Do’s and Don’ts!

So I’ll be frank: I was supposed to post this about 3 weeks ago but it was the beginning of exams and so I had, you know, exams to worry about. But now I’ve thankfully entered that glowing post-exam bliss, wherein I relish the opportunity to spend a whole summer actually reading fiction which I’ll not get around to reading, or telling myself that tomorrow will be the day that I once again decide to wait one more day before I start exercising consistently. You know how summers go: you make a plan, you delay the plan, you give up on the plan, and you resolve to do it next summer instead. Thus I have a bookshelf full of unread books and, although I’m in decent shape, I can say with confidence that I won’t find myself competing in London in 2012.

Anyway, I digress. My point is that with the arrival of summer holidays comes an opportunity for me to write yet another one of these nifty entries. And so I shall!

I figure I had a pretty successful year. It wasn’t stellar-to-the-max or anything, and it’s not going to get me a Rhodes Scholarship (PS – Erin Fitzgerald, if you happen to ever read this [via some Googling of your own name in the future, I'd imagine], I’ve never met you but I think it’s totally rad that you, a Vic student, were awarded basically the best scholarship ever this year), but I think it was quite respectable! And now that I’ve officially finished exactly half of my undergraduate career, I think its high time to evaluate what works and what doesn’t!

So, without further ado (get it? Yeah, exams killed my sense of humor):

Do: Attend Lectures  – Alright, so I know this is self-explanatory. But I also know that if you manage to go your entire undergraduate career without enrolling in at least one class in which you find yourself habitually skipping lecture because the notes are online, then you’re very atypical indeed. But seriously, come on! You’ve paid for them, you’re guaranteed to learn at least one thing if you go, and you’ll probably end up being tested on it anyway.

Don’t: Do all your readings – Didn’t see that coming, did you? This year I did all the readings in half of my courses. The other half I did maybe 3/4. Even then, I’m absolutely positive I did more reading than the vast majority of my peers. It’s actually quite simple: you’re not going to do all your readings, so you may as well admit it to yourself up-front! You really should do the vast majority of your readings, but don’t get caught up on making sure you read every page of every book before the exam because it just won’t happen; in fact, your futile attempts will have you straddling the (albeit thin) line between conscientious student and caffeine-addicted robot. Recognize the important readings, target the ones that offer subject matter or perspectives which with you’re unfamiliar, and make sure you always do the readings that get discussed in tutorials. You’re set! But, for the love of all that is holy, if you’re going to skip some readings then make sure you attend the lectures!

Do: Find the right procrastination methods! – Face it, you’re going to procrastinate on things. You may as well do it in style. Did you know the Cat’s Eye has a pinball machine!? Well it does. And I currently have my initials residing next to each of the high scores, so you can believe me when I say that it is a fantastic way to procrastinate. Robot Unicorn Attack is also very popular at Vic, and with good reason! It’s mindless little flash games like that which will keep you sane!

Don’t: Rationalize your procrastination — I’ve heard it all before. “Oh, I work better under pressure.” “This one time I actually stuck to a schedule and did poorly on the assignment.” “Eh, my friends haven’t started their paper yet!” As great and all-consuming as a good bout of procrastinating is, take it for what it is: you’re not doing your work, and you are going to suffer for it. Keep that in mind while you’re procrastinating, and it will probably urge you to get back to work a little sooner.

Do: Take advantage of living in Toronto — You have the ROM right next door, you have the AGO down the street, you have the Leafs and the Raptors and the Blue Jays at your fingertips. And the Argos. And the Rock, I guess. And concerts! And the opportunity to walk through movie sets all the time! And etc etc etc! You live in what I truly believe to be the best city in all of Canada, so don’t just spend all day moping around campus like so many others do. Get out there, you’re right downtown!

Don’t: Plan your life out yet – Have goals. Have specific goals! Plan to go to Harvard Law or to Oxford or med school! Don’t build your entire life around these goals! You’re young, probably around 20. You should have an idea of what you want to do with life, but things are most likely going to change. You’re probably going to land that one C- that sinks your grand plans, and then what? I hope you have goals, and I hope you achieve them, but I hope you have a state of mind that won’t result in your entire world crumbling to pieces because you didn’t temper your enthusiasm for that free-ride scholarship to law school. You really should approach this all as a step in forming your idea of your ideal future, not just a step toward attaining whatever future you’ve already conjured up.

And folks, I’ll spare you more! Though sometime in the future I might write another Do/Don’t, because I’m frankly a fan of this format!

Also, as the new Vice-President External of VUSAC, I feel compelled to give you one more piece of advice:

DO: Go to VUSAC.ca, and on the right-panel enter your email in the Listserv box. You want to stay informed about everything going on at Vic, don’t you!?

Well folks, have a great summer!

Exercise and Stroke Management

I thought I’d change it up a bit this week. This past academic year, I have been involved in a research project at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, which is examining the effectiveness of current rehabilitation programs for stroke survivors. Now I usually like to write about sports and athletics at Vic and U of T, but I figured that since my project is drawing to a close with the end of the academic year, I thought I would convey to you readers the importance of this specific research field. At the Toronto Rehab institute, I work with patients who have had a stroke and are dealing with multiple physical and cognitive deficits that preclude them from living the kind of life they are usually used to. Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability in Canada, and it’s estimated that approximately 300 000 Canadians are currently living with the effects of stroke. So basically, it’s one of the most impactful diseases burdening the health care system today. Traditionally, rehab was used to restore basic function in patients so that they could perform self-tasks and daily functions.  However, there has been a lot of interest recently in the idea that exercise might be able to improve the long-term outcome for stroke patients by restoring physical and cognitive function and by reducing their risk of developing other co-morbid and fatal diseases that often arise because of stroke.

And that’s exactly what I do at the Toronto Rehab Clinic, I meet with patients and help them through a prescribed workout program. Part of my project has been to examine if whether exercise actually confers some benefit to their recovery. I’m happy to say that it does – patients over the course of 6-months are improving their ability to exercise, which in turn improves their quality of life and their ability to perform activities of daily living. Now, if you ever see me and want to ask more questions about this study, please do so, as I love to chat about the great things that can be done to help stroke survivors.

But the real reason I am bringing this up (beyond the fact that I think research and science is awesome) is because part of the reason that exercise has been recommended as an intervention for these patients is due to the fact that daily physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and neurological decline that comes with increasing age. I think it’s important for every individual to really think about how he or she can include some form of physical activity in their lives and how they can encourage others to do so as well. Student’s go through a lot while at university, and unfortunately, we fall into some maladaptive routines that, while not a huge factor in the 20s, can really influence our health in our “old” age. I think about this all the time and I’ve tried to make a conscious effort to improve my health, and to encourage my friends and family to try and engage in some physical activity. Besides the fact that exercise makes you feel great, helps to build confidence, and gives you personal challenges that add some thrill to life, exercise keeps you healthy.

So get out there and enjoy the great weather coming up and get your sweat on, trust me, it’s good for you!

Red Mitts and Cowbells

Guest Blogger: Belle

Now that the flame is out, the honking has died down on Yonge Street, and all of us have returned to real life, I thought I should share with everyone at Vic the flip side of Brandon’s blog about celebrating the gold medal hockey game in the Cat’s Eye – namely, what it was like to be in Vancouver during the Olympics!

Those of you who’ve been lucky enough to go there know already that Vancouver is breathtakingly beautiful – even though they were rather less snow-clad than the organizers might have wished, the Rockies were spectacular. The weather may have been unfortunate for the Games, but it was perfect for all of the visitors who packed the stands and cheered in the streets, all of them wearing the Olympics mitts and waving flags and breaking into spontaneous and horribly tuneless renditions of O Canada. There were flags literally everywhere, a sea of red and white interspersed with the colours of other nations as well, even a few people proudly displaying the flags of several nations in their apartment windows.

By watching deadlines and joining the lottery process a year and a half in advance, we were able to get tickets for three Olympics events: two figure skating (pairs’ short and men’s short) and one women’s hockey (Canada against Sweden). Our seats for the pairs’ short were right at the top, but we managed to sneak down to the lowest section for the men’s, which meant that when Stephane Lambiel skated into our corner to pick up a stuffed animal someone had thrown to him and smiled at the crowd, we could feel the middle-aged ladies around us swooning! Figure skating feels much more trick-oriented and less concerned with the emotional expression and music in person – I could almost forgive all of the recent talk about the quad, it is so spectacular in person. It seems that everyone watched it obsessively on TV and the internet, so I thought I’d let you know about some things that maybe didn’t come across over the media.

One thing you never see on TV is the young girls who skate out to collect any flowers or gifts the athletes get. They were sent out in pairs, but except when the Canadians or Japanese skaters were competing (when the entire contingent had to be dispatched!), almost none of them got their moment in the spotlight. Sometimes they’d skated halfway to the stuffed animals before the athletes turned out of their way and picked it up themselves instead, and the poor girls were so disappointed that we spent almost as much effort cheering for them as for the earlier skaters.

The other thing I’d never realized before was how much pressure there is on Canadian athletes. For everyone else, we clapped politely after jumps and at the beginning and end of the program, but for the Canadians, especially Patrick Chan, everyone pulled out their Canada hats and mitts and cowbells and noisemakers and basically roared through the entire program. And you couldn’t not clap, either, even though you knew it added so much more pressure, because not doing so would have been basically treason. One guy wearing the Olympic flag as a cloak ran around handing out Canadian flags to everyone in the crowd, and there was even a lady who pulled out a tambourine and was tapping along to the beat of the music!

Who knew there were so many closet figure skating fans? Back in Toronto, I was shocked to find out that everyone in class was talking about axels and lutzes and spins and footwork, about Lysacek versus Plushenko, about Joannie Rochette’s unimaginable courage and Tessa and Scott’s dazzling victory. As someone who is not much of a hockey fan (not that I would have said that on the night of the gold-medal game for the world), I was delighted to find that figure skating was finally getting the attention it deserved.

But of course, hockey was even crazier, being Canada’s game and all. From the moment we entered the stadium, we were overwhelmed by the excitement. All of us were cheering and yelling and the guy handing out flags at figure skating was back, sporting a police-car light on his head and organizing waves. (I’m pretty sure I saw him at the men’s gold-medal hockey game as well!) And of course the ladies gave us plenty to cheer for, with the final score an exhilarating 13-1 for Canada. There was a kid sitting in the first row wearing half Swedish and half Canadian garb who was utterly adorable and, I thought, very appropriately Canadian.

Since my friend’s dad works for one of the main Olympic sponsors, we got to go into the Olympic Village as well, which was amazing. Although understandably we couldn’t go into the residences, we did tour the gift shop and make rock star poses on the stage where the welcoming and flag-raising ceremonies for each country were held. (We were told that immediately after the ceremony, China abandoned the Village and whisked its athletes to a hotel in Richmond where they were fed food brought all the way from the other side of the world and cooked by Chinese chefs!) Our tour guide was rather scornful of Plushenko, who she thought took airs and carried himself like a snowboarder instead of a figure skater.

We even managed to hold real Olympic medals … after a four-hour wait, three line-ups (including one for special gloves that said “I touched a gold medal” on them), and a stern warning not to make thumbs up or victory signs or to bite the medals. They’re beautiful, as well as surprisingly heavy, weighing around a pound each! The medals for the Olympics carry designs of an orca pod, symbolizing the communities that support the athletes, while the Paralympic medals feature Raven, who represents triumph over obstacles.

The non-Olympics-related feature of Vancouver that struck me most was how much it has done in terms of protecting and promoting First Nations’ culture in recent years, despite all of the historical and ongoing problems we’ve heard so much about. Anyone who watched the Opening Ceremonies will know that this is the first Olympics where the aboriginal peoples have been involved in everything from the making the bid to designing the artwork to hosting the visitors. The First Nations and Northern Pavilions featured First Nations, Metis, and Inuit music, dance, art, and sports, including a video showing a recording of a traditional longhouse dance, which have never before been seen outside. Everywhere we went, we were asked to bear witness, to return home and tell our friends about what we had seen. One drummer told us that for too long, the songs he sang had been associated with protests, with camouflage wear and anger, and that he wanted to reclaim them and share them with others in a spirit of community.

There were wonderful exhibits of totem poles, bentwood boxes, sculptures, weavings, and potlatch dishes the size of baby carriages at the museums. In one museum, we saw photographs of masks that had been returned to the nations to whom they belonged in accordance with the terms of a recent treaty. When the art of making a certain kind of blanket had been lost, the ones stored in the museum’s collections were used by the women to reclaim it. And we discovered that the stories of totem poles could be told only by the owner or with his permission and needed to be read from the labels instead of being spoken by the guide. My favourite pieces were the sculptures of Bill Reid – if you have a $20 bill, check out the back. That’s his.

Each province or region of Canada had its own pavilion, as did many of the countries who’d sent athletes. Although my favourites were the Aboriginal and Northern Pavilions, Ontario’s was also quite popular, since you could control the lights on the CN tower from there! And in Russia House, we watched (on the IMAX screen in the Science Centre!) a film about Russian peasant women and learned that the designs on the Russian costumes were actually Firebird tails, which bring good luck if you can catch them.

So that was pretty much it, except for seeing a sea otter that ate 25% of its weight in clams a day at the Aquarium, a suspension bridge capable of holding 96 elephants (although whether or not it could hold 96 stampeding elephants is another story), and crocuses blooming in the middle of February in the Butchart Gardens in Victoria.

I hope that all of you were as proud of Canada’s and the world’s games as I was, and that all of you enjoyed the party!

Make your Wallet Happy

Spending yet another mind numbingly exhausting day at Robarts Library, I made the trek out to locate some sort of nutrition before getting back to the piles of papers waiting for me. At this time of the month, comfort food (aka burger fries and coke) is the only thing that keeps you going. Not wanting to venture far, I stepped into Licks located at 720 Spadina Avenue. What I did not realize was that they offered a student discount. This would make perfect sense considering its proximity to Robarts but it had never even occurred to me. With a simple glance at your Tcard you can get a large fries and drink and a burger for under $8. This is inclusive of cheese (let’s face it, the best part of the burger).

This was the moment of epiphany when I realized that my Tcard, more importantly my title as a student entitled me to a lot of benefits. Sushi Club, located conveniently near a 24 hour Rabbas just a 3 minute walk down from Vic offers a 10% discount if you show your Tcard just before asking for your bill. These deals are not usually advertised but your Tcard is the gateway to saving those toonies for subway fare! You can also get a student discount at select salons at the Manulife Centre with up to 50% off for a haircut (just show them your full time student schedule!) plus, another 35% off any other services. So hey, if you wanted to get your hair done for High Ball but your wallet was protesting, check it out.

Your Tcard also entitles you to discounted movie tickets available at the UTSU office for just $8. If you are not able to make it in time, try going to the AMC theatre located at Dundas Square to get a student discount. If you’re feeling an afternoon of procrastination, hit up a movie at the Rainbow Cinema (80 Front Street or Market Square) on a Tuesday afternoon and enjoy a movie in an old-school, quaint theatre for just $4! They are even offering reduced rates on the smash hit musical Jersey Boys. Listed on the main website, if you feel like a little old-school musical story-telling check out the UTSU website to get your tickets today -without breaking the bank!

Just like the Tcard says – have it on you to make full use of all academic services. Well, have it on you anyway – you never know where it could come in handy. I discovered most of these options only in my 3rd and 4th year (2 years of wasted discounts!) and if it’s not displayed ask – what have you really got to lose? The Tcard is a license to save – so milk these 4 years for what its worth and accept the elite student status!

Canada wins Gold!

Hi everyone!

So I know I should be writing about Vic, or life as a Vic student, or something along those lines. However, this is just too good an opportunity to pass up. And it was probably my favourite thing to occur at Vic so far, so I’m just going to go ahead and write about it.

Canada, as you all know, won gold in Men’s Hockey at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. And what a game it was! And what an atmosphere we had in The Cat’s Eye! We decided to just start promoting it the day before, so we expected to draw maybe 35 people. I went to pick up pizza before the game, and came back into the Cat’s Eye to witness that about 140 people had shown up! The Cat’s Eye was pushing capacity on this one, and we had people decked out in flags and face paint and uniforms and everything. There was one lone American fan — not even an American citizen, I hear, but nonetheless wearing the Confederate flag as a cape and running around cheering whenever something good happened for the States.

Anyway, so we packed 140 people in The Cat’s Eye and opened up the bar. Despite the game being at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon, the bar actually did exceptionally well and returned some of the best figures we have all year. The turnout and bar figures were about a million times better than the Superbowl, in fact! But there was one huge hiccup: With 2 minutes remaining in the game, the projector overheated. The audio was still on, so everyone fell eerily quiet to listen in on the game. Panic was in their eyes, since they of course expected Canada to win 2-1 and they were afraid they wouldn’t actually get to SEE it. I ran up to check up on the projector, and realized it had overheated. When it has overheated in the past, it has taken anywhere from 20sec to 20min to recover. Not wanting to rob anyone of their moment to watch Canada win gold on home ice, I said “The projector overheated” to the silent crowd. They looked at me, looked at each other, sat there stunned for about 2 seconds, and then all at once STAMPEDED out of The Cat’s Eye. I’m sure it was unsafe, but at least I know that the people at Vic are in no danger if the CE ever catches fire. I’ve honestly never seen an exodus quite like it: 120 or so students streaming like lunatics out of a single door, all dressed in hockey uniforms and waving Canadian flags and with maple leafs tattooed on them. It was like the Scottish Highlanders at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, except this time French Canadians and English Canadians alike were trying to achieve the same objective. And other Canadians, too, before someone comments that I was horribly exclusionist in that sentence.

Anyway, everyone piles into the nearest residence. I’m sure the people working at the front desk were very confused and frankly concerned. We got the projector working about 20 seconds later, so the exodus was for nothing but was a great story. The Americans scored, the Cat’s Eye “aww”ed, the guy with the Confederate flag did a victory lap. In the 3rd Intermission I went and did a round to find everyone and for the OT the Cat’s Eye had about 110 people or so. When Crosby scored it went INSANE. I can’t even explain it. I’m sure it will be a moment everyone in the room remembers, and I’m happy they’ll remember that they were in The Cat’s Eye. We then all went and joined the amazing party at Yonge and Dundas, and if you missed out I’m very sorry to hear it. I’d frankly go on at complete length and recount the party, but I feel this entry is wordy enough already. Ask me about it in person sometime, it was sick!

Here’s a photo I took of The Cat’s Eye during the second period. Note that there is also a huge swath of people who are off to the side and couldn’t fit in the picture. Unfortunately most of the decked-out-in-Canada-gear people are in the back and can’t be seen; I reckon it’s because that’s where the bar is!

Well, see you all around!

Recognize 2010

At the end of each academic semester, there are various ceremonies dedicated to acknowledging the great work that Vic students have accomplished during the academic year. There are many banquets/ceremonies that will be honouring the achievements of Vic Students. One of the most important ones to me is the athletic banquet.

The 119^th Victoria College Athletic Banquet

At the end of each intramural season, the Vic athletics council organizes a banquet to acknowledge the participation, sportsmanship, leadership and talents of Vic athletes. On average, Vic carries 20 teams per semester, each of which has a team representative, a most valuable player and a most improved player. Each role is awarded a medal or plaque to honour their participation and commitment to the athletics program. Additionally, there are several awards that are specific to year of study, position on the council, and to the graduating class. The most special being the Vic Stick, which is a student voted award given to a male and female athlete in their graduating year.

The athletics banquet has been a longstanding tradition at Victoria College. What I enjoy about this occasion is the amount of student influence it has in its construction. Each year, the banquet, while carrying the same magical feeling, is a little different and always has a new additional element to surprise its’ guests. The malleability of the banquet is possible because each year, a new council takes on the responsibility of putting together this memorable night. This year, VCAA’s President, and her team of twenty are currently organizing the 199^th banquet, which will take place on March 18, 2010. The athletics council has done a fantastic job this year to put the intramural program on the path it needs to be on for future success.

Overall, the athletics banquet is a fun night where teammates join together for some food, laughter and celebration to commemorate a successful sporting season.

Walk it off

Feeling stressed? Need to get out? Why not then? We rarely ever explore what is in our own backyard. The great thing about Vic is that it is not only close to a subway, but more importantly, walking distance to just about everything. A neighborhood walk is great because you can discover not only things such as cheap food for the ever lightening wallet of a student, but a great many places that are student friendly. What exactly is student friendly? Walking down college towards Spadina will uncover Chinatown – your one stop shop for laptop repair, printing needs, cheap food (with restaurants being open till 4 am – all nighter much?) and many restaurants/bars catered towards students’ budgets. 

A really popular restaurant/bar is Red Room located at Spadina and College. Its identical twin is Green Room located at Bloor and Brunswick. About a 15 minute walk from Vic is the Annex -home to lots of little boutique stores and, a personal favourite, the BMV – the place to go for just about any DVD, VHS (yes VHS!), CD or book you have in mind. Best of all- books can be as cheap as $4! 

Photo by Natassia

Another great neighbourhood is Kensington – located around the Bathurst and College vicinity. With a multitude of vintage shops and independent food stores (including the fantastic Global Cheese – stocked with every cheese imaginable!).  All of this is walking distance from Vic since U of T seems to be a little city of its own.  If quaint buildings in the midst of the busy downtown central locale is your cup of tea, take a walk down to Front Street (or should it be a day you find a subway token on the sidewalk you can take it down to Union). St. Lawrence market is located at Front St. East and features a market bustling with life – selling everything from flowers to cheesy Canadian souvenirs. There are meat and deli stores as well as a greengrocer stocking the freshest of vegetables. 

 It is not too far from the Harbourfront - if you feeling particularly energetic. Take a walk by the water on a sunny (or snowy) day. Grab a coffee, find a bench and sit back with a book. The Distillery District located right off Front St at 55 Mill St features not only brewery tours but is also home to quaint streets with boutique stores and cafes.

So put on some comfy walking shoes and discover what’s in your own backyard. All you need is your ipod and maybe a cold drink for that balmy summer day. 

It all ropes around hope: The Laramie Project at Vic

This past month I’ve had the incredible opportunity to be part of the VCDS and VicPride! production of “The Laramie Project,” a wonderful play written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project. The play tells the story of Matthew Shepard, a twenty-one year old gay University of Wyoming student who in 1998 was brutally beaten and then left to die, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. He was the victim of this assault because he was gay. The play is based on a series of over 200 interviews conducted by members of the Tectonic Theater Project in the aftermath of this tragic murder, highlighting the reactions, fears and hopes of the townspeople of Laramie.

Our director, Tom Osborne, a manager at Food Services and Vic alumnus, came to myself and a few members of the cast with the idea to do this show way back in November, just a few weeks after the murder of Christopher Skinner, and the signing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This also being the inaugural year of VicPride!, Victoria College’s first LGBTQ focused organization, as well as the 10th anniversary of the original production of The Laramie Project, it just felt to us that the timing was ripe for a re-staging of this story. Our vision with this play was to tell this important story, and get Vic students involved in creating a positive space on campus, in fostering a sense of unity amongst people of diverse backgrounds, and in connecting students through the performing arts.

I heard a lot of great feedback about the show (the Varsity wrote us a very positive review) from friends, faculty, staff and family alike, but what has impressed me so much is the dialogue that we have begun about homophobia, inclusivity and positive space. All proceeds from the show were donated to the Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line, a toll-free Ontario-wide peer-support phone line for LGBTQ youth. We held a post-show chat on the opening night of the show and were joined by members of Youth Line, and it gave us in the cast as well as audience members an opportunity to discuss some parts of the play that especially resonated with us and how it is still so relevant to society today. Youth Line shared with us some stories, and they are doing some incredible work in Ontario, especially in rural communities where little to no resources exist for LGBTTIQQ2S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersexed, queer, questioning, and Two-Spirited) youth.

I’m from Toronto, and before coming to university, I had not encountered a community that was as open and supportive of the LGBTQ community as at Vic. My first day in residence at Vic our dons talked to us about the Positive Space campaign at U of T, a program which identifies safer and more inclusive spaces for LGBTTIQQ2S students, faculty, staff, alumni and allies at the university. As a current residence don, I’ve had several students tell me how happy they are to see positive space around campus, whether it be in the form of a sign on a door, a button on a backpack, or a sticker on a notebook. Some of my closest friends have come out while at Vic, and they’ve told me that Vic has been a place where they felt safe and comfortable enough to be themselves.

The Laramie Project tells a tragic story, yet there are some incredible moving and inspiring moments in the play that merit hope for a better future. Unlikely allies are found in characters like Father Rodger, the Catholic Priest who organizes a vigil for Matthew, or Detective Rob Debree, who realizes that no one has the right to feel the kind of fear that the gay community felt both before and after Matthew’s murder. I don’t think we can go as far as to say that homophobia does not exist in Toronto, but there are several pockets where there are positive spaces, there is dialogue and there is a supportive community. In my opinion, Victoria is definitely one of them.

The Great Assassins War

This post is a two-parter! But the first part is going to be really short: 

Part 1: The Leafs did what?
As current/future Vic students, I must implore you all to take an avid interest in the Toronto Maple Leafs. To that end: THE LEAFS JUST GOT PHANEUF, AND GOT RID OF TOSKALA AND BLAKE ON THE SAME DAY! I’m writing this so that when people stumble upon this post 55 years from now, they’ll be as shocked as I was yesterday. I’d also like to say that Ian White is an amazingly under-rated defenceman who will be a major contributor in Calgary, and the timestamp on this post will attest to the fact that I called it first. 

Part 2 

 As the wonderful Gill Gallimore explained a few posts ago, Vic hosted Charity Week! It was a pretty cool week, not the least of which because myself and (fellow Vic Blogger) Dora planned an awesome Charity Concert.

  

When I was considering what to write this post about, I at first figured you could all use a “So what’s it like to plan and run a concert?!” post. Then I realized that you wouldn’t care. Or if you really cared, you could just try planning your own and see how it goes. It’s really a make-it-up-as-you-go-along sort of thing. It’s more exciting with slightly inadequate planning! Fun times, try it out. Anyway, I digress! 

What is more interesting is the game that culminated at Charity Ball last Friday. Since the beginning of term, Vic has been the battlefield of a giant game of Assassins. For those unaware, Assassins is a game where everyone playing is basically arranged in a huge secret organizational circle. Only the organizers know the circle. You “kill” the person next to you in the circle, you acquire their target, and you keep going until there’s only one person standing. It can take months. It’s paranoid and glorious.  

Glorious, that is, for The Cat’s Eye especially. Now in the end it ended up being a tie between the VUSAC President (who had abstained from actually playing most of the game) and a Cat’s Eye volunteer (who, along with our amazing Cat’s Eye Army, struck fears into the hearts of all our opponents). I may be slightly biased, but I have no qualms stating whole-heartedly that the Cat’s Eye were the true winners in all of this (eat that, VUSAC). 

The Cat’s Eye were involved in a number of battles. The most epic of which was The Battle of the Birge, with the Battle for Old Vic a close second. You can check those out here. 

Today, though, I shall regale you all with the Pratt-Museum Corridor Skirmish. Why, you ask? Because it’s the only account of the war that I personally wrote, and we all know that plagiarism is bad. When you’re done applauding my academic honesty, feel free to read on: 

The Pratt-Museum Corridor Skirmish 

The unseasonably warm temperature that greeted the 19th of January stood in contrast to the cold feelings of betrayal that had befallen the warring parties of Assassins. VUSAC had turned upon herself, each warrior extracting the life of the other or acting as a mole until only the isolated President remained alive. The Cat’s Eye had seen her army dwindle to two, its livelihood teetering on the trusting coalition of two sergeants to remain to the last. The VCDS, too, had witnessed the fall of one prominent member shortly after the climactic Battle of the Birge. It was with a sense of confusion and disillusion that The Cat’s Eye set out after dusk had enclosed the land of Victoria. 

Following a flurry of offensives, the Cat’s Eye Subcommittee had momentarily eased into their Fortress. Content to outlast the others in the war of attrition, the CES stood guard and rested. After the tactical elimination of the financial minister of Victoria’s government, Sgt. Pollak had acquired a target of Scarboroughian ancestry and of VCDS persuasion – Mr. Kelly. The likelihood of an encounter between these noble warriors was deemed slight, each vaguely acquainted but not privy to one another’s daily routine. 

However, word was soon disseminated through the CES ranks as to the whereabouts of Mr. Kelly that evening. An intelligentsia of the Victorian community, Mr. Kelly had assumed a role at the neutral Victorian archival centre. Intelligence indicated his departure into the contested territories would be approximately 23:45. Outside of E.J. Pratt on the 19th of January, the CES decided, was the time and place to retake the offensive. 

Trusting Col. Rubbini to defend Fortress Cat’s Eye, Sgt. Pollak and Manager Bailey assumed their observation posts inside the archives by 23:00. Hidden behind computer terminals, each exchanged shifts observing the movements of Mr. Kelly. At 23:35, Pollak proceeded outside to ready the ambush. “This staircase,” she declared, “shall mark his grave.” 

Unbeknownst to Manager Bailey, Mr. Kelly’s intelligence network had alerted him of the impending threat. Without warning, Mr. Kelly burst out from behind the service counter and, to the confusion of dozens of civilians, sprinted through the gate. His bid to push through Sgt. Pollak was successful, and she and Manager Bailey were forced to dutifully give pursuit. Through the Pratt-Museum corridor, the CES gave chase to the alarmed VCDS associate. Weaving around the Registrar’s headquarters and the Theological centre, Sgt. Pollak witnessed Mr. Kelly escape into a bunker: “Museum Station.” The CES infiltrated the bunker, hastily paying a toll to gain privilege to its basement level.
Fortune was on the pursuers’ side – the network connecting various Toronto bunkers was as delayed as usual. At the far end of the platform stood Mr. Kelly, his transport having not yet arrived. Sgt. Pollak laid siege upon him. From Manager Bailey came the order to charge. Resigned to a corner, Mr. Kelly had nowhere to escape. As the CES lunged forward, a train approached. His salvation near, Mr. Kelly urged the conductor forward and readied to leap. With nary a moment remaining, Sgt Pollak reached her target and ruthlessly struck him down. Dying, Mr. Kelly staggered into the train that had approached a moment too late. As death washed over him, a look of helplessness in his eyes spoke to one self-evident fact: no corridor is safe, no bunker impenetrable, no combatant invincible. Assassins had claimed another life. 

Residence and the Study Space Experiment

As a Don this year, I’ve had the opportunity to experience a lot of new and challenging things at Victoria that I really feel have impacted my progression as a student and leader in this great college. This past weekend, I attended a Residence Life Conference in Guelph, which hosted Dons from universities all over Canada. Dons from University of British Columbia, Manitoba, Western Ontario and McGill University were just some of the many institutions present at the conference. The reason I am commenting on this experience is because during this conference, there were many times when I felt really happy (and glad) to be a Don, student and citizen of Victoria University. Comparing how our system works to other institutions, I recognized that Vic is really a place where imagination, self-progression and community are emphasized and valued. The roles our Dons and student leaders take in the community, I feel, is really exceptional. I think a combination of where we are located in downtown Toronto, our vastness as a University (often falsely believed to be a downside) and the wide variety of student niches to get involved in really demonstrates how Vic helps to bring the university experience right to the student.  Other universities had their strengths, but I truly felt that none were as all encompassing as Vic, and so I guess, whoever is reading this, be happy and moreover, proud that you’re at Vic.

I feel like this is a good time to also introduce a new initiative that my fellow Dons and I have started. Usually during the final exam period, Burwash dining hall opens up their doors in the evening hours for students to study, while providing coffee, hot chocolate and cookies, all in the hopes of creating an environment that is effective for studying. Well starting this week, that resource will be available not only during the final exam period, but also weekly throughout the semester every Wednesday night from 9:30pm – 1am. This gives students a few extra hours to study after the library closes and hopefully it will also help students achieve those higher grades that we constantly seek! Sagar out!