Attention: students, alumni and coding enthusiasts!

The Eyeopener is looking for a developer to assist with our website redesign.

Qualifications:

• Experience with WordPress, HTML/CSS and website development
• Familiarity with The Eyeopener website
• Ability to work quickly and efficiently

The job would entail:

• Working alongside Eyeopener editors to customize a new WordPress theme
• Applying the changes to the site quickly
• Available after the site launches for minor adjustments

Please send CV, portfolio pieces (live websites considered an asset), and any other items you think is relavent to online@theeyeopener.com (attn: Lindsay) before May 24.

As we find interesting photos we will be posting them on our flickr.

In her first year as a member of Ryerson’s women’s volleyball team, Veronica Livingston surpassed all expectations, being named the OUA Rookie of the Year and a member of the CIS All-rookie team. But to the nursing student, the biggest surprise was that she got to play at all.

“I was expecting to be on the bench,” says Livingston. “[So] I was ecstatic that I even got to play.”

Rams head coach Dustin Reid is hesitant to give rookies playing time because he doesn’t want to give them too much responsibility too soon, but says Veronica earned her spot in the starting line-up.

“I love having players come in and grow first, but the bottom line is: the players that give us the best chance to win are going to be on the floor,” says Reid.

Livingston finished second on the team in kills (76), blocks (16.5) and points (98), but says all her accolades are a result of the team.

“It’s a team sport, so obviously I didn’t get [them] by myself,” she says. “It was the whole team behind me.”

The Rams went on a seven-game winning streak to end their 14-4 season, easily making the postseason. Livingston says the first-round playoff win over the McMaster Marauders, which sent the Rams through to the OUA Final Four, was the highlight of her rookie season.

“I’ve never played in any kind of environment like that,” she says. “Watching the boys’ teams going back and forth with their cheering, and the end [with] everyone coming on the court,” Livingston says. “That was great.”

For a team that has risen from the bottom (they were 1-18 in in just two seasons), the Rams already have big expectations. And for Livingston, her goals — team goals — are simple.

“Getting back to the Final Four. Getting to the finals.”

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No matter how great an athlete might’ve been at his or her sport, there comes a point when they must be humanized. Perhaps the body breaks down, thus rendering it unable to compete against those who are younger, faster and better; or as in Markus Molder’s case, his years of eligibility to play at the university level have run out. That day is one that no athlete trains for.

When asked about how he felt as his final games in a Ryerson Rams’ soccer jersey drew closer, Molder took several seconds in silence to collect his thoughts before responding with this:

“Five years is a long time. I’ve been playing soccer for Ryerson year after year after year, and it was great, but this time it felt like it was time to move on. I had to write the next chapter of my life,” Molder says. “You go from being the most important person at the school, the guy who gets athletic therapy provided to him every day and everyone bends over backwards for, but the second that whistle blew and you can’t play one more game for Ryerson… you’re done, you’re not valuable anymore and you become a normal person. So that’s how I felt approaching my last couple games.”

The centre-back’s last year with the Rams was his best one in terms of individual recognition. He was named an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) first team all-star for the third time in five years and became only the second player in team history to be named to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) all-Canadian team.

However, the season ended in familiar fashion for the Rams, being eliminated in extra time of the OUA quarterfinals 6-3 by the Carleton Ravens. It was the third straight year the Rams were eliminated from the postseason in extra time.

“When the whistle blew in Ottawa, I was like damn… I would’ve liked it to end at nationals. But then I felt like now I get the chance to start my life as a part of the real world. I’m not a student anymore, I’m not a boy playing soccer, I get to be a man now,” he says.

A fair amount of athletes struggle to adapt to a world that is no longer so black and white, one that isn’t dictated by wins and losses. Luckily for Molder, he was well prepared by his coach of four years and Ryerson director of athletics, Dr. Ivan Joseph.

Before coming to Ryerson, Molder considered himself a striker. When Joseph took over the role of head coach of the men’s team in Molder’s second year, he began to morph Molder’s game as well as his approach to it.

“Once Ivan came in, he put me in the midfield. [Then] he told me I run like an idiot with his head cut off, so he shifted me to centre defensive-mid, and that still didn’t work, so then he put me at centre-back,” Molder says.

“He has some really natural skill sets,” Joseph says of Molder. “I knew that he could be an all-star in that position. You look for certain tendencies and he had them all in spades. He was a dominant physical specimen, he was a hard tackler, he liked doing head balls, he liked to be in charge, he’s a natural leader, he’s got charisma people will follow.”

“I think if anything I put him in the right position to succeed, but he worked hard for it.”

But Molder gives his coach a little more credit than that.

“He taught me to love the position. As a player Ivan turned me into someone who loves the tactical side of the game. I used to love the playground aspect of the game, Ivan taught me to love the school aspect as well.”

Joseph not only bestowed his knowledge of strategy and technique upon Molder, he also passed along his passion for teaching the game. In his down time, Molder coaches a youth soccer club in the Yonge and Finch area and he plans to attend teachers’ college, hoping to one day replicate the path that Joseph and his father (who is a professor at Ryerson) blazed before him.

Although Molder’s playing time at Ryerson has come to an end, Joseph says Rams alumni are always a part of the program’s family, and Molder is no different.

“Whether that’s coming to games, whether that’s sending us recruits, whether that’s through coaching, he’ll always be connected — if we’ve done our job right asa department, and [I as] a coach,” says Joseph.

As my interview with Molder drew to a close, he took a picture of a painting of the quad, the epicenter of Ryerson campus, which hangs on the second floor of the Rogers Communications Centre with his Blackberry. My final question to him was ‘why?’

“I (expletive) love Ryerson. My mom used to be a doctor here, my dad teaches here. Everyone I know here has been connected to the soccer program and my playing days somehow,” he says. “Everyone wants to be the best in their field. It feels good, but I’d trade all my personal awards for another game for the Rams.”

But for Molder and Ryerson’s back four, it is time for both to move on.

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The Ryerson women’s basketball team is losing one of its biggest leaders next season – and not just to graduation. Fourth-year guard Kelcey Wright has chosen to play her final year of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) eligibility with the Western Mustangs as she pursues her master’s degree in journalism.

“You never like to lose a senior,” said Rams head coach Carly Clarke. “[Wright] has been a big part of the program over the last four years … taking Ryerson women’s basketball to a new level.”

Over the past three seasons, Wright averaged 13.0 points while playing almost 30 minutes per game. The Rams made the playoffs all four years with Wright, including three straight second round appearances from 2010-2012.

Having visited the Mustangs in London, Ont., last November, the Rams are likely to see their former captain return to the Mattamy Athletic Centre during the 2013-14 campaign, as cross-division games typically alternate cities from year to year.

“These girls have been my best friends for the last three to four years,” said Wright. “I’m used to competing against them in practice as it is, so it’ll just be a more serious competition now.”

Without Wright in the line-up, Clarke says she will rely on veteran guard Dayana Gechkova – who will return for a fifth season – as well as fourth-year forward Annie Sokoloff and reigning CIS all-rookie point guard Cassandra Nofuente to lead the Rams.

Fashion aficionados from all across Toronto flocked to Maple Leaf Gardens last night to attend the Ryerson School of Fashion’s annual runway show, Mass Exodus.

This year marked the 25^th anniversary for the show, which is the largest student-run fashion event in North America. Twenty fourth-year fashion design students are chosen to present their collections to an audience of hundreds.

The third-year fashion promotions class is responsible for putting on the show. Students are split into nine committees, which range from hair & make-up, to hospitality & sponsorship, to marketing & tickets. There are also five executive positions, including art director and producer. The Ryerson Theatre School and Radio and Television School of Media are also credited with helping to produce the event.

With the show being one hour and each of the twenty designers having an average of five models, there was a wide array of outfits shown. Lingerie, menswear, handbags, knitwear and extravagant frocks were among some of the categories. Before each collection, a brief video played explaining the inspiration behind the work.

Designer Yusung Kang explained her line “is a mix of Peter Pan [the story] and the Peter Pan syndrome; when an adult chooses to remain childish.” Her models wore pink party-favour crowns and had various block-coloured wigs.

The source of inspiration for each collection was rarely the same. Porcelain dolls, archival photos, pollution, ethnic traditions and ethereality were other approaches.

A unisex sportswear concept designed by Andrea Lung, titled Live To Fly, was among the more adventurous of the collections. Models walked the runway in pairs, each wearing matching ensembles. Streetlights, thermometers, rainbows and shoelaces were creatively transformed into sweat tops and all the models wore running shoes. The final outfits appeared somewhat conventional, but that was only before the audience could see the back, where a clear, plastic fan had been attached.

Overall, the show went smoothly. No technical difficulties, no model wipeouts and no nip-slips. The lighting, stage and overall setup of the event helped contribute to its success.

On the other hand, only half of the stadium was filled and before the show even started, the ushers were moving some guests in the media section to fill seats closer up. Aside from the runway show, there was an exhibit which showcased graduating fashion communications students’ final capstone projects, but this section seemed to go fairly unnoticed by the majority of attendees. Christina Esposito tweeted: “To be honest, tonight’s was slightly disappointing. Really wish they would have shown all of the designers instead of Top 20.”

Big names in the fashion industry were among those in the audience. This year’s guest curator for the show was Stacey Mackenzie, a model and runway coach who was also one of judges from Canada’s Next Top Model. Sitting in the front row was Suzanne Rogers, a Toronto-based fashion icon. Representatives from Elle Canada, Flare and numerous other fashion/lifestyle magazines were in the crowd. Also in attendance were various stylists, bloggers, buyers and fellow designers who were undoubtedly there to scout out Ryerson’s fashion design talents.

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A woman said to be in her 80s was struck by a taxi at the corner of Gould and Church streets, and escorted to the hospital just after noon Friday.

The woman was “struck and carried a short distance,” according to Const. T. Price, who attended the scene, after the taxi made a left turn.  The victim was crossing with the light.

“She was conscious, breathing, all that sort of stuff,” Price said.  ”We’re just carrying on with the investigation right now.”

An onlooker allegedly screamed when she witnessed the accident, and is currently speaking to police.  Police have closed Church from Gould to Gerrard streets for their investigation.

The extent of the woman’s injuries is unknown, but they are believed to include trauma to the legs and head, according to Ryerson student Ramisha Farooq, who witnessed the accident.

More to come.

Chelsea Briscoe was never supposed to be a Ram. But three weeks before the deadline to apply elsewhere, Laurier — the school she had committed to — suddenly announced they were getting rid of their volleyball team. And for Briscoe, not playing volleyball simply wasn’t an option. So she chose Ryerson.

“I would say to my coach that school came first, but if you ask any of the athletes, well no, my sport comes first,” Briscoe says. “Even as a team we know when school comes first and when volleyball comes first.”

This season, Chelsea became a first-team OUA All-star while leading the team to a 14-4 record — the best in team history. While they lost both the semi-final and bronze medal match at the OUA Final Four, Briscoe says it was good for the team to experience what it’s like to play under a lot of pressure and it was also a good mental lesson about awareness for herself.

She says she felt “like such an idiot” after the bronze medal match against the University of Toronto because she had watched the ball hit the ground and not even realized that it was the game point.

“[I thought] ‘oh my god, that was me who messed up that last point’ or a miscommunication that involved me… we lost.”

Briscoe says as a team, they make an effort not to point fingers, but she should have known it was the game point, and that’s an aspect she needs to pay more attention to.

Briscoe is serious when she plays — not jumping around or cheering like some of the other girls on the team do.

“For the most part I’m not very cheery, more so in our warm up. I give high-fives and stuff, I’ll do that — I’m all for high-fives — but I need to get in the zone because if I’m not in the zone before the game, then it’s going to take six points to get there,” she says. “Once I get going, I’m good.”

Briscoe says that even though she’s so intense on the court, she’s actually having a lot of fun while she plays, and sometimes she does join in the noise — when she feels it’s warranted.

When the women’s team surpassed their goal of winning three or four games in the first semester long before it was over (they actually won their first five), Briscoe says this added a lot of energy to the team and may have been part of the reason why she was cheering more. She says that having a lot of the same girls on the team that all started at the same time helped because they already knew how to work with each other and build on the previous year.

“We have the talent but last year we didn’t do a good job picking teams apart,” Briscoe says. “ [Now] we make teams hate themselves because we don’t let them do the things they want to do and eventually they break down.”

She says her coach Dustin Reid has even suggested she use her calm demeanor to help her teammates when they begin to stress and let the pressure get to them.

“There’s really only one incident this year where I had to grab someone and say, ‘You need to calm down,’” she says. “If one person’s down it’s like a plague and everyone’s in the dumps.”

When they don’t play to their best and allow other teams to win, Briscoe says Reid will run drills that could go anywhere from half an hour to several — depending on their hustle.

After the team seemed to give up during a loss in her first year, Reid told the girls that if they wanted to stay on the team, they had to show up at 4 a.m. to do boards — a drill in which you wrap a towel around a two-by-four and have to push it around the gym with your hands.

“It’s only you on the court and Dustin’s throwing balls everywhere,” she says. “I cried that night because I was so dead and didn’t want to be there.”

Briscoe says having to do that drill was the first time she had ever seen Reid like that since he’s not a “yell-in-your-face kind of guy,” but it worked.

“It’s kind of become a tradition,” Briscoe says. “It was a punishment, but now it’s a reminder that we’re not going to be that team [that gives up.]”

While they lost in straight sets to both the Universities of Ottawa and Toronto at the Final Four, simply making it there was a big step for the team that will remain full intact for next season.

“I think next season is going to be very different… we’re not at the bottom of the barrel anymore so we’ll definitely have to fight because teams are going to expect us to play better,” Briscoe says. “But I think that if we get [back to the Final Four,] the experience will help us know how to react in certain situations and know that it’s another game, but a really important game at the same time.”

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Eating habits tend to go out the window during exam time. You may go one of two ways: You forget about eating altogether, or you start cramming everything you see into your face. Stress can really mess up your appetite and hunger, as well as turning you into a stress eater.

Stress is healthy in moderate amounts, but chronic stress can become a big problem. Acute stressors will initially reduce your appetite, but with prolonged stress, you may feel starved all day. Putting your body in overtime for an extended period of time puts you at risk for various diseases, lower your immune function, and can mess up your metabolism.

During periods of stress, like exam time, students tend to increase their intake of convenience foods, have less time for exercise, and turn to ‘comfort eating’, which is a recipe for weight gain and poor health. Cortisol is one of the most notable stress hormones that has been linked to weight gain, especially in the abdomen. It may also increase food cravings and slow your metabolism, as your body goes into survival mode.

Beat the stress!

• Try to keep your regular eating schedule if possible – try not to miss a meal, especially breakfast!
• Avoid the all-nighters when you can. Putting your body into overtime will only stress you out more.
• Need to munch while you study? Keep things like carrots, celery, or apple slices nearby to keep you satisfied in between meals.
• Take lots of breaks from studying. Go for a walk, hit the gym, see a friend. Even a little bit of a break can ease your stress and help you study more effectively. Exercise is a natural stress-buster!
• Avoid refined sugars to keep your blood sugar balanced.
• Recognize when you’re getting too stressed and know what can help you get back on track.
• Don’t let your eating habits add to your stress level. The last thing you need is another thing to worry about. Do what you can – but we’re all human, and exams suck.

Check out Melissa’s recipes this week for more quick and healthy exam snack ideas!

With finals coming up, I like to have some healthy snacks on hand to prevent me from reaching from the sugary, caffeinated, salty foods –which we all crave when we are stressed but they really do nothing to improve our studying!

To help you avoid the sugar and caffeine crashes, I’ve put together a few of my favourite snack recipes that don’t take a long time to make. To save time, I also keep lots of diced vegetables ready for cooking so I don’t need to pull out the cutting board every time I am hungry. It’s also a good idea to keep veggie sticks (carrots, peppers, celery) and easy fruit (bananas, strawberries and apples) within view so you reach for them over chips, crackers, or cookies.

Enjoy! And leave your comments below! 

Kale Chips

1. Wash and towel dry one bunch of kale; cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a large bowl, toss kale with dressing (1 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tbsp. maple syrup, 1 tsp. soy sauce, ¼ cup sesame seeds and 2 tbsp. olive oil)
3. Lay flat on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
4. Bake at 200 Fahrenheit for about 20-30 minutes until they are dry and crispy.

Spiced Chickpeas

1. Rinse one of chickpeas thoroughly and towel dry.
2. In a large bowl, toss chickpeas with 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. basil and a dash of cayenne, salt & pepper.
3. Lay flat on baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
4. Bake at 400 Fahrenheit for about 20-30 minutes until they are crispy. Let cool prior to eating.

Quesadillas

1. In a large frying pan over medium heat, place a round tortilla covered with salsa. Top HALF the tortilla with vegetables of your choice – onions, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, etc. Top with grated cheese. Cover with lid and heat until cheese melts and bottom of tortilla is golden. Fold in half and serve with sour cream or guacamole.

Cucumber Tomato Salad

1. Dice one cucumber, half about a dozen cherry tomatoes; slice half a white onion. Add in about 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro. Toss with dressing (1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, 2 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. lemon juice).