CINSSU Presents an advance screening of HE NAMED ME MALALA on October 1st at Innis Town Hall, 8pm!
For a chance to receive tickets, email [email protected] with the subject code MALALA.
Synopsis: HE NAMED ME MALALA is an intimate portrait of Malala Yousafzai, who was wounded when Taliban gunmen opened fire on her and her friends’ school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
The then 15-year-old teenager, who had been targeted for speaking out on behalf of girls’ education in her region of Swat Valley in Pakistan, was shot in the head, sparking international media outrage. An educational activist in Pakistan, Yousafzai has since emerged as a leading campaigner for the rights of children worldwide and in December 2014, became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
The UC Follies’ adaptation of Agamemnon held onto the core values of the original play. To quote the artistic producer, Agamemnon “explores gender and power”, and incorporated the devotion to Greek gods and the seduction and destruction of war.
There is a clear disregard of a woman’s value throughout the play, especially between the chorus and the Queen, Clytemenstra. They honour her, but only in the King’s absence (a 10 year absence, and still they resent a woman in power). They say she’s “like wax, too easily softened”. Even the king, upon his return, says “A woman who fears nothing, is she a woman?” Well, to answer your question Agamemnon: hell yes.We think all women can relate to Clytemenstra with her sassy sarcastic adoration of her husband, and powerful defence of herself and her lost daughter (killed by her husband!). Continue reading UC Follies’ AGAMEMNON Review→
As the signature U of T Department of Psychiatry anti-stigma initiative, Mindfest is an annual event that promotes awareness and understanding about mental health and illness, as well as increase awareness of available community resources and services.
But does it offer what you’re looking for?
As a third year student with a keen interest in mental health and awareness, I would like to share my personal experience and understanding of Mindfest, along with other school initiatives to promote awareness about mental health and illness.
Mindfest is a full-day event that will be held at Hart House, in collaboration with U of T Student Health and Wellness, Hart House, and Workman Arts. It is a pan-university event in partnership with Ryerson and OCAD (with the inaugural Mindfest Walk leading from Hart House to the finale celebration at the Ryerson Quad!)
Present at the event will be several guest speakers including Emily Wright, Mark Kingwell, and representatives from the Kids Help Phone. Workshops and booth exhibits will be spread out throughout Hart House. This amazing line-up of speakers, presenters, workshops, and exhibits will have something for everyone. As a student, I am personally looking forward to listening to the success stories of the many, talented guest speakers that will be present. And of course, the yoga workshops and Student Showcase Discussion has me riled up and eager for October 7th!
Mindfest is open to the public, although the focus is primarily on educating students about mental health issues and concerns, while working to erase the stigma that those who live with mental illness face. The various exhibits at Mindfest will have plenty of information about resources available to students—both on and off campus.
So, do I think that Mindfest offers what you’re looking for? Absolutely! With the amazing line-up of speakers, exhibits, and workshops, I believe that Mindfest will offer something for everyone. Note the date in your calendars: Wednesday, October 7th, 2015. Come out and join us at Hart House for a day of fun, food and mindfulness.
A classic photo of the beautiful outdoor walkway at Knox College (59 St. George Street)
Introducing… Study Spotlight! Study Spotlight is a newly established series of blog posts focusing on different places to study. For the first post, I’ll be personally reviewing Knox College’s Caven Library.
What is Knox College?
Knox College runs from King’s College Circle to St. George Street, having entrances/exits to both. In a nut shell, it isn’t like the 7 other colleges offered at U of T. Although there are some graduate students affiliated with Knox, I can say there are no undergraduate students that are tied to it. Big difference already, right? Knox is also much smaller in size and resources: there’s a small kitchen for eating, and located upstairs is a small church and the library. To the left and right of the beautiful walkway photographed above, there are courtyards with benches and flowers.
Quietness: 9.2/10
It’s incredibly quiet. Each time I come back, I feel guilty for pulling the zippers on my backpack, pencil and tablet case. There’s little whispering and the noise from outside doesn’t find its way in. The library itself is pretty small so there aren’t any doors for people to constantly open and close. The entire college is actually pretty quiet thanks to the silence-enforcing admins.
Spot Availability: 8.7/10
The library isn’t very packed. I guess it has a a lot to do with the fact that not a lot of people know about this gem. Out of the many times I’ve visited, I can always find a spot. Seats are organized in trios with a couple of the larger study group tables situated near the front desk.
Resources: ??
I’ve never used any of the library’s resources except for their WiFi. There seems to be a lot of books, but all probably specific to the graduate programs they offer at Knox. There are also a couple of computers for use; probably about nine.
Aesthetic: 8.5/10
If the above photo wasn’t enough to make you like Knox, maybe this will help:
The Caven Library has most of its furniture made of wood and the floors are all carpeted. The ceiling is raised high, with a set of chandeliers hanging. The lights definitely illuminate a warm cast on the library with little sunlight penetrating through the windows.
Overall: 8.7./10
As a life science student, Knox is a really convenient place for me to hang around. It’s close to where all my classes are: the convocation hall, medical sciences building, sid smith, etc. I can have lunch either in the walkway (if I can find a seat and it’s warm enough) or in their small kitchen. And of course, I can do my favourite thing there too: study!!!
For more information, visit http://www.knox.utoronto.ca/
All university frosh weeks are planned with the intention of engaging new coming students and introducing them to all the exciting things at their new educational environment as well as making them feel welcome and not isolated in student life.
But does it really help with student life experience?
For some background info, I am a first year student and I participated in specifically, the New College 2015 Frosh Week, and now being a week into starting fresh with school experience and experiencing University level classes, I would like to share my personal experience regarding this topic.
Frosh costs $100 and consists of a weeks full of activities such as social events, campus tours, club fair, mock lectures etc and most importantly, opportunities to get to know fellow peers and classmates (the price you pay also includes a frosh goodie backpack).
I would have to say that it is definitely a fun experience and a valuable time for those who are frightened by the idea of starting in a new school while knowing few people. It is for sure, the most fun I’ve had in in the last two weeks, and not necessarily a completely accurate depiction of university life as most lecture halls I’m in have 300+ students in them. Therefore, I have definitely made the most friends during frosh, and I expect to make more friends in tutorials, but not so much during regular lecture classes. The fun aspect of student life, is however, a little bit dashed for me, but I believe that I just need to join more clubs and events to feel more involved in student life as I do commute to campus.
Things to improve on for next year? I really wished I could meet more people in my particular program during frosh, the campus tours were slightly unorganized, and people definitely did not stay in their arranged frosh group during the week. Other than that I believe it was ultimately a fun experience and a great way to make new friends, and I would highly recommend freshmen in the future to sign up for it!
U of T students, did you know that you can vote on campus in the upcoming federal election regardless of your home address? No need to travel home to vote!
(First off, check if you are registered to vote. If not, find more information on registering here.)
As the Elections Canada website states,
Advanced polling offices will be open Monday, October 5 to Thursday, October 8.
Anyone can use these offices, even if they are temporarily away from their riding (for example, an eligible voter who has moved to a new city to attend university or a student from a different campus).
Voting will be by special ballot. Votes will count in the riding where the voter’s home address is located.
At the St. George Campus, here are your poll locations:
University of Toronto
Graduate Student Union
Gym and Records Room
16 Bancroft Avenue
Toronto, ON M5S 1C1
10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
University of Toronto
University—Rosedale Returning Office
316 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M5S 1W5
10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
To vote, you must provide identification showing your home address. Find the full list of accepted documentation here.
As for students living on residence:
You can prove your identity with your student ID card.
You can prove your address with any document issued by your school that shows your home address.
Ask the residence administrator for a Letter of Confirmation of Residence that says you live there. You can use it to prove your address.
#UofTfeministstrong is now trending on Twitter. This follows a march in solidarity against graphic anonymous threats made in comments on blogTO against the lives of feminist students and teachers at U of T. A Women’s Studies class at UTM will be cancelled this week following Professor Hae Yeon Choo’s decision to take this time instead for a “moment of serious reflection” surrounding the nature of the threats in relation to past and present discrimination against feminists. Yet as the National Post reported, one student commented on her professor’s decision by saying “My personal way of protesting (against the violent threats) would be to go to class. I don’t think we should stand down or miss our education for something like this.”
This seems to be the line of thought students at UTSG took to heart today as they rallied along Bloor, Spadina and St. George streets this afternoon. As one spokesperson for the demonstration put it, “Violence that seeks to silence feminist voices cannot and will not succeed in its goals.”
