W ESTER NGA ZET TE.CA • @ UWOGA ZET TE
thegazette Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t since 1906
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015
TODAY high 5 low 1
TOMORROW high 13 low 2
Team Helfand platform update >> pg. 3
WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
VOLUME 108, ISSUE 99
DISQUALIFIED • Team Litchfield disqualified by appeals board
• Accrue 32 demerit points in total • Additional two demerits for off campus campaigning • Team Sophie default winners of election
Alex Benac, Sophie Helpard, Lindsee Perkins
Katie Lear NEWS EDITOR
@KatieAtGazette
Team Litchfield was disqualified yesterday afternoon after a successful appeal the slate’s demerit point total. Team Sophie will now form the incoming executive slate for next year. While upholding all of the elections committee’s other decisions, the appeals board overturned the committee’s decision to award just eight demerit points for Team Litchfield’s off campus campaigning in Somerset Place. Instead, they awarded the slate 10 demerit points and upgraded its classification from a “major” violation to an “extraordinary” violation, which meant Litchfield’s demerit points totalled 32 and merited their automatic disqualification. Team Litchfield’s campaign violations were exposed when Somerset’s building manager filed a formal complaint with the elections committee. The complaint stated Team Litchfield hung 170 door tags throughout the building encouraging residents to vote for them in the USC election despite having received no consent from its residents. According to the appeals board’s report, the provincial illegality of Team Litchfield’s actions was a major factor in upgrading the major violation to an extraordinary violation. Section 4.03 of the elections committee violations procedure states that the “Legality of action dictates that anything that breaks municipal, provincial or federal laws are automatically considered extraordinary violations.” “Team Litchfield’s decision to enter Somerset Place in
contravention of a clearly visible ‘No Soliciting’ violated the Trespass to Property Act. The appeals board must consider any breach of municipal, provincial or federal law with the utmost scrutiny considering such laws transcend USC elections and any university by-laws; they govern all private citizens and actions within their respective jurisdictions.” The appeals board upheld the remainder of the decisions made by the elections committee concerning Team Litchfield’s campaigning activities, including hanging door tags in Luxe and posting on Facebook after the campaign period was over. Derrick Dodgson, chair of the appeals board, said in an email that the decision to award Team Litchfield 32 demerit points was unanimous. “In the case of the decision released today, all seven members of the panel concurred, resulting in a unanimous decision. There was no minority or dissenting opinion.” Team Sophie — consisting of president-elect Sophie Helpard, vice-president internal-elect Alex Benac and vice-president external-elect Lindsee Perkins — responded to their sudden electoral win in a statement they shared on social media. “Integrity and fair play are essential tenets of an election, and we are happy that the appeals board has worked so thoroughly to uphold these values,” Team Sophie said. “We are humbled and excited to begin the work of representing the students of Western; after a tumultuous couple of months, we recognize that there is much work to do.” >> see DISQUALIFICATION pg.3
Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE
2•
thegazette • Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Caught on Camera
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer
Winnie Lu • GAZETTE
ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT. As students wind down to their last classes of the semester, Western’s rowing athletes turn up the fan and continue practicing.
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MOS program gets CPA certified
The Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario have recently accredited the graduate diploma in accounting and accounting courses offered by the management and organizational studies at Western. The accreditation increases the visibility of the programs and ensures that students can transition into the CPA’s professional education programs with greater ease. “Students who graduate with an undergraduate degree in accounting from the DAN Management program and also complete our new graduate diploma program will enter the CPA program with advance standings,” said Ann Bigelow, acting chair of the MOS department at Western. “The CPA programs have four courses prior to what they call Capstone 1 and 2; and our students do not have to take those prerequisite courses, they will go right into Capstone 1.” Furthermore, Bigelow said the university had to fulfill an extensive criterion in order to ensure that they receive the accreditation. “We had to have our whole undergraduate program reviewed and our entire course — we had to prove that we were covering the entire required curriculum at the right level of depth in our undergraduate programs. We also had to convince them that we were capable of providing the graduate diploma level,” she said. The accreditation is expected to provide many benefits such as attracting more incoming students to the accounting programs, opportunities to enter the CPA program at the capstone level and the current students who will graduate in spring of 2016 are also eligible to enter the graduate diploma program after graduation. “Either way, whether they take the courses through our graduate diploma or take them through CPA, there are courses they have to do post-graduation in order to obtain the CPA designation. But this will allow students to stay at Western and continue to work with the faculty members that they already know,” Bigelow added. • Mohammad Abrar Abdul Hanan
The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.
•3
thegazette • Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Team Helfand platform update
Courtesy of Team Helfand
Kevin Hurren NEWS EDITOR-AT-LARGE @KevinAtGazette
Timed with the end of the school year, the executive members of Team Helfand released an update detailing which of their promised platform points are accomplished, ongoing or incomplete. While running for president, vice-president internal and vice-president external, Matt Helfand, Emily Addison and Jen Carter campaigned with a platform made of roughly 32 points. Of these, they identified 14 as completed, 15 as ongoing and 3 as incomplete. Completed platform points include freezing the USC base fee, creating an appeals board and expanding the early outreach campaign. For Helfand, moving Homecoming on campus was a significant platform achievement. “We identified the issue of a lack of programming for students on campus and off campus behaviour that was unsafe,” he said in an interview. “The new formation of the Homecoming planning committee with the university will look
at other options next year.” Within the internal portfolio, Addison highlighted reshaping coordinator responsibilities as a major platform accomplishment. For the external portfolio, Carter called attention to re-energized collaboration with municipal bodies, such as city hall and the London Police Service. “I’m incredibly proud of the relationships that we’ve been able to build with the city. We’ve done a really good job this year making the USC a partner in discussions,” Carter said. Though the bulk of platform points are labelled as “ongoing” in the report, Addison explained this is due to the multi-year nature of advocacy efforts. “We’ve made progress on and started the conversation on a lot of the advocacy goals, but the university doesn’t work in one year cycles like we do,” she said. Listed ongoing points include student fee reviews, London Transit Commission service improvements, accessibility initiatives and better wireless internet on campus. Although it’s often difficult to accomplish advocacy points in a single term, Helfand believes they
2-month ordeal over for candidates
still play a crucial role in forming a platform to campaign with so long as candidates keep prospects realistic. “While it is important that those points are still discussions, you have to be clear in setting the expectation that you probably won’t get this done – but you’ll get the mandate to continue to advocate on behalf of it,” he said. As for platform points labelled incomplete, these are campaign promises that the executive were not able to make progress on. Bus shelters at the university gates, for instance, did not become a reality after USC executives evaluated the costs of the project. Similarly, moving Western students to a onepiece bus pass was abandoned for potentially costing over $20 per card replaced. Though the report is meant to review progress made by the executives this year, not every accomplishment is listed. Demands that arose outside of platform promises, such as a relocated prayer space in the University Community Centre and the ongoing evolution of the Peer Support Centre, are not included in the report.
Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE
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>> DISQUALIFICATION continued from pg.1
The slate gained the USC presidency and vice-president positions due to By-Law 2, section 11.12(7) that states, “If a winning candidate in any election is disqualified, the candidate who received the greatest amount of votes and who has not been disqualified shall be deemed the winner.” The Gazette reached out to Team Litchfield for comment; both Jack Litchfield and Dilani Logan declined to comment, and Richard Sookraj was unable to be reached. Student reactions have been largely split, and Western undergraduate board of governors representative Jonathan English believes that while the appeals board made the right decision, the process has cast a negative light on the USC. “It’s good that we finally have this student group — the appeals board — who at the end of the day don’t put up with anybody’s nonsense and just reads it how it is,” English said. “[That’s] something that the USC doesn’t always have a lot of, but I think ultimately this whole process has shone a negative light on the elections, elections committee, governance as a whole.” USC president Matt Helfand acknowledged the challenges the
W
E ARE HUMBLED AND EXCITED TO BEGIN THE WORK OF REPRESENTING THE STUDENTS OF WESTERN; AFTER A TUMULTUOUS COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS MUCH WORK TO DO. STATEMENT FROM TEAM SOPHIE AFTER LEARNING OF THEIR ELECTION WIN
new slate will face, but is confident they can handle them. “There will no doubt be some political challenges associated with the situation, but I have full confidence that Sophie will be able to handle her way through this and my team and I are more than prepared to pick up the transition and get them right up to speed – we have full faith in their ability to lead.”
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4 •
thegazette • Wednesday, April 8, 2015
arts&life
inothernews The examwich is back at the Spoke for the month of April. In other news, those pounds you lost working out at the gym for the last term have recently been found.
Julia Haggarty brings local to London Jennafer Freeman ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR Western graduate Julia Haggarty’s new EP may be titled Day One, but she is far from her first day as a singer. Next Friday, April 17, Haggarty will be performing at the London Music Club to celebrate the release of Day One. Day One is a suitable title; Haggarty encourages new performers to not be afraid to try new sounds and seek feedback. Her advice is simple: start today. “Start before you think you’re even ready. Ask questions, listen to your music idols and ask yourself what makes them special,” Haggarty says. “Then ask yourself what you have to offer, because you’ll kill yourself trying to sound like someone else.” Haggarty’s upcoming show will feature everything from her new album, mixing a country and folk sound with a focus on melody and lyrics. “The contemporary version of these sounds today is really finding some new footing in country music,” says Haggarty. “Especially as we hear the genre flirting with pop, even some hip hop and of course, the mega-popular country rock that’s everywhere right now.” Haggarty explains that in her attempt to capture the human experience, she has tried to allow her sound to encompass all the
different emotions. “If my song is a simple, happy tune, it’s going to sound completely different than the song where I’m heartbroken, confused and longing for something more,” she says. Haggarty also says she has had some ‘music angels’ in her life. Though she began taking piano lessons at a young age, it was at school where her vocal ability was noticed. “At age nine, it was my elementary music teacher who told my mom that I could be heard above everyone in my class and should probably audition for St. Mary Choir and Orchestra school here in London,” says Haggarty. The choir director at St. Mary’s, Brenda Zadorsky, got Haggarty into her choir and provided private voice and piano lessons at her academy. But it was at Western University where Haggarty met her friends and former band mates of Six Vocal Ensemble. “We had a great run for almost seven years, touring some major parts of the world and recording two albums,” she says. “I’ve had some really amazing influences throughout my journey who recognized my passion and drive and were willing to help me.” Although others recognized her talent, it took Haggarty a while to come around to being a performer. “My love and pursuit of music had everything to do with the behind the scenes, intimate stuff,” she explains. “Practicing, perfecting, emoting, writing, improving,
studying, experimenting even.” Haggarty says she was around 19 or 20 years old when things started to come together for her. Though she has travelled the world performing, Haggarty explains that the most memorable performance she has ever given was at her kitchen table. Her grandma and grandpa were over, and my grandpa knew she was working on her album and asked to hear something.
“I had only one song finished from beginning to end, and it’s actually the first track on my album, the true story of how I met my fiancé in a bar,” she says. “When I played it for him, he couldn’t believe I had written it and he had tears in his eyes. He was so happy he asked if I could play it again, which of course I did.” Haggarty has performed on three different continents but she is still fired up for her show in
London. “I am so excited about next Friday,” says Haggarty. “It’s going to be a really great, high energy concert with a light sprinkling of heartfelt ballads and a tearjerker or two.” Julia Haggarty will be releasing her EP Day One on April 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the London Music Club. Tickets are available online and at the door for $10.
MEDIA
LIFE AND WELLNESS
WHAT’S HOT
WEALTH
LOVE
@JennaAtGazette
Courtesy of Ross Mortimer
Game of Thrones
Biking
Bad Choice Funeral Songs
Not having a life
Bath Bombs
Nerds cry out in immaculate chorus: Game of Thrones returns for its fifth season. Western students can say goodbye to studying as they fill up on dragons, houses, sex and bloody murder. The show reached new heights last season breaking seven million viewers and once again being the most pirated television show of 2014. While the season will adapt events from George R.R. Martin’s A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, the fifth season promises to shock by adapting material not covered by Martin’s books. For the first time in the history of the show, book readers can’t sit as they gleefully watch their ignorant friends experience harrowing weddings and horrific trials-bycombat, now everything could be a potential spoiler.
For the student looking for a way out of having to wait 15 minutes for the bus to pass them by, biking is once again an option. Spring is here and now that there’s no snow on the road you can get out that two-wheeler and get to school in style. Perks of biking include getting exercise, getting to school faster, seeing the outdoors for the first time in four months and feeling the morning breeze as you speed down Brescia hill. Getting that boost of adrenaline will give you the energy you need to sit through that boring lecture or pour through a term’s worth of readings. Just to be sure to wear a helmet — sharing the road with London drivers is a nightmare at best and an experience from an uncharted level of hell at worst.
#BadChoiceFuneralSongs is now trending on Twitter and if you’re a planner, this trending tag will guide you in planning your own funeral — or at least all the things you won’t want to hear in the afterlife. While it may seem a bit macabre, for the hipster looking to have an ironic playlist before they go underground #BadChoiceFuneralSongs is a blast of fresh #toosoon humour. Current favourites include: I Will Survive, Let The Bodies Hit the Floor, Somebody That I Used to Know, Drop it Like it’s Hot, Bring Me to Life, Don’t Fear the Reaper, Locked Out of Heaven and Born to be Alive. If Staying Alive by the Bee Gee’s isn’t an instant choice for your funeral playlist, you may just need to re-evaluate your life — ironically.
No one has ever gone out to the bar with their friends and made a profit that night. Playing pickup basketball or intramural soccer nets no income. Having fun makes you poor, so if you want to be rich, happiness can’t distract you. Luckily, living a lackluster existence is easy. Focusing on school and figuring out the ins and outs of advancing in society through internships and such will quickly sap the fun out of life and replace it with dollar bills. While this doesn’t seem like a smart trade off, the less wealthy often live boring lives as well. If you’re going to toil through life, you may as well struggle with what wine to pair with the lobster your butler is cooking than with scrambling how to pay the mortgage.
There’s nothing that can quite spice up a love life than dropping L-bombs and bath-bombs. Bath bombs are new bouquet of flowers or box of chocolates — they add a new level of excitement to those couple-related activities, because you may never know what your going to get. These mixtures add oils, scent and colour to bathwater and also creating a ton of bubbles. While the bath-bomb fandom on Tumblr appreciates the before and after photos, couples can also get creative and posting a bath-bomb related fail or meme instead. With exam season right around the corner, there is nothing better to help de-stress than a ‘bomb’ bath with your significant other. Where there’s love, there should also be a little surprise.
• Conrad Floryan
• Jenny Jay
• Brent Holmes
• Brent Holmes
• Jenny Jay
•5
thegazette • Wednesday, April 8, 2015
>> GAZETTE RECIPES > BLISS BALLS
Exams are approaching and many students are sure to be feeling stressed. Although these bliss balls won’t make your exams disappear, they will definitely have you feeling full, energized and won’t leave you with the guilty feeling that most exam food tends to leave you with. BLISS BALLS (MAKES 20)
Ingredients: Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE
Conrad Floryan ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @ConradAtGazette
I
’D SAY ON AVERAGE EVERY THREE HOURS, FOR SOME PEOPLE MAYBE EVERY TWO HOURS IF THEY HAVE BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCES AND SOME PEOPLE FOUR HOURS IF THEY’RE NOT BIG EATERS. JONI YUNGBLUT
BRANCH MANAGER OF THE CANADIAN SCHOOL OF NATURAL NUTRITION
at least you’re getting something that’s whole food and fresh,” says Yungblut. Yungblut believes nutrition and stress management work handin-hand in preparing students for studying. She advises pupils ensure they are taking breaks and getting adequate sleep. “It’s really about the good balance of having the wholesome fresh foods and the stress management technique,” says Yungblut. “If you get that balance then you’ll do well on your exams and you’ll also feel a lot less anxious, stressed and panicky about it if you feel nourished, healthy and well-rested.”
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Skittles and McDonald’s are staples of exam time nourishment, but they have little nutrients and set students up for poor grades. Mustangs set on getting A’s need to pack some more vegetables in their lunch. “A really healthy diet can actually help a student do much better in school,” says Jennifer Broxterman, registered dietitian and CEO of Nutrition RX. Broxterman adds that a balanced diet will help pupils maintain stable energy levels that will increase mental capacity and stamina for studying difficult material. Joni Yungblut, branch manager of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, agrees a balanced diet is crucial for academic success. “If you’re eating fast food all the time, your body will be lacking in nutrients and enzymes and it will really slow down because it can’t use nutrients to perform its normal function,” says Yungblut. Yungblut recommends picking foods rich in B vitamins and essential fatty acids. B vitamins assist with the functioning of the neurotransmitters in the brain and fatty acids help increase the speed at which the brain sends messages. B vitamins can be found in dark green leafy vegetables and whole grains like quinoa, millet and brown rice. Fish, raw nuts
and seeds, olive oil and avocado are rich in fatty acids. Broxterman adds that the brain uses glucose as its main energy source so she recommends grabbing healthy sources of carbohydrates like fruit and sweet potato. She cautions to avoid refined sugars found in junk food because they are quickly processed by the body and lead to an energy crash. “If [students are] planning specifically for exams, I would focus on getting lots of colour,” says Yungblut. “Make sure that you have greens, oranges, yellows and reds because then you’re getting a good blend of various nutrients.” Yungblut explains that there are specific nutrients that exist in different colours of plants. She also recommends having a diet with a balance of proteins, fats and carbs. What students eat is important but when they eat is crucial as well. “It really depends on each individual, but generally when you’re working hard and studying, you want to give yourself a source of nutrition every three to four hours,” says Broxterman. She suggests packing abundant snacks for long library sessions. To save precious studying hours, she advises making a large batch of a healthy meal on the weekend and portioning it out into lunch and dinner containers. Staying hydrated and having a water bottle is also essential. Yungblut cautions students who sit studying all day not to overeat because their bodies won’t need the calories. She is also adamant about snacking throughout the day. “I’d say on average every three hours, for some people maybe every two hours if they have blood sugar imbalances and some people four hours if they’re not big eaters,” says Yungblut. Eating healthy multiple times throughout the day can be a real challenge to stressed out students short on time, but Yungblut believes it’s all about finding ways here and there to sneak in something healthy without investing too much effort. “Even if you can grab a salad and maybe throw some hardboiled eggs on it or some avocado,
Directions:
140408
Food for thought: eating to finish exam season on top
• 1 cup almond meal • 1 cup shredded coconut • 1 cup old-fashioned oats • 10 dates • 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp maple syrup • 2 tbsp almond milk
JACK ASTOR’S
P A L L M A L L S T.
BERTOLDI’S
6 •
thegazette • Wednesday, April 8, 2015
opinions
In my day the principal concerns of university students were sex, smoking dope, rioting and learning. Learning was something you did only when the first three weren’t available.
• Bill Bryson
Last time playing Students Devlin’s advocate
>> SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
painted as villains by the city Jen Carter USC VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL @jen_lynn_carter
Near-campus neighbourhoods where Western students live just aren’t working. Students are terrible neighbours and something must be done to curb the symptomatic challenges that occur year after year in London’s student ghettos. We need more enforcement: 24/7 enforcement from bylaws and police in order to get student behaviour under control. There should be no leniency or forgiveness for students — punishment is the only way to solve our community’s challenges. There are also too many students living together in one dwelling, which is contributing to their Animal House-like behaviour. Students should not be allowed to live more than three to a home, and therefore there should be a by-law passed in London that would restrict any more than three unrelated people to live in a rental property. Better yet, students should not be allowed to rent property in residential neighbourhoods at all. The challenges in near-campus neighbourhoods would all be solved if students were required to live on campus. It should be the university’s sole responsibility to house all of its students and a requirement that they live there. Does this sound ridiculous to you? I think so too. As crazy as this all sounds, these are the types of decisions that can be made at city hall when students don’t show up. The beginning of this piece highlights the opinions of those London residentswho did show up. Western students are an integral piece of the London community. We are an intellectual, cultural hub home to creative, hard-working people. We make London the city it is just by being here. Just as we have a responsibility to be students, however, we also have a responsibility to be neighbours. This means that we should fulfil the mundane responsibilities of cleaning up our garbage and being respectful of our neighbours. Another piece of this responsibility is to be involved in the decisions that will directly affect us. There are two sides to every story and it is our role to do our part in our community. When leaving city hall last week, I mentioned a student who had taken a kitchen chair outside over the summer to sit in the sun and read a book. His neighbour complained and he received a threat of a ticket for having indoor furniture outside. I cannot be happy with a community that thinks this penalization of students is the right course of action. Quite frankly, this is a call to action. The city is in the middle of the public consultation process to create a plan for the Greater Near-Campus Neighbourhood strategy. This is where we all live, and this affects us all. The USC represents the best interests of all students at Western, but 30,000 voices don’t seem very loud coming from just me. Looking forward, the USC will be reaching out to students to gather feedback about this issue and I would encourage anyone who feels strongly about this issue to contact me directly.
thegazette
Volume 108, Issue 99 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.
Devlin’s Advocate
Megan Devlin ASSOCIATE EDITOR @MegAtGazette
Wow. This is my last piece for The Gazette. Pretty soon I’ll have changed my Twitter handle, picked up my degree and and snapped my last fake-laugh picture in my graduation gown. I’m shipping off to the University of British Columbia for a masters in journalism, so the Litchfield-Helpard election debacle will soon be 2,600 miles behind me. Without a doubt, my time at this paper has been the defining characteristic of my undergraduate career. Sorry, Alpha Gamma Delta. “I’m so jealous of you. For you, it’s only the beginning,” my favourite news editor said to me the year I was hired. We were in our eveningwear at the year-end dinner, slightly buzzed on champagne. I didn’t think too much of it at the time. But now I know what he meant. Working at The Gazette doesn’t only get you 150–200 portfolio pieces; it gets you a loving, dysfunctional newsie family. You also learn a lot. For instance, I learned that Pikachu is my Super Smash Bros. soul-mate. You may call it annoying, but I call it winning. I also learned to run non-awkward interviews after the same favourite news editor told me to “be less awkward on the phone.” Other little tidbits I’ve gleaned are: fruit flies are more annoying than Rattata
on Route One, keep your pencils in a hidden drawer, never underestimate the wondrous power of caffeine and make friends with Nusaiba because she keeps chocolate in her desk. Also, if you ever find yourself hired as an editor at one of Canada’s best student newspapers, make sure to recruit all of your friends. It will make your time here a lot more fun. Ideally, try to recruit every roommate in your house so they stop asking why you don’t come home ’til 11 p.m. every night. If that doesn’t work, go for one of your sorority sisters and watch as her copy gets wide-eyed nods of approval from your colleagues. On the topic of going Greek, you should definitely do it. Ten out of 10, would recommend. But if we’re talking about doing something for yourself and for your career in university, joining The Gazette takes the cake. The biggest thing I gained from my education was an understanding of systems of social oppression. Feminism. Anti-racism. That’s what I’ll take with me from the classroom. Everything else I learned, I learned in UCC 263. Reporting, writing, dealing with deadlines, news judgment, ethics and an intimate understanding of how this campus functions are just a few things you’ll pick up working at a daily student newspaper. Oh, and that next to no one on campus actually knows you’re daily. That too. I guess next time we meet I’ll be a full-blown Vancouverite. I already wear too much Lululemon and eat too much sushi, so I’m hoping I’ll fit right in. Oh, and you can follow DevlinsAdvocate on Instagram too, because my by-line is way too punny to give up.
We get letters!
Board at fault Re: “President Amit Chakma receives cash payout in Western’s latest salary disclosure list,” Friday, March 27, 2015 To the editor: In 2009, Western’s board of governors approved a contract for the president that allowed him to be paid twice his annual salary in lieu of taking a year-long administrative leave. This action went largely unnoticed until recently, when Amit Chakma chose to exert his contractual right to receive these funds. As several vocal groups at this school would have me believe, I should be mad. I should be mad as hell. But I’m not. I wasn’t mad before I found out that this provision is actually in line with other universities across Canada. I wasn’t mad before I found out that the principal at Brescia did the exact same thing two years ago. I wasn’t mad
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.
before I found out that he was giving that money back to the university. Hell, I wasn’t even mad when I first heard that he’d made almost $1 million last year, because it was in his contract. Should this contract have a clause that says “in the event that you are reappointed to this position and as such do not take a leave of your duties, you’re not going to be paid that money” or something to that effect? Probably, but that’s up to Chirag Shah and the rest of Western’s board of governors. You know, the people who approved this contract in the first place. If you want someone to be mad at, be mad at the board of governors, because being mad at Chakma for taking an action guaranteed in his contract is exactly the same as getting mad at school teachers for having their summers off and demanding they return them. Marc-André Brooks MESc candidate
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 Rahmati, 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 Your anonymous letters to life
Dear Life, Team Litchfield disqualified nearly two months after elections take place. Well, you can file that one under no one cares. Dear Life, USC elections committee, why you no democracy? Dear Life, Which is the worst? A USC president who fakes being an undergrad so he can run, a USC president stripped of his campaign victory or a USC president winning despite garnering the fewest votes? Dear Life, It must suck to earn a presidency and lose it, but it must suck more to win it by default. Dear Life, So Litchfield is disqualified, eh? Who didn’t see that coming from a mile away? Dear Life, The Marching Band got more votes than both of the slates combined. Can they just run the USC? I’m sure it would be much more fun and there would be fewer scandals. Plus, students clearly like them, which is something they have going for them that the USC doesn’t. Dear Life, Western will always have a special place in my heart, but as I am set to graduate, I am sad to see the school’s political reputation take such a hit. After the Chakma ordeal and now the ludicrous reversal of the USC election (making it two straight years of tarnished USC presidents), Western must be better in the future. This is utterly embarrassing to read about for weeks on end. 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 •
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thegazette • Wednesday, April 8, 2015
comics
Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.
• Dr. Suess
To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca
HOUSING
classifieds VOLUNTEERS WANTED
SERVICES
1 & 2 PERSON apartments on Western Road. Walkbicycle-bus to campus. Specializing in affordable housing for quiet, non-smoking students with no pets. Utilities included, coinless-laundry and 8month contract possible. 519-673-1843.
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
3 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. 416-835-5293, enmars@hotmail.com.
SERVICES
3 BEDROOM LUXURY home. Western Rd. 5-minute walk to campus. Modern open-concept, large bedrooms, pool table, bar, 50” TV, over-size black marble bathroom, basketball net, massive yard/patio. $375/rm 416-835-5293. enmars@hotmail.com
EDITOR/PROOFREADER AVAILABLE. Have your papers or thesis reviewed. Extensive experience in Communications and Journalism, just retired. BA English, MA Journalism, UWO. Contact maryalderson77@gmail.com
STUDENTS ON THE MOVE WE’ VE GOT JUST THE VEHICLE FOR YOU
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. 695 TALBOT NEWLY Renovated 1 & 2 Bedrooms Available. Steps to Richmond Row. Utilities & Parking Included. Call about our FREE MONTH today! 519-630-5646 APRIL 1ST THREE bedroom $500 per bedroom inclusive. 163 Oxford St E. Steps to Western, Richmond Row, downtown. Direct bus to Western, Fanshawe, downtown. Washer/dryer in unit, free parking, large rooms. Vern 519-872-9407 or vproperty@rogers.com.
519.455.8296 • www.bennetttruckrentals.com 71 Clarke Rd. (north of Gore Rd.) 100% Canadian Owned & Operated A MEMBER OF THE BENNETT AUTOMOTIVE GROUP - SERVING LONDON & AREA OVER 56 YEARS
KING’S COLLEGE - HOUSES for rent. 5 bedrooms, $310+/month, May 01 2015, parking, laundry everything. Pick 1061 Patricia St. or 469 Regent St. Call Matt Kennedy 519-317-3023 or TEXT mattkennedy@rogers.com
UPCOMING EVENTS 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 THE 2015 VON Great Community Run, Walk ‘n’ Roll: Sun. June 28 in Lions Park in Mt. Brydges. Register 9:30am, 10:00am start. Pledged fundraiser for Middlesex-Elgin Victorian Order of Nurses. Proceeds raised locally support VON programs and services in our community. Info & Pledge sheets: www.vonmiddlesexelgin.ca
ANNOUNCEMENTS INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY, video, or music production? 121 Studios (an initiative of unlondon.ca , a local non-profit organization) is equipped with portrait photography and audio recording facilities, video editing resources, shared desk space & more. 121studios.ca. Student discounts available. 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
EMPLOYMENT WORK AT SUMMER camp in the USA this summer. Outgoing staff needed! Counselors, Land Sports, Lifeguards, Arts positions. Apply online at canadiancampstaff.com.
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.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED THE LOVE LAB is recruiting same-sex couples over the age of 18 for a study of reactions to couples in public spaces. Participants will complete a set of questionnaires in the Social Science Center at UWO. In addition, participants will be asked to walk through a public space on campus while holding hands, wearing a hidden camera. This should take no more than 60 minutes, and participants will receive monetary compensation in appreciation for their time. If interested, email couplesuwo@gmail.com.
PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.
For solution, turn to page 2
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thegazette • Wednesday, April 8, 2015
sports
saywhat? “It’s a big moment in the history of the NBA and the history of my country in India. I know my family’s going to be proud of me and everybody’s going to be proud of me and cheer me on the court.”
• Sim Bhullar, newly signed center for the Sacramento Kings, commenting on his newfound popularity as the first player of Indian descent in the National Basketball Association.
Mustang Athletics: Season Review & Future FOOTBALL
BASKETBALL
2014 was a disappointing season for the Mustangs. While our warriors clad in purple and white did manage to make it to the Yates Cup semifinals, they were pummeled by the Guelph Gryphons 51–26. It was a year to forget for a team that’s often talked about as a contender for the Vanier Cup. It didn’t help that star quarterback Will Finch was out with a head injury, but he’ll return next year and that’s key.
Finishing with a 12–9 record overall, the men’s basketball team has seen a massive improvement from the past two seasons in terms of performance, despite being unable to make it past the Laurier Golden Hawks in the OUA west finals’ preliminary round. Moving forward there is a sense of apprehension about the team, as they are losing their top forward and recently named OUA first-team all-star Greg Morrow. First-year guard Jedson Tavernier was also recognized by the OUA, named to the all-rookie team. While next year’s season looks rocky, there are still strong players who can lead the team forward.
In fact, the Mustangs are still a relatively young team with a lot of returning players and an experienced coaching staff, so they’ll always be a threat. While the loss of star receiver Brian Marshall, defensive back Simon Bahru and the likely loss of defensive lineman Daryl Waud to the CFL will sting, the ’Stangs still have a solid defense, threatening tools on offense and a well-coached and capable special teams squad. Running back Yannick Harou put up four touchdowns and 680 yards, and Finch remains one of the best slingers in the entire nation. Look for them to shoot for the Yates Cup once again next season, which kicks off at Windsor August 30.
The women’s team on the other hand suffered with a disappointing 7–14 record, a major drop in performance from the previous seasons, losing in the OUA playoffs preliminary round to the Lakehead Thunderwolves. The loss of four fifth-year players and the youth of the incoming team marked this season’s struggle. With experience gained this year, the team has potential to improve in the upcoming season.
HOCKEY
SOCCER
It hardly needs to be said, but the women’s hockey team killed it this year. They won the provincial title for the first time in the history, and not only did they make their first appearance at the nationals, they also managed to win it. It’ll be largely the same team next year, including goalie Kelly Campbell who backstopped the ‘Stangs to the win. The firepower also remains up front with leading scorer Kendra Broad returning. Of course, all this talent is backed by the most capable coaching staff. Put all of it together and you can expect to see the Mustangs possibly repeat next year or at the very least go far.
The men’s soccer team’s performance this year is on par with previous years, finishing with a 9–5–4 record. Despite losing the OUA quarter-final to the McMaster Marauders by a goal scored in the first five minutes of game play, the Mustangs played a competitive game against their opponent. The team faced a four-game losing streak in this middle of September, but recovered well and finished strong. Although they will lose a few of their players for next year, they keep Parker Seymour, a midfielder who was named OUA West first-team all-star. Moving forward, the team seems likely to maintain their position unless they get a breakout from an incoming player.
Things are more uncertain on the men’s side. The Mustangs are losing nine players, including captain Steve Reese and forwards Stefan Salituro and Adam McKee. All this on top of the fact that they didn’t exactly impress this year, losing to the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the first round of the playoffs. The Mustangs have strengths, however. Goalie Peter Delmas will likely inherit the net from Greg Dodds. He’s the Mustangs top prospect who has played in the AHL and could be a game changer. Overall the future looks bright, but the team will need to put up a better effort to compete with the best.
The women’s team played very well in comparison, ending with a 16–4–2 overall record. Earning silver in the OUA Final Four and taking fifth place at the CIS Championships, the women’s team worked very well together this year. Although there were some younger players on the team, it didn’t stop the Mustangs from dominating. The structure of the team won’t change much next season, promising even greater results in the upcoming year. By: Richard Raycraft & Robert Nanni • Graphic: Hailey Sugar • GAZETTE
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