canadians demanded changes in public policies as well as verbal/moral support from their government. Such political and social pressure was a critical factor which facilitated the implementation of multiculturalism in Canada. Thus, as per Cochrane, Blidook, and Dyck (2021), Ukrainians have significantly contributed to the cultural pluralism that has come to characterise the country. In light of the robust connection that Canada and Ukraine share, and with Canada also housing the largest Ukrainian diaspora population outside of Russia, the Canadian government has been lending a helping hand during the crisis. On February 25, 2022, Canada launched a dollar-for-dollar donation initiative for crisis relief in Ukraine, where the government will match individual donations to the Canadian Red Cross (up to a maximum of $10 million) until March 18, 2022. Nevertheless, as CTV News has observed, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have many direct and grim implications for North America, including those regarding inflation, food/other goods prices, and immigration. Supply chains will be disrupted, and with Russia being a major supplier of
the world’s oil and gas, a sharp increase at the pumps will ensue. Global markets, in many areas, will become unsettled, and their future, should the crisis continue to progress, looks bleak. Canadian imports from Ukraine are plentiful, including sunflower oil, sugar, chocolate, baked goods, vodka, iron and steel, apparel, ceramics, and minerals. With Ukrainian production in a state of disarray, Canadian shelves and factories may suffer. The events in eastern Europe could set a dangerous global precedent, or, should the world manage to drive Russia out of Ukraine, set a very encouraging one. In order to spare human life, destruc-
tion, and the economic, political, and social well-being of many countries, such violence in a contemporary context cannot be left to its own devices. As the world watches in fear, Western democracy must take a collective stand against the forces which threaten its cherished principles—ensuring a better and more harmonious future for all. On a concluding note, while the war may seem to be at arm’s length, in reality, it is much closer to home than some may presume. As such, and as has already been seen with demonstrations in Toronto and around the world, it is imperative that Canadians stand together with Ukraine during this time of crisis.
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Fun & Relaxation
Connect with Glendon Quiz One of the best things about Glendon is the number of bilingual clubs and student groups there are to participate in! Because of Glendon’s small size, joining clubs is the best way to meet new people and improve your resume. If you’re interested in supporting one of Glendon’s clubs next school year, but don’t know where to start, this quiz will help you out! 1. What are you studying at Glendon? a. I’m in the Con.Ed program, educating the minds of the future! b. Political Science or Sociology! I want to make a change in the world. c. A language like French or English. d. Communication studies! 2. What do you like to do in your free time? a. I enjoy the simple things: reading, yoga, enjoying a nice meal. b. Stay up to date on the latest news. c. Spend time with my family and friends. d. A new DIY project such as gardening or crafts. 3. Where is your dream vacation spot? a. A scenic vacation, like the B.C. mountains! b. Anywhere! I want to travel to every continent at least once. c. I love visiting the countries I have cultural ties to! d. I prefer a stay-cation, camping somewhere close to home or a mini road trip. 4. What’s your favourite food? a. Food? I barely have time to eat with all the work I’m doing. b. I’m more of a fine-dining person: steak or lobster is the way to go. c. A homemade dish that I usually only eat at family get-togethers! d. I’m plant-based or vegetarian, I love my vegetables, beans, rice, and pasta dishes!
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5. And for all my Francophone music lovers out there: what’s your favourite Stromae song? a. Papaoutai is a classic! b. Formidable just hits different. c. Alors On Danse is a banger. d. His new stuff like Santé or L’enfer. Results:
If you got mostly As, you should join: Peace by Peace! Chances are you’re in the Concurrent Education program or are thinking about it. You love to work with kids and you probably have a long history of tutoring French or math to middle schoolers. Follow them on Instagram @glendon_pxp to stay up to date on events! If you got mostly Bs, you should join: The Glendon College Student Union. You probably love current events, activism, and making the world a better place. You love being a Glendon student and want to make it even better for incoming students. Check them out at aecgcsu.com! If you got mostly Cs, you should join: a culture-based club like the Glendon African Network or the Glendon Muslim Students Association. You’re proud of your background and where your family has come frome. You’re also probably interested in increasing cultural awareness on campus and embracing diversity. Check out Glendon’s club directory to get in touch: glendon.yorku.ca/student-affairs/clubs-portal/directory-of-clubs If you got mostly Ds, you should join: Regenesis or Lunik. You’re an environmentalist and do everything you can to protect the environment, eating plant-based, thriftshopping, and biking to school. Regenesis and Lunik both understand the power of community engagement and being as environmentally-friendly as possible. Check them out on Instagram @regenesisglendon and @lunikcoop.