october 8 2009

8
the newspaper October 8, 2009 University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly Vol. XXXII N0. Ryerson radio’s dead air ALEX NURSALL Governing Council cancels board meetings TEJAS PARASHER CUPE 3902 votes “yes” on strike TYLER IRVING NUIT BULLSHIT Like banging your head against a video installation, page 2 ALEX NURSALL Continued on page 3 Continued on page 3 In July 2009, Council mem- bers received an email notice stating that, due to the results of an online poll, the general meeting would be held at the end of the fall term. The email was slim on any other details; only the term “insufficient busi- ness” was mentioned. Student Governor Joeita Gupta said she found its off- handedness disconcerting: “to have already decided in July that there will be nothing to discuss at the end of October is, suffice to say, somewhat ab- surd. Before student or faculty groups even had a chance to suggest possible topics for the agenda, the Council had already shut its doors.” Gupta voiced further con- cerns over the online poll on Continued on page 3 Comics p.8 ALEX NURSALL It has been over a year and a half since the turmoil at CKLN 88.1 FM began, but it looks like it won’t be over anytime soon. After broadcasting little more than archived program- ming and dead air for the past six months, the station is finally back live on-air after an emer- gency meeting in which the Board of Directors voted to re- sume live programming. The past couple of years have been tumultuous for the station. Starting in February 2008, a disgruntled group of volunteers and hosts tried to impeach the current management of the sta- Over the course of October 5 and 6, a strike vote was held by CUPE local 3902, Unit 3. Seventy per cent of respondents answered ‘yes’ to the question “I autho- rize the Executive Committee of CUPE 3902 to call a Strike in the event that all other reasonable efforts to arrive at a collective agreement are unsuccessful.” Unit 3 of CUPE 3902 rep- resents sessional lecturers, as distinct from TAs and course in- structors, which are represented by Unit 1. Typically, Unit 3 mem- bers have doctoral degrees and are contracted to teach for the university on a course-by-course basis. According to literature produced by CUPE 3902, ses- sional lecturers deliver just un- der 30 percent of undergraduate courses, and earn about $6,500 per half course, or approximately $15,000 per year. The union and the university began negotiations for a new contract in July after the previ- ous one’s expiration. Agreement was reached on a number of pe- ripheral issues, but as the weeks went by, it became clear that the two sides were far apart on issues such as job security. Currently, While Canada’s largest univer- sity faces a 31 per cent decline in endowment, funding prob- lems, and pressing student-life issues, its Governing Council has decided to postpone most of its fall 2009 meetings, citing “insufficient business.” The U of T Governing Coun- cil’s general meeting on Oct. 22 has been pushed to Dec. 10. Meetings of the Academic and University Affairs Boards, as- sociated with the Council, have seen substantial delays. The Council is the university’s highest decision-making body. It consists of 50 members who, through numerous boards and sub-committees, plan every- thing from budget-allocation to academic policy. When a Governing Council meeting is suspended, UofT adopts the policy of ‘Presiden- tial Authority.’ Essentially, the delays ensure that most major decisions (at least until Decem- ber) will be made directly by President David Naylor and his associates, and will not be up for public discussion. Under Bylaw 2, Section 11 of the University of Toronto Act of 1971, the Governing Council is allowed to postpone one of its meetings, given that this is declared four days in advance. This means that the Council’s recent actions fall completely within its legal rights. What makes many students uncom- fortable, however, is the vague, and even undemocratic, fash- ion in which these actions have been carried out. sessional lecturers must reapply for each course they teach, which can be as frequently as every four to eight months. The union would like to see a system that guarantees a sessional lecturer three subsequent appointments with each contract, consistent with the current contract for TAs. By the end of August, progress was no longer being made, and both sides applied jointly for conciliation, which began on October 7. The union held the strike vote to demonstrate that its members are strongly in support of the pro- posed changes. Unit 3 represen- tative Leslie Jermyn explained, “[We] will use a ‘yes’ vote to re- iterate our commitment to im- proving our members’ working lives.” Both sides, however, are quick to point out that having a strike vote does not necessarily mean there will be a strike. “It is not at all unusual for a union to hold a strike vote,” said Vice-President of Human Re- sources Angela Hildyard, one of the university’s lead negotiators. “The university remains com- mitted to reaching a responsive tion, including Station Manager Mike Phillips, who has been at the centre of the controversy surrounding the station. What followed was a rash of firings and lockouts of various volun- teers and staff, including the hosts of a number of feminist and Afro-centric shows. For a year following the first firings of various hosts, around 50 volunteers were removed from their positions with little to no warning; many staff mem- bers resigned or were let go. Disgruntled ex-hosts, hoping to bring the station back to its pre- vious stature, created a number of grassroots campaigns, bring- ing a fair amount of attention to the station’s plight, including gaining support from a num- ber of campus stations across the country, including CKUT, CHRY, CJUM, and CFRU. Even though the station has returned to live programming as of last month, there is still a myriad of problems that need to be sorted out if they plan to stay on-air in the future. In the past, CKLN faced a number of budgetary problems, which amounted to them being in the red for a number of years. Dur- ing the fracas in 2008, the sta- tion was found to be deeply in the red, which resulted in an eventual lockout supposedly or- chestrated by the RSU after the dismissal of Phillips. The full lockout of volunteers and staff began on March 11, 2009 after a notice was placed on the door by the administra- tion stating that due to “secur- ity issues,” everyone was barred from the station. CKLN, which has been broadcasting archived programming and static since mid-March, is now back after a summer spent trying to get the station up and running again, but is still not out of the red. Past CKLN treasurer Peter Toh went on record about siz-

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TeJas parasHer University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly TyLer IrvIng Continued on page 3 Continued on page 3 Continued on page 3 October 8, 2009 Vol. XXXII N0.  NURSALL NURSALL ALEX ALEX

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: October 8 2009

the newspaperOctober 8, 2009University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly Vol. XXXII N0.

ryerson radio’s dead airaLeX nUrsaLL

governing Council cancels board meetingsTeJas parasHer

CUpe 3902 votes “yes” on strikeTyLer IrvIng

NUIT BULLSHIT Like banging your head against a video installation, page 2

the newspaper

ALE

X N

URS

ALL

Continued on page 3

Continued on page 3

In July 2009, Council mem-bers received an email notice stating that, due to the results of an online poll, the general meeting would be held at the end of the fall term. The email was slim on any other details; only the term “insuffi cient busi-ness” was mentioned.

Student Governor Joeita Gupta said she found its off-handedness disconcerting: “to have already decided in July that there will be nothing to discuss at the end of October is, suffi ce to say, somewhat ab-surd. Before student or faculty groups even had a chance to suggest possible topics for the agenda, the Council had already shut its doors.”

Gupta voiced further con-cerns over the online poll on

Continued on page 3

Comicsp.8

ALE

X N

URS

ALL

It has been over a year and a half since the turmoil at CKLN 88.1 FM began, but it looks like it won’t be over anytime soon.

After broadcasting little more than archived program-ming and dead air for the past six months, the station is fi nally back live on-air after an emer-gency meeting in which the Board of Directors voted to re-sume live programming.

The past couple of years have been tumultuous for the station. Starting in February 2008, a disgruntled group of volunteers and hosts tried to impeach the current management of the sta-

Over the course of October 5 and 6, a strike vote was held by CUPE local 3902, Unit 3. Seventy per cent of respondents answered ‘yes’ to the question “I autho-rize the Executive Committee of CUPE 3902 to call a Strike in the event that all other reasonable efforts to arrive at a collective agreement are unsuccessful.”

Unit 3 of CUPE 3902 rep-resents sessional lecturers, as distinct from TAs and course in-structors, which are represented by Unit 1. Typically, Unit 3 mem-bers have doctoral degrees and are contracted to teach for the university on a course-by-course basis. According to literature produced by CUPE 3902, ses-sional lecturers deliver just un-der 30 percent of undergraduate courses, and earn about $6,500 per half course, or approximately $15,000 per year.

The union and the university began negotiations for a new contract in July after the previ-ous one’s expiration. Agreement was reached on a number of pe-ripheral issues, but as the weeks went by, it became clear that the two sides were far apart on issues such as job security. Currently,

While Canada’s largest univer-sity faces a 31 per cent decline in endowment, funding prob-lems, and pressing student-life issues, its Governing Council has decided to postpone most of its fall 2009 meetings, citing “insuffi cient business.”

The U of T Governing Coun-cil’s general meeting on Oct. 22 has been pushed to Dec. 10. Meetings of the Academic and University Affairs Boards, as-sociated with the Council, have seen substantial delays.

The Council is the university’s highest decision-making body. It consists of 50 members who, through numerous boards and sub-committees, plan every-thing from budget-allocation to academic policy.

When a Governing Council meeting is suspended, UofT adopts the policy of ‘Presiden-tial Authority.’ Essentially, the delays ensure that most major decisions (at least until Decem-ber) will be made directly by President David Naylor and his associates, and will not be up for public discussion.

Under Bylaw 2, Section 11 of the University of Toronto Act of 1971, the Governing Council is allowed to postpone one of its meetings, given that this is declared four days in advance. This means that the Council’s recent actions fall completely within its legal rights. What makes many students uncom-fortable, however, is the vague, and even undemocratic, fash-ion in which these actions have been carried out.

sessional lecturers must reapply for each course they teach, which can be as frequently as every four to eight months. The union would like to see a system that guarantees a sessional lecturer three subsequent appointments with each contract, consistent with the current contract for TAs. By the end of August, progress was no longer being made, and both sides applied jointly for conciliation, which began on October 7.

The union held the strike vote to demonstrate that its members are strongly in support of the pro-posed changes. Unit 3 represen-tative Leslie Jermyn explained, “[We] will use a ‘yes’ vote to re-iterate our commitment to im-proving our members’ working lives.”

Both sides, however, are quick to point out that having a strike vote does not necessarily mean there will be a strike.

“It is not at all unusual for a union to hold a strike vote,” said Vice-President of Human Re-sources Angela Hildyard, one of the university’s lead negotiators. “The university remains com-mitted to reaching a responsive

tion, including Station Manager Mike Phillips, who has been at the centre of the controversy surrounding the station. What followed was a rash of fi rings and lockouts of various volun-teers and staff, including the hosts of a number of feminist and Afro-centric shows.

For a year following the fi rst fi rings of various hosts, around 50 volunteers were removed from their positions with little to no warning; many staff mem-bers resigned or were let go. Disgruntled ex-hosts, hoping to bring the station back to its pre-vious stature, created a number of grassroots campaigns, bring-ing a fair amount of attention to

the station’s plight, including gaining support from a num-ber of campus stations across the country, including CKUT, CHRY, CJUM, and CFRU.

Even though the station has returned to live programming as of last month, there is still a myriad of problems that need to be sorted out if they plan to stay on-air in the future. In the past, CKLN faced a number of budgetary problems, which amounted to them being in the red for a number of years. Dur-ing the fracas in 2008, the sta-tion was found to be deeply in the red, which resulted in an eventual lockout supposedly or-chestrated by the RSU after the dismissal of Phillips.

The full lockout of volunteers and staff began on March 11, 2009 after a notice was placed on the door by the administra-tion stating that due to “secur-ity issues,” everyone was barred from the station. CKLN, which has been broadcasting archived programming and static since mid-March, is now back after a summer spent trying to get the station up and running again, but is still not out of the red.

Past CKLN treasurer Peter Toh went on record about siz-

Page 2: October 8 2009

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Man vs. Martini MONDAYS

Toonie TUESDAY

Open Mike WEDNESDAY

Good tunes, good variety.hilarious host and free

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Thirsty THURSDAY(Pitcher Special)

B.U.R.P! FRIDAY(Big Ugly Rockin’ Party)

Live Music SATURDAY

The best acts from our open mike take the stage @ 9pm

Free Pool & Comedy SUNDAY

Toronto’s funniest people take the stage @8pm!

All Day Breakfast and

Canadian Tire Money at par every

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Games Room with

BEER • WINGS • POOL • JAVA

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Come to our 5pm writers’ meeting every Thursday. Free chicken wings.

the newspaperin good company

Join us!

U of T kicks it old school amy sTUpavsky

2 October 8, 2009

the newspaperEditor-in-Chief

Helene GoderisManaging Editor

Dan Craig

Arts EditorMiki Sato

News EditorAmy Stupavsky

Layout EditorNatalie Rae Dubois

ContributorsChristina Ciddio, Andrew Gyorkos, Tyler Irving,

Tejas Parasher, Tim Ryan, Mike Winters

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All U of T community members, including students, staff and faculty, are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper.

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the newsBEER • WINGS • POOL • JAVA

SPORTS • JUKEBOX • SPIRITS

Photo EditorAlex Nursall

Senior College Principal Peter Russell at the College’s first meeting

AM

Y ST

UPA

VSKY

While many people in the twi-light of their careers eagerly an-ticipate wiling away the hours at the golf course and sunning themselves on a Florida beach, U of T’s retired academics who have chosen to forego tradition-al retirement now have a place on campus to call their own.

Modeled on emeritus colleges in the United States, Senior Col-lege enables academic retirees to continue their scholarly pur-suits in the university setting. The first of its kind in Canada, the College fosters the academ-ic, professional and creative activities of retired faculty, li-brarians and administrators. It aspires to benefit synergistically the wider community and the well-being of the retirees.

The College operates under the umbrella of the Academic Retiree Centre (ARC), located at 256 McCaul St., which pro-vides its administrative struc-ture. ARC opened its doors on October 1, with President Da-vid Naylor commemorating the event.

The concept for an emeritus college had been percolating for a few years before the uni-versity’s administration signed a negotiation with the Retired Academics and Librarians of the University of Toronto (RALUT) on March 3, 2005 to construct retirement centres on all three campuses. So far, St. George has been the only one to adopt

the policy. Peter Russell, principal of

Senior College, spearheaded the project. “Our number one priority is to interact with our-selves and stimulate each other with the research we’re doing,” he said.

Russell began his studies at the University of Toronto of School in 1946, completed his undergrad at Trinity, and after finishing his graduate work at Oxford, joined the Department of Political Science in 1958. He officially retired in 1996.

Russell said that Senior Col-lege was largely the result of U of T’s decision to abolish man-datory retirement and reverse agist misconceptions about old-er faculty. “There was this fear that these old farts who could barely speak would be totter-

ing up to the blackboard, trying to teach a class, but that simply hasn’t been the case.”

Ken Rea, Communications Coordinator and retired Eco-nomics professor, believes that the College fills a void for the university’s retirees.

“There’s this tendency to think of retirees as gone, and they disappear from the uni-versity’s radar,” he explained. “This is what the College has been aimed at remedying. Until now, there hasn’t been an or-ganized or officially recognized way of incorporating retirees, or ensuring that they can remain academically connected with the university.”All retired faculty, librarians and senior administrators are eligible for membership through a self-selecting process. On Oc-

tober 7, the College held its first meeting at the Faculty Club with 26 attendees. Its current program comprise of research seminars, panel discussions, and reading groups. This will broaden to include mentoring, autobiographical writing, com-puter training, and cultural ac-tivities.“Being part of a university com-munity is more than just an oc-cupation, it’s a way of life,” said Rea. “You never really leave your university. You develop a very strong sense of being a part of it, and it becomes a part of your personal identity.”Will Russell, who has spent the majority of his life at U of T, ever embrace a conventional retirement? “Oh, maybe when they put me in the ground,” he joked.

Errata: The final sentence of the article on the new UTSC Centre in our last issue should read: It is clear that the gaping hole in the ground at the crossroads of Military Trail and Ellesmere of-fers even more potential for expansion.

Page 3: October 8 2009

Toronto celebrates Disability pride DayanDrew gyorkos

GC cancels board meetingscont’d from page 1

the briefthe briefCUPE 3902Sessional Faculty vote yes to strike mandatecont’d from page 1

able budget discrepancies of ap-proximately $150,000 between 2003 and 2008 by the station, due to a mismanagement of funds, missing paperwork, and the withholding of funding to the station by the RSU. Another issue is the $55,000 in back taxes that still remain unpaid to Revenue Canada, dating back to 2007.

Although the station did have its license renewed in 2007 (which means that the next inspection should be scheduled for 2014), the CRTC sent the station the first warn-ing during the summer, alert-ing them of an upcoming and impromptu inspection to de-termine the status of their broadcast license.

CRTC guidelines call for a certain amount of Canadian programming per show and fresh material, but with the station just getting back on-air now and trying to catch up on a year of missed and broken pro-gramming, CKLN is in danger of being pulled altogether. This could have large implications for other Toronto radio broad-casting license holders.

The CRTC evaluation of CKLN’s license is ongoing.

CKLN killed the radio starcont’d from page 1

3October 8, 2009 the news

which the Council based its decision. “If there had been a preliminary meeting where the issue of insufficient busi-ness was at least brought up, then things would have made some sense,” she said. “In-stead, everything hinged on a hastily-done online poll whose legitimacy is almost impos-sible to scrutinize.”

Many members of the uni-versity community fear that such developments are indica-tive of larger trends. Student leaders believe that there is a widening gulf between the ad-ministration and students and faculty. Only four full-time undergraduate students (out of 53,109) are allowed on the Governing Council. This mis-representation is compounded by the fact that U of T has the only unicameral governing body in Ontario, so students or staff have nowhere else to dis-cuss matters with the adminis-tration. There has also been an

increasing police presence at the Governing Council general meetings.

Sandy Hudson, President of UTSU, pointed out how the student voice was completely marginalized at the Flat Fees Proposal at UTM last year. “Police were actually standing outside the stairwell, checking timetables to make sure that only people who had classes inside could enter - and this, in a meeting which anyone is allowed to attend! It was very disheartening.”

Gupta also expressed this sense of disappointment. “Sudent members are rou-tinely shut down at Governing Council meetings,” she said. “This latest move takes away public accountability from the university’s decision. It’s not good, considering the direct impact that things like the Flat Fees Proposal and the Towards 2030 Plan are going to have on students.”

AN

DRE

W G

YORK

OS

On October 5, dozens of Toron-to’s unsung citizens attended the Disability Pride Day festival at Nathan Phillips Square. The annual event, now in its sixth year, is designed to celebrate the lives and identities of disabled citizens, and to raise awareness for accessibility issues. The fes-tival featured a variety of work-shops, display tables, and artis-

tic performances. Five years ago, the inaugural

event began as a humble down-town march, with 20 people walking from Dundas Square to Nathan Phillips Square. At the end of the hike, five sponsors and an estimated 50 attend-ees participated in an event to publicize the accessibility chal-lenges facing special needs To-rontonians.

Uzma Kahn, one of the

but responsible agreement with our CUPE colleagues. We will continue to work, with the assis-tance of the conciliation officer, towards achieving that goal.”

A group of students formed in support of Unit 3 bargaining team. A spokesperson for Students in Support of CUPE, Parmbir Gill, said that the group’s main goal is to raise awareness. “We hope to debunk a lot of myths around the concept of the strike that many students, in large part due to the recent York strike, have come to hold,” he said. “We also hope to develop a petition within the next few weeks to allow students to sign on in support of sessional faculty.”

the campusBoston-based architecture firm, Office dA, has been selected to transform the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Land-scape and Design at U of T. “Of the commissions one could have the honor of being bestowed, this is one of the greatest; where questions of pedagogy and de-sign come into direct contact, confluence and friction,” said Nader Tehrani, one of two world-famous principals of Of-fice dA.

the localCanwest Global Communica-tions, Canada’s largest media conglomerate, filed for bank-ruptcy protection on October 6, seeking to unload its $4 billion debt. The Winnipeg-based firm owns a breadth of broadcast-ing stations and newspapers, including The National Post. Leonard Asper, Canwest’s chief executive, said that the compa-ny was committed to reemerg-ing “stronger and more compet-itive” from its financial crisis.

the worldOn Oct. 2, Ireland went to the polls for the second time in 16 months, and finally voted yes to the Lisbon Treaty. The treaty, a rebranding of the EU’s failed constitution, will determine the future construction of the EU, its decision-making pro-cess, and prepare Europe for a stronger role in the world by turning the EU into a state in its own right. The treaty has not yet been ratified by all member states, a requirement for it to take effect.

the weirdAs if the prospect of eating a placenta wasn’t unappetizing enough, British-based designer Alex Green has created a pla-centa teddy bear. Green unveiled the bear at Doing It For The Kids, an exhibition of sustainable play design, in England. His “Twin Teddy Kit” allows parents to cel-ebrate the organ and the unity of mother and child. The kit in-cludes instructions and materials to craft a new, one-of-a-kind toy from a placenta. Imagine cud-dling up to that!

founders, joked in her opening speech this year that the very first march might have been a tad ambitious, given the initial turnout. She noted that the continued growth of the event makes organizers hopeful that its tenth anniversary might see the return of a similar trek.

In his speech, David C. On-ley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, emphasized his com-mitment to creating full acces-

sibility for all people, regardless of capability.

While Ontario leads the rest of the provinces in accessibil-ity standards and legislative ef-forts, full accessibility remains an unrealized ideal. Ontario has pledged full accessibility province-wide by 2025, but ac-cording to organizers, the prov-ince is not on track to make that deadline. Disability Pride Day exists to remind the prov-ince of this commitment, and to make all its residents aware of the unique challenges disabled people contend with, and the changes that need to be made to accommodate them.

A common criticism of such pride events is that groups seeking special recognition for their right to be treated equally might be construed as some-what paradoxical.

David Lepofsky, Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Alliance and one of the event’s guest speakers, however, places the event’s significance on the fundamental rights of human beings, instead of flimsy social and media recognition.

“We want strong access stan-dards,” bellowed Lepofsky dur-ing his speech. This event will be held year after year to keep that demand in mind.

Page 4: October 8 2009

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the sciencenobel jilts Canadians

TIm ryan

4 October 8, 2009the inside

Robbery. This was the year that two Toronto scientists were heavily favoured to fi nally win the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for the discovery of stem cells almost fi fty years ago. Ernest McCulloch and James Till were the fi rst to iden-tify self-regenerating cells in the bone marrow of mice; it was the foundation for bone marrow transplantation for cancer patients as the fi rst transplanta-tion procedure was performed a short fi ve years later. But that was the sixties. What impresses more, is that the work done by McCulloch and Till in 1960, has laid the foundation for decades of stem cell research, a fi eld that yields unlimited potential and promise in solving medicine’s most complex puzzles including cancer, spinal cord injury, brain

HEL

ENE

GO

DER

IS

the campus comment

Chocolate vs. Vanilla:I like vanilla.Fayyaz, Ice Cream man

Naylor vs. Martin: Roger Martin could just pay someone to fight Naylor. He makes a ridiculous amount of $. Sabrina, Psych

U of T Food Services vs. Aramack: Food services makes food from scratch, we’ve never failed an inspection.Minora, UC Tea

I’d like to take King Eddie, stir shit up in the parkYou just wait ‘till after darkAl Purdy

Got equestrian skills, Purdy boy?! King Edward

the newspaper asks: who would you cast in a campus death match and what are your predictions?

Rabbi Rose vs. the Sukkah: It depends on the rabbi’s handy abilities with a drill and hammer in order to secure the Sukkah properly or whether the Sukkah will collapse and cave on him.Rabbi Rose, U of T Rabbi

disorders such as Alzheimer’s, blindness, deafness, heart con-ditions, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, Crohn’s disease. You see where this is going….

Outside of the purely scien-tifi c argument, there lies the scientifi c community, whom overwhelmingly supported the choice of McCulloch and Till prior to Monday’s upset. Alan Berstein, the head of the Global HIV Vaccine Initiative stated, “Without question, they are very deserving of a Nobel Prize. Unequivocally, it was Till and McCulloch who dis-covered stem cells.” It is widely recognized that there work has profoundly impacted medical research moving forward as Mi-chael Rudnicki, the director of the Stem Cell Network, opined, “they have laid out the path for

stem cell research for the next 50 years”. They did this by defi ning the properties that a stem cell must have, they must be able to develop into any type of cell, cardiac, skin, liver, and they must be able to regenerate themselves. It is the regenera-tive properties that lend stem cells the ability to be widely therapeutic.

In addition to the high con-sequence of their work, and the support of their peers, McCulloch and Till have won every other important medical research award, including a number that are widely viewed as Nobel predictors. Of these, the Albert Lasker Award which they won in 2005, generally precedes the Nobel Prize as over 50% of Lasker winners go on to win the Nobel.

Why the fuss over this? There’s always next year, right?

Well, not exactly. The Nobel Prize is one of the few major international awards that are forbidden to be awarded post-humously. McCulloch and Till, 83 and 78, respectively, aren’t getting any younger, and it would be a shame for their work not to receive science’s highest recognition.

So who won this year? A trio from the U.S. who elucidated how DNA prevents its own deg-radation during cell division. (Author starts a slow clap). But seriously, I’m not here to rip on any Nobel Prize winner; there is no doubt that anybody who wins it has clearly been instru-mental in leading a major fi eld of medical research. With that said, McCulloch and Till aren’t leaders, they are pioneers. Give them some love.

“McCulloch and Till, 83 and 78, respectively, aren’t getting any younger, and it would be a shame for their work not to receive science’s highest recognition.”

Page 5: October 8 2009

nuit Blanche was such a snoreaLeX nUrsaLL

5October 8, 2009 the inside

I actually have nothing snarky to say about Jeff Koons’ Rab-bit Balloon. That’s all it is: a giant, mylar bunny. There, you happy Nuit Blanche? You got me to enjoy something, al-though it was mostly due to the fact that I am apparently a magpie with an incredibly short attentio...

SLIDE: Wheee! Much like the market, we’re about to crash! Wheeeee!

Some call El Conquistador’s Battle Royal a piece that speaks to ones sense of social invisibility. I feel like it’s more of an in-credibly accurate representation of what it’s like to be out on the street during NB: Dark, awkward, overly crowded, along with a constant nagging feeling that someone, somewhere, is going to roundhouse kick you in the face for no reason.

HEY DAVE!: One of the more popular “exhibits” at NB was Hey Dave!, where passersby could talk to some random Kev-in Smith-look-alike about whatever they wanted. Between this and the vodka pool, I’m pretty sure that the whole event was curated by the cast of Clerks or something.

In 2009, Nuit Blanche continued its tradition of being completely un-derwhelming and dis-appointing. I would like to take a few moments to point out some of the highlights from an otherwise utterly bor-ing night.

I admit, I was suckered in by the bright lights hanging off of city hall. I feel like these need to be up all the time, displaying pub-lic opinion on the council’s do-ings. Bad budget? “FAIL”. More strikes? “DAMN”. Hey, what’s that smell? “FART”.

Page 6: October 8 2009

6 October 8, 2009the arts

Page 7: October 8 2009

Acta Victoriana’s 130 years speak volumesThe literary journal that launched a thousand careers...and counting

HeLene goDerIs

Crywolf bites into Toronto’s fashion scene CHrIsTIna CIDDIo

7October 8, 2009 the arts

MIK

E W

INTE

RS

Crywolf girls wear their wares

Acta Victoriana, Victoria College’s literary journal, marks its 130th anniversary this year, making it the longest running student literary publication in Canada.

The journal was founded in 1878, when Victoria College was still rooted in Cobourg, ON, before it had federated with the University of Toronto. The 1878 prospectus outlined that it would serve as a forum for stu-dents and alumni to report the ‘doings’ (acta) of the College.

Founding editor Thomas W. Campbell’s salutary address promised “that every effort will be put forth to make [Acta] a success.” Student-run editorial boards keep Campbell’s prom-ise alive, picking up the endeav-or from year to year.

Acta thrives today precisely because each year, its vision adapts to the ever-changing campus literary and political landscape. This protean trajec-tory is evident in the microfiche compendium of issues housed at Pratt Library. A look through Acta’s archives, which index Acta’s staggering 32,000+ pag-es, reveals a remarkably robust history rife with notable con-tributors. Lester B. Pearson, Northrop Frye, E.J. Pratt, and Al Purdy have all graced Acta’s pages.

Andrew McEwan, Acta’s cur-rent Editor-in-Chief, says that “one of the great things about Acta is its ability to change over the years. It started out as a way to update alumni, it was able to respond to political needs.”

In its germinal years, the journal featured such diverse content as a missionary and religious section, gossip, and inside jokes. After federation with U of T in 1892, sports commentary dominated as Vic integrated with the larger uni-versity community, competing with other colleges. During the years surrounding WWI, Acta was one of the few clubs that boasted female involvement. The 1920s included anti-au-thoritarian works by Lester B. Pearson. In 1953, The Strand, Vic’s student newspaper, began publication, an event that re-shaped Acta’s mandate. Rather than report on Vic’s ‘doings,’ Acta now focused on showcas-ing the emergent literary talent of its students.

Margaret Atwood, then known as Peggy, made frequent contributions in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including po-ems, short stories, drawings and cover designs. Atwood and Dennis Lee collaborated under the pseudonym Shakesbeat Lat-weed to produce an essay pre-dicting the folk-poet’s “supreme rise” in the 20th Century.

“There are simply too few literary publications in Canada that provide a forum for emerg-ing writers, and Acta Victori-ana is one of them,” reflects Jim Johnstone, a two-time Pratt Poetry Prize winner and frequent contributor. “While Acta can boast that they’ve pub-lished early poems by Margaret Atwood and Dennis Lee, they’ve also published authors that will become future icons in my time at U of T. Writers such as Lau-

ren Kirshner, Sandy Pool and David Reibetanz are already on their way to established literary careers.”

McEwan adds, “I think [stu-dent literary journals] are really good at fostering future talent. We’re all at University to devel-op. Sometimes students don’t have the opportunity to be pub-lished and get the recognition.”

This past Tuesday, Octo-ber 6th, students gathered at Caffiends, Vic’s coffee shop, to

Two young Torontonians may have what it takes to become the next Ed Hardy or Audigier of Canada. Stephanie Drabik, 25, and Rose Chang, 27, both graduates of OCAD and York University, channel their ar-tistic flair into quirky, graphic print t-shirts under their cloth-ing label, Crywolf.

Friends since high school, Chang and Drabik enjoyed designing and hand-making printed shirts as a hobby. When their designs became a success, they decided to pursue full-time fashion design after college graduation. Their first clothing line was called Poisson; how-ever, the name did not appeal to the public, and sales dropped.

They rebranded their venture as Crywolf, which derives its name from the famous fable of the boy who cried wolf, empha-sizing the playful personalities of the designers.

Often inspired by the works of pop artists, all the designs in

the line incorporate the girls’ fashion style. “It’s a mix of weird and random things,” said Chang. Crywolf features original animal imagery in its designs, with t-shirt names such as “Oc-tobubbles” and “Owlie.” The also sell a line of accessories for men, women, and children.

They consider themselves a mix of artists and entrepre-neurs. “Neither of us had any business background, so for everything we’ve done, we’ve had to learn by just doing it and learning the hard way,” Drabik said of their accomplishments.

Although Chang said that they still have trouble market-ing their company, they use the social networking sites Fa-cebook and Myspace to peddle their wares. Most of Crywolf’s sales are generated through a web-based store where new lines come out twice a year with seasonal exclusives in between.

All Crywolf products are manufactured and handprinted in Chang and Dubrik’s home-based studios. The Crywolf girls

would like to continue to ex-pand their company while stay-ing true to their Toronto roots.

“We would love to keep going and growing,” said Chang, “but

observe the 130th anniversary. The latest issue was picked up and perused. An open mic fea-tured the work of the emerging U of T writers and artists.

“The future of Acta will be to continue to showcase the liter-ary and visual arts at Victoria and the U of T community,” says McEwan. “Acta’s doing re-ally well as a literary journal. In the future, it might serve a dif-ferent purpose.”

we don’t want to limit ourselves to anything, and we want to make sure that we keep the homegrown aspect of our company.”

Page 8: October 8 2009

8 October 8, 2009the backpage

Hey, hipster girl with the plaid leggings in ENG8. I heard you saying how much you love Nick Mount. I’m

slightly balding and too cool for school. Let’s make love on copies of The Walrus.

To the blue eyed music student on the 0 GO train (car #5), please sit beside me.

-Eng. student

Dear black-haired boy at Hot Yam! You were getting up in the face of hippies, calling for steak. I want to rub my

steak all over your body, if you know what I mean.

to respond or send your missed connections, email [email protected]

missed connections on campus

the crossword

First person to correctly complete a crossword puzzle gets a drink on us.

Drop off your crossword to our offi ce at Spadina Crescent, Suite 25.

We dare you to use permanent marker.

All the rest of you, check next week’s issue for answers.A

ND

REW

GYO

RKO

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MIK

E W

INTE

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Across

1. Basement4. Old-fashioned9. Good Year, e.g.10. Intimidates11. Participate12. Spud13. Appeased15. One half of a Musketeer

saying18. Immovable19. More mentally sound21. Go forth24. Raises a corpse26. Portals and entryways27. Madness28. Shopping binge29. Flail about

Down

2. Mysterious3. A gap in memory4. Fear, disgust, grief, e.g.5. Ontario University6. Grotesque7. Ancient calculator8. Vacation10. Baseball for kids14. Dire16. Snakes & ______17. They decorate Christmas

trees18. Dr. Dre and Eminem20. Hooligan22. Playful sea critter23. Crouch25. Archaic Greek poet