VICTORIA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPERVOL. 56 ISSUE 11 • MARCH. 23 2013 • WWW.THESTRAND.CA

PreZ Candidates (2)

Student Activism (4)

Smell Ya Later (7)

Writing Unpaid (8)

Study Habits (10)

Strand Libs (15)

populist

politics

protest and

pet peeves

drama vs.

documentary

expectations in

tv

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Hot news for thawing out...

Why are you running for VUSAC president?Benjamin: Simply put, I want to help make people’s lives better. I feel that VUSAC is full of potential to be a great student advocacy and resource hub for Victorians, but that it isn’t quite yet. I am running because I feel that my experience, my passion, and my ideas, combined with Gabe’s, will best help this cause. I love my college, and I plan on leading a government that best harnesses the energy of Vic and puts it towards building something: a more relevant student government, a more consultative student government, and a student government that ac-tually improves the lives of Victorians. Our goals are am-bitious, but they are worth fighting for and are matched only by the scope of our experience and the depth of our vision.

Gabriel: I am running because I know Vic can get better. Here at Vic, we have so many clubs, levies, and associate groups that make student life so vibrant for the people

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NeMEET THE CANDIDATES

Why are you running for VUSAC president?We’ve been involved students at Vic since orientation week of our first year. We feel deeply motivated to contribute to the community that has fostered our edu-cation for the last three years. Moreover, with lots of experience running clubs, events, etc. around campus, we feel very competent and comfortable in the idea of leading VUSAC. We have great ideas, big and small, on how to improve the student life experience and want to bring these into action. In running for co-presidency, we hope to enrich the Vic community and help it grow in an even better direction!

Why are you running as co-presidents?We’ve had the chance to work together in the past with great results. Our complementary attitudes and work ethics create a dynamic and responsive unit. As previ-ous presidents have testified, the role of president can be extremely demanding. By leaning on each other, we hope to be effective leaders throughout the entire year without having to sacrifice our academic endeavours. (Two heads are better than one!)

In which areas can VUSAC be most improved?We believe VUSAC should be made more approachable to Vic students. In order to have students interested in student politics, not only should VUSAC be more open, but also more receptive to student ideas and concerns. Through the modernization of the VUSAC website, as well as other small adjustments, we hope to keep stu-dents more directly involved in student politics and, ulti-mately, to empower them as individuals.

SaraLi: How has your experience as Commuter Commis-sioner prepared you to take on a presidential role?The Commuter Commissioner portfolio is extremely di-verse, and, having completed my constitutional duties and going even further, I believe I’ve shown the ability to dedicate myself to my job and work hard. This role has prepared me to know the inner workings of VUSAC, giving a balance between my partner, Ben, who has ex-ternal views of VUSAC. Balancing student council, aca-demics, and my own social life has worked out extreme-ly well this year and I think I’m ready to take on more. As CommComm, I’ve had direct contact with students and administration, enabling me to bring forth student voices and work together with admin. Being completely integrated with the Vic community, learning so much from this year on VUSAC, I believe that I am ready for the position of co-president.

Benjamin: What past experiences do you have that qualify you for the presidential role?My experience with VUSAC has been more practical than most other candidates. I have never held office in VUSAC; rather, my interactions with it have been as both a Vic student and a club head. As such, I feel that I have a much more cynical and critical view on the role that VUSAC does and [how it] should operate at Vic. As we are running as a co-presidency, I believe my unique experience with VUSAC (among presidential candi-dates) will help me and SaraLi form an advantageously open-minded duo.

Why are you running for VUSAC president?I am running for president because it has been my goal since my very first involvement in VUSAC two years ago, and I have already been preparing myself accord-ingly, so I am confident that I am the best person for the job. What do you think makes you stand out from your fellow candidates?Well, I’m the only person running as an individual presi-dent! More seriously, though, I am also the candidate with the most relevant experience to the president role. I’m also the only candidate who has already made con-siderable progress on most parts of my platform, so not

SARALI FOROUZANFAR (VUSAC COMMUTER COMMISSIONER) AND BENJAMIN FARMER-LACOMBE (VIC

FENCING CLUB HEAD)

ENXHI KONDI (VUSAC VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS)

BENJAMIN ATKINS (VUSAC FINANCE CHAIR) AND GABRIEL ZOLTAN-JOHAN (VUSAC CHAIR)

only am I in the ideal position to work on these issues, but Victorians can also have confidence in my ability to actually do what I set out to do.

In which areas can VUSAC be most improved?Advocacy, support, and accountability are VUSAC’s weakest points. Not enough social justice advocacy campaigns are run by VUSAC, or even endorsed, and there is a lack of focus on these types of issues in gen-eral. VUSAC also needs to work on supporting clubs and levies at Vic and supporting campaigns and groups at UofT in general, both by means of manpower but also [by] raising awareness. Lastly, VUSAC needs a system in place to hold its members accountable by the Vic stu-dent body. When VUSAC members start the year with particular goals that they hope to accomplish, the stu-dent body should be able to routinely check their prog-ress and openly address concerns or suggestions. How has your experience as VPO prepared you for a pres-idential role?Being that the VPO role is inclusive of both council man-agement, as well as clubs management, my workload has been that of two people, essentially, so I am pre-pared to take on the presidential workload at this point. The other candidates are touting a quantity of joint ex-perience, but I, even as one person, can both match their quantity and surpass their quality. Being vice president this year—especially being the only vice president for the entire summer—I have taken on numerous of the presidential duties already, either to alleviate [pressure on] the current president or simply out of ambition. I have worked closely with the president on all types of is-sues, including the UTSU politics and the Dean’s Office discussions, so I have a strong background of knowledge of Vic operations and the president’s role.

who attend this university, and contributing to that in any way makes me fulfilled. Knowing that the 3000+ Vic students each have their own place in the commu-nity is both calming and extremely satisfying. Being co-president [would allow] me to facilitate the amazing creativity and passion that all Victorians have and help direct it to greater ends for this college. I believe the ideas that Ben and I have, coupled with Vic’s unrelent-ing desire to improve, will help all Victorians achieve their potential and have all Victorians feel fulfilled and welcome in our community.

Why are you running as co-presidents?We feel that our skillsets complement each other com-pletely. Ben has the knowledge of clubs and levies, as well as finances, that is unmatched by any other candi-date. When it comes to the workings of Vic student life, Ben is the most capable of all candidates in addressing initiatives based on that. Gabe, on the other hand, is the more externally focused of us two. His knowledge in external affairs and Vic in the wider UofT community is unparalleled, and he has the ability to keep Vic on the right track in regards to Vic-UTSU relations in the lead-up to the UTSU’s October deadline for by-law sub-mission. His experience as Chair of VUSAC also fills in the gaps of knowledge internally for Ben; Gabe knows the ins and outs of council. Even further, we have an extremely close friendship and working relationship which has spanned three years, and therefore creates an aspect of mutual respect and trust that leads us to have more efficient and effective work on all of our ini-tiatives.

In which areas can VUSAC be most improved?VUSAC needs an overhaul in its methods of transpar-ency and communication. This overhaul on communica-tion includes changing the website and its subdivisions, creating a master calendar, and having a more prominent presence on social media. On transparency, we want VUSAC members attending more non-VUSAC events and collaborating more with clubs and levies (see: Sus-tainability Commissioner and the Board Games Club co-ordinating a tea-making workshop). We also want committee transparency; as it stands, there is no way to check who is attending or not attending the committees where policy and procedure are forged.

Benjamin: How has your experience as Finance Chair pre-pared you for a presidential role?Sole personal responsibility over VUSAC’s bank account ties me directly to our success as an organization. I have the most concentrated and important responsibility of any council member (excluding Rowan) with regards to how much impact my decisions have and how directly I control policy and execution. We only have one person responsible for VUSAC’s finances. The fact that I have all of these responsibilities prepares me immensely well to take on an equally comprehensive role [as president].

Gabriel: How has your experience as Chair prepared you for the presidential role?My two years as Chair of VUSAC have been especially fulfilling for three reasons. Firstly, it gave me an intimate role as an advisor to two different presidents, which has granted me experience that helps me understand cur-rent Victoria issues and their respective contexts. This also allows me to engage with solutions with a histori-cal lens that observes VUSAC’s efforts as foundational, rather than through the perspective of having one year in office to change things. It roots our understanding of our own initiatives as achievable, realistic, and forward-thinking. Secondly, it gave me a gateway opportunity to be Chair of the SGRT (St. George Round Table) as well, [a role] which I have carried out vigilantly. I have been at the forefront of engagement with the UTSU, the Vice-Provost, and different groups of lawyers and profes-sional consultants. This experience has prepared me as the only person who can appropriately engage with the lingering UTSU issue and its possible outcomes. Thirdly, my experience as Chair gives me unmatched knowledge on the structure and form of VUSAC. Having that insti-tutional knowledge is incredibly important in knowing how to change and evolve things in the most efficient and least destructive way possible. I know how work ought [to] be delegated and what is the best way for the council to function, leading to the internal discord pres-ent this year being nonexistent under our co-presidency.

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JUSTIN NOVICK-FAILLESTAFF WRITER

BLUE JAYS DISAPPOINT

Spr ing is supposed to be a t ime of renewed hope for all baseball teams. All 30 Major League teams descend upon Flor ida and Ar izona to play a slate of preseason games before things really k ick off in early Apr il. It is a t ime for teams to put their disappointments in the past and star t afresh. But this will be difficult for the Toronto Blue Jays, who had been hoping to compete in the playoffs this year (something they have not done since winning the World Ser ies in 1993). They have already suf-fered a big blow to their pitching staff, which was already plagued by uncer tainty.

Earlier this month, dur ing a routine bunting practice involving pitchers, the Jays’ br ight star, Marcus Stroman, tore his ACL and was declared out for the season. Stroman was expected to be an impor tant par t of the Jays’ pitching rotation and might have been the Opening Day star ter when the Jays are to take on the Yankees next month. Stro-man came up to the Blue Jays in May last season and impressed greatly, first out of the bullpen and then as a star t ing pitcher. Thanks to Stroman, it had seemed that the Jays would have four solid

star t ing pitchers: veterans R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle, along with young guns Stroman and Drew Hutchison. This way, the Jays would have only needed one more star ter and would have had a few options to choose from.

Now, however, the Jays might be in trouble. They have highly touted prospects in Aaron San-chez and Daniel Nor r is, but neither have any ex-per ience star t ing in the Big Leagues. Sanchez ex-per ienced a lot of success out of the bullpen last season, but nobody knows if he will be ready to transit ion into the star ter the Jays have envisioned him to be. Likewise, nobody knows if Daniel Nor-r is will be ready for the Big Leagues either. With Stroman, the Jays could have used Sanchez out of the bullpen, star ted Daniel Nor r is in the minor leagues if he had needed it, and potentially slot ted Marco Estrada into the fifth rotation spot. Estrada has been shaky the past few seasons with the Mil-waukee Brewers, but he might have made an okay fifth star ter this season.

The fact that the Jays probably don’t have the option of put ting Aaron Sanchez in the bullpen

is also troublesome. The Blue Jays’ bullpen was, quite frankly, awful last season, and the loss of long-time closer Casey Janssen was not helpful either. Bret t Cecil was the other candidate to fill the role of closer, but he cur rently has shoulder pain, and there is some doubt as to whether or not he will be available once the season star ts. The rest of the bullpen has holes too, and many spots remain up for grabs. It would be helpful if Steve Delabar recaptures his all-star form from two sea-sons ago, but the Jays st ill face many problems with the pitching staff.

There is no question that ever y thing might work out for the Jays this season. The offense is superb, Sanchez and Nor r is might turn out great, and a few others might step up in the bullpen and help make it respectable. If all this happens, the Jays will have a great chance to make the playoffs. But if they all f lop, the Blue Jays’ playoff drought will probably hit 22 years.

In May 2014, nationalism and Euroscepticism (op-posit ion to the process of European polit ical inte-gration) were the hot topics of the EU elections. Almost a year later, these trends have manifested themselves in a climate of increasing polar it y and divisiveness in Europe as well as fur ther afield.

Last spr ing, left-wing activists celebrated the EU Parliament’s increased representation of so-cialist anti-auster it y par ties, such as Podemos in Spain and Syr iza in Greece. However, nationalist anti-immigration par ties also gained ground in Nor thern Europe, with significant wins for UKIP in the UK and Geer t Wilders’ neoconser vative “Par ty for Freedom” in Holland.

Since then, Syr iza’s Alexis Tsipras has become the Pr ime Minister of Greece, and Podemos has caught the at tention of Spaniards and Europeans in general across the globe. Indeed, the last year has signalled a paradigmatic shift in the binar y polit ics of left and r ight. However, in light of the news cur rently emerging from Latin Amer ica- and the USA, these polit ical changes cannot be viewed in isolation.

In recent weeks, tensions between socialist Venezuela and the U.S. have intensified. Even as the U.S. officially published a statement defining Venezuela as an “unusual and extraordinar y threat to the national secur it y and foreign policy of the United States,” Venezuelan officials were in Ath-ens making trade agreements with the new social-ist government. It therefore appears that while Nor th-South relations in the Amer icas fracture and old wounds resur face, socialist regimes are seeking connections beyond borders and across oceans.

Greece and Venezuela’s new bilateral t rade deal makes the European nation one of Caracas’ main trading par tners. This fur ther unites two countr ies that, according to Venezuelan Presi-dent Nicolás Maduro, are both “fighting for their sovereignty” in the face of external “imper ialist threats.” Whether these threats come from the

USA or the EU mat ters lit t le when both countr ies believe they are fighting to implement economic and polit ical systems that diverge from the neo-liberal norm.

Upon his election, Pr ime Minister Tsipras re-ceived a congratulator y phone call from Maduro, who hailed him as “Comrade Alexis.” Many in Eu-rope have adopted language familiar to those liv-ing under the Bolivar ian Revolution in Venezuela, as ideas of wholesale reform to pr ivatization and public spending cuts have instilled a k ind of “revo-lutionar y fer vour.”

In the Spanish capital on Januar y 31 of this year, over 100,000 people took to the streets to suppor t Podemos and their “March for Change.” For the Spaniards, auster it y cuts have meant a

drastic reduction in public spending on schools and healthcare, as well as an unprecedented r ise to over 50% unemployment among youth. Social movements such as “Los Indignados” (“The Indig-nant Ones”) grew out of this volatile polit ical situ-ation, eventually forming Podemos, a radical left-ist par ty promoting tax reform, public spending, and wealth redistr ibution. According to Univer-sit y of Coimbra and Madison-Wisconsin Sociology Professor Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Podemos is “the biggest innovation in Europe since the Cold War.” de Sousa Santos also asser ts that Podemos can only be understood in conjunction with “the progressive governments that emerged in Latin Amer ica in the 2000s,” namely Chávez’s govern-ment in Venezuela.

The innovations to established neoliberal and capitalist polit ical and economic systems are therefore fundamentally interconnected. Follow-ing the global economic cr isis of 2008, disillusion-ment with governments that promoted pr ivatiza-t ion and spending cuts undoubtedly grew. It was in this climate that grassroots populist par ties began to gain ground in elections and win seats in parlia-ment.

Venezuela has vehemently at tacked their cate-gor ization by the USA as a “secur it y threat,” while highlighting the USA’s “imper ialist” presence in Latin Amer ica. Greece has stood it s ground in opposing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s auster it y measures and the EU’s bailout policies. Podemos is aiming to take power from Mar iano Rajoy’s Conser vative People’s Par ty in elections later this year.

People-led polit ics is proving to be a challenge to the neoliberal status quo the world over. Ten-sions and divisions are pulling apar t the seams of entrenched polit ical systems. Perhaps 2015 is the year when pressure from the r ight and the left—whether in Greece, Spain, Venezuela, or elsewhere—will ir revocably break apar t the world polit ical scene as we know it.

CATRIONA SPAVEN-DONNSTAFF WRITER

VENEZUELA AND GREECE:How populist politics is challenging the system

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The term “protest” can have both positive and nega-tive connotations. In every protest, there will be peo-ple who agree with the mandate of the organizing group and there will be people who do not. The na-ture of issues related to equity—the kind that require committed citizens to push toward changes in sys-tems and policy—is that such issues are very likely to be contentious. An individual’s reaction to the word “protest” will likely be dictated largely by the groups the individual interacts with and the individual’s per-sonal experience with organized disobedience.

But what exactly is the reasoning behind protest-ing as a concept? Especially within the context of modern university students, what are the methods by which students voice dissatisfaction with current systems? What benefits are there to gain from a small group of young people expressing dissatisfaction?

Protesting, at its core, is a physical and visual symbol of dissent by any group relating to specific issues of discontent. In universities, these issues are usually systemic problems with the way the univer-sity is governed, either in student governance or uni-versity administration. Arguably the largest current campaign to change universities’ operations is the di-vestment campaign, spearheaded by the internation-ally recognized 350 Organization. Student leaders on over 100 college and university campuses around the world are currently organizing in suppor t of divest-

ment for each of their respective institutions, and the campaign has already been successful in 26 cam-puses.

The divestment campaign, managed by the Fossil Free Uof T, forwards its message within the Univer-sity of Toronto campus through various methods of systematic and strategic protest. In the fall of 2014, this included a campus-wide fossil fuel divestment march, which received extensive suppor t. However, sometimes less conventional means of protest are used, such as networking with other groups and fac-ulty members on campus to receive wide-ranging en-dorsements, or spending hours at tables in various lobbies on campus to verbally inform other students of the issues and actions being taken. Cer tainly, true remonstration against institutional policies comes in many forms and levels of commitment, but all types of protest work toward the main goal of engaging citizens in complex discussion about how systems can be improved.

In this way, no campaign for change is ever truly standing alone. All examples of dissent serve to fuel others around them, inspiring the timid to rise and voice concerns. Additionally, the issues dealt with by one group in protest will often intersect with the fun-damental beliefs of another group, creating networks not only of individual allies, but also of larger groups in solidarity with each other. Whether expressly

stated or indirectly felt, the courage of one group to stand up and fight against broken systems in suppor t of equity can always serve to encourage others.

The recent strike of the University of Toronto members of CUPE3902 Unit 1 is a prime example of such inspiration. The strike brought together numer-ous campus student groups, including members of the divestment campaign in solidarity with the CUPE strike members. Students who take a stand against systems that they feel are incongruous or oppressive are able to find strength in the knowledge that other protest groups are trying to create lasting change as well.

The divestment campaign is presently essential, not simply because it brings to light the abundant negative social impact of fossil fuel use worldwide, but also because divestment illustrates the power of youth to create tangible change.

In a time when it is incredibly easy for young peo-ple to believe that their voices do not matter, student-led campaigns such as divestment serve to prove that passionate and committed citizens can truly make a difference.

JOANNA DOWDELLSTAFF WRITER

THE NECESSITY OF STUDENT UPRISING:

From divestment to union strikes

“We know the march is not yet over,” President Barack Obama announced earlier this month when commemorating the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama. In arguably his most moving speech since re-election, the president ad-dressed the current racial climate and acknowledged the reality of racial oppression in America while remaining characteristically optimistic. Obama’s words, although in response to tense race relations in the United States, hold a considerable amount of weight in this new era of protest. In keeping with the legacy of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, Obama’s speech responded to a universal spirit of collective action and dissent on the par t of citizens seeking change. Today, it seems the entire world is in protest, with citizens everywhere using peaceful protest as a vehicle to facilitate change in their communities.

The world saw how quickly the Occupy Wall Street movement rose to international heights and then quickly faded away. The Occupy movement emerged in response to the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and following the Arab Spring in 2011. It im-mediately garnered an international following, with a huge demonstration of solidarity that spanned 951 cities in 82 countries. Given the overwhelming anti-capitalist sentiment felt during that time, suppor ters hoped that Occupy would move beyond a dialogue on economic disparity and would pave the way for systemic changes. Instead, the lion’s share of Oc-cupy protests came to an abrupt end, with its last major camp in London, England forcibly shut down near the end of 2012. Needless to say, not all move-

ments suffer this fate, but one lesson that emerged out of Occupy Wall Street is that leadership and fo-cus are central to the effectiveness of protest.

From the Euromaidan protests in Kiev, Ukraine to the tear-gassed streets of Ferguson, Missouri to student camps in Hong Kong, it appears that the entire world is up in arms, holding signs, chanting, and demanding reform. Whether you agree with

the championed causes or not, the reality that we are at a global tipping point of frustration seems to be reaffirmed every time a new protest movement emerges. It may be too soon to measure the legacy of these movements but, as global citizens, it is im-por tant to maintain a critical approach in measuring their effectiveness.

MANAAL ISMACILSTAFF WRITER

COUNTERCULTURE TODAY, COUNTERCULTURE TOMORROW

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Much has been said throughout the course of the TA strike about the positions of both the workers and the university’s administration and about who’s right and who’s wrong. That debate is rife with complexities and ethical subtleties. But instead of deciding on the overall validity of each group’s demands, I’ve put together a few of the things that have frustrated me the most dur-ing this debacle:

Pet Peeve #1: Both parties’ misrepresentation of facts.Unfortunately, throughout the course of the ne-

gotiations and the strike, both the university and the local CUPE unit have been guilty at times of misrep-resenting the facts. In an email sent out to students just before the start of the strike, Vice-Provost Jill Matus insinuated that the safety of students might be “compromised” by picket lines made up of their own instructors and teaching assistants. A few weeks later, an email sent by Cheryl Regehr and Angela Hildyard indicated that CUPE had rejected an offer made by the university, while making no mention of the fact that this was actually a counter-offer to a proposal originally made by the union. Other mantras, like the adminis-tration’s emphasis on the TAs’ hourly wages and its claims about attempting to reach a compromise (when several of the university’s offers would cost less in the long run than the current one), were also disingenuous.

Had the negotiators been representing a private company, such distortions by the administrators would perhaps be a little bit more acceptable. But the Uni-versity of Toronto is a publicly funded institution of higher education. The fact that its administrators have been willing to so blatantly misrepresent reality should be disturbing to everyone. Of all institutions, the one whose core values are closely tied to objectivity and the dissemination of knowledge should not be playing political games in order to win the public’s favour.

This is not to say that the TAs are innocent, ei-ther. Most notably, the TAs’ emphasis on the minimum funding package has been disingenuous because of the wide range of funding levels that exist across the uni-versity. The average level of support for PhD students

is far higher than the minimum. When this detail is brought up, many respond that there are wide dispari-ties between the departments. But doesn’t that turn the funding issue into more of a departmental problem, rather than a university-wide one?

Pet Peeve #2: CUPE’s incessant references to poverty.Everyone who has heard about the strike knows

that the minimum funding package is below the pov-erty line for the City of Toronto. Not a day of picketing went by in which the picketers refrained from chanting, “We are UofT! We shouldn’t live in poverty!” What no one seems to have mentioned yet, though, is that just because you’re making a “poverty-line” wage, that doesn’t mean you’re actually living in poverty.

Take the case of just about every undergraduate student in this university. Though some of us may have summer or part-time jobs, it’s likely that the majority of us are indeed making less than a living wage. But no one makes a big fuss about that, because we don’t expect to be supporting ourselves entirely as a result of our careers as students.

The same goes for being a graduate student. A graduate education is a major investment that is by no means meant to be permanent or mandatory. I don’t think any reasonable person would expect to go into grad school to make a lot of money during their stud-ies, or even to be financially independent during that time. Further, being a TA or a sessional instructor isn’t even a career; it’s meant to be a temporary, part-time job that students take as an aside to their research in order to relieve some of the financial pressures of be-ing a student. This is what has been really frustrating about the TAs’ mentions of poverty wages and living conditions. Although many teaching assistants and in-structors certainly face financial pressures (some of which are very severe), I really doubt that the majority of graduate students here are actually living in poverty.

Pet Peeve #3: Claims that a graduate degree is a right.I’ve read blog posts on the CUPE page expressing

the desire for a university in which you don’t have to be financially privileged in order to get a graduate educa-tion. That you don’t need to be lucky in order to enrol

in a PhD or Master’s program. While I agree that grad-uate school should be made accessible to successful undergraduate students, I think it’s absurd to claim that it should be totally accessible to literally everyone. As I’ve mentioned before, a graduate education is a ma-jor commitment and should not be seen as something everyone needs. It may sound harsh, but I think that such a degree is something you should be willing to pay for or earn through awards based on merit. It would be a waste of society’s resources to try to ensure that everybody is able to write a thesis on whatever they want for free.

Pet Peeve #4: The university’s claims that students “won’t be penalized.”

Throughout the strike, the university (as well as individual departments) have persistently claimed that students “won’t be penalized” if they choose not to cross the picket line. Right. Not penalized at all, except for the fact that you’ll miss the lecture material that you are still responsible for, and that material is really the only thing for which you’re paying tuition. I don’t blame the university for trying to keep classes running dur-ing the strike, but the administration’s position on the ramifications of not crossing the picket line has been completely unclear. As far as I’ve seen, lectures run by professors continue to have regular attendance, while some of my course coordinators have had to express the fact that we only need to write the next test “if we choose to do so.” Because, apparently, the university will not penalize us for supporting the strike, while at the same time the test is still running and being grad-ed. This aspect of the situation has been terribly man-aged by the university and has only resulted in loads of confusion for everyone.

Both parties have made claims that have been ei-ther misrepresentative or outright wrong. Both parties have been overly political about the situation and have demonstrated some amount of disregard for the under-graduates that have been left in the middle of the fight. We’ve lost valuable hours of education that we paid for, and it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting anything back for it.

KASRA KOUSHANEDITORIAL ASSISTANT

TA STRIKE:Pet peeves

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VUSAC ELECTIONS:

Why we (actually) need to care about student government

This is one ar t icle I never thought I’d wr ite. I’ve never been interested in student gov-

ernment. I sk ipped most of the elections in high school to go hang out behind the school with my fr iends (literally the only rebellious thing I did in those entire four years). I care a lot about polit ics at most other levels, and this complete lack of in-terest came from my belief that student govern-ment didn’t really have an impact on student life.

I’m not the only one to feel this way; Victor ia College has a long and stor ied histor y of apathy toward our student government. I’ve heard esti-mates that only about 15% of the Victor ia College population actually voted in the VUSAC election last year, which is far lower than Canadians’ usual (dismal) turnout at federal elections.

But my views on the impor tance of student government have changed over the years. Student government inf luences students’ lives at multiple levels, some of which we don’t usually see. For any-one who belongs to a club or lev y, a good work ing relationship with student government is essential to get t ing any thing done. For people who aren’t as directly involved, the student government de-termines which events and student init iat ives get suppor t, exer ting an effect on student life. And student government doesn’t just mean VUSAC—it also includes posit ions like the Board of Regents, which directly impact the college’s policies.

This year’s at tempted impeachment and sub-sequent resignation of the Ar ts & Culture Com-missioner following accusations of improper conduct has thrown the impor tance of student representation and transparency into sharp relief. We need to elect leaders that represent our best interests and work to create safe spaces at Vic. We also need to know when people aren’t fulfilling these obligations, especially when these failures cause them to leave office.

I’m cautiously optimistic about the direc-t ion in which student government is headed. This year’s election promises change—not just per-sonnel change, but also institutional change. Last year many of the candidates ran unopposed, and there were multiple posit ions left unfilled after the election (some of these posit ions were filled by

unelected officials and some were left empty for the entire year). But this year there is a lot more competit ion for posit ions, which has created an interesting level of debate between candidates.

I’m also excited to see candidates discussing substantial problems at the universit y—like mental health and the universit y’s sexual assault policy—and offer ing ser ious and concrete solutions. This isn’t to say that we should be satisfied with mere discussion of these issues. Par t of being invested voters involves actually talk ing to candidates and holding them accountable for what they say they’ll do. We need to make sure that impor tant issues aren’t just buzzwords, and that the candidates are planning on creating substantial change.

Victor ia students have r isen to this challenge, and they’ve also been br inging up issues candi-dates haven’t covered in their plat forms. Student questions on the VUSAC election Facebook forum and the student Town Hall last Fr iday introduced an impor tant discussion about intersectionalit y and suppor t for POC on campus. There’s a real sense of student investment in the results of this election, which makes this sad, aging cynic excit-ed for the future of student government.

Being interested in student government doesn’t stop at voting—it also means monitor ing what the student government does dur ing the year. Now, at-tending a three- to four-hour VUSAC meeting on a Fr iday night might not be your top pr ior it y. But all the presidential candidates have space on their plat form for making VUSAC more accessible to the average student, whether it’s improving trans-parency for meetings or creating a more accessible website. It remains to be seen whether these init ia-t ives will become a realit y, but including them in discussions is a step toward governmental acces-sibilit y.

I’m never going to run for student government myself—I have none of the qualit ies of a polit ician, student government or other wise. But I’ve come to recognize that student government is impor tant, whether we pay at tention to it or not. The more we’re actively engaged with it by both suppor ting and cr it iquing it, the bet ter it can represent us.

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VUSAC ELECTIONS: Smell Ya Later(Smell Ya Later Forever)

As many things in life do, my time at The Strand star ted with free pizza. My first year of universit y had zipped by while I was busy doing ver y impor-tant things like r iding the GO Train and research-ing universit ies to which I could transfer, so when second year came around and The Strand adver-t ised a recruitment night with free pizza, I figured it was t ime to tr y to get involved.

Before I established roots with The Strand, I dr ifted from one club to another and spent a lot of t ime standing awkwardly at meetings where ev-er yone already knew each other. I dist inctly re-member opening the door to one Vic club (which shall remain nameless), making eye contact with the eight or so people huddled around a board game, and promptly exit ing. Moments of social uncer tainty were always balanced by a quick text message to a high school fr iend who would vali-date my social abilit ies. I would come and go from campus without talk ing to one person. I didn’t want to be here.

Student journalism had never appealed to me. In fact, I have a hazy memor y of pick ing up my first copy of The Strand as a first year and think-ing, well this is lame. I equated the student press to comically homegrown publications like The Daily Four th Gradian, and I was generally sceptical of the value of “news” to such a small community. Granted, all of this happened approximately 43

years ago, and the memor ies tend to blur together.After a str ing of unsuccessful at tempts at stu-

dent involvement, I stayed on campus past 9 PM (with a 2-hour commute home, that sacred t imeslot was reser ved for only the most impor tant events) and gathered in the former Cat’s Eye to sign up for mailing lists while sur reptit iously monitor ing the pizza supply. I left soon after the last slice.

I had failed to make any lasting fr iendships in my classes, but The Strand was the place where I could finally bond with people over the things you bond over in first and second year: movies, T V, music—the k ind of excited conversations that slowly stop happening once you get older. The Strand was where I could celebrate the things I liked with other students who were similarly dis-interested in being self-conscious.

My goal in joining ranks with the legion of the sleep-depr ived was to convince enough people that I was funny enough to run the humour sec-t ion. That didn’t happen, and instead I ended up holding hands with a couple of co-editors while generally shouting and demanding justice.

When you’re running a campus publication, it’s hard to think that you’re not always doing the worst job ever. In 2013, a Daria doppelganger was elected as EIC: this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. I know more than anyone that our lit t le paper isn’t

per fect, but I won’t let anybody diminish the str ides we’ve made to improve the qualit y and look of a publication that we work on simply for the joy of doing it. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there isn’t a lot of money in pr int media these days: The Strand is entirely a labour of love. And while the love tends to dwindle after 1 AM on production nights, I’m constantly amazed and in-spired by the interest and sk ill exhibited by our contr ibutors and staff.

Thank you to my co-editors over the years and ever yone who comfor ted me while I watched my GPA slip away slowly dur ing long hours toiling away on InDesign. Thank you to my travel com-panions who let me go to 3 national conferences and make approximately .2 fr iends. And thank you to ever yone who has shared their talent and t ime with The Strand over the years.

I don’t think I will look back on my time at Vic with any par ticular fondness, but maybe that will change with t ime. When it comes to The Strand, however, I consider myself lucky to have found a community where I could grow and watch others grow, too.

It is with a generous helping of bit tersweet sauce that I say goodbye to what I shall from now on refer to as “my old campus rag.” Y’all have been great. I can’t wait to see what you do next.

My time as a totalitarian governor of the student paper

LITERAL PICTURE OF THE STRAND’S OFFICE MINUS CAFFEINE

PAULA RAZURIEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THANK YOU FROM YOUR OUTGOING EDITORSSLEEP???THE ILLUMINATIVICTORY CAFETHE HATERZCOFEENCOOL STUDENT GOVERNMENTTHAT CHOCOLATE THAT LETS YOU NEVER SLEEPLENNY KRAVITZSHREKTHAT PUPPY WHO IS BURNINGBARELY CUSHIONED FURNITURETHE CLOUD(???)

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Prestige can be an allur ing qualit y for some. For Susan*, a 21-year-old student journalist, the impressive alumni—such as Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje—of the literar y magazine for which she interned was one of the many reasons she decided to per form unpaid work.

As for the other reasons?“I was feeling scared about wanting to get into an in-

dustr y that was so competit ive and wanted to get as much exper ience as possible while I was st ill in my [undergrad-uate studies],” Susan admits.

The journalism industr y is in a state of f lux. With ad-ver tisers f lock ing to the online world to fund their ven-tures, pr int publications are compelled to shut down, cut their staff size, or limit their space for new hires. Me-dia organizations sometimes feel they can’t afford to pay their interns and entr y-level workers, so they turn to un-paid internships as a solution.

Susan’s fears are not exaggerated; the supply for jobs in the media industr y is low, but the demand for work is high. What’s even more fr ightening is that the system-ic inequalit y of unpaid internships cater ing to those who can afford to take up such labour takes the competit ion beyond a classist issue that’s rarely discussed in the me-dia.

Although there has been growing coverage on unpaid interns filing lawsuits against the employers who failed to properly compensate them for their labour, there has not been enough coverage on the effects of unpaid work on marginalized groups.

According to Andrew Langille, a Toronto lawyer and an exper t on youth employment and labour markets, par t of the structural problem can be connected to the vague wording of labour laws that are meant to prevent unpaid labour from happening. “I think we are pushing young people into some ver y precar ious situations, which can be taken as a form of structural violence inf lic ted by policy decisions,” he says.

As he goes on to say, “It’s safe to say that unpaid in-ternships—or other forms of unpaid labour—are forms of precar ious work. The people who do them don’t have a lot

of power.” Although the amount of research on socioeco-nomic inequalit y relating to unpaid internships is sparse, Langille turns to The Great Gatsby Cur ve, a char t-plot t ing cur ve of data compiled by Miles Corak, a Canadian econ-omist, which cor relates how the inequalit y of one gener-ation affects oppor tunit ies for their descendants. In an inter view with Sean McElwee for Mic.com, Corak stated that “What is underlying the cur ve and what draws those two themes together is the structure of oppor tunity—the tendency in countr ies with higher inequalit y to have more structured oppor tunity.”

When applied to the scenar io of unpaid work in the media industr y, the lack of oppor tunit ies that comes with not being able to afford an unpaid internship affects fu-ture job oppor tunit ies, too.

Greig de Peuter, assistant professor in the Depar tment of Communication Studies at Wilfred Laur ier Universit y, agrees with this notion, but also sees the implications of this systemic issue beyond economics. As de Peuter says, although “zero-wage work is a de facto business model in many creative industr ies now,” the class bar r ier on tak ing unpaid labour is not limited to economic inequalit y. “[The class bar r ier] also potentially nar rows the exper iences and perspectives that are represented in the media.” The limited oppor tunit ies created by structural violence for those who cannot afford to take an unpaid internship is an intersectional issue: the more the diversit y of the com-petit ion nar rows down, the greater the lack of diversit y represented in the industr y.

In fact, de Peuter finds that “there’s lit t le coverage connecting internships to race and gender inequity, for example, and media internships are rarely linked to the wider condit ions of precar it y in media work.”

Josh Mandr yk, co-chair of Students against Unpaid Internship Scams, wor r ies about not just the structural violence that limits the oppor tunit ies of job prospects for aspir ing journalists who cannot afford to work unpaid, but also about a recent trend in employers using a change in terminology to bend the laws restr ic t ing unpaid work. “I have been seeing a [trend] of labeling unpaid work as

AMANDA AZIZEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Unpaid and UnreportedPhotography by Victoria Chuen

The Structural Violence in Media Internships

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‘volunteer posit ions’ in job boards lately,” he has noted. “You really star t to structure who can get into cer tain jobs. As the number of unpaid internships increase[s], the possibilit ies of going into journalism become discourag-ing,” Ella Henr y, Mandr yk’s co-chair of Students against Unpaid Internship Scams, adds.

What comes to mind is the ser ial intern archetype—employers will be at tracted to those with more exper ience, so young professionals often find themselves trapped in a loop of completing one internship after another to gain said exper ience. What should be noted is that tak ing up an unpaid internship is not the sole requirement to landing that f lashy journalist gig, especially since unpaid work is illegal. There are plenty of ways for aspir ing journalists to work their way up to a secured job, such as freelancing or even secur ing paid internships. Yet, it’s the constant pressure to take up unpaid work due to the lack of paid work being offered in the industr y, as well as the require-ment of “x years of exper ience” in many entr y-level job descr iptions, that creates the competit ion for entr y-level workers. A fast way to get those years of exper ience is through offer ing to work unpaid. Therefore, the ser ial in-tern archetype can be developed into a character with the pr ivilege to work unpaid, and the abilit y to access more oppor tunit ies through those pr ivileges.

The damaging aspect of the unpaid internships creat-ing systemic inequalit y is that there is a culture of silence in the media industr y regarding repor ting about the struc-tural violence of unpaid internships. Unpaid labourers face obstacles when at tempting to complain about precar-ious work condit ions, such as fear of being blacklisted in the media industr y. This creates even more of an issue of structural violence. There may be advocacy groups, such as Henr y’s and Mandr yk’s organization and the Canadi-an Intern Association, that help to protect interns from labour violations like unpaid work, but Henr y argues that “the onus should not be [placed on] those who take up the precar ious work.”

Despite having struggled to balance her involvement with extracur r icular activit ies, schoolwork, and a par t-t ime job, Susan still claims, “I think having done [two internships] opened a lot of doors for me.” She does, how-ever, warn that the prestige of the publication’s name can only go so far—it’s the qualit y of the internship program that mat ters. “People in the industr y know which publica-t ions [or] companies have actually beneficial internships. If you’re not learning any thing, people will pick up on that later when you’re inter viewing around.” It’s true that the onus should not be put on those who decide to take up unpaid work, but Susan recommends they proceed with caution if they decide to take par t in unpaid work.

As for the culture of silence sur rounding the insuffi-cient amount of repor ting on unpaid and precar ious work in the media industr y: perhaps it’s t ime for media indus-tr ies to star t repor ting on labour violations in internships instead of the interns themselves. The breaking news may urge policy makers to consider addressing the structural violence occur r ing in this industr y once the public knows about it.

*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the per-son inter viewed.

This ar ticle was funded by Media Works, a project of CWA Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian University Press and the National Campus and Community Radio Associa-tion. For more original labour s tories and a handbook on media worker rights and labour repor ting, visit www.me-dia-works.org.

It’s safe to say that unpaid internships—or other forms of unpaid labour—are forms of precarious work...

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ASHLEY HARRIPERSADCONTRIBUTOR

Do you know how to take a break? Think about it—do you really? Well, either way, I have some tips that can help you take the best breaks ever!

Okay, so sometimes we feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to get our readings and assignments done. I’m sure you’ve heard people tell you, “Make sure you manage your time!” Obvi-ously, this is easier said than done.

I get it. Some days you find yourself working for what feels like hours on end. Although this may be the case, you should know that there are ways to make yourself feel better about studying. For example, if your method of studying includes buckling down for long periods of time, consider the “30-minute rule.” The premise of this glorious time-management rule is based on efficiency.

How does it work, you ask? Simple. Do you have a phone? Watch? Maybe an actual timer? Great! Set your timing device for 30 minutes and work for its entirety. This means no Facebook, no texting, no You-Tube—you must avoid any and all distractions! Stay focused for 30 minutes, and if you keep at it, you’ll

be getting more and more work done in no time. Now, when your timer goes off, you take a five-

minute break. Yes, a break. But don’t get carried away, because you only have five minutes. Watch a video (being mindful of its length), respond to a mes-sage, or get up and do some jumping jacks. What-ever it is that you choose to do, make sure that you pay attention to the fact that this should only be for five minutes. Next? Repeat. You may find that after a couple hours, a longer break is needed. Don’t forget to mind your mind! Maybe you can use one of your longer breaks to grab a snack, rehydrate, or watch some TV (Netf lix is not recommended).

With experimentation, you may find that you prefer to do ten-minute breaks every 45 minutes, or some other division of time that works for you. Different courses will require different time com-mitments; there isn’t a one-size-fits-all method. Find what works for you, and let your productivity f low!

Here are some tips to help you get your study on:

Tip #1: The 30-minute rule. Try it!

Tip #2: Prepare your snacks and meals ahead of time. This way, you’ll be able to take breaks that are more gratifying (unless, of course, you enjoy prepar-ing snacks and meals). This will also likely help you stay focused on your work.

Tip #3: Remove all possible distractions. By dis-tractions, I mean your phone and potentially even your Wi-Fi. Have you ever tried chucking your cell-phone across the room and leaving it there while you work? Doing this will also make you get up and stretch when you take a break.

Tip #4: Ask your friends and classmates what works for them. If your friends are studying simi-lar material (or even if they are not), you should ask them how they go about studying. You might even pick up a few new study techniques.

Don’t just take breaks; take breaks that work for you. Good luck!

BREAKING DOWN BREAKS

HERE COMES COMPANY!Stephen Sondheim is a musical theatre composer and lyr icist who deser ves his own unique musi-cal categor y. Why? Because of the complexit y of his scores and br illiance of his lyr ics. He manages to create an ar t form within the genre of musical theatre, which has never been fully acknowledged as “high-class” theatre.

Company follows a man named Bobby, who is celebrating his 35th bir thday with his fr iends, a group of five couples. They all love Bobby and wish him the best on his special day. But, more im-por tantly, they want him to set tle down and “tie the knot.” Throughout the show, Bobby visit s his fr iends and his three lovers. He goes through life nonchalantly, not knowing what he wants from his ever yday exper iences. At least, not until his last number, “Being Alive,” when he embraces the fear of let t ing someone in and wanting that spe-cial person—the company of a companion.

It was dur ing this number that Bobby, played by Kor in Thomas-Smith, really came alive and delivered a power ful per formance. His vocals throughout the show were exceptional. However,

the character of Bobby is nuanced, and Thomas-Smith felt a bit young to play the role—it is hard for anyone our age, especially a first-year, to relate to the notion of feeling directionless when fr iends are get t ing mar r ied.

My main cr it ique of the show was of direc-tor Kevin Wong’s creative vision. It seemed to lack focus and clar it y. The minimalist retro set evoked the early 1970s, which could have created unifor-mity in the costume choices to give this unconven-tional play a cohesive aesthetic. However, some of the actors were in modern clothes, some in 50s-style dresses, and others in punk garb, making the visuals disjointed.

Some of the roles were gender-swapped, which could have worked. However, the names remained the same, so Mar tha was played by Roddy Rodr i-guez. This character makes a joke about pregnan-cy, which did not quite resonate. This also threw off the blend of voices in “You Can Dr ive a Per-son Crazy” with the other two female singers. The purpose of this intentional choice did not translate to stage.

The first half of the show seemed a bit clunky and chaotic, most likely due to first-night jit ters. The second act had a br ighter energy, though, and the scene work was focused and concise. Sond-heim’s br illiance allows for minimal staging be-cause the words and music are so clever. This al-lows his plays to speak for themselves, something which was accomplished in the lat ter half of this production.

The cast is the main reason to see this show, as each actor brought their own personal f lare to the role. The chemistr y between the couples and the rest of the cast was tangible, and their pure joy for the show they had worked so hard at was evident. In par ticular, Anthony Bethelo, Dan New-ton, Philip Russell, Coco Lee, Maddy Foley, and Claire Renaud delivered impeccable comedic t im-ing, acted with complete conviction, and delivered some of the best moments in the show. This show is an ensemble piece, and this cast was a company of the highest order.

CLARRIE FEINSTEINSTAFF WRITER

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Clubbing is a r ite of passage for students pining for the quintessential undergraduate exper ience in all it s dimly-lit glor y. Like a few choice words and phrases in the English language, such as “ice cream,” “going to the gym,” and “sex,” the term “clubbing” conjures up a whole host of highly per-sonal and subjective images, feelings, and expec-tations. Clubbing is not per fect, but neither are we. Despite it s naysayers, here is an ode to the whole soul-throbbing exper ience—a call to arms (and hips) to clubbing for the sake of dance and enjoyment.

Why do people go out to nightclubs, anyway?According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, “a

nightclub is generally dist inguished from bars, pubs, or taverns by the inclusion of a dance f loor and a DJ booth…” AH-HAH! What a splendid an-swer. The highlight of nightclubs must have some-thing to do with dancing or music; if dance and music are essential to what differentiates a club from other fun places that one may choose to visit on a blissful evening, why do some revelers seem not to give two hoots about dancing?

Okay, it’s possible that the problem lies with the clubs themselves. Clubs in Toronto are noto-r ious for their long lines, r idiculous winter coat checks (blessed be the summer), and the strange

phenomenon that 90% of them seem to feel ex-actly the same. To be fair, it’s a business. Clubs will probably always operate the way they do be-cause they work from a financial perspective. But that doesn’t mean that patrons of said commercial establishments can’t have amazing, unforget table nights that will become the stuff of urban legends.

There’s always a way to have a great night. The decision to elevate one’s happiness to unprec-edented levels of musical ecstasy is largely based on mindset and at t itude. Nothing can faze the ex-per ienced clubber or the determined par tier. No mat ter how crowded the dance f loor or how ear-crushingly loud the music, they’ve done it all and seen it all. There’s always hope. Adopt this war r ior mindset and the night will reveal it s secret adven-tures and possibilit ies.

Clubbing with the r ight people is a must. Those who love clubbing for the dancing and music are generally the people you want to include in your crew. Debbie Downers and Negative Nathans? No thank you. If you br ing fr iends who are ready to have a rollick ing good time, it’s a guarantee that no mat ter what happens, a good time is what you’ll find!

In regards to the dancing, it’s really simple, I promise. The secret to having fun dancing at

a club is… *drumroll please* …DON’T GIVE A FIDDLER’S FART ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK! It’s really that easy. It also helps leaps and bounds if you like the music in the club on that par ticular night. So plan your nights accordingly, if at all possible. Once you star t feeling the music and let t ing loose, you’ll find that it’s a lot easier to enjoy the exper ience. That being said, when you’re really in a pickle, keep it simple. Nightclubs are not known for their endless expanse of spacious frolick ing meadows, so don’t f lail around too vio-lently. Thankfully, other than that consideration, all that really mat ters when you star t enjoying the music and the rambunctious energy of your fellow par ty mates is having a good time.

Yes, you deser ve a great night to let loose and enjoy the simple things that life has to offer (like shaking your boo-tay). So lock those apprehensive thoughts up and charge for th fearlessly. The world of clubbing is one fraught with the strangest of exper iences, but it’s also home to some of the best life-affirming nights one can have. We can choose to watch wist fully as life passes us by, or we can dance. So please, when that choice comes around, get out there and DANCE!

JJ WONGCONTRIBUTOR

CLUBBING:Fist pumping and hip bumping

THE META PROJECT:

In my second year of universit y, I got involved in a magazine/news website that will remain unnamed. Ask anyone else involved in that magazine/website and you may get a different stor y, but for almost two years, it was a real learning exper ience for me about the worlds of news media and journalism. It was excit ing because it was something that could almost be considered a “real company,” largely due to the effor ts of myself and one other person, who we will call “Nameless” for the purposes of this ar t icle.

Dur ing the t ime Nameless was involved, our contr ibutor pool expanded dramatically and we were able to star t planning to grow the company. Nameless seemed to at tract people wherever he went; it was like recruit ing was his calling in life. But there was also a real downside to Nameless, which I wasn’t aware of immediately.

It turned out Nameless was exaggerating ev-er y thing about the magazine. For example, he told potential contr ibutors that the magazine had an incoming government grant wor th $50,000, which wasn’t true. But it was worse than just these lies—it seemed like Nameless had also invented an al-ternate personalit y for himself in relation to the company. He was apparently telling people he was a founder and CEO (also untrue) and making oth-er incredible statements. What I’m outlining here was only the t ip of the iceberg.

My relationship to this stor y is that I was the one who involved Nameless in the company, and when the t ime came, I was the one who pushed him out. By the end of this exper ience I remember regret t ing that we hadn’t had a camera rolling on

what was happening inside the company, follow-ing the tragic destruction of my Nameless fr iend.

It was really dramatic. On the one hand, Name-less was an amazing recruiter and had an ir resist-ible personalit y. But on the other hand, he was clearly a practised and incor r igible liar who need-ed to be ousted. Judgement aside, if that wouldn’t make great television, what would? I dare you to tell me you wouldn’t watch that if it were a real show.

So that’s what I’ve done.Since that unnamed news website/magazine

and I have gone our separate ways, I’ve created The Meta Project. It’s a news/media website, but with the added dimension of focusing on the peo-

ple behind the site—the employees and the per-sonal dramas occur r ing behind the scenes. It’s k ind of like The Office, except it’s real. Maybe it sounds weird, but I think the enter tainment world is ready for something like this: an open-source realit y T V/web office drama, but minus the office because we don’t have one of those yet. But I’m working on it!

So if you see yourself as a dynamic television personalit y, or if you are ambitious or talented, come join our team. We want you! Or if you’re confused or just interested in learning about what we do, come check us out at www.themeta.website.

NEIL MCKENZIE-SUTTERSTAFF WRITER

Acting in shameless self-promotion

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THOUGHTS ON TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY

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ANTHONY BURTONNEWS EDITOR

Musically, To Pimp a Butter fly mixes a plethora of black inf luences—direct references to 2Pac, a George Clinton cameo, Snoop Dogg. The unrestrained jazz and funk inf luences run as an undercurrent through-out the album. It’s Kendrick’s musical love let ter to his community, infused with his own inner conf lict and conviction.

Culturally, there’s no coincidence that it comes on the heels of D’Angelo’s Black Messiah. The two represent different approaches to the same issues that have come to the forefront of our society’s con-sciousness in the past six months—Trayvon Mar tin, Eric Garner, and police brutality—and these ap-proaches ref lect the ar tists themselves. D’Angelo famously took 14 years to release the follow-up to Voodoo, despite playing tracks from it as early as 2008. This demonstrates his per fectionism: the al-bum itself is a carefully constructed meditation that deals with what’s built up inside of him in a very deliberate manner.

The contrast that Kendrick presents is what makes To Pimp a Butter fly so compelling. It aims to do justice and pay tr ibute to his ancestr y, but he’s so full of anger and internal contradiction with his place in the world that there are moments of rage that end up inevitably leaking out. All the darkest and most personal tracks (here’s looking at “u”) are solo effor ts without any features—they’re un-restrained outpourings of emotion. This contrasts

with the tracks that show deliberation, with the aforementioned funk and RnB elements and a host of culturally significant features.

This juxtaposition is what makes To Pimp a But-

ter fly not an album to experience—there’s no room for myself in these shoes. The por trait of this man is too complete. We can only hope to understand.

If you’re like me, you found that Serial was abso-lutely enthralling and made for some interesting TTC riding and campus traversing. It definitely made a good case for the crime procedural, a genre of film/literature/television/radio that I generally detest. So often, crime shows feel as slimy and cheesy as the murders they explore. With the bad background mu-sic and sleazy voice overs, it’s only appropriate to watch them at 2 AM when there is nothing else on television besides infomercials.

Where Serial began to challenge the normal structure and development of the real crime proce-dural, I hoped HBO’s The Jinx would continue on. The miniseries, directed by Andrew Jarecki (director of 2010’s All Good Things), examines the role that real estate heir Rober t Durst played in a number of crimes—significantly, the 1982 disappearance and suspected murder of Durst’s wife, Kathleen. Inter-estingly, All Good Things also represented Kath-leen’s murder, albeit from a fictional perspective with the majority of the film’s emphasis placed on character psychology and Ryan Gosling’s brooding, pretty-boy face.

The Jinx has sparked intense interest and pub-lic scrutiny for its final episode and Durst’s arrest for the murder of Kathleen Durst one day before the finale premiered on HBO. This series questions the purpose and expectations viewers can bring to true crime. While Serial’s showrunner, Sarah Koenig, did not provide a completely conclusive opinion at the end of the season, The Jinx cer tainly points to a sin-

gle reading of events and makes a case for convict-ing Durst. While I won’t divulge any of the series’ plot, I will say that it is complicated, unexpected, and brings up a lot of ethical questions about how the show functions.

But where All Good Things felt slow and poorly paced, The Jinx feels exciting and engrossing (and with only six episodes, it’s easy to marathon in a day). With rhythmic editing, the inclusion of inter-views with Durst himself, and eye-catching recon-structions of events, Jarecki’s series is addictive and surprisingly beautiful. And, unlike its Cold Case pre-decessors, it has high production values. As much as I love watching television that looks good, there’s something to be said about how the look of the se-r ies impacts how I read the events on-screen. In par-ticular, the series’ pacing, which emphasized a slow build, nearly eradicated any doubts I might have had about Durst’s guilt. Notably, the series stresses not just the crime, but how Durst develops as a suspect and a character throughout the documentary.

While I definitely think The Jinx is appropriate exam break enter tainment, I hesitate to call it a documentary. Jarecki’s series seems to have more in common with fictional crime procedurals like True Detective or Broadchurch than true crime. Notably, The Jinx emphasizes what type of person Durst is as much as what crimes he supposedly committed. In my opinion, this blurs the line between suggestion to the viewer and manipulation of the viewer, between expository documentary and drama.

Then, there remains the question of how we can understand this series and its social role. Should people, par ticularly law enforcement bodies, rely on television and enter tainment as evidence when de-ciding to convict or arrest people—or (in the case of Serial) allow people to appeal charges? It’s a com-plicated question that doesn’t take away from the show’s enter tainment value, and for many people it increases interest in the series. Many people want to see if they agree that Durst is guilty, innocent, or somewhere in between.

I suggest viewers take any admissions made in The Jinx with a proverbial grain of salt. There’s a definite chance that Rober t Durst will not be con-victed at the end of all this, and there’s contention as to whether anything from the series could be used in tr ial as evidence. It will be interesting to see how Jarecki’s miniseries will impact the procedural genre and the law in due time. The questions raised by this series remind me (perhaps inappropriately) of “Razzle Dazzle” from Chicago!. As Billy Flynn says:

Give ‘em the old razzle dazzleRazzle dazzle ‘emGive ‘em an act with lots of f lash in itAnd the reaction will be passionateGive ‘em the old hocus pocusBead and feather ‘emHow can they see with sequins in their eyes?

BRONWYN NISBET-GRAYCOPY EDITOR

FLIC

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MORE DRAMA THAN DOCUMENTARY

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The life of Glen Campbell has been well-document-ed. After r ising from an impoverished childhood in Arkansas, the country legend has remained famous for his entire adult life. His experiences have been documented on records since his beginnings as a session player with the Beach Boys and into his six-decade solo career. They have been documented on television, where he hosted the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, one of the most popular shows on television during its run. They have also been docu-mented in film, most notably in the 1969 film True Grit, where Campbell starred alongside John Wayne. These records have established his life in the public consciousness, but they are all things that Campbell himself does not remember. The final and most im-por tant par t of his career is documented in the 2014 film, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me. The film is about his last tour, which he embarked on after being diag-nosed with Alzheimer’s disease at age 75.

Campbell’s song “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” writ ten for the film, will be the last song he ever releases. The first line in the song is a contradiction: “I’m still here, but yet I’m gone.” It’s an expression of being at once absent and present, tr ying to rec-oncile a claim to identity with a weakening under-standing of who it is that you are. This challenge is impossible, but it is for the bravery in the effor t that Campbell makes against an impossible challenge that this tour will r ightly go down as an historic set of per formances. Accordingly, the Alzheimer’s As-sociation now distr ibutes the Glen Campbell Cour-age Award.

The title of the film comes from an early scene where Campbell is watching a home movie and fails to recognize his own appearance. He asks his wife, Kim, “Who is that?” When she tells him that he is watching a movie about himself, he responds, “No kidding? I’ll be me.”

I’ll be me. A self-affirmation, which, over the course of the film, becomes increasingly difficult for Campbell to make. His struggle, and the struggle of the more than 36 million people in the world who suffer from Alzheimer’s, is to somehow remain him-self while knowing increasingly lit tle about who he is. Over the course of the tour, Campbell’s Alzheim-er’s progresses from Stage Two to Stage Five. At the outset of the tour, “I’ll be me” was a statement of defiance—an ar tist holding true to his desire to per-form, despite (and perhaps to spite) the impending deterioration of his capability to do so.

Central to the film is the question of identity. To some degree, a person is the culmination of every-thing they’ve ever done, and their identity is no more than a reper tory of their past experiences. If this is true, then the increasing distance between Campbell and his memories makes him less and less himself.

But there are the par ts of our identity that ex-ist outside of ourselves. The meanings we assign to material items become ingrained in who we are. For Campbell, the stage is such an item. In interviews around the time of the tour, Campbell’s wife ex-pressed concerns about his continuing to per form. She thought he should be resting as his disease took par ts of him away each day. But Campbell was ush-ered to the stage each night by the par ts of him that remained. Those remaining fragments of his capabil-ity as a musician and as a per former could still meet the demands of his innate bravery. To walk out on a stage is to r isk miserable failure in exchange for the possibility of glory. It’s an entirely natural place for a man who’s been driven all his life by reckless heroism.

Campbell continues to be himself by doing what he has always done, and it might be his good for-tune that what he has always done is play music. In

recent years, music has been incorporated into Al-zheimer’s therapy for its ability to somehow tran-scend the limitations of the disease. Neurologist Oliver Sacks wrote about this in his book, Musicoph-elia: “The inexpressible depth of music, so easy to understand and yet so inexplicable, is due to the fact that it reproduces all the emotions of our innermost being, but entirely without reality and remote from its pain.”

Throughout the tour Campbell becomes increas-ingly reliant on instructions that he reads from a teleprompter. During a concer t at Ryman Auditori-um, he reads one instruction aloud: “Glen play long guitar solo.” He hesitates for a moment in a state of

confusion before reacting. “Oh, okay,” he says, “I’ll play one then,” before launching into a solo that is as precise and vir tuosic as anything he has ever played.

At 77, Campbell’s family decided that they could no longer keep him safe and placed him in a long-term care facility. His past is gone, he doesn’t know where he is, and he can hardly speak. But there’s a guitar in the recreation room, and sometimes he per forms for other residents.

“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” was nominated for both a Grammy and an Academy Award. Campbell only won the Grammy, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we remember him.

REMEMBER GLEN CAMPBELL

GEOFF BAILLIESTAFF WRITER

EMILY POLLOCK

F/M

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Katzenjammer is a Norwegian girl group of grow-ing popularity, consisting of Anne Marit Bergheim, Solveig Heilo, Turid Jørgensen, and Marianne Sveen. Together they play upward of 15 different instru-ments, only occasionally needing to bring in out-side musicians. There’s no lead singer or drummer as such—they share the instruments and the spot-light. They’re so in sync that after years of listening to them, I still have a hard time telling who sings what—they function as one musical organism. This is what turns a group of people playing music to-gether into a band.

Genre-wise, Katzenjammer are hard to define. “Pop” is a nice, overarching, vague term, but it does them discredit—not because pop music is in any way inferior, but because they bring so much more to the table: folk, blues, country, and so much more. What distinguishes their music and makes it great is the per formance, not the genre. They bring together ex-citing instrumentations, interesting narratives, and beautiful vocal harmonies with tremendous energy. It’s clear that they love working together.

Earlier this year, they released their third album, Rockland—a reference not to rock music, but to the Allen Ginsberg poem, “Howl.” While I wasn’t neces-

sarily expecting the same energy of their first two albums, I knew the combination of Ginsberg, a per-sonal favourite, and Katzenjammer had to be good. I was not disappointed.

The album star ts off wonder fully with “Old de Spain,” a gorgeous blues piece that’s fun to sing along with. It’s followed by “Curvaceous Needs,” a high-energy mandolin affair (they do country really well) and “Oh My God,” which isn’t quite as strong as the previous tracks but has great instrumentals and a really catchy r iff.

Next is “Lady Grey,” which was previously re-leased as a single. Writ ten and sung by Marianne Sveen, it’s pretty and straightforward without be-ing boring. “My Own Tune” makes great use of the toy piano and is similar to “Lady Grey” in its happy simplicity. Here you can see the inf luence of world music. The toy piano reappears in “Shine Like Neon Rays,” which is a fairly generic pop song compared to the rest of the album.

“Driving After You” has some of the best smooth blues piano I’ve heard. It’s one of the strongest songs on the album, and the backing vocals are a nice touch. “Flash in the Dark” isn’t as interesting musically, but the lyrics and catchy chorus give it strength.

“My Dear” is a really lovely song overall, with beautiful harmonies. “Bad Girl” is another blues/folky song, and they sing this genre really well. I’d love for them to do just a whole blues album—you can’t help but clap along to this one. It star ts off soft but has loads of energy by the end.

And last, the titular “Rockland.” It’s about being there for someone with whom you can really com-municate and relate to on a unique level. This could easily be on the soundtrack for a movie that looks cheesy but is actually beautiful. I’d watch it. It’s a sentimental ending—something you can enjoy lis-tening to but also think about.

I’d give Rockland four out of five stars. It’s a bit more generic than Katzenjammer’s previous albums, but only a bit. It’s still got the genre-busting levels of energy I’ve come to expect from them and has some killer songs. While the strongest ones are the first and last, there’s also a lot of solid material in the middle. Katzenjammer seem like really fun people to be around, if their music is any indication of person-ality. And some Ginsberg in there for good measure? Per fect.

KATZENJAMMER’S ROCKLAND:

IAN DE REGECONTRIBUTOR

A brief review

This question is asked in the third episode of the Breaking Bad spin-off series, Better Call Saul. Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) is confused by the suggest-ed possibility that a missing family of extor tionists faked a kidnapping and are in hiding close by. The knowing response to his query: “That’s what every-body expects.” As a spin-off of the most nail-biting and fast-paced drama of recent years, this def lation of tension feels like a wink to what the show has been developing over its first six episodes—a rejec-tion of the past and an embrace of slowness.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s third episode opens with its protagonist (Ellie Kemper) strug-gling with her past as a bunker-bound prisoner of a doomsday cult leader, comparing herself to a circus act. “Step right up and see the mole woman! She made a pet cat out of dryer lint and a Gerschner’s bag!” Any viewer of Tina Fey’s previous series would find it hard not to compare this declaration to any number of lines regarding tragic pasts on 30 Rock (“I once saw a baby give another baby a tat too! They were very drunk!”). Both Fey and Better Call Saul’s creator Vince Gilligan are working in the shadows of likely their greatest achievements, and both are responding in different ways.

While Gilligan’s project is more steeped in his past, a spin-off of a drama as highly acclaimed as Breaking Bad is basically unheard of. In an interview with WIRED.com, he cites keeping his staff em-ployed as a factor of the show’s success: “I’m CEO of a $30- or $40-million-dollar company... I’ve got 150,200 people working in this corporation.” This reasoning could just as easily have been applied to a decision to drag out Breaking Bad’s conclusion, and anything new would be compared to it regardless, so the decision is understandable.

Fey and co-creator Rober t Carlock explained to Enter tainment Weekly that the genesis of Kimmy

Schmidt came from an NBC proposal to write a show around actress Ellie Kemper. Less altruistic on the sur face, but it came to include the scene-stealing Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski as co-stars, who had guest appearances and regular turns on 30 Rock, respectively. What separates Kimmy Schmidt most from 30 Rock is its commitment to an actual theme or message about how we por tray victimhood and how it can be subver ted. Aside from 30 Rock peri-odically revisiting the question, “Can women have it all?” (spoiler: yes) it was basically just a joke ma-chine—albeit one of the greatest joke machines ever devised.

Beyond that, Kimmy Schmidt’s innovations are generally incremental. It has an ever-expanding cast that balances sharp writing with incredible per for-mances, like 30 Rock, but it’s more diverse. Tituss Burgess is a gay black male in a leading comedic role (very new) counterbalanced by less tactful por tray-als of other people of colour (crazy old). Its visuals and editing are very 30 Rock, just with fewer whip cuts and more screen time outside. Jane Krakows-ki’s character is nearly identical to 30 Rock’s Jenna Maroney, but Tina Fey only appears in front of the camera in a limited and very different role. This in-cremental progression is similar to that of Michael Schur’s style from The Office to Parks & Recreation to Brooklyn Nine-Nine becoming gradually more di-verse and experimental while the overall format re-mains fairly constant. If you liked 30 Rock, you’ll like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Likely a result of being a drama, a direct spin-off, and coming so hot on the heels of its inspiration, Better Call Saul opts for more revolution than evo-lution to the extent it can be achieved. The series opens by revealing the tragic (figurative) death of Saul Goodman, employed at a Cinnabon in Omaha. The narrative then jumps back to its main arc, set in

2002, with detours to other times and other charac-ters. This is the only way one might describe it as jumpier than its predecessor. It’s shot from generally stationary positions that tend to include full-body shots of characters, the most str iking example being the painstakingly slow descent of an elderly woman down her stairs. Time lapse shots, one of the most maligned visual elements of Breaking Bad, are gen-erally rare so far, as if to underscore the change of pace.

The overall stakes are lower both by nature of the show being a prequel and by design, with main characters mostly removed from the realm of drugs, murder, and neo-Nazis. The message seems to be that this is less a dynamic and moralistic “study of change” and more a mellow yet existential study of things staying the same. When it works, that is. When it doesn’t, it feels like a padded and dull march toward Jimmy McGill adopting the Saul Goodman mantle and the more annoying characters getting killed off, much like the Star Wars prequels. The deciding factor seems to be dependent on whether Saul is showing swindlers desperately tr ying to delay the drop of the other shoe, or contrived backstories to characters we liked better outside the spotlight. The variation has been patchy so far, without a clear learning curve.

These impressions come from a limited sample size: Kimmy Schmidt’s 13-episode first season is on Netf lix, while Saul’s ten-episode run on AMC will end April 6. Thankfully, both shows have the sup-por t of second season renewal already. More than that, Fey and Gilligan’s shows feel like they are get-ting away with something they couldn’t in the hands of less established talent. They invite comparisons to their predecessors by nature, but get away with experimentation by that same nature. Ideally, neither are choosing to run from growth.

“WHY NOT RUN?”

NEIL MACISAACASSOCIATE STRANDED EDITOR

Tina Fey and Vince Gilligan grapple with meeting and subverting expectations

Let’s face it—exams can be a/n time. Whether

you’re trying to remember all the different you

learned about in your class, or trying

to finish all the practice problems assigned by your

class professor, you’re likely feeling incredibly

right about now. That’s why we, the

editors of Stranded, have put together a list of

tips to help you get through exam period feeling

and -free!

(1) You may feel the need to spend all your free time

cramming, but it’s important to focus on yourself, too.

Studies have shown that the is particularly

affected by stress. Working out at at least once

a week can do wonders for your health and wellbeing.

We suggest , , and as the

perfect exercise routine!

(2) Eating right goes hand-in-hand with taking care of

your body. We suggest from with a/n

glass of on the side as the perfect

pick-me-up while studying for that particularly

exam.

(3) During exam period, Robarts will be your best friend.

But if everyone’s favourite -shaped library

is ever a little too for your liking, you should

know that there are tons of other study spots available—

in fact, UofT is home to over libraries! If you’re

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is your best bet. It has study rooms

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which has recently put up a/n exhibit in their

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has a library to meet your needs!

(4) Time management is crucial when you’re planning

for exams. Get a calendar that you can use to keep track

of all your exams and other commitments (like

practice or appreciation club). As well, be sure

to set at least alarms for the day of your exam.

Nothing will make you feel more than missing

your exam and losing percent of your final

grade in a course!

(5) When exams are over, make sure to take some time

out for yourself. will be hosting a/n

post-exams and party at ,

complete with , , and a special musical

performance by for your entertainment!

So there you have it! With these tips, your

upcoming exams will be no sweat.

(UofT college)

St

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HOW TO SURVIVE U OF T’S EXAM PERIODEMILY DEIBERTSTRANDED EDITOR

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STRAND LIBS PRESENTS:

WENTING LI

TAS REJECT “OVERLY-GENEROUS” BILLION-DOLLAR-PER-HOUR PAY RAISE

In the four th week of legal striking at the University of Toronto by its TAs and course instructors, as repre-sented by CUPE 3902 Unit 1, the university took the unusual position of offering the union a pay raise to an unprecedented $1 billion per hour. “We feel like this addresses the main concerns of the union’s pro-posal,” said Cheryl Regehr, the Vice-President and Provost at the University of Toronto. “It is a more than generous offer.”

Going one step fur ther, the university also of-fered the union a reduction in their minimum required hours by 209.999985 hours to 0.000015 hours. “This offer recognizes that our graduate students are full-time researchers and should be devoting their time to research,” said the provost. “Now every graduate student will be able to pay for a year’s rent, tuition, child care, textbooks, conference travel, and a metro pass, all in the time it takes for light to travel a mere four and a half kilometres. Boundless generosity.”

Erin Black, the chair of the Teaching Assistant Union, said this won’t change the TAs guaranteed

funding of $15,000. “Seriously, just multiply the numbers together. You’ll see it doesn’t actually change anything.” (Editor’s note: We tried this, but the numbers were too big. We gave up.)

The university isn’t convinced and insists that its $1 billion per hour rate is so generous that, “We are actually disgusted that the TAs think their work is wor th this much. If I were offered this rate to f lip burgers, I would do it.”

Students like Guy Aulieve, in the Depar tment of ActFirstThinkLater, feels like students are caught in the middle. “Can’t the university just fire them all and get new ones? Like, c’mon. You said they are get-ting paid $1 billion per hour? Pfffft. I would much rather my tuition go towards stuff like, I dunno, com-puters. Or self-wor th classes for the Robar ts help desk people.”

In other news, the University of Toronto has just announced a new Get Finished Soon™ Improvement Motivation Grant in the form of a one-time, $2 mil-lion-per-student grant. “We want everyone to get to

feel like a millionaire,” said the provost.The university also announced a 25,000% in-

crease in tuition fees for domestic students in 2016, from around $8,000 in 2015. (Editor’s note: We think this amounts to a $2 million dollar tuition fee, but we can’t be sure, as the numbers are so large.)

MIKE PAWLIUKCONTRIBUTOR

Also includes “overly-generous” 209.999985 reduction in paid hours!

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ARIANA DOUGLASCONTRIBUTOR

CROSS WORDS EVERY DAY

1. a place of great sadness6. gown type I don’t see much anymore now that TLC isn’t on the residence cable package10. allegedly honest president11. _____ Loompa13. lady deer14. a great lake, but, like, spooky17. a double reed instrument18. to share a tweet on Twitter20. website that was popular with the children in 200523. literally the letter “a”24. uh ___25. the next Kimye baby? (abbrv.)26. “It’s no ___!”29. infuriating UofT site31. unit of weight32. better way of saying 37 across35. type of knoll37. word of agreement38. dreaded knight phrase39. common reaction to seeing Zayn of One Direction40. mine product42. Drake’s BFF on Degrassi: The Next Generation44. tucked away45. do____hedron47. a note to follow “so”48. the final thing 50. cow cousin51. __ (x2) lemon52. really chill54. some cafeteria food56. TO landmark

57. ___ as balls59. alleged theme of “Valentine’s Day”61. formerly relevant TV singing competition62. Kill Bill star64. tiny Teletubby65. Spielberg classic67. Twitter classification tool71. formal term for lady folk74. ___ Paulo75. meh76. uncool college78. superstar Aubrey Graham’s character in Degrassi: The Next Generation79. the best college

80. “__ if!”

1. Drake, to Holly (alt: a term of endearment)2. Swedish for “hella”3. the best thing on television tbh4. a needle pulling thread5. 1/3 of Santa’s catchphrase6. ____ 2: Pig in the City7. notion8. a deer, a female deer9. beloved bubbly treat12. chicken restaurant15. college I know nothing about16. bust size of Mrs. Turnblad in Hairspray19. the coolest paper on campus21. baby lion

22. “__ you wish.”27. a long, long way to run28. exams30. ____potent31. old-timey instrument33. Cleopatra’s end34. Frozen protagonist36. alt spelling of a sinful city39. with 58 down, part of a hook from a Kanye hit41. environmental prefix43. misspelled secret organization46. Gimli’s baby49. word of disagreement, extended51. __ and behold52. animal hangout or an out of control event53. Delta Nu Harvard Law gal55. ____ Smurf56. a drop of golden sun58. with 39 down, part of a hook from a Kanye song60. out of season beverage63. Appalachian matriarch66. a drink with jam and bread68. food that is definitely not kosher69. Potter villain ___ Riddle 70. signal for assistance72. ___ en ciel73. a name I call myself77. sodium

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