Homophobia hits a new lowA student speaks up for equitable language.Medium Opinion, Page 4

DisOrientation WeekA week to unite students on cam-pus for social justice. Medium News, Page 2

Trailer Park MusicalThe Hart House stage’s new en-deavour goes over well.Medium A&E, Page 5

Planet-huntersScientists discover 50 new planets in the galaxy.Medium Features, Page 7

Last Wednesday, the RAWC was filled with students for the Ca-reer Centre’s Get Experience Fair. The fair occurs every year, with the goal of introducing students to organizations that can give them the opportunity to gain ex-perience that would be helpful in the workforce. Students got the chance to meet representa-tives from 70 different organi-

zations, including on-campus organizations such as UTMSU, UTM Green Team, the Research Opportunity Program, and UTM Sexual Education & Peer Coun-selling Centre, as well as exter-nal organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society, Bell Mobility, Best Buddies Canada, Ernestine’s Woman Shelter, Peel Regional Police, and Cystic Fi-brosis Canada.

The hope is that bringing dif-

ferent organizations to the stu-dents, rather than having the students going out into the work-force and searching for them-selves, will make it easier for un-dergraduate students to network, make meaningful connections, and hopefully find a volunteer position, part-time job, intern-ship, or Work-Study opportunity that might not otherwise be as accessible to them.

Career Centre hosts Get Experience Fair

MATTHEW DELMEI

EDWARD CAI/THE MEDIUM

Turnout at UTM’s Get Experience Fair is generally higher than those held at other universities.

Newsweek and The Daily Beast placed the University of Toronto third in the list of the top 104 universities outside the US last week.

Beat out only by Cambridge and Oxford, U of T was the first Canadian university on the list. The scores were calculated by averaging the rankings from the UK’s Times Higher Education, China’s Shanghai Report Consul-tancy, and the Spain-based We-bometerics.

Both THE and SRC rely heav-ily on research and the publica-tion of scientific articles by staff and alumni in their rankings. In 2008, U of T’s research income was $8.5 billion and it published 8,398 articles, so it comes as no surprise that U of T ranked third in the world and first in Canada.

THE also takes into account innovation, reputation, and staff-to-student ratio. They ranked U of T fifth out of the 104 schools in the ranking and 17th overall in the world.

U of T ranks third outside USLORILEE EMSHEY

Queer Orientation, the week-long tri-campus LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Queer) frosh event, began last Sunday at UTM and ended on Church Street with the Ho-mohop dance on Saturday night. The week included socials such as “Speed Meet and Greet” and thought-provok-ing events like “Religion, Queerness, & Education” and an active dialogue entitled “Queer on Campus”.

UTM’s Queer Orientation kicked off with a meet and greet at Erindale Park on Sunday. New and returning LGBTQ and Ally students filled the park gazebo. Students spent the day playing icebreakers and acquainting themselves with new friends.

Participants and OUT@UTM executives alike were pleasantly sur-prised by the turnout. Attendance was up significantly from last year; the majority were new members.

On Monday, UTM hosted a Sexy Bingo night. On Tuesday, there was

a bake sale to raise money to send student representatives to this year’s Canadian Universities Queer Services Conference in Regina.

Ally Night was held on Wednesday in the presentation room of the Stu-dent Centre in attempt create visibility and to inform individuals outside of the queer community about LGBTQ issues. There was a brief presentation

followed by a meet and greet, catered by the Blind Duck Pub.

Students gathered in the Student Centre on Thursday night to talk about queer issues, and to give anec-dotes of harassment and of coming out in a positive space. After the event, people went downstairs to prepare for the final event.

This was the popular Night Crawl,

an event which takes students on a walk through UTM’s dark trails armed with nothing but a large supply of flashlights. Students crept through the dark trails singing songs, telling jokes, and laughing.

In the end, the Night Crawl fin-ished where the whole week began, in Erindale Park, where students roasted marshmallows and told ghost stories.

UTM cleans up communitySHERI VEIBL

On Friday, about 400 people par-ticipated in a community cleanup led by United Way, 150 of which were UTM staff and students. The United Way of Peel Region is a vol-unteer-led organization that aims to improve the communities of Mississauga, Brampton, and Cale-don by means of various charitable events throughout the year.

The idea for the event origi-nated from the research of Dana Wilson, an assistant professor at UTM. Her research proposes that the social and physical character-istics of neighbourhoods influence whether or not the area is more prone to crime and poor health. To determine which areas to focus on in this event, Wilson and her team went through many stages of plan-ning. First, they mapped out where violent crimes and gun-related of-fences took place in the Region of Peel. This was followed by an assessment of the maintenance of facilities and houses, the level of surveillance, and opportunities for recreational fitness.

OUT@UTM shows their prideALEXANDER TKACHUK

FACEBOOK.COM/PHOTOAll three U of T campuses took part in the weeklong Queer Orientation.

Newsweek continued on page 3 Clean up continued on page 3Fair continued on page 3

Worst. Player. Ever.Sports Editor tries out for volleyball team; antics ensue. Medium Sports, Page 10

09.26.2011«NEWS THE MEDIUM2

The UTMSU held its DisOrien-tation event last week to unite students on campus who share a passion for various initiatives in politics, equity, and social jus-tice. Several workshops, lectures, and activities were held, each looking to spread tolerance and understanding among students.

The themes incorporated in DisOrientation Week ranged from racism to raising awareness of the effects of stigmatization to the situation of aboriginals in Canada. There were workshops designed to inform students about self-defence and, in one workshop called “Beyond the Binary”, to show the importance of respect for transgendered people.

“I think [these are issues that] we all need to work on. It’s always great to take a political stance on

things that we really believe in,” said Ruba El-Kadry, UTMSU’s VP Equity. “It is also an oppor-tunity for students to hear the opinions of others and to edu-cate themselves on different is-sues that they may not know too much about. Most universities already have a DisOrientation Week, so I thought it was about time UTM had one as well. Ours has more of a focus on equity and diversity, which I think applies more to our campus and suits our student body more.”

DisOrientation Week has undergone extensive planning since July. El-Kadry expressed her satisfaction with the turnout and the fact that people seemed interested in the events. The or-ganizers were able to touch on many important topics.

UTMSU is planning the annu-al Xpression Against Oppression Week for the end of October.

oh yeah, and new e-mails too!check out our masthead.

UTMSU introduces DisOrientation WeekROWAN ELSHABASSY

309.26.2011 THE MEDIUM NEWS»

UroojFourth year, Psychology

ShreyaThird year, Biology

RustomThird year, Commerce

PreethiThird year, Human Resources

“It didn’t affect my decision at all.”

“I looked at Maclean’s. It wouldn’t have changed my decision but it enhanced it.”

“The rankings reinforced my decision.”

“It impacted 90% of my decision. I looked at Busi-nessWeek rankings.”

»DiD University rankings inflUence yoUr Decision?

As a result, with the help of the United Way and 500 volunteers, Wilson’s and her team’s plans were realized. The communities chosen were Brampton, Caledon, and Mississauga. The event is an “intervention that could be imple-mented in each neighbourhood, that could then be measured af-terwards to see what difference the cleanup projects may have on the neighbourhoods and local residence”, according to Wilson’s description.

The day started off with a complementary breakfast at the Hersey Sports Zone, followed by a

football rally and agency and cli-ent speakers. The volunteers then set out to complete numerous ac-tivities for the project, including cleaning up waste, mending com-munity gardens, planting trees, and removing graffiti.

The Mississauga neighbour-hood plans on creating an “Art in the Park” exhibit with help from Peel Alternative School and art students from UTM. Although Mississauga will not have a per-manent mural like Caledon and Brampton, the interactive art ex-hibit is predicted to be an exciting and unique touch for volunteers and residents to experience. Some of the sponsors for the Missis-

sauga area include UTM, the City of Mississauga, Safe City Missis-sauga, and Nando Iannicca, the Ward 7 councillor.

“[It has been] an exciting and challenging learning experience,” said Wilson. This is her first time organizing the cleanup.

As a token of her appreciation, she threw a dinner party at her house for all the organizers in-volved.

“It’s a way to thank everyone for the tremendous amount of support they have given to the project and also as a neat way to connect with everyone and swap stories about the event in each neighbourhood,” concluded Wilson.

Similarly, SRC also collects data on the number of Nobel laureates (U of T has 10), Fields Medals, and per capita academic performance. They ranked U of T eighth out of 104 and 26th in the world.

Webometerics takes a different perspective, quantifying a uni-versity’s presence on the Internet by measuring the number of hits on Google, Yahoo, and Bing, the number of external links to U of T websites, and the number of files and scholarly articles published. They ranked U of T fourth out of 104 and 32nd in the world. Webo-metrics recalculates scores every January and July.

QS also released their university rankings two weeks ago, placing U of T 23rd in the world, up from

29th last year. The category that ranked highest was Arts and Hu-manities.

The Newsweek rankings do not take into account the student ex-perience when calculating their scores. Student satisfaction, health, success, and teaching experience are not included in the score cal-culation. Because these scores are so research-based, they have little meaning for those pursuing un-dergraduate studies.

Maclean’s, which incorporates student support, financial aid, ac-cess to professors, and student-to-professor ratio, compensates scores for schools with medical re-search institutes, whose resources may artificially inflate scores. The Maclean’s 21st annual university rankings will be released in No-vember.

University rankings emphasize researchUTM professor works

with United Way Peel

“The idea is to help students find out what they want to do with their life, and then point them in a direction that will help them do that,” said Monica Scott, Ca-reer Outreach Consultant. “Ev-ery organization that registers lists unique skills students will be able to develop if they choose to volunteer with them.” This year the Career Centre added a bulle-tin board with a list of skills and experience students may want to gain or improve upon, and matched these categories up with suggestions for suitable organiza-tions.

“Ideally, I would love to sit down and do a one-on-one with every student who comes here, help them figure out exactly what they want to do or what they’re looking for,” said Claire Westgate, Coordinator, Events & Employer Services. “Obviously, I can’t. But we try our best to make it as per-sonal as possible. The students are all out in green shirts trying to help anyone who needs it, and we have counsellors here provid-ing advice, suggestions, and en-couragement to students before talking to an organization.”

“This is the best fair I come to,” said Leanne, the represen-tative for Distress Centre Peel.

“You have no idea how often I go to one of these things and only a few people show up. But the UTM fair is so well-organized and you get such a high turnout. Getting volunteers is very impor-tant for us, so it’s great to come to an event and know you’re go-ing to leave with some potential volunteers.”

This year 1,142 students par-ticipated in the fair—on par with last year, and equal to roughly 11% of UTM’s student body, an impressive figure considering that most universities only see 3–4% of students attend such fairs.

“I would have gone if I knew what it was,” remarked Sam Pitcher, a fourth-year student. “I’ve just never understood what it was, really.”

The Get Experience Fair is a one-day event that only runs for two hours, a period of time dur-ing which many students have class and are therefore unable to attend the event.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about the time. The RAWC is really the only place we could host the event, and this is the only time we can book it. It’s unfortunate that we can’t do it longer, but we do the best we can,” said Westgate. Students who were unable to attend the event can visit the Career Centre website and find information on all of the organizations that par-ticipated in the fair.

“I think what’s important to me is that students are able to connect with our partner orga-nizations, whether to find an op-portunity to gain experience, or just show an increased awareness of what kinds of opportunities and organizations are out there for the future,” said Westgate. “Our partner organizations re-ally love our campus and our stu-dents, so if we were able to make some good connections for peo-ple, help organizations to become aware of the high quality of our students, and for our students to learn about industries, organiza-tions, and our community, then I’m happy.”

Students seek experience

Clean up continued from Cover

This year 1,142 stu-dents participated in

the fair—roughly 11% of UTM’s student body,

an impressive figure considering that most universities only see 3–4% of students at-

tend such fairs.

Fair continued from Cover

Newsweek continued from Cover

Sixty-year-old Malcolm Brenner from Florida wrote a book about his love af-fair with a dolphin. According to the book, Dolly the dolphin “courted him” while he was a sophomore in college. Brenner described the experience as unpredictable, “like being with a tiger or a bear”. After a nine-month rela-tionship, the dolphin was moved to a new oceanarium. Although Brenner intended to visit Dolly, she passed away before they could be reunited.

60-year-old recounts love affair with dolphin

Source: Huffington Post

The mother of a 10-year-old boy was banned from his school and bus in Minneapolis. Her son in-formed her that two students had been bullying him for some time, so the woman boarded the bus the next day, confronted the bus driver, and yelled at the bullies. The woman received a letter from the principal informing her of the ban. Meanwhile, her son is no longer be-ing bullied.

Woman boards school bus to confront bullies

Source: CBC Minnesota

Obama proposed to return some authority over education back to the state governments. Since Bush’s legislation on education in 2002, ed-ucation standards fell under federal jurisdiction. Standards were based on annual reading and math tests. The change is aimed at improving teaching quality rather than encour-aging evaluative teaching methods based on standardized tests.

Obama tranfers educa-tion back to the states

Source: The New York Times

PC leader opposes Mississauga power plant

Tim Hudak, leader of the provin-cial Progressive Conservative party, opposed the Liberals’ intentions to construct a gas-fired power plant in Mississauga. Residents in the area complained that the site is too close to homes. In response to Hudak’s opposition, the Liberals issued a statement pledging to work closely with communities when assessing construction sites.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Saudi king announces that women have right to vote

Women will soon be able to vote and run for election in conservative Saudi Arabia, beginning with the 2015 elec-tions. It is a progressive move in a coun-try where women are require the per-mission of a male relative to work and are not allowed to drive. “Despite the is-sue of the effectiveness of these councils, women’s involvement in them was nec-essary. Maybe after women join, there will be other changes,” said Naila Attar, the organizer of the vote campaign.

Source: Toronto Sun

4

»

09.26.2011

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Opinions expressed in the pages of The Medium are exclusively of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Medium. Additionally, the opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in The Medium are those of advertisers and not of The Medium.

Letters to the editor will be edited for spelling, grammar, style and coher-ence. Letters will not exceed 700 words in print. Letters that incite hatred, violence or letters that are racist, homophobic, sexist or libelous will not be published. Anonymous letters will not be published.

MEDIUM OPINIONEditor-in-Chief » Michael Di Leo

After reading James Boutilier’s letter below, I found myself thinking what I have said to countless others. The use of ho-mophobic slurs, regardless of the intent behind them, is inap-propriate. Period. The fact re-mains that the words, whether used in casual conversation or with the intent to harm, carry serious negative baggage that no one should be subjected to.

I hear students shout for equality and respect, and then turn around and use words that hurt others on the same

grounds. It is unjust, and some-times you need someone as bold as Mr. Boutilier to point a finger.

I find it particularly un-nerving that students and even younger people are hurting each other in this way. University is supposed to deepen our knowl-edge and broaden our under-standing, not make us shallow and narrow-minded. Nowhere more than at UTM are we intro-duced to people from all walks of life, and everyone here even-tually learns the meaning of re-spect and acceptance—except, it

seems, in the case of the LGBTQ community.

It’s often argued that terms such as “fag” and “gay” aren’t derogatory because they’re said without consciously attaching them to a group of people, just a behaviour. As comedian Louis CK said, “You call someone a faggot for being a faggot”; he didn’t even know that the word referred to gay people, let alone that gay people existed.

But it’s hard to swallow the idea that we are so naïve when we say these things. The words

have a history and a connota-tion—one that hurts the people they’re associated with. As Mr. Boutilier expressed in his let-ter, as I’m sure most LGBTQ can attest to, it made him feel “less than human”. I can’t imagine how that feels, but I do know that every time people dis-criminate against a group they slap a label on them, to be used thoughtlessly and to make them seem “less than human”. As To-ronto’s own Margaret Atwood wrote, “A word after a word after a word is power.”

It pains me that this incident took place in The Medium’s of-fice. I should make clear that the two individuals taking part in the conversation were neither our staff nor our volunteers. I hope their apology sticks—and that they understand the effects of their words.

A word after a word after a word is power

YOURS

MICHAEL DI LEO

Dear Editor,

Recently, when I was visiting The Medium’s office to pitch an article idea to a friend, I was confronted with an unpleasant situation. Two individuals sit-ting at the centre desk in the of-fice were casually using homo-phobic language.

“Don’t be a fag,” one said.“That’s faggy,” the other replied. I wasn’t sure the context of

the conversation, but I instinc-tively interrupted from across the room to make them aware of my discomfort anyway:

“That language is inappropri-ate. Please don’t use it,” I said. “It’s offensive.”

What happened next was utterly unexpected. Before the people I’d addressed could respond, an editor from The Medium spoke up:

“Excuse me, but did you really need to do that?” he demanded. “You can’t police the world. My friends were having a private conversation, and what right do you have to interrupt?”

We debated this subject in the office but I would like to share my opinion again here.

The use of casually homopho-bic language, while the intent is rarely to be homophobic, is of-fensive and does have the poten-tial to really hurt people. That is why I feel it is necessary to inter-rupt: so that offensive and hurt-ful language does not continue to be perpetuated in everyday language. It is important to be conscious of the power of words and that words like “fag” can be triggering for members of the LGBTQ community. Personally, I have had the word yelled at me from car windows, had it used with an accompanying threat because I was holding my part-ner’s hand on the street, and had it used to tell me I will burn in Hell. It’s been used to make me feel like I am “other” and that I am less than human because I love who I love. The word makes me feel unsafe, uncomfortable, and unwanted, and that is why I feel compelled to actively disap-prove of its casual use.

Perhaps I could have used more tact in my disapproval and not spoken up from across the room, but I firmly believe it is important to speak up and hope others like me will continue to speak up, so that one day no will have to experience that feeling of being unsafe, uncomfortable, and unwanted, especially in a space like The Medium which above all else should be a posi-tive space, both for ideas and for people.

Before I close this letter I would like to concede one thing and state for record that the editor who spoke up was argu-ing against my interruption, not defending the use of the words. The two individuals who had apologized, and I believe they was sincere in doing so. I bear The Medium no ill will over this incident, but I felt it and the un-derlying subject matter needed to be addressed.

Thank you.

Sincerely,James Boutilier

Homophobia hurts

COREY BELFORD/THE MEDIUM

editor@mediumutm.ca

5« 09.26.2011

MEDIUM A&EEditor » Nives Hajdin

Trailer park boys and girlsSex and songs feature in Hart House Theatre’s season opener, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, as it invites the audience to witness the hilarity of the resi-dents’ lives in Armadillo Acres. Complete with pink flamingos, Cheetos, beer, and a whole lot of conversatin’, the cast members use their incredible vocal abilities to humorously explore the unusual happenings in this Florida trailer park.

Based on the book by Betsy Kelso and directed by Will O’Hare, the play begins with three women suntanning, legs spread before the audience. Narrators Betty (Saphire Demi-tro), Lin (Jennifer Morris), and Pickles (Sarite Harris) welcome you with open arms. As a guest in their happy little trailer park, you are introduced to Norbert Garstecki (James R. Woods), the hard-working tollbooth at-tendant and his agoraphobic wife Jeannie (Janice Hawke). The couple was a perfect match when they met back in the ’80s, but a series of unfortunate events have taken their toll. With their 20th anniversary fast approach-ing, Norbert hopes that Jeannie will finally come out of the trail-

er so they can celebrate with a night out at the Ice Capades—an opportunity that excites the girls since, as Lin reminds us, “It just ain’t entertainment unless it’s on ice.” Will Jeannie make it out on time to make it to the show? Enter Pippi (Kelly McCor-mack), the fast-talking, fast-moving stripper on the run from her eccentric, gun-toting, marker-sniffing boyfriend Duke (Justin Bott). Her arrival draws the attention of all the residents, particularly that of Norbert, and their interactions will keep you laughing throughout. The

competing storylines, such as Jeannie’s goal to conquer her fears, the love triangle of Jeannie, Nor-bert, and Pippi, and Duke’s fast approach, will keep you engaged and wondering.

Vocal talent abounds in this musical. Though the lyrics to some of the songs lack original-ity and it’s sometimes difficult to hear exactly what’s being sung, the vocal range of each mem-ber makes up for this shortfall. In this way, the seven-member cast seems to take on the duties of a much larger production. Set design and costumes are great; the

leopard skin pantsuits, “Frankie Says Relax” shirts, and colourful trailers effectively merge the nos-talgic ’80s with contemporary atti-tudes. Musically, the show blends a number of different genres, including but not limited to R&B, country, and rockabilly. This eclectic selection ensures that no matter what your preference, there is more than one musical act that will satisfy your taste.

Despite the overt humour of the musical, it also touches on some serious issues. You may miss some of them if you do not pay attention, but the

musical subtly explores the effects of love and loss, par-ticularly evident in Janice Hawke’s character. Still strug-gling to recover from a traumatic experience long ago, Jeannie is the very real product of shattered love and painful loss. She evokes sympathy throughout without coming across as pathetical-ly feeble. Everything seems to conspire against her, and through-out the musical you cannot help but hope everything works out for her. Unfortunately, some of these genuine feelings lose their legiti-macy as they are filtered through stereotypical characters. As far as it goes, the production is original in thought, but it forc-es you to wonder what could have been had it sought to delve deeper into each character. Regardless, with all the crotch-thrusting and funny quips, you may be too busy laughing to care. At the end of the day, that is what a good night out is all about—and on that count the musical surely delivers.

The Great American Trailer Park Musical runs until October 8 at Hart House Theatre on the St. George campus. Tickets are $15 for students and seniors ($10 on Wednesday nights) and $25 for adults.

Hart House goes down south with musical comedy: The Great American Trailer Park Musical

Daniel DiMarco/PHoTo

We’re already a few weeks into September, which means that fall is just around the corner. The change of season also calls for a wardrobe update if you want to keep up with all that’s new this season. Here are six trendy, budget-friendly, and com-pletely versatile must-haves for 2011 to help you stay stylish throughout fall and into winter. Whether you buy just one or all six of these items, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll look up-to-date without having to buy a whole new wardrobe.

1. Cozy pulloverSince it’s slowly but surely getting cooler outside, it will soon be time to break out some cozy cold-weather clothes, and this season, there’s no better choice than a comfy pullover. Wear one with some jeans for a cool and casual look or pair it with a skirt for a stylish vibe. There are always lots of options when it comes to colour, style, and fit, so it should be easy to find a sweater that matches your personal style.

2. Flared jeansFlares are this season’s most popu-lar and versatile denim style. These jeans have a distinct ’70s vibe, but are also super-easy to wear. Just style them as you would any other pair of jeans and you’ll be good to go! Try wearing them with a pair of chunky clogs, a white button-down shirt, and a bohemian chic hat.

3. Collar necklaceIf you buy one new piece of jewellery this season, make it a collar necklace. As the name suggests, these bold necklaces give the illusion of an ornate collar and are available in tons of unique styles. Since all kinds of collars are going to be super-trendy this season, this is an easy (and totally detachable!) way to try this trend. Try dressing up a basic tee with these statement necklaces or adding some edge to your favourite little black dress.

4. Over-the-knee socksThese tall stockings will help tran-sition your favourite summer

dresses, shorts, skirts, and rompers into fall. They’ll also give you some extra coverage and keep your legs toasty when it starts to get chilly. These socks can look chic with flats, oxfords, and heels, but can look especially good when paired with tall boots.

5. Anything polka dotPolka dot seems like a perpetually popular seasonal print, and this fall is no exception. This pretty print is both whimsical and feminine, and it definitely makes a fun statement. As with other trends, if you aren’t ready to go all out with this print, try a polka dot accessory for a subtler look.

6. MidiskirtWhile maxiskirts ruled throughout the summer, demure and ladylike midiskirts are going to be popu-lar for fall despite their somewhat turbulent past. Wear them with flats and a pretty blouse for a dainty and feminine outfit, or with an over-sized sweater and wedged booties for a look with more juxtaposition.

The Style List: Fall in styleLYSAN SEQUEIRA

DARREN SAVAGE

(L to R): Pickles (Harris), Lin (Morris), and Betty (Demitro) are living out the American Dream.

09.26.2011«ARTS THE MEDIUM6

Fireworks at the AGMEarlier this month, the Art Gallery of Mississauga (AGM) unveiled Fireworks 2011, an exhibition by Ontario Clay and Glass Association members in collaboration with FUSION magazine to showcase the best contemporary clay and glass artwork from the Golden Horseshoe. Gloria Hickey, the ceramics professor at Sheridan College and Chris Gustin, found-er of Watershed Ceramics, will award 10 prizes for pieces in the collection.

The exhibit started 35 years ago. Every two years, jurors select pieces from the Ontario Clay and Glass Association to be part of the travelling collection.

This collection doesn’t feature the kind of ceramics and glass-ware your grandmother keeps in a locked cabinet. The pieces, staged openly on podiums, range from delicate baubles that could have come from The Little Mer-maid or Alice in Wonderland to things that do not look like ceramics or glass—such as a drawer filled with sliced bread or a painter’s satchel—to beautiful and exotic vases and bowls that you can’t help think might look really good on your coffee table. The piec-es range from cute babies and bunnies to the abstract, and from practical teapots, saucers, and nested bowls to decorative statu-ary reminiscent of the sculptures in Beetlejuice.

Conspicuously placed around the gallery are signs asking to

refrain from touching the artwork. At first this seems obvious, but after a few minutes walking around the gallery space, it becomes difficult to refrain from poking and prodding at the pieces just to confirm they really are ceramics and not canvas, bark, paper, or bread.

The pieces are freestanding and allow you to peer in, around, under, and through them, which is important because some piec-es look plain and unfinished on the outside, but in fact conceal scenes and designs which require a closer look.

Also on display is the Rural/Urban Divide collection. This collection includes paintings, prints, and photographs that investigate the borders between urban and rural and how that distinction is becoming blurred. Particularly grabbing is an oil painting on panel by Pierre

Lefebvre called “Au petit jour”, which looks like a win-dow into another room. There are dozens of other piec-es representing boats, cars, naked picnics, dragons, skate-boarders, and piano lessons, just to name a few. The exhibit contains pieces pulled from the permanent collection at the AGM; due to its sheer diversity, it has at least one thing to which everyone can relate.

Fireworks and Urban/Rural Divide are the first exhibits by curator Stuart Keeler, who took over at the beginning of Septem-ber. Keeler has curated exhibits in Chicago, Toronto, and At-lanta and has his own artwork on display all over the United States. The exhibition runs until November 6, and admission is free. The AGM is located at the Living Arts Centre at Square One.

Lori-Lee emshey/The medium

LORI-LEE EMSHEY

The Shins fail to shine

“Do you like Garden State? You think they’ll play any songs from the Garden State soundtrack?” That question was heard from every corner of the Phoenix Concert Theatre at last Thursday’s The Shins show. In 2004, the band skyrocketed to indie-rocker fame after their songs were featured in Garden State, a dram-edy written and directed by Zach Braff, who starred alongside Natalie Portman.

Without hesitation, The Shins be-gan the show with some notable de-partures from their usual act. There was an entirely new backing band to support frontman James Mercer (also part of his two-man side act,

Broken Bells, with Danger Mouse), that kicked off the set with the familiar tracks “Car-ing is Creepy” and “Australia”. Although the new band still had some recognizable faces in guitarist Jessica Dobson (Deep Sea Diver, Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and drummer Joe Plum-mer (Modest Mouse), the band sound-ed under-rehearsed, and was quite unenergetic.

Mercer, with his trademark voice in fine form, made it a point to keep all eyes and ears on him. Keeping the witty banter to a minimum, Mercer promised—much to the delight of fans—the release of their new album in the near future, and then continued the night delivering song after song.

The Shins’ set consisted of a selec-tion of tracks from their three studio albums, as well as three new songs. The night ended with a three-song encore that included fan favourite “Sleeping Lessons” and two covers: David Bow-ie’s “Ashes to Ashes” was a nice surprise to end the show, while their cover of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” seemed some-what forced and out of place.

The Toronto stop on The Shins’ tour seems to have been a mere practice round for Mercer and the new band, but even so, they managed to fill the void that fans have felt since 2007.

ELIZABETH LUONG-DO

Thankfully, these outfits did not make an appearance.

subpop.com/phoTo

Kutcher is the man

Two and a Half Men may be one of the few current comedies with a laugh track, but its more “classic” approach to sitcom television hasn’t stopped it from pulling in strong ratings for eight years. But now that the show is down one star (that’s Charlie Sheen, in case you some-how missed the fuss) and the titular “half-man” is almost an adult, this would normally be the part of the story where it fades into obscurity. However, thanks to a new, younger leading man (and yes, also greatly thanks to the aftershocks of the Charlie Sheen media storm), Two and a Half Men pulled in its big-gest audience ever with its season nine premiere last Monday night.

After Sheen memorably got himself fired from the show for his off-screen antics, it was announced this past May that Ashton Kutcher would take over the starring role opposite Jon Cryer. Although the show easily could have ended with Sheen’s departure, it made sense that the network kept it afloat. Sheen’s growing infamy guaranteed it a huge audience—at least for a while—even if he will be absent from the show. And Two and a Half Men did have an even bigger premiere than many had predicted: nearly 28 million viewers. But does the “new” Two and a Half Men warrant all the fuss?

The season premiere got straight to the point, starting with the supposed funeral of Charlie Harper, complete with an army of wronged women liter-ally cheering his death. Though funerals aren’t usually laugh-packed affairs (and the whole concept felt a little macabre), the writers did a pretty good job of get-ting rid of Charlie’s character in an irre-versible, somewhat edgy way.

After that initial scene, the show paraded a few guest stars out just be-cause they could (including a random Dharma and Greg reunion) and contin-

ued with their gleeful Charlie-bashing. It felt a little pleased with itself, but luckily things did start to pick up when Kutcher appeared.

Kutcher may not be the greatest actor, but based on what little we saw of him in this episode (he didn’t appear until nearly halfway through), he showed that he has the potential to revitalize Two and a Half Men. Most importantly, Kutcher and Cryer already seem to have great chemistry, which is key for a show that relies so heavily on the appeal of its leading men.

It seems like the writers are playing it smart with Kutcher’s character, too. Walden does share some similarities with Charlie (he’s a charming lady’s man who lives an extravagant lifestyle… sound familiar?) and he provides a nice foil for Cryer’s straight-laced Alan. But Walden is also introduced as an emotionally fragile guy who’s been dumped by his girlfriend. It’s hard to imagine Charlie Harper staying with a woman long enough for that to even be a possibility. To have the show helmed by a “sensitive” character fighting for love seems like a strange concept for Two and Half Men, but it’s probably wise to go in the opposite direction from Sheen’s on-screen “jerk” shtick, rather than trying to duplicate it.

It’s hard to say whether or not the show will work in the long term with-out Sheen. After all, he was the show’s main appeal (if you can call it that) for years. Two and a Half Men has its fans, certainly, but how many viewers just tuned in to the premiere out of morbid curiosity, and to see how they would tie up the Charlie storyline? The ratings will almost certainly dip in the follow-ing weeks once the novelty wears off. Kutcher seems like a game-leading man (he put more effort into one episode than it seemed Sheen ever did), but it’ll take a few episodes to see if this is a vi-able “new” show, or just a half-hearted publicity stunt.

COLLEEN MUNROAssociATe A&e ediTor

09.26.2011 « 7

MEDIUM FEATURESEditor » Larissa Ho

No more lost in space

The Geneva Observatory’s High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher team, partnering with NASA’s Keplar space telescope, have homed in on over 50 never-before-seen planets—some nearly the size of Earth. Many of these planets orbit around stars, making up a solar “neighbourhood” similar to our own.

The HARPS team has discovered over 150 planets in eight years. The trick to finding planets, says HARPS, is to look for wobbly stars. The stars’ light appears to oscillate because they are being tugged at by a nearby planet’s orbit.

About 36 lightyears from Earth, one particular planet, HD 85512 b, weighs 3.6 Earth masses and hov-ers within its star’s life-supporting zone. A life-supporting zone is an area of the planetary system that can maintain surface water while orbiting its sun.

HD 85512 b’s year consists of 54 days. Its climate is temperate. Its terrain is rocky. The possibility is good that it harbours water. Does this mean there’s life on the planet?

It could.Scientists want to probe further,

but don’t yet have the technology. In another decade or so, scientists will be able to use specialized tele-scopes to determine the presence of oxygen and other molecules as-sociated with or necessary for the presence of life.

NASA’s Keplar telescope recently spotted another planet that may have Star Wars fans celebrating. Eerily similar to the fictional planet Tatooine depicted in Star Wars al-most 40 years ago, the newly dis-covered planet has two sunsets. The Saturn-sized planet, named Keplar-16b, orbits two stars in what

scientists call a circumbinary orbit.Scientists studied the two stars

from Earth. They noted a peculiar third object shadowing the stars at certain times of the year. The third object turned out to be a planet, circling both stars, with the larger star in the centre of the orbit.

“This discovery confirms a new

class of planetary systems that could harbour life,” said William Borucki, Keplar’s Principal Investi-gator. “Given that most stars in our galaxy are part of a binary system, this means the opportunities for life are much broader than if plan-ets form only around single stars.”

The two suns are smaller and cooler than our sun. Keplar-16b is located 200 lightyears from Earth and has a year of 229 days. Since the stars do not give off enough heat, Keplar-16b cannot sustain life.

Similar studies suggest that over 50% of the documented stars in space that resemble suns have their own planet(s). This further sug-gests the huge possibility that at least some of those planets sit in their sun’s life-friendly zone, and perhaps fall into just the right con-ditions to sustain alien life.

“The floodgates are about to open,” says Debra Fischer, an as-tronomer at Yale University. “Be-tween what Kepler is doing and these Doppler surveys, we’re really on the threshold of seeing a whole population of planets in this so-called habitable zone.”

Space scientists discover over 50 new planets in the ongoing search for alien lifeEmily AchEson

naSa.gov/photoS

many of these planets make up a solar “neighbourhood” similar to our own.

Crushing on your TA

Whether or not we allow our-selves to admit it, we are all prone to crushing on our TAs, even if it is just a teeny tiny bit! It’s kind of true: slightly older than you but not too old? Knows too much but not so much so that it becomes an-noying and uncool? Seems to have a personal life alongside a good career? Hmmm… I can hear the collective sigh of adoring (hope-fully single) undergrads echoing in the distance.

But as we all know, however appealling the fantasy is of get-ting together with that particular TA, it’s not the wisest thing to do.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. So for those unfor-tunate souls who do end up feeling all giddy and excited when that one extra-cute TA walks into the room, here are a couple of “do not”s for you.

Do not hit on them in any way or form. That is and always will be a very bad idea! TAs are not allowed to pursue relationships with stu-dents. And you don’t want to dam-age your reputation by doing it.

Do not bug them with unnec-essary questions that you think

will make you sound smart but in fact only make you annoying (in-cluding to the rest of your suffering fellow students).

Do not spam their email; this tends to come off as creepy.

Do not lag behind after class gazing into their eyes with noth-ing of actual significance to say. In other words, pull it together.

Do not compliment them on their outfit or perfume or any-thing non-academic. Actually, try not to compliment them at all, because you don’t really know how obvious it can be to your TA that you have a crush on them.

Do not complain to them about how immature all the other stu-dents in your classes are, and how you need a “real” man or woman in your life. Should be a no-brainer.

Do not become “the teach-er’s pet”. No need for me to elaborate. That just makes you come off as pathetic, which, despite circumstances, I’m sure you aren’t!

Do not act like a high-school teenager with a crush on their classmate—i.e., do not giggle when they walk into class, laugh too loudly at some not-so-comi-cal comment they make, or blush when you make eye contact. We’re

university students, for crying out loud!

Do not fall into a daze where you smile like a smitten anime character every time they call on you in class.

Do not stalk them by following them around campus and haunt-ing them during their office hours and breaks. It will make you seem foolish at best, if not actually make them uncomfortable around you. Not the best idea, seeing as how they grade you… remember?

Do not—I repeat—DO NOT confess that you are crushing on them, whatever you do! (Or at least not while you still have class with them!)

If you are still convinced that you absolutely are incapable of shaking the crush you have on your TA, re-member that there are always posi-tive ways to deal with crushes like that! How about channelling your enthusiasm to work hard on that course and get grades that might impress them? Then, who knows? After the year is done you might find out it was no more than mere infatuation. Then you can get on to crushing on the next semi-inter-esting-looking TA you cross paths with.

RowAn ElshAbAssy

10 things you shouldn’t do when the mood strikes you MINUTE ONE: oh, is that a deer? No, no it’s a squirrel.

MINUTE TWO: That girl is wearing short shorts in this weather? And who wears high heels to class? High heels aren’t even that attractive. I should know—I tried them that one time.

MINUTE THREE: Is THAT a deer?! No. Squirrel again. Same squirrel I think. Why are there so many squirrels here? Isn’t there enough space for them in those McMansions just off campus?

MINUTE FOUR: Must be sweet to live in one of those McMansions. I bet those rich folks can see all sorts of deer from their fancy-ass houses. Meanwhile I ate off a duct-tape plate yesterday.

MINUTE FIVE: Why aren’t I at the North Building yet?

MINUTE SIX: Huff... huff... Come on... This is false advertising.

MINUTE SEVEN: I’m in shape. I really am. I went to the gym once. This can’t be happening. It must be because the wind is blowing in my direction.

MINUTE EIGHT: Hah. Made it. I *huff* am *huff* a champion!

THOUGHTS ON THE 5 MINUTE WALK

909.26.2011 THE MEDIUM FEATURES»

In answer to this need, architect Raymond Moriyama, in con-junction with A.D. Margison & Associates, put forward an am-bitious design for expansion of the campus. Following the same theme that John Andrews, who had designed the UTSC campus, had proposed a few years earlier, Moriyama planned the creation of a megastructure in the centre of the campus, with surrounding green areas and living spaces. The first part of this structure, the South Building (now known as the William G. Davis Build-ing), was completed in 1971. Al-though several additions to the building were completed in later years (its library, common area, laboratories, etc.), the building never achieved its original in-tended design. During this time, the campus pub moved from Colman House to a portable along the Five-Minute Walk. The new portable was officially known as the “Erindale Cam-pus Centre”—but unofficially as “The Blind Duck”.

The 1970s and 1980s were a difficult time for Erindale; ru-mours were spreading that it would be shut down. UTSC and York’s Glendon campus were in a similar predicament. On this count, U of T President Dr. James Ham had to reassure stu-dents to the contrary for a num-ber of years.

The provincial government decided that there was excessive capacity in Ontario universities and cut off further funding for

expansion. During this time, only a handful of student resi-dences were constructed, with the exception of the Crossroads Centre (built in 1974 under the name “Erindale Academic Plaza”), which was used for stu-dent and faculty offices, as well as retail space —it once housed a CIBC. The Crossroads Cen-tre was rebuilt and redesigned into the Student Centre in 1999, though the original club offices remain.

It wasn’t until the year 2000,

when Sterling and Finlayson completed their new master plan for UTM, that the campus was revitalized. With the con-struction of the Communica-tion, Culture and Technology Building (2004), the Recreation, Athletics and Wellness Centre (2006), and the Hazel McCal-lion Academic Learning Centre (2006), the architects sought to incrementally build the campus around the landscape.

This Sunday I stood at the roundabout around Davis,

Kaneff, and the Student Centre. The CCT building and HMALC appeared among the trees be-yond, sunlight reflecting in the glass and steel.

The campus, along with the land it lies on, is bigger than any one person. It’s bigger than me, it’s bigger than an organization, and it’s bigger than the entire student body. Time marches forward, land changes hands, and history unfolds.

Until then, we have snapshots.

«FEATURES THE MEDIUM 09.26.2011 8

With the opening of the new Instructional Centre and the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex this year, UTM—once “Erindale College”—has completed a new chapter in its history. Over the past 46 years UTM has transformed from a small offshoot of St. George, working out of a high school, into a renowned academic centre—an integral element of the tri-campus system.

Along with numerous minor campus improvements, the Instructional Centre and the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex were completed this year—and UTM has begun a new chapter in its history.

Lislehurst, the home of UTM’s principal, can be reached via a small road jutting off the Outer Circle Road, just north of the North Building. Trees overhang the path as you pass the Anthro-pology Field School and the Pa-leomagnetism Lab. Along the way, you encounter a pond with an old bridge over it where people come to take photos.

Nestled behind the woods lie the Lislehurst grounds. The grounds staff maintain the lawn, and they do a good job. A few cars usu-ally linger in the parking lot, and sometimes a pedestrian wanders by. In spring and summer, an occa-sional group of students comes to study outside on the grass. Some-how it doesn’t feel like UTM back here.

Few students have seen Lislehu-rst, and fewer know what its actual purpose is (it is the residence of UTM’s Principal). But the building

is one of the few surviving land-marks of the pre-university era.

Herbert Harrie Schreiber or-dered the construction of Lisle-hurst in 1885. The British govern-ment had awarded the land to him. Lislehurst was built out of stone from the Credit Valley and con-tains artwork by Schreiber’s wife, Charlotte. Cattle pastures and apple orchards lay to the south of Lislehurst—land that is now the UTM campus.

After successive ownerships, the property now known as UTM ended up in the hands of Reginald Watkins, a Hamilton businessman, and was from then on known as the Watkins Estate. In the mid-1960s, U of T purchased the estate to create the new Erindale College to deal with capacity issues at the St. George campus.

Erindale College offered its first courses in 1965 (with only 10 fac-ulty members), but since no cam-

pus had been constructed on the property, the classes were based in T.L. Kennedy Secondary School (near Hurontario and Dundas). It wasn’t until 1966 that construction began on what is now known as the North Building, originally in-tended to be temporary and used for administrative purposes. Since opening for the 1967 school year, many additions and remodels have been made to the North Building, but part of the original structure remains: the cafeteria and several classrooms on the first floor.

Classes began on campus in time for the 1967 fall semester under D. Carlton “Carl” Williams, Er-indale’s first principal. The class of 1967 boasted 155 students, 28 faculty, and 40 staff. Erindale was a close-knit community. Lisle-hurst hosted weekly dinners for faculty and students. Colman House—named after Dean John Colman—served as the primary student space for Erindale Col-lege, and housed the offices of The Erindalian (the predecessor of The Medium), Radio Erindale

(now CFRE), and the first pub on campus (called “Ugly’s”—isn’t that catchy?). The site once occupied by Colman House was later replaced by Oscar Peterson Hall.

Even in 1967, when cows were hanging out across the road, the campus was growing, and space was becoming more and more important; Ian Still, a chemistry professor and part of the original faculty of Erindale College, recalls how chemicals would linger in the air during labs, due to the low ceil-ings in the North Building.

For more inform

ation on thehistory of U

TM, please visit the

Office of A

dvancement.

Special Thanks to Ian Still, Mark Overton, and Sue Prior.

Please not that this is not a definitive guide to UTM. Visit the library's archives if you're really really interested.

10 « 09.26.2011

MEDIUM SPORTSEditor » Chris Callahan

Tomorrow’s Professionals Apply Today!

Apply Online!OMSAS www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/Ontario Medical School Application ServiceSeptember 15, 2011: Last day to create an account for the online applicationOctober 3, 2011: Application deadline

OLSAS www.ouac.on.ca/olsas/Ontario Law School Application Service

November 1, 2011: Application deadline for first-year English programsFebruary 1, 2011: Application deadline for first-year French programs

May 1, 2012: Application deadline for upper-year programs

TEAS www.ouac.on.ca/teas/Teacher Education Application ServiceDecember 1, 2011: Application deadline for English programsMarch 1, 2012: Application deadline for French programs

ORPAS www.ouac.on.ca/orpas/Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service

(Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy, Speech-Language Pathology)January 6, 2012: Application deadline

170 Research LaneGuelph ON N1G 5E2

www.ouac.on.ca

Tomorrow’s Professionals Apply Today!

Apply Online!OMSAS www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/Ontario Medical School Application ServiceSeptember 15, 2011: Last day to create an account for the online applicationOctober 3, 2011: Application deadline

OLSAS www.ouac.on.ca/olsas/Ontario Law School Application Service

November 1, 2011: Application deadline for first-year English programsFebruary 1, 2011: Application deadline for first-year French programs

May 1, 2012: Application deadline for upper-year programs

TEAS www.ouac.on.ca/teas/Teacher Education Application ServiceDecember 1, 2011: Application deadline for English programsMarch 1, 2012: Application deadline for French programs

ORPAS www.ouac.on.ca/orpas/Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service

(Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy, Speech-Language Pathology)January 6, 2012: Application deadline

170 Research LaneGuelph ON N1G 5E2

www.ouac.on.ca

Physical activity is not my forteGym class was always my least favourite. I did the bare mini-mum and nothing more. I devised dodgeball strategies, bargained with the gym teacher until he would allow me to run one less lap each day, and found ways to dis-tract the other kids from noticing my weaknesses in order to ensure that I was seen as Funny Chris and not Pathetic Chris.

I knew when I came to UTM that unless Hell froze over and a baseball team was born, I’d stick to watching sports and wouldn’t participate in any of them. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago, in my fourth and final year at this lovely institution, that I discovered that most of the activities at the RAWC were free for students. You get the point: I’m not much of an athlete.

With this in mind, I still jumped at the opportunity to try out for the tri-campus volleyball team. I wanted to get a feel for the athletic experience at UTM. That, and I

wanted people to once again see me as Funny Chris after I wrote this classic article documenting the hilarious event.

Time to win some hearts and mindsI walked into the main gym at the RAWC looking like a fool but feel-ing like a star. The room looked familiar—I had written several exams there—but the faces and volleyball nets did not. I had low expectations, and to ensure that

my ego didn’t take a blow I made sure not to dress the part: I wore pink socks and a silly headband in an effort to let the world know that I’m just a shameless schmuck looking to experience something.

Unfortunately for my calves, knees, lower back, and lungs, I’m the kind of guy that always tries his best at things. Within 15 min-utes of the tryout, I was disorient-ed and out of breath. According to the other players, this stage was called the “warmup”.

Nice guys finish lastThe ordeal (and yes, it should be called an ordeal) was intense but got progressively more fun as the night went on. We began with some drill-type thing where we hit balls over nets, but I suppose those of you that know volleyball were sort of expecting me to say that.

Unfortunately for the poor soul that got paired with me, I was pretty bad at this part. We then got into some heavy-duty vol-leyball stuff, and this was intimi-dating at first. We did this other thing where a ball was thrown up in the air and we were expected to jump up and smash the ball with our first.

If there were an award for Most Erratic Spiker, I would have won. I thought the point was to hit it hard, so I went all out. On three separate occasions, I narrowly avoided hitting spectators that were sitting on the left hand side of the gym on the bleachers. Sorry about that, guys.

A special thank-you goes out to Britney, who lobbed the balls up to a level where this 5’11” nerdy type was able to reach them. I’m not much of a jumper, but she rec-ognized this early on and made the proper adjustments. Thanks, Brit.

We then moved on to this drill where we had to return serves—and boy, did I suck at that. Those balls come at you pretty fast; our UTM athletes play for keeps. On several occasions I fell to the floor, and my hand got caught in the net at one point. The coach allowed me to serve, but was un-der the impression that I wasn’t completely useless, so when I was unable to get the first one over the net he said, “What the heck, Chris?” and I determined that serving wasn’t for me.

The bulk of the tryout was

spent in a game situation in which two teams were formed. I bet you didn’t see that coming, did you? Yeah, we played volleyball at the volleyball tryouts.

By my count, I was 2 for 6 in this game. I properly hit the ball to my teammates twice and the other four times weren’t pretty. I distinctly remember one instance when I realized the ball was com-ing straight for me and I raised my right arm in a last-ditch ef-fort to keep the play alive. By the time my arm was raised, the ball was bouncing off of the wall be-hind me and my teammates were giving me the look that Vader gave his minions right before he choked them.

Does the team need a water boy?The one thing I really enjoyed throughout the night was chasing after the balls (they call it “shag-ging”). In fact, head coach Stew Arevalo told me after the tryout that I was the… best shagger. Sur-prisingly enough, he actually had some nice things to say about me. This was a little disappointing be-cause this article would’ve been funnier had I been deplorable. Oh well—you win some, you lose some.

“Disco Stew”, as I like to call him, also said to me that I was excellent when it came to “energy and intangibles”. The praise con-tinued as he added, “You were alert, fast, and as a defender were in the right spots. You didn’t have the technique, but that can be taught.”

ReflectionsThe one thing that I never could figure out was the terminology. The downside to all of that time I spent in gym class trying to fig-ure out why girls didn’t like me and guys saw me as a novelty act and not a legitimate “bro” option is that I wasn’t paying attention to the gym teacher. My gym teachers probably mentioned that muscles atrophy when they don’t get used and that stretching isn’t a wasteful exercise to laugh about and nev-er engage in. Oh well—I learned those lessons at the tryout.

Coach Stew refused to side with my self-deprecating evaluation. He told me, “The world is full of people that do things halfheart-edly, and short on those that are crazy and nutty like you. I like those people.”

Once the tryout ended, we were told that we would receive emails informing us about whether or not we made the team. I don’t need to open my inbox to figure that one out.

CHRIS CALLAHANSPORTS EDITOR

Does the team need a water boy?Callahan’s heroic quest to make the volleyball team

EDWARD CAI/THE MEDIUM

Sports Editor Chris learned that volleyball isn’t for everyone.

11 09.26.2011 THE MEDIUM SPORTS»

Whether it’s a yearning for hockey after a long summer or the chance to check out top prospects in play, Toronto fans tuned in for some pre-season action this past week. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, the first of eight pre-season games was played on September 30 against the Ottawa Senators. The roster con-sisted of a mix of player levels, in-cluding AHL and junior-level play-ers, and featured prospective lines for the upcoming season.

Several players were cut last Wednesday afternoon, with some reporting to the Toronto Marl-ies, the AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs, and some getting sent back to their respective teams at the ju-nior level.

Drafted seventh overall by Leafs GM Brian Burke in 2009, Nazem Kadri hopes to find a permanent place on the Leafs’ roster this sea-son. Kadri showed chemistry with Colby Armstrong and Tyler Bozak, potentially solidifying the future third line. Bozak, coming out of a pressured first-line role last sea-son, will find comfort centring the third line while Armstrong hopes to achieve success after recovering from a season with several injuries.

Jake Gardiner, a former Wis-consin Badger, made his mark in the pre-season with two assists in the first game. Acquired from the

Anaheim Mighty Ducks along with Joffrey Lupul during the second half of the season, Gardiner brings puck-moving defence with an of-fensive upside. He will likely join the Toronto Marlies for the major-ity of the season, considering the team’s current depth in defence.

Expected to take on the role as number-one goalie for the Toron-to Marlies during the 2011-2012 season, Ben Scrivens has a chance to play at a higher level this pre-season. Scrivens could see some playing time for the Leafs if neces-sary, and will look to current Leafs

goalie James Reimer as a positive example for progress.

Joe Colborne, a 21-year-old prospect acquired this past sea-son in a trade that involved the movement of Tomas Kaberle to the Boston Bruins, was given ex-tra chances to prove himself after struggling during the first game. At 6’5”, he is expected to grow into his size and use it to his advantage as an offensive forward in the coming seasons.

Dion Phaneuf will enter his sec-ond season as team captain, and hopes to bring a full season of

strong leadership after missing just over a month of playing time early last season.

NHL.com experts have chosen the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets as the Eastern Con-ference dark horse teams this sea-son.

Fan excitement is expected to be in full force come October 6, when the regular season opens up for the Leafs against their division rival, the Montreal Canadiens. A playoffs position would place the Leafs at their highest finish since pre-lock-out in the 2003–2004 season.

MELISSA PERRI

Leafs prospects on display in pre-season

The Leafs have high expectations for Nazem Kadri this year.CANADIANPRESS.Com/PhotoS

On Sunday, September 25, the UTM campus hosted three tri-campus intramural games. At 1 p.m., an in-tramural soccer game was played against the St. George team on the North Field.

The team, coached by Omar Jbaihi, played their last game against Cen-tennial College’s Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Varsity team on Sunday, September 18. Despite their best efforts, the UTM team came up short in their exhibition game and lost to Centennial.

The men’s flag football team played on the South Field against St. George at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Earlier that day, the RAWC held an officials’ clin-ic for the flag football league, where those interested were able to learn how to officiate a flag football game.

At 3 p.m., the men’s rugby team played on the South Field against Scarborough in Division 1. Half of their games will be played at home and the other half at either St. George or UTSC.

This Thursday, the Division 2 women’s volleyball team will be hav-ing their tryouts from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and the Division 2 men’s volleyball team will hold their tryouts from 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Campus Athletics UpdateMIchELLE DuKLASASSoCIAtE SPoRtS EDItoR