March 1, 2017 Issue by On the Record News (Formerly the Ryersonian)

Language, family and colonialism page 11

Getting rowdy with the RamPack pages 6-7

yersonian R WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2017

ryersonian.ca Volume 71 Number 16

Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism

RU alums spice up their life EMILY THEODORE RYERSONIAN

Beams of red and gold light dash around the stage of Toronto’s Mod Club on Feb. 17. The five women of WANNABE: The Spice Girls Tribute band prance in, parading around in bright ‘90s fashion. The band erupts in song with a Spice Girls classic (and the band’s namesake), Wannabe. Sporty Spice, a Ryerson alumna clad in white runners, orange pants and an orange crop top, does the worm, later yelling, “Girl power.” The audience loses all inhibition and roars in enthusiasm. Mouths drop in awe at the band’s dreamy interpretation of Spice Girls hits like Viva Forever and 2 Become 1. WANNABE replicates the iconic pop group down to their platform shoes, but their own personalities turn the show into something that’s one-of-a-kind. The women capture the spirit of each character as an archetype. Please see SPICE GIRLS, page 8

What’s online Headgoes to ryersonian.ca up onxxxxx whyXxxxx some Text here. Xxxxx xxxto xxread x x. Xxxxx people lovexxxxx President xxx xx x still x. Xxxxx XxxxxDonald xxx xx xTrump, x. Xxxxxhow xxxxx Xxxxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx xxOne x x. Xxxxx things are going for xxx Page a yearxxxxx afterXxxxxxx serving xxxxx Xxxxx xxxcoffee xx x x.and Xxxxx its first cup of so xxxxx muchXxxxxxx more. xxxxx Xxxxx xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx

ROBYN BELL | RYERSONIAN

an 2

R yersonian

Cyber threats at Ryerson growing

News

page 5 Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Sick of the doc’s office? ALLIE DOWNHAM RYERSONIAN

COURTESY VANESSA FRANCONE

Chris Bentley, the executive director of Ryerson’s Legal Innovation Zone and the Law Practice Program.

Rye law zone receives grant SARAH CUNNINGHAMSCHARF RYERSONIAN

The Legal Innovation Zone at Ryerson received a $50,000 grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario to research how technology innovation can give young people better access to the Canadian justice system. “We invited a call for applications and the Ryerson Legal Innovation Zone submitted an application which we approved. It has a reputation for doing cutting-edge work looking at exactly this issue, how tech can be used to meet legal needs, and so they were a natural partner for this kind of project,” said Tanya Lee, CEO of the Law Foundation of Ontario. The Legal Innovation Zone, based on Ryerson’s popular Digital Media zone, is an integral part of Ryerson’s legal education community; it is a co-working space and startup hub for the law industry. As its website says, the zone aims to develop innovative technologies to evolve the Canadian legal system. Lee said, “We hope that it brings not only the Legal Innovation Zone and the Law Foundation

of Ontario together to work, but also experts in tech, youth-serving organizations and of course youths themselves.” Once the project reaches a later stage, she continued, “The Legal Innovation Zone will be reaching out to Ryerson students to see if they’d like to join in this project in some way.” Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi said, “I think that the legal profession in general, the legal sector is in need for innovation. Our students are here to challenge the status quo and that is part of what we want to do.” Since Ryerson was handed the English version of the inaugural Law Practice Program (LPP) in 2013, it has tried to bridge the gap between technology and law. The LPP is an alternative to the traditional articling process that law students complete during their degree. Instead of being placed at a law body (like a firm or the government) for eight months, participants in the LPP spend time gaining practical legal training at Ryerson in combination with a hands-on placement. Ryerson also houses a Law Research Centre.

Gina Alexandris, the director of the Law Practice Program, said, “The Ryerson Law Research Centre brings together a bunch of academics talking about legal issues. That predated the LPP, and when the law society gave the contract for the LPP, that was our first step toward law school innovation in some of the experiential hands-on learning.” In October, Ryerson submitted a letter-of-intent to become an accredited Canadian law school. It has received mixed reviews, some saying the elements of the proposal were not innovative or unique in Canada, while others say a focus on technology — like what the Legal Innovation Zone inspires — is exactly what Canada’s justice system needs. Sean Robichaud, a criminal lawyer in Toronto, said, “What I see with Ryerson is something that’s very different because there seems to be a lot more emphasis on the practice of law using technology and a lot of the methodologies that are going to bring law into a modernized kind of practice.” @s_cunningham8

Campus politicians running in the Board of Governors (BoG) election are aiming to repair the university’s “broken” process meant to assist students with illnesses and disabilities . Victoria Morton, the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) vice-president education and current BoG student member, said she’s lobbying the board and senate to adjust the harsh criteria for academic consideration. Morton is rerunning for her BoG seat on the Team Motion slate. “Students are either going to the doctor sick, which they shouldn’t be doing, or they’re going in after they’re sick,” Morton said, adding there’s “extenuating circumstances” students struggle with that can’t be checked off in a box. Senate policy states students facing “personal difficulties or events” have potential grounds for academic consideration, including the extension or re-weighting of assignments and continued probation. Students needing individualized, longterm plans to address their distress or disability register for academic accommodation.

Morton, along with other BoG election student candidates, said criteria to qualify for academic consideration is too demanding and fails to include students with undiagnosed and “invisible” illnesses. Candidates are offering to lobby their solutions to the issues. “There’s all kinds of disabilities: mental, cognitive, somebody has a kidney problem. But because it’s not visible, (faculty and staff) don’t understand,” said Roya Rezaee, a master’s student with a disability. She’s on the ballot for the BoG election. “I suffer from these policies, I know.” Morton said she’s researched other universities’ academic accommodation and consideration services as Ryerson’s senate reviews its current policy. “We have to ensure that the policy in place will protect the rights of students,” Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi said. The BoG election occurs March 6-9.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION ALLIE DOWNHAM I RYERSONIAN

Student politicians are looking to help sick students with their academic struggles.

R yersonian

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Advertisement 3 4

onian

44 Advertisement

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

yersonian

R yersonian

• ADMISSION • T-SHIRT • FOOD VOUCHER

To the first 500 students* Green beer & more!

RYERSON RAMS IN ACTION!

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP For more information visit: www.ryersonrams.ca @ryersonrams

#WeRRams

ryersonrams.ca

*Ryerson Students with a valid OneCard

R yersonian

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

News 5 4

onian

‘Be afraid. Be very afraid.’

Cybersecurity under more pressure due to growing number of hacking threats SARAH CUNNINGHAMSCHARF RYERSONIAN

In 2016, the University of Calgary paid $20,000 to ransomware hackers and Ryerson suffered two ransomware attacks. Ryerson didn’t have to pay the hackers any money, but the school may not be as lucky in the future. Brian Lesser, Ryerson’s chief information officer (CIO), submitted a report at the Jan. 31 Board of Governors (BoG) meeting suggesting that Ryerson needs to increase its cybersecurity budget to improve protection from increasingly malicious hackers and malware — the term used to JACLYN TANSIL | RYERSONIAN describe hacking software. Lesser said, “Cyber threats are escalating regularly. It’s not like Ryerson experiences over a million password attempts from hackers over the course of just a few days. all of a sudden on May 29, when encryption used in that case, serious. Over one million password Calgary got hit, ransomware was there was a known hack for it. So “The worst-case scenario attempts may seem like a lot. But invented and now we’re all very we were able to take files before there is they get almost complete before Ryerson strengthened its afraid. It’s been a gradual evolu- and after it happened and we access to everything and just suck firewall in 2014, there were over tion. But it’s getting worse and were able to generate the key the information out and you dis- 3.6 million password attempts on worse, and as a result we’re work- from that and decrypt it. So we cover it two years later. Another average over a six-day period, ing harder on it. That they (the got all his stuff back.” one would be the ransomware according to Lesser’s report. As University of Calgary) actually The second attack wasn’t dev- attack scenario, where you get well, in 2014, there were over had to pay the ransom was a sur- astating either, Lesser continued. thousands of machines poten- 1,000 hijacked Ryerson accounts. prise. In retrospect I understand “It was somebody working in tially that are useless, and you Once the stronger firewall was why, but it’s gradually changing.” an admin department and they lose some data that’s not backed put in place, in 2016, that figure In 2016, Ryerson suffered had 99 per cent of their stuff on up and you spend weeks recover- dropped to 345. two separate ransomware a shared drive where it’s backed ing and re-imaging the machines.” “Every hijacked account, attacks. Both involved adminis- up. So they really weren’t at that In his BoG report, Lesser said there’s hundreds in a year, those trators clicking on attachments much risk for ransomware, apart that in a six-day period, there are are hacks. Somebody has gotin phishing emails. “It happened from the hassle that follows.” 1,032,608 attempts on average ten access to someone’s account,” twice, and their computers were Though he is unsure if all files to guess the passwords of Ryer- explained Lesser. “It used to be if encrypted so those machines in both attacks have been fully son accounts. He said 94 per cent I could take over an account and were hacked,” said Lesser. He recovered months later, Lesser is of those attempts are coming send some free spam, I was doing explained that when a ransom- thankful that the two individu- from outside Canada. “Now you well. Now, a cyber-criminal goes, ware virus is opened, it encrypts als who suffered the attacks didn’t know 94 per cent of our users ‘if I can send out some spam and (or locks) the computer so the user give the hackers access to sensi- are not outside Canada. And the make money that’s great, but if I can’t access any files. Either the tive files. passwords were being guessed can also harvest what’s in your user has to submit to the at a rate inbox and steal some stuff from hacker and give them no human you that’s even better.’” what they want (gen- “Two-factor authentication is probably the being could For instance, if you have erally money or infor- single biggest thing you can do, other than type.” Ryer- credit card and banking information), or figure out making sure your anti-virus software is son’s fire- mation in your inbox, hackers how to unlock the virus wall blocks can use it; and it only gets more working.” — otherwise known as about two- serious from there. “On top of decryption. thirds of that, ‘if I can install ransomware In the first ransom— Brian Lesser the guesses. and extort money from you then ware case, “it was a “But ulti- that’s great,’ and it just goes on and prof who was waiting for a delivLesser said there are some mately if someone gets lucky and on. So the software that they have ery and opened a FedEx attach- nightmare scenarios where the guesses right, they get access to is getting more capable in terms of ment. Fortunately, the kind of end result would be much more your account.” these multi-dimensional attacks

they can launch to make money.” So what is Ryerson doing to prevent hacking and malware attacks from getting even more serious? Lesser said a two-factor authentication option was added to my.ryerson accounts that he highly recommends students enable. When you turn it on, it requests a code to access your account on a secondary page, once the correct username and password are entered. To protect yourself from hacking, “two-factor authentication is probably the single biggest thing you can do, other than making sure your anti-virus software is working,” said Lesser. “If you go the (Computing and Communications Services) site, you’ll see an IT security (option) and absolutely turn on two-factor authentication. Just take your time, make sure you get it right.” In addition, he recommended avoiding peer-to-peer file sharing (like downloading torrented movies), and to ignore links from unrecognized email addresses. “Sometimes you’ll get a FedEx invoice in your inbox. Rather than click on it just go to FedEx. com and see if there’s something legit you have to respond to.” Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi said, “I can guarantee that cybersecurity is an ongoing priority for us. We have to look at it in a holistic approach. Yeah you have to make sure that there are resources available but then you would also have to make sure that you also have systems in place, like communication outreach. It is important for us to explain to minimize the effect and educate people.” Lesser agreed that the leaders of Ryerson have supported his team’s efforts, but said the budget for cybersecurity should be increased as the potential for hacking and devastating malware attacks increases. He said, “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” @s_cunningham8

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Features yersonian

R yers

RAMPACK FILLS AN EMPTY M

Meet Ryerson’s most dedicated sports fans ALLAN PERKINS RYERSONIAN

Edin Sehovic was blue from the neck down when he handed in his first-year anatomy and physiology midterm. “Now my professor knows me as the guy who was blue that one time,” he said. It wasn’t a good luck charm, an exam ritual or a colossal wardrobe malfunction — it was more about convenience than anything else. Sehovic needed to write his midterm and head straight to the Mattamy

Athletic Centre (MAC) to watch the Ryerson Rams men’s basketball team play in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Championship in March 2015. He didn’t have time to “paint up” after, so he did it before the exam. “That’s not what most first-years do,” Sehovic said. You’re kidding. Sehovic is one of the four founders — along with then-first-years Jared Armstrong, Tommy Williams and Derek Chen — of the RamPack. The RamPack is a student cheering group whose members

love their school athletes. No matter the sport, men’s or women’s, you can find the group at any game at the MAC, cheering enthusiastically. Prior to the start of the national basketball championship, Sehovic and a few of his friends from residence decided to “paint up” to support their fellow Rams, but they didn’t expect to be the only supporters. “It’s nationals, it’s a huge event, we’re definitely not going to be the only ones this rowdy, so we said let’s do it — and we were definitely the only ones painted up,”

ALEX D’ADDESE | RYERSON ATHLETICS

RamPack members attend last year’s Canadian Interuniversity Sport Men’s basketball finals in Vancouver.

Sehovic said. From then on, the RamPack was born and the group gained a reputation for bringing energy to Rams’ games. Ryerson is a commuter campus and that’s often cited as the reason instances of school spirit are hard to come by — especially at sporting events, which happen at irregular hours and aren’t always hosted on campus. The RamPack wants to change that by bringing more passion and excitement to watching games. The hope to make sporting events more appealing to other students. “It was just nice to have that pumped-up feeling cause like, at Rams’ games we went to before, everyone was just sitting there having some popcorn and beer and just watching, nothing too exciting,” says Chen. The RamPack is known to get creative, staging the birth of a baby Ram during a men’s basketball game. One member would place his heels up on a railing with a blanket covering his lower-half and begin to, shall I say, groan excessively. After a few seconds of pretend “pushing,” a small plush Ram would emerge from beneath the blanket, and the crowd would just “go nuts,” says Luke Bellus, a second-year RamPack member. As their presence at Rams’ games grew, so did their group. Mustafa Bendago joined the following year as a first-year, and is still a member to this day. Bendago has a distraction strategy called Iso-Moose; “Iso” for isolation and “Moose” as his nickname. It’s designed strictly to get into an opposing player’s head. Or in some cases, their coach. A Ryerson basketball player was at the free-throw line and the away team’s coach instructed his players to anticipate a miss and box out for the rebound. “He’s not going to miss coach, he isn’t going to need no box out,” Bendago yelled.

sonian

Features

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

MAC He missed. The opposing coach turned to look at Bendago and shrugged sheepishly in what he probably thought as the ultimate “gotcha” moment. Little did he know this was much to Bendago’s delight. “Ah that’s what I like. You’re not even paying attention to the game, you’re paying attention to me coach,” Bendago shouted back. Another RamPack favourite is waging war with the opposing team’s huddles during timeouts. According to Bellus, teams have had to sometimes move their huddles — a sign of victory for hecklers. “We feed off that because they acknowledge the fact that we’re in their head and they can hear us, so we feel like in a small way, we try to (influence) the outcome of the game,” Bellus says. But sometimes those moves backfire. Last year, for a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader against Brock University at the MAC, Brock brought its own group of fans to Ryerson to try to compete with the RamPack. Being in Rams’ territory, Bellus tried to put a stop to it. Ryerson was up big on Brock by halftime at the game, so Bellus decided to go sit right in the middle of the away team’s cheering section. He was shirtless, covered in blue paint with a giant yellow M on his chest, away from the other three letters that would spell out Rams. “The thing about me is I’m six-footthree and 170 pounds. So I’m not physically intimidating anyone,” he said. Brock fans glared at him and quickly got right up in his face and told him repeatedly to hit the weight room. Check the score Bellus said. But it didn’t work. “Hit the weight room, hit the weight room,” chanted the whole section, echoing through the MAC. Bellus Snapchatted

ALEX D’ADDESE | RYERSON ATHLETICS

Luke Bellus, bangs pots during a women’s basketball game between the Rams and the Brock Badgers last year.

the whole debacle. “I had to get out of Dodge before things got out of hand ... any more than they already did,” Bellus says, laughing. It isn’t just basketball that they get rowdy at. They can be found at volleyball, hockey and even some soccer games. The school spirit shown by the RamPack never went unnoticed. A year after the group began appearing at games, they’d grown so big that interim president Mohamed Lachemi approved a request to help the RamPack cover costs to send them to opposite ends of the country for the men’s and women’s CIS national basketball championships. Their instructions? Be loud, be rowdy, represent the school and cheer on the Rams. Fifteen RamPack members travelled to the men’s finals in Vancouver and 13 went to Fredericton, N.B., for the women’s finals. “Wow,” said Sehovic looking back on nationals last year. “We really accomplished something with this bullshit hobby that everyone said, ‘Why are you wasting your time?’ So that was kind of the coolest (moment) for me.” Neither Ryerson team won gold, but RamPack members said the experience was unforgettable. According to Bendago, they’re only looking to grow in the future.

ALEX D’ADDESE | RYERSON ATHLETICS

The RamPack gets the crowd going in St. Catharines during a men’s basketball game last year.

“(Basketball) has really helped us build the culture there so we’re going to try and spread it to other sports,” he said. To help improve the campus feel at Ryerson, Bellus says they need more people to participate regardless of their level of intensity. And no, not everyone needs to start delivering baby rams right away. “Come to games,” he said. “We go and

we have a good time regardless if it’s just six of us there or if there’s a packed gym. But it’s a lot easier to create that atmosphere for that home court advantage if we have more students. So I would just try to encourage people to come out as often as they can.” @PatientPerk

an 8

R yersonian

Arts & Life MUSIC

Page One turns one year old ryersonian.ca Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Tribute band spices up Stop right now, thank you very much! Rye alumnae cover band WANNABE channels girl power

SPICE GIRLS cont’d...

meaningful to me at that time. Music can be so evocative,” Johnson said. “It’s extremely nostalgic.” Unexpectedly, press showed “We’ve watched a lot of foot- up at the one-off performance age,” said Barb Johnston, who and there was a lineup curving plays Ginger Spice. “We kind of down the block waiting to get in. study them, but also make it not WANNABE kept getting requests a direct imitation. We think of it to perform and the group hasn’t as if we’re cast in the roles of the looked back since. Spice Girls. We bring our own “We do a mashup of Generapersonality, sense of humour and tion X and If You Can’t Dance, and contemporary feel to their stock that’s very fun because we took characters.” two Spice Girls songs, ‘WANTheir version of the Spice Girls NABE-d’ it, and made it ours,” said is cultivated and rehearsed, but Johnston. the idea for the band itself was Now, being in WANNABE is accidental. Anika a full-time gig. The band Johnson (Sporty has toured all over North Spice) met JohnAmerica and hopes to ston in Ryerson’s play in Asia. theatre program Dancer Jasmyn Fyffe where they studjust joined the group ied acting together. as the new Scary Spice Johnson went on to after their original perlive with Johnston’s former had her second sister Catharine child. Fyffe said Scary Merriam and Suzy Spice “touches on all of Wilde (Posh Spice), her” as a performer. Johnston and Mer“It challenges me riam’s “surrogate artistically, in ways that sister,” when they I don’t get challenged in were in a musical other things. I mostly together. dance, I use my voice, but In 2012, the girls not in the same way as came up with the this gig. (It) allows me to idea to do a one-off really feel the full range — Barb of my singing, as well as Spice Girls cover Johnston choreography … I don’t show for their friends and family think I get that in every as they had all grown up watch- single gig,” Fyffe said. ing Spice World. As trained performers, WAN“I sang these songs with my NABE members take their work sisters and with my friends seriously. Their message cenwhen I was nine and it was so tres on inclusivity and love in

We thought we should have some sort of platform, no matter how small it was, to show where our loyalties lie, and how much we believe in women being empowered.

ROBYN BELL | RYERSONIAN

WANNABE is a Spice Girls tribute band started by two Ryerson theatre alumnae, Barb Johnston and Anika Johnson.

all forms, especially the importance of friendship. They feel that friendship is underrated. “I just feel like I’m so lucky because I get to be with my sisters,” said Merriam, who plays Baby Spice. “I’ve grown up with these girls and to be able to perform with them makes me so happy.” Amid the Women’s March, the rally against Islamophobia and President Donald Trump’s travel ban, they also wanted their show to have a political tone. The members of WANNABE are intersectional feminists who support gender equality and anti-racism. During the show, the band

held up signs that said, “she was warned, she was given an explanation, nevertheless she persisted,” in regards to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell’s attempt to silence fellow senator Elizabeth Warren. “We thought we should have some sort of platform, no matter how small it was, to show where our loyalties lie, and how much we believe in women being empowered,” Johnston said. “This is a group that was self-produced. We did this ourselves, and we’re proud of it. It’s something that you can do too. If you just go for it, as silly as the concept might be, it could end up being the best thing.”

Their “silly” concept connects them with people through motifs and sounds of their childhood. It lets them do what they love. “There’s something about the silliness of the premise that allows people to kind of drop their guards,” Johnston said. “We know what we’re doing, we know we’re imitating The Spice Girls, we’re not taking ourselves so seriously … We’re all wannabes in a way. We’re all wannabes in a wannabe show.” @EmilyfTheodore

R yersonian

Sports

OUA curling results ryersonian.ca Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Rams head to nationals DANIEL MELFI RYERSONIAN

With the help of seniors Veronica Livingston and Becky Zeeman, the Rams women’s volleyball team is hoping to hang its first Ontario University Athletics (OUA) banner. Zeeman has been a champion before, but if she hopes to do it again, it will be from the sidelines as assistant coach. When Zeeman arrived as the Rams’ assistant coach in fall 2015, it was three years after her OUA championship in 2012 as a player with Queen’s University. Through a loophole in the CIS rulebook, she was able to make the transition from coach to player and proved to be a strong offensive force in the Rams’ lineup. But a broken leg, suffered on Feb. 8 sent her back to where she began with the Rams, as a coach. This time, she will have advantage of coaching on home court as the Rams host the

U Sports women’s volleyball national championships. While Zeeman says the injury is “devastating” she also says she’s happy she can still support her teammates. One of those teammates she’ll be cheering on is fellow senior and veteran Livingston. “We are there to win, make our mark and put our school on the map, finally,” says Livingston. “We’ve been clawing our way in during my time here but this is our chance to make a name for ourselves,” she says. After five years with the Rams, Livingston has racked up four all-star selections and even a rookie of the year award, but never any playoff success. But this team is different than the team that she was introduced to when she arrived five years ago. “When I started here, I was relied on a lot more to score but with the lineup we have, there is less pressure on me to do that,” says Livingston. “I think that’s

ALEX D’ADDESE | RYERSON ATHLETICS

Rams senior Becky Zeeman in action versus University of Toronto.

a big part of our game, having a diverse offence.” After Zeeman won her title at Queen’s, she headed to Germany where she played professionally for two years after graduation. When her time in Germany ended, she began to look for other ways to remain in the game. “(Women’s volleyball head coach) Dustin Reid contacted me saying that he was trying to put together a full-time assistant coaching position and if it did come to fruition that I should apply,” Zeeman said. “I had worked with Dustin for a couple of years before at other volleyball camps and there was already a relationship there and it turned out that I ended up getting the job.” After a year on the coaching staff, and a tough playoff loss to rivals UofT, Zeeman discovered a strange, sexist loophole in the U Sports rulebook. “On the men’s side of volleyball, if you play overseas for a pro team and you get paid, you can’t use any remaining years of eligibility,” she says. However, the Canadian university sports’ governing body only considers women’s volleyball semi-pro. “There is this reverse sexism thing going on, so I decided to take advantage of that,” says Zeeman. After extensive pre-season training and registering for three courses at Ryerson, she was back on the court for the 2016-2017 season. But she wouldn’t make it to the playoffs. During a match against McMaster on Feb. 8, Zeeman fractured a bone in her leg and suffered a severe ankle sprain,

ending her season. After a victory against Lakehead University on Feb. 25 the Rams finished the regular season in second place. For Zeeman, her work continues on the sidelines, ensuring the team maintains a heightened sense of professionalism. “She brings a very unique energy that I can’t bring,”

says senior and OUA all-star Livingston. @danielmelfi7

CLASSIFIED Call 416-979-5000 Ext. 7424

The Ryersonian is published weekly on Wednesday. Classified advertising deadlines are 12 p.m. 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.

FREE 15 MIN ELECTROLYSIS OR LASER ON SMALL AREA Acne, Acne Scars, Brown Spots, Facials, Microdermabrasion, Weight loss, Teeth Whitening. Low rates and packages available. New location steps from Ryerson at Aura. 384 Yonge St., unit 8. ••• Yonge & Beautiful Cosmetic Clinic 416-921-2512

yersonian

bestbeautydeal@hotmail.com

www.victoryskincare.com

OPINIONS WANTED Send signed submissions, including your phone number, to The Ryersonian. We reserve the right to edit for space. Email sonian@ryerson.ca.

Visit us online for more! www.Ryersonian.ca

R yersonian

an 10

R yersonian

Read more Opinions and Editorials online

Editorial

ryersonian.ca Wednesday, March 1, 2017

EDITORIAL

Hacking is a real threat The threat of cyber hackers is a frightening reality many don’t like to think about. The possibility of being targeted by online criminals can sometimes seem as improbable as encountering a shark or being in a plane crash. However, it is a ubiquitous fear as technology continues to progress, and is even present in modern pop culture. For instance, the sci-fi television series Black Mirror used the topic of ransomware and computer hacking and turned it into a terrifying horror story, one that might make viewers want to cover their computer cameras with a sticker. Thinking rationally, we know that computer hacking does happen, and it happens a lot. However, with the majority of the Toronto population possessing laptops and electronics nowadays, people might feel ignorantly safe in large numbers. Everyone knows hacking happens to others, but could it happen to you? This widespread fear of hacking and naiveté regarding cybersecurity stems from a lack of information about cyberattacks. In this issue of the Ryersonian,

Sarah Cunningham-Scharf reports that over a six-day period, there is on average more than one million password guessing attempts from hackers trying to access Ryerson accounts. Being hacked is not bad luck, and it’s not a threat that might be lurking. It is a real risk, and Ryerson students are vulnerable. Thankfully, there are viable steps students can take to protect themselves. One such tactic is initiating “two-factor authentication” for your my.ryerson account to add an extra layer of security if a hacker happens to guess your password. To find instructions on how to enable it, visit ryerson.ca/ ccs/ and click on IT security. The page also offers cybersecurity resources, including links to download free anti-virus software for your computer. There is information about phishing emails, including how to identify, report and delete them. Simply putting a sticker over your computer’s camera isn’t going to cut it. Students need to be aware that there are pragmatic steps they can take to protect themselves against cyberattacks.

EBONY-RENEE BAKER | RYERSONIAN

Canadian weather in March: expect the unexpected

OPINION

Fight sexual violence EBONY-RENEE BAKER RYERSONIAN

A few weeks ago, a 26-yearold Toronto woman came forward about being allegedly sexually assaulted inside Drake One Fifty, a bar in the financial district. She said that a man grabbed her by the wrists, thrusted his groin against her and said, “Fuck me.” In December, the owner and a bar manager of College Street Bar in Little Italy were accused of allegedly sexually assaulting and confining a 24-year-old woman in

the bar overnight. Personally, as someone who works as a server, these stories hit me hard. Since that incident, advocates have protested outside the bar twice. They also met with Toronto city council in attempts to have the bar closed until a verdict was met on the trial. They succeeded. I remember bringing this issue up in several conversations. I was surprised that many people hadn’t heard about them. Why is it that important stories like these have trouble finding their way to young people? Earlier this month, the Globe and Mail published a study on sexual assault that revealed less than one out of 10 Canadian victims will report a sexual assault to the police. The study also found that Canadian police dismiss one in five claims of sexual assault as baseless. This reality alone should scare people so much that they actively

seek to share this information. Yet, I don’t see a lot of young people making any moves towards social justice. Instead, I hear the same ignorant, recycled jokes about sexual violence in conversations around me. Whenever sexual violence occurs at Ryerson, it affects all of us as a community. So many people are too concerned with themselves or afraid of criticism to stand up for these issues that are constantly recurring. Through this complacency, we are also silencing communities such as LGBTQ and racialized folk in Toronto. Through education, we can all learn to stand up for each other. But we sure as hell shouldn’t sit and wait for sexual violence to directly affect us first. A longer version of this column is available at ryersonian.ca.

R yersonian