By Amy Bourne
The need for a men’s anti-violence group at Ryerson was immediately apparent at its first meeting, said a Ryerson student who attended.
Only one man showed up Wednesday night to the inaugural meeting of Men Against Violence and Oppression at Ryerson (m.a.v.o.r.) at Oakham House.
David Paradis, 21, a first-year business administration student, said men at Ryerson are afraid of questioning their own masculinity, leading to hate and oppression. “I haven’t had an outlet to get these issues straight before,” Paradis said. “Anybody can have an opinion [about men and violence], but to have an informed opinion is not easy.”
He said talking with his friends about these issues over a few beers doesn’t really cut it. That’s why Alex Lisman, RyeSAC’s v.p. education, created the group. “We want to deal with issues that are of concern on campus, and we want to see if men are interested in campaigns against violence, but we really want to let the group decide where it goes,” Lisman said.
Lisman says he only expected a handful of people to show up, but believes it’s value is qualitative rather than quantitative. But, the poor attendance did not stop Lisman and personal counsellor Walter Cavalieri from discussing the nature of violence and what it is like to be a man in today’s society.
The next meeting will be held at Oakham House on Wednesday, Oct 10, at 6 p.m.
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