What does a commuter love more than on-schedule public transit? Free food. And an entire week of it, no less. See, last week was….. *drumroll please*: Commuter Appreciation Week at U of T! Well, okay, it’s not really an officially…
Like most U of T students, I’m proud to be one. People like to call us pretentious and I like to argue there’s a big difference between being pretentious and being justifiably proud. We boast top 20 spots on lists of the world’s best universities and I’m “sorry I’m not sorry” that gives me the warm fuzzies.
While we excel as an institution overall, according to UniversityHub.ca (contributor to the Huffington Post), our sports and recreation programs are less well known.
Clearly something’s wrong here. We have a wealth of sport and recreational facilities, services, activities — there’s a lot going on here! We have FOUR athletic centres (if you count Varsity Centre), FOURTY-FOUR men’s and women’s varsity teams, the ONLY Olympic-sized pool in the city, a wide variety of registered and free classes, drop-in recreation, a FANTASTIC, SUPER-AFFORDABLE sports clinic open to students, more playing fields than I’m aware of and SO, SO MUCH MORE.
Hi all!
Sometimes, it can feel as if being a student is a barrier to living a healthy lifestyle. It's easy to get caught up in a mindset that eating instant ramen daily, experiencing irregular sleep patterns, and becoming caffeine-dependent are inevitable consequences of being a proper university student (sometimes I think these things myself). But, really, with all the resources we have at the St. George campus to better our health, is it possible that this mentality is simply an illusion? I have a sneaking suspicion that the student gig does not necessarily need to include attending random clubs’ AGMs for the free pizza.
In preparation for this week’s Design For Change conference, I decided to brainstorm a list of ways that UofT is a Healthy Campus in line with some of the themes of the roundtable discussions at the event. On Thursday, student and staff will get together at Hart House to discuss designing a shared vision for a healthier University at the first annual Design for Change conference, and we (students) are all invited! That sounds pretty super to me.
The Video Crew paid a visit to the Literary Fair hosted by the Hart House Literary and Library Committee on January 21st and conducted interviews with various clubs and organizations. Check out the video to find out more about the…
Welcome back! I hope everyone’s well on their way to settling into a new semester. I can’t say I started it particularly enthusiastically; however, I feel I’m very much back in the groove. I start a circus silks class at…
Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Winterfest 2016: Battle of the Bands, which took place at the Annex venue, Lee’s Palace. The Battle of the Bands event is a competition for U of T bands to win a prize of five hundred dollars and a set at Fireball 2016! If you haven’t heard about this totally epic musical battle sesh you should...
Consider creating a Facebook account, if only to keep up with the never ending stream of FB invites to UofT affiliated events (that are actually fun to go to).
Continue reading, because I am about to give you a recap.
Upon entering Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor St. West / a popular venue for musicians and people alike whose music preferences would 100% offend your grandmother) I was reminded the battle of the bands scene in the movie Scott Pilgram vs. the World. The atmosphere of the venue was awesome in a grungy underground teenage angsty way, even if the smell distinctly reminded me of Queen Street’s “Black Market” vintage store. Various smells aside, I was in for a night of great music, dancing and a general good time. Competing BandsSpaceship Thoughts— Founded in October 2015, by Sky Casket, Spoon Johnson and Lump the Potato (who is unsurprisingly, truly a root vegetable) the sounds of Spaceship Thoughts are unlike anything I had ever heard before. They go for an “acoustic rap” vibe which was as interesting as it sounds. Despite being the youngest band at the battle, they rocked their first live performance! The lead singer was dressed up as a traditional 90’s “bro” complete with a popped collar, pink polo shirt, exceptionally spiky hair and two ties to really finish off the look.This interview-style video done by The Varsity will give you a glimpse at the personalities of the bands who competed in the Battle!
Hello!
There's no doubt, this time of year can be full of emotions. We are reminded of all the things we witnessed and experienced over the past twelve months. Google is reminding us of what we Googled. Facebook is sharing our top moments. We count down 2015's top songs, movies, sports moments, inventions, new stories, and of course, funny memes.
This time of year also calls on each of us to consider our personal Year in Review. I love counting down to the New Year, and feeling all the hope that comes with a fresh start. Looking forward with a vision for the next year can be daunting, however, I believe it's important to reflect on our accomplishments and milestones from the past year.
On New Year's Eve, I normally find myself lounging on a couch, babysitting, and reflecting the past year with these familiar faces. Photo courtesy of www.adweek.com
Once exams are over, I often take some time to check in on how things are working in my life. I encourage you to try doing this too - patiently, thoughtfully, and truthfully. I like recording my thoughts down on paper so I can get a visual se. What were my ambitions for 2015? Did I achieve them?
December is my favourite time of the year. Well, it usually is. Since starting university, the stress of December exams has sapped up any and all of the holiday spirit in me. After realizing the fact that the most spirited thing I did last December was house a slowly dying 15 inch evergreen tree in my dorm room, and reading Emma's reflection on her relationship with exams and holiday traditions, I decided I was going to stop myself from spending my favourite time of year locked up in the library eating all of the chocolate out of a discount advent calendar.
Hey there!
The Community Crew has been sharing some great tips recently for de-stressing during exam season. Annette wrote about staying active when we are busy; Tiffany provided some very helpful study tips in her post; Madeline (our Arts & Science Blogger) wrote about remembering to eat healthfully; and Emma recently discussed the importance of taking breaks.
Now imagine taking all these tips and tricks, and showcasing them all in one lobby. That's exactly what happened this past Thursday, as part of UofT's annual Exam Jam - 2015 edition!
Brought to us in the spring and winter exam season by the ASSU and the Faculty of Arts & Science and friends
Somewhere in the building students reviewed with their profs, and elsewhere there were open study rooms to hang out in. The lobby was alive with activities!
I recently chose to attend the safeTALK: Suicide Alertness for Everyone training for the same reason I decide to take First Aid and CPR training every year: I want to know what to do if someone needs my help. In other words, if ever I encounter someone who is thinking or talking about harming themselves, I want to make sure I can respond appropriately and feel confident in doing so. The safeTALK training helped me in many of these aspects, and incorporated a variety of helpful resources including a take-home manual, video modules, wallet cards, as well as opportunities to engage in role play.
The safeTALK Resource Book contains the course information, plus additional readings about suicide prevention policies, healing after a suicide has happened, and mental health.
I’ve included my thoughts and notes about how the training went here!
