Brief: OCAD INCREASES TUTION AND APPROVES COMPULSORY PRODUCTION MATERIAL FEES ACROSS CAMPUS

Sadly it’s official: the Finance Committee of OCAD’s Board of Governors approved a motion to implement “Production Material Fees” for the majority of undergraduate studio classes on campus. This controversial new fee structure will be draining the wallets of all students commencing September 2010.

The Production Materials Fee was introduced as a way to balance overspent budgets for the basic supplies needed to run OCAD’s studios. As elected student representative on the Board of Governors and Finance Committee, I voiced my deep concern on behalf of OCAD’s students.

So what are the fees?

Essentially the Production Material Fee is a compulsory tuition-related ancillary fee, which varies depending on department and materials required in the studio. The fee itself is “for material used in the production of items which become the property of the student”. This fee will pay for materials such as nails, sandpaper, welding rods, inks, acid, screws and stains: all the items our tuition once paid for.

In September, you’ll find these fees listed in your online Fees Account on a per-course basis. The following chart outlines the actual approved fee structure for September 2010, listed by department:

For example, a 2nd year a fulltime Printmaking student taking their mandatory 7 studio courses will pay an additional $315.00 in September. In some scenarios, the proposed Production Material Fee increase is actually greater than the maximum allowable tuition fee increase for September 2010/11 (yes tuition is also going up 4% which is about $200). With student employment down, I do not think that the majority of OCADians will be able to afford these considerable increases. It’s unreasonable to assume that students can manage this unprecedented financial burden.

Currently programs charging students Production Materials Fees, such as Photography, have a cap in place. Few students are charged for Material Production Fees after 3 courses (approx. $150 max). I feel that the cap should remain in place to protect students. Removing it may force students who are already struggling financially to switch to part-time status, reduce course loads, increase student loans and overall debt or, worse, select courses based on cost over interest.

Tuition increases should be tied to qualitative improvements. Production materials were previously covered by our tuition – to support the learning environment. Ryerson doesn’t charge their students for chairs, whiteboard markers, or projector bulbs. York students don’t pay for air ventilation, or chalk. I understand that there is cost associated with maintaining studios, but that’s the business we’re in! What’s next? Paper-towel restocking fee? Pay-per-view PowerPoints?

In my opinion, removing these services from the tuition structure should allow for a concurrent reduction in tuition fees, or a significant increase in services and materials provided. It is as yet unclear whether either of these will be forthcoming.

One would hope that extra fees get us extra benefits.

I’m expecting some changes in the studios this year, and so should you.

Is there something you’ve wanted but hasn’t been available? Consider writing to the studio managers, your department chairs, and the deans: make sure you get what you pay for.

You can email Amanda at academicanduniversityaffairs@ocadsu.org or visit the OCADSU Office at 51 McCaul St.

There I was again, standing in an aisle of a grocery store looking like an idiot – seems to happen often for me. Fourth grocery store in a day and still shit-out of luck. It was a long shot, but I thought I would take a chance.

“Do you carry juniper berries?” I asked one of the employees. He looked at me with thin, contemplating eyes. “What’s a juniper berry?”

The juniper berry can be found on different species of the coniferous juniper trees. The juniper berry is actually a sphere shaped cone (like a pine tree’s pinecones), taking on the uncanny appearance of a hardened blueberry. The outer layer of the berry is relatively flavorless and is often crushed before being used in cooking to release its natural flavor. Most dishes use the dark purple mature berries, which can take two years to fully ripen, but it is the immature green berries (14 to 18 months) that is used in making gin.

Mmmmmmm….gin……

The first time I tried a juniper berry was when a friend of mine invited me to his place for a beef brisket dinner. This was his first time he cooking such a massive piece of meat, and needed someone there to both congratulate him on his culinary victory, and help him eat it. Picture it – two twentysomething guys attempting to devour a 10 pound beef brisket in one sitting. An impossible task!

My buddy ran to the kitchen to get some kind of vegetable to cleanse our pallet of the meaty-goodness. “This is all I have,” he said, bringing a half gallon Ball mason jar to the table. Its contents – pickled cucumbers.

God knows I love a good pickle.

The brine inside the bottle was cloudy and a dark mustard yellow colour. Following the green skins of the Kirby cucumbers to the bottom of the jar, I saw something that looked like large black peppercorns with stems. Curious, I unscrewed the cap and used my fork to pop off the lid.

I put my fork in and instead of pulling out what my friend calls a “juicy dillies,” (sounds totally rank, I know!) I went straight for the deformed peppercorn. Examining it on my plate, it looked like a miniature purple grape that never developed. The aroma of garlic, onion and dill it gave off was incredible – uniquely different from a Bick’s or Moishe’s bottle. Without hesitation, I ate it.

Expecting a shock of bitter heat from the peppercorn I thought it was, I was surprised that it had a rich piney taste and a subtle sweetness to it. The flavor was comforting – reminding me of a good cup of tea. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I then tried one of the pickles. It was sour, sweet and had an unmistakable earthy undertaste to it – unlike any pickle I’ve ever tasted. So I asked my friend what the mystery ingredient was.

“It’s a juniper berry,” he said.

Juniper berries are popular in Scandinavian cooking. It helps add a deep woodsy flavor to most dishes. They’re popularly added to fowl and gamier meat dishes, such as venison and boar, and often used in the making of sauerkraut or pickling. They can be eaten raw, but only if you don’t mind their grainy texture. When dried berries are soaked in warm water, they plump up and are a perfect source of vitamin C. Scientists have recently been researching the use of juniper berries as a means of controlling diabetes.

But don’t expect to find any juniper berries in your local supermarkets. They can be bought in health food stores in bulk for a decent price (about $7.00 per pound). You can maybe even find them in your backyard, if you have a juniper tree.

So try out these piney berries in your next meat course or if you’re into pickling. After looking for them for nearly a month, I think it was well worth it.

Recipe: “Juicy Dillies” with Juniper

Ingredients

-1 kilogram of Kirby cucumbers, washed and cut in half or quartered.
-1 onion, sliced into thick rings
-4 sprigs of fresh dill
-2 cups white vinegar
-2 cups water
-3 tbsp sugar
-2 tbsp salt
-3 cloves garlic, peeled and half
-1 tbsp mustard seed
-3 to 6 juniper berries (depending on size)
-1/4 cinnamon stick
-1 tsp black peppercorns
-1 bay leaf
-1 clove

Place the cucumbers, onions and dill sprigs in four 750-ml (three cups) mason jars. Place the remaining ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Bring heat to a medium-low and simmer for five minutes. Evenly pour the brine into the jars and let cool for about 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for one month before serving.

Sharing is a beautiful thing, and as a terrible student, you should embrace it fully.

Fundamentally, sharing is the act of exchanging information. However, there are no rules about when or where you contribute your portion of the exchange. What this means is that you are allowed to share information with lots of different people, but you don’t have to give them your side of the exchange right away.

This is most useful when you have to write an essay, or any other kind of paper, as the school has provided you with a bountiful source of information to share – it’s called a library.

You can share ideas with library ALL THE TIME! And the library isn’t waiting for you to give back anytime soon. So use the library liberally next time you need to fill up a word count, run out of ideas or don’t have the time to write most of your paper. The library won’t be offended.

Bug theme…hey why not?

The ‘It’s a trap!’
The Portia spider is probably the biggest bitch of a spider you’ll ever hear of. Eating insects? Hell no! This bitch got taste. It eats other spiders. Methods range from strumming webs to trick spiders into thinking they got a bite and attacking them from behind to lacing other spider’s web with their own web. Imagine, being a hunter and when going to check your bear trap, someone springs a bear trap on you and then eats you whole.

The Baby Killers.
Japanese hornets work similar to Anonymous, the Internet Hate Machine. When a Japanese hornet sees a bee colony they go in and troll—I mean spray their icky hormones all over. Eventually other hornets join the fray and go on a killing spree. After massacring bees 3 times smaller than themselves they go eat their honey, and then take their babies. Yes, they will fucking steal the babies to eat and feed to their young. Did I mention their poison is flesh melting?

The Fascist Death March.
If bees are the communist worker drones of the insect world, ants would be fascists, and soldier ants would be the fucking death march. Unlike other ants they just don’t settle down, they just keep marching in their eternal search for food. Which sometimes includes live horse (yes they hunt horses). And you know those cartoons where insects form into catapults and hands? Well these guys can make walls to keep rain out and bridges to cross rivers. When these fuckers come into towns, you better stay away.

The SU wishes Lindsay Denise well as she graduates OCAD this June. Lindsey was an integral part of the Student Union overseeing many initiatives most take for granted. Nick Hurtando also steps down from his position as Director of Campaigns and Advocacy. Both will be greatly missed for their strong work ethic and uncanny sense of humor.

It is with pleasure that Cadmium introduces the succeeding members of the OCADSU Executive. Welcome to Sasha Oshchepkova and Daniel Francavilla!

BEAUX ARTS BALLN’

Thanks to all who came out to Candyland. It was a sweet way to celebrate another year of studies behind us, the dj’s and bands were awesome and we danced up a storm.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Open for appointments Monday to Friday. 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. (closed 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch). To make an appointment, please call Judy or Suzanne at Ext. 260

Health & Wellness provides Urgent Care without an appointment between 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Only patients requiring immediate urgent assistance will be seen during this time frame. Patients requiring physical exams, prescription renewals or follow up exams need to book an appointment.

OMBUDSPERSON AND LAWYER

Just a reminder that our Ombudsperson and Lawyer will both be available for appointments over the summer. Contact our office manager Tre Whan at twhan@ocad.ca to make an appointment.

CADMIUM EDITOR

The OCAD Student Newspaper will be seeking new leadership in the upcoming months. If you have skill and experience with editorial design, a strong interest in student affairs, and enjoy administering deadlines, this position could be for you. Watch for the application deadlines to come.

Don’t forget the bean sprouts. These are my summer bugs.

Trips to Risa and slave girls from planet ten
Generations is on everyday. “We’re having trouble penetrating the planets ionosphere, can you modify our sensors to scan for life forms?” Then Data, my android friend steps up to bat. He has a new emotion chip.

Love is all you need.

This world is crawling, the Gulf of Mexico is falling, these bugs will survive.

Humidex, G20 in Toronto and the Resolution issue to come. Welcome to summer 2010.

Deadline is Friday, May 14. Email your submission to publication@ocadsu.org.

If you’re on Twitter, Facebook or even just read blogs, you’re part of the second generation of the World Wide Web. The Web 2.0 is basically the movement away from static web pages to what we experience a lot of today – dynamic and shareable content and social networking.

How does OCAD fit into the Web 2.0, and how can the next generation of the Internet be useful to artists, designers in business? The future of the web is not only focused on social networking; these new tools we are using are also designed to facilitate creativity, information sharing, and most importantly, collaboration. Collaboration on design ideas, sharing works of art, opening up new platforms for creativity and even new mediums – this is where OCAD students can strive.

I had the chance to attend Canada 3.0 Interactions, a conversation amongst some leaders in the design/web, business and education communities. It was held at a formal office building in the financial district of Toronto, at PricewaterhouseCoopers. The Director of Emerging Technologies of PricewaterhouseCoopers was the Keynote Speaker, followed by a Panel Discussion.

Sara Diamond at Canada 3.0 Interactions 2010 - Photo by Jonah Hu

OCAD President Sara Diamond was one of the three panelists. The discussion was designed to bring together Canada’s “leading thinkers on emerging trends and future opportunities” – which would make any OCAD student proud.

Sara Diamond at Canada 3.0 Interactions 2010 - Photo by Jonah Hu

But why is it important for OCAD’s President to participate in something like Canada 3.0? Dr. Diamond explained that it is an important strategy session about the ways that digital culture, technology and infrastructure can be used to create a better society for all Canadians. “These strategies have a direct bearing on OCAD’s future. My participation means that OCAD gets the benefit of shaping these strategies and knowing others views.”, Dr. Diamond explained in an interview after the event.

Does Canada 3.0 mean anything to OCAD students specifically, you may wonder?

“OCAD students should have the benefit of knowing what the future will bring to them as they continue their education and enter the research and professional world ahead.” As OCAD students, Dr. Diamond believes we should all “get the benefits from members of the OCAD community being part of the dialogue about Canada’s national digital strategy”, because it “profiles best practices in teaching and learning using digital tools, including in our fields of art, design and media.”

OCAD students can attend Canada 3.0 as volunteers or participants.

With all of this technology talk, many OCAD students may feel left-out because it may not be part of their program directly. I asked the President Diamond if she feels certain students can easily be left out, curriculum-wise, when it comes to learning about technology and the Web 2.0 tools, and she confidently replied that even “art students should be at the cutting edge of learning about technology and Web 2.0 tools”. Dr. Diamond explained that “Artists are natural tool makers adopters and adapters. Our role is to make sure that students have the access that they deserve to use these tools creatively. These do not substitute for other kinds of tools that artists use, these supplement.”

Canada 3.0 is very much about establishing a Canada’s national digital media action plan. What then, does OCAD’s president believe should be a key part in this plan? She notes that there is wide-ranging opinion on the topic, but points to the New Zealand strategy as an excellent model. “I think the New Zealand vision can translates well to a Canadian context. It links health and sustainability with digital capacity. Think Aboriginal instead of Maori. It needs to include cultural diversity and using digital for better access to diversity. As well as broadband to all homes we need mobile infrastructure.”

New Zealand Digital Media Framework

I asked Dr. Diamond how both she and OCAD students can be part of the discussion to ensure Canada can not only compete, but also lead the world, in today’s new digital economy, and she explained that she is involved in various dialogues that are developing strategy as well as Canada 3.0. Dr. Diamond is working on a strategy dialogue for the Banff Television and NextMedia Festival in June that will look at the strategy from the perspective of cultural producers. She also encouraged students to send their ideas to her directly.

Then, Dr. Diamond asked, “What about the possibility of OCAD having a forum on Canada’s Digital Strategy? Do you think students would be interested?” I would say yes.

President Diamond will be attending the main event, Canada 3.0 Forum May 10 and 11, 2010 in Stratford, Ontario to play a key part in shaping Canada’s digital media strategy. Canada 3.0 is a chance to influence our national digital media action plan and ensure Canada can not only compete, but also lead the world in today’s new digital economy.

Video of OCAD President Sara Diamond on Why to Attend Canada 3.0

Photos from Canada 3.0 Interactions - By Jonah Hu

Justin Apperley

Lindsay Denise

Eric Williams

Hayden Thomas

Awolla Bloseneed

Elise Victoria Louise Windsor

Bartosz Gawdzik

Jimmy Brannen

Irina Luca

Marloyarlo

NOURELBAWAB

By NATASHA GOUVEIA