London Dreamin’ The Grand Theatre’s Dream a Little Dream celebrates the highs and lows of The Mamas and the Papas. >> Pg. 5
thegazette Second guessing ourselves since 1906
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015
Students upset after stats course exam cancellation
WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
TODAY high 10 low -3
TOMORROW high 5 low 0 VOLUME 108, ISSUE 92
One final hurrah for students before Jim Bob’s reinvents itself
Katie Lear NEWS EDITOR @KatieAtGazette
Students writing the biology and statistics 2244B midterm on Friday, March 13 were shocked to see that one of the exam booklets had the correct answers bolded. Both the exam and the makeup exam were cancelled shortly after the error was discovered. “I made an in the moment decision to cancel the exam, as it would be unfair to let some students write the exam, while others didn’t because they had seen some/all of the answers,” course instructor Jennifer Waugh explained in an email to her class. Current 2244B student Roxanne Hendrycks detailed the mixed reactions of fellow students after they discovered the exam would be cancelled. “I was a bit angry, as most of the biology students that were taking this course had a cell biology midterm the next day,” Hendrycks explained. “They had spent a lot of time studying for this midterm and for it to be cancelled, all their hard work has gone to waste … some people in the room were also relieved that they didn’t have to write it as stats often has very hard exams, and some students who had the 111 code were angry that they wouldn’t be getting 100 per cent on their midterm anymore.” The midterm initially accounted for 20 per cent of the students’ grades, with 40 per cent distributed to the final exam and the remaining 40 per cent allocated to miscellaneous course assignments. Past 2244B student Imraan Mukri explained that the course has a reputation for being one of the harder second-year science courses. “The general consensus was that you had to do well on the labs and participation because the exam and quizzes were relatively difficult due to the nature of the questions,” Mukri explained. According to the dean of science, Charmaine Dean, the faculty has decided to redistribute the weight of the exam to the lab assignments, the final exam and an optional quiz during class this week after extensive deliberation. >> see REWEIGHT pg.3
Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE
Julie Hambleton GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
This past week, Facebook exploded with posts about Jim Bob Ray’s, a student night-life staple since, closing its doors by the end of the month. While this is true, there was some miscommunication as to what is actually happening to the bar. Owner Mike Smith wants to be sure people realize that JBRs is not closing down per-se, but rather rebranding itself into Toboggan Brew Co., a craft beer brewery, pub and restaurant. “We’re not closing. We’re changing the name, keeping the same staff and will be open more hours,” Smith said. Smith is excited about the transition, saying that opening a craft brewery on Richmond Row is something he has wanted to do for some time now. He explained that keeping Jim Bob’s operating as it is now has become financially unfeasible. The government charges bars much higher prices on alcohol than the at-home consumer, and once increased minimum wages and high sales taxes are added to that, the drink prices become too high for students to afford, he said.
“Because of this, they pre-drink at home, and places like Jim Bob’s only get busy for the last three hours of the night,” Smith said. Toboggan is going to be open longer and offer more of a pub atmosphere, as well as function as a restaurant for students and Londoners to eat at. He also said businesses will now be able to hold corporate events on site. “We’re going to be open seven days a week at 11:30 a.m., so we’ll be open as late, just starting earlier,” Smith explained. “We’re putting in a full kitchen. We’re going to have Neopolitan style pizza, we’ve put a smoker in for BBQ, more vegetarian items, a full menu … we’re going to open the patio, it’s going to be a beer garden.” According to Oliver Shanks, co-founder and CEO of CDN Entertainment Inc., this transition will boost London’s nightlife scene, providing something different for everyone to enjoy. “Not everyone is built for the packed bars, generic music, and DJs. Toboggan is going to be offering a fun atmosphere, amazing food and craft beer. You see this trend happening in Toronto and other major cities and it’s exciting to see it coming to London,” Shanks said.
Originally, the transition was supposed to happen at the beginning of April. However it is now scheduled to occur later than originally stated. CDN Entertainment is hosting an event, “The Finale” over several days to celebrate the end of the JBRs era. There are guestlist events on Wednesday, March 25 and Friday, March 27 that include drink specials and different musical themes. The biggest, final party will happen on Saturday, March 28 and is open to anyone who wants to cheers to their good-times at the bar. Shanks says he wanted to host this party for the students before exams begin, but he knows Smith will be having his own farewell parties for JBR’s loyalists and London locals closer to the actual date of transition. As for whether or not CDN Entertainment will play a role in student events at Toboggan in the future is still being negotiated. “We are in our negotiation phase at the moment with Toboggan, but some programming you might see is live music, trivia nights, karaoke and exclusive craft beer seasonal tastings,” Shanks said. You can visit the JBRs Finale Facebook page for more information on the farewell festivities.
University Students’ Council President Matt Helfand agrees that the closing of JBRs and opening of Toboggan will change the culture of downtown. Knowing the importance of nightlife in London for many students Western experience, Helfand would like to wish both Smith and CDN Entertainment good luck with the transition and final events at JBRs. “I wish the owners all the best as they move forward with the transition to a new venue. As far as a finale event is concerned, I wish CDN Entertainment the very best, and I hope that people can enjoy the JBRs finale in a fun and safe manner,” Helfand said. Smith promises Toboggan will continue JBR’s tradition as a place where Western students can come and spend time with friends. “We’ll be a few weeks before we can do the complete branding turnover, we’ve been operating as Jim Bob’s in the meantime. If we close, it will only be for a few days just to do some finishing touches,” he said. “We want to open now because exams are coming up and the school year will be over at the end of April, we want people to see what we’re doing so when they come back in the fall, they see what it’s going to be.”
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thegazette • Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Caught on Camera
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE
TRIUMPH OF THE WILL. The UCC atrium was full of Mustang love as our victorious hockey heroines clad in purple celebrated their first ever provincial and national wins. May their regime last for 10,000 years.
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Million Tree Challenge going door to door
Three years in, more than 237,000 trees have been planted in London through the Million Tree Challenge. The 10-year initiative presents long-term benefits to London’s environment and invites homeowners, businesses and schools within the community to plant trees and record it on the Million Tree Challenge website. “We know that a million more trees will make a big difference to the Forest City and the tree cover,” said Sheila Creighton, partnerships and marketing manager of the Million Tree Challenge. A recent strategy involves volunteers going door-to-door in June offering to plant trees for homeowners, which is similar to Reforest London’s Neighbourhood Tree Captain program that has existed for two years. “Volunteers are recruited in their neighbourhood who care about tree cover, and they go around to their neighbours offering not only tree information but the potential to plant free trees in their yard,” stated Creighton. “It’s a great way to educate neighbours within the community on the importance of tree planting, and also to be part of the challenge to register their trees.” • Lara Banlaoi
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.
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thegazette • Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Marks reweighted for 2244B students
Seeing the comedy in mental health
>> REWEIGHT continued from pg.1
Kevin Hurren NEWS EDITOR-AT-LARGE @KevinAtGazette
Courtesy of Davic Granirer
After receiving therapy and medication for several years, Granirer explained he was especially effected by watching people speak openly about their mental wellness issues – specifically in funny ways. Since then Granirer has been working to provide similar experiences for others feeling overwhelmed by stigma around mental health, visiting over 30 cities in Canada, Australia and the United States. “The portrayal of people with mental illness, especially in the media, is either that we’re dangerous or we’re these miserable, pathetic people. Audiences who come to our shows see folks who are funny, friendly and clever. It’s a totally different perspective,” he said. Not only does the show benefit those who attend, but it also allows the comedians themselves to better handle their mental health
conditions. “For the comics it’s really therapeutic because they’re able to talk about some parts of their life that were painful and turn them into comedy.” Talking about mental health hurdles in front of an audience can dispel a lot of the shame that people carry around, explained Granirer, who also identified embarrassment as one of the worst aspects of mental illness. Granirer is also the author of The Happy Neurotic: How Fear and Angst Can Lead to Happiness and Success. The book features advice on how to be happy, productive and well-adjusted while not ignoring or wishing away any neurotic tendencies. The Stand-Up For Mental Health event is free and begins at 6 p.m. on Friday at Brescia’s St. James Auditorium.
I
AM TRULY SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENED, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN — TOGETHER AS A LEARNING COMMUNITY — MOVE PAST THIS AND COMPLETE THE TERM ON A POSITIVE NOTE. JENNIFER WAUGH
2244B STATS LECTURER
that it should not have happened in the first place. “Going to school at an institution where we all pay a significant amount of money to learn and educate ourselves, it’s expected that we demand high standards from the university.” Elizabeth Arden (neé Florence Nightingale Graham), 1939 (b/w photo) / Creator(s): Fisher, Alan, photographer / [Public domain], via Library of Congress
Most would think that mental health is no laughing matter – but one speaker disagrees entirely. David Granirer, founder of Stand Up For Mental Health, will be coming to Brescia University College on Friday to perform a comedy routine about his mental wellness experiences. Hosted by the Brescia University College Students’ Council, the event is meant to engage with mental health issues in new and refreshing ways. The Stand-Up For Mental Health tour, started by Granirer in 2004, features performances from the Vancouver-native and several other training comedians. “The tour is my project where I teach stand-up comedy to folks like myself, who have mental illness,” he said. Granirer was diagnosed with depression when he was 16-yearsold. After a series of incidents involving drug and alcohol-use as well as a suicide attempt, he was taken to a psychiatric ward.
Hendrycks expressed her concern over the fairness of how the cancelled exam’s weight will be reattributed to this year’s class. “If the final is reweighted, it will add extra stress by having such a heavy final,” Hendrycks said. “If they choose to reweight it to our lab assignments, it puts the students in the first semester at an unfair disadvantage, as they had to write the midterm, which is harder to get a good grade in than with the labs.” Throughout the process, Waugh has expressed remorse for the mix-up. “I am truly sorry for what happened, and I hope that we can — together as a learning community — move past this and complete the term on a positive note,” she said. Mukri, who took the course last semester, expressed his frustration with the university after hearing about the mishap. He explained that he could see how the mistake could have happened but believes
Student leaders disagree that debt load is ‘manageable’ Megan Devlin ASSOCIATE EDITOR @MegAtGazette
The federal government has been telling itself that debt is “manageable” for Canadian students, and this stance garnered swift criticism after an internal presentation was made public. The Toronto Star obtained a November presentation made to Jason Kenney, then the federal minister for employment and social development, via a freedom of information request. The presentation says that, despite concern to the contrary, student debt levels in Canada are manageable. Non-repayable grants, federal repayment assistant plans and increased personal savings were initiatives credited with helping. Bonnie Patterson, president of the Council of Ontario Universities, believes education in Ontario is accessible. “All qualified students, no matter what their financial situation, can attend university as a result of the many scholarships, bursaries and student aid provided by the Ontario government and the universities in this province,” she said. On average, according to Patterson, undergraduate students on OSAP pay half of the tuition sticker price, and 41 per cent of students graduate with no debt at all. But what about students who don’t qualify for OSAP? That was the case for Alastair Woods, president of the Canadian Federation of Students. “I grew up in a fairly middle-class family. But I have three siblings — all of us are only within five years of each other — and so my parents couldn’t contribute to everyone’s education. So we had to take on
private bank loans,” Woods said. According to the National Graduate Survey, bachelor students saw a 5.2 per cent increase in overall debt over the last 10 years, but debt to private sources in the same period increased by 53 per cent. Woods is not convinced debt is manageable for Canadian students. “[The government’s] actions seem to show that they’re aware there’s a problem,” he said He cited the 2008 creation of a national needs-based grant program and the fact that in January the government wrote off $300 million in unrecoverable student loans as evidence. “But for some reason, they’ve created this presentation that claims that the issue isn’t as widespread as people think it is,” he continued. According to Woods, there’s a narrative that today’s students and recent graduates are a lost generation — a narrative that the feds are trying to combat. “Young people paying exorbitantly high tuition fees, struggling to find work, delaying important life decisions and are saddled with mortgage-sized debts,” Woods said. “I think they’re trying to push back this narrative.” Of those that do graduate with debt, the average debt load is $27,000, says Jen Carter, president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. In addition, a student with the average debt load can expect to pay $11,000 in interest payments. “There is definitely something wrong when our government will loan money to banks at a lower interest rate than students,” she said. “In regards to ‘manageable’ student debt, I think it is important to start asking whether it is reasonable to profit from the business of student loans.”
“Our only limitations are those which we set up in our own minds, or permit others to establish for us.” › Elizabeth Arden: Self-Made Maven In a time when women dare not wear make-up or run their own businesses, Elizabeth daringly did both. She was not a trained chemist, yet she pioneered the concept of scientifically formulating cosmetics. She was not a business graduate, yet she created a global empire. Curiosity and drive were her teachers; the world, her classroom. We think Elizabeth would have simply adored AU, giving people all over the world the chance to make their mark, on their terms, in their time. Beautiful.
open. online. everywhere. Learn more at business.athabascau.ca
Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE
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thegazette • Wednesday, March 25, 2015
arts&life Cruikshank gossips with the stars Jenny Jay ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @JennyAtGazette GAZETTE: Can you tell us about the Behind the Scenes tour? What is
your role in the tour? JESSI CRUICKSHANK: I’ve partnered with Scotiabank Scene. I get to travel to colleges across the country and screen a free movie. On top of the free movie, it’s a totally intimate one-on-one session with me where I have promised to divulge all of my secrets about people, things that I have witnessed in Hollywood, who’s low maintenance, who’s high-maintenance. G: What has been your favourite stop so far? JC: Western — obviously. Ever since I did my first One Love concert, I’ve been obsessed with Western. That event is just so spectacular and the students are just so filled with love and energy and enthusiasm, and I’m constantly blown away every time I come to Western. G: You’re a celebrity journalist. How is this different from other forms of journalism?
wednesdayword Quidnunc (noun): an inquisitive or gossipy person.
Canadian television personality Jessi Cruikshank came to Western on Monday. Cruikshank has been travelling to campuses across Canada for free film screenings and gossip sessions as part of her Behind the Scenes tour. The Gazette’s Jenny Jay caught up with Cruikshank before her show. JC: I mean I wouldn’t even consider myself a journalist — that is a very
high compliment. I would think of myself more as a comedian more than anything, I approach everything with a comedic angle. I like to make my interviews funny. On E-Talk I’m really lucky because … I get to be the one who brings a sense of humour and be the more wacky and crazy one. I would say that I am more of a personality host and comedian than a journalist. G: There’s this idea of being a “funny female” comedian, instead of simply “funny.” Do you embrace this? How do you feel about the term? JC: There are so many incredible women, now. It’s like the time to be a funny female comedian. But it’s funny to me that it’s still you’re not just funny, you’re a funny woman. To me, I think it’s an advantage because I’m always surprised as to how low the expectations are — which isn’t a good thing — and I hope that that changes. I just hosted the Junos gala and the musicians were there. I gave out 32 awards, and I got to write the whole three hour awards show. I wanted it to be fun. I wrote jokes on Justin Bieber, Chavril, about anyone I could make a joke about, I did. The overwhelming feedback was, “Wow, you were really funny, I didn’t expect you to be funny.” Everyone was shocked and confused, and to me it’s always fun to take people with low expectations and surprise them, so I really enjoyed it. G: What advice would you give to students who want to work in this same field? JC: You just have to take 10 minutes before your interview and learn the questions so it feels like a conversation. And then I would say to ask the questions that you’re curious about. There should be no rules. When I sit down with Zac Efron, I will always ask him to take his shirt off because I just want him to do that. It’s never worked, but it will never stop me from asking. G: You’re a Canadian in Hollywood. What’s that like? JC: You’re always going to get that, no matter what, you get the Canadian stereotype, but it’s not a bad thing — people always want to talk about Canada, it’s always a good reaction. No one ever says “Oh, Canada” and just walks away — generally you get a good response. They will either tell stories about Canada or make fun of Justin Bieber, they’ll go for it. G: Speaking of Justin Bieber, have you interviewed him? What was that like? JC: He was 17. He had the hair, and he was not yet legal so as a result, I just didn’t want to get arrested. I was like Jessi, just don’t say anything that could get you arrested, and I think I said something like that to him, and he was just like, ‘Why not?’ He was just this little kid that had so much swagger and attitude, and I was like, ‘Oh my god. I think I’m attracted to this 17-year-old boy,’ so having met him I get it. That dude is just oozing with confidence and now unfortunately that confidence has transformed into ego and now he’s become an embarrassment to our country — can I say that? I’ll say that. I hope after this roast, I hope he turns it around. G: Who has been your favourite person to interview? JC: Tom Cruise was pretty spectacular. I was interviewing him and I was so nervous because it’s Tom Cruise. He shows up with 10 people — there was hair people, makeup, tanners. He walks into the room and I’m even more nervous and he shakes my hand, and looks at me with the most intense, piercing gaze, and I thought that he was in love with me. I was like, ‘Oh my god is everyone in the room seeing this. Tom Cruise has fallen in love with me. What do we tell the media? What do we do? This is insane.’ Then he went and did the exact same thing to everyone in the room — I mean camera people, tech people, cable people, interns — and I will never forget that. G: You get to talk to celebrities and work in Hollywood — why do you keep coming back to universities and keep doing these campus events? JC: It’s a very bizarre thing to be on TV or to be in a studio or to be on red carpet and to never have a chance to connect with your audience. When I was on MTV we had a live show so we could come into the audience and meet everyone and that’s the greatest gift you can have, to always touch base with who’s watching and what they’re into. This is my chance to do that and meet people who have been watching since they were probably too young to be watching … It’s just a really cool thing, and I’m always inspired by the students I meet. Photo by Winnie Lu • GAZETTE
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thegazette • Wednesday, March 25, 2015
>> ON THE STAGE > DREAM A LITTLE DREAM
Courtesy of Mark Swan
Sax and all that jazz Isaac Eng GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
Courtesy of Claus Anderson
Sex, drugs and angry musicians Brent Holmes DEPUTY EDITOR @BrentAtGazette
GGGGF Dream a Little Dream Written by: Denny Doherty and Paul Ledoux Directed by: Lezlie Wade Starring: Isaac Bell, Lili Connor, Robert Markus and Katie Ryerson Venue: The Grand Theatre Dream a Little Dream is a bizarre play. This semi-autobiographical musical, written by Denny Doherty and Paul Ledoux, chronicles the history of the folk rock ’60s quartet, The Mamas and the Papas. It is an odd project being one of three varying accounts of the band’s history. As a play, Dream a Little Dream is by no means a Straight Shooter. Half of the play is spent with the characters having sex and popping pink pills and listening to the Beatles. The other half is the band members fighting about the stuff they did under the influence of said drugs. The Mamas and the Papas history is as turbulent as the time period they played in. Denny Doherty (Robert Markus), Cass Elliot (Lili Connor), John Phillips (Isaac Bell) and Michelle Phillips (Katie Ryerson) start as down-on-their-luck folk musicians. They come together as a highly dysfunctional group. Denny is the relatively levelheaded male protagonist — no wonder, he did write the play. Michelle is the free-spirited wife of John and object of Denny’s affections. John is the creative genius behind the band’s arrangements but also written to be the band’s asshole — probably because he and Denny are competing for the same woman. Cass is the band’s most talented singer and heart of the band. While she loves Denny, Cass is cruelly rendered untenable as a romantic option due to her physical appearance. Chances are you’ve heard The Mamas and the Papas’ biggest hit California Dreamin’. The song sneaks its way into your head and won’t get out. The song is teased
throughout and finally played at the first act finale; it should be the high point of the production. But this moment of the folk rock band finding itself comes in a studio when they are trying to land a record deal. Sex, drugs and rock and roll may be the end goal but somebody has to foot the bill. When Dream a Little Dream busts out California Dreamin’, the song feels less like the band members finding themselves creatively and more like they’ve found a way to make money. The song is performed with limited blocking and relies entirely on anticipation and the fact that it is so addictive they could play it over a blank screen and audience members would be toe tapping and singing along. The Grand Theatre’s take on the play does an amazing job of recreating the atmosphere of the ’60s. Wood panelling on the sides of the multi-levelled set recalls the interior design of sound studios and three screens provide historical context via archival images of JFK and MLK. The second act of the play drags on for quite a bit with The Mamas and the Papas continually splitting up, getting back together and then breaking up by the time the next musical number comes up. The quartet mopes about wishing they could get back to some magical past time where they were united as a group, but if you were watching the first act you know such a time never existed. Dream a Little Dream isn’t so much a nostalgic look back at the 1960s and the music of The Mamas and the Papas as it is a stripping down of this idealized past of its lustre. Here the ’60s are turbulent, frustrated and, like the characters, dreaming of somewhere else. This candidness makes The Grand Theatre’s Dream a Little Dream well worth a look, whether you know the music or not. Dream a Little Dream will be performed at the Grand Theatre until April 11. Showtimes and tickets are avaliable on the Grand Theatre’s website.
The dull thud of a kick drum and the low hum of an upright bass can be heard reverberating through Talbot College. It’s late Tuesday evening and the rhythm section of the Western University Jazz Band sets the groove just before conductor Dr. Kevin Watson signals the rest of the horns to join in. Yesterday was the band’s last rehearsal before their big show this Thursday night at 8 p.m. in the Paul Davenport Theatre. The ensemble, composed entirely of Don Wright faculty of music students, will be showcasing their skills to fellow Western students, school groups from the London district and anyone else wanting to hear jazz on campus. Tomorrow’s concert marks the end of Watson’s third year directing the band. “We’ll be playing music from the 1920s, some early Duke Ellington, then all the way up to the late ’70s
with a little Earth Wind and Fire, plus a Pat Metheny tune. So you could say we’re all over the map stylistically,” Watson says. There are also whispers buzzing throughout the music building about a few special guests that may be joining the ensemble for a Benny Carter piece. “People will just have to come on out to the concert to find out who,” Watson says. First-year trumpet master’s student Katie Clark will be highlighted as a feature soloist on Metheny’s Always and Forever arranged for Flugelhorn. “It’s one of the more intricate solos that I’ve done with the Jazz Band,” says Clark. “I’ve transcribed Bobby Shew’s recording and it’s a lot of fun. It starts slow, gets fast, and then comes on back ... it’s a really beautiful piece.” Clark is also lead trumpet in the Western University Symphony Orchestra. Although she says jazz is very challenging and extremely different from her classical material, she’s loved working with
the younger members of the band. Watson notes that there are actually quite a few first and second-year students in the band. “These young players have grown tremendously over the year, and I think much of the credit for that goes to our senior member section leaders,” says Watson. Groups of students from the surrounding elementary, middle and high schools will be arranging field trips to come watch the performances. Aside from inspiring these young players, the UWO Jazz Band has also performed joint concerts with students who are members of the Thames Valley Honour Jazz Band. “Jazz is always a great show,” Clark says. “The musicians on stage will be having the time of their lives and that means the audience will also be having the time of theirs.” The Western University Jazz Band Concert is a free performance starting at 8 p.m. on Thursday in the Paul Davenport Theatre within Talbot College.
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thegazette • Wednesday, March 25, 2015
WEALTH
LIFE AND WELLNESS
WHAT’S HOT?
MEDIA
LOVE
Internet Domains
Naps
Natalia Kills
Community
Lean In
In an ironic attempt to dissociate her name from any inappropriate content, Taylor Swift has purchased two porn domains. On June 1, anyone with a burning desire to purchase non-traditional domain names will be able to. As a favour to public figures, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) allowed the purchasing of domains before they are available to the public. Swift has purchased two domains thus far, TaylorSwift.porn and TaylorSwift.adult. While .sucks is currently owned by another company, Swift will have the option of buying this domain for $2,500 as well. The creation of unique domains was intended to ensure that people can easily access specific topics such as .healthcare or .sales. After cutting ties with Spotify and trademarking lyrics from her latest album, it’s no surprise that Swift has all this money available to buy website domains. • Robert Nanni
There was a time when it was socially acceptable to take a nap. The good old days of curling up on the rug in the morning section of Kindergarten have suddenly become uncool. What did we have to worry about back then? Our purposes in life were to go to school for three hours and then “go outside and play.” Nowadays, we have so much on our plate. On the phone with my sister, I listed off all the assignments I have due in the next two weeks and wanted to be cytogenetically frozen like Walt Disney to avoid my work. It’s just that exhausting. If we just took 30 minutes out of our days for quick reprieve from the chaos, wouldn’t that be better? The prospect of being frozen and dead seems more appealing than all my likely-sleep-deducting work. Western’s campus provides plenty of locations to catch 40 winks. More daring students might try sleeping in Weldon — hopefully your laptop is there when you wake up. • Bradley Metlin
Natalia Kills, a well-known English singer and media icon, has watched her life shatter in the past week after giving some unwarranted commentary to a contestant on X Factor New Zealand. Kills and her husband Willy Moon sat on the judging panel for the show until last week, when their likening of Joe Irvine, a contestant on the show, to fictional serial killer Norman Bates caused quite the uproar around the world. Following Irvine’s performance of Cry Me A River, Moon told him he felt like Irvine was “going to stitch someone’s skin to [his] face and then kill everybody in the audience.” Kills followed this comment by calling the performance “disgusting” and claimed to be ashamed to have witnessed such an atrocious performance. In that moment, the duo killed their career. Despite apologies galore, many of her peers including Ed Sheeran and Lorde have claimed that her spot in the music industry is no more. • Robert Nanni
Despite being cancelled, having its head show writer fired and then rehired, and losing three of its lead cast members, Community won’t die until it gets its #sixseasonsandamovie. The show returned for its sixth season on Yahoo! Screen last week with its third episode airing last night. The show’s first two episodes introduced new characters including the control-freak workaholic, Frankie (Paget Brewster), and crackpot computer hacker, Elroy (Keith David). But the more things Chang the more they stay the same. The puns and meta-humour that endeared the show to fans has not faded. The first episodes featured references to Blade Runner and montageuse in film. The second episode’s B-plotline provided some of the funniest moments of the premiere with the Dean (Jim Rash) running through a Tron-like virtual reality computer. It’s good to be back at Greendale. • Brent Holmes
Lean In is the title of a book by Sheryl Sandberg, which encouraged women in business to break down their personal barriers and put themselves out there more. As chief operating officer of Facebook, what does she really know though? Sandberg was confused — this is obviously advice for people seeking love. You’d be surprised the amount of people who download Tinder for “lawls” and have no intention of actually meeting their mutual right swipes. By leaning in and actually meeting someone, these Tinderers could eventually find someone they wouldn’t be embarrassed to bring home for Easter dinner. As Wayne Gretzky once said, “you miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take.” Gretzky is not referring to alcohol because everyone knows getting drunk, while helping you get laid, does not help you find love. Take those theoretical shots at meeting new people instead. • Bradley Metlin
Western’s Movies & Videos Productions Club (MVP) is hosting the
Annual Movie Premiere Saturday, March 28 th
UCC 2nd floor theatre (McKellar Room) from 3:00PM to 6:00PM
Symposium talks health and fitness Samah Ali GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
3 ORIGINAL MOVIES Retrospect (Mystery) • Muse (Stream of Consciousness) • Hong Kong (Documentary) • All participants get to walk the red carpet with MVP backdrops and take photos • • Amazing musical and dance performances prior to the movies • • Mystery prize draws, all proceeds go to United Way London •
$8 for members and $10 for non-members For tickets go to Western Connections lower level UCC or email the MVP president Peter Zhao at peterz0710@gmail.com
Eating and exercising will be a delicious way to spend this Saturday with the 10th annual Exercise and Nutrition Symposium. Coordinated by kinesiology professor Peter Lemon, the talks will discuss various fitness and health related topics to improve one’s overall health. The workshop will see speakers talking about several topics with one overall theme for the conference. This year’s topic is lifestyle choices and healthy living, with two talks on gut health. Ten professionals will be attending the symposium. Lemon will be leading a discussion on whether exercising works, bodybuilder Meaghan Prince will talk about the woes of competitions and Dr. Alex St. Pierre will discuss rehabilitation approaches with injured athletes. “The sessions are always very interesting and they would be interesting to a lot more people,” Lemon said. The symposium will have a change in scenery this year as it takes place in the 3M Centre in room 2212/2235. There will also be exhibits and samples from Spartan Nutrition, The Whole Pig, Libro Financial and Nelson Education,
a new addition to the symposium. Audience members will have opportunities to talk to the speakers one-on-one and in a group. The 10 speakers attending the symposium will be separated into two panels following their presentations, providing time for more questions. Lemon hopes more students and Londoners attend the symposium for greater outreach on health and fitness discussions. The speakers will talk about major trends either advancing or impacting the health community and if more people attend there will be a greater turn out at the next symposium. “Hopefully we’ll get more people,” Lemon said. “If we get to 500 or more, people will tell others and it’ll take off from there.” The symposium has grown since its start 10 years ago and Lemon dreams of the day when the event fills Alumni Hall. The original idea for the seminar was to fundraise for the Women’s softball team — which receives little funding compared to other programs — but has become a resource to discuss health with students on campus. The Exercise Nutrition Symposium will be on March 28 from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Early-bird tickets are $25 for students and seniors and $60 for adults. Tickets at the door are $30 for students and seniors and $75 for adults.
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thegazette • Wednesday, March 25, 2015
opinions Being connected is overrated Cool Story Broekhoff Iain Boekhoff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @IainAtGazette
At the encouragement of some of my coworkers at The Gazette, I once took the Myers-Briggs personality test. The result: I was an INTJ (Introvert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging), scoring well over 90 per cent on the introvert portion. This didn’t surprise me, but others were shocked that I was apparently so introverted while maintaining a job as a student journalist who was surrounded by people all day and had to actively talk to new people on a daily basis. The thing they don’t see: me recovering from all this human contact on my days off, when I want nothing else but to remain alone. This doesn’t mean I do nothing; rather, I do things, such as buying groceries, shopping or studying, by myself. It also means I don’t really stay in contact with anyone on those days. The most someone might get out of me might be a text and my mom is lucky if she gets a phone call. But that’s usually it. I have no desire to talk to people, nor do I feel like I’m missing out on anything. To some people, this would be akin to shutting off — no outside contact with the world is unthinkable. But to me, it’s perfectly normal and, in fact, I need it. Without it, I’m pretty sure I would go insane. This time shut-off from other people is used to read, think and plan, among other things. My best work has come after a few hours alone with my phone and laptop turned off or left at home. I think this alone time is underappreciated in today’s world, especially for my generation. There’s always something to do and somebody to talk to or listen to. Whether it’s via texting, instant messaging, Facebook, tweeting or Instagram, people have a need to “connect” and “share” their every moment. I think what’s being lost is valuable time to reflect on not only your life but also the great questions we as humans struggle with still to this day, such as, what is the meaning of life? Is there a God? And why does ice cream taste so good? People have referred to our generation of university students as a “lost” generation due to the economic realities graduates face. I think, however, we might be a lost generation in terms of the amount of time we have all lost being “connected” rather than being in solitary reflection. How many innovations have been lost to people’s need to be “connected” and therefore distracted from the world in front of them and the thoughts in their head? To give an analogy, if Albert Einstein was a young man today, he might be too busy texting or Facebooking his girlfriend while bored at school or the Swiss Patent Office, instead of thinking and working on what would later become known as the theory of relativity, a theory that changed the world as we know it. You don’t need to be an introvert to enjoy being alone and make time to be just that. Everyone can benefit from it — just us introverts need it more than want it.
thegazette
Volume 108, Issue 92 www.westerngazette.ca
Iain Boekhoff Editor-In-Chief Brent Holmes Deputy Editor Richard Raycraft Managing Editor
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Nobody wanted us. We were Jews, we were expendable … It was terrible — terrible, terrible — of Canada and the United States, of all countries, to not let us in.
• Dr. Sol Messinger
Trudeau lacks conviction Breaking Brad Bradley Metlin SPORTS EDITOR @BradAtGazette
The MS St. Louis was a German ocean liner, which set sail from Hamburg to Cuba in 1939, carrying 937 passengers. She could travel up to 16 knots, was 175 metres long and had a beam of 22 feet — but none of these facts are what made it notable. What made this trip on the MS St. Louis significant was the fact that those onboard were Jewish and they were hoping to seek refuge from the Nazi regime. Ultimately, there were denied entry into Cuba, the United States and Canada. “None is too many,” said one of Canada’s lead immigration officials at the time. Upon returning to Europe, it’s estimated that a quarter of the passengers perished in concentration camps. It remains a stain on Canada’s history that we did not accept the MS St. Louis to dock in Halifax. Last week, when speaking in Toronto, Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau equated Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s policies to the same ones that condemned the Jews to the gas chambers 75 years ago. “We should all shudder to hear the same rhetoric that led to a ‘none is too many’ immigration policy toward Jews in the ’30s and ’40s being used to raise fears against Muslims today,” Trudeau said. Here’s the thing — I really want to like Trudeau. He’s young, charismatic and attractive. Many people would undoubtedly appreciate this type of freshness in a political leader. Especially in light of Bill C-51 and the senseless debate about the niqab, I want a viable alternative to Harper.
Dear Life
But how can someone who resorts to comparing their opposition to Nazis — a tired cliche — really inspire me to vote for them? Trudeau seemed like someone who wanted to campaign positively and do politics differently but his tactics so far seem very typical. In front of a group of university students, Trudeau defended his support of Bill C-51, saying “I do not want this government making political hay out of an issue … or trying to, out of an issue as important as security for Canadians” he added, “This conversation might be different if we weren’t months from an election campaign, but we are.” Essentially, the Liberals do not want to be portrayed as “weak on terror” so they are supporting a bill that they see major problems in. This is just weak leadership and affirms that Trudeau doesn’t have serious convictions about any issue he discusses. How am I supposed to trust him when he’ll vote in favour of a policy out of fear of attack ads? In the past few weeks, the Conservative government has been releasing policy planks that are, for lack of a more sophisticated term, stupid. It makes no sense to ban the niqab at citizenship ceremonies. Bill C-51 is crafted as an American style Patriot Act in a time where it is simply not needed nor wanted. Harper has been making baffling decisions as of late but Trudeau seems content to continue to do the same. A February poll by Abacus Data asked Canadians to pick the best federal leader for certain activities or roles such as babysitting, overseeing a company, etc. Harper scored the best for money and management questions; Trudeau about fun activities. Do I want a prime minister who is seen as a competent leader, yet makes questionable policy decisions or a prime minister who would be fun at a BBQ, compares others to Nazis and lacks conviction?
We Get Letters!
Government needs to intervene for HPV Re: “HPV ignorance rampant on campus,” Friday, March 20, 2015 To the editor: Ideally, many university students would have gratuitous sex with no emotional or physical ramifications. Human papillomavirus can be easily prevented by vaccination — ignorance cannot be. It is not entirely surprising that in the community most affected by this virus, misinformation runs equally rampant. Take a look at the Ontario ministry of health website on HPV — it’s all photos of girls and young women and the brief write-up says nothing of men (who are realistically around 50 per cent responsible for the
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.
transmission of HPV). Admittedly, the FDA only approved the leading vaccine, Gardasil, in 2006, so most students were never indoctrinated into this form of sexual health. But as our province takes big steps to extend seemingly all aspects of sexual education at the elementary school level, it stands to reason that this crucial facet be included. Even now, far fewer girls are vaccinated against HPV than against meningitis, so the Ontario government needs to ramp up its campaigns at elementary schools. Then by the time students reach post-secondary, we won’t have these staggering — and potentially lethal — gaps in knowledge. The reality is that sex has consequences, and we should consider ourselves lucky that there exists a vaccine capable of mitigating or preventing many of them. • Sasha Madhavji Biology V
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.
Your anonymous letters to life
Dear Life, Safe spaces on campuses for coloured people aren’t discriminatory — they’re safe spaces that allow you to escape an exhausting, allwhite space. Dear Life, Thank you life for letting me live through the hard times to look back and see what you had planned was always beyond what it felt like in the moment. Dear Life, Why do I feel compelled to buy the monthly special at The Spoke? I know I’m going to hate it but I get it every time anyway. #foreverdisappointed Dear Life, Cats are the worst. Dear Life, I wish there was a way for me to be Batman and Superman at the same time and save everyone that needs saving. Until then, I’m happy to just watch Netflix. Dear Life, Why can’t we do like Finland and also overhaul our educational systems? They don’t seem to be working out presently. Dear Life, What’s it like being productive? Can anybody tell me? Dear Life, At this point, I keep my phone charged at all times just so I can see one 100 per cent somewhere in my life. 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
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thegazette • Wednesday, March 25, 2015
sports Along with his brother John, Victor (Vic) Emery pioneered the sport of bobsleigh in Canada and shocked the world in 1964. After watching bobsleigh in the 1956 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, the Emery brothers were inspired to compete for Canada at the Olympics. Soon after the Cortina Games, the two Emery brothers created the Laurentian Bobsledding Association in 1957 and entered the 1959 World Championships in Lake Placid, New York with freshly recruited team members Peter Kirby and Doug Anakin. Vic Emery was the driver of the crew and set his sights on representing Canada at a Winter Olympic Games. A major obstacle standing in the way of the Laurentian’s ambitious four-man bobsleigh crew was the lack of places to hone their craft. During this time, Canada had essentially no proper bobsleigh practice facilities, forcing the fledgling four-man crew to rehearse their runs on dry land and in gyms in Montreal. At the 1959 Wo r l d Championships, Canada’s newly minted four-man bobsleigh team finished 13th out of 16 sleds. Un-phased, the crew returned
to practicing, focusing on the 1964 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria. In 1962, Emery’s crew was now a top-10 sled in the world and qualified for the 1964 Winter Olympics. Canada’s four-man bobsleigh crew arrived in Innsbruck entirely without financial support as the Canadian Olympic Committee was entirely unconvinced of bobsleigh’s popularity in Canada. Canada’s crew would do a lot more than participate in the 1964 Olympic bobsleigh competition. With a combined time of 4:14:46 over four races, Canada won gold defeating the more acclaimed Italian and Austrian crews. Emery’s crew won Canada’s only gold medal at the 1964 Winter Games. Emery would also pilot his sled to a four-man gold medal at the 1965 World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Vic Emery left bobsleigh to pursue a career in business having previously attended the University of Western Ontario, graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration. During his time at Western, Emery competed on the inaugural varsity ski team and finished 5th at the intercollegiate championship. • Canadian Sports Hall of Fame
Hailey Sugar • GAZETTE
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SLIDING TO THE GOLD. This is a training sled used by the 1964 four-man bobsleigh crew piloted by Vic Emery. It has been repainted with the colours that would have been used at the 1964 Olympics in Innsbruck.
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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 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 clos- ets. Call Sam anytime at 519-495-7661 and view one of these units before they are gone! 5 BEDROOM BROUGHDALE behind Med/Syd front gates. Modern, open-concept, 2 full bathrooms, jacuzzi, balcony/deck. Large rooms (no basement room), 50” flat-screen, gas fireplace, dishwasher, lots of parking. $395/room. 416-8355293, enmars@hotmail.com.
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
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WANTED LONDON SENIOR SEEKING a volunteer helper to assist with completion of woodworking projects. On Wonderland 10 bus route. Also looking to rent space for woodworking projects in Westmount Shopping Centre area one evening a week. A garage or workshop space would be ideal. Contact Alan 519-660-1442.
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PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.
For solution, turn to page 2