Paging Dr. Doolittle Ryan Reynolds talks to animals in the horror comedy The Voices. >> Pg. 4
thegazette
TODAY high 5 low -2
Such drama since 1906
TOMORROW high 3 low -4
WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015
VOLUME 108, ISSUE 84
DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF POTENTIAL VOTERS THAT WERE EXPOSED TO THIS VIOLATION, THE ELECTIONS COMMITTEE HAS CLASSIFIED THIS VIOLATION AS EXTRAORDINARY AND DESERVING OF 15 DEMERIT POINTS. • THE ELECTIONS COMMITTEE DECISION ABOUT TEAM LITCHFIELD’S POST-CAMPAIGNING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Team Litchfield hangs on by a thread Hamza Tariq NEWS EDITOR @HamzaAtGazette
President-elect Jack Litchfield and his slate have escaped disqualification by one demerit point. After extensive deliberations, the elections committee awarded the presidential slate 30 demerit points, one short of automatic disqualification. Team Litchfield had already accumulated two demerit points during the campaign period. The elections committee then also unanimously awarded them two demerit points for using alcohol in their campaigning and 11 demerit points for campaigning in off-campus residences The most significant violation however, was the social media campaigning during the voting period, which was combined into one incident. The elections committee awarded Team Litchfield 15 demerit under the purview of an extraordinary violation. This motion was passed with seven votes and five abstentions. According to Litchfield, a number of violations that his team was charged with were the result of the ambiguities of By-law 2 and communications with the governance office. “I believe a lot of the charges I received are pursuant to those ambiguities,” he said in an interview. “Anytime we got to an issue we weren’t sure about whether something was legal — we did consult with the governance office about it. But those consultations were inconsistent, open to interpretation and
there was miscommunication and as a result frequently we thought we were doing right and turned out we weren’t … or at least according to the elections committee’s interpretation.” Team Sophie, runners-up in the year’s elections, received a total of 10 demerit points. “This has been an election that is very unique, when an election is won by just [32] votes and when there are this many concerns about the tactics being used — we need to understand these decisions fully,” Sophie Helpard said in an email. According to Helpard, students should have confidence in their student government and that her team appreciates the efforts of the elections committee. “I will be following up with the CRO and governance officer to fully understand the decision and the options going forward,” she added. Team Sophie was charged with three demerit points for post-campaigning violations and seven demerit points due to the Reddit AMA issue that happened during the campaigning period. According to Litchfield, he was upset with the handling of the Reddit issue and that were was some egregious misrepresentation of facts in the incident. “I was very upset about the slander and libel issues stemming from the Reddit AMA,” he said. “I’m not sure not if I’m satisfied with the results of that particularly, there were a couple of instances there I thought could have been dealt with more thoroughly.” Regarding the elections committee, Litchfield reiterated that
I
’M VERY HAPPY THAT I AM STILL ABLE TO SERVE THE STUDENTS OF WESTERN. JACK LITCHFIELD
USC PRESIDENT-ELECT
he did set up an ad-hoc committee last year to review the bylaw and the governance portfolio. However, he has new plans for the committee next year. “I’m going to take a different approach this time. I have already done consultations with the current executive to ensure this is feasible — to contract a commissioner specifically for the sole purpose of reviewing By-law 2,” he said. “The way we were setting up the executive structure next year, with the secretary- treasurer as a much more autonomous position overseeing at arms length the governance portfolio, it allows for successful oversight without undue influence over the autonomy of the committee.” Litchfield added that moving forward, the committee will also be more independent as the secretary-treasurer will report to the USC board instead of the president. “I want to do whatever possible that future candidates not face similar issues, it has been very intense month waiting for a deicison here and I want to make sure other people don’t go through that,” he said. “I’m very happy that I am still able to serve the students of Western.”
Elections Committee Decisions 2015 Candidates are awarded demerit points for violating USC elections policy in By-law 2. Presidential slates can be awarded a maximum of 30 demerits, each costing $10
All other candidates can be awarded a maximum of 20 demerits, each costing $6
Team Litchfield, Slate-elect Violation 1: Depiction of alcohol use in campaign materials Violation 2: Distributing physical campaign materials without consent. Two incidents Violation 3: Post-campaigning on social media
Total, including previous demerits:
2 points 11 points 15 points
30 points
Team Sophie, Slate Runner-up Violation 1: Non-arms-length party violating rules of fair play Violation 2: Non-arms-length party influencing voters after polls open
Total, including previous demerits:
7 points 3 points
10 points
Michelle Bonofiglio, Senator-elect Distributing physical campaign materials without consent. Violation 1: Posters in Huron College 7 points Violation 2: Posters on a residence's door 8 points
Total, including previous demerits: DISQUALIFIED
21 points
Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE
TICKETS $20.00 AT THE DOOR, ONLINE AT WESTERNUSC.CA OR WESTERN CONNECTIONS
2•
thegazette • Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Caught on Camera
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer Winnie Lu • GAZETTE
WELDON GETS JAZZY. Don Wright Faculty of Music proves that a trumpet, a trombone, a bass and a guitar are all that is required for a live performance. Whether it is the spectators or the students studying at Weldon, they all seem appreciative for this morning’s JazzCombo concert series.
News Briefs
London Comicon fundraising for a cause
This year, Forest City’s comic convention will put the ‘fun’ in fundraising. London will be hosting the city’s second comic convention this year
Solution to puzzle on page 8
on October 18. After reaching capacity with their very first event, Forest City Comicon will move to a larger venue — the London Convention Centre. A new addition to this year’s comic con is Forest City’s partnership with two charity organizations — Project Play and Mind Your Mind. “We’ve partnered up with Project Play and raised nearly $15,000 to provide games to local community groups such as family shelters,” John Houghton, media representative of Forest City Comicon, said. This year, Forest City Comicon is working closely with a new partner called Mind Your Mind. “This organization is a mental health charity, and it’s one that’s close to our hearts,” Houghton said.
Forest City expects to raise more funds for these charities compared to last year. A prominent figure from the Stargate franchise as well as a famous YouTube actress will be in attendance, although exact names and panels aren’t scheduled to be released until closer to the summer months, including the convention headliner. Comic fanatics should expect to see an event that has substantially grown from last year’s turnout. “We’re taking what we did [last year], amplifying it, growing it, and raising mass amounts for charities and having fun while doing that,” Houghton said. More information can be found online at www.forestcitycomicon.ca • Michelle Lim
CHOOSE FROM ◊ BOND PAPER ◊ GLOSS PAPER
PRICES STARTING AT $4 SQ/Ft. 42” width (any length)
*some restrictions may apply
265 – UCC BUILDING CREATIVESERVICES-USC.CA 519-661-3578
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.
Great Western Clothing
!
VISIT US IN
UCC MAINFLOOR
ATRIUM
•3
thegazette • Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Left to right: Jolien van Gaalen, Hilary Luo, Peter Nielsen and Mofeed Sawan
Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE
Western students develop smart sensors for hip replacements Katie Lear NEWS EDITOR @KatieAtGazette
I
T WAS THREE MONTHS OF RIGOROUS RESEARCH TRYING TO DETERMINE ALL THESE DIFFERENT SENSOR PATENTS THAT WE COULD USE, AND AT THE END OF IT [IT] ENDED UP BEING TRIAL AND ERROR AND A LOT OF LUCK AND FATE. MOFEED SAWAN
WESTERN ENGINEERING STUDENT
directly to their cellular device and telling them ‘your implant is loose,’ ‘your implant is broken,’ ” he continued. The implant has already attracted attention, as the prototype won first place in the Western Engineering Competition in the innovative design category and continued to take third place at the provincial level. The students were supervised by Robarts Research Institute researcher David Holdsworth during the process. “Being able to have the chance to be paired with one of the leading people in the musculoskeletal world through the Western community has been instrumental for us and we’ve done amazing things thanks to these opportunities that have been facilitated by Robarts and Western,” Sawan said. While the sensor is not ready for medical use, the team expressed excitement at being able to detect micro-loosening. Future plans for the project include applying for a patent to send it to market within the next few years.
To volunteer contact iain@westerngazette.ca • westerngazette.ca •
“ The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
City councillors reject proposal for new performance arts facility Mohammad Abrar Abdul Hanan GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
London’s Centennial Hall will live to see at least a few more years. On Monday, Mayor Matt Brown and the city councillors rejected Music London’s $46 million plan to replace the hall with a new performance arts facility. “There was a proposal to build an art centre, called the “Celebration Centre” and we had a private consultant review the proposal. It was going to include an arts centre, a condominium and an office tower,” said Harold Usher, councillor for Ward 12. “The arts centre was the key focus of this plan and it was supposed to house different types of entertainment such as concerts for Orchestra London.” The initial business plan for this change was submitted by Music London in May 2013 and after a few rounds of deliberation the group resubmitted their final proposal in August last year, which responded to some of the key criticisms of the original plan. An independent review of the
plan was conducted by Novita, a Toronto-based consultant group and according to their reports the proposal did not present a viable alternative to replace Centennial Hall. “The consultant had said that the plan was lacking in a few key assets. One, the marketing plan was based on an outdated concept — the plan referred to a concept from 1970s,” said Stephen Turner, councillor for Ward 11. “The design of the facility has not been firmed up yet and the facility itself did not fit the site that they wanted to build on. Basically, they did not complete a full market analysis to support the proposal they were putting forward.” According to Usher, the proposed arts centre did not meet the expected standards. A new centre would serve the city for a long time and the consultant believed that the current plan wasn’t viable and the focus should be on other options. However, the city council is still interested in the concept of a major multi-purpose performance centre in downtown London. Centennial Hall does not adequately meet the needs of the community and has a
limited life expectancy of around 10 years. “The proposal from Music London will not be reconsidered. But the concept of a multi-purpose performance centre or some sort of an arts centre has been added to the budget review for the next four years,” Turner said. The key to a successful plan is making sure the new centre is different from the services offered by Centennial Hall and making it is an essential part of the community. The city council is planning to conduct a broad community consultation to determine what people want from a new performing arts centre. According to Turner, Centennial Hall, which was built in 1967, is now outdated and does not fit the needs of a new generation of people. “They said that the 1970s model was mainly based on accommodating tenants such as an orchestra or a ballet. That is very traditional and we want to look at something that is more focused towards millennials. Smaller more adaptable spaces that can accommodate a multitude of performance types and is really accessible to the community,” he said.
› Thomas Edison: Relentless Inventiveness Failure is no biggie. Just ask Edison. If he stopped at failure, he would never have moved on to invent a little thing called the light bulb. So if you’ve failed a class somewhere else, or have a scheduling conflict, come on over. You can catch up with our world-recognized online courses, then move on to bigger successes. Talk about a light bulb moment.
open. online. everywhere. Learn more @ athabascau.ca/edison/ontario
By Levin C. Handy (per http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpbh.04326) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Four Western undergraduate students have created a new sensor to help hip replacement patients. Jolien van Gaalen, Hilary Luo, Peter Nielsen and Mofeed Sawan are engineering students who invented a sensor to detect loosening within hip implants called hipSENSE. “There is no current way to be able to detect this micro-loosening without the use of extremely expensive equipment that’s only available in four places in Canada, and the other ideas that have been in development to try and detect this loosening have also required very large setups,” Luo said. “Our approach is very minimalistic with embedded sensors within the implant as well as a smaller external device to be able to detect the implant loosening,” she explained. One of the key benefits of this implant underlined by the team includes accessibility for patients
who are not located near equipment that can detect micro-loosening. “Another very cool thing about our product is that the patient themself can self-diagnose as well, which is really cool,” Sawan said. “We have our own data analytics protocol that we’ve made so a patient with a smartphone can have their implant speaking
4 •
thegazette • Wednesday, March 11, 2015
arts&life
saywhat? I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men and German to my horse.
• Charles V Holy Roman Emporer
Learning through improv
>> IN THEATRES > THE VOICES
Meerna Homayed GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
Théâtre L’On Donne, a theatre troop from the department of French studies at Western, opens their play De mal en pis this upcoming Saturday at McManus Studio Theatre. De mal en pis is a comedic play by Mariel Ouelette Mauvia performed entirely in French and by improvisation. The play focuses on selfish characters and their humorous social interactions. The cast consists of a multitude of student personnel, ranging from a first-year undergraduate student to PhD students and everything in between. Western professors in the department of French studies are also involved, including the stage director Servanne Woodward as well as Paul Venesoen, who arranged the music, sound and promotions. First-year student Kristen Nadal is the youngest cast member, playing the character Diouana Dieng. After viewing advertisements for auditions, she joined in hopes of improving her French skills and credits the improvisation aspect as having the greatest impact. “When you’re memorizing just lines it’s the only thing that you know but if you’re actually improvising, then you’re speaking French like how you would if you actually went to France,” she explains. In addition, she says that conversing with cast members also helped to improve her French due to many of them being native French speakers. Despite the difficulties of having to perform impromptu dialogue in another language, Nadal welcomes the improvisation as it adds spontaneity and fluidity to the play, producing stronger emotions from the actors. Marie-Simone Raad, a PhD student studying French literature and
Courtesy of Sébastien Ruffo
a veteran to Théâtre L’On Donne, echoed this sentiment. In the play, Raad plays both the first wife Maty Dieng and a scammer. “You explore a different world. It’s very different,” she explains. Noting that in comparison to Théâtre L’On Donne’s interpretation of Don Quixote last year, which was entirely scripted, De mal en pis gives more opportunities to the actors. Raad is a native French speaker. She traces her enjoyment of acting back to a childhood dream of acting in theatre. As a teenager, she was taught theatrical improvisation by one of her teachers when she joined the school play. “For me, it’s not very hard because I have a lot of imagination,” she laughs. “I can improv everything.” However, she admits that working in tandem with the other cast members and always making sure to cover your partner if they’ve forgotten something or if they blank out on stage can be tricky. Like Raad, Mansour Bouaziz is another PhD student studying French literature involved with the play. This is his first time
participating in a production by Théâtre L’On Donne, where he plays the character of Ibrahima Dieng. “I like the challenge, and as a future professor, speaking in front of an audience is important — actually it is a part of the profession,” he says citing his reasons for joining. “So, I took this opportunity as a practice for my future career.” For Bouaziz, acting in French isn’t challenging, as he’s fluent in the language. It would be a greater task for him to perform in English, as it’s his third language. “The most challenging part is to give a spirit to the play; it’s not easy. We’re all non-professional actors with different personalities,” he explains. As for the play itself, he’s most looking forward to the public’s reaction and to see how they will respond to the play. “Even if the play may not be a big success, I want to say that I learned something and met wonderful new people,” he adds. De mal en pis runs March 14, 15, 18 and 19 at the McManus Studio Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at the department of French studies or online.
Muse-ic to our ears Isaac Eng CONTRIBUTOR @uwogazette
On Saturday, March 14, Matthew Badoe, a Western pop studies student, and his band The Breath and the Bellows will be performing an album release party at the London Music Club. The evening performances will celebrate the official release of the band’s second concept EP, Say. The six-piece ensemble is made up entirely of Western students — Badoe, Sam Boer, Liv Cazzola, Liam Sanio, Jill Sauerteig and Joel Wilson — and features an eclectic combination of atypical instruments such as a cello, glockenspiel and accordion. The band describes itself as an indie-folk collective meant to move listeners with passionate live performances and intimately crafted lyrics that weave together light melodies and harmonies. Band leader Badoe describes the musical narrative of Say as being
inspired by Greek Mythology. “Say documents the relationship between Micah, a young writer and musician, and the Greek goddess of music known as The Muse,” says Badoe. “Meeting with Micah only in his dreams, she entices him with ‘The Orpheus Contract,’ promising half of her goddess power.” Badoe composed the lyrics and music of Say. The work focuses on the theme of communication between lovers and is divided into four vignettes representing the ‘four seasons’ of Micah’s relationship with The Muse. “I love every song! But if I had to choose my favourite it would have to be the third track,” says Badoe. “It symbolizes the breakdown of the relationship between Micah and The Muse — the stage where their love is withering away before finally dying.” Funding for the record was made possible by the proceeds from the 2013–14 CHRW Sing Off competition won by Badoe.
Courtesy of Matthew Badoe
Local London punk band Say Hello and the pink-haired ukulele songstress Jojo Worthington are also on the bill with sets opening Saturday night. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door, starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are available from any one of the band members or opening acts. Physical copies of Say can be purchased through The Breath and the Bellows and is currently streamable on Bandcamp and Soundcloud.
Courtesy of Lions Gate Entertainment
Reynolds carries The Voices Maddy Richard VOLUNTEER @uwogazette
GGGFF The Voices Director: Marjane Satrapi Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick, Gemma Arteton and Jacki Weaver It’s fascinating to watch a leading man play a darker role. Done well, the actor can be both charming and disturbing. The Voices may be marketed as a black comedy, but be warned. This movie focuses more on mental health and morals than humour. Working at a bath tub factory in a small town makes Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) seem like a nice, normal guy. He gets involved in office parties and starts forming friendships with co-workers, such as Fiona (Gemma Arteton) and Lisa (Anna Kendrick). When Jerry arrives home, his secret is revealed: he is greeted by his cat, Mr. Whiskers, and his dog, Bosco, both of which can talk, or at least to Jerry they can. Jerry has inherited his mother’s schizophrenia and hears voices from his pets. Mr. Whiskers tells Jerry that no one will love him, so Jerry proves his cat wrong by asking out Fiona. After being stood up by her, Jerry finds Fiona alone and offers her a ride home. They hit a deer and Jerry stabs it after it asks to be put out of its misery. Fiona runs away in fear and Jerry chases her, accidentally falls, and stabs her. After killing Fiona, Jerry begins questioning what he has done. Mr. Whiskers plays the devil on Jerry’s shoulder, telling him that murdering will make him feel alive. Bosco is Jerry’s angel, reminding him that he is a good person. Jerry is stuck between the two conflicting
voices. Reynolds captures the struggles of a man with a mental illness. He switches between carefree and childlike to violent and unstable. By also voicing all the animals in the movie, each voice appears to be very much a part of Jerry’s own mind. Jacki Wilder, who portrays Jerry’s psychotherapist, does a great job by being a voice of reason. Kendrick and Arteton both hold their own, however Reynolds dominates in his role with a terrifying, but terrific performance. Without medication, Jerry’s narrative becomes unreliable. He sees butterflies and angels, rather than bodies and blood. At one point, he takes his pills and sees the disturbing world he has created. This is too much for him and hearing the voices is the only way Jerry can cope. This is a turning point in the movie, as everything preceding becomes even darker. There is no denying the strangeness of the movie. While never glorifying murder, it takes a cavalier approach to it. It ends on a strangely happy note, deriving from the majority of the film. These conflicting tones make it difficult to land this movie on a specific genre. It’s not scary enough to be a horror movie and the humour often falls short. It doesn’t seem to know if it wants to be taken seriously or not. The Voices delves into the darkness of the human mind. It shows how even seemingly happy people can be on the brink of committing atrocities. Original ideas are always good when in a time of reboots and sequels, but this one seems to unsure of what it wants. The Voices is playing at The Hyland until Thursday, March 12. Showtimes are available at www. hylandcinema.com.
•5
thegazette • Wednesday, March 11, 2015
WHAT’S HOT
LOVE
WEALTH
LIFE AND WELLNESS
Media
The Weather
Confidence
Crime
Zoolander 2
Daylight Savings Time
Temperatures have warmed up into the positives! Students appear genuinely happy about it, kicking their Sorel boots off and bringing the Hunter boots out of the closet. Boots are a good idea because the Great Lakes seemed to have dropped onto sidewalks throughout London. As I was walking back from McDonald’s early Sunday morning (oh, stop with the judgement, everyone), I sloshed around in way too many puddles for my not weather-appropriate Converse sneakers. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this year, which meant six more weeks of winter. About five weeks later, the groundhog nearly got it right. As a society, we really have to question how a rodent became the best meteorologist available. Regardless, everyone is smiling about this warm weather and as it continues this week, it’s both literally and figuratively “what’s hot.”
Getting laid or finding love comes down to confidence. No matter what other qualifications pepper your love resume — great personality, accomplishments, beauty — it all goes out the window if you don’t have self esteem. Acquiring confidence is tricky. Although you’ll get lots of confusing advice from your friends on how to believe in yourself, it’s actually real simple. There comes a point in life where you realize that you are the shit no matter what you do, no matter what anyone says. Unfortunately for many folks that point arrives when they’re 70 and too old to mac girls off Tinder. Don’t let that happen to you. What’s the real key to confidence? Nothing. You’re already yourself, so just keep doing you and soon you’ll be doing others.
Just because something has a price tag doesn’t mean you have to pay for it. Breaking the bank requires the courage to break the rules. The law is designed for regular citizens and regular citizens aren’t rich. The key to being an effective criminal is specializing in a field of delinquency that matches your strengths. If you’re good at math you could count cards at the Bellagio — if you’ve been hitting the gym lately then you could sign up for the local goon squad and live the thug life that 2Pac always talked about. While crime does pay, it also comes with a price — you may have to go to jail. Police these days are sharper than they used to be, but luckily prisons are also way swankier.
Zoolander may have come out 14 years ago, but it was trending all over the internet yesterday. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson revisited their roles as Derek Zoolander and Hansel at the Valentino Paris Fashion show this past week. The two caused social media to buzz as they strutted with the rest of the models. It was all announce Zoolander 2 in 2016. It’s impressive to see how far movies will go for a publicity stunt. Getting some almost 50-year-olds to revise old roles seems to be a great way to get a response from Twitter. Zoolander may be a stupid movie, but it’s one of the good stupid movies. Especially after the backlash to Dumb and Dumber To, it will have to prove that it can be as funny as the original. At least ir proves Hollywood is not going to develop any sense of orginality soon. Also coming in 2016: the Godfather 4, Some Like It Hotter, Inception 2 and Rebel Still Without a Cause.
The weather may finally be getting warmer, but the winter blues aren’t over yet. Day Light Saving time is back and throwing off sleep schedules. There seems to be nothing beneficial to this time change — even John Oliver took shots at Daylight Savings Time, featuring it on Last Week Tonight’s “How is This Still a Thing?” Other than the enlightened province of Saskatchewan, Canada still follows Daylight Savings Time and we will have to deal with it. Recovering from losing that hour of sleep can be a chore. Actually going to bed an hour earlier to accommodate the time change is an unlikely proposition for most people. So buckle down on that coffee and be prepared for a groggy, sleep deprived week — just remember in six months, you’ll get to snooze for an extra hour.
• Bradley Metlin
• Conrad Floryan
• Conrad Floryan Editors note: We have no evidence to prove that prisons have gotten swankier and The Gazette does not condone andy lawbreaking.
• Maddy Richard
30,000 acres of Canadian wetland are destroyed by human activity each year. Help us protect what’s left.
longpointwaterfowl.org
• Maddy Richard
6 •
thegazette • Wednesday, March 11, 2015
>> ON DISC > CONVOQUE SEU BUDA
Debora Liron CONTRIBUTOR @uwogazette
GGGGH Convoque Seu Buda (Call Your Buddha) Artist: Criolo Label: Oloko Records
To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca
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
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 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 4/5 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
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
UPCOMING EVENTS
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.
TEAMS OF FOUR needed to participate in Boys and Girls Club of London’s Capital One Race for Kids event on 6 June 2015. For more information or to get involved, visit our website at: www.raceforkids.ca
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!
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
ANNOUNCEMENTS SOARING CLUB BEING ratified at Western, will be the only student run soaring club in North America, learn to fly and work towards your license, for more info email westernsoaring@gmail.com
For fans of rap, reggae, jazz, afrobeat and Brazilian genres like samba and tropicalia, Convoque Seu Buda (Call Your Buddha) is a must-listen. Kleber Gomes, aka Criolo, is an independent artist from Sao Paulo who gained recognition with his 2011 album Nó na Orelha (Knot in the Ear). The Brazilian star grew up in the Grajau favela and has worked as an arts teacher for street children. His new album release has met, if not surpassed, expectations, thanks to the expressive work of producers Daniel Ganjaman and Marcelo Cabral. Criolo’s rap is poetically rich and ironic, touching themes of social inequality, hypocrisy and spirituality in Brazil. It’s a pity that such powerful lyrics are very contextual and not easily translatable to English audiences. Among the Portuguese slang there are also regional and international
>> ON DISC > POLICY
VOLUNTEERS WANTED VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR Boys and Girls Club of London’s Capital One Race for Kids event on 6 June 2015. If you are interested in volunteering at this event, please complete the volunteer form at: www.raceforkids.ca TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID BEING PHISHED 3. Keep a regular check on your accounts Regularly log into your online accounts, and check your statements. Report any suspicous transactions to your bank or credit card provider.
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
references — outgrowth of Brazilian’s multiculturalism and Criolo’s background. The second song Esquiva da Esgrima pictures this cultural merge with versed French words — “Rap é forte, pode crer: Oui, Monsieur / Perrenoud, Piaget, Sabotá: Enchanté!” (“Rap is tough, better believe it: Yes, sir / Perrenoud, Piaget, Sabotá: Please to meet you!”) The lyrics saunter over a background of organic instruments such as drums, percussion, bass and a synth. The rapper’s intent here is to depict the uselessness of the elite when it comes to social issues such as education. For those who cannot perceive the cultural mix in Portuguesespoken lyrics, no worries. The entire album is a fusion of colours and flavours. The musical genres range from heavy dub in the title track to Brazilian North-eastern baião in Pegue pra Ela. The title track starts with the soothing sound of birds, running footsteps fading in and out, a short even pause and a solid sword blow. This is the setting for a bewitching entrance of psychedelic guitar and keyboards. The heavy beat performed on a drum machine underlies Criolo’s rap, which flows into a kind of chanting. Criolo shows off a variety of musical styles throughout the album. The fifth track Fermento pra Massa is a samba, Pé de Breque includes dub reggae, and Duas de Cinco lives up to Criolo’s origins in a sharp rap. Casa de Papelao is the smoothest song, presenting a soft brass ensemble. Convoque seu Buda is worthwhile listen for its great fusion of genres, as well as the amazing production.
Brent Holmes DEPUTY EDITOR @BrentAtGazette
GGGHF Policy Artist: Will Butler Label: Merge Records Arcade Fire may be in between albums right now but the members of the Canadian sextet are far from taking a break. Multi-instrumentalist Will Butler is the brother of Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler and has kept busy over the past year. His score for Spike Jonze’s Her was nominated for an Oscar and now he has put out his debut solo album, Policy. Policy is a must-listen for Arcade Fire fans. It’s an angrier, anti-21stcentury, hard-rocking album that takes all the cynicism of Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible and The Suburbs, and turns it up to 11. The album recalls religious imagery and gospel-inspired atmosphere of the band’s 2007 album Neon Bible. Songs like Take My Side, Sing to Me and Son of God musically and lyrically sound like deep cuts from Neon Bible’s sessions. The lattermost song is one of the high points of the
album. Another highlight track, Anna, makes excellent use of a mix of an electro-pop sound, horns and brass instruments. Unfortunately, the biggest problem is that the album sounds too much like Arcade Fire. Solo albums generally allow artists to explore different sounds and styles but you could drop any one of the tracks into an Arcade Fire album and it would integrate seamlessly. Put the hard rocking What I Want in The Suburbs and you could fit Butler’s lyrics right into the Grammy Award winning album’s thesis when he shouts out, “I’m not saying that we should rush this / I’m not saying that we should start having kids / but maybe, we could think about getting a dog / or a fish tank or a jar of squids / or a chicken coup for some alligators.” By the end of the album, it’s hard to tell what Butler is trying to get across, aside from a nostalgia for the angrier tone of Arcade Fire’s previous work. Take My Side, Anna, Son of God, Something’s Coming and What I Want are aggressive, critical songs but the album completely changes tone at the end. On the penultimate song Sing to Me, Butler croons, “I’m angry, and I’ve been very wrong before,” and then on the final track Witness, he belts out, “I don’t wanna tell the world what I saw / but the world has got to learn the truth / so it’s up to you.” If there is some kind of truth that is supposed to be shared from this album, good luck telling what it is. Policy is fun and worth listening to, but it’d be better if Butler would break policy and pull out something different.
7 •
thegazette • Wednesday, March 11, 2015
opinions
“Hit the “snooze” button on the Israel-Palestine situation enough times, and eventually the clock becomes a time-bomb.”
• Shira Tamir
Things Faster than the Elections Committee’s Deliberations
Dear Life Your anonymous letters to life
Dear Life, The USC is comparable to the Liberals — bleed the masses dry while making sure their own are taken care of.
• The Gazette’s website loading during a live blog • A leaf blowing through the entirety of campus on a breezy day
Dear Life, Green eggs and Hamza is like a young Iain Boekhoff
• Rosie O’Donnell on a trip to the Mandarin • The USC voting period multiplied by 2.7 • Reading anything by Robert Faulkner • Watching Titanic on a loop for 5 days straight • Going to an engineering student’s classes for a week • Reading all of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emails from her time as secretary of state (she released approximately 50,000) • Counting all the grains of sand in a child’s sandbox • Dancing to 12 consecutive hours of the Lil’ John classic, Turn Down for What • The time between the public knew of a video of Rob Ford smoking crack existed and him admitting he did it • Watching the entire West Wing series • Going through all Matt Helfand’s self-promoting tweets • An LTC bus ride to downtown on a cold winter morning • Loading a YouTube video on an old dial-up connection • Waiting in line at academic counselling • The years 1972, 1982-84, 1997 and 2005 • Service at the Wave 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.
Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE
Time to dial up the political dialogue Abracadabra Al-Azem
Nusaiba Al-Azem OPINIONS EDITOR @NusAtGazette
Working at a student newspaper affords me the opportunity to be right in the thick of some of the most controversial and heated debates. This year I’ve heard hours worth of arguments on topics ranging from elections bylaws to Ontario’s new sexual education curriculum. Because this paper is a training ground for all students, I’m exposed to all kinds of opinions from people of all walks of life. Politics, sex, drugs and religion — it seems there’s no topic off limits. Except, I’ve noticed, one thing. However ready we are to delve into heated debate about certain topics, when it comes to Israel-Palestine, whether at the paper, on campus generally or in the greater community, people clam up. The tension in the room becomes palpable. Everyone hurries to move onto the next topic, to make this awkward exchange be as short-lived as possible and then never to mention it again. In Harry Potter terms, this issue is “it which shall not be named.” But if any topic warrants discussion, shouldn’t a major source of political and civil unrest in the Middle East and affecting the world be chief among them? And if any place is appropriate to facilitate this conversation, shouldn’t educational institutions be chief among them? In light of Hillel holding its atrium day Monday and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights holding its atrium day yesterday, I thought now would be a good time to remind us all of the importance of dialogue.
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.
Just because we do our best to ignore it, does not mean that Israel-Palestine will resolve itself while we shut our eyes. The story of Palestine/Israel has become silenced through prolonged controversy. But the twisted irony here is that this issue, like any other, is simply composed of facts. Just because people become passionate about it — the same way people become passionate about every important issue in the world — is no reason not to engage in serious, open and honest dialogue. To highlight the absurdity of this phenomenon through a cause we’re all aware of, I know some men don’t like the conversation surrounding feminism, but that’s no reason not to have it. The fact of Israeli occupation, Palestinian resistance and international complicity exists. It’s not a “stance” or a perspective — it is a fact in the same way that the sky is blue and Stephen Harper is prime minister. It is quite easily discoverable by reading — preferably as objective a source as you can find — or simply learning by asking questions and listening. The reason clubs hold atrium days is to spark this kind of conversation. Does that mean everything you will be told will always be true? No. But will that, too, become clear with increased dialogue, the same way any other topic is? Yes. I implore you, next time you see a Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights or Israel on Campus booth — who are in the atrium today — go ask the people at those tables questions. They’re nice individuals, but more than that, there is no excuse for ignorance or privileged discomfort. There is no excuse the go-to answer regarding this topic: “I don’t really know much about it to be honest,” said as uncomfortably as possible. While you’re at university, resolve to make no topic too “controversial” to explore — after all, that is the purpose of higher education.
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, Sam Frankel, Devin Golets, Kevin Heslop, Richard Joseph, Drishti Kataria, Sara Mai Chitty, Soheil Milani, Mackenzie Morrison, Amy O’Shea, Kyle Porter, Tristan Wu, Tom Ruess, Samah Ali, Claire Christopher, Rita Rahmah, Julie Hambleton, Brittany Hambleton
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, I don’t understand how no one on Team Sophie Helpard ever posted anything after they lost the USC elections. Not even a “congrats Team Litchfield” or “thanks for coming out and voting/ supporting” on Twitter or Facebook? And yet you expected me to vote for you just because I know you? Very unprofessional. Dear Life, Either Iain Boekhoff is very tall or Nathan Kanter is very petit (and kind of cute). Which is it? [Editor’s note: All of the above!] Dear Life, Helfand, circa 2012, doesn’t match the Tithecott he has become. Dear Life, Hamza Tariq is on that postcampaigning elections beat and it is quite entertaining. Dear Life, Why did International Women’s Day only get 23 hours? Got jipped by Daylight Savings — even on the one day that’s supposed to be meant for us, we lost an hour. #notimpressed 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 •
8 •
thegazette • Wednesday, March 11, 2015
sports
saywhat? “It’s a country where baseball is embedded in the culture, and we like countries where baseball is embedded in the culture.”
• Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred on the possibility of exhibition games in Cuba.
Mustangs prepare for CIS finals in Calgary OUA champions to face off against the best teams in the country Richard Raycraft MANAGING EDITOR @RichAtGazette
Though they’re fresh off their first Ontario University Athletics championship, the Mustangs women’s hockey team has very little time to rest on their laurels. Following their 2–0 victory over the Guelph Gryphons Saturday, the Ontario champs head to Calgary for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport finals with their first game on Friday. The tournament takes place over three days and features the top two teams from each conference. With the eight top teams from across the country competing, the Mustangs will have their work cut out for them. Despite this, head coach Chris Higgins, who’s already in Calgary, says the Mustangs will be ready. “We took Sunday off of course and let the girls relax,” he said. “Monday we had a full team practice, business as usual, we just did our regular Monday practice.” Higgins said this was followed by a team workout with trainer Jeff Watson and a goalie session on Tuesday. First up for the Mustangs are the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus. The Aigles Bleu will be a tough out — they went 17–5–2 during the regular season and came just short of the Atlantic University Sport championship, losing to St. Francis Xavier 3–2 in double overtime. Moncton’s top three scorers have lit it up all season. Marika Lacroix has 25 points, Katryne Villeneuve has 24 and Marie-Pier Arsenault has 23. While their scoring sheet drops off heavily after that, Mustangs goalie and OUA final MVP Kelly Campbell can expect to be busy in net. Though facing off against a relatively unfamiliar opponent, Higgins states he has prepared for them by watching game film and reviewing statistics. “On the plane here I watched a game and I just finished watching another period,” he said. “You look
at their stats and you can figure out who their top line is, who their top ‘D’ pair is and what they do on special teams.” “By the time we get to Friday we’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect.” While the opening contest will be challenging, the finals involve playing against Canada’s top teams one right after the other, a difficulty Higgins is aware of. “You take it one game at a time,” he said. “But what I’ve already done is that I know, win or lose, our next opponent is either Alberta or Montreal, so I’ve already got film on Montreal.” Following the Mustangs game against Moncton, the coaching staff will stay behind and watch the next game between Montreal and McGill to prepare. The Mustangs have a solid lineup that put them on top of OUA both during the regular season and the playoffs. Kendra Broad, who had two points — including a goal — in the championship game, led the team during the regular season with 30 points. She’s also potted six points in the playoffs, tied with linemate Sydney Kidd for the team lead. Forward Katie Hubert will return to the lineup just in time for the finals. “We got very lucky. We’ve had an injured player, Katie Hubert, who hasn’t really played for three weeks, and she’s been cleared to play,” Higgins said. “She’s going to be back in the lineup and she’s a very strong player so that’s going to really help us.” While the Mustangs aren’t lacking in firepower, goaltender Campbell may prove to be their most valuable asset. She went 16–1–3 in the regular season with a 1.43 goals-against-average. She’s been steady in the playoffs, maintaining a 1.52 GAA in five playoff wins. Higgins affirmed that the team will play their best in Calgary. “We’re here to play hockey,” he said.
Iain Boekhoff • GAZETTE
Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE
INDIGENOUS
AWARENESS WEEK March 16 – 21, 2015
indigenousweek.uwo.ca