Goldring Centre

An accomplished business leader who has made an indelible contribution to the University of Toronto as a volunteer and donor, Blake Goldring has taken to heart a lesson instilled in him at a young age by his father: that society’s most fortunate have a duty to give back.

Today, for his exemplary civic and community service, and for his outstanding commitment to higher education, Goldring will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from U of T.

Born in Toronto in 1958, the second of five children, Goldring attended Victoria College at U of T, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics. He got his first taste of volunteering as an undergraduate, serving as the vice-president of AIESEC, an international youth-run non-profit. He went on to study at INSEAD, a top-ranked business school in France, where he completed his MBA in 1982.

Goldring’s career in finance began at Bank of Montreal, where he worked in international and corporate banking. He left in 1987 – not long before the October market crash – for a position at AGF Management, a Canadian investment company co-founded by his father, Warren Goldring (also a U of T alum).

At AGF, the younger Goldring started as an analyst for the company’s Japanese investments, worked his way up through sales and marketing, and within a decade had been named president and chief operating officer. In 2000, he became chief executive officer, and in 2006, added chairman to his title. He stepped away from day-to-day management of the company in 2018, assuming the role of executive chairman.

President of Victoria University, Rhonda McEwen (L) with Blake Goldring (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Having started at AGF during a tumultuous time in the stock market, Goldring says he quickly learned to keep calm and take the long view. “So often people get caught up in the heat of the moment,” he told the Globe and Mail in 2008. “It’s a bit like the Rudyard Kipling poem: ‘If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs...’”

Under Goldring, AGF acquired other wealth management firms and diversified its client base to include more institutional and high-net-worth investors. He also initiated a program to give employees paid time off for volunteering.

The initiative reflected Goldring’s own commitment to community service. Throughout his career, he served on several boards, including the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Canadian Film Centre.

In the 2008 Globe interview, he said that volunteering helped him see a wider set of perspectives and expand his worldview. “There is a short-termism that is endemic to [the investment] industry,” he observed. “It is good to see things in a longer-term way, to see that the world isn’t all about the stock market.”

Goldring has been particularly interested in forging connections between the military and civilians. Inspired by Canadian soldiers who, in the wake of 9/11, joined international forces in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban, Goldring launched Canada Company – an organization that awards scholarships to the children of fallen soldiers to assist with their post-secondary education. The company has also helped veterans find meaningful employment in the civilian workforce. In recognition of his efforts, Goldring was appointed the first-ever honorary colonel of the Canadian Army. “Some of my proudest moments in life have been pinning the medals on returning regiment soldiers,” Goldring told the Globe in 2007.

Goldring is also highly active in the U of T alumni community, and has financially supported numerous programs and facilities, including Soldiers’ Tower, the Norman Jewison stream in the Vic One program at Victora College, as well as those that bear his family’s name – the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport and the Goldring Student Centre at Victoria College. He currently serves on the steering committee of the university’s Defy Gravity campaign.

The Goldring family’s association with U of T spans four generations – from Blake’s grandfather to his father, Warren, him and his sister, Judy, to his two daughters. Blake says his – and his family’s – support for U of T stems from a deeply held belief that education provides the foundation for a prosperous and inclusive society. “Education, particularly a strong liberal arts foundation, allows people to engage in debate and critical analysis,” he said. “It fosters an environment of research and discovery, and, frankly, I believe that higher education helps to address prejudices.”

In his convocation address to graduates of Victoria College, Goldring encouraged them to be innovators, quoting Albert Szent-Györgyi, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who, in 1937, said, “Innovation is seeing what everyone else sees, and thinking what no one else has thought.” So, Goldring continued, “Challenge the status quo, think differently, and act boldly.”

He also urged graduates to lead with empathy and to find a way to give back to society. “Make a living, yes. But also make your mark – with purpose and passion. And let your legacy be defined by the lives you touch and the positive change you create.”

A member of the Order of Canada, Goldring holds two other honorary degrees, and has received numerous honours in recognition of his personal and professional achievements.

U of T constructing Canada’s tallest academic timber building

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 18:18:33 +0000

U of T constructing Canada’s tallest academic timber building

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 01/18/2024 - 13:18

Cutline

The Academic Wood Tower has started to take shape in the Bloor Street cultural corridor, where it will serve as a beacon for green architecture – and provide high-quality spaces for three of the university’s faculties and schools (Rendering courtesy of Patkau Architects + MJMA)

Topic

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Goldring Centre

Meric Gertler

Rotman School of Management

Sustainability

The University of Toronto has begun raising a new 14-storey mass timber building that will set a precedent for sustainable design.

Once complete, the tower is expected to be the tallest academic timber structure in Canada and one of the tallest mass timber and steel hybrid buildings in North America.

U of T, which was recently named the world’s most sustainable university by QS World Rankings, is committed to furthering its role as a global model with projects like these.

“This inspiring piece of architecture will provide our students, faculty and staff with state-of-the-art spaces for research, learning and community engagement,” said Meric Gertler, president of the university. “It will stand as a testament to U of T’s global leadership in sustainability, as well as our commitment to city-building. It will also showcase Canada’s leadership in wood construction technologies and the forest products industry. We are very grateful to our donors and to all those helping us to realize this incredibly exciting vision.”

State-of-the-art spaces for three U of T faculties and schools

Located near the intersection of Devonshire Place and Bloor Street on U of T’s St. George campus, the tower will provide high-quality spaces for the Rotman School of Management, the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy in the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education.

Widely considered one of the world’s most innovative business schools, Rotman is home to a unique ecosystem of labs and research centres that provide cutting-edge thought leadership. The top five floors of the Academic Wood Tower will house Rotman’s specialized executive education programs.

“The Academic Wood Tower will provide ample space to inspire our program’s participants as they work to explore and transform themselves, their organizations and their communities,” said Susan Christoffersen, dean of the Rotman School of Management. “Carefully designed to set a precedent in sustainability, space configuration and educational technologies, the tower will equip researchers and learners with the tools and forward-thinking design to educate the leaders of tomorrow on pressing business topics.”

The Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy is a world-renowned hub for dialogue and debate, highly sought after for its thought leadership on the most pressing issues of our time. It hosts hundreds of high-impact events each year that engage scholars from across U of T and around the world.

“I’m delighted that the Munk School’s faculty and students will be part of the Academic Wood Tower community,” said Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “This new building will provide much-needed space as our experts continue to provide timely research guidance on current events and train tomorrow’s leaders in public policy.”

“We look forward to bringing together students, faculty and other community members in this inspiring space,” added Peter Loewen, professor in the department of political science and director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.

The tower will be directly connected to the Munk School Observatory building and the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, one of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education’s main facilities. The new floors will allow the faculty to continue to expand its work as one of the world’s top-ranked sports science programs of its kind, which includes facilitating the university’s massive slate of co-curricular physical activity and sports programs.

“The Academic Wood Tower will provide critical additional space for our faculty,” said Gretchen Kerr, dean of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. “Its proximity to the Goldring Centre and Varsity Stadium will provide us with a fantastic – and convenient – set of facilities as we continue to support healthy living through our teaching, research and programming.”

A highly watched case study in sustainable design

Even prior to construction, the Academic Wood Tower was attracting significant attention for its innovative design.

Designed by award-winning Canadian firms Patkau Architects and MJMA Architecture & Design with consulting from Blackwell Structural Engineers and Smith+Andersen, the Academic Wood Tower’s unique and sustainable structure has already won a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.

The same team worked on U of T’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, which included the tower’s foundation and basement as part of its construction. Now, with the first deliveries of mass-timber components to the site, construction of the Academic Wood Tower is proceeding under the management of industry leader Pomerleau. The university anticipates completing the building in 2026.

The building is expected to serve as a case study for designers and engineers who can analyze this milestone achievement and potentially apply the tower’s best practices to their own projects.

“U of T’s Academic Wood Tower proves that we can reduce emissions, responsibly construct new buildings and contribute to the vibrant architectural fabric of a dense city like Toronto,” said Sandra Hanington, vice-chair of the university’s Governing Council.

Mass timber offers a wealth of structural advantages, including a high degree of fire safety and a low carbon footprint. Wood naturally absorbs carbon, taking it out of the atmosphere and reducing greenhouse gases. It is also one of the only major building materials that is a renewable resource.

Many of the tower’s components can be manufactured prior to their arrival, which means that they can be assembled easily and efficiently once on site, minimizing the level of construction disruption in this busy area of the city.

Working together on a global issue

Funding the tower’s construction has been a collective effort with the federal government and numerous donors all making key contributions to bring this vision to life.

The building has received significant support from the Government of Canada’s Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) program, which encourages the use of innovative wood-based building technologies in construction projects to help Canada reach its Paris Agreement commitments and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada is a leader in wood construction technologies and home to one of the largest forest industries in the world. Fittingly, the tower’s timber is homegrown, originating in Western Canada.

“The Government of Canada’s Green Construction through Wood program is supporting more sustainable Canadian materials for the construction industry,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, minister of energy and natural resources. “The University of Toronto’s Academic Wood Tower project is one of many examples of innovative technologies being used to create resilient and low-carbon buildings, while preventing carbon emissions. I congratulate all those involved in this important project.”

“The Academic Wood Tower at U of T is a historic development that symbolizes where we are headed: a cleaner future where Canadian workers sustainably use Canadian materials to build more affordable and sustainable communities,” added Julie Dabrusin, parliamentary secretary to the minister of environment and climate change and to the minister of energy and natural resources. “The Government of Canada is pleased to help get this tower built, right here in Toronto.”

The project’s commitments to sustainability and innovation are an example of the university’s Defy Gravity campaign priorities in action. Donor support has been critical to getting the tower off the ground.

“U of T’s donors make projects of this scale a reality,” said David Palmer, vice-president, university advancement. “Their inspiring commitment has given the world a striking and practical blueprint for building sustainable design – tangibly demonstrating that we can create inviting, cutting-edge research and learning spaces while maintaining our commitment to sustainability.”

Explore related campaign priorities: Create a sustainable future

Prehistoric: U of T alum Alex Wong explores the Toronto Raptors' origin story

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 14:41:30 +0000

Prehistoric: U of T alum Alex Wong explores the Toronto Raptors' origin story

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 11/01/2023 - 10:41

Cutline

U of T alumnus Alex Wong signed copies of his book Prehistoric: the Improbable and Audacious Origin Story of the Toronto Raptors at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport (all photos by Dewey Chang)

Jelena Damjanovic

Topic

City & Culture

Joe's Basketball Diaries

Subheadline

Alex Wong's book delves into the launch of the Toronto Raptors and examines the power of sport to foster community

The origin story of the Toronto Raptors – and the team's subsequent impact on community-building in the GTA and beyond – are the subject of a new book by University of Toronto alumnus Alex Wong, who discussed the stories and themes from the Raptors' rise at a launch party held at U of T's Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.

Wong, producer and co-host of Canada's most popular basketball podcast – The Raptors Show with Will Lou – delved into Prehistoric: the Improbable and Audacious Origin Story of the Toronto Raptors during a recent panel discussion hosted by U of T's Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) that featured key figures in the founding of the Raptors.

From left to right: Alex Wong, John Bitove Jr., founder of the Toronto Raptors, David Peterson, founding chairman of the Toronto Raptors, and Tom O'Grady, designer of the original Raptors' logo

“This is a story about the people who bonded over a common purpose – the launch of a professional basketball team,” said Wong, who graduated from U of T Scarborough. “But the core element of the book is community, which is at the core of basketball and is at the core of the Raptors.”

Helping Wong tell the story – in the book and on the Goldring Centre stage – were John Bitove Jr., founder of the Toronto Raptors, David Peterson, founding chairman of the Raptors and U of T chancellor emeritus, and Tom O’Grady, designer of the team's original logo.

“I got emotional over some of the passages in the book,” said Bitove. “When we started this venture, we believed in it, of course – we hoped that it would turn into something with a legacy. But when you see the positive impact the Raptors had on the community over the years, it’s really something.”

Attendees packed U of T's Goldring Centre to hear the origin story of the Toronto Raptors.

Peterson, who was premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990, said he had never even been to an NBA game when Bitove, who he described as a diehard basketball fan, approached him about putting in an ownership bid for the team.

“I went home to my three kids and told them about this guy who wants to go after an NBA franchise and they said, ‘Do it, it’s more fun than politics,’ so the next day, I called John to say I’m in,” said Peterson.

Asked to share how the team's logo came about, Bitove said the goal was to come up with a design that was different, bold and had a global feel. To the delight of the audience, many of whom were decked out in Raptors gear, O’Grady shared a few slides showing the logo's evolution.

The design of the Raptors' original logo aimed to be different, bold and project a global feel.

“The kids from the focus groups loved it,” said O’Grady.

The audience also learned that the Raptor almost ended up being lime green, but the owners decided to go with red to highlight the team's association with Canada.

Joseph Wong, U of T’s vice president, international, and host of Joe’s Basketball Diaries – the second season of which launches soon – led another panel discussion that featured Shireen Ahmed, a sports journalist and activist; Sam Ibrahim, president of Arrow Group of Companies, co-founder of the Scarborough Shooting Stars and U of T supporter; and Tamara Tatham, head coach of the U of T Varsity Blues women’s basketball team. They spoke about their introduction to the Raptors, how they became devoted fans and where they were when the Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019.

From left to right: Joseph Wong, Shireen Ahmed, Tamara Tatham and Sam Ibrahim.

While the pre-Raptors professional sports landscape in the GTA was dominated by hockey and baseball, the panel discussed how the accessibility of basketball and soccer carried more appeal to minority and immigrant communities.

“I lived in Scarborough and we knew the basketball court was a safe place,” said Ibrahim. “That’s the power of sport – to build relationships and communities.”

“We spent all our time in the gym,” added Tatham, who started playing basketball in community centres, also in Scarborough.

KPE Dean Gretchen Kerr addressed the audience in the Goldring Centre.

When the Raptors came to town, Ibrahim, Tatham and Ahmed said they saw themselves reflected on the big court – and in the stands.

“It’s one thing to talk about inclusivity, it’s another to do something about it,” said Ahmed, who noted the Raptors were the first NBA team to offer an athletic hijab for Muslim women. “The Raptors saw their communities and they were intentional about making them all feel included.”

Professor Gretchen Kerr, dean of KPE, said all proceeds from the ticket sales from the event would go to the Indigenous and Black student-athlete bursary and described the evening as a “wonderful reminder and testament of the power of sport to bring people together, and foster access and inclusion.”

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 U of T

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

Seven ways to connect with campus life at U of T

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

U of T Mississauga

U of T 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 U of T experience.

Get connected at Hart House

A hub of activity at U of T, 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 U of T 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

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

At U of T 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 U of T Scarborough have access to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, which is co-owned by U of T 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 U of T 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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by U of T Sport & Rec (@uoftsportandrec)

Be part of the U of T Scarborough student hub at Highland Hall

Highland Hall is a central location on the U of T 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, U of T 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 U of T 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 U of T 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 U of T Libraries)

Gather at U of T Mississauga’s Meeting Place

The Meeting Place – inside the William G. Davis Building at U of T 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 U of T 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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by U of T Students' Union (UTSU) (@uoftsu)

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

Celebrating Indigenous students and International Women's Day: Check out these March events

tom.yun — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 21:33:11 +0000

Celebrating Indigenous students and International Women's Day: Check out these March events

tom.yun Fri, 02/28/2020 - 16:33

Cutline

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

International Women's Day

Italy

John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture

School of the Environment

Sustainability

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

Women and Gender Studies

With spring approaching, there are a plethora of events taking place at the University of Toronto in March. International Women's Day falls on March 8 and will feature a gala, performances from a Syrian women's choir and more. The fourth annual Honouring Our Students Pow Wow is also taking place this month.

Here are some of the many events taking place this month:

March 1

Experience all thing Japan at the U of T Japan Association’s Winter Festival, taking place at Hart House. Raffles, performances, food and more will be on hand. Tickets are $8.

March 3

U of T President Meric Gertler, a renowned urban theorist, will be discussing his vision of city-building and the challenges that the Toronto region faces at University of Toronto Schools. He’ll be interviewed by Marina Jimenez, U of T's global media strategist.

Learn about Italian-Canadian cuisine through this food talk taking place at U of T Mississauga’s Noel Ryan Auditorium. Teresa Lobalsamo, an associate professor of language studies, will explore the links between food, immigration, identity and cultural meaning in the Italian community.

March 4

Writer and concert pianist James Rhodes will be speaking at the Isabel Bader Theatre. He’ll be talking about his latest memoir, Instrumental, which details how music has helped him through mental health struggles and childhood trauma.

Comedian and U of T alumnus Adam Growe, best known for hosting Cash Cab on Discovery Channel, will be delivering a talk at the George Ignatieff Theatre.

With the decline of print media and the rise of new technologies, what’s happening to journalism in the modern era? CityNews reporter Cynthia Mulligan will be moderating a discussion on this topic at U of T Mississauga featuring National Post reporter Tom Blackwell, Toronto Star reporter Wendy Gillis and Globe and Mail assistant managing editor for news Christine Brousseau.

See the story of Sarnia, Ont. and the Aamjiwnaang First Nation through the Broadleaf Theatre’s Chemical Valley Project. This documentary-theatre project is hosted by U of T’s School of the Environment and is taking place at the Robert Gill Theatre.

It’s Games Night at the U of T Scarborough Library Makerspace. You can choose from a selection of board games or bring your own.

March 5

As part of their coursework, students at the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies are putting on a performance of The Winter’s Tale. Catch this Shakespearian classic from March 7 to 14. General admission is $20 while students can snag tickets for $10.

March 7

Ahead of International Women’s Day, the Women’s and Trans Centre at U of T Scarborough is holding its annual conference. Tickets to Metamorphosis are $10.

March 8

Celebrate International Women’s Day at U of T. The International Women's Day Gala is taking place at Hart House. There will be speakers, performances and a dinner. Tickets are $25.

Toronto’s Haneen Choir, a Syrian women’s collective, will be performing at Hart House in celebration of International Women’s Day. The choir aims to promote Syrian heritage and support newcomer women.

As a part of U of T Mississauga’s Sustainability Week, the second annual Trashion Show is taking place at Kaneff Rotunda. Fashion designers and artists will be showcasing their sustainability-themed outfits made from re-used and recyclable materials.

March 11

This year marks the 99^th anniversary of Skule Nite, the annual musical and sketch comedy show organized by U of T Engineering students. You won’t want to miss Skule Nite 2T0, which runs until March 14 at Hart House Theatre. Tickets are $17 for students and $22 for everyone else.

Explore mental health at the annual Mindfest mental health fair spearheaded by U of T’s department of psychiatry. The event, held at Hart House, is free and includes expert speakers, peer mentors, wellness workshops and more.

March 13

The Physics Student Union is celebrating Pi Day one day early this year. Free pie will be served at the McLennan Physical Laboratories. In addition, physics professor A.W. Peet will be delivering a lecture on general relativity.

The Afghan Students Association at U of T Mississauga is holding a Nowruz Gala at the Blind Duck. There will be performances, food, dancing and more to celebrate Afghan/Persian New Year.

March 14

Architecture and planning students from U of T and Ryerson are organizing City Building Expo 2020 at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Panelists will include experts and professionals in urban planning, engineering, architecture and more.

The seventh annual China Law Conference is taking place at the Faculty of Law. Hear about the intersections between Chinese law and current events from scholars and legal practitioners.

March 15

Join the Hart House Art Committee for ArtWORK, a one-day networking event for the U of T arts community and leading arts professionals.

March 18

It’s the last Winter Market of the year at U of T Scarborough. Local vendors will be gathering at the Meeting Place in the S-Wing selling fresh food and artisanal crafts.

March 19

Nobel Prize-winning chemist and U of T University Professor John Polanyi will be at Hart House to discuss the risks and potential of artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies. He’ll be joined by Jason Millar, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Ottawa.

March 21

Join the Indigenous Studies Students' Union for the fourth annual Honouring Our Students Pow Wow, which is being held at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport. All are welcome for this celebration of Indigenous communities.

March 25

Come to the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union’s Supper Social for a jam-packed evening of fun activities. There will be food, karaoke, T-shirt screen printing and quiet space to de-stress. It’s taking place at Rex’s Den at U of T Scarborough.

March 26

The last Hart House Music Committee Open Mic of the school year is on. If you have a knack for music, poetry, comedy or anything else, now is the time to show off your talents. The show takes place in the Hart House Music Room.

March 26

The Hart House Camera Club is holding an opening reception for its photography exhibition. Awards will be presented for the best photographs from the U of T and Hart House community.

March 27

This year marks the 35^th anniversary of the City of Toronto Women and Gender Studies Institute Scholarship. To celebrate, there will be an anniversary party in New College's Wilson Hall, where this year's awardees will be honoured, the creators of the scholarship will be recognized and new scholarships will be announced.

The U of T Festival of Dance is taking place at Hart House. The event will feature over 200 dancers performing a wide variety of styles of dance, from ballet to hip hop and everything in between. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors.

'This is about caring for each other': Fred VanVleet talks mental health at U of T's Goldring Centre

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 16:07:42 +0000

'This is about caring for each other': Fred VanVleet talks mental health at U of T's Goldring Centre

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 11/01/2019 - 12:07

Cutline

Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors was one of several panelists at The Right Conversation event held at the Goldring Centre on Tuesday (photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Andrew Cruickshank

Topic

City & Culture

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Goldring Centre

Mental Health

Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet knows adversity. From grinding it out in summer leagues after missing the 2016 NBA draft to chipping a tooth in game four of the NBA finals, VanVleet has regularly displayed the mental toughness preached to him since he was five years old. But being told over and over again to be tough, to leave your emotions off the court, takes a toll on an individual’s mental wellness.

“I was closed off for a long time,” VanVleet said during a panel talk he gave at the University of Toronto’s Goldring Centre for High Performance earlier this week.

U of T’s Basketball Excellence Program partnered with the nonprofit organization Everyone Has a Story to bring the event, dubbed The Right Conversation, to campus. Moderated by Corey Yeager, a psychotherapist for the Detroit Pistons, the talk featured VanVleet, Toronto Raptors Assistant Coach Brittni Donaldson, shoe designer Dominic Ciambrone, musician JP Saxe, entrepreneur Jaclyn Genovese and JD DuBois, the founder of Everyone Has a Story and the former Toronto Raptors assistant coach.

“We started this panel process to normalize this conversation,” Dubois said, referring to the stigmatization of mental health.

Dubois founded Everyone Has a Story in 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The organization’s mandate is to “promote compassion for others one story at a time.” This involves social outreach programs like the Lunch Bag Project, where 2,000 lunch bags were distributed to the homeless, as well as education initiatives such as the mental wellness panel. Dubois uses his NBA connection to draw in big names – like VanVleet – to talk about issues they’ve encountered and how they’ve dealt with it.

VanVleet was joined on stage by musician JP Saxe, shoe designer Dominic Ciambrone, entrepreneur Jaclyn Genovese,Toronto Raptors Assistant Coach Brittni Donaldson, Everyone has a Story founder and former Toronto Raptors Assistant Coach JD Dubois and Corey Yeager, a psychotherapist for the Detroit Pistons (photo by Jimmy Wang)

Yeager opened the panel by having each speaker touch on a mental health issue they’ve encountered. Ciambrone’s confession cut the deepest, admitting that his recent work schedule had taken a toll on his mental wellness. “I’ve been travelling for the last year straight,” he said. “Recently, it’s been getting to me.”

Ciambrone has struggled with mental health issues in the past. At age 24, clouded by a haze of drug abuse and anxiety, Ciambrone jumped out of a second-story window. While recovering, he was medicated and left in psychiatric care. “They told me I’d be on the medication for the rest of my life,” he said. But since then, Ciambrone has managed to put the medication behind him by making mental wellness a priority.

DuBois also opened up about his encounters with mental health. As a young man growing up in Los Angeles, he saw a number of his childhood friends murdered. But there were no support systems in place to help him deal with the trauma. “One of my coaches – I won’t mention his name – used to tell us the only funeral we were allowed to miss practice for was our own,” he said. “The community that I come from, when it comes to mental health, is underprivileged, over-diagnosed and underserved.”

Yeager then transitioned the conversation to ways in which people can improve their mental health.

Genovese brought up the importance of vulnerability. “The more vulnerable I’ve found I am, the more intimate I can be with a person,” she said. The panelists all agreed that talking to someone about your issues is the best way to bolster mental wellness.

VanVleet, however, clarified that mental wellness is not synonymous with happiness. “I don’t feel like I have to be happy all the time,” he said. Instead, he preached letting go of the things you can’t control and only worrying about the things you can.

One of the things you can control is being aware and supportive of other people’s mental wellness. “I ask my guys how they’re doing. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised,” VanVleet said. “This is about caring for each other. It’s hard to care about people you don’t know, and it’s hard to know someone if you don’t talk to them.”

The panel was followed by a Q&A and a musical performance by JP Saxe.

Feeling distressed? Find someone to talk to right now – and if there is an immediate risk, call 911 or Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566.

The following are some of the mental health services available to students on all three campuses:

Downtown Toronto: Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030), located at Koffler Student Services

U of T Scarborough: Health & Wellness Centre 416-287-7065

U of T Mississauga: Health & Counselling Centre 905-828-5255

Round-the-clock support

Free 24/7 support is available outside the university. Students, staff and faculty can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

Good 2 Talk 1-866-925-5454

Gerstein Crisis Centre 416-929-5200

Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 416-408-HELP (4357)

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street

Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line 416-360-0486

My SSP for U of T Students 1-844-451-9700. Immediate support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.

Appointed faculty and staff have access to the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142.

Ontario launches concussion awareness campaign at U of T event

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 16:14:16 +0000

Ontario launches concussion awareness campaign at U of T event

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 06/11/2019 - 12:14

Cutline

Sandhya and Swapna Mylabathula, dressed to support the Raptors, pose with Gordon Stringer, Eric Lindros and Ministers Michael Tibollo and Lisa MacLeod (photo by Jelena Damjanovic)

Topic

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

Faculty of Medicine

Goldring Centre

Graduate Students

The Ontario government has a simple message for amateur athletes, children and youth: If you’re hit, stop and sit.

The message is part of a concussion awareness campaign unveiled Monday at the University of Toronto, where researchers have conducted significant research into the issue of concussions in sport and have helped influence policies aimed at their prevention.

The campaign is tied to Rowan’s Law, a piece of concussion-safety legislation that Ontario passed unanimously in 2018 and is named after Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old rugby player from Ottawa who died after suffering a fatal concussion.

“The Ontario government is protecting amateur athletes by raising awareness about concussion safety,” said Michael Tibollo, the province’s minister of tourism, culture and sport.

“Concussions happen, unfortunately, but knowing what to do if a concussion happens – whether you’re an athlete, a student, a parent, a coach, an official or an educator – can save lives.”

Tibollo was at U of T’s Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport for the official launch of the campaign. He was joined by Lisa MacLeod, the minister of children, community and social services who sponsored Rowan’s Law, Rowan’s father Gordon Stringer and hockey hall of famer Eric Lindros, who is a concussion awareness advocate.

Following the announcement, Tibollo toured the David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, housed on the fourth floor of the Goldring Centre overlooking Varsity Stadium. The clinic has been treating sport-related injuries, including concussions, for over 80 years and benefits from the expertise of staff and faculty, including Doug Richards, the clinic’s medical director and staff physician, as well as an assistant professor in U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE), Michael Hutchison, director of the clinic’s concussion program and a KPE assistant professor, and Lynda Mainwaring, an associate professor at KPE who studies the psychological impact of concussions.

The new provincial awareness campaign includes a video featuring a young athlete who keeps taking hits to the head during soccer games and eventually collapses on the field. It’s followed by the message: “Don’t risk everything.”

The ad has been playing in cinemas across Ontario and aired during Monday night’s NBA Finals game between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors, which drew a record TV audience.

“I am so proud to lend my voice to raising awareness about concussion safety,” Lindros, who experienced the effects of concussion first hand, said in a statement.

“Rowan’s Law is using the slogan ‘Hit-stop-sit’ to encourage kids to stop and sit it out when they get hit in a game. No one should play through a potential concussion.”

The Rowan’s Law awareness campaign encourages coaches, parents and players to move away from a culture that glorifies “warriors” who jump back in the game too soon after a concussion, urging them instead to recognize the serious nature of concussions and the time that is required to treat them.

Sandhya Mylabathula, a PhD candidate in the exercise science program at KPE, and her twin sister Swapna, who is pursuing a PhD degree in the Faculty of Medicine, were consulted on an Ontario policy on concussions that was implemented in public schools and was a precursor to Rowan’s Law.

“There is so much that we can do for mandatory prevention, diagnosis and awareness and seeing some of our recommendations show up in Rowan’s Law is both exciting and timely,” said Sandhya.

“I think it’s great that we have an awareness campaign that’s going to be reaching so many people in all sorts of ways – through video, print and social media. Concussions affect everyone and any awareness helps,” added Swapna.

Other U of T researchers who have made significant contributions to concussion research and policy include Michael Cusimano, a professor in the department of surgery who has been raising awareness about the severity and prevalence of concussions in sport for more than a decade, and Charles Tator, a professor of neurosurgery and director of the Canadian Concussion Centre.

Professor Ira Jacobs, dean at KPE, said he was keen for the faculty to host this event because it exemplifies what all universities should aspire to do.

“That is to expose students to cutting-edge knowledge generated by scientists, but also to teach them to be leaders – to actually apply that knowledge, so that society can make informed choices about policy,” he said.

“What you have done collectively to inform society and to make real change is something deserving of our gratitude.”

Honorary degree recipient Judy Goldring urges grads to 'give back and engage actively in your community'

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 15:21:26 +0000

Honorary degree recipient Judy Goldring urges grads to 'give back and engage actively in your community'

geoff.vendeville Mon, 06/10/2019 - 11:21

Cutline

(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Topic

From the campus buildings that bear her family’s name to her years overseeing academic, business and student affairs, Judy Goldring has helped build the University of Toronto into the world-class institution it is today.

One of Canada's most influential business leaders, Goldring has given back to her alma mater through significant philanthropy and nine years of service on U of T's Governing Council, including three as chair.

“It has been a great honour to serve the university,” Goldring told U of T News in 2017 after a commemorative portrait of her was unveiled.

At U of T's Victoria College convocation ceremony today, Goldring will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, “for her service to the University, as an unwavering leader with a commitment to access and inclusion in governance, and as a champion for students.”

Watch Judy Goldring deliver her remarks:

Goldring earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics at Victoria College and went on to study law at Queen's University. She was called to the bar in 1993 and practised law before joining AGF Management Ltd., a global investment firm founded by her father and U of T graduate, C. Warren Goldring.

The firm now manages nearly $40 billion in assets.

At AGF, Goldring led the Women's Alliance Network, which provides women at the firm with opportunities to support one another. In 2015, the Women's Executive Network named Goldring one of Canada's most powerful women.

Goldring joined U of T's Governing Council in 2007, ultimately going to serve as vice-chair and then chair. A source of pride for her, she told U of T News in 2016, was the amendment to the University of Toronto Act to allow non-Canadians to serve as members of the council.

Goldring and her family have donated extensively to the university to enrich the student experience and support research. She and her brother Blake, who were commuter students in the 1980s, supported the renovation and expansion of a student centre at Victoria College, where students now socialize and unwind.The Goldrings also made a catalytic donation to establish a state-of-the-art athletics facility on the downtown Toronto campus. Completed in 2014, the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport comprises a 2,000-seat facility for basketball, volleyball and other sports, a strength-and-conditioning centre, research labs and sport medicine clinic.

The symbolism-rich portrait of Goldring that hangs in Governing Council Chamber speaks to these and other contributions to the university. She's pictured in the Goldring Centre standing at the foot of a staircase representing the future. Next to her is a gown and chair, a nod to her years of leadership on council.

Goldring once told U of T News that one of her favourite details in the painting is a discrete splash of pink.

“The neon pink that sticks out is a T-shirt that was given to me by the provost, Cheryl Regehr, which says: ‘Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.'

“To me it’s representative of the wonderful support I got from the administration, from the Governing Council members, from the president, the president’s office and everyone at the University of Toronto.”

Judy Goldring’s message to the Class of 2019

Receiving an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Toronto has had me reflecting upon my time spent at U of T. When I graduated, I was the third generation in my family to have done so –following in my grandfather and my father’s footsteps. Three of four of my siblings also graduated from U of T, and I am also proud that three of my nieces have attended school here as well.

My time at U of T was extraordinarily memorable. For most, going to University is a very formative time, and one that will shape you as you move forward. For the Class of 2019, your experience at U of T now forms part of who you are and the friends you have made here will forever be part of your broader social community.

My father instilled in me a strong sense of giving back. For me, one important way of giving back came with the honour of sitting on U of T’s Governing Council for nine years – three of which I served as Chair. This proved to be a tremendous experience and I would encourage you, the Graduating Class of 2019, to think about how you can make an impact, give back, and engage actively in your community – however that is defined for you.

It is through these experiences that you will not only learn, but be challenged, and rewarded through personal growth. You will also form great friendships. In my experience, it is not only our connections to our loved ones and friends, but those to our communities, including communities like U of T, that truly enhance who we are. They help us unleash our full potential. That may explain why one of my favourite sayings is: “I am because of who we all are.”

And finally, I’d like to stress the importance of engaging actively. Graduates, you are the first generation of digital natives where so much of your social engagement is done in online communities. While this technology has opened the world to you, it is sometimes hard to know if the online persona that is portrayed is the true individual. When you engage actively, you are not waiting to be validated by “likes” on Instagram, or “streaks” in Snapchat. You are experiencing it first hand and directly. It is richly rewarding and feeds the soul.

So, to the graduates of 2019, go forward to live actively in each moment, with the courage to embrace the challenges and opportunities that stretch you, and the courage to truly be you, shaped by all that you have experienced.

U of T researchers evaluate experiences of athletes participating in Special Olympics

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

U of T 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 U of T’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 U of T’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 U of T’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 U of T are taking place at U of T’s Athletic Centre, Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport, Varsity Stadium and Back Campus.