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.
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thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
Caught on Camera
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Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE
SPOTTED AT WESTERN. Believe it or not, we managed to track down some Western merchandise before it’s cut up into tiny pieces by Western girls for Homecoming. Grab your HOCO gear at the Purple Store….or anywhere else with purple clothing.
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer
Senate makes changes to undergrad representation Amy O’Kruk NEWS EDITOR @AmyAtGazette
Western’s Senate adopted a recommendation on Friday to change its distribution of undergraduate student representatives seats for the first time since the ‘90s. “The enrolment patterns across campus have changed significantly [since then], so the new allocations reflect where the different balances are now for student enrolment,” said Irene Birrell, university secretary. The Faculty of Science’s student senator seats increased from one to two and separate constituencies were created for the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, with one seat each. The Faculty of Information and Media Studies will now be included in the Faculty of
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Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE
Arts and Humanities and the Faculty of Music’s constituency and removed from its previous incorporation with the Faculty of Social Science. Students-at-large dropped from six seats to four. Overall, Western’s student Senate representatives will remain at a total of 18. The recommendation came from an ad hoc committee under the Senate’s operations and agenda committee. The subcommittee was
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struck in September 2014 and consulted with the 2014-15 student senators because it was thought the outdated dispersion of seats created an imbalance in the distribution of Senators within the undergrad student population, according to the committee’s report. “We’re rebalancing to reflect the shift in the student body,” said Amit Chakma, president of Western University.
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Campus Police donates to university’s Syrian refugee fund
Campus Police have donated $1,000 to the Social Science Refugee Sponsorship Fund. John Carson, director of Campus Police, said they generate money from lost property around campus. “When we recover unclaimed bicycles and lost property, we run auctions and bike sales. The proceeds from that are put into a charity fund,” he said. For Carson, the fund was a very worthy cause to contribute to and provided another way to help out those who find themselves in crisis. “If one of our members knows of something that is of interest to them personally or we hear of something across campus like this one, we’ll sit down and have a discussion,” Carson added. “Quite often, we’ll make donations.” The goal of the refugee fund is $30,000, of which the faculty has raised $18,600 so far. The money goes towards funding a G5 private sponsorship application, which is necessary to bring a Syrian family of five to Canada. • Luke Sabourin
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, September 24, 2015
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Kyle Porter • GAZETTE
Will Toboggan still attract students? Rita Rahmati NEWS EDITOR @RitaAtGazette
For more than 20 years, Jim Bob Ray’s was a club where Western students spent numerous hazy nights. This spring, however, JBR’s made the big switch from a club to a restaurant and craft brewery. Toboggan Brewing Company opened in May and a central question has been whether it will grab the attention of young students in search of a fun night out. According to Nathaniel Baptiste, general manager at Toboggan and a former employee at JBR’s, as most students were gone over the summer it is yet to be determined who the crowd at Toboggan will be. But with the flock of students who returned to London during Orientation Week, Toboggan saw an increase in young customers. “I find that the hard party student crowd has kind of shied away from us ... the ones who might have gone to Jim Bob’s, they haven’t necessarily come back yet — we’re waiting to see,” said Tyler Turek, retail manager for Toboggan. While many students haven’t
yet been to Toboggan, some are open to the new change. Isabella Calderon, a second-year health sciences student, said that while she had not been to Toboggan, it looked nice in the photos she saw online. Gabriella Varas, a fourth-year history student, had been to Toboggan and spoke fondly of it. “It was nice, it was really different. It was just kind of a restaurant vibe,” Varas said. When asked why the decision was made to shift from a club to a restaurant, Baptiste said it was time to make a change and try something new. “There’s clubs, there’s restaurants, but where’s a brewery in the middle of downtown?” Baptiste said. “We’re a brewery and a brew pub, we’re something new, we’re trying to add to the culture of the city and we got something else to offer.” Varas echoed Baptiste. “There’s not many places downtown where you can just sit and relax and not be surrounded by loud music. So I liked it,” she said. Toboggan is the only brewery in downtown London. It brews its
News Briefs
Peer Support Centre re-opens it doors to Western students
The Peer Support Centre opens its doors this month to a new space with a completely restructured system. The University Students’ Council has partnered with professionals at Western and, under the guidelines of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, has developed a new program aimed at providing non-professional yet well-trained support for Western students. “The peer support program’s purpose is to act as a complement to students’ personal support networks,” said Alex Benac, USC vice-president internal. Volunteers are Western students selected and trained to offer empathetic, non-judgmental support for whoever comes through their doors. Located in room 256 of the UCC, when students walk in they can expect to find two to three friendly volunteers waiting to offer them resources, advice and, most importantly, an ear. Jordan Payette, a volunteer at the centre, said the students who come in set the pace for how they want their experience here to go. “If they don’t want to talk, we won’t push them. Whatever kind of support you need, we’re going to do our best to offer that,” Payette said. The Peer Support Centre is open Monday to Friday from 12 to 6 p.m. There will be a re-opening ceremony at the centre on Tuesday, Sept. 29,
at 3:15 p.m. • Jessica Padgett
Memorial service held to celebrate life of long serving music librarian
A memorial service was held last Sunday for notable Western music librarian Jane Baldwin to celebrate her dedication to the Don Wright Faculty of Music. The short ceremony featured performances from several alumni such as Caroline Hauffe, Diane Mills, Brain Ratcliffe and fellow faculty member and close friend, Ralph Aldrich. Having worked at the Music Library for 17 years, Baldwin served as a significant figure within the faculty. She first worked as a music cataloguer, then head of systems for the libraries where she was promoted to head of collections management. Aside from her official role as librarian, she will be remembered as a motivating force who encouraged numerous students to pursue a career in music librarianship. Lisa Philpott, a Western music librarian who was a mentee and close friend, notes that it was due to Baldwin’s persistent encouragement that she was able to pursue a career in librarianship. “Who knows where my career would have taken had I not met Jane? I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing and it’s a job I love,” Philpott said. • Maailah Blackwood
own beer and has a selection of other beers. The drinks menu features beers such as amber, Belgian and American pale ale. Turek also mentioned there is a beer store open within Toboggan until 11 p.m. — later than the LCBO. The food menu includes small plates such as deviled eggs and vegetarian pot stickers, salads, sandwiches such as the bacon bomb, tacos and a wide selection of pizza pies. When making the switch from JBR’s to Toboggan, the stage was left in tact as Baptiste hopes Toboggan will feature live acts in the future. “We want to really enter the music side of it as well, trying to do some live acts and do some local bands that play at our place,” Baptiste said. For now Toboggan is still too new to know if it will be a spot for Western students or attract a different crowd. “Those who maybe miss Jim Bob’s … once they come in the door, we’re looking to show them a good time and we hope they will stick around with us and they will come back in the months and years to come,” Turek said.
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thegazette
HOMECOMING 2015
H2 •
thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
Homecoming for dummies Haven’t done this before? We’re here to help Rita Rahmati NEWS EDITOR @RitaAtGazette
Winnie Lu • GAZETTE
Homecoming can be a mystical subject to those who have yet to experience the day that most students anticipate more than Christmas. Technically speaking, Homecoming is a high school or a university event to which alumni are invited. But is that really what it is? No way. Unlike American schools and what we’ve seen in movies, Homecoming does not include a dance, nor is there the coveted title of Homecoming Queen or King. Let’s be honest here — Homecoming at Western is a day for students to run around wearing purple and day drink. Every year, students wake up early in the morning and cover themselves in purple clothing and face paint. Any time between roughly 7 and 9 a.m., they gather in small groups and begin drinking. Purple Jell-O shots are always a HOCO favourite. Then, students gather on the most infamous street in London — Broughdale. Broughdale is home to some of the year’s biggest parties, pre-drinks and keggers. Whether you know someone who lives there or not, you are sure to have a great time. The entire street gets covered with Western students
and wannabe friends from out of town hoping to feel like Mustangs. Students chant O-Week cheers, spread their Western pride and make foolish decisions like climbing roofs and trees. Students should be warned that Broughdale is teeming with police — remember to keep an eye out for them. Make sure they don’t catch you peeing on someone’s lawn or publicly drinking. Also be warned that cellphone service is often terrible on Broughdale since the concentration of people is way too high, so try not to lose your friends. If Broughdale doesn’t seem like your thing, Western will also be hosting Homecoming concerts for the first time. DVBBS is set to headline the morning concert at 10 a.m. and Our Lady Peace will headline the evening event at 7 p.m. After a few hours on Broughdale many students decide to head over to the football game, which is always the most energetic one of the year. The football stadium is full and the cheerleaders and players are at their best. This year Western is facing Carleton, a much improved team who should put up a fight, so head on down – unless you’re already sick from drinking too much. After Broughdale and the football game, most students go home for a few hours to nap, shower, eat and get ready for the evening section of HOCO. I advise against naps
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ET’S BE HONEST HERE – HOMECOMING AT WESTERN IS A DAY FOR STUDENTS TO RUN AROUND WEARING PURPLE AND DAY DRINK.
because the drunk inside you will most likely not want to wake up in time to go out for the nighttime fun, so try to fight the urge to sleep. Of course there are parties on Homecoming, but if you don’t end up being invited to one, don’t fret because Richmond Row is still a great place to be. Students flock to the streets of London and it is so crowded and lively it feels like you’re in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. The clubs and bars will be fun, but make sure you get there early because the lineups are inevitably long. Enjoy your night and remember to be safe. If you want to keep the party going, wake up bright and early on Sunday so you can go to Broughdale and watch your peers embark on their walks of shame.
DO YOU EVEN GO HERE? These outsiders are trying to impersonate the Western student uniform but those corduroys are an immediate give away.
How to spot an outsider at HOCO Amy O’Kruk NEWS EDITOR @AmyAtGazette
For one weekend every year, purple-clad alumni and students fill Western’s bubble to the point of bursting — proud, rowdy and ready to celebrate Western Homecoming. Revelers beware; with a rep as Canada’s largest HOCO, plum-coloured imposters often tag along for the fun. Here are five ways to spot Western-wannabes from the real deal:
1. Broughdale Ave.
This is the place of raucous legends and a street your soph probably told you is paved in red solo cups. While bros flock to the area during HOCO, the avenue is phonetically telling. Fraudulent Westernites may holler that they’re headed to a party on “Bro-dale,” “Bruff-dale,” or another faux pas. Seasoned Londoners will pronounce Broughdale as it should be: “Broff-dale” (at least before they’ve indulged in one too many celebratory drinks).
2. Pancake keggers
It’s not Homecoming unless your rise and shine includes rolling out of bed to devour fluffy, scrumptious purple hotcakes. Any true Westerner’s morning kegger includes unlimited boxes of pancake mix and bottles of violet food colouring. These staples energize seasoned merrymakers enough to endure a full day of vigorous festivity. Inappropriately shaped flapjacks optional.
3. Canadian geese
Unfortunately, there’s no way to
warn Western’s numerous feathered friends that the campus and surrounding area are about to get cray. Western students are used to co-existing with the campus’ Canadian geese population – we know to leave them the fuck alone. On the other hand, if you see partygoers anxiously fending off a mob of hissing birds, they’re probably from Guelph. If it were cows, of course, it would be a different story…
4. Western girls
Western gals don’t waste an opportunity to squad up and don a Homecoming version of a UWO girl’s notorious uniform. Lady Mustangs are sure to sport American Apparel knee-socks, Lululemon leggings, crop tops and luxury aviators for an ensemble that’s devotedly regional. While sly pretenders may suit up, true Western girls can be distinguished by rocking their attire in a way that only those raised on Starbucks frappes can. If you’re from out of town, prepare yourself for the classic Western girl quip, “You don’t even go here…”
5. Getting crunk
Finally, Western students are veteran party-goers. After all, we were voted one of Playboy Magazine’s top 10 party schools in North America. With so many pre-HOCO fêtes, Westernites know how to get down and still make it to class the next morning. So, if you see celebrators embarrassingly incapacitated, you can be sure it’s a pack of interlopers. Western students may go loco for HOCO, but hey, we know it’s just a warm up for Halloween.
Winnie Lu • GAZETTE
Style guide: HOCO edition Samah Ali ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @SamahAtGazette
Ah, the sweet taste of Homecoming. It would be easy to say this is one of the best days the Western experience has to offer, but in reality most of the day is spent running around Broughdale trying to find friends. However, it is one of the easiest events to dress for. Homecoming has one simple requirement: wear purple. Even if you despise the colour, wear an all-white outfit with some purple accents. It’s a fairly simple uniform and it’s your chance to show support for the football game you probably won’t attend. But hey, it’s Western. Go ‘Stangs! Now let’s get into the details. American Apparel socks are an
essential. Most girls will trade in their fashionable ripped jeans for these white and purple calf warmers. It’s a staple item worn every year; in fact, it’s practically the alternative Western uniform to which most females subscribe. Welcome to Western, where we like to blend in and wear the same clothes! Your pants should be comfortable. Shorts, jeans, leggings – whatever suits your fancy. And if it’s cold, Western sweatpants are always a nice layer to carry. Since Homecoming is still a party, most girls will take to cutting up their unisex shirts and showing a little cleavage. For boys, some will cut excessively large holes in the arms of theirs shirts to prevent sweat from appearing while also showcasing their gains from the gym. Tank
tops and low-cut tops are all the rage at Homecoming. Accessories are where you can get creative. The Purple Store has you covered with everything purple: beaded necklaces, suspenders, eyelashes, feather boas and hats. Dress up or dress down your outfit with these last-minute add-ons. If you don’t want to spend money you can find them misplaced on the ground later in the day. Homecoming’s dress code is pretty easy to accomplish, but you can still turn up with the wrong thing. Never wear a jersey or colour that supports another school. Queen’s shirts are especially not welcome here. If you do this, then you have failed Homecoming and Western, so dress accordingly and don’t let us down.
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thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
Meet Thérèse Quigley, Western’s athletic director Serena Quinn SPORTS EDITOR @SerenaAtGazette
Western’s athletic director Thérèse Quigley has a beautiful, purple-painted office on the second floor of Thames Hall. While this location may not be spectacular to just anybody, it certainly is to her. That’s because it’s directly across from the gym where, in 1971, Quigley used to train, practice and play as a member of the Mustangs women’s volleyball team. Quigley was a member of one of Western’s most impressive volleyball teams from 1971-1975. The team appeared in five consecutive national finals, winning the title in 1971-72 and 1974-75 and also taking silver in 1972-73 and 1973-74. Despite the success Quigley experienced with the Mustangs, it was somewhat bittersweet. In her first season, women’s volleyball coach Joy Taylor was involved in a tragic car accident that took her life just before the team was set to compete in the national championships in 1971. “There was a sense that we weren’t sure whether or not we would even go [to nationals], but people who were very good friends of Joy said that’s what Joy would want — ‘Joy would want you to go,’” Quigley said. The team asked Fran Wigston, the coach of the London volleyball club and a professor at Althouse College, to coach them at the national championships. “So we went up to Sudbury, to the national championships and we won,” Quigley recalled. “Fran continued coaching from that point on and went on to six national finals.” While Wigston’s entrance onto the team came in light of a tragic situation, Quigley attributes much of the team’s success, as well as her personal success as an athlete, a
coach, an educator and an athletic director, to Wigston. “I owe so much to what she provided,” Quigley said. “[She] opened up our minds to opportunities that were ahead of us. Fran never looked at something and saw what you couldn’t do, she looked for what could be done. There are many lessons that I look back on now and see just how much that experience here at Western really influenced so many things and how I’ve gone about my career.” For Quigley’s contributions to the women’s volleyball team, she was awarded the FWP Jones Trophy in her graduating year as Western’s top female athlete. Now, 34 years later, she’s presenting that award to other top female athletes — something she never would have imagined. “It’s a great honour,” she said. “Quite honestly as I look back, it’s even a greater honour knowing all of the women who have been recognized over a long period of time with that particular award.” After leaving Western, Quigley taught high school and coached volleyball in London at Saunders Secondary School. She then decided to pursue a masters in sport management at the University of Alberta, where she also became a full-time coach for the women’s volleyball team. In 1984, Quigley returned to Ontario to become the head coach of the women’s volleyball team at McMaster University. Aside from coaching, Quigley worked on her doctoral studies and continued to work in sport management. In 1999, there was a separation of the academic unit and the athletic and recreation unit at McMaster. Because of that, the position of head director of athletics opened up and Quigley was very interested. “I had a background in sport management and a real passion,”
Photo courtesy of Brandon VandeCaveye
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REALLY THINK IT TOOK TIME FOR PEOPLE TO VIEW AN ATHLETIC DIRECTOR IN A ROLE THAT WAS LED BY A WOMAN. IT WAS QUITE FOREIGN REALLY. THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY
WESTERN’S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
she said. “I felt I could influence more in sport in universities in that position than I could as a coach.” While the position immediately caught her attention, it was one that was rarely held by a woman at the time — only one other woman in the country held that position. It was also a national search, which posed some tough competition, but Quigley was selected as McMaster’s first female athletic director. The new role also made her the first female athletic director in Ontario and the second in Canada.
Quigley says her new role was a transition for many people. “I really think it took time for people to view an athletic director in a role which was led by a woman. It was quite foreign really,” she said. “The first couple of years I was tested by some of the old guards and won their respect.” Despite undergoing an adjustment period, Quigley speaks highly of her 25-year career at McMaster. “It was a wonderful place to grow and develop as a professional and as a person,” Quigley said. In 2009, Quigley left McMaster and returned to London to become Western’s new athletic director. “It was a big decision because you get so connected and almost define yourself by being a Mustang or a Marauder, [but] it was a great opportunity to come back,” she said. With more than two decades of experience as an athletic director, Quigley had a lot to offer Western. One of her proudest accomplishments at Western so far has been redefining the role’s relationship with students.
That new relationship has been solidified, in part, by the development of the new all-weather turf fields located behind TD Stadium: Mustangs Field and Alumni Field. “The case for support was clearly there with the conditions of those other fields,” she said. “We had tremendous support from the student leadership.” If you go down to those fields any Saturday or Sunday afternoon in the fall, it’s clear that students, athletes and fans are taking advantage of the new facilities. The new fields are just one of many projects that Quigley has worked passionately on during her six years at Western. Quigley’s return to Western 34 years after graduating is a full-circle experience for the former Mustang. Her life today, both personally and professionally, is shaped by the experiences she had as an athlete. “It’s been a real privilege for me to have the career that I’ve enjoyed so much and it was all founded and grounded here at Western.” EVERY TUESDAY ADVER TISING FEATURE
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H4 •
thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE
Delaware celebrates 50 in style Drishti Kataria NEWS EDITOR @DrishtAtGazette
Delaware Hall, Western’s second oldest residence, is celebrating a momentous 50th anniversary on homecoming weekend. Susan Grindrod, associate vice-president of housing and ancillary services said more than 24,000 students have lived in Delaware Hall over the past 50 years. Constructed in 1965 as an all-female residence, Delaware Hall became co-ed in 1986. HISTORY According to Western’s First Century, a book delving into the history of Delaware Hall, the residence was divided into four houses named in honour of four women
who donated their time to the life of female students at Western: Dr. Ada Dorothy Turville, a professor of French and second dean of women; Miss Kate M. Gillespie, assistant librarian; Miss Olga Alice Miller of the registrar’s office and Miss Ruby E. Mason, the first dean of women. The name Delaware commemorates the first English-speaking settlement on the Thames River in Middlesex County. The first year’s operation was more frenzied for the building because a strike delayed readiness past the opening date. For the first week, residents went to Medway Hall or Sydenham Hall for their meals and the residents were also doubled in rooms for the first few months.
Shirley Carter lived in Delaware Hall the first year it opened and because renovation was not complete, each double room had three beds and the singles had two. “The lounges, I think, slept eight with bunk beds and plywood partitions to give privacy from hall traffic,” Carter recalled via email. “While this arrangement was crowded and awkward, it allowed us to become good friends with the women who would eventually move to other floors.” “I remember the floor proctor gathering us together in the hall down near her room to listen to a new album by an up and coming Canadian folk singer ... Gordon Lightfoot,” Carter continued. More than 800 residence staff members have provided leadership
to students living in Delaware Hall over the past 50 years. PRESENT DELAWARE Delaware Hall reopened its doors to incoming first years this September after a $19 million dollar renovation. “Our primary goal for the renovation was to maintain the traditional features of the building, while adding modern amenities to enhance comfort,” Grindrod said. “Floor lounges have been expanded to provide more space for activities and increase the sense of community on each floor.” With a multitude of changes, the most significant ones include true air conditioning, updated kitchen servery and bathrooms, new closets and new lounge furniture.
“I absolutely love it,” said Megan Levine, first-year student in arts and humanities. She is living on the first floor in Delaware Hall. “It feels very homey already.” Being an avid piano player, she was pleasantly surprised with the number of grand pianos in Delaware. Carol-Lynn Chambers, a Deli alumni from 1979, advised students to not take their time in Delaware for granted. “To those young women (and men) now living at Delaware — cherish your time together. Have a great balance between study and camaraderie, both are important elements of the Western experience!” Chambers said in an email. An open house at Delaware will take place on Saturday.
Cleaning up what HOCO leaves behind Richard Joseph ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @RJatGazette
Delaware under construction in 1964 • Courtesy of Western Archives
With 13,000 people confirmed on Facebook alone and two major concerts, this year’s Homecoming will be a memorable one — but cleaning up afterwards is just as important. “It’s important to make sure [Homecoming] isn’t damaging the environment or damaging community relations,” says University Students’ Council president Sophie Helpard. With the sheer number of parties and students out and about on Homecoming weekend, a few complaints about noise and mess are inevitable, but a meaningful clean up effort will establish Western as an environmentally conscious and responsible community. This year, the USC’s EnviroWestern will be the main group in charge of the post-HOCO cleanup, made up of USC members as well as volunteers. “We meet up in the morning, around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday and we first teach [volunteers] how to identify recyclables versus waste,” explains Katherine Chien, EnviroWestern coordinator. “Usually it takes an hour or two to restore the streets to what they looked like before.”
Students are divided into two teams, one to deal with recyclables and the other to deal with waste. The effort focuses on Broughdale, cleaning up cans, plastic cups, bottles and garbage. Additionally, Alumni Western is spearheading an on-campus cleanup. Many Western alumni will be out to gather garbage and recycling from the concerts and students are encouraged to take part in this too — our campus, our responsibility. Helpard, herself a part of the cleanup crew two years ago, recalls that city councillors often dropped by to thank them for their hard work. “It’s a really nice atmosphere, a small group of very passionate people who … care about the community,” she says. Even students at Homecoming can do their part to reduce waste. “Bring your own water bottle,” Chien advises. “That’s the biggest thing we see, a lot of water bottles and cups. There’s no easy way to tell a partying student to put their cup in the recycling when they’re done … so if you at least aim for the garbage can, that makes our lives a lot easier.” Students interested in taking part in the HOCO Cleanup can visit the EnviroWestern Facebook page or contact envirowestern@westernusc. ca directly.
• H5
thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
The importance of diet for Western athletes Shane Roberts SPORTS EDITOR @ShaneAtGazette
Believe it or not, some professional athletes eat as many as 10,000 calories of food per day. Western athletes don’t eat quite this much, but in many instances they still eat an overwhelming amount of food. For sports like swimming and rowing, these athletes need to keep themselves adequately fuelled with food in order to satisfy the highenergy demands required to train for their sports. Andre Pelletier of the Western rowing team consumes about 5,000 calories a day to meet his training needs. “You get to a point where you have to take in so much that you aren’t caring about how it tastes so a lot of my meals are exactly the same,” he said. “The most important things are convenience and the macronutrients I’m looking for. That’s a big part of being an athlete — making the small sacrifices that’ll pay off in the long run.” If Pelletier was not eating all of this food, he wouldn’t have the energy to be able to compete at a high level, according to Western nutrition professor Pete Lemon. “Athletes can get by with a high amount of fat in their diet that might cause problems for an inactive person,” he explained. “If an athlete eats a lot of fat they simply use it for fuel and they don’t store it on their body, so there isn’t the negative health implications of eating a higher fat diet. In fact, some athletes need to do it in order to get enough energy to compete otherwise they are just tired all the
time.” Lemon also believes that many athletes just aren’t simply eating enough because they don’t think it is important for their performance. “Nutrition is as important as training for an athlete,” he said. “It has the same sort of impact on your performance. Everybody knows training is important, but a lot of people don’t appreciate that nutrition is important. If you don’t use this knowledge it’s going to adversely affect you because your opponents are going to [use it] and that means they will have an advantage.” This was the case with Aaron Rode of the Western swim team, who had difficulty training to the best of his ability prior to improving his nutrition. “Before I had any education about nutrition, I found it really difficult to do two workouts a day and go to school and perform well the whole time, and I think everyone on the team will agree that they notice a difference when they get a good meal in during the day,” he said. Even more challenges arise in sports like wrestling, where athletes sometimes have to starve themselves in order to lose weight before a competition weigh-in. Amanda McKee of the Western wrestling team explained the complicated process of dropping weight before a competition. “I’ve had it before where I’ve had to drop seven to 10 kilos,” she said. “For something like that, you really have to plan ahead. What I did when I was dropping that much was I made an appointment with a nutritionist and got testing to see
On the diet of the athletes Calorie Count
Andre Pelletier - Men's Rowing: 5000
calories
Aaron Rode - Men's Swimming: 4000
calories
Nolan Anderson - Baseball: 3500
calories
Amanda Boyle - Women's Soccer: 3000
calories
Anna Mckee - Women's Wrestling: 1700
calories
Jordan McGavin • GAZETTE
what the safest way to drop weight was.” So how can these athletes know if they are getting the right amount of food in their diet? Lemon explained that the most effective way for an athlete to monitor their food intake is by weighing
Alex Taylor
-running back“I live near the field and there’s two paths that you can take, so I usually take the forest path on game days and the other path on practice days. So, you know, it’s just me and the forest and my music.”
Jamal Kett -receiver-
“I have two shirts I have to wear to game day…my high school football team’s shirt and then I have a Lebron James shirt… I always have it because he’s a baller and I like to think I’m a baller too… I wear those underneath my Western Mustangs shirts – yeah, I know I’m triple shirtin’ it. I have a Tilley hat that my grandma gave me… and then I have three pins but I don’t put them on my shirt, I just keep them in my pocket. My pre-game ritual won’t change no matter where I am.”
Matt Uren -receiver-
“I don't personally have any rituals actually. Coach always does his pre-game speech in our locker room before we head out. My usual routine would be getting to the field a good 2-3 hours before game-time, getting stretched out, hopping on the stationary bike for a bit and heading out to walk the field. [I] check out the weather before getting changed.”
themselves. An athlete should be able to maintain their weight if they are eating the right amount of food. However, in some instances it can become very difficult to get enough food, even for professional athletes. “When I was at the University of Wisconsin we did some studies on
the Green Bay Packers. There were some big 300-pound-plus linemen that were eating almost 10,000 calories having trouble maintaining their weight,” Lemon said. Luckily for most Mustang athletes, a 10,000-calorie diet is not part of their daily routine.
Will Finch
-quarterback"I go for breakfast with … my dad and my step-mom [at] 8:30 to Campus Hi-Fi: great place, down the road, cheap. Games are at 1p.m., you don’t have too much time to do anything really … Just the same, prep, tape and then I always write something on my wrist before the game with a sharpie. Just write a date, just something that motivates you. Could be anything really… just something that motivates me.”
Stevenson Bone -quarterback-
“I have some weird ones. First thing is, when we leave the locker room, I have to be the last one out. When we leave for warm-ups, I have to be the first one out. [Another] was kind of like this thing that I had to start back in my old school – I like change at half time. I take off my stuff and put on new stuff because I feel like it’s just sweaty – if I could shower, I would. I change wristbands – everything. Before the game, I always try to arrive first. I always dress nice so if people walk and talk to me and stuff.”
Yannick Harou
-running back“My schedule on game day is always: wake up, shower and head to the stadium three hours before the game starts. I get all my equipment together and stretch until I have to be on the field catching punts until the team gets together. After that, we all go to the locker room for the coach's speech. [But] before that I always read a letter from my brother. It kind of calms me down before the game. [Lastly] the day before a game, I go with the o-line to eat at East Side Mario’s since my first year.”
Jordan McGavin • GAZETTE
H6 •
thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
The humble tales of our oldest alumnus Moses Monterroza ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @MosesAtGazette
Courtesy Jamie Bone
ALL IN THE FAMILY. The Bone family poses for a picture. From left to right: Jamie, Manon, Robin, and Stevenson.
Bone family bleeds purple A trio of Mustangs call Western home Shane Roberts SPORTS EDITOR @ShaneAtGazette
When Jamie Bone went to visit his friend at Western forty years ago, he had no idea that the university would have such a large impact on his family for the rest of his life. Bone was a quarterback for Acadia University for the first year of his university football career. After the school year, his friend Bill Robinson told him to come visit Western. Upon arriving on Western’s campus, Bone fell in love with the school. “I really enjoyed it here. It is a great place of history and academically was a great school and I just thought I could see myself coming here,” he said. Bone immediately moved to Western and became the starting quarterback for the Mustangs. In
his football career, he led the team to national championships in 1976 and 1977 and won the Hec Crighton Award for being the most outstanding player in the country. The fondest memories for Bone, however, were not the results of the football games. “It’s not about the championships,” he said. “It’s about the people you get to play with. We always had a very close team … I don’t think we necessarily were the most talented, we just liked each other and we trusted each other.” These days, Jamie is proud that his two children, Robin and Stevenson, decided to attend his alma mater and compete for his beloved Mustangs. Robin is currently the captain of the track and field team and Stevenson is a backup quarterback for the football team. Robin has been particularly impressive as her track and field
Courtesy Jamie Bone
FANS SINCE THEY WERE YOUNG. Robin and Stevenson Bone hanging out with JW, the Mustangs’ mascot, at a Western football game in 1996.
career has already surpassed her father’s distinguished football career, despite a late start to the sport. Early on in her childhood Robin had a strong passion for gymnastics but in grade nine she had to retire due to too many concussions. “It was very hard for Robin to give up gymnastics,” said Jamie. “If I had to pressure her about it and I said ‘what’s your favourite sport?’ I still think she might say gymnastics.” Robin quickly overcame the abrupt end to her gymnastic career when she began to pole vault. At first, she struggled with pole vault and she came in last place in her first few competitions. After one of these first competitions she heard people making fun of the helmet she has to wear while pole vaulting to protect her head from concussions. “I overheard some people talking about me in line laughing at my performance and my helmet and how stupid I looked in it … That was when I thought to myself ‘OK I’ll show you’ and it was that moment when I started to become serious with it and really start competing and becoming competitive with pole vault,” she said. Once she began training seriously she had immediate success in pole vault. She set state records in high school in Connecticut and was one of the top pole vaulters for her age group in the United States. At Western, Robin has continued to dominate the sport by becoming a national champion in pole vault. Stevenson has not had the same success as Robin, as he has constantly found himself as the backup quarterback throughout minor football, high school and university. But despite limited playing time, Stevenson has never given up on the sport because of his love for the game. Eventually his patience paid off when he had the opportunity to start some games at quarterback last year after an injury to Will Finch. “He has a really unique story of perseverance because a lot of guys would’ve packed it in along the way, but he didn’t,” Jamie said. “He liked it so much he just kept playing and wanted to try and do his best and things actually worked out for him.” Jamie never pressured his children to play sports but he’s glad they did and hopes their athletic careers will have an everlasting impact on their lives just as it did on his.
Founded in 1878, Western’s history is often overlooked. As students, we’re constantly navigating through cathedral-like buildings adorned with stained glass windows and haunting gothic architecture, yet we never wonder what history lies in those rooms and buildings. That is until The Gazette reached out to a man named Gordon Pickell. Gordon is 98 years old, or as he says, “98 and a half,” and is quite possibly the oldest alumnus from Western. Graduating with a degree in general arts, Gordon left the university in 1944. But before studying at Western, Gordon spent six years toiling away on his home farm, ploughing the fields and harvesting crops. He recalls “walking behind the plough driving a team of horses. You do a lot of thinking with all that time.” And it was in those contemplative times where Gordon discovered what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. “I realized I wanted to be a minister,” Gordon says. “I pulled the horses over and took them to the barn and went to talk to my mother.” And so, the 21-year-old aspiring minister enrolled in the University of Western Ontario. He rode the London Port Stanley Railroad to and from the city daily to get to school; however, whenever the occasion presented itself, Gordon would ride into town driving a milk truck. His time as a student was certainly far more different than students today. Back then, there was an undeniable presence of war in almost every facet of society. That is why Gordon found himself simultaneously training and studying.
I
REALIZED I WANTED TO BE A MINISTER. I PULLED THE HORSES OVER AND TOOK THEM TO THE BARN AND WENT TO TALK TO MY MOTHER. GORDON PICKELL
98 YEAR-OLD ALUMNUS
“I was involved with the Canadian Officers’ Training Core. And the war was on then,” says Gordon. “I reached the rank of company sergeant major while I was there.” After graduating from Western, Gordon discharged from the COTC and continued his studies of becoming a minister. Gordon would go on to become a family-orientated and warmhearted person. Amanda Dodge, previous caretaker in Gordon’s home and now a good friend of his, attests to this fact. “I can mostly tell you how important family is to him; how genuine he is, kind and warm,” says Dodge. “[He is very] able in his years – determined to maintain his independence and [do] everything he can for himself.” When asked about his secret to living so long, Gordon laughed and replied, “Well I just let the calendar move on.” He also says to “get a fair amount of rest and drink lots of milk. I still drink milk three times a day.” His final piece of advice was to “enjoy life as you go through it and don’t let it pass without recognizing what’s happening in yourself and in the world.”
Courtesy of Amanda Dodge
MUSTANG FOR LIFE. Gordon and Donna Pickell pose with Gord’s 1944 diploma from the University of Western Ontario.
• H7
thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
Will Finch is back and on a mission Nathan Kanter DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR @NathanAtGazette
It was on Oct. 25, 2014 that Western Mustangs football fans took a collective gasp. For the second time in 21 days, quarterback Will Finch had been knocked so hard he didn’t know what was what. The first hit came against the McMaster Marauders and Finch remembers almost nothing afterwards, other than how woozy he was. But he can describe exactly what happened that led up to it. “It was on a free play: [we] snapped the ball and a [Canadian Football League] player now – Nick Shortill, he’s a hard-hitting linebacker – comes straight off the edge, full-rush, untouched and just dinged me,” Finch recalls, nearly a year after the incident. “And so that’s all I really remember.” Then there was the second hit, the one that shut down his season for good, which – again – he remembers only before, not after. He’s seen the video proof the tape showing his head collide with the knee of a Windsor Lancer, but he doesn’t remember anything from the game after he went down. “I was KO’d I think on that one. I was lights out. I remember running the ball … but I just don’t really remember after the hit,” he says. Those who have seen Finch play know he has always loved to run the ball. It’s part of what makes him unique as a quarterback. You would watch him scramble and then somehow find daylight to gain another first down or run it in for a touchdown when you didn’t think it was possible. After his consecutive concussions, things have changed. The Mustang playbook now has less quarterback running, less quarterback draws and less counters. And when Finch does run, he’s now more cautious. “Before I’d actually look to truck a guy – I’d look to put my shoulder down and find someone,” he says. “But now you get the most yards you can, until you’re within a couple yards of someone and you slide – you get down.” It’s a necessary change after spending more than a month in a dark room. A month with no visual stimulation – no movies, no video games, no television. And a month without any exercise. “Going on the bike, you get a headache,” Finch says. “I tried doing a light workout – I tried squatting the bar, just by itself, which is really not
Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE
that much weight, but I was getting headaches and I was sore. I just felt not good at all. Something just didn’t feel right.” He helped pass the time by listening to movies he had seen millions of times before. “I knew them off by heart so I could picture it in my head and so I would just lay there and sleep and listen to those and talk to my sister or my girlfriend – all that and I just kind of try to pass time,” he recalls. “It wasn’t really a place I want to be again.” When you talk to Finch, you get the feeling he’d much rather not talk about what happened. He’ll oblige – he’s too polite to say no – but it’s clear he just wants to focus on playing football now. It’s something he reiterates when asked about the Globe and Mail article this past summer, which mentioned Finch said he would quit football if he were to be seriously concussed again. “I think if I were to be in a state when I would be knocked out or anything like that I probably
SPORTS & GAMES
wouldn’t play again, but I’m not thinking about that too much,” he says. “I’m just having fun playing football, which is the sport I love.” In fact, he says having fun is one reason the Mustangs are doing so well this year. “We’re having a lot more fun [this year] I think,” Finch states. “We’re just playing football – we’re not thinking too much. We’re not putting too much stress on ourselves either.” Plus the team – once again – is loaded with firepower. “The only thing that can stop us from winning it all is ourselves,” he says. “Our talent, I think, is greater than it’s ever been and I’m excited to see what we can do.” Finch is right about the talent level; on paper, Western is absolutely a force to be reckoned with. Once again, they have multiple threats at multiple positions. If the Yates Cup – or the Vanier for that matter – were won on paper, they would win this year. But the same can be said of last year. And the year before. So what’s different this season? “We all know you can’t take any
team lightly,” he says. “[Last year] we were overconfident I think and [we kind of] beat ourselves. We had the talent, we just didn’t really look at the process. We looked at the outcome – winning the Vanier Cup – not looking one game at a time.” If Western truly is looking one game at a time, then Carleton this weekend for Homecoming cannot be overlooked. Finch remembers playing them two years ago when they were a much younger team and the Mustangs easily won 71–4. But last year the Ravens went 4–4 and this year they’re even better at 3–1. “They’ve gotten a lot better,” Finch says. “I’m excited for a team that wants to come in and see what they can do.” He shouldn’t be the only one. The Homecoming game should be the best game of the season so far. And it will absolutely beat last year’s Homecoming, when Western easily crushed the Varsity Blues 63–15. And after all, Homecoming is still Homecoming. “I think Western is, to me, it’s
the Division I school of the States,” Finch says. “There’s a lot of just love for the sports and for the clubs and everything, and everyone is just really into the school. And if someone goes to Western they don’t not like Western, you love Western.”
B
EFORE I’D ACTUALLY LOOK TO TRUCK A GUY – I’D LOOK TO PUT MY SHOULDER DOWN AND FIND SOMEONE … BUT NOW YOU GET THE MOST YARDS YOU CAN, UNTIL YOU’RE WITHIN A COUPLE YARDS OF SOMEONE, AND YOU SLIDE.” WILL FINCH
MUSTANGS QUARTERBACK ON HOW HIS RUNNING GAME HAS CHANGED
ALUMNI EVENTS
FRIDAY
SUNDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SATURDAY
7:00 p.m. Men's Hockey Nipissing vs Western Thompson Arena
12:00 p.m. Women's Soccer York vs WesternMustang Field 1:00 p.m. Baseball - Laurier vs Western Labatt Park
5:30 p.m. 41st Annual Alumni Awards of Merit DinnerThe Great Hall, Somerville House
11:00 a.m. Faculty of Science Dean's Homecoming BBQ with Rick McGhie Grad Club, Lower Level, Middlesex College
6:00 p.m. Engineering Alumni & Friend Reception Queen Victoria Room, Hilton Hotel, 300 King St, London, ON
SATURDAY 10:00 a.m. Cross-Country International Invitational Thames Valley Golf & Country Club, 850 Sunninghill Ave. 11:00 a.m. Women's Rugby York vs WesternAlumni Field 1:00 p.m. Football Game: Carleton vs. Western TD Stadium 5:00 p.m. Women’s Hockey U of T vs Western Thompson Arena
2:15 p.m. Men's Soccer - York vs Western Mustang Field 2:30 p.m. Hockey - Laurier vs Western Thompson Arena 3:30 p.m. Baseball - Laurier vs Western Labatt Park
CONCERTS SATURDAY 10:00 a.m. Deniz Koyu opening for DVBBS 7:00 p.m. Coleman Hell, Sloan opening for Our Lady Peace
6:00 p.m. Social Science at the Ceeps: Meet our new Dean The Ceeps, 671 Richmond St
SATURDAY
4:30 p.m. Don Wright Faculty of Music Alumni Concertvon Kuster Hall, Music Building
9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Nursing Alumni Chapter Golden Anniversary Dinner Annual Homecoming Breakfast The Great Hall, Spencers Dining Room, Somerville House Ivey Spencer Leadership Centre, 5:00 p.m. 551 Windermere Road Golden Alumni Reception Schulich 11:00 a.m. Medicine & Dentistry Delaware Hall London Convention Centre, 50th Anniversary Celebration Salons C and D, Formal Lounge, 300 York Street 2nd Floor, Delaware Hall Residence
7:00 p.m. USC 50th Anniversary Reunion The Wave, 2nd floor, UCC
SUNDAY 11:30 a.m. The Western Alumni Association Art Collection Opening McIntosh Gallery
Find the full schedule at www.alumni.westernu.ca/connect/homecoming/events Ian Greaves • GAZETTE
Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE
5 •
thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
opinions
I am a god.
• Robert Lewandowski probably said after he scored five goals in nine minutes after coming on as a sub
Oh Wi-Fi, where art thou? Rita All About It Rita Rahmati NEWS EDITOR @RitaAtGazette
The first few weeks of a new school year are always stressful as we meet new professors, read syllabi that terrify us and struggle to get out of the lazy summer zone. Needless to say, I do not need anything extra to stress me out. But unfortunately I, like many other students, have been dealing with the shitty Internet on campus and I find it absolutely unacceptable. I remember the Wi-Fi went down quite a bit last year, but it was never this bad. Out of curiosity and frustration, I decided I would keep track of when the wifi disconnects and in what buildings. I found the internet went down a minimum of four times last week, the first full week of school. Monday, Sept. 14, Tuesday, Sept. 15, Wednesday, Sept. 16 and Thursday Sept. 17. Notice a pattern here? It went down every single day. I was not on campus much Friday so for all I know it went down then too. Each time the Wi-Fi disconnected it was between approximately 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. — the times when most students are on campus and the times when most students require Internet. The nun on Game of Thrones should go to the ITS building and yell “shame” at every worker. After doing some research, I found that the ITS base budget was $6,727,677 in the 2014–15 school year and is approximately $6,722,387 for 2015-16 — just over $200 a student. Additionally, the information technology infrastructure fund was $8,347,334 in the 2014–15 school year and $8,764,701 for 2015-2016. I called ITS and e-mailed them to speak about the issue and see how funds were being allocated, but unfortunately they never got back to me. Great customer service. On Wednesday, my film professor asked us to submit a brief film review online in the arts and humanities building. I wrote most of my assignment and then finished it in the Gazette office. Happy to be done, I went to submit it online, but then I realized the Wi-Fi had disconnected. This was at 1:40 pm — my assignment was due at 2:00 pm. Flustered and nervous I frantically began re-typing my entire assignment on a desktop computer at the Gazette, which worked because thankfully the Gazette desktops are connected through an Ethernet cable. Again the next day the Wi-Fi disconnected during my research methods class when we were supposed to complete an in-class assignment. The look on my professor’s face said it all — he was pissed the Internet was not connected. We managed to get through the class by working on another part of the assignment until finally the wifi connected halfway through the class and we were able to download our assignment. My tuition is over $7,000 a year and I think we should have access to quality Internet on campus — it’s a necessity for my education.
thegazette
Volume 109, Issue 6 www.westerngazette.ca
Iain Boekhoff Editor-In-Chief Olivia Zollino Print Managing Editor Nathan Kanter Digital 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.
Courtesy of AP
Yaaaaasssss Viola! Breaking Brad
Bradley Metlin OPINIONS EDITOR @BradAtGazette
I love watching the Academy Awards every year. Usually they come around the time of my birthday, so it’s almost like the film gods are gifting me with an amazing present. The first year I really followed who was going to get a nomination and took an interest in the movies was 2008 — and I remember Doubt very fondly. A film that revolves around the premise that a Catholic priest could be sexually abusing the first black boy to attend a school – there was a scene the stuck out. The scene was eight minutes long and was anchored by a mother pleading with the principal, played by Meryl Streep, not to pursue the matter further. It was spellbinding. Viola Davis played that mother and I became an immediate fan. This past Sunday, Davis became the first black woman to win the Outstanding Leader Actress in a Drama series Emmy
for her work in How to Get Away with Murder. In its 62-year history, the Emmys has never had a black woman win the prestigious award. During her speech, Davis triumphantly said, “In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me.... But I can’t seem to get there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line. “That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. And let me tell you something: the only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” A daytime soap opera actress, Nancy Lee Grahn, didn’t identify with her speech and she was savaged on Twitter for her ignorance. You could argue that Grahn was pointing out that women get crappier roles in general — not just black women. Sure, she’s right, but Grahn seems to be unaware that the problem could be worse for women of colour. A five-year study by the Director’s Guild of America notes that while only 18 per cent of television’s first-time directors are women, only 13 per cent are people of colour — male or female. Another study shows that problems
for women behind the scenes and in front of the camera are also pretty bad. If a show is created by a man, only 15 per cent of the writing staff will be women. Moreover, the majority of women portrayed on television are in their 20s and 30s — for men, it’s a decade later. Representation matters and that’s what Viola Davis was getting at — women of colour have paltry roles, for the most part, on television. I’m reminded of YouTube user Glozell’s video at Disneyland in which she teared up after meeting Tiana from Princess and the Frog. “That was the black princess,” she said. “When I went to Disney, there wasn’t even a black person in the parade, let alone a princess” I’m so glad that Davis was able to get her message out there during her speech at the Emmys. The lack of opportunity for black actresses is staggering and people must be aware that interesting roles should be accessible to everyone. As I begin to think about my undergraduate research thesis that will likely be about black actresses and the Academy Awards, I will remember the speech that Davis gave. It’s time that we think about the imaginary line in her speech and question why it exists in the firstplace.
I
N MY MIND, I SEE A LINE. AND OVER THAT LINE, I SEE GREEN FIELDS AND LOVELY FLOWERS AND BEAUTIFUL WHITE WOMEN WITH THEIR ARMS STRETCHED OUT TO ME.... BUT I CAN’T SEEM TO GET THERE NO HOW. I CAN’T SEEM TO GET OVER THAT LINE.
Do you have opinions on things and stuff? Send your letters to opinions@westerngazette.ca
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.
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, Shachar Dahan, Sam Frankel, Devin Golets, Kevin Heslop, Sara Mai Chitty, Soheil Milani, Mackenzie Morrison, Amy O’Shea, Tristan Wu, Tom Ruess, Julie Hambleton, Brittany Hambleton
News Amy O’Kruk Drishti Kataria Hamza Tariq Katie Lear Rita Rahmati Opinions Bradley Metlin Arts & Life Moses Monterroza Richard Joseph Robert Nanni Samah Ali Sports Hala Ghonaim Serena Quinn Shane Roberts
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♻
• Please recycle this newspaper •
6 •
thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
arts&life Shachar Dahan GAZETTE STAFF @GazetteCulture
In the battle of the display wars, Sharp has just taken a big lead over its competitors with the announcement that they will begin selling an 85” 8K TV. The 8K TV has a resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels. That means there are nearly 38 million pixels on the screen. 8K offers four times the resolution of 4K TVs (nine million pixels and a 4096 x 2160 resolution) and 16 times the resolution of a 1080p HDTV (two million pixels with a 1920 x 1080 resolution). The benefit of this ultra-dense pixel count 8K offers? Realism. On a really large screen — say 100-inches diagonal or greater — 8K images have a sense of depth to them that comes off as almost three-dimensional. To actually watch any 8K video, though, you’ll need to plug into all four of its HDMI inputs at once just to have enough bandwidth.
There is no doubt 8K looks amazing, but sadly, this development doesn’t mean much for consumers. Why, you ask? Because there is literally nothing to watch on your 8K screen. Even 4K displays – which came to market a few years ago – still have little 4K content to display. Sharp knows that it will be years before an 8K TV is ready for the consumer market, which is why they are mainly targeting corporate users for the new technology. If you’re somebody who needs to have all the newest gadgets as soon as they are released, then you might think again once you hear that this new 8K TV carries a price tag of $133,000. And no, that’s not a typo. Sharp may have taken a big lead over its competitors, but does it really matter? No, not really. With virtually no 8K content available, the world just isn’t ready for 38 million pixels. If you have any questions or suggestions, email Shachar at shachardahan1@gmail.com
Courtesy of Sharp
funfact Fun Fact: All of the clocks in Pulp Fiction are stuck on 4:20
Moses Monterroza • GAZETTE
An adventure worth seeing Moses Monterroza ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @MosesAtGazette
The Grand Theatre is bringing to the main stage the award winning play Hello Dolly!, a fantastical story about adventure and romance. Set in New York City, Hello Dolly! follows the affluent Horace Vendergelder who hires Dolly Gallagher Levi to be the one who arranges his marriage. In an unexpected turn of events, both characters end up falling madly in love. The play focuses on the theme of adventure, which is reflected in all aspects of the production, be it the costumes, music or dialogue. “[It’s] a story about adventure and about grabbing onto life before,
as they sing in the show, the parade passes by,” says Susan Ferley, artistic director at the Grand. “[It’s about] saying yes to adventures and stepping out of ones comfort zone.” Hello Dolly! also brings in many comedic tones with slapstick humour and witty dialogue. “[People are] going to get a lot of laughs from the humour,” Ferley says. “I was surprised. For a show that was written such a long time ago, it’s really kept up.” Hello Dolly! has been an incredible experience for London’s own high school students. Hailing from all across the city, the Grand Theatre has provided life-changing experiences. “I was in the high school project back in 2003,” says Floydd Ricketts, musical director of the play. “It was
really life changing because it was the first time that I’ve ever been on a professional stage and worked with professionals.” “It’s got my confidence up a lot more. I’ve auditioned for a lot more things,” Chevrier says. “It’s chosen my career path; I want to become a singer now as opposed to whatever I wanted to be three years ago.” Ferley says that the play’s costume design is inspired by “steam punk,” an aesthetic that brings together “steam, the Victorian era, with punk, a more contemporary fashion statement.” Hello Dolly! will premier this Friday at the Grand Theatre. Be sure to watch these high school students sing, dance, and act their hearts out.
The write way to success Richard Joseph ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @RJAtGazette
When you think of lucrative careers, you probably don’t think of authors. But with a decent understanding of publishing, marketing and digital platforms, writing is becoming an increasingly viable career option. Christopher Compton, who graduated from Western with a major in English language and literature and a minor in creative writing, is today a published author of a fantasy trilogy called Eternal Dreams. He got started online, through a site called Wattpad. “Basically, you upload work and have other people read it and comment on it,” he explains. “Through that, I started getting a lot of followers and feedback. I realized there that maybe there was a market for [my writing].” This, according to Prof. Michael Arntfield in the department of writing studies, is part of establishing an online footprint. “It’s something that gives you credibility as an author,” he says. “Any literary agent would expect a client to have a social media following or at least some kind of return on a Google search to qualify them.” The path to authorship has certainly become less conventional with the advent of the digital age. Blogging and online forums like
Wattpad offer aspiring writers an easy way to showcase their work. Even at Western, Arntfield points out there are a number of student publications, including The Gazette, that might help students “get their foot in the door” in regards to writing. Writing and communication are some of the most valued skills by employers today. Arntfield’s students come from a variety of academic backgrounds, from kinesiology to chemistry, because they recognize the value of a literary education. The dreamy, romantic author is unfortunately going to be out of his depth in this brave new world – market-savviness is essential to get your work out there. “In publishing today, you can’t really send your work out to the big guys, you start with the lower and mid-level agents,” says Compton. “For me, I just sent out my work to everyone I could … you get a lot of rejections but you can’t take those to heart.” Eventually, Compton’s trilogy went up on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but it took a lot of indiscriminate applications and waiting. Writing as a career is often viewed as unsustainable, but with a degree of planning and dedication it’s certainly possible. “It’s important to make a distinction between writing for pleasure and writing to keep the lights
Jenny Jay • GAZETTE
on,” says Arntfield. “It’s mutually inclusive and a lot of people pursue both.” For example, you could write fiction on your own time while taking contract work for technical writing or copy editing – it might not be the most romantic idea, but it’s a practical option. “In terms of stability … the writing contracts out there are no more or less stable than the rest of the contract-driven job market,” he continues. “On the other hand, if you think you’re going to hit the ground running as a best-selling novelist … well, you’d better have a
backup plan.” Compton, who has a degree in education just in case, agrees. “I always say the difference between those who make it and those who don’t is giving up too early, but I preface that by saying ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket,’” he says. “I’ll never stop writing, I’ll never give up that dream, but I also need to eat…so create a realistic support system for yourself.” “Check your ego at the door,” Arntfield advises. “Be prepared for the realities of the market, as well as the politics and legalities of professional writing and publishing.”
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HECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR… BE PREPARED FOR THE REALITIES OF THE MARKET, AS WELL AS THE POLITICS AND LEGALITIES OF PROFESSIONAL WRITING AND PUBLISHING. MICHAEL ARNTFIELD
PROFESSOR IN WRITING STUDIES
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thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015
The good, the bad, and the best: TIFF 40 Erik Bajzert GAZETTE STAFF @GazetteCulture
An Arts and Life staff member reviews his experience of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival. FESTIVAL FAVOURITE: Anomalisa What a fantastically devastating film this was! Unlike writer Charlie Kaufman’s last film, Synecdoche New York, Anomalisa is a simple and very direct story. It tells the tale of a corporate speaker trapped in a routine who suddenly finds a glimmer of happiness in the form of a woman after spending an evening with her. It’s a beautiful, stop-motion animated work of art. It’s simultaneously the funniest and the most devastating film in Kaufman’s career. The voice acting is marvellous with an especially creative performance by Tom Noonan, who played all but two characters. Kaufman’s powerful wit is every bit as sharp as it was when he first exploded onto the scene in 1999 with Being John Malkovich. Anomalisa is one of the best films of the year and potentially the best film played at TIFF 40. RUNNERS UP: Youth, The Forbidden Room – A Living Poster FESTIVAL FLOP: Welcome to F.L. Across the street from the press screening of Welcome to F.L. was a wet paint sign. Behind that sign, paint was drying on a wall. Every audience member would gain more from watching the wet paint than they would watching this pretentious, unfocused slog-umentary.
Erik Bajzert • GAZETTE
The film focuses – “focus” being used lightly – on a French Canadian high school and the students that inhabit it. Every student has a story. Only one of these stories approaches being interesting. The rest of these tales are nothing more than straight-faced deliveries of white people problems with nothing added to make the audience care. The biggest insult, however, is the film’s ending: after a series of nihilistic, meaningless vignettes, the film tries to spoon-feed its audience a nostalgic “high school is the best time of your life” message. Was this established before? Of course not, that would be something a good film would do. Overall, it’s a pointless, messy exploration of nothing. RUNNERS UP: Kill Your Friends, Baskin
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Louder Than Bombs Throughout the entirety of Louder Than Bombs, director Joachim Trier is practically screaming how talented he is at the audience. The non-diegetic cutaways, the excellent performances and the non-linear structure are all interesting artistic techniques that have worked quite well in similar films. But it’s a shame that Trier forgot to include emotional depth among his directorial flourishes because the film is just dying for it. A cliché is still a cliché, even if you threw your unremarkable script into an egg scrambler and forced the audience to figure it out. BEST PERFORMANCE: Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl This is the year of Vikander. After an
Homecoming kegger gets a little krazy Richard Joseph ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @RJAtGazette
If you’ve been on Facebook recently, you might have noticed all your friends are going to a party without you. Don’t worry, though — they weren’t invited either. At least not by the host. Secondyear BMOS student Kyle Schell wanted to host a Homecoming kegger for about 200 people. His mistake was making the event public. “We decided to make it public so we wouldn’t have all our friends asking us if they could bring roommates.... They could just bring their friends and save us time and effort,” he explains. “Clearly, we didn’t put too much thought into this.” But the event quickly got out of hand. Within 24 hours, around 4,000 people confirmed their attendance on the Facebook event. “People started adding their friends’ friends ... and then half of Western decided they wanted to show up,” he said. When the event reached about 300 people, Schell realized his duplex — with no backyard — was not up to the challenge. Schell and his roommates didn’t delete the event, though, as they wanted to see how far it would go. Eventually, 4,300 people confirmed, 200 responded with maybes and 1,100 more were invited. “There is no space,” says Schell emphatically. “And forget the pancakes. I can’t front 20,000 pancakes
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KYLE SCHELL
SECOND-YEAR BMOS STUDENT
BEST Q&A: Michael Moore – Where to Invade Next The best moments of TIFF are never the films themselves but the
question and answer periods afterwards. This year, Michael Moore’s Q&A for the Sept. 11 screening of Where to Invade Next was easily the most memorable. After answering questions about the film, the audience was given pencils from a pencil factory seen in the movie and university applications to go to school for free in Slovakia, another topic touched upon in the documentary. Then, he announced that down the street, he was holding a party for the audience. Those who attended were treated with free drinks, and food, an extended Q&A with one of the interview subjects of the documentary and, of course, a face to face meeting with Moore himself. When it came to filmmaker interaction at the festival, there was no one more open than Michael Moore.
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thegazette
EOPLE STARTED ADDING THEIR FRIENDS’ FRIENDS … AND THEN HALF OF WESTERN DECIDED THEY WANTED TO SHOW UP
already wonderful explosion onto the scene with Ex Machina, Alicia Vikander shines even brighter in Tom Hooper’s latest drama The Danish Girl. While many are hotly anticipating Eddie Redmayne’s followup to his excellent work in The Theory of Everything, many will be shocked to see just how good Vikander is. In many ways, she is the real star of the film. She plays the role of Gerta with such conviction, power, emotion and other buzzwords that catch the Academy’s eye. Vikander is one of the most talented rising stars we have today and her work in this film is no exception.
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VOLUNTEERS WANTED CAMPUS RADIO STATION CHRW is looking for all kinds of creative & fun people (Hosts, Producers, Writers, Videographers, etc.) for “Wake Up Western”, 911am weekdays on 94.9fm. See chrwradio.ca/WakeUp for info. and e-mail wakeupwestern@chrwradio.ca to register your interest.
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.
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HOUSING and I can’t afford 80 kegs either.” News of the party travelled far and wide. Schell got a job offer from a club promoter, a warning email from the ever-watchful Western housing and the cab company Uber even advertised on the page. This kind of thing happens surprisingly often. A birthday party in England and a party in the Netherlands evoked a similarly enthusiastic response, resulting in police involvement. These events have repeatedly raised concerns over Facebook’s privacy issues. So did Schell and his roommates learn their lesson? Well, the kegger is still happening, but it’s a private event at an undisclosed location. Let this be a lesson to all potential hosts — make your events invite-only!
BRIGHT ROOMY ACCOMMODATION available Oct. 1st. Includes kitchenette, living area, bath with jacuzzi tub/shower, wi-fi, laundry facilities. Furnished or unfurnished. Mature adult only. judyslink@icloud.com
UPCOMING EVENTS DANCE CLASSES AT DANCE STEPS- 275 Colborne St. between York and Horton Accessible by bus. Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop drop in or join a session. www.dancestepslondon.ca or contact us dance_steps@hotmail.com, 519-645-8515.
SERVICES PRIVATE GUITAR LESSONS. All styles, levels. Graduate of McGill and educated at Berkelee, The New School for Jazz. 30, 45, 60 min. lessons. Reasonable rates and flexible scheduling. leschiedguitar@gmail.com. 226-977-4121.
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thegazette • Thursday, September 24, 2015