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2 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener

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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

s

>> th ll

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v l lk b2020

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2014 p spm-b 2016

Information courtesy of

Ryerson University

Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) Annual General Meeting. FiLE PHOTO



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

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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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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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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

BY TanYa mok

o fu fft -

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and windows acrosscampus. pl ttt ut th vstgt sl ts, hh

hv lly b usby cll f duty thusstsh hv b ut-

s by th tsh tully gttgl.

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8 February 29, 2012The Eyeopener FEATURES

Never Back

Down.

Photo: Marissa DeDerer



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



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-

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“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 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



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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If you cannot completethis task, consideryourself dishonoured.Seppuku will be youronly remaining option.

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The Eyeopener — February 29, 2012