PULSE

10DOUGLAS

COUPLAND: The Man and the

Media

ARTSIDEOUT 2009!

STUDENTS work to save

lives worldwide

VOL. 1 NO. 1

pulse

12

8

e - m a g a z i n e b l o g e - n e w s l e t t e r

2 FALL 2009 | PULSE

editorial

He who fails to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely

as if he had failed. – William James

The definition of an opportunity is an appropriate or favourable time

which allows you to attain a goal.

The challenge with opportunities is that they aren’t always obvious and

the timing isn’t always convenient. They also aren’t that straightforward.

It’s not easy to be an opportunist, especially when you are busy living the

student life of part-time jobs and an endless amount of course readings.

At the risk of sounding cliché, I’d like to encourage you to take the

chances and make this campus yours. Go out to events and make UTSC

more than just a group of buildings that house your classes. Make it

your community — make it a place you belong to.

I invite you to browse this e-magazine, and look for something that

inspires you or an opportunity which captivates you. Just because you’re

a student, it doesn’t mean that you can’t grow beyond your classrooms.

There are lectures and workshops through the Leadership Development

Program which make you think and develop personally. There are

volunteer opportunities available through various departments and

student organizations on campus, including the Academic Advising &

Career Centre, SCSU’s Volunteer Network Program (VNP) and the

Department of Student Life. There are events, plays, art galleries and

a variety of other events that can make you think.

The time to get involved and start living your life is now. This is your

campus.

Editor-in-chief:Annesha Hutchinson

Department Editor: Allan Grant

Design Editor:Narayani Nadesan

Contributing writers:Aly Kassam

Selena MannCindy Pang

Dylan Rober tsonSarah Selvanayagam

Photographer:Ken Jones

Cover illustration:

Hamza Khan

CONTACT US:

University of Toronto Scarborough1265 Military Trail

Student Centre, SL-157Toronto, ON M1C 1A4

Canada Tel: 416 -208-4760Fax: 416 -287-7672

Email: info@utsc-student life.caWebsite: www.utsc-pulse.ca

WHO WE ARE

PULSE is a student- run init iative supervised by the Depar tment of Student ife. We aim to raise

profile of the many services and events occurring at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Through

colour ful pic tures and creative stories writ ten from the student perspective, we hope to inspire

you to get involved in campus li fe.

GET INVOLVED!

Would you like to get involved with Pulse? We want to hear from

you. Send an email to info@utsc-student life.ca, te l ling us about your interests and past

experiences.

S C A R B O R O U G H

Annesha Hutchinson Editor- in -chief

photo courtesy: Ken Jones

PULSE | FALL 2009 3

table of contents

F E A T U R E S T O R I E S

DIALOGUES: Life-changing conversations................... 5

Crossing borders en français....................................... 6

STUDENT PROFILE: Peter Yung.................................... 9

Opening doors for future students............................... 14

STUDENT PROFILE: Samantha Seto............................. 15

DOUGLAS COUPLAND 10STUDENTS

FOR WORLD LITERACY

PULSE takes a closer look at this up and coming student organization

12ARTSIDEOUT ’098

An in-depth look at the man and his influence

Need help studying?........................................... 16

An experience of a lifetime................................. 17

Mentoring inspires personal relationships......... 18

What’s happening on campus............................ 19


UTSC prepares to launch its second annual festival of arts

PULSE | FALL 2009 5

Since its inception in January 2007, the U of T Scarborough Leadership Devel-opment Program (LDP) has been com-mitted to helping students learn new skills and perspectives by exposing them to dif-ferent ways of thinking through its numer-

ous workshops, seminars and sessions. As part of its new programme for the

2009-2010 academic year, LDP is launch-ing Dialogues, a series of lectures and discussions led by leading experts, critics and commentators discussing the most pressing and important problems affecting the world today.

“With Dialogues, we are really hoping to provide students with the power of per-spective,” says Drew Dudley, Coordi-nator of the Leadership Development Program.

“We want to create an opportunity for different minds, different pasts, different experiences and different beliefs to come together and talk about things that are go-ing to matter in the future and to realize that these are extraordinarily complex is-sues. Nobody has the right answer, but together we can move closer to the best answer.”

Presented in partnership with the Scar-borough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU), Dialogues’ will debut on Oct. 15, 2009, with the last event scheduled to take place in late March. The events are to be held at Rex’s Den, the new cam-pus restaurant and pub, and will be open to registration for all University of Toronto Scarborough students.

Among the speakers set to be a part of Dialogues are Monia Mazigh, an ac-

claimed Canadian academic and author on human rights who led a daring cam-paign to free her husband Maher Arar from a Syrian prison; and John Ibbitson, a writer and journalist for The Globe and Mail.

“We’ve identified speakers who we think can speak on important, potentially contentious, but never boring issues,” Drew explains. “We’re going to be talking about topics where, I think, we’ll finally get the chance to see difference of opinion and difference of experience [converge].”

Conceived as a part of the Global and Community Leadership Series, Dia-logues will also provide students with the opportunity to voice their opinions, some-thing which has not always been implicit in past events hosted by the LDP.

“...we want to make them think and realize that there are more

voices to any story than just the first

one you’ve heard.”

“We realized that in all of our work-shops we just didn’t have enough oppor-tunities for people to reflect on what they had heard,” Drew notes. “In the case of Dialogues, we want to be more deliberate

in creating that opportunity for reflection because that’s really where most of the learning happens.”

Following each presentation, students will be given the chance to discuss the topics and issues raised by the speakers in small groups of 10 to 12 people, each of which will be facilitated by student lead-ers or graduate students. The purpose behind these “break out discussions” is to promote formal debate and to challenge students to question their own assump-tions and opinions.

“We’re trying to create respectful dis-cussion where students will leave under-standing the many other sides and the many other perspectives that come in de-bate,” Drew says.

Organizers for the Dialogues series hope that students will realize the benefits of civic engagement and of getting in-volved through attending its presentations and discussions. They also hope students will leave with the knowledge that they are capable of making a difference and hav-ing an impact.

“I hope Dialogues will play a leading role, in helping students want more out of their lives than just good marks and a job,” Drew says. “We want to give people the opportunity to think critically and real-ize that there are more voices to any story than just the first one you’ve heard.”

Students interested in attending an event or becoming discussion facilita-tors are encouraged to visit www.utsc-dialogues.ca


DIALOGUES Life-changing conversations

Cindy PangCONTRIBUTOR

new on campus

Dr. James Maskalyk visited UTSC through the Leadership Development Program in early 2009.

6 FALL 2009 | PULSE

studying abroad

Dylan Roberston, a second-year student pursuing a Journalism specialist and French major, applied to the University of Nantes in western France and will be leaving this September for two semesters.

Technology has made the world inter-con-nected. These days, you can experience cultures around the world without leaving your home. But despite how much you learn about a place, you don’t have a full experience without actually being there.

That’s why I’ve decided to participate in a U of T student exchange. Since the mid-1990’s, U of T has been facilitating exchanges for students to learn abroad. Located at the St. George campus, the International Student Exchange Office (ISXO) co-ordinates exchanges between universities worldwide and students from all three campuses. The International Student Centre (ISC) at UTSC also helps all students who are interested in studying abroad to find the program and location that is best for them.

With connections to universities in sev-eral countries, students, like myself, can study abroad for a summer, a semester or even a year.

I first started thinking about an ex-change program through professors. A few told their classes it was worth consid-ering and mentioned that presentations were being held in the coming weeks. Although I’d thought briefly about doing an exchange years ago, it was a posting on the Intranet by the ISC and ISXO that sparked my curiosity.

IS AN EXCHANGE RIGHT FOR ME?

I attended informational presentations and looked up the programs offered. My interest was piqued. I imagined making friends in faraway places and experienc-ing another culture. I also thought about challenges: adjusting to a new place, immersing myself in it and learning in a whole new academic curriculum.

After consulting with my family, some close friends and plenty of websites, I de-cided I would apply for a program. I want-ed to add some tangible experience to my degree. Not only would a year abroad help me improve my language skills, it would also bring my education to life. I could un-derstand the cultures I might encounter in my career and visit sites that I’ve learned so much about in classrooms. I would also boost my resume bigtime.

I narrowed my preferred choices down to two universities and decided on Uni-versity of Nantes. It offered an afford-able program in a city with personality and courses that worked well with the credits I needed to graudate.

The application process wasn’t too dif-ficult: reference letters, a resume, a state-ment of interest and a quick chat with some of my professors. The ISC helped me with the process and showed me how to improve my chances of being accepted.

GETTING ACCEPTED!

A few weeks later, I got the acceptance letter! Ecstatic but still unsure, I took some time to reflect and made an appointment with the Academic Advising & Career Centre. I wondered what would help my career more: stay and gain experience through campus media for my journal-ism specialist, or improve language skills through an exchange for my French ma-jor. I wasn’t sure if I would do well enough in a European school system and the in-troverted side of me wondered if I would

have the guts to make it a genuine, fulfill-ing experience by being very social and assertive.

I wondered if this would be worth the expense, and if I should hold off for a year or two.

Eventually, I decided it was the right decision. I worked out the finances with my family and we found a way of making it happen. And while it might be easier to do this exchange in future years, it could just as easily be harder. Plus, it would be easier to re-establish myself in my jobs and groups in my third year than it would for someone in their last few months at UTSC.

PREPARING IN ANTICIPATION

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been work-ing to save up, deciding what to pack, fill-ing out mountains of paperwork and visit-ing friends and family before the big day.

I’m quite excited. Every time I look at my student visa, I get a feeling of awe, amazed it’s actually happening. Every time I see croissants at the bakers, watch a film based in the bustling streets of Par-is or hear a subway busker playing the accordion, I picture in my head what all of this will feel like in a few months. The days seem to fly by as I visit friends and gaze at landmarks around the city that I know I’ll be missing in a while.

I’m also a tad worried, which I’m sure is normal. I wonder how I’ll make friends. I wonder if I’ll live up to the challenge of spending time with non-exchange stu-dents and making new friends who are native to France. I’m horrified that my French grammar is not up-to-par and that I’ll cling to silence for too long. I’m a tad hesitant about sticking to a budget, living on rez and keeping on top of everything. More than anything, I hope this experi-ence is worth all the time, energy and money I’ve been putting into it.

That being said, I look at the many who have gone through experiences like this and survived. I know I have lots of sup-port from family, friends and both offices at U of T. I think that if I give it 100%, I can make it.

Crossing borders

en français Dylan RobertsonCONTRIBUTOR

Bring your education to life. For more information visit www.utsc-isc.ca

To read Dylan's Pulse blog visit www.utsc-pulse.ca

8 FALL 2009 | PULSE

events

ARTSIDEOUT (ASO), a free campus-wide celebration of contemporary art and culture, is returning on a grander scale on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009.

Created in response to a perceived lack of representation of the arts around campus, ASO has been dedicated to rais-ing the profile of the arts at U of T Scar-borough and engaging students to realize the significance and impact of the arts, both on and off of campus.

“The purpose of ARTSIDEOUT is to celebrate student creativity. What we are looking to do with this event is to make students aware of the arts, to engage and inspire them, and to make the entire campus available to artistic display,” says Asad Raza, a fourth-year student at U of T Scarborough and the co-founder of ASO.

The all-inclusive festival promotes artis-tic life at UTSC by offering emerging art-ists places around campus to display their work. This year’s event promises to make the arts accessible to a larger student populace, while also encouraging the celebration and community engagement

of art into campus life. “ASO is student driven, it’s not run by

a department. We want students to know that they can have a say in what goes on around campus and that they can make a difference by getting involved,” says Johnny Wu, a third-year student in the Arts Management Co-op program. Johnny is this year’s main coordinator and executive assistant for ASO.

“[By attending ASO], we hope students will . . . [understand] if there is something that they want to do on campus, they have the ability, the space and the sup-port to do it,” adds Asad.

Last year’s inaugural festival received much praise and favourable reviews, drawing a great number of participants in spite of heavy rain. Spread throughout the entire campus, the event featured over 80 paintings, 40 musical performances, doz-ens of new media works and video instal-lations and countless other artistic endea-vours ranging from theatre to dance and design.

This year’s organizers for ASO are hop-ing to build on the momentum created by last year’s event.

“The best thing that happened last year was that everyone enjoyed themselves. With this year’s festival, we’re building on last year’s lessons to make this [year’s]

ASO even better,” says Andre Vashist, who came up with the concept for ASO and co-founded the event with Asad.

While ASO aims to support the arts and the need for creative outlets outside of those typically associated with the arts program, at the heart of the event is a desire to create a lasting and meaningful partnership between the different depart-ments, organisations, and clubs at U of T Scarborough.

“The spirit of ARTSIDEOUT is collabo-ration within disciplines and within depart-ments,” notes Andre. “It is the different clubs, organizations, and people that make this event happen.”

Although the festival is only in its sec-ond year, there are high hopes for the fu-ture of ARTSIDEOUT, including securing its place as an annual event.

“ARTSIDEOUT is an emerging idea on campus,” says Andre. “We want to create a long-term vision and plan for this event so that in ten years, it’s still happening.”

“The future is bright. The goal now is to have every event bigger and better than the last until it can evolve into something so big that all three U of T campuses are involved,” Johnny muses.

ARTSIDEOUT

Cindy PangCONTRIBUTOR

The Art of Planning

photo courtesy ASO

PULSE | FALL 2009 9

For more information on ASO visit www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home&__a=1#/event.php?eid=129640237677

Capturing student life through images is a passion for Peter Yung.

Currently in his fifth year in the Envi-ronmental Science and Technology program, Peter has been an events pho-tographer for Arts & Events Program-ming (AEP) for the last three years. His keen eye for photography and his reputa-tion as a camera buff have even earned him the nickname “Foto Pete” around campus.

“Photography has been a part of my life and I think it is a part of everyone’s life,” says Peter. “Even by just getting your pic-ture taken, it’s one of those elements that adds to your sense of belonging.”

Peter admits he was initially uncertain as to whether to attend U of T Scarbor-

ough. He acknowledges that attending Ready-Set-Go!, a pre-registration event for newly admitted students, solidified his decision to come to campus.

“When I came for the Ready-Set-Go! session, I was really surprised at the close-knit community feel that the cam-pus had and how friendly everybody on campus was,” says Peter. “That’s what [sold it for me] — U of T Scarborough would be my university for the next few years.”

In addition to his time spent as a pho-tographer for AEP, Peter has also taken part in the First-year Experience Pro-gram (FEP; formerly Student Mentorship Program). FEP is a program offered by the Department of Student Life which pairs first year students (mentees) with a senior student (a mentor). His experienc-es with FEP led to a position as a depart-mental representative for the program.

Peter is founder and President of the photography club Shutterbugs, an or-ganization which provides students with an opportunity to develop and refine their photography skills and interact with their peers. While he acknowledges it can be challenging to balance extracurricular activities with academic demands, Peter believes the benefits of being involved outweigh the time commitment.

“Extracurricular involvement has been a significant part of my student experience,” he says. “Just being involved with clubs, volunteering, and doing a lot of event ac-tivities has shown [me] so much about the campus and the students at UTSC.”

This year, Peter will be the Photo Editor for The Underground, UTSC’s official’s student newspaper. He hopes to raise awareness about campus events through his pictures.

“Students might not know about certain events on campus, but if you have anoth-er form of communication besides word of mouth or the Internet that students can relate to, like photography, it can increase their chances of coming to UTSC events and even participating themselves,” Peter says.

Passionate about fostering a lively and vibrant student-driven campus, Peter en-courages new students to take part in the opportunities and events.

“Campus life won’t happen without the commitment of students outside of their classrooms. Campus life is the product of student involvement,” says Peter. — Cindy Pang

photo courtesy Peter Yung

ST U D E N T P R O F I L E

Peter Yung aka “Foto Pete”Environmental Science and Technology

events

photo courtesy: Peter Yung

10 FALL 2009 | PULSE

THE MAN AND THE MEDIA

feature

From pulping his own book into a wasp’s nest to popularizing the term Generation X, Douglas Coupland is a leader in chang-ing the way we think about our

everyday surroundings. While he has been eccentric in his interests, which include sculpture, art, acting and writing, Coupland has always maintained a leading edge on shifting boundaries, pushing borders and breaking the boundaries of contemporary thought.

As Coupland’s much anticipated visit to University of Toronto Scarborough on Thurs-day, September 24 approaches, PULSE takes a look at the man behind the ideas and at the forefront of Canadian art.

THE MAN. . .

Coupland’s mainstream success began in 1991 when he published Generation X. This book popularized the term Generation X, which was used to refer to those who were born in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Through his debut novel, Coupland was able to change the way we think about this generation and give them a name and iden-tity of their own.

An expert in thinking outside of the box, Coupland’s works venture to alter the way we understand or use new media forms while shifting the conventional roles sur-rounding traditional media. He has made his audience open to the ideas that brands are not just brands, paper is not just paper and that adventure lies far beyond Disneyland.

“Coupland does a good job at looking at how our cultural selves are moulded and how our cultural selves come from things as simple as the brand of phone we buy or the kind of operating software we say is the best,” says Michael Wells, a Course In-structor for the Humanities Department. “Those things are important in Coupland’s universe and are even important to how we see ourselves as Canadians.”

After Generation X, Coupland ventured to write 10 additional novels, including Hey Nostradamus! and JPod, and has also written and performed for the Royal Shake-speare Company. Coupland’s sculptures and artistic work can be seen all around Toronto — his Supernova clock tower is located outside of the Don Mills Shopping Centre and his Monument to the War of

1812 is near Fort York. His novels are also explored in English classes on campus.

THE INFLUENCE. . .

Almost 20 years after the debut of Genera-

tion X, Coupland returns to focus on a new generation. His next novel, Generation A, will be released on September 1, 2009.

“I think Coupland is definitely coming into his own,” says Wells. “It will be interesting to see how he approached the same kind of is-

Annesha HutchisonEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THE MAN AND THE MEDIA

PULSE | FALL 2009 11

feature

sue which got his career rolling in the first place and made the phrase Generation X kind of a household term.”

Wells has had the opportunity to teach several English lectures on campus in the past year and has also been able to

include novels by Coupland into his intro-ductory and advanced courses. By incor-porating Coupland into his classes, Wells hopes students can become interested in narrative forms which relate to their every-day experiences.

“Coupland is very attuned to the stuff that makes up our kind of world. In JPod, for example, he writes about McDonald’s and the gaming system — things that students would know about and concerns that are quite current although universal as well.”

These everyday images and ideas can be important to all students, regardless of their academic discipline.

Tom Ue, a recent graduate of UTSC, was able to pick up Coupland’s JPod and watch CBC’s adaptation of JPod as well. After JPod, Ue admits that he doesn’t know what to expect from Coupland.

“He’s quite different from mainstream Canadian writers right now, like [Margaret] Atwood and [Alice] Munroe,” says Ue. “I think in a lot of ways we need [Coupland’s writing today]. It’s something that’s quite different but is also quite traditional.”

Wells has heard Coupland speak on several other occasions. He feels that people won’t listen to Coupland speak and find answers, but instead they will find a journey to ideas and new ways of thinking. Like Wayson Choy and other speakers who have visited campus through the Department of Student Life’s Leadership Development Pro-gram, Wells feels Coupland can help us to understand the Canadian identity at large.

“[Coupland] is a really important Ca-nadian voice. He does so many different kinds of works and he’s an artist in many different ways . . . I think he’s able to question what it means to be Canadian in a contemporary sense. There are so many things to question when one thinks of what it means to be Canadian, there’s so many authors that approach that.”

For more information on the Coup-land’s visit to UTSC, visit www.utsc-perspectiveonleadership.ca

To follow Coupland on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/dougcoupland

Coupland v i s it s UTSC through

the Leadership Development

Program on Thursday,

September 24.

F ind out how you can reser ve

your t ickets here

www.perspectiveonleadership.com

Artwork by Douglas Coupland


W ith the influx of hu-manitarian crises in the world, it’s easy for students to desensitize themselves to the glar-

ing challenges that exist. For Students for World Literacy

(SWOL), a student-run organization at the University of Toronto Scarborough, apathy toward humanitarian issues is un-fathomable.

Using world literacy as a platform, SWOL strives to improve health, edu-cation, poverty and hunger around the world. The organization feels that by tack-ling world literacy, other humanitarian is-sues can be addressed.

“More education equals more oppor-tunity, which equals better living [condi-tions]. For example, people who have to spend their day searching for water won’t be able to spend that time going to school,” says Suleiman Furmli, Presi-dent and Founder of the club. Furmli is currently a fourth-year student in the Cell and Molecular Biology program.

Since its inception in the summer of 2007, this not-for-profit organization has achieved monumental goals that speak volumes toward their passion.

In September 2008, executives collect-ed funds by appealing to students through announcements, informative presenta-tions and collecting individual donations.

“Over a period of 10 days, an astound-ing $1,803 was raised,” says Homira Os-man, a Vice President of Students for World Literacy. “We decided to direct the funds to one particular country, Afghani-stan, where ongoing hunger is a persis-tent problem.”

SWOL has also helped build a school in Afghanistan, kept another school opera-tional in Somalia, built a maternity ward in Kenya and raised money to build a well in Northern Ontario.

Their primary on-campus initiative is the UTSC Book Exchange, which al-lows students to buy and sell used text-books with profits going directly toward humanitarian causes.

The foundation of the club and secret to its success rests on friendship.

“We were all friends that had a com-mon vision and when Suleiman came up with the idea we were all for it,” explains Ryhana Dawood, the club’s Project Leader.

All members of the club unanimously agreed that what keeps them motivated is the inspiration they provide to each other. Furmli attributes a large portion of

the club’s success to the group’s great dynamics.

“All of us are inspired by each other,” says Furmli. “We learn a lot from each other. It keeps us motivated, keeps us go-

ing and allows us to work efficiently as a team.”

Rami Elmasry, Vice President of the organization, echoes the same sentiment of teamwork.

STUDENTS REACH FAR TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

STUDENTS FOR WORLD LITERACY:

Funds raised by the Students for World Literacy went to build a Maternity Ward at the Inyali Dispensary, pictured

above. Located in Inyali, Kenya this hospital was in dire need of a renovation in order to improve the conditions

in which local women gave birth.

club profile


club profile

STUDENTS REACH FAR TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

STUDENTS FOR WORLD LITERACY:

“We listen to and respect one another. We set a goal and work collaboratively as a single unit to reach that goal. Together, we are stronger,” he states.

As they embark on initiatives for the up-

coming school year, Students for World Literacy looks for volunteers on a needs-basis. Students can keep an eye out for Intranet postings which offer opportunities to get involved.

Project Leader Adila El-Korazati encourages students to enrich their university years by pursuing causes that they are passionate about.

“University isn’t just about academ-ics and doing well. Your years here will stay with you forever,” she says. “When I graduate, it won’t be enough for me to know that all I did during my four years [at UTSC] was study. I want to feel like I have made a difference somewhere, somehow.”

Despite their numerous accomplish-ments, Students for World Literacy isn’t finished yet. Beginning with their third Book Exchange during Clubs Week in September, the organization hopes to continue instigating change by advocating for world literacy.

“I am very proud of our accomplish-ments so far, but I don’t think we’ll ever be satisfied. There’s always a new cause to take up and someone else who needs our help,” explains Dawood.

There you have it, UTSC’s very own superheroes.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

on Students for World Literacy, click here or email [email protected].

You can also catch Students for World Literacy during the first two weeks of

school participating in Clubs Week. This student organization will be in the Meet-ing Place between 12:00 and 3:00 p.m

and will also be running their annual Book Exchange.

Photo courtesy: Students for Wor ld L iteracy

STUDENTS FOR WORLD LITERACY EXECUTIVE TEAM

Suleiman Furmli, President

Homira Osman, Vice President

(Administration)

Adila El-Korazati, Project Leader

Rami Elmasry, Vice President

Ryhana Dawood, Project Leader

Adam Abdul Kafi, Treasurer

Aly KassamCONTRIBUTOR

www.utsc.utoronto.ca/swl

www.utsc.utoronto.ca/swl

mailto:[email protected]


OPENING

DOORS FOR

FUTURE

STUDENTS

The Department of Student Life’s First Generation Project aims to help youth broaden their horizons

Starting this fall, UTSC students have the opportunity to give back to their own communities in the simplest way: shar-ing their own university experiences.

The First Generation Project is a new program offered by the Depart-ment of Student Life. The program aims to aid high school students who are a part of the first generation in their family to attend a postsecondary pro-gram in Canada.

U OF T STUDENTS ARE KEY

“Our hope is to provide opportunities for U of T students to go into the communi-ty and provide info and guidance to high school students or youth of age about attending a post-secondary institution,” said Rashelle Litchmore, the Depart-ment of Student Life’s Community En-gagement Facilitator. “[We’re here] to let them know about their financial and educational options and support them in any way.”

Also working on the program is Nivethika Thambithurai, a fourth-year student at UTSC. So far she’s conduct-ed a few workshops and anticipates many more to come.

“There is definitely a need for this [program] in the community,” said Th-ambithurai. “From what I’ve seen so far, lots of youth were surprised to learn about all of the options and resources available to them. . . like academic bridging programs and apprenticeship programs.”

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS CAN GET INVOLVED

Thambithurai has found one of the big concerns amongst high school students is having to take on loans to pay for schooling.

“Some students are not interested in taking loans. They’re scared about go-ing into debt, but we try to communicate that it’s an investment,” Thambithurai said.

To help with the financial burden of university, the program provides infor-mation, resources, scholarships, bur-saries and grants. Volunteer and paid positions are also available on campus.

“University students can [get involved with the First Generation Project] through the Department of Student Life and be trained for anything from tutoring to workshops,” said Litchmore.

“We’re establishing partnerships with the TDSB and catholic schools, plug-ging our students into any of the pro-grams that high schools and community groups have running.”

The rewards of involvement in this program are numerous for current uni-versity students.

“This program provides a way for students to develop their skills,” Litch-more said. “Usually when applying for a job, your supervisors are not going to be looking at your grades. You need to compliment in class learning with expe-riential learning.

“Yes, grades are extremely impor-tant, especially if you’d like to move on to graduate studies, but good experi-

ence will never hurt your chances of moving further in your career.”

THERE IS A DEFINITE EMOTIONAL PAY-OFF

“Students here are most likely one of the first members of in their family to attend a postsecondary program in Canada, so they can use their skills and outreach to benefit those like them,” said Litchmore.

The personal reward is also very sig-nificant for Thambithurai.

“A lot of us grow up isolated from the communities we live in but we draw on the resources they provide,” said Thambithurai. “It would help to enrich students at large to support increas-ing diversity at UTSC. If we [appreci-ate] varied backgrounds, more people would be able to bring their unique ex-periences here.”

To get involved in this program, contact the

Department of Student Life at:

[email protected]

www.utsc-communityprograms.ca

Sarah SelvanayagamCONTRIBUTOR

community projects

mailto:[email protected]


A strong believer in contributing to the well-being of the U of T Scarborough community, Samantha Seto has main-tained an active presence on campus.

Entering her third year in the Manage-ment Co-op program, Samantha has enjoyed seizing the many opportunities available on campus. She is especially fond of the time she has spent with the Management and Economics Stu-dents’ Association (MESA), a Depart-mental Students Association (DSA).

MESA caters to the interests of stu-dents in Management and coordinates programming, including MESA Com-munity Awareness Response and En-

gagement (MESA CAREs) which Sa-mantha coordinates.

“One of my passions is to make a dif-ference and to help other students,” says Samantha. “The overall goal of MESA CAREs is to inform students of different ways they can get involved on campus and to create awareness of what com-panies can do to make a difference. The MESA CAREs program also has the goal of raising money for charities and mak-ing an impact through holding different events.”

Besides her involvement with MESA, Samantha has also been a member of the flute choir and the UTSC Concert Band. She has participated in the First-year Experience Program (FEP; formerly the Student Mentorship Program) which aims to familiarize new students with their new surroundings and get involved around campus. She believes partaking in these activities has allowed her to develop vital life skills and have helped her adjust to demands of university.

“[First year and transitional programs are] a great way to see the different re-sources that UTSC has to offer,” says Sa-mantha. “[Programs like the Leadership Development Program] have so many tools which teach you how to lead events,

meet new people and develop yourself personally,” she says.

Although Samantha has done much to give back to the UTSC community, she believes she has also received a lot of help from others and from the different services offered at U of T Scarborough.

“I’ve had the chance to work with a lot of different student leaders and the Of-fice of Student Affairs. [I have gotten the chance] to really feel what it’s like to have a vision, to execute it and to also create something on campus,” she notes. “These skills are something that I’ve gained by being on this campus. If I weren’t at U of T Scarborough, I wouldn’t have these opportunities.”

As the new Vice President of Opera-tions for MESA, Samantha hopes to con-tinue the MESA CAREs initiative and help others realize their own ambitions. Look-ing back on her experiences at UTSC, she is optimistic that she will graduate with a greater sense of self.

“I think that I’ll walk away from UTSC having not only obtained a degree, but a lot of valuable skills and lessons that I can apply in the future,” Samantha says.

— Cindy Pang

ST U D E N T P R O F I L E

Samantha SetoManagement Co-op

All Stars on Campus

UTSC Athletics & Recreation held their an-nual All Star Day camp for children. From June to August, students had the oppor-tunity to hone their teaching skills by in-structing children in activities such as rock climbing and tennis. Athletics & Recreation accepts applications for various positions in January.

A new instructional building

In May 2009, UTSC received $70 million for a new academic building, which hopes to increase teaching and learning space by 25 per cent. The Instructional Centre hopes to increase the student experience on campus and will be built using sustain-able standards. A groundbreaking ceremony is to be held in September for the new building.

Renovated Student Lounge

The SCSU’s renovation of student hang-out Rex’s Den (formerly Bluff’s Restau-rant) is well underway, as restaurant staff positions have been posted on the SCSU website. Located on the lower floor of the Student Center the area is intended to improve student life by pro-viding a games spot, stage and patio. The opening is scheduled for the fall. For more information, visit the SCSU.

Garden Therapy

Students with green thumbs had the op-portunity to work their magic on UTSC’s own garden areas this August. By par-ticipating in the ongoing Green the Cam-pus projects, students contributed to the environmental aesthetics of UTSC buildings. Opportunities to participate in these activities are regularly posted on the UTSC main site.

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON CAMPUS

community projects


In order to better equip students for suc-cess in academia, UTSC’s Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) will be of-fering Facilitated Study Groups (FSG) for several courses starting this fall.

According to Janice Patterson, As-sistant Director of CTL, this program has been in the works for several months. She encourages students to join the groups because it will help their learning of the course material.

“We started it in the winter semester and we were trying to get it running for a while. Then we got funding and reorga-nized,” says Patterson.

“It is for average students who want to do better. It is an opportunity for them to enhance their study skills and be involved with the material.”

FSG is meant to resemble a similar program established in universities and colleges across the United States. In the United States, students involved with these groups generally did better than before they joined the group. If a stu-dent was averaging B grades, they could achieve a B+ through joining a FSG.

FSGs will be offered in math and sci-ence courses for students who have dem-onstrated a need for help. The groups will be facilitated by students that have suc-cessfully completed the course and will be primarily for first- and second-year stu-dents who are adjusting to the university classes.

“It’s not going to add to their work-load. The students will learn how to use the textbook and how to ask questions in tutorials, so it won’t replace a tutorial. [We hope Facilitated Study Groups will] get students to work together,” Patterson says.

The groups will meet during the school week, normally for hour-long meetings around class time. FSGs can choose to meet during additional times, depending on the student’s need and the group lead-er’s availability.

Group learning can be very beneficial to students who prefer to learn through open conversation with their peers. Patterson says FSGs will be monitored periodically to ensure the student leaders are running the groups well.

Professors will not have a big role in

the study groups. Patterson contacts pro-fessors to request the names of students who have excelled in a course and could potentially lead an FSG. These students would be chosen based on a high per-formance in class and would be paid for their involvement with the study group. In addition to running the study group, they would have to attend the course lectures regularly.

Need help studying?Facilitated Study Groups on campus can improve your grades significantly

Selena MannCONTRIBUTOR

Photo courtesy: Ken Jones

academic outreach

Facilitated study groups will be ad-vertised during classes. For more information, visit the Centre for Teaching and Learning located in the Academic Resource Centre (ARC).


After a stressful round of final exams, most students sleep in late and do abso-lutely nothing for a few days.

For Antara Rahman, this was not an option.

Three days after her last exam of the winter semester, Rahman hesitantly boarded a plane to Dhaka, Bangladesh for a humanitarian experience of a life-time.

This was more than just a humanitarian trip for Rahman. It was a way for her to validate her studies at UTSC.

“The day I was leaving, I didn’t even want to go anymore because I was so scared,” admits Rahman. “But now that I’m back and talking about it, I would definitely go back. It was a huge learning experience and I feel like it’s given me a certain in-sight that I was lacking.”

Rahman is a third-year student pursuing a degree in International Development Studies. She knew it would be necessary for her to gain experience in international de-velopment in order to increase her prospects of employment once she completed her degree.

She began researching organi-zations in the summer of 2008 and eventually decided to work with both the Centre for the Rehabili-tation of the Paralyzed (CRP) and the Centre for Urban Studies for five weeks each. She received little

monetary compensation for her work and had to save enough money in advance to pay for food, accommodations and travel.

As a Bangladeshi Bengali who came to Canada when she was three-years-old, Rahman thought she would be travel-ling into familiar territory. She discovered quickly, however, that she would be ex-periencing a completely different Bangla-desh than she remembered.

Aside from an unexpected culture shock, she was definitely not expecting the focus of her project to change upon her arrival.

“With the first organization [CRP], I was supposed to be teaching English to spe-cial needs children in a small town. But the entire project got shifted so it wasn’t us teaching kids but, us, doing teacher education. Basically, we had to give input

for a teachers’ handbook,” explains Rah-man.

With the Centre for Urban Studies, Rahman and a group of German students performed research in the slums of Dhaka and published a report providing insight into why many people live there.

“The work in the slums was definitely the most challenging part of my trip. [The slums] are ridiculously huge. Basically, the people that live there have hit rock bottom and they just don’t want outside help,” Rahman says. “There was one man who told me to go back where I came from because I wasn’t needed there.”

Despite the challenges, Rahman feels she has a significant change in her out-look on life.

continued on page 18

An experience

of a lifetime

Aly KassamCONTRIBUTOR

Photo courtesy: Antara Rahman

IDS student Antara Rahman recently decided to volunteer abroad in Bangladesh

academic outreach

A mother tries to take her hesitant child home in the largest slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Inside the Center for the Rehabilitation of the P CRP), children in the mainstream class wait to watch a pup-pet show organized by the special needs children.


The Department of Student Life’s Stu-dent Mentorship Program (SMP) has changed its name to the First-year Ex-perience Program (FEP) and has also changed its focus.

Tasleem Hudani, Coordinator of Tran-sition and Community Programs, hopes the new program will inspire long-term, face-to-face contact between upper-year mentors and first-year mentees, rather than basic email communication.

“As successful as they are, our men-torship programs could do more to help students. They limit the kind of relation-ships being formed. I want the program to promote and encourage personal rela-tionships,” says Hudani.

Unlike SMP, FEP will only take place during the fall semester and will focus on

the transition into university. It will help students adjust to their new environment and access the many resources available to them on campus.

Hudani hopes students will learn about FEP through the Get Started summer program, which introduces new students to the campus, and through Frosh Ori-entation. With several other mentorship programs appearing on campus and catering to specific student populations, FEP will have a limited number of places open to students who seek help with the university experience overall.

FEP coordinators will be matching mentees with upper-year students from the same or similar academic disciplines. Although first-year students will not re-ceive tutoring from mentors, they will re-

ceive advice based on livid experiences that cannot be found in textbooks or course calendars.

“I think it’s a great program for first year [students] coming into university be-cause it’s such a huge transition,” says Diana Watson, a past mentor. Watson says the name change seems suitable because it is a program focused on first year students.

The Department of Student Life will partner with the Centre for Teaching and Learning to train and educate men-tors about the importance of their roles. Mentors will go through two days of train-ing before meeting their mentee.

FEP will also host three to five large-scale events, which will allow mentors and mentees to mingle in a social set-ting. Mentors and mentees will be able to work together on a common issue of relevance to students, such as time man-agement or improving research skills.

Students interested in the Department of Student Life’s First-year Experience Program can fill out a form on the de-partmental website early next year. For additional information on how to be-come a mentee or mentor visit www.utsc-firstyeartransition.ca

Mentoring programinspires personal relationships Selena Mann

CONTRIBUTOR

“I used to be very spontaneous and I’ve noticed that I think about things a bit more now,” she states. “I’ve seen the people and I’ve seen how hard they work and it always comes back to me. Aca-demically, I’ll feel better in my courses now that I have some insight…I don’t know, maybe I can write my essays better!”

Ask her about her most mem-orable experience and Rahman gushes about two 17-year-old disabled boys whose brain de-velopment is at age eight. She explains how these two boys, who can’t talk and have inverted hands, possess incredible artis-tic skills and great imaginations. The boys were able to put to-gether a puppet show and drew all the background drawings themselves.

“I was so surprised to see that these kids have nothing [from what we consider] the ‘real world,’ noth-ing ‘normal,’ but they can do so much,” explains Rahman.

Rahman has a soft spot for kids and speaks of her interaction with them as one of the highlights of her trip.

“When I came back, I was thinking that

I’m never going to go back. But as the days I go by, I keep thinking that this is obviously what I want to do because I

enjoyed it so much and I made so many friends. Thinking about the kids makes me feel like I did something huge. It’s just so nice. They even keep in touch!” she

explains happily.Rahman encourages other stu-

dents to take initiative and gain experience themselves. Her only recommendations are to start off slow with a short trip and work for one organization.

She continues to come to terms with her surreal experience while getting ready to tackle the upcom-ing academic year. If she can save enough money, Rahman hopes to travel to South America next sum-mer for work in the same field.

“I can’t even imagine that I was there [in Bangladesh] for over two months and I was in the depths of this crazy place. I can’t even ex-plain it. It’s just a difference that

you can feel and you know you’re not the same but it’s not something you can pinpoint. Your view on everything changes.” says Rahman.

Photo courtesy: Antara Rahman

first year programs


events calendar

Evergreen: Stewardship

September 10

Sustainability

Dean & VP Research Welcome Reception

September 16 from 3–5pm

Rex’s Den

Principal’s offfice

Leadership Development Program Anthony De Sa & Prisila Uppal

September 16 at 6pm

Student Life

Principal’s Coffee Break

September 17 from 10–11am

Student Life Department

Evergreen: Harvest Event

September 17

Sustainability

Principal’s Coffee Break


Principal’s Office

Instructional Centre Groundbreaking

September 24

Military Trail & Ellesmere Rd.

Principal’s Office

Leadership Development - Douglas Coupland


Student Life

ARTSIDEOUT

October 1 from 5–11pm

Arts & Events Programming

Golf Tournament 10th Annual Alumni Fundraiser


Athletics

Leadership Development Program Jan Wong

October 6 at 6pm

Student Life

Partners in Learning (Alumni & Stu-dent Mentorship Program) Year End Event

October 7

Alumni Relations / Student Life

Evergreen: Stewardship

October 8

Sustainability

Leadership Development Program Denise Chong

October 13 at 6pm

Student Life

Leadership Development Program Monia Mazigh

October 15 at 6pm

Student Life

Homecoming Hockey Classic

October 16 at 9pm

Alumni Relations

Lunch for award winners wtih Andre Simpson


Evergreen: Halloween Event

October 30

Sustainability

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

check your pulse.

www.utsc-pulse.ca

PULSE

Documents

Transcript of PULSE