W ESTER NGA ZET TE.CA • @ UWOGA ZET TE
thegazette Investigating 5-foot long worms with two heads since 1906
THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015
TODAY high 14 low 3
TOMORROW high 14 low 5
Chakma controversy affects call centre >> pg. 3
WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
VOLUME 108, ISSUE 100
The USC: A year in review The year has been an eventful one for the USC. Sweeping changes to its council structure, significant change to the Peer Support Centre, several highly successful events — shout out to Beerfest — and concerts, the first ever four-year budget and one of the biggest controversies surrounding presidential elections were some of the notable events of the year. The following analysis is how we saw the performance of the executives this year. Input was solicited from councillors and coordinators and informed our opinion.
MATT HELFAND PRESIDENT
JEN CARTER VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL
EMILY ADDISON VICE-PRESIDENT INTERNAL
ANDREW LALKA VICE-PRESIDENT FINANCE
SAM KILGOUR VICE-PRESIDENT STUDENT EVENTS
EMERSON TITHECOTT VICE-PRESIDENT COMMUNICATIONS
STRENGTHS Helfand built a notable presence in both council and on campus. As an enthusiastic, decisive and determined leader, Helfand accomplished more than expected in his term, making him one of the most effective USC presidents in some time. His refusal to accept status quo meant that council was subject to significant, and ultimately positive, changes – such as a new council composition, an appeals board and two revitalized executive positions. He also spearheaded Homecoming on campus and a very successful Beerfest.
WEAKNESSES Though he may be one of the most effective presidents, he won’t be one of the most well-liked. Helfand’s strong presence has sometimes come across as abrasive, and council members noted the brash ways he’s spoken at meetings. Similarly, he can often steamroll his other executive members, involving himself in initiatives not necessarily under his purview. While this hands-on approach often expedited the process, it occasionally undermined his colleagues’ authority.
STRENGTHS Carter, unlike past external executives, was focused on addressing current issues with an eye to the longterm, especially municipally. Relationships with city hall, the London Police Service and the London Transit Committee cultivated by Carter will benefit the council for years to come. Articulate, intelligent and cooperative, Carter was a successful advocate and although her Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance presidency was a contentious topic during her elections, she performed both roles well. Her attempts to engage students in the municipal election also stands out.
WEAKNESSES Due to the multi-year advocacy nature of the role, it is often difficult to track Carter’s effectiveness or accomplishments. Likewise, Carter’s frequent travel comes with expenses, and it’s not always clear or transparent what will result from these travel costs – though these might be problems with the external role rather than with Carter herself. Also, some council members commented on her occasional lack of approachability and the difficulty in conversing with her about issues outside of her portfolio.
STRENGTHS Addison seemed to be a perfect fit for her portfolio. Approachable, pleasant and level-headed, a number of her coordinators have commented on the support they felt working under her leadership. Following a year where the internal portfolio was in a state of termoil, Addison’s friendliness and work ethic paid off. She also demonstrated flexability in working with the Peer Support Centre — something that wasn’t on her original platform.
WEAKNESSES As for the Peer Support Centre, Addison could have done more work consulting relevant parties when converting the space into a prayer room. While both Addison and Helfand reassured campus partners that all relevant stakeholders were consulted, the ensuing conflict in the chaplain community would suggest otherwise. Still, for a portfolio usually rife with controversy this was relatively minor.
STRENGTHS Throughout the year it was clear Lalka yearned for council to surpass its own limitations, bringing both honesty and a critical eye to his role. As such, Lalka was able to pass the USC’s first ever four-year budget and reinvigorate the way council funds new projects. His years of acting as speaker also worked to his advantage, as he demonstrated a strong understanding of governance and policy. Intelligence and hard work, balanced with a great sense of humour, made him a force on council.
WEAKNESSES Influence, however, sometimes worked against Lalka. Council members have expressed frustrations with the finance executive speaking up and debating issues far outside of his portfolio. By frequently engaging in the political fray on the council floor, Lalka contributed some wisdom but isolated himself from a few elected students.
STRENGTHS Easy-going and rigorous, Kilgour proved a good fit in student events. Because of his strong diplomatic and delegation skills there seemed to be little conflict or controversy in this overcrowded portfolio. He remained well-liked by council members and was successfully able to navigate the sea of O-week responsibilities, likely due to his own experience in the program. Also notably, there were a number of successful concerts this year that were sold out or near sold out — a great improvement on last year.
WEAKNESSES The O-week concert cancellation seems to loom over Kilgour’s head and performance. While he can control neither the weather nor the words of his president — since Helfand was the one to promise a free concert during the year — Kilgour should have been more forthcoming about the unlikelihood of an additional performer throughout the year. Additionally, there was little clubs system reform under his leadership – which is a portion of the student events portfolio needs updating.
STRENGTHS Tithecott was friendly and supportive to both council members and his executive colleagues. Additionally, his willingness to admit mistakes and take constructive criticism speaks to his perseverance and humility. He also oversaw a major transformation of the communications portfolio, including introducing a new promotions department to better promote the USC and communicate with students more effectively.
WEAKNESSES There was a significant amount of conflict between Tithecott and his coordinators, with multiple resignations. As a result, little was accomplished second semester — meaning a near non-existent USC elections campaign. He also was not always forthcoming when it came to addressing problems within the USC. While he did improve over the year, there were some problems with communicating with students about the goings-on of the USC. • Gazette News
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thegazette • Thursday, April 9, 2015
Caught on Camera
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer Winnie Lu • GAZETTE
RAIN ON YOUR PURPLE PARADE. Western’s Purple Finale was well-received inside the UCC on Wednesday but the rain outside meant that the Wizzer attracted less attention.
News Briefs
Final executive position applications re-opened
In light of Team Litchfield’s disqualification by the appeals board, the University Students’ Council has decided to reopen the applications for the communications officer and secretary treasurer positions. The applications for these executive positions have been opened for 48 hours and are due on April 9. “In order to ensure fairness for everyone and the fact that applying for these positions are contingent on who wins we figured the safest
Solution to puzzle on page 7
best was to open up for 48 hours,” Matt Helfand, USC president, said. According to Helfand, interviews for the positions will be conducted next week and he hopes that the appointments will be made before May. “The interviews will happen next week and hopefully as soon as the deliberations are done, we will be able to make the announcements.” The communications officer position will be replacing the current vice-president communication in the USC executive staff. According to the USC’s website, the job of the communications
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officer would be to facilitate communications and develop strategies to support the mandate of council and the executive body. The secretary treasurer position will be succeeding the vice-president finance role. The USC has detailed the position summary of the new role as one that will be managing the allocation of the USC’s corporate resources and aiding in good governance of the student council. “The timelines are crunched and I feel it is difficult for these candidates but we’re going to try our best to accommodate them,” Helfand added. • Hamza Tariq
Reddit AMA to address USC turmoil
USC president Matt Helfand will be hosting a Reddit Ask Me Anything on Thursday to answer questions about the University Students’ Council, the appeals board decision to overturn elections results and any other queries students may have about life on campus. “The reason why I picked this time to do it because a lot of things are going on around Western,” he said. According to Helfand, he is providing students a platform to direct their concerns to him in light of recent controversies including president Amit Chakma’s double payout and the subsequent backlash from the campus community and the disqualification of Team Litchfield. “It is a good forum for students to direct their questions toward me on a Reddit AMA rather than just putting it out there on Twitter, Yik Yak, USecrets Western etc.,” he said. The comments section of the AMA thread has already garnered over a hundred comments. The questions range from serious queries about the USC to some amusing questions directed at Helfand. “It is important for me that people are still engaged and there are a lot questions involved,” he said. “A lot of these are very funny and I’m going to try my best to answer them.” Helfand will be answering questions on the Reddit AMA from 1–2 p.m. today. • Hamza Tariq
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 • Thursday, April 9, 2015
Western Call Centre temporarily closed Chakma controversy takes its toll on call centre Amy O’Kruk NEWS EDITOR @AmyAtGazette
The phones have gone silent at the Western Call Centre, partly in response to University President Amit Chakma’s 2014 salary disclosure and the ensuing controversy. Student employees at the call centre reach out to Western alumni for donations to the university. After the Sunshine List — an annual list of the province’s top public earners — exposed Chakma’s 2014 earnings of $924,000 plus $43,244 in taxable benefits, many community members — including alumni — publicly criticized Western’s fiscal responsibility.
W
E GOT AN EMAIL SAYING ‘THE SITUATION IS STILL A CHALLENGE WITH OUR ALUMNI APPEARANCE. AFTER A LENGTHY DISCUSSION OF OUR OPTIONS, WESTERN WOULD LIKE TO CANCEL SHIFTS FOR THE WEEK WHILE THEY ADDRESS THE MATTER.’ CALL CENTRE EMPLOYEE
In reaction to the negative publicity, an employee said the call centre was forced to halt their operations. “Basically with the scandal, we’ve [received] emails every day cancelling shifts,” said the source, who wished to be kept anonymous for job security reasons. “On [March 31]
we got an email saying ‘the situation is still a challenge with our alumni appearance. After a lengthy discussion of our options, Western would like to cancel shifts for the week while they address the matter.’ ” The source added that on Tuesday, employees were notified their shifts were cancelled until April 17, the end of the centre’s operational term. While employees would usually expect to resume work during early May, the centre’s re-opening will also be delayed because its office is relocating. Keith Marnoch, director of media communications at Western, said its move from Windermere and Richmond to an on-campus site is the reason shifts between March 31–April 17 are cancelled. “This is the time of year when the schedules are more flexible to accommodate for students getting ready for exams and when they’re writing exams, so that’s why the decision was made to make the move with the call centre right now.” Employees were notified on Wednesday that they will be compensated for the cancelled shifts. The call centre is run by an external management and recruitment firm, Ruffalo Noel Levitz, which provides students with additional tuition aid based on employee’s number of shifts worked per term. Students can earn a maximum of $400 per term and a minimum $100. The call centre employee said while they were notified about compensation, they received no information on whether their tuition aid would be affected or not. Marnoch said that the call centre is looking to resume its operations by mid-May.
Schulich joins forces with frat for students’ mental health Brittany Hambleton GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
A donation to Western will go towards hiring additional counsellors available for students during exams. Through a donation from the Western Chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and the students at the Schulich School of Medicine, the Canadian Mental Health Association of London (CMHA) has teamed up with the Student Development Centre at Western to offer increased mental health support to students during the exam period. The funds were made possible through the fraternity’s thirdparty fundraiser, the Austen Berlet Campout and donations raised by the Schulich students. The partnership will allow additional councillors from CMHA to be available for drop-in hours on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Friday mornings. Students can simply come to the Student Development Centre and book an appointment for that same day. Matthew Caloura, president of Phi Gamma Delta, explained that the issue of mental health among students became so important to the fraternity when one of their own brothers, Austen Berlet, took his own life while suffering from bipolar disorder in 2009. “Austen was very bright and loved by everyone he came into contact with,” Caloura said. “He had everything going for him; he had a paper published by the University of Texas when he was only in grade 12 in the category of physics.” Caloura explained Berlet didn’t talk about his issues with anyone, and shocked his friends and family when he took his own life. Since
Haida Liu • GAZETTE
O
BVIOUSLY IT’S A BUSY TIME OF YEAR SO MANY STUDENTS COME IN … NOW THEY CAN ACTUALLY JUST COME IN THE DAY AND … TALK TO SOMEBODY AND THEY’LL BE SEEN THAT DAY. GAIL HUTCHINSON
DIRECTOR OF STUDENT DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
then, the fraternity has made it their goal to get rid of the stigma around mental health problems, which inspired the ABCampout. “Throughout the years since Austen’s death, it has become apparent that mental health means so much to our members,” Caloura said. “That is why we chose mental health to be the area of focus for our fundraising efforts.” Kevin Dickins, manager of community services at CMHA London explained that the opportunity is unique because the students initiated it. “We were able to turn around and use [the funds] for students at Western,” he said. “So it was really spearheaded by Western students and we’re sort of just helping
facilitate the process.” Gail Hutchinson, director at the Student Development Centre, explained that if this setup goes well they are hoping to continue the partnership during peak times throughout the 2015–2016 school year. “It’s the first time we’ve set it up this particular way,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously it’s a busy time of year so many students come in … now they can actually just come in the day and … talk to somebody and they’ll be seen that day.” Both Hutchinson and Dickins agreed that this time of year can be particularly stressful for students. Hutchinson explained how students often go “full-out” during exams, getting very little sleep, doing a lot of extra work and sometimes having a poor diet. “Those can all be contributing factors to anxiety so for sure that can be a period when more support would be needed,” Hutchinson said. Hutchinson also emphasized that the partnership is set up to be short-term, immediate support where students get some face time and one-to-one counselling. The services will be promoted by the USC and will be conducted on a drop-in basis. Students can go to room 4100 of the Student Services Building or call 519-661-3031 to set up a same-day appointment.
Finals not effective measure of assessment Julie Hambleton GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
M I L L S T. C EEPS
R I C H M O N D S T.
Ontario education initiatives are sparking debate across the province over the merit of final exams. Alan Slavin, a physics and astronomy professor at Trent University, believes final exams have their place but need to be weighted differently to better promote student learning throughout the year. “Research has clearly shown that students learn better, and retain the material longer, when given the opportunity to discuss the concepts with other students so a structured opportunity has to be given for this,” Slavin said. He added he does not believe traditional, lecture-style learning is effective, and instead learning has to be done by the student. “A student needs a substantial amount of time to absorb concepts and the inter-relationships among them, and the analytical ability to use these concepts; this cannot all be done in a cram session before a final exam.” One suggestion is a “flipped classroom” — also known as peer instruction — where students review lecture materials before class, and spend most of the class-time in groups discussing the information. This proactive teaching and learning
style promotes the student’s analytic ability to use what they’ve learned. Western vice-provost academic programs, John Doerksen, agrees that while final exams may not be the best representation of student learning, they do provide consistency across programs to determine how well students know certain aspects of the material. “It’s fair to say that final exams are not a comprehensive representation of student learning, but they do provide a common framework for assessing some aspects of it,” Doerksen said. “Most courses at Western include additional ways of assessing student learning, and the final exam is just one of the ways students demonstrate their knowledge and skills.” Doerksen said finals can be a high-stress time for many students, and it’s important for students to take control of their learning and seek help when they need it. One idea Slavin has for universities is to consider re-weighting their final exams to ease the pressure and promote more work and learning throughout the year, as opposed to cramming before a final. “[Re-weighting] removes a lot of the pressure of a final exam, and encourages the student to do well during the rest of the year when most of the learning takes place,” Doerksen said.
JACK ASTOR’S
P A L L M A L L S T.
BERTOLDI’S
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thegazette • Thursday, April 9, 2015
arts&life What gives a person style? What makes a person stand out in the crowd? How do the trends and styles seen on the runway translate into what people wear? These are the questions that our weekly fashion feature, Fashion for Friday, engaged with. But it offered more than just a chance to conduct our own investigation. Fashion for Friday allows us to turn an eye on students, giving them an opportunity to see themselves in the paper. Unlike my predecessor, I do not have an eye for fashion but the weekly column was able to continue thanks to the work of several of the Arts and Life
songmeanings The Tragically Hip’s song Fifty Missions Cap tells the story of Bill Barilko who disappeared after scoring the winning goal of the Stanley Cup game for the Toronto Maples Leafs. The Leafs didn’t win another Cup until 12 years later; the same year Barilko’s body was discovered. The Leafs will likely not win their next cup until 2042 — 50 years after this song was released.
staff, who worked hard to find unique, stylistically dressed individuals on campus. We would also like to thank all of the people who let us single them out for the weekly column and encourage them to keep rocking styles that buck the trend and stand out in a crowd. As The Gazette moves into a new iteration, hopefully we can continue this tradition and find new ways to engage with fashion and help students see themselves in the paper. • Brent Holmes
Photos by: Kelly Samuel & Jenny Jay • GAZETTE
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thegazette • Thursday, April 9, 2015
Shachar Dahan GAZETTE STAFF @uwogazette
Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE
Heaven is a better place today Author Sal Reevers talks coming-of-age hockey tragedy
Brent Holmes DEPUTY EDITOR @BrentAtGazette
Writing is a combination of thought, inspiration and craft. No one knows that better than Sal Reevers, a Western graduate, Gazette alumnus and author of Love and Fury. Love and Fury is Reever’s eighth novel. He has also written a stageplay, a book of poetry and several short stories. Sal Reevers is a pen name, as the author wants to keep his personal life and writing persona separate. “The big thing is write. W-R-IT-E,” Reevers says about the writing process. “My experience is there are people who write and there are people who talk about writing. A lot of the people who talk about writing just siphon off their creative juices that would be better spent with their seat in the chair and writing. Even if they’re not inspired, if you wait for inspiration, you may be waiting a long, long time.” Reevers graduated from Western in 1969 with a Masters in English. He completed his undergraduate degree at Western earlier in 1955 and worked as Canadian University Press editor for The Gazette during his time here. His newest work tells the story of Barnaby, a young hockey enforcer pushed into a life of sex and violence and feeling trapped in the life of a goon. Reevers makes several interesting creative decisions — while a comingof-age story, the novel opens with the protagonist’s funeral and he sets his story in 2017. “That’s sort of a safety valve,” he says. “I didn’t want to get into the historical hassle of ‘Oh, that didn’t happen.’ … If I set it in the future the question becomes could it possibly happen? And the answer, the possible answer, is yes.” Reevers interviewed several OHL hockey players to learn about their experience playing the game. “They contributed a great deal. They were crucial. I couldn’t have done it without them,” Reevers
admits. “We spent many many hours together … All the nitty-gritty about what goes on behind-the-scenes in OHL hockey came from them.” Love and Fury is a very graphic novel with frank depictions of sex — Barnaby finds himself used for sex by his landlady and puck bunnies. According to Reevers, it is not an inaccurate or exploitative novel. Some of the most shocking material has its basis in what Reevers heard from his interviews. “It was the sex thing mostly. I didn’t just dream up the landlady stuff. They told me that this happens,” Reevers says. “They told me about the puck bunnies and the easy sex. And it has to be important in a young man’s life and in a hockey player’s because it is so easy and can be upsetting as it was in the case of the main protagonist. But also significant was the professional indifference to the welfare of most of the kids who come and go in OHL hockey.” While Reevers writes about hockey and what happens on and off the ice, he admits he is not as interested in spectator sports. “It’s kind of a mystery to me actually — this loyalty business,” Reevers says. “I’m a Maple Leafs fan, in spite of everything I’m still a Maple Leafs fan. And why? It’s purely geographic.” “It’s all high school, isn’t it? I go to this high school so I’m loyal to this high school and this team. It’s not a particularly edifying sort of aspect of human nature, I don’t think. So what draws me in? It’s that rudimentary geographic affinity.” Self-publishing doesn’t give Reevers as much freedom in terms of what he wants to — he has to pursue his own media attention and arrange distribution. While he doesn’t have to pay an agent, he would much rather write than self-promote. “I think that unless [you’re a] rare genius [you’re] going to have to go that route — have to go through a self-publishing phase,” he says. “There are very, very few people now who can write something and get an agent to sell it.” Quoting Sir Philip Sydney, Reevers says his greatest desire is to write good stories that “keep children from play and old men from the chimney corner.” “I want them to say … ‘I loved it. It was a good read,’ ” Reevers says. Love and Fury can be purchased at the Western Bookstore in the basement of theUCC.
M
Y EXPERIENCE IS THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WRITE AND THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO TALK ABOUT WRITING. A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO TALK ABOUT WRITING JUST SIPHON OFF THEIR CREATIVE JUICES THAT WOULD BE BETTER SPENT WITH THEIR SEAT IN THE CHAIR AND WRITING.
The team at NeoLab Convergence is trying to revolutionize the way you take notes — well, sort of. What they’re really after is making sure your written notes all find their way to your smartphone in digital form. To achieve this goal, they have created the Neo smartpen N2. The body of the Neo smartpen N2 is aluminum with either a black or silver finish. Even with the aluminum body, the pen is easy to grip and not at all slippery. Unlike a regular pen that features a cylindrical body, the N2 is triangle-shaped with curved edges. It’s also light and, even with a motion-tracking camera, extremely compact. The pen also has terrific battery life. The Neo smartpen N2 could not be simpler to use. You begin by downloading a special app and calibrating the pen with your phone via Bluetooth. Then all you have to do is start writing in your notebook. The N2 will automatically turn on, recognize what you are writing – on which page of which book – and digitize that content. If you have the app running while using the pen,
you will be able to see your writing change to a digitized version with every stroke. If not, the pen will still record what you write and sync with your phone at a later date. The Neo smartpen N2 is a real pen so the ink eventually will dry out. New pen tips can be purchased at most office supply stores, and replacing the pen tip is as simple as pulling the old one out and sliding the new one in. A major downside of the N2 is that it only works with special notebooks created specifically for the pen, forcing you to take the notebooks wherever you go. The app is also only available for smartphones – a computer application would be a big improvement. The Neo smartpen N2 does its job of instantly storing handwritten notes and drawings, enabling a seamless transition from paper to digital. The pen is extremely helpful for students who want a digital version of their notes. The downside – and it’s a big one – is its retail price tag of $170. If NeoLab Convergence wants to see its product in more people’s hands, it’s not too early to talk about a significant price cut. But for now, anyone willing to ante up the full amount will find the Neo smartpen N2 to be a valuable tool.
SAL REEVERS
AUTHOR OF LOVE AND FURY
The Don Wright Faculty of Music offers a minor in music and a minor in dance
Courtesy of NeoLab Convergence
A wide variety of music and dance courses are available as electives for non-music students
Non-music students can audition for Large Ensembles (Orchestra, Choir Wind, Jazz)
For more details on courses, ensemble information and ensemble audition excerpts, please visit
music.uwo.ca
6 •
thegazette • Thursday, April 9, 2015
opinions
Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.
• Dr. Suess
USC taking One last magic trick itself too seriously Abracadabra Al-Azem
Re: “Team Sophie new incoming executives as Team Litchfield is disqualified,” Tuesday, April 07, 2015 To the editor: Congratulations. You’ve just chosen Gerald Ford to run the University Students’ Council. Team Sophie are unelected and in through the back door — sure, Team Litchfield may not have been Nixonian in its crookery, but still. Gerald Ford. And everyone will be upset about it, and there will be other nasty letters to the editor. People who voted for Jack will say that the process is a sham (which it probably is) and Sophie supporters will say that the other guys got what was coming to them (which they probably did) and cynics will say that it’s silly to give an unelected candidate the win (which it probably is) and The Gazette will do its best to probe the decision making process to find out if it was entirely fair (which it probably wasn’t). But you know all this already. You know all this already because these, the worst things about student government, are the very things that make it both unique and so damn dumb. Student government will always be what student government tries so hard not to be: generally full of shit. Sure, it administers the finances of student fees (though rarely very transparently) but beyond that, what do we need student government for? We don’t grapple with any deep philosophical issues of collective government or any real matters of policy. Hell, I don’t think most people on campus are sure what student government does in the first place, and yet here we are dealing with the Florida recount. Ok, I know, I know. Student government does a bunch of stuff that probably makes people’s experiences better. I know this, and everyone knows this, but the fact is that so much of what student government purports to do is kind of pointless but for that it reminds us that we are indeed the students governed. All the regulations, all the rules, all the demerits and all the structures, I assume, are meant to legitimize student government’s role in some way, to make it feel like it acts on the logic of institutional organization, to make it make sense and to make it feel real. The point of it all is to hopefully make us forget, even for a second, that it is still essentially student government that students exist under. Remember when the elections got hacked? What was so great about it, and so cringe worthy about the response, was that it was so funny. It was great because for a while, we felt like student government was okay because at least it could take a joke. Until it couldn’t. And that is pretty much where we’re at now. Once again, student government goes out of its way to try to remind us to take it seriously, to try to act like the imitation of an institution and deny itself its only virtue — its juvenility and its laughter. What is left is a student government that provokes that weird and unique mixture of shame and embarrassment for everyone who is just way too eager to sign up for council and play the game. What’s been done is that we’ve kicked out a president to uphold the letter of the law, but this has only served to deny the one thing that could redeem student government and make it worth having — the fact that it would never be so denying of its youthfulness that it would ever start taking itself too seriously. Kieran Delamont History MA
thegazette
Volume 108, Issue 100 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.
Nusaiba Al-Azem OPINIONS EDITOR @NusAtGazette
Well my haters can finally rejoice: this is the last piece I’ll write for The Western Gazette. I’ve been putting off writing this column for a while now, because every time I get around to it, I realize there’s really no way to describe my Gazette experience or how surprisingly changed I am as a result of it. Two years ago, I begrudgingly walked through the office’s front doors as a favour to a former Gazette editor and friend of mine — and I haven’t been able to leave since. I know that when I look back on this time in the distant future, it will not be with the rose-coloured breakup goggles I wear today. In the future, I’ll look back and remember how filthy this place can get, how ignorant some people can be and how much more there is in this world beyond a school newspaper. I’ll recall the copious amount of hate mail I received during my tenure. But I think, even then, I’ll remember
other things more. I’ll remember the Alexs, Kevins, Lukes, Marwas, Annies and Jordans. The once-strangers who, when I was just walking through campus like any other day, approached me to thank me for writing something they felt needed to be said. The ones who e-mailed me to tell me something I’d written made them re-evaluate their thoughts on a matter. There is no greater honour, no more satisfactory experience, than that. So I would like to dedicate this final column not only to the obvious heroes in my life: my family, friends, and fellow editors who have listened to my rants long before they turned into columns (and then read them again when they appeared in print). The other people I want to use this opportunity to thank are the “invisible” ones: Imelda, Lawna, Sandra, Nick, Arifa and all other unsung heroes who contribute to making this campus such a lovely place to spend obscene amounts of time. If you’ll humour me by allowing me to give one final piece of advice: remember that every “extra” in the movie of your life is the hero(ine) in theirs. Take the time to know and love them all, and let yourself be changed. That’s what life is all about; that is the unique and beautiful condition of humanity. And now, for Abracadabra Al-Azem’s final magic trick of Volume 108: a disappearing act.
Kelly Samuel PHOTO EDITOR @uwogazette
Five years, two majors, one bachelor’s degree and two years as a photo editor with The Gazette later, the time has finally come to unsling the camera from my neck. This experience was so much more than a job — it introduced me into the loudest, most dysfunctional, opinionated and affectionate group of people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was a part of the media information and technology community, the visual arts community, the CHRW community — even the Fanshawe music industry arts community. I was a part of a wicked house that held monthly house shows out of our basement called The Guest Room. I joined a band called Olivia and the Creepy Crawlies. But the community that stuck with me throughout my undergrad was
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.
The Gazette community. It completely defined my undergraduate experience, and I could not recommend anything more. Aside from the relationships that I’m proud to have made and sad to leave behind, The Gazette provided me with the opportunity to meet Tokyo Police Club, be in arms distance of the Toronto Maple Leafs, listen to Aaliyah JasmineSovani drone on and on about herself, meet Kenny and Spenny and wonder what they do in their personal time, get fucking wasted at Beerfest, stumble back into the office to “work” and more. A complete university experience is graduating with real experience. The Gazette was a second home, one where there was always food to snack on if Nusaiba was around and where Iain was always pulling his hair out. A home where a few people were always cuddling and someone was always trying to sleep in the studio in between balancing school, work and volunteering for us. If there is one thing I can leave behind, it’s this: go for the whole experience. Don’t pour yourself into your work without some kind of social life. And don’t do the opposite either. Find a balance and squeeze every last drop you can out of this place. It’s 100 per cent worth it.
Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Маја Анјоли-Билић
Robert Armstrong Diana Watson
Gazette Staff 2014-2015 Mohammad Abrar Abdul Hanan, Suhaib Al-Azem, Eric Bajzert, Sarah Botelho, Damon Burtt, 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.
Your anonymous letters to life
Dear Life, With less than a 25 per cent turnout, as if anybody cares… Dear Life, People seem to conveniently forget that Team Litchfield only won by 32 votes — did Western really pick a side? The votes are too evenly split for people to complain that Team Sophie wasn’t what the students wanted... Dear Life, Is it better to end the year in good standing or say the thing you really mean? [Editor’s note: Say what you need to say. Or something else that John Mayer once sang about.]
Dear Life, Last week of Helfy’s rule. How sad. Dear Life, Heard someone fell out of a window at a frat house. Anyone else?
Peanut butter and Kelly time no longer It’s Peanut Buter Kelly Time
Dear Life
Dear Life, Yup, someone definitely jumped out a window at a frat house. More details to come. Dear Life, It bothers me that someone fell out of window at the Delta Upsilon frat house. Dear Life, I’m still wondering how I can get Helfand on a date with me… [Editor’s note: You can see if he’s interested today when he inevitably responds to this Dear Life on Twitter.]
Dear Life, RIP Smokey. You ran away but you can’t outrun my heart. 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 • Thursday, April 9, 2015
sports
thursdaytweet MAX PACIORETTY DONE FOR REGULAR SEASON sounds way more dramatic than “There are 2 games left he’s obviously concussed just be patient here”
• @MikeObrand, commenting on the dramatic headlines surrounding Montreal Canadiens Max Pacioretty’s concussion.
Mustangs honoured at awards gala Julie Hambleton GAZETTE STAFF @SportsAtGazette
Western Athletics celebrated the year with the 74th annual Athletic Banquet at the London Convention Centre on Tuesday. The evening commemorated the achievements of every varsity team and also highlighted individuals who had exceptional years and careers as Mustangs. Several awards were given out, including 12 purple blankets, the male and female Athlete of the Year and the the Dr. Claude Brown and F.W.P. Jones Trophies. Purple blankets are given to graduating athletes who have made a significant contribution to Western athletics. Recipients were Caroline Ehrhardt, Kelly Campbell, Lori Josephson, Steve Reese, Steven Takahashi, Marc Addison, Brian Marshall, Ade Ojo, Sara Matovic, Jessie Mercer, Amanda Truelove and Holly Delavigne. Men’s volleyball player Justin Scapinello won the Male Athlete of the Year award after a standout season. He posted 367 total points, led Ontario University Athletics with 315 kills and was named a 2015 OUA first-team all-star. “It’s an amazing honour to be recognized, especially because of the history of athletes that Western has produced,” Scapinello said. “I couldn’t have done it without my amazing teammates, coaches and family.” Other nominees were Greg Morrow from the men’s basketball team and Daryl Waud, a lineman from the football team. The Female Athlete of the Year was Mustangs goalie Kelly Campbell, who backstopped the women’s hockey team to their first OUA and Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship. This is the second time Campbell has won the award, having won in her 2012–2013 season.
“It is such an honour to even be nominated, let alone win this award,” Campbell said. “We had such an amazing team this year, from the coaching staff, to the players and trainers. The credit goes to the girls though. I can only control the scoreboard, if it wasn’t for them, we’d lose every game.” Other nominees were Lori Josephson from the women’s rugby team and Robin Bone from track and field. The final major awards given out were the Dr. Claude Brown Trophy and the F.W.P Jones Trophy. These awards are given to the graduating male and female athletes who are deemed to have made the greatest contribution to Western Athletics. Wrestler Steven Takahashi received the Dr. Claude Brown Trophy in recognition of his fiveyear career. His accolades included eight medals at both the OUA and CIS championships and representing Canada at several international competitions, such as the 2011 Universiade and Pan American games, where he won a bronze medal. “This award is special to me, as my dad won the award when he was a graduating athlete and my mom also won the award when she graduated,” Takahashi said. “To continue the tradition as a Mustang and end my career on a good note means a lot to me.” “Growing up I remember sleeping with my parents’ purple blankets,” he continued. “Winning my own feels amazing and I am proud to be a Mustang.” Caroline Ehrhardt received the F.W.P. Jones Trophy as a testament to her incredible five years as a Western track and field athlete. Ehrhardt won 18 OUA and CIS medals, including seven provincial and 4 national gold. She holds both the OUA and CIS triple jump records and is a four-time Canadian triple jump champion.
Courtesy of Brandon VandeCaveye
PURPLE PRIDE NOW AVAILABLE ON A BLANKET. Twelve departing athletes were honoured with a pride-filled wooly sheet yesterday — what better way to celebrate an athletic career than to rest those tired athlete muscles under its warm embrace?
To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca
HOUSING
classifieds
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. 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. 416-8355293, enmars@hotmail.com.
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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
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 4 BEDROOM TOWNHOME for Rent! Walk to school & downtown, huge kitchen, dishwasher, large bedrooms, 2.5 baths, back deck, garage. Call/text 226-919-6826. 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. 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 LARGE 2 BEDROOM $875 plus personal hydro. 720 Talbot St. Steps to Western, Richmond Row, direct bus to Western, Fanshawe, downtown. Secure well managed sixplex. Coin laundry, free parking. Vern 519-872-9407 or vproperty@rogers.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS THE WALK TO FIGHT ARTHRITIS, Sunday June 7, TD Stadium. Register: 8:00am–9:30am, Walk Start: 10:00am. Help raise awareness and monetary support for arthritis sufferers and research. http://walktofightarthritis.ca 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
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
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
Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR Boys and Girls Club of London’s Capital One Race for Kids event on 6 June 2015. If you are interested in volunteering at this event, please complete the volunteer form at: www.raceforkids.ca
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.
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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
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thegazette • Thursday, April 9, 2015
For complete details visit: WESTERNUSC.CA A late night Shuttle Service, provided by the USC, offers students a safe way to get home. From April 9 to April 29, Robert Q Shuttle Busses will depart from Oxford Drive (in front of Weldon Library.)
SERVICE HOURS
12:30AM to 4:00AM • April 9–17 12:30AM to 2:00AM • April 18–29
PICK UP TIMES @ OXFORD DRIVE 12:30AM • 1:00AM • 1:30AM • 2:00AM 2:30AM • 3:00AM • 3:30AM • 4:00AM *Last bus at 2:00AM from April 18–29