THE HUMANITIESCRIMES AGAINST

XCALIBUEvol 50 issue 8 wednesday, october 7, 2015 online www.excal.on.ca @excaliburyu /excalweb

YORK ENTERS THE WHITE NIGHT

11ARTS

/excalweb

SPORTS 12

LIONS SQUASHED AT RED AND BLUE BOWL

FEATURES 6

SEARCHING FOR THE HUMANS OF YORK

osgoode

PhD student left to starve in lieu of second hunger strikeAfter losing just under 10 kilograms, one of Yorks own is forced into ending his voluntary fast

RYAN MOORE news editor

Sirus Kashefi , the student who went on a 25-day hunger strike last spring to protest the defence of his PhD thesis, recently quit his second hunger strike due to health and family concerns.

Kashefi held out his belt to show the approximate 10 kilograms he lost during his last hunger strike.

I started my hunger strike in September to defend my second PhD thesis at Osgoode Hall Law School, says Kashefi .

I was on my fi rst hunger strike from March 12 to April 6, 2015.

Kashefi alleges his thesis, Legal Anarchism: A Pathology of the Academically, Socially, and

Sadistically Desensitized and Racist Systems for Remaining in History was met with unprec-edented censorship and red tape on behalf of Osgoode.

Professor Allan C. Hutchinson, Kashefi s PhD supervisor, vetoed the thesis, determining it unex-aminable with the style and tone of the piece not being suitable for a doctoral thesis.

Moreover, the thesis, wrote Hutchinson, contains personal attacks on individuals and berates Osgoode in a vicious way.

Kashefi , who spent six years writing his thesis, argues this is an infringement on his basic human right to freedom of expression. He has since appealed for the exami-nation of the thesis.

Dayna N. Scott, graduate pro-

gram director, Osgoode Hall Law School, asked Kashefi on Decem-ber 18, 2014 to remove extraneous material, which was not central to his thesis, additionally asking him to reduce the length by approxi-mately 200 pages.

The Osgoode graduate pro-gram director is engaged in ongo-ing discussions with this student as part of the Faculty of Graduate Studies appeals procedures for dealing with the student's peti-tion, says Virginia Corner, com-munications manager, Osgoode.

We feel it is not appropriate to comment until that process is resolved, but we wish the commu-nity to be aware that we are com-mitted to fi nding a resolution that is satisfactory to all concerned.

Kashefi says the hunger strikes Sirus Kashefi strikes back.

photo by michael zusev

XCALIBUEYORK ENTERS

THE WHITE NIGHTFEATURES 6

SEARCHING FOR THE HUMANS OF YORK

RYAN MOORE news editor

York's overall enrol-ments are declining with Liberal Arts and Profes-sional Studies having the predominant share of the decline.

Accordingly, the future of liberal arts at York is a growing concern among liberal arts students and faculty.

York initially started as a univer-sity for the liberal arts. However, labour market trends and the changing priorities of the univer-sity have fostered growth in areas such as the sciences, engineering, health, and the professions.

Yorks Board of Governors met yesterday to approve a number of reports, including a cumulative report on appointments, tenure, and promotion decisions for 2014-2015.

Terry Maley, department of po-litical science, who sits on the Ad Hoc Committee, points to a chart from the BoG agenda showing 48 less LAPS faculty positions.

It also shows the shift in priorities quite clearly, says Maley. Lassonde Engineering, which just started a couple of years ago, had 20 new full-time professors. Some other programs, like Schulich and Health, at least did not lose [as much].

The precariousness of CUPE professors is connected to the 48 less in LAPS, which means that 115 professors retired and 60 profes-sors were hired to replace them, he adds.

The work of those 48 full-time profs who were not replaced is now being done by CUPE Unit II contract faculty.

The Shared Accountability and

Resource Planning budget model has been widely criticized. The SHARP budget system is a modi-fi ed version of an activity-based budget approach, which includes some key elements of other budget models to capitalize on each models inherent strengths, according to Trudy Pound-Curtis, PRASE Working Group Budget Models co-chair.

Some people think its the SHARP budget model, which could cause departments to raise revenue through the students they attract.

The concern is that people might think its a competitive model, says Maley. Ive heard my colleagues saying they are concerned about it going to be competitive in the sense that if one department is able to raise more money than another, then it will get more resources or

more faculty hires. People are concerned about this be-

cause they don't want it to be a bottom line calculus, he adds.

Well have to see how the model works in practice, because the model hasn't been implemented yet.

Rhonda Lenton, provost and VP academic, says the SHARP budget model means faculties must bal-ance their budgets irrespective of the budget model.

The SHARP budget model is designed to create a more trans-parent model that clearly shows faculties' revenues and expenses so that they will have the informa-tion they need to advance their academic plans, says Lenton.

LAPS, says Lenton, off ers a diverse range of programs, some of which are growing in size.

In the case of programs that are

experiencing declining enrolment, it is essential for the faculties to consider what needs to be done. In some cases, there may be opportunities to rejuvenate the programs, to revise or consolidate. In other cases, it may be time to close a program. As faculties make these decisions, they will bring any proposals through the appropriate approval processes.

We have been taking steps to advance that commitment through program development and rebal-ancing, says Lenton.

York remains fully committed to the liberal arts and to support-ing the faculty in taking advantage of opportunities to advance the academic priorities of enhancing quality, student success, and com-munity engagement.

have been tough. The students passed by, they

didnt care. The student organiza-tions, they did not even look at me.

Kashefi sent emails requesting assistance from the Graduate Stu-dents Association and CUPE 3903.

It was terrible, he says. Even one day, I slept here in Vari Hall. No person came to me.

Kashefi , who holds two master's degrees from Panthon-Sorbonne University in Paris and a PhD from the University of Tehran in Iran, says hes not only highly qualifi ed, but one-of-a-kind at Osgoode.

Even after my fi rst hunger strike, it took them (Osgoode) two weeks to reply, he says. They do not care. This is a corrupt and very inhumane system.

Board of Governors agenda shows a major decline in faculty hired into the liberal arts between the 2009-2010 and 2014-2015 academic terms.

the dicey future of the liberal arts playing out in bog and senate

-48 -1+20

LIBERAL ARTS AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES SCHULICH

115 DEPARTURES67 HIRES

14 DEPARTURES13 HIRES

3 DEPARTURES23 HIRES

LASSONDE

HEALTH

030 DEPARTURES

30 HIRES

CRIMES AGAINST THE HUMANITIES

excalibur2 news october 7, 2015

newsreferendum

Environmental group in negotiations with York to expand servicesStudent votes needed to further sustainability initiatives on campus in York-wide referendum

Ryan MooRe news editor

An environmental group on campus is seeking student support in their referendum this week so they can expand eco-programming throughout campus.

This referendum is intended to be the start of a conversation with the York community. Regenesis is looking forward to continuing this conversation. However, in order to do so, the referendum must pass.

Regenesis was started by a group of student activists from York who wanted to make a differ-ence in their campus community regarding all scopes of environ-mental sustainability.

Their most notable initiatives include YUM! Farmers Market, the YorkU Free Store, and the Glendon Forest Revitalization Project.

One of the groups current aspirations is to create Yorks first bike centre.

On Monday, Regenesis started its referendum to support the com-

munity and sustainability work we do on campus, says Darnel Harris, president of Regenesis.

We are really excited about having a community bike centre on campus and we are looking forward to opening the centre in the next two years.

Regenesis is negotiating with York in an attempt to continue their programming.

Right now, the main hurdle is capacity, and that we deal with hundreds of students every year, says Harris.

He says the farmers market will be continuing and is a matter of ongoing negotiations with York.

But also in terms of the farmers markets in general, he says, its a matter of building up your vendors and delivering what students want, and thats what our goal is.

We need their (the students) support and to vote for Regenesis to allow us to continue the work we do with them.

Harris says, from the univer-sity's perspective, what they need is a partner with the capacity to

actually deliver programming at a professional standard.

Regenesis needs over 5,000 votes to see their plans come to fruition. The group is looking for an increase in student levies, which would average approxi-mately $2.60 per student. Howev-er, students can make their money back by having their bike repaired once, shopping for affordable food at the farmers market, or taking a book or article of clothing from the free store.

This will essentially be used as seed funding for the group to apply for further grants and expand their work.

The granting agencies will not fund administration. They will only fund projects, says Harris. In order to be able to grow and apply that funding, you have to actually show that you have core funding in place.

Physical polls on campus are open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Students can vote online at evote.yorku.ca until Thursday at midnight.

elections

YFS motion to designate election day of accommodation falls flatVoter turnout at YFS elections remains much lower than federal election youth turnout

alex kvaskov assistant news editor

Senators voting against Yorks academic plans at last weeks Senate meeting were not the only ones left disappointed. A motion proposed by the York

Federation of Students Vice-Pres-ident Operations Gayle McFad-den to make October 19 a day of academic accommodation was rejected by Senate.

The motion was intended to help students vote in the federal election.

Several senators praised the initia-tive, while others questioned the way in which results were to be quantified.

Voting on the motion took place as senators rushed to leave the meeting following a vote endors-

ing the draft Institutional Inte-grated Resource Plan.

McFadden cites the 38 per cent youth voter turnout as rationale for the motion. Other concerns in-clude voting being inaccessible to commuter students. Critics of the YFS welcomed how the student union acknowledged difficulties inherent in voting for commuters.

Eduardo Rodriguez, E-Vote Now spokesperson, suggests the YFS should remember to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to their own elections.

We hope that they remember the reasoning for their motion come YFS election time. It's always set around midterms, where it becomes a critical period for stu-dents, he adds.

According to Rodriguez, YFS elections have not been well-ad-vertised in the past.

Just look at how low voter turnout is every year. Ask any student during YFS elections and many will say that they weren't aware of a student union election happening, says Rodriguez.

Concerns remain regarding

voter turnout at the YFS elections, with only 14 per cent of students voting in the 2015 election.

Addressing allegations of hy-pocrisy, McFadden says the YFS has multiple initiatives to encour-age students to vote in their own elections, such as multiple polling stations, several days of voting, and

posters on both campuses.Nevertheless, allegations persist

that the playing field is not level when it comes to the run up to student elections. Rodriguez says incumbent slates have the advan-tage as their candidates are no longer students or are taking one class as per YFS bylaws.

photo by krizia tehrani

Senate shot down October 19 as a YFS-proposed day of academic accom-modation to encourage students to vote in the federal election.

Regenesis looks to increase their student levy to approximately $2.60 per student.

photo by michael zusev

excalibur

COLOUR PAGE

federal politics

Liberal Party touches down in Vari HallPoliticians claim it is every students responsibility to vote in the upcoming federal election

Ryan MooRe news editor

S tudents started voting in the federal election this week and political parties are exercising their ground game in different ridings.

Liberal Party MPs Stphane Dion and Judy Sgro, who repre-sents the York West district, met with students at Keele campus in Vari Hall yesterday to encourage voter participation.

Students should vote because its a duty. Simple as that, says Dion.

So many human beings are fighting to have this right. We need to exercise it for the sake of Canada to show that democracy is the way to go. The choice is yours.

Its completely wrong (that voting doesnt matter), he adds.

It is not true that it will be the same if it is Mr. Harper, Mr. Trudeau, or Mr. Mulcair. There are clear choices facing you. Exercise your right to choose, otherwise others will choose for you, says Dion.

Sgro says there are many reasons why students should vote.

Our entire country is at stake in many ways, whether we are talking about the issues of education or climate change, she says.

Students are worried about paying for school, and when finishing school, not being able to get a job, ending up with $30,000 debt at the end of their program.

Every single vote in an election as close as this counts, says Sgro. Every single vote will matter in this election.

Its their country, she says.

They have an obligation and a responsibility to participate. Thats what democracy is all about.

York is hosting a series of events to inform students about the federal election with expert panelists from the department of political science. Professor David Mutimer says they are not talking about party platforms, but rather, the process of voting and how it relates to govern-ment as a whole.

The first event centred around participation.

Participation in Canadian federal elections has been drop-ping significantly in the last 20 years and is lowest among 18-25 year olds, says Mutimer.

The rate of overall voters is about 60 per cent and in the last election it was about 40 per cent for 18-25 year olds.

What the evidence does show is that the single greatest pre-dictor for participation, other than class, is personal contact, he adds.

The best way to get people to turn out to the polls, who would not otherwise turn out, is to ask them, to take them, and to contact them on the day.

As limited as our democracy may be, says Mutimer, the ability to have some say in our own government is a tremen-dous privilege that has been fought for and continues to be fought for through history and across the world.

Your Vote 2015 is a series of events to help inform students about the 2015 federal election. photos by krizia tehrani

Liberal MPs Stphane Dion and Judy Sgro made a stop on campus to encourage students to vote in this years election.

october 7, 2015 news 3excalibur

excalibur

transit

Student Move T.O. holds symposium to resolve student transit woesToronto universities plan to transform the way cash-strapped students commute throughout the city

4 news october 7, 2015

crime

Search continues for armed robbery suspects

Security bulletin is the fourth issued in first month of classes

alex kvaskov assistant news editor

Police are searching for a suspect connected to an armed robbery last week in the Black Creek Village parking lot.

York students are reeling after receiving the fourth security bul-letin issued in the first four weeks of the fall semester. At this time last year, only one security bulletin had been issued.

The armed robbery was reported to York Security Services on Thurs-day October 1 at 10:20 p.m.

According to the bulletin, the suspect approached a community member from behind and grabbed the victims laptop. A second sus-pect produced a knife, after which both suspects ran westbound toward Shoreham Drive.

No injuries were reported. One suspect is described as male, five foot 10 inches, 180 pounds, medium

complexion, and was last seen wearing a black hoodie. The other is described as a male in a hoodie.

Derision erupted on social media as students made fun of the vague descriptions. York security is assisting Toronto police with investigating the robbery.

Aldo Altomare, director of YSS, says crime peaks in October through January, Mondays and Fridays, and between the hours of 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Security responds to all calls for service, including but not limited to robberies.

As guided by their training and considering the totality of the circumstances, they assess the situ-ation and decide on the need for, and level of intervention, keeping in mind risk to personal and com-munity safety, he says.

Interventions include waiting for police or other emergency service responders to arrive.

Black Creek Village parking lot is the site of latest armed robbery near York.

photo by michael zusev

indie kaur contributor

With York being largely a commuter school and the subway de-velopment delayed, universities are seeking more options for cash-strapped students who are forced to pay increasing transportation costs.

Student Move T.O., a collab-orative initiative between four Toronto universities, has launched a survey to better understand stu-dents commuting patterns.

The large-scale initiative is being conducted in partnership between York, Ryerson, OCAD University, and the University of Toronto.

Excalibur spoke with Matti Siemiatycki, associate professor of geography and planning at UofT, and spokesperson for Student Move T.O., to learn more about the survey and initiative that will potentially transform how stu-

dents commute.Siemiatycki says the online survey

officially kicked off on September 28 and will be sent to students from Toronto universities over the next two months. Students will receive an email directly from the presidents office and will be asked to log on in order to complete it.

"About a year ago," says Siemi-atycki, "presidents from all four universities got together and did so quarterly to discuss the issue of student transportation."

"The committee is made of fac-ulty members and is strongly en-gaged with students, including the Canadian Federation of Students, ensuring a bottom-up instead of a top-down approach."

Student Move T.O. aims to con-duct a survey capturing students perspectives on travel and transpor-tation frameworks, with the recent symposium acting as the starting point for ongoing conversation.

Previously, UofT conducted the

largest travel and transportation sur-veys of their kind, but these did not in-clude students perspectives. Student travel patterns have not been captured well in that model, Siemiatycki says.

The Student Move T.O. initiative is meant to transform transporta-tion for students in the long-term by incorporating their travelling habits into considerations for future regional transportation plans.

Siemiatycki stresses the col-laborative aspect of this initiative with funding and expertise being provided by all four universities.

This is not just a research effort, it is a venue for identifying problems, articulating needs, and engaging with leaders and students, he says.

Mohsin Khan, a second-entry nursing student, says commuting strains student budgets.

"Every year I go back to uni-versity, the cost of transportation increases. This elevates my stress levels as there is no other way for me to commute to university except for the GO bus," she says.

The survey is set to close mid-December in which the data will be analyzed. Survey results will be made publicly available on the Student Move T.O. website in the spring.

photo by david huynh

Collaborative initiative includes York, Ryerson, OCAD, and the University of Toronto.

excalibur october 7, 2015 editorial 5

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This is hiring season

editorial

illustration by christopher lai

hassam munirsports & health editor

if youre a student looking for a job to pay off some of your mounting OSaP debt, you dont want to miss this job opportunity. if youre a teaching assistant who doesnt get paid enough to cover the cost of park-ing your car on campus, you might want to apply. its a nice on-cam-pus job and it pays pretty well for what you have to do. No, it pays really well. Maybe a little too well?

Mamdouh Shoukris term in office is coming to an end and York is looking for a new president to replace him.

Suddenly, you dont seem as interested in this job anymore. it must take a ridiculous amount of effort on the presidents part to run a university, right? after all, its a university.

according to the Oxford Dic-tionary, university is a high-level educational institution in which students study for degrees and academic research is done. The students just do the studying. The academics just do the research. but Shoukri? Hes the one running the entire university, damn it.

and like any other cEO or presi-dent, he deserves every cent of his enormous annual paycheque, right? all $463,105 of it? Maybe he does. ill argue that he doesnt.

We need to reconsider why anyone should be paid so much for presenting a Kudos report at board of Governors meetings, taking selfies, handling the keys of expensive stadiums, and pro-viding commentary to the media when they need to know whats

up at York. lets not forget that York is a

campus where more students use food banks to feed themselves than any other campus in canada. Or that York is a campus where the union of Tas needs to go on strike for nearly a month before their demands are met.

Sure, Shoukri isnt the only official at York whose salary can be called into question. He may not even have the power to set or change his own salary. but he is different from his colleagues, say, on the board of Governors. Hes the leading representative of York in both the community and in the public sphere. He should be an inspiring figure, someone who students can look up to. Thats the way students and employees

at York ought to feel about him. but they dont.

and even if the president of York is bound by systemic constraints that keep him from taking away less from the pockets of profes-sors, Tas, and students, the least he could do is to give some of that money back to them.

Maybe take a significant chunk of that $463,105 and pay the cuPE 3903 members a bit more every year? it may help many of them worry a little less about making ends-meet and focus more on excelling their students education. Or maybe take away just $150,000 every year and set up some more scholarships for deserving stu-dents? That would go a long way toward making them proud to be York students. and it might

give them a reason to be proud of Yorks president too.

and, of course, the president could cut his pay in half and put an extra $5 into the pocket of every undergraduate student at York. Thatd take care of coffee for a day or two. lets call it money well-spent.

excalibur

features6 features october 7, 2015

features

Behind the scenes with Humans of York University Excalibur speaks with the creator behind the increasingly popular Facebook page

TATIANA PRISIAJNYfeatures editor

Sabrina Munir, a fourth-year psychology student and the photographer and writer behind the Humans of York University Facebook page, has captured York through a dynamic and unique lens.

Humans of York University is a spin-off of the popular Humans of New York and since its startup in 2014, has attracted over 2,500 likes on Facebook.

The page contains dozens of

photos capturing ordinary York students coupled with a gripping caption on the deep thoughts lingering in their mind, a funny anecdote, or words of wisdom they feel inclined to pass on.

With beaming faces turned to capture the campus in the back-ground, the Humans of York University page gives ordinary students an audience to say what otherwise might be left unheard.

Stay on your guard at all times. Life has unpredictable ways of knocking you down. It can lift you up too but you need to learn how to guard yourself. York taught me this very well. I dont mean this in a negative way at all, one caption reads.

I have been a York Lion for the past three years and been hit on countless times even though no one knows who it really is inside the costume. It is quite fl attering, really, reads another caption with a photo of the York Lions mascot.

Witty or not, Munir fi nds this

project particularly fascinating as a student of psychology. For me, this is not just a little photogra-phy project but it is also a way to interact with people I normally wouldnt, she says.

By bringing stories to light, others get a chance to realize that we are more alike than diff erent.

Each time I see a new post from Humans of York University, it reinforces the idea of having a community at York, despite being a commuter school, says Saba Bashir, third-year English student.

A picture is worth a thousand words and it couldnt be truer after seeing the amount of likes and comments that a photo gets with people relating to the story and in turn, creating a sense of belonging for everyone involved, she says.

As for fi nding those compelling stories, the idea of approaching someone to take their photo and talk to them might seem frighten-ing enough to be avoided entirely.

After all, everyones familiar with students darting past the activists and campaigners at Vari Hall.

Its really hard sometimes be-

cause people are always in hurry and rushing to class, says Munir.

I just approach a number of people who look like they are in a position to talk to me, not groups of people.

But once the conversation starts rolling, people usually agree to share something interesting about themselves, says Munir.

Not everyone agrees though.There have been a few stories

that people shared which werent

posted on the page because they were too personal to the person I was talking to, says Munir.

A few people opened up about mental issues, coping with suicidal thoughts, and dealing with failure, to name a few.

One girl shared how her fi anc died two days after proposing to her and that always makes me sad, Munir adds.

Throughout her short time documenting Humans of York University, Munir has come to the realization that there are many people simply looking for someone to hear them out.

She says that the end goal is to evoke community spirit through what people share with her.

The comments section gives Munir the feedback that inspires her to continue on. One com-ment reads, Degree goals: be on Humans of YorkU.

Through the comments and discussions on photos, I notice how surprised people are to see that York has so much diversity within the student body, says Munir.

Its interesting to see how people get more curious and ask questions, or just to say how much they can relate to the person fea-tured in the photo.

Each time I see a new post from Humans of York University, it reinforces the idea of having a community

at York, despite being a commuter school.

Saba Bashir, third-year English student

For me, this is not just a little photography

project but it is also a way to interact with people I

normally wouldnt. Sabrina Munir, founder of Humans

of York University

I have learned to not expect good things from people but to rather be the person people expect good things from.

I once waited an hour for a random person to return to their unattended laptop in the library, just to tell them that

would be enough time for a thief to walk away with it. People ought to be more careful.

I love this university. People love to talk smack about this place like its a thing. Its your home away from home. Try to

highlight all the good stuff that happens here once in a while. I found so much happiness through all the people I have met here. I found my unshakable confi dence here. Positive things

happen with a positive mind set.

I have been a York Lion for the past three years and been hit on countless times even though no one knows who it really

is inside the costume. It is quite fl attering, really.

Show the Humans of York University Facebook page some love and you might be featured.

become a fan

THE FACE BEHIND HUMANS OF YORK UNIVERSITY

photo courtesy of sabrina munir

image courtesy of wiki commons

photos courtesy of sabrina munir

Sabrina Munir talks to Excalibur about being the voice of Humans of York University since 2014.

excalibur excalibur

The words York and commuter school are super-glued to one another in the public consciousness. Keeles incredible size overwhelms and alienates students to the point where many disengage and numbly plod the halls from the bus stop to their classes without a second thought as to the inner work-ings of the university. However, channeling Pericles, just because you do not take an interest in York doesnt mean York wont take an interest in you. Even

if it sees you as little more than a number, the university and its stakeholders have a vested interest in you. Whether the administration is desperate to pad the ledger or the York Federation of Students jam packing another concert, youre important. But do students even know what the YFS is? Senate, isnt that in Ottawa? Rhonda Lenton sounds like a peanut butter brand at No Frills. Here, then, is the quick and dirty on some of the most influential power-brokers at our school.

You may not take an interest in York, but that doesnt

mean York wont take an interest in you

the guide for the disengaged

student

YFSTHE

SENATE

THE BOARD OF

GOVERNORSB

oG is Yorks top decision-making body responsible for budgets, making and spending money, and overall management. However, the Board does not deal with academic matters. That duty lies with Senate. Student interests are represented by

just two student governors out of 30 board members, most of whom (24) come from outside the university. Meanwhile, the private sector is well represented, including senior executives from Scotiabank, TD Asset Management, and KPMG. The Board meets five times a year at the Kaneff Tower to discuss the universitys

problems, planning, and initiatives. Although these meetings are a news source for Excalibur, its unclear how

York envisions the broader community attending. Other than a brief note on YFile every now and then directing to an abbreviated synopsis of Board proceedings, the Board can be pretty inaccessible for students seeking to keep their administrators accountable.

On paper, the YFS is a student union claiming to represent York students. Some of its stated aims include fighting for lower tuition fees, combating gender and sexual violence on campus, and for 2015, boosting youth voter turnout at the federal elections. With a proposed $3 million budget and over half of that drawn from tuition fees as

a levy, free stuff from the YFS, like concerts, is a bit of a misnomer. The YFS is run by a Board of Directors which includes six executive

members and 17 faculty and college directors. Each member is elected by York students and elections are usually held in February. Criticism

of the YFS has centred on the use of a paper ballot voting system and the independence and integrity of the Chief Returning Officer responsible for

administering the election, and the Elections Committee which includes three active YFS Board members. Critics allege the elections process is rigged to favour incumbent candidates and candidates toeing the YFS line.

Senate fleshes out the universitys academic policies. It sets criteria for admissions, has the power to add new academic programs, and determines course material content. Comprised of faculty

members for the most part, it also includes senior admin like VP Academic Rhonda Lenton, VP Finance and Administration Gary Brewer, and VP Research and Innovation Robert Hach. Other members include student senators and a YFS representative. Although Senate theoretically numbers up to 167 members, attendance has hovered at a measly 50-60 per cent over the last few years. Furthermore, senators are occasionally deprived of their turn to speak, despite being slated to do so, with Senate executives rushing to fit proceedings in the two-hour window set aside for the meeting. Such was the case at the latest, September 24 meeting. Additionally, Senate has been criticized for the way it handled the 2015 strike and as a body rubber-stamping administrative decisions.

Photos (from top-right, clockwise) courtesy of York, YFile, and the York Federation of Students.

ALEX KVASKOVASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

8 commuter guide october 7, 2015 october 7, 2015 commuter guide 9

excalibur

arts10 arts october 7, 2015

BLACK AND WHITE

recycling

Our big blue future, tapped, bottled, and sold to usYork organizes a multi-faceted event to demonstrate the business of bottled water

viginthiny paramananthan

contributor

york celebrated its commit-ment to phase-out water bottles on campus with a multidisciplinary dis-play, Our Blue Future. The event included an art installation, film screenings, and panel discussions regarding water as a human right and the toll it takes on our en-vironment. Organized by the presi-

dents Sustainability Council, vice president finance and administra-tion, York Federation of Students, and the Faculty of Environmental Studies, the events purpose was to create a blue future through artistic expressions.

The day started out with the art installation by the Faculty of Environmental Studies. The interactive installation included participants writing a message on a piece of paper, inserting it into a painted plastic bottle, and attach-

art gallery

mirror, mirror on the wallFourth-year visual art student combines portraits and

our understanding of self-image

music

Long live atreyuWe get metal with guitarist Dan Jacobs regarding their new album

ing it to a large fish drawing. The drawing was meant to educate students of the harm plastic water bottles are doing to our fish popu-lation. The facultys goal with this art piece was to eliminate the use of plastic water bottles around campus and to encourage students to utilize reusable water bottles filled from kitchens or water fountains.

The event also featured a key-note addressed by Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the

Council of Canadians, and Food and Water Watch, a Washington-based organization aiming to ensure healthy food and water to all. [Barlows] speech was by turns frightening, as she outlined the serious threats to clean and accessible water around the globe. She outlined the activism work-ing on water issues, says Nol Sturgeon, dean of the Faculty of Environmental Studies.

The film screenings included The Story of Bottled Water, a short five-minute film co-created by The Story of Stuff Project, Corpo-rate Accountability International, Food and Water Watch, Polaris Institute, Pacific Institute, and Environmental Working Group. This film tells the story of manu-factured demands and how the bottled water industry attacks the use of tap water by installing fear in people by making them think tap water is neither safe nor clean enough to consume. The bottled industry then uses seductive ways to advertise bottled water, which is partially tap water, to sell back to consumers for a profit.

Christy Joy, a fifth-year psychol-ogy student says that packaged water is no better than tap water. We are paying so much (for bottled water) each week, month, and year, giving a fortune to the industry for drinking water which essentially is our right.

The film concludes by encour-aging viewers to end the use of buying plastic water bottles and to start drinking water from their

James Zhanstaff writer

metal isnt dead.American metalcore band Atreyu released their sixth studio album Long Live on September 18, after a three-year hiatus.

Atreyu fans had been anticipating this sixth album for several years, and the band certainly didnt let them down. In an interview with Excalibur, Dan Jacobs, guitarist of Atreyu, says that the band played some of the new songs live and the reaction was positive.

We are starting to see more and more people singing along in shows, says Jacobs. Its going to be amazing. We are going to able to play new songs and hear fresh voices singing fresh music.

Atreyu released the music video of their first song Long Live on YouTube in July and it has already had over 540,000 views. The track blasts open this musical journey with fast double-kick and a series of typically intense metalcore riffage, announcing their glorious return to the metal scene.

Formed in 1998, Atreyu has become a well-known name in the metal community, with two of their albums peaking top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. The bands arguably most successful album, 2004s The Curse has sold over 500,000 copies and was ranked number one on the Top Independent Albums chart.

Of the new songs, Jacobs admits Long Live is his favourite to play. As lead guitarist and writer, Jacobs

nirris nagendraraJahand CarLOs meneses

contributors

do you see what I see? Fourth-year drawing stu-dent Matthew Malones solo exhibition Reflect runs from October 5 to October 16 and invites that question from its audience.

Reminiscent of Doves viral video Real Beauty Sketches that sits at over 66 million views on YouTube, Malone has created a series of portraits in soft pastel and places self-portraits from the models made with ink on top. Deriving from the same image, Malone takes the two perspectives in two different forms and synthe-sizes them into one whole.

The self-portraits captured the subjects personas with harsh

adds that he originally wrote the bridge for A Bitter Broken Memory for their 2006 album A Death-Grip On Yesterday but it didnt make the cut. It was also not included in the 2009 Congregation of the Damned.

It finally made it on this album, says Jacob. Its perfect there.

Atreyu is now on their fall North

American Tour, having visited Toronto on October 5.

Canadas always a really good market for us. The shows are usually very energetic and [there are] lots of people singing along. Its got a different energy than the U.S. crowd, a better energy, says Jacobs.

With files from Victoria Goldberg

black lines, not only tracing their face but also capturing every wrinkle, hair, and self-perceived flaw. Malones portraits in com-parison were jarring, juxtapos-ing the black outlines with deft pastel and subtle tones. The sub-jects self-portraits were carica-tures, with small noses and large, disproportionate eyes. Malone noted the jarring dichotomy between ideas of self-perception and public identity through the gaze of others.

I was curious to see how people reacted to their own work and how they see themselves. Thats basically what I set out to do. How close I can get the resemblance, thats always my goal, but I was also curious if and how other people can achieve the same, says Malone.

Like the title of the exhibition, Malone leaves it to the audience to reflect between the superim-posed lines of what we think we look like versus how the rest of the world perceives us. Often, personal opinions, memories, and experi-ences shape our understanding of who we are, including our physi-cal appearance. Subconsciously or consciously, our outward looks are a reflection of our inward person-ality.

The solo exhibition is hosted at the Special Projects Gallery in the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts. Admission is free.

tap which is virtually free and safe to consume.

In addition, Tapped, a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Jason Lindsey, examines the use of plastic water bottles and the effects it has on our health, climate change, and the amount of pollution it creates in the world. Plastic bottles that are discarded are not always recycled, ending up in landfills or washed down into lakes, rivers, and oceans. The cycle of not recycling affects the aquatic animal population and ends up washing up our shores to impact our beaches and the entire ecosystem.

Ideally, through eliminating the purchase of plastic water bottles and no longer bringing them into post-secondary institutions, school boards, and municipalities, our plastic planet can become a bit more green and blue.

I believe small changes can make a big difference. A small change like buying a reusable water bottle and using it can have a huge impact on the environ-ment, says Sheila Shahrokhi, a fifth-year kinesiology and health science student.

Water is a human right and we are fortunate enough to live in a country where clean water is as easily accessible as turning on the tap. It is our human duty to bring back tap water and encour-age others to drink the free, clean, and pure liquid that is right in our kitchen.

See Reflect at the Special Projects Gallery.

Guitarist Dan Jacobs admits Canadian audiences have a different energy.

photo by victoria goldberg

photo courtesy of amanda darlene, flickr

illustration by miny pham

Our Blue Future event showcases the environmental effects of the plastic water bottle industry.

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october 7, 2015 arts 11

In some sequences, pastel-coloured animated segments fill the screen, showcasing Guggenheims taste for storytelling.

The imagery represented how a young girl from Pakistan would imagine the events, says

Guggenheim. He elaborates on his style of

creating He Named Me Malala. Usually, documentarians bring

in a crew with lights and cameras and suddenly people stop [being] real because all this equipment comes in. I start by just walking in, sitting down, and having a conversation with Malala or

film

He named her Malala and they changed the worldExcalibur chats with director Davis Guggenheim of He Named Me Malala

nuit blanche

Kick up your heels and paint the town

whiteYork alumni contribute to an overall cluster of modern art

Raazia RafeeKcontributor

Under light rain and single-digit temperatures, Toronto was once again transformed for the citys 10th annual Nuit Blanche. The event celebrates contemporary art with an estimated attendance exceeding one million Torontonians and out-of-town tourists for the past few years.

This year has seen a diverse set of artworks categorized under four main curated exhibitions and a range of independent pieces. Curator Che Kothari organized the 10 for 10th exhibition, celebrating the 10 years of Torontos Nuit Blanche; Curator JRs Black and White Night aimed to turn the city inside out with vivid works; the final two exhibitions titled HTOUS/HTRON curated by Agustin Prez Rubio, and The Work of Wind curated by Christine Shaw discuss and explore geopolitical topics, the force of wind, and other environmental concerns.

With a heavy lineup of artists, seven York alumni and current students were chosen to showcase their work this year. One of which included Ekow Nimako, who had his work Silent Knight on display at the Gardiner Museum. This particular piece is composed of over 50,000 LEGO pieces, all arranged together to create a spectacular sculpture of a barn owl taking flight.

Nimako states that it took him

817 hours to create this eight foot tall structure, so it comes as no surprise that the piece garnered several admiring spectators. Namiko explains his choice of animal for this piece, stating that it was a monument to the Ontario barn owl.

I chose the barn owl because one, I think its a fascinating creature, and two, because it is [exhausted] in Ontario. It is highly endangered and on the brink of local extinction, says Namiko.

Namiko, who graduated from Yorks fine arts program in 2010, attributes his success as an artist to his professors, instructors, and collaborators.

My time at York was invaluable, he adds.

Other crowd favourites included the revamped 3D Toronto sign, city halls newest addition that has been left over from the Pan Am Games. For one night, the sign along with the city halls grounds, were covered by a collage of Torontonian faces.

Carlos Amorales Beaufort 12: Black Cloud featured an installation of 30,000 manufactured black moths and amassed a large line-up outside The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront Centre.

In comparison to the last three years, 2015 was a disappointment to many. There were some installations that peaked interest, including Sean Martindales and JP Kings There is No Away, which turned a part of city hall into a landfill and reminded us that

whomever I was interviewing. There was no agenda, he says.

The documentary has a personal and intimate motif. Guggenheim did not want to surround Malala or any of the subjects with anything but himself and the story they wanted to tell. With no large film crew or fancy lighting, Guggenheim didnt need to re-shoot because he captured the magic in the first takes.

He Named Me Malala is inspiring, presenting the emotional core of our main protagonist. Behind the curtains, Malala is still a teenager finding herself.

I have to keep reminding myself that shes an ordinary girl. She chose to risk her life. Her father chose to risk his life. They werent born extraordinary. It was their choices that made them extraordinary, adds Guggenheim.

Arguably the co-star of the film, Malalas father Ziauddin frames the narrative and became a role model for Guggenheim. I want to know how to be a good father. For me, if I could personally invest in those answers, then that could come through in the movie, he adds.

We tend to overlook the power we have to change the world, believing it will be too difficult. All we need is our voice. The human voice is more powerful than any weapon in the world, as Malala has so clearly demonstrated by making a choice to do an extraordinary thing, change the world.

everything must go somewhere.Despite the few exceptions of

thought-provoking projects, the event as a whole was rather too spread out over Toronto, non-cohesive, and lackluster. Nuit Blanche has showcased some breathtaking works including last years Global Rainbow and 2013s Forever Bicycles by Ai Weiwei. But unfortunately, I cannot say that

2015 held anything as grand or quite at that level.

Despite the overheard dissatisfaction of Nuit Blanche 2015, Torontonians and out-of-towners alike will still take to the streets in the search of art for years

to come. As a staple of Toronto and the worldwide modern art scene, we will continue to forgive and forget the previous years flops and every fall continue to ask, Who else is going to Nuit Blanche?

eRic bizzaRistaff writer

On October 9, 2012, Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl and activist, was shot in the head by a masked gunman. The third anniversary of that attack marks the release of Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheims He Named Me Malala, a documentary that follows the young girl who spoke out against the Taliban, wishing for equal education for women around the world.

The harrowing film mends together an intimate story with very few characters to present the outcome of Malalas heroic actions.

Guggenheim manifests a personal story showcasing Malalas energy, inspiration, and confidence, but he is not able to delve deep into Malalas feelings of suffering or sadness.

She is the most open person Ive ever met, says Guggenheim. But she couldnt answer my question about suffering. Her suffering. She just couldnt access that feeling.

In a way, this negatively impacted the film. Had Malala explored more of her grief and suffering, the film would have turned into a more serious, empathetic story. Instead, her positive aura embraced the film with a hopeful attitude about changing the world and the power we have to accomplish this.

photo courtesy of raazia rafeek

10 for 10th exhibition features Ekow Nimako, a fine arts grad who used over 50,000 LEGO pieces to create a Silent Knight.

photo courtesy of tiff

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Late Night Procrastination Miny Pham

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