File: TTInterview10302015 --- [Music] Q: I'm sitting here with Kevin. He's a third year politics student and he wants to start a men's group on campus. So could you tell us a little bit about what a men's group is. A: So we're a men's issues group. So pretty much what we're focused on is bringing awareness to issues that disproportionately affect men and boys. So this includes high rates of suicide, high rates of incarceration, the fact that boys are failing in education, they have higher and higher. Sorry lower and lower literacy rates. lower and lower, post-secondary engagement. There's also a homeless plot, problem where I think it's like over 70 percent of the homeless are males. So it's just, you know, bringing awareness to these issues and just generating discussions on campus about them. Q: So what other kind of things would happen on campus in terms of events or campaigns? A: So we had a few events proposed. We wanted to get speakers to come in and talk about men's health. We wanted to get speakers from the Canadian Association for Mental Health. I think that's how it's called. As well as other speakers like Michael Rice who's an author that wrote a bunch of books dealing with boys and why they're failing in education and stuff like that. We also wanted to have an Instagram campaign on International Men's Day so we'd go around asking people to post pictures of themselves. Pretty much just with with a quick quote saying you know saying, sorry bringing to light any any positive male role models that they've had in their lives. Q: So this has been happening before like previously in previous years. You know there's been this, this attempt to get these groups on campus. So why is yours different? A: Well I don't know how the other groups operated, but we pretty much operate under an egalitarian framework which is just the general view that everyone should have equal rights. So you know that's That's who we are. I really wanted to make it as intersectional as possible. So Q: Intersectional, as though anyone can join this group? A: Yeah, so anyone can join. Right now our members are almost 50 male and female. Our executives are two-thirds female. Q: So tell me a little bit about the executives. Who's on the team, who's on the board? Yeah, so one of our executives would like to remain anonymous. Q: Why do you think that is? A: Well she's mentioned a few times now that she fears the repercussions of of being publicly associated with this group. Q: So what are those repercussions? why would you be, why would you be afraid to be public? A: Well there's a lot of powerful groups in on campus that have been bullying us and spreading slanderous lies about us since we started. So I think it's tied to that. Q: So U of T has similar issues as well. A men's group issues club and they face some backlash like you were speaking on. Do you think that will happen on campus if you guys get approved? A: Well we haven't been approved that's the thing we got rejected recently. So you know in terms of that I don't know. We may still continue operating, just you know not under the guidance or supervision of the RSU. But yeah it's yeah Q: So how do you deal with this kind of backlash like you were talking about - people saying slanderous remarks? A: Well we've released a statement, you know, trying to clear up as much as we can. You know some of the slanderous lies that have been spread about us is that we're misogynists and looking at our demographics alone is you know just puts that lie to rest. Q: Sorry to cut you off we only have 30 seconds left - just want to know what's next for the men's issues group? You did say that you guys got rejected but how are you guys going to continue like you were saying? A: So we will probably be appealing the decision. But we have other plans to continue operating possibly and as well as other things planned. Q: Well thanks so much for joining us Kevin, we really do appreciate it.