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PROFILEHow Susan Zuzic cold-called her way to senior role in tech / #ME TOO Where do we go from here?
RESEARCH Air travel for the future / Q&A Meet Janice Fukakusa, new university chancellor / CAMPUS The Pow Wow returns
FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
Second-year
Image Arts
students set up
a shot in their
cinematography
class
The Toronto
New Wave T H E N E X T GEN ER AT ION OF F I L M M A K ER S
WINTER 2019
Flipping the script
on Black men’s pain
David Grant is challenging the
“angry Black man” stereotype.
By interviewing previously
incarcerated Black men in
Scarborough, the Master of
Social Work alumnus found
their anger stemmed from
heightened exposure to
racism and violence. For his
research, he received the
Faculty of Community
Services’ Dean’s Graduate
Writing Award.
David plans to become a
professor to show the next
generation that they too
can reject the “angry Black”
narrative, and positively
change society’s perception
of Black men.
How will you create change
in the world?
ryerson.ca/graduate
Contents WINTER 2019
Aerospace professor
Fengfeng (Jeff)
Xi designs better
airplane cabins to
improve travel.
COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY CARLOS OSORIO FEATURING IMAGE ARTS STUDENTS JARED WALLACE, IAN FILIPOVIC, ADAM BARTLEY AND NOAH LALONDE; (RIGHT) SANDY NICHOLSON
Gould Street Alumni Diary
3 President’s message 29 Nature hike
Alumni in Kingston
5 The Pow Wow returns hit the trails for a
A sunrise ceremony, September outing
drumming and dancing
30 Volunteer spotlight
6 Downtown designs Giving back with passion
by students
Interactive art 32 Life story
installations add fun to How Filipe Masetti
Toronto’s King Street Features Leite travelled 10,000
miles by horse
7 New deans join 14 The Toronto new wave
Ryerson The next generation of filmmakers 34 Alumni profiles
Faculty of Science Chris Munro helps
By Will Sloan
and Ted Rogers veterans; Susan Zuzic cold
School of Management calls her way to success;
name leaders 20 Voices for consent and Steve Teekens learns
Farrah Khan and Robyn Doolittle in conversation while leading
10 Grazing the roof
Ryerson Urban about #MeToo, and where we go from here 42 Class notes
Farm grows food Interview by Melissa Yu Vanti Updates from alumni
and community
48 Remember when?
25 Smart planes
12 Q & A A club from the early
Meet new chancellor Reaching new heights at aerospace research hub ’50s produced musical
Janice Fukakusa By Wendy Glauser theatre for fun
Winter 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 1
FOLLOW US @ryersonu @RyersonU @ryerson_u
Contributors
and letter from the editor
LETTER FROM
THE EDITOR
JESSICA WYNNE LOCKHART CARLOS OSORIO SARAH PALMER
Journalism ’08 Photographer, The Toronto Image Arts ’08 How do millennial
Writer, A natural-born new wave (p. 14) Photographer, Nature filmmakers carve
their place in a
businesswoman (p. 36) Freelancer Carlos Osorio is hike (p. 29)
competitive field?
A freelance journalist and an award-winning Salvadoran Sarah Palmer’s exploration In this issue’s cover
contributing editor of Canadian photographer of pop culture has taken story, you’ll meet
Verge Magazine, Jessica formerly of the Toronto Star. her to South Korea for the some Toronto-
based image arts
Wynne Lockhart's bylines “Seeing students passionate Olympics, across the U.S.
PHOTOGRAPH BY (MELLOR) CHRISTOPHER MANSON, DOCUMENTARY MEDIA ’11, (OSORIO) LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR; (PALMER) CHRIS NEFS
and documentary
have appeared in the about filmmaking was great,” for politics and wrestling media grads who
Toronto Star, enRoute and he says about the cover story rings in Etobicoke. Her are applying the
Chatelaine. She works shoot of film students in their favourite Ryerson teacher storytelling and
remotely from all over the studio class. “The entire time was Iain Cameron because technical skills they
learned at Ryerson
world and is currently I was thinking that one of he pushed her to find her to creatively make
based in New Zealand. these students might go on to voice as an artist. The successful films in
“Writing for the magazine make my new binge-worthy alumni hike made for a great their own style. The
keeps me connected TV series or film.” day of conversation and photographs in the
story and on the
to Ryerson, regardless of terrifying cliff jumping!
cover depict a third-
where I am,” she says. year cinematography
“As a self-employed woman, class in the university
I like interviewing women film studio – the start
like Susan who are excelling of something big.
—Colleen Mellor,
in traditionally male- DID YOU You can download the online magazine at
KNOW... ryerson.ca/alumni/news/Ryerson-University-Magazine. Journalism ’86
dominated spaces.”
Volume 23, Issue 1, Winter 2019
Ryerson University Magazine is published twice a year for alumni and friends. Reproduction, republication or distribution of content and photographs is strictly
prohibited without prior written permission of the editor. Vice-President, University Advancement and Alumni Relations Ian Mishkel • Assistant V.P., University
Relations Jennifer Grass • Executive Editor Michael Forbes • Editor Colleen Mellor • Associate Editor Antoinette Mercurio • Art Direction & Design Studio Wyse
CONTACT Ryerson University Magazine, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St., Toronto, On, Canada M5B 2K3
Phone: 416-979-5000 ext. 5088 • Email: ryemag@ryerson.ca • Web: ryerson.ca/alumni/news/Ryerson-University-Magazine/
MEMBER Council of Ontario Universities (COU), Universities Canada, and Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
© 2019 Ryerson University ISSN: 1713-627X • Published January 2019 PUBLICATIONS AGREEMENT NUMBER 40065112
PRIVACY POLICY Ryerson University respects your privacy. On graduation, Ryerson will hold your contact and certain other information so that we can contact alumni to
offer the benefits of our affinity programs, to provide information about social, career and educational programs and alumni activities. Ryerson discloses your personal
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discontinue this contact or your free subscription, please email aluminfo@ryerson.ca or call 1-866-428-8881. Please also see www.ryerson.ca/privacy.
2 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019
Support the Ryerson Fund. Visit ryerson.ca/supporting
Staying ahead of
the cyber curve By Mohamed Lachemi
President and Vice-Chancellor
universities like ryerson that Providing cybersecurity talent through tech firms are coming on board to be part
thrive on being current and relevant education will be a key deliverable for the of what we are planning will be Canada’s
face an important challenge: to identify new centre, but we see a broader role that leading centre in cybersecurity.
developments in our world that represent fun- includes innovation, research and develop- The challenge is large, but so is the oppor-
damental change, and respond proactively. ment, public awareness and policy. Our tunity. Inspired by Ryerson’s track record
Last year we sought to include a special- vision is capturing the imagination of part- of setting the pace for 21st-century educa-
ized cluster for innovation that would serve ners in the private and public sector. Banks, tion and research, we accept the challenge
society and our students for years to come. governments, law enforcement, retailers and with confidence.
We uncovered an opportunity to be on
the ground floor of a sector that promises
millions of highly skilled jobs and billions
of dollars in investment. What really excites
“Providing cybersecurity
us, though, is the chance to make a positive talent through education
impact on the security and prosperity of will be a key deliverable,
Canadians. That is why Ryerson is leading but we see a broader role
the development of Cybersecure Catalyst that includes innovation,
research and policy.”
– a national centre for cybersecurity.
From your personal bank account to the
nation’s power grid, the need for confi-
dence in the security of all things online is
critical – yet the cybercrime threat is grow-
ing. It is expected that worldwide, cyberse-
curity will cost institutions, individuals and
businesses upwards of $6 trillion over the
next three years.
How can Ryerson make a difference?
Staying ahead of cyber criminals requires
highly trained individuals with ingenuity,
expertise and skill. When the federal gov-
ernment announced a $500 million cyber-
security strategy last year, it said the biggest
gap is personnel: “A shortage of cybersecu-
rity talent makes it difficult for organiza-
ILLUSTRATION BY ADAM CRUFT
tions … to attract and retain the people they
need to improve their cybersecurity or to
disrupt cyber threats.” The need for skilled
individuals is immense, with an expected
1.5 million unfilled positions in cybersecu-
rity around the globe this year.
Winter 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 3
Your study sessions
ended at the pub, your
first love became a life
partner, your passion
developed into your
life’s work.
Celebrate where it all
started at Alumni Weekend
May 3 & 4, 2019
Register at ryerson.ca/alumniweekend
This event is brought to you in part by TD Insurance
Meloche Monnex, Ryerson’s official partner for home and
auto insurance; Manulife, Ryerson’s official partner
for life, health and dental insurance; and MBNA Canada,
provider of the Ryerson credit card.
gould street
UPDATES
FROM OUR
CAMPUS
/ RYERSON URBAN FARM / THE POW WOW RETURNS / A SPORTING CHANCE / Q & A / NEW DEANS /
Jennifer Meness (centre),
from the Algonquins of
Pikwakanagan First Nation,
is a doctoral candidate in
the joint Communication
and Culture program
through Ryerson and York.
INCLUSION
on september 21, 2018, the community
Pow Wow returns for came together for the first Ryerson Pow
Wow since 2001.
PHOTOGRAPH BY KAYTEE DALTON
20th anniversary
Held in the Kerr Hall Gym and open
to the public, the Pow Wow included a
sunrise ceremony, a prayer by Elder Joanne
A sunrise ceremony, Dallaire, Indigenous dancing, drumming,
singing, crafts, a market and more.
drumming and dancing The event commemorated the 20th
anniversary of the first Ryerson Pow
Winter 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 5
GOULD STREET
Wow, held in 1998 (the first
such event ever held by a
Toronto university), and was
one of the recommendations
made by Ryerson’s response to
the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission Report. The
event was hosted by Saagajiwe,
an Indigenous centre for
ACTIVATION
research and creation based in
the Faculty of Communication Ryerson brought
and Design.
“It is an illustration of
fun ideas to Toronto’s
our mission of equity and streets with ShapeLab,
community inclusion for a four-month initiative
everyone,” said Denise O’Neil
Green, vice-president, equity
that let students create
and community inclusion. interactive art installations
Riley Kucheran (newly for the King Street Transit
appointed Indigenous student
Pilot. They worked with
advisor to the dean, graduate
studies), organized the event mentors, including Ryerson
with fellow graduate student faculty, city staff and
Laura Heidenheim. Kucheran private-sector professionals.
noted that the event took its
theme, “Honouring our past/ Projects included life-sized
Reaching for our future,” from 3D pin-art boards and a
the inaugural 1998 Pow Wow. drum machine.
“It will take a lifetime to
truly comprehend what that
looks like,” said Kucheran.
He also encouraged more
Indigenous representation at
Ryerson, telling local high-
schoolers in attendance,
“Ryerson has been a home
for me. It’s where I’ve found
myself, my community and
my future. So to the young
ones in the room, I say:
come join me.”— Will Sloan 420) explores everything
from financing a business to
LIFELONG LEARNING cultivating cannabis while
Cannabis introducing students to
relevant entrepreneurship
course taps principles such as opportunity
recognition and evaluation.
into new The course also focuses on
markets issues specific to starting and
operating a cannabis business,
The legalization of cannabis including legislation, financing
ushers in a new era of business. for cannabis businesses,
The Ted Rogers School of and the complex regulations
Management and The G. pertaining to the cultivation,
Raymond Chang School of processing, distribution,
Continuing Education are marketing and selling of
planting seeds in the market cannabis. Students also create
with a new course. The a business plan and participate
Business of Cannabis (CZEN in a site tour.
6 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019
Stay connected between issues with The Ryerson Connection, your monthly enewsletter. Email aluminfo@ryerson.ca
HISTORY
Plaque APPOINTMENTS
installation Ryerson names
puts Egerton new deans
Ryerson
into context
Last June 25, the Ryerson
community joined with
its Indigenous students,
faculty and staff at the
unveiling of a contextualizing
plaque installation at the
DAVID CRAMB DAPHNE TARAS
Egerton Ryerson statue appointed dean, appointed dean,
on Gould Street. The Faculty of Science Ted Rogers School
plaque, which outlines the of Management
educator’s participation in David Cramb joined
Ryerson as dean of Distinguished
the establishment of the
the Faculty of Science academic Daphne
residential school system for a five-year term Taras joined the Ted
in Canada, is part of the effective October 15, Rogers School of
university’s commitment 2018. Management for a
to truth and reconciliation five-year term as dean
A true believer in effective July 1, 2018.
with the Indigenous interdisciplinary
community. collaboration, Cramb Taras previously
has led cross- served as dean
disciplinary teams of of the Edwards
science, medicine, School of Business
engineering, at the University
education, and arts of Saskatchewan
researchers along with from 2010 to 2016,
industrial partners and where she created
practicing clinicians. a micro-loan fund
These collaborations for student-led
have spanned many initiatives, developed
institutions and one of Canada’s
APPOINTMENT crossed borders into largest student-run
Krishan Mehta
the U.S. and Europe. investment portfolios,
and created numerous
appointed
Cramb joins Ryerson experiential learning
from the University of opportunities. Under
assistant
Calgary, where he was her leadership, the
the head of chemistry university developed
vice-president,
and director of the a formal relationship
nanoscience program. with the Saskatchewan
engagement
Indian Institute of
His achievements Technology, building
include spearheading a pathway for
Krishan Mehta is Ryerson’s the school’s Indigenous students
nanoscience to achieve university
first assistant vice-president,
minor program and degrees in commerce
engagement, in University
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALYSSA KATHERINE FAORO
establishing Canada and accounting.
Advancement. Research Chair
In this role, Mehta will positions. Before that, she was
lead the Alumni Relations a professor at the
As a chemistry University of Calgary’s
team, while also embracing professor, his Haskayne School
a broader mandate of research focuses of Business and its
engagement across a variety of on the behaviour associate dean of
communities at the university. of nanoparticles research and director
for biomedical of the PhD program.
Since joining Ryerson
applications.
in 2013, Mehta has been a
key player in the success
Winter 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 7
GOULD STREET
of Ryerson’s advancement
activities and was previously
executive director, campaigns.
He was a major contributor
to the achievements of the
Make Your Mark campaign,
PHOTOGRAPHS BY (LOTTERY) CHRISTIAN BENDER/RYERSON RAMS ATHLETICS; (EXHIBITION) SOUTHWORTH & HAWES STUDIO, [PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WOMAN],
which raised more than
$200 million for student
awards, research, programs
CA. 1850, DAGUERREOTYPE IN LEATHER CASE WITH APPLIED COLOUR (HALF). THE HOWARD AND CAROLE TANENBAUM PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION
and capital projects.
GIVING
Lottery
winner gives
sporting youth
a chance
In Canada, one in three
families cannot afford to enroll
their children in organized
sports. Jason Rinaldi, who won
$35 million playing Lotto 6/49
in 2008, is helping Toronto
kids beat those odds. making an immediate social responsibility and
Rinaldi’s $500,000 gift change in the community community spirit.
to Rams Care at Ryerson and in young people’s lives,” The camp reached 100
University will enable says Rinaldi. youth last year, leading
more kids from priority Through Rams Care, Ryerson Athletics to set an
Ryerson student
neighborhoods to participate athlete talks
Ryerson Athletics’ community ambitious goal to reach 500
in organized sports, and be with children at outreach program, Ryerson kids this year. Rinaldi’s gift
inspired by mentors to pursue Rams Care athletes host a summer camp puts them on target.
post-secondary education. Summer Camp. and provide after-school “When you can see kids
“I’ve been involved in mentorship. Children from that don’t have much,
philanthropic initiatives underserved communities smiling, laughing, seeing
since winning the lottery. get a chance to learn and play future possibilities,
It was coming up on the in an environment they may that’s what it is all about,”
10-year anniversary and I otherwise not be exposed says Rinaldi.
wanted to do something that to, while Ryerson athletes To learn more about Rams
was directed specifically at develop leadership skills, Care, visit ryersonrams.ca.
Certificate in Data Analytics,
Big Data, and Predictive Analytics
Learn more at ryerson.ca/ce/dataanalyticsFind out what’s going on at ryerson.ca/news-events/events
EXHIBITION Alfred Stieglitz, Ernest J. potentially pilot test products
New Ryerson Bellocq, Brassaï (Gyula
Halász), Lisette Model,
and/or services.
The Ted Rogers School of
Image Centre Diane Arbus, Mary Ellen
Mark, Jim Goldberg and
Management has also launched
a new MBA specialization in
exhibition Ed Burtynsky. Sport Business. The program
offers students greater insight
Open from January 23 INNOVATION into sport marketing, strategy,
until April 7, True to the Eyes:
The Howard and Carole The business financial management and
business analytics, working
Tanenbaum Photography
Collection displays a
of sport closely with Toronto’s
leading commercial sport
selection of more than Maple Leaf Sports and organizations.
200 photographs from Entertainment, Ltd. (MLSE) “Toronto is truly a world-
the eclectic collection and Ryerson have teamed class sport business city.
of Howard and Carole up on a lab for sport innovation The Future of Sport Lab will
Tanenbaum. Curated by and research. bring together the incredible
Paul Roth, Gaëlle Morel and The Future of Sport Lab talent that’s already here
Charlene Heath, True to (FSL) is creating a sport and give them a chance
the Eyes highlights a range business ecosystem to connect to collaborate and create
of humanistic photographs sport properties, industry solutions with real world
collected by the Toronto partners, entrepreneurs, impact. This will be the new
couple, from anonymous faculty and students. home of sport innovation
vernacular imagery to The lab will support in Canada,” said Cheri
masterworks by such innovative sport business Bradish, Loretta Rogers
photographers as Southworth ideas, technologies and Research Chair in Sport
& Hawes, Marcus Aurelius research. It will also support Marketing at the Ted Rogers
Root, William Notman, startups, and MLSE will School of Management.
Shape Ryerson’s
future with Ryerson Board of Governors
call for nominations
your bold vision Serving on Ryerson’s Board of Governors
is an exciting opportunity to help guide
the financial and strategic priorities of the
university. In the summer of 2019, Ryerson
alumni will elect a representative to fill
one of three alumni-member seats on the
24-member board. Nominations will be
reviewed by the Ryerson University Alumni
Association, who will produce the final roster
of candidates based on a Board-approved
skills matrix.
For more information about the
nomination and election process, please
visit ryerson.ca/governors/elections.
Nominations must be received by 12 p.m.
on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.
ryerson.ca/governorsGOULD STREET
GRAPHIC DETAILS
Grazing
the roof
Ryerson Urban Farm grows
food and community
downtown toronto can feel as cold
and sterile as any big city but venture up
to the roof of the George Vari Engineering and
Computing Centre from May to October and
step into a green oasis. Surrounded by concrete
and glass highrises, the Ryerson Urban Farm
(RUF) grows thousands of pounds of fresh,
organic produce on the quarter-acre Andrew
and Valerie Pringle Environmental Green Roof. garden
features
From kale to kohlrabi, more than 50 crops
are distributed among Ryerson Eats, the
Ryerson Market, the Good Food Centre and
a Har vest Share/Communit y Suppor ted
Agriculture program.
Named for a gift from the Pringle family
Bird Baths
(Valerie is an RTA graduate), the green roof
was built in 2004. It was converted to a roof-
top farm in 2013 by RUF, which grew out of a
student-led initiative to grow food on campus.
“What we’re doing is so innovative; we’re
inventing systems as we go along,” said Arlene
Pollinator
Throness, urban farm manager. “We’re now
Gardens
a department within University Business
Services, and it’s exciting to see that a farm can
become part of the institutional landscape,
producing food on campus rooftops and creat-
ing opportunities for education and research.”
Flower Farm
To that end, crop weight, yield, and other
information is tracked to calculate costs,
improve processes and create a replicable
model for others. “We’re collecting data on
the farm so anyone who wants to replicate what Bee Hives
we’re doing will have a blueprint of what we’ve
learned,” said Throness.
RUF’s success has led to the building of a sec-
ond rooftop farm, atop the Daphne Cockwell
Health Sciences Complex, scheduled to open
in the spring of 2019. It will be the first pur-
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOELCLIFTON
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOEL CLIFTON
pose-built green roof designed specifically
for growing edible plants under the City of
Toronto’s green roof bylaw.
“Overall, I’m blown away by how much
people enjoy spending time up there,” said
Throness. “We’ve created a natural space in
the heart of the city.”—Deborah Smyth
10 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019$25 bags of vegetables
are sold each week to
Ryerson staff, students,
and local residents
through a Harvest Share.
urban rooftops 101
45
donors supported the Academic
“Up on the Roof” fund researchers have
and events. used RUF to study
such topics as
irrigation, earthworm
populations, nutrient
runoff, community
engagement and
wireless soil sensors.
$1,800
of rooftop-grown
produce was
donated to the Good
Food Centre in 2018,
where members
of the Ryerson
community can
access emergency
food relief.
8,000
pounds of produce
is the expected
yield for 2018, grown
50+
crops are grown
in 10,000 square at RUF, including
feet using spray-free beans, peas,
ecological methods. tomatoes, eggplant,
pepper, cucumber,
zucchini, carrots,
Beyond growing beets, leafy greens,
local, organic food, salad mixes, and
as a green roof, much more.
RUF also mitigates
storm water runoff,
cools the building in
summer, insulates
it in winter and
increases urban
biodiversity. 35
kilograms of honey
was collected in 2017
from two beehives (in
partnership with local
beekeepers Alvéole).
Winter 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 11GOULD STREET
Q&A acknowledgment of the progress on
the diversity side. For me, it’s a fantas-
Janice Fukakusa, former bank tic way to continue in a leadership role
with the inclusion mandate. For Can-
executive, on being Ryerson’s
ada to solve its productivity issues, we
need women and visible minorities
achieving their full potential.
first female chancellor RU You joined the Ryerson Board of
Governors in 2002. What interested
you in Ryerson then?
When I was asked to consider joining
JF
Fast Facts
the Board of Governors in 2002, Ryerson
Hometown was in transition—it had been a univer-
Toronto sity for under a decade. I thought that
Favourite Book I could put my skills to work to help
Obasan by Joy Kogawa Ryerson accelerate the great trajectory
Favourite Destination it was on.
The big cities—
New York, London, RU In the time you served, what
Paris, Tokyo
are you proudest of that the board
accomplished?
Look at the Student Learning Centre.
JF
Ryerson on Yonge Street—who would
have thought when we did the Mas-
ter Plan that we could advance that
quickly? Also, the academic mission,
the entrepreneurial mission—they
have been phenomenal. The DMZ
was launched, and the zones are grow-
ing. The DMZ and Ryerson Futures
have been recognized as leading-edge
for entrepreneurship and technology.
When you think about all that happen-
ing just at the time I’ve been here, it’s
been a phenomenal growth pattern.
RU What was the best advice you
received as a student?
I think the best advice I received was,
JF
you have to be open to continuously
learning. It doesn’t stop at university—
it is a lifelong thing.
RU Did you have a professor or teacher
who changed your life or made a
In a distinguished 31-year career in the RU What is your current role here lasting impact?
banking and finance sector, Janice Fukakusa at Ryerson? I could see different strengths in
JF
served as RBC’s chief administrative offi- I’m
JF chancellor, and it involves being many. Universities are large, and you
cer and chief financial officer. From 2002 an advocate for the students. There get exposed to more role models just
to 2018, she also served on the Ryerson are duties, like conferring degrees, but by going to different classes. That’s
Board of Governors, including five years I think it is really about students hav- one thing I found incredible: meet-
PHOTOGRAPH BY MAY TRUONG
as chair (beginning in 2013), helping guide ing a voice. ing teachers from different countries.
the university during a period of tremen- That’s when I also saw the benefit of
dous growth. As she begins a five-year RU You are the first female chancellor. diversity. The crux is to achieve diver-
term as Ryerson’s first female chancellor, What does that mean to you? sity of thought. When you get people
we asked Fukakusa about her new job, her I’m
JF a diversity champion. Alongside at the table who have diverse back-
proudest achievement, and what makes the progress that Ryerson has made on grounds and upbringings, you see the
Ryerson special. the academic and physical sides, it’s benefit of that collaboration.—Will Sloan
12 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019FEATURES
GUTTER CREDIT HERE
Second-year students set up
a scene from Addams Family
Values in their cinematography
and lighting design class.
14 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019BY W ILL SLOAN / PHOTO GR APHS BY CARLOS OS ORIO
FEATURES
azik Radwanski (Image Arts BEFORE YOU CAN REINVENT a medium,
’08) is midway through shoot- you need to learn your craft. That’s where
Ryerson comes in.
ing his third feature film, but is “The practice of filmmaking is still fun-
damentally about storytelling,” says Alex
cagey about the details. Don’t Anderson, professor at the School of Image
Arts, who has worked with many of the
worry, the shoot is going fine— young filmmakers. “Technology isn’t why
these filmmakers are where they are. I
it’s just that the movie will take do think the new technologies have given
a little while to grow into itself. ¶ “I hate pitch-
them more opportunities, but if you learn
and practice the fundamentals of storytell-
ing it,” says Radwanski, cheerfully, at the office ing, you can easily traverse to all these other
forms. What you need to know is how to
he shares with his producing partner Daniel write scripts, how to direct films, and how
to shoot films.”
Montgomery (Image Arts ’08). “The whole At the School of Image Arts, first-year
Film Studies students are still required to
film’s complex…I’ve pitched it a lot, and I’m try- shoot, edit and process a short movie on
16mm film. Such an exercise might seem
ing to think of a good way to pitch it while omit- counterintuitive in the digital era. But in
ting certain things…” ¶ Despite the tectonic addition to showing students the beauty of
celluloid film, the exercise instils in film-
shifts that have occurred in the film industry, makers a rigorous sense of discipline.
“Working on these 1940s Bell & Howell
pitching remains a stubborn part of the pro- 16mm cameras is the definition of cumber-
some,” says Andrew Cividino, director of
cess. So, Radwanski obliges. Broadly, the plot Sleeping Giant. “But the constraints were
what allowed us to learn. You had to be
involves a woman with a complicated mental meticulous in planning a scene. Same with
the edit: you couldn’t have the luxury of
health history who works in a daycare cen- moments that transcended budget”—in your computer to non-destructively cut a
tre—or at least that’s how it began. “But as other words, both good art and good busi- frame here and there. You had to make
we’ve been making the film,” says Radwanski, ness. His emergence as a filmmaker has strong decisions.”
“I’ve just been gravitating more and more coincided with a time of enormous change Image Arts also grounds students with
towards keeping her backstory a mystery— in the industry: the advent of digital video a background in design, art history and
not pinning down exactly what is going on has democratized filmmaking, but has also cultural studies. “It gives you a blanket of
with her. So, I’m very hesitant to just give an led to a saturated market where budgets have knowledge about what art has meant to
easy explanation of it.” shrunk. Today’s young filmmakers have to the world,” says Aidan Shipley, co-director
Other details: he is shooting at his mother’s be resourceful, adaptable and imaginative. of Cardinals. “It’s a huge topic to cover, but
daycare, with the 200 untrained children Radwanski’s DIY ethos is shared by a new I certainly see that as one of the elements
starring alongside actress Deragh Campbell generation of Toronto-based, millenni- that Ryerson has that other film schools
in a realist style that rubs up against docu- al-age filmmakers, including some who are don’t. It helps contribute to the freedom you
mentary. He imagines the film as the third in Ryerson Image Arts alumni: Sleeping Giant have as a third- or fourth-year filmmaker.
his loose trilogy of prickly, sandpaper-funny by Andrew Cividino (graduated ’06), Closet You’ve learned that a film can be anything—
character studies. The first, Tower (2012), Monster by Stephen Dunn (’13), Fire Song a story can be told a million different ways.
followed a 34-year-old man-child who sees by Adam Garnet Jones (’07), Cardinals by It opens up a sense of freedom in what peo-
little reason to leave his parents’ basement. Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley (’14), The ple can pursue.”
The second, How Heavy This Hammer (2015), Rainbow Kid by Kire Paputts (’07), Acres One of the major advantages of film school
was about a middle-aged family man who by Rebeccah Love (’14), and Firecrackers is the resources it provides. “I was very aware
abruptly leaves his wife, but can’t escape by Jasmin Mozaffari (’13). Beyond the of the fact that we had a soundstage here,
his ennui. These are difficult characters, director’s chair are producers like Caitlin and that was huge,” says Rebeccah Love,
and Radwanski’s films focus on them sin- Grabham (’13), Kevin Kriskst (’07), and director of Acres. “When you’re at school,
gle-mindedly, almost entirely in close-up. Karen Harnisch (’09), and dozens of edi- you want to take advantage of the resources
Trapped with them, your distaste may evolve tors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and at hand. One of my favourite movies of all
into a more complex mix of empathy, pity, other creatives. All have been shaped by the time was Moulin Rouge, so especially with
recognition, and/or identification. new realities of production and distribu- my thesis film, I wanted to take advantage
Radwanski defines the principle behind tion. All formed close and lasting creative of the soundstage and the labour you
his minimalist aesthetic as “trying to capture partnerships during their time at Ryerson. have access to. You have access to all of the
16 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019Did you know the School of Image Arts has a movie studio? Top photo: Students Sofia Powell,
Matt Hampel and Emma Robinson are on set in Professor John Tarver’s cinematography
Winter class.Magazine 17
2019 / Ryerson UniversityFEATURES
younger-year students who volunteer on
your set, to the point where you have a crew
of 60 people on your film, which you can’t
have when you’re outside of film school.”
Alumni say the biggest advantage of
school was connecting with like-minded
peers. Examine the crews of their debut
films and you’ll find almost entirely Ryerson
alumni—from cinematographers to editors
to producers to performers.
“When you’re working in film, it’s such a
collaborative space—it’s so important to
trust and believe in the people you work
with,” says Cividino. “Film school is a really
wonderful place to find that. You work with
people who you don’t necessarily connect
with, but when you find the people you do,
you sort-of hold on to each other for dear
life. When you’re in the thick of filmmak-
ing, those are the people you can trust to
tell your stories.”
“Every assignment you make, you put
on a screen in front of your peers, and
everybody critiques it,” remembers writer/
director Jasmin Mozaffari. “You have to get
used to that. But then you end up self-cri-
tiquing, and you always end up setting the
bar higher.”
Beyond finding a network, school is a
place to find your voice. Mozaffari was
enrolled in another university’s film studies
program when she realized that her passion
was to make films. When she transferred to
Ryerson, she had never made a film before,
Above, a second-year cinematography class at Ryerson.
and the four-year program was a process
Top, from left: Matt Hampel, Sofia Powell and Ezra Li.
of discovery.
“We were doing small documentaries,
shorts. I was editing, I was trying out differ-
ent things. I always knew I wanted to be a The large-scale productions that Rebeccah
director. I was trying to find out what is my Love mounted for her student films were no
voice.” In her fourth year, she directed a longer possible after graduation—but start-
short that would become the basis for her ing over led her down a new path. “I didn’t
acclaimed 2018 feature Firecrackers. have access to the resource of the sound-
stage anymore, and I didn’t have budgets
AT SOME POINT, ALL student filmmakers to hire 60 to 80 people. That’s where my
will have to reckon with the reality of film- style changed. I made a film called Drawing
making outside of school. Radwanski and Duncan Palmer working with a Ryerson
Montgomery came upon their style early cinematographer, Eric Rowe. We didn’t
when they travelled to Kenya between third have money to make a big, over-the-top pro-
and fourth year to make Nakuro Song, a doc- duction, so we made a film that was very
umentary about a soccer team. “It really minimalist, with no production design bud-
informed the way we were working at the get, using natural lighting.”
time, and in many ways how we’re still Cividino’s first feature benefited from its
working today,” says Montgomery. “There modest budget. “I think that although
were only three of us there, and we only had Jasmin Mozaffari Sleeping Giant would have been easier to
as much gear as we could carry, and we just make with a substantial budget, it would
relied a lot on a certain documentary aes- have been a worse film. It was the freedom
thetic to keep things nimble and light. We to make it the way we wanted to that gave
enjoy working with a very small crew.” it the heartbeat it has.”
18 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019Critics and programmers around the When our film came out, people really Rebeccah Love pursued a master’s degree
world agreed: Sleeping Giant premiered at paid attention. People want to know.” in screenwriting at the University of Guelph,
the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in the Critics’ Enberg came to filmmaking via a different where students were matched with mentors
Week competition before playing at the route than the aforementioned directors. A to work alongside in the summer. Her
Toronto International Film Festival and mature student and single mother, Enberg mentor was Kazik Radwanski. “He had
earning four Canadian Screen Award nom- devoted most of her career to human rights emerged as this giant of independent film-
inations. An unsentimental evocation of the issues, and saw documentary filmmaking as making in this city,” she says. “I thought:
awkwardness of adolescence, Sleeping Giant a chance to bring her activism to an audience How great would it be to be matched up
follows three kids during a tense summer beyond academia. As a survivor of abuse, with him and learn filmmaking from him?
vacation on the shores of Lake Superior as and someone whose Métis heritage was We started meeting up once a week for cof-
they struggle with their friendships, fami- largely hidden from her growing up, her doc- fee, and in these sessions, he gave me feed-
lies and budding romantic feelings. umentary has personal significance. back on a number of scripts, including the
“When you’re working with a larger Despite the importance of her project, its script for Acres.”
budget, with a larger crew, you’re free to status as a student film made it ineligible for With their first string of films completed,
increase the scope of your project in some public arts council grants. “A lot of docu- this group of the Toronto New Wave are
ways, but you’re much more limited in mentary filmmakers make promises to pay now looking ahead at future projects. Aidan
terms of steering the ship,” says Cividino. people in the future when they start making Shipley recalls the 2017 TIFF premiere of
“You can’t just decide, ‘I want to do this shot,’ money, and I don’t agree with that,” says Cardinals as being a watershed moment. “It
or spend three days workshopping a scene. Enberg. “When somebody’s doing a task for was totally overwhelming. I feel like I
Everything costs a lot more money on a me, I pay them, so I made sure I paid my blacked out for a couple of days—and the
larger scale, and that means you essentially crew all the way through—while I was a stu- alcohol wasn’t fully responsible for that,
have to go in with a plan and execute it. dent. It came out of my OSAP, it came out either,” he says. “But from the people I was
“Whereas, a lower budget level, although of my child support, it came out of my daily able to meet through that, I feel I can go
it has many of its own constraints, allows meal allowance for my family.” develop any project now through one con-
you the freedom of employing a process For In Jesus’ Name, Enberg didn’t have nection or another I made at TIFF.” He is
that encourages exploration. I think there’s the luxury of a low budget. “I had to go now producing a documentary on child-
a lot of freedom that comes with the DIY into a fly-in community with a crew, and hood sexual assault called A Girl Named C.
atmosphere that you’re finding in the we were there for three-and-a-half or four Since the success of Sleeping Giant, Andrew
Toronto scene,” says Cividino. weeks altogether. I had to house every- Cividino has made a living as a director
body, feed everybody—the only people through TV and commercial work, and at
CINEMA CAN BE A source of entertainment, that jumped to our assistance was the the time of this interview, he was casting his
but it can also be a tool for activism. The Office of the President of Ryerson.” Within second feature (which had just secured
democratization of filmmaking has made it 12 hours of writing then-president Sheldon financing), writing his third, and developing
possible to tell stories that were once hidden Levy, Enberg received $10,000 for travel a sci-fi drama series for television. “I’ve
from view. to Fort Albany. learned that it’s important to have many
Susan Enberg, (master’s) Documentary In Jesus’ Name won many awards on the irons in the fire, because the timing is often
Media ’17, was researching Canada’s resi- festival circuit, was picked up by CBC out of your control,” he says. “It’s a miracle
dential school system when she learned Documentary channel for a three-year con- that anything gets made, and even more so
about St. Anne’s Residential School in Fort tract, and has been installed at the Canadian that anything good gets made.”
Albany, Ont., where some of the system’s Museum for Human Rights. Screenings at Are things easier now? “I would love to
worst atrocities took place. She learned festivals and institutions have featured say it has gotten a lot easier, but it has just
of the sexual, physical and psychological Q&As with Enberg alongside St. Anne’s sur- gotten different,” says Cividino. “The
assaults; of the homemade electric chair that vivors Leo Loone and Edmund MeAatawabin. opportunities that I’ve been presented with
was used for punishment; and of how little Enberg is currently at work on two new films: have been great, and increased, but you’re
the survivors had been compensated. Their Fight Like a Woman (a short documentary just faced with new challenges. I think film-
stories are the foundation of In Jesus’ Name: about female Muay Thai fighters) and 8 ½ making is an inherently challenging pro-
Shattering the Silence of St. Anne’s Residential Seconds (about the police-shooting death of cess, and maybe the moment you stop being
School, the first in a series of documentary Michael MacIsaac in Ajax). challenged is the moment you stop making
films – Erasing Cultural Genocide – about interesting work, anyway.”
St. Anne’s and its survivors. IN THE 1980S, RYERSON was a breeding Meanwhile, at the School of Image Arts,
“Without the courage of the survivors, ground for the first cohort of “Toronto New the next generation is always underway—
and their willingness to speak out about Wave” filmmakers. The bonds formed by and Ryerson offers a range of scholarships
what they endured at the school, people in film students like Bruce McDonald (’82), to foster it. “We’re not an ivory tower in
Canada would still not truly know the Jeremy Podeswa ( ’8 4) a nd Adr ien ne Image Arts,” says Alex Anderson. “We
depth, breadth and severity of the abuses Mitchell (’84) could be felt as they moved aren’t a separate place from the real world.
that occurred at the schools,” says Enberg. through the industry. We’re really doing what we can to support
“Many people had become more aware of The waves are cyclical, and today’s sec- the Canadian film industry. It’s a huge leap
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission ond wave are actively fostering incoming to become a professional, but I see us as a
and what its admissions were. generations. After graduating from Ryerson, cauldron. Talent, ideas… that’s our job.”
Winter 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 19Farrah Khan
and Robyn Doolittle
in conversation
about #MeToo,
sexual assault
investigations and
where we go
from here.
I N T E RV I E W BY M E L I S SA Y U VA N T I I L L U S T R AT I O N S BY C H I A R A G H I G L I A Z Z A
Voices for
20 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019
consentGUTTER CREDIT HERE
Winter 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 21FEATURES
As
the #MeToo movement has spread around
the world, there’s been a huge change in
awareness about sexual assault and con-
sent. More and more people are com-
ing forward with their stories. ¶ Ryerson
University Magazine spoke with Farrah Khan, manager
of Ryerson’s Consent Comes First Office, and award-win-
ning Globe and Mail journalist and Ryerson alumna Robyn
Doolittle (Journalism ’06), two women who are changing
how Canada deals with sexual assault and how survivors
are supported. ¶ In addition to her work at Ryerson, Khan
farrah khan
is responsible for numerous initiatives to educate the pub-
Manager of Ryerson’s
Consent Comes
lic and support survivors. Last spring, at the invitation of
First Office
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Khan joined the Gender
Equality Council for Canada’s G7 Presidency. ¶ Doolittle is
best known for her investigative journalism, most recently
the Unfounded series for the Globe and Mail detailing how
robyn doolittle
(Journalism ‘06) police handle sexual assaults, which has resulted in major
changes to sexual assault investigations across Canada.
ru magazine: Robyn, how did the Unfounded series. “This is your unfounded rate. This is what the
series come about? national unfounded rate is. These are the problems
I find with the cases. You know, they’re not being inves-
robyn: It was back when everyone was talking about tigated properly. They’re being closed before witnesses
the Jian Ghomeshi case and I was wondering if there are being investigated, or being questioned.” I think 10
was a way to look at this from an investigative stand- police services sent me responses.
point. Is the criminal justice system discriminatory After the series ran, there was overnight change,
against sexual assault complainants, beyond just anec- partly because ministers in various levels of government
dotal one-off cases? were demanding that they change.
I came across a study that talked about unfounded We’ve had more than 30,000 cases being reviewed.
rates, which is essentially when police finish an inves- Hundreds have been reopened. I know of at least a
tigation, if they think that it’s not a real investigation, dozen that have resulted in charges.
that the complaint is baseless, or it’s false, they des- Half of the country is now being policed by a service
ignate it unfounded. And, then, it doesn’t count in that is rolling out, or has rolled out, specialized sexual
their statistics. assault training that has a trauma-informed approach.
This seemed to be the most obvious way to prove And, half of the country is being policed by a service
whether sexual assault cases are being disproportion- that has adopted civilian case review.
ately dismissed. It means that those working in the violence-against-
I collected all these numbers and nationally, the women field are being invited to review raw police files
unfounded rate was 20 per cent. So, one in five com- to look for signs of bias and investigative missteps.
plaints were being dismissed. But in 115 communities at So, in terms of what’s happening in Canada, it’s
least a third of complaints were being dismissed. prett y radical, compared to other places in the
Before the series ran, I emailed all the police services world. And, it is totally related to media and political
(there’s 177 of them), outlining exactly what was in my pressure…
22 Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2019farrah: And feminist organizing.
robyn: Totally. I mean, my work is built off of the
work that these organizations and advocates have been
pushing for, forever. It’s not like any of these ideas are
new. They’ve been around for decades. And, then, this
political/media push suddenly says, ‘Okay. We better
do this now.’
ru magazine: The investigative series came out
around the time that #MeToo started. What did you
think, Farrah, when those tweets started?
farrah: #MeToo was a hashtag that was created by
Tarana Burke, over a decade ago, to talk specifically
about the impact of sexual violence on Black women
and to give voice to survivors. But, then, when Alyssa
Milano tweeted, I remember seeing people starting to
post and I was like, hmm, I don’t want to see that right
now. And, it took till the next day to really see that this
was popping up.
I think social media can be fantastic as a place for folks
that have been affected by sexual violence, to have an
opportunity to connect with their peers. Or, to say to
someone, ‘Yes. I’m not alone. There’s other people.’ to reform our criminal justice system are working supporting
I think, it was really fantastic in the conversations together and clashing. and educating
around #MeToo, we saw men take up that conversation. So, it’s really complicated and murky. I think peo- Ryerson’s Consent
I can talk to a group of young men now about sexual vio- ple are kind of nervous about having these conversa- Comes First Office
lence, in a very different way because of Terry Crews. tions, because you don’t want to be branded as a victim offers support
for survivors and
So, it’s been really powerful in that way. I think, also, blamer, or not with it, or a right-wing crazy conserva- programs for
it’s been used to manipulate, harm and shame survivors. tive, misogynist. We’re just trying to navigate all of education about
sexual violence.
And, I don’t think we were meant to be so immersed these things. One initiative is an
all the time in this because the exposure to trauma that e-learning module
people have on social media on a consistent basis is a farrah: There are a couple of things that I’d like to for first-year students
called This is How
lot for people. see. I worry sometimes that we pour money into an We Take Care of Each
issue and then, when it’s not seen as relevant or import- Other: Addressing
robyn: There’s this evolution that’s happening right ant anymore, that money dries up. Sexual Violence on
Campus. Created
now, in terms of the range of sexual misconduct. I And so, I worry about the sustainable funding of rape in consultation with
recently interviewed Susan Brown Miller, who wrote crisis centres and sexual assault centres across Canada, students, faculty and
staff, the module
Against Our Will, which is the first big book on rape, including campus services. provides important
published in 1975. In terms of a #MeToo movement, I think there are information on
It was so interesting because before Against Our Will, multiple movements on sexual violence. I don’t think relationships, consent,
intervening to prevent
rape was not viewed as a political social issue. It was all of them have to do with the police services because harm and support
a deviant, rare crime that no one really talked about the majority of people don’t go to the police. services for people
or thought about. I was struggling sometimes in the I’m interested in talking about the fact that if we’re affected by sexual
violence. Find out
interview to think of a world when sexual violence was not going to the police, how do we invest our time and more at ryerson.ca/
not top of mind. Miller said, “we just didn’t talk about it. resources in other ways to address this?’ Not just heal- consentcomesfirst.
It just wasn’t a thing we thought about. It was this rare ing individually, but healing collectively. How do we,
thing. We didn’t realize it was ubiquitous in the culture.” when we know somebody who’s done something really
I’m bringing this up as this is evidence of us moving crappy and we’re not down with their behaviour, how
along. #MeToo has moved the bar from violent rape to do we call them in?
other ranges of sexual misconduct. And, the last thing that kind of excites me about this is
that we’re having conversations for the first time, I think,
ru magazine: What’s ahead in the wake of the in a long time about the impact of this. The impact is not
#MeToo movement? just a one-time thing. It’s not episodic, in that you’re sex-
ually assaulted and it’s done. No, it’s a long-term piece.
robyn: I am writing a book that is exploring this reck- So, how are we going to build a world that recog-
oning that’s happening. What I’m really interested nizes that so many of us have been harmed? And a
in is how the #MeToo movement and these demands trauma-informed world? Instead of saying, ‘It’s just
Winter 2019 / Ryerson University Magazine 23more on a special interest group,’ it’s actually not. It’s so many Or it could be even, “Can I take your picture?” Or, “Can
consent of us. It’s one in three women and one in six men. I post that picture?”
Named “2017 Because, it’s not a quick fix. It’s a conversation that And, we want to say that consent isn’t just one way.
Journalist of the is ongoing. It’s multiple ways.
Year” by the National Another thing that I’m interested in for university For students, staff and faculty, it’s understanding that
Newspaper Awards,
Robyn Doolittle has campuses is a larger conversation about child sexual we practice consent every day, not just in our sexual rela-
a new book coming abuse and sexual assault of children and youth. We tionships, but also in our everyday life.
out this year about
sexual politics. Had
know that 55 per cent of the cases that go to police are
It Coming will tell young people, under the age of 17. robyn: In Canada, we have one of the most progres-
the personal stories And, if we’re going to talk about addressing sexual sive set of laws and common-law court decisions in the
of men and women
caught in the fraught violence on campuses, we’ve got to deal with what’s world, around consent. In Canada we have an affirma-
territory of sexual happening in high schools and grade schools and work tive consent standard.
assault—in and out of with that group. So, it’s not whether you say, “no.” It’s whether you
the courtroom—and
depict the current indicate, “yes”. And “yes” doesn’t mean saying, “Yes,
climate about the ru magazine: What’s the most important thing I will have sex with you.” It means that you have indi-
meaning of consent
and the legal
for people to know about consent? cated to that person that you are a willing participant
framework around in the sexual activity. And you don’t need to fight back.
sexual assault. farrah: What we really would want people to under- You don’t need to say, “No,” for it to be sexual assault.
stand is that consent is a dynamic process. The other thing is we have laws around incapacity.
It’s not a contract that you sign. There are a lot of So, if someone is so drunk, or so high, that they are
[consent] apps right now that if you click and then your incapacitated, or if they’re unconscious, they can’t
partner clicks, everything’s good. But, it’s a dynamic consent to sex.
process, and it’s not just for sex.
So, we talk about the fact that it’s about asking some- This interview has been edited and condensed. Listen to
body what your gender pronoun is and respecting it. the full interview on the Ryerson Today podcast on iTunes.
Care
The mission of Ryerson Rams Care is to use the power of
sport and the strength of our greater Ryerson community
to make a real difference in the lives of young people in our
community.
Working with partners like the Boys & Girls Club and
Toronto Community Housing, our student-athletes
participate in after school programs across the city,
providing program assistance and mentorship to kids in
need of positive role models.
Last year over 140 student-athletes participated in the
program, connecting with over 6,000 kids in the after
school program. In addition, the program’s I AM RYERSON
campaign is closing in on its goal of sending 500 kids to
camp next summer.
We have even bigger goals this year. To help support
the program please visit our website:
www.ryersonrams.ca/ramscareYou can also read
