October 30, 2013

Ryersonian The

Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Volume 68, Number 7

@theryersonian / www.ryersonian.ca

Guts. Glory. Rams.

Courtesy Winston Chow

After its most important win so far this season, the Ryerson Rams men’s soccer team stands on the threshold of triumph. At the eleventh hour of their game Sunday afternoon, the Rams rallied to overwhelm the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. The victory earned Ryerson a spot in the OUA Final Four. Please see the story on page 11 to read more about what comes next for the team.

CESAR faces labour charge in bitter battle

By Diana Hall Ryersonian Staff

The trade union representing two full-time workers who have been locked out of their jobs at the Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson says it has filed an unfair labour practices complaint against the beleaguered student union.

A representative of CUPE Local 1281 confirmed that CUPE National filed a complaint against CESAR with the Ontario Labour Relations Board on Oct. 11. The complaint cites five violations of Ontario’s Labour Act. Mary-Jo Nadeau, service coordinator at CUPE 1281, said the complaint rests on CESAR’s “unwillingness to come to the bargaining table” and “the way in which they represent the (two locked-out members) in the media … basically disciplining them in public, because they’re saying things like (the workers) don’t answer the phones (and) they don’t work.”

But according to an emailed statement from CESAR president Shinae Kim, the student union denies and “does not

accept” CUPE’s accusation that CESAR’s bargaining operations have violated the Labour Act. “The way that I see it is, I guess, that the union is just so desperate that they’re just doing everything that they can to try (to) slander executives and slander CESAR, and make this seem like something that it’s not,” Kim said.

“Just because somebody makes a claim against you doesn’t mean it’s valid or it’s right.”

The unfair labour practices claim still faces investigation, but it is the latest rift in the rocky relationship between CESAR and its full-time employees.

The two sides have stumbled through failed negotiations since their last collective agreement — which outlined terms of employment — expired in 2011.

As a result, CESAR’s two full-time staffers have been locked out of their jobs since Sept. 30.

Although the two sides insist they are willing and eager to reach a new collective agreement that will better serve continuing education students, they can’t seem to agree on a set of

new terms — or who is at fault for the lockout in the first place.

Supporters of the two locked-out workers chanted and marched through Oakham Café up to CESAR’s office on the third floor of the Student Campus Centre just after noon on Monday.

The group of about 14 people paraded through the halls while carrying a cake coated in bright green icing to demand that CESAR return to the bargaining table and put an end to the lockout.

“They know they’re the side that has to respond because they’re the side that isn’t doing anything,” Nadeau argued.

CUPE’s labour practices filing, which claims CESAR hasn’t been bargaining in “good faith” and has been immoveable in negotiations, represents Nadeau’s criticisms of the student union’s lack of responsible leadership.

She said only two out of five elected executive positions on CESAR’s board have been filled, but Kim wouldn’t comment on the number of executive representatives CESAR employs.

Please see CESAR, page 3

Diana Hall / Ryersonian Staff

CUPE Local 1281 supporter Brian Kelly protests at CESAR’s office.

2 • The Ryersonian

EDITORIALS

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The

Ryersonian

Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism

Ryerson University 80 Gould Street Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3

Newsroom: 416-979-5323 Fax: 416-979-5342

Ryerson’s identity crisis is taking over the streets Ryerson can’t seem to catch a break this semester when it comes to making improvements and honouring heritage on campus — and it’s the school’s own doing.

Our campus is having an identity crisis: Do we embrace the history of downtown Toronto when planning for Ryerson’s future, or disregard the past to start the next chapter in the history books?

Ryerson, as well as city council, made national headlines earlier in the year when university president Sheldon Levy announced that the legendary neon Sam The Record Man sign cost too much to repair and was unsafe to mount on the Student Learning Centre.

Canadian music icons such as Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot and Geddy Lee have voiced their displeasure about the university’s decision. Students, many of whom were still in high school when the store closed in 2007, quickly jumped to their side.

They want to hang on to a physical memory of good old Sam and the glory days of the vinyl record while holding Ryerson accountable for trying to back out of the agreement. Ryerson has backed away from honouring the past.

While a decision on the iconic sign’s fate has been put on hold until next year, students have shifted their focus on another

become a map to guide pedestrians through the busiest area on campus, at once honouring the long-forgotten past and welcoming the leaders of the future.

This homage to a widely unknown body of water, which Ryerson seems to regard as an unofficial heritage treasure, came with a price tag of $170,000.

The expensive makeover is an offshoot of Ryerson’s ambitious Master Plan that brought us the Mattamy Athletic Centre and The Image Arts Building.

The plan has been described as a catalyst for change in Toronto’s downtown core and the community surrounding the campus. But wasting money on branding-bycolours is the wrong approach to making our campus a prominent feature in the city of Toronto.

And it is confusing as hell.

Trying to put Ryerson on the map takes more than painting a map under the feet of pedestrians.

Our River Road makeover that masquerades as some sort of heritage stamp is a cry for attention that makes us look weak. At the same time, retreating from the Sam sign heritage agreement with the City of Toronto makes us look desperate to proclaim our presence on Yonge Street.

Is there a way to honour history without sacrificing wellearned pride? Is pride the cause of Ryerson’s heritage identity

Do we embrace the history of downtown Toronto when planning for Ryerson’s future, or disregard the past to start the next chapter in the history books? obnoxiously bright, costly and controversial bit of heritage branding on campus: River Road.

This past week, after the road’s second makeover, Gould and Victoria Streets were finally dry enough to reopen to pedestrians. This paint job crafted a visual representation of Moss Park Creek, which was once an underground river that ran freely below the surface of the Ryerson campus. The design has

Managing Editor Print Diana Hall

Managing Editor Broadcast Tanya Mok

conundrum? Is a balance even possible?

Ryerson may have fought to make a name for itself by expertly and respectfully transforming Maple Leaf Gardens into its new stomping ground, but it has made a mess of aligning itself with heritage values this year.

Whatever upcoming projects the school has in mind, it had better decide what kind of identity is worth the cash.

Arts & Life Editor Maria Siassina

Features Editor

Managing Editor Live

Editorial Page Editor

Lineup Editor

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Copy Editors

Greg DeClara Sydney Poulos

OPINION

Students should be outraged by the current Senate scandal

By David Rockne Corrigan Ryersonian Staff

Something smells in Ottawa.

The litter box that is the Canadian Senate, which has changed far too infrequently since 1867, finally overpowered the halls of Parliament and its odious scent is too strong to ignore.

There is a scandal taking shape on Parliament Hill that threatens the fate of our chamber of “sober second thought.”

The controversy surrounds a handful of senators who may or may not have made improper expense claims, and a prime minister who may or may not have been party to a conspiracy to cover it up.

It is unclear just how severe the fallout from this scandal will be, but the future of the Senate is far from bright.

In his rant on CBC’s The National last week, Rex Murphy described the Senate as a “great, grim patronage pit.” I don’t often agree with Murphy, but he’s right — Canadians should probably stop throwing $106 million (not

including pension costs) into this pit each year.

What I’ve learned over the last week is just how much influence the Prime Minister’s Office, and likely Stephen Harper himself, has over the Senate. The prime minister exerts a remarkable amount of control on the Conservative senators, which is becoming more clear to Canadians with each passing day.

Instead of a chamber of sober second thought, it is more like a secondary tool of the PMO and a serious threat to the future of Canadian democracy.

If Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau are suspended this week — and the details of this fiasco never see the light of the day — it will likely be business as usual in Ottawa. If this goes away now, Harper might even get re-elected in two years.

The 2013 Senate debacle will become a distant memory.

But here’s the real shocker: nobody is doing anything about it. The Harper Conservatives have talked about reforming the Senate for years now, but it is obviously just a joke at this point. When Harper mentioned his party’s intention to reform the Senate in the House of Commons last week, opposition leader Tom Mulcair asked him “How’s that going for you?” The House laughed like they were in the studio audience of a crappy television sitcom.

I don’t think I’m over-simplifying when I say the following: somebody is lying. Duffy says

Arman Aghbali Dillon Rahkola Dan Berlin Victor Ferreria

Photo Editor Maria Assaf

Harper knew about a questionable $90,000 cheque that was given to Duffy to repay his bloated expense claims. Harper says he did not know. Something is amiss. Whatever consequences this scandal has for Harper and the Conservatives — and they don’t look good — is unclear.

Harper has managed to avoid controversy for quite a long time as prime minister. It’s part of his charm, I guess. But he might be in too deep this time. Only time will tell.

What we should be most concerned about in the long term is the very existence of the Senate in the first place. What better time to have a serious discussion about reform or abolition when all eyes are focused squarely on them?

As students, we are the future leaders of this country — at least, that’s what they keep telling me. We will someday inherit the Parliament of Canada, and it will become our responsibility to steer this democracy in the right direction. If the current government chooses to ignore the elephant in the room, then we might be wise to elect a government that won’t.

This Senate controversy has raised a more important question: aren’t all Senate expenses inappropriate?

If the current generation of political leadership is unwilling to clean the kitty litter, then I guess we will just have to do it ourselves.

The smell isn’t going away on its own.

CONTACT US

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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

NEWS

The Ryersonian • 3

CUPE 1281 supporters brought a cake to the CESAR office at Ryerson’s Student Campus Centre as an invitation back to negotiations.

Diana Hall / Ryersonian Staff

Rye’s union-on-union (in)action continues CESAR cont’d...

Nadeau said a particular source of tension among the parties’ respective leaders is that the union wants CESAR to hire a third worker to fill the long-vacant administrative co-ordinator position, whose responsibilities had fallen onto the two locked-out CUPE 1281 workers.

“What was the real issue (in negotiations) is that they want to remove one of the real bargaining positions from CESAR permanently,” Nadeau said.

“For us, that’s union busting.

“That’s like breaking the union (by) taking out a fulltime position — and that’s where we’re stalled.”

Although Kim acknowledged that CESAR was “asking for the deletion of the (fulltime administrative co-ordinator) position that has been vacant for over a year and a half,” she denied Nadeau’s claims that CESAR is unfairly refusing to bargain.

According to an email statement from Nadeau on Oct. 29, CUPE and CESAR are in talks to return to the bargaining table in the near future.

By Arman Aghbali Ryersonian Staff

Mohamed Omar / Ryersonian Staff

Toronto Fire Services respond to a Monday fire alarm at Pitman Hall.

Diana Hall / Ryersonian Staff

False alarms burn cash CUPE 1281 allies Mary-Jo Nadeau, centre, and Brian Kelly, right.

An abnormal number of fire alarms were set off across campus last week, interrupting everything from study sessions to midterm exams, and while most of them were drills, at least 10 were false and could cost the university more than $10,000.

Kerri Bailey, manager of finance and strategic planning at Ryerson’s campus facilities and sustainability department, said glitches and odd circumstance triggered eight of the 10 false alarms from Oct. 7 to 25.

Toronto Fire Services told The Ryersonian it charges institutions $410 per vehicle for every hour when addressing malicious fire alarms, or those pulled for no legitimate reason.

Historically, they’ve charged Ryerson $1,230 for every alarm response, Bailey said in an email.

In several cases, most of the fees can be waived if the institution is making efforts to prevent future malicious alarms, according to Toronto fire Capt.

David Eckerman.

Ryerson president Sheldon Levy said he doesn’t know how the school could mitigate the number of false fire alarms, but added that the fees aren’t unfair.

“Four hundred dollars a truck is cheap,” Levy said.

But Eckerman says he worries false alarms could lead to problems in the future.

“Obviously if people become too complacent then they’ll react improperly when there’s an actual fire,” he said.

“They’ll be unsafe and wait at their desks for some secondary alert instead of leaving immediately.”

Malicious fire alarms could also divert fire department resources from other potential fires. In 2010, a false alarm at a Queen’s University residence building led to a fatality because trucks were too preoccupied on campus to respond to “a life and death situation,” according to an article in the Queen’s Journal, the university’s student newspaper.

The scenarios that led to the false alarms at Ryerson range from coincidence to poor planning. Exhaust from Pitman Hall’s emergency generator activated the alarm on Oct. 7 around noon.

Twelve days later a Pitman Hall resident attempted to roast chestnuts on a grill, which triggered the smoke detector. Various alarms in Kerr Hall went off due to elevated heat from Oct. 18 to 22.

While drills are planned and cheaper, students say they can still come at a bad time.

Many have been dragged out of class during midterm exams early in the morning.

“I found it weird that they would do it when the building was less full,” said Daniel DaSilva, a thirdyear accounting student who was on the third floor of TRSM when the alarm went off.

“It was kind of a hassle.”

Second-year nursing student Sallie Jiang was nearly done her pathology midterm when the fire alarm went off. Once they were outside the Podium building, their professor said the exam would have to be rescheduled.

“It’s extra study time,” she said.

“To be honest I wouldn’t have done well.”

Only two of the alarms set off from Oct. 7 to 23 were potentially malicious. On Oct. 23, noise blasted through the Ted Rogers school of management when someone triggered an alarm in the Eaton Centre. The mall’s parent company, Cadillac Fairview, will foot that bill. No one knows why the parking garage alarm went off on Oct. 18 at 5:15 p.m. All other alarms were fire drills.

Several students confused the drills for people trying to escape midterm exams.

“It’s the oldest trick in the book,” said Igor Ljaskevic, 24, a master of engineering student at Ryerson.

“That’s the first thing people think of doing when they’re trying to escape an exam, but I don’t think it will work.”

4 • The Ryersonian

NEWS

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Left: Tari Ngangura, a member of a group against the FCAD society’s referendum. Right: Brian Hui and Pooja Ramaswamy of RCDS.

Mohamed Omar / Ryersonian Staff

FCAD students to cough up cash, or not

By Mohamed Omar Ryersonian Staff

The petition to create and fund a new student society for the Faculty of Communication and Design has gotten its “vote no” camp.

FCAD Save Your Money, a group promoting itself online and with posters on campus, is asking the faculty’s students to vote no in a referendum that, if passed, would secure the Ryerson Communication and Design Society (RCDS) an annual allowance of $60 from each student in FCAD starting September 2014.

RCDS wants to provide FCAD’s course unions with more funding and give its students more opportunities for intra-faculty collaboration, but it needs the financial support to do that, according to two members involved with the society’s creation.

“Our schools don’t really collaborate. People within the schools are mostly siloed within their own school buildings,” said Brian Hui, Université d’Ottawa

|

a fourth-year graphics and communications management student who sits on RCDS’s steering committee.

“This is really an opportunity for students to come together within one umbrella organization and through that be able to interact with each other, participate in more interdisciplinary projects and collaborate much, much more than what is currently happening.”

The opposition, which has been spreading its message with a website, social media accounts and physical posters, is represented off-line by second-year journalism student Tari Ngangura. She thinks FCAD students shouldn’t have to shell out an extra $60 for opportunities that are already available.

“It’s a lazy way to try and get people involved on campus, because there are many groups on campus that have been around for decades that don’t require people to pay an amount to be a part of their club,” said Ngangura, who added that her

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Open HOUSE Meet professors. Visit facilities.

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group is comprised of a “couple of friends” of hers.

But it’s the issue of course unions that truly splits the two sides into their respective yes and no campaigns.

Hui, along with fellow steering committee member and fourth-year interior design student Pooja Ramaswamy, said course unions don’t receive enough money from their breadwinner, the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU), adding that any granted funds are “fairly small in the grand scheme of things.”

As a remedy, Hui said RCDS would pour funding back into student groups and course unions to expand on what they currently get from the RSU — up to two $500 grants per semester, according to RSU president Melissa Palermo.

In a sample budget provided to Ryerson’s Board of Governors, RCDS allocated $100,000 out of approximately $245,000 to funding student groups and course unions.

But most of that money would come from outside the school, Ramaswamy said.

“Part of our money is coming from student funding and then we’re going to be reaching out to corporate sponsors to actually either match or raise the rest of the funding,” she said.

But Ngangura believes in course unions, too, enough to say, “If anything needs to be done,” it can, and should, be done through the course unions.

“Course unions can come together within their faculties and try to come up with ideas to do whatever they want to do, without creating a society,” she said.

Ngangura’s group is also concerned with how FCAD students would be represented at RCDS, which has already filled executive positions such as a marketing co-ordinator, a president, and vice-presidents of marketing and finance, according to Hui. He said FCAD students would elect a board of directors in the

winter, but already-elected executives would stay on to avoid a loss of leadership.

Hui hopes RCDS’s collaboration initiatives would culminate in an annual magnum opus, a yearend faculty-wide arts bash.

It’s a pricey event that Ngangura thinks students can do without.

“Programs already have that and the university pays for those festivals,” she said.

“I don’t see why we should pay for what the university already seeks to pay for.”

Although Palermo said the RSU has no stance on the referendum, she also said the union hopes the group is “student-led and studentfocused.”

Hui’s RCDS, with a $15,000 kickstart from FCAD, and Ngangura’s camp will continue to push for support until the vote on Nov. 4 to 7.

“Right now we have some money for our campaign,” Hui said, “and it looks like the other side does too.”

By Maham Abedi Ryersonian Staff

Smaller amounts of funding, or eight per cent of the budget, would go towards thesis and capstone grants as well as financial aid for conferences.

RESS will also continue to organize academic and social events.

The site also states the society currently has the lowest student levy among engineering faculties in Ontario universities, although it is the third largest in size at about 3,000 students.

University of Toronto engineering students pay the province’s highest levy of $283.97 per year.

If the increase is approved, it would become effective September 2014 and be included in students’ tuition fees.

Engineering students will be able to vote online at my.ryerson. ca from Nov. 4 to 7.

The levy was $20 in 1988, when the society was formed, and got its first increase after a successful referendum held in 2006.

Engineering society wants higher allowance Ryerson engineering students will be hitting the polls next week to decide whether they’re in favour of almost doubling their society’s annual levy.

The Ryerson Engineering Student Society (RESS) is asking students to vote in a referendum that would, if passed, increase the current student levy to $65 per year from the current $33.70 — an increase of almost 50 per cent.

This cost would bring RESS in line with what other student societies charge their students.

The Ryerson Commerce Society has been charging its members $65 a year since 2009.

According to the society’s website, Ress.ca, the bulk of the money, 74 per cent of the budget, would be handed down to fund additional student groups within RESS, such as the hobby electronics club and rocket club.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

NEWS

The Ryersonian • 5

Mo’ money, less stigma: Ryerson trio scores huge grant

By Hayley Brauer Ryersonian Staff

Three Ryerson professors played an integral role in earning one of the largest grants in school history.

Sepali Guruge, Josephine Wong and Souraya Sidani from the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing received a $3-million grant from the Movember Foundation, awarded for their investigative project focusing on reducing mental health stigma in Asian male communities in Canada.

The Movember application process took Guruge, Wong, Sidani and the rest of the researchers involved nearly two months to perfect. Their hard work paid off.

Pete Bombaci, national director of Movember Canada, says Ryerson’s research project received one of the highest grades from the international peer-review team set up by the foundation.

“It is a great thing when (the Movember Foundation) finds great programs that are making a difference,” he said.

“The rigour behind the Ryerson program is really good and we are thrilled to be funding them.”

Guruge, the principal investigator of the study, says the application’s success was a result of each professor’s area of expertise. Guruge specializes in

mental health, Wong in public health and community mobilization, and Sidani in intervention study methods.

“Many of us were working day and night in July to put together this proposal,” Wong said.

“I think we all did an excellent job of providing a comprehensible and holistic proposal.”

Guruge says the study is going to be groundbreaking for the mental health care industry.

“There is nothing else in Canada that looks at immigrant communities and mental health the way our project does.”

The project is scheduled to finish in 2016 and will consist of 2,160 men partaking in surveys and intervention counselling groups.

The participants will be sampled from Canadian cities with a high immigrant population.

Men from Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver will be selected to participate in the study.

The research team hopes the scale of the project will influence Canadian policy-makers to put more funding towards mental health initiatives.

The trio thinks it will help Asian men struggling with mental illness feel more integrated and connected within society.

Wong stressed the importance of creating a study focused on mental health stigma within Asian males in Canada.

Prof. Sepali Guruge and two others secured Ryerson a massive research grant.

This demographic, she says, faces multiple societal, personal and cultural challenges that can harm their mental well-being.

“Many of the (Canadian) Asian community members are newcomers to our country,” Wong said.

“They’re in Canada for 10 to 15 years and yet they still feel

they aren’t integrated into the community and society.”

This prevents them from seeking services. There is a large Asian population in many major cities that can’t find any psychiatrists from the same culture, Wong added.

The final goal of the project is to get Asian men to become

Courtesy Ryerson University

ambassadors who are engaged in society.

“It would make me so happy to start observing mental illness stigma decrease, people breaking the silence and talking about these issues,” Wong says.

“When individuals in a community experience good health, society will too experience good health.”

Provost soaks up student concerns

By Jean Ko Din Ryersonian Staff

Dozens of students flocked to a town hall Monday to let Ryerson know how it has disappointed them.

That was the whole point of the students-only meeting, hosted by Ryerson’s provost and vice-president academic, Mohamed Lachemi.

He wanted as much feedback as possible from students for the school’s second of three discussions on its Academic Plan for 2014-19.

“I want to give (students) room to express their interests,” said Lachemi.

Nancy Walton, director of E-Learning and associate professor in the school of nursing, moderated the discussion.

Some discussed the unequal distribution of university resources, saying students in certain programs are granted exclusive access to certain university facilities that others cannot use.

“We saw a huge rise in (the) graduate student population as part of the last academic plan and that’s left us in a place where (graduate students) do not necessarily have a lot of resources,” said Melissa Palermo, Ryerson Students’ Union president.

She was joined by other representatives from the RSU as well

as the Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson.

Many students also complained that student services aren’t as accessible to those who commute to school, study part-time, or study off-campus.

They feel that only a small percentage of the student population is engaged in campus life.

The last town hall session, which will focus on faculty but is open to all members of the Ryerson community, is today.

The provost’s office will continue its consultations with different Ryerson stakeholders and a new draft of the Academic Plan will be released in January or February of next year.

Save the Date!

RSU SEMI-ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WEDNESDAY, NOV 13 - 5pm SCC115, Student Centre

RSU holds two meetings each year where all members are eligible to vote on important student issues, and help set the direction of the students' union.

If you are a full time undergraduate students or a full or part time graduate student, come to the Semi Annual General meeting, share your views, and hear about the work of your students union.

Ryerson’s provost Mohamed Lachemi.

Mohamed Omar / Ryersonian Staff

RSU Semi-Annual General Meeting: Motions Due Have an idea or an issue you would like discussed?

Submit motions for consideration

by Monday, November 4 @ 5pm Email ed.communications@rsuonline.ca Please note that the deadline for motions related to bylaw changes has passed

6 • The Ryersonian

FEATURES

Wednesday, Octo

Peter Lozinski / Ryersonian Staff

A Heart of Blue and Gold Even a president daydreams.

“My dream day will be when there’s a number of people that are sitting out there, really angry, and they demand to see me, and I say, ‘what’s going on?’

“They would say: ‘How could you ever (have) been so stupid to only put 3,000 seats in (the MAC)?’

“That’s my definition of success.”

— Ryerson president Sheldon Levy

ober 30, 2013

FEATURES

The Ryersonian • 7

By Nuruddin Qor ane On a chilly Thursday night, a sea of blue and gold covered the stands of the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC). Supporters blew into vuvuzelas and clapped thunder sticks.

Figure skaters circled the ice with Ryerson flags awaiting the arrival of the men’s hockey team through a blanket of fog. At the end of the game, more than 2,100 fans would leave the arena, cheering. Their Rams had won, pulverizing the Guelph Gryphons 6-1.

The game was the highlight of a day celebrating Ryerson and its students, which began with a pep rally at the Pitman Quad and ended with an after party at the campus watering hole, the Ram in the Rye. The game’s attendance was the second highest at the MAC since the Rams inaugural game against Queen’s University last year, which had more than 2,600 in attendance.

Sanjeevan Sivapalan is a master of criminology student at Ryerson and commutes to school every day. “I don’t come that often to games,” he said. “But the advertising caught my attention.”

And the turnout itself caught the attention of the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU), which marked the night a success because of the university’s reputation for being a commuter school. The majority of students live off-campus, which stops many initiatives from getting off the ground as it’s harder to get students to stay around after class.

To Ivan Joseph, Ryerson’s athletic director, the solution is having better sports teams and a bigger focus on their games.

“When you stick around in the crowds it’s about building relationships. How do you build school spirit? It’s about friendships, relationships, all the things that make campus life come to life,” he said.

Many new faces came to Thursday’s game thanks to the promotion of the RSU’s new Blue & Gold Crew.

They walked around campus awarding prizes to those wearing blue and gold.

Danielle Brogan, vice-president of student life and events, spearheaded the creation of the Blue & Gold Crew to promote school spirit.

“It’s a combination of working with the athletes, like the men’s hockey team, and gauging what students want to see and use,” she said.

Brogan, who also functions as the athletic commissioner, started looking for ways in May to improve the relationship between Ryerson’s sports teams and its students. She and the RSU created the Ryerson Athletic Council — a sevenmember organization dedicated to promoting athletics at Ryerson — with the most important arm being the Blue & Gold Crew.

Brogan echoed that sentiment: “It’s the athletes that work hard and deserve support from us.”

Hockey team captain Andrew Buck commented on the huge show of support to reporters after the game, saying “it was good to see everyone come out.

The boys really get fired up when they see the crowd like that and everyone’s rowdy.”

The Blue & Gold Crew isn’t alone in ramping up energy. “The Blue Spirit,” a first-year student dressed head to toe in blue spandex, danced around the arena to pump up the crowd.

“Spirit helps teams win games,” said the Spirit, taking a break from chicken dancing during the second intermission.

“If there’s a key moment in the game, the team needs motivation from the fans.”

“How do you build school spirit? It’s about friendships, relationships, all the things that make campus life come to life.”

— Ivan Joseph “The Blue & Gold Crew interacts with students and increases the amount of people interested in Ryerson athletics,” said Brogan, after addressing the crowd at the MAC during the second intermission of the game.

“It makes them feel like they’re a part of our ‘Ramily,’” she added with a smile.

Building a Ryerson family is Kelly Gallo’s mission. She’s the events and spirit lead with the Blue & Gold Crew. Gallo passed out freebies like bracelets, hand clappers, tattoos and stickers to game attendees.

“We worked with the volleyball, soccer, figure skating and other teams to create a connection between students and athletics,” Gallo said.

Another student joined the Blue Spirit in the fun. He proclaimed he would soon don gold spandex and join his friend as “The Gold Spirit.”

Online live streams of the men’s hockey games, which reached thousands of students complemented the RSU’s promotion.

The broadcast, coupled with the opening of the MAC in 2012, have done wonders for student attendance at games, according to sports information specialist for Ryerson Athletics, Andrea Elliott.

“Not having to travel on public transit for 20 minutes to catch a game is certainly helping in terms of attendance numbers,” she said.

But not all Ryerson teams have the same support as the men’s hockey team.

Despite finishing the regular season undefeated and making it to the OUA Final Four, the men’s soccer team has had sparse crowds. With the soccer team playing their key playoff games this weekend, Brogan said that the Athletic Council doesn’t have any plans at the moment to promote them.

Part of the problem is that the team plays out of Birchmount Stadium in the east-end of the city. Another issue is the RSU’s focus on promoting more oncampus games at the MAC. “We’ve been focusing our events for (residence) students and on-campus stuff because it’s more likely to have a good turnout,” said Gallo. She hopes the turnout from the highly promoted games will carry over to Ryerson’s other teams.

At last week’s game, Katherina Horvath was one of the few cheering fans who doesn’t go to Ryerson, but came out to see her Gryphons play. Horvath graduated from the University of Guelph earlier this year and now lives in downtown Toronto.

“I’m surprised by the turnout. It’s more than I thought because it’s a commuter school,” she said.

One of the reasons she didn’t go to a school like Ryerson or University of Toronto is because of their poor reputation for school spirit.

“There always is school spirit at Guelph,” Horvath added. “We’d dress up, face-painted and we’d support each other. It’s the standard.”

If the Blue & Gold Crew has it their way, turnouts like the one on Thursday will become the standard at Ryerson for years to come. And it seems to be working.

“Two years ago, I think the entire population that came out to hockey games was less than 800 for all the games,” Joseph explained. “Last week we had more than 1,800 people in the stands.”

Photo taken between 1988 and 1993.

8 • The Ryersonian

ARTS & LIFE

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Cost of convenience inflates grocery bills

By Carly Thomas

Ryersonian Staff

Students spend upwards of 28 per cent more when shopping at grocery stores that are in Ryerson’s vicinity versus discount stores, according to a test of various prices from nearby grocers conducted by The Ryersonian.

In fact, Ryerson’s campus is surrounded by mostly pricey brand name grocers such as Metro, Loblaws and Sobeys, an issue for many students on tight budgets.

The Ryersonian conducted a mock food shop at four grocery stores to find out where students can get the best deals.

Each shop included 12 staple food items, from economy labels such as Compliments and President’s Choice.

Comparing the two on-campus grocers, our bill at Metro was nine per cent more than our bill at Loblaws. The infographic to the right shows the price of our shopping trip at each store.

According to one student, the savings aren’t always enough to walk the few blocks north to Loblaws.

“When I have time I go to Loblaws, but in between classes when I just need to get something right away, the Metro is right there, even though I know it’s more expensive,” says fourth-year arts and contemporary studies student Riley Kucheran.

To combat their high prices, Metro offers a 10 per cent discount to students who can present a student ID on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

For those who actually want to take advantage of economylevel stores, the nearest No Frills is located at Parliament and Carlton Streets, a 15-minute trek from Ryerson.

A Freshco grocery store is only slightly closer at Parliament and Dundas Streets, and while the walk seems daunting, especially to grab a lunchtime snack inbetween classes, the savings are nothing to laugh at.

For our shopping trip, Freshco was almost 30 per cent cheaper than Sobeys, interesting considering both stores are owned by Sobeys Inc.

A representative from the company told us stores like Freshco are not full-service, meaning they don’t offer extras like an on-site bakery, deli or butcher.

Without these added services, the store is able to pass the savings along to customers.

Dundas and Parliament Frescho co-owner Omar Halababi says, “Stores base their prices on the demographics of the area and how much people are willing to spend.”

Ryerson retail geography expert Joseph Aversa agrees, and says condo residents and white-collar jobs in the area are the reason for Ryerson’s brand name grocery monopoly.

Ryerson’s campus is nestled in the Church and Yonge corridor. It’s an area where about 30 per cent of households make $100,000 or more in annual income and pay an average of $1,000 a month in rent, according to the Statistics Canada 2006 census.

“These are the type of people that live and work in an urban setting and have very on-the-go lifestyles,” Aversa says.

“They would take advantage of ready-made meals, something that isn’t available at discount format stores.”

The price point advantages of economy grocers such as No Frills or Freshco are apparent, but it remains unclear whether students will leave campus to save a little green.

Kenzie Pulsifer, a fourthyear psychology student, says she would walk to Freshco only if she was going for a particularly big shopping trip.

“I choose convenience most of the time because I’m really busy,” Pulsifer says.

“I’m usually rushing to work or school.”

Top infographic: Our mock grocery shopping list looked at grocers’ economy brands : bananas, Royal Gala apples, Golden pineapple, cauliflower, yellow onions, mini pumpkin, skinless boneless chicken breast, lean ground beef, plain yogurt, chips, chicken noodle soup, canned corn.

Infographics by Maria Assaf / Ryersonian Staff

Tech Talk: Word Processors

By Michael Duncan

Ryersonian Staff

Your Office 365 trial has ended and going through Blackboard to access Ryerson’s Google Docs is a chore.

You’ve downloaded a word processor for your phone, but no one wants to write a 1,000-word essay with a touch keyboard that features bizarre word prediction.

While office suites have never been sexy, free things are.

Here are three free solutions to your word processing needs.

Zoho Docs

Libreoffice

Etherpad

If you’re not a fan of Ryerson’s route to Google Docs, or the apps, then Zoho Docs is your friend.

It’s online so you’re not going to have to worry about what type of computer you use, and there are mobile apps for both Apple and Android. If you’re a longtime Microsoft Office user, you’ll notice the layout similarities between Office and Zoho. When you sign in, all the applications, including file sharing, are in one location, so you can ditch the USB stick.

Libreoffice is a solution if you’re not willing to pay yearly for Office 365, or you’re still running Office 2007 and it tries to correct futuristic words like Internet and wiki. You can download Libre for both Mac and Windows, and there’s no sign up. Libre is a full office suite and it rivals the options of the more popular programs. It’s also advertised as operating in over 100 languages.

If you’re worried about privacy and storing files online, then Libre is your off-line solution.

On the surface, Etherpad seems like a basic text editor. At first you might notice what seems to be a lack of a features. Under the surface Etherpad is an online realtime editor, meaning multiple users can be working on the same document simultaneously.

It features a sidebar for chat, so it’s great for working on a coding project or a group essay with members who can’t attend. The service is hosted online and is completely free so you won’t be limited by budget or device.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The List: Toronto Halloween Parties

By Sarah Warne Ryersonian Staff

Halloween is fast approaching and the big question on everybody’s mind is: where should I go? With the city playing host to a number of themed parties, The Ryersonian has created a guide of hot spots in Toronto. Whether you’re in the mood to go dancing or take in the amazing costumes, we’ve got you covered. All events are 19+ except for the Church Street’s Block Party.

Liberty Grand If you’re looking for a totally luxurious Halloween event, Liberty Grand is for you. Located in downtown Toronto, the venue is complete with a fullservice bar and a dance floor where you can groove until the wee hours of the morning.

Price: $25 Location: 25 British Columbia Rd. Tattoo Rock Parlour Located in the trendy Queen Street W. area, Tattoo Rock Parlour always seems to be a student favourite. If you’re in the mood to dance, the ground level has a huge dance floor, booths and two bars. If you’re in the mood to sit down, all you have to do is go downstairs for a more relaxed atmosphere.

Price: $10 Location: 567 Queen St. W. RYZE Toronto If you’re a fan of deep house and techno then RYZE is the only place you’ll want to be on Oct. 31. Doors open at 10 p.m., and the party will keep going until people simply can’t dance anymore.

Prizes for best and scariest costume will be awarded.

Price: $25 Location: 423 College St. W.

ARTS & LIFE

The Ryersonian • 9

No Scrubs for Ryerson’s nurses

By Calvin Dao Ryersonian Staff

Ryerson students from the Nursing Students’ Union and Canadian Nursing Students’ Association are trying to convince MTV to cancel its new reality show, Scrubbing In, because they believe that its party-themed dramatization will negatively portray the nursing profession to the public.

“Historically, the nursing profession has been burdened with sexualization, objectification, and stereotypes. This has improved over time,” said Alfred Lam, the co-ordinator of education and equity of the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association at Ryerson. “(But the show) tarnishes the professional image of nursing that has been built up by those who came before us.”

A petition that was started by a Wisconsin nurse on change.org has garnered over 20,000 supporters in favour of cancelling the show, which has been compared to MTV’s wildly popular Jersey Shore.

“Nurses are entitled to have a personal life, but we are taught from day one in nursing school to keep our personal and work life separate,” Lam said. “This show blurs that line and may cause patients to lose their trust in the profession.”

Barb Mildon, president of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), wrote an open letter that was posted on the organization’s website. In it she expresses her displeasure with the show’s premise and the way that it trivializes the critical work that nurses do.

“I’ve been looking through tweets and people have been saying, ‘I want to become a nurse now

because of watching Scrubbing In,’ or, ‘I want to switch into the medical field after watching that show,’” said Jonathan Garcia, the vice-president of Ryerson’s nursing course union. “It barely represented the actual nursing side of nursing. There was a lot of drama (and) a lot of partying.... That’s not really showing what nursing is all about.”

A poll set up by the CNA on its website asks visitors for their opinion on the show. Out of over 1,100 votes, 65 per cent of participants hope it will be cancelled, 26 per cent will be tuning in and nine per cent have no opinion.

“For the people that are more ignorant and don’t actually know what nursing is about, it’s just giving them the wrong idea. It gives them the false idea that we party all the time and just drink,” Garcia said. “They’re reinforcing a stereotype that we don’t want to be associated with.”

But Lam and Garcia don’t speak for everyone. Erica Wright, a former nursing student at Ryerson, thinks the campaign against the show carries little weight because the show is just a representation of a small group of selected nurses in Orange County, Calif., not every practising nurse in the world.

“It’s not professional, but is that a reason to tell MTV to cancel the show?” Wright asked.

“It’s not any more stupid than any average MTV show, but they’re not actors, so they’re not really portraying them in an (inaccurate) way. Besides, what they do outside of the hospital is their own business.”

She also says that those who have been vocal about the cancellation campaign —­which started before the show premièred

Courtesy Jonathan Garcia

Jonathan Garcia says he doubts the validity of the ‘reality show.’

last Thursday — are playing into exactly what MTV wants.

“By giving it so much attention, (it’s) making it worse for them because if the show was completely inaccurate, people would just not take it so seriously,” Wright said. “But the fact that they’re so offended by it is giving it more exposure.

Now everyone knows about it.”

MTV has aired only one episode so far and the campaign against it has made waves on

Global News, CityNews, and in the Toronto Sun. Wright believes the backlash will eventually blow over and that MTV will not cancel the show any time soon. Now she says that the upset nurses should place their priorities elsewhere. “(Nurses) should be less concerned with the way that the media’s portraying them,” she said, “and more concerned with (their own patients’) experiences in a hospital.”

Sneak Peek: Halloween Costumes of 2013

Bar 244 Bar 244 is always a student favourite, and rightfully so. Mixed drinks and beer are $3, and imports are $4. Attendees can expect to hear ghoulish classics, party anthems, club rock and top 40.

Price: FREE on guest list before 11 p.m.

Location: 244 Adelaide St. W. Church Street’s Block Party It’s likely the most well known annual Halloween celebration in Toronto, and the best part is that it’s free. Every year, Church and Wellesley Village closes down the streets for a spook-tacular party. The party takes place across three blocks with local pubs and bars participating. The party begins at 7 p.m. and goes until 2 a.m.

Price: FREE Location: Church Street

Hayley Brauer / Ryersonian Staff

Super heroes, flappers, and catwomen, oh my! The Ryersonian team took a trip to Toronto’s popular costume store Malabar Limited for the update on 2013’s most popular costumes. Check out Ryersonian.ca for some crafty and cheap alternatives to buying your costume at a store this Halloween.

10 • The Ryersonian

SPORTS

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Soccer triumverate graces Ryerson athletics

By Dan Berlin Ryersonian staff

Graceland University is not a place where students go to learn about Elvis.

About 1,000 kilometres north of Memphis, you’ll find it in the heart of the small Christian town of Lamoni, Iowa – population: 2,300. Amish buggies own the road and businesses remain closed on Sundays.

It hardly seems like an appealing place for young students looking to complete their degree. That is, unless they play soccer.

Home to world-class athletic facilities, Graceland captured the 2006 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) men’s soccer championship in a dramatic final that went to 20 penalty kick shooters. The head coach of that team was Ivan Joseph. Two of his star players that year were Oakville, Ont., resident Filip Prostran and Aberdeen, Scotland native Kevin Souter.

Seven years later, all three call Ryerson home.

“The only reason I’m here now is because of that championship,” said Joseph, who left Graceland in 2008 to become Ryerson’s director of athletics and later the head coach of the men’s soccer team.

“Not because of what it gave me, but more because of what it took off my list. It was, ‘OK, now what’s next?’”

That next step was to try to bring world-class facilities and a winning culture to Ryerson – two areas the school had been lacking for decades. The men’s soccer team hadn’t posted a winning season since 1971 and were considered perennial doormats in the OUA. Joseph quickly turned the men’s program around, leading the team to a 5-4-5 record in 2009-10. In 2010, he convinced Prostran to give up playing pro soccer in Europe to join the men’s program as an associate coach. Prostran played in both Serbia and Ireland before reuint-

Dan Berlin / Ryersonian Staff

Kevin Souter (left), Ivan Joseph, and Filip Prostran have transformed the Ryerson’s men’s team soccer into a juggernaut in the OUA.

ing with Joseph. One year later, he brought in Souter – fresh off two seasons with the Kansas City Wizards of the MLS – to head the women’s program.

The hirings were a testament to how Prostran and Souter have bought into Joseph’s coaching philosophy.

“Many more coaches have way more experience,” said Joseph. “But in terms of understanding the culture and what it takes to build a successful program, they’re inside my head and … without a doubt this is one of the reasons why I brought them here.”

The culture Joseph refers to is built on work ethic, leadership and caring about students.

“One of the things that Ivan does well is taking people out of their comfort zone,” said Souter, who recalled being instructed once

by Joseph to deliver a speech on behalf of his Graceland teammates despite a fear of public

CLASSIFIED

speaking. “He has a way of giv- five straight winning seasons – ing players leadership roles with- culminating this year with an out them even realizing … giving undefeated regular season (12-0(them) confidence. I try to do 2) and an OUA East division title.

“They’re now seeing the that.”

The team concept is another value of what’s been instilled area that Prostran, like Joseph, (over four years),” said Prostran, works hard to bring to the pitch who Joseph refers to as charismatic, gregarious and the glue to at Ryerson. his men’s “It has e a m . to feel like a “The only reason I’m here t“The disfamily,” said P r o s t r a n , now is because of that cham- c i p l i n e , the camawho recalls pionship.” raderie d r iv i ng and the down on two — Ivan Joseph l e a d e r occasions ship have with Joseph to Kansas City for weddings of translated to performance on the field.” former teammates.

“This year there’s something “We’d built something a lot more than soccer (at Graceland). different,” said Souter. “The team is full of fourth- and fifthWe’re trying to do that here.”

It’s clearly working. Under year students and has lots of Joseph, Prostran and Souter, experience. Instead of us losing a the women’s team has shown game by one, we’re winning the improvement while the men’s game by one.” soccer program has recorded

“By far they’re the hardest working team with the most grit that I’ve ever coached,” added Joseph. “I can walk away, win or lose, and know personally that I did what I accomplished and set out to do, which is build a team that’s capable of winning.”

Heading into the playoffs as the second-ranked team in the country, these Rams are trying to become the first in school history to win an OUA or CIS championship — both which would provide a huge boost to Ryerson athletics.

“I think the belief it would instil in the other teams, and athletics in general, would be big,” said Prostran. “It’d be like, ‘hey, you can do it here at Ryerson.’”

“To win that OUA banner or to get to the national tournament and win that banner, that would mean a lot,” added Joseph. “It would really cement this department and this university as having arrived.”

Leaf on Campus

Call 416-979-5000 Ext. 7424

The Ryersonian is published weekly on Wednesday. Classified advertising deadlines are noon Monday for Wednesday. The rates are $2.50 for the first 20 words, 10 cents for each additional word.

For multiple insertions the rates are $2 for the first 20 words and 5 cents per additional word.

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• • •

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OPINIONS WANTED If you have an opinion and want it heard, send signed submissions, including your phone number, to The Ryersonian. We reserve the right to edit for space.

Dan Berlin / Ryersonian Staff

Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak poses with a fan after signing his shirt. The Regina native was on campus last week signing autographs and handing out free cases of Coke Zero in the cafeteria. Waves of fans met the 27-year-old with applause.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

SPORTS

The Ryersonian • 11

Rams’ Buck rising after injury setback He got to meet Prime Minister Stephen Harper in one of the MAC’s opening ceremonies at He captained the first men’s the start of the year. The hype hockey team to play in Maple around the hockey team caused Leaf Gardens in 13 years. The the 24-year-old to become a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs recognizable face on campus – fan loves the renovated Mattamy though nobody has asked for his Athletic Centre (MAC) so much autograph yet. he buys his groceries there.

Buck was leading the team in But for the first time, Andrew scoring when he went down, and Buck thought about quitting last for the first time in a long time, year. he wasn’t sure what to do with The star winger suffered a himself. tragic end to his dream season “Whenever I’ve had an injury when he was slammed into a before, it has always just been metal stanchion, breaking his left something I can play through collarbone, in a game against the and deal with in the off-seaRMC Paladins in January. son,” says Buck, who lost his The six-foot-two, 220 pound front teeth from an errant puck senior had to watch from the while playing for the Newmarket stands when his team was elimi- Hurricanes five years ago. “This nated from the playoffs in the was the first time there was noth2012-2013 playoffs. ing I could do except sit out and Despite thoughts about leav- watch from the sidelines.” ing hockey to pursue other activiDuring his six weeks on those ties, “Big Buck” and his famous sidelines, Buck had plenty of toothless smile returned to lead time to consider his options. The his team for another season. fifth-year public administration “When you break your col- and governance major still went larbone, the thought of stopping to all the team’s practices, but definitely goes through your rode the bike instead of taking to head,” says Buck. the ice. He went to all the games, “ Yo u but scouted “When you break your col- instead of think: ‘Is this really larbone, the thought of stop- skated. s o m e While on thing you ping definitely goes through the injury want to your head.” list, Buck be doing brought up

— Andrew Buck his GPA and every day to your buckled up body?’ for a career You’re putting yourself at risk in office work. When he was and it’s not like you’re making finally cleared for contact, howmillions of dollars.” ever, thoughts of leaving the The risk didn’t come with- game went away. out reward for Buck last season.

By Bruce Laregina Ryersonian Staff

Courtesy Winston Chow

Ryerson Rams captain, fifth-year Andrew Buck, stands at centre ice at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

“When I got back on the ice, that kind of disappeared,” says Buck. “I wouldn’t want to end my career with an injury like that.”

The four-year Rams veteran is typically one of the team’s top point producers while playing a smart defensive and physical game. He says he models his playing style after his favourite player, ex-Maple Leafs captain Wendel Clark.

“It’s not normal for a guy to be that fast for how big he is,” says Rams goalie Louie George, a four-year teammate of Buck’s.

“When you’re around him, you

just know he’s a leader … on and off the ice.”

Off the ice, Buck is relatively quiet and leads by example. He seldom yells, but when he does, his teammates say they can hear him clearly from several rooms down the hallway.

On the ice, Buck is extremely talkative and is constantly communicating to his teammates on the bench.

Throughout this season, his final year of eligibility, Buck simply wants to improve the team to the point where they can get by without him.

Braletic brings Rams back from brink

By Dan Berlin Ryersonian Staff

It was the kind of storybook ending to a game that even Disney producers would have a hard time believing.

Trailing 2-1 in the dying seconds of their OUA East quarterfinal match against hated rival University of Toronto Varsity Blues, the top-seeded Rams men’s soccer team was facing elimination. So they turned to midfielder Alex Braletic, as they had all season.

He delivered when it mattered most.

Braletic, the nation’s leading goal scorer, tied the game in the 90th minute to help Ryerson stave off elimination before teammate Nick Lambis scored again in the final minute of extra time to lead Ryerson to a dramatic 3-2 win over the Varsity Blues on Sunday at Birchmount Stadium.

“We’re better than this team, we’re better than what we played,” said Braletic, now in his fifth and final season with the Rams. “But I couldn’t be more proud of these guys.”

Had it not been for Braletic, the Rams’ dream season would have ended in nightmare.

Ryerson would have been “oneand-done” with a loss, despite an undefeated (12-0-2) regular season and finishing as the No. 2 program in CIS rankings.

said Prostran. “But all it takes in any sport is one moment of brilliance.”

Despite not being at the top of his game, Braletic and the Rams exorcised a few demons from playoffs past in the win.

Ryerson lost to U of T in the quarter-finals two seasons ago before being bounced by Carleton on penalty kicks in the quarters last year.

Ryerson will now play host to unranked Windsor in the OUA Final Four on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Birchmount Stadium.

The Lancers upset the twotime defending OUA champion Dan Berlin / Ryersonian Staff McMaster Marauders 2-1 in Midfielder Alex Braletic (left) makes his voice heard on the pitch. overtime on Sunday to advance to this weekend’s semifinal.

The Rams, meanwhile, are “In games like this, in tight The Rams look to Braletic to on the verge of history. The wingames, when the nerves are score when it matters and their ner of Saturday’s match will going, you give the ball to your faith is usually rewarded. earn a berth in the CIS men’s fourth- and fifth-year players, But the veteran midfielder soccer championship, held in your all-Canadians, and let them struggled for much of the quar- Fredericton, N.B., Nov. 7-10. take care of the game,” said asso- ter-final match, even earning a Ryerson has never had a socciate coach Filip Prostran. yellow cer team rep“And that’s what Alex did.” card for resented at “All it takes in any sport is Braletic’s late-game hero- a rough the nationals, ics mirrored his ability to come tackle in one moment of brilliance.” while no team through in the clutch for the the sec— Filip Prostran in any sport Rams thoughrout the season. He ond half. has ever won scored 13 goals in 12 games, tal“ I’m an OUA or CIS lying at least one marker in all on a little bit of a hit list for (U championship in school history. but one regular season game. of T), and they were playing a “I’ve never been a part of Four of those goals were game- little dirty behind the play,” said a team like this in my life,” winners. Many of Braletic’s other Braletic. “I just tried to keep my said Braletic. “This is something goals were equalizers that began cool.” else.” comebacks which led to victo“He didn’t have a great game. ries.

He was invisible for most of (it),”

Past that, Buck doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do. He hopes to play hockey in Europe next season, a common destination for Canadian university hockey players, if an opportunity arises.

If he doesn’t find a place to play professionally, Buck will likely return to his ongoing summer job at Molson Coors Canada, relegate himself to a beer league with his friends, and finally get his teeth permanently fixed.

“It’s going to be over at some point, but I want to keep playing for as long as I possibly can,” Buck says.

Rams’ Schedule

Men’s Soccer

Nov. 2 vs. *Windsor

at 2 p.m.

Men’s Hockey Oct. 31 at York Nov. 2 vs. Western

at 7 p.m. at 7 p.m.

Women’s Hockey Nov. 1 vs. Windsor

at 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 2 vs. Western

at 2:30 p.m.

Men’s Basketball Nov. 1 at Brock

at 8 p.m.

Nov. 2 at McMaster

at 8 p.m.

Nov 5. at Syracuse

TBA

Women’s Basketball Nov. 1 at Brock

at 6 p.m.

Nov. 2 at McMaster

at 8 p.m.

Men’s Volleyball Nov. 1 at Guelph

at 8 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball Nov. 1 at Guelph

at 6 p.m.

Nov. 2 vs. Lakehead

at 6 p.m.

*With a victory, the men’s team will face either the Carleton Ravens or the York Lions in the OUA final on Sunday.

12 • The Ryersonian

VOICES

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

The never-ending battle against depression

By Peter Lozinski Ryersonian Staff

In 2009 I was diagnosed with depression.

It was around then that I realized the way I was feeling was in no way normal.

Apparently, it isn’t normal to be convinced everyone hates you. Apparently, it isn’t normal to outwardly loathe yourself.

Apparently, it isn’t normal to wish yourself out of existence.

They said it would get better.

It did. But then it got worse.

Last February it was happening again. I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. I had no energy. I hated myself and, as much as I didn’t want to die, I wanted to just not exist.

I couldn’t sleep either. Before bed, thoughts would swirl through my head: “Nobody likes you, nobody will ever love you, you’re a loser, you’re a total failure” — would repeat over and over again. The soundtrack of my life was reduced to those four phrases.

I was going through life with a smile on my face while silently screaming inside my head.

It came to a head one day in class. It was a small class, maybe 10 people. I was getting upset. I excused myself to go to the washroom. I went for a walk away from the building and cried. I didn’t know why. All I knew was that I needed to cry.

Peter Lozinski / Ryersonian Staff

I was deteriorating and I knew it.

I decided to walk into the counselling centre. I asked to be put into group therapy.

They told me that was rare.

Apparently, it’s unusual to walk in and ask to go to group therapy, but I’d been through one-on-one

counselling once before and I wanted to try something new.

That was my first experience with the much-maligned Student Development and Counselling Centre at Ryerson. I’ve heard students complain about how long it takes to get treatment, that the treatment they receive doesn’t

Peter Lozinski / Ryersonian Staff

Jean Ko Din / Ryersonian Staff

Top: Outside the Centre For Student Development and Counselling at Ryerson University.

Bottom: O’Neil Green talks about the importance of mental well-being during the Ryerson Mental Health Advisory Committee town hall.

last long enough, and that after the treatment is over they feel abandoned.

One student I interviewed in second-year complained that after 12 sessions with his counsellor he was told he had reached his quota. He didn’t feel better yet, but he felt cut off from his care.

At the mental health and wellbeing town hall this week at Ryerson, students voiced some of these complaints. One speaker described herself as a “mad student.” She said at 2:30 in the morning she was going to blow and her RA told her to be quiet as it was quiet hour. “Mental health is nothing to be quiet about,” she said. She described her counselling experience as “horrible.”

“There are several people in severe crises, who get priority,” said Dr. Su-Ting Teo, director of student health and wellness.

“Unfortunately that means the wait-list for less severe cases gets longer and longer.”

It would appear that Ryerson’s counselling services are letting students down. But I think they’re doing the best they can with the resources they have been given.

The counselling services’ resources are stretched thin, but counsellors are doing all they can to help as many as possible. More resources are needed, whether it be support groups, or more counsellors, or a greater awareness of the services available, so that every student can access help in a time of need.

My therapy only lasted for about six sessions. Six sessions is nothing, especially in a group setting. By the end of it I was able to identify where my emotions were coming from, but I still wasn’t able to deal with them.

To be honest, I don’t know if it was therapy that I needed.

I’ve gone through therapy before,

in Oakville, where I grew up.

After I was first diagnosed, my parents paid thousands of dollars on private counselling to help me get better. Eventually, I was discharged from the Oakville mental health outpatient unit. I no longer had to see my psychiatrist.

After a few months, my doctor and I decided to stop the antidepressants.

I was happy.

And a year later, I wasn’t.

This time around, though, there was no doctor to diagnose me. There was no doctor to recommend therapy or prescribe medication. There was no doctor to check my progress every few months and make sure I was on the right track. But I needed one.

“Why do we never tell people to go for mental health checkups?” my younger brother asked once on Facebook.

“When you are a kid, you go to the family doctor once a year, the dentist once every 6-8 months, the eye doctor every 2 years. But when you go it’s not always because your foot is about to fall off or your eye suddenly stopped working. Majority of the time it’s just a checkup.

Nothing special or exciting. Just taking a look at you, seeing if there are any problem areas or more tests needed, giving advice on how to stay healthy, and you go home with a lollipop from 2 of those places,” he wrote.

Why can’t we just go for a mental health checkup?

Mental health is still something we just don’t talk about.

But we should. And we can.

In high school, all I did was say something to a friend and she intervened. She probably saved my life.

Don’t stay silent, because this thing will eat you from the inside. This thing will devour your heart and your soul, and leave nothing behind.

Speak out. One day, you may truly be able to smile.