It’s the final issue of the year already ? Time has flew by! If you haven’t pitched all year, I strongly suggest you do it for this edition!

If you want to pick up a pitch or submit your own use this link to claim it! As always the due date to reserve a pitch is next Friday, February 25th at 11:59!

E4 Pitch List

1. Innis/Student Life:
   1. PERSONAL ESSAY: Graduation Reflection in the Time of Online School
   2. Sex in the City: Over the past couple of months, Toronto’s nightlife has been slowly opening back up from one-on-one dinner dates to shoulder-to-shoulder club nights. This piece is an exploration of the college dating game in the COVID age, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
   3. In-Person v. Online Final Assessments [OPINION PIECE]: By the time this edition is ready for distributions, final exams will be just around the corner. For many, these final exams will the first in two years that they take in-person in the monolith that is the Exam Centre. However, it begs the question: is there even any merit to taking in-person exams? 
   4. The True Cost of Being an International Student at UofT: There is a long trail of evidence that demonstrates how international students are required to pay egregious costs for the same education provided to domestic students; however, what has been less documented is how travel costs (esp., with the last-minute, ad hoc planning of the 2021-22 school year). Could be shaped as a personal essay or investigative story.
   5. How to UofT: Dealing with burnout: Tips for avoiding burnout as a university student, with focus on UofT (potential PERSONAL ESSAY)

2. Arts and Culture

1. Race, Representation, and Euphoria: HBO’s Euphoria is one of social media’s hottest topics right now; even for those who don’t watch every Sunday, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok has been ensuring that everyone and their mom knows about all the Nate-Cassie-Maddy tea. That said, there has been a growing conversation, particularly within BIPOC communities, about how Euphoria (and its creator Sam Levinson) poorly handles race, fetishizes Black American culture, and speaks about BIPOC trauma through the white male gaze, among other concerns (here is a recent post I saw that spoke to this conversation by @yourariescomrade). Priority for this piece will be given to BIPOC voices.
2. Are Award Shows a Good Barometer for Artistry?: There has been a lot of discourse in recent years about the patriarchal, racist, and heteronormative spectre that looms over some of the West’s most iconic award shows such as the Golden Globes, the Oscars, and the Grammys. As award season ramps up and nominations are out, this piece can be an exploration of these factors and/or considering whether award shows require reform or abolition within cinema and music’s most prestigious echelons.
3. Kanye West and Fan Transparency: In January/February of 2022, Kanye West sparked a lot of support and backlash for his social media dumping over his Instagram on everything from his divorce struggles with Kim Kardashian to industry drama to the internet’s white boy of the month Pete Davidson. While his   behaviour is perhaps more extreme, celebrities have been particularly vocal with fans about their private lives over COVID, whether it was the Great Celebrity Bathing Debacle of 2021 or literally anything posted from Megan Fox and MGK. This sparks questions about how much fans should know about their idols, especially in the age of stan culture and twitter armies with the power to do serious harm..
4. The Return of Travel: With the wave of omicron having passed, many countries are removing travel restrictions. What will tourism look like in 2022? Which countries are looking like great vacation destinations?
5. Where Did all the Rom-Coms Go?: Reminiscing on the beautiful film epoch that was the early 2000s: If you are like me, then your personality was greatly shaped by the iconic protagonists that defined the early 2000s rom com scene. Rom coms were a huge part of the zeitgeist for decades, then one day, they just completely fell off. This piece is an opportunity for a contributor to do a film analysis on what made those films so great both technically and socially, and what films today are perhaps getting wrong about the rom com genre.
6. The History of ‘Once Upon a Time’: How beginnings have shaped storytelling culture and the different kinds of beginnings in fables around the world. 

3. Sports

1. Figure Skating Beijing 2022: Figure skating has always had a notorious history and this year’s Olympics is no exception. Whether it is the doping scandal of the ROC, world record moments, the greater history of Olympics figure skating, etc. there are so many angles to report from. 
2. MLB Lockout: We are currently in the longest work stoppage in MLB history (78 days) and people are scared that Opening Day may never come for the 2022 season. What is the reason for the lockout? Are lockouts effective in the MLB and professional sports more broadly? What does this mean for baseball fans?
3. March Madness/Playoff Sports Analysis 
4. Politics

1. #FluTrucksKlan and Situating Canada within the Global Radical Right Movement: This piece could be approached from a national response perspective or incorporate how Canada’s trucker convoy fits into the larger radical right movement. This is a piece for an investigative and politically-engaged contributor who would be willing to dive deeply into this movement.
2. Russia-Ukraine Crisis: a breakdown of the situation in Ukraine and the US’s response to it – will the conflict escalate? Who else will get involved? What is the Canadian context?
3. Toronto Police Presence on Campus and Student Safety: In response to concerns about the Trucker Convoy taking over Queen’s Park, the Toronto Police set up blockades through every major artery leading there. This has created a significantly higher police presence on campus, especially on the West side, which has made many students feel much less safe on campus. Report on this issue, but also feel free to comment on the problematic aspects of how Toronto (and Canada more broadly) automatically correlates police presence with safety.
4. Science and Tech

1. Wait, so the Metaverse isn’t just a joke?: When Mark Zuckerberg first announced the Metaverse, a VR world built for social connection, social media had a field day. Furthermore, in early February of 2022, it was reported that Meta Platforms (formerly known as Facebook)’s stock crashed by 20% in Q4. That said, business reports have shown that Zuckerberg is still investing larger shares into his metaverse dream to make it into a reality. This piece can explore the Metaverse, stock market manipulation, and the ethics of letting corporations build the environments of our everyday life.
2. mRNA Vaccines: A Silver Bullet?: The success of the mRNA vaccine with COVID means that it is now being tested on other viruses and health conditions. What are the other illnesses that may be contained or prevented by the progress made with this new, formidable technology? 
3. The Beginning of Climate Migration: We have known this would happen for years and it seems the process of climate migration to North America has finally begun. Who is migrating? Why are they migrating? How will this affect Canada? What are the future implications?
4. The Comforts of Prophecy: A psychological take on why we find comfort in the idea of an apocalypse, doomsday prepping, and the end of the world.
5. Creative:
   1. Satire: 

• Pitch your own!
• Political cartoon for Russia/Ukraine/US or Trucker Convoy

2. Fiction – Whether its poetry, short stories, a personal essay, a photo essay, whatever! We want to hear it!

Columns

1. Changemakers Corner
   1. From its founding in the late 60s to now, Innis College is largely defined by its powerful, fiery, and influential staff and student body. Within our community, there are so many amazing individuals who are doing incredible work both inside and outside of the UofT campus and this column strives to highlight and celebrate this work. Whether they are faculty or student, conduct an interview and write a profile on someone who you believe belongs in the Changemakers Corner. Let’s start off the school year by lifting up our community!
2. What’s Cooking?:
3. Spring is fast approaching, which means pastels, flowers, and like 36 new ‘Spring Baking Championship’ programs on the Food Network. Follow in the latter’s footsteps and pitch your best spring/Easter dessert!

Don’t see anything you like? Create your own pitch in the Google Form option:)

Happy Writing!