The Eyeopener — February 4, 2015

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Volume 48 - Issue 16February 4, 2015

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Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 NEWS 3

RSU election official no stranger

Slate armies scream support at debate

The person in charge of this year’s election and an RSU full-time employee worked together at York

By Keith Capstick

The appointed official running this

ear’s Ryerson Students’ Union

RSU) election knows RSU staff aot better than you’d expect.

The Eyeopener discovered that

Fatima Sajan, the Chief Returning

Officer (CRO) for this year’s elec-

ion, was part of a York Univer-

ity Federation of Students election

with two members of the RSU com-

mittee that hired her.

The committee is made up of two

ull-time staff members employed

by the RSU, the Executive Director

of Communication and Outreach

Gilary Massa, and the Internal Co-

ordinator Casey Chu Cheong.

Sajan is in charge of mediating

he election and enforcing electionbylaws, handing out demerit points

nd collecting and counting the bal-

ots from voters.

According to an elections results

page on York University’s website,

ajan and Massa were elected on to

he York Federation of Students in

006. Massa held a counsellor po-

ition at Vanier College while Sajan

was a counsellor for Calumet Col-

ege. Chu Cheong was the CRO for

hat election.

When asked about her relation-

hip with Massa when they ran to-

ether in 2006, Sajan said, “I think

remember seeing her name and

seeing her at one of the meetings…

I didn’t have much interaction with

her at all.”

Sajan also said that she wasn’t

aware that Chu Cheong was theCRO responsible for the election.

“Oh, okay well that’s the first time

I’m hearing it,” Sajan said.

When she was asked whether or

not she knew Sajan during her time

at York, Massa said, “I [did] know

Fatima when she was at York, yes.”

According to the RSU election

bylaws, the CRO must be hired by

the current RSU president in con-

junction with an appropriate staff

member. But current president

Rajean Hoilett said it’s typical for

executive staff members to do the

hiring.

“It hasn’t been common prac-tice (for the president to hire the

CRO) for a while, but the execu-

tive committee ratifies the deci-

sion,” Hoilett said.

Massa maintained that Hoilett

is able to appoint her with the

duty of hiring the CRO, despite

the election bylaws not explicitly

reinforcing this.

“But [Hoilett]’s also able to ap-

point people on his behalf and

usually because the president

sometimes gets involved with par-

ticular candidates or elections,”

said Massa.

Sajan confirmed that during the

hiring process for her job as CRO

she dealt exclusively with Massa

and Chu Cheong.

“I don’t see what the concern

is. I am qualified for this posi-

tion,” Sajan said.Sajan said that during the hir-

ing process the only members of

the RSU she dealt with were Chu

Cheong and Massa. Sajan also

confirmed that during the hiring

process Hoilett was never pres-

ent.

When asked whether or not

he believed this relationship be-

tween Massa, Chu Cheong and

Sajan created a conflict of inter-

est for Sajan, Hoilett said, “ This

is the first time I’m hearing about

that. I’m not sure what the nature

of their relationship is.”

Massa said she believes that Sa-

jan was the best candidate for the

job and out of the four people who

applied for the position she was the

best choice.

“Not really,” said Massa when

asked about the potential for con-flict of interest. “She’s a profession-

al person, she interviewed like any

other person and is not a Ryerson

student so really has no stake in the

election.”

The RSU election bylaws call

for the CRO to work exclusively

with the Internal Coordinator to

hire the Deputy Returning Of-

ficer and coordinate advertising

for the election.

When asked about the hiring

process and her relationship with

Sajan and Massa, Chu Cheong re-

fused to comment on the record.

With files from Jackie Hong

upporters of both slates running

n the upcoming Ryerson Students’

Union (RSU) election clashed in a

acophony of clapping and ques-

ions at a pre-election debate for

xecutive candidates on Feb. 2.

The auditorium at the Student

Campus Centre was packed with

upporters for both Unite Ryersonnd Transform RU, with each side

rupting in cheers every time their

avoured slate was addressed.

Candidates for vice-presidents

operations, equity, education and

tudent life and events as well as

president attended. Josh D’Cruz,

who is running for vice-president

operations, was the lone indepen-

dent candidate.

The debate was moderated by

Chief Returning Officer (CRO)

Fatima Sajan. Candidates were giv-

n three minutes for a speech about

hemselves followed by three ques-

ions asked by audience members.

The first three people to the micro-phone at the end of each speech

were allowed to ask a question,

xcept when in favour of gender

parity. As a result, students ran to

the microphone in hopes of asking

a question.

According to debate rules, ques-

tions had to be for both candidates

but some attempted to circumvent

that. During the question round for

vice-president education candidates,

a student who said her name was

Laura began questioning Unite Ry-

erson candidate Zidane Mohamedabout his Facebook posts condon-

ing the shooting deaths of two po-

lice officers.

Current RSU President Rajean

Hoilett cut her off by saying ques-

tions had to be be directed at both

candidates, but Laura shouted back

that she wasn’t finished asking her

“question.”

Sajan reiterated Hoilett’s point,

at which point Laura asked Trans-

form’s, Cormac McGee and Mo-

hamed to explain their charac-

ters. Mohamed, who had already

apologized for his posts during his

speech, repeated his apology in his

answer.Question askers were not always

random members of the audience.

Ryerson Engineering Student Soci-

ety President Urooj Siddiqui asked

vice-president operations candi-

dates how they planned to balance

decreased student group funding

and increased fees. Siddiqui is run-

ning for a Faculty of Engineering

and Architectural Science director’s

position with Transform RU.

Another verbal scuffle broke out

during the bonus round when a

student asked Unite Ryerson presi-

dential candidate Pascale Diverlusand Transform RU vice-president

operations candidate Obaid Ullah

how they would proceed on the

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions

(BDS) Movement. The campaign,

which aims to put political and

economic pressure on Israel in re-

sponse to its “apartheid” against

Palestinians, was adopted by the

RSU following a vote at last semes-

ter’s semi-annual general meeting.

Diverlus began to say that edu-

cating students more on the issue

was important when an audience

member shouted, “It’s anti-Se-mitic!”

Sajan asked the audience mem-

ber to escort herself out.

Candidates Cormac McGee and Mohamed Zidane answer questions from the floor.

PHOTO: JAKE SCOTT

By Jake Scott & Jackie Hong

A series ofunfortunatedates

By Jackie Hong

Posters, emails and websites about

the upcoming Ryerson Students’

Union (RSU) election have been

riddled with errors.

As The Eyeopener pointed out

last week, election dates varied

between Feb. 9, 10 and 11 to Feb.

10, 11 and 12 in several emails

sent out to RSU members and on

sections of the RSU’s website. The

first set of dates is correct. Posters

announcing the RSU election nom-inations were open also listed the

incorrect set of dates.

The emails, posters and website

also inconsistently list the number

of director positions available.

The Eyeopener emailed Chief

Returning Officer (CRO) Fatima

Sajan about the errors on Jan. 27.

The CRO is supposed to “co-or-

dinate all advertising with respect

to each election (with the Internal

Coordinator),” according to RSU

election bylaws.

“Thank you for bringing this to

my attention. It appears as though

last years (sic) poster was re-posted

with the incorrect dates. The newone with the correct dates will be

going out shortly,” Sajan respond-

ed on the same day.

The 2014 election was held on

Feb. 3, 4 and 5.

A number of those posters are

still up around campus and as of

print, three are posted on the glass

of the CRO’s office in the basement

of the Student Campus Centre.

Posters for Unite Ryerson’s can-

didate Drew Silverthorn, who is

running for vice-president opera-

tions, say that Unite Ryerson has

“introduced more student diso-

cunts.”RSU elections are no stranger to

errors this academic year.

Posters and emails about the by-

election in the Fall 2014 semester

also listed inconsistent dates —

first, incorrectly, as Oct. 27 to 29,

and later as Oct. 13, 14 and 15.

Miscommunicationsmade the campaigning

process confusing

CORRECTION: In the Jan. 28 edition,

The Eyeopener published a story

titled “Student Affairs moving to SLC.”

The story said that five sections of the

Student Affairs department would be

moving into the Student Learning Centre

(SLC). This is incorrect. Only the student

learning support section will be moving

into the SLC. The Eyeopener regrets

this error.

Casey Chu Cheong, left, and Fatima Sajan, right, at the RSU debate.PHOTO: JACKIE HONG



Editor-in-Chief Mohamed “Friend Of Ben”

Omar

News Jackie “Unstoppable” Hong

Jake “Yawn” ScottKeith “Hair Whipped” Capstick

FeaturesCharles “Big Krit” Vanegas

Biz & TechLaura “Master P(un)” Woodward

Arts and LifeAlex “In Soviet Russia” Downham

Sports Josh “Sass Master 5000” Beneteau

CommunitiesDylan “Long Name” Freeman-Grist

Photo

Rob “Trivia Crack” Foreman

Sierra “Missing Out” Bein

Stephen “Eggs” Armstrong

FunEmma “Food, Guns, Etc.” Cosgrove

Media

Badri “Film Everything” Murali

OnlineFarnia “FEATURE-CLE” FekriBehdad “Spicy Bread” Mahichi

Web DeveloperKerry “Decibles” Wall

General ManagerLiane “Teleconference” McLarty

Advertising Manager

Chris “ADamant” Roberts

Design Director J.D. “No Sleep Till” Mowat

Circulation ManagerMegan “Cart-esian” Higgins

Contributors Julia “Payphone” Knope

David “Cascadecube” LaoLana “Dolla Bills” Hall

Emma “Cool Buttons” Kimmerly

Bahoz “B Dara” Dara Jake “In The Feels” KivancMallory “Snow Day” WarrenSyed “Full Throttle” Razvi

Tagwa “Sweet Caroline” MoyoAnnie “Teenage Wasteland” Arnone

Nick “Cocaine Eyes” Dunne

Jacob “Here Comes The Sun”

Thielen

Mike “Wizard” Thequan-Phung

Robert “Lizard” Mackenzie

Justin “Be Friends” Chandler

Mikaila “Seaview” Kukurudza

Jennifer “Foodie” Goldasic

Stephanie “Kefi” Hughes

Michael “Shuttlecock” Grace-

Dacosta

Brandon “Digger” BuechlerDevin “Moneybags” Jones

Chris “Brown-Eyed Girl” Blanchette

Brennan “More Words” Doherty

Aidan “St. Anger” Hamelin

Super Awesome Interns

Anika “Alive?” Syeda

Hayley “COME BACK” Adam

Playing the part of the Annoying Talk-

ing Coffee Mug this week is our prom-

ised eternal doom. Deliver us unto

ourselves and cull the weak. #blessed

The Eyeopener is Ryerson’s largest

and only independent student news- paper. It is owned and operated by

Rye Eye Publishing Inc., a non-profit

corporation owned by the

students of Ryerson. Our offices are

on the second floor of the Student

Campus Centre.

You can reach us at 416-979-5262,

at theeyeopener.com or on Twitter at

@theeyeopener.

4 EDITORIAL Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015

Ryerson’s Big Sham TheoryByMohamedOmar

What do the Ryerson Students’

Union (RSU) elections and The Big

Bang Theory have in common?

They’re both shit-shows that

treat the audience like thumb-

sucking dolts.

The TV show believes its audi-

ence will always laugh at awk-

ward words muttered by a charac-

ter that looks like the lovechild of

Bono and Eugene Levy. The RSU

elections assume students don’t

care about how disgustingly awful

our annual dance with democracy

is carried out.

In late January, the RSU election

season started off as professionally

as a drunk gorilla in a boardroom.

From the beginning, there were dis-

crepancies in information given to

candidates and to the student body.

Bylaws weren’t followed. Websites

were bought and changed. Posters

were torn down, racist comments

appeared on others.

But the way that the election is

generally carried out — especial-

ly the hiring of its officials — iswhat’s truly a punch to the student

body’s genitalia.

The person officiating the elec-

tion, supposedly a neutral third-

party, was hired by a full-time RSU

employee — which is fine save for

the fact that they both worked to-

gether at York in 2006.

An election debate — which

wasn’t an actual debate but rath-

er a chance for each slate to see

who has louder friends — was

held on Feb. 2. Within hours it

won the World’s Dumbest Debate

award, handed out by the Mo-

hamed Omar Association. Thedebate had a limit of three ques-

tions for each position, resulting

in friends of candidates rushing

to the microphone to ask what

were mostly shitty, pre-agreed

upon questions.

A full opposition slate, like

this year’s Transform Ryerson,

is a rarity in this campus’ stu-

dent politics. Their platform isn’t

revolutionary by any means, but

then again the incumbent slate,

Unite Ryerson, is offering a nice,

fat dose of status quo.

The rarity doesn’t imply ability,

of course. They could end up being

even worse than the status quo.

But then again, almost any-

thing is better than The Big Bang

Theory.

Winter opt out cheques will be available for pick up in early March from the

Member Services Office Student Centre Lobby 55 Gould St.Please check our site for any updates at www.rsuonline.caAny questions, please contact Dawn Murray,RSU's Health & Dental Plan Administrator at416-979-5255 x2311 or email at: [email protected]

TO OPT OUT, VISIT THE MEMBER

SERVICES OFFICE AND PICK UP A MANUAL OPT OUT FORM.

Opt out if you are a new student just startingclasses in the January 2015 Winter term and havecomparable coverage of your own.

Full-time students just starting classes in the Winterterm are charged a fee of $210.00 the Members'Health and Dental Plan. The charge is reflected onyour tuition fee statement and provides benefitcoverage from Jan. 1, 2015 until Aug. 31, 2015.

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HOW TO OPT-OUT

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*NO ONLINEOPT OUT APPLICATIONSBEINGPROCESSEDTHIS YEAR*



Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 NEWS 5

Grabbing mad bag

Things keep getting stolen wheneople leave them unattended.

Two laptops, two bags and a

ackpack have been stolen from

he library because some poor soulrusted the decency of humanity.

Let this be a lesson to everyone.Treat the world like an airport andever leave your belongings unat-

ended. Especially in the Ryersonbrary because apparently it’s hosto a small den of thieves.

Banging in the library

There’s nothing sexier than a stackof books, fluorescent lights andhe glow of multiple LCD screens.

At least it would seem that wayince security had to break up two

people bumping uglies in the li-

brary on Jan. 19.Security checked to make sure

verything was consensual, es-

orted them out of the buildingnd gave them a stern, hard warn-ng. It is unknown whether theyhecked out any books.

Briefs&

groanersust jackin’ it

One time is never enough when

t comes to indecent exposure. Amale was reported jacking off inhe W71 computer lab on Jan. 19

nd on Jan. 20.The first time the suspect pre-

ended to try logging into the

omputers only to give up andtart jacking it while staring at hisictim. She walked away because

he is a sane human being. Theecond time the victim just turneder back and the masturbator

went away.

Banging on the bathroom floor

On Jan. 28, security came across

wo people banging like belliger-nt bunnies in a POD washroom

during a routine patrol. Consid-ring how often people get caught

boning on campus, it actually

doesn’t get much more routinehan this.

The couple were escorted out

of the premises and forced to fin-sh elsewhere. If you’re readinghis, we hope you ended up some-

place a little more sanitary.

tudent arrested for roof topping

A Ryerson journalism student

nd two other men have beenrrested by Toronto Police after“roof-topping” investigation.

Eric Do, 27, is charged withreak and enter and commit,

mischief under $5,000 and pos-

ession of break-in instruments.The three men are scheduled toppear in court on March 16.

BoG nominations now open

News Bites

Ryerson announced that the nominations for 2015 Board of Gov-ernors (BoG) and Senate are open between Feb 2. and Feb 6. There is

one staff position available for a two-year term, two faculty positionsfor a two-year term and three student positions available for a one-year term on the BoG. There is a faculty positon and one student posi-

tion on Senate for a two-year term and a one-year term, respectively.

New BA program announced

A new BA in the department of languages, literatures and cultures

(LLC) was approved at the Ryerson Senate meeting for Jan. 27. Thebachelor of language and intercultural relations (ILR) will allow Ryer-son students to major in multicultural literature studies in their original

languages, in what is the LLC’s first degree program.

Read more on the new BA program online at theeyeopener.com

By Jackie Hong & Jake Scott

Ryerson’s Vice-Provost StudentsHeather Lane Vetere will be going

to a conference hosted by the On-tario Committee on Student Affairs(OCSA) at York University later

this month to discuss sexual assaultpolicies in post-secondary institu-tions, according to Ryerson Today.

This conference will help “gener-

ate discussion that will inform theReference Group on Sexual Vio-lence established by the Council of

Ontario Universities,” states thepress release.

Lane Vetere was asked by Ryer-

son Provost Mohamed Lachemi tospearhead a review of the school’ssexual assault policies and how

complaints are dealt with on Nov.26, 2014. Vetere previously told

The Eyeopener that she has metwith a number of people, includingstaff members, students and Ry-

erson’s student unions, and spokewith them about their experienceswith sexual violence on the Ryer-

son campus.The review came in the wake of a

Toronto Star investigation that re-

vealed only nine in more than 100post-secondary schools in Canadahad a specific policy on sexual as-

sault on campus. Since then, sev-eral schools have adopted policiesor protocols; most recently, presi-

dents of 24 colleges across Ontariovoted to create a uniform policy onsexual violence on their campuses.

Assault policy update

Heather Lane Vetere is reviewing Ryerson’s sexual assault policy.PHOTO COURTESY DANIELLA GUIDA

You must bring valid student I.D. or valid

I.D. to vote and be a current RSU member

Polls are open daily from 10:30am-5:30pm

(full time undergraduate student or full or part-time graduate student)

Questions? [email protected]

Faculty Directors,

Executive and Graduate

Council Executive.

CAST YOURBALLOT FOR

Students may vote at any polling station.

Polling Stations:

RCC

KHE

LIB

SHE

VIC

ENG 1) Engineering Building (Lobby)

2) Rogers CommunicationsCentre (Lobby)

3) Kerr Hall East (1st floor near Room 127)

4) Library Building – LIB (2nd Floor)

5) Sally Horsfall Eaton – (Lobby)

6) Podium Building – POD (Hub Cafeteria)

7) Business Building – TRSM (7th Floor)

8) Business Building – TRSM (8th Floor)

9) Victoria Building – (Lobby)

POD

TRS

TRS

Y O U R U N I O N Y O

U R C H I C E F E B 9 M O

N 11 W E D

1 0 T U E



6 NEWS Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015

RSU elections kick off with mayhemAfter campaigning began at midnight on Jan. 28, the RSU election started to roll downhill into democratic disarray

By Brennan Doherty

The election’s first violation oc-

urred minutes after it began.

Transform Ryerson candidateNav Marwah noticed posters had

been ripped off of the community

boards at the Ted Rogers School

of Management (TRSM) around

midnight on Jan 27. Unite Ry-

rson posters replaced them.

TRSM policy requires all post-

rs to be approved — and if need

be, removed — by the Ryerson

Commerce Society (RCS). “The

only people who are allowed to

ear down posters are those who

re executives on the RCS,” said

Marwah.

After a week of campaigning,

both the Transform and Unite Ry-rson slates have violated faculty

or campaign rules in attempts to

way undecided student voters.

Marwah took pictures of the

ipped posters, eventually con-

ronting a number of Unite Ryer-

on candidates hanging up their

materials on TRSM’s third floor.

“When I walked by them … one

of the people that [is] running for

[TRSM] director actually came up

to me and said ‘Oh, how do they

look?’ And then I just stared downat the poster that was ripped,”

Marwah said. The candidate said

that RCS staffperson Natasha

Campagna gave her permission to

rip off expired posters.

Unite Ryerson presidential can-

didate Pascale Diverlus maintains

that this is standard procedure.

“Posters that were taken down

were posters of past events and

past dates, just like it’s done in ev-

ery other building,” she said. She

stands by the Unite Ryerson can-

didates, saying “If that’s what they

said they did, I believe it was what

they did.”All of Unite Ryerson’s posters

were stripped from TRSM on Jan.

28.

Osman Hamid, manager of stu-

dent engagement and business de-

velopment for TRSM, said they’d

been removed by RCS executives

for not having RCS approval

stamps, being posted across walls

(which is illegal in TRSM without

prior approval), and for having

barely visible chief returning offi-

cer (CRO) approval stamps. Noah

Parker, one of Marwah’s running

mates on the Transform slate,

had filed two complaints to CRO

Fatima Sajan on Jan. 28 regarding

these violations.

“Every single student in Ted

Rogers knows that if you want

to do something [to] put on the

walls, you need to get it stamped,”

Parker said.In an email to all candidates on

Jan. 29, the CRO disputed the va-

lidity of these rules.

“TRSM has always allowed

posters and banners to be placed

in the building for the RSU elec-

tion period once the TRSM post-

ing regulations have been fol-

lowed. No approval from the RCS

… is required,” she wrote.

But Unite Ryerson posters have

yet to return to TRSM as of 5 p.m.

Feb. 3 afternoon. Osman Hamid

admitted that any student could

have removed the posters.

“That’s also possible, but that’snot how it works,” he said. Any

one of the RCS’s 60 executives or

board members are authorized to

remove posters — and RCS has

openly endorsed the Transform

Ryerson campaign. A number of

Transform Ryerson candidates —

including Noah Parker and Nav

Marwah — are also running for

positions in the RCS and RSU

elections simultaneously. Andrea

Bartlett was once its executive

vice-president.

When asked if Unite Ryerson

will continue postering in TRSM,

Pascale Diverlus replied “No

comment.”Election bylawss themselves

have been ignored by the election’s

CRO, days into the campaign

season. The addition of an extra

TRSM director position on Jan.

29 directly contradicts a section in

article six of the RSU Bylaws that

states “The CRO shall determine

the number of student faculty di-

rectors and their distribution at

least 30 days prior to the date of

the election.”

In the same email, the CRO also

changed the rules about campaign

materials. Typically, the CRO

signs off on every single poster,banner, Facebook post or website

bio from all candidates to ensure

fairness. As of Thursday “…any

statuses or post, responses on all

social media outlets (Twitter, Face-

book, Instagram, etc) that do not

exceed 250 characters DO NOT

need to be approved by the RSU

CRO.”

Diverlus said that the CRO has

a lot on her plate at the moment.

“We do understand [that] the

CRO has to look through a lot of

different material and so there’s

going to be backlog and stuff like

that, but we’re understanding of

that,” Diverlus said.Transform Ryerson, however,

has complained about long wait

times for email responses from

the CRO — especially for poster

approval. Their campaign docu-

ments it all as a result.

“The integrity of the CRO

has been called into question a

couple of times on various mat-

ters and it’s getting really irritat-

ing,” said Alexander Waddling, a

Transform Ryerson candidate for

arts director.

“I have no issue with people

who disagree with me. You start to

undermine the democratic processand we’re going to have a damn

problem.”

The RSU debate was a full house on Feb. 2. PHOTO: JAKE SCOTT

RSU presidential candidates Andrea Bartlett, left, and Pascale Diverlus, right, explain their platform at the debate. PHOTO: JAKE SCOTT



Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 SPORTS 7

Otten digging in deepSecond-year libero Will Otten has been key for the nationally-ranked Rams

By Brandon Buechler

Otten, middle, wearing his signature opposite colour shirt.PHOTO: ANNIE ARNONE

Q&A withTomAnselmiBy Devin Jones

Ryerson grad Tom Anselmi will

bring his 15 years of experience

with Maple Leaf Sports and Enter-

tainment to the Ted Rogers School

of Management. The Eyeopenerwas able to sit down with Anselmi

and ask him about the role he will

be stepping into.

Q: How does it feel to be back

at Ryerson?

A: It’s been great so far. I have

a lot of memories of this school.

The expansion into the downtown

core has been staggering to watch.

Q: What will be your official

role at the university?

A: So I’m what is called a distin-

guished visiting professor and re-

ally I’m helping the dean in three

capacities. One, the development

of an MBA in sports marketing.

Two, assisting in the delivery of

a class on sports business. Three,

mentoring MBA students on how

to manage their own personal

brand, and what goes into that.

Q: How has Ryerson changed

since you’ve attended?

A: Well when I was here as astudent [it] was still a polytech-

nic institute. It’s grown into a

renowned city builder and a great

centre for technology and busi-

ness building. The things [Ryerson

President Sheldon] Levy has been

able to do during his time here not

only benefits the students and fac-

ulty but also the downtown core

as [a] whole.

Q: How long will your tenure

be at Ryerson?

A: Right now it’s for one year

and at the end of that period of

time we’ll see where things are at.

Q: How has the program beengoing so far?

A: We’ve kicked off the class on

Jan. 14 and it’s been going great.

We’ll figure out by the end of the

year the direction of the sports

program.

Q:Have you attended any Rams

games yet?

A: I’ve attended [hockey] games

over the years, even when I didn’t

have any official capacity with Ry-

erson. I imagine I’ll attend some

more throughout my time here.

PHOTO COURTESY RYERSON UNIVERSITY

Will Otten didn’t grow up play-

ng volleyball — it just kind of

happened.

Now the second-year libero is a

key player on the Ryerson men’s

olleyball team as it enters the

playoffs as one of the top seeds in

he Ontario University Athletics

OUA).

“Volleyball wasn’t very popular

t my high school … we usuallyhad just enough for a team,” Ot-

en said. “My friend just asked

me to come try out one day and it

went from there.”

That school was Medway High

chool in London, Ont., just a

0-minute drive from his home in

Delaware, Ont.

Football and rugby ruled fans’

hearts and hockey ruled the stand-

ings at Medway. Meanwhile, Ot-

ten quietly made a name for him-

self in the volleyball world.

After some time, a teammate

suggested Otten take a turn at

beach volleyball, which he says he

enjoyed almost more than the tra-

ditional game.

“It’s more intense because

you’ve got two players – you getmore opportunities to make con-

tact with the ball,” Otten said.

“It’s a little more interesting and I

enjoy it a lot.”

Otten balanced playing with his

club, London Fire, while also play-

ing beach volleyball with Volleyball

Canada’s Fulltime Training Centre

program before being recruited by

the Ryerson Rams and head coach

Mirek Porosa.

Now, Otten suits up for the

Rams on the court while study-

ing hospitality and tourism in the

classroom.

“Will’s a great kid, one of our

best players,” said assistant coach

Chris McLaughlin. “I think he’s

one of our team’s most improved

players.”There’s something to be said

about Otten “improving” on his

2013-14 rookie season, where he

led the team with 123 digs over 52

appearances, while the team went

all the way to the OUA Final Four.

Otten describes himself as the

steady player, someone who can

be relied upon to do his job, be re-

laxed on the court and help guide

his team to a victory.

After graduating from Ryer-

son, Otten hopes to play profes-

sional volleyball for “5-10 years”

and then move into some kind of

coaching role.

“I’d really like to stay in the

sporting world,” he said with a

smile. “It’s been my whole life for

a while.”

Making a little racketDayvon Reid is a badminton star for his school and his home in Jamaica

By Michael Grace-Dacosta

ayvon Reid with his OUA bronze medal at RyersonPHOTO COURTESY DAYVON REID

One of Dayvon Reid’s classmate’s

pots him walking on campus in

his Ryerson varsity gear. He askswhat sport he plays. When he tells

his classmate he’s on the badmin-

on team, his jaw drops.

No one expects a six-foot-one,

85-pound African-Canadian to

play badminton. Fellow players

have confessed to him that when

hey first saw him on the badmin-

ton court, they thought he was lost.

“They’ll come up to you and say

‘the first time I saw you [I was go-

ing to tell you] oh man, basketball

is over there,’” Reid says.But after seeing him play they

quickly realize he’s right where he

belongs.

Reid won bronze medals at

the Ontario University Athletics

(OUA) championships in men’s

singles and mixed doubles events

last season. He’s been named an

OUA all-star twice and was se-

lected as the Male Player of the

Year in the Ontario Colleges Ath-

letic Association when he attended

George Brown College in 2012.“He’s a real natural more [so]

than anyone I’ve coached by far,”

says Robert Fullerton, head coach

of the badminton team, who has

been with the school for more

than 20 years. “[He’s a] very in-

telligent and tremendously athletic

guy. He’s great to coach.”

Reid grew up playing soccer in

Jamaica but when he was 15 his

friend convinced him to try bad-

minton. After one match, he was

hooked. He couldn’t quit, no mat-

ter who tried to stop him.

“My family was completely

against it,” says Reid. ”The sportsyou play [have] to be a means to

get out [of] whatever class you’re

in … there was no money in bad-

minton so they were against it.”

Reid made Jamaica’s national

junior team two years later. After

that, Reid’s parents had to accept

his love for the sport.

You can read the rest of Reid’s

story, including his experience

competing in the 2007 Pan Am

Junior Games, on theeyeopener.

com

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Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 9FEATURES

outbreak in the Sudan and the

other in the Democratic Republic

of the Congo, close to the Ebola

River that lent the virus its name.

The most recent and notable

presence of the virus, branded

he Ebola virus disease (EVD), is

aid by WHO to have started inate 2013, in the small town of

Meliandou, Guinea, where an

8-month-old boy died after two

days of high fever and vomiting.

Members of the boy’s family then

tarted to die. Then the doctors,

nurses and fellow patients. And

verybody in between.

It was on March 22, 2014,

according to the WHO

website, that the disease

was finally identified as

Ebola. While previous out-

gust and continuing for the rest

of 2014. The WHO website cred-

its the epidemic with more than

22,000 cases and 8,810 deaths in

total. About 3,000 cases and 1,910

deaths have been in Guinea. There

have been 10,518 cases and nearly

3,200 deaths in Sierra Leone.Nancy Graham, who received

a nursing degree from Ryerson in

2000, worked in MSF’s off-white

tents in Sierra Leone for five weeks

before coming home to Toronto on

Dec. 15. In the blistering heat of

the Kailahun district, she donned

her yellow Personal Protective

Equipment (PPE) every day be-

fore starting her shifts as a nurse.

Along with two other people, she

would be assigned to one of eight

tents, with each tent lined with

he streets of Kankan, Guinea, where Tustin provided aid to Ebola patients. PHOTO COURTESY JORDAN TUSTIN

“You can only stay and look af-

ter patients for a maximum of 45

minutes to an hour,” she says. “Or

else you’d collapse.”

Even still, both Graham and

Tustin feel that their training

prepared them for their tasks in

a way that made them feel safe.Of all of the people employed by

MSF, Graham says 24 caught the

virus and about 14 have died,

none of whom were international

respondents.

But workers have found new

hope after what Tustin refers to as

a “no-touch New Year’s.” There

were fewer emails and trips to in-

vestigate suspect patients. At least

in Guinea, there was a decrease in

cases, leaving responders with the

impression that they had outlasted

the climax.

And people are surviving. Ev-

ery day. As the number of casesdecreases, hope blooms again in

West Africa.

Arecovering patient

clutches her transis-

tor radio in one of

the tents in Kaila-

hun. Suddenly, the

familiar tune of Céline Dion’s

“My Heart Will Go On” fills an

unfamiliar place. Graham starts to

sing, her voice muffled by her suit,

coaxing smiles from the patients.

“Even though I’m covered and

looking like I’m a space person,

they could see that there’s a hu-

man there,” Graham remembers,

laughing. One of the patients

speaks to Musa, a Sierra Leonean

clinical officer working in the tent.

“What is she saying?” Graham

Even though I’m covered and looking like a spaceperson, they could see that there’s a real person

there

breaks had usually taken their first

nd last breaths in Central Africa,

where institutions were familiar

with the disease, countries were

much less prepared for the battle

when the deadly virus raged across

West Africa. “Populations could

not understand what hit them or

why,” describes a WHO report re-

eased in January 2015.

In Guinea, there have been roller

oaster flare-ups and dips in the

number of cases over the past few

months, with the worst levels of

ransmissions starting in mid Au-

eight beds. Sometimes, she would

find her patients crying. Unable to

speak their language, she would

sit beside them — not too close to

their face, in case they threw up —

and put her arm around them. All

the while looking like a character

out of Breaking Bad.

Graham remembers the suit

as “a giant plastic bag over your

body.” Covered head to toe with

a hood, gloves and goggles, she

would take her suit off after an

hour in the tropical heat to find

her scrubs soaked with sweat.

asks Musa.

“She’s asking if we can dance

to the Céline Dion song,” she re-

members him replying.

“So Musa and I, both dressed up

in PPE equipment, started dancing

together.”

Despite such success-es, Tustin insists

that international

attention is crucial

until the modern

Ebola outbreak is history. For her,

this disease is only an indication of

a much more insidious problem.

“In countries without infrastruc-

ture, without resources, this could

happen all over again,” she says.

The lack of such resources made

it difficult for Tustin and her team

to do their job. It hindered their

progress and presented challenges

that would have never been faced

in Canada. “It might sound silly,

but even just being able to print

and photocopy is really challeng-

ing,” she says, adding that fuel for

trips to neighbouring villages was

also hard to come by.

“Without that international re-

sponse, none of those resources

or tools that are imperative to do-

ing your job and then ultimately

controlling an epidemic would bethere,” Tustin says.

“Our attention, our thoughts,

our resources really need to be over

there,” she says. “I think sometimes

that’s lost in our thoughts about

this epidemic, where we think

more about our backyard than the

people who are dying and suffering

and really needing our help.”

Sometimes, this help goes be-

yond expertise and dedication.

Sometimes, the mere presence of

someone like Tustin is enough.

She recalls stepping out of the

WHO car and into the red earth

of a small Guinean village. Un-der the hot African sun, she ap-

proaches two young children who

have just come back from a treat-

ment centre. They’re happy to be

home, happy to finally be Ebola-

free, happy to see her. She asks

them their names in fluent French,

aware that a group of about 30

people have left their mud huts

and gathered around them.

“It was nice to see the commu-

nity really welcome them back

because that can be a problem

if you’re an Ebola case,” she ex-

plains, her voice shaking. “It was

really wonderful to see these little

kids happy and healthy and ac-cepted by the community.”

In her happiness, Tustin forgets

the boundaries that have become

second nature to her. She forgets

the no-touch rule. The “social

distancing.” In a moment of raw

human connection, she puts her

hand up for a high five that the

kids eagerly return.

“I didn’t even think about it,”

she laughs. “It was such a great

feeling to feel like heroes in their

village and see everyone surround

them.

“I’ll never forget that moment.”

Nancy Graham, centre, has been helping to treat Ebola in Sierra Leone.

PHOTO COURTESY NANCY GRAHAM



Film shows artist torn between two nationsBy Mikaila Kukurudza

For 15 years, artist Zinnia Naq-

vi waited to take photos of her

homeland; but after a single

hour of shots, it still wasn’t

nough.

Seaview is a 12-minute ex-perimental film at the Image Arts

Centre by the 23-year-old Ryer-

on alumnus. Initially a fourth-

year photography thesis project,

eaview reveals the truth be-

hind photographs Naqvi took in

Pakistan, her parents’ country

of origin.

Naqvi’s themes of “global-

sm, trans-nationalism and

identity,” mentioned in her bio,

are carefully placed through

her fourth-year photography

thesis.

The 2014 graduate created

Seaview when she shot beauti-

ful images of Karachi, Pakistan’s

Clifton Beach in 2013.Naqvi found that the authentic

story of the beach could not be told

through her photographs alone.

The premise for Seaview was in

place.

“I feel almost guilty present-

ing these photographs on their

own because of what is behind

the frame,” Naqvi said of her

experience sorting through the

still images. “It was almost

like me being disappointed in

myself.”

Before taking the photographs

in August 2013, Naqvi had last

been to Clifton Beach when she

was a little girl. She went back

at the age of 22.The series contains various

shots of brightly dressed cam-

els carrying children as they

are led by barefooted men at

sunset.

These striking photographs

felt strange to Naqvi because

they did not represent her expe-

rience and the lack of belonging

she felt.

“When you are trying to

translate cultures, there is no

objective opinion,” said Naq-

vi. “I didn’t know what kind

of project I wanted, or that I

wanted to make a film. I wasintending on going back a

second time [because] I

was so overwhelmed with all the

footage I shot.”

This simultaneously allows

viewers to become witnesses,

fully submerged in the distant

culture Naqvi encountered. Her

project developed into a piece

that combined still photos with

family footage and personal vid-

eos from her trip.

In terms of home footage, the

experimental film contains clips

of a family wedding in her aunt’s

Kawali music-filled living room,

her limited conversations in Urduwith her driver and their hectic

drive through the claustrophobic

streets outside of Karachi.

Naqvi said the film was diffi-

cult to make. She forced herself

to overcome her fear of releas-

ing such a deeply personal film

that highlights her insecuri-

ties with her cultural identity.

Naqvi found it hard to find her

belonging in the homeland of

parents.

“I was never really comfort-

able speaking the [local] lan-

guage,” said Naqvi. “To speak it

publicly was a challenge, to ex-

pose my discomfort.”

For some, the experimental

film reveals more about Naqvi’s

experience with each watch.

“I think I’ve watched that

piece 20 to 25 times now,” said

Sara Angelucci, the student gal-

lery coordinator of Ryerson’s Im-

age Arts Centre. “Because it’s so

rich and layered, a second view

reveals more nuanced details

that enrich your understanding.”

For Naqvi, the movie it-

self took months of reflection

and a lifetime of struggling to

identify with the cultures a part of

her life.

“I wanted to feel free at that

time,” Naqvi said in the film

about the initial shots shetook walking along the

beach. “But the actual act of

taking the photographs was

actually more stressful than I

wanted it to be. I think that is

telling of the place.”

The piece will be playing at

Ryerson’s Image Arts Centre un-

til Feb. 22.

Seaview is on Naqvi’s website

at zinnianaqvi.com/Seaview.

Seaview features Zinnia Naqvi’s family footage of weddings and other gatherings in Pakistan. COURTESY OF ERIN WARNER

When you are trying to

translate cultures, thereis no objective opinion

Naqvi’s photos of Clifton Beach in Pakistan inspired Seaview.PHOTO: ROB FOREMAN

10 ARTS & LIFE Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015

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Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 ARTS & LIFE 11

Riot! Comedy made audience

members spill into the aisle

Jan. 28, packing nearly 100

people into the Bloor Com-

edy Club for their first show

of 2015.Riot!’s members said this show

was better than their previous

one last semester. The group

consists of students from the ra-

dio and television arts school

of media.

“The worst part [of doing stand-

up] is when you have that awk-

ward silence when a joke doesn’t

really fly as well as you want it to,”

said Riot! member and second-year

student Laura Del Maschio. “[But]

everyone was into it right away.”

Most of Riot!’s members were

inspired by personal experiences.

Third-year Anthony Gullace jokedabout a doctor diagnosing him as

being “sort of” allergic to peanuts

while second-year Victor Oly ex-

plained how he associated smelly

diapers with his sister as

a child.

“I never really realized how much

I only thought of my little sister as

a piece of shit when I was young-

er,” Oly said. “It’s funny looking

back at your thoughts when you

were younger and turning that

into a bit.”

Riot! has first show of 2015

By Justin Chandler Some Riot! members like Tay-

lor Patterson have trouble keeping

their antics onstage.

“There are a lot of times where

I say aggressive or douche-y things

in real life which I think are hi-

larious, which don’t come across

as well. But when I’m on stage,it comes across really nicely,”

Patterson said.

Second-year student Justine

Riches had her first performance

with Riot! on Wednesday, moti-

vated by fellow members to do

stand-up.

“[Riot! members] said once you

watch us do it you’ll be like, ‘Oh

this is totally something I can do.’

I 100 per cent agree with them,”

said Riches.

Most attendees were well be-

haved, but hecklers were louder

than what performers wanted.

“Hecklers are the worst part[of doing stand-up]. Sometimes

people just don’t know how

to keep quiet but that’s okay,”

said Oly.

Despite the commotion, Oly

enjoyed the show, particularly the

feedback after.

“The lights are blinding and

it’s hard to hear the laughter. But

afterwards, seeing everybody

smile and everybody walking out

of the theatre happy is

probably the best part,” he said.

Behind the frontlines of the Red Army

By Alex Downham

Soviet player Slava was also a political figure. COURTESY OF GABE POLSKY PRODUCTIONS

A Ryerson radio and television

rts student produced a documen-

ary on the hyper-politicized lives

of Soviet hockey players.

The film, Red Army, focuses

on the Soviet Union’s pressure onRussian men to “serve their coun-

ry” by playing hockey against

Western teams. Since the national

hockey team was a part of the

ministry of defence, fourth-year

tudent and associate producer

Dmitry Saltykovsky said they were

reated like soldiers.

“The players didn’t have Ka-

ashnikovs, but had a stick and a

puck instead,” said Saltykovsky.

The documentary, released in

May 2014, features interviews

with Russian hockey legends, par-

icularly Viacheslav Alexandrov-

ch Fetisov. Otherwise known aslava of the famous Russian Five

hockey group, the film retells his

ime playing for the Soviet Army.

“[The Soviet Union] funded

hockey] to display superiority,”

aid director Gabe Polsky.

According to Red Army, “the

best of the best” were picked from

hordes of boys eager to play for

he national team. Slava improved

aster than others. He said the

ame and his coach, Anatoli Tara-

ov “developed his patriotism”

and skill.

Slava was on Russia’s national

team from 1976 to 1989, winning

seven times at the World Cham-

pionship and Olympic gold three

times.

The Russian team succeeded due

to Tarasov’s unique chess-like strat-

egy, where passing was constant

and the whole team was involved

as opposed to individual all-stars.“Life in general in the So-

viet Union reflected that type of

game,” said Saltykovsky. “It’s

the [communal] way of life that

formed the playing style.”

But Tarasov was replaced by

Viktor Tikhonov as the Sovi-

ets’ coach and the team’s morale

changed. Slava and his teammates

were away 11 months a year,

training up to four times a day.

Red Army details how play-

ers “pissed blood” and another

couldn’t leave to say goodbye to

his dying father at the camp.

Slava grew tired of the national

team and went to the NHL in

1989. He struggled to go, receiv-

ing threats and was even beaten

by police. He also received insults

from anti-Russian NHL fans.

Despite Slava’s hard life, Polsky

said it was important to shed light

on past “Cold War-type darkness”around Russia in films on the era,

saying that “there’s a lack of un-

derstanding about the culture.”

“It’s a bittersweet history of

how [Soviets] lived,” said Polsky.

“It was terrible to live there but

there was still pride.”

Slava, like fleeing Soviets, re-

turned to Russia in 2001 to govern

the ministry of sport. Saltykovsky

said Slava did it because he loves

“the game and playing for the na-

tional flag” rather than politics.

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4 Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015



Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 FUN 15

Choo-choo Twain dewails

Lethal weapons and processedmeat products are finally having achild together.

A combination Arby’s-slash-gunstore will occupy the vacant street-level retail space in Ryerson’s new

Student Learning Centre (SLC),according to Buck One-shot Wil-son, founder of fun-guns.com.

“Meat and munitions, bud,what’s better?” One-shot Wilsonsaid during an exclusive interviewwith The Eyeopener.

“I couldn’t think of a more per-fect combo, really, I couldn’t. Mywife loves it, too,” One-shot Wil-

son said.This is the first store location for

fun-guns.com and will be called

Gunz R Us.“It’s a bit like a Walmart with

a McDonald’s — except it’s a

massive gun store with a built-in

Arby’s so you can power up andthen power shop for POWERWEAPONS!” One-shot Wilson

roared in between bites of a meatysandwich.

He said he also considered open-

ing a massive Arby’s with a smallbuilt-in gun counter, but that idea

was shot down.“Guns are more important,” he

said.Ryerson President Sheldon Levy

said he is uncontrollably excitedby the deal, and will be first in linefor the July 4 grand opening.

“What this campus needs ismore calorie providers and morefirearm distributors. That’s what

Ryerson should be prioritizing.We’re taking cues from our friendsdown south,” Levy said. “They’re

doing things right.”The Eyeopener is unsure of who

Levy was referring to at the time

of the interview.

Bunz n’ gunz totake over SLCBy Emma Cosgrove

Mark Twain loses to Emma Cosgrove in battle for fun editor; detonates

Sudoku nerds, assemble

Impress your mom! Drop your

completed puzzle and contact info

in the box outside The Eyeopener

office (SCC 207) and you couldwin a $25 giftcard to Chipotle!

Name:

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ILLUSTRATION: STEPHEN ARMSTRONG

n a deadly duel involving firm slaps, windmill kicks and headlocks, The Eyeopener’s Emma Cosgroveonquered author Mark Twain and reclaimed the legendary title of fun editor. What began with traded

blows ended when Cosgrove forcefully ripped Twain’s spine from his body and beat him to death witht, leaving the battered shell of his corpse unavailable for comment. Following the battle, Twain’s bodynexplicably detonated in a nuclear reaction, despite having no radioactive material on him at the time.The battle comes three weeks after Twain re-entered society, revealing his death was a hoax.

PHOTO: ROB FOREMAN

Don’t play with your food. Play with toys fromthe Stag Shop instead. Enter for your chance to win a basket full of fun! We’re giving away a giftbasket full of Stag Shop products for our Love &Sex issue coming to stands Feb. 11!

To win your very own basket of things to beat the winter blues, like our Facebook page and leave your best story about your worstdate in the comment section.

A winner will be selected atrandom!



6 Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015

Need a break from your books for a quick bite or refreshment? 10 Dundas East

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