Krisha Ravikantharaja / en Four reasons ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ loves today's Google doodle /news/four-reasons-u-t-loves-today-s-google-doodle <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Four reasons ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ loves today's Google doodle</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/hip%20hop%20doodle.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=e5ImYM0E 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/hip%20hop%20doodle.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rWZMp0dn 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/hip%20hop%20doodle.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=W9pOygBU 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/hip%20hop%20doodle.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=e5ImYM0E" alt="Photo of Google doodle"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>krisha</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-08-11T12:55:43-04:00" title="Friday, August 11, 2017 - 12:55" class="datetime">Fri, 08/11/2017 - 12:55</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Today's Google doodle celebrates the forty-fourth anniversary of the birth of hip hop</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utsc" hreflang="en">UTSC</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sociology" hreflang="en">Sociology</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Why does ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ love&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/44th-anniversary-of-the-birth-of-hip-hop">today's Google doodle</a>&nbsp;on the birth of hip hop? Check out these four reasons:</p> <h3>An ethnography of an open mic workshop for rappers in South Central</h3> <p><strong>Jooyoung Lee</strong>&nbsp;is&nbsp;an assistant professor of sociology&nbsp;and the author of&nbsp;<em>Blowinā€™ Up: Rap Dreams in South Central,&nbsp;</em>which stems&nbsp;from Lee's own experiences with an open mic workshop&nbsp;in South Central Los Angeles. In the book, Lee explains how these experiences informed his understanding of rap culture, and its intersections with race and violence.</p> <h3><a href="/news/gun-violence-murder-and-music-u-t-sociologist-explores-wide-range-subjects">Read more about Lee</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5502 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="400" src="/sites/default/files/lee-bw_0_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="600" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Jooyoung Lee (right) with his mentor Tick-a-Lott (photo courtesy of Jooyoung Lee)</em></p> <h3>StageKeep: an app that assists chorographers plan routines</h3> <p>Recent grad&nbsp;and competitive hip hop dancer <strong>Alex Villamil&nbsp;</strong>developed StageKeep, an app that allows choregraphers to visualize their routines while considering the rhythm of the music and the performance space. The goal:&nbsp;to overcome the challenges of limited rehearsal times and dancers separated by distance.</p> <p>Villamil worked with&nbsp;³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ computer science alumnus <strong>William Mak</strong>, and the app was developed at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Scarborough's The Hub accelerator.</p> <h3><a href="/news/uoftgrad17-hip-hop-dancer-uses-computer-science-skills-help-fellow-choreographers">Read more about Villamil and StageKeep</a></h3> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MOHQvYWQFdM" width="560"></iframe></p> <h3>Hip hop in the classroom</h3> <p>Interested in taking a course? How about&nbsp;Rap Poetics,&nbsp;an English course looking at the form and rhetoric of rap lyrics, which is taught by <strong>Andrew Dubois&nbsp;</strong>at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Scarbrough.</p> <p>Lee, mentioned above, has also previously taught Sociology of Hip Hop,&nbsp;a course which looks&nbsp;at hip hop through a sociological lens.&nbsp;</p> <h3>³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Drizzy</h3> <p>Of course, no list of ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ hip hop connections is complete without mentioning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/uoftdrizzy/?hl=en">@uoftdrizzy</a>. The Instagram&nbsp;account imagines the adventures of rapper Drake&nbsp;as a student at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5497 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/Capture.JPG" style="width: 451px; height: 453px; margin-left: 175px; margin-right: 175px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p><em>Photo by @uoftdrizzy</em></p> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-drizzy-elusive-artist-opens-about-contact-festival-champagnepapi-and-more">Read a&nbsp;<em>³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ</em>&nbsp;interview with @uoftdrizzy</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 11 Aug 2017 16:55:43 +0000 krisha 112184 at Mark Canada Day with ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ /news/mark-canada-day-u-t <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Mark Canada Day with ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-06-30-LEAD-CANADA150.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=GHisNHrq 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-06-30-LEAD-CANADA150.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=47osA7fE 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-06-30-LEAD-CANADA150.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jfP_GYuv 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-06-30-LEAD-CANADA150.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=GHisNHrq" alt="University College decked out with Canadian flags"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>krisha</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-06-30T13:00:24-04:00" title="Friday, June 30, 2017 - 13:00" class="datetime">Fri, 06/30/2017 - 13:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Canadian flags flank the entrance of University College at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ (photo by Lisa Lightbourn) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canada-150" hreflang="en">Canada 150</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/trc" hreflang="en">TRC</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Across the country, young and old will be marking Canada Day in different ways this year ā€“ by&nbsp;celebrating its many successes, drawing attention to its painful shortcomings&nbsp;and, most importantly, reflecting on what it truly means to be Canadian.</p> <p>In the&nbsp;week leading up to Canada's 150th birthday celebrations, protests at the nation's capital have been reminders that while there is much to celebrate, there is considerable work that still needs to be done.</p> <p>In&nbsp;an <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/06/30/facing-the-truth-makes-for-a-worthy-celebration.html">Op-Ed in the&nbsp;<em>Toronto Star</em></a>,&nbsp;³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ's&nbsp;<strong>Charles Pascal</strong>, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE),&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Suzanne Stewart</strong>, an associate professor&nbsp;at&nbsp;the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, argue that there would be&nbsp;more to celebrate if the nation connected its 150th birthday bash with a more promising future and the Truth and Reconciliation Commissionā€™s Calls to Action.</p> <p>Throughout the year, ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ has been exploring these themes for <a href="http://canada150.utoronto.ca/">Canada 150</a> ā€“ from artist&nbsp;Kent Monkman's take on Confederation with the<em> Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience </em>exhibit to<em>&nbsp;</em>symposiums and conferences exploring the&nbsp;<a href="/news/students-debate-ethical-and-political-consequences-canada-150-u-t-event">ethics of celebrating Canada 150</a>,&nbsp;<a href="/news/scholars-and-writers-u-t-conference-dissect-canlit-s-relationship-land-indigenous-and">CanLit's relationship with Indigenous communities</a>,&nbsp;the <a href="/news/canada-150-u-t-symposium-examines-canadian-opera-company-s-revival-louis-riel">controversial Louis Riel opera</a>,&nbsp;<a href="/news/reconciling-how-universities-can-address-canada-s-colonial-legacy">the&nbsp;sesquicentennial's relationship to the TRC</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="/news/artists-and-scholars-come-together-re-tell-history-canada-150">a public event in Ottawa</a>&nbsp;featuring author and U&nbsp;of T&nbsp;alumnus&nbsp;<strong>Margaret Atwood</strong>&nbsp;and poet and ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Professor&nbsp;<strong>George Elliott Clarke</strong>&nbsp;talking about the role of religion. Many of these events, along with research projects&nbsp;and cultural initiatives were supported by ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ's Canada 150 Fund.</p> <p>For Saturday, there's a wide&nbsp;range of activities planned by&nbsp;the ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ community to mark the day&nbsp;ā€“ ranging from a carillon concert to an aerial drone light show.</p> <p>Here are a few of the things to check out:</p> <h3>For the musically inclined</h3> <p>Listen to&nbsp;the bells at&nbsp;<a href="http://canada150.utoronto.ca/event/canada-day-carillon-recital-soldiers-tower-featuring-world-premiere-composition-competition-winner/">the Carillion Recital at Hart House's Soldier's Tower</a>, which features alumnus <a href="/news/uoftgrad17-ringing-bells-convocation"><strong>Roy Lee</strong></a>.&nbsp;Youā€™ll have the chance to hear the world debut of the youth category winning entry for the House of Commonsā€™&nbsp;<em>Chime In, Canada!</em>&nbsp;sesquicentennial composition competition.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Scott Allan Orr</strong>, a ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ alumnus,&nbsp;was the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/About/HistoryArtsArchitecture/carillon/carillon-composition-competition-e.htm">winner</a> in the open category of the competition. His composition will <a href="https://www.hilltimes.com/2017/06/07/canada-150-carillon-piece-get-premiere-canada-day-peace-tower-bells/109642">premiere</a> at the Peace Tower in Ottawa&nbsp;on Canada Day.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5187 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/2017-06-28-soldiers-tower-bells-embed.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Makeda Marc-Ali)</em></p> <h3>For the stargazers</h3> <p>If astronomy is more your thing, make your way to ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Scarborough for <a href="http://canada150.utoronto.ca/event/guided-solar-walk-observatory-tour/">the Guided Solar Walk and Observatory</a> that models what the night sky would have looked like at the time of Confederation.</p> <h3>For the visual artists</h3> <p>If you find yourself in Calgary, visit the Glenbow Museum to check out Monkmanā€™s&nbsp;exhibit.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Art Museum at the University of Toronto partnered with Monkman for the&nbsp;large-scale show, which debuted at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ in January and is now travelling around the country.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/shame-and-prejudice-u-t-art-museum-hosts-artist-kent-monkman-s-exhibit-canada-150">Read more about the exhibit here</a></h3> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SxQ4c7mIuOM" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>In partnership with the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly, the ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s Institute for Life Course and Aging is showcasing the <a href="https://wisdominitiative.wordpress.com/"><em>Wisdom Photo Project</em></a>, a series of 50 photos of seniors from across Canada that explores the ideas of aging positively and combatting ageism at&nbsp;the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.</p> <h3>For the history buffs</h3> <p>Get a quick history lesson at Queenā€™s Park with <a href="/news/pop-exhibit-u-t-explores-how-canada-was-shaped-negotiation">the <em>Canada by Treaty</em> exhibit</a>. Co-curated by <strong>Heidi Bohaker</strong>, an associate professor&nbsp;of history,&nbsp;<strong>Laurie Bertram</strong>, an assistant professor of history, and <strong>James Bird</strong>, an undergraduate student, the exhibit combines maps, paintings&nbsp;and photos to illustrate how Canada was formed through legal agreements with Indigenous peoples.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5193 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/2017-06-28-canada-by-treaty-embed.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>(Photo by&nbsp;Diana Tyszko)</em></p> <p>Want more history? The <a href="/news/canada-150-u-t-s-fisher-library-exhibit-tracks-canada-s-struggles-become-welcoming-place"><em>Struggle and Story: Canada in Print </em>exhibit</a> at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book&nbsp;Library presents the tumultuous journey Canada has taken in its attempt to become a more peaceful and inclusive nation through a collection of historical documents.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5195 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/2017-06-28-loius-riel-embed.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>An illustration of Louis Riel in the magazine,&nbsp;Canadian Pictorial&nbsp;&amp; Illustrated War News, is among the documents in the </em>Struggle and Story: Canada in Print&nbsp;<em>exhibit (photo by Romi Levine).&nbsp;</em></p> <p>The ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Libraries has also&nbsp;created <a href="https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/u-t-showcase-150?platform=hootsuite"><em>³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Showcase, 150</em></a>, an interactive online timeline which highlights some of the unique holdings at the campus archives and special collections from the past century and a half.</p> <h3>For the poetsā€¦and for everyone else</h3> <p>If you find you have a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect, read Parliamentary Poet Laureate <strong>George Elliot Clarke</strong>ā€™s&nbsp;<a href="https://lop.parl.ca/About/Parliament/Poet/English_poems/Clarke/Freedom-e.pdf"><em>Anthem for</em> Liberty<em>ā€™s Champions</em></a>.&nbsp;In the poem, the ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ professor of English highlights the ā€œ[u]nsung championsā€ who have made the sesquicentennial possible.</p> <p><a href="http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/meet-stone-carvers-working-rejuvenate-canadas-parliament-buildings"><em>Canadian Geographic</em></a> also invited Clarke to pen a piece of prose about the stonework at the parliament buildings in Ottawa to run alongside a series of photos by Toronto photographer Peter Andrew Lusztyk.</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qG76sRJVIBg" width="750"></iframe></p> <h3>For the fireworks futurists</h3> <p>As an alternative to the Canada Day&nbsp;fireworks displays, watch&nbsp;one of&nbsp;<a href="http://arrowonics.com/">Arrowonics</a>' choreographed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KwXSZaPsM4"><font color="#0066cc">drone ballets</font></a>&nbsp;light up the night sky.</p> <p>Arrowonics is&nbsp;a company spawned from the lab of Professor <strong>Hugh Liu&nbsp;</strong>at the Insititute for Aerospace Studies at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ. The company CEO&nbsp;is <strong>Everett Findlay</strong>, one of Liuā€™s former graduate students.</p> <p>Catch one of&nbsp;Arrowonics' drone aerial night shows at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.utias.utoronto.ca/research/aircraft-flight-systems-and-control/">Ontario Place</a> in Toronto&nbsp;or at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.southlondoncanadaday.com/">White Oaks Park</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;London, Ont.,&nbsp;this weekend.</p> <h1><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1KwXSZaPsM4" width="750"></iframe><br> <br> <a href="http://canada150.utoronto.ca/">Learn more about ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ and Canada 150</a><br> <br> &nbsp;</h1> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 30 Jun 2017 17:00:24 +0000 krisha 108800 at #UofTBTS16: Introducing ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s Class of 2020 /news/uoftbts16-introducing-u-t-s-class-2020 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTBTS16: Introducing ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s Class of 2020</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-16-Grace-King-Class2020-Lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Y2GKeeTm 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-09-16-Grace-King-Class2020-Lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=lB2tjUxL 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-09-16-Grace-King-Class2020-Lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_qiUmRQ1 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-16-Grace-King-Class2020-Lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Y2GKeeTm" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>krisha</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-16T09:53:05-04:00" title="Friday, September 16, 2016 - 09:53" class="datetime">Fri, 09/16/2016 - 09:53</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(Photo courtesy Grace King)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/uoftbts16" hreflang="en">#UofTBTS16</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/back-school" hreflang="en">Back to School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/new-students" hreflang="en">New Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/class-2020" hreflang="en">Class of 2020</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Incoming first years are ready to make their mark</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>From an aspiring filmmaker to an environmental activist, a musician who loves math&nbsp;and a student who has already been recognized for his&nbsp;stellar research, ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ's incoming Class of 2020 is something special.&nbsp;</p> <p>³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ writer <strong>Krisha Ravikantharaja</strong> spoke to four first years who are all recipients of ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s National Scholarship, a program which is marking its 30th&nbsp;anniversary at the university. While they share an academic&nbsp;enthusiasm toward the next four years, these students are a reminder of the wide array of interests and experiences the Class of 2020 is bringing with them.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Grace King</strong>ā€™s decision to pursue a double major in environmental studies and anthropology is motivated by her belief that effective activism requires a humanistic approach, or rather putting a face to&nbsp;statistics.</p> <p>When she returned from an expedition to the Arctic in the summer before her final year of high school, King (pictured above)&nbsp;started the Arctic Awareness Program, a program where she used her own experience to ā€œshift the way children were thinking about climate change and culture in the north.ā€</p> <p>Last year, Kingā€™s program reached nearly 1,000 Grade 4 to&nbsp;Grade 5 students in Newfoundland.</p> <p>King was also the leader of the mental health and awareness committee at her high school, and spearheaded a project called Paint it Positive. Over Easter break, the committee painted two washrooms with a mural installation that covered up violent and hurtful comments on the stalls.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œWe wanted to see what happens when you try to replace destruction with self-expression. Above the mirrors, we wrote things like, ā€˜You are worthyā€™ and ā€˜You are appreciated,ā€™ā€ she said.</p> <p><strong>What are you looking forward to most at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ?</strong><br> Iā€™m looking forward to the beauty of just being a sponge. This time is so special because I get to be here for the main purpose of sitting in a classroom where people who have dedicated their professions to some passion of learning that makes them feel something are able to provide me with enrichment for my brain and allow me to expand it, and I think thatā€™s something that we take for granted too often.</p> <p><strong>What are you looking forward to about going to school in Toronto?</strong><br> I miss the coast already, but Toronto is bustling, and itā€™s very alive. Yesterday, I went to my first class, and I am just watching all these humans just walking everywhere. Everyoneā€™s got somewhere to go. I think that can be a very cool thing. Torontoā€™s got so much happening.</p> <p><strong>Why did you choose ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ?</strong><br> I was attracted to ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ also because it has such a such a strong foundation for education students in social sciences and humanities. I was influenced to choose it for how it might shape and shift my opportunities as an activist. I think 'my thing'&nbsp;is taking climate change awareness&nbsp;and turning it into something that people can access more. Iā€™m hoping I can shake things up a bit when it comes to the activism scene here.</p> <hr> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1981 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-09-16-Nathan-to-embed-2.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 400px; margin-left: 75px; margin-right: 75px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>Born and raised in Victoria, B.C., <strong>Nathan Kuehne</strong> comes to ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ with more experiences as a researcher in life sciences than the average first year.&nbsp;In Grade 9, Nathan was selected to represent British Columbia at the Canada-wide science fair where he was inspired by the work of other students across the country. When he returned to Victoria, he worked in a medicinal chemistry lab at the University of Victoria.</p> <p>In Grade 11, he developed an at home test for phenylketonuria (PKU). Kuehne&nbsp;explains that if you have PKU, your body canā€™t metabolize protein because of an amino acid called phenylalanine. Because there is no cure, patients must avoid eating protein, and monitor how much phenylalanine is in their bloodstream. The current method requires that patients send a blood sample to a lab, making it hard to self regulate and including a week-long waiting period. Nathanā€™s alternative was a a machine that uses a urine sample.</p> <p>ā€œAfter a quick filtration itā€™s automated by turning a device, a colour change is produced which indicates to the patient how much phenylalanine is in their body so they can self-regulate and self-correct their diet.ā€</p> <p>Kuehne went on to present this research at the Canada-wide science fair,&nbsp;and was then invited to present it at TEDxVictoria.&nbsp;In Grade 12, he was selected to be a member of Team Canada at the international science fair which took place in Phoenix for a project which applied the underlying chemistry of&nbsp;his previous research.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFbF16DVTXY">Watch Kuehne's TEDx talk</a></h3> <p><strong>What are you nervous about?</strong><br> Making new friends: when you know the same people for twelve years you get so comfortable that being in a brand new place with brand new people for four years and having to cultivate all those new relationships is something that is exciting, but also nerve-wracking.</p> <p><strong>What are you looking forward to about going to school in Toronto?</strong><br> Being in a big city like Toronto, thereā€™s so much to do and so much to take in. The city is so diverse. Enjoying the city is one of my top priorities.</p> <p><strong>Why </strong><strong style="line-height: 20.8px;">did you choose&nbsp;</strong><strong>³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ?</strong><br> The research being done here is unbelievable. Being at Canadaā€™s largest research institution has so many opportunities. Participating in research is amazing so Iā€™m excited to try and make that happen.</p> <hr> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1976 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-09-16-Rebecca-to-embed.jpg" style="line-height: 20.8px; width: 600px; height: 400px; margin-left: 75px; margin-right: 75px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p><strong>Rebecca Moranis</strong> is pursuing a double degree in two seemingly unrelated topics&nbsp;ā€“&nbsp;music and mathematics. While she received her ARCT diploma for piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music in the summer of 2015, her musical passion lies with&nbsp;the flute. This past year, she played with two orchestras: the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra, the latter of which did a tour to New York last summer, which included a concert at Carnegie Hall.</p> <p>Moranis also started ballet lessons when she was three, and has been studying with Opera Atelier for eight years. She was invited to rehearse for <em>Alcina</em>, one of Opera Atelierā€™s operas in the summer of 2014, and was thereafter kept on as a performer. Rebecca has also starred as a background dancer in multiple episodes of the television show, <em>Reign</em>.</p> <p>Moranis was selected to be part of a team that would compete in an international Harvard-MIT Math Tournament, and has tutored math at the University of Toronto Schools for the past five years.</p> <p>ā€œI love sharing math with younger students. Iā€™m inspired to do that because a faculty member here at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ, <strong>Lindsey Shorser</strong>, has been a role model to me.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œ[As a woman,] sometimes you feel like you canā€™t be as vocal, and itā€™s hard to prove yourself. [Shorser] has shown me that itā€™s possible. Representation is so important, and thatā€™s what I hope to do for the girls that I tutor. I want to show them that math is cool, and you can be a girl and not have to hide the fact that youā€™re intelligent.ā€</p> <p><strong>What are you&nbsp;looking forward to most at U&nbsp;of T?</strong><br> Iā€™m most looking forward to research opportunities, especially because ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ is known for having a stellar research program. Iā€™m looking forward to being able to do research projects that combine music and math, and seeing how I can weave them together like looking at the science of how we perceive music, and the mathematics and patterning of composition.</p> <p><strong>What are you looking forward to about going to school in Toronto?</strong><br> I love this city ā€“ itā€™s my favourite city in the world. I love the culture, and the opportunities to appreciate art that are available like music, ballet and going to galleries. The community of Toronto is so open to different kinds of arts.</p> <p><strong>Why did you choose&nbsp;³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ?</strong><br> Iā€™ve been studying flute with <strong>Nora Shulman</strong> for the past two years. She plays with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra&nbsp;and teaches at the Faculty of Music.&nbsp;I was partly drawn to stay at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ because I could keep studying with her. Iā€™ve improved tremendously because of her.</p> <hr> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1979 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-09-16-ben-to-embed_1.jpg" style="line-height: 20.8px; width: 600px; height: 400px; margin-left: 75px; margin-right: 75px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p><strong>Ben Sprenger</strong> has come to ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ with the plan to combine his interests in engineering and filmmaking. From an early age, Sprenger wanted to be an actor, and even attended acting classes. As he became older though, he wanted to star in movies, and so he made his own with the assistance of a sometimes unwilling younger brother.&nbsp;</p> <p>Eventually, Sprenger&nbsp;became more interested in being behind the camera, and developed his knowledge of lighting, sound, editing, and writing. He hopes to continue his filmmaking endeavours in first year.</p> <p>ā€œThe great thing about being in university is that thereā€™s so many more people that have the same interests as you, and are willing to put in time and work," he said. "I think it will be nice to find people to collaborate with through the Hart House Film Board.ā€</p> <p>Sprenger was selected as a semifinalist for the Los Angeles Cinefest for his most recent short film ā€” a mocumentary ā€”When Food Goes Bad, which has been Sprengerā€™s most labour intensive film to date.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wqleYknevc">Watch Sprenger's mocumentary</a></p> <p><strong style="line-height: 1.6;">What are you looking forward to most at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ?</strong></p> <p>Iā€™m looking forward to opportunities outside of the classroom more than anything to extend my education like opportunities for research and design projects to enrich my experience and develop skills I can use later on.</p> <p><strong>Is there anything youā€™re nervous about?</strong><br> I have typical first-year concerns about not being able to do well in university, but I keep telling myself itā€™s something everyone goes through so I think Iā€™ve been good at staying level headed and not too stressed out.</p> <p><strong>What are you looking forward to about going to school in Toronto?</strong><br> Toronto is such a huge film hub. Itā€™s got a ton of things filming here, TIFF, and this huge film culture of filmmakers from Toronto who stay in the city and make films here and want to mentor other younger filmmakers. I would love to be involved in the film industry.</p> <p><strong>Whatā€™s something you want to do before you leave ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ?</strong><br> My sister is in second year at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ for life sciences, and in her first year, she did a research project with another student where they developed a proposal, applied for funding, and they were able to go to Burma. If thereā€™s some way we could work on a research project together, I think that would be quite the family bonding experience.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Why did you choose ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ?</strong><br> Itā€™s a fantastic university thatā€™s right here in Toronto where Iā€™m from. I chose engineering at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ because they emphasize creativity so much. Even in first year, thereā€™s a design course that applies our learning to solve real-life problems.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 16 Sep 2016 13:53:05 +0000 krisha 100433 at #UofTBTS16: Keeping ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ students healthy /news/uoftbts16-keeping-u-t-students-healthy <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTBTS16: Keeping ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ students healthy</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-13-wellness.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=yIYg-nD2 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-09-13-wellness.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=nlMZ9RDq 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-09-13-wellness.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=bmFwVdWE 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-13-wellness.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=yIYg-nD2" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-14T14:50:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - 14:50" class="datetime">Wed, 09/14/2016 - 14:50</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ's Health and Wellness Centre is located on the second floor of the Koffler Student Services Centre (photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/arthur-kaptainis" hreflang="en">Arthur Kaptainis</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/arthur-kaptainis" hreflang="en">Arthur Kaptainis</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Arthur Kaptainis and Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/back-school" hreflang="en">Back to School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/uoftbts16" hreflang="en">#UofTBTS16</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mental-health" hreflang="en">Mental Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/wellness" hreflang="en">Wellness</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Watching friends struggle with stress, family problems and mental illness without anyone to talk to led <strong>Faraz Honarvar</strong> to get involved with ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ student clubs focused on mental health.</p> <p><strong>Karen Young</strong>, a psychology and health studies student at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Scarborough, started <em>Minds Matter Magazine</em> devoted solely to mental health issues because she saw a real need out there for not only students, but also faculty, staff and alumni.</p> <p>With <a href="/news/how-u-t-students-researchers-and-alumni-are-working-promote-mental-health">a growing focus on mental health research as well as services across the university</a>, there are many supports for students who may be dealing with what may feel like insurmountable challenges.</p> <p>Students can access counselling&nbsp;services across all three campuses: on the downtown Toronto campus at&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/hwc">Health &amp;&nbsp;Wellness Centre</a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;the Koffler Student Services Centre; at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Scarborough's <a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/hwc/health-wellness-centre">Health &amp; Wellness Centre</a>&nbsp;and at&nbsp;³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Mississauga's <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/health/our-services">Health &amp; Counselling Centre</a>.</p> <p>Along with these&nbsp;centres, many faculties host their own programs. The Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education launched the Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre (MPARC), which is dedicated to the promotion of mental health through exercise.</p> <h3><a href="/news/u-t-opens-mental-health-and-physical-activity-research-centre">Read more about KPE's IMPARC initiative</a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1947 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/2016-09-14-blu-matter-embed.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"></p> <p>The <a href="/news/arthurs-student-voices-story">Student Voice Project</a>, which is open to all ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ students, is one of many programs on all three campuses devoted to mental health awareness. <a href="/news/graduate-students-identify-strategies-boost-morale-mental-health">Grad students have developed strategies</a> to boost mental health. And, last&nbsp;December Trinity alumna Dr. <strong>Anne Steacy </strong>donated $1.5 to establish the Anne Steacy Counselling Initiative as part of the Trinity College health service.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/alumni-support-student-mental-health-trinity-college-175-million-donation">Read more about&nbsp;Trinity College's counselling initiative</a></h3> <p>ā€œThere is a lot of support at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ,ā€ says <strong>Janine Robb</strong>, executive director of ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ's&nbsp;downtown Toronto&nbsp;Health &amp; Wellness Centre. ā€œYou just need to ask.ā€&nbsp;</p> <p>She says across the university there are people trained in identifying students at risk and referring them to the right resources.</p> <p>ā€œOnce students start talking about the trouble that theyā€™re having, they realize theyā€™re not alone,ā€ Robb says. ā€œThat is a critical part. Things can happen. Donā€™t hesitate to ask for help.ā€</p> <p>For those uncomfortable talking about their issues with an adult, often student-run resources can be a first step.<br> &nbsp;<br> <a href="http://mindsmattermagazine.com/"><em>Minds Matter Magazin</em>e</a> has been able to publish articles on the magazineā€™s website, including providing a roadmap to help students navigate services and programs at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Scarborough. They come out with their second e-issue on arts and media next month.</p> <p>Honarvar, who is starting his first year in a Masterā€™s program, is now president of ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bmpuoft/">chapter of the Blu Matter Project</a>. The group has organized yoga classes, talks by ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ profs and set up mental health awareness booths.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œWeā€™re tackling issues that students are directly dealing with, which could be a starting point for many students,ā€ Honarvar said. ā€œThe university is a huge place and for many first and second years, they may feel like a needle in the haystack. You may not be able to open up to others when you have problems. I think we provide a unique perspective on what needs to be done to provide resources for our fellow students. We can be there to provide guidance and to allow people to open up and share their problems.ā€</p> <p>After an event last school year with a ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ prof, a student approached Honarvar.</p> <p>ā€œHe said&nbsp;the talk was so powerful that he finally had found some hope and guidance after many months of dealing with suicidal thoughts,ā€ Honarvar said. ā€œThatā€™s what motivates me to continue leading this club.ā€</p> <h3><a href="http://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca/">Read more about ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ's commitmment to student mental health.&nbsp;</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 14 Sep 2016 18:50:00 +0000 ullahnor 100416 at The personal encounter is important: ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s Reid Locklin on the canonization of Mother Teresa /news/reid-locklin-canonization-mother-teresa <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">The personal encounter is important: ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s Reid Locklin on the canonization of Mother Teresa</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/mother_teresa.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gGR9h2lx 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/mother_teresa.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=kRzwsJ14 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/mother_teresa.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=1GXVtnUf 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/mother_teresa.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gGR9h2lx" alt="Solemnity mass organized at Mother Teresa's Tomb. Mother House during the observation of Mother Canonizations and death anniversary"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lavende4</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-12T15:29:43-04:00" title="Monday, September 12, 2016 - 15:29" class="datetime">Mon, 09/12/2016 - 15:29</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Solemnity mass organized at Mother Teresa's Tomb. Mother House during the observation of Mother Canonizations and death anniversary (Photo by Saikat Paul/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/religion" hreflang="en">Religion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">St. Michael's College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mother-teresa" hreflang="en">Mother Teresa</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>More than&nbsp;100 000 people&nbsp;gathered in St. Peterā€™s Square last Sunday to hear Pope Francisā€™ proclamation that Mother Teresa had been canonized as Saint Teresa of Kolkata. The cause for her canonization was led by none other than ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ alumnus Father <strong>Brian Kolodiejchuk</strong>, who joined the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, as a priest.</p> <p><strong>Reid Locklin</strong> is an assistant professor of Christianity and the Intellectual Tradition at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ. His&nbsp;research interests focus on issues in Comparative Theology and Hindu-Christian Studies.&nbsp;<em>³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ</em> spoke with Locklin about&nbsp;the significance of canonization in the modern era and the controversy surrounding Mother Teresa .</p> <p>This interview has been edited and condensed for brevity and clarity.<img height="2" src="file:///C:/Users/lavende4/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" width="626" loading="lazy"></p> <p><strong>What does sainthood signify in the Catholic Church?</strong></p> <p>There are four ways of approaching this question. [The first is that] in the letters of Paul in the early Church, he will refer to the Christian community as a community of saints so the idea is that all Christians are called to be membered among the saints [because] sainthood designates the state of grace given to Christians by Christ. In a certain sense, sainthood is very normal [because] in Christian theology itā€™s what all Christians are called to be and so itā€™s precisely unextraordinary ā€” except that in the Christian understanding, the grace of Christ is extraordinary. Itā€™s the ordinary extraordinary, if I can put it that way.</p> <p>The second way has to do with [the fact that] whatā€™s extraordinary in this case is not sainthood itself, but the explicit public recognition of somebody as having achieved this goal. The significance of recognizing some people as saints is precisely to remind ourselves that the Christian community includes all Christians throughout the world, and those who have died. In the Christian self-understanding, itā€™s all one community.</p> <p>Number three is that if we are members of community with those who have died, then one of the purposes of recognizing them is also to help us become saints ourselves so one of the purposes of canonizing a saint is to provide a model you can follow.</p> <p>[Finally,] in canonizing somebody, we are able to seek intercession from them, to seek that they might represent me before God [and] advocate for me to God. This [fourth component] tends to get a lot of focus and it is an important part as stated in the Catholic Church, but itā€™s one of four pieces.</p> <p><strong>How does the process of canonization occur? </strong></p> <p>The first step toward canonization is to be declared venerable which means thereā€™s a recognition in the Church that somebody is a person of heroic virtue. The next step is beatification [where] they become blessed, and that happens after one miracle is attributed to them. In the case of Mother Teresa, her first miracle [was] the healing of a woman in Kolkata who had a tumour. Beatification means that there name is added to the liturgical calendar, veneration and/or seeking intercession from that saint is appropriate, but usually occurs in more local contexts.</p> <p>The move to canonization happens generally when thereā€™s a second miracle that can be reliably attributed to the intercession of the saint, and then veneration of that saint is publicly commended to all Catholics so it becomes a public aspect of the Churchā€™s life. There was a miraculous cure of a Brazilian man suffering from brain abscesses, and that was the second miracle that was accepted in the case of Mother Teresa.</p> <p>There are exceptions. Some people are canonized because they are martyrs so if they died because of their faith, they can sometimes be canonized without miracles, and sometimes the need for a miracle is waved. [Mother Teresaā€™s canonization] was a little unique in the sense that normally you have to wait five years [after a prospective saintā€™s death] before you start a cause, but John Paul II waved that. Other than that, her process was quite ordinary.</p> <p>Whatā€™s important here is that in none of these distinctions ā€” whether itā€™s venerable, blessed, or sainthood ā€” do we believe that a change has happened on the part of the person. Mother Teresa wasnā€™t changing. What was changing was our recognition, and how confident the Church feels in advocating that she is treated as one of the saints.</p> <p><strong>Who does the process of canonization </strong><strong>involve? </strong></p> <p>Normally, there is a person called the postulator [who] comes out of either the Diocese or the religious institute that the person was associated with. In the case of Mother Teresa, the postulate came from the Missionaries of Charity. In fact, it was a Canadian {and ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ alumnus], Father <strong>Brian Kolodiejchuk</strong>, who also edited some of her writings, and was a priest in the order that she founded. Itā€™s the job of the postulator, and the Diocese or the religious institute to gather the evidence, and to take it to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints [the Vatican committee which deals with canonization] to make the case.</p> <p>Itā€™s a legal process essentially [because] you have a legal team that comes from the local unit that then has to go to court. In some cases, itā€™s literally like a court. The term ā€˜devilā€™s advocateā€™ actually comes from the canonization process because the Vatican will actually appoint somebody to try to discredit the case thatā€™s being made for the cause for a particular saint in order to increase the rigour of the process to make sure that it is just.</p> <p><strong>What is the significance of Mother Teresa</strong><strong>ā€™</strong><strong>s canonization and canonization more generally to the modern Church?</strong></p> <p>I think that whatā€™s distinctive about Mother Teresa is that the centre of her life was presence to those who were poor. She did provide help, but the help was of a very local kind and many people criticized her for this because she didnā€™t address the systems that create inequality. She acknowledged this, and said there are other people who are better able to do this. In an era where we emphasize professionalization and technocrats who come up with policy solutions, we canā€™t forget the importance of the one to one encounter and being present with those who are suffering. I think that is important for our modern period where we want to reduce everything to numbers and policy. I donā€™t want to take anything from the importance of that work, but we can never lose sight of the fact that at some point we have to encounter those who we are talking about. Without that encounter, we end up instrumentalizing people, and treating them as other than people.</p> <p>Itā€™s just a coincidence Mother Teresa reached the stage of canonization under Francisā€™ pontificate but a lot of people have commented that it really was poetically significant because the centre of his pontificate is mercy and how Christ is primarily a figure of mercy to sinners and to all people in whatever situations of suffering theyā€™re in. Certainly, poverty has been one of his major themes.</p> <p><strong>Mother Teresa has been proclaimed </strong><strong>ā€˜</strong><strong>Saint Teresa of Kolkata.</strong><strong>ā€™</strong> <strong>Does her canonization have any specific significance for India?</strong></p> <p>I think that the effects Mother Teresa had have already taken place. She was made an honorary citizen of India, she received the Bharat Ratna Prize. Even the current Prime Minister honoured her and celebrated her canonization.</p> <p>What this means for India is up to India to decide. [Another] criticism has been that in being ā€œSaint Teresa of Kolkataā€ sometimes the only image people have of Kolkata is of grinding poverty. Thatā€™s one face of Kolkata&nbsp;ā€”&nbsp;especially because of global inequities that affect the global south ā€” but also one face of most cities. Kolkata has also been one of the centres of intellectual life in India for over 300 years. I think thereā€™s a risk of looking at Kolkata only through the image of Mother Teresa, we donā€™t see the other faces of Kolkata which like Toronto is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.</p> <p>Mother Teresa was from Europe so one way of thinking about her is in a typical colonialist way: she was a European who went to ā€œsaveā€ India. I think weā€™ve often thought about Europeans sending missionaries to India, and thatā€™s part of the colonialist project and lots of people ā€” including me ā€” are critical of that. But the Missionaries of Charity movement she founded is an Indian movement now, and it sends missionaries to Canada and Europe.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 12 Sep 2016 19:29:43 +0000 lavende4 100377 at #UofTBTS16: First day of school brings nerves and excitement to students and profs alike /news/uoftbts16-first-day-school-brings-nerves-and-excitement-students-and-profs-alike <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTBTS16: First day of school brings nerves and excitement to students and profs alike</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-12-lead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=wAavfQ4O 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-09-12-lead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OzOB6p3e 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-09-12-lead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=e96UNHEr 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-12-lead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=wAavfQ4O" alt="Photo of Eric Vanhauwaert"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>krisha</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-12T14:56:57-04:00" title="Monday, September 12, 2016 - 14:56" class="datetime">Mon, 09/12/2016 - 14:56</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Eric Vanhauwaert is looking forward to participating in intramural sports (all photos by Krisha Ravikantharaja)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/back-school" hreflang="en">Back to School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/uoftbts16" hreflang="en">#UofTBTS16</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The first day of school is&nbsp;usually a&nbsp;combination of nerves and excitement. As classes begin at the University of Toronto, students and faculty across all three campuses&nbsp;are navigating the campus, meeting new people, and&nbsp;setting goals for the school year ahead. <em>³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ</em> reporter <strong>Krisha&nbsp;Ravikantharaja</strong> talked to some of them.</p> <hr> <p>First-year student&nbsp;<strong>Sarah Hanson </strong>sat in Sid Smith waiting for her first university class, ever. In her case, it was&nbsp;"Histories of Violence."&nbsp;</p> <p>Hanson, who hopes to study book and media studies,&nbsp;was excited about all&nbsp;of the possibilities the university has to offer.</p> <p>ā€œI like the bigger campus, and the looser reins university offers [compared to high school],ā€ she said.&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1cjiQGG1chQ" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>Fellow frosh&nbsp;<strong>Eric Vanhauwaert</strong>&nbsp;is studying chemistry.&nbsp;In addition to learning to manage all the changes that come with university life, he is looking forward to participating in intramural sports.</p> <p>For returning students, they've already been through the drill. Some&nbsp;are using their experience to help newcomers to campus. Others,&nbsp;are&nbsp;hoping to focus this year on some of the campus activities and offerings they were unable to participate in during their first year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Pier Angeli Taruc</strong>, a third-year life science student, and <strong>Celina Tran</strong>, a recent graduate of the molecular genetics program, both remember getting lost during their first days on campus. So, this year both&nbsp;are working at the ASKme booth at Kingā€™s College Circle to make other studentsā€™ first&nbsp;week a little smoother.</p> <p>ā€œMost people have been asking how to get to their classes, Tran said. ā€œOnce we make eye contact, theyā€™re usually fine coming over and asking questions.ā€</p> <h3><a href="/news/uoftbts16-student-tools">Read more about student tools like ASKme booths</a></h3> <p><strong>Shannan Kallidass</strong> (pictured below)&nbsp;is studying international relations. After getting through first year, she wants&nbsp;to participate in&nbsp;more extracurricular activities this year.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">ā€œI made it through first year, and my goal this year is trying to get more involved in the university and student life by joining clubs.ā€</span></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1927 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-09-12-first-day-embed-1.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 400px; margin-right: 75px; margin-left: 75px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>Clubs and campus organizations are also the best part of university for <strong>Arika Macaalay</strong>, who is in the third year of her program in communication, culture, information and technology, and political science at UTM.</p> <p>"It may be hard to find a place to belong to in university, but if you look, you eventually find a club or academic society that suits you," she said.&nbsp;</p> <p>For some returning students, they still have jitters.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>Linda Zhou</strong>, a third-year international student of international relations,&nbsp;spent&nbsp;the summer&nbsp;volunteering in China.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œIā€™m nervous because itā€™s my third year," she said. "Iā€™m looking forward to my new courses,&nbsp;and I want to participate more in discussions and debates in my classes this year.ā€</p> <p><strong>Pierre Roquet</strong>, who is pursuing a specialist in digital enterprise management at UTM, is dealing with the excitement and pressures of final year.&nbsp;</p> <p>"I'm a bit nervous starting this year," he said. "I am going into my last year, and I need to get an internship for next semester to complete my degree requirements. So on top of school work, I need to figure out what I want to do once I'm done. It's all very exciting, but also nerve-wracking."</p> <p>Students aren't alone&nbsp;when it comes to back-to-school nerves.</p> <p><a href="/news/students-explore-milan-relive-days-iconic-19th-century-author">Professor <strong>Anne Urbancic</strong> (pictured below) teaches courses in the Pearson and Frye streams of the Vic One Program</a> and a Capstone course at Victoria College. She looks forward to watch students learn things for the time, but is anxious too.</p> <p>ā€œI generally donā€™t sleep the night before school starts," she said. "I want so much for the students to succeed, and I want reach out to them and make sure that what Iā€™m teaching them is not mundane."</p> <p>Despite this anxiousness, Urbancic says she loves the school year.</p> <p>ā€œI love the energy of the students," she said. "I really take in that energy, and it animates me. It challenges me. Iā€™m always excited to go back into the classroom.ā€</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1928 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-09-12-first-day-embed-2.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 400px; margin-right: 75px; margin-left: 75px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 12 Sep 2016 18:56:57 +0000 krisha 100407 at #UofTBTS16: Are you a ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ student with a question? Check out askastudent /news/uoftbts16-aska-has-answers <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTBTS16: Are you a ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ student with a question? Check out askastudent</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-06-aska-lead-1_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rE2DL59D 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-09-06-aska-lead-1_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=NsIOYzkt 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-09-06-aska-lead-1_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=LUrPsBZS 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-06-aska-lead-1_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rE2DL59D" alt="Two students hiding in the flowers, making peace signs"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>krisha</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-12T09:59:33-04:00" title="Monday, September 12, 2016 - 09:59" class="datetime">Mon, 09/12/2016 - 09:59</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Aska prefers to remain anonymous (Photo by Chiao Sun)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/uoftbts16" hreflang="en">#UofTBTS16</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/back-school" hreflang="en">Back to School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/new-students" hreflang="en">New Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">An anonymous blog with a sassy voice has been answering questions for ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ students since 1999</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>They're known as aska,&nbsp;the online persona of the writer(s) of <a href="http://askastudent.utoronto.ca">askastudent</a>, a blog that has been answering questions submitted by future and current University of Toronto students for a decade and a half.&nbsp;</em></p> <p><em>Known for its lighthearted tone and helpful responses, the blog primarily serves as a resource for future and current students about academics and student life at the university. But&nbsp;aska has become accustomed to receiving (and answering) queries about anything and everything.</em></p> <p>³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ<em> asked&nbsp;aska a few questions about what itā€™s like to lead a double life, what students&nbsp;can expect when they submit a question, and any advice they have for incoming students.&nbsp;</em></p> <hr> <p><strong>What are your names?</strong></p> <p><em>aska 1:</em> People call me aska, people call me askastudent, people call me S O U L &nbsp;D E S T R O Y E R, but seriously, I canā€™t tell you my real name. This is Hannah Montana levels of serious, and I donā€™t need people to know about my Miley Cyrus side.</p> <p><em>aska 2:</em> I prefer to go by ā€œYour Excellencyā€ but it hasnā€™t really caught on in my social circles.</p> <p><strong>So what exactly can you disclose?</strong></p> <p><em>aska 1:</em> I can tell you that askastudent is a work-study position at Innis College at the UofT. The idea that sparked askastudent is a simple but powerful one: what if students had the tools to communicate openly and honestly about questions relating to the university? askastudent is our answer to that question.&nbsp;</p> <p>In 1999, the first year that askastudent ran, it was actually a phone service (yep! Weā€™re THAT OLD ā€“ aska would be entering Grade 12 now if they were a person). After year one, we switched to an online blog and never looked back. Right now there are two askas, but thatā€™s not always the case. There have actually been fifteen askas since 1999, and itā€™s a legacy weā€™re proud of. Previous askas are now film producers, actors, UofT staff, journalists and more.</p> <p>Our trademark sassy tone is partially a result of the collective student voice that askastudent has naturally developed, and partially a free therapy session for me, personally.</p> <p><em>aska 2:</em> Yeah, what aska 1 said. Askastudent is a great place to find people who are in the same boat as you. Weā€™ve amassed thousands of questions since 1999 and itā€™s likely that someone else has worried about the same thing as you. I think another purpose of askastudent is to convey a sense of JLaw-level relatability and to bring a human touch to advice as opposed to cyborg generated information. I didnā€™t say that. That was a joke. We donā€™t have cyborgs yet.</p> <p><strong>What are the most frequently asked questions?</strong></p> <p><em>aska 1:</em> Colleges, colleges, colleges. People are always asking my advice about which college on the downtown campus they should be in. It puts me in an awkward spot because I have no unbiased way of answering that question. I try to explain that there is no ā€˜bestā€™ college, and itā€™s all down to personal preference.</p> <p><em>aska 2:</em> Iā€™ve only been aska for a couple of months, but so far I would say that the most frequently asked questions are: How do I make friends if Iā€™m an international student or commuter? How do I come back from a bad semester and stay motivated? How do I get into my subject POst in second year if I donā€™t have enough credits? Iā€™m on a waitlist for residence or a class, will I get in? If we were psychic, weā€™d probably get a lot more page views.</p> <p><strong>How long does it typically take to answer a question?</strong></p> <p><em>aska 1:</em> If I could write without interruption, I could probably answer a question in an hour flat ā€“ research, writing, adding funny pictures, and all. However, aska also works at a front desk, and so it can sometimes take a whole day to get through one question with all the other tasks we do.</p> <p>aska has the benefit of knowing a lot about ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ just from working at a ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ office, but I do often have to go on Google odysseys or call other offices for help if I donā€™t&nbsp;have the answer to a question. (I find Iā€™m always calling the UTSC registrarā€™s office. Sorry, UTSC.)</p> <p><em>aska 2:</em> It really depends on my touring schedule. I try to answer questions as soon as I can, but itā€™s really nice to have another person to answer questions while Iā€™m away touring with my ABBA tribute band.&nbsp;</p> <p>In terms of how long it takes me to write each answer, I try to do a lot of research and put a lot of effort into making the response as well-informed as possible. It can take a while. A lot of the times, Iā€™ll consult my colleagues for help if Iā€™m not sure&nbsp;how to respond. Believe it or not, we donā€™t actually know everything!</p> <p><strong>Can every student expect to hear back from you?</strong></p> <p><em>aska 1:</em> We answer every question, and we try to answer within two weeksā€™ time. askastudent is definitely not an urgent hotline, so if you have a question you need answered that same day, or even within the week, DEFINITELY consult your college registrarā€™s office for assistance.</p> <p><em>aska 2: </em>If they contain super private information, we tend to not post the question on the blog and answer it over email instead. Again, it really depends on my bandā€™s touring schedule. Weā€™re HUGE in Stockholm.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Are there any&nbsp;questions&nbsp;that stand out?</strong></p> <p><em>aska 1:</em> &nbsp;We do have a category called ā€˜<a href="http://askastudent.utoronto.ca/?cat=181">odds are that wonā€™t be asked again</a>ā€™ and another called ā€˜<a href="http://askastudent.utoronto.ca/?cat=26">weirdness</a>,ā€™ which catch most of the bizarre questions.</p> <p>My all-time favourite question, though, is <a href="http://askastudent.utoronto.ca/?p=14638">from this Grade 9 student, who was afraid they wouldnā€™t get into ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Engineering</a> because they accidentally lit their Axe body spray on fire at school and got suspended for three days. Seriously, just read it. Itā€™s worth your time.</p> <p><em>aska 2:</em> Looking at the 'weirdness' category is always a fun surprise.&nbsp;When we say you can ask us anything, we really do mean it, so I guess weā€™re kind of asking for some weird ones. On the other hand, hardcore keeners always stand out because Iā€™m the complete opposite and canā€™t imagine what it would be like to have that mindset.</p> <p><strong>Whatā€™s your #1&nbsp;piece of advice for incoming first years?</strong></p> <p><em>aska 1:</em> As a breakthrough star in failure, my advice is: donā€™t be afraid of failing. Itā€™s natural to be nervous, but try to embrace the uncertainty ahead. Thereā€™s nothing you canā€™t bounce back from. If you donā€™t get into the program of your dreams, you can try again or find something else thatā€™s a better fit for you. Try to do right by yourself and learn from your experiences, even if other people are telling you youā€™re not doing the ā€˜rightā€™ thing because youā€™re not going the doctor/lawyer/engineer route.</p> <p><em>aska 2:</em> Sleep, eat, go to lecture, and donā€™t forget to have a life. Try to find a balance between work and play, and youā€™ll have a great time at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ.</p> <p><strong>Why should students submit questions?</strong></p> <p><em>aska 1: </em>The university is great at providing information, but making the information fun is a way to make it more accessible to people. Thatā€™s my pedagogical justification for why I link to so many <a href="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/506/223/2ab.gif">Sonic the hedgehog memes</a> in my posts.</p> <p>You should ask us questions if a) you have a question thatā€™s not too urgent and b) you donā€™t mind being teased a little bit for the good of the website. I hope people understand that itā€™s all in good fun, and remember that weā€™re all on this wild ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ adventure together.</p> <p><em>aska 2: </em>I just want students to know that there are people out there who care and that youā€™re not alone. Even though this is technically a job, we do actually enjoy helping people who feel lost. I try to make sure that the asker feels like their question is valid and that I am leaving them with as much information as possible. We genuinely hope that we have helped in some way, shape or form.</p> <p>Students should write to us if they want to hear advice from an honest, student perspective. Please donā€™t give up hope if we take a while to respond. After all, we are students too. (Or in my case, an international tribute band pop star). We are trying our best and you will definitely get a response from us eventually.&nbsp;</p> <p>Donā€™t hesitate to share our posts, comment on them, like or follow! We love praise.</p> <p><br> <em>Those looking to submit a question to aska, can email <a href="mailto:askastudent.innis@utoronto.ca">askastudent.innis@utoronto.ca</a>, or send a message to their <a href="http://askastudentuoft.tumblr.com">tumblr inbox</a>.&nbsp;</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 12 Sep 2016 13:59:33 +0000 krisha 100240 at #UofTBTS16: Selfies with the president and other back to school social media highlights /news/uoftbts16-social-media-highlights <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTBTS16: Selfies with the president and other back to school social media highlights</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-09-social-media-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mFJUK7Tw 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-09-09-social-media-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_bTdfZ6K 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-09-09-social-media-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=umXWd0zp 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-09-social-media-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mFJUK7Tw" alt="Photo of students at UTSC orientation"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lavende4</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-09T12:22:08-04:00" title="Friday, September 9, 2016 - 12:22" class="datetime">Fri, 09/09/2016 - 12:22</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Students giving a shout-out at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ Scarborough orientation (Photo by Ken Jones)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/back-school" hreflang="en">Back to School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/uoftbts16" hreflang="en">#UofTBTS16</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As students, faculty, and staff across all three campuses gear up for another year at the University of Toronto, here are just some of the social media posts that show the growing excitement and preparation for #UofTBTS16</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="storify"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/UofT/uoftbts16-social-media-highlights/embed?header=false&amp;border=false" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/UofT/uoftbts16-social-media-highlights.js?header=false&amp;border=false"></script><noscript>[<a href="https://storify.com/UofT/uoftbts16-social-media-highlights" target="_blank">View the story "#UofTBTS16: Social Media Highlights" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 09 Sep 2016 16:22:08 +0000 lavende4 100361 at Undergrad researcher: Jordana Lowe /news/undergrad-researcher-jordana-lowe <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Undergrad researcher: Jordana Lowe</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-01-Jordana-Lowe.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=95e8oj8W 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-09-01-Jordana-Lowe.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=IPirN19k 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-09-01-Jordana-Lowe.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=u8NrqkzJ 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-09-01-Jordana-Lowe.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=95e8oj8W" alt="Photo of Jordana Lowe"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>krisha</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-09-09T10:24:57-04:00" title="Friday, September 9, 2016 - 10:24" class="datetime">Fri, 09/09/2016 - 10:24</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergrad-research" hreflang="en">Undergrad Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">ā€œYou contribute, youā€™re actively engaged, and you get to meet so many incredible peopleā€ </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>ā€œI wanted to have a research experience during my time here, but to be honest, I didnā€™t expect to like it nearly as much as I did. I just thought it was something everyone should do and I would just get in and get out.ā€</p> <p><strong>Jordana Lowe</strong> graduated in June with a double major in physiology and molecular genetics, and she is the first to admit that at the beginning of her undergraduate career, she looked at research as something she felt she needed to check off to say she had done.&nbsp;</p> <p>But Lowe was quick to change her mind.</p> <p>Loweā€™s first experience came in the summer of 2014 in the form of an Undergraduate Student Research Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada in <strong>Brian Cox</strong>ā€™s systems biology lab where she worked on a bioinformatics project on the evolution of the placenta.</p> <p>Lowe recalls her first days in the lab.</p> <p>ā€œThe first couple weeks were difficult,ā€ she says. ā€œIt was a lot of hitting my head against the wall trying to get the script to run and not truly understanding what I was doing, so the satisfaction of when things started to come together was wonderful.ā€</p> <p>Lowe attributes a large part of her growth to her supervisor, Cox.</p> <p>ā€œIā€™m grateful that he took the chance on me because I came into it with no independent research experience, particularly doing a bioinformatics project, and he gave me an incredible amount of guidance on a day to day basis that helped me succeed.ā€</p> <p>In addition to giving her some background in programming, Lowe says that her first lab experience has helped her to hone her critical thinking skills, allowing her to think outside of the box to come up with different ways to answer the questions she investigates.</p> <p>Lowe says that her first taste of research that summer changed her perception of research as ā€œstuffy and repetitive,ā€ and she completed a project in the same lab during the following school year.</p> <p>This time, Loweā€™s work focused on testing a reporter for trophoblast stem cell fate.</p> <p>ā€œThe process of changing cell types tells you a lot about the gene networking behind determining one cell type, but first, you need to see if the cells have successfully been converted.ā€</p> <p>Lowe explains that traditional methods to test for cell fate do a screen of the gene expression of these cells, but are less efficient than using a ā€˜reporter.ā€™</p> <p>ā€œI was testing a fluorescence reporter. The idea is that if youā€™ve successfully converted to the right cell type, the cell will fluoresce. Then you can start working backward to figure out how you got there and what that means for the cellā€™s underlying biology.ā€</p> <p>After completing the yearlong project, Lowe began working with <strong>Mikko Taipale</strong> last summer as part of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program in the department of molecular genetics on a project looking at fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma - a type of liver cancer. She<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">ā€™</span>s back working in Taipale's lab on the project this fall.</p> <p>ā€œIt was only relatively recently that they were able to do genomic screens on these patients and their tumours, and figure out that in this type of cancer, there is a deletion in the genome that results in the production of a fusion protein. My project was specifically looking at how this fusion protein plays a role in the development, progression or maintenance of this cancer.ā€</p> <p>Entering with a base understanding of research techniques, Lowe reflects that she was able to broaden her skills as well as gain confidence in her abilities as a researcher under Taipaleā€™s guidance.</p> <p>Lowe has had an abstract published in the journal<em>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.placentajournal.org/article/S0143-4004(14)00380-4/fulltext">Placenta</a></em>, and has presented at several poster fairs at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ where summer research students showcase their research.</p> <p>Being involved in the health care community through research has reinforced that Lowe wants to pursue a career in medicine, but also made her realize that she aims to remain a collaborator in research.</p> <p>ā€œI think people often see research and clinical medicine as being quite separate, but in molecular genetics, for instance, many labs are integrated right into the hospitals so you really are working in a setting where thereā€™s a lot of room for collaboration between physicians and researchers.ā€</p> <p>Lowe emphasizes that research experience allows for a much better ability to see the strengths and weaknesses of previously published research undergrads read about in class.</p> <p>ā€œWhen youā€™re learning just in a classroom setting, itā€™s hard to truly understand what it all means, especially when youā€™re doing things like critically evaluating research thatā€™s already been published.ā€</p> <p>Lowe is thankful for the skills that she learned in the lab, and for supervisors like Cox and Taipale who invested time in being mentors to her.</p> <p>But most of all, she says she is grateful for the community she found through research.</p> <p>ā€œYou hear a lot of undergrads talk about ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ being this huge place and not feeling like they belong, but being in research, you feel like youā€™re part of what makes the university great.ā€</p> <p>ā€œYou contribute, youā€™re actively engaged, and you get to meet so many incredible people.ā€</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 09 Sep 2016 14:24:57 +0000 krisha 100325 at #UofTBTS16: New international students get ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ welcome at Pearson Airport /news/uoftbts16-new-international-students-get-u-t-welcome-pearson-airport <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">#UofTBTS16: New international students get ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ welcome at Pearson Airport</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-08-31-pearson-lede3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=cR8r6Ffh 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-08-31-pearson-lede3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=MSgutpdH 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-08-31-pearson-lede3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=odsFTExK 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-08-31-pearson-lede3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=cR8r6Ffh" alt="Students at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ welcome booth at Pearson answer questions for new international students"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-08-31T15:09:41-04:00" title="Wednesday, August 31, 2016 - 15:09" class="datetime">Wed, 08/31/2016 - 15:09</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ student Kevin Ledda (centre) and grad Quratul Ayn (right) answer questions for new international student Julianne Tito (left) at Pearson Airport (Photo by Johnny Guatto) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/krisha-ravikantharaja" hreflang="en">Krisha Ravikantharaja</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Krisha Ravikantharaja</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/back-school" hreflang="en">Back to School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/welcome-booth" hreflang="en">welcome booth</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/international-students" hreflang="en">International Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/centre-international-experience" hreflang="en">Centre for International Experience</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto booth and a student who could speak Tagalog drew <strong>Julianne Tito</strong> to the universityā€™s welcome stand at Pearson Airport.</p> <p>The incoming first-year, who is Filipino, had just arrived in Toronto, a city she has never visited.</p> <p>But Tito soon discovered that there was no reason to worry. When the family sheā€™s staying with arrived to pick her up, the friendly student at the booth who was answering her questions on commuting and orientation let out a big laugh.</p> <p>ā€œOh my God, youā€™re staying with them,ā€ <strong>Kevin Ledda</strong> said. ā€œThis is so funny. Iā€™ve known them for years. It just goes to show you how small the world actually is.ā€</p> <p>And so played out just one of many scenes unfolding at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s welcome&nbsp;booths at Pearson International Airport. This is the second year ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ has set up student-staffed welcome booths at Terminals 1 and 3. With approximately 5,000 new international students coming in this year, the booths play an important role as the first point-of-contact for students flying into Toronto for the first time. The booths, which are&nbsp;open daily from 8&nbsp;am to 10&nbsp;pm, have 18&nbsp;student greeters this year, speaking 19&nbsp;different languages, including Mandarin and Tamil. They're eager to give newcomers&nbsp;their first welcome to&nbsp;Toronto, while providing&nbsp;directions to campus, information on Back to School activities and practical advice on clubs and T-cards.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œItā€™s really helpful to have a booth like this as an international student,ā€ Tito said. ā€œItā€™s useful to find people right at the airport who go to your school, and can tell you more about it.ā€</p> <h3><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vw3a2P-MM&amp;feature=youtu.be"><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1850 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/video-airport-embed.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 406px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <br> Read more about ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ's booths at Pearson</a>&nbsp;and its <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2016/09/13/international-students-receive-warm-welcome">warm welcome for international students&nbsp;</a></h3> <p><strong>Lucy Fromowitz</strong>, the assistant vice president for Student Life, says it is&nbsp;important to find a way to assist students like Tito who are often stepping off of a plane and heading straight into a new chapter in&nbsp;their lives.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œWhen our students arrive at the airport, often after long journeys, we wanted a safe, friendly place where they would be welcomed, and could get assistance, with anything from an opportunity to phone home, find lost luggage, or get directions to campus,ā€ Fromowitz said. ā€œOur terrific students and alumni who staff our booth speak 19&nbsp;different languages and understand the experience firsthand.ā€ &nbsp;</p> <p>But international students are not the only ones stopping by.</p> <p>ā€œWe are also attracting questions from travellers interested in advancing their own education, or asking for information for their children so this is a great opportunity for people coming into Pearson from around the world learn more about ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ,ā€ Fromowitz said. &nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>Students working at the booths have been busy sharing photos on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yyzaws/?hl=en">Instagram</a> of themselves with new arrivals including&nbsp;a student refugee from South Sudan who will be attending ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻā€™s Scarborough campus.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__1849 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2016-08-31-pearson-embed_1.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <br> <strong>Kimberly Foralin</strong>, who has been working at the booth for two years and just completed her master's degree in political science, says greeting the student refugee really stood out for her.&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="line-height: 20.8px;">ā€œ</span>He shook the hand of every person working at the booth, and when we told him we were so happy to meet him, he told us he was so happy to meet us and for this warm welcome,<span style="line-height: 20.8px;">ā€</span> Foralin said.<br> The booth also helped connect a ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ student working at the stand, who is an international student from Barbados, with a new student coming in from her native country ā€” they had gone to the same high school, and he remembered her brother who was a year younger than him. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Zana Marquez</strong>, who is completing her undergraduate in Italian and European Studies and is an airport greeter this year, said it wasnā€™t until she met the student a few days after he had gone through the booth at an international studentsā€™ workshop that the two made the connection.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œIt was cool to be part of his first experience at ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ and to be part of a team that received him at the airport,ā€ Marquez said. ā€œI told him to save my number on his phone and that if he needed anything he had a friend who he can always reach.ā€<br> &nbsp;<br> For greeters, they draw on their own personal experiences to help new students flying into town. Many were once incoming international students too--the university enrolls about 16,000 international students from over 100 countries. The booths also staff students from all three campuses. New students are given various resources, including handouts from the Centre for International Experience, TTC maps and information about public transportation.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œThe booths werenā€™t here when I first came,ā€ said Foralin, who is originally from Nigeria. <span style="line-height: 20.8px;">ā€œ</span>Being in a different country can be scary, but we want to show [these students] that they have lots of guiding hands and everything will be okay.ā€&nbsp;</p> <p>Tito also has found herself a new go-to-person for ³Ō¹Ļ±¬ĮĻ questions. Ledda knows the family Tito will be staying with in Ajax through a Christian youth ministry group. As Tito left the terminal, Ledda assured her that ā€œsheā€™ll be in good hands.ā€</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 31 Aug 2016 19:09:41 +0000 ullahnor 100316 at