THE VARSITY
Vol. CXXXIII, No. 12
University of Toronto’s Student Newspaper Since 1880
7 January, 2013
Do Toronto’s trendiest Eastern European eateries stand up to scrutiny? pg 10
Bernarda Gospic/THe VarsiTy
Three U of T students win Rhodes University of Toronto only Canadian school in 2012 with multiple winners of prestigious scholarship James Maiangowi
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
On an early afternoon in October, bored but filled with the nervy tension that comes before an important event, Connor Emdin turned to Ayodele Odutayo and mentioned an Australian study he’d read recently. The study found it was better to have an interview immediately after lunch, Emdin said, because people tend to be more accomodating just after they’ve eaten. It so happened they were the first two interviewees after lunch — fingers crossed, might they find themselves so lucky? Odutayo laughed, and the two struck up a conversation. “I went in not expecting to win at all,” Emdin said of his grueling, 40 minute-long interview, which covered topics from economic analysis to epidemology to the minutae of a pharmaceutical company’s business activity. “So I went in just trying to have a good time — at least as much of a good time as you can have there and have a good experience.”
Whether it was this confident calm, the post-lunch interview effect, or simply their outstanding academic and extracurricular records, something worked in their favour. In December Emdin and Odutayo, along with Joanne Cave received lifechanging phone calls: they had been named Rhodes scholars for 2013. The Rhodes scholarship is one of the world’s most prestigious academic awards. Established in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes, a South African mining magnate, the Rhodes is a postgraduate scholarship enabling the recipient to study at Oxford University for up to three years. This year 83 students from around the world, including 11 from Canada, will travel to Oxford as Rhodes scholars. Representing the University of Toronto are Emdin and Cave from the Faculty of Arts & Science, and Oduntayo from the Faculty of Medicine. For Emdin, who is currently studying biochemistry and who cofounded Salt for Survival, a student fundraising group for salt iodization programs, the Rhodes schol-
arship offers the opportunity to branch out and explore more of the social-science side of global health. He plans to pursue a MPP or an M.Phil in development studies. Odutayo, a fourth-year medical student and co-director of the University of Toronto’s International Health Program, also intends to focus on the healthcare sector by pursuing a degree in public health policy. Cave, a women and gender studies and sociology student, intends to research the non-profit sector at Oxford, building on her experience as founder of Connect the Sector, a networking group for young non-profit professionals. All three expressed gratitude for the mentorship of their professors at the university as well as the university’s generous academic support and aid programs for assistance over the years. “I’d applied with the support of a professor at Trinity called Derek Allen, who encouraged me to do it,”
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Rhodes to Success The University of Toronto has a long history of sending Rhodes scholars up to Oxford. This year is no exception — three out the 11 total Canadian spots went to U of T students. No other Canadian university this year had more than one. Joanne Cave has done Woodsworth proud as the first member of the college to win a Rhodes, while Connor Emdin has upheld Trinity’s reputation as a bastion for future Rhodes winners, being the college’s 36th such member so honoured. Other U of T Rhodes Scholars include Bob Rae, who studied under Isaiah Berlin at Oxford, and George Ignatieff, father of former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff.
Current university president David Naylor is another U of T Rhodes scholar. After completing his M.D. in 1978 he headed off to Oxford with grander ambitions. “As a medical student, I imagined that it might be exciting to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, to enter academia as a general internist working in health services and policy analysis, and maybe even to become President of the University of Toronto.” “Bizarrely, that’s what happened, with an unexpected bonus: I met my wife at Oxford.” Recent winners have included Steven Wang and Erin Fitzgerald.
Kathleen Wynne unveils post-secondary education platform Rida Ali
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
Kathleen Wynne, one of seven candidates in the race for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal party, released her platform for post-secondary education in the province last Thursday. Wynne’s plan includes the creation of a youth advisory council and the retention of the 30 per cent tuition grant, and pledges to try to “bridge the gap” between the labour market and the labour force, and create more flexibility and mobility between postsecondary institutions. “Together with our partners, we’ve made significant strides in improving the quality of and access to postsecondary education in Ontario. We now have the highest overall participation rate in universities in the world,” said Wynne. In an exclusive interview with The Varsity, Wynne said that a major component of her plan includes the creation of the Premier’s Youth Advisory Council. The council — which would include students from both universities and colleges, as well as young people who are not enrolled in postsecondary education but are involved in youth activities — would meet with the premier on a regular basis to discuss important youth issues.
“I want to get young people from a variety of backgrounds. Not just students who are in post-secondary,” said Wynne, “but young people who are trying to find their way and have something to offer.” Wynne said that maintaining “ongoing conversations with people who are front-line or involved in youth activities and staying in touch with what youth are feeling is really very important.” “I want to foster that discussion directly between the premier and the students,” she said. She described the council as being a dynamic group of people who could inform policy. “It’s not a decision making body. It’s an opportunity for the premier to have an ongoing conversation with young people that is necessary for informed decision making.” Jonathan Scott, president of the University of Toronto Liberals, also emphasized the benefits of the proposed council. “This will bring a formal consultative and consistent channel for students to have the ear of the premier. It will help ensure that student ideas can be shared without the need to resort to acrimony.” Wynne’s plan also affirms her intention to keep the 30 per cent tuition
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