September 28, 2016 Issue by On the Record News (Formerly the Ryersonian)

One dance step at a time See page 10 for the story

Shooting for the moon See pages 8 and 9 for details

yersonian R WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

ryersonian.ca Volume 71 Number 3

Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism

Unfolding indigenous histories SAMANTHA RELICH RYERSONIAN

A cluster of blankets is giving

Ryerson faculty a chance to confront their lack of knowledge of indigenous history in Canada. Last week at Ryerson’s Heaslip House, 18 faculty members participated in the blanket exercise — an experiential retelling of colonialization in Canada and the persecution of indigenous peoples. Before the exercise, not one participant knew the full history of colonialization — some knew almost nothing. The knowledge deficit reflects how little indigenous content was taught at all levels of education in Canada until recently. It is something that the Learning and Teaching Office (LTO) and Aboriginal Education Council (AEC) are trying

to compensate for at Ryerson. “Educators are a perfect audience for the exercise,” said Joanne Dallaire, elder for Ryerson and the AEC. “(The exercise) allows them to understand more and infuse more indigenous knowledge into their courses,” said Dallaire. She called it “teaching the teachers.” In two hours, participants are exposed to a detailed, chronological history of colonialization. The blankets spread on the floor initially represent pre-colonial North America, or Turtle Island. The participants represent indigenous peoples. As colonialization begins, blankets are folded and taken away, crowding participants together. Some leave the blankets, “dying” of various causes.

Meet the president The Ryersonian sat down with Mohamed Lachemi. See page for 2 for more KEVIN JOHN SIAZON | RYERSONIAN

Please see Blanket page 5

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Presto pains page 4 Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Lachemi shares his vision for Ryerson ... and his feelings about Drake SAMANTHA RELICH and BRITTANY SPENCER RYERSONIAN

As his official installation as president of Ryerson University approaches, the Ryersonian sat down with Mohamed Lachemi to discuss his vision for the university at the outset of his five-year term. Q: You’ve witnessed and created a lot of change during your 18 years at Ryerson — what are you are most proud of? I always describe myself as a builder and maybe that’s because of my background — I am a civil engineer. When we talk about building, one aspect that is very important is having a vision for the institution. I am very proud of the work that I did as dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (and) the partnership that we put in place with St. Michael’s Hospital. I’m very proud to see the work that is done by iBEST and the Biomedical Zone as really a reflection of that type of strategic partnership. The simple answer to your question: I’m a builder and I like to build things. Not necessarily the way that I do it as an engineer but thinking about what is good for our university. Q: Ryerson’s downtown location makes space challenging. As the student body continues to grow, do you have plans to help the campus grow with it? I would like for Toronto to be our living lab — for learning, for discovery, but also for engagement. And this takes a lot of creativity and innovation.

Inside the president’s office

KEVIN JOHN SIAZON | RYERSONIAN

The additional space that we are getting, especially for students that are in science and math, is a perfect example: we are not increasing the piece of land that we have but we are adding 25,000 square feet at MaRS mainly for our students and faculty. When I speak of my vision of Toronto as a living lab, I think of the opportunities to access space, but also the opportunities for mentorship and partnership. I think that’s the way that I see Ryerson in the future. Q: Eighty per cent of Ryerson students commute, which can make connecting to the campus challenging. Is building campus community important to you? I think it’s very important. Research shows that students who are engaged have a better chance to succeed, and that’s why I want students to feel like they are really part of a community. I have a daughter who is at Ryerson and another who

is hoping to come next year, and when I ask her why people want to come to Ryerson, her answer is that there is a strong community here. Learning is not only in the classroom, learning is everywhere. And I can tell you that I’m proud of what I’m seeing. In other places they don’t have this. Q: The OUCHA just released a report on mental health on Ontario post-secondary campuses. How significant are mental health concerns on campus and what plans do you have to support students? A lot of people, when they see a report like this, they think this is an isolated problem. I don’t see it that way. I think what we need is a co-ordinated effort between colleges and universities and also organizations around us. When we developed our budget for this year (mental health) was a priority for us. We increased the capacity of support. But I don’t think

that increasing one (type of) support will solve our problems. We need to have a co-ordinated effort. Part of success is to make sure that students are not dealing with issues that will lead them to abandon their studies because of the pressure. Q: Do you think it’s important to continue to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on campus? We are working on a response (to the TRC). There is a working group under the leadership of Denise O’Neil Green and one of the elders in the Aboriginal community, Joanne Dallaire. Ryerson is very engaged and should be engaged in this process —we’re the only university that has an eagle staff from the Aboriginal community and they gave us this because of our engagement and our initiatives. We are hosting Congress 2017, which is the biggest conference for humanities

and social sciences. We want one of the themes to be, what should we do for Aboriginal communities here and Toronto and beyond Toronto. Q: Now for the important question. What are your personal opinions of Drake? What I can say about Drake is that he a great ambassador for the city and for our country, and it just so happens that he loves Ryerson. I’m not necessarily a big fan of Drake — maybe because of my age. @SamanthaRelich @britspencerTO

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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

MENTAL HEALTH

Exam anxiety top concern for students at policy review Second town hall reviews Ryerson’s exam policies ANNA-KAYE EVANS RYERSONIAN

Students already had exams on the brain at Ryerson’s second town hall meeting on academic policy review last week. The session was one of two convened by the ad hoc Academic Policy Review Committee to discuss five academic policies ranging from graduate course management to examination policies. The second meeting was supposed to cover three policies: graduate course management, academic accommodations and appeals and examinations policy. However, students were most interested in talking about the university’s exam policy. The policy outlines everything from the required number of invigilators to the protocol on what to do in a fire drill. But those in attendance were keen to discuss the aspects of the policy that they said are the most stressful. Jacob Friedman, co-chair of the committee, said it was “not surprising” that the group’s conversation about medical notes — which dominated the first town hall meeting — switched to exams in the second. He said a lot of the problems students experience “are consequences of the situation that led to the medical notes,” including the pressure of exams. Students voiced concerns about the scheduled time of

exams, having more than one a day and the grade weight of final. Several said that they found their exams “overwhelming.” One student, who wrote an exam worth 60 per cent of her final grade in a course, said she felt it was unfair. Marcia Moshé, interim vice-provost academic, said the committee will be looking at all of these contributing factors to evaluate whether the university can mitigate the negative health impacts. She said that one of the reasons that the town hall meetings were evaluating all five of the policies at once is because they are so interconnected — any solution would have to consider the problems across all five. “These five policies cover a lot of information, so we are opening up to you (students) to hear your feedback on a broad range of policy issues that are covered in those five policies,” said Moshé. “Our major concern was that if we reviewed them in isolation one at a time we would not identify inconsistencies or potentially we could create inconsistencies.” Students also voiced concerns about the unclear language used in the policies, including the exam policies, as well as how difficult it is to locate specific policies despite the student handbook’s on Ryerson’s senate office website. “The student handbooks are meant to include school

or department’s specific policies. But policies are constantly changing, so we’re hoping that within the course outline there could be a separate link with the senate’s up-to-date polices,” said Moshé. “Also we’re trying to clarify the language in the policies, for example, the difference between accommodation and consideration.” In addition to the complaints, some students took the time to commend the committee for the work that they are doing. Some students described the committee’s review process as ”refreshing” and “effective.” Despite mixed responses from students, John Turtle, secretary of the committee, said that he was happy with the feedback from students. “It’s a reality check to hear from the students who are experiencing these problems. My experience as a professor and an administrator is not just to read a report during an appeal, but to see a person and to hear their sincerity and their struggle has been an eye-opener,” said Turtle. “We are happy to help, and a big part of our job is not to placate people but listen and solve the problems as best as we can.” @Evans_ak

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FCAD initiative on mental health faces delay DAVID GREENBERG RYERSONIAN

A lack of staff is preventing one of the Faculty of Communication and Design’s (FCAD) mental health pilot programs from rolling out as scheduled. The programs, piloted by FCAD, were announced last spring. They are focused on professional support for faculty, directing students to available mental health supports on campus and creating connections between peers. The peer-connecting program, which pairs first-year students with upper-year mentors, will not launch as planned next month according to John Austin, Ryerson’s executive director of student affairs. Austin said that one of the two staff members originally leading the program is no longer at Ryerson and the other is on maternity leave. Austin said he hopes students will step in so that the program can launch. “There are a lot of keen student leaders in (the Ryerson Communication and Design Society) who could hopefully help us invigorate that pilot,” said Austin. Mental health is a growing concern on campuses across Ontario. On Monday, the Ontario

University and College Health Association released a report showing an increase in depression, anxiety and suicide attempts among university and college students. Austin said he hopes these programs can provide the support that students need. “We’re trying to get to a place where mental health support, mental well-being support, isn’t just the job of the counselling centre,” Austin said. “It’s an overwhelming job,” he added. Wait-times for counselling at the Centre for Student Development and Counselling Support are often lengthy — historically students have waited as long as three months for a followup appointment after their initial triage. The FCAD pilots will not offer additional counselling. Ultimately, Austin said he hopes that FCAD’s pilot programs will spark other faculties to follow suit. “Our dream for all three of these or whatever else emerges from these pilots is that we find something that we can duplicate across campus, across the different faculties.” Austin said the other two programs will launch before the end of October. @david_greenberg

KEVIN JOHN SAIZON | RYERSONIAN

Programs announced this spring focused on professional support for faculty, directing students to resources and creating connections between peers.

44 News

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

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COMMUTING

More Presto, more problems Recent audit finds more dysfunctional card readers than initially reported BRITTANY SPENCER RYERSONIAN

Presto card-holders across the city are frustrated. Again. The Toronto Star reported that an audit conducted by the TTC last week revealed that as many as five to six per cent of Presto card readers within the system aren’t working at any given time. The card reader malfunction isn’t the first challenge the TTC has faced since rolling out the integrated pay system in 2009. The program is a part of Metrolinx’s regional transportation plan and allows passengers to tap prepaid fare cards at TTC and GO Transit stations equipped with card readers. Vanessa Barrasa, spokesperson for Metrolinx, said it remains unclear what is causing the card

readers to fail. “A lot of times, I’ll be at Union “As with all technology, we Station and I’ll hit tap at the staneed time to troubleshoot when tions right before going on the issues arise,” said Barrasa. “When train and it says the machine isn’t your computer freezes, you don’t working but my train leaves in know what the issue is right away. less than a minute,” said Neskevic. The same is true for when a Presto “So I’m caught on the train withreader goes out of service — it out paying and basically can be could be a minor issue that can be charged, all because the machine easily fixed, or it could wasn’t working.” be something we’d need The glitch also poses more time to problem the problem of leaving solve.” passengers with no way However, for the 80 to pay their fare at all. million Presto card holders per cent of Ryerson stuDevin Thewaoaperuma across the dents relying on transit said a dysfunctional system to get to school, these card reader nearly left frequent glitches can him stranded when he cause commuter frushad no other way to pay trations to run high. to board the bus. transit agencies in the GTHA Nina Neskevic, a “Luckily they said and Ottawa third-year professional I didn’t have to pay served communication stubecause it was their dent, has used PRESTO fault the system for three years to pay wasn’t working,” said for her commute from Whitby. Thewaoaperuma. She said that dysfunctional Barrasa said all riders should scanners often force her to choose carry a variety of payment options between missing her train or while the program is being phased potentially being fined for board- into the TTC so they can move ing with a Presto card that did not from vehicle to vehicle, whether it scan. has a functioning Presto reader or not. According to the TTC, Presto is now available on all new and legacy streetcars, 35 subway stations and a number of buses within the system. Brad Ross, TTC spokesperson, said glitches like these are common when rolling out a project of this size but do not threaten the longterm success. “This is a monumental change for the TTC and its customers,” said Ross. “With such change, there are going to be teething problems. We remain confident, however, that Presto will be ready to deliver the new system to the TTC and its customers in 2017.” KEVIN JOHN SIAZON | RYERSONIAN

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As many as five to six per cent of card readers are not working at any given time.

@britspencerTO

KEMEISHA MCDONALD | RYERSONIAN

Space on campus bike racks is often limited.

Spike in bike thefts last year on campus AVERY FRIEDLANDER RYERSONIAN

Last year’s data on bike thefts on campus may mean Ryerson cyclists have more to worry about than bad weather and angry drivers. During the last academic year, 42 bicycles were reported stolen on campus, according to Ryerson’s security, known as Integrated Risk Management (IRM). That’s more than double the number of thefts reported the previous year. Despite the visiblity of most bike racks, the presence of campus security and 24-hour CCTV cameras, there’s little hope of recovery for victims of bicycle theft. “I went to security and they said, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it,’” said Katy McNabb, a fourth-year interior design student whose bike was stolen from the racks outside of Balzac’s two years ago and never found. When McNabb reported the theft to Toronto Police Services (TPS), she said she felt like the focus was on what type of lock she had, not that her bike had been stolen. “I never thought anyone would ever steal my bike, ever, coming from a small town … We never locked our front door, let alone our bikes,” she said. When a theft is reported, IRM’s policy is to conduct an investigation of the area and go through “safety planning” with the victim, which includes helping the victim report the theft to the police, if they choose to. IRM’s website has suggestions on how to avoid bike theft,

but none of them are guaranteed. Suggestions include using “a good quality lock,” and choosing “a good location.” Bicycle locking options on campus include outdoor parking in public areas. There’s also an indoor, OneCard-secure bike room with 57 spots, for which permits are distributed on a firstcome basis to students, faculty and staff at the beginning of each semester Veronica Georgieva, a thirdyear performance production student, whose bike was stolen from the quad in broad daylight last fall, didn’t bother reporting the theft. “I didn’t really think there was anything I could do, because once it’s gone, it’s gone,” said Georgieva. “I just knew that no matter what I did, I wouldn’t have my bike anymore.” Tanya Poppleton, manager of security and emergency services, says Ryerson has plans to improve bicycle accommodations. Poppleton says that in order for the university and security staff to know where the high-risk areas are, it is important for victims to always report thefts to security. One suggestion from IRM and Toronto police is that cyclists register their bikes’ serial number with TPS’s bicycle registry. This increases chances of a bicycle being linked back to its owner if it’s found. Despite last year’s surge in bike thefts, early numbers from this year are positive. Six thefts have been reported this month so far, compared to 15 last September. @acfriedlander

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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

So long, MTCC ANNA-KAYE EVANS RYERSONIAN

Students will no longer have to trek to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) to write exams. Instead, Ryerson will be holding exams on the rink at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) beginning this December. Exams will also be written on the basketball court and, if needed, the upper concourses. Michelle Green, manager of examinations and special projects, said the move follows student and faculty complaints about the MTCC. Green said complaints

KEVIN JOHN SIAZON | RYERSONIAN

Employees frustrated with sharing shifts with the Ram in the Rye staff Oakham Café workers are feeling pinched for shifts after prolonged renovations. They have been sharing shifts with the staff of the Ram in the Rye since the beginning of orientation week. “The Ram has absorbed the staff of the café, so it’s really over staffed,” said an employee, who wished to remain anonymous. Oakham Café was scheduled to reopen by the start of this school year; however, its reopening was delayed due to “severe rotting and damage to the main floor in front of the service counter,”

the Rye opening earlier for breakfast, our staff haven’t enjoyed as many hours as they are used to working, which was inevitable,” he added. The shift shortage has prompted some staff to search for other jobs, according to the café employee. “With the Oakham Café ’s imminent opening, everything will be returning to normal for the remainder of the academic year,” said Verticchio The café is set to reopen and staff hours will return to normal this Friday. @livchandler

FRI

OCT. 5 6 7 THU

Oakham Café staff strapped for shifts said Michael Verticchio, general manager of Ryerson Student Centre (RSC) in an email interview. “Everyone’s really frustrated and the café and Ram staff are upset because people are losing hours,” said the employee. “One of my co-workers is only scheduled for one shift a week. She’s having a hard time with this as a student,” she said. The Oakham Café operates out of the RSC, which is overseen by the Palin Foundation, a not-forprofit organization. Despite its prolonged closure, the RSC wanted to keep its entire staff and give them “as many hours as possible,” Verticchio said. “However, even with the Ram in

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The Oakham Café’s doors remain closed as renovations continue.

OLIVIA CHANDLER

included the cost of using the MTCC, the distance from campus and that it was too noisy. “Students can expect to receive better schedules, access to on-campus supports and smaller, less intimidating venues,” said Green. The MTCC can hold about 2,000 students at one time. Green said, the ice surface — which will be covered with large black tiles for exams — will hold around 610 students and the basketball court can fit 410. This semester, the exam period will run from Dec. 6 to 17.

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INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

CLASSIFIED Call 416-979-5000 Ext. 7424

Getting closer to the past

KEVIN JOHN SIAZON | RYERSONIAN

BLANKET cont’d... Dallaire has been leading the exercise “for a long time” and said she has never made it through the history “without shocking someone.” Knowledge deficits in indigenous history and colonialization exist at all levels of education in the province. Research has shown that limited teacher training and educators’ lack of confidence with the material have prevented elementary and secondary teachers from introducing indigenous content in their classrooms. It was a sentiment echoed by many of the Ryerson faculty at the exercise — they didn’t know about the history because they had simply never been taught it. “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge,” said Dallaire. This year is the first time the LTO has offered the blanket exercise to faculty. According to Eric Kam, director of the LTO, the session reached capacity in 11 minutes and the wait-list is long enough to fill another. Kam said he was “blown away” after hearing Sen. Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), address 660 people at the LTO faculty conference in May. Kam said he decided the LTO could do more to educate Ryerson faculty about indigenous history and the TRC. “I realized that it’s our responsibility to make sure that what senator Sinclair had to say that day wasn’t the end,” said Kam.

As a participant in the role playing exercise, Kam survived the arrival of colonizers, foreign diseases, forced migration, the residential school system and poor living conditions on reserves. Jacqui Gingras, a faculty member in the department of sociology who “died” early in the exercise, said she was just as affected watching from the sidelines. “It was the first time I could appreciate the scale of the history … and the trauma of so many generations and in so many ways,” said Gingras. Gingras, like most participants, said she plans to bring the exercise into her classroom so students can share in the evocative experience. Emotions were visible at times. One participant physically recoiled when handed a blanket that was intentionally contaminated with smallpox by the colonizers. In the sharing circle after the exercise she apologized for her reaction and said, “I just didn’t want to die.” Despite the brisk pace, the history had to be abridged to fit in to two hours. By the time Dallaire reached the apology made to former students of the Indian Residential Schools in 2008, only three faculty members were standing — on blankets folded into squares barely large enough for their feet. Dallaire asked the participants to unfold their blankets, just once, to recognize the positive step of the apology. The blankets covered only a fraction of the space that they had at the start of the exercise.

It was a visible reminder of how much had still been taken away. “Educate, educate, educate,” said Dallaire, when one participant asked what they could do to carry the experience forward. “And remember that indigenous peoples can’t walk away from this history.” @SamanthaRelich

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Ryerson grad racing to the moon

COURTESY MOON EXPRESS

ROBERT MACKENZIE RYERSONIAN

As a Ryerson student, Bob Richards was obsessed with Carl Sagan, author and host of Cosmos. “I had Carl Sagan in my crosshairs.” Richards said. “I was so inspired by him that I really was on a mission to become his student. I started kind of stalking him at conferences and making myself familiar.” In 1980, Sagan wrote a novel and created a parallel 13-part TV series on PBS called Cosmos. His work explored scientific theories, the universe and humanity’s place in all of it. In 2014, the show was recreated with host Neil deGrasse Tyson. “I was just inspired. I was probably one of the first people to get the hardcover book and was just absorbed in it on a family vacation in Florida,” Richards said on the phone, as he sits on his veranda overlooking the Kennedy Space Center from across the Indian River in Cape Canaveral, Fla. After studying aerospace and industrial

engineering at Ryerson from 1977 to 1981 — and a few years at the University of Toronto — Richards was accepted to Cornell for his graduate studies. There he was not only a student of Sagan’s, but worked as his special assistant. “I developed a special relationship with him. I guess he figured he’d either have to call the police or deal with me,” he joked. More than 30 years after Sagan and Cosmos inspired him, Richards is now inspiring young engineers and entrepreneurs himself. The Toronto native has been a part of several private space companies and was even part of a NASA team that put a Canadian flag on Mars (while running the space division of Canadian company Optech, Richards won a spot for Canada on the NASA Phoenix Mars lander mission). But for more than 10 years, Richards has been focusing on a more audacious goal: building a commercial lunar business. His company, Moon Express, is a competitor in the upcoming Google Lunar Xprize — a $20-million race to the moon.

The main goal of the competition is to achieve a repeatable and affordable way to fly to the moon’s surface, according to Lunar Xprize director of technical operations, Andrew Barton. “The moon is nearby, but it’s sort of lost interest for the governments,” he said. An Xprize is a competition that “pushes the limits of what’s possible to change the world for the better” according to the website. The not-for-profit Xprize Foundation was created by Peter Diamandis, a longtime friend of Richards and co-founder of Planetary Resources, an asteroid mining company. The Google Lunar XPrize was announced in 2007 and challenges teams of innovators from around the world to land a spacecraft on the moon, travel a distance of 500 metres and transmit real-time and high-definition video back to earth. The first team to accomplish the mission is awarded $20 million. In order to qualify, a team must announce a verified launch contract by the end of this year and complete

the mission by the end of 2017. For Richards, winning the Lunar Xprize would be a momentous achievement. “It would be a very personal moment for me to stand on the stage with my buddy Peter and hold that great big cheque that I’m sure they’ll print for the press conference,” he said. This summer, Moon Express was the first private enterprise in history to be given permission by the U.S. government to travel beyond earth’s orbit. The team signed its launch agreement with Rocket Labs more than a year ago, and has already received $1.25 million in advance prizes from Lunar XPrize for successfully testing its landing and imaging technologies. “Any team to have gotten to this point, to have the launch contract and to have made that kind of progress on the regulatory front as well is really in the leading pack,” Barton says. But winning the XPrize isn’t the primary goal for Richards or Moon Express. “Moon Express was never formed to win

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Features

Wednesday,September 28, 2016

COURTESY MOON EXPRESS

Ryerson grad Bob Richards.

COURTESY GOOGLE LUNAR XPRIZE

Sixteen teams are competing to land their space craft on the moon .

the prize. Nor did any of its investors ... invest in Moon Express to win a prize,” Richards said. “They invested because of the business model that I was promoting, which was to open up the resources to the moon.” Richards, Moon Express and Lunar Xprize demonstrate the recent growth in the commercial space industry. There are 15 other Lunar Xprize teams from around the world with plans to travel to and mine the moon. By the end of the decade, private companies plan to be on

asteroid-mining missions. On Tuesday, Elon Musk announced the outline of his plan to take people to Mars. These private companies are making their mark on an industry that has been dominated by government bodies since its inception, and Richards has been on the forefront of this private space exploration movement. Beyond winning the Lunar Xprize, Moon Express plans to land on and study the moon’s south pole — something that no spacecraft has ever done — and bring back

lunar rocks and samples, which would be the only privately owned moon materials on Earth. Moon Express has three launch dates between 2017 and 2020 to complete these goals. After that, the company will prospect for water on the moon. Water makes up the key elements of rocket fuel, and once it is found and harvested, Richards believes he’ll have a space economy that will fuel further exploration of the moon and “human expansion beyond the moon, to Mars and everywhere

else in the solar system.” Back on Earth at Ryerson, Richards’s influence is still present decades after he left. “He definitely motivates me on actually going further in the space sector,” Abhinav Sundar, a first-year aerospace student, said. “He not only thought about, ‘can we make money,’ but ‘can we actually inspire other students to continue the momentum that I have for my love of space?’” @rawbertmack

The moon is nearby, but it’s sort of lost interest for the governments. — Andrew Barton

COURTESY MOON EXPRESS

Digital rendering of MX-1, the Moon Express lunar lander.

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Arts & Life

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2016 ryersonian.ca Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Unlikely dancer leads the way NEHA KARAMCHANDANI RYERSONIAN

Sacha Lank didn’t start off as a dancer, but the 20-year-old is back for a third consecutive season — her second as captain — with the Ryerson Rams Dance Pak. The team kicked off a new season this week, hoping to build on its second place finish at last year’s Flashdance University Challenge. For Lank, who is also a thirdyear creative industries student, it’s a difficult task. The Toronto native was exposed to dance at the age of 12 — later than most competitive dancers. She started as a provincial gymnast and it was only after watching a documentary about a ballerina that she pursued her true calling. Lank already had the physical ability because of her gymnastics training, but found it challenging to figure out the technical language of dance, putting her behind other competitors. “I attribute the person that I am today to my gymnastics training but, ultimately, I chose dance because it didn’t feel like work. It was always a fun challenge,” said Lank. The Dance Pak will be performing at basketball home games in November and competing in March. @nehak90

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Ryerson in 3D

Students are using 360 photography to make their projects engaging. See online for more on this story. ORIENA VUONG | RYERSONIAN

Toronto Fashion Week gone, but Rye students unconcerned KELSEY ADAMS RYERSONIAN

The tents might not be going up at David Pecaut Square this October but Ryerson fashion students will survive without Toronto Fashion Week (TFW). The event, which used to be a first chance for eager students to gain fashion industry experience, was cancelled in July after IMG Canada pulled out as the sponsor. “(TFW) was one of the first things I did in the actual fashion industry, and it was a really great opportunity to see the behindthe-scenes, but there are so many other opportunities being in Toronto,” said Jill Rosenzweig, a fourth-year fashion communication student. As a volunteer, Rosenzweig got backstage access, greeted and ushered show attendees and, in subsequent years, shot streetstyle photography. Despite the initial shock,

members of the Ryerson School of Fashion aren’t worried about the future of students seeking industry experience. “To lose that institution is not that inspiring for first years, but the experience of working on fashion week, I don’t think is lost,” said associate professor Daniel Drak, one of the instructors who teaches Mass Exodus, a course at Ryerson where students put on a fashion show. There are other organizations, like Toronto Fashion Incubator, that provide hands-on industry experience to students looking for internships. As well, Fashion Art Toronto has been running a twice -a-year alternative fashion week for over a decade that focuses on the work of young designers and artists. These options give students the chance to work directly with creative directors, fashion consultants and established designers.

Cara Cheung, a womenswear designer and 2010 graduate of the fashion design program said, “The timing of Toronto Fashion Week was a problem. It happens after the buying season.” Cheung added that she stopped showing her label at TFW when she wasn’t getting the financial return she was expecting. According to Drak, his students are currently investigating ways of promoting young Canadian designers outside of the costly model of a traditional fashion week. “In the coming years I think a really interesting story will develop,” he said.

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Nuit Blanche installation: the art of ‘broken telephone’ SHAIAN MARTIN RYERSONIAN

Ryerson students will explore human interaction through art and design at Nuit Blanche Toronto this weekend. The [R]ed[U]x Lab, a group of digital fabricators and designers from the department of architectural science, will display Stratatone along with two other installations. Stratatone is a digital-based installation that demonstrates how messages can become more abstracted as they get passed along — almost like broken telephone. Since 2011, the group has been creating innovative art installations for the night exhibition, giving architecture students an opportunity to build their portfolios.

“The students are able to create cool things beyond the classroom and bring their ideas into reality,” said Vincent Hui, head of the [R]ed[U]x Lab and Ryerson professor in the department of architectural science. He added, “Nuit Blanche allows our students engage in the community.” Stratatone will showcase at Ryerson Artspace. Nova, another Ryerson installation, will be displayed at 401 Richmond St. during this contemporary art night festival. @shaian_martin

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A ‘League’ of her own: Ryerson’s LoL Club ryersonian.ca Wednesday, September 28, 2016

A ‘Wise’ replacement Men’s head coach Johnny Duco is looking to make his mark on Rams hockey this season MITCHELL TIERNEY RYERSONIAN

When Ryerson men’s hockey team head coach Graham Wise announced his retirement in June, it marked the end of an era. Wise had spent the last 35 years coaching in the CIS, his final 10 as the head coach of the Rams. With Wise now gone, Ryerson will open the season with interim head coach Johnny Duco leading a new-look coaching staff. Duco had been an associate coach with the Rams for the past three seasons. During that time, he was able to learn a lot from his predecessor. “He’s one of the most organized guys I’ve ever met, if not the most organized,” said Duco of Wise. “He’s a great communicator. Even if it is going to be a tough conversation he always has the conversation. Things like that I was able to learn from his years of experience.” But while Wise’s fingerprints remain on the program, Duco is also looking to make this team his own. The biggest aspect he is looking to add is skill development, something he said the team has not done a lot of in the past. “I think in the past the mentality was more, ‘hey, they are what they are at this age,’” said Duco. “But the more research I’ve done and people I’ve talked to around the hockey world, it doesn’t matter how old they are. They can still improve.” With that in mind the team

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has established “win the day” as its motto for the season. The coaching staff is hoping it enforces the team’s culture of daily improvement. At 33 years of age, Duco is the oldest member of a young Ryerson coaching staff. Assistant coach Nathaniel Brooks is 30, while rookie associate coach Kori Cheverie is 29. Cheverie, hired this summer, is

the first full-time female coach of a men’s hockey team in CIS history. She has been impressed with how well the new-look group is working together already. “We are all similar in age, we all have very similar coaching philosophies,” said Cheverie. “It’s been really easy (working together) and our players have all bought into the program we are delivering.”

This season is a big one for the staff. Cheverie is on a oneyear contract while Duco’s head coaching position will be opened up to all candidates. He is hoping a good season will help both of them retain their positions. “I think we just put our best foot forward and let the cards fall where they may,” said Duco. “We are confident that if we do the things we are capable of doing we

should have a pretty good chance of being elite candidates for next year.” The new-look Ryerson coaching staff will get their chance to make a good first impression on Oct. 6 when the Rams open the regular season against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. @mitchelltierney

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CIS office relocation could help Rams JAMES TOZER RYERSONIAN

Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s summer move could mean good things for the Ryerson Rams. The CIS, the national governing body for university sport in Canada, relocated its head office from Ottawa to Richmond Hill in June. Ivan Joseph, Ryerson’s director of athletics, is hoping the move will bring more national exposure to the Rams. “I think, hopefully, the CIS will be able to see what we’re doing first-hand, up front and real close,” said Joseph. “There are a lot of rumours about all the noise Ryerson is making at the CIS level and how we’re changing the face of sport and the hosting of championships. “I think we’re more on the front page of the CIS than before.” While the Rams are hoping for more of a national presence, the CIS itself has longed for greater exposure in Canada. David Goldstein, chief operating officer of the CIS, said the relocation was made with the hopes of increasing sponsorship and media opportunities. “Corporate Canada is ultimately headquartered here,” said Goldstein. “There are great businesses across the country

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obviously, but the financial capital of Canada really is Toronto. If you want to increase commercial sponsorship, you want to be close to those businesses. “The media capital is here as well. It’s not just the big broadcasters but also the large daily papers. “A lot of media coverage is Toronto-based. We need to be everywhere, but as far as where to have a hub, there’s an advantage (to being in Toronto) for both of those very important areas.” Toronto is an important market for the CIS, but that doesn’t necessarily mean more national championships will be hosted in the city, said Goldstein. He said it’s the organization’s goal to create national events that are strongly organized, well attended and feature a high level of play — no matter where in Canada they may be. “If it’s West Coast, East Coast or middle, we just want it to be a great event that student athletes remember for the rest of their lives — and that can be anywhere,” said Goldstein. Joseph, however, hopes the CIS being headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area will bring more national championships to Ryerson. “I think many of our teams are in a position to compete for them and win,” said Joseph. “It’s our hope that — combined with CIS’s location and our ability to do an outstanding job — that will garner some more.” The Mattamy Athletic Centre, which opened in 2012, has given Ryerson the ability to hold national championships. The school hosted the men’s basketball Final 8 championship in 2015 and will host the 2017 CIS Women’s Volleyball Championship in March. The growing Rams fan base could also play a role in Ryerson landing more national events. Last season, the men’s basketball team played in front of electric crowds at the MAC en route to an OUA championship. “Ultimately you want to showcase where people really

are passionate about (university sport),” said Neate Sager, co-creator of The CIS Blog. “That’s always been a bit of a tough sell in Toronto when there’s so much competition from so many other entertainment products.”

While Joseph said he hasn’t seen many changes with the CIS yet, it’s too early to make any judgments. “I think in three to five years, we’ll be able to test the time and see if this move was of value and

if it did the things we wanted it to do — which was to help build revenue, help raise our profile and help build brand awareness.” @station_nation

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Editorial

Read more Opinions and Editorials online ryersonian.ca Wednesday, September 28, 2016

EDITORIAL

Jewish students need kosher food options This year, for the first time in its history, Ryerson is offering halal lunch and dinner options at two campus locations: the International Living/Learning Centre and the Pitman Dining Hall. The addition came after the Muslim Students’ Association put forward a motion requesting that Ryerson provide more halal food options to its students. This marks a moment of great progress when it comes to inclusive food choices on campus. But Jewish students who keep kosher still have no options. That needs to change. According to a study from researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, a student’s nutrition has a direct impact on their ability to learn. Therefore, the better a person eats, the better their brain will function. So it’s important that Ryerson provide food for every dietary restriction. Some might think that because Ryerson is located downtown, there are many kosher restaurants in the area, but this isn’t the case. Many of the city’s kosher restaurants are too far north, because Toronto’s largest Jewish populations live in Forest Hill and North York. The nearby hospital food courts and a Bay Street restaurant, Bannock, are some of the only places that offer kosher food within walking distance of Ryerson.

The fact is, most other Ontario universities seem to have it together when it comes to kosher food. York University has several kosher food options right on its campus. The University of Toronto serves kosher food at eight campus cafeterias. McMaster University has kosher sandwiches and pastries brought onto campus. And students at Wilfrid Laurier University can purchase kosher meals DAVID GREENBERG and access a kosher microwave in the dining hall. So what’s the deal with Ryerson? One problem is that students who eat kosher have not expressed a desire to have it on campus, Ryerson Eats, the organization that provides food Ryerson has barred media on campus, told the Ryersofrom meetings reviewing the nian in an email. They also said university’s sexual violence polthat it is particularly difficult icy. All Ryerson students were to serve kosher food, because invited — except the media. not only does it have to be preI can’t truly understand why pared according to kosher law, media presence might violate but it has to be made in a kosher the integrity of the meeting as a kitchen, something that Ryerson safe space. What I am sure of is doesn’t have. that, as a member of the media, What Ryerson should do is what I can do is engage those on bring in kosher sandwiches and campus who did not attend. That pastries and serve them at cafecan’t happen if we can’t be there. terias around campus. This is an The media is imperfect. We easy and cost-effective option have made mistakes before and that could be introduced quickly, we will make mistakes again. but would have a big impact. But barring the media will only Students who keep kosher guarantee a less informed comshouldn’t have to ask Ryerson to munity and fewer opportunities provide them food. It is a basic for discourse. human right, after all. That’s why the media and

KEVIN JOHN SIAZON | RYERSONIAN

OPINION

Safe spaces and the media survivors must be able to coexist. Safe spaces are necessary, but the press is also necessary to gather information that lets the public make informed decisions. One should not cancel outthe other. Sexual violence is a problem on campuses. Without the media driving discussions, how can we expect to find a solution? @david_greenberg PATRICIA KAROUNOS

As language evolves, we must evolve too. This means figuring out how the term “safe space” fits into journalism. Events, like Ryerson’s student-only sexual violence consultation meetings, are deemed safe spaces to ensure those with

marginalized identities, like survivors of sexual violence, aren’t silenced by those in positions of privilege. And that is the right move. If our presence as media prevents survivors from speaking out then we fail at our job. Yes, we have a integral right to report on the policy and its review, but the Ryersonian has the opportunity to attend the faculty meetings, and Farrah Khan and Heather Lane Vetere’s offices are a short walk away. It is not imperative that we be at these student-only, safe space meetings. Our definition of “freedom of the press” cannot be binary. If our presence in a safe space prevents someone from speaking — restricting their freedom of expression — we are not conducting good journalism.

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