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Rams go to camp page 13
Shades of Our Sisters seen through art page 11
yersonian R WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016
ryersonian.ca Volume 71 Number 11
Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism
Secret life of Greek JENNIE PEARSON RYERSONIAN
Jessie Saunders-Drutz began her first year at Ryerson having just graduated from an all-Jewish high school. No longer feeling like part of the majority, she had trouble making friends and looked for a place on campus she could meet people who shared her values. What she found was Delta Pi, and 40 new sisters. Saunders-Drutz is now a fourth-year RTA student, actor, and president of the Delta Pi sorority. Delta Pi is a Jewish sorority founded in 1989. The Toronto chapter, Alpha, originated at York University but now accepts members from Ryerson, as well as U of Please see GREEK, page 3
Ho! Ho! Ho! Students get into the winter spirit by posing with Santa at the annual page 2 holiday market in the SLC
What’s online Text goes out here. Ryersonian.ca Xxxxx xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx Check for coverage on xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx the RSU semi-annual general meeting, Xxxxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxxxx Rye’sXxxxx newxxx beverage enthusiast society xxxxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxxxx xxxxx and DIY for holiday gifts. Xxxxx xxx xxtips x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx
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Breaking ground on student housing page 5
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Jingle all the way Students take part in holiday festivities at the Student Learning Centre
DANIELA OLARIU | RYERSONIAN
Alex Vella is a media production student who makes mini boob pots.
DANIELA OLARIU | RYERSONIAN
DANIELA OLARIU | RYERSONIAN
Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL) team members and SLC assistants take a photo with Santa. DANIELA OLARIU RYERSONIAN
With winter break right around the corner, the holiday season has arrived at Ryerson’s Student Learning Centre. “Shop the SLC: A Holiday Market” is taking place for the second time after its success last year. This year’s three-day market featured a Santa photo booth on Tuesday. On Friday, there will be
a performance by Ryerson’s a cappella group, followed by a World AIDS Day flash mob. The collaborative initiative gives Ryerson students, alumni and community members the opportunity to showcase their homegrown talent and entrepreneurial spirit. With over 25 Ryerson community vendors, students and faculty can buy food, clothing, accessories, handmade items and
other gifts. “The objective for this event is to tap into first-time marketplace experience,” said Jessica Russell, an SLC assistant and the event organizer. “I love the idea of bringing first-timers with more experienced vendors so they can network and collaborate with each other. And for the Ryerson community, it’s a way for everyone to see the diversity of creative talent
The market showcases diverse Ryerson community vendors.
that comes from so many different faculties,” she said. The Santa photo booth was hosted by WiSe Talk – a one-day conference to educate, empower and encourage high school girls to explore a career in the sport media industry. The event will take place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Feb. 11, 2017. All proceeds from Tuesday’s photo booth went towards helping fund the conference.
The SLC will be bustling with festivities to get students in the holiday spirit until Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The SLC asks attendees bring a non-perishable food item for Ryerson’s Good Food Room. @danielaolariuu
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Rye’s big fat Greek secret Unknown to most, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters are among Rye students
ANNA-KAYE EVANS RYERSONIAN
GREEK cont’d... T, Humber and George Brown College. The sorority operates under three pillars of value: sisterhood, philanthropy and Judaism. While Delta Pi is historically a Jewish sorority, the group takes in members of all faiths. “The sorority became a place that I could connect with people again ... it really became home,” Saunders-Drutz said. She discovered the sorority through a Facebook page and turned up at a barbecue event for that year’s “rush” season. Rushing refers to a time, usually during the beginning of the school year or semester, when sororities and fraternities recruit new members or “pledges.” While Saunders-Drutz admits rushing isn’t exactly how it’s depicted in the movies, the details of Delta Pi’s rush activities are confidential. The same is true for the sorority’s weekly meetings and mixer parties with local fraternities; what happens behind those doors remains top secret. Unknown to most students, Ryerson is unofficially linked to more than 10 Toronto-based fraternity and sorority chapters. While students may notice the odd party flyer fluttering around Gould Street, Greek life at Ryerson has managed to remain under the radar, compared to other schools like the University of Toronto and Western University. U of T is home to Canada’s oldest fraternities and sororities, and signs of this are very visible around campus. Parts of the Annex are sometimes referred to as Fratland; where it’s not uncommon to see giant Victorian houses
Classes close for Congress
COURTESY JESSIE SAUNDERS-DRUTZ
Delta Pi sorority members en route to Montreal for a November road trip.
decorated in Greek symbols. easy access to alcohol among frat However, all of these groups houses. Unlike Canada, it can be operate independently from the difficult for students to legally university. obtain booze even into their third Unlike in the United States, year of school. Canadian universities don’t recogIn 1984, the then president, nize fraternities and sororities as Ronald Reagan, passed the official university clubs. But this National Minimum Drinking Age hasn’t stopped Delta Pi from tak- Act, making it illegal to purchase ing up space on campus. After lectures have finished for the day, the group uses classrooms at York to hold its weekly meetings. As well, Saunders-Drutz was able to book space at undergraduates are members of North American fraternities. the Ryerson Student Learning Centre for the sorority to hold a bake sale. men were initiated into fraternities in 2015. While access to space is helpful, Saunders-Drautz feels that the way sororities fraternity chapters operate on roughly 800 are treated is unfair. campuses. “For Ryerson to not acknowledge us as a group, when we have the most fraternity alumni live around the world. random student groups already existing, that’s kind of a slap in the face,” she said. alcohol until 21 years of age. But on American soil, campus Coincidentally, the law was life is very different. At many U.S. passed just days before the Holuniversities, Greek culture carries lywood release of Revenge of the real power. Nerds, a comedy film that glorified One theory suggests the pop- Greek party life, and prompted a ularity of fraternities and soror- surge in fraternity and sorority ities in the U.S. stems from the enrolment.
Frat Stats 380,487 100,579 6,186
4.2 million
A similar increase in Greek popularity occurred in 2014 as well. According to the North American Interfraternity Conference, that year saw 114,330 new frat members across North America, a 45 per cent rise from 2007. But an influx in membership also welcomed an increase in controversy. Over the past 10 years, there have been several instances of cultural appropriation and sexual assault cases involving fraternity houses. Also, a handful of reported deaths of frat members were caused by alcohol poisoning, overdose and rush hazing gone wrong. According to Saunders-Drutz, anti-hazing is written into her sorority’s constitution, like many other groups have done. But she says hazing still happens within many fraternities. This is one of the reasons why Canadian universities don’t support Greek life, as well as the exclusionary nature of fraternities and sororities.
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Ryerson won the bid to host Congress, but the week-long event could cost students their classes. In 2017, Ryerson University will host the 86th annual Congress of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. The dean of the Faculty of Arts, Pamela Sugiman, hosted two town halls this fall to inform the Ryerson community about Congress 2017. The town halls also addressed any concerns from students, faculty and staff, one of which was the cancellation of classes. “Congress will take place from May 27 to June 2 which could result in all classes being cancelled to accommodate the academic conference,” said Sugiman in the first town hall in October. “But other arrangements will be made for students if their classes are cancelled.” However, president Mohamed Lachemi said he is working on finding other solutions that would not have any negative effects for students and their classes. “In terms of scheduling of classes, the ... registrar and I are meeting together to discuss Congress and its impact,” he said. “The discussion is still ongoing. We cannot just cancel classes, that’s not an option. We have to find some creative solutions … and maybe this would be the first time that we would have a reading week during the summer.” Since Congress will be held during the spring/summer semester, Ryerson’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education will be affected the most. @evans_ak
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Season’s greetings
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It is that wonderful season when we gather with family and friends, share happy moments and memories and look ahead to the promise of a new year. This is a special time for me to reflect on having the privilege of leading this great university. I want to thank every member of the Ryerson community for your incredible support and well wishes as we embark together on building a university for the 21st century. You are my inspiration.
The image above depicts ‘Flow’ – an award-winning and interactive warming hut by architecture students Calvin Fung and Victor Huynh. Photo: Calvin Fung
Wishing you all the best for a wonderful holiday season, and health and happiness for 2017. I look forward to seeing you in the new year!
Mohamed Lachemi
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Ryerson life semester review AVERY FRIEDLANDER RYERSONIAN
As the fall 2016 semester comes to an end, the Ryersonian takes a look back at the events held by the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) and Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson (CESAR).
6 Fest The RSU’s most-talked-about event of the fall was 6 Fest, which took place on Oct. 9 and 10. After a series of setbacks including a three-week postponement, refund problems and Big Sean’s disappointing last-minute cancellation, the two-day music festival attracted 22,000 students.
Social Justice Week The sixth annual Social Justice Week ran from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 and included events revolving around gender, sexual assault, mental health, and indigenous issues. Events hosted guest speakers including journalists, activists, artists and members of marginalized communities.
Campus housing to double by 2018
Developments on Ryerson campus will introduce almost 1,000 new beds RYERSONIAN
Used Book Room Shutdown Ryerson’s Used Book Room has been closed down and relocated to an online platform. The RSU plans to open a new Wellness Centre in its place, which will be a centre for student mental and overall health. A committee has been created and the centre is slated to open next semester.
Oakham House Choir Presents:
Ringing and Singing Gloria Featuring Vivaldi’s Gloria Works by Mendelssohn, Handel, etc.
Kelsey Taylor, Soprano Eugenia Dermentzis, MezzoSoprano
Dec. 3rd, 2016 (7:30pm, 7pm doors) Calvin Presbyterian Church (26 Delisle Avenue)
Bells of St. Matthew’s • Oakham House Choir • Toronto Sinfonietta Musical Director: Matthew Jaskiewicz
$30 at the door • $25 in advance $15 for students • Free 12 and under
MICHAL STOLARCZYK
Ryerson is set to introduce two new buildings that will double the housing capacity on campus. These buildings, Jarvis Street Residence and the Daphne Cockwell Health Complex, are set to open for the fall 2018 semester. The total number of beds on campus between Ryerson’s three residences, O’Keefe House, Pitman Hall and the International Living/Learning Centre, is 856. The new developments will add another 925. “Since 1991, the university has changed a lot and grown a lot. And we haven’t really grown our residency capacity at all,” said Ian Crookshank, the director of housing and residence life. The idea that Ryerson needs more student housing is not a new one. According to Crookshank, discussion about the two new buildings started in 2008. Then-president Sheldon Levy announced that Ryerson needed 2,000 new beds in order to accommodate the increase in students. Shortly following this, the Board of Governors met and began looking into local real estate. On Church Street, construction of the Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex is underway. The first few floors
Fight the Fees On Nov. 2 CESAR and a group of students took to the streets to ‘Fight the Fees’ for the Canadian Federation of Students’ (CFS) Student Day of Action for Free Education. The group marched up Yonge Street and then to Queen’s Park, where they demonstrated to the provincial government.
Ticket Info: www.oakhamchoir.ca
CLASSIFIED Call 416-979-5000 Ext. 7424
COURTESY RYERSON BUILDS
Construction of Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex circa May 2016.
of the complex will host space for educational purposes, but the upper levels will be reserved for housing. Apartment-style housing will be offered, with two-bedroom and four-bedroom apartments with a kitchen and one or two bathrooms. On Jarvis Street, a 30-floor residence unit will soon stand. The Jarvis Street Residence will host similar housing, with three- or four-bedroom apartments. Rental prices for both buildings have not been confirmed, but will likely be similar to rent in the local housing market. There is one major catch for both of the housing units: besides a select few apartments in the Jarvis Street Residence, the new units will be exclusively for first-years. Crookshank said, “The reason
that we prioritize first-year students is obviously they’re transitioning. There are two transitions that are happening: they’re coming to the university and they’re potentially coming from a (different) city.” For most upper-years, this means searching for property outside of what the university directly offers. The university’s president, Mohamed Lachemi, said, “Both will more than double housing capacity. But is that enough? No. We would like to do more and we continue to look for opportunities.” @miczyk
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ACCESSIBILITY
Shifting accessibility for the web Ryerson recently launched a new template for its website that is designed to be more accessible for users with disabilities JACQUELINE MCKAY RYERSONIAN
Accessibility is not always about fixing the built environment around us. Deep in the windowless basement of the Ryerson Library building, there are three individuals working to make the virtual world accessible for all. “There’s a lot of websites that are managed by people that really don’t have a lot of web experience,” said Jim Buchanan, director of client services for the computing and communication services (CCS) at Ryerson. This is a problem if you are designing websites that need to be accessible for people who have visual impairments, are deaf or hard of hearing, have a learning disability, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech
disabilities, photosensitivity or a combination of these. As part of the Ryerson threeyear accessibility plan, CCS restructured all of the ryerson.ca website templates. Ryerson’s new site took three years to make and was launched Nov. 23 with the help of Buchanan, Adam Chaboryk, IT accessibility specialist, and Restiani Andriati, manager of digital media projects for Ryerson. Some students are already seeing a difference. “I’ve noticed that certain areas of the Ryerson website have been updated and it is a lot more accessible for myself, (than) when the page is crammed with just information,” said Mara Howard, a third-year social work student who identifies with an invisible disability. The CCS team worked closely
ELLEN PITT | RYERSONIAN
CCS restructured all of the ryerson.ca website templates. Ryerson’s new site took three years to make and launched Nov. 23.
with university rebuilding the site, according to Buchanan. “They’re the department that sets standards for Ryerson websites and they manage our marketing team, brand, and all of that
stuff,” he said. They tested the new template on high-school students who would be potentially applying to Ryerson to test user experience. As the new template evolved so did the accessibility features; Chaboryk tested it every week. “When you’re starting with the accessibility from the beginning, it’s much easier in the end, because it’s on the agenda in the first place,” said Chaboryk. What is online accessibility? According to Statistics Canada, one-third of Canadians with seeing impairments have had problems with accessing aids and equipment needed to use a computer or the Internet. These devices are things like screen readers, which are software that reads the text that is displayed on screen to the user, and alternative text that reads out the description of an image. If websites aren’t set up in a way that a screen reader can concisely interpret the text, it will not work. That was one of the team’s concerns when Ryerson switched from Blackboard to D2L. They
favoured the idea of BrightSpace, a product of D2L, because of its commitment to comply to Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act standards, and because the company is based in Ontario. D2L has a multi-year accessibility plan until 2021 to improve learning technologies for people with disabilities. As well, Ryerson ensures that all computing labs are equipped with assistive technology. Users can access two different screen readers: JAWS for Windows and VoiceOver for Apple. In an increasingly digital world, the CCS team members will be making sure that Ryerson’s virtual campus remains accessible. “There will always be issues, because what’s accessible is always changing, technology’s always changing,” said Andriati. @mckayjacqueline
This story is part of an investigative series on accessibility at Ryerson. A micro-website containing all stories on accessibility will launch as part of the Ryersonian website at the beginning of December.
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Soup and Substance Diversity is a reality, inclusion is a choice
Ouch! That stereotype hurts: How to counter bias Tuesday, December 13, 2016 Noon to 1 p.m. | Podium (POD) Room 250 Faculty, staff and students are invited to come and enjoy soup and participate in a discussion about inclusion at Ryerson. @RyersonEDI #RyersonEDI ryerson.ca/soupandsubstance
Moderated by: Denise O’Neil Green, Assistant Vice-President/Vice-Provost Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of EDI team
We are committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. Please contact 416-979-5000, ext. 3243 or equity@ryerson.ca if you require accommodation.
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A room of her own
The Modern Literature and Culture Research Centre champions Canadian and women’s history
COURTESY IRENE GAMMEL
The MLCRC research team in 2012, sitting around the communal workspace in the centre’s research space, as Irene Gammel looks on. ALEXANDRA CHRONOPOULOS RYERSONIAN
Stepping into the office of Irene Gammel must be what stepping into the past feels like. Her office is lined with bookshelves filled with publications old and new; reproductions of photographs of Harry Colebourn with the famous bear cub, Winnie the Pooh, on Salisbury Plain. A stylish red jacket hangs on the back of her door,
reminiscent of the fashions of years past. Gammel, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Modern Literature and Culture, and is a Fellow to the Royal Society of Canada, is far less intimidating than her CV. She heads the Modern Literature and Culture Research Centre (MLCRC) and has worked for a decade in training the next generation of scholars, and championing the preservation of Canadian women’s history. It was in 2006 when Gammel was
invited by Ryerson to apply for a Canada Research Chair, specifically for modern literature and culture. Upon getting the chair, she was able to apply for other grants to involve students and establish a strong training centre. Part of the mandate was that funds she received as a Canada Research Chair must go towards establishing an infrastructure that would allow students and scholars to come together and learn. And so, the MLC Research Centre
was born. “The inspiration was to focus on women’s heritage in the 20th century, both within a Canadian context, but also in an international context,” said Gammel. A prolific Modernist and Dadaist, this is a period of great interest to her, as she believes there is a fascinating trajectory between then and now. “We can see a lot of roots to what we do today (at the MLCRC) in some of the
sonian interesting transformations (of women’s rights) and in the wildness of some of the art and art forms of the early 20th century,” she said. The early 20th century was indeed a period of rapid change when a lot of women began coming into their own and gaining new rights. This era also brought with it a horrific time of carnage and loss through the First World War. As men went off to fight, women assumed the roles of mechanics and ambulance drivers. In some countries, such as Russia, they were soldiers. The MLCRC has collected rare artifacts over the years to add material culture to supplement the theoretical research work they conduct. Jason Wang, an executive team member since 2012, explains that among these artifacts are the battlefield letters of Mary Riter Hamilton, and the first American edition of the Eric Maria Remarque’s First World War masterpiece, All Quiet on the Western Front. “We not only preserve such cultural legacy, but also research and delve into them to seek for meaningful conversations between history, gender and material culture in the Canadian context,” said Wang. In addition to the centenary of the First World War, the MLCRC has also dedicated much time and research to commemorate the centenary of the Dada Movement. Beginning in 1915 in New York City, and in 1916 in Zurich and Berlin, Dada was an avant-garde art movement that sought to break traditional artistic conventions as a way to modernize society and reconcile with the horrors of the war. A trio of female artists spearheaded and best embodied the ideals of the movement. This trio consisted of Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Hannah Höch and Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. The latter is of particular interest to the MLCRC and to Gammel, who has written extensively on her life and works. In addition to the works of Hamilton and Freytag-Loringhoven, the MLCRC has also championed the works of Canadian Lucy Maud Montgomery, the famed author and creator of the beloved Anne of Green Gables. Wang explains that the centre has also received original letters written to and from Montgomery. Gammel herself also co-curated the Winnie the Pooh exhibit, which was displayed in the Ryerson Image Arts Centre gallery in the winter of 2014. It has now become the Remembering the Real
Features Winnie exhibit. This production is currently on loan to Assinboine Park Conservatory in Winnipeg until October 2017, and is expected to travel to New York City and London. The MLCRC is relatively unknown in the Ryerson community, outside of the specific departments it is integrated with (namely, English, fashion and vari-
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
forefront of Modernist history, and is a forum that facilitates scholarly discussion among universities around the world. The theme for the 2019 conference is Peace and Reconstruction, and Gammel is confident that Ryerson will win the bid. “I very much look forward to the opportunity, where we will have a coalition of universities coming together,
Spotlight on Mary Riter Hamilton The MLCRC maintains a strong research focus on the First World War, because it fell smack in the middle of the Modernist Era (18801940) and played a monumental role in shaping the lives of women. Its current focus is on famed Canadian war painter, Mary Riter Hamilton, who set off for the battlefields of France and Belgium in 1919, a year after the end of the war, and compiled over 300 battlefield works by the end of 1921. Despite this impressive collection, not much is known of Hamilton and her work, largely because she was a woman painting at a time when fame in the Canadian art world was relegated to male artists, such as the Group of Seven. “(Hamilton’s) battlefield paintings have opened up a large arena for discussing World War One and the very serious issues of war, peace, but also of gender during wartime, especially (in 1919) during this time of transition,” said Irene Gammel, director of the MLCRC. Michael Pereira, social media co-ordinator for the centre, explains that he finds the politics behind Hamilton’s journey overseas to be the most fascinating part of the project. “The (Canadian) government was not helpful, in fact, they were explicitly unhelpful,” explained Pereira on the lack of funding and support Hamilton got for her project. “But even then, against these odds, she did it and gave it all back to this country, the country that didn’t support her in her endeavour.”
ous master’s programs). But the work that has been produced by the centre and by Gammel has gained substantial international recognition. “It’s an interesting dynamic, because even though Ryerson is the home for the centre, the scope is larger than that,” explains Michael Pereira, a Ryerson master’s student and social media co-oordinatort for the MLCRC. Recently, the Modernist Studies Association (MSA) approached Gammel and the MLCRC to place a bid to host its 2019 annual general meeting. This is a tremendous opportunity, because the MSA is an international institution working at the
and where Ryerson will be able to provide leadership in the conference,” said Gammel. Audrey Wright, the research co-ordinator and supervisor at the MLCRC, echoes this sentiment and believes hosting a conference of this magnitude will be instrumental in putting the MLCRC on the map. Additionally, the MLCRC has connections to the Literaturhaus in Berlin and to the University of Prince Edward Island. Gammel’s work on Baroness Elsa was also cited in a New York Times article about the centenary of Dada earlier in the year. Aside from the publications and work
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that has come out of the MLCRC, Wright explains that the most important ripple is the group of students who have been trained as sharp researchers, writers and budding academics. “A huge part of the MLCRC’s mandate is training the next generation of academics,” she said. Through programs such as Work Study and AURA, she explains that it is a great platform for Ryerson to give back to its students by offering them funding by way of jobs. Kristen Jess, a fourth-year English student, started working at the MLCRC as an undergraduate research assistant in May 2016. She hopes to pursue a career in publishing and has a keen interest in memoirs and examining literature through a historical lens. “Being here makes me more involved with academia instead of just going to class,” she said. She explains that having her work edited by Gammel and working alongside her will be very important in pursuing a career in publishing. For Pereira, who has been at the centre for almost three years, the best part is that “it feels good and feels right to actually know that there are different sides to our history and that we are trying to unearth it. “It feels good to know that the MLCRC is doing important work and that you’re a part of it somehow.” While the MLCRC under Gammel will look to branch out to do different research in the coming years, women’s history will always remain core to its mandate. “Women’s history is all of our history,” said Pereira. “We can’t look at history just from the male perspective, even though we often do. I think the work coming out of the MLC nuances the picture.” With substantial funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Ministry of Research and Innovation, Gammel hopes the MLCRC will “continue to be a forceful training centre that works at the edge of scholarship that provides that international leadership for modern literature and culture.” If the esthetic of Gammel’s office is any indication, the MLCRC hopes to continue to do great things in the future for both Canadian history and women’s heritage, with one foot firmly planted in the past. @ChronoAlexa
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What to expect at the SLC Holiday Market
Arts & Life
ryersonian.ca Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Actors get physical
Ryerson School of Performance students intensely prepare for the final show of the semester MEGAN STEPHENS RYERSONIAN
If you’re longing for romance, treasure and adventure, you’re in luck. For the holidays, Ryerson’s School of Performance actors will be bringing to life an adaptation of the swashbuckling coming-of-age tale, Treasure Island. For the past six weeks, the cast of 15 graduating fourth-year actors and the entire third-year class have been working together six days a week in preparation for the end-of-year show. “We’ve put so much work in,” says Kierstyn Penney, a fourthyear playing the gender-flipped role of Israel Hands. “But it feels like we’ve only been working on this for a week. It’s like we closed our eyes and now the show is here.” Adapted by playwright Ken Ludwig and directed by Ryerson’s School of Performance chair, Peggy Shannon, this production combines acting, rigorous fight scenes and the occasional song and dance, making the show fun for the whole family. But despite the fun, preparation for the show has been intense. While rehearsals began at the end of fall reading week, the auditions began long before that, at the end of the winter 2016 semester. “Last April, my acting class, the
15 of us graduating in 2017, had one big audition for all the plays we would be doing in our fourth year,” says Katherine Cappellacci, who plays the lead role of Jim Hawkins. “We then had a few specific callbacks for Treasure Island, where we read for certain roles.” Auditions included reading monologues, both contemporary and Shakespearean, for the directors, followed by any additional skills, like singing, for the various fall shows. But the director, Shannon, went one step further. “She got us to write down any special talents we had,” says Penney, “so it was really funny because some people were like, ‘I can run really fast,’ and she was like, ‘OK, run around the room.’” But it was Shannon’s way of testing who would be best for different roles. Treasure Island is an incredibly acrobatic and physical work, according to Shannon, so it was her way of testing what roles the actors were best suited for. “This show is very physically and mentally demanding and we’ve done lots of athletics in preparation, along with making lots of pirate sounds,” says fourthyear Ariana Marquis, who plays pirate George Merry. Actors have even gone so far as to hit the gym to prepare. Considering part of the show involves wheeling huge, two-metre truck
MEGAN STEPHENS | RYERSONIAN
Kierstyn Penney as Israel Hands and Daniel Krmpotic as O’Brian.
units on and off stage as part of their transitions in perfect timing, it was necessary. With a shorter rehearsal period and a larger production than past holiday performances, the actors have felt the demands. Most days, the actors are on campus for 12 hours, balancing rehearsals, as well as acting classes and electives. And that doesn’t include the mandatory Saturdays they have spent since reading week working on the show. “It’s taken an army to put it together,” says Marquis. “We’re so fortunate to be working with the top production students at Ryerson and respected professionals in this industry,” she said. The classic adventure story features a host of legendary swashbucklers, including 14-year-old Jim Hawkins. “Playing Jim has been a lot of fun,” says Cappellacci. “As he says, it’s the adventure of his life. I
MEGAN STEPHENS | RYERSONIAN
Leigh Truant as Blind Pew and Katherine Cappellacci as Jim Hawkins.
feel like a little kid – I’m so excited to be able to have that adventure every night. It’s like being in your own fantasy world.” Treasure Island runs from Nov. 29 - Dec. 3 at the Ryerson Theatre, 43 Gerrard St. E. Tickets are on sale for $15 for students and $20 for adults. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday to
Thursday and Saturday, and 6:15 p.m. on Friday. There’s also an additional matinee performance at 1 p.m. Saturday. @stephens__megan
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Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Honouring indigenous life KELSEY ADAMS RYERSONIAN
For their final thesis project, eight media production students came together and created Shades of Our Sisters, an installation that celebrates the lives of missing and murdered indigenous women, trans and two-spirit individuals. The project focuses on the lives of Patricia Carpenter and Sonya Cywink, two of the more than 1,200 missing and murdered indigenous women. The installation is a multimedia interactive experience and the team, Upwind Productions, aims to show a compassionate retelling of how these women lived, how they were loved and how they’ve been missed by their families. “Usually a reporter’s coverage of these issues is newsy and focuses on hard statistics and it’s easy to forget that these were
people and they had lives and they had a whole different side to them other than, ‘she was found on the side of the road,’” said Josephine Tse, the project manager of Shades of Our Sisters. The installation allows people to get to intimately know these women, incorporating physical artifacts from their lives, 10-minute documentaries about both women, home footage and interviews with their family members. Cywink’s brother told Laura Heidenheim, the executive producer of the project, that for him Shades of Our Sisters is about his sister no longer being a statistic. There’s home video footage of Cywink holding her baby boy just days before she was killed. There is also a wall of her writing on display. They’re also re-creating Carpenter’s mother’s house which will have iPads that play videos
of stories from different parts of her life. The two families are the producers of the installation and the RTA team stresses the importance of the families having agency over the way the womens’ stories are told. “The fact that it’s a families-first production is very important because none of us on the team are indigenous and as media students and the future of media we want to be the platform for them, we want to do it the right way instead of speaking for them,” said Tse. The installation will be held in the Tecumseh Auditorium of the student centre from Feb. 17 to 19. Shades of Our Sisters hopes to change the dialogue about missing and murdered indigenous women. “I think often what happens is you revictimize the victim when
COURTESEY | SHADES OF OUR SISTERS
Behind the scenes of the filming for Shades of Our Sisters.
you focus only on the situation,” said Heidenheim. “At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what her blood-alcohol level was, it doesn’t matter what she was wearing, it doesn’t matter whether she worked in the sex trade,” she said.
“No one should have killed her or she shouldn’t be missing.” @kelseyxadams
Connect Toronto to London Ryerson University & London South Bank University present
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Build your portfolio by creating an interactive experience with an international team. Learn more and apply by December 6 http://bit.ly/torontolondon
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Sports
For more Sports head to ryersonian.ca Wednesday, November 30, 2016
ALUMNI
Fall in love with sports again A new sport media outlet hopes to take on the big guns, with Ryerson grads at the helm HAILEY SALVIAN RYERSONIAN
There is a new kid on the sports media block, and it isn’t looking to be a one-hit wonder. The Athletic Toronto is a young startup that is trying to take on the big national newspapers to reinvent local sports coverage and make readers “fall in love with the sports page again.” And they are doing it with multiple Ryerson graduates at the helm of their production. James Mirtle, Sean Fitz-Gerald and Eric Koreen, all veterans of Ryerson’s journalism school and Toronto sports media, are three of the site’s main contributors. Along with their writing duties, Mirtle is now the editor-inchief and Fitz-Gerald is a managing editor. Both Koreen and Fitz-Gerald were on the job market, having been laid off by the National Post and Toronto Star respectively, when they were contacted by the site’s co-founder, Adam Hansmann, about joining their team. And just last week, Mirtle announced he’d be leaving his job as the Maple Leafs beat reporter for the Globe and Mail to become the editor-in-chief and columnist for the fledgling outlet. “It was a hard decision having been at the Globe for almost 12 years, but this was a chance to do something new,” said Mirtle. He said he was intrigued by the opportunity after having worked for SB Nation, a former startup that began as an Oakland
Athletics blog in 2005 and has since turned to a national multisport platform. “I really like being a part of something growing … I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to go back and do something like that (digital at SB Nation)…do something different.” The additions of Koreen and Fitz-Gerald may not be as surprising as Mirtle’s, considering their situations, but their voices will surely be more than welcome to remain in Toronto sports media. “If this opportunity didn’t come along, maybe Sean wouldn’t be writing right now,” said Mirtle. “(The Athletic) has given some really talented people who should have a voice in the market a chance to do that because newspapers aren’t giving them that chance.” The Athletic was initially launched in Chicago less than a year ago and was founded by Hansmann and Alex Mather, two tech entrepreneurs with no journalism background, but a vision for what the future of sports media should look like. “Adam isn’t from the journalism world, but he has done his research and what he wants to do falls in line with how I like to do what I do,” said Koreen, who started writing for the site full time in October. “I see a potential future in this, and I have a lot of faith in the people behind it and the people who have been brought on.” The website will have some free content, but will be fully
COURTESY COURTESY THE ATHLETIC ALEX D’ADDESE TORONTO
accessible by subscription only. Initially it will cost $7 a month, or $5 if you pay for the whole year. “We are wholly subscriber-based, which is interesting because we don’t need to try to chase clicks, so there will be no top-10 cutest dogs lists,” said Fitz-Gerald. “But what we need to do is find an audience and provide them with the content they feel they need or want to pay for.” And while it is tough to compete with free, they will be appealing to their audience’s wallets by offering exclusive content that readers cannot find in a traditional news site. This means no game recaps and no clickbait, but instead
high-quality content curated by a cast of talented writers who each bring a different style and voice to their respective beats. Mirtle boasts the ability to interlace fluid writing with highlevel analytics. Koreen is a fan favourite on the Raptors beat, and Fitz-Gerald, a former national sportswriter of the year, has a gift for finding and telling stories about an array of sports. Along with the trio, the startup have also enlisted John Lott, a fan favourite on the baseball beat, Holly MacKenzie, a basketball writer and David Alter for hockey. “We want to have people the hard-core fans really love, and I want them to do their thing,” said
Mirtle. “We don’t want to do traditional. Everything (about The Athletic) is going to be unique.” The Chicago chapter has already found early success, especially with the dominance of their sports teams. And with the rejuvenated success of Toronto’s own franchises, the time to launch a site like this is now. The Athletic is still getting its legs under it, but the new hires are optimistic. “We aren’t sure if this is going to be a rip-roaring success,” said Fitz-Gerald. “But it will be a lot of fun to try.” @hailey_salvian
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Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Three Rams invited to FISU training camp HAILEY SALVIAN RYERSONIAN
“He’s another guy you like to see be rewarded for his efforts … like Mike, I’m really happy for him, he’s having a great year and is a huge piece of the Ryerson community.” And, if they make the final
Adam Voll
Nutrition & Food
roster, which Duco says he think will happen, the trio will miss four of the final games of the regular season. “Obviously it will hurt us ... (being) without three of your best players, but it’s an
opportunity for them to showcase themselves and rep ryerson in a positive manner. So we’ll try to get the job for them while they are away.” @hailey_salvian
Nicole DiDomenico (aka Mom) Early Childhood Studies
BLUE&GOLD
NIGHT WED. NOV. 30 VS WESTERN WOMEN’S 6:00 PM / MEN’S 8:00 PM
SAT. DEC. 3 VS WINDSOR WOMEN’S 4:00 PM / MEN’S 6:00 PM
WED. WING NIGHT Swipe & Win! Your Ryerson OneCard is Your Ticket into the Game! @ryersonrams
COURTESY RYERSON RAMS
From left to right: Michael Fine, Alex Basso and Matt Mistele.
#WeRRams
ryersonrams.ca
B A S K E T B A L L
Three members of the Ryerson Rams men’s hockey team have been invited to training camp for the 2017 International University Federation (FISU) World University Games. Captain Michael Fine and firstyear Matt Mistele are two of the 23 forwards who will compete for places on the FISU roster, while assistant captain Alex Basso will be the lone Ram vying with 13 others for a spot on the Canadian blue line. The players will take part in a four-day training camp from Dec. 27-30 in Caledon, Ont. After the training camp, 22 student-athletes will be selected to represent the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), U Sports and Canada at the games in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from Jan. 25-Feb. 10. Rams interim head coach Johnny Duco said the selections were all really well-deserved. Fine’s 19 points through 14 games has him sitting first on the team and 11th in the OUA. He is also tied with Aaron Armstrong for the lead in goals, with nine. The fifth-year senior is also third on Ryerson’s all-time points list, with 114 points at the midway point of his final season as a Ram. “Mike Fine is having a banner year and I couldn’t be more proud of him being rewarded and recognized as one of the top players in
our league,” said Duco. Meanwhile, Mistele’s selection may have seemed like a surprise to some, as the first-year forward has only suited up for eight games due to injury. However, he has averaged nearly one point per game, with three goals and four assists. Duco said Mistele’s resumé and Ontario Hockey League (OHL) career made him difficult for the FISU coaching staff to overlook. His 125 OHL goals made him the highest scoring U Sports recruit from the OHL this season. Duco said the only feedback he gave the committee was that, although Mistele hadn’t started scoring yet, he was a guy that could do it well. “This kid can put the puck in the net, and when they announced the roster he had a five-point weekend … so they were probably thinking it was a good thing.” In his third year, Basso remains a crucial part of the Rams’ blue line, playing in all situations and establishing himself as an ice-time leader. Through 14 games he is third on the team and fourth among OUA defencemen with 15 points (three goals and 12 assists). “Alex Basso obviously is a no-brainer to be on that team. He is probably the best defenceman in Ontario,” said Duco.
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Read more Opinions and Editorials online
Editorial
ryersonian.ca Wednesday, November 30 , 2016
EDITORIAL
Survivors need to feel supported On Dec. 6, 1989, a 25-year-old man walked into the École Polytechnique de Montréal armed with a rifle. Fourteen women, including 13 engineering students, were killed that day, simply for being women. That day was an awakening for Canadians as well as people around the world, and made feminists out of many. Over the past 27 years, people have rallied together to fight gender-based violence, and there have been some great victories. This year saw the launch of a national inquiry into the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, something indigenous communities have been campaigning for since the 1990s. As well in May, the provincial government released new regulations that require colleges and universities to accommodate survivors of sexual violence, including the adoption of a sexual violence policy. Ryerson began drafting a sexual violence policy in 2014, and in October 2015, Farrah Khan, a well-known activist for ending violence against women, joined the university as the co-ordinator of the office of sexual violence support and education. While Ryerson is taking steps to better address sexual violence, this issue continues to be a struggle on university campuses across the country. In November, the Dalhousie
Student Union had to shut down its sexual assault support line because of funding issues. The line had only been operating for a little over a year, but it had to be pulled because the university wouldn’t cover the costs. York University’s own sexual violence policy was also under fire last month. A student who had filed a human rights complaint against the university after she was sexually assaulted by another student, reported that the school’s new guidelines for responding to sexual violence weren’t good enough. But at Ryerson, the university has spent the past year reviewing the first draft of the sexual violence policy, working to include the voices of as many students, staff and faculty as possible. The revised policy was originally scheduled to be presented to the Ryerson Board of Governors for its approval at the Nov. 24 meeting. But Ryerson is taking an extra month before the policy will be presented, in hopes of gathering even more community feedback over the next week, especially from students. Extra steps such as this show that Ryerson is working to create a campus that is committed to combating sexual violence and gender-based violence, and being a place where survivors feel supported. That’s something we should all be striving for.
ALEX TSUI | RYERSONIAN
How to make the most of your winter break.
OPINION
Defining feminism
AMANDA GILMORE RYERSONIAN
Feminism is a word that many people do not fully understand. Until recently, I didn’t fully understand it either. This is partly because in the media, most movies and TV shows almost never give a definition. In the TV shows and movies that I watched growing up, most of the characters that I saw were shown in outdated, stereotypical male and female roles. My classmates must have watched the same TV shows and movies as me, because I saw these stereotypes in my high school too. Most of the girls were always looking for a
boyfriend, while most of the boys were always trying to act tough. However, as I grew into my late teens and early 20s, I began to see a change. I was watching films and TV shows with strong female roles. Even Disney movies, which almost always portrayed characters in stereotypical gender roles, have recently started featuring strong female protagonists, like in Tangled and the very recent Moana. It’s great that girls at a young age are beginning to have strong on-screen role models, seen in characters who go after their dreams without anyone’s help, and don’t need to be with someone else to find happiness. It’s great that new movies are teaching young girls and boys about feminism. However, the actual definition of feminism still isn’t being stated in most media, even though films and TV shows are becoming more balanced in their depictions
of gender. For instance, male characters are becoming open enough to show pain, such as in the recent Moonlight. At the same time, female characters can carry swords and fight alongside men, such as in Game of Thrones. But when I ask other people to define feminism, I get several different responses. Some people say that it means women will rule the world, while others say it means women are able to be strong now, and that they don’t need a man. To me, the definition of feminism is a simple one. And it’s one that came to me recently while speaking to members of a feminist theatre company in Toronto. It simply means equality of the sexes. Whatever a male can do, a female can do, and vice-versa. Feminism is not only for women. It’s also for men. @GilmoreAmanda
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Voices
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Read more Voices online ryersonian.ca Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Journalism needs diversity ‘I felt few would speak for the Somali-Canadian community’ EBYAN ABDIGIR RYERSONIAN
I began my studies at Ryerson’s School of Journalism in 2013, the same year that Mayor Rob Ford made international headlines for allegedly smoking crack. In my first-year reporting class we followed Ford’s appearance in the news very closely. We took a class trip to city hall one day to see Ford speak to the press, where I stood in the media pit next to professional videographers and reporters. And on Nov. 5, 2013, our class paused, all eyes on the projector screen streaming Ford nervously confessing, at a press conference in city hall, to having smoked crack cocaine. When Gawker broke the story that Ford was on video smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine, it raised a number of ethical concerns. Ford was being held accountable, as usual, but the conversation among media people shifted to how this sensational news was being reported. The journalism community discussed whether local journalists should have purchased the video, whether it was unethical for journalists to report on a video they did not obtain, the use of confidential sources, and so on. As a Somali-Canadian journalism student, I was upset that local media had identified the alleged drug dealers, who obtained video of Ford smoking what they said was crack, as “Somali drug dealers.” I couldn’t understand how the most relevant identifier of the blackmailers was their ethnicity.
CHAYONIKA CHANDRA | RYERSONIAN
The Ryersonian’s Ebyan Abdigir.
According to the Canadian Press Stylebook, which is a reference guide for journalists, we should only identify a “person by race, colour, national origin or immigration status only when it is truly pertinent.” I was not the only one who felt that way. Critics responded with similar discernment and the issue was discussed on social media, and in several local publications. The Toronto Star later issued an apology. This particular issue hit home for me, and as the only Somali-Canadian student in my year of journalism studies, I didn’t think there was anyone who would care as much as I did. Some people felt that noting the ethnicity of the alleged drug dealers was relevant for public interest. Others agreed, but
felt writing Somali, rather than Somali-Canadian, maligned individuals of Somali descent. And others like me did not feel ethnicity was relevant whatsoever. Whether local media should have referenced the men as Somali was discussed briefly in my class, but did not receive nearly as much attention as any of the other ethical issues that came with the Ford scandal coverage. I learned that reporting on issues with racial nuances may be burdensome, and not just since people are generally uncomfortable discussing race, but also because it’s exhausting to convince the public on why particular nuances matter. While writing this story I looked up “Somali” in the Canadian Press Stylebook. “Somalian” is listed as an adjective, which
simply is not accurate. Somali is both a noun and an adjective. How can the national style guide for journalists get such a thing wrong? It tells me there is still work to be done in ensuring that journalism is diverse and accurate. It seems to me that, slowly, Canadian journalists are accepting what they do not know, and where to make improvements. Ryerson will offer the first journalism course on indigenous reporting to students in January 2017. The poster for the online course reads: “Learn about the context of stories and how you can more confidently report on current and future indigenous issues.” Since the news of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, I’ve
been reminded of those feelings I had in first year. In Toronto there have been reports of hate crimes against minorities following the U.S. election. These have included swastikas appearing on property, a man being caught on video yelling racially charged language on the TTC earlier this month and incidents of Islamophobia. Race issues have been in the forefront of the news during my time in journalism school. There has been brutality by U.S. police officers, local Black Lives Matter protests, missing indigenous women in Canada and Islamophobia. These internal questions about the journalism industry and where I would fit in as a journalist, who also happens to be a black woman, are constantly present. There aren’t many minorities in the industry to begin with, and diversity is so much more than representation. At the time of the Ford crack scandal, I had a heavy sense of responsibility looming over me. I felt few would speak for the Somali-Canadian community. I felt that I had to be very careful navigating the grey area between being a journalist and an activist. Journalists are supposed to be unbiased and approach all stories with objectivity. But that idea is outdated to me. My identity as a black Canadian woman will always play a role in my reporting, as I cannot deny who I am. I strongly feel that approaching issues that are close to us will only create better journalism.
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Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Campus Connection
Quote ... Unquote
Events Nov. 30 & Dec. 1
Full stories online at ryersonian.ca
Shop the SLC: A Holiday Marketplace 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. SLC Amphitheatre Event listing at ryerson.ca/ news/events
I think it’s a really different experience when you’re trying to fit someone else’s persona or fit the creative direction of whoever you’re working with.
Nov. 30 Knit Happens!
Dani Kedo-Aranilla
11 a.m. – Noon Library’s DME Lab, 3rd Floor, SLC Event listing at ryerson.ca/ news/events
The fall show production ... allows the different Mass Exodus teams to have a hands-on experience on how to collaborate.
Ryerson basketball vs. Western
Henry Navarro Delgado
SAMRAWEET YOHANNES | RYERSONIAN
Ryerson is a community full of entrepreneurs and talented, creative individuals. We wanted to shine a spotlight on this homegrown talent.
Jess Russell
How accessible is Ryerson?
The Ryersonian’s online editor, Jacqueline McKay, and copy editor, Richa Syal, are producing an investigative series on accessibility at Ryerson. Stories include an exploration of how accessible Ryerson’s Student Learning Centre is, profiles of Ryerson students who have experienced barriers to accessibility and reports on DMZ-based startups developing accessible technology. A micro-website containing all stories on accessibility will launch as part of the Ryersonian website at the beginning of December.
6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Mattamy Athletic Centre Event listing at ryerson.ca/ news/events
Dec. 2 Community Holiday Celebration 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. East Concourse and ice rink at Mattamy Athletic Centre Event listing at ryerson.ca/ news/events
Dec. 5 Newsroom Manager Jennie Pearson
Managing Editor Video Alex Tsui
Features Editor Alexandra Chronopoulos
Managing Editor Print
Sports Editor
Photo Editors
Jennie Pearson
Hailey Salvian
News Editors
Op-Ed/Voices Editor
Chayonika Chandra Catherine Machado Samraweet Yohannes
Jennie Pearson Michal Stolarczyk
Carlo Zanette
Arts & Life Editors
Managing Editors Digital
Amanda Gilmore Sydney Masonovich
Jacqueline McKay Daniela Olariu
Lineup Editors Robert Foreman Michal Stolarczyk
Managing Editors Social/Engagement Angela Bulatao-Taay Amira Zubairi
Copy Editors Anna-Kaye Evans Richa Syal
Reporters Ebyan Abdigir Kelsey Adams Alyana Ladha Danielle Lee
Esther Lee Selena Singh Megan Stephens
Instructors Peter Bakogeorge Jagg Carr-Locke Philippe Devos
Publisher Janice Neil
Business Manager Aseel Kafil
Contact Us We would like to hear from you. Please include your name, program and year. Unsigned letters will not be published. We reserve the right to edit letters for length. Ryerson University 80 Gould Street Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3 Newsroom: 416-979-5323 Email: sonian@ryerson.ca
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Fall exam period.