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Continued from page 37Each year, about 8,500 studentsplay intramural sports, participating ineverything from triathlons to table tennis.While some of the teams play ata varsity level, there are divisions for alltypes and abilities – inner-tube waterpolo, for instance, for students whoneed help staying above the water-line.Anne Richards, one of the ninesleepy-looking spectators in the stands,is here to see her son Mark skate forthe engineers. “The teams only playfive games in a semester, so if you missone, you’ve missed a lot of the season,”she says. The late start time is finewith Richards: “It’s more convenient,actually,” she says, eyes on the ice.“This way, it doesn’t conflict withanything except sleep.”12:28A.M.Fiona Rankin studies a set ofgraphs scrolling across her computerscreen in the sleep laboratory atthe Toronto Rehabilitation Instituteon University Avenue.The graphsmeasure the breathing patterns,heart rates and brain waves of threepatients. Rankin points to a longflat section in one graph.“This manessentially stopped breathing fora full minute,” she says.Rankin, a technician, is workingthree 12-hour shifts this week.Most patients at Sleep ResearchLaboratory have sleep apnea, acondition that can cause them totemporarily stop breathing dozensof times a night. Heavy snoring isone indicator of apnea. In Rankin’soffice, three Fisher-Price babymonitors, one for each patient,emit a gentle rumble.“Did you hear that?” Rankin asks.“He started breathing again after81 seconds.That’s a very long apnea.”Dr. Douglas Bradley, a U of Tprofessor and the laboratory director,is investigating how sleep disordersrelate to cardiovascular problems.In a recent study, Bradley and hisresearch team found a link betweensleep apnea and the risk of stroke.As for Rankin, she says that therewards of assisting with this typeof research are high, but admits thatworking at night takes a toll.“I havea lousy sleeping pattern,” she says.Information Commons, Robarts Library38 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MAGAZINE / SPRING 2006
1:07A.M.“In this lab, we study nematode worms,”says Mariam Alexander, a second-yearmaster’s student in medical genetics. Sheand Alexandra Byrne, a third-year PhDcandidate in medical genetics, are usingthe tiny worms to determine how specificgenes affect muscle developmentand also how genes work together inthe context of a whole animal.Their lab is on the 12th floor ofthe sleek new Terrence Donnelly Centrefor Cellular and Biomolecular Research,which offers a shimmery, nighttimeview of downtown Toronto throughits floor-to-ceiling windows. On anygiven night, you’ll find a handfulof masters and PhD students in this3:24 A.M.In a reading room at the RobartsLibrary,the students look either bored,desperate or deep in concentration.Several are completely unconscious.Mai-Ling Truong, Joey Ng andKristin Eberth are staked out at atable in the main lobby.They allhave looming deadlines.“I’m working on an essay onthe Indian Act,” says Truong, a secondyearAboriginal studies student.“It was due today.”Ng, a fourth-year life sciencesstudent, is writing a book report aboutFilipino culture on the Internet.“It’s one of the most boring topicsever,” she groans.lab, completing experiments, crunchingdata and compiling results.“The worms have a three-day lifecycle,” explains Byrne, so for studentsengaged in a complex experiment, thatmeans working to the worm’s schedule.“It’s a biological organism,” saysAlexander, “so it’s not like we can turnit off and come back and continue theexperiment. The worm will die, andthen you lose everything.”Byrne and Alexander, who havebeen working in the same lab for abouttwo years, say the new Donnelly Centrelabs are a vast improvement over thewindowless rooms of the MedicalSciences Building, where they used toconduct research. “Here you can seethe sun rise and set,” says Alexander,“There’s actually daylight.”Eberth, a third-year politicalscience student, is supposed to be writingabout Quebec separatism for anessay that was due two days ago.“Myenthusiasm is unparalleled,” she says,while rolling her eyes.The three are no strangers tolate-night work, although Eberthsays that the frequency of theirmidnight study marathons varies.“Sometimes I don’t work late atnight at all and sometimes five nightsin a row.” It may not be for everyone,but it’s a system, says Eberth, herfriends typing furiously beside her.“We don’t usually wake up until1 p.m., so this is our time.”2:16A.M.“This is why we don’t have anyglue sticks left,” sighs ClaudiaCalabro, editor of The Gargoyle,reaching up to pull an erranttube of hardened glue off theceiling where an anonymousprankster has stuck it. Calabrois the editor of the Gargoyle,University College’s irreverent,often satirical and sometimesplainly juvenile newspaper.Tonight the paper’s staff isworking on its election issue.Part of the Gargoyle’s enduringappeal is its grungy, handmadelook, which comes fromassembling it the old fashionedway – by cutting out picturesand text with X-Acto knives andgluing them onto large sheetsof paper.About a dozen studentstaffers are gathered around theconference table – an abusedbilliards table, with the snookerballs lumped in the pockets –to survey the layout.“We can’t tell this joke,” sayssomeone at the far end of thetable, arguing that it’s too tasteless,even by the paper’s risquéstandards. An editor quicklyrenders the one-liner unreadableby crossing it out with a thickblack Magic Marker.“There are still four pagesleft to do,” Calabro hollers fromher desk, where she’s writing hereditorial.“We have to get everythingdone in half an hour or itwon’t be printed tonight.”Thirty minutes later, theedition is edited and glued down.Calabro shouts a victorious,“Somebody call a taxi!” Thestudents clear the billiards tableand bundle up the pages. Calabroand company head out into thecold and assemble on the frontlawn of University College tosee their baby into the cab thatwill rush it to the printer.WWW.MAGAZINE.UTORONTO.CA 39
Page 5: Paying too much for your cell phone
Page 8 and 9: LettersPaper of RecordWhy The Varsi
Page 10 and 11: Leading EdgeOutdoor SweatshopsU of
Page 12 and 13: LeadingEdgeILLUSTRATION:WARREN HEIS
Page 14 and 15: Your Doorto a World ofPossibilities
Page 16: New&NotablePHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL CHIASS
Page 21 and 22: ATwistofFATERAYMOND REILLY WAS LOOK
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Page 25 and 26: Pinpoint DeliveryProfessor Christin
Page 28 and 29: How Much AreDrugs Worth?A FLEDGLING
Page 31 and 32: MATH PROF AND AMATEUR COMICJEFFREY
Page 33 and 34: ecently retired as a math lecturer
Page 36 and 37: AFTERHOURSC A M P U S L I F E F R O
Page 40 and 41: 4:05 A.M.In the deepest reaches of
Page 43 and 44: JASCHOOL OFZFOR U OF T MUSICSTUDENT
Page 45 and 46: Ontario, was the accompanist with C
Page 47 and 48: GreatGiftsPHOTOGRAPHY: BRUCE ZINGER
Page 49 and 50: GreatGiftsRenowned ScholarJoins Den
Page 51 and 52: Come find out Jackie's story at Spr
Page 53 and 54: AlumniNotesContinued from page 53 s
Page 55 and 56: CalendarALUMNI EVENTSJune 1 to 4. S
Page 57 and 58: Does anyoneever stop learning?Open
Page 59 and 60: ClassifiedsA SINGING VACATION IN OX
Page 61 and 62: BackLookingBY F.MICHAH RYNORInstrum
Page 63: Home and auto insurancefor the Univ

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