Catherine Mulroney

Founded by sibling team, U of T startup partners with university to sell apparel

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 17:23:52 +0000

Founded by sibling team, U of T startup partners with university to sell apparel

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 03/07/2024 - 12:23

Cutline

Along with younger sister and creative partner Calille, left, Malik and Sydnie Pottinger worked with U of T's Trademark Licensing Office to create a capsule collection for their clothing brand MOTUS (photo by Varenya Danthurthy)

Catherine Mulroney

Topic

City & Culture

U of T Bookstore

Entrepreneneurship

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education

St. Michael's College

Startups

ThisIsThePlace

Subheadline

Clothing brand MOTUS, co-founded by two U of T students and their younger sister, is collaborating with the university on a capsule collection

Startup co-founders and siblings Sydnie and Malik Pottinger are set to make history by becoming the first students to partner with the University of Toronto’s Trademark Licensing Office to create a capsule collection with their clothing brand MOTUS.

Sydnie, a third-year student at St. Michael’s College, and Malik, a fifth-year student in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE), will see their MOTUS line of fashion wear, complete with the university’s iconic T-and-leaf logo, go on sale at the U of T Bookstore’s St. George campus location in March.

The collection includes a varsity jacket, sweatsuits, beanies, soccer jerseys and T-shirts.

Bringing this dream to fruition has been a family affair for the Pottingers, whose younger sister Calille is also involved in the company – and whose parents have been a constant source of encouragement.

The siblings, whose university years saw them turn out for the Varsity Blues – with Malik playing basketball and Sydnie, volleyball – began to consider creating a line of comfortable but stylish fashion pieces during the pandemic. They launched MOTUS in January 2023, taking on everything from designing clothing and creating a logo to arranging manufacturing and shipping orders.

Malik says the brand name MOTUS is derived from the Latin word for motion. “It fits us because we are always pushing ourselves and each other to have one foot forward, and it signifies always progressing and elevating,” says Malik.

The business began booming shortly after the e-commerce brand was launched, with Malik and Sydnie soon making regular trips from their small warehouse to the post office to mail orders.

It wasn’t long before they met their first benchmark of success: seeing people on the street wearing their clothes.

“Success is your brand being recognized,” Sydnie says.

The siblings then began to think of how to create a brick-and-mortar presence and pondered whether they could reach an arrangement to sell their items in the U of T Bookstore.

“We brought up the idea to our parents. They encouraged us and said, ‘The worst that can happen is that the bookstore says no,’” Sydnie recalls.

Soon, they were in contact with U of T’s Trademark Licensing Office, where they were introduced to manager Ivan Canete, who previously managed the Under Armour portfolio for the Sport & Rec programs at KPE. Together, they discussed how U of T branding and logos could be integrated into a MOTUS x UofT collection.

In addition to the bookstore stocking their items, MOTUS also received support from Spaces & Experiences, which invested in initial inventory and connected the siblings with resources such as the Black Founders Network.

“We haven’t done a lot of this before,” Canete says of the collaboration, noting that only recently have big brands begun to create collaborative clothing collections with U of T.

Canete says that since U of T Bookstore royalties are poured back into student experience, partnering with students is a great path. “U of T is pioneering this kind of thinking and developing a model for other schools to follow,” he says, describing the arrangement as part of the bookstore’s evolution.

“It's a great feeling to know that something that my sisters and I created in our parents’ living room is going to help other people,” says Malik, who is set to graduate from KPE this year. “We are the first students to collaborate with the university’s Trademark Licensing Program and it’s really nice to see MOTUS among big-name brands like OVO, Roots and Peace Collective.”

Malik plans to spend at least a year following his graduation solely focused on building the business. Sydnie, who has two years of school remaining and also coaches volleyball, will also continue to make a full-time commitment.

Among MOTUS’s next steps is to produce leather goods, says Malik, who has been looking into suppliers in Portugal. “We are already developing an assortment of items of this category for our brand. Our goal for MOTUS is to have an international footprint,” he says. “We are so grateful for U of T’s backing.”

Malik says he would advise students to not let their studies box them into a corner. “Just take everything you learned from U of T and apply it in whatever direction you want to take in your life,” he says.

“My first two years at KPE provided me with a great foundation and perspective to figure out what I like. That structure, combined with playing on the varsity basketball team in the first two years of my studies, provided me with discipline and routine that come in handy today.”

U of T alumnus Tony Comper establishes professorship of medieval studies at St. Michael's

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 14:56:20 +0000

U of T alumnus Tony Comper establishes professorship of medieval studies at St. Michael's

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 03/03/2020 - 09:56

Catherine Mulroney

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

Medieval Studies

University of St. Michael's College

David Sylvester, the president and vice-chancellor of the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, has announced the establishment of the Comper Professorship in Medieval Studies.

This newly endowed position was made possible by an investment by Tony Comper, a St. Michael’s alumnus. Sylvester also announced that Alison More has been appointed the inaugural holder of the Comper Professorship. More, an assistant professor, is a highly regarded scholar of Latin whose research investigates the intersections of social and religious culture in late-medieval Northern Europe.

The donation reflects Comper’s firm belief that studying the humanities offers invaluable benefits both personally and professionally – and that St. Michael’s is on the right path with its renewal as a vibrant centre of undergraduate education at U of T.

“Studying liberal arts, in particular literature, provides significant insight into human nature; (it offers) essential knowledge in interpersonal skills, the most important skill for success in business and indeed in life,” says Comper (left), who is the retired president and CEO of BMO Financial Group.

Comper recently returned to U of T to take courses in Medieval Studies, a Faculty of Arts & Science undergraduate program sponsored by the University of St. Michael’s College that is available to all U of T arts and science students. This gave him a front-row seat to the revitalization of arts and science undergraduate programs sponsored by St. Michael’s. Pleased with what he saw, he offered the university a unique hybrid investment in teaching by funding this position. The gift is comprised of a multi-million dollar bequest and the promise of annual funding, effective immediately, in the intervening years to cover salary and benefits. The faculty position is one of six that St. Michael’s implemented in 2017 as part of its focus on teaching excellence in the four undergraduate programs it sponsors: Book and Media Studies, Christianity and Culture, Celtic Studies, and Medieval Studies.

More (left) came to St. Michael’s from the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent, where she designed and taught core courses on Latin and palaeography. She and the other assistant professors who joined the community at St. Michael’s and U of T three years ago have become a vital part of social and academic renewal. They have enhanced students’ learning experiences through their engaged and creative teaching and research interests, and have contributed a great deal to the culture and community of the college beyond the classroom by supporting student-run initiatives and presenting public lectures for alumni. The Comper gift, meanwhile, represents the first step in a campaign to ensure the professorships remain permanent.

“This generous gift is an extraordinary demonstration of the confidence in the renaissance underway at St. Michael’s,” says Sylvester. “It’s also a model of funding for other professorships, and an ideal example of how St. Mike’s continues to renew itself through endowed legacy positions. We’re thrilled that an outstanding philanthropist like Comper has demonstrated his dedication to his alma mater in this way.”

“St. Michael’s and the wider U of T share a long tradition of international excellence in the field of medieval studies,” says U of T President Meric Gertler. “Tony Comper’s wonderful gift will help to strengthen that tradition for future generations, and to accelerate the renewal of undergraduate education at the college. His generosity also builds on his long record of leadership in the University community, including his previous service as chair of U of T’s Governing Council, as well as his and his late wife Elizabeth’s support for the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. We applaud this latest contribution to our collective success.”

With its combination of intensive Latin study alongside explorations of theology, literature, history, culture and manuscripts, the Medieval Studies program invites students not just to study the Middle Ages, but to also join a great tradition of inquiry and discovery that’s enlivened by the world-renowned professors who have taught medieval studies at St. Michael’s over the years, including Étienne Gilson, Jacques Maritain, Edward Synan, Margaret Frances Nims, Mary Arthur Knowlton and Colin Chase.

The University of St. Michael’s College has a long tradition of teaching and research in medieval disciplines and its library has rich resources in the field. The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies library, which is housed in the John M. Kelly Library, includes rare, non-circulating books and draws scholars from around the world. The college recently signed a five-year memorandum of understanding with PIMS and U of T recommitting to collaborative work in research, teaching and publication.

St. Michael's College student uses social media to celebrate diversity, build U of T community

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 16:12:21 +0000

St. Michael's College student uses social media to celebrate diversity, build U of T community

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 02/10/2020 - 11:12

Cutline

With a focus on Black History Month in February, Oghogho Abigail Iyekekpolor launched a social media campaign, called #SoulsofSMC, to inspire students and ensure representation at St. Michael's College (photo by Emma Graham)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Music

St. Michael's College

Undergraduate Students

Oghogho Abigail Iyekekpolor, a second-year University of Toronto student at St. Michael’s College, understands the importance of feeling represented.

She recalls sitting in a high school class in Toronto as the work of Caribbean poet and playwright Sir Derek Walcott was being discussed.

“I looked around my class and I was the only Black person, yet here were all these other students engaged in his work. It almost brought tears to my eyes,” Iyekekpolor says.

She had a similar experience this semester when, on the first day of one of her classes, a Black woman professor walked in to teach.

“It took me telling my friends what it meant to me for them to understand,” Iyekekpolor says. “People don’t recognize how important it is to have people they can relate to who are models for them.

“It’s important for people to take the time to think about how other people – and they themselves – are represented.”

Iyekekpolor is now putting that understanding into action at St. Mike’s by launching a new social media campaign called #SoulsofSMC. The campaign, to be overseen by the college’s office of Student Life, will focus on inspirational student stories that motivate their peers to get involved in a range of activities.

“It’s great to know there are other students at St. Mike’s who share your values and experience,” Iyekekpolor says.

@USMCStudents’ #SoulsofSMC campaign continues with Erwin-Jeffrey Komguem, who says that “Getting involved [at @uStMikes] was definitely the best decision I’ve made in university.” @uStMikesPres @UofTStudentLife @univcan https://t.co/X47FvNxd8U
— University of St. Michael's College (@uStMikes) February 10, 2020

Weekly posts will focus on someone – usually a student leader – who will select from a list of questions to share her or his experience at St. Mike’s, offering answers to questions such as how to develop a sense of St. Mike’s as home or how to navigate cultural challenges. The option to choose which questions to answer promises that the profiles will be as unique and diverse as the students themselves.

Many weeks the posts will be linked to a theme, including Black History Month during the month of February. Iyekekpolor and Student Life Associate Emma Graham have a lengthy list of suggested themes on how to celebrate the community.

Double majoring in neuroscience and psychology, with a minor in French, Iyekekpolor was a participant in her first year in St. Mike’s SMC One program the Gilson Seminar in Faith and Ideas. Iyekekpolor also works part-time as a Student Life programming assistant, splitting her time between handling social media posts and helping plan events with various clubs on campus. Graham says it was Iyekekpolor’s idea, for example, to plan a pair of workshops on African and Caribbean cooking to mark Black History Month.

When she’s not engaged in school or work, Iyekekpolor also belongs to an a cappella singing group through the Faculty of Music and is preparing for a big competition. Her long-term goal is to pursue a career in medicine.

How St. Michael's College helps first-year U of T students find their footing

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 21:34:27 +0000

How St. Michael's College helps first-year U of T students find their footing

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 01/31/2020 - 16:34

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A new "check-in" program at St. Michael's College matches first-year students with professors to chat about making the adjustment to university life (photo courtesy of St. Michael's College)

Catherine Mulroney

Topic

Our Community

Student Experience

Health & Wellness Centre

Centre for International Experience

Faculty of Arts & Science

Mathematics

Mental Health

Randy Boyagoda

St. Michael's College

Undergraduate Students

Randy Boyagoda, the principal of the University of Toronto’s University of St. Michael's College, is happy to give credit for the college’s new first-term check-in program where it’s due: the students themselves.

The program, which matches first-year students with professors to chat about adjusting to university life, is the result of an idea brought forward by St. Mike’s student union.

Boyagoda says he was pleased when a group of students approached him last spring to ask what St. Mike’s was doing to promote mental health.

“A delegation from the Student Life committee met with me and wanted to know what was being done locally,” he recalls. “They asked what St. Mike’s could do to respond. The challenge came from students.”

In ensuing discussions about what causes students worry or distress, one of the issues that came to light was students’ anxiety over meeting with professors – an experience that is pretty much unavoidable over the course of four years of a post-secondary education.

“Students were telling us they felt intimidated. Our goal was to humanize the relationship,“ Boyagoda says.

Working to overcome that challenge seemed like a good – and feasible – first step so the first-year check-in idea took root with the goal of normalizing professor-student meetings.

A quick survey of professors – both at St. Mike’s as well as fellows associated with the college – indicated a willingness to help and the program was launched successfully this past fall, according to Boyagoda. He adds that U of T has taken notice of the program and is considering broader applications.

“This program is not about course advising. It is totally voluntary and student-centred,” he says.

First-year student Lisa-marie Lofty took advantage of the new program, and says she found the opportunity to chat with Felan Parker (left), an assistant professor of book and media studies, helpful as she adjusted to life at St. Mike’s.

“We met early in the semester as I was still thinking about courses and we had a friendly conversation about things to consider as the year went on,” Lofty recalled.

As someone who had attended boarding school four hours outside of Nairobi and was drawn to U of T in part because of the appeal of a big city, Lofty says it was nice to have another friendly face to relate to, especially as Parker told her a bit about his own experiences as a student.

St. Mike’s fellow Mary Pugh, a professor in U of T's department of mathmatics, also participated in the program after a student contacted her. She says the main message she conveyed was that the student could contact her at any time.

The program “gives students access to a disinterested/non-judgmental person who’s well-familiar with the Faculty of Arts & Science and its classes and programs – someone who can treat them like a human and offer support/advice if needed,” Pugh says.

As helpful as the program is proving to be for students, it is also proving to be educational for professors as well.

“Because I usually teach upper-year courses, I haven’t had much interaction with first-year students,” says Parker. “Contrary to popular myth, I’ve found that they are the opposite of entitled, frequently apologizing for asking for help and uncertain of what kind of support is available. My hope is that the first-year check-ins, along with other initiatives like the first-year foundations seminars, will help show students that we are here to help.”

Social worker Nicole LeBlanc (left), St. Mike’s in-house wellness counsellor, says first-year students can experience anxiety for a number of reasons. Everything from worry over marks and making friends through to loneliness and being far from home can make students feel anxious or depressed – or both.

“Students face a lot of pressure these days, whether it’s competition to get into graduate programs or wanting to please parents, or worrying over expenses. Add in relational issues – the rules of engagement over dating and friendships, for example – and it can be very challenging,” she says. “Many students are going from being a big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a very big pond, no longer having the top marks or profile they might have had in high school. It’s a shock to the system.

“Be open and honest,” she says when asked what others can do to help. “Tell the person that you notice a change, and let them know that you care. You can suggest counselling or a doctor. Destigmatizing mental illness is very important.”

LeBlanc offers one-on-one counselling for St. Michael’s students and notes that all it takes is an email or call to set up an initial appointment with her. She finds that a significant part of her role is letting students know what services are available, whether it’s academic help via the writing centre or learning strategist, social support from places like the Centre for International Experience, a referral to U of T’s Health & Wellness Centre for medical issues, or friendly encouragement to take advantage of on-campus activities offered through St. Mike’s Student Life.

Abuse crisis in Catholic Church is subject of conference at University of St. Michael's College

noreen.rasbach — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 22:37:18 +0000

Abuse crisis in Catholic Church is subject of conference at University of St. Michael's College

noreen.rasbach Wed, 03/13/2019 - 18:37

Cutline

Leona Huggins holds up her message to Pope Francis in Rome last month. She will attend this week's conference on clergy sexual abuse at the University of St. Michael's College (photo by Simone Padovani/Awakening/Getty Images)

Topic

University of St. Michael's College

Leona Huggins remembers clearly why her parish priest stopped abusing her.

“I got too old, too aware. He couldn’t control me,” says Huggins, who spoke about her childhood experiences and her current work advocating for an end to clergy sexual abuse in a recent episode of the Global News This is Why podcast.

When Huggins discovered years later that the man who abused her when she was 13 was now working with a youth group, she stepped forward with her story and became an activist.

The priest served 10 months in jail on various abuse-related charges, but returned to active ministry elsewhere.

Huggins, who lives in Vancouver, was the sole Canadian among the 12 abuse survivors offered a chance to address last month’s unprecedented Vatican summit on clergy sexual abuse. Now, she will be a key participant in a two-day event at the University of St. Michael’s College looking at the abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church.

“The Wounded Body of Christ: Listening and Responding to Abuse in the Church," which takes place Thursday and Friday, will include input from legal, medical and pastoral experts. It will also hear from three survivors of clerical sexual abuse, including Huggins, who will share their stories as well as their advice on how to end the crisis.

The event begins with a keynote address Thursday evening by Dr. Brian Flanagan, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Virginia’s Marymount University. His talk is titled “Believing in a Sinful and Holy Church.”

Dr. Nuala Kenny, a professor emeritus of bioethics at Dalhousie University in Halifax, will deliver a paper Friday sharing insight she has gained as a physician in diagnosing and treating clerical sexual abuse, while Mary Ann Hinsdale, an associate professor of theology at Boston College, will address the links between clericalism and abuse.

A group discussion toward the end of Friday will bring together the range of voices involved in addressing what Pope Francis has called “the pain and unbearable suffering” the scandals have caused. That discussion will be moderated by David Byrne, a doctoral student whose work addresses ethical, spiritual, moral and practical issues in society’s – and the courts’ – response to sex offenders.

The St. Michael's conference comes as survivors and the broader church assess what did and did not come out of the Vatican conference, as well as what next steps are needed to end a crisis that has rocked the church to its core.

“The question of clerical sexual abuse is such a complex issue,” says James Ginther, dean of the Faculty of Theology at St. Michael's. “We need to hear from the survivors because the onus is on us to become agents of change, creating a church that doesn’t allow any space for abuse. We need to ensure our ecclesiastical leaders can’t let this happen again.”

As Huggins told the This is Why podcast, the Vatican summit left her disappointed she didn’t see a more practical action plan come out of the meetings. The church is still “parsing” what abuse is, she says, adding that until it takes a “really good look at the rot within,” the church’s right to position itself as a moral authority is threatened.

Huggins stepped forward with her story in 1992, 15 years after her experience of abuse. While in Rome, she met a 22-year-old abuse survivor, which she sees as evidence that offers of handbooks and talking points have not done enough to end the crime.

“I’d love to stop telling my story,” she says.