the dialog aug,10- 24 2012
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The Dialog, student newspaper of George Brown CollegeTRANSCRIPT
Aboriginal rights spark debate at board meeting
Hate crimes have a logic: on the Oak Creek shootings
Emanicpation day marked in Toronto
Student strike training camp held in Toronto
Aug. 10 - 24, 2012
Managing Editor: Mick SweetmanSA Publications and Communications Coordinator: Mick SweetmanDialog Published by: Student Association of George Brown College
Contact in person or mail:Room E122 - Casa Loma142 Kendal AvenueToronto, ON M5R 1M3
Tel: 416-415-5000 ext. 2764Fax: [email protected]
The Dialog newspaper is published by the Dialog Collective under the auspices of the Student As-sociation of George Brown College. The collective is comprised of student editors and reporters and is responsible for the overall vision and direction of the Dialog newspaper, as it coincides with the larger vi-sion of mission of the Student Association.The cost of producing a monthly newspaper is in part defrayed by advertising revenue and largely subsi-dized by the Student Association. Occasionally, some advertisers, products and services do not reflect the policies of the SA.
Opinions expressed in the Dialog are not necessarily those of the Dialog Collective, the Student Associa-tion of George Brown College, or its editorial staff. Dialog will not publish any material that attempts to incite violence or hatred against individuals or groups, particularly based on race, national origin, ethnicity, colour, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability.Contributions to the Dialog are always gratefully ac-cepted. We request that articles be submitted as digital copies in plain-text (TXT) or rich-text (RTF) format. Letters to the editor can be sent in an email message to [email protected]. Images should be in EPS format as vector images or TIF format (Mac or PC). We request that you submit a hard copy of your work. Originals only please.
George Brown College student newspaper
Dialog Reporters:Preeteesh Singh
Dialog Contributors:Harsha WaliaPeter HogarthMike Roy
Cover photo by Mick Sweetman of student protest on King Street E. on June 5
The Dialog2 Aug 10-Aug 24, 2012
The paper you hold in your hands isn’t a throwaway rag to read be-tween class, or on the subway, or to use for packing during your next move. No, this newspaper is much more. It’s your chance to contrib-ute to create the type of media that speaks for you, and to you, about your life. As a publication published by the Student Association of George Brown College, you pay for the production of this newspaper and it exists to cover your stories and the issues that you are concerned about on your campus and in your community. Its role is to cover the news, both the good and the bad, hold people in power to account, and help pro-vide context to what’s happening in the world around us. Whether it’s a major international event such as the shooting of a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, rising tuition fees in Ontario, a student strike in Quebec, college faculty negotia-tions in Ontario, or what the col-lege administration and SA’s board of directors is up to we are here to bring you the news. Unlike the mainstream media we are not a private company seeking to generate increased profits for our shareholders. Our only func-tion is to bring you the news, opin-ions, arts and culture, sports, and business and technology stories
that are important and you want to read. As the acerbic punk-rock activist Jello Biafra once opined, “Don’t hate the media, become the me-dia.” To make this happen, to truly make this newspaper everything that campus and community jour-nalism should be, we need you. We need you to be excited about the opportunity to put your mark on what our newspaper can be and keep it a lively, engaging, and opin-ionated publication that carries on the best traditions of student jour-nalism—as it has at George Brown College for the past 38 years. So, when you have an idea for a story that needs to be covered, let us know about it, or even bet-ter pitch it to us and then write it yourself. When you take a photo that needs to be seen, send it to us. When you have a question that need an answer, ask us about it. If you have an opinion about something we’ve printed, send us a letter about it. You can email us at [email protected], or call 416-415-5000 ext. 2764, or drop by our of-fice in room E122 in the student center of the Casa Loma campus at 142 Kendal Road. Whatever you do though, make sure your newspaper, your Student Association, your school, and your community are everything they can be. Run your future.
Become the mediaEditorial
Join the Dialog team! Journalists play a key role in our student community. They gather in-formation and prepare stories for our student publications and inform us about newsworthy events and happenings in our community. They present factual information on current issues and report on the ac-tions of public officials, board members, corporations and others who exercise power. We are currently looking for motivated students with a passion for storytelling to join our team. Please send a cover letter, resume and a sample of your writing to us at: [email protected] or call 416-415-5000 ext. 2764 for more information.
By Mick SweetmanManaging Editor
Students should not have to choose between buying their textbooks and buying their groceries. To help alleviate some of the financial pressure many students face, the Student Association runs emergency food banks at the St. James, Casa Loma and Waterfront campuses. Here, students can pick up both non-perishable and some perishable food items to help to meet their grocery needs. If you are a student who needs to use the food bank service, or if you want to make a difference in the lives of other students by donating, please visit a LifeWorks Centre for more information. The service is open and free for students.
Lend a hand and make the difference…
St James Campus 200 King Street East, Room 159A
LifeWorks 416-415-5000 ext. 2845
www.studentassociation.ca
Emergency food banks
Casa Loma Campus 142 Kendal Road, Room E130
LifeWorks 416-415-5000 ext. 6314
Waterfront Campus 51 Dockside Drive,
Room 031 LifeWorks
416-415-5000 ext.5356
Sparks flew at the Aug. 7, board of directors meeting of the Stu-dent Association (SA). A seemingly innocuous motion about starting SA meetings and events by taking a moment to read a short statement that would recognize that the college is on the traditional land of the Missis-suagas of the New Credit started a heated debate. The proposed statement would read: “I would like to take a brief moment before we continue to recognize that as many of us are settlers on this land, it is our collective responsibility to pay respect and recognize this land is traditional territory of the Mis-sisssuagas of the New Credit First Nation and that we are here because this land was occupied. In recognition that this space occupies colonized First Nations territories, and out of respect for the rights of indigenous people, it is our collective responsibility to honour, protect and sustain this land.” Mohammad Ali Aumeer, the director of education and equity
who moved the motion said, “The key is, the first people who were here on this land, who never ceded this land, were the Mis-sissaugas of New Credit. And to them it was a real priority to hon-our, protect and sustain this land and because of that fact it should be a priority for us as well.” Aumeer noted that the education and equity committee had consult-ed with the Aboriginal services department on the need to recog-nize the historical context and that many departments of the college already use similar opening state-ments for their meetings. Julia Mackenzie, director of in-ternal affairs, disagreed. “Maybe this is not the most PC thing, but there have been a lot of issues about Aboriginal territory in this area, Caledonia for example. That was really badly run and there have been some issues with territories, their use, reaction to their use, everything like that.” said Mackenzie, “Everyone faces different struggles. We don’t even know who took this land from the Aboriginals. Before the Aborigi-nals were here it was those that crossed the Bering Strait. I just
don’t see this as doing anything. If we want to do something for Aboriginal rights there’s a lot of different things we can do that would be better.” Lori Budge, Aboriginal stu-dents’ affairs councilor for George Brown College (GBC), did not return phone calls by the Dialog. Aumeer later made a motion to refer the item back to the educa-tion and equity committee for more discussion and to allow board members have a broader discussion with people from the college’s Aboriginal services department. The motion to refer passed with only Mackenzie vot-ing against it. In other business, a motion passed at the meeting to make a $5,000 donation to the annual Labour fair hosted by the school of labour that the SA participates in and is on the organizing com-mittee. The labour fair at GBC has been organized for over 20 years in conjunction with the college and the Toronto and York Region La-bour Council. The week-long event brings trade union speakers into ap-
proximately 80 classrooms across GBC’s campuses. Over 3000 students are given the opportunity to hear the union perspective on issues such as jobs. Music, films, displays, theatre, art and other cultural events are also organized with a labour theme. The board accepted the resigna-tion of Aman Arora as the con-struction and engineering tech-nologies representative. In a letter to the board Arora wrote that he would not be able to attend frosh week and other important events. The board also voted to provide a subsidy for board members who need to pay for childcare to par-ticipate in board meetings. This money will come from the meet-ing facilitators budget line that in past years was used to provide sign-language interpretation for board meetings. A sub-committee for the fall by elections was also struck with Amueer; Alistair Courtney, director of public relations; Jason Monaghan, business represen-tative; and Mackenzie Deane, Ryerson Campus director, being elected to it.
The Dialog Aug 10 - Aug. 24 2012 3News
Our home on native land: argument at boardBy Mick SweetmanManaging Editor
The Dialog4 Aug. 10 - Aug. 24, 2012 News
The University of Toronto played host to an incredible conference the weekend of July 27 – 29. The Ontario student strike training camp, organized by the Graduate Students’ Union, brought togeth-er activists from Montreal, To-ronto, London, Ottawa, Sudbury, Guelph, New Brunswick, Hamil-ton and many places in between to learn how the students of Quebec organized a massive general strike against tuition fee increases. Noticeably absent from the facili-tators’ perspective was the asser-tion that province-wide organiza-tions such as the CFS can simply “push the strike button” and call
strike votes for all of Ontario, something that is not realistic or even possible. Instead, the week-end held very serious discussion and debate about practical ways to build the student movement out-side Quebec and mobilize students to transform their campuses.
There was an incredible breadth of sessions, covering a number of themes, from getting the word out to enforcing a strike. How-ever, a few clear themes emerged throughout the weekend that are worth repeating and generalizing.First of all, workshop facilitators emphasized the need to find issues that mobilize students. This means starting from a broad basis of uni-ty, while putting forth an argument that can start a debate that will mobilize students. Emphasizing realistic goals rather than revolu-tionary slogans may seem too “re-formist” at first, but students’ ideas can be transformed in the struggle of fighting for those goals, lead-ing to more radical positions and actions. Through the process of
tactics such as pickets, flashmobs and demonstrations, the level of struggle can quickly escalate. Actions should always be thought of in the context of drawing more people into the movement. For instance, how can we use a peti-tion or leaflet to get more people
involved, start more conversations and expand the number of people working on this project? Can we use direct actions, such as occupa-tions and demonstrations, to raise the profile of the movement and the confidence of students, involv-ing broader layers of the campus? Presenters emphasized the need to include other sectors of society in the struggle. If the movement only speaks for students, its ap-peal will end there. We need to be connecting the student movement to workers facing austerity, people who cannot afford post-secondary education, racially marginalized people and beyond. Presenters emphasized the need to organize at the departmental level, rather than campus-wide.
Doing this ensures greater partici-pation and more direct democracy. Start with departments that are most open to arguments against increasing fees and avoid organiz-ing huge general assemblies that can be more easily overwhelmed by organized forces hostile to a
progressive student movement. By organizing these friendly depart-ments first, stronger departments can go on strike and empower oth-er departments to join as well. These stronger departments can strike first to create momentum and pressure other campuses to do the same. However, they should not be isolated. Often times strike votes happened a year before they were acted on because they re-quired strike votes from a certain number of other campuses. For instance, a strike mandate could require seven other departments, 20,000 students, and three other campuses to go on strike first. For a strike to be effective, the strike must be enforced. Picket lines to stop classes from happening are a must. One lesson that bears repeating is that a strike is a tactic for achiev-ing a goal. If we focus on the strike as the end-goal, we risk alienating students not ready to strike right away. The legitimacy of a strike comes from the prior mobiliza-tion which has involved as many people as possible in the General Assemblies (GAs) and the voting. Imposing radical demands from the top-down without adequate mobilization will not make for a strong strike; voting on a strike or imposing a strike will not be ef-fective if it cannot be carried by the rank-and-file students. Strikes don’t appear out of thin air, but they are not impossible. They in-volve engaging with fellow stu-dents and expanding the participa-tion in campus politics. As one Montreal facilitator put it, “you should never be too prudent to act, but you should never be too confident to cause chaos without a mandate.” Mobilize your depart-ment, listen to the GAs and take action. What appears as apathy can turn to radicalism quickly, but it will require some serious work.
This article was originally printed in the Socialist Worker Canada
By Peter HogarthSpecial to the Dialog
Student strike camp trains activists
A chalkboard at the student strike training camp outlines a strategic plan. Photo: Mike Roy
The Dialog Aug. 10 - Aug. 24, 2012 5News
Slavery, where people were treated as property who could be bought, sold and forced to work, existed ages ago, particularly in the British Empire. This practice was carried out full throttle in Africa and also existed on other continents. The slave trade included forced labor, sex trade, child slave trade, rit-ual slavery, debt bondage, human trafficking and wage slavery. Slavery was of-ficially abolished in most of the British Empire on Aug. 1, 1834, with the excep-tions of the East India Company, the Island of Ceylon and the Island of Saint Helena. It was achieved by the passing of Slav-ery Abolition Act the previous year. However, this victory over the chattel slav-ery was only a partial one. Only children under the age of six were fully emancipated and all for-mer slaves over the age of six were re-designated as ‘apprentices’ who had to continue working around 40 hours per week without wages for their former masters. Peaceful protests continued for four years against the apprenticeship system, until full emancipation was grant-ed on Aug. 1, 1838 and de facto freedom was achieved. Since the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, Aug. 1 is wide-ly observed as Emancipation Day in most parts of the world. The province of Ontario also dedicates this day as Emancipation Day, and it has been declared a civic holi-day. During this time Toronto also
hosts the ‘Caribana’, which is the largest Caribbean festival in North America. The Network for Pan-Afrikan Solidarity (NPAS), United Black Students at Ryerson, and other partnering organizations came together to commemorate Emanci-pation Day in Toronto. This event took place in the Thomas Lounge,
Oakhram House, located at 63 Gould Street on the Ryerson Uni-versity Campus. The event started with an elevation ceremony which was conducted by Abena Agbetu (Murphy Browne). She started the proceedings with ‘libation’ which is a part of the African culture which includes remembrance of ancestors. The libation ceremony was followed by a panel discussion, featuring eminent speakers, Abena Agbetu (journalist and commu-nity activist), Dr Melanie Newton (historian and professor at the University of Toronto), Helio Sousa (capoeira Angola teacher) and Henry Gomez (educator and
Caribana chairperson). Agbetu spoke on the effects of enslavement on the present gen-eration and call for reparations. She pointed out that the whole slavery system was a dreadful past and the trauma can be still ob-served in individuals, which leads to violence in the community. The media only covers the violence
but not the reasons behind it. She explained that the effects of the slavery system of the past can still be seen in the form of racism and colonialism in the present world. “Slavery went on for 400 years, we will get reparation, maybe not in my lifetime, maybe not in our lifetime, but we will get repara-tion.” Agbetu concluded. Dr Melanie Newton spoke on contributions of enslaved men and women, Haiti and abolitionists to emancipation. Helio Sousa addressed the en-slavement and resistance in Brazil. He gave references to the Brazilian rituals, heritage and society in his speech.
Henry Gomez, the award-winning music composer and professional actor who started his career from George Brown College, Ryer-son University and University of Toronto spoke on the connection between emancipation and carnival including arts and festivals. The carnival culture started when the Africans introduced their own
dance moves which were ac-companied with a special kind of vibrancy which was not com-mon. They also showed organi-zational skills in the process and slowly gained popularity. The torch bearers were introduced since there was no electricity at that time and the singers conducted the road march with elaborate costumes, which became the essence of the carnival - and still is. The event also
featured perfor-mances by progres-sive artists after
the panel discussion was finished. Djembe players, singers, and rap-pers were included in the show while the small but decent audi-ence shook their legs to the tunes. The second part of the NPAS program will cover the 50th an-niversary of Jamaica’s and Trini-dad’s Independence, and a critical examination of their post-indepen-dence realities. The commemorations will be held on Friday, Aug. 17, 2012 in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, located at 252, Bloor Street West, Toronto.
Emancipation day marked in TorontoBy Preeteesh SinghDialog Reporter
Speakers (from left to right) Henry Gomez, Helio Sousa, Abena Agbetu and Dr. Melanie Newton listen to the audiance’s questions. Photo: Preetesh Singh / Dialog
The Oak Creek Gurudwara is my brother’s and frequently my parent’s sangat. Over the years, they have described to me how, with deep love and commitment, the community came together to build the Gurudwara. How every week the Gurudwara provided a refuge, a sanctuary, a sense of home, a sense of belonging from the isolation of being an accented brown-skinned immigrant living in Wisconsin. When I heard about the shooting at Oak Creek Gurud-wara, I happened to be facilitat-ing at an immigrant and refugee youth camp. Dozens of young middle-school and high-school aged racialized immigrants and refugees from Latin America, Asia and Africa were describing being taunted and bullied at school, feel-ing discriminated against by their
teachers, the hardships of systemic poverty, daily fears of detention and displacement, and feeling like “unwelcome and unwanted para-sites.” As young people in British Columbia, they were articulating an experience of racism similar to that which my family faces living in the Midwest United States. While these murders were abhor-rent, they were not ‘senseless’. The ad nauseaum suggestion that the killings were senseless attempts to construct the shooting as random and without logic, when in fact racist hate crimes operate through the very deliberate and precise logic of white supremacy. The local Sikh community in Milwaukee had been raising con-cerns about racial harassment, tar-geting, and violence for at least the past year. The Sikh Coalition has reported more than 700 incidents of anti-Sikh hate crimes in the U.S. since 9/11. One of those was Bal-bir Singh Sodhi, 49, the first post 9/11 hate-crime fatality. He was shot five times on Sept. 15, 2001 in Mesa, AZ and his murderer Frank Silva Roque admitted that he killed Sodhi because he was dark, bearded, and wore a turban. White supremacy is fostered, cultivated, condoned, and supported–in the education system and mainstream corporate media, from military missions to the prison industrial complex. The crimes of white supremacists are not exceptions and do not and cannot exist in isolation from more systemic forms of racism. People
of colour face legislated rac-ism from immi-gration laws to policies govern-ing Indigenous reserves; are discriminated and excluded from equitable access to health-care, housing, childcare, and education; are disproportion-
ately victims of police kill-ings and child apprehensions; fill the floors of sweatshops and factories; are over-repre-sented in heads counts on pov-erty rates, incar-ceration rates, unemployment rates, and high school dropout rates. Colonial-ism has been, and continues to be, shaped by the counters of white men’s civilizing mis-sions. The occu-pation of Turtle Island is based on the white su-premacist crime of colonization, where indigenous lands were be-lieved to be barren and Indigenous People believed to be inferior. The occupation of Afghanistan has been justified on the racist idea of liberating Muslim women from
Muslim men. Racialized violence has also always targeted places of worship–the spiritual heart of a community. In Iraq, for example, the U.S. army accelerated bomb-ings of mosques from 2003-2007
The Dialog6 Aug. 10 - Aug 24 2012
Hate crimes always have a logic:
By Harsha WaliaSpecial to the Dialog
Opinion
The patterns of hate crimes have a sense, have a logic, have a struc-ture – they are part of a broader system of white supremacy.
White supremacy, as a dominant and dominat-ing structuring, actually necessitates and relies on a discourse that suggests that hate crimes are ran-dom. Otherwise, whites might just have to start racially profiling all other young and middle-aged white men at airports or who are walking while white.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford poses for a photo with a uniformed Jon Latvis who played in the racist band “RAHOWA” short for “racial holy war.”
The Dialog
with targeted attacks on the Abdul-Aziz al-Samarrai mosque, Abu Hanifa shrine, Khulafah Al Rashid mosque and many others. And so I repeat: the patterns of hate crimes have a sense, have a logic, have a structure – they are part of a broader system of white supremacy. Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, notes that the army veteran and gunman Wade Michael Page, 40, was the leader of a racist white-power band End Apathy. Potok further details Page’s involve-ment in a number of other white power bands and his attempts to purchase good from neo-Nazi websites. Media reports also note that Page was a psychological operations specialist in the army, responsible for developing and analyzing intelligence that would have a “psychological impact on foreign populations.” While racialized cultures and religions are consistently held to task, the culture and system of white supremacy is never scrutinized by the state or media. What breeds white power movements? Who funds white power groups? How are people recruited into neo-Nazi groups? What is the connection between white supremacist groups and state institutions like the army? These are the questions that will never be interrogated because whiteness is too central, too foun-
dational to the state and to this society to unsettle. White supremacy, as a domi-nant and dominating structuring, actually necessitates and relies on a discourse that suggests that hate crimes are random. Other-wise, whites might just have to start racially profiling all other young and middle-aged white men at airports or who are walk-ing while white. Whites might have to analyze what young white children are being taught about in schools and in their homes about privilege and entitlement. Whites might have to own up to and seek to repair the legacy of racialized empire, imperialism, and settler-colonialism that has devastated and continues to destroy the lives and lands of millions of people across the globe. Whites might actually have to start distancing themselves from white supremacy. To my Sikh sisters and broth-ers: this incident is yet another reminder of what it means for us to be racialized as Others and as eternal Outsiders. No matter how hard we strive to be “hard-work-ing, tax-paying model minorities,” our bodies and lives and labour will always be rendered dispos-able and expendable. We are and have been deliberate targets much before 9/11. The turning back of the Komagatamaru and the expe-rience of the Ghadr Party on the
west coast are our most salient reminders. So perhaps it is time to stop attempting to assimilate into white supremacy, to stop capitulating to colonialism and empire, and to take a stand against oppression. We cannot see and name ourselves as ‘accidental’ victims of islamophobia, which suggests that somehow Muslims are more “appropriate” targets of racism. While racism and its impacts often paralyze us, we must channel our collective grief and outrage as a space for alliance and solidarity with other racial-ized communities–with Muslim communities bearing the brunt of islamophia, with blacks who disproportionately endure police violence and over- incarceration, with Indigenous people who are being dispossessed of their lands and resources, with non-status migrants who have been deemed
illegal and are facing deportation. Striving to be more desirable within an oppressive system–that is built on our social discipline and compels our obedience–will never set us free. What will set us free is our collective liberation and thriving as the proud brown people we were meant to be. Chardi kala. Harsha Walia is a community organizer and writer based in Vancouver, Coast Salish Ter-ritories. She has been involved in anti-racist, feminist, and anti-imperialist organizing for over a decade and can be reached at @HarshaWalia.
This article was originally pub-lished on www.racialicious.com
On the Oak Creek Gurudwara shootingsOpinion
The shooter, Wade Micheal Page, played in the white-supremacist band End Apathy and was a former pyschological warfare
specialist in the U.S. army. Photo: ADL
Aug. 10 - Aug. 24, 2012 7
Striving to be more desirable within an oppressive system–that is built on our social discipline and compels our obedience–will never set us free. What will set us free is our collective liberation and thriving as the proud brown people we were meant to be.
The Dialog8 Aug. 10 - Aug. 24, 2012 News
If you haven’t noticed it yet, you will soon. The student lounge at the St James campus is going through some major renovations this fall. With a budget of almost $2 mil-lion approved by the 2011 – 2012 Board of Directors, a massive up-grade is in the cards. The student lounge, which is meant to give students space to relax and study, is now expected to stand apart and have a stylish turn. As explained by Maria Quian, general manager of the Student Association (SA), which is in charge of the renovation project, it has the responsibility to select and supervise the designers, ar-chitects and project managers
from the college’s approved list. The SA and the college archi-tects together ensure that the specifications and construction of electrical, mechanical and other systems are compatible with the base building plans, and they meet the college standards for health and safety. The SA also en-sures that a college representative participates as a resource person for each renovation. The contractor selected from the college approved list by an invitation to quote is the Michael Thomas Group which co-inci-dentally is a company founded by two George Brown College alum-nus 17 years ago. ‘Taylor Smith Architects’ has been brought in to design the project for the renova-tion of the student lounge. Dennis Knowles, SA facility staff, reveals that the revamped
student lounge will have some ultra-modern facilities for the students with enhanced audio-vi-sual technology including 50 - 55 inch flat screens televisions and a sound system furnished evenly across the ceiling. The technology quotient will rise further with the construc-tion of a stools and tables across the north west side which will be equipped with power outlets for connection of laptops in a fully Wi-Fi enabled zone. The subway entrance to the stu-dent lounge will be a little wider in contrast to the current inlet. The quiet lounge will be con-verted into a multimedia meet-ing room whereas the events and facility office will be demolished and reconstructed. The main area will also see new couches and lightings.
Washrooms will be altered and mostly riveted along the north and south side instead of the cur-rent east and west entrance. The hallway leading to the lounge will be perked-up with new ceilings, lighting, flooring and benches along the trajectory. Two of the popular eateries within the lounge, Fit for life and Subway, will remain open for the students during most of the con-struction phase. The students might face minor inconvenience as Subway will only be accessible through the George Street entrance. If everything goes well and ac-cording to schedule, the renovat-ed student lounge will be up and running by Nov. 30 this year with some modern vibes but the same old charm.
Student lounge under renovation at St JamesBy Preeteesh SinghDialog Reporter
Graphic courtesy Taylor-Smith architects
Over the years George Brown Col-lege (GBC) has taken pride in the intramural sporting activities that it has to offer to students. These in-house or within the col-lege activities bolster a healthy lifestyle and motivate students to use their free time to play the sports they love. This is a means to keep fit, to enjoy sports, to make new friends and create the memories that will last a lifetime. The intramural program includes activities like indoor soccer, vol-leyball, badminton, ball hockey and basketball. These games are played within the college commu-nity and on the campus. With intramurals, you do not have to be a Lionel Messi to play soccer; you do not have to be a Michael Jordan to play basketball and you do not have to be Saina Nehwal to play badminton. The fact of the matter is that you should just have the love for the sport you want to play. It’s not always necessary, and in fact not always possible, to win everything. The competitiveness
matters, the spirit matters. How does it work? All you have to do as a student is to form a team among your friends or classmates at a time when everyone is avail-able, pick a sport that you are inter-ested in and register yourself in the athletics department of the college. The college authority will set and mail your schedule in return. The registration is usually done in the first two weeks of the start of each semester, but you can register later as well. Only thing to keep in mind is that the schedule changes every five weeks, so you need to keep yourself updated. The games are usually held during the lunch hours and they run for at least half hour. If you or your team wins, you advance towards your way to awards such as champion-ship t-shirts, team winners, campus wide champions, most valuable player male/female. The facilita-tion is done at an event called ‘so-cials’ where every participating team is invited and provided food and drinks with the awards. If you lose, you’ll definitely try again for the sake of the good time spent and for the sake of keeping fit by sweat-
ing out a little. It’s a win - win situ-ation all the way. Well, not theoret-ically but literally. With the new gym coming up in the St James campus, the current fitness centre can be fully utilized for the participants, which is a boost for the department and also the players. One concern though is the lack of commitment shown by students. There has been a decrease in the number of students who actually turn up for the event after register-ing for it. It should be pointed out that other colleges in Toronto do charge a fee and require a deposit from their students who register for intramurals. This is not the case with GBC, so the college calls for more intensity and commitment from students in terms of participa-tion. One of the most common com-ments from the students regard-ing intramurals, or any kind of sporting activity, is that how do they take time out of their already jam-packed academic schedule? Assignments, case studies, group activities, and exams suck up their hours and they are left with no time
for any extracurriculars. Wendy Roberts, athletics member service specialist for the athletics and recreation department at St. James campus answers this ques-tion. She says that the intramurals are designed in such a way that it caters to the needs of the students who are short on time. It is flexible in nature and it is usually conduct-ed when most students are avail-able, during lunch or after school hours. She is convinced, these are the 20-30 most rewarding minutes for students. During this time they do not think about assignments and exams. The short time spent here completes their day and takes them away from all the stress. It is also helpful to them in terms of net-working as they get to meet a lot of people from various fields in the same arena. So, to all the students who are keen on sports but do not have time, play intramurals. To learn is good, to play and learn is better. Enjoy and have some leisure time, as it reminds of the poem ‘leisure’ by W.H. Davis. “What is this life, if full of care. We have no time to stand and stare.”
The Dialog Aug. 10 - Aug. 24, 2012 9
Got leisure time? Play intramuralsSports
By Preeteesh Singh Dialog Reporter
10 Aug. 10 - Aug. 24, 2012 Sports and Games
He came to George Brown College (GBC) from Jamaica in 2008. He was iffy about the culture in the be-ginning, skeptical, not sure wheth-er people here would accept him in this new country. He started school in Jan. 2009 and got enrolled in the business administration - ac-counting program. GBC changed his perspective, he was welcomed in the new society, he was asked how he was doing when he walked through the corridors of the col-lege, and he suddenly felt at ease. He was comfortable in his new sur-roundings and he began to look for his interests apart from academics. Sports it was, Badminton in par-ticular. His name is Dayvon Reid, now an alumni of GBC, he works part time in the college as a student ambassador for athletics. Reid is a national level doubles silver med-alist and a nominee for men’s play-er of the year by Canada Colleges Athletics Association (CCAA); Provincial level men’s doubles champion; silver medalist in men’s
singles; Ontario Colleges Athlet-ics Association (OCAA) men’s badminton player of the year; and Quarter finalist, men’s singles and mixed doubles in the Pan-Amer-ican Junior Games, Mexico 2007 where he represented Jamaica. The awards and recognitions keep com-ing his way. Reid says, “It’s the passion and love for the game which does won-ders.” Being focused, being nice to people, training hard is important too. He has set his goals as far as his career is concerned, after the completion of his academic pur-suits, he’ll be training for a year in the Asia-pacific region and prepare himself for the next Olympics. All this started at the athletics department of GBC, he registered himself for varsity, played for the college and eventually became one of the top badminton players in the country. One can imagine how wonderfully things can shape up with proper support and guidance. Reid suggests that more students do not turn up for varsity because of ignorance, the college does its
best to get the information across but students need to put in efforts from their side too. The GBC ath-lete of the year says “Things don’t come to you; you go and get it, because real thing starts when you start running.” Reid says, “do not fear failure, it’s a part of the game. Live, learn and move on.” The GBC varsity teams are known as the Huskies, meaning ‘energetic and athletic’. They compete in the OCAA and also at the national lev-el in the CCAA. The Huskies varsity teams include sports like basketball, soccer (in-door and outdoor), volleyball, bad-minton, golf, x-country, and rugby. To be a part of the huskies, a stu-dent has to register for the tryouts, get the medical examination done at the venue and perform to the best of their abilities. If they get select-ed, they get a call. At that time they have to pay a nominal fee of $80 which includes clothes, jerseys, bags and banquet passes. Training and fitness remains an integral part of the Huskies. They have specific
coaches for all sports who help the players to achieve their best. They also keep a close watch on the in-tramural and extramural players, and promote the potential good players into the varsity team. The tryouts for all the above men-tioned sports are set to get roll-ing from the month of September. These tryouts will be held after the orientation so that the forthcom-ing fall students also get a chance to participate. The complete tryout schedule for different sports can be found at the website: www.athlet-ics.georgebrown.ca The coordina-tors and coaches can also be con-tacted for more information. With the fall season coming up, GBC is all set to take varsity sports to the next level.
Varsity sports: ‘do not fear failure’By Preeteesh SinghDialog Reporter
Across2. Rapper & U.S. state7. Free money9. Make better12. Place to perform13. Pain in leg joint (2 wrds)16. Having the characteristicof oak trees17. Popular Halloween Cos-tume20. Result of subtraction22. Coined the term“Oedipus complex”24. Drill instructor abbr.25. GBC’s new campus27. Popular reality show char-acter known for “pouf”28. Canadian tower29. Annual GBC trip (abbr.)33. Famous GTA winery37.Chicken _____ rice38. Bibliography format40. i.e. Epsom41. Health risk when eating fast food42.”All systems go”
Down1. Amphora2. Word of caution3. Miner’s pursuant4. Annoy5. Lower number in a fraction6. Cattail in Spanish8. Dot over the i10.Startled cry11. GBC guest illusionist in 2011and 201214. Balanced15. Canadian stereotype saying18. A man whose behavior is dishonorable19. Hairdos of the 60s and 70s21. Holder of milk23. Coming together24. Street on which new GBC campus is located25. Fermented juice26. Scarce resource30. Musical group & instant message abbr.31. Website language32. South Indian dish(like sponge- cake)33. Flash _____34. ”SA’s __ your back”35. Kiln for drying hops or malt36. High pitch39. Pose a question
Crossword by Natasha Mehan
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Aug. 10 - Aug. 24, 2012 11
Student Association clubs list The Dialog Clubs
Anime Vortex [email protected]
Bachelor of Applied [email protected]
Bachelor of Business Hospital-ity Student Club (BABHS) Ahmad [email protected] Canadian Association Food Service Professionals [email protected]
Canadian Nursing Student’s As-sociation [email protected]
Career Counselling Study Club (CCPC) [email protected]
Cultural Connection Club [email protected]
Fine [email protected]
Food & Beverage Club [email protected]
First Generation Club [email protected]
Game Developers Club [email protected]
GBC Wine Tasting Association [email protected]
GBC Construction Professionals [email protected]
George Brown Ski & Snowboard [email protected]
Grape Vinez [email protected]
Hakuna Matata [email protected]
Hillel @ George [email protected]
HIM Student Association [email protected]
Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure [email protected]
I Run T.O Club [email protected]
International Networking Club [email protected]
Mosaic Diversity Club [email protected]
Muslim Student Association [email protected]
Power to [email protected]
Professional Networking for the Construction Industry [email protected]
Self Defense [email protected]
South Asian Student Alliance [email protected]
Students for Non-Violence [email protected]
Team Jamaica [email protected]
The GospelGBC [email protected]
THE STUDENT ASSOCIATION OF GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING QUALITY SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO GBC STUDENTS. THOUGH WE FREQUENTLY WORK WITH THE COLLEGE,
THE SA IS A SEPARATELY INCORPORATED NOT-FOR-PROFIT — RUN BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS.
APPROXIMATELY 22,000 FULL-TIME GBC STUDENTS ARE PART OF THE SA, AND WE ENCOURAGE ALL STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE. FROM PROVIDING HEALTH INSURANCE TO THROWING PARTIES, THE SA WANTS TO ENSURE EVERY STUDENT HAS AN ENRICHING AND MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AT COLLEGE.
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