More than wait times
U of T students’ union slams RSU
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Production students shine
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Ryersonian
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The
Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Volume 70, Number 13
Taking steps toward reconciliation at Rye
sioner of the TRC she was a journalist. Before she was a journalist, as a young child, she wanted to Ryerson’s namesake was a man be a teacher. Her Grade 2 teacher who minced no words in his views inspired her, by showing love for on cultural and spiritual superi- all of her students, Wilson said. ority. In an 1847 letter, Egerton What Wilson didn’t know then Ryerson stated that nothing can was how many residential students be done to “improve and elevate” in Canada weren’t shown that same the character of Indigenous peo- love by their teachers. “They were ple, without the help of “religious preyed upon by their teachers. feeling.” Injured physiN o w , cally, emotion“They were preyed decades later, ally, spiritually universities are upon by their teachers. and mentally by Injured physically, taking steps their teachers,” toward recog- emotionally, spiritually Wilson said. nizing the need r n a l ist s and mentally by their areJou teachers, for more relteachers.” evant and propWilson said. erly contextualof the — Marie Wilson One ized Indigenous calls to action content in the outlined in the curriculum. But this means that TRC report, released in December, journalism needs to do more focuses solely on the role of jourwhen it comes to reporting on nalism programs and media Indigenous peoples, stories, and schools to teach students about issues, said Marie Wilson, one of Canada’s history of colonialism. three commissioners of the Truth Candace Maracle, award-winand Reconciliation Commission ning filmmaker and freelance of Canada (TRC). journalist from Tyendinaga Wilson came to Ryerson Mohawk Territory, also spoke to deliver the school’s annu- and emphasized the obligation al Atkinson Lecture on Feb. 1. journalists have to speak truth to Wilson addressed Canada’s 130- power structures. year history of residential schools, “The onus does not rest solely along with what role journalists on my shoulders as an Indigenous can play in reconciliation. woman. It’s all journalists jobs to Before Wilson was a commis- create a more informed Canada.”
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By Justine Ponomareff Ryersonian Staff
Mikaila Kukurudza / Ryersonian Staff
Marie Wilson, a TRC commissioner, speaks to students in the annual Atkinson Lecture on Feb. 1.
Former NHL pros find new skills at Ryerson Breakaway program gives players a chance at a second career after hockey By Josh Beneteau Ryersonian Staff
Former NHL goaltender Corey Hirsch thought he had it made. After a successful pro-career that spanned more than a decade, Hirsch began working as a goalie coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs and then with the St. Louis Blues. Then he got fired and suddenly found himself with nothing. That’s when an email from the NHL Alumni Association directed him to the NHL Breakaway program. A few months later, by November 2014, he was at Ryerson taking a seminar on sports media.
Now he’s a frequent contributor to Sportsnet’s NHL broadcasts. “It’s amazing how when I got fired, (I was) thinking it was the worst thing that was ever going to happen,” he said. “It (ended) up being the best thing.” The NHL Breakaway program supports former players as they transition to a career off the ice. It provides everything from help enrolling in classes, to support with starting a business, to providing players with better professional skills. In 2011, the Breakaway program approached Ryerson about forming a partnership with the Ted Rogers School of
Management. Marla Spergel, a professor in the marketing department, was chosen to give a presentation to the NHL Alumni Association about what the school could offer. Spergel is now the education and strategy consultant with the Breakaway program while still teaching six course sessions at Ryerson. Her responsibilities include helping players choose courses, helping players who want to start a business work on their marketing strategies, and setting up workshops and other courses, both online and off-line. “It’s based on getting them motivated towards careers and
showing them they have certain skill sets that they don’t realize (they have) when they come out of the game,” Spergel said. “Because they simply think of only hockey (but) they come out with a lot of emotional and intelligent skill sets.” In her role with the Breakaway program, Spergel has expanded the course offerings from just the business school to include the RTA school of media and courses at other universities such as McGill and Syracuse University. She is also looking to expand to Athabasca University in Alberta. Some of the courses are online while others are a mix of online
and classroom sessions. The NHL Breakaway program also includes communication seminars, financial and legal assistance, and mentorship networks. In all, it has serviced hundreds of players in the last five years, according to its website. “(The players) need to know that you really care,” Spergel said. Despite the program’s growth and high-profile students, Ryerson does not support it financially in any way. According to Spergel, every time she asks the school for discounts on classes or scholarships, they turn her down. Please see NHL, page 10
2 • The Ryersonian
EDITORIALS
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
The
Ryersonian
Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism
EDITORIAL
O Canada should be more inclusive
If Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger could have his way, O Canada would be gender neutral. Bélanger has had his eye on tweaking Canada’s national anthem for a while now and, in January, he reintroduced a bill that would change the lyric “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.” Why? Well, because “it is 2016,” said Bélanger in the House of Commons. This is the second time that Bélanger has made this bid to Parliament — the first was in April 2014, a time when Stephen Harper was prime minister. Bélanger’s crusade for change is appreciated and, to be frank, long overdue. But does it go far enough? What has yet to be formally addressed is the use of God in Canada’s anthem. Nearly 25 per cent of Canadians do not follow any religion at all, according to the 2011 household census. For a country that prides itself on multiculturalism and multifaith, it seems disrespectful to devote our anthem to any deity. Granted, the anthem may not affect the day-to-day lives of Canadians, but its lyrics still matter. National anthems are designed to instil patriotism in citizens. An anthem with a reference to God in the lyrics shuns a large portion of society. That’s a step back for a pluralistic, liberal democracy such as ours.
The English version of the anthem was written by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908. It wasn’t until 1968 that a special joint committee of the Senate and House of Commons recommended God be added. And thus, what was once “O Canada, glorious and free,” changed to what it is now: “God keep our land glorious and free.” Proof of the influence of religion in Canada was the Lord’s Day Act of 1906, which restricted Canadians from making any kind of business transaction, like grocery shopping on Sundays. The Supreme Court, however, ruled in 1985 that the act was unconstitutional, as it prevented Canadians from exercising their basic rights. It was realized that not every person followed the same religious beliefs or Sunday routine. And the point still rings true today. Just as the Supreme Court ruled that everyone should be free to do as they choose on Sundays, there is an opportunity in 2016 to renew our anthem with more inclusive language. To remove God from our anthem would not be to undermine the history of religious contributions to Canada. The changes in lyrics are merited because it is time everyone in Canada feels recognized in the anthem, no matter our religion or gender.
Jenn McNaughton / Ryersonian Staff
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OPINION
A call for more female announcers
By Lexie Hinde Ryersonian Staff
When you turn on a sports game and settle into your couch, you hear the same thing from the announcer’s booth: excitement, disappointment, and shouts of joy. It may not be from the same person every time, but it is most likely from a man. Enter Leandra Vermeulen, an RTA school of media student who attempted to turn the Rams’ sporting world on its head. Vermeulen organized The Takeover, an all-female live broadcast of the women’s hockey game against the Windsor Lancers on Jan. 29. It was an idea that was inspired after she worked at the Pan Am Games. “(I) realized that there were so few women in the industry, espe-
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cially in sports broadcasting,” she a bigger impact, if you were to said. have women host and run a men’s Naturally, this seems like an game, which draws a bigger audiexciting step forward for women ence in any case.” in sports broadcasting. But while So why not make the obvious the good intention and talent is leap? there, it may not have made as big It’s a statement echoed by of an impact as they’d hoped. Ophelie Zalcmanis-Lai, the editor“It’s really cool to show that in-chief of McClung’s magazine, a the girls can do just as much as the feminist publication produced by guys,” said Sarah Jenkins, a sec- Ryerson students. ond-year sport media student and “Overall, I think the person the night’s play-by-play announc- organizing this has good intentions er. And therein lies another major and is trying to address a valid problem. Women already know point,” said Zalcmanis-Lai. “It what other women are capable would be great to see this become of. It is not them they have to regular, instead of advertising it as prove themselves to. The night a ‘takeover’ that’s for the women’s was dubbed “ladies night,” so who hockey game anyway.” was there to listen? Other women. So for one night and one So foreign is the idea of game, women ran a broadcast women calling for a women’s While the good inten- hockey game. a sports event instead of tion and talent is there, And that’s it. wearing tight this it may not have made Sadly, dresses like feels like a sinsideline deco- as big of an impact as gle act of affirrations. Most mative action, they’d hoped. of the time you quietly pacifydo not even ing the need for notice that their voice is missing change. But that can be rectified. from the booth. It doesn’t matter “Rather than it being just a whether the men are good at their one time event, because that in jobs or not – you’re still subjected itself isn’t sufficient, there has to to their deep-voiced narration. be real institutional change,” said “The whole institution of Sugiman. sport in our culture is such a The upside? Savannah masculinized realm of activity,” Prokopetz, the student who broadsaid Pamela Sugiman, chair of casts colour commentary, is now Ryerson’s sociology department. calling all of the women’s hockey “It would make a bigger splash, games.
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Wednesday, February 3, 2016
NEWS
The Ryersonian • 3
U of T group condemns RSU Profs lack empathy,
Students’ union president says firing decision was not fair
ombudsperson’s report By Natalia Balcerzak
Ryersonian Staff
By Maham Shakeel Ryersonian Staff
Backlash from the Ryerson Students’ Union’s (RSU) firing of two senior staffers, Gilary Massa and Dina Skivrsky, is resurfacing. A statement issued by the University of Toronto’s Students’ Union (UTSU) on Jan. 14 condemns the RSU’s firings of Massa, a new mother on parental leave and Skivrsky, her temporary replacement. The RSU executives justified the layoffs as reconstruction of the union but UTSU president Ben Coleman thinks they could have been more equitable with the entire situation. UTSU’s statement said their willingness to engage with the RSU has been “severely undermined.” “We hope that if the RSU demonstrates an institutional commitment to the principles of equity and good allyship, our two unions will be able to resume working together fully for the benefit of all students,” reads the statement. Coleman said they’re open to supporting RSU initiatives like the current petition, “Stop Paying to Work,” which is fighting against unpaid internships. However, he said events like concerts are examples of what the UTSU would not support until the RSU demonstrates that it is committed to equity. “It’s not a complete shunning of these people,” said Coleman,
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
The UTSU’s building on the St. George campus in Toronto.
“It’s more something you would do to someone you respect who you think has made poor decisions.” Andrea Bartlett, RSU president, said she was shocked to read the statement because she thought the two unions worked well together. “There’s nothing in the plan for this semester in terms of collaborations (between RSU and UTSU) so it won’t impact Ryerson students,” she said. Coleman said that the point of the criticism is to support the RSU to be “more focused (on) creating an organization that has diverse staff.” He also criticized the RSU’s reaction to the backlash it received after news of the firings spread across Twitter and Facebook. The confrontation between Bartlett and former vice-president equity, Pascale
Diverlus, was recorded and posted online. Security was called on Diverlus for what Bartlett claimed to be “harassment” and intruding of her “safe space.” Coleman said “safe space” has a meaning that originated from the LGBTQ community, so Bartlett’s use is “disrespectful to the history of the word.” As well, the RSU’s claim that students were simply “pulling the race card,” according to Coleman, was just the RSU “using (its) privilege to (its) advantage.” Early last month, the Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson (CESAR) announced a boycott of the RSU’s printing service in protest against the RSU. A few weeks later, the Feminist Collective made a statement by withdrawing its application to seek club status under the RSU.
The annual ombudsperson’s report revealed a “surprising” number of students complaining about a lack of empathy from instructors. The report was presented to Ryerson’s senate on Jan. 26 and detailed some of the most common complaints the office received from students in the 2014/2015 school year. In some cases where students sought accommodation from the university due to personal circumstances, the blunt responses from their professors led them to file a complaint with the ombudsperson’s office. Paul Moore, associate professor in the department of sociology, said that the formality of the process can put up a barrier from faculty needing to be empathetic. “(They need to) articulate what their needs are,” he said. “Too many students are unfortunately not in a position to help themselves in the moment of need.” Moore said that academic requests don’t trouble him and that he does his best to understand, but it is difficult to tread between helping and counselling. “I think a lack of empathy is one thing, but I wonder if those complaints derive from students not understanding how they’re supposed to seek help and that there’s a more appropriate person to seek and get empathy from,” said Moore. Jenny Jung, a fourth-year
business technology management student, says that professors should also consider other factors, as many students do struggle living on their own. “I go to school full time and I work part time — (students) No. 1 goal is to graduate and I think they should give students chances,” Jung said. The report also expresses the unwillingness of faculty to provide a rationale for the denial of a request. Nora Farrell, the ombudsperson, said that along with the concerns and suggestions, the report also includes responses from the university on how it plans to proceed with the matters. “(I understand) there’s a function of priorities and resources … if the university is continuing to work on those points and there’s a good rationale for it, it’s not something I would see as being wrong as it’s a big place and there’s a lot of things going on,” said Farrell. The university says that the policy does allow for “exceptions under extraordinary circumstances” and that they will strive “to ensure that decision letters denying the granting of exceptions provide a suitable explanation.” Faculty will be required to respond in a timely manner for issues to be resolved quicker. They will also review course outlines on an annual basis to ensure the content is consistent with the policies and find additional venues to communicate this information.
New support for sexual violence survivors on campus Farrah Khan brings 16 years of social work and advocacy experience to Ryerson’s new office
By Taline McPhedran Ryersonian Staff
The first thing Farrah Khan says to survivors of sexual violence is: “It’s OK. I believe you.” Khan joined Ryerson as the coordinator of sexual violence support and education in October. The new Office of Sexual Violence Support and Education (OSVSE) provides one-on-one support for students, faculty, and staff. Khan has been involved in the movement against sexual violence for 16 years. She began with the Metropolitan Action Committee (METRAC), working with a peer-based group called ReAct that creates resources and workshops for youth. Most recently, she worked with the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic where she counselled sexual violence survivors. Khan’s goal is to make Ryerson a survivor centric campus that doesn’t only find the perpetrator or run education campaigns. Instead, she said, it’s important to be a “trauma informed campus.” “We want survivors to feel like they can come to university, they know the proper channels to which they can disclose (infor-
mation) and that they also feel like they have the right to be here,” she said. The office will house three committees that will discuss different aspects of sexual violence on campus: the survivors of sexual violence committee, the Ryerson community committee and the education committee. Each committee will discuss aspects of sexual violence relating to the current policy, emerging issues in the Ryerson community and awareness of how to report assaults. From November 2014 to November 2015, 30 per cent of crimes reported to campus security were sexual based crimes of assault and/or harassment. Of the reported cases, only a quarter resulted in assailants being caught and arrested. These crimes include indecent exposure, stalking, voyeurism, sexual harassment and sexual assault. Across Canada, only five per cent of sexual assaults were reported to police in 2014, according to Statistics Canada’s victimization survey. A Toronto Star investigation revealed that many Ontario universities, including Ryerson, lack a comprehensive policy surrounding sexual violence.
Farrah Khan joined Ryerson as the co-ordinator of the OSVSE.
To address this, the board of directors introduced a new sexual violence policy in June 2015 after a comprehensive review of the university’s existing policies. The review found that the only time sexual violence was explicitly named was in the discrimination and harassment policy. The review recommended a detailed policy be made that would outline definitions, survivor support and education, among many others.
The new policy covers the parameters of consent, stating, “Consent is active, not passive or silent,” as well as survivor support, pointing members of the Ryerson community towards the OSVSE. The policy will be reviewed every three years with student involvement, in accordance with the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan, Bill 132. It is currently being considered by the legislative assembly of Ontario.
Taline McPhedran / Ryersonian Staff
The bill requires every college and university in Ontario to have its own stand-alone sexual violence policy. The policy must address the process for reporting sexual violence on campus as well as specific regulations. “It doesn’t matter what you wear, it doesn’t matter who you were with,” said Khan. “It doesn’t matter if you were in a five-year relationship or just met them on Tinder. It’s sexual violence if you say it is.”
4 • The Ryersonian
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The Ryersonian • 5
App makes travel easier for wheelchair users
Engineering grads created and then refined a device to customize control systems
By Kanwal Rafiq Ryersonian Staff
The engineering grads behind the intelliChair are taking their device to the next level with an upgrade to a smartphone app. Two years ago, Danny Porthiyas, Raymon Atienza and Stephanie Iossifidis created the intelliChair, the prototype of device that would allow wheelchair users to customize their control system. With it, users can plug in their choice of controller (joystick, mouthguard or sip and puff) via a USB port on the arm of a wheelchair. They then use a touch screen on the same arm to choose the settings. The smartphone app will replace the screen on top of the wheelchair’s arm. This will allow users to wirelessly connect their smartphones to the wheelchair via Bluetooth and customize controller settings. The app will also auto-recognize which controller is plugged into the wheelchair. The device was specifically created for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Both are neurodegenerative diseases that affect the central nervous system
Courtesy Ryerson University Magazine
Left to right: Raymon Atienza, Danny Porthiyas, Stephanie Iossifidis.
of a person. Porthiyas was working at a pastry shop when he would see customers struggling to use the traditional joystick on their power wheelchairs. “Some people would have to put a tennis ball on it,” he said. As an engineering student, he knew he could help. He wanted to create something that would make daily travel easier for peo-
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All full-time students just starting classes in the Winter term are charged a fee of $197.00 for the Members' Health and Dental Plan. The charge is reflected on your tuition fee statement and is a pro-rated amount for health and dental benefits provided by the Plan. Benefit coverage is from January 1st, 2016 until August 31, 2016. New students starting in the Winter term only can opt-out. If you did NOT opt out on line in fall term you cannot apply now for winter term deadline.
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ple with disabilities, even if it were just to the pastry shop. Xavier Fernando, the group’s supervisor and chair of Ryerson’s communications lab, says a lot of research needs to be done before the intelliChair is released into the market. According to him, the next big step would be to receive feedback from different power wheelchair users. “It is more about testing the product in
all different scenarios.” No power wheelchair allows users to swap controllers using USB. Another big difference between what is currently offered in the markets and the intelliChair is the “ability to customize it where you are rather than travelling down to the clinic,” according to Iossifidis. The intelliChair can be customized in 10 minutes, regardless of location. For example, individuals in the later stages of MS or ALS have limited hand control. These people might use the device differently. Julie Gibson has had MS for over 50 years and started using a power wheelchair in 2003. Gibson said that her diminishing hand mobility has restricted her from operating the chair and a smartphone. “I can’t type and I can’t turn it off and on.” She is now confined to her home. She said that her inability to use a smartphone might be a barrier for making use of the intelliChair, but still believes the invention is a step in the right direction. Manufacturing costs and
lengthy approval processes for new products are two of the major reasons why technology for people with disabilities is so behind. Mauricio Meza, co-founder of an assistive technology company called Komodo OpenLab, has nearly a decade of experience as an assistive technology consultant. He has created products that allow people to use smartphones and tablets despite diminishing hand control. Meza said the main challenge for creating new wheelchair devices are “establishing partnerships with the manufacturers of the wheelchairs.” Many times there is little incentive for companies to innovate because they already have a product that’s been approved. As for when the trio’s product will be released, Iossifidis said it would be a matter of taking it back to the whiteboard and laying out a business plan. There are also many developments that still need to be made with the device itself. “If someone’s going to be using this every day, it has to be nearly perfect,” said Porthiyas.
RAMSS ‘could be better’ RyPlanner allows students to create mock schedules By Linda Nguyen Ryersonian Staff
A Ryerson student has created a new way for students to build a mock class schedule without having to deal with the fussiness of Ryerson’s Administrative Management Self Service (RAMSS). Ali Isfran, a first-year business management student, created RyPlanner, a website that shows the times, locations, instructors and even Rate My Professors grades, for students to plan and visualize their class schedule. And they can do all of this without having to log in. “(RAMSS) could be way better,” said Isfran. “It shouldn’t be this hard to pick your courses and visualize your schedule. It’s unnecessary stress that us students don’t need to have.” Even for upper-year students that have used the web-based enrolment system many times, RAMSS is still confusing. “I’ve had to draw it out on paper first because it’s hard to organize potential classes,” said Ambar Soekardji, a fourth-year social work student. “It could definitely use a visual update too because it can be somewhat challenging to navigate,” she said. According to Isfran, collecting course information data remains his biggest obstacle in keeping RyPlanner updated. It is also stopping him from developing newer features. “Sometimes professors change, or class times change. Ideally, I want to collaborate with Ryerson in some way so I can get access to all the important information,” said Isfran. “Then I can add other features, like searching for courses that
Jenn McNaughton / Ryersonian Staff
RyPlanner has over 1,300 users and 4,000 views.
are open or closed. Eventually, I want to make an auto-scheduler, where you can just put in the courses you want with your preferred time and preferred teachers, and then (RyPlanner) would make it for you.” To date, Isfran said that RyPlanner has over 1,300 users and 4,000 views. “(RyPlanner) isn’t one of those
“It shouldn’t be this hard to visualize your schedule.” — Ali Isfran things that you click on and say ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ You actually go back and use it,” said Isfran. “That’s how I can tell that I’m doing something right.” Despite changes made to Ryerson’s learning management system, such as the university’s recent switch from Blackboard to Brightspace, RAMSS seems to be the one integral resource to
students that has yet to receive an update. “I know students only use RAMSS during peak times in the year, but it’s our courses,” Isfran said. “It’s a major deal for students. We need something easier to use.” Charmaine Hack, Ryerson’s registrar, said that “it is time to modernize the course enrolment experience at Ryerson.” She said a request for proposal (RFP) was released in late 2015 requesting submissions for an enrolment scheduler to be merged with RAMSS. “The proposals submitted are now being reviewed and we hope that a successful vendor will be announced in the comings weeks,” said Hack. A user-friendly interface and features like “drag and drop course selection, course filtering, space availability, (and) course pinning,” said Hack, are just some of the features set to be released for the August 2016 course enrolment period.
6 • The Ryersonian
As conversations surrounding mental health increase, more students are feeling comfortable reaching out to their campus’ mental health services. Campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk encourage young people to voice their struggles with mental health, in hopes of creating a public dialogue and combating the dangerous silence that many fall victim to. But with this surge in students seeking support, wait lists for counselling and other services are only growing and gaps in these services are becoming increasingly apparent. Fostering an environment where people feel safe talking about their mental illness is a critical step toward de-stigmatizing it, but with this comes the need for new conversations. It’s time to talk. Not just about de-stigmatizing mental illness, but about what universties are going to do, as they increasingly become the providers of front-line care for a generation more candid about mental health than ever before. For Bill Walker, Progressive Conservative critic of health and long-term wellness in the Ontario legislature, this steadily growing trend of university and college campuses delivering mental health care triage can be attributed to a “natural shift.” Perception surrounding mental illness is starting to change and more young Canadians are seeking out mental health services, he said. “Canada’s population of young people is becoming more expectant.” This generation is being told to advocate for its mental health. And they’re listening. Most of the talk about access to mental health services on Canadian campuses focuses on wait times. The correlation between more students demanding help and longer wait times
FEATURES
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
The Front Line
services should not start and finish with wait lists. This issue cannot realistically be remedied by just hiring more counsellors (and in many cases, this is not a financially feasible solution). “There are more important questions than wait times, which we’re hearing from students, which is different from the past,” said Jenna Omassi, vice-president academic and university affairs at University of British Columbia. Omassi pointed to the co-ordination of services as being a major problem in mental health care delivery on the campus. It is students being juggled from service to service, ineffectively, that causes the most issues, she said. “How do we ensure that they’re not starting over and telling their story over and over when they go to different services?” Omassi said it is great if a student can get an appointment the next day, but if they have to continually tell their story to
What happens when universities take responsibility for their students’ mental health ...
FEATURES
physical health.” This lack of government support for mental health resources is especially true in Ontario, where, according to the Council of Universities, universities educate more students with less provincial funding per student than universities in any other province. When universities need to improve any service and government funding is not an option, they need to find ways of increasing revenue through tuition costs. This was the case at UBC, where, last year, the university had one of the worst ratios of counsellors to students. Omassi attributed this abysmal ratio to how quickly the student population had grown, but also because of funding freezes in university finances. To remedy the situation, UBC turned to a solution of increased housing prices. The 20 per cent increase was met with a lot of unhap-
The Ryersonian • 7
But it doesn’t solve all the problems. What might help is the “stepped care” model of counselling, first introduced in the U.K. and now spreading to Canada and the U.S. It has been suggested as a way to more efficiently fill the gaps preventing students from properly accessing campus mental health services. “Stepped care is a systematic method of delivering and monitoring treatment, in which you start first by delivering the least intensive intervention,” said Peter Cornish, associate professor and director at the student wellness and counselling centre at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Cornish was the first to implement a fully developed system of stepped care for mental health, which he has introduced to Memorial. The program has different intensities. Some levels of the program have coaching built in. Some levels— the more intense ones, noted Cornish — have software containing built-in video conferencing, so that students can talk with a counsellor. The most intense levels have more complex homework and exercises. Fahim Rahman, vice-presdident academic at the University of Alberta’s student union, pointed to the need for some sort of “quick case management,” which would quickly address the needs of students who are not in dire need. “I think we need to look at proactive ways to ensure that students who are going through a rough time can come forward and get their concerns addressed. So that the burden doesn’t increase over time and instead they can address it before it spirals out of control.” Essentially, Rahman is pointing to the need for an approach that would more efficiently help students who have less intense needs. Usually, there is a 90 to 95 per cent dropout rate of anything
The conversation surrounding access to mental health services should not start and finish with wait lists.
Young people aged 11 to 25 experience more mental health issues than any other age group, but they have the least access to mental health treatment.
for accessing that help provides the ideal cause-and-effect scenario. Naturally, wait times are increasing across Canadian campuses. As reported in The Ryersonian last semester, students whose needs were labelled routine and had already waited a month for an initial appointment, had to wait between three to six months for one-on-one therapy. In Ontario universities, there’s a current average wait time of one to three months for consistent care, said Lindsee Perkins, student board member of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. She noted that with an increased frequency of appointments comes an increased wait time. Compared to other provinces, Ontario has longer wait times, said France Gelinas, health and long-term care critic for the NDP of Ontario. “But no one can say, ‘oh we have good access to mental health services for all students.’” Wait lists for mental health supports become a bigger issue when the focus shifts from campus to community. As long as the wait lists are in Canadian universities, they are longer in the community. According to a fact sheet from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, young people aged 11 to 25 experience more mental health issues than any other age group, but they have the least access to mental health treatment. Services are designed with older adults or much younger children in mind, meaning the population most at risk most often slips through the cracks. “It is sad to say that the availability of mental health services on campus is about as good as it gets in Ontario,” said Gelinas. For her, university campuses are a sort of comparative victory. Before last year, University of Winnipeg had one counsellor for every 10,000 students, said Peyton Veitch, president of University of Winnipeg’s Student Association. Students responded by petitioning and campaigning to hire additional full-time counsellors. The most direct way to combat wait times for mental health services is to hire more counsellors to take on the case load. The university was able to hire three full-time general counsellors. They are all practising together in a new wellness centre. It’s going to house the three counsellors, along with other health practitioners, said Veitch. “It’s going to be a really holistic approach to student health, mental and physical.” The pride in his voice is detectable, even over the phone. But the conversation surrounding access to mental health
classified as self-help. “One of the problems with any kind of self help program is adherence to the program,” noted Cornish. “It’s human nature that people might try something like a gym membership and then they don’t really use it. But what we do with our program is that when we send somebody to one of these online programs, we follow up with them and offer a coaching process.” When coaching is introduced, Cornish said, the rate of adherence drops to the same as one-on-one counselling. “The myths about connecting online have been dispelled,” said Cornish. For instance, people with anxiety can make more direct eye contact on video, as opposed to in person. In a country where anxiety is the most common concern among university students, waiting in a waiting room, or seeing a counsellor face-to-face can be too difficult, said Cornish. “Online you can be familiarizing yourself with treatment options and getting a taste of what treatment would be like.” In this model of care, students would seek out a walk-in clinic on their university or college campus. This way, said Cornish, people are seen the same day. “If you make everybody wait for one-on-one therapy, there’s no way the system can handle the demand that they currently have.” Since the implementation of the stepped care model at Memorial, Cornish said, wait times have been eliminated. This can be largely attributed to the program’s foundation of time-flexibility, he said. The program doesn’t offer one-on-one weekly appointments right off the top. If a student is insistent that their problem is more severe than what can be remedied by online programming and they want traditional counselling, they are told to come back the next week, for 30 minutes. Then, the following week, the time might increase to an hour. Bell Let’s Talk only launched its first campaign in 2010. It is safe to say that this tidal wave of students seeking triage from their university and college campuses is only going to gain momentum as fairly new dialogues like this grow and strengthen. In preparation for this continual shift in public perception of mental illness, universities are going to need to adjust their own repertoire of resources. Perhaps now is the time for new approaches to emerge, ones that will extend beyond wait lists, toward more holistic horizons.
Lillian Greenblatt / Ryersonian Staff
new people each time they are shuffled between services, it would almost be better to wait longer and have some integration between the services they are using. One thing that’s being looked into at UBC, she said, is whether there is a way to allow students to sign off sharing information about themselves. “It would be much more effective to have services talking to each other and creating a dialogue between them.” Students are expecting universities to adjust, but adjusting requires more than just the will to do so. Universities must work under the restrictions placed upon them, namely financial limitations. Universities generate funding through two avenues: tuition and government grants. As is the case in community health care, mental health continually lacks funding. “Even with the goodwill of the university, there is a hierarchy of sexiness in the health-care system and mental health is at the bottom of the pile,” said Gelinas. “It’s always the same. Mental health is the poor cousin of
... and why it may be affecting their care. By Justine Ponomareff
piness, said Omassi, but the university did gain $2.5 million as a result. About $1.5 million of that revenue has gone toward hiring additional counsellors, psychiatrists, and student health services staff, said Omassi. This is not only to balance the ratio, but also to provide the student population with counsellors who are qualified to work with racialized students, international students and Indigenous students. The other $1 million, said Omassi, is going to funding long-term change in the way the university gives out services, specifically for counselling services, access and diversity and student health services. More and more, universities are telling their students that there is help and to seek support. Now, faced with this wave of students seeking that support, universities are going to have to find alternative methods for delivering the services that reinforce and reward speaking up about mental illness. Hiring more counsellors to address the vastly unbalanced counsellor-tostudent ratios is a significant step toward improving services.
8 • The Ryersonian
ARTS & LIFE
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Photobook show presents the art of mapping Ryerson Artspace showcases third- and fourth-year student work at the Gladstone Hotel
By Bella Kim
Ryersonian Staff Tannaz Sepehri scoured the city on her bike in search of abstract surfaces. She sought out intricate features of flat facades and photographed each one at close range to create the illusion of a canvas painting. Sepehri, a third-year photography student, consolidated her findings to create her first photobook, which was featured at the second-annual First Edition Photobook Show at the Ryerson Artspace. The show, which opened Jan. 28 and runs until Feb. 8, showcased the work of third- and fourth-year students in the school of image arts. This year’s theme was photobooks. Photobooks are a compilation of photographs that work in tandem to depict an overall theme.
Bella Kim / Ryersonian Staff
Visitors browse some of the students’ photobooks in the Ryerson Artspace at the Gladstone Hotel.
This year’s exhibit featured over 60 photobooks — each in some way inspired by the concept of mapping. All were up for sale. Christopher Manson, a parttime photography professor at
Ryerson, said that as students enter their third year in the program, they stop thinking about a photograph as a single image on a wall. Rather, they see one image as the potential of multiple
images or how one image relates to another. “There is a lot of potential with that. You can start making stories and statements. And they end up in a book,” said Manson. “The
whole idea behind the show was to communicate and show these books and get them out to the public.” Although all of the students were required to work off this theme, each one had completely different experiences and produced unique final products. Sepehri said that many of the surfaces in her book were things she sees every day. “For the most part, I just go around town on my bike. Anything that would catch my eye, I would photograph and move on,” said Sepehri. Sepehri said that through this project, she was able to view images in many different ways — just as Manson said she would. “The concrete wall looked grey, but on camera it was turquoise,” said Sepehri. “I got this quality of splattered paint brush strokes.”
Ryerson grads nominated for national fashion awards By Jessica Davies
Ryersonian Staff
Two Ryerson grads were among the nominees for the 2016 Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA) announced on Jan. 27. Hamish Thwaites, a fashion design graduate, is nominated for The Fashion Design Student Award and Lucian Matis, also a fashion design graduate, is nominated for The Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Having only graduated last year, Thwaites said he was flattered to be recognized amongst all the talent in the Canadian fashion industry.
“It always feels wonderful to feel that your voice and vision are appreciated or respected,” he said. The two nominees were selected by a group of 44 industry professionals from across the country. A separate jury, also made up of industry professionals, will decide the winners. Matis completed the wellknown fashion program at Ryerson in 2003. Since his first collection was presented at Toronto Fashion Week in 2007, the Lucian Matis brand has been internationally recognized with appearances on Fashion Television and Entertainment
Tonight. Thwaites is currently an intern with another Ryersonborn designer brand, Erdem, in London. His goal is to expose himself to as much of the fashion industry as he can before he applies for a master’s degree and one day starts his own brand. Thwaites described his application as a “heavily documented design process from ideation and inspiration to final garments.” Robert Ott, chair of the school of fashion, was a member of the team at Ryerson that nominated Thwaites for this award. The winner will receive $5,000 and one year mentorship from industry professionals.
Ott said he also encouraged Thwaites to submit his work in the first place. “What he presented was really beautiful. I think presentation is as much as content,” Ott said. “I think it says Hamish (Thwaites) all over it.” Ott said he credits Ryerson’s elite fashion program for giving Thwaites and Matis an edge on the competition. “(Ryerson’s fashion program) is very intense ... and students are not just working on their design skills, but developing a DNA and developing a signature that will define a designer’s way of being.” Thwaites discovered his love
and curiosity for the technical process of design — draping, drafting and construction — during his time at Ryerson. “(Ryerson) contributed to me finding my voice and vision as a designer, which many of the staff at Ryerson supported and believed in, and I feel it likely led to my nomination,” he said. A winner will be announced at CAFA’s third annual award show on the night of April 15, a red-carpet event that draws fashion industry pros from around the world. “It was so wonderful to see that the rest of the industry is recognizing that early talent,” Ott said. “It’s really rewarding.”
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Wednesday, February 3, 2016
ARTS & LIFE
The Ryersonian • 9
Theatre production students steal the spotlight Ryerson brings a taste of Broadway to the stage with You Can’t Take It With You
By Meggie Hoegler Ryersonian Staff
At the Ryerson Theatre School, budding actors and actresses get a chance to stand in the spotlight and refine their thespian skills. But what most of us don’t see are the students who work behind the scenes — the theatre production students. From painting four metre high sets to finding the perfect salmon-pink upholstered couch to fit a 1930s living room, these students have been hard at work creating a Broadwayworthy set for the upcoming production of You Can’t Take It With You. The first winter semester performance from Ryerson’s theatre school is a comedic play that originally premièred on Broadway in 1936. It revolves around the adventures and misadventures of two families: the Vanderhof/ Sycamores and the Kirbys. The backstage team is made up of theatre production students from all years. First- and second-year students take on assistant-like roles, while third- and fourth-year students are assigned managerial roles. Their work on the play will count for 100 per cent of their grade. For every fourth-year show, Ryerson brings in an industry professional to work as a guest director alongside students — this year, it’s Blair Williams, who previously worked at the Shaw Festival. “It’s a great way for them to make connections,” said Williams, who has worked with
Ryerson, George Brown and Dalhousie theatre students. Anna Spencer is a third-year theatre production student and the stage manager on You Can’t Take It With You. She said working alongside a role model has been nothing short of inspiring. “(Williams) can get a performance out of actors with as little as two words,” Spencer said. “Other directors I’ve seen take two minutes of explaining to extract the same performance.” Spencer describes her job as a bridge between “actor-land” and “production-land.” She orchestrates everything from dress rehearsal schedules to providing Band-Aids for injured actors. “I’m a bit like a mother figure too,” she said. Ace Oputu, a third-year theatre production student, was tasked with recreating a living room inspired by something your grandparents may have grown up in. “It means going to a lot of places to pick up all of these strange items,” Oputu said. Oputu watched the Broadway version of the play on YouTube to get ideas for the set. “When I was picking props, I based them off of what I saw in that performance,” he said. “Ryerson has an enormous storage room for props.” Krista Gorizzan is in charge of painting the set. “I have been a painter my whole life,” said Gorizzan. She had flecks of paint, in every colour of the rainbow, on her
Meggie Hoegler / Ryersonian Staff
Jessica Sleeth and Jeremy Paquette, members of the production team, assemble the set for rehearsal.
clothes. “This is my passion.” The set itself consists of separate walls, each between four and five metres high, with a hand-painted wallpaper design. It took Gorizzan and the paint team nearly 100 hours to complete. “It’s all hand-painted vines, crowns, motifs .... It’s extremely detailed,” Gorizzan said. “At a certain point in the show, you will see a flat covered in tiny silver dots. There are exactly 450 dots, all hand-painted.” Stage production students “know so much about so many things,” said Marc Blanchard,
who will play the character Mr. DiPinna in the production. “They make the process so smooth. There’s nothing better than if people are positive and bring that energy into the rehearsal room — that’s the best thing you can have,” he said. “Consistently every Ryerson production team I’ve encountered has been so nice and so fun to work with.” Anthony Perpuse, a fourthyear acting student, will play the role of Paul Sycamore, an eccentric figure whose favourite pastime is building fireworks in the basement. Perpuse said this
show is a great way for actors and production students to build connections with each other to use in future endeavours at Ryerson and beyond. For their next production, a series of short plays titled New Voices, the acting and production students get to choose their own teams for their productions. “These people will be graduating with us,” said Perpuse. “If I have a production need, I can refer to these same people and vice versa.” The production runs from Feb. 5 to Feb. 11 at the Ryerson Theatre.
RyePRIDE takes on queer and trans portrayal in pop culture Trivia games, karaoke and zine making at Ryerson’s Queer and Trans Histories Week
By Jessica Maxwell Ryersonian Staff
Melody McMullan says that Ryerson’s Queer and Trans Histories Week is an opportunity for students to educate themselves about important curent issues. “It’s 2016. You can’t just not know about this stuff. It’s part of
learning how to be a better person and be a more well-rounded person,” said McMullan, who is the president of Fanatics Domain. “For people who identify with the community or who are questioning, it’s a good affirmation to learn about.” RyePRIDE and the Ryerson fandom club, Fanatics Domain, collaborated to host Queer and Trans
Jessica Maxwell/ Ryersonian Staff
Buttons and pamphlets decorate a table at the trivia night.
Representation in Pop Culture as part of Ryerson’s Queer and Trans Histories Week, which ran from Jan. 25 to Jan. 29. The week is meant to encourage discussions of the history and importance of the trans and queer communities at Ryerson. Hosted by RyePRIDE, the Ryerson Students’ Union and the RU Trans Collective, it featured several different activities each day. Events included discussion groups, art presentations, zine making, a mix and mingle, and a karaoke night aimed at discovery and learning about the trans and queer community. The trivia night, held Jan. 26, featured fictional and non-fictional people in the media who represent the trans and queer communities. In her opening speech, Daniella Enxuga, RyePRIDE co-ordinator, spoke about the communities’ correlation with popular culture, emphasizing the representation and misrepresentation of queer and trans communities. Enxuga’s presentation explored how people who identify with these groups are not seeing themselves in the media the way they would like to. “Often when that happens, they are misrepresented in danger-
ous ways, which often encourage uneducated and, as a result, dangerous behaviours in queer youth,” said Enxuga. “If queer and trans people are able to reclaim their stories, it is actually possible to save lives.” McMullan said that Ryerson’s Queer & Trans Histories Week is important for understanding not only trans and queer history, but to look at its relevance in years to come. “By looking at the media we put out into the world for historical posterity, we learn a lot about what is going on in our society,” she said. “While it is cool to finally start seeing queer representation in the media, we know that if in 1,000 years they only saw the content we were producing right now, it wouldn’t be a real representation of life today.” However, there has been a significant increase in representation, including trans actress Laverne Cox, who plays a trans character on Orange is the New Black. Also, the critically acclaimed TV show Transparent depicts a father’s transition from male to female. Kristin Smith, an assistant professor in the social work program at Ryerson, recognizes the changes in the media in recent years.
“We have had the pleasure to see numerous respectful and empowering newspapers and magazine articles in mainstream press, highlighting some amazing achievements of members of trans communities,” Smith said. Despite recent progress, the disadvantages for those who don’t fit the white cis demographic still prevail. “Increasingly, radicalized or indigenous trans and/or queer women still bear the hardships of marginalization and discrimination in almost all areas of life,” Smith said. “Pop culture feeds a desire to fit in with dominant norms by encouraging us to disparage others.” Leah Smith and Elena Hudgins Lyle, both second-year media production students who attended the trivia night, found it a great way to share their support within Ryerson. “Not only is it educational, but it’s inclusive and respects the community,” said Smith. “We have the heart of a lot of queer history here, and if we don’t acknowledge it, who will?” Lyle adds, “I hope people can learn that our own queer community on campus is diverse and worthy of their support.”
10 • The Ryersonian
SPORTS
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
NHLers in the classroom NHL cont’d ...
The workshops offered by the NHL Breakaway program are free to the players, including airfare and hotels. This not-for-profit program gets money from a portion of the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund, which is collected whenever a player is fined or suspended. At McGill, the players get a discount on fast-tracked MBA certificates. But at Ryerson, there are no discounts or scholarships on the programs. Spergel says administration wrongly assumes the former players are millionaires who can pay for the classes themselves. But the players in the program are more likely to have not played in the NHL long and are not always in good financial standing, because they aren’t given much or any financial advice while playing the game. Spergel says the goal is to help the players find a second calling in life. But she also believes that there is a great opportunity being missed for the two brands to promote each other. “I think what’s too bad is that (Ryerson) hasn’t taken on more of a connection with the alumni program,” Spergel said. “It is a shame that even on the front page
Marla Spergel in her office at TRSM.
Josh Beneteau / Ryersonian Staff
(of Ryerson’s website) they don’t have (the NHL) as a partner.” Ryerson interim president Mohamed Lachemi admitted he doesn’t know much about the program but agreed with Spergel that there is potential to grow the relationship. “The Breakaway program is an interesting opportunity to us,” he said. “I think it’s good to have the athletes that are in the NHL to be part of the Ryerson community.” Hirsch doesn’t believe that the school needs to promote the
NHL Breakaway program, but if there were an event or some other way for him to give back to the school, he would. He had nothing but great things to say about his experience at Ryerson and he recommends it to any player looking to move into the next chapter of his life after hockey. “The facilities were first class, the people are all very kind and very helpful and it’s a great networking opportunity,” Hirsch said. “It was fantastic.”
world I’m getting more and more experience.” Originally from Kuwait, he moved to Toronto with his family when he was six. At age nine he began playing cricket and was enrolled in the Ontario Cricket Academy. Eventually he began playing in junior leagues around the world, including a One-Day International match (the highest standard of competition) between Canada and Kenya. For that reason, his time as an accounting student at Ryerson has been sporadic. He is currently taking a semester off to train in preparation for the upcoming seasons. “When you’re a junior (balancing school and cricket) is fine,” he said. “But now, going into these pro leagues, it becomes
more difficult.” Dutta is an all-rounder, meaning he bats and bowls in matches. While in L.A. Dutta bowled five wickets in seven overs. He also scored 82 runs over three games, including 40 in the final one. After splitting the first two games, the American all-stars took the championship 218-217 in 20 overs. “I think it’s important for Ryerson to participate in events like these because it helps build our reputation in the game. It also shows the talent we have,” said Ryerson cricket team president and RSU vice-president of operations Obaid Ullah. “You are representing your country and are playing on an international level.” Dutta isn’t the only Ryerson player representing Canada and
Accounting student becomes cricket all-star By Josh Beneteau Ryersonian Staff
When the Canadian College Cricket all-stars travelled to Los Angeles last weekend for a threematch battle with their American counterpart, Ryerson was represented by a player rising through the professional ranks. Nikhil Dutta, 21, just completed his first season in the Bangladesh Premier League with the Barisal Bulls. He has also played for St. Kitts in the Caribbean Premier League. “All the top players from around the world participate in these tournaments, so me being a part of it means I’m competing with the best in the world,” Dutta said. “And being around bigger players and the best players in the
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Courtesy Obaid Ullah
Nikhil Dutta (right) with fellow Ryerson player Hassan Mirza.
the school on an international level. Team Canada was captained by Ryerson grad Hassan Mirza. Asad Sikander, Yagnesh Patel and Shan Anantharajah all tried out for the national under-19 team, which is currently competing at the World Cup in Bangladesh. Anatharajah was the only one to make the team, but Ullah called
it “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” As for what the future holds for Dutta, he hopes to continue to play professionally as long as he can. “There are a lot of pro leagues in the world,” he said. “The biggest one is in India, and to be a part of that would make my chances of a career even better.”
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
SPORTS
The Ryersonian • 11
Courtesy Alex D’Addese, Ryerson Athletics
Courtesy Alex D’Addese, Ryerson Athletics
Keneca Pingue-Giles drives past a defender.
Coach Carly Clarke during a timeout.
Reminder: women’s team is pretty good, too
Ryerson’s men’s basketball team isn’t only one with championship aspirations By Liam Butler Ryersonian Staff
Despite having the top scorer in the OUA and the best offence in the CIS, not much atten-
tion is being directed towards the Ryerson women’s basketball team. Instead, all the focus is on their male counterparts, who last week became the first Ryerson team to ever reach a
Courtesy Alex D’Addese, Ryerson Athletics
No. 1 ranking in the CIS. The women are ranked fifth in the CIS and were second earlier this season before dropping a couple of close losses to Queen’s and Ottawa. With their record at 9-3, it would be understandable if the women felt like they were being overlooked. However, attention is the furthest thing from their minds. “I think women’s sport in general flies under the radar,” said fifth-year guard Keneca PingueGiles, who leads the OUA with 18.3 points per game. “When we were No. 2, it wasn’t a big hype like it is now (for the men). It’s nothing new really, we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing and go as far as we possibly can.” If the team does go far, and it looks very likely that it will, it will be on the back of the CIS’s
leading offence. The Rams score 81.9 points per contest and have four players who average more than 12 points per game. Only one other team in the OUA has more than two. The Rams also shoot 43 per cent from the field, good for third in the CIS. “Everyone on our team can score,” said second-year forward Sofia Paska. “Everyone has their own thing they bring to the table which makes us such a good offensive team. We look for each other on the court so that everyone is involved.” The only weakness so far has been their defence. In their losses to Ottawa and Queen’s, opposing guards were too easily able to get by their defenders and head to the rim unimpeded. “We’re pretty athletic and good at defending one-on-one,” said coach Carly Clarke. “(We have to
improve on) being there to support when we get beat and making sure we’re better at defending screens and some different things that teams try to throw at us.” With the season halfway over, it is not just the men’s team that looks primed for a long playoff run. The women have all the tools necessary to compete and if they play to the level they are capable of, they could be in the CIS Final 8 for the second year in a row. “We have to make sure we’re all in,” said Pingue-Giles. “If you’re not on board, it is a little too late now. But everybody has to understand that this is the grind time. Although classes have started and everyone is busy again, we have to be able to manage our time really well and do what is necessary for us to win this championship.”
as we wanted to be. The powerhouse Carleton team clobbered us and Ottawa beat us in every game that mattered. We were good, but they were better. I left the team with that belief in my mind. For the next two years, I had no reason to doubt it. As I observed them from a fan’s perspective, as I reported on them for journalism school assignments, as I saw them con-
tinue to lose to only Ottawa and Carleton, that’s what I concluded. What I couldn’t comprehend at the time was the winning culture Ryerson men’s basketball was developing. This has become especially evident to me this season, when our expectations were incredibly low. We lost a dynamic core of fifth-year players, and head coach Roy Rana is off a year on
sabbatical. Next man up. Players have stepped up into the roles left by the core and are excelling. They’re playing for their teammates, as you can see by the bench’s energy and excitement at any Ryerson game. Assistant coach Patrick Tatham stepped into the head coach spot and didn’t miss a beat, continuing to instil the winning atmosphere as well as adding his own touch. They’re continuing to be successful, and should remain so for some time to come. Now, I don’t want to get ahead of myself here. Yes, we beat Carleton and Ottawa back to back to get the No. 1 ranking (#humblebrag), but we still have to beat them when it counts — in the playoffs. What I can conclude is that this is the culture now. Winning is what Ryerson basketball does, after having not done so for so long. I saw that culture develop during my year on the team, but only now do I understand it, as the Rams are the No. 1 team in the country.
‘My first year at Ryerson, I was on the team’ Sofia Paska gets ready to shoot a free throw.
By Chris Thomson Ryersonian Staff
Three years ago, I was in the locker-room of the Ryerson men’s basketball team after they had lost to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA quarter-finals. It was one of the quietest places I’ve ever been. Two Saturdays ago, I was at the Mattamy Athletic Centre as the Rams defeated the No. 1 nationally ranked Ottawa GeeGees. It was one of the loudest places I’ve ever been. Allow me to explain. My first year at Ryerson, I was on the team.
To be fair, I was a reserve, but I was on the team. There was no denying that. I was treated nearly the same as our best players. By nearly, I mean I and the other rookies were often in charge of tasks like grabbing the laundry or making sure the ball bags were on the bus. Because, you know, we were rookies. The team dynamic was superb and I could tell it was a major part of why we were as good as we were. You click off the court, you click on the court. You communicate better. You play harder for each other. And if we ever weren’t playing hard, the coaches made sure we heard it loud and clear. I mean LOUD and clear. Yes, they enjoyed the occasional yell every now and then, but they made sure to balance it out with both tactical and emotional advice. Of course, there were some issues here and there, like there are with even the best marriages … er, I mean basketball teams. But we got through them together. That’s what made us successful. But we weren’t as successful
Chris Thomson / Ryersonian Staff
Players and fans celebrate a Ryerson victory.
12 • The Ryersonian
VOICES
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
A Ryerson sugar baby is born
A fourth-year student finds her first sugar daddy through SeekingArrangement.com I have had several sexual encounters that have left me feeling awful. I got nothing out of them — no orgasm, no relationship, and definitely no respect. But this time, I got money. And that was something. A series of particularly frustrating events have left me jobless and living in the most expensive apartment I’ve ever had in Toronto. I’m also in my final year at Ryerson University, so the budget is tight and I’m feeling the pressure. In early January I was paid to have sex with someone. We met on the controversial website, SeekingArrangement.com, where “sugar babies” and “sugar daddies” come together to form mutually beneficial relationships. I feel comfortable on the site, which was founded in 2006. My profile consists of a few pictures of myself — the same photos hanging on my parents’ wall from high school graduation — and a simple bio that says I’m a “fun, classy, smart, young woman.” I don’t reach out. Instead, I let them contact me. I respond if interested and then plan a time to meet in a public space to see if there’s “chemistry.” It’s a recurring word on the site: chemistry. So many profiles say, “chemistry is a must.” I think that’s just a polite way of saying you have to be attractive and able to hold a conversation. My first sugar daddy and I had our preliminary meeting at Factory Girl, a pub on Danforth Avenue. It was basically to see if I could tolerate him and see if he had any creepy vibes. What I learned from that meeting is the importance of nodding, smiling and agreeing. Every once
Kara Anderson / Ryersonian Staff
“Oh, this part is so weird. I really enjoyed myself,” but my eyes, unbeknownst to him, rolled into the back of my head. He said he did too, but he can’t give me the “full boyfriend experience.” When he walked out the door, he said, “I’m sorry I have to leave just after (sex).” You didn’t leave soon enough, I thought to myself. But I responded with a pouty face. “It’s OK. I understand.” Almost all my offers online have been an He was my first sugar daddy, “allowance of $300 each visit.” This is just but he won’t be the last. I’ve met code. It’s $300 so they can have sex with me. with him once more since and with two other sugar daddies (an Italian designer in his 50s with two kids in awhile I would argue his opin- was like with his wife. “She’s not my wife,” he said. my age, and a white-bearded man ion in a polite way: “I don’t neceswho insisted several times that he’s sarily agree with this, but I have to “But I do live with her.” “I assume she doesn’t know very much in love with his wife). play the devil’s advocate ...” I feel like most of the men He told me he agrees with about me,” I said. “No, she doesn’t know about on the site are insecure and need the billionaire politician, Donald validation from a young, attractive Trump — Muslims aren’t to be you.” He went on to tell me how he sugar baby. That, or they’re destrusted. I wanted to tell him off right then and there. But instead, I got a stomach tumour when he first perate for power, which I pretend started seeing her. She “stepped to give them. Or the saddest of all: nodded. “Oh, totally.” perhaps they’re We talked about money before- up to the plate” hand. “I hate to ask about this,” I and really took He was my first sugar bored. But, if capitallied. “But what kind of arrange- care of him, he daddy, but he won’t be Iizecan on that, I’m said. Then she ments did you have before?” the last. going to. And He had seen a stewardess from wanted to move they’re obviMontreal. “She’s a lovely girl, I in and in his ously getting what they want too, have nothing bad to say about her,” vulnerable state, he allowed it. “Otherwise,” he told me, “I which is a temporary Band-Aid for he said. “But she had weird hours, their problems. wouldn’t have.” so meeting up was difficult.” My plan is to establish three I found that story laughable. He said he would give her $300 Sad and laughable. I feel bad that or four regulars so that I can meet each time. So there, I knew the price, she’s dating a terrible person and with someone at least once a week. which seems to be the standard probably doesn’t know it, but I I won’t be stopping anytime soon, rate considering everyone I’ve don’t feel any loyalty to her. If he’s but I’ve told myself if things start talked to so far on the site. Almost not with me, he’d be with someone to get weird or take an emotional toll, I’ll give it up — you have to be all my offers online have been an else — that’s how I justify it. The sex wasn’t creepy. It wasn’t very headstrong in this business. “allowance of $300 each visit.” I’ve been able to ignore This is just code. It’s $300 so they abnormal. There’s been several people I’ve slept with whom I truly any internal moral criticisms can have sex with me. And I did my research. Select wanted to impress and please. He because it’s all an act. It doesn’t seem real to me. It’s just a job. Company is an escort service was not one of them. I just acted the part and let him In my opinion, it’s way more in Toronto that charges $250 per one-hour visit and $500 for do what he wanted, without any hurtful to have a one-night stand two hours. Not to mention, the hesitation. It didn’t feel wrong and with some sleazy guy who used me for sex than to be paid by escorts have to pay a house fee, it didn’t feel belittling. And when he left, he hand- someone. This way, I know what usually 10 per cent of each intered me three $100 bills. I said, I’m getting into. action. My second visit with my sugar daddy was two hours long, but one hour was chatting and drinking a bottle of red wine that he had brought. He told me he’d seen a couple other girls from the site but none really clicked. Meanwhile, his hand was venturing further up my thigh as we sat on my couch. I asked what his relationship
Jenn McNaughton / Ryersonian Staff