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volume 45 / issue 20February 29, 2012theeyeopener.com
Since 1967Eyeopener t h e
PHOTOS: VICTOR TANGERMANN / PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATION: LINDSAY BOECKL
YOUTH INREVOLT Are you here to get educated
or agitated? Page 8
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2 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener
Next week, pick up the Eyeopener Arts Top 10. See who in image arts, the theatre
school, interior design, fashion and more is doing some wildly cool stuff.
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3February 29, 2012 The EyeopenerNEWS
New residence coming to Rye
A new partnership with a pri-
vate residential developer is al-
lowing Ryerson to begin building
more residence space.
MPI Group was named as the
partner for the project during
Monday’s announcement.
The residence will be built at
186-188 Jarvis St., well within the
Ryerson Master Plan circumfer-
ence for student housing.
Julia Hanigsberg, vice president
of administration and nance, ex-
plained that the third party will
allow Ryerson to create the space
without taking money out of the
operating budget.
“We were really challenged byhow to make it happen,” she said,
explaining that they’ve been dis-
cussing this for at least two years.
“When I talk to my counterparts
[across the country] everybody is
trying to gure out how to build
student residences in a way that is
aordable.”
MPI will nance, develop and
maintain the building, as well as
generate revenue from the resi-
dence fees. The room costs are close
to that of the International Living
and Learning Centre (ILLC), but
could be higher.
“The expectation is this will be
on the high end because it will be
the newest and nicest, obviously,”
said Hanigsberg.
She is certain it will be aord-
able to Ryerson students as they
are the only market.
“The fact that we had such a
good partnership available be-
tween a private sector and the uni-
versity was very good,” said Ry-
erson president Sheldon Levy. “I
just look forward to it starting and
students having the opportunity
for more accommodation.”
The rendering by IBI Group
Architects can change after the re-
zoning and city approvals, which
should start immediately.
“The City of Toronto’s Down-
town East Planning Study calls for
mixed-use zoning, increased den-
sity and increasing residential, em-
ployment and institutional growth
on this site,” said an MPI spokes-person in an email. “We believe
this residence is in keeping with
this plan.”
The spokesperson said they noti-
ed adjacent landowners of plans
through the application process,
and so has Ryerson.
“I’ve spoken in the past couple
of days to the head of the local resi-
dents association there wanting to
reassure him that we really want
to be part of the neighbourhood,”
said Hanigsberg.
The plans for the building in-
cludes a podium of undetermined
retail space.
“We foresee the two-storey po-
dium oering a mix of retailers,
perhaps a café and other services,”
said the spokesperson, adding that
they will encourage students to
seek employment opportunities.
They conrmed that it is de-
signed as a ‘purpose built’ student
residence and would not be easily
used for any other type of building.
The agreement is not nalized but
they expect the nal partnership
contracts to be for a 49-year term.
“Our preliminary agreements
with Ryerson require that resi-
dence fee increases be consistent
with market comparables for simi-
lar (student) accommodations and
amenities,” continued the spokes-
person email.
The project will be the rst resi-
dence building that MPI will de-
velop solely for students, but they
said they’ve extensively reviewedand analyzed the Canadian resi-
dence market. They primarily de-
velop senior residences and multi-
family housing in Toronto.
“The next stage is to work out a
service agreement of how the niy
griy of the relationship works,”
said Chad Nuall, manager of stu-
dent housing services.
MPI will also pay for residence
life sta to work in the new resi-
dence, which in other residences is
done by student housing services.
The rooms will also be assigned
by Ryerson, which stops the new
residence from competing with the
current ones for applicants.
“It’s great that we sort of con-
trol all that stock,” said Nuall.
“We just have to make sure that
we build at a sustainable rate to ll
these beds.”
A new partnership with a private development company is acilitating Ryerson’s need or more student residence on campuswithout sacrifcing their operating budget. News Etor Caroln Tureon reports
Grad executives consider separation from RSUBy reBecca Burton
news editor
Graduate students say lack of
action from the Ryerson Student’s
Union (RSU) for more funding has
them fed up. Enough to considercomplete separation from the RSU.
“[RSU] executives shut down
ideas that are not good for the
whole student body but graduate
students have dierent issues than
undergraduates,” said Osman Ha-
mid, chairperson of the graduate
executive commiee.
The main argument arose at a
RSU board meeting on Feb. 27,
when the two graduate executives
on the RSU board of governors,
Hamid and Ebrahim Poulad, said
they made a plea for more fund-
ing. The two were then allegedly
“laughed at” and called “sketchy,”
by RSU executives.
Hamid and Poulad wanted to
make an amendment regarding
the travel grant fund that reim-
burses students who have already
aended a conference or workshop
that partners their graduate work.
A maximum of $500 is given to
students, with only one grant per
student per year. Of the $19,000
available this year towards travel
grants, an increase from last year’s
$16,000 fund, Hamid said the fund
is almost depleted. An obvious
need for more funding, he said.
Hamid said they also requested
to put leftover money from one of
their events into the travel grant
fund but was denied by the RSU.
As it stands, members of the
graduate executive commiee, the
travel grants commiee nor the
directors on the RSU board are al-
lowed to apply for this travel grant.Hamid and Poulad aempted to
make an amendment that would
allow members of the travel grant
commiee to still be allowed to
apply for the travel grant. The
two felt it was unfair to deny stu-
dents funding just for becoming
involved.
Hamid suggested they remove
the member of the travel fund
commiee from the room during
the decision process, allowing the
remaining two members to make
the decision.
“We need more involvement to
make the community strong. But
if [students] are smart they won’t
step up to the [travel grants] com-
miee,” said Poulad.
The amendment was not ap-
proved.
But the RSU executives are ght-
ing back saying these decisions
were made in haste and leers sent
out from the graduate executive
contain misinformation.
“It only restricts two students
who voluntarily put themselves
toward becoming part of the travel
grant commiee. They are fully
aware of this restriction and are
still eligible to get any other type of
funding from the university,” said
Sean Carson, RSU vice-president
operations.
According to Carson, the board
was discussing the travel fund in
order to change the policy to allow
students to receive funding prior
to their trip. Carson also indicatedno suggestions to allow a member
to leave the room were made dur-
ing the meeting.
Allegations saying Carson had
used the word “sketchy” during
the meeting were “taken out of
context,” he said. “To give yourself
money when you sit on the com-
miee is ‘sketchy.’ I oversimplied
my language when I should have
used the words ‘conict of inter-
est.’”
Vice-president education, Me-
lissa Palermo, was unavailable for
comment but Carson spoke on her
behalf. The laughter as indicated
by Hamid, was “nervous laughter”
after the chair had asked Hamid
to stop referring to the defeated
amendment when he was meant to
motivate the policy, said Carson.
“These leers contain misinfor-
mation that need to be claried,”
said Carson.
But Hamid is eager to take the
next step to separate from the RSU.
“It is not enough money given
to graduate students. We are pay-
ing membership fees to the RSU.
We are just trying to use our own
money,” said Hamid.
Terry McAfee, director of busi-
ness administration, said he is un-
able to comment on the possibil-
ity of creating a separate graduate
students union but says the school
is currently working on making it
more clear what funds are avail-
able for students — be it the RSU
or the school itself.
“There is not a lot of money giv-
en out to travel [from the school]
because there are no set funds for
this. But we do what we can when
we are able to,” he said.
The graduate executive could go
about separating themselves from
the RSU is still unclear but Hamid
will present this idea to the dean of
graduate studies and other admin-
istration.
“The funding is not to have fun
and play games. Graduate stu-
dents are going to present papers
that will enhance their education
and the reputation of the univer-
sity,” said Hamid.
Quick Facts
The rendering of the residence.
The current lot at 186-188 Jarvis.
RENdERiNg by ibi gROUP ARCHiTECTS
PHOTO: REbECCA bURTON
>> th pp blg 23
>> th f ppx-ml 500 b f r-
hl p b 30p
>> 186 & 188 Jv - f 14,000 q f
>> th blg’ ppl fm Jv s
h l g -p fm h f h blg v Ml
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>> th ll
m t’ G Bl-g s
>> th j h -llm f 2,000 - p h h -
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>> th xp- bg
2014 p spm-b 2016
Information courtesy of
Ryerson University
Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) Annual General Meeting. FiLE PHOTO
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEFLauren “BBB” Strapagiel
NEWSRebecca “woodard” Burton
Caroln “Bernstein” Turgeon
ASSOCIATE NEWSSean Tepper “-ware”
FEATURESKai “partay” Benson
BIZ & TECHSarah “hugs” Del Giallo
ARTS & LIFESean “where is gf?” Wetselaar
SPORTSGabe “not a paddle” Lee
COMMUNITIESNicole “fisted” Siena
PHOTOLindsa “shark” Boeckl
Mohamed “naynay” Omar
ASSOCIATE PHOTOMarissa “potted” Dederer
FUNSuraj “notorious” Singh
MEDIALee “posted” Richardson
ONLINEJeff “aBsentee” Lagerquist
John “Bandwidth’d” Shmuel
GENERAL MANAGERLiane “prodigal” McLart
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Chris “metro” Roberts
DESIGN DIRECTORJ.D. “JaVier diego” Mowat
INTERN ARMYRina “sailer moon” Tse
Sadie “sickie” McInnes
Jamaica “gold star” T
Althia “potato” Donato
VOLUNTEERSEric Mark “Buffet” Do
Lindsa “cucumBer” Fitgerald
Halla “unknown” Imam
Diana “watchdog” Hall
Abigale “well-equipped” Subhan
Tana “Balzac” Mok
Tara “tigger” Deschamps
Chris “y2J” Babic
Plaing the role of the AnnoingTalking Coffee Mug this week...Fucking Roll Up The Rim. One insix m ass,
The Eeopener is Rerson’slargest and independent studentnewspaper. It is owned and oper-ated b Re Ee Publishing Inc.,a non-prot corporation owned bthe students of Rerson. Our of-ces are on the second oor of theStudent Campus Centre and oucan reach us at 416-979-5262 orwww.theeeopener.com.
4 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener EDITORIAL
DRAWN OUTBy CATHERINE POLCz
LAURENSTRAPAGIELEDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Generation Me: reality check
They call us Generation Me: en-
titled, spoiled, self-centered want-
it-alls and know-it-alls.
We’re told from an early age that
if we dream it, we can be it. We
expect accessible post-secondary
education. We expect to be handed
highly-paid, professional careers
where we will quickly move up the
corporate ladder. We expect that
with a university degree in hand,
we’ll never have to work a shiy
retail or fast food job again. It’s allabout us, our uninhibited ambi-
tions, our incessant chant of me,
me, me, me, me.
At least, that’s what the countless
articles, columns and blog posts es-
pousing disdain for people our age
would suggest.
However, I wonder if we’re re-
ally asking for so much.
This is certainly the dream my
parents had set out for me. Both
born in the middle of the baby
boom, they come from humble be-
ginnings. My dad is the only child
of Polish immigrants who came
to Canada after being liberated
from Nazi labour camps. My mom
grew up in a village in New Bruns-
wick as one of nine children. Her
mother, who lost her WWII veteran
husband and had many mouths to
feed, at times had to turn to social
assistance. Despite the disadvan-
tages of their backgrounds, both
my parents built very successful
lives for themselves. My dad put
himself through a business degreewhile living above a Chinese gro-
cer in Kensington Market and my
mom convinced an ad agency to
not only hire her without a post-
secondary degree, but pay for her
to further her education. Good luck
trying to do that these days.
As my mom put it, times were
simpler then. No one was intern-
ing for free, even several years af-
ter graduating, and geing a pro-
fessional job without a university
degree was completely aainable.
There was far less government
assistance with tuition and mov-
ing up in your industry could be
very dicult, but the middle class
dream was still alive. My parents
were able to start a family, pur-
chase a home and keep a car up and
running. They, like most parents,
wanted to give me a beer life with
more advantages than their own.
And to their credit, they did.
They encouraged me from middle
school to aend university, paid
my tuition and supported the in-dustry I chose for myself.
The entitlement of my generation
is also the hopes and dreams of our
parents. But the economy doesn’t
share their vision.
I do not expect that I’ll be able to
own a home (or even a tiny condo)
in this city for quite some time. If
one day I choose to have a family,
leaving my career for an extended
period of time won’t be an option.
And it turns out that our university
degrees aren’t that valuable unless
we’re willing to pair them with
further education (and debt) or an
eagerness to be used as free labour
until someone gives us a shot.
Generation Me has some high ex-
pectations and we’re being told to
stu them away because the “real
world” can’t support them. We’re
not assholes, we were told over and
over that the world was a dierent,
more oyster-like place.
Perhaps this is why we take to
the streets to protest fees. Expect-
ing a free ride is ridiculous, but Idon’t blame anyone for being furi-
ous that their ever more expensive
education is meaning less and less.
On page 12, you’ll read that
there’s a light at the end of the tun-
nel, but it’s dim. Sadly, Generation
Me has no choice but to grow up.
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5February 29, 2012 The EyeopenerNEWS
Copyright software breaches privacyWith two Ontario Universities fresh off the heels of enrolling with a controversial licensing company, Dana Hall pon whether or not Ryerson will follow and sign on with Access Copyright
The University of Western On-
tario and the University of Toronto
have entered a controversial copy-
right agreement with licensing gi-
ant Access Copyright, raising con-
cerns about the future of Ryerson’s
own policies.
The agreement, which was -
nalized last month, included: pro-
visions increasing per-student
licensing fees to $27.50, dening
hyperlinking as a method of pho-
tocopying, and a mandate to track
and monitor student-faculty email
for linked copyrighted material. It’s
a modied version of the Canadian
copyright license provider’s push
for revenue in an online education-al environment.
“Access copyright is trying to in-
crease the tari from $3.38 to $45
per (full-time) student,” said Julia
Shin Doi, General Counsel of the
Ryerson Board of Governors. “The
copyright landscape is changing
with all the digital access of materi-
als, so Access Copyright is probably
looking at its own business model
to see how they can continue to
make money o of copy.”
The agency protects its authors
and publishers while creating part-
nerships with universities for legal
access to wrien material, mean-
ing that universities can photocopy
copyright-protected material to re-
distribute to students and faculty.
Ryerson University has instead
opted for the Interim Agreement
with Access Copyright, as well as
the Ryerson Fair Dealing Policy
(which gives students and facultymembers leeway to use copyright-
ed material for educational purpos-
es). Students are paying approxi-
mately $17 each under the current
arrangement.
Roxanne Dubois, National Chair-
person of the Canadian Federation
of Students (CFS), said that the CFS
was betrayed by the agreements
signed by Western and the Uni-
versity of Toronto on Jan 30. She
argued that the licensing agency’s
provisions invade student privacy
and educational well-being.
“[Access Copyright] is basically
just charging students extra money
and restricting access to works that
we need to have access to as stu-
dents,” Dubois said.
The CFS and the Canadian Asso-
ciation of University Teachers led
a joint objection in 2010 against the
copyright provision overhaul, call-
ing the increased cost for students“excessive,” and the Canadian li-
cense provider’s provisions of mon-
itoring student and faculty emails
as an “unreasonable burden.”
Avner Levin, chair of the law &
business department at the Ted
Rogers School of Management,
agreed that Access Copyright’s
proposal is a “heavy-handed tool”
that infringes not only on privacy,
but on independence and aca-
demic freedoms.
“I understand
what they’re
trying to do,
they’re try-
ing to get
the best
deal for
their mem-
bers, [but]
I think uni-
versities should
be out looking forstudents,” Levin said. “I
don’t think universities should be
worried about Access Copyright
and their interests, they should be
out to protect the students.”
This could all change, as univer-
sities, publishers and distributors
wait for Bill C-11 (the CopyrightModernization Act) to set the re-
cord straight about the denition
of ‘copy’ and what are considered
publicly available documents
online.
Levin said Ryerson
should sit back and
wait to see what the
legislation reveals
before entering into
Access Copyright’s
dictatorial “agenda.”
“I think the reality
is that a lot of the ma-
terial today, like in my
classes, is what I would con-sider publicly available sources that
are available online – and you don’t
want people to start second guess-
ing,” said Levin.
PHoto: ANver LeviN (ABove) courtesy
of ANver LeviN
Drummond advises tuition hikeby abigale subhan
Approximately 30 suggestions for
post-secondary education appeared
in economist Don Drummond’s an-
nual report to the Ontario govern-
ment to reduce their $16-billion def-
icit. But Ryerson says they are well
equipped if these changes come into
eect.
“If you take a look at what the
Drummond report recommends it
is very consistent with the planning
of the university. If it materializes in
the scal plan of the province and
is announced with the budget then
[Ryerson’s] planning is right in line
with those recommendations,” said
president Sheldon Levy.
The 668-page report outlines 362
recommendations mainly focused
on health and education.
The report proposes that thegovernment should maintain its
plan to increase tuition by ve per
cent. Drummond also recommends
scrapping the 30 per cent Ontario
tuition grant, a rebate for post-sec-
ondary students that started this
January.
Levy said the university has
planned in such a way that the tu-
ition fees would go up by ve per
cent and the only additional revenue
that would come from the province
would be through growth funding.
“I think Ryerson is gearing up for
various scenarios of cutbacks,” said
John Shields, professor of politics
and public administration.
“The main issue is bracing with
how do you do more with less.”
But he feels the university has an
advantage in comparison to other
institutions.
“Ryerson is in a well-placed geo-
graphic position that is very much
in demand. The programs here are
aractive because [students feel]
secure about their futures,” said
Shields.
Along with those suggestions,
Drummond wants universities to
consider changing some four-year
degree programs to three continu-
ous years.
Shamhad Abdi, a second-year
nursing student, is not in favour of
this proposal.
“It’s not benecial to learning.
No one can focus for that long,” she
said. “The only thing that gets me
through the year is thinking about
summer.”
According to Taryn Linder,
fourth-year arts and contemporarystudies student, this idea will not be
manageable for students.
“I don’t think [changing pro-
grams to three years] would work,”
said Linder. “That makes it more in-
accessible to pay for your education.
Many students rely on summers to
make a substantial amount of in-
come to subsidize their tuition.”
However, despite these sug-
gested cutbacks, the report rec-
ommends increasing government
funding for post-secondary educa-
tion by 1.5 per cent annually until
2017-18.
Abdi said the funding increase
doesn’t make sense.
“It’s counter-intuitive. You can’t
increase the funding for universities
and then raise the tuition by ve per
cent,” said Abdi.
The provincial government will
make a nal decision on these rec-
ommendations in next month’s
budget. This budget will in turn de-
termine Ryerson’s own.Drummond warned that failure
to implement these suggestions will
lead to a $30-billion decit by 2017.
I think Ryerson is gear-ing up for various sce-narios of cutbacks.
— John Shields,Professor of politics
and public administration
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7February 29, 2012 The EyeopenerNEWS
Forever ongoing Briefs and Groaners
BY Sean Tepper
aSSociaTe newS ediTor
Ryerson students will have to
wait until the beginning of next
semester to step foot in The Peter
Gilgan Athletic Centre at the Gar-
dens, as the university’s new ath-
letic facility is not expected to be
opened until early this summer.
“What we call the base build is
now completed. All the cement
work [is done], and now we’re into
the t ups,” said Ryerson President
Sheldon Levy. “If you compared
it to a house, you’re now into the
wallboards, the plumbing, etc. If
you went into the arena you’d see
that the ice and the plumbing from
the ice has been put in and you’ll
see the form for the seats but the
seats haven’t been put in. All the
structures necessary [and] all the
base build is in.”
Originally expected to open last
fall, and then slated to be opened
this March, MLG has encoun-
tered a number of minor setbacks
that have aected its construction
schedule.
“A couple of extra months for
something like this is basically on
schedule,” he said. “There will be a
grand opening date, but it has not
been nalized yet.”
With the construction now ex-
pected to be completed by June,
Ryerson is expected to hold two
grand openings: one for the media
in July and one for its student body
in September. However, no specif-
ic plans have been made.
“It will likely be in June [and]
there will almost certainly be an-
other opening in September,” said
Levy.
“A lot of planning is going into
this.”
If construction is completed on
time and students are permied
in the facility by September, Ry-
erson’s student union will likely
hold their annual parade and pic-
nic in the Gardens.
An independent coee house is
bringing an old-school twist to Ry-
erson’s Image Arts building, as Bal-
zac’s Coee Roastery is set to open
this April.
Beating out big-name coee
houses like Starbucks for the spot,
Ryerson’s version won’t likely have
a huge chandelier like its original
Distillery District counterpart, but
Julia Hanigsberg, VP administra-
tion and nance, said that Balzac’s
is still responsible for its own decor.
Its designers will aim to uphold the
cafés cozy and rustic feel and a pa-
tio section on Gould Street will be
incorporated in the design.
Hanigsberg also said that Bal-
zac’s will accept OneCard pay-
ments and that students will be able
to apply for jobs at the coee house
when it opens.
Fourth-year lm major Elaine
Poon is excited for a Tim Hortons
alternative on campus.
“I love the [Balzac’s] at the Distill-
ery and I hope that the interior of
ours is going to look just as great,”
she said.
Balzac’s has only ve other loca-
tions in Ontario, and rst gained a
name amongst Torontonians for
the rustic furniture and homey am-
biance of its downtown Distillery
District location.
“I felt that we t because we are
local, have strong ties with the art
and creative community of Toron-
to,” said Diana Olsen, President of
Balzac’s to The Eyeopener last month.
The coee house which has their
own roastery located in Stoney
Creek, Ont., will oer coee and
espresso beverages along with a
small collection of sandwiches and
pastries.
In light of the announcement about Ryerson’s newest building project,here are some updates on the ones you care most about
The Peter Gilgan Athletic Centre at the Gardens
photo: Lindsay boeckL
photo: courtesy of baLzac’s
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8 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener FEATURES
Never Back
Down.
Photo: Marissa DeDerer
8/2/2019 The Eyeopener — February 29, 2012
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9February 29, 2012 The EyeopenerFEATURES
Derek Soberal stands along
a police barrier with a
crowd in Nathan Phil-
lips Square as part of a January
protest against Toronto budget
cuts. Holding a small camera, he
lms the scene as tension grows
between the protestors and police.
The situation erupts as a protes-
tor aempts to break through the
line. In the ensuing chaos, a police
ocer knocks Soberal’s camera
down and punches him in the face
before stomping on the camera.
However, when Soberal crosses
the police barrier aempting to
retrieve his camera, he is arrested
and charged with unlawful as-sembly, mischief and two counts
of obstructing a police ocer.
A photo in the Toronto Sun
shows Soberal in handcus,
bruised and
bloody.
He quotes
Martin Luther
King in ratio-
nalizing why he
went over the
police barrier
to retrieve his
camera, contain-
ing potential
evidence of the alleged assault:
“I submit that an individual who
breaks a law that conscience tells
him is unjust, and who willingly
accepts the penalty of imprison-
ment in order to arouse the con-
science of the community over its
injustice, is in reality expressing
the highest respect for the law.”
Soberal has gone from being
unable to recite his phone
number without stuering
to being a prominent voice of the
Toronto protest scene, featured
on the CBC’s Lang and O’Leary
Exchange and credited in a G20
edition of The Fifth Estate. He alsocreated an activist-based YouTube
channel, TheSecretStore, with
over 5,000 subscribers and 3.5 mil-
lion upload views, as well as the
35,000 member Occupy Canada
Facebook page.
But January’s budget protest
was not Soberal’s rst run-in with
Toronto police. His life as an ac-
tivist and citizen journalist started
with the 2010 G20 protests and
Ryerson’s now-defunct CKLN
radio station’s Word of Mouth
Wednesday program.
“Basically I got involved [with
CKLN] because of the G20 sum-
mit,” says Soberal.
“That was my rst protest …
and I exercised my rights at that
time. I got invited onto the show
by [host] Daniel Libby to talk
about the experience.”
He would become a regular on
Libby’s show, eventually earning
the title of CKLN programmer.
“Derek is aracted to media
aention,” says Libby. “He’s not
afraid to talk to reporters when
they’re around.”
His ability to speak on the radio
and communicate with the media
is a hard-earned skill — from the
time he was a toddler until his
teens, Soberal underwent speech
therapy. Today, he speaks with
near-perfect clarity, pausing oc-
casionally if his stuer starts to
creep back in.
He says this ability to speak
publicly is inspired by Libby.
“[Libby] was condent on the
radio, and my voice was crack-
ing the rst time,” Soberal says. “I
learned from him.”
Through the radio show, the
pair promoted Toronto G20 Ex-
posed , a documentary produced
by Soberal. The lm highlights
questionable police actions during
the G20 weekend, and premiered
at the Student Campus Centre onGould Street as part of the Ryer-
son Student Union’s Xpressions
Against Oppression week.
One scene in the documentary
shows security
footage from
Soberal’s condo-
minium, a block
away from Ry-
erson, about two
months after the
G20 protests. As
he tells it, So-
beral noticed a
police car across
the street with its lights o, so he
approached the ocer and asked
a few questions. After saying
goodbye, the police ocer then
drove away and came back, accus-
ing him of loitering and forcefully
pushing him.
After running from the ocer
who pushed him, Soberal was
detained by as many as 12 o-
cers who seem to come out of no-
where. He also claims that while
they searched him, they were call-
ing him a drug addict, an alcohol-
ic and mentally unstable.
“My cell phone and iPad were
geing searched,” he recalls.
Though he was eventually re-leased without charge, he felt it
was a message. “I felt like I was
being targeted … I felt like it was
a threat; I felt intimidated.”
Toronto G20 Exposed was used as
a source for The Fifth Estate’s doc-
umentary You Should Have Stayed
At Home , with Soberal given spe-
cial thanks in the credits.
When the Occupy Wall Street
movement was happening, Sober-
al created the Facebook page “Oc-
cupy Canada.” That prompted a
producer from the CBC to contact
him to be interviewed on the Lang
and O’Leary Exchange. Soberal ap-
peared on the show Oct 14: the eve
of mass demonstrations world-
wide, including Occupy Toronto.
Day three of those protests was
also day one of Social Justice Week
at Ryerson, and Occupy Toronto
was invited to join the campus for
a rally. However, some Ryerson
students wondered what message
that sends.
“Occupy Toronto was an illegal
activity, I don’t think Ryerson or
the students’ union should get in-
volved in that,” says Mark Single,
a fourth-year student in indus-
trial engineering. Single has run
for RSU president multiple times
against the activism-heavy Stu-
dents United platform in an at-tempt to focus Ryerson’s nances
on education.
But Ryerson does have insti-
tutionalized connections to
activism. The university’s
Gindin Chair in Social Justice and
Democracy is mandated to “cre-
ate a hub of interaction between
social justice activists and aca-
demics at Ryerson University.”
Current chairholder Winnie Ng
acknowledges the divide between
the law and the protests, but says
social justice is still important.
“I think the message is quiteclear that Ryerson as a campus
is supportive in increasingly di-
verse strategies of organizing,”
she says. “It was most appropri-
ate for us to kick o Social Justice
Week with Occupy Toronto on the
International Day for the Eradica-
tion of Poverty.”
Single says he’s against any
university promoting activism on
campus, because an educational
institution shouldn’t have politi-
cal values.
“Ryerson is a university; Ryer-
son’s role is to teach students,” he
says. “Ryerson has zero interest.
It’s not part of the student’s con-
tract with the university to have
students engaging [in activism].”
Sandy Hudson, Chairperson of
the Canadian Federation of Stu-
dents-Ontario, says otherwise.
“Our whole purpose is educa-
tion and innovation, essentially
changing our world and making
it beer — everything that we do
is moving forward our society,”
says Hudson. “Why wouldn’t
we, as students, use that time to
use what we’re learning to practi-
cally change our world? I actually
think it’s integral to the learning
process.”
The divide among students’
views of campus activ-
ism is highly visible right
now in Montreal, where students
staged a sit-in at the McGill Uni-
versity administration building.
Another group of students, upset
with the demonstration, created
an event on Facebook entitled:
The James 6th Floor occupiers
do NOT represent me. More than
2,100 students have signed up so
far.
The McGill sit-in was the sub-
ject of a recent episode of CBC Ra-
dio’s The Current , in which Single
talks about his distaste for student
sit-ins, protests and marches. He
says he has a problem with it
when it infringes on others’ rights
and takes up extra costs in order
to accommodate the protest. But
Soberal sees it as a necessary cost
to incur.
“Everybody has the right to
freely think what they want, but
at the end of
the day we are
all individuals,
and sometimes
trac is stopped
because it’s
not business as
usual,” says So-
beral. “There’s
something that
needs to be brought to the public
aention. It creates spark, aware-
ness … sometimes you have to
create aention to make it an is-sue.”
But Single doesn’t buy into the
idea that activism, like Occupy
Toronto or the G20 protest, actu-
ally gets anything done.
“If you want to make a dif-
ference in this world, go to
school, become successful, be-
come wealthy, and then use your
wealth as a philanthropist, like
Bill Gates or Warren Bue,” says
Single. “They’re billionaires and
making signicant change in the
world … because they’re success-
ful academically. Marching and
protesting isn’t really making a
dierence.”
Ng says students should look
beyond their texts and assign-
ments to bring their educational
process into broader political,
ecological, and social contexts to
become more critical thinkers.
“For example, I could just hit
my books and be the best that I
can be in my eld, but how does
that relate and transcend to the
rest of society?” asks Ng. “How
does excelling in what I’m doing
having an impact in the larger
community?“
She sees the post-secondary
community as essential to socialchange.
“To me, that’s the essence of
learning, critical reection, some-
thing that’s down deep in your
core, there’s some sense of core
values,” she says. “So for me
building a society that’s more car-
ing and more just, we need more
people to act when those core val-
ues are violated.”
Though he never actually at-
tended Ryerson, Soberal contin-
ues to be involved with many of
the same causes as student activ-
ists.
“We are all a part of the change
that we want to see,” says Soberal.
“I think university activism and
community activism are all con-
nected. What a great way to start,
in university, to stand behind
something you believe in, to cre-
ate networks and communities
and make a dierence.”
He says he may be taking action
against the Toronto Police, but not
until his trial for the camera inci-
dent is over.
Soberal’s father Richard found
out about the arrest from a friend.
“I was prey disturbed … I
turned on the TV and they kept
replaying it,” he says. “They
showed him in handcus and
bringing him into city hall. That
upset me.”
Four people were arrested at
the rally, but
only Soberal was
detained over-
night. Richard
says he thinks
they purposeful-
ly kept Soberal
because he had
been in the pub-
lic eye as part of
protest movements.
Soberal was raised near the in-
tersections of Jane Street andFinch Avenue West, an area
with an unsavoury reputation.
“I mean, when we were liv-
ing there, you had to stick up for
yourself,” recalls Richard. “You
couldn’t run away from anything
because the kids would be on your
back. [Derek] got in some ghts
and that, but you know, it was just
normal stu.”
Soberal says the experience was
formative and helped make him
who he is. “Growing up in Jane
and Finch was a great place, it cre-
ates adversity but it creates char-
acter,” he says. “And that’s my
home.”
“Moving down here now, down
here is just the center of every-
thing, ‘the big city.’ If he was liv-
ing outside the city I don’t think he
would be involved like he is,” says
Soberal’s father. Arguably, he’s
more concerned for his son now
than when they lived at Jane and
Finch.
“Personally, I told him to back
o [the activism] for a while and
that’s the way I feel now,” he says.
”I’m proud of him for what he’s
doing, he’s puing in a lot of ef-
fort and he knows what he’s talk-
ing about, but I’m just scared thatsomething bad is going to happen
to him.”
Richard is especially concerned
because Derek’s brother Shawn
passed away in 2009 at the age of
33. The family has not disclosed
the circumstances involved in
Shawn’s death.
“I lost one son and I don’t
want to lose another,” Rich-
ard says. “As a father I’m just
worried.”
But Soberal has no plans on
stopping. He’s still lming and
editing videos, and still strongly
believes in activism and citizen
journalism. He wears his brother’s
jacket (pictured) when he aends
protests, saying he feels protected
by it.
“I think everyone has to rec-
ognize that we have the freedom
of assembly and the freedom of
speech and we must exercise all of
it,” says Soberal. “We have voices,
we goa speak out; we have bod-
ies, we goa stand up.
“It’s about being there for some-
thing that you stand behind. We
have a climate in Canada where it’s
winter and a lot of people can’t get
out. We’re hoping for a Canadian
Spring.”
[Soberal] is not afraidto talk to reporterswhen they’re around.
—Daniel Libby,former CKLN host
I felt like it was a threat;I felt intimidated.
—Derek Soberal
Marching and protest-ing isn’t really makinga difference.
—Mark Single,fourth-year engineering
Derek Soberal has had his share o run-ins with police as a documentarianand protestor, but he’s still fghting. Eric Mark Do reports
8/2/2019 The Eyeopener — February 29, 2012
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10 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener COMMUNITIES
Supporting First NationsThe Centre for Indigenous Governance making progress within community
By Tara Deschamp
The Centre for Indigenous Gov-
ernance was launched March 2010
to support research and enhance
opportunities for indigenous stu-
dents and integrate indigenous cul-
ture into the Ryerson community.
Since the centre opened, it has
developed key partnerships with
First Nations in Ontario.
They have worked closely with
the Union of Ontario Indians on
First Nations education issues, par-
ticipated in several First Nation ed-
ucation policy conferences, and co-
hosted and co-chaired the rst ever
First Nation- led Academic Think
Tank on First Nation Education.
Pamela Palmater, a Mi’Kmaq
lawyer and professor in the depart-
ment of politics and public admin-
istration, has been the interim act-
ing director of the Centre.
Palmater, says she couldn’t re-
fuse the oer when she discovered
that the centre would be indige-
nous-led.
She says being Mi’kmaq is an as-
set to the research the centre does.
“The fact that I’m Mi’kmaq and
come from similar culture andhistories as other Indigenous Na-
tions helps me direct my research
in a way that will contribute to the
work First Nations are doing,” says
Palmater.
She aributes her approach to
teaching and the Centre’s work to
her culture.
“As an indigenous person, I
come at teaching, research and
partnerships from a decolonization
framework where the focus is on
indigenous legal traditions, laws,
customs, histories, knowledges and
perspectives,” she says.
Although the centre only has two
sta members, Palmater says stu-
dents are becoming involved in the
centre’s work and some of the First
Nations proposals she makes to the
federal government.
“I have research assistants work-
ing on key research to help me with
public presentations, information
sessions for First Nations commu-
nities, and even for my submis-
sions for parliament on legislation
impacting First Nations,” she says.
As part of her research, Palmater
and the Centre have hosted a lec-
ture series on minority rights and
indigenous identity, and an ethics
speaking series a with former Prime
Minister Paul Martin and membersof the First Nations community.
They’ve also launched a partner-
ship between Ryerson and the First
Nations Technical Institute which
allows First Nations students to
earn certicates, advanced certi-
cates and bachelor degrees.
Since the program’s inception,
over 178 First Nations students
from over 30 communities have
taken courses in subjects like nan-
cial management, public adminis-
tration and policy analysis.
According to Palmater, partner-
ships like these are benecial for
all students because they help to
demystify stereotypes about indig-
enous people and distinguish be-
tween fact and myth.
“The main aim [of the centre’s
work] is to develop partnerships
with First Nations to work on ar-
eas related to governance, to con-
duct research on indigenous laws,
policies, governance and specialty
issues like citizenship, and to de-
velop curriculum related to indig-
enous studies,” she says.
In the coming months, the cen-
tre will hold a lecture series about
indigenous women in leadership
positions.
It will also be hosting a confer-
ence in the fall regarding the Unit-ed Nations and relations to indig-
enous rights.
Pamela Palmater, interim acting director of the Centre. Photo: MohaMed oMar
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She tossed her smoke onto
Yonge Street and went back inside.
The Friendly Thai handed her
more than $8 per hour of work un-
der the table for that night. As she
left to go home, she was greeted by
a screeching woman and a mouse
scurrying away.
“I need a real job,” she thought.
That was one of the more hope-
less moments Candice van Ra-
venswaay has had three months
before graduating from Ryerson
with an undergraduate degree in
nance and a minor in law.
“The professors don’t have to
tell us. It’s all over the place; all
over the news, from all the people
we know that have graduated and
don’t have jobs,” van Ravenswaay
said referring to the tough job mar-
ket and recovering economy stu-
dents are facing.
Some may say she has reason to
be worried. The unemployment
rate has risen to 7.6 per cent ac-
cording to the latest Labour Force
survey released in January.
Close to graduating, internships
are unrealistic for van Raven-
swaay. She spends her summers
saving for tuition and her low level
jobs still make a heftier gure than
her sister does as a professional
medical ultrasound technician.
“Everyone I know is taking
longer to graduate,”said van Ra-
venswaay. “I will need more cre-
dentials; another license or desig-
nation.”
So how’s the “real job” market
and economy looking post-reces-
sion?
The Drummond report is the
most recent statement on Ontario’s
economy. It was released on Feb.
BIZ & TECH12 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener
Post grad problemsThe state of the labour market is intimidating for upcoming graduates, butthe future may not be as bleak as it seems. Lsa Ftzgeral reprts
TWEETSOF THE WEEK
Want to vent your frustration
or make us laugh? Use the#eyeforatweet hashtag. If
we like what we see, we mayprint it! Be sure to follow@theeyeopener for all yourRyerson news.
@thatCSAguy1:30am, or as we univer-
sity students call it, “Whencompletion marks start tomean more than correct
answers”. #EyeForATweet
@jennleahkoYEAH. I KNOW YOUHEARD ME. DON’T YOUDARE IGNORE ME YOU
MOTHER FUCKERS#Queens #UofT #Ryerson
@jacobmorrisI could go for a Billy rightabout now! #ryerson
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at #Ryerson Library.
@spoonifurSalad king spring rolls willbe the death of me, can’t
believe I can buy them withmy one card. #eyeforat-weet
FREEAPPS
OF THE WEEK
PhoTo: LindSAy boEckLMaking money post-grad is daunting for many undergraduate students.
22 with over 300 recommendations
from Canadian economist Don
Drummond.
“Ontario faces a series of decits
that would undermine the prov-
ince’s economic and social future,”
the report said. “While employ-
ment in Ontario is growing again
and has already recovered all the
jobs lost during the recession,
young people, recent immigrants
and Aboriginals continue to un-
der-perform.
“The recession worsened their
employment outcomes, but they
struggled in the job market well
before that.”
A friendlier gure for business
and technology students is Sta-
tistics Canada’s measure of big
job vacancies. Industries of “pro-
fessional, scientic and technical
services” are at one of the lowest
unemployment-to-vacancy rate at
just over two per cent.Outside of the reports and
drowning market gures is the
growing trend of self-employment.
When businesses won’t hire, some
people choose to start their own.
“I never worried about a job,
never looked for a job, always
dreamt about starting my own
business,” said Alexey Adamsky,
a Ryerson graduate who is doing
his masters degree in computer
science.
Adamsky started his own com-
pany, Three Red Cubes, with a few
other Ryerson graduates and the
company now operates out of the
Digital Media Zone (DMZ).
The team started by developing
games and programming a few
years ago, and is now focused on
mobile and web applications.
“There’s no single idea,” he said.
“We’re always coming up with
new ideas.”
Adamsky held a few part-time
jobs for a short period of time and
worked with DMZ for the research
group before starting his business.
“The biggest challenge is we are
still students,” he said.
Adamsky said doing his mas-
ters requires a lot more self-teach-
ing than a bachelor’s program with
class-time and courses. Learning
how to manage his own time more
eectively gave him the opportu-
nity to develop his own business.
“University gives a solid base,”
he said. “But most of the things I
know now I’ve taught myself.”
As a company owner looking
to hire in the future, Adamsky
doesn’t care where a new employ-
ee’s experience is gained.
“At the end of the day what mat-
ters is you can do what you can say
you can do in an interview,” he
said. “You need to put in your own
time to get practical knowledge.”
He also advises students to get
their masters for a leg up if the
industry in question is especially
competitive.
Felicity Morgan, a career coun-
cillor at the University of Toronto
Mississauga, recommends intern-
ing, contract work, volunteering,
extended schooling and network-ing to get ahead of the game in the
job market.
“The more you get out there,
the more opportunities you come
across. [By] doing things and talk-
ing to people you can create a lot
of who-you-knows,” she said.
She tells students to look at “ev-
erything as an opportunity.”
She graduated at the end of the
last recession and remembers her
rst job in a shoe store. While she
didn’t study shoes in university, it
paid the rent.
But that survival job paid more
than just the bills because she was
working with people.
“I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve used those skills. It helped me
gure out what I wanted to do,”
said Morgan.
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I will need more cre-dentials; another li-cense or designation.— Candicevan Ravenswaay, ourth- year fnance student
I never worried about a job... [I] always dreamt aboutstarting my own business.
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13 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener SPORTS
Ryerson Rowing barely staying afloatTwelve years ago, a rowing team was estabished at Ryerson University. The team has since been relegated to club status due toa lack of interest from the student body and the resignation of their coach, Associate Photo Editor Marissa Dederer reports
GRAPHIC BY MARISSA DEDERER
Clad in spandex, Ben Murphy
carefully lowers the 26 foot long
berglass boat into the water. He
aaches the oars and climbs into
the boat. He puts his hand on the
wooden dock, careful to avoid the
puddles of goose feces and shoves
away, into open water. His strokes
are short and unbalanced. He wants
to stay upright. Finally, he extends
his arms and crouches, knees to
chest, the oars hover slightly o the
water before plunging down. He
doesn’t even get to nish his rst
stroke before he tips into the chilly
waters of Lake Ontario. Murphy
swims back to shore ready to call it
quits but his coach, Dominic Kahn
tells him he’s “goa get back in”.
He takes longer and longer strokes
until he’s balanced and fast, gliding
across the water accompanied by
the click-swish of the seat as it slides
in rhythm.
Murphy’s rst time in a
rowing shell parallels the
journey of Ryerson’s rowing
team. The program rst came
to the school in 1996 as a trialsport for two years. But in ’98,
there was no school interest to
continue, so rowing left Ryer-
son. It came back in 2001 and
David Dubois, who was the
athletic director at the time,
was very supportive. Rowing went
through the same two year proba-
tion and in 2003, started its rst-
ever varsity season.
But over the past few years, the
12-year old varsity team has been
on a downward slide. In the 2010
rowing season, only one athlete
made it into the Ontario University
Athletics Championships (OUA) -
nals. This result, following an OUA
gold medal in 2009 and silver and
bronze medals in previous seasons
was an obvious step backwards,
even for a team going through a de-
velopmental year. In 2010, over half
the team consisted of athletes who
had never been in a rowing shell
before.
“We had a program [that]
seemed to be on the decline at that
point from where it had been,”
said associate athletics director
Stephanie White. “It felt like we
were having some struggles in
terms of producing some strong
results, growing the program.”
In the fall of 2011, Kahn, who
had spearheaded the rowing pro-
gram, sent in his leer of resigna-
tion. Kahn wrote in the leer that
he could not manage both his pa-
rental responsibilities and coaching
responsibilities for the team.
“This was not an easy decision to
make. I am grateful for the reward-
ing experience I’ve had with Ryer-
son University,” wrote Kahn. “I’m
very proud of what we’ve been able
to do here in my 12 years as head
coach, both on and o the water.”
But Kahn’s resignation was un-
expected for some of his athletes,
Murphy included.
“It kind of took me by surprise,”
said the third-year architecture stu-
dent.
“Not so much surprised that he
was resigning, but surprised as,
okay, what can I do now to further
rowing at Ryerson?”
Murphy had been recruited
to the team during his rst week
at Ryerson in 2009. As in previ-
ous years, he took to the streets in
hopes of recruiting rowers for the
upcoming season.
A meeting was held in Septem-
ber but many unknowns remained.
By late September, it was al-
ready too late to start a program.
The university’s on-water season
only runs until the end of October.
So with no hope of training with a
team at Ryerson, Murphy began
rowing at the Argonaut Rowing
Club, still hoping to represent Ry-
erson at the OUA championships
in late October. But he found the
training was dicult to do on his
own.
“Doing any sport without a
coach is very hard,” he said. “They
serve as motivation, guidance, a
manager, a lot of things that an
athlete on his or her own can’t do.”
Things got even more dicult
for him when he ran into a road-
block with the Ryerson athletics
administration just before OUAs.
“That was a bit of a trouble be-
cause the administration at Ryer-
son felt that I had not received the
level of support necessary to com-
pete at a provincial level. Howev-
er this was not the truth and I was
able to perform,” he said.
The school did support him,
allowing him to represent Ryer-
son at the OUAs and paying the
$1,000 entry fee. Murphy nished
in sixth place in the nal, improv-
ing on his previous year’s perfor-
mance. In 2010 he didn’t make the
nals.
After the OUAs, Murphy took a
short break to focus on his school.
Now, he and rowing veteran Rob
Kania have started training with
a group of four novices. Murphy
and Kania receive workout plans
from former national team mem-
ber Arden Beddoes who acts as
a mentor for the pair. They in
turn alter the workouts for the
novices.
The training is open to any-one with a Ryerson Athletic
Centre (RAC) membership.
Two weeks ago the team
raced at the Canadian Indoor
Rowing Championships in
Mississauga. Murphy nished
third in the senior B men’s cate-
gory, while two novices competed
and both raced to best times in the
two kilometer event. Ma Buie, a
Ryerson rowing alum won the se-
nior men’s competition. The last
indoor rowing competition is the
Ontario Indoor Championships at
Ridley College this Saturday.
The newer members of the row-
ing club would like to see the
team grow over the coming year.
Murphy would like to see the
club back as an established varsity
team with a coach although he is
skeptical about the status of the
rowing team changing at all.
White said that Ryerson ath-
letics is hoping to put something
forward soon. She said they will
work towards a bigger rowing
club but the size will depend on
leadership at that level.
Without a coach or the neces-
sary facilities to train at, it’s un-
likely that rowing will become a
varsity sport again.
PHOTO: MARISSA DEDERERThe rowers training for an upcoming competition.
1 9 9 6 : D o m
i n i c K a h
n a p p r o a c h e
s
R y e r s o n
f o r t h e
f i r s t t i m
e a b o u t
s t a r t i n g
a
r o w i n g
t e a m. T h
e s p o r t s
t a r t s i t s
t w o y e a
r
p r o b a t i o
n.
1 9 9 8 : T h e p r o b a t i o n e n d s , b u t t h e
s c h o o l d e c i d e s n o t t o k e e p r o w i n g , s o t h e
t e a m i s d i s b a n d e d .
2 0 0 1 : K a
h n a p p r
o a c h e s
t h e s c h o
o l
a g a i n.
T h e s p
o r t g e t s
a t w o
y e a r t
r i a l
a g a i n.
2 0 0 3 : R y e r s o n r o w i n g s t a r t s i t s f i r s t
v a r s i t y s e a s o n w i t h s i x a t h l e t e s . T h e y w i n
t w o O U A m e d a l s : s i l v e r a n d b r o n z e .
2 0 0 8 :
M a t t B u i e
w i n s a n
O UA s i
l v e r
m e d a l, R
y e r s o n ’ s f i r s t i
n f i v e y e
a r s.
2 0 0 9 : B u i e a n d h i s p a r t n e r P h i l i p p e
R o y w i n s R y e r s o n v a r s i t y r o w i n g ’ s f i r s t O U A
g o l d m e d a l .
2 0 1 1 : C
o a c h D
o m i n i c
K a h n
r e s i g n
s.
R y e r s o
n r o w i n
g b e c o
m e s a
c l u b s p o
r t.
2 0 1 2 : B e n M u r p h y w i n s b r o n z e a t t h e
C a n a d i a n i n d o o r r o w i n g c h a m p i o n s h i p s
b u t t h e f a t e o f R y e r s o n r o w i n g i s s t i l l u n -
k n o w n .
Doing any sport with-
out a coach is very hard.
— Dominic Kahn,
former coach
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14February 29, 2012 The EyeopenerSPORTS
S P O R
T S
B R I E F
S
MEN’S FENCING WOMEN’S FENCING
Te men’s épée team fell sort
aganst a strong Ottawa teamn a losng cause n te sem-nals of te Ontaro Unverst
Atletcs (OUA) camponsps,but te redeemed temselves
b wnnng te bronze medalmatc. Arsen Tkomro tookome te bronze medal n tendvdual épée event.
Te women nsed te season
strong at te OUA campon-sps. Joanna Kolbe clamedte gold medal n te ndvdual
event. Se was also a part ofte team tat won Rerson’s
rst gold medal n te teamépée event. Kolbe and VeronkaDnelacker were bot named tote all-star team.By ChRiS BABiC
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Te men are eadng to te
OUA nal four for te rst tmesnce 2000. Te defeated teOttawa Gee-Gee’s 74-71 ts
past Saturda n te nal com-pettve game plaed at Kerr hall
gmnasum before movng toMaple Leaf Gardens. Te Ramswll now face Lakeead n Wa-terloo ts Frda; te game wll
be broadcasted natonall.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Te women saw ter season
end at te ands of te OttawaGee-Gee’s, 89-53. Te lossmarks te fourt consecutve
season n wc te team bowedout n te quarter-nals. Te
loss was also te end of AsleMacDonald’s all-star career atRerson. Se nsed secondn te conference n scorng at
18.2 ponts per game.
Trading spacesSpots Edto Gbel Lee talks to gure skaterChristina Pulla about her move to Ryerson fromthe University of Toronto
Last January, Christina Pulla
was faced with dicult decision
many students have encountered:
the choice between the University
of Toronto, where she was a gure
skater, or Ryerson University. Af-
ter careful consideration, she sub-
mied her application to Ryerson
despite having to compete in two
more events.
Initially, she received some ak
from her teammates at U of T for
the switch, but she had to do what
was best for herself academically.
“I didn’t see myself going any-where with my
degree [life sci-
ences] at U of
T,” Pulla said.
“I came to
Ryerson for the
nursing pro-
gram.”
Since arriving
at Ryerson in
September, she
has no regrets about leaving U of T.
Pulla said that at U of T, the
coaches of the team often neglect-
ed practice due to o-ice commit-
ments.
Pulla believes that the presence
of head coach Janean Brühn at ev-
ery practice helped the team’s per-
formance immensely.
“At some practices, there wasn’t
even one [coach] there,” Pulla said.
“Janean and Lauren [Wilson] were
at every practice, which was really
motivating…it made me want to be
there as well.”
The rst-year nursing student
also noticed that the skaters at Ry-
erson are more tight-knit than the
team at her previous school.
Two weeks ago, Pulla’s season
culminated in a bronze medal at the
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
championships. However her podi-
um performance wasn’t her proud-
est accomplishment in her rst year
as a Ram.
In the second competition of the
year, a friendly faceo against U
of T, she skated a perfect program;
something she claims she hasn’t
done since 2006.
Before performing her routine
at the OUA championships, Pulla
was hoping she would be able to
replicate her performance from the
friendly faceo on the big stage.
She admits that regardless of hav-ing her routine
mastered during
practice, she has
a habit of falter-
ing at competi-
tions.
“I skate clean
in practice every
single day,” Pulla
said.
“But as soon
as it comes to competitions I choke
and fall on jumps, I trip or some-
thing.”
According to Pulla, how you land
the double axel jump determines
your placing in the competition. Six
out of the nine skaters aempted
the jump, and the three that landed
it all nished on the podium. Pulla
was one of them.
Pulla still feels she can trade in
her bronze medal for a gold next
year if she’s able to incorporate a
triple jump into her routine.
“If I had a triple jump in my pro-
gram, it would trump the double
axel,” Pulla said.
“No one in my event this year
tried it. Diane [Szmie] won with-
out a triple jump, so I’m assuming
if someone had it they’d be able to
beat her.”
I didn’t see myself going anywhere with
my degree at U of T. — Christina Pulla
Figure skater Christina Pulla. PHOTO: MariSSa DEDEDEr
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15Febraury 29th, 2012 The EyeopenerFUNtastic
Gemini
Whatever you
choose to do this
week, you can
be condent that doing the
exact opposite would have
been a beer choice.
Sagitarius
You’ll consider
checking into re-
hab just to nd
some dealers that are actual-
ly reliable enough to support
a daily habit.
Aries
Your foray
into the world
of online dat-
ing won’t last too long,
as it seems even the awk-
ward weirdos on the in-
ternet don’t want to talk
to you.
Leo
Without get-
ting into too
much detail, you
should probably brush up
on your zombie survival
plan.
Libra
Pluto may not be
a planet anymore,
but it’s still going
to give you diabetes.
Taurus
By the end
of the week,
you’ll be the
most sought after super-
star in the amputee porn
industry.
Cancer
Sure, those
voices in your
head calling you
worthless are just a byprod-
uct of schizophrenia… But
they’re not wrong.
Virgo
You’ll be sur-
prised to nd
out that your de-
tailed zombie survival plan
will be almost useless when
the streets are lled with an-
gry grizzly bears.
Scorpio
If people seem to
act unusually cold
to you this week,
it’s only because they’re sick
and tired of pretending you
maer.
Aquarius
Many new and
exciting things
will happen
to you this week, most of
them killer bee-related.
Capricorn
You’ll survive the
Robot uprising
and subsequent
Robocracy, if only due
to your awkward move-
ments and complete lack
of personality.
Pisces
You will invent
a new and ex-
citing form of
beer pong, leaving one
dead and three perma-
nently disabled.
MystiKai’s Prophesy
by Kai benson
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16 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener
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