thegazette
TODAY high 25 low 14
Still going to that kegger since 1906
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015
WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
TOMORROW high 23 low 13 VOLUME 109, ISSUE 6
Wide gap in demand for HOCO concerts 6,000 tickets sold for morning EDM concert vs. just 1,000 for evening concert Iain Boekhoff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @IainAtGazette
Samar Sahnani • GAZETTE
LOOK OVER THERE! A MOOSE! Candidates for the London North Centre riding in the upcoming federal election debated on Monday night at Huron. From left to right, New Democratic candidate German Gutierrez, Green Party candidate Carol Dyck, moderator Paul Nesbitt-Larking and Liberal candidate Peter Fragiskatos. Conservative candidate and incumbent MP Susan Truppe was absent from the debate.
Candidates debate at Huron Drishti Kataria NEWS EDITOR @DrishtAtGazette
A lively debate took place at Huron College on Monday night where the federal candidates for London North Centre — minus the incumbent Conservative candidate — were present. Liberal candidate Peter Fragiskatos, Green candidate Carol Dyck and New Democratic Party candidate German Gutierrez answered questions from moderator Paul Nesbitt-Larking and audience members. All three candidates were unified in their desire to change the current electoral system, first past the post. Dyck and Gutierrez specifically stated changing to proportional representation, whereas Fragiskatos was less clear on what
ways the system would change, but promised Liberals would make changes within 18 months. Fragiskatos also stressed the needs of the students be met and specifically discussed the need for a better transportation system in London. As a former professor, he recalled seeing his students have buses drive by them due to overcrowding. Tuition, a relevant issue for students, was brought up in the debate as an important platform point for the Green Party. The Green Party has promised to abolish tuition and exercise debt forgiveness of $10,000. All parties stressed that there needs to be more jobs created for youth and that the current circumstances of unemployment are an important area for them to fix. Furthermore, the Green Party plans to ban
unpaid internships. Foreign policy inevitably came up and the candidates were unanimous in their dislike for Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s foreign policy. Dyck stated her party would aid in more UN missions than NATO ones, which are less about peacekeeping. Gutierrez boasted about the days when Canada was a leading example for peacekeeping to the rest of the world and noted that under Harper, Canada lost its seat in the Security Council. At the end of the debate, they answered questions from students and community members. Three to four students went up to ask the parties questions and focused on the environment and Bill C-51. Healthcare and foreign policy was a major concern among the non-students that asked questions.
Two concerts have been added to this year’s Homecoming celebrations and they’ve received a mixed reaction from students and alumni. The morning concert, headlined by DVBBS, has seen an overwhelming interest from students, with 6,000 tickets already sold, beating projections. The evening concert, headlined by Our Lady Peace, however, has sold just 1,000 tickets so far. The University has partnered with the University Students’ Council and Premier Life to host the concerts. The USC has contributed $10,000 to the effort, according to vice-president communications Kevin Hurren. Trista Walker, executive director of alumni relations, said interest in the morning concert has far exceeded expectations. “When we first went down this path, I think we thought success would look like 3,000 [for the morning show], so we’re already at a doubling there,” Walker said. The evening concert is a different story. While the 10 a.m. EDM concert in the morning is geared towards students and hopefully bringing them off of the Broughdale area, the evening concert is geared toward alumni and students, with Western hoping to appeal to a wider audience. “The difference, of course, is the different demographic. Students are really comfortable to purchase tickets on a smartphone or electronically… whereas alumni really like a physical ticket,” Walker said. Aside from the different target audience for the evening show, there is a price factor as well. Tickets for the morning show are just $26 for students, whereas tickets for the evening concert were priced at $44 for
students and $56 for non-students. Walker added they would be selling tickets at the football game and the welcome centre at Alumni Hall on Saturday and hopefully would attract more interest on the day. This is the first year there is a concerted effort from the University to hold events on campus for students. Last year, the USC hosted a small concert on Concrete Beach the morning of Homecoming but that did not get anywhere near the turnout they are aiming for this year. The University would not disclose how much they are spending on the new concerts.
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HEN WE FIRST WENT DOWN THIS PATH, I THINK WE THOUGHT SUCCESS WOULD LOOK LIKE 3,000 [FOR THE MORNING SHOW], SO WE’RE ALREADY AT A DOUBLING THERE. TRISTA WALKER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
With over 50 events planned for this weekend, the festivities kick off on Friday with the alumni award of merit dinner and continue into Saturday with events for alumni and students. Because of the increased number of people expected on campus this weekend, security will also increase, with presence from London police, Campus Police and a private security firm. Pancakes will be served at the morning concert and a fireworks show will accompany the evening concert, weather permitting.