Jumping the hurdles Western women finish third; men fourth in OUA track and field championships. >> Pg. 8
thegazette Is it news or is it arts since 1906
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015
WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
TODAY high -2 low -12
TOMORROW high -10 low -18 VOLUME 108, ISSUE 80
Dentistry students work on restorative justice at Dalhousie Katie Lear NEWS EDITOR @KatieAtGazette
The 29 Dalhousie University students participating in a restorative justice process published an open letter on Sunday as a public update amidst the ongoing controversy. The letter was released by 12 members of the private Facebook group, six women named in the Facebook posts and 11 women and men from the dentistry class DDS2015. Thirteen of Dalhousie’s male fourth-year dentistry students first drew ire from the public when a series of misogynistic posts from a private “Class of DDS 2015 Gentlemen” Facebook group went public. Posts included a poll on which female classmates they would have “hate” sex with and mention of chloroforming their female classmates. In the open letter, members of the original Facebook group expressed regret for their actions. “Since December we have been engaged in the intensive and difficult self-reflection and development required to start the process of earning back the trust of our colleagues, families, professors, the university community, the profession and the public,” members of the DDS 2015 Facebook group wrote in the open letter. “This will take time but we will work each day to model the personal and professional core values to which we are committed and that will guide us now and in the future. We hope one day to regain the trust of those we have harmed and impacted.”
>> see DALHOUSIE pg.3
Tayor Lasota • GAZETTE
CONRAD > LIL JON. The Social Science Students’ Council, members of whom are shown here with Conrad Black, the keynote speaker at their first academic conference, has dropped out of funding Lil Jon, which would have been their second concert this year.
SSSC in concert funding snafu Katie Lear NEWS EDITOR @KatieAtGazette
The Social Science Students’ Council has dropped out of a jointly funded concert with the University Students’ Council. The SSSC had been in talks with the University Students’ Council during the summer to jointly fund a set of concerts for undergraduate students, including the Audien concert in the fall and the upcoming Lil Jon concert. The SSSC, ultimately, was unable to back the Lil Jon event. While the SSSC was never an official partner for the Lil Jon concert, according to SSSC president Jack Litchfield, the SSSC initially expressed strong interest in collaborating with the USC. “We were approached by the USC about doing collaborative programming on two events: Audien being the first one and then having a Social Sci-led concert the second semester, and [funding] would be 50–50 for both of them,” Litchfield said.
Litchfield alleged that after the Audien concert on November 6, he received resistance from the dean of Social Science to jointly fund the Lil Jon concert. “We initially set aside about $20,000 for concert events. Audien – our share of Audien – was only $7,500 and then that would’ve left us with $12,500 to put towards another concert second semester, which incidentally would’ve been half of Lil Jon had we gone that way. But the first concert happens, [and the] dean decides ‘that’s your concert for the year, I don’t want to disperse any more funds for concerts,’ ” Litchfield said. Brian Timney, the dean of Social Science, said he didn’t deny the funding but questioned the SSSC’s use of the donation fund. “This year the council … wanted to invest more heavily in the academic conference, and I agreed with that because it’s a good use of the Student Donation Fund – although it was quite a lot of money that they put out on the academic conference,” Timney said.
“I suggested that their having put out this much money on the various events this year – that maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to dip into the SDF for yet another concert. So I didn’t deny them the funding but questioned whether it was a good use of the donation fund.” Timney is referring to money spent on an academic conference earlier this year that the SSSC financed. The conference brought Conrad Black as a keynote speaker to deliver a lecture about capitalism. “We brought in the academic conference, we brought in Conrad Black, we brought in Gwynne Dyer — obviously that cost a lot of money, especially as it’s the first time we’re doing an academic conference, so we’ve had a lot of up-front investments in that,” he said. According to Litchfield, however, funding the concerts jointly with the USC would have saved money while still allowing for the extra cost of the conference. “Based on our own internal projections for contracts, that was
going to save us money, paying half for Audien and then paying half for a much larger concert nets us a net gain. So based on our SDF budget, we would’ve been paying less than we would for one concert to do two concerts,” he said. “We ended up spending more on the academic conference than we initially expected to because we got some bigger speakers in and we wanted to do a bit more promotion and stuff like that, so we didn’t end up doing that collaborative deal [for the concerts] because of that,” he continued. Timney also raised concerns on how best to use the SDF and argued that the money was better spent on other projects instead of concerts. “The main point for me is that the SDF was originally designed to support academic activities in the department and other kinds of academic activities. The introduction of concerts came in just a few years ago and my own view is that concerts aren’t the best use of these funds, but it’s for the students to make the decisions about them.”
2•
thegazette • Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Caught on Camera
Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE
SUPPORT LOCAL ENTREPENEURS! The UCC atrium was teaming full of goodies yesterday — everything from local, organic kale to organic soap bars made of charcoal and beer. Several businesses, like dpms, offered to plant a tree in London for every purchase sold. That is Canadian, local, sustainable, socially conscious and fucking awesome.
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer
News Briefs
Western responds quickly to phishing attempt
As the Western undergraduate email system was getting ready to migrate to the new Office 365 system, users experienced a phishing attack that targeted students as well as staff and faculty. Phishing is the act of replicating an entire website and pretending to be them in an attempt to acquire personal information, such as usernames or passwords. In this case, the phishing attack recreated the old Convergence site. “Although we receive phishing attempts frequently, this one stood out because it showed an awareness that Western was migrating students from one mail system to another,” Jeffrey Gardiner, Western’s central information security officer, said. The attack took place just a few hours before the students were migrated to Office 365, but Western professionals tried to react to the problem promptly. “Because this attack on Friday specifically cited our Office 365 migration we felt extra due diligence was necessary to warrant an information security alert to help mitigate the chance some students or staff might mistakenly give up their credentials,” Gardiner said. Gardiner is unsure of who might have been behind the attack, explaining that there was no specific pattern. “Universities are targeted because student credentials typically are the easiest to obtain,” he said. Gardiner emphasized the importance of protecting one’s digital identity, advising that a digital identity makes available information about someone’s privileged Western resources, including Library online journals and financial records. Unfortunately, people underestimate the risk of not protecting their digital identities.
Solution to puzzle on page 7
Though an unfortunate hiccup in the transition, Gardiner believes that a good lesson can be learned from all of this. “As information is increasingly digitized, computer literacy becomes a prerequisite of prosperity and education in an information society. Sound information security practice and the ability for individuals to appreciate cyber risk also becomes a prerequisite,” Gardiner concluded. • Razan Masad
Is Instagram the new LinkedIn?
On Thursday, King’s University College interns in communications and media relations are hosting the social media event Instameet. According to Lisa Michienzi, an intern with the department, Instameet is an event designed to allow students to engage and network with other students, staff and faculty. Social media is a divisive topic as many students are extremely dependent on these platforms, but they do provide benefits. “The world tries to find mediums to stay connected in such a globalized society,” Michienzi said. “We have students from all over the world and lots of international students at King’s. Just another means for them to stay connected with family and friends back home.” Instameet is open to all students of all campuses and hopes to contribute to engaging people of any culture, race, age or religion. According to Michienzi, hosting this event at King’s administers ways for students to stay connected and share King’s assets like its historical buildings in consolidation with its modern designs. “We are hoping to get a mix of students, faculty and staff with a varying level of knowledge about Instagram,” Michienzi said. “A really big benefit to the university and for external communities to see that we are a place that’s so diverse and we want future students to come here.” • Emma Howell
Entrepreneurs in UCC seem to be a hit
Propel of Western University had their very first pop-up market at the University Community Centre on Tuesday. Ezzy Lynn, one of the eight start-up companies at the market, sells handcrafted hair accessories, each inspired by an endangered
animal. “Our scrunchies range from $10 to $25, and for every 25 scrunchies we sell, we will adopt the animal that had inspired that particular design from WWF,” said Sonja Fernandes, a recent Western graduate working with Ezzy Lynn. Most participants of the market said that their presence at the UCC is a combination of their passion as well as an interest towards entrepreneurship. “All of our products are imported from Ghana. A lot of Africans have seen these materials since they were really small,” Oriena Mensah of NoR Apparel, a second-year medical science student at Western, said. “We can finally get these on personal items, so I am really proud.” All vendors expressed happiness in seeing so much interest in their products from students and staff here at Western. • Jane Meng
Winter weather to persist
Residents of London shouldn’t expect to see warmer temperatures until mid-March. According to Environment Canada, temperatures will finally reach a high of 1°C this week. However, these warmer temperatures aren’t expected to last for long; frigid temperatures will return this Thursday and continue into mid-March. James Voogt, associate professor in the department of geography at Western, explains that this dreadful winter is caused by wavy patterns of airflow called ridges and troughs. “We’re stuck on a pool of cold air with the airflow imported from the northwest. The wavy patterns evolve over time, but it’s been stuck in that position, causing persistence in cold weather,” Voogt said. Voogt explained that this wavy pattern may be caused by a recent snowfall in Siberia. He speculated that Siberia’s cooling weather has made cold air prone to flowing out into southerly latitudes. “You can forecast these wavy patterns,” Voogt said. “[Meteorologists] suggested that the wavy pattern we’ve been having is expected to break down increasingly in the next few week or so.” If this forecast is correct, London residents should continue donning their winter gear for the upcoming weeks. • Michelle Lim
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 • Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Faculty of Ed. launches new program New program is set to commence in September 2015 Mohammad Abrar Abdul Hanan GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
The faculty of education at Western is set to introduce a new two-year bachelor of education program in September 2015. The program is designed to meet the new standards set by the provincial government, which looks to improve the quality of education programs in Ontario. “Teacher education in this province has always been a one year program. Just about a year and a half ago, the government decided that it was time for teacher education to become a little more substantial and they mandated that it would be a two year program,” said Margaret McNay, associate dean of the faculty of education at Western. The government set new standards for university level education programs in Ontario, such as doubling the minimum practicum time from 40 to 80 days for applicants and expanding the program to introduce new topics such as mental health education for students. McNay added that these changes represent the minimum requirements set by the government and each university is allowed to set individual standards for their education programs. For example, Western’s faculty of education requires a minimum of 100 days of practicum from its applicants, while faculties at other universities require 80. “So our program is now different since it will last for four university terms or two years, 100 days of practicum are required instead of 60, seven weeks of alternative experience instead of two and our students have the opportunity to specialize in one of the six areas of need in education, which are: French; science, technology, engineering and math; urban schools (urban and rural schools in poverty); international education;
psychology; and early childhood education,” McNay said. Katie Mitchell, a fourth-year honours history major at Western, was recently accepted into the new program and she believes that the longer length of the course will help improve the quality of teaching programs at Western. “From what I have heard in the past, in the one year program, they just try to cram a lot of information in a short period of time. As such, the students were overwhelmed with the course load. But now, they are going to have more time in classrooms and students will learn more since they have more time to teach,” she said. McNay added that teaching has evolved into a complex and demanding job. The curriculum has changed a lot in recent years, there is greater social media use amongst children and students face a greater awareness of mental health issues. “This program gives [teacher candidates] more time to learn both the theoretical part here in the faculty and the practical part in the practicums. So this is going to benefit them when they are looking for a job,” she said. Despite the positives, the faculty of education has to navigate through a few challenges to ensure that the new program is successful. The government recently cut university funding for teaching programs which increases the challenges faced by universities across Ontario. “Another big thing is that we will now take in only half as many students each year. Last year we had 650 students in the building, this year we will be allowed to take half of that. This means that we get less tuition and as well, the government cut the basic per student funding,” McNay added.“The biggest challenge we are currently facing is the budget cuts made by the government at the same time as they increased the length of the program.”
Winnie Lu • GAZETTE
MARCH BREAK OPEN HOUSE
T
HE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WE ARE CURRENTLY FACING IS THE BUDGET CUTS MADE BY THE GOVERNMENT AT THE SAME TIME AS THEY INCREASED THE LENGTH OF THE PROGRAM.
Saturday, March 14, 2015 VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ARE YOU: • Available to contribute your time for the day on March 14 • Interested in meeting prospective students and their families • Involved in campus activities • Enthusiastic and positive about your Western experience • Articulate, pleasant and responsible
TO APPLY: • Review the volunteer posting details on the Career Central website https://www.westerncareercentral.ca/home.htm • Email your completed application information to liaison@uwo.ca
DEADLINE: THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015
MARGARET MCNAY
ASSOCIATE DEAN WESTERN FACULTY OF EDUCATION
141104
Please note that you must attend one of the following MANDATORY orientation sessions: March 9th at 4:30pm OR March 10th at 11:30am OR 4:30pm. If selected as a volunteer, location of the sessions will be sent to you via email.
Media coverage ‘retraumatizing’ to victims >> DALHOUSIE continued from pg.1
King’s political science professor Dr. Lindsay Scorgie-Porter teaches within Western’s Centre for Transitional Justice and PostConflict Reconstruction expressed concern about the way Dalhousie is handling the controversy. “I believe there’s a time and place for restorative justice — and this is not it,” Scorgie-Porter said. “As it stands right now, I don’t think the gravity of the Facebook group’s crime is being adequately recognized. I worry that this response essentially equates to impunity for sexual violence.” She continued to take issue with keeping the men’s identities private, asserting that she is unsure how justice can be achieved while the public doesn’t know who the perpetrators are. The women named who were targeted in the private Facebook group also published a section of the letter expressing distaste for media coverage on the scandal. “Many people (some with good
intentions) have spoken about us and in the process often attempted to speak for us in ways that we have experienced as harmful, silencing and re-traumatizing,” they wrote. “We are strong, well-educated professional women with words of our own to explain what we are going through and how we want to proceed.” The participants have been taking part in the restorative justice process since late December and ask the public for privacy as they go forward. “We will engage with the broader communities and issues involved through the restorative process, but first need to continue to work to understand and address the immediate harms involved.” “We hope that through this process our voices and experiences will make significant contributions to the important public discussions about sexism, misogyny, inclusion and professionalism.”
See where experience takes you.
Turn your degree into a Career. Tired of lecture halls? Our studio-centred programs will help you put all that theory into practice. Hone your artistic vision into a career in as little as eight months. We offer 13 post-graduate programs, from Arts Management and Advertising to Film & Television Business and Professional Writing. And we’re close to downtown Toronto and the city’s creative and media hubs. Apply now for Fall 2015. Visit centennialcollege.ca/thecentre
Your creative career starts here
4 •
thegazette • Wednesday, March 4, 2015
arts&life
saywhat? “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”
• Billy Joel
Photos • Samah Ali • GAZETTE
Craig Cardiff cultivates creativity Canadian musician Craig Cardiff ran a songwriting workshop before a show at Western on Monday night. Samah Ali reports on her experience writing songs with Craig Cardiff.
Samah Ali GAZETTE STAFF Folk artist and Juno Award nominee Craig Cardiff bestowed his wisdom on aspiring songwriters this past Monday as he encouraged them to never stop trying. As I sat in on his songwriting workshop, he wanted the experience to be influential and “non-Google-able” for writers to learn new ways to generate song ideas. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but it was an experience I would recommend to all writers. As I sat down in the McKellar Room, I was surprised by how welcoming he was to every individual who came throughout the workshop. I originally planned on staying for an hour but his ideas and reassurance kept me there, ready to create more. Cardiff started off the workshop by asking us to name our favourite artists and song lyrics. As we listed off music legends, we criticized ourselves for our lyrics sounding very similar to their work. He emphasized this was a place free of self-deprecation. Our session was a place of learning and crafting and that was clear from the get-go. He encouraged us to stay inspired by our musical influences and grow from their lyrics. “We’re all just standing on somebody else’s shoulders,” said Cardiff as he mentioned Paul Simon as his influence and how he added his own voice to his lyrics. Cardiff sectioned us off into groups to collaborate on unfinished songs and encouraged us to draw from our experiences and incorporate older pieces into the songs. He showed us how he brainstormed new ideas by asking everyone to write a lyric they’ve personally written, a lyric written from someone else and an instruction we recently heard. Weaving between everyone’s suggestions, Cardiff meshed all ideas and showed a way to come up with new song ideas.
As some of us rambled on getting caught up in the editing process before finishing songs he reminded us Neil Young repeats stanzas all the time. So by default, we should too. “Acknowledge yourself getting stuck and let go,” Cardiff added. Working together with Allison Brown and Devan Becker, we finished and perfected Brown’s song Language of Love. Brown came to the workshop in a songwriting panic as she prepares for her tour this coming summer with an album deadline in the near future. She was excited after finally finishing her lyrics while Becker added ukulele and I incorporated my poem, When My Daughter is of Age, for extra layers. After listening to the finished work by each group, Cardiff encouraged everyone to perform at his show in the evening. Enthusiastic after hearing our successful, completed songs, we all agreed. Later on in the evening Cardiff began his show with his repertoire of songs with a few selections from the audience. Before the break, he brought up each group to perform songs to a larger audience. He joined in on some songs with background vocals and even helped shyer performers by using their ideas to create a song. Workshop attendee Teanna Iobo worked on her song Changes and grew from the experience saying, “I’ve definitely tried things that I wouldn’t have before.” Cardiff was gracious throughout the experience as he reflected on how structured performances can be. As he built relationships with fans he showed he was more than an artist, but a human too. The workshop was an absolute marvel and I was shocked at how fun it was. I came in with hopes to improve my poetic abilities and left with a new perspective on how to bounce off ideas and use lyrics to start new projects. Cardiff was lovely, down-to-earth and a great instructor who clearly has a track record with beautiful lyrics and soothing songs.
Courtesy of Craig Cardiff
•5
thegazette • Wednesday, March 4, 2015
LOVE
MEDIA
WEALTH
WELLNESS
WHAT’S HOT
Holding hands in public
The dress
Don’t be rich
Basketball
Grad school
If you want to look like you are some kind of emotionally incompetent middle-schooler, nothing will make you look more like a sap than holding hands in public. Holding hands is by far the most popular way of reminding everyone around you that you are in a relationship and you want the entire world to know it. Aside from being a proverbially annoying way of expressing your love, it is also massively impractical. Should one person slip or get aggressively pushed (likely by me) then it is almost a guarantee that hid or her partner will suffer the same fate. There are some reasons to hold hands. They include: if you are an extra-terrestrial life form that has to exchange protein strings and has no better way to do it. That’s it. If you don’t fall into that category, then keep your pointless appendages to yourself! • Brent Holmes
Was it gold and white? Blue and black? How about we make it easy and say it was all the colours of the rainbow? This weekend, the Internet got lost in the frenzy over the real questions in life: what colour is the dress? A photo of a dress circulated the Internet, and redefined what it mean to go viral. Different people were viewing the dress as different colours, as a result of the way an individual’s eyes make up for light compensation. Favourite celebrity tweets regarding the matter included: “@mindykaling: “All I know, the dress was ugly!” = a specific kind of unoriginal. we all knew it was ugly; to say it underestimated everyone’s intelligence” “@taylorswift13: I don’t understand this odd dress debate and I feel like it’s a trick somehow. I’m confused and scared. PS it’s OBVIOUSLY BLACK AND BLUE” Be careful with your answer though, as this weekend proved the colour of the dress could make or break a friendship. • Jenny Jay
Being rich sucks. Rolls Royces and gold chains seem like a fun time but they’re actually self-medication for people with mo money and moooo problems. It’s not so simple being wealthy. Living the good life starts with hard work, ends with hard work and it’s just hard work in the middle. Lots of people would love to be Kobe Bryant, but he’s worked 15 hours a day since he was 10 and most folks lack that kind of hustle. Being rich is a full time job that comes with stresses that would destroy regular citizens. Most people aren’t designed to be wealthy and they never will be. You’re better off investing that energy into fostering healthy relationships with your loved ones. It really is lonely on top. Once you become the shit, you will inevitably attract flies — haters and leeches bent on discrediting you. Even in a fur coat it’s still a cold world. • Conrad Floryan
It’s tough patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time. An even greater challenge is playing basketball and being depressed at the same time. It rarely happens. Since basketball is still a relatively new sport — it was invented in 1891 — doctors are only beginning to understand the healing properties of playing hoops. But who cares why it works — it just does. Not everyone can dunk a ball but you don’t have to be a star athlete to reap basketball benefits. There are games on television everyday and Xbox is always an option. The best way to squeeze every delicious therapeutic drop from basketball is to grab a courtside seat — preferably for an NBA game, ideally for the Los Angeles Lakers. If basketball is medicine, the Lakers are insulin. That’s why Magic Johnson enjoys good health even though he was diagnosed with HIV 25 years ago. • Conrad Floryan
It’s now that time of year where every fourth-year is frantically checking their email constantly throughout the day. Some have heard back from several schools and others are still waiting to receive their first reply. This period of waiting seems like it will never end and has likely caused some bitter conversations between roommates. “Oh you got accepted? That’s awesome!” Though congratulations may be given in a cheery tone, inevitable death stares are also in order. Not only is the thought of grad school looming over those who applied, but it is also on the minds of fourth-years who didn’t apply. All anybody can think about is that dreadful question that everybody asks: “So what are you planning to do after you graduate?” Sadly, this is no longer a worry of the distant future. Did you make a mistake by not applying to grad school? What are you going to do? Luckily, an undergraduate degree can guarantee just about anybody a job at McDonald’s. • Jennafer Freeman
>> IN THEATRES > MR. TURNER
Portrait of the artist as curmudgeon Mr. Turner paints a picture of madness, misery and movie magic
Courtesy of Entertainment One
Maddy Richard CONTRIBUTOR @uwogazette
GGGGH Mr. Turner Director: Mike Leigh Starring: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson and Marion Bailey Romanticist artists are individualistic. They become deeply involved in their work and react to the changes in life. In turn, the relationships around them suffer and they are
unable to connect with others. Focusing on the famous Romanticist painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall), Mr. Turner takes a look at the harsh reality of the famous artist’s life. Turner is a stodgy, dreary Englishman whose normal form of communication is grunts and growls. He is removed and chooses to focus only on his art. His paintings are done with a raw madness and a flurry of brush strokes. Turner lives with his father, who is his closest companion, and his
maid, a woman he sexually abuses. He disregards his past lover and stares at women with hunger. Spall portrays this role with the right amount of distaste. Throughout the movie, his character earns the audience’s sympathy with Spall’s acting giving layers to an otherwise despicable man. There are a couple standout performances. Dorothy Atkinson is heart breaking as Turner’s abused housekeeper, Hannah. Marion Bailey brings a much-needed lighter tone to the movie as Turner’s second
lover, Sophia Booth. The movie is at its best when its wide shots show off the scenery. The landscapes and architecture are picturesque — often recreations of Turner’s pieces. It is a nice bonus to go into the movie knowing some of his works and recognizing them. Even with the beautiful scenes and pieces of art, the movie is tinged with dark undertones. Its melancholy atmosphere is sustained with the score, predominated by a haunting violin. The sicknesses and weaknesses of multiple characters can be felt over the course of the movie. It is a dreary look at a man’s inability to fit in. Mr. Turner does well when it pokes fun at the changing world during the Industrial Revolution. The movie shows how the steam engine and camera made previous ways of life obsolete. This parallels Turner’s own declining relevancy in society. Clocking in at two and a half hours and being a sombre movie, Mr. Turner won’t appeal to all audiences. It is sad and moves at its own slow pace, but it is worth it. Mr. Turner is an inside look of an established artist over the course of his life. Mr. Turner is playing at the Hyland Cinema this week.
6 •
thegazette • Wednesday, March 4, 2015
opinions
Once you’ve lost your privacy, you realize you’ve lost an extremely valuable thing.
• Billy Graham
HAVE YOUR SAY
Dear Life
The Gazette asked how social media influenced students’ view of privacy.
Your anonymous letters to life
Namir Khalaf
General I Yes because then for example, when you’re on Twitter, a lot of people can see what you put on social media, like random people can basically know about your life. They would know what you do every day, how you feel … it’s kind of creepy.
Courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment
The end of privacy World of Raycraft
Xinyue Cui
Economics II I think [privacy] is quite important for us because if you’re asking an opinion about something like a campus or those surveys about a prof, I think this kind of privacy is very important.
James Donalds
Medical science I I feel like yeah, it definitely does because having social media puts you out there and whatever you put on the Internet you can’t remove. Your friends will always know what’s going on, even if you want to take something off it will always be there.
Rachel Allan
Medical science I You need more privacy because so many things that anyone can just access on their own that I don’t think they can realize that other people see … and it’s kind of creepy that other people can go and see all of that information about you. I feel like people just don’t know that their profiles are so open.
thegazette
Volume 108, Issue 80 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.
Richard Raycraft MANAGING EDITOR @RichAtGazette
I purchased a Playstation 4 console over the Christmas break. Though I’m not a particularly keen gamer, my interest was piqued at the number of new features that have been added to these “next generation” consoles. I got a hint of one of them quickly. Taking a look at the controller, I noticed something I had never seen before — a “share” button. What the hell is that there for? Apparently, Sony is so committed to players sharing their gaming experiences constantly that a whole new button was mandated for it. It’s main competitor, the Xbox One, has similar features dedicating to non-stop transmission of screenshots, videos and, strangest of all, live streams of gameplay. Players, of course, have a choice as to whether to do this. Me? I play video games to relax and disconnect from everything rather than the other way around. Even so, I couldn’t help but be a little disturbed seeing that button on my controller. The implication is that there’s something wrong with you if you’re not constantly connected, constantly sharing or watching others. And this is just the beginning. Privacy is dead, and we have killed it. I find the hysteria surrounding official government surveillance laughable considering modern culture. What’s more, we’ve done it voluntarily and without a care in the world. Huxley was right, Orwell was wrong, and we prove it everyday. Why does the state need to do what we’ll do all by ourselves? “Could you please stop looking through my notebook?” “Why?” “Because it’s mine.”
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.
P
RIVACY IS DEAD, AND WE HAVE KILLED IT.
I’ve found out that this simply doesn’t cut it these days. The notion that information, even the most sensitive of information, shouldn’t be accessible at all times to everyone is an idea of the past, as common sense as it seems to most of us. “Everyone belongs to everyone else.” That includes (formerly) private thoughts, ambitions, struggles and especially religious and political beliefs. Taboo? Says who? Maybe I’m being alarmist, and I have to say I genuinely hope I’m wrong. But the trends don’t look particularly good. Social media has facilitated and promoted in young people the idea that, even if everything is not constantly shared or put out there, it should be. While insisting on its own right to privacy in certain areas, Google wants to know everything about you. Then there’s problem of needing social media accounts to get a job, only to be “let go” when some tweeted mundane thought was deemed blasphemy by the social justice brigade. It’s all very strange. The debate’s shifted. The onus is now on those insisting on privacy, not on those persistently trying to violate it. Whether we realize it or not, though, privacy is essential to our emotional and mental health. Humans are naturally social animals, but we all need our time and space from others every once in a while. Some things, and they’ll vary from person to person, simply weren’t meant to be known — to be out there for others to exploit or joke about. It’s time we halt this trend and make privacy normal again. So please, the next time someone tells you they don’t want you to know, they really mean it. And I’m saying that publicly.
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 UWO ITS, Instead of spending time and energy “upgrading” email, how about fixing internet problems. In seven weeks, I am outta here. I don’t give a fuck if the email interface looks fancy or not, but I struggle every day trying to connect to uwosecure-v2. Dear Life, I’m disappointed Western decided to change our email system during this busy midterm season. Yet another tedious thing to figure out. How about over the summer, what’s wrong with that? Dear Life, And then on Friday, the Internet blew up over an overexposed photo. Dear Life, Here’s a novel concept to fix the USC: abolish them. Dear Life, As an alum, I despise current undergrads that post on our class of 20xx page for USC elections/campus causes. This isn’t York where it takes seven years to get a BA in breathing. Dear Life, The new email system sucks! Why did Western have to make this change anyways? Convergence was fine! Now my address book is empty and I can’t attach files. Fuck this! Dear Life, Cockblocked by Western when they took the condom dispensers out of the UCC bathrooms. 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 • Wednesday, March 4, 2015
sports
saywhat? “If you have a system in place where you have somebody up in the press box whose job it is to screen for potential injury … giving them the authority to stop the game is a good idea.”
• University of Michigan sports neurologist Jeffrey Kutcher
A new segment from the Gazette Sports section will have us creep the social media profiles of varsity athletes throughout the nation, discovering their thoughts on a variety of topics. This week will look at the top tweets about food — a necessity of life that we encounter every day. WHEN THESHAWN BARRY, CARLETON RAVENS FOOTBALL RECEIVER, SEEMED ANNOYED ABOUT THE MOST GLORIOUS FAST FOOD CHAIN EVER.
Courtesy Mustang Athletics
ONE OF US IS GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE. Chris Higgins and Dave Barrett, Western women’s hockey head coach and co-head coach respectively, have won the Ontario University Athletics Coach of the Year award. They are the first pair to conjointly win the award since the beginning of the league, after finishing the season 20–1–3.
To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca WHEN BROCK HOCKEY PLAYER RÉAL CORMIER ASKED THE TOUGH QUESTIONS.
HOUSING
classifieds
#1 STUDENT HOUSING in London. 2-7 bdrms. Popular Redbrick apartments and townhouses, plus houses in various student locations. Come with 5 appliances, huge rooms and closets and free parking. Call now! These rent on a first come first serve basis. Sam 519-495-7661, smaclin@londonprop.com
WHEN FOOTBALL FULLBACK, STEFAN NAPOLITANO, ALSO OF THE CARLETON RAVENS, PERFORMED AN AMAZING EATING FEAT. HE ATE APPROXIMATELY 34.5 CHICKEN WINGS IN ONE SITTING.
2 BEDROOM APARTMENTS, the closest 2 bedrooms to campus. Hardwood floors, loads of space. Great student area, right on university bus route. Great price, and some utilities included. Loads of free parking. These places truly are a steal!! Call Stephen at 226-236-4409 or email ste phenn@londonprop.com 3 BEDROOM DUPLEX, Colborne/Cheapside, fireplace, large private deck, parking, laundry, microwave, dishwasher, on bus route, utilities included,$1350.00/month,12 month lease, mature students, available May 1, call 519-666-3423 / e-mail Timwool43@gmail.com 3 BEDROOM MODERN townhouses close to Masonville area. Close walk to campus and steps to major bus route. Spacious bedrooms, with huge closets and close to all amenities. Contact Stephen to book a viewing; units will rent very quickly. stephenn@londonprop.com 226-236-4409
WHEN FOOTBALL PLAYER FROM WINDSOR, AUSTIN CRUMB, SPILLED THE TRUTH TEA ABOUT OUR CHILDHOODS.
4 BDRM NEW Red Brick townhouses, apartments and single homes for rent. Features 5 appliances, huge rooms and closets, open concept kitchen/living room, and free parking! Located in great student areas. Act fast - these won’t last. For more info call Stephen: 226-236-4409
4 BED. TOWNHOUSES located on Oxford right by campus. Live in style with 3 floors, 2 washrooms, and very spacious rooms with large closets. 5 appliances, free parking, and 24 hour property management. Contact Sam today 519-4957661, smaclin@londonprop.com 4 BEDROOM TOWNHOME for Rent! Walk to school & downtown, huge kitchen, dishwasher, large bedrooms, 2.5 baths, back deck, garage. Call/text 226919-6826. Available May 1.
FINALLY, WHEN NICK FILBRIT OF THE MCMASTER FOOTBALL TEAM USED AN ALCOHOL ANALOGY TO SUMMARIZE LIFE.
5 BDRMS. LIVE steps from campus in a 5 bedroom apartment or townhouse. Live in style in a modern building. Huge kitchens come with tons of cupboards and counter space, and centre island eating areas. Spacious bedrooms and huge closets. Call Sam anytime at 519-495-7661 and view one of these units before they are gone!
STUDENT SPECIAL
ONLY $399
*4 months rent in a 5x10 *Free Move-In and Out *Free Disc Lock www.storageworx.ca 519-652-2006 4474 Blakie Road London ON N6L1G6
HOUSING
SERVICES
4/5 BED RED Bricks Available: BRAND NEW building. Huge rooms, modern open concept layout, 5 main appliances including washer/dryer in suite. Free parking, 24 hour property maintenance, right on major bus route, 5 minutes from campus. These will go FAST, call Sam 519-495-7661
NEED HELP APPEALING a grade on an assignment or exam? We are here to help you through the appeal process. Email studentappeals@westernusc.ca for more information. PROOFREADING & EDITING. PUBLISHED PhD candidate offering services as low as $2/page. Standard turnaround time is 72 hours (24 hour turnaround available). Email: writing.refined@outlook.com. Website: www.writingrefined.com. Get your quote today!
6 BDRM. * *#1 student rentals* * Newly built red bricks in all the best student. 5 appliances included. Huge, spacious rooms with massive closets. 24 hour emergency maintenance and parking included. These ones always go fast so call soon. Call Stephen anytime at 226-236-4409
LOOKING TO SPICE Things Up? Heterosexual couples needed to participate in Sexual Behaviour and Relationship Quality Study at Western University! $50.00 compensation per couple. Please contact smartlab@uwo.ca for more info.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
EMPLOYMENT SEEKING STUDENTS FOR flexible full and part time door to door canvassing. $11hr is guaranteed with a $60hr earning potential. Interested parties should please call (519)200-9628. Leave message if applicable.
SEEKING GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL,
and other sexual-minority individuals over the age of 18 for a study on perceptions of discrimination. Participants will complete a set of questionnaires in the Love Lab at Western University. This should take no more than 30 minutes, and participants will receive monetary compensation in appreciation for their contribution. If interested, email uwodiscriminationstudy@gmail.com
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 • Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Mustangs impress at OUA championships Brittany Hambleton GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
The men’s and women’s track and field teams had a successful weekend at the Ontario University Athletics provincial championships at York University last Friday and Saturday. This year’s competition was the highest quality in OUA history with over fifteen meet records broken, making it very tough to finish in a medal position in several events. Despite the stiff competition, the Mustangs fought hard and ended the weekend with a third-place finish for the women and fourthplace for the men. The women’s team scored a total of 125 points behind the Toronto Varsity Blues with 180 point and the Guelph Gryphons with 129 points. “Going into the championships I believed our women had a shot at winning even though we were underdogs to U of T,” Mustangs head coach Vickie Croley said. “But Toronto did what they were expected to do and more, and had an outstanding championship. They were clearly the stronger team on paper, performed when it counted and came out way on top.” Although they did not achieve the gold medal they desired, the women’s team still had several outstanding performances, with 26 athletes finishing in the top eight and 13 athletes setting season or personal bests in their respective events. Outstanding performances came from Robin Bone, who set the new OUA record in the pole vault at a height of 4.21 metres, and Caroline Ehrhardt, who set the OUA record in the triple jump with a leap of 13.04 metres. Joy Spear Chief-Morris won the bronze in the 60 metre dash, beating the country’s number two-ranked athlete in a time of 7.48 seconds, and rookie Sara Villani also won bronze in the shot put with an impressive throw of 13.56 metres, and set a new OUA shot put record for the pentathlon. The women’s 4 x 200 metre relay team of Chief-Morris, Jen Barbon, Sarah Clancy and Rachel Muma won the silver medal in a time of 1:39.39s. The men’s team, ranked fifth in the province heading into the competition, had 12 season’s or personal bests with 19 top eight finishes, surpassing their ranking and putting them into fourth place behind Guelph, York and Windsor. Anothony Dandie won the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.23 metres, Isoken Ogieva won the silver medal in the 60 metre hurdles with a time of 7.96 and Riley Bell won the silver medal in the triple jump with a distance of 14.46 metres. Triphon Moodie won the bronze medal in the 600 metres as well. Despite having to replace two of runners on short notice, the men’s 4 x 200 metre relay team managed a bronze-medal finish thanks to alternates Chris Cauley and Keith Cyrus. Payam Sobani also had an outstanding performance, tying his personal best from last season in the high jump and winning the bronze medal. “I thought the men competed well, and even if we had a few more athletes compete to their best we wouldn’t have moved up
G
OING INTO THE CHAMPIONSHIPS I BELIEVED OUR WOMEN HAD A SHOT AT WINNING EVEN THOUGH WE WERE UNDERDOGS TO U OF T. VICKIE CROLEY
MUSTANGS HEAD COACH
Photos courtesy of Jeff Chan
as a team,” Croley said. “Our top athletes with veteran experience in their events did what they were capable of doing. Anthony Dandie, Isoken Ogieva, Riley Bell and Triphon Moodie all won medals and backed it up with top-eight finishes as well.” There will be no rest for the Mustangs after their long weekend of competition as the team continues to prepare for the Canadian National Championships in two weeks time. At this point in the season Croley explains that the goal is to fine-tune physically and for the athletes to work on the mental side of their training. “Athletes need to believe that the work is done and they need to be sharp physically and confident with their competition plan,” Croley explained. “Heading into CI’s they need to continue to look after themselves. Proper sleep, nutrition and injury management and prevention are very important to a peak performance.” The team will travel to Windsor to compete against the best in the country at the CIS championships on March 12.
Mike Laine • GAZETTE