Friday, February 27, 2015

W ESTER NGA ZET TE.CA • @ UWOGA ZET TE

thegazette We’re the ones to talk since 1906

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015

TODAY high -11 low -25

TOMORROW high -8 low -20

WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906

Game one win for women’s hockey ‘Stangs pick up 3–1 win over Laurier >> pg. 7

VOLUME 108, ISSUE 78

USC budget reveals $500k loss for this year • Deficit stems from discrepancy in projected number of feepaying students • 2015/16 budget investments targeted at volunteers and government support • Executive portfolios rearranged and programming cut • Promotions department created to better market the USC Kevin Hurren NEWS EDITOR-AT-LARGE @KevinAtGazette

A

ndrew Lalka presented the USC’s 2015–16 budget on Wednesday, but not before delivering the grim news that the USC has a $457,000 deficit this year — an amount that stood out considering it was budgeted to lose only $4,400 this year.

Lalka explained the University Students’ Council’s larger deficit was due to an unexpected drop in the number of full-time fee paying students in addition to business changes that occurred later in the year. Western Film, for instance, had to close for some of its busiest months while under an expensive renovation.

For the first time ever, the USC

USC has to ask itself some tough questions

has prepared a four-year rolling budget.

“When doing the business planning cycle there were changes implied that spanned four years, so we thought it’s more appropriate to include all the changes, which gives better directives to our managers and staff,” explained Lalka.

Lalka is projecting a budget surplus by the end of the next fiscal year. He sees it as an issue of how the USC pays for its services.

“Our expenses are growing faster than our revenues, and this longer budget shows us what we were already afraid of. We realized it was time for a more fundamental shift,” he said.

This shift is a move towards different revenue models and temporary cash injections. >> see BUDGET pg.3

Creative Services, the Wave and OUSA all cost students a lot of money, and their value to students and the USC is questionable.

Should the USC continue to fund these operations?

HAMZA TARIQ ON PAGE 3.

How do you solve a problem like a USC?

Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE

The budget pours money into areas that are failing while taking away from student engagement opportunities.

BRADLEY METLIN ON PAGE 3.

2•

thegazette • Friday, February 27, 2015

Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE

Aligning fees with costs emphasized in new budget >> BUDGET continued from pg.1

T

HIS PARTICULAR BUDGET ISN’T JUST A SCRUTINY. FUNDAMENTALLY, BY CHANGING THE WAY WE PAY FOR THINGS WE’RE HOPEFULLY CHANGING WHAT WE END UP PAYING FOR. ANDREW LALKA

USC VICE-PRESIDENT FINANCE

Solution to puzzle on page 7

Previously, if the USC wanted to create a new service, an associated cost would be added to the USC fee to pay for that operation. According to Lalka, this can sometimes put the finance portfolio in a difficult position — especially if the service is under-performing.

“We can do cuts annually to try to pay for [a service], but every time we do a cut we either face a reduction in service level or an elimination of another service.”

Rather than making such cuts, a cash injection model can act as a kind of reverse stabilization method.

A new service would receive direct cash revenues from the USC reserves. After two or three years of operation, the USC is then able to review the service’s purpose and performance, determining whether or not to stop the cash injections.

This way, no fee needs to be added or cut and the council is Your Weekly Horoscope The week of March. 1 – 7

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forced to review the service instead of allowing it to exist longer than it should.

“This is a more precarious funding model in that the new units we build have a probationary or incubation period where they’re protected but after that point they really need to show their value,” Lalka said.

New USC departments and services that may be the first to experience this model of funding include the recently created promotions team and volunteer resources.

Other changes in this year’s budget include a more deconstructed student fee.

Currently, all undergraduate students pay a $70.40 base fee and $58.12 University Community Centre fee to the USC. But in the past, these funds were used to pay for almost any cost associated with student government, explained Lalka.

In the new budget, the fees are broken up and increased into a $29.00 base fee, $63.50 UCC fee and $51.50 administrative fee – with the additional funds being drawn from other council lines.

Now, explained Lalka, the fees are more accurately labelled, with the UCC fee specifically paying for the space, the base fee paying for the USC’s internal costs and the administrative fee goes to personnel, staff and other admin support.

“We named the fees so we could actually monitor the costs of doing student government,” said Lalka, who noted how these name changes would also make it easier to notice inappropriate internal spending.

Asides from these shifts, points of interest in the budget include an increased Gazette fee, reprioritizing of Creative Services and a harsher look at the place Western Film has on campus.

Although Western Film is only one of several USC services and positions facing a potential demise, these changes aren’t just to be frugal, assured Lalka.

“This particular budget isn’t just a scrutiny. Fundamentally, by changing the way we pay for things we’re hopefully changing what we end up paying for. We’re making it so the standards for growth and the standards for testing relevance are much higher.”

Council members will have the opportunity to vote for or against the proposed budget at the upcoming annual general meeting in March.

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer

The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.

•3

thegazette • Friday, February 27, 2015

USC should reconsider operations Hamza Tariq NEWS EDITOR

Cutting programming not the answer to budget woes

@HamzaAtGazette

Bradley Metlin SPORTS EDITOR

It’s that time of year again. The USC has unveiled their budget and it outlines several problematic areas for the organization.

The USC’s print and graphic services business, Creative Services, has been in decline for a while now.

The University Students’ Council had lost $120,000 in 2013–14 on it and there was serious debate on its viability. It appears that the moment of truth has come for Creative Services and despite being only $19,000 in the red this year, the USC has decided to downsize it. Creative Services will now only print for students and will no longer do O-week clothing.

Creative Services has proven to be a good alternative for students because of its cheaper costs compared to Staples and other mainstream printing and creative services.

@BradAtGazette

D

OES THE WAVE DESERVE SPECIAL TREATMENT WHEN IT LOSES SO MUCH MONEY? SHOULD THE WAVE STILL BE OWNED BY THE USC OR SHOULD IT CONTINUE TO OPERATE AT ALL? But the USC has done a poor job of promoting the service to students and articulating its competitive pricing. For example, the secondyear business course 2257 has a feasibility project that’s printed by Creative Services at lower cost than off-campus services. Despite this, few students know of the service.

The problem of promoting services has plagued the USC for a while now and hopefully the new promotions department will help solve some of that.

Then there’s the Wave. It may serve good food and alcohol at somewhat affordable prices, but it’s losing a lot of money. The Wave was budgeted to make a oddly specific $76 profit, and it managed to lose approximately $27,000 this year.

Does the student-owned restaurant deserve special treatment when it loses so much money? Should the Wave still be owned by the USC or should it continue to operate at all? I think the USC should be asking itself these questions.

The one element of the budget that I can’t wrap my head around is fee changes resulting from membership in the Ontario Undergraduate Students’ Alliance. The USC’s OUSA membership has few tangible benefits for the Western population. It is an advocacy platform that has promised more than it has delivered.

Yet instead of debating the viability of remaining in the association, the USC has sneaked in an increase in student fees for it.

The preliminary USC budget will be available to students soon. I encourage everyone to go through it, and offer their councillors and the USC executive input on how they think their money should be spent. $6–700 annually is a lot of money, and being on a student budget and government loans, we should look more into where it goes.

On Wednesday night, the University Students’ Council’s annual budget dropped and like a disappointing musical talent, any hope for a groundbreaking effort was quickly shattered. I feel like a huge supporter of the American Tea Party movement when looking at the USC. Their bloated budget suggests a systematic problem with the organization — an inability to let go.

A few of the USC’s favourite things drain financial resources that otherwise could be used more effectively. One of the chief offenders is Western Film which this year is expected to lose nearly $84,000. You see, not many people were heading to the second floor of the University Community Centre to see a flick that had been in theatres for two months already. What did last year’s USC believe was the appropriate response?

Let’s funnel money into Western Film for renovations! Rather than properly evaluate the necessity or structure, the USC did what they usually do — throw money at a problem. Next year has been labeled “make or break” for Western Film but I recall this expression was used at the beginning of the year to describe the venue. I love the convenience of having a theatre on campus but sometimes you have to cut your losses. Students should not be propping up a failing endeavour that does not necessarily further the USC’s mission statement.

Taking a peek into the executive’s own budgets, one would find that the income tax clinic is being cut. A service that educates many students at a mere $2,500 cost is being slashed. Team USC, which initiated an aggressive get-out-thevote campaign last year, was cut.

Change Camp is also not continuing next year despite being a great way to get feedback for students.

As the USC savages parts of its budget that actually have value to students, they are ramping spending in an odd area — Homecoming.

President Matt Helfand, who told council he wanted “an Americanstyle Homecoming” has made this a priority and the budget reflects it. This year’s budget of $1,000 has ballooned to $10,000 next year.

While there were some interesting activities on campus this year like free purple pancakes and a concert from country singer Gord Bamford, Concrete Beach looked like a ghost town. Given the poor turnout, one would expect that spending would not be as aggressive. Of course, the USC does the opposite of what would seem reasonable, increasing spending 1,000 per cent.

Western students are getting shafted in this recent budget. The USC has failed to let go parts of their organization that are posting significant deficits while simultaneously cutting services that positively impacted students. Not only this, but they also bolster spending on initiatives that students have demonstrated they have limited interest in.

VP Finance

VP Communications

SecretaryTreasurer

Communications Officer

• Hired by nominating committee rather than elected by council

• Hired by nominating committee rather than elected by council • Will serve in a more political, public relations role

• Will serve as less of a political advisor to executive & external board

New titles, hiring process for executives Amy O’Kruk NEWS EDITOR @AmyAtGazette

The University Students’ Council is restructuring its executive positions to attract candidates with stronger skills over candidates who hold political sway.

The shift comes with changes to by-law five that were finalized at Wednesday night’s council meeting.

The by-law cements the replacement of the present vice-president finance with a secretary-treasurer and the vice-president communications with a communications officer.

Notable in this transition is the fact that instead of being internally elected, the secretary treasurer and communications officer will be hired using a process created by the USC’s human resource department.

Andrew Lalka, USC vice-president finance, said the roles were created out of a need for new positions that will better support the other executive members, as well as supporting the USC board of directors’ shift to an external supervising body.

“The motivations for changes were really growing into the new government structures we have,” Lalka said. “Our new external board is great new level of oversight over the corporation and opens up a whole new era in corporate governance and legitimacy in the USC … that new level of support is provided [in part] through the secretary-treasurer.”

Lalka added the current vice-president finance is elected by council making him or her a

political agent. The new position warrants a specific skillset and perspective that should be apolitical.

The secretary-treasurer will also be responsible for governance of the organization, in part replacing the current governance officer. This includes being responsible for policies of both council and the board of directors.

On the other hand, vice-president communications Emerson Tithecott said the motivation behind the development of a communications officer compliments the USC’s creation of a new promotions team.

“With the addition of a new promotions department the role becomes more PR focused and more political,” Tithecott said. “It’ll be able to rely on the support of that

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department for all the logistics that are required in promoting all of our programs.”

The communications officer and secretary-treasurer will report to the president instead of council and rely on a hiring committee for their selection. The hiring committee for the secretary-treasurer will include the incoming president, outgoing president, and a board and a council member of the board and appeals nominating committee.

Lalka said the restructuring of the USC executive council could mark a new era for the USC. “It’s not change for the sake of change,” Lalka said. “It’s change because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s change because it’s growing into an existing area of need.”

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thegazette • Friday, February 27, 2015

arts&life

saywhat?

Mumford and Sons song, Sigh No More, lifts several lines from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing including its opening lines, “Serve god, love me and mend / This is not the end / Live unbruised, we are friends,” and its bridge, “Man is a giddy thing.”

WHERE

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Jacket — ASOS

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Scarf — Mexx

An understated striped design from Mexx, a good scarf will keep you warm and add a dash of pizzazz.

Pants — Topman

These slim-fitting khakis from Topman are a staple in every modern closet. Remember, whatever you can’t wear with jeans, you can wear with khakis!

Boots — Steven Madden

F

ashion-conscious Canadians have to face a unique problem: where can you find clothing suitable for the North Pole but still relatively form-fitting and fashionable? Is there a compromise between Louis Vuitton and Santa Claus? How does one attain Arctic chic?

Third-year bio-med student Kishor Johnson may be the winter Übermensch that fashion experts have been seeking. His outfit, a textbook example of the winter classics, is a perfect balance of form and function.

“My favourite piece would have to be my jacket,” he says. “I don’t see too many people wearing something quite like it.”

Leather boots are a pain to care for in winter, but it can’t be denied that they class up anything they’re worn with. You can find similar boots from Steven Madden.

Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE

The parka, like so many other fashion staples, originated in the military. War might be hell, but that hell can be extremely cold.

Originally designed to protect flight crews and infantry from extreme conditions, the parka’s mass production made it popular in the post-war civilian market. Johnson’s jacket, in traditional military green, is an updated version of the classic — slim-fitting with a full-bodied faux-fur hood, it lends him a flattering and fashionable silhouette.

Johnson has his colour balance down pat.

“Nothing that stands out too much, but when you put it all together you get a good mix,” he says.

His parka and slim-fit Topman

khakis, toned-down and tasteful, are set off by his light red shirt, a subtle use of bright colour. A blue cardigan provides an extra layer and an understated navy that works with or without the jacket.

His striped scarf adds an interesting pattern and textural contrast to his outfit and the whole ensemble is completed by his classic leather boots. In the current climate of oversized department store clothing made to fit boxes rather than college students, Johnson has gone above and beyond by investing in high-quality, well-fitting clothing from companies like Topman and River Island. He is living proof that you can, in fact, stay warm without looking like an overstuffed mattress.

• Richard Joseph

Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The future is virtually here Moses Monterroza CONTRIBUTOR @uwogazette

For years, the allure of being immersed in an artificial reality with limitless possibilities has pervaded human thought. Virtual reality in movies like The Matrix, The Lawnmowerman and Tron helped to popularize the idea of another computer world.

Back then it was a plot device, but now it’s a real consumer product.

Michael James Katchabaw, an associate professor of computer science at Western, researches virtual and augmented reality for entertainment and health applications.

He explains that this new phenomenon has gained traction in part due to its increasing accessibility.

“It used to be that if you wanted to have a decent head-mounted display like the Oculus Rift, you’d be looking upwards of $10–20,000.

Now we’re talking about these things coming out for a small number of hundreds of dollars,” Katchabaw says.

This means that purchasing a device that allows you to superimpose a reality over your own is akin to buying a PlayStation 4.

Currently, the most popular virtual reality device is the Oculus Rift.

“I’ve used the Oculus Rift, we’ve actually got two of them in our lab here — and we’re going to be getting more of them shortly. They are the real deal as far as this stuff goes,” Katchabaw says.

Arianit Uka, a software engineer at Big Viking Games and parttime teacher at Fanshawe for game development also attests to the immersive experience of the Oculus Rift.

“The first time I put on the Oculus Rift, I tried this game Valkyrie and it was just insane — I freaked out.

I put this thing on, looked around and had this fake body, it was just crazy,” he says.

Despite its success, the Oculus Rift is not perfect. There are still issues with creating a completely immersive experience.

“I think that’s one of the significant hurdles that we’re going to have to get over first is how do we enable

people to go up to objects that are in the virtual and manipulate them with their hands,” Katchabaw says.

For anyone who has tried the Oculus Rift, it’s truly an uncanny experience. While you can hold and move things around, there is no tangibility or textile feedback.

“These virtual objects aren’t tangible. You might be able to go up and start turning them around and doing stuff with them, but you don’t have the physicality of them in your hand. There’s no textile feedback,” Katchabaw says.

T

HE FIRST TIME I PUT ON THE OCULUS RIFT, I TRIED THE GAME VALKYRIE AND IT WAS JUST INSANE — I FREAKED OUT. I PUT THE THING ON, LOOKED AROUND AND HAD THIS FAKE BODY, IT WAS JUST CRAZY. ARIANIT UKA

SOFTWARE ENGINEER AT BIG VIKING GAMES

In some cases, people have experienced motion sickness after using the Oculus Rift.

“Motion sickness is a real thing.

For games where your character is moving and you’re not moving in real life, there is a great potential for feeling sick. I got a lot of motion sickness and I was very surprised.

Some games make you pretty sick — not puking, but unable to play,” Arianit Uka says.

Aside from the minor glitches and deficiencies, the rate at which virtual reality software and hardware is developing is very rapid.

“Now that there’s more of an interest in virtual reality we are seeing more hardware coming out of the market which is going to spur more software and hopefully that’s going to drive prices down and make things more available,” Katchabaw says.

•5

thegazette • Friday, February 27, 2015

my grandparents. They explained how this is the way they used to eat in Italy: simple, whole food with ingredients they could pronounce. I was surprised by how intrigued they were with how I ate and astounded that they agreed. Of course they were not ready to give up their pasta, but I was more than happy to share my breakfast with them.

Exercising, on the other hand, took an unexpected turn when I sprained my ankle.

Take my advice and don’t use a kitchen chair on a slippery surface as a bench. So I took a week off for the most part, but I plan on getting back on track this week.

I haven’t noticed as much progress as Jenna has, but I chalk that up to my Reading Week slump. Nonetheless, I’ve noticed progress elsewhere. I ran a mile in under seven minutes, which I consider a big achievement for somebody with mild asthma. I’m excited to be back from reading week and into my routine. I can’t wait to see what week nine has in store for me.

• Olivia Zollino

>>GAZETTE RECIPES > STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES CUPCAKES Ingredients: • 3 cups all-purpose flour • 3 tbsp cornstarch • 1 tbsp baking powder • 1 tsp salt • 1 cup of butter (room temperature) • 2 cups sugar • 4 large eggs • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 1 ½ cups milk • 12 ounces fresh strawberry (diced finely) Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line cupcake pan with about three dozen cupcake cups.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING Ingredients: • ½ cup strawberry puree (can be made from frozen or fresh strawberries) • 1 cup butter (room temp) • 2–3 cups icing sugar • 1 tbsp sugar Directions: 1) Place strawberry puree and sugar in a saucepan, warm on medium heat until it begins to steam, keep in saucepan until

2) In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder.

3) In a separate bowl (preferably a mixer) beat together sugar and butter until whipped.

4) Beat in eggs adding one at a time, continue beating until fluffy again.

5) Add flour mixture in, one cup at a time separating each cup with half the milk. Beat until batter is fluffy.

6) Using only about ⅓ of diced strawberries at a time, fold into batter.

7) Pour into muffin cups filling each cup ¾ full.

8) Bake at 350 for 20–30 minutes until golden brown.

This has been one of my most motivating weeks so far. It also feels like it’s been a while seen I’ve got a chance to talk about my progress, seeing as the Sex Issue came out week six and last week was Reading Week. A lot has changed since my last update during week five.

Reading Week was a major obstacle. I knew it was going to be a challenge to stick to my routine at home. I decided to make a plan to stay focused.

I packed my natural peanut butter in my suitcase because I knew that my family would only have the regular, sweetened peanut butter. I didn’t want to torture myself by eating that deliciously sugary peanut butter for a week, only to be disappointed when I went back. This worked well – I was able to eat toast with peanut butter for breakfast and avoid straying from my schedule too much.

I also tried my best to stick to my work out routine over the break. I signed up for a oneweek trial at one of the local gyms so that I would be able to keep up with my routine.

I went to dinner and the movies with a

friend over the break as well. I looked at the menu online before we went out for dinner so that I could figure out the best, low-calorie options would be. I was making a strategic decision: by limiting myself a bit on my main course, I could have a Caesar with my meal and popcorn at the movies without feeling guilty.

The most exciting part of reading week was probably that my mom noticed a difference in how I looked. I hadn’t seen her since Christmas so I knew it would be very telling if she could see any changes in me, and she did. This made me feel really good about the progress I had made and encouraged me to weigh myself, which I hadn’t done seen week four. Luckily, this was also very motivating and revealed that I’ve lost eight pounds since January.

Although I didn’t see a lot of progress during the first four weeks, the past four weeks have been really paying off. It’s exciting to finally start noticing some changes in myself and it makes me eager to continue.

• Jennafer Freeman

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volume reduced by ¼.

2) Remove puree from heat and chill in refrigerator.

3) Whip butter in mixer until smooth, add cool puree ¼ of volume at a time mixing thoroughly between each addition.

4) Add icing sugar ¼ cup at a time until combined.

5) Spread buttercream over muffins. Let the muffins cool before adding the buttercream.

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Jenna and I are currently half-way through week eight. Personally, I’m somewhat shocked that we have not given up yet.

Over Reading Week, while half of the student population jetted off to the warmer side of the equator, I decided to visit my grandparents who live way up north in good ol’ Kenora. For those who don’t know Kenora, I don’t blame you. There is nothing there except frozen lakes and deer. The minute I got off the plane in Winnipeg, I Googlemapped the closest Bulk Barn and with almond butter and oats in hand, I drove two hours towards this small town.

If I thought bringing my health conscious lifestyle home to my immediate family was difficult, bringing it to Nonna’s house was like playing rainbow road on Mario Kart blindfolded. Che vuol dire non mangiare la pasta? The expression on her face was as if I just murdered our family.

Just as I began to question whether I was taking my health regime too far, an interesting thing happened: my oats began to disappear. The culprits were none other than

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Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE

Jon always bakes us awsome stuff.

Come to the Gazette to have some.

(You have to volunteer though) UCC Room 263

• Save yourself time and hassle by buying packing boxes instead of trying to scrounge used boxes. They will be clean and sized properly for the items you need to pack. Smaller boxes for heavier items like books and larger ones for clothing and bedding. Regular sized boxes are easier to stack and pack in storage unit or moving vehicle.

• Buy some packing tape to make securing your cartons simple and easy. It will pay off when your box isn’t the one that has the bottom fall out on the way to the car.

• Avoid packing clothes in plastic bags if they are going into extended storage. Trapped moisture could result in damage from mold or mildew.

• Label your containers with a list of the contents. It will make finding items much easier later.

Will you really remember which box has the HDMI cables when you are trying to set up the flat screen?

• Create a master list of all items that you are moving or storing. Label the boxes and items with a corresponding number so that weeks or months later you know that everything that should be there is.

• Store large items vertically in the storage space. Wrap mattresses and box springs to protect them and keep them clean. Stand them on their long side.

• If you have to disassemble furniture, label the pieces as to what goes with what and secure any fasteners in a freezer bag. Make sure to label the bag and attach it to one of the parts it belongs to.

• If possible store your belongings off the floor of the storage unit using wooden slats to protect against moisture seeping in from concrete floors.

• Tie up electrical cords and tape to the device so that there are no dangling cords posing a potential tripping hazard on moving day.

• Don’t underestimate the time it will take to pack your belongings. Start your packing sometime before the night before you move out.

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6 •

thegazette • Friday, February 27, 2015

opinions

“The snow doesn’t give a soft white damn whom it touches.”

• E.E. Cummings

HAVE YOUR SAY

Dear Life

The Gazette asked students what they thought of Ontario’s new sex education program.

Your anonymous letters to life Dear Life, When I get bored, I eavesdrop on people’s conversations and instantly translate them into French.

Christina Venier

Women’s studies and psychology IV I think it’s good. I think little kids need to know about. For example, gender expression is something that they learn about and I think that’s really good especially for young queer kids that are kind of left alone to figure things out and even other kids that aren’t necessarily queer, just learning about that kind of normalizes it and I think it would cut down on bullying and stuff like that in school.

Courtesy of Western University

Master plan needs longer consultation period Cool Story Broekhoff

Iain Boekhoff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Chantelle Neal

@IainAtGazette

Kinesiology IV I think that the new curriculum is a good thing because kids learn what they’re teaching on their own anyways, so better education is always a good thing.

Nishtha Sharma

Acturarial sciences II I think it’s a good thing that they’re moving it up just because the Internet is happening and kids are getting electronic devices earlier and earlier.

So I think it’s better that they’re starting sex ed curriculum earlier in school so they learn about it from a credible source.

Marc Addison

History and political science V I think parents should have some say in what their kids learn but at the same time I think there’s a big social media and texting element to it, like dealing with sexting and things like that, which is really good.

thegazette

Volume 108, Issue 19 www.westerngazette.ca

Iain Boekhoff Editor-In-Chief Brent Holmes Deputy Editor Richard Raycraft Managing Editor

Contact: www.westerngazette.ca University Community Centre Rm. 263 The University of Western Ontario London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580 Advertising Dept.: (519) 661-3579

The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.

On Monday, Western launched its consultation process for the draft of its 2015 Campus Master Plan. The plan’s main themes include increased use of the core of campus, more pedestrian and cycling friendly pathways and alignment with Western’s Strategic Plan.

The 141-page document is a comprehensive look at the history of campus, its present and its potential future, and outlines hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investment in the core of the campus.

There are, however, two major problems. The first has to do with the fact that there’s only one week for students, staff and faculty to submit their feedback on the plan. The second problem is with the draft itself, which, despite the fact that Western is blanketed in snow for the majority of the school year, does not include the word “snow” even once or include plans or depictions of the campus in winter.

The plan and the consultation process is found under the public accountability section of Western’s website.

Which is odd, because it seems this consultation has very little public involvement and even less accountability.

Having only a week available to members of the campus community to read, discuss and give feedback on the plan is far too short and makes it seem as though the week is just a piece of theatre so Western can say they listened to us without actually having to change what their administrators have deemed is best for this campus.

The plan outlines major changes to the physical space we call campus and

Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff.

To submit a letter, go to westerngazette.ca and click on “Contact.”

All articles, letters, photographs, graphics, illustrations and cartoons published in The Gazette, both in the newspaper and online versions, are the property of The Gazette. By submitting any such material to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette‘s hard copy and online archives.

involves hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investment over many years.

This affects all of us and will affect students in the future. While I realize not everyone will want to contribute their thoughts on the plan, there are many who, for example, might be stressed with midterms this week and not have the time to read 141 pages for fun.

As for the specifics of the plan, if the University is going to continue to accept more students and expand services, then I agree that using Western Road as a main campus road and building more intensely in the core of campus is the direction it needs to go. It makes sense and it avoids the scheduling mess that would inevitably occur if Western followed Fanshawe’s lead with some classes downtown.

There is one small issue, however. I first noticed it when all the artists drawings depicted full trees and blooming flowers: the plan does not take into consideration the weather for the majority of the time students are here.

This campus is beautiful in summer and I’m sure it can be even better. But summer is not when the campus has the most traffic and some students may never experience it at all in the summer. The realities of winter are entirely missing from this plan. With an increased focus on walking paths, there should be some outline of what the plan is for clearing snow. Considering the University can barely clear the walkways we have now on the best of days and cannot clear the entirety of the stairs, for example on Concrete Beach, how do they expect to clear more snow walkways and keep campus accessible? If vehicles can’t make it to the heart of campus, it would seem that accessibility for those with disabilities would become harder.

Overall the plan is a sensible vision for campus, even if in my view it lacks a key element. But Western should be giving the time for students and others to give quality feedback — we deserve it and Western should be eager, not wary, of it.

Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Маја Анјоли-Билић

Robert Armstrong Diana Watson

Gazette Staff 2014-2015 Mohammad Abrar Abdul Hanan, Suhaib Al-Azem, Eric Bajzert, Sarah Botelho, Damon Burtt, Tabitha Chan, Jonathan Dunn, Spencer Fairweather, Sam Frankel, Devin Golets, Kevin Heslop, Richard Joseph, Drishti Kataria, Sara Mai Chitty, Soheil Milani, Mackenzie Morrison, Amy O’Shea, Vidhant Pal, Kyle Porter, Lily Robinson, Alex Seger, Tiffany Shepherd, Tristan Wu

News Amy O’Kruk Hamza Tariq Katie Lear Olivia Zollino News-at-large Kevin Hurren Opinions Nusaiba Al-Azem Arts & Life Conrad Floryan Jennafer Freeman Jenny Jay Sports Bradley Metlin Nathan Kanter Robert Nanni Jr.

Dear Life, To the girl who got on the 2 at the gym and immediately pulled the cord to disembark at Alumni Hall: you disgust me.

Dear Life, The Tuesday’s issue crossword and Cryptoquip were the exact same as one in an issue before Reading Week. You thought we wouldn’t notice Gazette, but we did. #notimpressed Dear Life, Western gave students five days to comment on a plan that is 141-pages long. Clearly genuine input is not desired.

Disgraceful.

Dear Life, I’m tired, leave me alone.

Dear Life, I don’t have the time for the nervous breakdown I deserve.

Dear Life, I have this girl on Facebook who keeps posting about missing her ex. She’s posted so much that it’s at the point where I’m beginning to miss the myself. wgaz.ca/dear-life

Associate Megan Devlin Photography Kelly Samuel Taylor Lasota Winnie Lu Graphics Jennifer Feldman Illustrations Christopher Miszczak Kirstyn Culbert-Kviring Graphics/Video Mike Laine Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator Vivian Liu

• Please recycle this newspaper •

•7

thegazette • Friday, February 27, 2015

sports

gameday The Mustangs wrestling team will head to Edmonton to participate in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships while the track and field team will also compete in the Ontario University Athletics championships in Toronto today and Saturday.

Mustangs take game one from Golden Hawks Nathan Kanter SPORTS EDITOR @NathanAtGazette

Game one of the semifinals will enter the books as a success for the Western Mustangs women’s hockey team, as they defeated Laurier 3–1 on Wednesday night at Thompson Arena.

With the win, they take a 1–0 series lead in what is a best twoof-three. If Western wins, they will advance to the Ontario University Athletics finals for the third time in four years, which gets them an automatic entry in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships in March.

“It wasn’t our best game,” Mustangs head coach Chris Higgins said. “This game could have gone either way.”

Either way indeed, as the clubs entered the third period separated by a single goal.

But an early third period power play goal from Brittany Clapham – Western’s second power play goal of the night – extended Western’s lead to 3–1 and was eventually enough to ensure the win.

“We battled hard until the end, but [Mustangs goaltender Kelly] Campbell stood tall,” Laurier head coach Rick Osborne said.

Laurier outshot Western 27–21 in the game and 9–5 in the third. For Higgins and the rest of the Western Mustangs that is nothing new.

“We get out shot all the time,” he said, laughing. “That’s just the way it is. No playoff team goes anywhere without solid goaltending. They’ve got solid goaltending, we’ve got solid goaltending.”

In addition to goaltending, Osborne pointed to special teams as a key factor in the defeat.

“We did not capitalize on some opportunities, particularly early on the power play,” he said. “They scored on the power play, we couldn’t.”

Higgins noted special teams as well.

“Our power play and penalty kill has been outstanding the last six weeks,” he said. “I think [our power play] is up to 20 per cent ... [and] we’ve only given up one PK goal in the last eight or nine games.”

But perhaps the game’s turning point was in the second period and did not occur on a power play. That moment came courtesy of Stacey Scott, who netted her OUA leading third goal of the playoffs. It came on a two-on-one rush and gave Western

its first lead of the game.

“I think their goalie had cheated a little bit, she thought I was going to pass it [to Kendra Broad], so I saw her legs open a bit,” Scott said. “I shot it and was pumped it went in.”

Although Laurier outshot Western 9–5 in the third, Western was able to crack down and didn’t allow many high quality scoring chances.

“I think we all just realized we need to collapse down and make sure they don’t get shots,” Scott said.

As for game two, that goes Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in Kitchener/ Waterloo.

Higgins noted Western has historically had good success on the road against the Golden Hawks.

“We actually play really well in their barn,” he said. “I’m confident if we go down there and play our

game, we will be coming home with the victory. I don’t want to be playing Sunday, but they’re a very good team.”

For Scott, the key on Friday is a quick start. “[On Friday] we just need to take it to them right away, and not give them any chance to stay in it,” she said.

For Osborne and the rest of the Golden Hawks, the key is to stay disciplined. That way, he won’t have to rely on special teams.

“Discipline is more important than special teams,” he said. “I don’t think our players held their discipline well enough ... Friday I’d like to play five-on-five a little more often.”

If game three is necessary, it will be played on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Thompson Arena.

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HOUSING

Claus Andersen • GETTY

Clarkson Dealt Kant Touch This Nathan Kanter SPORTS EDITOR @NathanAtGazette

Wednesday afternoon, as I was exiting the dressing room at Thompson Arena following a crushing intramural defeat, I checked my phone to find the unthinkable had happened.

The Leafs had traded David Clarkson.

Now raise your hand if you guessed the Maple Leafs would be able to get rid of Clarkson without retaining any salary.

If you have your hand up, you’re lying. Or you’ve been to the future.

Or you’re a wizard.

Better yet, Dave Nonis is a wizard. Or was it Brendan Shanahan?

Here’s the thing: Columbus approached Toronto with the proposal.

So Toronto fans really have Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen to thank. Or hug. Or ... you get the point.

Many thought Clarkson’s contract was “untradeable” or “the worst in the league.”

Shockingly, I found a clip from two weeks ago when Sportsnet’s Damien Cox said, “At some point the Leafs will trade David Clarkson because they can.”

Whether he actually believed what he said is difficult to know — after all the way the game works is

one analyst argues one side, and the other argues the other side.

But enough about how shocking the trade is.

Here’s what you need to know.

First, Nathan Horton is hurt.

Badly. He may never play again, his back is that bad.

But with him on long-term injured reserve, the Leafs get lots of cap space. All $26.25 million remaining on the Clarkson contract — over the next five seasons — is gone.

Kaput. It’s ancient history.

Horton has a $6 million cap hit remaining on his contract for the next four seasons. “Wowzers that’s bad,” some may be thinking.

None of it counts against the cap, however. Horton is paid – quite handsomely – but the Leafs now have tons of cap flexibility. Tons of flexibility compared to yesterday.

Ah, the benefits of being a rich team!

Now, if Toronto can move Lupul and Bozak – which they are looking to do before Monday’s deadline – then they will have tons of cap flexibility. How great would that be?

Some may ask why Columbus initiated the deal.

The answer is the Horton contract was not insured against injury, meaning they were spending money for nothing.

Now — they pay Clarkson less money — slightly less — and will get some results on the ice. That “some” comes with an asterisk — as Toronto fans know all too well — but I bet you Clarkson does better in Columbus than in Toronto. I bet he scores 20 goals next year.

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HOUSING

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SEEKING GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL,

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PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.

For solution, turn to page 2

8 •

thegazette • Friday, February 27, 2015

Kant Touch This Each week, sports editor Nathan Kanter will share 10 takeaways from the hockey world, spanning the NHL, junior hockey and Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Whether it’s the latest trade rumour, a prospect you need to know about, or just general observations, Nathan will keep you connected to Canada’s game.

1. With Franson and Santorelli gone, the Maple Leafs continued clearing house this week, moving Daniel Winnik to the Penguins for two picks and Zach Sill.

If you haven’t heard of Sill, don’t worry. He’s an undrafted centreman who finally broke into the league last year at 25. He’s a fourth liner and was shipped away because he’s a pending unrestricted free agent, and one of the few people the Pens would give up on their roster.

To make the salary work, Toronto had to eat half of Winnik’s $1.3 million salary, which is essentially meaningless, because he too becomes an UFA this offseason.

That was smart by Pittsburgh though, because they can still hypothetically make another move on deadline day.

Obviously the key here for Toronto is the two picks.

Before the deal, Toronto was said to be looking for a second and a third round pick. Well, they got a second and a fourth, which isn’t bad at all, although the second is for 2016, not this season. That’s likely because the Pens don’t have a first round pick this year – dealt to Edmonton for

David Perron – and they were likely adamant about not wanting to pick so late in what is a very stacked draft.

2. As deadline day approaches, more Leafs rumours are heating up. Most notably Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak.

I’m still skeptical that they’ll be moved, simply because they’re each signed for the next three seasons at considerable cap hits – Lupul at $5.25 million and Bozak at $4.2 million.

Plus, the Leafs can only retain salary on one more player. It’s pretty much a guarantee that if Lupul or Bozak are moved, Toronto will be asked to retain salary.

But, there’s no question Toronto is pushing hard to move them, so it’s not crazy to think it could happen.

I really want them to be traded for picks and prospects and more importantly, to clear cap space.

Bozak sounds great at $4.2 million, but he shouldn’t be playing in the top-six and you can’t be paying your third line centre over $4 million dollars. I don’t care if he’s buddies with Kessel; Toronto must bid farewell.

Lupul’s injury history alone makes his $5.25 million cap hit tough to swallow. But, when healthy he has proven to be a good contributor, which makes him moveable.

3. Maybe Lupul and the Canadiens?

The Hockey News’ Matt Larkin came up with a few interesting mock trades on Wednesday and it’s worth a read.

Included is flipping Lupul and Bozak to the Canadiens for Lars Eller, prospect Christian Thomas and a 2015 first round pick.

If this deal happened I would jump for joy, given that the Leafs would clear significant cap space

Courtesy of Getty Images

and get a 2015 first round pick.

The problem here, however, is the dollars wouldn’t quite work out.

Eller only carries a cap hit of $2.5 million, meaning the Leafs would have to either eat a lot of salary, or take on another contract.

4. Others on the web are speculating Lupul could end up in Chicago, because Patrick Kane is going to miss the next 12 weeks and they’ll need scoring help.

This is ludicrous.

They will not go after Lupul – someone with a horrible injury history – because they can’t. They don’t have the cap room.

With Kane on long-term injured reserve, they may have relief this year, but certainly not the next three seasons. This means that they’re going to look for someone with an expiring contract.

Antoine Vermette anyone?

5. The Kings added Andrej Sekera on Wednesday, giving up a first round pick and prospect Roland McKeown.

With Slava Voynov still without a known return date – he was suspended indefinitely earlier in the year after allegedly hitting his wife – L.A. had long been in the market for a defenceman. They had been rumoured to be interested in Dion Phaneuf, but instead they got arguably a better player and won’t have to take on an enormous contract.

Sekera will be a UFA this summer and currently carries a low cap hit of $1.75 million. The Kings will push hard to re-sign him this off-season and can probably fit him and Voynov, when he returns. That would make for one scary blueline.

The key for the Kings in this deal though, is the conditional first round pick. If L.A. falls off the map and misses the playoffs – which I don’t see happening – then the pick gets deferred until next season. If they qualify, it’s for 2015.

Hand clap for Mr. Dean Lombardi.

6. The Canucks will be without goaltender Ryan Miller for four to six weeks, which I see as a gamechanger. I don’t think they’re going to qualify for the post-season anymore.

Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom will split goaltending duties and both are solid youngsters with potential, but in a Western Conference playoff race, neither will cut it.

Lack is just 7–7–2 this season, despite a .921 save percentage and

Brad Penner • USA TODAY SPORTS

a 2.40 goals-against-average. I just don’t think the Canucks play with the same confidence when Lack is in goal.

Although, one thing the Canucks have on their side is a home-favourable schedule. Thirteen of their remaining 22 games are at home.

7. If the Canucks drop out, one of Minnesota or San Jose will have to get in.

I’m surprised with how poorly the Sharks have been playing, as they’ve gone 3–6–1 in their past 10.

If they miss the playoffs, head coach Todd McLellan will be a wanted man.

But, it’s still entirely plausible they pick it up. In fact, I’m betting on it. I am also a fan of the Wild, which is why I’m betting both the Wild and Sharks qualify.

In my mind, the Flames will drop out in addition to the Canucks.

Mark Giordano, who is having a Norris-caliber season, was hurt on Wednesday and although the severity is unclear, the outlook isn’t good.

Sorry Canada, it’s just how I feel.

8. In junior news, it’s impossible not to talk about Connor McDavid – again – as he had his first, yes, first, OHL hat trick on Wednesday.

That hat trick included six points, including an unbelievable end-toend effort.

With the six points, he now has 98 points in just 37 games. I hope I don’t have to tell you how insane that is.

9. In the Western Hockey League, Oliver Bjorkstrand is playing some great hockey for the Portland Winterhawks.

The Swede is a Columbus Blue Jackets third round pick from 2013 and has 87 points this season in 48 games. Last year, he had 109 points – including 50 goals – in 69 games.

10. In OUA men’s hockey action,

there has been some great playoff hockey in both the East and West finals.

On the west side, Guelph – who finished below .500 in the regular season and were just the sixth seed – are up 1–0 in their best 2-of-3 series on the defending champion Windsor Lancers, who finished first in the West division. That’s the best part about the OUA playoffs, anybody can win.

In the East, McGill and Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres are facing off. McGill, the top seed, lost it’s first playoff game of 2015 6–4 to Concordia, but then won four straight to qualify for the East finals.

However, the Redmen were shutout 3–0 in their first game by UQTR. Bonus: As I was writing this, Jaromir Jagr got traded to the Panthers for a second and third round pick.

This is an interesting trade and a clear indication that the Panthers are going for it.

They are currently just two points back of the eighth-seeded Boston Bruins.

The way Tallon has run the Panthers since being hired in 2010 is exactly the way I hope Shanahan fixes the Leafs.

The salary situation is different – Florida often had to sign players to enormous contracts just to get to the cap floor, including Scottie Upshall, Jussi Jokinen and Dave Bolland – but the manner in which they have stockpiled young players and draft picks is bang on.

For them to be in the playoff race at this stage of their rebuild is very impressive.

Look out for them in two seasons, when Bjugstad, Barkov and the rest of their young core have matured a bit.