The Underground

International students find a home at UTSC

   For most students, moving to a different city would be difficult, much less a different country. But a large population of international students at UTSC regularly face challenges associated with relocating.
   Over 12 per cent of UTSC’s student body is made up of international students. Common challenges that students face are leaving behind their hometown and a familiar support network.
   The International Student Centre (ISC), a division of the Department of Student Life, aims to help with the big move. The ISC offers services for students, ranging from pre-departure checklists to welcome orientations where they meet students on campus or even at the airport.
   But for Lanre Akinwale, a third-year international student studying international development studies, the toughest experience had nothing to do with leaving his home in Nigeria or settling in at UTSC. Instead, Akinwale’s most difficult adjustment occurred when he came face-to-face with blatant racial stereotypes in Toronto.
   “I was walking down the stairs into the subway and I accidentally bumped into a woman. She literally stopped and opened her bag to check that everything was in there,” recounted Akinwale.
Emily Yu Feng, a third-year political science student, came to Canada from China in 2007 and faced a language barrier.
   “I didn’t know how to say simple math and science terms like add or divide,” she said. “I knew how to do the problems, but language prevented me from communicating [my knowledge].”
   ISC provides resources such as the English Conversation Partners program for students who encounter similar experiences. Betty Liu, program assistant at the ISC, said that the goal of these programs is to “help students build confidence.”
   In spite of his challenges, Akinwale is comforted by the knowledge that he will return to Nigeria after graduation. On the day of his departure, Akinwale’s father simply put his allowance on his bed, bid him farewell, and said “see you soon.”
   Akinwale also enjoys the freedom that Toronto offers of “walking around at 4 a.m.”
   But despite a few bumps, both Feng and Akinwale have felt more accepted since moving to Toronto.
   Before coming to Toronto, Feng also studied in Victoria, British Columbia. “Toronto is more socially accepting, people just have different attitudes,” she said. “In China, I felt that I was restricted, [here] I have space to be who I am.”
   Akinwale also gained a new experience when he attended an LGBTQ event at UTSC. “Over here you are accepted, people go out of their way to do [accept you], and it’s not like back home. I have learned to accept [many new things].”
   Erika Loney, manager at the ISC, describes the presence of international students on campus as a “spread[ing] of internationalization.” This is reflected through the ISC’s International Café events, which bring together local and international students to learn about each other’s cultures.
   Although they are leagues away from home, both Feng and Akinwale have made close friends and they attribute it to the close-knit environment at UTSC.
   “Everyone knows each other here, unlike [other campuses] where everyone is scattered. It’s a small community [at UTSC],” said Akinwale.
   Although faced with challenges, it seems as though international students have found a home away from home right here on campus.

For more, check out:
The Underground: http://www.the-underground.ca/author/leigh-cavanaugh/
The Messenger: http://theutscmessenger.com/?tag=writer-leigh-cavanaugh

Photo courtesy//utsc-isc.ca

Movie Review: Anonymous

The pen is still mightier than the sword
Rating: 4/5 Stars

   It appears that the billion dollar movie industry of Hollywood has exhausted any possibly original ideas, leaving their creative engine chugging along at a sluggish pace. Audiences have been force fed remakes, sequels, prequels, spin-offs, based-off-true-stories and inspired-by-novels films with such frequency that they are now, well… tired.
   So with all the vampire and wizarding wonder that has played across the silver screen, producers have decided to turn historical theories into live action flicks. (What’s next? Can we also expect an odyssey about Homer?)
   Anonymous explores the hypothesis that literary figure William Shakespeare is not the author of all those legendary plays and sonnets with his name on them, but rather, nobleman Edward De Vere, the earl of Oxford, is.
   Surprisingly, Anonymous is a great film.
   Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, 2012), this political thriller expresses the power of words and is a true manifestation of the metonymy ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.’
   The turn of the sixteenth century is the backdrop for the Elizabethan film, and the stage is set in London during the declining years of the Tudor dynasty, with dying monarch Elizabeth a pivotal character in Emmerich’s drama. But it is the actors gracing the stage who are truly astonishing.
   Rhys Ifans plays De Vere (his younger counterpart played by up-and-coming British actor Jamie Campbell Bower) and lover of Queen Elizabeth, who is played by Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson. Shakespeare himself is played by Rafe Spall, son of Timothy Spall. And antagonists William and Robert Cecil are played by David Thewlis and Edward Hogg, respectively. Each delivers a realistic and very raw performance.
   The film is composed of two intertwining plots – the first being that Shakespeare was an illiterate actor who couldn’t write. Yet, he was launched into superstardom through a series of fortunate occurrences that allowed him to take credit for De Vere’s plays. As imagined, this incites jealousy, violence and drunkenness.
   The second plot line revolves around the matter of succession for the English throne – for Elizabeth has no husband, and more importantly, no heir. Famously never married, The Virgin Queen defies her advisors until her last breath.
   The movie opens in the 21st century with actor Derek Jacobi performing the prologue before subsequently being thrown more than four centuries back in time. The story itself is illustrated through a series of well-placed flashbacks and flash-forwards, which illuminate the lives of the older and younger characters. These flashing scenes set a rapid pace for the film, which thus feels shorter than its two hours and ten minutes.
   Anonymous is a movie grounded in politics; with that said, there is a certain amount of name-remembering that needs to happen, and a lot of it is thrown at you all at once. While the film would be enjoyable for just about anyone, those who have knowledge of Elizabethan Britain will be more able to keep up.
   Emmerich portrays a very seedy and greedy Shakespeare, yet the plays are immortalized through this character and reign supreme. One thing is clear; the pen is still mightier than the sword.

For more, check out:
The Underground: http://www.the-underground.ca/author/leigh-cavanaugh/
The Messenger: http://theutscmessenger.com/?tag=writer-leigh-cavanaugh

Photo courtesy//anonymous-movie.com/

CD Review: Evanescence

Rating: 4.5/5
  
 After an approximate three-year hiatus, hard-rock act Evanescence has returned with their third studio album Evanescence. The self-entitled record proves that the group, despite their consistently juggling band members, still has the musical talent and popularity to be on top, reaching the number one position on the Billboard 200 Chart in its first week.
   Fans who are looking for another run of Fallen won’t find it here. While the band still brings forth what they are known for, front woman Amy Lee has altered their sound, image and style, solidifying who and what Evanescence is. And this is evident within every facet of the album.
   The record encompasses a more mature sound where some tunes cross over into the realm of symphonic, like ‘Lost in Paradise,’ in which the host of violins gives the song a mournful quality.
The record opens with the band’s first single, ‘What You Want,’ which has a fast tempo, a driving drum beat and is rhythmically catchy. This cross genre song showcases just how much the band has evolved since The Open Door in 2006.
   Despite being the band’s heaviest record as of yet, Evanescence still carries songs, like ‘Swimming Home,’ that add a reprieve from the raunchy guitar riffs.
   The highlight of this album, however, comes in the form of Lee’s unconventional vocal patterns, which, when layered over piano and guitar, mixes to create a haunting, yet edgy sound. It’s clear Lee has pushed herself vocally with this record; her zigzagging melodies are simply brilliant.
   While ‘Erase This’ displays a masterful blending of hard-rock and classical piano, ‘Made of Stone’ is notable for its double-track harmonies and for being the most reminiscent of an older Evanescence.
   Evanescence is a beautifully crafted hard-rock album and is a great refresher for fans. It delivers a clear, crisp and concise sound that is (almost) tangible. Musically, this album reasserts who Evanescence is.

For a concert review on Evanesence's performance on October 25 at the Sound Academy, visit: http://theutscmessenger.com/?p=4204

For more, check out:
The Underground: http://www.the-underground.ca/author/leigh-cavanaugh/
The Messenger: http://theutscmessenger.com/?tag=writer-leigh-cavanaugh



Photo courtesy//evanscence.com

The Great Debate

   I've been called brave for becoming a journalist because of the current job situation.

   But is it really?

   With technology constantly evolving and changing the world around us, the newspaper industry isn't the only thing declining. Take a look at CD sales or book publishing companies. Many places are singing the same song.

   So, am I brave for entering a declining field?

   No. We all are brave for entering an eternally shifting job sphere. There will never come a time when people don't need stories, music or the news, so in reality I will never be out of a job. Rather, as the job sphere changes, so will I.

   Changing and adapting to what is new in order to become what the world needs is going to get me a job after my journalism program at U of T.

   So, am I brave?

   No... just adventurous.