Tuesday, January 19, 2016

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westerngazette.ca TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 109 ISSUE 31 finally making deadline since 1906

Student information breach

> Thousands of secondyear students have been affected by a data breach after a document was posted online for anyone to download. > MORE ON PAGE 3.

> _

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2 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

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PROFILE FAUSTINA SARI SETIAWAN

Volume 109, Issue 31 WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA University Community Centre Rm. 263 Western University London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial 519.661.3580 Advertising 519.661.3579

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JENNY JAY GAZETTE

Faustina Sari Setiawan may seem like another club president, but behind the title is an aspiring fashion merchandiser born and raised in Southeast Asia. Finishing up a double major in business and art history, the Fashion and Lifestyle Society president is set for big things in the coming years.

The Fashion and Lifestyle Society offered the budding fashion merchandiser an opportunity to gain practical experience to prepare herself for the industry. During her time with the club, Faustina has progressed from stylist to president as well as the co-editor-in-chief for the club’s publication, Volta Magazine.

The young fashion fanatic was born in Bali, Indonesia and moved to Singapore at the age of 11. Following her designer mother around at work, Faustina always took an interest in fashion but never knew where it would lead her until she came to Western.

“My family is from Indonesia and I just moved here four and a half years ago as an international student,” she says. “My mom … basically did a lot of mass production.

She didn’t really have her own collection or anything, it was more like a factory and she designed for it.”

“I felt like the Fashion and Lifestyle Society was more garnered towards preparing yourself for the fashion industry and for some reason I was really drawn to it,” says Faustina. “I just took more interest to that club more than any of the others.”

Her time at Volta has taken her to three seasons of Toronto Fashion Week as well as Toronto Men’s Fashion Week. The magazine has also offered her an outlet to develop her skills as a fashion journalist.

“I’ve always had some kind of interest in journalism … so combining my interest in journalism and interest in fashion felt perfect for me when I got into Volta,” she says.

Reminiscing about her mother’s watercolour sketches, Faustina admits her mother’s eye for fashion was a huge influence on her. Her mother became a designer in the garment industry as it spread throughout Indonesia and used her passion for art to make influential designs in the companies. While Faustina eventually left for Singapore to go to school, she still kept the same passion for fashion as her mentor.

Beyond Western, Faustina will apply to renowned fashion schools like Parsons School of Design before returning to Singapore. She hopes to secure a job as a shopper for a retail store or become a fashion journalist at Vogue.

After school in Singapore, Faustina followed her older cousins and came to Western as a marketing student.

One art history class later turned her subconscious passion into a foreseeable career in the fashion world.

Life beyond school is filled with possibilities and she expects to take advantage of every one of them, wherever they happen to be in the world.

As Faustina wraps up her last semester at Western, she hopes to inspire other fashion lovers to join F&LS or Volta to hone their talent.

■■SAMAH ALI

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WESTERNGAZETTE

Study says teacher evaluations are biased rather than informative

Fun night out or serious addiction

Psychics in demand

While gambling can lead to serious financial and emotional hardships, setting limits and not borrowing money can be a fun recreational activity for some.  PG 8

Psychichs share what it’s like to have a sixth sense at London’s Phychic Expo.

WESTERNGAZETTE

Western maintains evaluations are not gender biased although the University is looking for ways to improve the assessment.  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 Students’ Council.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016 • 3

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Students’ personal information published on note-sharing site IAIN BOEKHOFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @IAINATGAZETTE The University is investigating after a document containing personal information of 2014–15 first-year main campus students was made publicly available online.

The downloadable Excel document contains the full names, Western email addresses, what residence they were in, home phone number, cell phone number and program or faculty of current second-year students. That information can be used, for example, to find a student’s home address with a simple Google search. Other personal information, such as student numbers, personal emails and residential addresses, was not included in the file.

Western takes the safeguarding of personal information very seriously.

A statement from Western University on the release of students’ information online The document was uploaded to Course Hero, a U.S. based course note-sharing website, where anyone with an account can download the file. It was uploaded by an anonymous account that had no apparent other online history and the file upload being its only account activity.

As of Friday morning, there were four downloads of students’ information, including one provided to The Gazette. The page was removed from Course Hero’s website at the request of the University shortly after The Gazette reported on it.

The information breach came to the attention of a second-year student who Googled his friend’s Western email address. When the first result was the document containing thousands of students’ information, he contacted The Gazette.

The information contained in the file is given to Leadership and Mentorship Program student leaders, who are assigned first-year students to mentor. Beginning in 2013, the program became universal rather than opt-in for first-years, which is why the information is made available to student leaders.

The mentors are assigned between 25 and 60 students each to contact when they first come to Western and provide advice and information to first-year students.

In emails obtained by The Gazette, the “master list” was provided to all peer mentors, numbering 140 student volunteers last year.

This year, the peer mentors were provided with the information for only the students in their faculty, but still had access to students beyond their group of mentees.

It is unknown at the time of publication if the file was hacked, stolen or uploaded by someone with access to the document.

As of Friday morning, Campus Police is investigating the matter, after being contacted by The Gazette.

“Campus Police is currently investigating how this document came to be posted online and the host site is in the process of removing the document,” the University said in a statement Friday afternoon.

The University also sent out an email to all affected students, informing them of the information breach. n

Driver to plead guilty RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITAATGAZETTE The driver involved in the car crash that caused the death of a Western student will plead guilty next month.

Jared DeJong’s lawyer, Jim Dean, appeared in court last Tuesday to say his client will plead guilty for impaired driving causing death.

DeJong, who wasn't present in court Tues., struck 18-yearold Andrea Christidis, a first-year health sciences student, on Oct. 7.

She succumbed to her injuries two days later.

“The crown and I are still fleshing [the sentence] out between us.

And whether or not we end up at a common ground we’ll have to see,” Dean said in an interview. “It won’t be a light sentence for certain.”

DeJong, a 24-year-old London man, had over 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood at the time of the accident. Under the Criminal Code of Canada, the maximum sentence for having a blood alcohol level over legal limit causing death is imprisonment for life.

As Dean explained, pleading guilty is a mitigating factor in terms of sentencing. The crown and Dean are currently negotiating

The crown and I are still fleshing [the sentence] out between us. And whether or not we end up at a common ground we’ll have to see. It won’t be a light sentence for certain.

JIM DEAN LAWYER FOR THE ACCUSED IN STUDENT’S DEATH

a sentence. The crown attorney's office declined to comment on the case.

“As with any case you review all of the disclosure, the evidence on the case, you sit down and look at the case and the merits of it, you lay your options and you decide which way you’re going to proceed,” Dean said. “And obviously in this case the instructions I received after all of our discussions were to set a date to plead.”

Neither DeJong nor Dean have had any contact with the victim’s family.

DeJong is currently out on bail.

The next court date is scheduled for Feb. 17. n

BILL WANG GAZETTE

What happened: A "master list" of student information was uploaded to Course Hero for anyone to download

Who is affected: All current non-transfer second-year students

What information was released: Students' full name, Western email address, what residence they were in, home and cell phone numbers, and faculty were in the document.

What you can do: If you're concerned about your information, contact Leslie Gloor Duncan at 519-661-2111 x85183

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4 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

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Teacher evaluations produce biased results AMY O’KRUK NEWS EDITOR @AMYATGAZETTE

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“I’ll be back in 10 minutes,” your professor says towards the end of the semester.

Orange-coloured Scantron papers circulate thoughout the classroom and you stare at the question, “what is your expected grade in this course?” with grief or glee.

You know the drill. Grabbing a pencil or blue or black pen, you move on to “Section Two: Instructor Evaluation.” You scribble in boxes and then sit back after providing your “honest truth” feedback, slamming the prof. After all, you’re getting D’s and you just don’t relate to him or her or the prof’s a woman, right?

That last consideration is plausible, at least, according to a study published last week.

The research suggests student instructor evaluations are better gauges of students’ gender biases and grade expectations than they are at measuring teaching effectiveness.

While the study specifically focuses on student gender bias, its findings are raising questions at Western and other universities about the accuracy of student

course evaluations as a whole.

“There’s a bigger issue here and that’s whether student evaluations are hopelessly biased in a whole bunch of ways,” said Western assistant professor of sociology, Doug Mann.

Besides gender, Mann pointed out variables like race or age that can dramatically influence a professor’s student evaluations of teaching (SETs) depending on the pre-existing biases students bring to the classroom.

In addition, Mann said students reward teachers for light course workloads, high grades, mild criticism and “relatability” over skillful teaching.

“The ideal course at Western … is one taught by a young, attractive professor who doesn’t give a lot of work, who doesn’t criticize his or her students and who gives as high marks as they can within the system they work with,” Mann said.

This problem, other university lecturers agree, is leading to North American grade inflation and instructors pandering to students in the hopes of receiving favourable feedback.

Secondyear BMOS student Ashley Sawchuk acknowledged the end-ofcourse SETs can paint a distorted picture of the instructor.

“Even if the professor is bad, I feel like for me at least, if I do well in the course I’m like, ‘oh yeah, this is a great course, the prof can’t be that bad,’ ” Sawchuk said.

On the other hand, Western vice-provost academic programs John Doerksen said there’s a lot of research on the evaluation of teaching and courses that supports “evidence on all sides of the debate.”

“We have had a look at the outcomes of Western’s questionnaire and there isn’t evidence of gender bias in them,” Doerksen said, in response to the recent study. “For us [at Western], we feel that the course evaluations are at least some measure of the effectiveness of teaching.”

He added the student question-

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REMINDER - Board and Senate Elections - 2016 Elections for membership on the Board of Governors and Senate will take place in February 2016.

Nominations for membership on the Board of Governors in the faculty, administrative staff and undergraduate student constituencies are now accepted until 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2016.

Nominations for membership on the Senate in the faculty, administrative staff, graduate student and undergraduate student (academic) constituencies are also accepted until 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2016. Nominations for Senate undergraduate student “At Large” constituency close at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2016.

Full information on the Board and Senate elections (including the election procedures and schedule, the nomination form and voting procedures for each constituency) can be found at: Board elections: uwo.ca/univsec/board/elections.html Senate elections: www.uwo.ca/univsec/senate/elections.html

naires are only one tool Western uses to evaluate its faculty.

“There are other ways that we can also use to demonstrate effectiveness in teaching and learning and that includes … peer assessments,” he said. “There are various ways that faculty members have an opportunity to have reflections on their teaching.”

Still, Mann and other profs point out that for a tool that can produce potentially skewed results, student questionnaires shouldn’t influence university hiring decisions.

On the registrar’s website, the University states student course evaluations “will be used as feedback to the instructor and as a source of information considered in decisions regarding promotion and tenure.”

Still, Doerksen said the degree to which the student questionnaires are influential varies by Western faculty and department. He emphasized that during the University’s faculty associations last negotiation period, a working group was assigned to take a “careful look” at Western’s student questionnaire

to ensure its questions and format produce as fair and unbiased results as possible.

Overall, Doerksen said the University is open to exploring new methods and formats of SETs. Specifically, Doerksen wants SETs to be set up so they can help instructors determine what’s working for students and what’s not before the semester is over.

“We are looking at ways of trying to make the instrument better and more effective,” Doerksen said. “I would like to see us get to a place where a faculty member could ask the class in the middle of the term what are some teaching practices that are effective and what could be improved, so I’m hoping we can get to a point where’s there’s a formative element as well.”

Mann maintained that as long as students and administrators view education as a commodity purchased by consumers — students — SETs will be meaningless.

“Students see themselves as consumers,” Mann said. “As soon as you take that consumer mentality into the classroom, if you don’t get what you expect, which is a high grade, you’ll pay your professors back.” n

Affiliate agreement review pushed back AMY O’KRUK NEWS EDITOR @AMYATGAZETTE Four years after the University Students’ Council created the affiliate agreement, it’s up to Western student Michael Kryworuk to independently review the contract, and to determine whether or not the decisions of Western’s bygone student leaders are benefiting or disserving today’s undergrads — and he has an extra two weeks to do it.

The affiliate agreement’s review’s original deadline was last Friday, Jan. 15, but it has been extended to Jan. 31.

“The main rationale for that extension was the desire … that this review be conducted in a way that it’s not rushed, its due diligence is done and it serves the best interest of all of our students because this agreement has far-reaching consequences,” explained Kryworuk, a fifth-year social science student and former USC associate vice-president clubs.

In 2012, the affiliate agreement’s creation recognized that Western’s affiliated students don’t always

benefit from main campus initiatives and services. As a result, today’s Huron, Brescia and Kings students only pay 38 per cent of the annual USC activity fee paid by main campus students. The deal sparked debate, though, because by lowering the annual USC activity fee paid by HBK students, the USC was left with a revenue loss of approximately $450,000.

Now, Kryworuk is conducting an independent review because the affiliate agreement mandated two checkups: one in 2014 and another in 2016. Although the 2014 review was waived, a clause within the agreement states, “if the second review is waived, the agreement shall renew for another five years, all terms and agreements remaining the same, including provision for review and renewal.”

“What I’m looking for with the review is to provide the USC with directions and answers,” Kryworuk said. “The agreement seemed like it just came out of nowhere, and it had far-reaching repercussions, so I’m looking for something that will set the direction for the negotiations.” n

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016 • 5

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Mustangs’ season quickly getting desperate MIKE DEBOER GAZETTE STAFF @SPORTSATGAZETTE There was only one word to describe the collective mood of the fans in Alumni Hall on Friday night for the Mustang’s men’s basketball home date with the Algoma Thunderbirds.

Shock.

Shock that the previously winless Algoma Thunderbirds got their first win — 68–64 — of the season over a Western team that had been ranked sixth in the pre-season Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s top-10 poll.

Shock that Algoma’s fifth-year captain, Andre Barber, scored 19 fourth-quarter points, including 15 from beyond the arc, in an outof-this-world performance for the guard out of Topeka, Kansas.

And shock that this Mustangs team, with so much promise going into the 2015-16 season, imploded in front of the home crowd in a fourth quarter where they were outscored 27–10.

Nothing should be taken away from the improbable upset Algoma pulled off to improve to 1–8 this season. They hit big shots down the stretch, grabbed rebounds on the defensive end and played with an amount of energy that was inspiring to watch from the stands.

And yet, the Mustangs had this game in the bag. With 9:13 to go in the fourth quarter, they held a 13-point lead. Mustangs head coach Brad Campbell made adjustments on ball-screen defence, which resulted in some success on the defensive end. However, with a little help from Algoma’s Barber, the Mustangs quickly unraveled.

“We did a terrible job defensively,” said a visibly frustrated Campbell on his team’s fourth-quarter performance. “Just an extremely disappointing game, especially coming off a poor game at Guelph last Saturday.”

That loss was a tough 81–68 game to the Guelph Gryphons last weekend, in a game that many expected them to win.

Now, with two straight losses coming out of the Christmas break, things are starting to spiral out of control for a team that had visions of an Ontario University Athletics finalfour berth and a potential invitation to the CIS national championship tournament.

“Our defence against Guelph wasn’t great; some of our ball-screen stuff we struggled with a little bit,” said Campbell. “But with the game of basketball, with how both ends of the floor are tied together, our offence is really hurting our defence right now too. At times we just have no flow, we struggle to pass, we struggle to make decisions and we’re struggling to make threes now.”

Thomas Cory, the Thunderbirds head coach in his 10th year, was clearly exuberant after his team’s first win of the year. The man who became the first-ever full-time head basketball coach in Algoma University history in 2006 saw this win as a platform for the program’s future success.

“It’s obviously a huge win, a kind of ‘pull the monkey off your back’

type thing,” Cory said. “We’ve been in games now and our kids have been working hard and sticking with it, and they’ve been great. It’s never been about our lack of effort.

Now we just need to keep this ball rolling.”

Barber was the turning point of this basketball game. Coming into their Friday night clash with the Mustangs, Barber was averaging 10 points-per-game. With no points in the first three quarters, most in the gym didn’t even notice him on the floor.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he exploded for 19 points. It was a masterful exhibition of shooting. It got to the point where everyone in Alumni Hall knew he was getting the ball and everyone knew he would nail his shots. It was a performance for the ages.

“I think [Barber] is his own worst enemy at times,” Cory said. “He tends to force it a little too much.

But tonight, he made a shot, he kind of let it come to him and then down the stretch he was great.”

Barber himself was humble about his performance. He gave credit to his teammates for pulling out the win. He didn’t seem shocked or surprised about his hot streak.

“After I hit that first one in the corner and that second one in transition, I got into a rhythm,” said Barber. “After that, the [basket] seemed wide open.”

Barber was aided in the upset by third-year guard Sean Clendinning, who had 14 points. Reng Gum, thirdyear centre, also added two massive blocks to turn the tide of the game and give his team some muchneeded energy.

The Mustangs will need to move forward from this loss. At 3–6, the dreams of a deep playoff run seem distant now. A meeting with the 7–1 Brock Badgers on Jan. 20 will be anything but easy. Coach Campbell will need to regroup his squad.

“We’ve got to earn it. Our whole thing this week was practicing real hard,” Campbell said. “We’re extremely low on confidence and that comes with preparation. We’ve just got to continue to fight because it’s a mental thing.”

The Mustangs are in a fragile state right now. Offensive possessions are not going their way. Players are down on themselves. The realities of a tough skid are hitting this team. Campbell will turn to his seniors to try to pull this team together and salvage whatever they can of this season.

“Guys individually [need to] step up,” said Campbell on what his team needs to do moving forward. “We’ve got four fifth-year guys on our team and we need some leadership from those guys. We talked about it after our last game. Young guys are going to be young guys, but we need our fifth-year guys to be veterans and to be stable, and make sure things are going in the right direction.”

The weather outside Alumni Hall matched the mood inside as the final buzzer sounded. Gloomy, cold and quiet. The clock is running out on the Mustangs men’s basketball season. n

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE UP FOR GRABS. Mustang Peter Scholtes, 10, battles for a rebound during Friday night’s OUA men’s basketball action against the Algoma Thunderbirds. The visitors shocked the Mustangs 68–64 for their first win of the season, pushing Western to 3–6 on the season.

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6 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

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Track to pool: A swimmer’s rise HALA GHONAIM SPORTS EDITOR @HALAATGAZETTE “Who is this person? Get out of my way.”

It’s a reaction most of us must have when someone interferes with our workout.

Senior swimmer Jenn McNaughton was getting impatient when someone was swimming beneath her during practice. As she got out of the water, she noticed the intruder approaching her.

“Oh. My. God.” She realized it was the athlete who holds an alltime record for Olympic gold medals: Michael Phelps.

McNaughton couldn’t believe that he said she had a better swimming stroke than he did. It’s a compliment she’ll never forget.

The fourth-year BMOS student was training in Seattle when she received the extra boost of encouragement. Not long after her chance encounter, McNaughton added a fifth-place finish at the 2015 Pan Am Games to her list of accomplishments.

Prior to swimming, McNaughton was en route to becoming a track athlete. However, everything changed a decade ago when her father accidentally crashed into her on a skiing trip. The harsh hip injury forced her to miss out on impact sports and she chose swimming instead.

She was always competitive so she progressed quickly, but it was not an easy road due to her late start in the sport.

“I had a really hard time getting up and racing without getting super cold and tense,” she says. “I would be so nervous that I couldn’t even put food in my mouth. I just wanted to prove that I could do something good with my swimming career.”

Now, several years later, her swimming career continues alongside her academics at Western where she is viewed as a role model on the team.

The swimmers commit to a fullyear program that teaches them dedication and perseverance.

They endure intense training from September to January, and continue onto their competition block from January until February. Collective training ends in April when many athletes independently choose to go on to nationals and personal endeavours.

Western will be home to the Ontario University Athletics championships in early February.

McNaughton says head coach Paul Midgley — who has coached at Western for 13 years — has never been this excited to train the co-ed group. The relationship between the coaches and athletes is present on deck through constant laughter and cheer. McNaughton also believes a mixed environment works to strengthen the team.

“With a girls team only, I think it would be a lot different.... Girls get weird sometimes. You know, the drama,” she says. “I am a distance swimmer and there aren’t that many girls who do the events that I do ... so I train with the boys a lot....

COURTESY APSHUTTER IT’S ALL IN THE STROKE. Jennifer McNaughton is swimming in her final year for the Mustangs and hopes to record some career bests when Western hosts the OUAs in February.

They’re a lot faster and sometimes I’m keeping up with them, so that pushes me more.”

As a distance swimmer, McNaughton needs to train her body to endure demanding techniques for longer periods of time.

She specializes in the butterfly stroke, which is swum on the breast, faced downwards, while the arms move simultaneously in the same direction. Daily exercises are required to get the necessary strength to master the stroke. With more practices than there are days of the week, McNaughton set up a strict schedule to keep.

She wakes up at 6:30 a.m. almost daily for her 7:15 practice, which ends two hours later. She then quickly rushes to catch her 9:30 a.m. class, where she can be seen scarfing down her breakfast — and later, lunch — before running out to her second workout of the afternoon.

Her schedule changes up throughout the week between swimming practice, gym workouts and yoga

classes.

However, her body isn’t just carved by the gym, but also by the high-calorie, high-carb diet that fuels her workouts.

“For training camp, my breakfast was three fried eggs with cheese on top, a bagel with cream cheese, three pieces of fried turkey and some hash browns ... [and] some Greek yogurt with granola and a banana. I was not even fazed,” she says.

On regular days she sticks to three packets of oatmeal with nuts and frozen fruit for breakfast. During the day, she snacks on numerous energy bars before she enjoys the Spoke’s famous bagels.

It’s not long untill she’s grabbing a large bowl of her favourite pasta topped with a grilled protein of her choice. But, just like most of us, McNaughton has her days where she finds herself grabbing a Junior Chicken from McDonald’s.

Even with her intense workouts and demanding diet, McNaughton

says many don’t appreciate or understand her lifestyle.

“People always ask me ... ‘what do you do for two hours?’ “ she says.

“They just think we swim back and forth, but every single day we are working on something different.”

Although swimming is sometimes underappreciated, to her it doesn’t matter when the athlete lives through the struggle and earns the wins.

The swimmer from small town Ancaster, Ont., wants to go out on a high note at this year’s Ontario championships. She would like to achieve her best career times in her final year, but it’s not only about the numbers. McNaughton credits swimming for the hardworking, determined, driven person she has become.

In the fall she will be working for a software company, which is much different from swimming, but she won’t ever let go of the sport that’s deeply ingrained in her lifestyle. n

the Waterloo Warriors in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.

Leading the way was the duo of Aja Gyimah and Kelsey Veltman, who combined for 20 kills, nearly as much as the entire Waterloo team combined, who recorded just 25 to Western’s 44.

Western remains in second place in the OUA west division standings with an 8–2 record, one game back of the first-place McMaster Marauders. Both teams have likely circled January 30 on their calendars, when the Marauders come to Alumni Hall to battle the Mustangs.

For now Western will travel to Thunder Bay for a double header against Lakehead this weekend.

comfortably in second place in the OUA standings. They are eight points back of Guelph, who leads with 40 points, but the Mustangs have two games in hand.

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The Mustangs recorded their first win since Nov. 21 after downing the Windsor Lancers in four sets (24–26, 25–15, 25–18, 25–19) on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall.

The Mustangs rounded out 2015 with a pair of losses to Ryerson and the University of Toronto, but were motivated to start the new year off on a high note.

Unfortunately, their 2016 debut on Saturday came up short against a team that just wanted it more. The 4–8 Waterloo Warriors downed their hosts in four sets (23-25, 25-22, 20-25, 21-25).

It wasn’t until Sunday afternoon that the Mustangs found a jump in their step and used it to break their three-game losing streak with a win over Windsor, who are seated second to last in the Ontario University Athletics standings.

The win for the Mustangs brings their record to 6–6, good for a fifthplace tie with the York Lions in the OUA standings.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM WINS FOURTH STRAIGHT

The Mustangs women’s volleyball team also kept up their winning ways this past weekend, downing

LADY ’STANGS KEEP ROLLING

The women’s ice hockey team recorded their second consecutive shutout over the weekend, defeating the York Lions 2–0 on the road.

Kelly Campbell recorded the shutout — her third of the season — and Katelyn Gosling drove the offence with a goal and an assist.

Marlowe Pecora added the other goal for the Mustangs.

Western has now won eight of their last nine contests and sits

HAMILTON TO HOST VANIER CUP FOR NEXT TWO YEARS

Canadian Interuniversity Spot announced Monday morning that Hamilton will host the 2016 and 2017 Vanier Cup championship, with both games to be played at the city’s new Tim Horton’s Field, home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“The city of Hamilton ... is the perfect place to help bring our Vanier Cup vision to life,” said CIS chief executive officer Graham Brown in a press release. “There is tremendous momentum from the 2015 Pan Am Games, a tremendous stadium, volunteer participation and mobilization, exceptional local business involvement. Our vision is to utilize the power of partnerships in new ways.”

This year will be the first year that the Steel City welcomes home the Vanier Cup championship since hosting the games in 2008 when the contest was played at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

The 2016 Vanier Cup will take place on November 26.

■■SERENA QUINN

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016 • 7

insight

Jaywalkers reign over Western’s campus NICOLE LAM CONTRIBUTOR @GAZETTECULTURE “There were one set of girls who just came out of the class I was actually just in and they were very adamantly not watching where they were going [and] walked in front of me so I had to slam on my brakes,” recalls secondyear biological sciences student Josh Travis, who drives on campus.

Travis is just one of many on-campus drivers who believe pedestrians depend more on the driver to be paying attention than them. “[Pedestrians] expect vehicles to stop for them and expect drivers to always be watching, which is ... not so great, because there’s always going to be drivers who are distracted,” Travis explains.

University campuses everywhere are dominated by pedestrians and where there are pedestrians, there is bound to be jaywalking. The illusion of entitlement and safety in numbers, however, makes it a particular problem on Western’s campus.

The biggest form of jaywalking for Western is students not paying attention to oncoming traffic when crossing the street.

Jean-Claude Aubin, operational leader of Western’s Campus Police, says, “We’ve had students who have been struck by vehicles in the past because they crossed without looking.”

He also adds there have been cases where students have been texting on their cellphones as they crossed.

“The amount of students who just run out onto the road regardless of oncoming vehicles is comical, at best,” Travis says.

Since there are several students crossing at a time and vehicles are typically expected to yield to them, pedestrians get the flimsy impression of entitlement.

A hot spot for jaywalking is the intersection on Western Road that residents of Saugeen-Maitland Hall must cross to get home. When asked

by The Gazette, several residents found the traffic light at the intersection is slow to change, which can be interpreted as one of the main reasons why so many Saugeen residents cross without waiting for the pedestrian signal.

Ned Kelly, a first-year MIT student, explains how large groups of students jaywalking are usually triggered by one individual first.

This “lemming effect” is not unique to Saugeen residents and can be observed almost anywhere on campus.

Other areas prone to jaywalking include the intersections in front of North Campus Building and Delaware Hall, University Drive between Natural Science and the Physics and Astronomy Building, and Alumni Hall’s traffic circle.

When students cross in groups here, there is a false sense of security.

After one student crosses, the rest follow with the assumption that they can cross quickly enough without an oncoming vehicle having to stop.

Although pedestrians have the right-of-way on crosswalks, Aubin reminds students it’s not a free pass to cross carelessly. He stresses the importance of using crosswalks and paying attention to vehicles before crossing. “[If] they just walk and don’t pay attention, and the car ... doesn’t have

We’ve had students who have been struck by vehicles in the past because they crossed without looking.

JEAN-CLAUDE AUBIN CAMPUS POLICE OPERATIONAL LEADER

the chance to stop, then the pedestrian will be at fault,” says Aubin.

“They have to look and make sure cars are going to be stopping.”

While a new Ontario law that went into effect Jan. 1 states motorists must stop at crossovers until the pedestrian has safely made it across completely, this law is not in effect for crosswalks. There are currently two crossovers at Western, across from the Visual Arts building and at University Hospital.

Jaywalking can be a hard habit to break out of, especially since 10 minutes may not be sufficient to walk from one end of the campus to the other to make it in time for class. However, crosswalks are a pedestrian’s best friend and they only come with one simple rule: look before you cross. n

TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE

Cartoon conspiracies ZEHRA JAFER CONTRIBUTOR @GAZETTECULTURE Did you ever watch Caillou as a child, but as you got older heard people talking about how the reason he was bald was due to cancer? And that his grandmother, who is telling the stories, is actually telling stories of her sick grandson who died of cancer? Well, it turns out this is not the only crazy cartoon conspiracy out there.

It seems people have trouble accepting cartoons as mere shows meant to open up the imagination of children. As a result, fans have created theories about story lines.

Some of these theories are very extreme but nonetheless amusing, compiled from conspiracy theory fan boards.

Warning: these theories may ruin your favourite childhood shows.

ED, EDD AND EDDY This conspiracy theory opens up the possibility that the kids living in the cul-de-sac are actually dead living in a purgatory-esque land, and suggests that this is the reason for the children in the show seeming to be from various time periods.

For example, there’s Rolf, who came from the 1900s and owned a farm, yet got trampled by the animals. Or there’s Nazz, who was born in the 1960s, which explains why she appears to look and act like a hippie. The theory surrounding her is that she died from a serial killer who murdered her whole family, which is why she seems to have no parental figure.

All these kids share similar physical features that are strange to living children, such as their green

and blue tongues. There is also a lack of adults among all the children.

Some people who stand out, though, include the Kankers, who are the only characters with normal-coloured tongues. One site said they were demons sent to purgatory to torment these children. I told you they were extreme.

COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG If you’ve never seen Courage the Cowardly Dog, the title is pretty much self-explanatory. It is from the point of view of a dog named Courage, who can be pretty cowardly.

His owners, Eustace and Muriel, own a farm; however, despite it being in the middle of Nowhere – literally Nowhere, a fictional town located in Kansas — the farm seems to grab the attention of monsters.

Without his owners realizing it, Courage always seems to save the

day and protect his owners from these vicious monsters. The theory, though, explains this: rather than these monsters being unseen by the other humans and Courage always saving the day, the monsters are simply humans through the perspective of a cowardly dog.

The reason he feels as if he lives in the middle of nowhere with a farm that attracts monsters is because his owners never seem to walk him and so he has no perspective of the outside world. Haven’t you ever wondered why his owners sare so unfazed by the “monsters” trying to attack them? Or how the situations become exaggerated, assumingly in the eyes of Courage?

For fan theories about Spongebob, Rugrats, Johnny Bravo, Pinky and the Brain, Phineas and Ferb, and the Fairly Oddparents, go to westerngazette.ca. n

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8 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

insight

•

Playing your cards right KYLE PORTER GAZETTE

RICHARD JOSEPH ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @RJATGAZETTE A record-breaking $1.6­­–billion Powerball jackpot has been divided between three winners in the United States, after weeks of lottery frenzy.

But the odds of getting the right numbers were about one in 292 million, meaning there’s a better chance of becoming president — so why do people keep buying tickets?

For most people, it’s just harmless fun, a “what if” scenario involving penthouse apartments and hoverboards. For others, it’s a clinically diagnosed disorder, whether it’s at a convenience store or a casino: a gambling addiction.

“It becomes an issue when you’re not gambling within your means anymore,” explains Heather Ly, project coordinator for the Responsible Gambling Council. “If you’re not

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being careful with your spending, if you’re thinking about gambling as a way to make money or if you’re borrowing money to gamble — those are the signs that you have a potential problem.”

The Responsible Gambling Council, funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, is often present at casinos to answer any questions patrons might have and encourage careful behaviour.

Responsible gambling might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s entirely possible with self-control and restrictions.

“We’re not telling people ‘don’t gamble,’ ” says Ly. “We’re just out there for awareness, so if they do choose to gamble they can do so safely. Setting money and time limits, taking breaks, never borrowing money to gamble, those things will help you be a responsible gambler.”

The idea is to see gambling as a form of entertainment — an outing, like a fancy dinner or a movie — and budget accordingly.

However, this is getting increasingly difficult with the introduction of new forms of gambling.

Lori Griffith, coordinator of core programs at Addiction Services of Thames Valley, looks back on how

problem gambling has changed over the years.

“Before, gambling used to be an event you had to go to,” Griffith said.

“If you wanted to go to a casino it would be in Las Vegas, Niagara Falls, Windsor. Then we started to get more venues here, at the Western Fair, but it was still a night out and you had to leave your home. Now, if you can pick up a phone or log on to a computer, you can gamble.”

Gambling addiction was already a “hidden” addiction, Griffith explains, as people weren’t willing to discuss their finances and admit they had a problem. But the ease of access with online gambling means potential addicts never have to leave the comfort of their own home and there is no friend or casino worker to cut them off.

Students in the 18-24-year age bracket are at an increased risk of falling into gambling addiction.

“Often, they’ll notice their grades are starting to flip, or they’re feeling depressed and we’ll find out afterwards that it was a gambling problem,” says Griffith. “Gambling can be the underlying cause for stress, anxiety, depression.”

Casinos, lottery tickets, scratch cards, slot machines and online

82.9% of adults Ontario sa gamble id they d at once in least 2011

38.4 stud % of O n e 7 - 1 nts in g tario r 2 enga stated ades ged th one in at l ey activ gambli east n ity i n 20 g 11

betting are the forms of gambling Griffith encounters most often.

Sports betting, especially around the time of the Superbowl, is another potential problem.

Addiction Services of Thames Valley offers a variety of options for treatment. Usually, the process starts with an assessment to determine the level of care needed. There are one-on-one meetings with a counsellor, groups available for males and females and Gamblers Anonymous meetings in evenings.

If the addiction is particularly severe, the patient might be referred to a residential facility in the province. Because gambling addiction is a problem that affects family and friend groups as well as individuals, group therapy is offered for people involved.

“People are going to gamble,” says Griffith. “It can be a fun, recreational activity with friends and family. But don’t use credit cards and stick to a limit. Go in there and expect to lose.”

If you have questions or concerns about gambling addiction, Addiction Services of Thames Valley located at 200 Queens Ave. has walk-in intake every Monday and Thursday starting at 1 p.m.Visit adstv.on.ca or knowthesigns.ca for more information. ■

s ng i est i m In Southern Ont Ga ’s larg t ario, a n d e a 93% of resident Can ertainm d is s are already within a ent stry an me a u one-hour drive of ind t the s ies, u v abo as mo music a casino or slot size corded onal m achine facility. re ssi .

TV, profe bined and ts com r spo

Ontario is hom e to the sixth-larges t lottery network in North Americ a.

In fiscal 2011, total lottery re venue was $3.245 bil lion.

tly direc G L O oys empl ately oxim appr eople and p ys 7,700 tly emplo 00 ,0 ec indir itional 10 d ss an ad ople acro . e ce p ovin r p e th

Source: problemgambling.ca/EN/Documents/FA_GamblingProblemGamblinginCanada.pdf CHRISTOPHER MISZCZAK GAZETTE

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016 • 9

insightopinions

A little bit of greed is what we need Breaking Brad

BRADLEY METLIN OPINIONS EDITOR @BRADLEYATGAZETTE I’ve recently taken up a relatively embarrassing hobby but I’m willing to come clean about it. I’ve watched friends consumed by games like League of Legends, obsessed with beating each other in a game of “Chel” and work colleagues who espouse the virtues of first-person shooter games.

I always thought that my only exposure to video games would be a occasional session of Sim City.

Then I discovered Cookie Clicker. It sits open on my browser while I do more important things with my day but its constant presence reminds me of my new obsession.

The game is quite simple; you click a giant cookie on the screen, which equates to your virtual bakery producing one cookie in the game. Once you have so many cookies, you can purchase upgrades that allow you to create a certain amount of cookies per second. You can buy grandmas to bake cookies for you, farms to grow cookie plants and a host of other sources so that one day you have trillions of cookies.

It’s actually quite sickening when you think about the concept — it’s all about greed. There is no tangible goal to achieve.

Rather, the objective is to bring in as many digital cookies as possible.

While there is something gratifying to watching your cookie counter read “1 quadrillion,” it speaks to a culture of consumption.

A new study released from Oxfam reveals that the world’s 62 richest people own the same wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion.

The income gap is growing and the working class isn’t getting any relief.

“In almost all rich countries and in most developing countries, the share of national income going to workers has been falling. This means workers are capturing less

and less of the gains from growth,” Oxfam said in their report.

This income disparity breeds dissatisfaction among the general populace and makes us cling to populist politicians and farfetched hope. That said, a report from the University of Oxford argues this inequality can be beneficial.

“Researchers found that when communities are hierarchically structured — meaning that there is a potential for high inequality too — the individuals at the top tend to make more of an effort in the interests of the group than those at the bottom,” writes Jeffrey Kluger of Time about the study.

Just last week, news spread like wild fire that the Powerball lottery jackpot in the United States had risen to $1.6 billion. The three winners will split just over $500 million each. Ticket sales soared and it was a very prominent event on social media and in the news.

Obviously the possibility of a “rags to riches” style story was enticing but when you have a jackpot that is higher than the gross domestic product of 15 nations, it becomes less about someone succeeding and more about greed.

If there were a lottery in which 1,600 families were drawn to become millionaires overnight, wouldn’t that be a better use of the jackpot? Instead, three families can now lay claim that they are worth more than two Beyoncés. Just like Cookie Clicker, the Powerball Lottery is all about accumulating the most wealth. It’s not about being pragmatic and being sensible.

That being said, a little bit of greed is necessary and I think it’s healthy. Altruism has its limits. As Parks and Recreation taught everyone — “treat yo self.” While there needs to be more relief to the working class in spreading the wealth, enjoying your success should not be frowned upon.

After playing Cookie Clicker for a few days, I began to feel like a dirty capitalist who was exploiting fictitious grandmothers to bake my digital cookies. Then I stepped back and said — no, I’m going to be greedy this time and I waited for my cookie counter to hit quintillion. ■

BILL WANG GAZETTE

Protecting student information

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD On Friday, The Gazette reported that thousands of second-year students’ personal information was made publicly available online.

Someone — we still don’t yet know who — uploaded an excel spreadsheet organized by faculty and program that contained the full names, Western email, residence status, home and cell phone numbers of students in the Leadership and Mentorship Program. Since 2013, this means every first-year student is within the document. The program pairs upper-year students with first-years and the document showed how students were divided among the peer mentors. The information was provided to these leaders so they could contact their group of student mentees.

The University stressed that no other personal information was contained in the document, but they seemed to have missed the point — the information that was there could be used to easily find more detailed personal information, notably a student’s home address.

The question quickly became: who might have had access to this information? And that answer might shock you.

At first, the spreadsheet seems like a planning document that only a select few individuals would have access to. Upon further investigation, however, this document was given to all student

mentors — numbering 140 students last year. That means a student volunteer had pretty extensive personal information on just about every single first-year student from last year. This year, the information shared with peer leaders was limited to just their own faculty, but still contained students beyond their own teams, comprising hundreds, if not a thousand students, depending on the faculty.

No matter how this document came to be publicly available — whether by malicious intent, stealing or hacking — there’s no question this information should not have been provided to so many people in the first place.

LAMP peer leaders oversee anywhere from 25 to 60 students each. Why they would need to know any student’s information beyond the ones they’re supposed to contact is a mystery. Why they would need to know the home numbers of students who don’t live in London is also a mystery. It seems like a gross oversight this information was shared so widely and freely.

While we can’t change the fact that this information was shared online, we can try and prevent this from happening in the future. Steps should be taken to ensure that in time for next year’s incoming class, LAMP leaders are given only the minimum information necessary and not a “master list” of all students coming to Western. ■

we get letters

Ontario government should invest in universities TO THE EDITOR: When money’s tight, it’s hard not to daydream about what might make life a little easier. To quote the famous words of the Barenaked Ladies, “If I had a million dollars, we wouldn’t have to eat Kraft Dinner” — a sentiment many students can probably agree with. Although the likelihood of obtaining a million dollars is slim, students are still understandably interested in the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars over their degree. That’s why the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance’s Time Out campaign to freeze tuition is so important.

It has been said that students who work full-time over the summer months earning minimum wage have enough to afford tuition, which for an industrious and fulltime employed student may be true. But what people often forget is that the “sticker

price” of education only encompasses one expense of university life. Rent, utilities, groceries and transit are a few of the other items students pay for year after year while continuing to rack up debt.

According to a 2010 Statistics Canada survey, post-secondary students ranked personal savings as the most important means of paying for their education at 79 per cent, with income from employment a close second at 63 per cent. As tuition continues to rise, students are pressured to work longer hours, during both the summer months and while in school. A 2009 survey by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations found that nearly 64 per cent of Ontario students would have worked more hours during the summer if they’d had the opportunity, higher than the Canadian average of 59 percent.

westerngazette.ca/opinions

Increasing tuition over the past several years has only made this financial strain more apparent. According to the 2015 OUSA tuition brief, over the past decade in Ontario, tuition has risen by $2,659. If tuition had risen by inflation, this increase would have only been $767. That’s over three times the estimated inflationary increases in Ontario. Considering how important it is to save for university, these numbers do not give students much hope. So what is the province contributing?

The Ontario post-secondary system was, until very recently, a publicly funded system meaning the majority of the operating budget for universities came from the government. In 1991–92, student contributions paid for 20 per cent of universities’ operating costs. In 2011–12, student contributions paid for 51 per cent of universities’

operating costs. Now, Ontario’s higher education system is no longer publicly funded, but instead, publicly assisted. Why isn’t the government investing more in the people working to bring us future success?

The University Students’ Council and OUSA are running a campaign focused around a fully-funded freeze. What does that mean, you may ask? Because each year tuition will continue to rise, we want the Ontario government to pay for this inflationary increase so that less of the operating budgets of institutions come from students.

This will ensure that the quality of education is still up to snuff while students get to put some money back in their pockets. It might not be a million dollars, but maybe you can have something other than KD tonight.

LINDSEE PERKINS OUSA VICE-PRESIDENT HUMAN RESOURCES

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

10 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

experience

MOSES MONTERROZA ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @MOSESATGAZETTE There are some things in this world that we simply can’t explain, like dreams that become reality, audible whispers in the dead of the night or premonitions of dead relatives.

These ghastly moments send shivers down our spines and often leave us dumbfounded at how vast and mysterious the world we inhabit is.

For the commoner, these moments are nothing more than a glitch in the brain. But for those who believe in the multiplicity of realms, in the exterior spiritual plane, it’s a call to action.

A group of psychics made their way to London in this year’s annual Psychic Expo this past weekend.

Vendors and practitioners of the craft gathered to read people’s palms and futures.

“It’s been going on since 1988.

A lot of times people just come for fun,” says Linda Fulcher, coordinator of Pyschic Expo. “It’s a really fun experience to have another person focus inward on yourself. I think people like it because it affirms what you’ve already been thinking.”

These psychics, mediums and healers are the those who choose to go against the grain and follow a

current far removed from our own.

Many people call them crazy, disillusioned and scammers; but if you take the time to get to know them, it becomes clear what they really want is to help people, entertain them and give them a sense of comfort in an otherwise unexplainable world.

Christena, a professional psychic who has been in the game for 75 years, first discovered the practice at age 15, while reading tea leaves with her aunt.

“People would come to her home on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon and she would practice a method where she’d drain your cup, turn it upside down and read the tea leaves. It’s a very old art,” says Christena, who declined to give her last name.

Over the years, Christena soaked up as much information as she could on subjects like astrology, Taro cards and psychic readings. Using the library she worked at, Christena quickly picked up the tricks of the trade and started practicing with friends and family.

It was like clockwork for Christena and over time her abilities gave her a profound sense of peace and humility. “[My favourite part] has been helping other people and I’m not

the only person that will tell you this. Every show I do there’s always one person that comes to my table and gives me a reason to keep doing these shows,” says Christena.

While Christena does it for the people, others do it for the spectacle, like Eddie Diijon who’s a well-traveled showman and entertainer currently practicing the art of palm reading.

In his career, Diijon has read for Madonna, Cher, Jack Layton and has appeared on David Letterman five times. He’s done many crazy things, including being buried alive.

“Back in the 1980s I appeared at the Grand Theatre under the name the Great Diijon and I used to do a hypnotic show then, and before the opening of the show they buried me at one of the local shopping malls,” says Diijon. “I think it was for about three or five hours. After that when they dug me up they brought me to the Grand and we started the show.”

The humble and soft spoken man carries with him a myriad of stories; from fighting triad members in Hong Kong to experiencing the arrogance and douchebaggary of Paul Shaffer.

Other psychics choose to use their abilities for more practical uses, like healing.

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David Belne, a man who practices sound energy dynamics, light and sound healing, believes in the power of healing through sound and light.

“Using sound frequency with tuning forks, what I do is sound each of the seven main energy centres of the human body called chakras,” says Belne. “So depending on what’s going on inside the body, if something is troubling us, bothering us, or making us angry, guilty or any of those things, it’s going to change the frequency.

“After they’re done, they’re not the same. Their energy and frequency is brought into alignment, and their coping mechanisms change; people change and sometimes diseases are cured,” continues Belne.

Of course, not everyone responds positively to psychics. In fact, many psychics have to deal with people who purposely try to undermine their practice.

“There are some people who come in with an agenda, trying to fool the psychic. When I was younger I used to try and get through to them but now I don’t even bother. I’m too old for that now,” says Christena.

Judy Abbott, a fairly renowned clairvoyant in London, feels that

•

there are many misconceptions with psychics and similar types.

“People always think that we know your name. Or that we should know this should have happened. I have a great sense of humour so I don’t really take it insultingly to any great degree. I’m not out to prove anything to anybody,” says Abbott.

It’s unsurprising that people might question the legitimacy of a psychic when they take a look at the price tag. Readings can range anywhere from $15 to $80. But what they don’t understand is how expensive being a psychic can be.

“You have to do what you have to do to pay for a boot here. I have to pay for my disks, envelopes, brochures, signs and all of that,” says Christena. “People will ask ‘why do you charge so much?’ but when you figure my costs to be here — a hotel, three nights at the hotel — it’s clear why I charge so much.”

Whether or not you believe in psychics is really not important. They give us entertainment and in some cases reassurance. If you’re purposely trying to debunk a psychic, chances are you’ll have a pretty dreary experience. But if you open yourself up to this mysterious little world, you may be in for a surprise. n

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016 • 11

experience

Laughing at pain and making bank off death MOSES MONTERROZA ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @MOSESATGAZETTE GGGGH A famous book once said money is the root of all evil, and after watching Fly Me to the Moon, that statement couldn’t be any closer to the truth.

Francis Shields and Loretta Mackie are two low-level home care workers who dream of a better life beyond the confines of Davy, their charge’s bungalow in Belfast, Ireland. The two mothers spend the greater part of their day cooking, cleaning and making sure the old and decrepit “wee Davy” is fed and medicated. That is, until Loretta discovers his body lying lifeless on the bathroom floor — a moment that is at first an omen and later an opportunity.

Prior to discovering Davy’s death, Francis and Loretta talk at length about their dreams of seeing Barcelona and one day escaping Ireland’s gruelling recession. In the midst of their growing plight and sufferings, Davy’s death becomes the one thing that actually paves the way for something new and different.

Francis, the brains of the operation, proposes that she and Loretta run off with Davy’s remaining pension and unclaimed race winnings. Despite feeling apprehensive and guilty at first, Loretta eventually caves in and agrees to the plan. Their luck, however, soon runs short as they slowly become consumed by their own strong sense of morality and their natural inclination to do what’s right.

Written by Belfast native

Marie Jones, Fly Me to the Moon is irreverent, hilarious and playful. The leads, played by Deidre Gillard-Rowlings and Carmen Grant, are impressively convincing actors who wonderfully portray the charm and grit of the working class. Their on-stage chemistry is like magic as they are vivacious and nothing short of hysterical.

The play wrestles with the idea of doing what’s right versus the temptation of improving your own fortune. It goes back and forth in a whimsical sort of fashion, playing on human instinct and the degrees of desire, but, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Instead, it relieves the weight of poverty and immorality with a keen sense of humour and a propensity to laugh at grimness and sadness.

At the heart of the play is the notion that even in morally corrupt circumstances, there is always an opportunity to laugh. It doesn’t advocate facetiousness or immaturity but instead optimism, light heartedness and humility.

Sue LePage, the set designer, really opened this theme up with a humble and intimate set consisting of a bed and a few pieces of furniture. Krista Jackson, the director, used the minimalist space to its fullest capacity. She transforms a seemingly innocuous room into a lively venue for heightened emotions and tense confrontations.

The play asks an interesting question: “Would you give up morality for a ton of money?” Such an answer is so perfectly manifested in Francis and Loretta’s indecisiveness and precarious economic situation. Fly Me to the Moon treads a fine line between

Brendon! At the Disco comes through REBECCA MEHARCHAND GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE Artist: Panic! At the Disco Album: Death of a Bachelor Record label: Fuelled By Ramen Rating: GGGGF Recently, it seems the “pop-punk” world — the world comprised of all the eighth-grade pre-teen angst many of us have tried to escape — has been falling apart. Bands break up, members leave and fans are generally left with the feeling that things will never quite be the same.

That may be true, but as Panic! At the Disco proves with their latest album, change doesn’t always have to be a bad thing.

Released on Friday, Death of a Bachelor is the first album under which frontman Brendon Urie is the sole member of the original four members, something that is musically and thematically evident in Death of a Bachelor. While Panic’s previous album marked a shift away from “punk” towards “pop,” Death of a Bachelor stays true to the “poppunk” genre in its own way.

The album is fairly diverse in its musical tracks, but Urie manages to stitch it all together by the consistent use of choir-like backing vocals and fast-paced beats.

The opening track, Victorious,

a catchy song about having an almost-too-good time, is followed up with Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time, where Urie sings, “you shoulda seen what I wore, I had a cane and a party hat / I was the king of this hologram where there’s no such thing as getting out of hand.”

Lyrically and thematically, the album is a big change from Panic’s biggest hit I Write Sins, not Tragedies from their first album in 2005.

The album closes with Impossible Year, a slower blues track that seems almost disjointed with the rest of the fast-paced album. While this may be the case, Death of a Bachelor is definitely an improvement from 2013’s Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, which seemed uncertain of the direction the band wanted to go in.

Perhaps due to the departure of former drummer Spencer Smith, Urie is now free to take Panic! in whatever musical direction he wishes and he does a good job of it.

Urie, uninhibited by any of his former band members, unapologetically takes the reigns in determining where Panic! At the Disco will go in the future. Based off of Death of a Bachelor, it’s clear Panic will be heading in a completely new direction, focused on the fun upbeat side of life that can sometimes get a little out of control. n

genuine melancholy and humour.

It’s the perfect example of dark humour in that it never undermines its inherently sensitive themes of death, poverty and the lower class.

During the opening night the actors were phenomenal and held their own even when an unruly bat made an unexpected appearance on-stage — seriously, during the middle of the play a bat swarmed in and interrupted the whole performance. It was a moment that would normally make even the most sympathetic person cringe, but instead the actors handled it with such humour and grace that they had the whole audience laughing and clapping.

In the end, Fly Me to the Moon is a fun and engaging play. Its character and charm are a product of its ability to make even the most harshest of themes — death — a humorous and entertaining show.

This play is definitely one of the funnier plays to be performed at the Grand Theatre.

Fly me to the Moon will continue to play at London’s Grand Theatre until Jan. 30. Tickets are sold online and at the door. n

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE

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