Vol. CXXXVII, No. 24 April 3, 2017 thevarsity.ca —— The University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
Salman Rushdie visits St. Michael’s College
Sunshine List sees over 3,500 U of T earners
The Satanic Verses novelist reads from his forthcoming book
William Moriarty
President and Chief Executive Officer, University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (now retired)
Tamim Mansour Varsity Staff
2) $512,215.61 Daren Smith
President and Chief Investment Officer, University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation
7) $438,892.32 Meric Gertler
President, University of Toronto *Graphic not to scale Rankings out of 3551 U of T names on the list
Rushdie, page 5
Proposed changes to services provided by staff at the centre of discussion
1) $1,045,582.62
Jack O. Denton Associate News Editor
Salman Rushdie, the British Indian novelist renowned for his use of magical realism and stories with post-colonial focuses, spoke in the Canada Room of Brennan Hall at St. Michael’s College on March 30. Students gathered to hear Rushdie, the author of Booker Prizewinning Midnight’s Children, read a chapter from his upcoming book, The Golden House. Seated at the front row of the crowd was University of St. Michael’s College leadership, including President David Mulroney. The event began with opening remarks from Principal Randy Boyagoda. “We are committed to exploring the intersection of the sacred and the secular, the theoretical and the practical,” Boyagoda said. “There are few figures in the world like Salman Rushdie when it comes to exploring the wholeness of human experience.” Following a brief introduction by Boyagoda, Rushdie took the podium. “This is kind of as interesting for me as I hope it will be for you,” he joked in his first words. “I’ve never read this aloud before.” He began reading from the first chapter of The Golden House, which will be published in English in September. Reminiscent of Rushdie’s other works, the book begins with the fantastical arrival of a mysterious, wealthy foreign family to New York, where they attempt to reinvent themselves. It takes place in the wake of the inauguration of Barack Obama, “when so many of us were close to economic ruin in the aftermath of the bursting mortgage bubble, and when Isis was still an Egyptian mother goddess.” Once Rushdie finished reading his excerpt, he was joined by Ato Quayson, Professor at the Department of English and Director of the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies, for a conversation segment. Quayson’s questions were lengthy and complex, centring on his interpretations of Rushdie’s works in comparison with each
Protest erupts at UTSU Board of Directors meeting
88) $312,359.04 David Cameron
Professor of Political Science and Dean of Arts & Science
Former UTAM boss listed as second-highest paid public-sector employee, despite retiring last April Jack O. Denton Associate News Editor
Ontario’s 2016 ‘Sunshine List,’ the public disclosure of public sector salaries of $100,000 or more, was released on March 31. U of T employees are well represented on the list, in particular the executives of the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation (UTAM). The list contains 3,551 names from U of T, 24 from the University of St. Michael’s College, 14 from Trinity College, and 37 from Victoria University. UTAM is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the university, which is responsible for the management of its pension funds, endowment, and both short- and longterm investments.
Despite having retired in April 2016, William Moriarty, who served as President and Chief Executive Officer of UTAM, took home $1,045,582.62 last year, making him the second-highest paid public employee in the province for the second year in a row. Meric Gertler, President of the University of Toronto, is the seventh-highest earner at the university, earning $438,892.32 in 2016. Moriarty was the highest-paid employee in the universities sector in 2016, making almost twice as much as the runner-up, Professor and Executive Director John Kelton of McMaster University. The highest-paid individual on the Sunshine List was Ontario Power Generation CEO Jeffrey Lyash, who made $1,155,899.14 in 2016.
Protests broke out at the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Board of Directors meeting on March 31, following a vote to approve the minutes of the Services Committee, which resolved to reduce the services provided by the Health and Dental Coordinator and the Clubs and Service Groups Coordinator. The motion that was passed at the Services Committee states that the UTSU would “cease to offer the services of a designated member of the full-time staff to recognized clubs and service groups” and “cease to offer the services of a designated member of the full-time staff to students seeking assistance with the Health and Dental Plan.” When asked to clarify what the wording of the motion meant, Mathias Memmel, UTSU VicePresident Internal and Services and UTSU President-elect, said that the “UTSU would no longer have specific members of staff for those services, although the services would still exist in a reduced form. “There’s more than one way to implement that change, and the President, the Executive Director, and I will be talking to CUPE 1281 about how to move forward,” said Memmel. The Health and Dental Coordinator and the Clubs and Service Groups Coordinator are represented by CUPE 1281, like most full-time staff positions within the UTSU. If the motion to approve the minutes had failed, the decision would have been sent back to the Service Committee. As the vote to approve the minutes was being called, members from CUPE 1281 and several students, including Amanda Harvey-Sánchez, an incoming board member, and Andre Fast, who ran for UTSU President with the We the Students slate, began chanting and shouting down the vote.
Sunshine List, page 6
UTSU, page 4
Comment collaboration — page 7
Arts — page 15
Zine inside!
Retrospective on the year Contributors’ takes on what we’ve learned since September
Productive procrastination How to recharge between study sessions this exam season
The X Issue Happy X-aversary to The Varsity Magazine
— page 11