Athletic Centre

'Incredible gratitude': ��˾��ֱ�� grad on his journey from spinal cord injury to convocation

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 15:15:50 +0000

'Incredible gratitude': ��˾��ֱ�� grad on his journey from spinal cord injury to convocation

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 06/04/2024 - 11:15

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Six years on from sustaining a life-altering injury, Beau Hayward is graduating with an honours bachelor of arts degree – and looking forward to beginning his master's at ��˾��ֱ�� in the fall (photo by Matthew Volpe)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2024

Facilities and Services

Accessibility

Athletic Centre

Faculty of Arts & Science

KPE

Woodsworth College

Subheadline

"My time at the university has been completely intertwined with my recovery, and what I’ve learned is that it really wasn’t as much about regaining anything as it was about building something completely new."

In the summer of 2018, Beau Hayward dived off the dock of a friend’s cottage in Sudbury, Ont., and unexpectedly struck the bottom. Face down in the water and unable to turn over, he was luckily found by a friend who was able to revive him on shore.

Beau Hayward (photo by Matthew Volpe)

But the accident changed Hayward's life. He sustained a spinal cord injury that caused him to become an incomplete quadriplegic, which means he has limited function in his upper body.

A period of profound adjustment followed that involved tirelessly working towards regaining his independence and developing a mindset to focus on what was truly important and worthy of his time and energy – which, he decided, was studying history and archaeology at the University of Toronto.

Hayward is graduating this spring with an honours bachelor of arts degree as a member of Woodsworth College. He spoke to Faculty of Arts & Science writer Sean McNeely about his experiences at ��˾��ֱ�� and pursuing what he loved:

What did you enjoy most about the history and archaeology programs?

When I began, my interest in history was very broad, albeit somewhat focused on North American and European history. The way the undergrad program is designed, you’re exposed to historical research from across the world, but there was always something about American history that held a grip on me.

The professors and TAs made all the difference throughout my undergraduate degree. I had the opportunity to take several courses taught by Assistant Professor Max Mishler who has been an inspiration and supported me throughout the past four years.

The archaeology undergraduate major is an incredible program that has so many avenues for growth. There are field schools around the world, field schools in Toronto, and opportunities to get hands-on experience inside laboratories at the university. As a student with a physical disability, there are a lot of challenges in pursuing archaeological research, but that never stopped my ��˾��ֱ�� professors and TAs who always worked with me to make sure that I was getting the most out of my experience.

Professor Michael Chazan and Hilary Duke, a postdoctoral fellow, worked with me to build my experience working with archaeological materials in the lab – that was a highlight of my university experience.

Throughout my undergrad, I’ve had the opportunity to take several courses with Hilary Duke focusing on stone tools. From early on, I felt an attachment to these artifacts. There is something special about them; they are such a tremendous part of human history and can tell us so much.

Can you share your experiences with accessibility at ��˾��ֱ��?

When I decided to go to ��˾��ֱ��, some friends were concerned that an old university would not be accessible. As it turns out, it’s incredibly accessible. Over my four years, I can think of only two instances where classrooms proved difficult for accessibility, and those issues were resolved quickly.

Additionally, the Office of Facilities & Services has a deep commitment to accessibility. I had the pleasure of providing consultations for upcoming construction projects involving accessibility.

Outside of the physical aspects of accessibility on campus, I’ve had incredible support from the university’s Accessibility Services team. Michelle Morgani has been my accessibility adviser since the beginning at Woodsworth and has been critical in my success at the university.

Everything from accommodated formats for research materials to accommodated testing services made my experience as a student with a disability seamless.

Looking back, what advice would you give your first-year self?

Spinal cord injuries take everything from you, and the journey of recovery is about regaining as much as possible. My time at the university has been completely intertwined with my recovery, and what I’ve learned is that it really wasn’t as much about regaining anything [as] it was about building something completely new.

My advice to my first-year self would be to trust the process and enjoy every minute because it really does fly by.

What have been some of your most memorable experiences at ��˾��ֱ��?

As I reflect on the past five years, I cannot help but feel incredible gratitude towards the massive group of people who have helped me along the way.

I will be forever grateful for all the students and staff who work at the Athletic Centre. With their incredible support, I have been able to regain so much physical strength that has shaped my independence.

I also had the pleasure of working on the [Faculty of] Kinesiology & Physical Education’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging team and developed a few programs for students with disabilities. These programs were both big and small, and created some incredible experiences that I will cherish.

What’s next for you after graduation?

I will be beginning my master’s in history [at ��˾��ֱ��] this September which I’m thrilled about. My research will be focused on the United States. I’ll be researching early 20th-century labour history, with my project specifically focused on Appalachia.

What would you say to someone considering ��˾��ֱ�� and Woodsworth College?

The staff and faculty at Woodsworth College are incredible. They are committed to their students’ success. The Academic Bridging Program was my ticket into the university and to a new life. It sounds dramatic, but it’s absolutely true. I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic the community at the college really is.

Not only are the staff and faculty members amazing and driven to provide every opportunity for success, but there is tremendous peer support and community at Woodsworth. To someone considering ��˾��ֱ��, and especially the Academic Bridging Program at Woodsworth College, there is a life-changing opportunity available here. Don’t let it pass you by.

Pianos, exercise bikes and more: Inside the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education research labs

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 15:29:56 +0000

Pianos, exercise bikes and more: Inside the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education research labs

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 12/08/2022 - 10:29

Cutline

Julia Tom is a professional cellist and a doctoral student of the TEMPO lab, exploring fine motor skills and ways to enhance them (photo by Dewey Chang)

Topic

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Goldring Centre

Research & Innovation

Sport

A shiny black piano may not be the kind of instrument visitors would expect to find in a research lab at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) but that is exactly what they would discover – along with a transcranial direct current stimulation device and an exercise bike.

The faculty's Training and Enhancing Motor Performance Outcomes (TEMPO) lab is is where Joyce Chen, assistant professor of motor learning, and her team of graduate students study how factors such as aerobic exercise, non-invasive brain stimulation – and music – can enhance a person’s ability to learn motor skills, from putting the golf ball to using their upper limbs again after a stroke.

“My research aims to discover the limits of the brain’s plasticity, its ability to change as we learn,” says Chen. “Using fundamental and applied research approaches, we want to understand how far we can push motor performance in a musician or athlete, and find ways to enhance the brain's plasticity so that people with stroke can improve their capacity to move.”

Chen’s lab was one of many on display during a recent KPE lab tour organized by the faculty to showcase some of the new and renovated research spaces at the Warren Stevens Building (Athletic Centre) and the Goldring Centre for High Performance on the St. George campus, which house most of KPE’s research units, labs and centres.

A student in the Biomechanics of Orthopedics and Sport Medicine lab simulates a move that puts stress on the hips (photo by Dewey Chang)

Located in the lower levels of the Warren Stevens building is the Biomechanics of Orthopedics and Sport Medicine lab, run by Timothy Burkhart, an assistant professor of orthopaedic biomechanics at KPE, in conjunction with the orthopedic surgeons of the University of Toronto Orthopaedic Sports Medicine group. Here, athletes simulate game moves that put stress on the hips and knees. Motion-capture technology helps generate computer models that accurately estimate the forces on the hips and knees – a non-invasive way to retrieve data that used to require intramuscular probes. And a markerless motion-tracking system videotapes the athletes doing exactly what they would do in their natural environment, for example, playing a game of basketball on a court.

“The combination of the two techniques – capturing force and movement data in the lab and analyzing videotape of the players on court – produces an unprecedentedly granular level of analysis,” says Burkhart. “What we learn can help both athletes and the everyday healthy population that’s relatively active with injury prevention and rehabilitation.”

A study from Jacobs' lab looks at the performance enhancement effects of blood flow restriction of the limbs before commencing exercise aka ischemic pre-conditioning (photo by Ira Jacobs)

Just down the hall from Burkhart’s lab is the Human Physiology Lab where Ira Jacobs, professor of exercise physiology at KPE, and his team of graduate students are exploring therapeutic interventions, as well as training and physical activity recommendations for people across the human spectrum.

On one side of that spectrum are children with chronic disease. Jacobs and his team are studying the interaction between physical activity, nutrition, physiological function and disease severity in children with chronic disease with the overall goal of rapidly translating their research findings into patient care with new, disease-specific therapeutic interventions.

The lab’s high performance sport research program is designed to investigate the other end of the human condition.

“More specifically, we perform investigations on how the human body works at the limits of its capabilities and how we can push these limits using recovery strategies, nutritional supplementation, programming and testing,” says Jacobs, who is also interim director of the recently founded Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport (TISS). "These limits can be related to elite sport training and performance or to human performance in extreme conditions like altitude, heat and cold.”

Shared research space on the fourth floor of the Goldring Centre (photo by Dewey Chang)

Back at the Goldring Centre, Robert Bentley, assistant professor of cardiovascular physiology, is conducting research into how the heart and blood vessels function during exercise.

“I study the mechanisms of oxygen delivery during exercise and what that means not only for performance, but also for exercise tolerance,” he says. “My research spans the health spectrum, from basic science investigations in healthy populations to clinical investigations of patients with heart failure and pulmonary hypertension.”

One of the machines Bentley uses in his research is the stress echocardiography tilt-recline table ergometer, a specialized bicycle that allows study participants to exercise while the researchers manipulate them by tilting or reclining the bicycle as needed to obtain optimal images of the heart.

“This piece of equipment allows for cardiac imaging to be completed during exercise, which is pretty exceptional,” he says. “If you do not have this special bicycle, individuals often have to exercise on a treadmill or upright bicycle until some criteria is met and then quickly transition themselves onto a table upon which images of the heart can be obtained.”

Bentley’s Cardiovascular Exercise Physiology lab is housed on the fourth floor of the Goldring Centre, which has been significantly expanded in the recent renovation to provide individual labs and shared research space for a number of faculty.

A stress echocardiography tilt-recline table ergometer allows study participants to exercise while researchers tilt or recline the bicycle as needed to obtain optimal images of the heart (photo by Dewey Chang)

The Kirkham lab, led by Amy Kirkham, assistant professor of clinical cardiovascular health, uses advanced imaging and lifestyle interventions to understand, treat and improve the health of women with cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Michael Hutchison, associate professor of sport concussion and director of the concussion program at the MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, specializes in sport-related concussion research in various populations, from adolescents to professional athletes.

Daniel Moore, associate professor of muscle physiology, studies the influence of exercise and nutrition on skeletal muscle remodeling and protein metabolism, while Jenna Gillen, assistant professor of exercise physiology, conducts research into how exercise and nutrition can alter carbohydrate and fat metabolism in humans.

Dean Gretchen Kerr, Assistant Professors Robert Bentley and Jenna Gillen, and Professor Ira Jacobs were on hand to cut the ribbon at the official unveiling of new and renovated research space at KPE (picture by Dewey Chang)

“We have so many great spaces now available to do in person research, including an exercise training suite for exercise interventions or training studies and an expanded wet lab that lets us look, on a cellular and molecular level, at how exercise - on its own or in combination with nutrition - influences aspects of metabolic health and physiology,” says Gillen.

A new, more spacious metabolic kitchen is also now available for careful preparation of diets and nutrition interventions for study participants, while blood samples and muscle biopsies are collected for analysis in the procedures room.

“With over 20 research labs housed under KPE, our experts are able to do cutting-edge research in various areas related to physical activity, health and their interactions,” says Professor Tim Welsh. The interim associate dean of research at KPE, Welsh is also head of the Action and Attention lab and studies the cognitive and neural mechanisms behind goal-directed actions of people from average and special populations.

“This tour offered a snapshot of some of the important and far-reaching work that gets done.”

Seven ways to connect with campus life at ��˾��ֱ��

mattimar — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 18:41:07 +0000

Seven ways to connect with campus life at ��˾��ֱ��

mattimar Mon, 08/29/2022 - 14:41

Cutline

Students explore the Highland Creek Valley at University of Toronto Scarborough (photo by Matthew Dochstader)

Topic

Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre

��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga

��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough

This year’s back-to-school season promises to be bigger than ever at the University of Toronto.

With many upper-year students returning to campus in earnest after two years of virtual and hybrid classes, tens of thousands of students will be looking for ways to connect – or reconnect – with campus life.

So, whether you’re a first-year student or a returning student coming to campus for the first time this fall, here are a few suggestions on where to make friends and find your community – a key part of the ��˾��ֱ�� experience.

Get connected at Hart House

A hub of activity at ��˾��ֱ��, Hart House is a picturesque space with an almost Hogwarts feel. Beyond the eye-catching architecture, there’s an art museum with year-round programming, a theatre, fitness centre, pool, basketball court and running track – and places to grab lunch.

Students can find a wide variety of speaker events focused on arts and culture, literature, and wellness, as well as a plethora of clubs for those interested in everything from archery and scuba diving to jazz music and film.

On Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Hart House is hosting Xplore Hart House, an orientation and open house featuring free food, music, games and activities and more.

Hart House is located south of Hoskins Avenue, between Queen’s Park Crescent and Tower Road. There is elevator access to all floors of Hart House and accessible washrooms on the main floor outside of the Great Hall and in the Hart House Theatre lobby. There are two accessible entrances and exits on Tower Road and on Hart House Circle.

(photo courtesy of Hart House)

Catch up with friends at Innis Café

Before the cold weather arrives, grab a bite to eat at Innis Café and enjoy the rooftop terrace with a friend. A beloved institution among ��˾��ֱ�� students, Innis Café is located at 2 Sussex Avenue on the St. George campus. The café and bathrooms are accessible.

Long-time café owner Gunash Agar along with her husband and son make everything from scratch. Students can find a selection of daily breakfast and lunch specials, with vegetarian, vegan and halal options.

Get fit with your friends on the three campuses

��˾��ֱ�� students looking to stay active or participate in intramural sports have plenty of options across the three campuses.

At ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, the Recreation, Athletics & Wellness Centre has two gymnasiums, three squash courts, an indoor track, swimming pool, dance studio, weightlifting room, soccer fields, facilities to play tennis and beach volleyball – and more. Located on Outer Circle Road, the fitness centre features group fitness classes as well as women’s-only programs. The indoor running track at the centre is accessible by an elevator. At the swimming pool, there is a lift that can be accessed from the whirlpool or the pool for individuals who may be mobility impaired. The change rooms are accessible.

Students at ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough have access to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, which is co-owned by ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough and the City of Toronto. It features a fitness and aquatic centre as well as a field house and climbing wall. There is a variety of drop-in programs, including badminton, basketball, table tennis and pickle ball. The centre meets the highest provincial accessibility standards with two accessible change rooms, oversized elevators, wide routes, powered door openers, as well as enhanced seating and tethering areas for service animals in all aquatic halls and the field house. The training pool has a moveable floor to accommodate various water depths and mobility levels.

(photo by Matthew Dochstader)

On the St. George campus, the Athletic Centre is home to seven gyms, three pools, a strength and conditioning centre, indoor track, field house, dance studio, cardio machines, tennis and squash courts, steam room, among other facilities. Some gyms at the Athletic Centre – located at the intersection of Spadina Avenue and Harbord Street – are accessible, including the strength and conditioning centre, sports gym, field house court and track lane, and dance studio. The Varsity and Benson pools are also accessible.

Students on St. George can also use the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, home to the ��˾��ֱ�� Varsity Blues basketball and volleyball teams. The facility, completed in 2014, features a strength and conditioning centre, fitness studio, sport medicine clinic, research and teaching laboratories.

Membership to all facilities is paid through a students' incidental fees and can be accessed using a TCard.

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Be part of the ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough student hub at Highland Hall

Highland Hall is a central location on the ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough campus that is home to hundreds of study and hangout spaces, the social sciences departments, a recently opened café, the registrar’s office, exam and conference centre, admissions and student recruitment office, the international student centre and much more.

The space – located on Military Trail – also features the Hub, ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough’s entrepreneurship incubator. Students are welcome to work in the Hub to create and launch new business start-ups.

A cool feature of the building is the two large north and south-facing windows that depict maps of Scarborough in the 1960s and in the 2000s. The building has an accessible entrance and exit as well as an elevator indoors.

The ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough campus is surrounded by beautiful green space and several walking and running trails. The Valley Land Trail provides an accessible link for students and the community to the Highland Creek Valley. The 500-metre-long trail features charging stations for motorized accessibility devices, multiple raised lookout points with accessible seating and LED lights built in for evening strolls. It’s a great way for students to connect with the campus, each other and the city of Toronto.

(photo by Matthew Dochstader)

Start a study group at Robarts Common

An airy new addition to Robarts Library on the St. George campus, Robarts Common is a five-storey study and meeting space for ��˾��ֱ�� students.

The multi-year renovations resulted in 1,200 new study spots, soundproof rooms with big screens to practice presentations and charging stations everywhere.

There are also accessibility features for individuals with hearing loss, epilepsy, and those with autism spectrum disorder. The study rooms have dimmable lights, the walkways are wider in width and there are automatic curtains to block natural light to help with sensory output. There is a mix of fabric and non-fabric chairs as well as carpet to keep noise to a minimum. There are different heights and configurations for working stations, too.

The Fourth Floor Heritage Room is another revamped area of the library that’s newly opened for the fall semester. The space is an accessible and accommodating study area with features to give students a balance between wellness and education, including standing and sitting desks, lounge seating, acoustic panels to improve sound quality and two SAD lamp therapy lounges.

(photo courtesy of ��˾��ֱ�� Libraries)

Gather at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga’s Meeting Place

The Meeting Place – inside the William G. Davis Building at ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga – is a great place for students to grab a coffee or tea, catch up with a friend or form a study group.

The Meeting Place received a recent makeover with a redesign of the food services area, student services plaza, a new entrance to the building and more seating indoors and outdoors. Located on Inner Circle Road, there is an accessible entrance and exit into William G. David Building, as well as an elevator.

Other services inside the building include a bookstore, an accessibility resource centre, conference and events services, a career centre and health services.

Socialize at the new Student Commons space

Student Commons is a new space on the St. George campus for students to study, meet and socialize. It will host its grand opening on Sept. 6 from 12 to 4 p.m. There will be food, movies and a disco party to celebrate the new space, which is run by the ��˾��ֱ�� Students’ Union.

There are several meeting rooms and study areas with Wi-Fi throughout the building. Programs such as bike repair, a food bank, club spaces, events spaces are available. The prayer room, which includes two ablution spaces and smudging rooms, is undergoing construction and will be ready by the end of the year.

There are two accessible entrances and exits to the building – one is on Huron Street on the west side of the building and the other is on the east side facing the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences. There is an elevator located at the centre of the building that runs from the basement to the 5^th floor and barrier-free washrooms on all levels.

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For more information on accessibility services, each ��˾��ֱ�� campus has a dedicated Accessibility Services office that helps students navigate the university based on their needs.

10 things you need to know about the fall semester at ��˾��ֱ��

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 20:24:21 +0000

10 things you need to know about the fall semester at ��˾��ֱ��

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 09/10/2020 - 16:24

Cutline

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Back to School 2020

Gerstein Science Information Centre

Undergraduate Students

As students, faculty, staff and librarians return to the University of Toronto for the fall semester, they’ll discover much that is new – about their physical environment, learning experience and the way they engage with campus services and activities.

In response to the ongoing pandemic, ��˾��ֱ�� has implemented an array of new measures, protocols and procedures that aim to deliver a vibrant, world-class educational experience while keeping students, staff, faculty and librarians safe and healthy.

From how to grab a bite to eat to when to wear a face mask, here are 10 things you need to know about the fall semester at ��˾��ֱ��:

Remote learning and working

(photo by PeopleImages via Getty Images)

��˾��ֱ�� is offering a mix of remote and in-person classes this fall in an effort to provide an enriching learning experience while protecting the health and safety of students, staff, faculty and librarians.

More than 90 per cent of undergraduate courses now offer a remote option. The shift was planned meticulously over the summer months, with more than 100 educational technologists working closely with faculty and staff to ensure that thousands of fall courses offer a high-quality virtual experience.

At the same time, activities that require an on-campus presence – including research, lab work, group projects and certain seminars and lectures – will be carried out in-person in physically distanced environments. The blended approach recognizes that some instruction is best delivered in person and that some students may be better equipped to participate in remote learning than others because of access to technology or living arrangements. The university has also prioritized the re-opening of libraries on all three campuses to ensure that students have access to computers, internet and related services such as printing and scanning.

University staff, too, will continue to work remotely wherever possible to help promote physical distancing and contribute to ��˾��ֱ��’s wider effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Mask policy

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Students, faculty, staff, librarians and visitors to all three ��˾��ֱ�� campuses are asked to wear a non-medical face mask – or other face covering such as a scarf, bandana or balaclava – in all indoor common-use spaces. The university’s mask policy takes its cue from similar rules implemented by the City of Toronto and City of Mississauga.

To help support community members, ��˾��ֱ�� is distributing two masks each to all students, staff, faculty and librarians. Details on where to pick up your mask can be found at ��˾��ֱ��’s UTogether site. Signage reminding members of the university community to wear masks will be found on locations across the three campuses.

Physical distancing in classrooms and buildings

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

From lobbies, elevators and stairwells to classrooms, labs and lounge areas, ��˾��ֱ��’s indoor spaces have been carefully mapped and equipped with aids to promote adequate physical distancing of at least two metres – in keeping with public health guidelines.

While many courses will be delivered virtually, some will continue to be delivered in-person and the classrooms in question have had seats removed or blocked off to ensure physical distancing among students and between students and their lecturers, professors and teaching assistants.

Lobbies and stairwells have also been marked with signage to direct foot traffic, while elevators and common areas are subject to capacity limits.

Kiosks and offices where various university services are offered will be fitted with shields to ensure distancing between staff and their clients, while gym equipment at the Athletic Centre will be spaced a generous four metres apart for added safety in that environment.

Online COVID-19 self-assessment

Beginning Sept. 8, students, staff, faculty and librarians can utilize an online self-assessment tool to help them make informed decisions about going to campus during the pandemic.

The UCheck tool guides users through a series of questions, including whether you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, have travelled abroad or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The tool can be accessed by using a UTORid and takes only a few minutes to complete.

Upon completing the self-assessment, users either receive a green notification indicating that they are OK to visit campus, or a red notification signaling that they should not go to campus as well as information about who they should contact and links to further information.

Members of the ��˾��ֱ�� community are strongly encouraged to complete a self-assessment on a regular basis – for most students, staff, faculty and librarians, that means every time you visit campus. Students living in residence and others who regularly spend time on campus should complete the assessment daily. It’s recommended that you check your status every five days, even if you are not visiting campus.

A focus on cleaning and hygiene

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Classrooms and libraries will be cleaned at least five times a week, while high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs and elevator buttons will be disinfected twice a day. Staff are using a special, chlorine-based cleaning solution approved for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Hand hygiene is a crucial part of the fight against COVID-19, which is why the university installed thousands of touchless hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipe dispensers across the three campuses and added paper towel dispensers in washrooms.

Staff have also inspected ventilation equipment in all buildings and have made upgrades where possible to mitigate the spread of the virus in indoor spaces.

Time for takeout

(photos by Jackie Shapiro/Ancillary Services ��˾��ֱ��)

Menus at dining locations across ��˾��ֱ�� have been redesigned to make them as takeout-friendly as possible, with food services staff working to expand the range of fresh, packaged and quick-service options.

Students on the St. George and ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough campuses can now use a mobile app to order their food so that they don’t have wait in line. Students can order both a la carte and customized dishes using the app.

At ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, cutlery will be wrapped for protection, condiment stations will offer single-use condiment packets, while milk and milk alternatives will be handled only by staff behind the counter. ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga is also introducing a new service called Sally, which lets you create fresh, customized salads through a vending machine.

Vending machines across campus have also been restocked to offer hot and cold snacks and drinks.

Large seating areas at cafeterias and restaurants around campus will be reconfigured to encourage physical distancing, while outdoor seating areas could be set up, weather-permitting.

Libraries and bookstores

(photo by Mai Lu)

The Robarts and Gerstein libraries on the St. George campus will reopen their doors, with floors one to five on Robarts and the main floor on Gerstein available to students looking for a quiet place to study. Furniture in study areas will be spaced or blocked off to facilitate physical distancing.

The main floor at the ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga library will reopen and the third floor may be reopened for study purposes depending on need. Two floors of the ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough library will also reopen to offer study areas for the fall semester.

Students will have access to all electronic resources available through the library’s catalogue, including e-books, online journal article databases, primary source databases and streaming videos. Access is also provided to 2.5 million books and other references through the online repository, HathiTrust.

Even library books will not be exempt from quarantine requirements, with libraries at all three ��˾��ֱ�� campuses set to quarantine all books that are physically borrowed for at least three days after they are returned.

As for bookstores, the St. George and Scarborough locations remain open with new safety and physical distancing protocols, while the Mississauga bookstore reopened on Sept. 1.

All customers will be asked if they have COVID-19 symptoms and must practise physical distancing and follow the one-way direction signs through the store. The number of customers in the store at any given time will be limited and all staff and customers will be required to wear masks. Plexiglass protective shields will create physical separation between customers and staff at payment stations.

Cash payments will not be accepted. Check the bookstore website for updates.

Residences and quarantine accommodations

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Living in residence is a special and memorable part of the university experience, which is why ��˾��ֱ�� residence staff have worked hard to ensure that residence life remains vibrant, enjoyable and safe amid the new health and safety measures necessitated by the pandemic.

Physical distancing and occupancy limits will be observed throughout the fall, with no more than one student assigned to a room. Exceptions may only be made for siblings or students with specific medical concerns that require accommodation.

As is the case elsewhere on campus, residence buildings will see more frequent cleaning and disinfecting, added hand sanitizer stations and Plexiglas shields at kiosks and counters where student services are provided. Move-in days are being staggered over multiple days to reduce crowding.

The university will also provide access to quarantine spaces for students who won’t be living in residence but need a place to quarantine as per government regulations. International students are asked to contact their registrars to obtain a letter of support and ensure they have confirmation of their enrolment before finalizing travel plans.

Athletics

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OUR DOORS OPEN SEPTEMBER 8 and we are excited to see you again! ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Here is what to expect when you visit the Athletic Centre this Fall. ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Registration begins tomorrow! ⁣

A post shared by ��˾��ֱ�� Sport & Rec (@uoftsportandrec) on Sep 2, 2020 at 8:28am PDT

Gyms and sports facilities at all three campuses will reopen in September with new health and safety measures, which include users having to book a time slot for their workout – a policy that helps control the number of people in the gym at any given time – and wear masks in the building, except during physical activity.

Students looking to lift weights at the Athletic Centre on the St. George campus will notice that equipment is spaced four metres apart, with weights and machines moved to the spacious field house. The Olympic-sized swimming pool will reopen with reduced occupancy.

At ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, students can sign up for one-on-one consultations with a trainer over Zoom as well as a six-week running program called RunUTM. Outdoor sports fields and courts are scheduled to reopen for use in September with new health and safety protocols.

Students at ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough can access exercise facilities at the Pan Am Sports Centre. As is the case at other ��˾��ֱ�� gyms, students must book an appointment and wear a mask while in the building.

All Varsity and tri-campus competitions are suspended for the semester, but an array of mainly outdoor intramural sports are available to students. An e-sports league, which proved a huge hit with students over the summer, will return in the fall, with students able to showcase their e-sports skills in games including NBA 2K20, FIFA 20, NHL 20 and Madden NFL 20.

TCards

Students, faculty, staff and librarians on the St. George campus who require new or replacement TCards to access buildings, labs, meal plans and other services can book an appointment via CLNx to obtain their TCard.

New students are asked to submit a photo via MyPhoto. Once a photo is approved, students can set up a remote or in-person appointment via CLNx. Students who live in residence will be provided with their TCards in residence after they have had their photo approved via MyPhoto.

The ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough TCard office will issue TCards if they are required for use in the fall semester. Students, faculty and staff can request this service by emailing tacrdoffice@utsc.utoronto.ca Student Housing and Residence Life will arrange distribution of TCards to students who live in residence.

The ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga TCard Office will issue or replace TCards on an as-needed basis for building access, meal plans and other essential services. Anyone requiring a new or replacement TCard is asked to open a ticket at the I&ITS Service Portal (log in with UTORid).

Go for a swim, then hit the books? How key ��˾��ֱ�� services will operate this fall

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:49:40 +0000

Go for a swim, then hit the books? How key ��˾��ֱ�� services will operate this fall

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/14/2020 - 13:49

Cutline

The Olympic-sized pool at ��˾��ֱ��'s Athletic Centre, closed since the spring, will be reopening with reduced occupancy (photo by Thomas Bollman/Seed9)

Topic

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Hart House

Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre

��˾��ֱ�� Libraries

��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga

��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough

With the province entering stage three of its reopening plan, many University of Toronto services and resources – from libraries and athletic facilities to food services – will also be resuming more normal operations this fall, albeit with key COVID-19 precautions in place.

In many cases, the university has introduced digital alternatives to traditional programs or services so that students can take advantage of campus resources remotely with the click of a button.

It has also taken steps to alter the physical environment of buildings to promote distancing, manage traffic flow and remind people to wear masks indoors in common areas.

In all cases, ��˾��ֱ�� will meet or exceed current health guidelines surrounding COVID-19 in an effort to keep students, faculty, staff and librarians safe and informed on all three campuses.

Here’s a closer look at how some important ��˾��ֱ�� services and resources will operate this fall.

Sport and Recreation

��˾��ֱ�� Sport and Recreation has partnered with Hart House to offer group fitness classes on the back campus, from high-intensity interval training to yoga and dance (photo by Arnold Lan)

The Athletic Centre and Hart House gyms on the St. George campus will reopen by the start of the fall semester with safety measures that meet or exceed public health standards.

At the Athletic Centre, gym equipment will be spaced four metres apart instead of the required two metre-distance. Weights and machines will be moved to the field house to provide more room for distancing during exercise. Masks will need to be worn on the way in and out of the building but are not required during physical activity.

Gyms across the three campuses, like those elsewhere in the city, will require users to book a time slot for their workout.

The Olympic-sized pool in the Athletic Centre, which has been closed since the spring, will reopen with reduced occupancy.

Varsity and ��˾��ֱ�� tri-campus competitions are suspended for the semester, but students can still compete in a range of mainly outdoor intramural sports, including badminton, spike ball, table tennis and dodgeball.

“We’re looking for ways to enhance the feeling of community spirit on campus and enhance the student experience while being safe,” says Beth Ali, ��˾��ֱ��’s executive director, co-curricular athletics and physical activity programs.

An e-sports league, which proved popular with students after it was introduced this summer, will return in the fall. Students can challenge each other in NBA 2K20, FIFA 20, NHL 20 and Madden NFL 20.

��˾��ֱ�� Sport and Recreation has partnered with Hart House to offer group fitness classes on the back campus starting in August, from high-intensity interval training to yoga and dance.

The Hart House Fitness Centre is planning to reopen with new safety measures in time for back to school. Pending final approvals, the centre will move to a booking system and, to facilitate physical distancing, a new entry through the north laneway. During the phased-in approach, online fitness programming will continue seven days per week, with some live broadcast classes.

“Essentially we will be focusing on fitness classes outdoors – and indoors there will be a process in place for people to use cardio, Nautilus and free weights,” says Michelle Brownrigg, senior director and chief program officer for Hart House.

The Hart House pool will not reopen in time for back to school in September but is expected to reopen later in the term.

��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, meanwhile, is emphasizing online and outdoor fitness activities for students as part of its safe and gradual return. That includes one-on-one consultations with a trainer over Zoom and a six-week progressive running program called RunUTM, with weekly group discussions and check-ins. Outdoor facilities – fields, tennis courts and beach volleyball courts – are expected to be open for use in September with health and safety protocols in place.

“We're working to meet the challenges of providing adaptable fitness to our students,” says Andrea Carter, ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga’s assistant dean, student wellness, support and success.

“It's important to stay active during this time, and we are hopeful that the online programming with a personal touch helps students remain engaged and look forward to outdoor activities on our fields in September.”

At ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough, students can exercise at the Pan Am Sports Centre while following certain precautions. Like at other ��˾��ֱ�� gyms, they are expected to book an appointment and wear a mask in the building. The fitness centre, training pool and climbing wall are open.

Libraries

��˾��ֱ�� students continue to have access to all electronic resources available through the library’s catalogue, including e-books, online journal article databases, primary source databases and streaming videos.

Students at ��˾��ֱ�� will also have remote access to 2.5 million books and other references through the online repository, HathiTrust. If an item isn’t available through Hathi, students, staff or faculty can make a request for curbside pick-up at Robarts Library, the ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga library or ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough library. (��˾��ֱ�� Libraries expects to expand curbside service to other libraries on campus, too. Please check individual library websites for updated information.)

Libraries across the three campuses will also quarantine books that are physically loaned out for at least three days after they are returned.

On the St. George campus, the Robarts and Gerstein libraries will reopen their doors, although the stacks will remain off limits. At Robarts, floors one to five will be open to students looking for a quiet place to study, as will Gerstein’s main floor. Furniture in study spaces will be spaced out or taped off to facilitate physical distancing. Those who need research support can reach out via the Ask Chat with a librarian service, request a virtual consultation with a librarian or take a workshop.

Students will continue to have access to library equipment such as computers, scanners and printers. They will also be able to log into a library computer remotely to use specialized software, including data analysis and design tools.

While the family study space in Robarts will remain closed, ��˾��ֱ�� librarians are reading from their favourite picture books in an online story time for kids ages three to eight. Look for the next session on the library’s workshop page.

Libraries across the three campuses will quarantine books that are physically loaned out for at least three days after they are returned (photo by Jesse Carliner)

At ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, the library’s main floor will reopen and computers, Wi-Fi and printers will be available for use. Library staff may open the third floor for study use if there’s a need for more space.

Shelley Hawrychuk, ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga’s chief librarian, says librarians are ready and available to help students online if they need advice on research or citations.

“Most of the services we offer students are available in some shape or form online,” she says. “I encourage them to take advantage of these services and seek out a librarian if they need help because that’s what we’re here for.”

The ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough Library will reopen in the fall semester as a study space. Curbside pick-up is available while the stacks are closed. Two floors of the library will be open for physically distanced studying. Study rooms for small groups will be limited to individual use while the larger rooms will be reserved for three people.

Liaison librarians will continue to provide course support and provide online research consultations to students upon request. The Makerspace, with access to 3D printers, Arduino and Adobe Creative suite programs, will be closed, but, in the meantime, the library is offering online workshops and orientations to help students learn how to use the tools available in the facility.

Furniture in library study spaces will be spaced out or taped off to facilitate physical distancing (photo by Jesse Carliner)

Angela Hamilton, ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough’s chief librarian, says the library will host drop-in sessions as a replacement for the reference desk to give students an opportunity to talk with staff about their assignment or research needs.

“We are also looking to collaborate with librarians across the tri-campus to offer co-curricular workshops to hone essential research skills.”

Food

At a time when take-out meals are in particularly high-demand, ��˾��ֱ�� chefs have put their minds together to create a wide-ranging menu of dishes that students can grab on the go.

“The chefs have been planning menus around trying to make as many different options available for take-out as possible,” says Anne Macdonald, assistant vice-president of ancillary services.

“We’ve increased the amount of packaged and quick-service options that are made fresh every day.”

To minimize line-ups, ��˾��ֱ�� is rolling out a mobile app so students on the St. George and ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough campuses can order and pay for their food in advance. The app’s official launch is planned for the same week as students move into their dorms.

Using the app, students can order burgers à la carte or build their own with local ingredients such as Ontario smoked bacon and cheddar (a veggie option is available, too, with portobello mushroom, goat cheese and red pepper jelly). Other dishes include chicken burrito bowls, fajitas, the “not-so-classic” cobb salad and ramen.

Bacon cheddar burger, burrito bowl, deli sandwiches and pork ramen (photos by Jackie Shapiro/Ancillary Services)

Across all three campuses, larger seating areas will be reconfigured for physically distanced eating. The university is also exploring the use of greenspace for outdoor dining.

“We will certainly encourage people to eat outside while the weather is good,” Macdonald says.

At New College, for example, ��˾��ֱ�� staff are discussing the possibility of putting furniture in the courtyard next to the dining hall so students can eat al fresco.

At ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, diners this fall will find food services in the Davis Building and Oscar Peterson Hall. Both dining spaces have been rearranged to offer physically distanced seating.

In Oscar Peterson Hall, Colman Commons stations are open for take-out or dining in. Seasonal Chef’s Table specials include surf ‘n’ turf steak and lobster dinner and international cuisine.

In the Davis Building, the Meeting Place stocks grab-n-go sandwiches, salads and cold drinks, along with fair trade coffees and teas and a daily hot lunch special. In early September, there are plans to debut “Sally,” a new vending machine offering customized salads at the touch of a button. Temperature controls and daily replenishment of ingredients by kitchen staff means a fresh and tasty salad will be available any time of day.

Vending machine across the campus have been restocked to offer hot and cold drinks and snacks.

Hospitality & Retail Services has also opened a satellite office in the Meeting Place where staff are available to offer support services Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the newly renovated section of the building.

The making of a champion: ��˾��ֱ��'s Kylie Masse sets her sights on Tokyo 2020

geoff.vendeville — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 14:16:30 +0000

The making of a champion: ��˾��ֱ��'s Kylie Masse sets her sights on Tokyo 2020

geoff.vendeville Tue, 09/10/2019 - 10:16

Cutline

Kylie Masse came to ��˾��ֱ�� ranked 201st in the 100-metre backstroke, now her best event, and went on to clinch an Olympic bronze medal and set a world record with consistency that's "beyond compare" (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Topic

Our Community

Athletic Centre

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Undergraduate Students

Varsity

Wearing tinted goggles, a black Speedo suit and faux pearl earrings, Kylie Masse takes her starting position on the block as cheers echo throughout the University of Toronto’s cavernous Athletic Centre.

Three, two, one. Masse moves reflexively, like a machine getting into gear. She dives, resurfaces and surges forward into her lane for the 200-metre butterfly. “TORONTO” is spelled out in block letters under the pool’s surface.

Having reached her fifth and final year of varsity eligibility this past season, the home meet against Western University earlier this year would be one of Masse’s last at the university. Over that period, Masse went from relative obscurity to winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and capturing a world record in the 100-metre backstroke.

“Winning the bronze, I never thought that was even possible,” Masse tells ��˾��ֱ�� News. “I never imagined myself on the [Olympic] podium that early on in my career … It really showed me what I was capable of and how much more I could still do.”

Now, Masse has her sights on the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where she’s looking to reach the podium once again. She's already begun preparing in earnest – only this time around she’s facing the heightened expectations that come with being a veteran of the sport. If that weren't enough, she’s also wrapping up her ��˾��ֱ�� degree in kinesiology, with an eye to pursuing a career in health care after graduation.

Fortunately, Masse is better suited than most to handle the pressure.

Byron MacDonald, ��˾��ֱ��’s varsity swim coach, has seen other ��˾��ֱ�� athletes reach the Olympics in his 42 years with the team. But he says Masse’s steady, low-key approach has yielded results that are rare in an unpredictable sport where the line between success and failure is measured in hundredths of a second.

“The fact that this girl gets to the top of the podium, let alone the podium, almost every single time she races – the consistency she shows is beyond compare.”

Masse’s relentless ways were on full display this summer in Gwangju, South Korea, where she defended her world title in the 100-metre backstroke – her best event – against the world’s top swimmers, including Olivia Smoliga, the American record-holder in the 50-metre backstroke, and Kathleen Baker, the Salem, N.C.-born swimmer who robbed Masse of her world record last year.

With the swimming world watching, Masse again exploded off her block and kept pace with the leaders. Only an arm’s length separated the leading swimmers as they came within touching distance to the wall. The commentator spoke in broken rhythm. “Masse in front,” he said. “Smoliga, Smoliga has responded… Smoliga, Masse, it’s going to be tight… who gets there? Masse gets there!”

Yet, despite the gutsy performance in South Korea, Masse needs no reminding of how quickly fortunes can change in swimming. And with Tokyo 2020 fast approaching, even tougher tests lie ahead. Not only does Masse now swim with a target painted on her V-shaped frame, she must increasingly cope with a new crop of hungry, young competitors looking to make a big splash on the world stage – just as Masse herself once did.

Kylie Masse (centre) poses with her gold medal at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea in July. New Zealand's Erika Jane Fairweather (left) took silver, while U.S. swimmer Olivia Smoliga captured bronze (photo by Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

Humble beginnings

Raised in LaSalle, Ont., Masse can’t remember when she first started swimming. It was probably around age three. She says she was “a little bit of a klutz” and “not exactly anyone’s prediction of an Olympian.” Although she comes from an active family, she says school was just as important.

“It was all about balance,” Masse says. “Sport was a huge thing, but so was school and there was an equal amount of hard work dedicated to both.”

From ages eight to 18, Masse swam with the Windsor Essex Swim Team. Her former coach, Andrei Semenov, says Masse didn’t have a competitive swimmer’s build when she was younger. “She was tiny, tiny, tiny,” Semenov says, adding Masse stood below many of her teammates’ shoulders.

But what Masse lacked physically, she more than made up for with leadership and attitude.

“She always swam for the team,” Semenov says, “not just for Kylie Masse.”

Prior to university, Masse ranked 201^st in the world in the 100-metre backstroke, which would later become her signature event. Though it was still early days, Masse showed enough promise in her high school years to appear on the radar of varsity scouts in both Canada and the United States.

Kylie Masse (centre) learned the fundamentals of the sport on the Windsor Essex Swim Team when she was young. “She was tiny, tiny, tiny,” says her then-coach Andrei Semenov (photo courtesy of Andrei Semenov)

Masse had already been weighing offers from several schools when MacDonald, the ��˾��ֱ�� swim coach, came calling. But between high school classes, swimming practice and recruitment trips, Masse wasn’t sure she had time for yet another campus tour. But MacDonald persisted, asking her to come and train with the team on one of the only free days in her calendar: a Thanksgiving Monday.

Joined by another swimming prospect from Quebec, Masse arrived at ��˾��ֱ�� to find a closed campus and a deserted pool – hardly ideal circumstances for a winning sales pitch. So, MacDonald improvised and invited the two swimmers to his family’s home for a turkey dinner.

“I did feel kind of bad actually,” Masse recalls, “but it was super special that he brought us to his house.”

The meeting clearly left an impression, though it probably weighed less heavily in Masse’s ultimate decision than the range of resources offered at Canada’s largest university and the school’s location – less than a day’s drive away from Masse’s hometown.

“I came here and just felt that I would be able to achieve my goals and dreams,” she recalls.

Masse’s path to the Olympic Games was far from linear. She suffered a devastating disappointment in her second year at ��˾��ֱ�� when she failed to qualify for the Pan American Games in Toronto. Masse went into the last leg of trials as the top seed, but soon lost her focus.

“I just got caught up in the race, thinking about what else was happening, or what could happen or what couldn’t happen if I didn’t make the team,” she says.

“It definitely was kind of a wake-up call and that’s been part of the journey.”

Such early setbacks can sometimes derail an athlete’s career. But Masse bounced back. Just a few months later at the 2016 International University Sports Federation (FISU) World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea, she swam the 100-metre backstroke in what was then a personal best time of 59.97 seconds, clinching the gold medal and coming in just 14 hundredths of a second off the record for that competition.

The swimming community suddenly took notice of the new 19-year-old on the block; Brittany MacLean, a Team Canada freestyle swimmer, even congratulated Masse on Twitter.

“I was so in awe that [MacLean] knew who I was or saw the result,” Masse says. “That kind of got me thinking, ‘If I keep working, maybe this could be my event.’”

Masse’s ��˾��ֱ�� varsity teammate Eli Wall says her success at those games opened people’s eyes to her potential.

“She herself and everyone else realized that she was the real deal,” he says. “I mean, she was virtually nowhere on the world stage the year before that, and she went on to win a gold medal at these big international university games.

“That gave her a lot of momentum going into Rio.”

Masse would not disappoint.

A winning bet

Masse had more on the line than just a medal in Brazil. She and her coaches made a deal after she had reached the final: If she could top MacDonald’s sixth-place finish at the 1972 Games in Munich, she would get a pair of tickets to see hip-hop superstar Drake in Toronto.

“That was our little running joke,” Masse says.

On finals day, MacDonald watched from the press box above the bleachers, where he was commentating for CBC. Linda Kiefer, the assistant head coach of the Varsity Blues swim team, had a poolside view of the action as one of Team Canada’s coaches.

At the race’s halfway mark, Masse turned and touched the wall after the three leaders, making her a longshot for the podium. But she accelerated in the final stretch and touched the wall alongside China’s Fu Yuanhui, sharing third place in a photo finish.

Kylie Masse of Canada celebrates third place in the women's 100-metre backstroke at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (photo by Ian MacNicol via Getty Images)

“Post-race I was inundated with interviews,” Masse later wrote in a personal essay for CBC. “There were questions about the sport itself, questions that I had never really put into words before.”

Her coaches, meanwhile, made good on their bet. Masse went to see Drake at the Air Canada Centre in the fall with her friend Penny Oleksiak, who, at 17, became Canada’s youngest Olympic champion with a break-out performance and five-medal haul.

But neither the Olympic medal nor what followed – the TV interviews and Speedo sponsorship – appear to have gone to Masse’s head. Instead of displaying her bronze medal, Masse keeps it tucked away in her sock drawer.

Her coaches say that’s par for the course for Masse, who doesn’t like to draw much attention to herself or boast of her achievements. Asked for an anecdote that reveals something of Masse’s personality, Kiefer tells the story of when she encouraged Masse to introduce herself to Gregorio Paltrinieri, an Italian distance freestyle champion. Masse balked, reasoning that he wouldn’t know who she was – after all, he’s an Olympian.

“So are you,” Kiefer reminded her.

Swimming, school and superstition

It can be difficult for ��˾��ֱ�� students to keep their head above water – never mind juggling up to nine swimming practices per week, three gym sessions, two physiotherapy appointments, out-of-town tournaments and media requests.

A typical day for Masse begins around 5:30 a.m. and finishes at 9:30 p.m, homework permitting. When she’s not swimming, she’s doing what most other students do: studying for finals and racing across campus to get to her elective, an introductory Spanish class. While she’s had her share of late nights hitting the books, Masse can claim at least one victory beyond the pool: She’s managed to avoid pulling an all-nighter in Robarts library.

Of course, being an Olympian comes with a few perks, particularly if you’re a kinesiology student like Masse. In one class on the Olympics and Paralympics – focusing on their achievements, prospects, problems – Masse and her peers were told to write a profile of an Olympian. So, Masse began her research by firing off a text message to Oleksiak and ended up with an A-plus.

Varsity swim coaches MacDonald and Kiefer know how hard it can be for swimmers to balance the demands of the sport with school and everything else life throws at them. Their coaching partnership has lasted almost three decades, longer than many marriages. Somewhere along the line they developed a key insight: a happy swimmer is a fast swimmer.

Masse, in particular, is so naturally upbeat that her coaches know there’s something amiss if she turns up for practice without a smile. “If you’ve ever watched her, she has fun,” Kiefer says. “If she comes on deck and she’s not dancing or bopping or singing, it’s like ‘Uh oh.’”

Masse (centre) in one of her last home meets with ��˾��ֱ��'s varsity team against Western University (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Kiefer pays attention to every detail about her swimmers, even if they might seem trivial. After she noticed Masse wearing faux pearl earrings to races, she assumed they were good luck charms and kept a back-up pair in case Masse’s jewelry ever went missing at an inopportune time. After all, superstition comes in many shapes and sizes in swimming. Michael Phelps reportedly swings his arms on the starting block the same way before each race. Another American Olympic medalist, Mel Stewart, told Swim World Magazine that he sticks to the same menu before each meet: green tea and spaghetti with red sauce.

But, as it turned out, Masse simply wore the earrings because she liked how they look – although she’s been wearing them less frequently lately because she doesn’t want them to get stuck in her cap during a race or lose them in the water.

Still, Kiefer says she keeps a surplus of faux pearl earrings on hand – “just in case.”

Hungry for more

At just 21 years old, Masse was already on top of the world.

At the world aquatic championships in Budapest, she made history by swimming the 100-metre backstroke in 58.10, snapping a world record that had stood for eight years.

Her immediate reaction was disbelief. “I touched the wall and looked back and had to make sure I was looking at the right name and the right time,” she told reporters in a conference call after the race.

“I was just super excited. In the moment I don't even know what I was thinking but excitement and joy."

Her status as world-record holder was relatively short-lived. Just 368 days later, Team USA’s Kathleen Baker – the same swimmer who edged Masse for silver at Rio in 2016 – smashed Masse’s record with a time of 58 seconds flat at the American national championships. To add insult to injury, Baker captured the record in an outdoor pool, where times are thought to be slower. “I watched a lot of Shark Week,” Baker later said in a news release, “so I was channeling my inner shark there.”

MacDonald said it was a tough summer for Masse, who, in a short time, went from unlikely challenger to defending champion. She had “a bull’s eye on her back as the world-record holder,” her coach says.

Whereas Masse once raced in the pool’s outer lanes, reserved for the lower seeds, now she swims in the middle lanes side-by-side with the world’s best – and where everyone is watching. Yet, unlike the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, where she lost focus and failed to qualify, Masse no longer crumbles under pressure.

Masse was following the American championships – and Baker’s “inner shark” performance – from Japan, where she was at a staging camp for the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.

“Obviously I was a bit disappointed,” she recalls. “But I think it just gave me more motivation and lit a fire under me, like, ‘I want it back.’”

Barely a week after losing her record, she faced her and the Australian heavyweight Emily Seebohm at the Pan Pacific Games in Tokyo. She held off Baker and swept past Seebohm with powerful strokes in the dying seconds, one of Masse’s signature strengths.

Kylie Masse (right) is congratulated by Australia’s Emily Seebohm after winning the gold medal the women's 200-metre backstroke at the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Tokyo, Japan (photo by Kiyoshi Ota via Getty Images)

In hindsight, MacDonald says that losing her record may have ended up being a blessing in disguise for Masse as she prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Games.

“Now she’s hungry,” he says.

Back on campus, Masse handily wins the 200-metre butterfly at the meet against Western, finishing well ahead of the runner up. While such meets are comparatively low stakes, it’s impossible to tell – for a casual observer at least – whether Masse is making a distinction once she’s zooming through the water.

What is clear is that Masse’s preparations for Tokyo 2020 have begun in earnest. She is taking just one or two courses at ��˾��ֱ�� this year to save her energy and has signed on to a new international swimming league, which aims to give the world’s top swimmers new opportunities outside of the Olympics and other regional and international championships.

When asked if the upcoming Games could be her last, Masse – perhaps not surprisingly – shows little interest in engaging in such introspection when there’s work to be done.

“I’m focusing on the now and I’m going to think about that later,” she says. “I’m going to swim for as long as I enjoy it.”

As spring convocation wraps up, six ��˾��ֱ�� graduates offer advice to future students

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 15:35:31 +0000

As spring convocation wraps up, six ��˾��ֱ�� graduates offer advice to future students

geoff.vendeville Fri, 06/21/2019 - 11:35

Faculty of Arts & Science Staff

Topic

Our Community

Convocation 2019

Cell and Systems Biology

Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

English

Ethics

Faculty of Arts & Science

History

Humanities

Innis College

Jackman Humanities Institute

Mathematics

New College

St. Michael's College

The parades of smiling graduates going to and from Convocation Hall are almost over. The crowds of family and friends snapping selfies on front campus will soon be a memory – that is, until the next cohort of students celebrate their big academic milestone in the fall.

But before the University of Toronto’s most recent graduates set off for exciting careers or further study, we asked six from the Faculty of Arts & Science to pass along advice to current and future students.

Each brings a different perspective from a different college, and majored in subjects as diverse as cell biology and criminology.

Talise Beveridge
Woodsworth College
English, history and criminology

(photo by Diana Tyszko)

Talise Beveridge says many students get caught up in a routine in which they cycle between home, class and the library.

But as a ��˾��ֱ�� student, Beveridge’s life consisted of much more than that. She spent a summer abroad at Oxford University, the same place where she will be pursuing a master’s in English and American studies.

She had on-campus jobs at the Athletic Centre and as an exam scribe and reader for students with accessibility needs. She did community work with her sorority and volunteered through the student experience mentorship program.

One of her most memorable experiences was being an undergraduate fellow at the Jackman Humanities Institute. The research position allowed her to delve into historical FBI archives and study a 1960s counter-intelligence program in which federal authorities secretly – and sometimes illegally – surveilled domestic political groups like the Black Panthers, Communist Party and anti-Vietnam War movement.

Speaking from experience, she tells current and future students to find interests outside school. “A lot of students get into a bubble of going from the library to class, to their house, and they get wrapped up in their schoolwork,” she says.

“I think I’ve become more invested in my schoolwork because I’ve removed myself from it often.”

“If you feel like your student experience is lacking, I would encourage you to volunteer or get a job on campus. You’ll meet people you wouldn’t otherwise come into contact with. Remember that you’re not only a student, you’re also a community member. That’s a very grounding thing to think about. It helps you realize you’re not just here for school.”

– Jovana Jankovic

Kaitlyn Ferreira
University College
Cell and systems biology and human biology

(photo by Diana Tyszko)

Kaitlyn Ferreira’s majors in cell and systems biology and human biology gave her insights into human health at varying scales, from the microscopic to broader views of health and disease.

But the most valuable skill, she says, was learning to adapt when things don’t go as planned.

As a University College orientation leader and peer mentor, she’s thought a lot about what she would tell the students coming behind her. “Enjoy the failures as much as the successes,” she says. “This sounds really out there at first, but trust me, it works.

“In any moment of failure you’re going to be really upset and just want to curl into a ball. And that’s OK, you can do that – but after that, you’re going to roll your sleeves up, crack your knuckles and get back to work.

“When you look back in a week or a month or a year, you’ll see that that moment of failure made you a stronger person, a better student and opened you up to other possibilities that you wouldn't have had if you succeeded in the first place.”

– Sean Bettam

Gina Kwon
Trinity College
Ethics, society and law

(photo by Diana Tyszko)

Trinity College’s One Program of small seminars sparked Gina Kwon’s interest in social justice and led her to major in ethics, society and law.

Her passion for the subject motivated her to apply for an international scholarship to assist a researcher at Australian National University. The researcher is exploring Indigenous communities’ disputes with mining companies trying to operate on their land without consent.

“I realized how little I knew about Indigenous-settler relations today,” Kwon said. She added that the research placement broadened her perspective and gave her new cross-cultural insights.

To the next generation of students, she says: “Be honest about the things you don’t know. It’s OK to not know. We’ll always be learning.”

Kwon is heading to Cambridge University this fall to pursue a Master of Philosophy in environmental policy.

– Alexa Zulak

Ethan Kim
Innis College
Neuroscience and molecular biology

(photo by Diana Tyszko)

Music plays an important role in Ethan Kim’s life, so it’s no surprise it was a defining feature of his time at ��˾��ֱ��. He was a regular at Innis Jamz, a bi-monthly jam session for musicians at ��˾��ֱ��’s small and tight-knit college, and was co-director of the Innis College Choir, where he met most of his friends. He also worked on a musical adaptation of Moby Dick with students from other colleges.

On top of that, he started a podcast called Lecture Me Not in which he interviews professors to highlight their personalities and break down the barrier between student and teacher. “Listeners learn about the professor’s life journey and how they got to where they are,” Kim says.

His research focus over the last four years was drug addiction. “We’re hoping to find a switch that turns off drug addiction,” he says, adding a discovery that could help resolve the opioid crisis.

If he could time-travel back to first year, he would tell himself – and, by implication, other first-year students – to worry less.

“Don’t be scared of the future. If you keep working, you’ll eventually get there,” he says. “Don’t worry about other people’s expectations. As long as you meet your own expectations, you’ll be OK. And sleep more. Definitely sleep more.”

– Chris Sasaki

Shweta Mogalapalli
New College
Computer science and mathematics

(photo by Diana Tyszko)

Shweta Mogalapalli had a foot in the door with one of the world’s largest companies even before graduating.

She interned twice at Microsoft’s Seattle office and plans to join their Azure IoT team as a full-time engineer after convocation.

She made the most of her university experience as a computer science peer mentor, student ambassador and president of ��˾��ֱ�� Hacks, a 36-hour hackathon that’s entering its seventh year.
As a mentor, she gave students the advice she would have wanted to hear in first year.

“My advice for students is to not hesitate to reach out for help,” she says.

“Professors, TAs and even upper-year students are always willing to answer questions and help in any way they can. And take advantage of the vast number of events hosted by computer science and other clubs on campus to meet people and make meaningful connections. Networking is very important – not only for career development, but also personal growth.”

– Jovana Jankovic

Natasha Klasios
St. Michael’s College
Ecology and global health

(photo by Diana Tyszko)

It may seem daunting to juggle varsity sports with exams, assignments and labs.

But for Natasha Klasios, playing striker for ��˾��ֱ��’s Varsity Blues soccer team while keeping up with school was never a chore. In fact, her efforts on the field contributed to her success in class, she says.

“My Varsity Blues experience taught me how to deal with adversity, and that talent and hard work are necessary for success,” she says.

She won several awards including the Silver T and U Sports Academic All-Canadian Award during her four seasons with the Blues, and represented Canada at the 2017 FISU Summer Universiade in Taipei.

She didn’t just travel for soccer. As an undergraduate researcher in Assistant Professor Chelsea Rochman’s lab, Klasios went to California to collect samples for her undergraduate thesis, which focused on whether mussels and clams in San Francisco Bay ingested microplastics.

To the undergraduates who have yet to don convocation robes, she says: “Get involved. There are so many opportunities available, take advantage of them. ��˾��ֱ�� is a big school, but I was able to make the most of my time by getting involved in academic research and with the Varsity Blues community.”

– Alexa Zulak

��˾��ֱ�� researchers evaluate experiences of athletes participating in Special Olympics

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 16 May 2019 18:30:46 +0000

��˾��ֱ�� researchers evaluate experiences of athletes participating in Special Olympics

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 05/16/2019 - 14:30

Cutline

The Special Olympics Ontario Invitational Youth Games are running May 14-17, with three of the five events taking place at the University of Toronto (photo by Seyran Mammadov)

Topic

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Goldring Centre

Graduate Students

Occupational Therapy

As many as 2,500 global athletes, aged 13 to 21, are competing in five sports during the Special Olympics Ontario Invitational Youth Games in Toronto this week – and three of the five events are taking place at the University of Toronto.

That’s not the only source of excitement at ��˾��ֱ��’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE).

While the Games are running, KPE researchers will be busy evaluating the experiences of the youth competing in the traditional division, where all athletes on the team have an intellectual disability, and a unified division, where athletes with and without an intellectual disability will have the opportunity to compete on the same team.

“Sport participation is a core dimension of health during adolescence and early adulthood, often providing opportunities for improved social functioning through the development of friendships and enhanced self-perceptions,” says Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos, an assistant professor at KPE and lead of the study.

She and her team of 10 undergraduate and graduate students will administer an online survey to 500 youth athletes with and without intellectual disability participating in the Games to assess the relationships between the core elements of quality sport experiences – autonomy, belonging, challenge, engagement, mastery and meaning – with the youth athletes’ demographic background and type of sport program involvement.

They will also conduct interviews with 25 youth athletes with and without intellectual disabilities, 15 parents and 15 coaches to explore who may gain the most optimal sport participation experience from traditional and unified programs.

“We are hoping to shed some light on the athletes’ needs, supports and interests within these two types of sport programs. The theoretical insights will ideally lead to practice recommendations, which could further enhance the sport participation experiences of youth athletes within Special Olympics’ sport programs in the future,” says Arbour-Nicitopoulos, who is collaborating on this study with Professor Rebecca Renwick from ��˾��ֱ��’s department of occupational science and occupational therapy and Virginia Wright, a senior scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute.

A basketball player takes a shot at ��˾��ֱ��’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport (photo by Seyran Mammadov)

Bringing people with and without disabilities together is not necessarily unique, says Arbour-Nicitopoulos.

“The trick is how do you do it well? How do Unified Sports do it? How can that be modeled in other types of sport organizations?” she says.

Arbour-Nicitopoulos explains that, while there has been little evaluation around unified sport experiences, there’s been a lot of push in the sport sector, particularly in Canada, to look at the individual’s experience in sport and physical activity.

“This event provides us with an opportunity to hear from the youth themselves, as opposed to the parents or coaches telling us the story, which tends to be the case with individuals with intellectual disability. We want to learn about their experiences to see if there are some common elements that can be fed back to Special Olympics,” she says.

Krystn Orr (right) is in her third year of a PhD degree at KPE, doing research on recreational sport for individuals with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 25 (photo by Seyran Mammadov)

The information could also be valuable to other organizations looking to provide a more inclusive sport experience.

“Special Olympics have taken on the lead with Unified Sports to create more social inclusion for individuals with intellectual disability, but everyone, particularly in the sport and physical activity sector, should be doing it,” says Arbour-Nicitopoulos. “Sharing this information may help better prepare staff, including physical education teachers, who often aren’t trained to provide inclusive physical education classes.”

In fact, one of the deliverables of the study, which is funded by Special Olympics Canada, is to host webinars tailored to youth with and without intellectual disabilities, parents and coaches by 2020.

“I love seeing the youth participating in activities they truly enjoy,” says Krystn Orr, one of the graduate students working on the study.

“Seeing youth in a competitive environment is very exciting, and to explore those experiences further really sparks my interest,” says Orr, who is in her third year of a PhD degree at KPE, doing research on recreational sport for individuals with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 25.

The 2019 Special Olympics Ontario Invitation Youth Games run from May 14 to 17. They are free of charge and open to all spectators.

The events at ��˾��ֱ�� are taking place at ��˾��ֱ��’s Athletic Centre, Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, Varsity Stadium and Back Campus.

Exam stress? Classes that combine downward dogs and meditation could help ��˾��ֱ�� students de-stress

ullahnor — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 20:47:10 +0000

Exam stress? Classes that combine downward dogs and meditation could help ��˾��ֱ�� students de-stress

ullahnor Fri, 11/25/2016 - 15:47

Cutline

Rose Munjee leads mindfulness meditation and yoga for ��˾��ֱ�� staff, faculty and students at the Goldring Centre

Katie Babcock

Author legacy

Katie Babcock

Topic

City & Culture

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Students are now entering a stressful period as they begin studying for exams. So how can they best deal with the impending pressures?

The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), along with Student Life, has recently introduced Mindful Moments Yoga and Meditation – a research-based approach to fighting stress.

It's just one of many programs gearing up across the University of Toronto to help students de-stress. ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga, ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough and the downtown Toronto campus are all planning exam jams in the next week, offering students massages, puppy therapy and hiking to calm nerves and focus.

At the downtown Toronto campus, the Mindful Moments Yoga and Meditation programs are being offered twice a week at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport and the Athletic Centre. Students relax through mindfulness meditation, downward dog, cat and cow poses, and sun salutations.

“In the past, we’ve offered meditation and yoga separately. Now we’re combining the two because students say movement helps them reset their thoughts,” says Jill Cressy, assistant manager of fitness and instruction at KPE. “When we practice, our thoughts turn to what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than getting caught up in the past or worrying about the future – we’re training both the body and the mind.”

These classes are part of a larger campus-wide mindfulness meditation program that started 12 years ago. In partnership with the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the School of Continuing studies, Mindful Moments are offered at locations including the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Hart House, Trinity College, the Multi-Faith Centre, the Centre for International Experience, the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

In 2014, Cressy along with Richard Chambers, director of ��˾��ֱ��’s Multi-Faith Centre, and Janine Robb, executive director of the Health & Wellness Centre, helped develop the drop-in Mindful Moments program.

“I ask attendees to do a body scan – bringing awareness to sensations from their feet to the crown of their head. We also use mindful breathing to bring everyone into the present moment,” says Rose Mina Munjee, a certified Mindful Moments mindfulness meditation and yoga instructor. “People sit a lot, and are hunched over their phones and desks. Their hips and shoulders become tight and abdominals weak, so stretching and strengthening while breathing are really important.”

Munjee, along with 46 other instructors, was certified in Applied Mindfulness Meditation through the School of Continuing Studies. The certification teaches instructors about the latest research in the area, which shows that people who are caught up in their own narrative are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

“Mindful meditation can help shift people from a narrative to an experiential mode. We know from research done at Harvard that the mind wanders 47 per cent of the time,” says Michael Apollo, director of ��˾��ֱ��’s Mindfulness Meditation certificate program. “Today, technology is so prevalent and ADHD is on the rise. We are so overwhelmed that we need effective coping skills to focus and become more resilient.”

So how has Mindful Moments Yoga and Meditation helped students develop these skills?

“I took my GRE test recently, and it’s four to five hours of verbal reasoning and quantitative math – if I hadn’t used the coping techniques I’ve learned, I would have bombed,” says Maria Fakhoury, a fourth-year undergraduate student. “I tend to think 10 steps into the future. Now I’ve noticed that I’m not obsessing about the future and it’s lessened my anxiety.”

Fellow fourth-year student Daman Rehal agrees.

“I feel like all the students I speak to are so stressed out. We all want to know where we’re going to be in ten years. We want to be secure. But if you learn to accept where you are right now, and that you don’t know where you’re going to be in ten years, it lessens the existential anxiety.”

With the success of the current classes, Cressy hopes to see them expand in the future.

“We’ve made the classes convenient and accessible to all levels. Our ideal is to help students develop better relationships with themselves and others. We want to set them up for lifelong success by helping them better understand themselves and how they interact with the world.”

As for other exam de-stressing programs, exam jams are being organized by ��˾��ֱ��'s Faculty of Arts & Science, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, ��˾��ֱ�� Mississauga and ��˾��ֱ�� Scarborough.

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Talise Beveridge Woodsworth College English, history and criminology

Kaitlyn Ferreira University College Cell and systems biology and human biology

Gina Kwon Trinity College Ethics, society and law

Ethan Kim Innis College Neuroscience and molecular biology

Shweta Mogalapalli New College Computer science and mathematics

Natasha Klasios St. Michael’s College Ecology and global health

��˾��ֱ�� researchers evaluate experiences of athletes participating in Special Olympics

Exam stress? Classes that combine downward dogs and meditation could help ��˾��ֱ�� students de-stress

Talise Beveridge
Woodsworth College
English, history and criminology

Kaitlyn Ferreira
University College
Cell and systems biology and human biology

Gina Kwon
Trinity College
Ethics, society and law

Ethan Kim
Innis College
Neuroscience and molecular biology

Shweta Mogalapalli
New College
Computer science and mathematics

Natasha Klasios
St. Michael’s College
Ecology and global health