Posts Tagged With 'contributions'

Born This Way

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 3 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

Consequences of a phrase too often used

By: Arash Lofti

Two years ago, I volunteered at Pride. I had no political stance on it, and didn’t necessarily think my coming out merited so much drunken revelry. I went nonetheless.

There was a lot of talk about “being yourself” – a phrase too often used. I have heard people who justify anything from poor academics to outlandish Pride outfits by saying, “It’s just who I am.” Quite frankly, the public determinism, instead of a focus on being biologically drawn to the same sex, renders coming out that much more difficult. This “born this way” talk is burdening;

if “gayness” is truly a necessity of the self, it leaves one with apparently no choice and a need for a coping mechanism.

One of the contributing factors to the difficulty of is that sexuality into a driving force in one’s life. This is not a normative claim; I still maintain that even if sexual orientation boils down to a choice, this choice is arbitrary. I only claim that we must not confuse the self with the person’s biology and potential – or lack thereof – for action. Biology and thoughts can be inevitable. I could get you to think anything by a mere suggestion. It seems harsh to hold you responsible (not necessarily in a negative sense) for an appetite or thought.

The notion “This is just who I am,” can have quite negative consequences. British teacher Katharine Birbalsingh argues that its impact on education has created a “culture of excuses.” Countless hours are spent trying to accommodate students’ supposed needs, thereby limiting their self-sufficiency and narrowing their curriculum, when they may be better off if they had been left to overcome their difficulties on their own terms.

Similarly, sexuality is only a sensitive issue once make it so. It’s like an organic silence: it’s not “awkward” until someone points it out. Misconstrued analytic self-help mantras, like “I am just being myself” should not be in our vocabulary. We should remind kids that they are responsible for their lives, that they should refrain from excuses, and hold them up to tougher standards. “Be yourself” often justifies following whims when, sometimes, choices are tougher than that. By all means, we should succumb to some whims; ones like sexual orientation can be the source of much love and excitement. But sexual orientation should also be considered arbitrary, and will be once we divert focus from it.

The harm originates from attempts to appease everyone. We try to help kids find their “passion” and “who they really are” and, consequently, take hard work and acquired tastes and interests out of the equation. Failure then becomes apparently a result of incompatibility rather than a sign that a bit more effort needs to be exerted and we hear, once again: “It’s just not my thing.”

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#Trending @Trinity

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 2 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

Patterns of behaviour otherwise unnoticed by the naked eye.

By: Victoria Hoffman

1. Teeter-totters … in the form of Buttery tables.

2. Platypuses … tongue-in-beak.

3. The 1% … leave 99 bottles of beer on the Wall.

4. Midnight … rush or get “squashed.”

5. Hiatuses … The ears cooperate.

6. Quad clashes … unleash the slackin’.

7. Mid-less … everything must either be, or not be.

8. Tricks … let’s butter the Buttery.

9. Treats … cake-flavoured vodka?

10. Bang! … ing.

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LOL: Lack of Learning

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 2 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

How your “Tweeting Disorder” is munching on your brain

By: Jessica Cahill

Internet usage today yields a combination of useful information and mindless pleasure. It is employed as an educational tool that provides credible and rapidly available sources for students. Lecture notes and lab outlines are downloadable at the click of a mouse. Indeed, the array of material has the potential to take research to a whole new level. Trinity College itself relies heavily on its website, whose functions range from providing scholarship information to party sign-ups. However, there is a flip side to the benefits of Internet usage that is taking universities by force.

What is being popularized within the Internet is simplicity. This idea has manifested itself through communication. The idea’s onslaught is credited to the text message, which sends shorthand messages in lieu of a phone call. Websites like Twitter have sprung up that are centred around this craze. But why does the world need updates on the lives of those they “follow” in 140 characters or less? Is email not satisfactory enough? In the pre-Twitter era, hundreds were not scratching their heads wondering, “How can I follow the minute-by- minute actions of Pujan?”.

One may question whether status updates will soon be limited to punctuation

marks.

Regardless, Twitter’s system of effortless, undemanding communication is accessed by 3 million accounts daily.

This downsize of communication is hindering classroom performance. Gregory Levey, a professor at Ryerson University, stated that “plug in: tune out” perfectly captures the attitudes of adults today. Students employ the virtual world as a classroom escape. According to Levey, teaching has become the challenge of educating the “iGeneration”. Our constant use of technology is changing the way our brain stores information and processes interactions – and not for the better.

Just a few hours online each day is enough to weaken certain neural processes and train the brain to create shortcuts for acquiring information. The result is that the brain has less capacity for long-term storage. In reality, students will outgrow their proficiency to look beyond the Internet for information. With students lacking critical analytical skills, the way knowledge is obtained has been vastly altered.

Levey states that the effects of limited communication in order to deliver blasts of information can be seen in writing comprehension. The more students access social media sites, the more difficult it will be to create a 3000-word essay. Establishing a thesis and forging effective arguments begins to feel impossible when contrasted to creating an efficient, 140-character post.

Even more ridiculous is that Internet slang is being intertwined with formal writing. According to Levey, two of his students have used “LOL” and “gr8” in papers, among other online shorthands. “One student, in a literature paper…for a third year class of U of T, quoted icanhascheezburger.com,” said Levey.

Researchers such as Levey have concluded that they will need to find ways toelongate the ever-shrinking attention span of students. The solution does not lie in finding new ways to fulfill their needs, but in impeding the usage of computers. Levey enforces a strict laptop ban in his classroom, thereby forcing students to handwrite notes. The result? A more engaged and productive group that promotes a high quality of discussion. This clearly accredits more traditional learning methods, giving solid meaning to the phrase

“tried and true.”

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Rage Against the Syllabi

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 2 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

A rant against homophobic sexual education

By: Jonathan Scott

I was sitting in the Buttery the other day with Lauren Millar and Taryn McKenzie-Mohr. Lauren and I were reminiscing about our time working as student consultants for the Ministry of Education’s equity and inclusive education policy. I then vented about an incendiary flyer put out by a Conservative candidate in the provincial election.

The flyer claimed the Ministry wants to indoctrinate kindergarteners to be gay. It claimed schools should have mandatory pride parades. It claimed young children should be confused about their gender. It appealed to a latent homophobia: parents want to appear tolerant in the workplace but heaven forbid our kids should be allowed to be gay.

This kind of bullying, this kind of intimidation, this defamation makes me crazy.

So when Taryn said, “I can’t wait until I’m a lawyer,” I couldn’t help but agree. I love how Patty Hewes of Damages describes how she picks cases: “It starts with a seed of anger. I can feel it in my hands and my chest, and that seed has to be nurtured, cultivated until it grows into a full-blown rage. Then I know that I can’t turn back. I have no choice but to take the case because the rage doesn’t abate…Until someone is punished.”

That kind of “full-blown rage” is how I feel about politicians using sexuality and sexual health as a wedge issue to exploit latent homophobia in suburbia.

Teens are committing suicide because they fear coming out. But Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann still supports a gag rule on teachers who defend gay students lest it appear to normalise homosexuality. Our Catholic school boards are less callous but their actions may be no less harmful.

I’m running out of tolerance for people who use religion as a bludgeon. I’m running out of tolerance for people who take a faith founded on love for one’s neighbour but use its offices and officials to discriminate against love. It fascinates and appalls me how much the Church obsesses about sex.

Father Michael Judge was the first recorded victim of September 11th. There is a striking, moving image of him being carried out of the burning wreckage. The photo is called ‘An American Pieta.’ Fr. Judge was known as a priest who spent time with the homeless and destitute, the AIDS afflicted and the streetwalkers in Manhattan. He was a perennial headache for his bishop. He once said, “Is there so much love in the world that we can afford to discriminate against any kind of love?”

I’m finding my patience for homophobia in the name of free speech exhausted. The Supreme Court of Canada is hearing a case about a former male prostitute who was sentenced by a Human-Rights Tribunal for distributing outrageously vicious, homophobic flyers. The case will be a close one, as the justices weigh his right to free speech against the harms done through his slandering a group of people. Hate speech has a tricky litmus test, and it may well be that this individual escapes prosecution.

I increasingly feel like I’m left with little to do other than rant. That rage I mentioned is constantly simmering because I find myself with so few ways to make a difference: I’m not on a Catholic school board, I’m not working in the Vatican, I’m not a Supreme Court judge. Homophobia is banished to the closet at the U of T (and especially so at Trinity). Where in my sphere of influence can I make a difference?

I just wish people would take their morality and get it out of sex-ed classes. Frankly, at what point is removing a child from sex-ed class a form of child abuse? Would we allow a parent to remove their son from any other science class?

Schools should teach age-appropriate sex ed, and they should do so in keeping with the equity and inclusive education policy: all healthy forms of sexuality should be part of the curriculum. We wouldn’t teach gym class by only instructing students on how to be a goalie: we need wingers and centres and defense-men too.

All this now off my chest, I find it especially scary that my scathing attitude towards right- wing homophobes is equalled only by their disgust for me. And I’m really not sure what to do about thatsocietal disconnect and dislike. Perhaps that’s what is truly terrifying: a country is divided over love, of all things.

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United ‘No’-tions

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 2 - Full Text, Politics January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

A Case for an New Alliance

By: Michael B. Menuck

Upon examining Canada’s continuing love affair with the United Nations, one can conclude that the population of the Great White North long ago descended into the darkest depths of madness. This organization, which brought into being hopeful proclamations of a new era of peace and prosperity for the world, long ago lost whatever respectability it had. It has since become little more than a stage for grandstanding dictators to give a veneer of integrity to their racism, oppression and, at times, insane ramblings.

It was this institution that in 2003 granted the chairmanship of its so-called Human Rights Commission to Libya, the chairmanship of the Security Council to Syria in 2002 & 2003, and most recently the chairmanship of the UN Conference on Disarmament to North Korea. To quote Planet of the Apes, “it’s a madhouse.”

The UN has become a hopelessly corrupted and morally bankrupted organization, funded by Western dollars and armed by Western soldiers, but catering to the whims of their enemies and, at best, turning a blind eye to those who would bring about their destruction. This is strong language, certainly, but given the UN’s recent decision to host an “antiterrorism” conference in Teheran where host Mahmoud Ahmadinejad entertained delegates for several days with tales of the “wicked West” and its “manufactured” tragedies of 9/11 and the Holocaust, totally justified.

To any person who prizes such values as freedom, security and peace – values the UN once could honestly claim to champion – the need for a new institution to carry the torch should be apparent. As Canada’s recent experience in Afghanistan has demonstrated, NATO is not the answer. It is an alliance from another age meant to combat another foe. Too many of its key members, including France and Germany, no longer seem to have the resolve needed. Other nations, including Greece, Italy, Spain and Iceland, remain too bankrupt, too politically divided, or simply too irrelevant in our globalized world to contribute much to the maintenance of world peace and stability. Nations such as Canada must realize what they should have when the Berlin Wall fell two decades ago: that NATO was an organization meant to combat the forces of Communist Russia in a world of two superpowers, not serve as the police for an extensively interconnected world.

While Afghanistan exemplifies how NATO cannot fill the void left by the UN, it also provides us with an idea of what this new alliance should look like. The nations who did step forward to answer the call of duty in Kandahar – including the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand – are united together by their commitment to such values as freedom, democracy and security. It is nations such as these which must now come together in a new alliance. Before anyone begins grumbling about how this would be a league of “old white men” it should be noted that this would not be the case. Indeed, it would be open to any nation who has demonstrated that they also possess the needed mindset. The only determining factor should be a shared commitment to such values as freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and equality and, more importantly, a willingness to secure and preserve them.

Presently, civilization finds itself under assault, seemingly from all sides, by the forces of tyranny, dogma and evil fanaticism. However, every past time the world has been confronted by these pressures, good nations have found the courage to come together to bear the burden of protecting civilization from the forces of barbarism and tyranny.

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Condom Conundrum

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 2 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

EFUT Exec members offer their view on the club’s recent kerfuffle

By: Andrew Zikic and Mathieu Sasseville

Earlier this year, the U of T French Club, EFUT, banged heads with the University’s French Department. Over what? Condoms. Yes, those latex barrier devices that prevent us from unwanted consequences were used as part of EFUT’s latest promotional campaign. When making announcements to French classes, EFUT gave out condoms ensconced in a red cardboard wrapper. The packages were decorated with red lips on the outside and when opened, displayed the club’s event information with a cartoon and a coupon for EFUT’s club night. The French Department, however, did not find these cleverly crafted packages amusing. This is in contrast to the student body, who responded to the promotional campaign by increasing EFUT’s membership by 25%.

I recently joined EFUT as Trinity director and had a first-hand experience of the ordeal. It started out as a normal year for EFUT. We visited French classes around U of T to promote the club, informing students about our events, which include free tutoring and pub and club nights. With the hopes of encouraging all students with a love of wine, cheese, baguettes and berets to become involved, we distributed some promotional material: this year it included condoms. After three days of successful announcements, with positive feedback from students and instructors alike, the Chair of the French Department, Jeffery Steele, contacted EFUT. He warned that students had expressed discomfort with the condom distribution and instructed EFUT to cease classroom presentations immediately.

It must be said that EFUT’s relationship with the French Department has not been entirely smooth in the past. Although individual faculty members routinely applaud and encourage EFUT (notably for the daily free tutoring sessions), the administration does not support EFUT in any way and interactions between the two groups are minimal. In a show of tongue-in-cheek generosity, EFUT donated a wheel of ‘mildly smelly’ English Stilton cheese to the French Department office door on a Friday night after the incident. The cheese was later donated by the Department to a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Nevertheless, EFUT complied with Prof. Steele’s demands. However, being somewhat puzzled by the atypical response, EFUT decided to investigate the matter further. We had, in fact, not received a single complaint, and internal polls showed support for our condom distribution to be just shy of 100%. A request to the French Department to share the record of these alleged complaints went unanswered, and a Freedom of Information and Privacy Act information request similarly produced no results. A few days later, Prof. Steele changed the nature of his complaint, characterizing the issue as one of diversity and equity rather than the result of student discomfort.

EFUT prides itself on its inclusiveness and commitment to students’ best interests. As such, EFUT executives approached representatives and executives of campus associations, offices and groups best representing the groups whose equity our campaign had allegedly “given no consideration to,” in the words of Prof. Steele. Not one group agreed with the Department’s statement.

This raises an interesting question: if EFUT’s promotional efforts (which, incidentally, never explicitly mentioned the condoms—they were always left in the room for students to pick up at their leisure) indeed violated equity and offended certain groups, what is there to be said of sexual education and awareness efforts throughout the University? Byextension, they would be grievously offensive, and groups such as the Sexual Education Centre would be in constant violation of equity and diversity principles.

Although the issue remains to be resolved, further explanations from the French Department will not be pursued. EFUT has decided to take an optimistic approach to the situation. Members and executives continue to be supportive of our innovative promotional choices. EFUT is still the largest and most active club at the University, attracting close to 200 people at its last club night. Thus, the condom conundrum will be pushed aside and may remain this way until next September when EFUT hopes to return to French classes. The question is, will EFUT be entering classrooms ‘unprotected’?

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Fireside Chats

Posted by Mannimal in Alumni, Contributions, Issue 1 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

Featuring Hannah Sung

By: Robin Buller

“I was frosh in ’96 – holy $&!#!” she joked when asked to recall her freshman experience.

Meet Hannah Sung – Ex VJ, new mom, and Trinity College alumnus. In an exclusive interview with the Salterrae, Sung takes a walk down first-year-memory lane, opening up about her time at Trin and giving words of wisdom to this year’s newbies.

Robin Buller: So, Hannah, tell me about your Frosh Week. How was the experience?

Hannah Sung: I arrived and I was really excited. There was definitely that palpable feeling in the air of exciting things going on, but I had no clue what exactly was going on around me. I basically went out to everything because I was curious. I think I went into it pretty blind, but I had a great time.

RB: What about Initiations Week?

HS: I remember I became first year rep for the Government of the Lit but I had no idea what it was. There was all this pressure to stand up and give a speech for two minutes I remember feeling kind of nervous [but] …I was voted in!

RB: What was your impression extra curriculars at Trin?

HS: There is a lot of freedom…and there is a lot of trust at Trin with what students can do with their time. That’s the great thing about all the student groups at trin. Does the james bond society still exist?

RB: Yeah!

HS: That’s so funny! Its hilarious that you can apply for money for your club – and it really can be anything. I was in a group a lot like that in terms of [being able to] do anything – Solid Gold Dancers!

RB: Any academic advice?

HS: I wish that I had been more serious about my academic experience. I think that if you’re not sure what you want to study, that’s fine, [and] there’s nothing wrong with exploring. Exploit the time you have! You’ll never have this [much] time again to [do things like] think and read. I wish I had [more] time to do [those things] now. It really is just a great time to explore ideas. If you’re in a program that isn’t totally doing it for you, switch! Don’t drag your feet about prerequisites! It’s really your time to study what you want.

RB: What words of wisdom do you have for Trin’s first years?

HS: First year was a very weird time. I had a really wonderful time, and I had a lot of difficulties too. I guess [my] general advice would be to seek out friends because no matter what you’re interested in and what your studying and what personality you are, there will definitely be someone that you can go out with at Trin. It can be so rejuvinating and exciting to meet people who are interested in the same things. And then when you do come across something that is a difficult situation, you’ll have a friend.

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Trending at Trinity

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 1 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

Patterns of behaviour otherwise unnoticed by the naked eye.

By: Victoria Hoffman

Customary kisses/kisstomary cusses … It’s a Trincest thing.

Glassware accessories … “That bottle fits nicely in your hand.”

Seal decoys … Extend their Shark Week dominance to the Welch stairs.

Confusion … How to stay afloat in a boat-less race?

Group chanting … WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH!

Warm metals … Tongue-stick-proof-waggle.

Unconscious decision-making … When in doubt, pass out.

Faux-crocodile upholstery … “Swamp” = “swank.”

The North … Beer is colder at the Dupont LCBO.

10. Unicorn-maning … Like horse-maning, but you won’t believe it.

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A Royal Show

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 1 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments

A review of the Glasswater Theatre production of The Queens, performed from September 8-18 at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse

By: Ilan Tzitrin

Unlike films, plays almost solely rely on the conviction of their performances, and talented cast of the Glasswater Theatre production of The Queens expertly engaged the audience.

Written by Norman Chaurette and translated by Linda Gaboraiu, The Queens follows six 15th century women – the queens – lamenting their lives, their claim to the throne, and their relationships. The all-female cast and crew included U of T alumni, and their expertise shows; each actress gave a distinct personality, notably Tina Sterling as Queen Margaret of Anjou.

The quirks of the production were rooted in the script. Most of the lines invoked a lingering, almost overwhelming feeling of dread and gloom. Consequently, the opening night audience laughed heartily at the well-delivered comic relief.

Much of the action was set on the floor, with the women literally slithering across the stage, illustrating their desperation. Despite the metaphoric value in this subordination, it looked uncomfortable; furthermore, because the play was set in the round, and not all viewing angles were ideal.

Other design choices were welcome. The production was appropriately minimalist, with the queens appearing as commoners, unadulterated by their riches. In fact, the only props were a tree stump and the actresses’ garments, wrapped up creatively so that they appear to be carrying babies.

The Queens was not easy entertainment, and the dolorous script was likely not designed for a broad audience. In the absence of an elaborate set, the appeal of the production stemmed mostly from the range of the actresses, who delivered their lengthy monologues with skill.

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Reflections on 9/11

Posted by Mannimal in Contributions, Issue 1 - Full Text January 12, 2012  |  No Comments
The Munk School Remembers September 11th
By: Lauren Bursey
To commemorate the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, the Munk School of  Global Affairs and the Centre for the Study of the United States held a panel discussion entitled: “9/11 – Ten Reflections After the Passage of Ten Years – An Opportunity to Contemplate and Remember.”

The panelists included powerhouse names in International Relations, including Bill Graham, Chancellor of Trinity College, Michael Ignatieff, Professor of Political Science, Margaret MacMillan, former Provost of Trinity College, and Janice Stein, Director of the Munk School.

The panel did more than simply reiterate the events of 9/11 and recount where they were at the time of the attack – they considered its consequences and the consequences of remembering it. Ronald Pruessen, Deputy Director of the Munk School and the event’s organizer hoped that the night would be a chance for “reflection…which is not always part of academics.”

To Stein, there is “a risk that we give too much weight to [9/11].” MacMillan suggested that 9/11 has “contributed to US exceptionalism.”

The panel attempted to understand 9/11’s effect on Canada, specifically; Graham cautioned Canadians to “make sure we adopt policies which are realistic and our own.”

Students at Trinity College are part of what Ignatieff defines as the “9/11 generation”; 9/11 was the first major political event of most of their lives. He and MacMillan agree that this generation “will digest and inform [9/11] for the rest of their lives.”

This was the first of a series of discussions on “disasters” in our society to be hosted by the Munk School.

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