Monthly Archives: May 2012

When my dulcet tones grace the airwaves…

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(…As if its 1950 all over again… Ahem. Anyway.)

Do any lifeatuoft readers listen to CIUTFM? Did to listen to Beyond The Classroom this week? On Monday, from 11-12?

Did you hear me? :D

Yes? Yes? No? Oh :(

Hiya!

Earlier this week, my desk buddy and fellow intern, Jennifer, and I were asked to do a short interview about our internships by the lovely Shoaib Alli, co-host of Beyond The Classroom. We shared our experiences working in the student life office, and the kinds of things we do at work.

Let me tell you right now that I’ve always wanted to be on radio. When I got the email from Shoaib asking if I would like to go on his program for a short interview, I was ecstatic. It was a dream come true. A bucket list item done. A milestone moment. A coming of age. I was going to be famous!!!!!!

Okay, the last one is a stretch. But it was still exciting.

CIUTFM is located in Hart House. Studio 1 is in the Map Room, just off the Hub/Front Desk. The offices and other studios are on the third floor. Jennifer, Shoaib and I trekked to Studio 3, settled in and got started. It wasn’t until I finished my little segment, walked out, checked my phone and read through the tweets and texts my friends and family (and my boss!) sent my way that I realized that I was just on the radio. I was just on the radio.

Hi Jenn!

One of the great things about CIUTFM is that it’s U of T’s very own radio station. It’s run by volunteers, and everyone there is a part of U of T. Hosts and technicians can be students or staff. It’s also alternative radio, so for those who are looking for something new to listen to, there’s a whole slew of genres to choose from. They have programs like Beyond The Classroom that tell you all about… well, life beyond the classroom. Its also a strong part of U of T tradition – CIUTFM has been on air for over 40 years. 

When you’re tired of mainstream radio, turn your dial to 89.5FM, and listen to some community radio. I’ve heard a lot of people say that they found new bands by listening to CIUTFM. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your new favourite band there too.

Meanwhile, I am going to commence with Operation: Join CIUTFM. Getting involved with the station is definitely something I would like to do before I graduate.

- Crystal

Dear New Students

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Congratulations! You made it!

It’s been 3 years, almost to the day, since I accepted my offer to U of T. Wow, that makes me feel old.

Me, circa 2009.

I still remember my dad picking me up from school and handing me the thick envelope. He was grinning, and making me hurry up and open it. I started screaming in the car and then, when I saw a friend who got her acceptance a week before me, rolled down the window and screamed at her. I was a jumble of nerves and since it was the day before my birthday and convocation ceremony (our grads happened before we wrote our diplomas), I was convinced it was a sign. Or at least one of the most exciting birthdays ever.

That said though, it was hard trying to decide which university I was going to in the fall (I got three offers). And once I decided, it was difficult trying to figure what I had to do in order to prepare. I don’t remember many details, but I do remember being worried that I hadn’t done everything I needed to. I was relocating, moving across the country by myself. I do not exaggerate when I say there were six suitcases full of my stuff. My whole family was coming with me to send me off, so, with eight allowable pieces of baggage between the four of us, I stuffed as much as I could into them.

It’s nerve-wracking, but there are some things I was glad I did while preparing to move and start university. Sorry if this seems to be directed to students who are moving here from far away. I swear that every student can take something from of this!

1. Make a list.

Do it early. Over the next two months, the list will grow. Things to remember to bring with you include all your personal ID (health card, SIN card, bank cards etc.) and your teddy bear. Go to your doctor and make sure you have all the prescriptions you need. Better yet, make a note and remember to visit the campus’ Health Services to start your chart while you’re here.

Also list all the deadlines you need to meet. Student loans, course enrollment, tuition payments, and residence registration are very important.

2. Start looking at Ulife and Start @ UofT, and thinking about extracurricular activities.

Clubs Day is great, but they don’t show every thing there is on campus. Start looking at clubs you might be interested in now. You don’t even have to email them! Having an idea of where you might want to go is enough to get you started.

Clubs Day

Not only does it look great on your resume, being part of a club gives you time off from studying that is spent productively. If you’re not much for “productive” time, then think of it as a chance to make new friends. One of the hardest things for me was meeting new people. I was new to Toronto and grew up in Edmonton, so the pace of the city made it hard for me to form long-lasting friendships. I met some of my closest friends at my club, which I emailed before I even got here.

3. Reach out before you get here.

If you signed up for residence, you’ll be getting your room assignments before you arrive. If you are sharing living space, you might also get your new roommate(s)’ email. Talk to them! I started emailing my roommates before we moved in, and met up beforehand to figure out who was bringing what. It gives you time to get to know each other. It also helps to not have 6 of everything in the dorm.

Before you embark on your U of T journey, ground yourself. It’s exciting, but don’t let that excitement go to your head too much. U of T is tough (Get it? University of Tough?), but with a bit of elbow grease and lots of perspective, it won’t be as bad as the scary upper years make it out to be. Think of us as that one great aunt thrice removed who likes to talk about how hard life was back in the day.

If there’s one thing I want you to remember from this letter, remember this: When even optimism feels dark, remember the excitement you felt when you got your acceptance letter. As the absolutely gorgeous British boy band The Wanted so aptly put it, some days stay gold forever.

All the best,

Crystal

P.S. Seasoned UTians reading this, add your thoughts and comments below! You can’t have too much advice.

P.P.S New students, if you’ve got any questions, comment below and I (and our readers) will do our best to help you out!

Dance, Martial Arts and Yoga – Oh my!

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This year, I really wanted to try one of them new-fangled exercise routines. I’ve been saying for years and years and year that I should get myself out of my chair and just do it (no copyright infringement intended), and now, I’ve finally done it.

At first, I wanted to try Zumba. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it – my aunt loved it so much she became a Zumba instructor! Heck, everyone, an lifeatuoft blogger and their dancing cat is doing Zumba. Being the trailblazer I am, I wanted to try something different. I love Latin music and all, but I need something more… zen. But not so zen that I fall asleep.

This is how you get a cat to dance. Please don't try this. At all.

And then there’s Nia.

I came across Nia while looking at the drop in schedules for Hart House and the Athletic Centre. Not gonna lie, I was drawn to it because of the pretty name. It sounded like a name of a kind of zen-ish practice or something. I was partly right – Nia incorporates yoga into their routines. There’s more to Nia than yoga though. It’s a combination of yoga, dance and martial arts, and according to my instructor the whole point of Nia is (be mature now) to move in such a way that brings you to a state of pleasure. She encouraged us to tailor all the moves to whatever we’re comfortable with.

I walked into the Sunday Nia class at Hart House not knowing what to expect. I’m not a dancer (been there, fell on stage, traumatized for life), but I have been doing yoga on and off for about 5 years now, and I spent about 6 years before that doing martial arts. I was curious as to how they put all those movements together to create routines.

The music started, and I kept my eye on the instructor. I wasn’t ready to watch myself dance in front of the mirror just yet. We started off with simple movements, things to get us going. Bend down, roll your spine, deep breaths. Then the moves got faster. We started spinning, kicking, punching. Lots of grapevines and cha-cha-chas. Bend the knees, go low, drum the floor. Swing a sword, push your hands up, point your elbows. The songs kept changing, and we kept moving. It was quite amazing how well the music matched the routines and, I have to admit, I was smiling a lot throughout.

(For those who can’t remember the grapevine, let’s revisit awkward social dance classes in junior high school, shall we? Step, behind, step, touch – you know want to do it.)

We ended off with stretches on the mat. I may have two left feet and nearly collided with someone, but it was fun. I had a good time, and it was the perfect combination of huzzah and zen.

One thing I wasn’t prepared for was how sore I would be the day after. I’m writing this the day after the class. My shoulders and legs are aching, and I swear my hip is about to fall off. It’s the good kind of sore, though. Just enough to make me want to go again.

-Crystal

Summer Nia drop-in classes are offered Thursday from 12:10-12:55 at the Athletic Centre, and Sunday from 12:10-1:00 at Hart House.

#listenUT

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Sometimes being a student while being employed by the university can put you in a weird position. You can have all these frustrations with your institution, but then you get a job with them, and suddenly you need to look at (and write) things from a different perspective.

Case in point:

I used to believe that I’m at U of T just for the degree. That’s changed now. Some of my most valuable experiences at U of T don’t involve papers, exams or grades. But sometimes  it’s not easy getting the information we need to make the most out of it.

I know for a fact (and don’t you dare deny) that there are thousands, literally, that agree. Have you ever gone for help, only to be directed to the website that you’ve already been on and pretty much memorized? And what does the website tell you? Go visit another office. This kind of disjunct can be expected once in a while from such a large institution, and I think deep inside we all know that registrars try their best, but it can be frustrating..

Has anyone noticed that we have a lot of websites, and a lot of twitter accounts, and a lot of Facebook pages that all, frankly, melt together into one ball of pixels and characters? Do you wish we knew who to follow, or where to go? Most of the time, I have to comb through multiple sites just to learn about one thing.

There are so many things at U of T I never even knew about. For example, did you know the university has an events page? How about an ArtsZone? Did you know that, just as we have rights and responsibilities as Canadians, we also have rights and responsibilities as students of U of T? I didn’t know about any of this until I picked up a copy of Life @ U of T.

It’s this kind of circular, drawn out kind of information seeking that can make me, and I’m sure you, feel like we’re getting nowhere.

And this is where that new perspective starts to come in. When I started working here, I found out that U of T actually really wants to improve the way it communicates with students.

In fact, it turns out that administrative staff and students from all over the university are meeting this month for a “Communication Summit” to create a roadmap that will help them – and us – better communicate what we need to know, when we need to know it.

Most of us (read: 95% of us) don’t realize that there are active  U of T staff members across all three campuses that are really trying to understand and engages with us. We’ve spoken (sometimes unceremoniously), and they’re listening.

Here is my request for you, fellow UTian:  Tell U of T how you communicate with the school, and what you wish could be done better.

Is there anything you would like to see changed?

Is there anything you like or dislike about how we communicate now?

Get on twitter, and tweet your ideas and suggestions with the hashtag #listenUT.

Comment below, or even on the communication summit’s blog.

U of T administration will be watching the Twitter feed, and reading what you have to say. Be frank, be candid, and most of all, be constructive. They value your opinions, and it will help them in years to come.

Here is a sample of what other students have already started saying.

- Crystal

Who’s out? We’re out! School’s out!

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I must admit, I was trying to go for the “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” thing, but I guess that didn’t work out too well.

That’s okay though, because the sentiment is there. Congratulations, U of T! We have completed yet another year of school. How did it go? Did anything amazing and mind-blowing happen to you? I think it’s good to just take the time to look back, and just think about the most interesting things you’ve done in the past year.

For example, this last year I:

  • Built a tent inside the Great Hall of Hart House.
  • Met a lot of people through twitter and social media, and learned the power of the Internet.
  • Tried to pull an all-nighter at Robarts but chickened out at the last minute. I love you guys and all, but you’re all nuts during exam season.
  • Successfully pulled 5 consecutive all-nighters (at home) and handed in one of the best papers I’ve ever written.
  • Was president of a campus group, which is not as easy as I had initially thought.
  • Discovered an all-you-can-eat sushi place 10 minutes from campus.
  • Finally got to blog about hot dogs. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for a chance to do that.
  • Did my own op-ed coverage of the UTSU elections  on blogUT (which is another amazing U of T blog, by the way!).
  • Figured out (ish) what I want to do after undergrad.

I know a whole bunch of you are going to tell me all about the woes of summer school. Look, I’m going to be in summer school too. It’s just like U of T students to be downers when there’s a lot to be up-y about. How about we not be pessimistic and be happy about what we’ve done through a year?

So yeah. That’s my year. How about yours?

- Crystal