Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Page 1

know

insight

experience

SINCE 1906

westerngazette.ca TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 109 ISSUE 14 2 spooky 4 u since 1906

HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORRORS

Prepare to be frightened at the American Horror Story themed haunted house in the Mustang Lounge this week. See page 9.

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

live in style. Contact now to book a tour before we fill up! www.londonprop.com

@lpc_redbricks

@lpc_redbricks

www.facebook.com/RedbricksLondon


www.westerngazette.ca

2 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015

know

PROFILE MELANIE MILLS

Volume 109, Issue 14 WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA University Community Centre Rm. 263 Western University London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial 519.661.3580 Advertising 519.661.3579

IAIN BOEKHOFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @IAINATGAZETTE

OLIVIA ZOLLINO PRINT MANAGING EDITOR @OLIVIAATGAZETTE

NATHAN KANTER DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR @NATHANATGAZETTE

NEWS DRISHTI KATARIA KATIE LEAR AMY O’KRUK RITA RAHMATI BREAKING NEWS HAMZA TARIQ OPINIONS BRADLEY METLIN ARTS & LIFE SAMAH ALI RICHARD JOSEPH MOSES MONTEROZZA ROBERT NANNI SPORTS HALA GHONAIM SERENA QUINN SHANE ROBERTS

COPY CLAIRE CHRISTOPHER PHOTO JENNY JAY TAYLOR LASOTA KYLE PORTER DESIGN JENNIFER FELDMAN GRAPHICS JORDAN MCGAVIN CHRIS MISZCZAK VIDEO SAMIYA HASSAN AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ARIEL VAISBORT

GAZETTE ADVERTISING & COMPOSING IAN GREAVES MANAGER ADVERTISING DIANA WATSON

COMPOSING MAJA ANJOLI-BILIĆ ROBERT ARMSTRONG

STAFF MOHAMMAD ABRAR ABDUL HANAN, SUHAIB AL-AZEM, ERIC BAJZERT, MAAILAH BLACKWOOD, SARAH BOTELHO, DAMON BURTT, SHACHAR DAHAN, SAM FRANKEL, DEVIN GOLETS, BRITTANY HAMBLETON, JULIE HAMBLETON, KEVIN HESLOP, DRISHTI KATARIA, SARA MAI CHITTY, SOHEIL MILANI, MACKENZIE MORRISON, OWEN PARKER, AMY O’SHEA, TOM RUESS, OREN WEISFELD, TRISTAN WU

W JENNY JAY GAZETTE

When Melanie Mills came to Western in 1997 to study English, she never imagined she would become an academic librarian here. Like many undergraduates, Melanie was unsure of what she wanted to do after she graduated. After talking to an English faculty member, she decided to pursue a master’s degree in library and information science. In this program she was first inspired to become a librarian in a course taught by now-retired lecturer Jennifer Noon. “Within the first week or two of taking that course I thought, yep, this is what I wanted to do for a living,” Melanie said. “I was quite excited by it because it was something I thought would be a challenge, but [it] was stimulating and kind of exciting after having done five and a half years of school and not knowing what I wanted to do.” Melanie has also gotten inspiration from her mother, Bonnie Burnard. Burnard was an author and has had a large impact on Melanie through her dedication to the art of writing. In fact, Melanie stated that her favourite book is her mother’s novel, A Good House. “She’s not perhaps the most prolific writer, but the quality of what she does produce — it’s something pretty special,” she said. “As an academic librarian ... I’m learning firsthand how hard it is to write and that writing isn’t something you can schedule and you just do. I’m starting to learn the discipline it takes and the tenacity it takes to write.”

Melanie was also influenced by an English professor she had in her fourth year of university. Professor Larry Garber taught his class in a passionate way that motivated her to put forth her very best effort. However, since graduating, Melanie’s passion for reading has taken the back seat to her career and family life. “The librarians you hear about in the popular culture, they are bookworms and are people that are constantly reading,” she said. “I am not like that at all in my everyday life. I think my English language and literature degree drove it out of me a bit since reading was a requirement and we had to read so very much.” Melanie’s career has also kept her distracted from reading through the projects she’s been working on. She recently served as the project manager for Western libraries’ strategic plan for 2015-18. She also played a role in developing a free online course called Student to Scholar. The course teaches academic literacy and research skills designed to assist students in online research. When asked what wisdom she would give to students, Melanie suggested they step out of their comfort zone and take interesting courses outside of their programs. “We put a lot of pressure on students to think of a university education as a practical stepping stone to a profession,” she said. “But there’s something to be said to being at an age and a stage in your life when you can just be curious.... That’s what university is about, it’s about exploring ideas.” ■■SHANE ROBERTS

WESTERNGAZETTE

UWOGAZETTE

KNOW

INSIGHT

EXPERIENCE

@UWOGAZETTE

WESTERNGAZETTE

Affiliate agreement gets reviewed by USC

Sexy or sexist?

Silent movie Faust gets a musical addition

WESTERNGAZETTE

The USC will have an independent review of the agreement that lets affiliate students pay 38 per cent of main campus for the base fee.

 PG 4

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 is owned and published by the University Student’s Council.

While Halloween is a time to explore, costumes often borderline on the offensive and unoriginal.

 PG 7

Pianist and composer Robert Bruce will be playing original scores to the 1926 classic film, Faust, at the Aeolian Hall this Thursday.  PG 10

HIGH 13 LOW 9

HIGH 15 LOW 8

HIGH 8 LOW 6

TODAY

TOMORROW

THURSDAY


• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 • 3

know

Second chance for students to keep their scholarships MAAILAH BLACKWOOD STAFF @NEWSATGAZETTE Students who do not meet the average renewal requirement for the Western continuing admission scholarship now have a second chance of regaining it. Transitioning from high school to university can be extremely challenging, especially academically, according to Valarie Sarkany, associate registrar of Student Financial Services. The continuing admission scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship that is awarded to high achieving students who enter university with an average of 95 per cent or higher. That amount is then divided up over a period of four years, contingent on that student maintaining an average of 80 per cent or higher with a full course load throughout first year. “If a student’s yearly average fell below 80 per cent, then the admission scholarship was discontinued for the remainder of the four-year eligibility period,” Sheila Macfie, chair of the Senate committee

on academic policy and awards, explained. Macfie said the new policy allows a student whose admission scholarship had been discontinued to renew their scholarship the following year if they can achieve an 80 per cent average again. “In other words, it is now the case that failing to maintain eligibility in one year does not mean that a student can never regain the scholarship,” Macfie said. Students’ academic progress will be evaluated at the end of each academic year. Effective Oct. 1, 2015, students who did not meet the given requirement must self-identify that they met the 80 per cent requirement to be considered for scholarship renewal. “Even with a high admissions scholarship, my first year wasn’t the best because just the transition going from high school to university is a struggle,” said second-year health sciences student Herman Mustafa. “It eliminates that [financial] worry because just to know that if you get the rest of that money it’s better

because university is really costly.” This policy change came about as a joint collaboration between the registrar’s office, the associate deans academic, the office of the vice-provost, SCAPA and the Senate, according to Glen Tigert, university registrar. Sarkany explained that this new policy gives students the opportunity to show that they are able to reach that benchmark once again. “I think that’s a good idea because it’s kind of unfair,” said Monica Mioduszewski, third-year medical sciences student. “University first year might be a learning curve for some people. So if they don’t maintain it first year then they’ll have a chance to do better next year and get the money that they deserve.” Macfie said the policy change will have little impact on Western’s overall finances. When students are awarded an admission scholarship in their first year, the funds are automatically set aside with the expectation that each student will hold the continuing admission scholarship. n

Water thrown on protesters RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITAATGAZETTE Two protestors say they had cold water, hot water and vinegar thrown on them outside of Jack Astor’s on Richmond St. on Saturday night. The four protesters were from the Animal Liberation Alliance: Samantha McPherson; Chelsea Gross, a main campus student; Savannah Hayes, a Brescia student; and Mounika Bosta, a King’s student. McPherson and Gross had buckets of water dumped on them while Hayse and Bosta were standing a few metres away. Ken Steeves, London Police Service’s media relations, said the investigation is ongoing and charges have not been laid yet because no one has been identified. On Monday evening they released a statement on their Facebook page saying the incident “does not reflect [the] company’s inclusive philosophy of welcoming and respecting guests.” The statement also said Jack Astors has “disciplined the staff members involved” and will “provide additional training” to staff at the downtown location. Originally, the protesters

intended to protest outside of the Barking Frog due to their “Bacon Me Crazy” party. “We showed up around 9/9:30 and nothing was happening so we saw Jack Astor’s across the street and we thought ‘you know lets kill some time’.… Location wise it was just convenient,” said Bosta, a secondyear psychology student. Within minutes of being on the sidewalk, Jack Astor’s security came outside and asked what they were doing. According to Bosta, her group explained they were protesting for animal rights and the staff responded, “You guys suck.” Bosta and her friends told security they were just showing what was going on behind the meals people eat. “They were aggressively asking us to leave and I felt very unsafe. I actually told them ‘If you feel uncomfortable with the situation, you’re welcome to call the police’ and that’s when they finally left.” Bosta said waiters and waitresses acted unprofessionally. They went to the windows and laughed and pointed, and spoke with customers about the situation. When cold water was poured on their heads the girls simply thought

“okay that’s not cool.” Next, someone wrote “Stay dry” on a window. “But then they threw hot water and that’s when we realized ‘Oh my God this is not safe — what if they throw boiling hot water?’ ” Bosta said. One of the girls was actually on the phone with police when the vinegar was thrown on them. The phone call was used to pinpoint the time of the incident on video surveillance. Bosta said five people were involved and at least one of them was a female. She added one of them yelled, “Get out of my fucking restaurant.” Bosta said she wants the police to find who did it, some type of training to be established by the restaurant and an apology to be issued. “I want an official apology. Jack Astor’s has yet to say anything,” Bosta said on Monday morning. n

Get out of my fucking restaurant. UNIDENTIFIED ASSAILANT

BRIEFS

PAUL MAYNE WESTERN NEWS

COWIN INSTALLED AS CHANCELLOR On Thursday, Western alumnus Jack Cowin was installed as the 22nd chancellor of Western University. Cowin is the founder and CEO of Competitive Foods Australia. Cowin graduated with a psychology degree from Western in 1964. He was also part of the football and the wrestling teams, and said he has many fond memories of Western. Cowin said being appointed chancellor was “a great honour” and something he had never planned. “I have views that Western should be continuing to seek excellence in what it does and that means endeavouring to get people agreeing on what they want this university to be,” Cowin said. “I’ve got some views on education, what’s required and where Western should be going in the future. I’m glad to play that role.” Cowin admitted that at the end of his studies he felt the same way many students today do: anxious. For the students out there who are anxious about their future, Cowin serves to be an example of success. “When I finished here at Western, I had no idea what I wanted to do or wanted to be but as you progress down the pipeline do the best you can, whatever it is,” he said. ■■SABRINA FRACASSI

ON STANDS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27

Solution to puzzle on page 11


www.westerngazette.ca

4 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015

know

Independent review of USC affiliate agreement AMY O’KRUK NEWS EDITOR @AMYATGAZETTE The USC’s affiliate agreement is about to come under the microscope. The University Students’ Council’s board of directors is conducting an independent review of the affiliate agreement. The agreement, created in 2012, lowered the USC activity fees paid by affiliate students to 38 per cent of those paid by main campus students in recognition that affiliate students don’t always benefit from USC main campus initiatives and services. Jonathan English, USC secretary-treasurer, said the board’s independent review stems from the agreement’s request that formal reviews are conducted by the USC and affiliate presidents every two years. The first review’s deadline was Jan. 25, 2014 and the second is Jan. 15, 2016. While English said the 2014 review was never conducted, the document specifies “if the second review is waived, the agreement shall renew for another five years, all terms and agreements remaining the same, including this provision for review and renewal.” “The big issue is that if this review doesn’t happen … then the agreement automatically renews,” English said. “We want … to identify its strengths, weaknesses, what’s appropriate, what’s not

appropriate, financial implications and strategically how it all looks, so then we can then talk about what exactly the future of it is.” In 2012, the affiliate agreement sparked controversy because Huron University College, Brescia University College and King’s University College students’ USC fee reduction resulted in an annual $450,000 loss to the USC. “The original agreement had a huge impact on the financial stability of the USC,” English said. “It’s been made to be sustainable, but I think it still reverberates in some corners of the organizations, the severity of it.” English added the review will also hopefully address the current agreement’s lack of clarity and instruction, and the shortage of evidence for its conclusions, such as why 38 per cent is the proportion of the USC fee paid by affiliate students. “There was no foresight given into the affiliate agreement … [The independent review] is to figure out what has happened to the affiliates since the affiliate agreement, and what affiliates think of the affiliate agreement because all of the organizations have changed drastically in the past five years,” English said. “We want an objective report.” English said the USC hopes to announce who will conduct the independent review by early November. n

Western removes USC approved pro-life chalk HAMZA TARIQ BREAKING NEWS EDITOR @HAMZAATGAZETTE Western Lifeline’s USC-sanctioned awareness campaign was cut short last Wednesday afternoon after the University removed their chalking from Concrete Beach outside the UCC. Sarah van Trigt, Western Lifeline’s vice-president communications, explained the club was taking part in a nationwide event that was happening at several campuses across Canada. Van Trigt said her club was focusing on the issue of sex selective abortion this year. “We chose to focus our message on sex selective abortion because that’s an issue in Canada, unfortunately,” she said. The chalking removal was spurred by a complaint on Twitter to Western’s official account. Western responded by saying the chalking had been removed. When asked by van Trigt why the chalking was removed despite being approved by the University Students’ Council, the university responded by stating their policy on chalking on campus. Western’s policy on chalking states that “chalked messages deemed to be distasteful or offensive will be removed at the direction of the associate vice-president finance and facilities or the director of Campus Community Police

COURTESY OF SARAH VAN TRIGT

Services.” “I was looking on Twitter and I saw someone had complained and they had said they were going to remove it,” van Trigt said. “So I was confused and I tweeted saying, ‘this is an approved event, just wondering why you’re removing it.’ ” Kevin Hurren, USC communications officer, stated that while the USC has oversight over programming events inside the UCC and on Concrete Beach, the University still has final say on what goes on its property. “If Western deems something as inappropriate or not allowed, they

have the final control,” he said. On Thursday, however, the University apologized for removing Western Lifeline’s chalking and said they were unaware of the USC’s approval of the event. “Following a complaint to Western’s Twitter feed, communications and public affairs requested the chalking be removed, unaware that it had been previously approved by the USC. In the future, we will check with the USC,” said Helen Connell, associate vice-president communications and public affairs at Western. n


• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 • 5

knowsports

BRIEFS

AL FOURNIER VOIT SPORTS INFO

Lacrosse wins 5th straight OUA title HALA GHONAIM SPORTS EDITOR @HALAATGAZETTE In last year’s women’s lacrosse Ontario University Athletics final, Western found themselves trailing the Brock Badgers 5–4 at half. At the time, Western was in the midst of a 56-game winning streak stretching across four seasons, including playoffs, which meant their three-year reign as provincial championships was on the line. Could they come back and win one more game to push their dominance to four seasons? As it turns out, they rallied in the second half to win their fourth straight championship and kept the streak alive. Fast forward to last week, when the Mustangs had their then 67-game winning streak snapped by those same Brock Badgers. It was Western’s second-last regular season game and they lost by a single goal, 11–10. “We used that [loss] to light a fire under us for the upcoming OUA weekend,” Sheehan Mulholland, Mustangs attacker said. “We saw Brock’s best game and we worked

on figuring out what we needed to do to shut down everything that they were doing to us.” Thankfully, the regular season loss meant little in the big picture, as Western and Brock each stormed their way through the OUA playoffs and found themselves in each other’s way with a title on the line once again this past weekend. “When we went into the finals, we knew that Brock was going to give us a tough game,” said third-year attacking forward Megan Wilkins. “But I think everyone brought their best game, which made us click well as a team.” The Mustangs successfully sought revenge, coming away with a 15–9 victory. “We brought our best game and we haven’t played that well for as long as I’ve been here,” Mulholland said. “We showed them that that one loss was a mistake.” To come away with a fifth straight championship was truly something special, especially for goaltender Caitlin Mancuso who has been a part of every victory. “It’s the hard work, drive and heart that all the girls have that

brought us to this point,” she said. “Being a goaltender is more of a mental game, it can be tough to shake off the last goal and focus on the next play.” Mancuso focused most of her efforts on improving after the team’s loss to Brock, which left her with the “player of the game” title from her team and a good wake up call. “It was tough to lose to them, I hadn’t lost a game since first year and many of the girls have never experienced a loss playing on the team,” she explained. “But, that’s the thing about winning streaks, they eventually end. I think the team used the loss as motivation to step up our game and it paid off. The final score proves that.” Wilkins says part of the team’s success is how close they are. “What separates us from most teams is that we all get along so well and we all have so much energy that we bring to our games,” Wilkins said. “We really gelled well as a team this season.” Mancuso may be moving on, but all the returning girls aim to stick together when they return next season for another OUA championship. n

WOMEN’S SOCCER FINISH SEASON IN 3RD, WILL HOST GUELPH IN QUARTERS The Mustangs women’s soccer team closed out their season this past weekend with a shutout win over the Windsor Lancers on Sunday. It was the team’s 11th win of the season, pushing their final record to 11–2–3, good for third place in the Ontario University Athletics West Division with 36 points. Last year, they finished in first in the regular season with 40 points and went all the way to the OUA finals before losing to the Ottawa Gee-Gees. But their second-place finish got them into the Canadian Interuniversity Championships where they finished fifth in the country. This season Western finished behind their two rivals: the Laurier Golden Hawks and the York Lions. York went undefeated at 15–0–1 and Laurier finished second at 12–2–2. If Western gets by the Guelph

Gryphons – who finished with a 6–10–0 record – in the quarterfinals, they will likely face the Golden Hawks in the semis. Western played Laurier twice this season, tying once and losing once. MEN’S SOCCER FINISH SEASON IN 5TH, WILL VISIT GUELPH IN QUARTERS The men’s soccer team will also face the Guelph Gryphons in the first round of the playoffs, but instead will travel to Guelph for the road game, as they finished as the lower seed. Guelph’s regular season record was 9–5–2, good for fourth, whereas Western only managed a 4–7–5 record. Western faced the Gryphons twice this season, tying 2–2 on September 2 and winning 2–0 on October 14. If the Mustangs pull off the win, they’ll be in tough in the semis against a York Lions team that only lost one game all season – unless York is upset by the eighth-seeded Waterloo Warriors.

Football team goes 8–0 SERENA QUINN SPORTS EDITOR @SERENAATGAZETTE There was a lot on the line for the Western Mustangs football team last Saturday when they took to the road to take on the McMaster Marauders, their toughest opponent of the season. Despite the highly anticipated match-up, the Mustangs put to rest any speculation that the Marauders would interrupt their perfect season, as they downed the home team 46–24. “The win was certainly important for us. I think its good to go in there and play well against a very good football team like McMaster,” Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall said. “You want to have confidence going into the playoffs and certainly a win and the way we played against a good football team is the way to get it.” With the win, the Mustangs rounded out their regular season with a perfect 8–0 record, good for first place in the Ontario University Athletics standings. The perfect record has also given the Mustangs a first round playoff bye and home field advantage as they host the semi-final match-up on November

7, at TD Stadium. “By winning that game we guaranteed a bye, which gives us a chance to rest up this weekend and heal any small injuries and have an extra week to prepare,” Marshall said. Saturday’s contest was full of OUA and Canadian Interuniversity Sport records on both sides of the field. The Mustangs set a CIS record for total points in a season with 494 and total touchdowns in a season with 64. They also set a new OUA record in total rushing yards with 2,947, beating the previous mark of 2,807 that was set by Western back in 2003. Marauder quarterback Asher Hastings also put his name on the country’s record board as the Regina, SK., native set the record for the most touchdown passes in a season as he threw his 31st touchdown pass to Dan Vandervoort with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth frame. Despite impressive records being set for both Western and McMaster, it was the Mustangs who set the tone of the contest early on. A conceded safety and a single point put the purple and white up 3–0 in the first five minutes of action. Veteran running back Yannick Harou added the first

touchdown of the day shortly after, finding the end zone on a three-yard dash to give Western a 10–0 lead after only 15 minutes of play. Harou did not stop there as he added two more touchdowns on the day on 61 total rushing yards to contribute to the Mustang victory. The Marauders put themselves on the scoreboard early in the second frame as second-year kicker Bobby Frame cut the Mustangs lead 10–3. But while Marauder fans were hoping to see their team turn it around in the second frame, a strong Mustangs defence stopped every Marauder attempt at breaking through into the end zone. The Marauders attempted to make a last quarter comeback as back-to-back touchdowns from Dan Vandervoort and Aaron Baker cut Western’s lead to 46–24. While the Marauders found their momentum in the fourth frame they did not have time to make up the deficit and it was the Mustangs who walked away with the win. The Marauders now move to third place with a 6–2 record and will host the Laurier Golden Hawks in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. n

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

From arbitration to community outreach, this program offers the unique skills you will need to launch your career as an arbitrator, conciliator, employee relations officer, mediator and many other exciting career options.

business.humber.ca/postgrad


www.westerngazette.ca

6 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015

knowsports

BRIEFS WOMEN’S HOCKEY GOES 1–1 DURING HOMESTAND The Western Mustangs women’s hockey team split two weekend games, beating the Ryerson Rams 3–1 on Saturday afternoon before falling to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 3–0 on Sunday. On Saturday, the teams traded early goals before Western’s Kendra Broad gave the home team the lead halfway through the third. Brittany Clapham added an empty netter to give the Mustangs a 3–1 win. On Sunday, Western only managed 23 shots on goal and couldn’t beat Blues goalie Hailey Farrelly on any of them. Western is now 3–2–0 this season, which has them in eighth place in Ontario University Athletics. They have scored just 11 goals in five games this season. MEN’S HOCKEY STAYS UNDEFEATED The men’s hockey team won both games this weekend 3–2. On Friday they were in Toronto to face the Varsity Blues and needed two overtime periods to get the win. The winner was a powerplay marker from defenceman Alex Micallef, his second goal of the game. Western also got a three-point night from veteran Matt Marantz. On Saturday, Western hosted the Guelph Gryphons and this time didn’t need overtime. Goaltender Greg Dodds stepped up, stopping 30 of 32 shots to get the win. Western is 5–0–0 this season. WOMEN’S RUGBY LOSES IN SEMIS The women’s rugby team travelled to Hamilton this weekend for a semi-final playoff game against the

top-seeded McMaster Marauders. Western didn’t have a chance to face Mac in the regular season but both teams were 4–1. Unfortunately, the Marauders showed their dominance in this game, as the Mustangs fell 51–7. Western will now play for OUA bronze against Queen’s this Saturday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. MEN’S RUGBY CONTINUE STRONG SEASON, MOVE TO 6–1 The men’s rugby team was in St. Catharines to face the Brock Badgers on Saturday and came away with a 38–18 win. The only loss this season for the team came at home three weeks ago against the Queen’s Gaels. The rugby team will finish off their eight-game season on the road on Halloween against Waterloo at 4 p.m. MEN’S LACROSSE FINISH SEASON 11–1 The men’s field lacrosse team had their season finale delayed on Saturday but eventually were able to finish with an 18–8 win over Nipissing. This year they have dominated the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association, scoring 164 goals while allowing just 93 and losing only once in 12 games. The Baggataway Cup, the sixteam playoff tournament, is being hosted by the Bishop’s Gators at Coulter Field in Sherbrooke, Que. Because Western finished first in the west division, they receive an automatic bye into the final-six and won’t have to play their way in. They will play either Bishop’s, McMaster or Guelph in the semis on November 7.

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE

Mustangs take down inexperienced Lancers JIMMY HUYNH GAZETTE STAFF @SPORTSATGAZETTE In their Ontario University Athletics season opener, the Western Mustangs women’s volleyball team had an easy time against the Windsor Lancers. Less than a month ago, the Lancers defeated the Mustangs in a very tight exhibition game. But unlike the previous matchup, this one saw Western win quite easily. “I thought we played sluggish [and] a little bit scared,” said Lancers head coach Lucas Hodgson. Hodsgon said this year he’s dealing with a very inexperienced team. “We have three rookies on the court at all times right now and we didn’t last year. We had four fourthyears,” Hodgson said. Windsor committed 10 errors in the fourth set alone, allowing Western to build a 13–5 lead and eventually close out the game with a fourth-set score of 25–14. The other sets were 25–21, 21–25, 25–19. Melissa Bartlett, head coach of the Mustangs, said she was looking for the season opener to be a confidence builder moving forward. “It’s the first time we opened at home in a long time and our first

opportunity to start off with a winning record, so we weren’t perfect tonight but we were good enough to get the win,” she said. The head coach highlighted the inexperience on the Mustang side, as well as the performance from a trio of second-year players. “We’re still very young. We have a lot of very young players that are going to be contributing,” she said. Bartlett complimented Western’s libero Courtney Sestric, praising her communication and solid performance overall. She also praised Taylor Beedie, Mustangs’ outside hitter, for her offensive efforts. Sestric recorded 11 digs while Beedie chipped in with seven kills and nine digs. Bartlett also recognized two players playing the middle position for Western: Kelsey Veltman and Candice Scott. Veltman was playing in her first game back from an injury and recorded 11 kills, while Scott registered eight kills and five digs. Serena Smith, fifth-year senior and outside hitter for the Mustangs, saw her team trending upward. “I think we’re just making productive steps in the right direction,” she said. Bartlett emphasized the

importance of starting the season with a win. “In our league, every team is a contender, so every win is important and every set is important,” she explained. “It was great that we could take these guys and another west division opponent whose record really does count against us. It was great to beat them in four [sets].” As for the imperfect game, Bartlett felt the team needed to improve upon their consistency moving forward. “We’re working to play more emotionally level,” she said. “In the first set, we allowed ourselves to play really high and then really low based on our scoring points and their scoring points. We’re going to work on that in practice and being more level through won points and lost points.” As the longest tenured Mustang, Smith echoed her coach’s sentiments. “Keeping this momentum and staying up at all points, whether we’re up or whether we’re down, keeping that same intensity throughout the whole game [is what we need to do],” she said. The Mustangs’ next game is against the Guelph Gryphons on Friday, Oct. 30 in Guelph at 6 p.m. n

Rowing sweeps OUAs SHANE ROBERTS SPORTS EDITOR @SHANEATGAZETTE

WORK YOUR DEGREE WITH A POSTGRAD Our postgraduate certificates help you accelerate your career by providing specialized training that builds on your previous degree or diploma combined with the opportunity to gain practical experience taking on real-world challenges.

business.humber.ca/postgrad

At 5:45 in the morning, most students are asleep in their comfortable beds. This is not the case for the Western rowing team. At this time on every weekday during their fall season, they are in the water training. Although it’s difficult, secondyear rower Larissa Werbicki believes this type of dedication is a key to their success. “We just train in a positive environment and we support each other and we’re always willing to put in the extra work,” she said. “And we have extra practices. A lot of the girls come out even when it’s on their own time.... Putting in more hours and pushing each other gives us an edge on the competition.” This weekend, Werbicki was a significant contributor to the third straight Ontario University Athletics title for the women’s team. She was a part of the boats that won gold in the lightweight eight and the lightweight double. In the doubles event she was paired with teammate Jill Moffatt. Moffatt was actually the one who

convinced Werbicki that coming to Western was worth it, as the two met when Werbicki was at Western for a recruiting visit. “One thing that drew me to Western was the team environment and the girls who recruited me here,” Werbicki explained. “Jill Moffatt sold me on the school....She was super positive and everyone is so supportive here.” Werbicki was also enticed to come to Western because of the large rowing community in Ontario. In her home province of Saskatchewan, rowing is not very popular. On the men’s side, the Brock Badgers were close to the Mustangs in team points all throughout the competition. This led to the title coming down to the very last race – lightweight doubles – where Western’s hopes lay in the hands of Brent Duncan and Logan Gleason-Blois. “It was nailbiting, it was stressful, everyone around me was worried that the banner might slip,” said veteran rower Adam Rabalski. Luckily, Duncan and GleasonBlois were able to pull away for the win and crush the hopes of the defending champion Badgers.

Although the title came down to this last race, many younger Mustang rowers played an important role in the rowing title. These rowers have developed from the team’s novice program for beginner rowers. “It’s great to win the banner especially when there’s a lot of new rowers out of our novice program from the previous year,” Rabalski said. “There [were] two guys who came in from the novice program last year that were on varsity crews this year on big boats.” Rabalski also went on to note that some athletes who have developed through the novice program have had great rowing careers, specifically, former, Western rower Jen Martins who is now competing for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team in 2016. But before some of the Western rowers chase their own Olympic aspirations, they have some business to take care of. The top Mustang rowers travel to Nova Scotia to finish off their season competing for two more championship titles at the Canadian University Rowing Championships. n


• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 • 7

insight

The

obscene in Halloween The idea that sexual power is power is a very flawed one. It’s a power that lasts for a very brief period in a young woman’s life, so long as she remains within the very narrow boundaries of what our society considers sexy. It disappears pretty quickly with time. WENDY PEARSON

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

WOMEN’S STUDIES PROFESSOR

RICHARD JOSEPH ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @RICHARDATGAZETTE Every year when Halloween rolls around, a slew of “sexy [noun]” costumes are produced and sold. These costumes make their way through the Internet, featured on “top ten worst” lists and are either lauded as sexually empowering or condemned as attention-seeking vapidity. It’s a complicated issue. On the one hand, men and women alike have the freedom to wear whatever they want, especially on Halloween — there’s no place in the modern world for prudishness. On the other hand, it’s hard not to roll your eyes at “sexy pizza rat,” “sexy Minion” or “sexy Donald Trump,” to name a few trending costumes. “On the whole, I don’t think we should be telling people what to wear,” says Wendy Pearson, women’s studies professor. “But when costumes are oversexualized, they can become sexist, which is more of an issue.” That’s one legitimate and powerful criticism of the Halloween tradition of sexy: many of the outfits sold imply an unequal power dynamic between men and women. Once, costumes for men mainly depicted figures of authority, like firemen or policemen, while costumes for women tended towards the more submissive — the stereotypical French maid, for example. However, this trend is changing. Rose McCulloch, co-owner of McCulloch’s Costume and Party Supplies downtown, offers some insight into the changing world of Halloween. “We carry what people want and over the past five years or so, the girls seem to want to look as sexy as possible,” she explains. “But women have gotten away from the French maids. That used to be huge, but I think women’s ideas of being a maid changed.” It’s certainly possible, then, that social change and ideological shifts

EVERYTUESDAY ADVERTISINGFEATURE

can influence a holiday as big and corporatized as Halloween. In fact, the argument could be made that the new trend of skimpy costumes are the expression of female sexuality, the result of a sex-positive society. But the empowerment argument for these costumes is shaky, according to Pearson. “The idea that sexual power is power is a very flawed one,” she says. “It’s a power that lasts for a very brief period in a young woman’s life, so long as she remains within the very narrow boundaries of what our society considers sexy.” Even the idea of a male costume versus a female costume might be inherently flawed and arbitrary — something like assuming pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Why, for example, should there be a separate uniform for a “girl cop” and a “guy cop”? Thankfully, this is another shifting trend. The more humorous costumes, says McCulloch, tend to be unisex; ketchup and mustard, or peanut butter and jelly, for example, have no gender. She recalls the sudden demand for orange jumpsuits, another sexless outfit, set off by the popularity of the TV show Orange is the New Black. The popularity of sexy costumes is also symptomatic of another issue, which is a tragic lack of creativity. Halloween is a great opportunity to put together an interesting and creative costume, but it takes time, thought and work. It’s easy for a guy to put on a toga and claim to be Zeus, and it’s easy for a girl to put on cat ears and black leggings, and there’s nothing terribly wrong with a low-effort costume. But why not aim for something unique? “I saw one where someone had painted herself to look like a Picasso painting and then put a frame around herself,” Pearson recalls. “That’s a lot more original, right? Work with your imagination, think of something different!” n

&ENTERTAINMENT

FOOD

Look here on Tuesdays for special Western student deals on food and entertainment from London businesses

Monday special

$7.99

FRI & SAT OPEN LATE ’TIL 4AM

WINGS BY THE POUND

With the purchase of a beverage. Dine-in only.

519.661.0490 • 25 Oxford St. W. Alibi1988

HOT ITALIAN SANDWICHES

NOWN OPE

2 CAN DINE FOR $14.99

All You Can Taste! Over 200 items!

530 Oxford Street West

519-601-6868

heartsushi.ca

Any 2 SANDWICHES. Includes 1 FREE Fries OR 1 Garden OR Caesar Salad DINE-IN OR TAKE-OUT

519-645-6262 797 York St. mamashotitaliansandwiches.com

NOW OPEN

Tuesday special

LARGE PIZZA

W EEK D AY

LU N C H SPEC IA LS

$4 .9 9 & $5 .9 9 5 19 .67 5 .1212 • m ollyslond on.com 700 Richm ond St.

FALL 2015 359 Talbot St. | www.bullandbarrel.com

FRI & SAT OPEN LATE ’TIL 4AM

FOR THE PRICE OF A MEDIUM

With the purchase of a beverage. Dine-in only.

519.661.0490 • 25 Oxford St. W. Alibi1988


www.westerngazette.ca

8 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015

insightopinions

I don’t want a nickname, I want effort STOP! Samah Time

SAMAH ALI ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @SAMAHATGAZETTE Every time I meet a new person, I quiver before I pronounce my name. It’s a friendly name I swear, but my name threatens the English tongue. My name has an Arabic root and there are certain phonemes that do not transfer over from one language to another. As much as I would like to drag out an airy “h” sound from someone else’s mouth, I can’t hate on them for not having the ability to pronounce my name. But what I can do is hate on you when you choose to not pronounce my name properly or, rather choose not to care. In the great Canadian mosaic where everyone comes from somewhere, a plethora of different names are plastered on our Facebook timelines and class lists. But just because you know these people doesn’t mean you are pronouncing their names correctly or even writing them correctly in the first place. In my culture, tribes matter. But I’m not going to list out seven names explaining my family lineage. However, I expect there to be an attempt when my first name greets you on the attendance list or as it leaks into your Twittersphere. I know others with ethnic names can vouch for me on this since there is just a failure to learn the correct pronunciation. Our names are always prefaced with a sigh, introduced with a polite statement of “I’m probably going to pronounce this wrong,” always reminding us of our foreignness. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: this isn’t a me problem, this is a you

problem. When you choose to bend my name to match the rhythms of your Western tongue, you choose to erase my identity and me. The refusal to learn someone’s name, their basic identifying feature, is you ignoring who they are as a human being. The scapegoat of phonemes is no longer in the equation. This goes down to the basics of trying to meet a person halfway. Why does someone have to break their name for you to pronounce it and you still ask them for a nickname instead? Why does someone have to shorten his or her last name because the letters that follow intimidate you? And what does this say about whose names we are willing to learn? Most people can read Zach Galifianakis or Michel Foucault without looking twice, but Quvenzhané Wallis? Chiwitel Ejiofor? Guillermo del Toro? Uzo Aduba? Forget it. Culturally, we spend extra time learning the articulations and sounds of certain bodies than we do of others. We’ll ask our French exchange students to repeat their names multiple times but we ask our Nigerian friends to give us a nickname because their names are too long. Are French names better than Nigerian names? No, it’s deeper than that. I have learned to pronounce my name to assimilate to the way we receive names here in Canada, but it’s also a product of my selfcare. After various conversations of people going over the emphasis or correct pronunciation of each “a,” I now refuse to allow people to call me “Sam” as a nickname — I’m already fixing my name for you, meet me halfway. If only I was of European descent, where my name might actually be deemed important in the Western society we live in. But sadly, I’m just another East African girl whose name you’re going to mispronounce after meeting me for the first time. n

HAIDA LU GAZETTE

Rethinking the fall reading break BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD Western’s fall study break is this week and while it’s nice to get a couple days off, Western should re-evaluate the effectiveness of this two year old initiative. Fall study break was introduced in 2013 as a way for students to de-stress and hopefully alleviate mental health issues. The break gives students Thursday and Friday off and is meant to help students catch up with schoolwork and study for exams. The University of Toronto and York University have a two-day fall study break like Western. The University of Waterloo, Brock University, University of Ottawa and McMaster University have five days off. Queen’s University is one of the few in Ontario to not have any fall break. The fall study break has a great rationale. But in practice, it isn’t as helpful as it could be. The introduction of a fall study break — and the associated loss of a weekend to hold exams — has meant that professors try and cram their assignments and midterms in before the break. Most midterms happen during the middle of October anyways, so students don’t necessarily need the extra two days off to study at this time. If professors put exams after the break then it would be more useful.

The goal is to help students with their mental health, but this doesn’t always succeed, as the most stressful period for students has already passed by the time the study break comes. Two days is also not always enough time to write essays, study for exams and for self-care. The reading break might be more useful if it were to be moved to an earlier time in October. If scheduled earlier, students would be able to prepare for their midterms and benefit from the extra time off. Specifically, moving the fall study break to the week of Thanksgiving would be a good idea. Students have Monday off anyway and even if it’s made into a full week, it would only be an additional two days off. This would save students the hassle of travel and provide time to actually study for their exams in mid-October. Moving the break to Thanksgiving weekend would make first semester balanced with the winter reading break that usually happens the third week of February. Students have as many courses and as much stress in first semester as they do second semester. And for first-year students who are starting university and trying to adjust, it might be even more beneficial for them than the winter reading week. While it is difficult to decide where to place a study break, the date we have now just doesn’t seem to be the most beneficial opportunity for students.

DEARLIFE YOUR ANNONYMOUS LETTERS DEAR LIFE,

The fall “study break” is clearly not for undergrads, but for professors and TAs. I have a midterm and two assignments due the day before, then nothing for over a week after. Thanks a lot.

DEAR LIFE,

youtube.com /user/ uwoGAZETTE

Please stop playing music out loud on the Greyhound. It is really annoying.

DEAR LIFE,

Who decided that getting a hot beverage at Starbucks while wearing a certain brand of jacket and boots would be deemed “basic white girl”?

DEAR LIFE,

Why do people post their man crush Mondays with the hashtag #bodygoals? Wouldn’t that mean you want to fuck yourself later? That’s kinda weird.

DEAR LIFE,

Why is everyone wearing plaid today? When did this become Lumberjack Monday?

DEAR LIFE,

Are fortune tellers actually accurate? Does their love potion work? Asking for a friend.

WGAZ.CA/DEARLIFE 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.”


• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 • 9

experience

Where to get it Coat:

Suzy Shier. The Canadian retailer has an attractive selection of these cardigan-jackets in various patterns, mostly under $100. The soft weave, distinctive patterning and asymmetry make it a unique and inimitable piece in any closet.

Jeans:

Boots:

Boutique in Owen Sound. Twotone leather isn’t too rare, but it’s usually a different colour between the sole and the rest of the shoe; the brown leather around the top is unusual and visually pleasing. A bit of heel adds elegance to practicality.

American Eagle. Can’t go wrong with classic blue jeans.

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

H

ybrid clothing is a tricky area in fashion. Footwear marketed as “practical and formal” generally turn out to be neither, and horrendously ugly on top of that. Jeggings are a sartorial atrocity. But every now and then you’ll see a piece that takes the best of two worlds and combines them perfectly. The cardigan-jacket hybrid that third-year psychology student Jessica Stengel wears here is a good example

of hybridization done right. “I get a lot of compliments on it,” she says. “It’s something I hadn’t really seen before in terms of the makeup of the coat.” It’s certainly a unique piece. The cascading collar, like a giant cozy pair of lapels, adds warmth as well as visual interest, and the natural fall of the fabric is pleasantly asymmetrical. The belted cardigan is also a popular trend this fall; the cinched waist is flattering, but the length and fabric convey fall-cozy like nothing else. The structuring around the shoulders, sleeves and waist takes it from fashionable cardigan to functional coat. Striped shades of gray and burgundy make the jacket stand out,

channeling fall and the changing leaves. The geometric and Aztec patterning along the collars, sleeves and hem is complex but not too busy, as Stengel has paired it with solid colours throughout the rest of her outfit. For the ladies, form-fitting jeans should go under long boots, having the added benefit of showing off your fall footwear. Men, on the other hand, should usually have their jeans looser and over their boots, possibly cuffed to break up the colour. Stengel’s leather boots are another subtler example of a hybrid. The brown leather along the top adds a rich, warm tone to the darker shades of blue and black, and a small, flashy buckle on the heel catches the light for a tasteful touch of bling.

■■RICHARD JOSEPH

American Horror Story haunts ucc SAMAH ALI ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @SAMAHATGAZETTE American Horror Story fans will be thrilled to know there will be a themed haunted house in the Mustang Lounge this week. The event is in support of Food Support Services and organized by the University Students’ Council charity committee. They’re changing things up this year by making the event free and accepting non-perishable food donations instead. Promotions coordinator Michael Goldie encourages students to donate food because of the closeto-home service provided by Food Support Services. They provide financially unstable students with two meals within 24 hours of an email request, keeping an anonymous policy so no one goes unfed. “I think a lot of people at Western assume that everyone is able to support themselves … but in reality there are a lot of people who give up jobs to be here, so we want to be able to help them out,” says Goldie. The committee will travel around Western neighbourhoods for a canned food drive. Students can also donate spare change

Fast food as health food ELLIS KOIFMAN CONTRIBUTOR @GAZETTECULTURE Students in the downtown area looking to get a quick and healthy lunch should try out FreshBooth, the newly opened restaurant by two Western Alumni. Located at 201 Queens Ave., the restaurant is a modern looking single room with solid white and green walls, only decorated by a few photographs hanging on one wall. There are a few tables that can seat a total of 12 patrons, plus several bar seats facing the window looking outside. Otherwise, the place is pretty empty. The radio plays loudly in the background, tuned to a station playing trendy music and advertisements. It could benefit from being turned down, but perhaps it is more for entertaining the people who are working there or waiting for their food.

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE

The four staff at the counter were all very helpful and friendly as I struggled to decide what to order. Two managers showed up while I was eating and asked me for feedback and to let them know if I needed anything. They were slower than expected to prepare my burrito, taking about 10 minutes. On my second visit to FreshBooth, my salad came very quickly, leading me to believe burritos just take extra time. Everything comes in take out containers, presumably to encourage getting your meal to go. They seemed to be turning orders pretty quickly, avoiding any real build up as couple dozen people came in over the course of an hour or so. Menu items include several different salads, wraps, burritos and bowls, all for around $10. Everything is customizable and has the option of adding protein for an extra $1-2.

Drink options were limited to Coke, Coke Zero, juice, water, coffee and tea. The sign outside the restaurant advertises smoothies, but when I inquired about them on my second visit I was told smoothies wouldn’t start being available until a few days later. WHAT I ORDERED: RIO BURRITO WITH SPINACH PITA: Rice, corn, beans, onion, tomato, cheddar cheese, lots of chicken, very light on the sweet onion sauce. Somewhat sweet overall and good medley of flavours. Pita bread is phenomenal. Pretty filling, but could be a bit more substantial. GREEN TEA: Decent, nothing special. Came scorching hot to the point of being undrinkable even after 10 minutes. KALE CAESAR: Not very filling. Long pieces of tofu, tomato, romaine, kale, parmesan, crispy wontons and standard Caesar salad dressing. Unique take on a Caesar, but could benefit from a better dressing. RATING: PRICE: GGGGF: Everything is well priced for a light meal, but could be more filling. Given the healthy ingredients, things were fairly reasonable. ATMOSPHERE: GGGHF: Very modern and simple design that fits with the healthy clean feel. Background music could be better. Feels very empty. SERVICE: GGGGF : Really fast overall but the burritos take a while. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. FOOD & DRINK: GGGGF: Excellent burrito and pretty good salad. Sizable variety of healthy menu options. Limited and fairly unhealthy drink selection, plus scorching hot tea that wasn’t great. OVERALL: GGGGF

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

instead that will go towards purchasing more non-perishable items. As for the haunted house, the theme is loosely based off American Horror Story: Freak Show. Goldie mentions they are always in need of volunteers to help out with makeup, acting and promoting in the UCC atrium, and it’s a great step to applying for the committee next year. After Halloween, the committee looks towards their next big events: Children’s Holiday Party in December, Dine in the Dark in February in support of DeafBlind Ontario Services and Relay for Life in March in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. But for now Goldie recommends coming out with your friends to the haunted house this week. “It’s like any haunted house, you don’t want to go in at the start but if you’re with friends it’s a lot more fun because if one of your friends gets scared and screams, you all laugh,” he says. “Plus it’s just an awesome thing to do with people!” Charity Haunted House will be happening from Oct. 26 to 28 from 1–3 p.m. and 6–10 p.m. in the Mustang Lounge. Contact USC Charity Facebook to get involved. n


www.westerngazette.ca

10 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015

experience

•

eventscalendar OCTOBER

28

7:00 PM

Women’s soccer quarterfinal vs. Guelph Gryphons

OCTOBER

7:30 PM

“Faust� (1926) by F.W. Murnau with Live Piano Score by Composer Robert Bruce

29

OCTOBER

30

AEOLIAN HALL 2:00 PM

Therapy Dogs

7:30 PM

Art Exhibit Reception: Michael Durham and the Fanshawe Connection

OCTOBER

31

MUSTANG FIELD

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY CENTRE ROOM: 269A

WESTLAND GALLERY

8:00 PM

All the King’s Women

9:00 PM

ALVVAYS

PALACE THEATRE

THE WAVE

MOSES MONTERROZA GAZETTE PEDAL TO THE METAL. Robert Bruce playing his comedic inspired music in the Don Wright Faculty of Music building.

12:00 PM Tannhäuser (Wagner) — live from

the Metropolitan Opera SILVER CITY CINEMAS

The silent horror of Faust MOSES MONTERROZA ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @MOSESATGAZETTE

4 Pizzas

MEDIUM

19

$

99

2 toppings on each AND 2 FREE Dipping Sauces 33 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Delivery from 11am daily 3-169 Wharncliffe Rd. S

www.pierospizza.ca 519.438.9999

Before the superhero movies, subpar reboots and the monotony of high-budget CGI flicks, there used to exist only silent films. It was a gritty and bare-bones art form that capitalized on human expression and emphatic movement. Back then, it was all about movement. Nowadays, with the embracement of technology, movies have instead focused on creating visually stimulating masterpieces. With explosions and carefully designed CGI environments, we watch movies expecting to be transported into otherworldly places. But wouldn’t it be nice to go back in time and experience the simplicity of those old black and white films? Well, this Thursday, pianist and composer Robert Bruce is accompanying the 1926 classic film Faust in Aeolian Hall here in London. If you’re unfamiliar with Faust, it’s a film based on an old tale about a demon named Mephisto who bets that he can corrupt a righteous man’s soul. It’s an age-old tale highlighting the insignificance of humans in comparison to our divine counterparts. But unlike the movies you watch in regular theatres, Faust will be accompanied by Robert Bruce on piano with a score written by himself. It’s the perfect opportunity to get that authentic silent film experience. In the olden days, films were accompanied by live musicians, and because of that, there was a “certain energy where the audience is watching the film but are also directly involved with the music,� says Bruce. Bruce has been playing piano to silent films for the last 12 years. He’s done over 400 programs and has written music ever since he could remember. What makes him unique, however, is his odd source of inspiration. “Going back to when I was about in my teens and into my twenties I was actually quite interested in old comedy and cartoons,� says Bruce. “Not just the music, but the whole multimedia experience. A lot of my early music was directly inspired by that stuff, including the Buster Keaton films.� Bruce wrote avidly as a young man, producing hundreds of works that sat idle for many years. It was only until a friend recommended

that he try accompanying silent films that he got into the craft. “I had this catalogue of music and had no idea what I was going to do with it. Then, someone asked me if I would try playing to a Buster Keaton film,â€? says Bruce. “When I tried it, it was very successful right off the bat‌. I [started] to get into it and stayed into it.â€? To his surprise, Bruce discovered a vibrant and booming culture of silent film enthusiasts. “I figured it’s such an old and lost format, I mean nobody’s going to be interested in that,â€? says Bruce. “I didn’t know that there was an already existing society that favoured silent films.â€? For Bruce, the difference between silent film and modern film is the content. “I found that in these older productions there was a certain depth or quality that you don’t always see in newer productions,â€? he said. “You go back to these people like Keaton, Chaplin and the Marx

MOSES MONTERROZA GAZETTE

I didn’t know that there was an already existing society that favoured silent films. ROBERT BRUCE PIANIST AND COMPOSER

Brothers, and you see that they’ve spent many, many years on the stage perfecting their scenes and their routines. So when they finally got into film as middle-aged adults, there was a certain maturity in their work.� If you grow weary of the fast pace and hackneyed experience of modern films, then maybe you should indulge in history’s lost art form. You never know what you will exhume from the remains of the silent film. Who knows, you might even come to enjoy it. Faust will be playing at the Aeolian Hall this Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $20, or $70 for a group of four. n


• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015 • 11

experience

Faculty of Music has more to offer KAITLIN PACKER CONTRIBUTOR @GAZETTECULTURE Students may have rarely set foot in Western’s music buildings, but the Don Wright Faculty of Music has a lot to offer students from every discipline. Assistant professor in the Faculty of Music, Sharon Wei, speaks to the positive atmosphere the Western music community has to offer. “[There is a] sense of community at Western — the music faculty is a really great example,” Wei says. “There’s such an atmosphere of support from all the faculty, from our administration and it makes it feel like anything is possible.” Meghan Hopkins, fourth-year voice student at Western, agrees with Wei. “Anyone who comes in the music faculty … just finds it warm and welcoming, even if you don’t know people,” she says. The School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities concert series is a relatively new event that reaches out to non-music students through monthly concerts. Organized by SASAH and the Faculty of Music, these concerts take place in Weldon Library. “[The hope for SASAH] is to expose more non-musical students and staff and faculty to what’s happening down the hill,” says Wei. “Hopefully this will pique people’s interest to come and check out what else is happening. There are hundreds of events.... They’re free and they happen year-round.”

Hopkins recommends music and non-music students alike to check out the percussion ensemble. “I’m not even in it, but I’d definitely say it’s one of the best ensembles at Western just because it’s so interesting,” she says. “It delves away from the classical aspect.” The music faculty offers a large variety of musical ensembles and performed pieces with genres such as classical, jazz, pop and spiritual. “Even those who aren’t interested in it could go to something that’s type-casted as classical and find a piece [they] really like,” Hopkin says. “Classical isn’t just sitting and listening to a four-hour piano concerto.” Hopkins adds that this year’s opera Hansel and Gretel is a familiar story performed in English, and is therefore an accessible concert for non-music students. “The first step is attending concerts,” Wei says, recommending students to look up the faculty’s webpage for event listings. Getting involved as a musician in the Faculty of Music’s orchestra is also a great option for non-music students with a music background, according to Wei. “I think that’s where people generally want to be involved because it’s the most fun,” she says. “We have a lot of science majors, law students — just about every faculty is represented.” Taking courses such as Vocal Methods or Listening to Music also allows students outside the faculty to experience what the music department offers.

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE

“[Listening to music] gets [students] out of the classroom and able to experience the music that we do in the faculty first-hand,” says Wei. Wei also says she hopes to see continued collaboration between the music faculty and other faculties. “I think all universities love to see that cross-collaboration, to build up community … so that we’re not all in our own domains doing our own thing, but that we really find some

common bonds,” she says. Between science majors, Ivey students or literature-fanatics, music is able to unify people within every faculty. “Everyone always has their favourite song or their favourite tune,” says Hopkins. “For us, [music] is our whole life, but for non-music students, it’s something that they can take time out of their studying to come and just enjoy.” n

For us, [music] is our whole life but for non-music students, it’s something that they can take time out of their studying to come and just enjoy. MEGHAN HOPKINS VOICE STUDENT IV

To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca

thegazette EMPLOYMENT

classifieds

COACHES/INSTRUCTORS NEEDED FOR hockey and Learn To Skate programs. Email resume to: universityskate@rogers.com or call 519-645-1136. Winter session (September to March).

VOLUNTEERS WANTED SEEKING ROMANTIC COUPLES over 18 years old who have been together for at least 3 months for a study on romantic relationships. Participants will complete questionnaires in the Love Lab at Western University. This should take less than 1 hour, and participants will receive monetary compensation in appreciation for their contribution. If interested, email uworelationshipslab@gmail.com.

PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.

For solution, turn to page 3

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. DECK THE HALLS Holiday Fundraiser - Proceeds to PAIL (Pregnancy and Infant Loss) Network. Ramada Inn 817 Exeter Rd. London. Nov. 29, 10am3pm Vendor shopping, Santa visits/photos, Raffle prizes, Silent Auction and more!

SERVICES BEAUTIFUL YOU - HAIR by Sarah Mobile Hair Services. Women’s and men’s cuts, colors, up-dos and extensions. Call, text or email today! Student group rates available. beautifulyouhairbysarah@gmail.com 226-926-6474 PRIVATE GUITAR LESSONS. All styles and 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. TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID BEING PHISHED 1. Never respond to emails that request personal financial information. Reputable companies don't ask for passwords or account details in an email.

CLASSIFIED ADS STARTING AT

8

$

ISSSUE FOR 30 WORDS 35 PER

adoffice@uwo.ca 519-661-3579

FASHION MANAGEMENT & PROMOTIONS POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

From retail management to logistics, this program offers the unique skills you will need to launch your career as a fashion buyer, logistics coordinator, product development manager, visual merchandiser and many other exciting career options.

business.humber.ca/postgrad


www.westerngazette.ca

12 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015

experiencegames

PHOTO OF THE DAY

•

CROSSWORD BY EUGENE SHEFFER

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

WORD SEARCH

DOSTOYEVSKY NOVELIST WORD SEARCH DUMAS AUSTEN BRONTE BUNYAN CARROLL CERVANTES CHATT CHRISTIE DEFOE DICKENS

FAULKNER FITZGERALD GRISHAM HAWTHORNE HEMMINGWAY JAMES JOYCE KING LEWIS LONDON

3 4 3 3 3 343 3 3 3 3 www.londonprop.com

MELVILLE MORRISON ORWELL

ROWLING SAND SINCLAIR



SPARKS STEIN SWIFT

www.facebook.com/RedbricksLondon @lpc_redbricks @lpc_redbricks

TAN TOLSTOY TWAIN

VONNEGUT WILDE WOOLF

For solution go to westerngazette.ca/solution

OWL & Course-Note Printing & Binding Large Format Printing …and more!

ROOM 265, 2ND FLOOR UCC • CREATIVESERVICES-USC.CA

ON STANDS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.