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westerngazette.ca TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 109 ISSUE 51 waiting for the end since 1906
Sleeping Beauty is en pointe
Canada’s Ballet Jörgen retells a classic tale for the modern audience with breathtaking performances throughout. >> STORY ON PAGE 4
TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE
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PROFILE NATASHA CROMBIE
Volume 109, Issue 51 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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Headstrong, energetic and intelligent. Natasha Crombie, a second-year political science student at Huron University College, found herself in a unique position in 2015 when she and a few of her friends noticed something missing on Western’s club list. “At all of the universities across Canada and across Ontario, there’s some type of women in leadership club or conference,” says Natasha. “But Western didn’t have one, not even a conference.” Where most students would use Western’s lack of initiative as a sign of cynicism, Natasha and the rest of the club’s co-founders saw it as an opportunity. “We saw this void at Western and we had to just jump on it,” says Natasha. “So last year, we set out to get our club ratified, we wrote a constitution and started the club from there.”
Natasha had known from a young age the difficulties women face in society; however, she’s also witnessed how women can persevere and make breakthroughs in society. Seeing her mother transition from being a stay-at-home mom to becoming the mayor of Mississauga not only showed her that women didn’t need to stay in one place, but that they can literally do everything men can do. “When I was young, probably around primary school age, it was my dad who was pursuing his career,” says Natasha. “My mom decided not to pursue hers because at that time, she wanted to look after our family. But when we got a little older my mom said ‘OK, it’s time, I’ve got to get back at it.’ ” Natasha soon became aware of the societal expectations placed upon women. She questioned why women were expected to stay home.
The following summer, Natasha and her team worked arduously in creating Western’s Women in Leadership, figuring out what they wanted to accomplish with the club and how they wanted it to help women at Western with finding their path in life.
“It’s not anything negative towards my father, it was society in general,” says Natasha. “Why did [my mother] have to take those few years off when she was raising us? Why couldn’t it be more equal? But then again, the problem is, who’s going to care of the kids?” In the realm of politics, Natasha hopes to take her knowledge and pursue a profession that will allow her to make a difference, however small that might be.
SHACHAR DAHAN, MIKE DEBOER, SABRINA FRACASSI,
“We had to figure out who would come to speak, what girls are actually interesting in learning,” says Natasha. “And after all of that, in September, we started off the first week hitting the ground running.”
JIMMY HUYNH, KSENIA KOLODKA, ELLIS KOIFMAN, AARON
The mandate was simple yet powerful.
MALLETT, AMAL MATAN, REBECCA MEHARCHAND, AMY
“We try to empower women to pursue their education, pursue roles of success and have confidence in what they’re doing,” says Natasha. “We want to expose the girls at Western to any opportunity available to them.”
STAFF ERIC BAJZERT, JENNIFER BALL, MAAILAH BLACKWOOD,
O’SHEA, OWEN PARKER, TOM RUESS, LAUREN SAYERS, RUI SHI, AMY SKODAK, OREN WIESFELD
Above all, Natasha wants to see equality. “I’d love to see the gap of inequality change and that gap shrink,” she says. “I want to make a positive change in the world and positive change doesn’t mean putting up walls, I believe it’s putting up bridges.”
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Meet the new bench boss
Examining the lack of women in the STEM fields
An app for those without willpower
There is a general failure to meet 10 per cent threshold of women in STEM departments at Canadian universities, and it’s an issue that goes far back. PG 7
Are you distracted by your iPhone apps when exam time rolls around? Downloading another app might just help you with your self-control. PG 10
WESTERNGAZETTE
Dave Barrett, Mustangs head coach for the women’s hockey team, is stepping down and handing the torch to Kelly Paton, the current associate coach.
PG 2
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Zara, H&M coming to Masonville HAMZA TARIQ BREAKING NEWS EDITOR @HAMZAATGAZETTE
Masonville Place is getting a major uplift with a $77 million investment in renovations and introduction of international retailers such as ZARA and H&M. The investment is the most expensive renovation conducted at the mall since it opened its doors to the public in 1985. The new investments were announced by Cadillac Fairview, the parent company of Masonville Place. According to Finley McEwen, senior vice-president development at Cadillac Fairview, the renovations will reinvigorate the mall and update its current retail outlets and common spaces. The renovations will see a new centre court staircase and installation of Italian porcelain tiles and stainless steel and glass guardrails throughout the mall. The goal is to keep the property relevant and
provide customers with a wonderful shopping environment, McEwen said. The mall is being expanded into the two-level, 127,000 square feet space previously occupied by the Sears store which closed down in February 2014. The renovations and mall expansion are expected to be completed by November 2016, in time for the Christmas shopping season. The new retailers that will be opening shop in Masonville include the first ZARA store in London, H&M, Sport Chek / Atmosphere, Hot Topic, a Disney Store as well as a few restaurants. Alongside the ongoing redevelopment project, the mall has seen recent additions to its retail outlets including Sephora, Ivivva, Lush and Saje, according to Brian O’Hoski, general manager Masonville Place. Having a potential client base consisting of university and college students is an attractive prospect for
Demerits for USC candidates KATIE LEAR NEWS EDITOR @KATIEATGAZETTE In what is hopefully the last decision to come out of the University Students’ Council general elections this February, two science councillor candidates are facing demerits for their conduct during the elections. Both Yousuf Ahmed and Ahmed Abdul-Wahab faced demerit points for violating section 11.1 of Bylaw 2 under the doctrine of fair play. Ahmed, who won the position of science councillor, unsuccessfully appealed the three demerit points awarded after he offered personal course notes over Facebook and attached a notice of his candidacy for the councillor position. During the appeal, Ahmed’s representative, Matt Helfand, argued the elections governance committee erred in its decision on the basis that offering notes did not constitute an unfair advantage. However, the appeals board found the notes did award an unfair advantage to Ahmed. “While an ‘unfair advantage’ is not expressly defined in the statute, it is reasonable to believe that an unfair advantage could be created by Ahmed when he offered items of valuable consideration to a specific subset of the voter population,” the
decision read. Similarly, the five demerit points awarded to Abdul-Wahab were a result of Abdul-Wahab offering voters a chance to win one of five $10 gift cards in a raffle should they post in a Facebook group endorsing AbdulWahab’s candidacy with the hashtag “#makingwesterngreatagain.” Helfand declined to comment on the appeals board decision. Neither Ahmed or Abdul-Wahab responded to requests for comment. “Attempting to induce voter support with items of valuable consideration, in this case gift cards, is simply not honourable conduct in an election,” chief returning officer Andrew Chorney said in an email. Through Ahmed’s appeal, section 11.1 of Bylaw 2 has come under question as to what a reasonable application of the fair play doctrine is in the case of USC elections. As a result, Chorney believes the bylaw needs to expand its scope. “In an effort to further articulate campaign rules, I have recommended that the incoming CRO work with the USC secretary-treasurer and associate governance to construct a provision that clearly outlines and prohibits candidates from offering items of valuable consideration to induce voter support and/or solicit votes,” Chorney said. n
some of the big retailers coming to the mall. “I think we need to think about our customer base and ... some of the great tenants we were able to acquire … definitely have students at the top of their minds as well,” O’Hoski said. “Zara … [is] such a huge international retailer and the one and only in London I think is going to be a big draw for Western particularly.” While a number of Western students are excited about Zara moving to a close location, some have concerns about the price range of the outlet and also the number of students who’ll be shopping from the same choice of items. “I’m excited about both of those stores coming to Masonville and I really do love the style options they have at Zara, however, I’m not too excited about every one at Western having the exact same clothes,” said Victoria Tran, a third-year medical science student. “I feel like Zara only
being at a couple locations near Toronto was a good thing — well, for Torontonians at least.” Savannah Hamelin, a secondyear MIT student, is excited about H&M opening up in Masonville. “I’m excited for H&M to come to Masonville so I don’t have to travel across town to White Oaks,” she said. “I feel indifferent about Zara though because it’s slightly out of my price range so I most likely will not be shopping there anyway.” Hamelin and Tran both agree that the new renovations and additions will drive more students to the mall and may even increase business for other retail outlets. “Since Zara and H&M are popular and recognizable brands, they definitely have the potential to attract more Western students to Masonville,” Hamelin said. “Plus, Masonville is closer to Western than White Oaks so placing them at Masonville targets Western students more specifically.”
Masonville lost another big retailer after Sears when Target closed down its operations in Canada earlier in 2015 and the mall was left with a second, large unoccupied space. McEwen said that the $28.5 million is being invested in the former Target space for redevelopment but there are no details available yet on what is being planned for that part of the shopping mall. n
Solution to puzzle on page 11
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TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE
Sleeping Beauty: Out with the old RICHARD JOSEPH ARTS & LIFE EDITOR @RJATGAZETTE BALLET: Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky COMPANY: Canada’s Ballet Jörgen DIRECTOR: Bengt Jörgen VENUE: Grand Theatre, March 31, 2016 How do you modernize a ballet like Sleeping Beauty that’s rooted in 19th-century ideals of class and patriarchy while maintaining the charm and elegance of the original production? Canada’s Ballet Jörgen rises to meet the challenge with their new rendition of the timeless classic, which had its London premiere last Thursday at the Grand Theatre. The subtitle, How the Rose got its Thorns, is partly due to the influence of the Native American legend of the same name, but it also speaks to
the number of strong female roles featured. The ballet opens with a striking scene of juxtaposition, the dark king Carabosse (Adrián Ramírez Juárez) dancing with and against the Lilac Fairy (Hannah Mae Cruddas). The interplay between them is consistent and interesting throughout the production; Juárez, cloaked in black and covered in tendrils, looms menacingly around the stage with his grotesque hive of minions while Cruddas unflinchingly fights back with all the wisdom and power of a badass fairy godmother. Much of the play depends on the titular character, Sleeping Beauty herself; thankfully, Saniya Abilmajineva’s portrayal of Princess Aurora is an expert. It’s appropriate that she is the metaphorical “rose that got its thorns,” because her performance is nothing if not sharp. Every leap and landing is
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accomplished with absolute precision, with no fatigued wavering even near the end of the production. In fact, though certainly laudable, Abilmajineva’s bodily control is almost too perfect for a ballet about an unwilling sleeper. Daniel Da Silva plays counterpoint to Aurora as Prince Florimund, breathing new life into a somewhat stale do-gooder stock character. Da Silva showcases his versatility, transitioning easily from yearning and sanguine to energetic and triumphant. He acts as an anchor for the extravagant Aurora in the grand pas de deux, but he also holds his own; most memorable is his frenetic series of spinning leaps that culminate in an breathtakingly effortless landing and flourish.
Other standout roles include Kealan McLaughlin’s Bluebird, excelling and impressing with those tricky brisés volés in the coda; Junior Gaspar Caballero in a slinking, catlike performance as Carabosse’s minion; and the knitting vines Elizabeth Gagnon, Heather Lumsden-Ruegg, Ayva RossouwHolland and Julia Pochko for their remarkable cohesion and versatility. Jörgen’s production does justice to the extravagance of Tchaikovsky’s score, in terms of performance as well as costumes and set. The court scenes are grandiose and decadent, with several dancers leaping and bounding about the sumptuous scenery in flashy garb. Despite Carabosse’s shenanigans, Sleeping Beauty is ultimately a
cheerful ballet. The simple, pastoral parts of the ballet, like the knitting women and the picnic scenes, aren’t particularly flashy or decadent — but then Tchaikovsky’s penchant for pizzazz can get a little exhausting, and these are welcome breaks. In Jörgen’s production especially, these scenes are not only playful and charming but they’re also extraordinarily well choreographed. Tackling a huge, canonical work like Sleeping Beauty is ambitious, especially for a relatively small company like Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. They’ve not only managed to do it, they’ve exceeded expectations; to retell an old story for a new audience, and emphasize quality over quantity, is a real accomplishment. n
More research funding for humanities in Western budget IAIN BOEKHOFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @IAINATGAZETTE Western’s 2016–17 budget, released on Friday, shows investments in arts and humanities and social science research next year, and help for the ailing library acquisitions budget, among the major investments that the University will make in the upcoming year. This is a quick breakdown of what you need to know. Overall budget There will be a net deficit next year of $3.9 million, with revenues rising 3.4 per cent and expenses 5.3 per cent. Deficits are expected for the next three years, growing to $23 million in 2018–19. Government funding accounts for just 38.8 per cent of total funding, falling again this year as a percentage of the whole and a far cry from the 49 per cent in government funding just 10 years ago. The budget notes that there is “continued uncertainty and a period of constrained growth in revenues.” These deficits are accompanied by a larger uncertainty in funding levels as the provincial government is in the middle of a funding review that could lead to the end of enrolment growth funding. Base budgets for every faculty except engineering and business decline next year as spending will have to be reigned in on a university-wide level. One-time investments There are a number of one time investments made in next year’s budget, including additional research funding for SSHRC (social sciences and humanities disciplines) research, which has been “identified as a high priority.” A
total of $5.2 million will be going toward an endowment and initial spending of $200,000 next year. In addition, a $500,000 investment will be made to complete the Alice Munro Chair in Creativity in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities to make up a donation shortfall. Student entrepreneurship will get $1 million spread over three years to continue to foster startup businesses on campus. And notably, the libraries will be getting $1.1 million in one-time funding to lower the impact of the low Canadian dollar compared to the U.S., which severely impacted the libraries’ purchasing power because most of their subscriptions are in U.S. dollars. Enrolments The University is planning on an incoming class enrolment of 5,100 for the next three years, while increasing graduate student enrolment will see Western meet its target of 20 per cent of the student body being graduate students in the next three years. The engineering program is experiencing significant growth in its undergraduate student body, part of a strategic plan of growth for the faculty that includes a new building. Arts and humanities continues to decline in enrolments, from a high of 1,232 in 2011–12 to 938 next year. Social science also experiences a decline of 260 students to 6,222 undergraduate full-time students next year. The affiliates are projecting mixed enrolment figures. Brescia continues to grow but Huron and King’s are in the middle of a slump in enrolments that they expect to reverse in the coming years. Tuition fees Tuition fees will go up across the
board by three per cent for domestic students. International students will again see significant jumps of typically eight per cent in first-year tuition, with MOS particularly hard hit with a third straight 12 per cent increase in its first-year tuition fee. The University notes the reason for higher international fees is to decrease the gap between Western and peer institutions. Ancillary fees All ancillary fees will increase by two per cent this year, with four getting specific fee increases to fund additional mental health staffing resources, an elders-in-residence program for Indigenous Services and an international learning coordinator. Total ancillary fees are up 3.7 per cent next year. Capital projects There will be $55.7 million spent in support of new construction next year, including the completion of the FIMS/Nursing Building and Music Building, the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building and a new Engineering Building. There will also be $15 million set aside for planning a new Integrated Learning and Innovation Centre to house smart classrooms, student collaborative and study spaces, and student service operations. Alleviating some of the traffic problems on campus is also a high priority in the budget. $2 million will be spent next year to make campus more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Parking continues to be a problem area and the University is “exploring options for the construction of parking garages in the periphery of campus,” as well as looking to increase parking rates long term. n
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Paton takes over hockey head coaching duties Dave Barrett steps down to focus on work at Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation
Dave Barrett will not return as the head coach of the Mustangs women’s hockey team next season, as associate coach Kelly Paton was officially named the new head coach on Monday morning. Barrett will remain as an adviser to the team, but is stepping down to focus more on teaching. He is an operations management professor and the executive director of the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation. “I’m going to focus a lot more time and effort on [these] initiatives,” Barrett said on Friday. “I will stay involved with the hockey team in kind of a senior adviser capacity to help Kelly in any way I can from a mentorship perspective.” As associate coach this past season, Paton has had the opportunity to learn from Barrett and handle a large portion of the coaching responsibilities behind the scenes. “Her role this year was to provide a lot of skill development. She ran all of our practices for the most part and as an associate coach she spent time getting to know the personalities of the players a lot more closely,” Barrett said. “Essentially, she did a lot of the jobs that she’ll be doing now, she just didn’t necessarily have the accountability of being the head coach.” The coaching duties that Paton took on this past season with the Mustangs has helped her develop as a coach and will certainly help her transition into the role of bench boss next season. “I’m really appreciative of the opportunity and I really enjoyed my time this year with Western and I learned a lot from Dave,” Paton said. “To have the opportunity to coach next year as the head coach is awesome for me and I’m still young in my development as well, so together collectively as a group [we’ll] have a lot of learning [to do].” Barrett has been a mentor for Paton all season long, helping Paton develop her coaching skills in order to transition into a head coach role. “We had always designed form the beginning of the hockey season that I would mentor Kelly through this year and that she would then be left to her own devices so to speak next year,” Barrett said. And while Barrett will be leaving the team to focus on his professional
roles at Ivey, he’ll still be available to help Paton is any way she may need it. This season, the women’s hockey team competed at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport nationals for the second straight season but failed to defend their title. Two straight losses was not the outcome the Mustangs had anticipated and the team will now have to deal with a transitional period as they lose some of their key senior players heading into next season. Seasoned players such as Katelyn Gosling, Kendra Broad, Stacey Scott, Kelly Campbell and Brittany Clapham played their last game of intercollegiate hockey in Calgary last month. Replacing the void left by these women will be a big feat for Paton. “We know we’re losing a lot after this year and it’s going to take a lot of hard work on our end as coaches but also as players,” Paton said, “making sure they buy in to all of our systems and they believe that we can win.” Paton has been prepared for this, as she spent the majority of the season recruiting and she knew it would be the last season for many of Western’s top players. “As a full-time coach [this] last year for the team, [Kelly has] invested most of the time in recruiting and knows the players coming in,” Barrett said. “I think she’s looking forward to having a good group of new Mustangs come in and try to emulate and continue on the legacy we’ve tried to build over the last two years.” Despite being tasked with bringing in a strong group of impactful players for next season and leading this team for the first time, Paton is certainly up for the challenge. “Our identity is going to be a young team and obviously we have a lot of experience leaving us after this year,” Paton said. “We’re going to have to really buy in and put in some good structure in our systems and make sure the girls are ready and focused every chance they get to play.” On top of strengthening the team’s structure and systems, Paton wants to focus on having fun, being competitive and bringing in young athletes that can make an immediate impact in the program. “We know we have a lot of work ahead of us and we’re up for the challenge,” Paton said. n
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No football player as transformative as Fantuz Former Mustang Andy Fantuz changed the receiver position for good MIKE DEBOER GAZETTE STAFF @SPORTSATGAZETTE Hanging on a wall in the Michael Kirkley Training Centre are hundreds of plaques commemorating the legendary athletes who have put on the purple and white. The training facility for the Western Mustangs football program is a shrine to one of the greatest football programs in the entire country, one that has set the standard for excellence in the Canadian university game. The Mustangs have six national titles, 29 Yates Cup titles as the champions of Ontario and a winning percentage of over .670. And yet, aside from the success of the program in terms of trophies and wins, it is the production of professional football players that sets Western apart from other programs in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Over 150 Mustangs have gone on to hit the gridiron as a professional — some to the CFL, others to the NFL. With so many legendary players representing Western over the years, a conversation over who the greatest Mustang football player of all time is would be a tough task. Some would point to Dave Sapunjis, the great receiver who became a twotime CFL all-star with the Calgary Stampeders. Others would mention Tyrone Williams, the Halifax native and 1989 Vanier Cup MVP who spent two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys during their heyday in the early 1990s. Yet one player who has to be near the top of everyone’s list is a man who transformed the game of Canadian football and went on to become one of the faces of the CFL. That man is Andy Fantuz. Fantuz grew up in the blue collar, agricultural-centered southwestern Ontario city of Chatham, an hour-long drive down the 401 from London. His opportunities to develop as a young football player were limited, as Chatham had yet to establish a youth football program at the time. It wasn’t until he started attending John McGregor Secondary School that he began a lifelong love affair with the game. “I just fell in love with it right away and really enjoyed it and started playing summer leagues, and the more I played the more I
COURTESY OF WESTERN ATHLETICS
liked it,” said Fantuz. “As the years went by, it became a realistic goal that I could play in university.” Fantuz completed high school, graduated and initially chose to attend McMaster University over offers from Windsor, Laurier and Western. However, that summer he dominated in a summer league and received some interest from American schools. Fantuz decided to play one more year of high school football, looking to earn a scholarship to an NCAA program. That year, Fantuz followed the traditional routine of prospective college football recruits, making the rounds to various schools, visiting campuses and attending camps. Although the American route was his initial goal, throughout his year of searching, one school stood out amongst the rest. One school provided the experience Fantuz wanted in order to succeed at a high level. That school was Western. “Visiting the school and the city and meeting people, and people in the organization and alumni, it really made my decision clear,” he said. “I really wanted to go to Western.” So he committed and officially became a Mustang. For the next four years, Fantuz dominated the CIS, becoming the face of Canadian university football. His career saw him break a number of CIS records, including single-season receiving yards (1,300), career receiving yards (4,124), career receiving touchdowns (41) and career receptions (189). Pinpointing a particular signature game for Fantuz is difficult because there were so many games in which he set himself apart as a legend. There was the game in 2005 against McMaster, when the Mustangs fell behind 28-3 on national television. Fantuz soon took control on the field, catching four touchdown passes to help Western storm back for a 55–31 win. There was a game against Ottawa that same season, when legendary former Mustangs head coach Larry Haylor put Fantuz in at safety. In a matchup with the GeeGees with major playoff implications, Fantuz had three interceptions in eight defensive snaps en route to another Mustangs win, earning him national player of the week honours. Fantuz was a transcendent
COURTESY OF WESTERN ATHLETICS
player who has had a lasting impact on on the Mustangs’ program and the sport as a whole. He was the first CIS player to have his own bobblehead made, given away at his final home game as a Western Mustang. As Haylor believes, Fantuz also changed the way the Canadian university game is officiated today, due to measures opponents would take to try to take down his star receiver. “[Now] you can’t ... run at a receiver full speed and collide with him when he’s running a route, or you can’t jump on his back and ride him down the field as he’s running a route,” said Haylor. “Those were the kinds of things that were being done to [Fantuz] and he overcame all of those then and continued to produce at the highest levels.” A number of factors contributed to the profound success Fantuz has seen in the game. The perfect example of a possession receiver, Fantuz had an innate ability to battle through traffic and double coverage to come down with the ball. Combine that with his amazingly fast hands and Fantuz had established himself as a living, breathing highlight reel, as evidenced by his breaking of Odell Beckham Jr.’s world record for one-handed catches in 2015. Fantuz has been, in many ways, an enigmatic success in a game built for the 5-foot-11, 190-pound inside receiver whose primary asset
is quickness. As Haylor explains, Fantuz is surprisingly efficient despite his 6-foot-4 frame. “When you watch him you don’t get the sense that he’s running a 4.5,” said Haylor. “But when you try to cover him, he has this great elusive ability that he controls his body and speed at different paces.” In his final season as a Mustang in 2005, Fantuz won the Hec Crighton Award as the top football player in the nation and was invited to play in the prestigious East-West Shrine Game. He was the second Western player to appear in this allstar showcase, and the second CIS receiver to play in the game generally reserved for the top players in the NCAA. Although he decided to go the CIS route, Haylor has no doubt Fantuz would have thrived had he chosen to attend a division I program in the United States. “Andy would have been a great player wherever he went,” said Haylor. “I think he’s proven that in the CFL. I think there were people who thought Andy wasn’t fast enough, or that he wasn’t strong enough. However, wherever he’s gone, he’s proven the doubters wrong.” Fantuz did not stop being a dominant force upon graduating from Western in 2006. Drafted third overall in the 2006 CFL draft, Fantuz has been one of the pillars of the league.
He was the CFL most outstanding Canadian in 2010 and after five Grey Cup appearances, he ranks in the top 10 in both all-time receiving yards and receptions in the history of the game. In six seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and four with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Fantuz has amassed 7,249 receiving yards and 39 touchdowns on 530 receptions. However, with only one Grey Cup ring in five appearances in the big game, Fantuz wants to chase a final championship as his career on the gridiron begins to come to a conclusion. Despite missing 20 games over the last three seasons, there is still a drive in the 32-year-old receiver to add to his collection of achievements. “I have an empty feeling in my stomach,” said Fantuz on the pain of losing four straight Grey Cups. “I’m definitely grateful for getting that ring in 2007, and we fell short in three of them; really heartbreaking losses. But I’m really eager and motivated in the off-season, and to get back to the big game and finish it off with a Grey Cup.” A common thread throughout his career has been Fantuz’s passion for the game. This passion led him to go from a kid growing up in a town without a youth football program, to battling injury problems en route to a historic CIS career to now finishing off his football-playing days as one of the greatest Canadian receivers to ever play in the CFL. He transformed the game, transformed the receiver position and remains a legendary Mustang. Walk through the Michael Kirkley Training Centre on a cold winterday, with football season long gone. Look at the faces on those plaques — the men who have donned the purple and white and who have built the program into a national powerhouse. Many have come and gone, but one man stands out. One man set records and dominated the game like no receiver ever has. Great Mustangs have come and gone, as the cycle of college football turns rookies into legends and legends into memories. But in the debate over who the greatest of them all really was, many will agree on one name. Many will agree on Andy Fantuz. n
• www.westerngazette.ca
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016 • 7
insight
Where are the women in academia? AMY O’KRUK NEWS EDITOR @AMYATGAZETTE
They call it the leaky pipeline. It’s the invisible current snaking through academia and stretching into industry, government and beyond. The most successful students will ride the flow until it trickles out, depositing a chosen few into high-paying leadership roles — but for many students hailing from science, technology, engineering and mathematic fields, there’s a catch. At every stage of the journey, from bachelor’s degree to employment, the pipe leaks more women than men and the ivory tower is no exception. Among Canada’s 20 largest research universities, many fail to meet a 10 per cent threshold for female representation in STEM departments, like electrical or computer engineering. Western’s Faculty of Engineering squeaks by with 11 per cent full-time female faculty membership.
Of the close to 1,300 Western faculty and staff included on the 2015 Sunshine List, only 33.8% are women.
Some say low representation starts at the student level, where women can also cut a lonely figure. In Western engineering, the number sits at around 20 per cent undergraduate female enrolment. “When I wear my jacket people can be shocked, which is weird to me because I’m in an engineering bubble,” said third-year biochemical engineering student Sarah Adams about Western’s iconic leather engineering jacket. But it’s an issue many say goes back even further than post-secondary. CRACKS IN THE PIPING In computer programming’s early decades, the number of women studying computer science was growing faster than the number of men. But in 1984, something changed. “In the ‘80s, 40 per cent of the people studying computer science were women and then it plummeted over the years,” said professor and Women Men 33.8%
66.2%
department chair of computer science, Hanan Lutfiyya. This shift also marks the point when personal computers started popping up in North American homes. Largely marketed as toys, these fledgling PCs offered games like pong, point-and-shoot or simple world processing software. These toys were almost exclusively advertised to boys. “That’s a theory that PCs became cheap, and guys are more aggressive so it became their toy,” Lutfiyya said. As for engineering, theorists speculate that societal cues telling girls they shouldn’t “get dirty” or be attracted to “hard hat and boots” science may play a role. “Mechanical engineering, I think, is heavily male-dominated because of this perception that you’re going to be taking apart your car,” said Lauren Briens, a professor in the department of chemical and biochemical engineering. “There’s a notion that engineering is a lot of
Average pay gap (including Chakma’s salary for typical representation):
$14,386.24
Top 100 highest paid professors at Western 15%
85%
Of the top 100 professors at Western, 80% are from STEM/Business disciplines, and 20% are from non-STEM/Business disciplines. Female full-time employees in STEM/Business disciplines (2014-15) 11% 27%
64%
73%
89%
Engineering
23%
38%
Health Sciences
Business
26% 74%
77%
Science
Medicine & Dentistry
Female students in Western STEM/Business disciplines (2014-15) 20%
28%
39% 61%
80%
72%
Business
Engineering
Health Sciences
55%
45%
49%
51%
Science
Medicine & Dentistry
Western’s new faculty hires: ratio of men to women 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 0
5
10
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE
15
20
25
30
Sources: 2015 Sunshine List Senate Report on Recruitment and Retention, January 2016 Western Databook 2015
tinkering with devices and things, and for whatever reason culturally, female children are not as exposed to that.” For Adams, though, whose father is an engineer, she realized early on that she was interested in pursuing a career involving high-level science and math. Once female undergraduates decide to enrol, however, there’s often more hurdles. Whether it’s discrimination, a lack of female role models or a curriculum’s male bias, female STEM students face challenges their male colleagues aren’t exposed to. “We did this first-year design project and I was in a group with all guys,” Adams said. “When it came to the report, they said, ‘Sarah, you can do diagrams and figures and editing,’ and they took the programming and the hard skills of that design project. It was interesting that they set that stereotype.” Further down the line, there are obstacles for female academics that laregly aren’t discussed. Briens explained once many students finish their PhDs, they’re about 28 years old. Following that, during women’s post-doctoral years and especially in the first five years of a faculty position, there’s enormous pressure to perform. “The problem is that time coincides exactly with when women want to be having children and need to be having children,” Briens said. “They can’t have children at age 45.” She said a STEM field can be a difficult environment for women to take leaves from because they could have a group of students working in a lab and there may not be anyone with the complex and specialized knowledge to fully replace their supervision. “Women may see that coming and they prefer instead to go into industry or government where it’s more of a gradual ladder, and everything’s not decided within the first five years,” Briens said. RIVER OF GOLD But does it pay off for the women who ride the pipeline, sailing to the top of STEM’s ivory tower? Recently Ontario’s 2015 Sunshine List — an annual record of public employees making salaries greater than $100,000 — revealed of Western’s top 100 earners, three-quarters came from STEM or business faculties. Of that total, only 12, or 16 per cent, are women. Currently in those same faculties, full-time female faculty representation is double that, averaging about 30 percent. So why aren’t more women on the list? Does a gender pay gap await Western women Western in STEM and business faculties? “Twenty years ago, women would have comprised 20 to 25 per cent of the new people coming into the University each year,” said Alan Weedon, vice-provost academic planning, policy and faculty. “That gives us a demographic of faculty where the most senior faculty — and they’re the ones with the highest salaries — have more representation of men and less representation of women because of the time of hire.” Notably, though, in 2010 there was a small gap. Following a report, a Western committee recommended that the salaries of 48 of the 74 female probationary and tenured faculty be increased to the average tune of $2,282 to make up for a gender pay gap. “We repeated the report again in
2013–14 and we found no evidence of any gaps,” Weedon said. “We’ve managed now to sustain that condition of not having any salary inequities that are based upon gender.” Another factor contributing to the unequal proportion of male versus female faculty in general on the Sunshine List is that Western has much higher female faculty and student representation in faculties like education, arts and humanities or even health sciences: fields that often yield lower lifetime earnings for both genders. Moving forward, Weedon said when a department is looking to hire a new faculty member, Western now has data on the representation of women among the PhD qualified individuals, and if the department’s application pool has poorer representation than that, it needs to go back and advertise the position again. If the best candidate happens to be a woman, the University will pull out all the stops. “Western will centrally fund half of their first-year salary,” said Weedon. “The idea being that the department can then use that money to recruit the person and make it much more likely they’ll recruit them to Western. In the last 10-15 years, it does seem to have made a difference to our successful recruitment rates.” BACK TO THE SOURCE Patching up academia’s leaky pipe is no simple feat. Many agree, though, that the solution starts with students. “In high school, girls don’t think about taking all of the sciences, so then they kind of get shifted into a place where they can’t take engineering,” said Adams, who’s an executive member of the University’s student group, Women in Engineering. “We go in and talk to students from grade seven to grade 12, and we kind of open the door of engineering and science. That’s the major step, I think. Especially, taking that physics course in grade 11, because a lot of girls don’t.” Briens too, explains STEM faculties acknowledge the lack of female students can be a self-perpetuating problem. Female students may be shying away from pursuing an area of study where they know there’s very few of their gender. “Whenever we go and do outreach activities, it’s important not to just have representative representation in the sense that if only 20 per cent of our faculty are women ... only 20 per cent [are out there],” she said. “The thought for outreach is that it should be 50–50 because you want to send a message of equal representation.” On the other hand, Lutfiyya said it’s important to acknowledge the leaky pipe isn’t all-inclusive. “When you talk about STEM fields it’s uneven,” Lutfiyya said. “The computer sciences is very imbalanced in one direction whereas biology is balanced is the other direction. The problem isn’t in all STEM.... It’s something we’re struggling to better understand.” Since 2009, out of Western’s annual new faculty hires, the average proportion of incoming female faculty is up to 44.4 per cent. “People picture woman engineers as being very nerdy, not as feminine or just being one of the boys, but it’s definitely not accurate,” said Adams. “It’s shifting from that stereotype and it’s really interesting to see more girls getting into it.” n
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8 • TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016
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•
What’s the fascination with the undead? TREVOR MAK GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE It’s the end of the world! In the realm of film and television, the dystopian narrative has experienced a burgeoning rise in popularity and demand thanks in no small part to The Hunger Games and The Divergent Series. Yet, at the mention of dystopia, coupled with the “end of days,” the one theme that has attracted the widest, most unanimous appeal is the zombie apocalypse. “The things about Divergent and Hunger Games, because they’ve been books for young adult readers, the subtext is that young people are to save the world from its dystopian existence,” says Jonathan Vance, a history professor who teaches a course about the zombie apocalypse. “Whereas the zombie apocalypse as a cultural product is ageless, classless and raceless, which makes it appealing because we can all relate to it. We also get the suggestion it doesn’t discriminate in its reach.”
It allows people of all ages to pretend they are either the hero fighting all the zombies, the helpless victim struggling to survive, or even perhaps one of the zombies themselves. But why in particular do zombies have such an appeal to the entertainment industry, specifically in Western culture? “I think people like to imagine what things would be like, how they would act if the slate were wiped clean and if they had to start again from basic essentials,” Vance says. “I’ve also heard people say it’s part of Western society’s unspoken self-loathing; that we secretly detest society and we like to see it destroyed as a form of punishment. I’m not sure if I buy that, but it’s an interesting way of looking at things.” Vance may not buy the notion of “self-loathing” and “societal disdain,” but from Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens to F. Scott Fitzgerald, such themes have not only persisted in many of the finest works of Western literature, but have also found their way into equally as numerous motion
pictures. But possible realities that have increased the fascination from showrunners are: What if society was subverted? What if civilization became unraveled, dismantling all the norms and social constructions that defined it? In recent years, game developers have offered a version of this “reality” in the ever-popular Call Of Duty, where each of its subsequent releases has featured a level dedicated to the zombie apocalypse. Despite its commercial success and high favour it holds with gamers, Vance feels this was more of a reaction to the rising popularity of the zombie genre. “I think that’s actually a response to the demand. It’s a recognition on the part of game developers that this is a popular storyline,” says Vance, who believes that the zombie apocalypse was used by gaming companies to attract more players. “It has the potential to bring in people who are not customarily interested in Call Of Duty, because Zombism is a popular franchise now. I think it’s the same reason why we have Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. You take something which is a tried formula, Pride and Prejudice, and you introduce an entirely [new] group of consumers that are interested in it.” So if it didn’t start with Call Of
Duty, where do zombies trace the root of their popularity? Mary Shelley’s Frankenstain? Well, this narrative actually traces its origins back to Caribbean Folklore. According to Vance, the original zombie story was White Zombie, though it is not what we’re accustomed to today. “Typically, they were Caribbean stories, because the Zombie was an offshoot of voodoo, it was a folk religion,” says Vance. “The first wave of zombie films tended to be set on the Caribbean Islands and there was an evil villain who controlled the living dead.” Vance notes, however, that mainstream Zombie films originated as a subgenre of slasher films with films like George Romero’s The Night of the Living Dead. But with the rise of movies such as World War Z and the renowned AMC hit series The Walking Dead, which has been nominated for numerous Emmys, what established the zombie genre as a legitimate, quality level of entertainment? “There was a sequel to Night of The Living Dead called Dawn of The Dead and then there was a remake of Dawn of The Dead, which made it move mainstream,” Vance says. “It was a well made film, I mean Romero’s films had very low production values, the remake was …
well acted, it was a good story and it showed you could make a real good movie with zombies as the storyline.” In addition to higher production values, this had helped propel the zombie narrative to the realm of prominence by attracting more respectable actors. “When you move out of C-list actors to people who are so-called ‘real actors,’ you also introduce the idea that making a zombie picture is not a sign that your career is going down the toilet. You can be a respectable actor and be in Zombie films,” Vance adds. “Now if you look at the more recent Zombie productions, one of the things The Walking Dead has been praised for is the acting.” In the recent years, films such as World War Z, Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland have featured names as prominent as Brad Pitt, Simon Pegg, Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone. While the zombie genre is certainly having its time in the sun, experts such as Vance point out that the upper echelons of demand is finite. As the cliché in life goes, all good things must come to an end, whether dead or alive, or somewhere in between. But for now, this age in television and film belongs to the zombies. n
MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE
This Thursday, for our last issue, we’ll be commemorating those we lost this year, the result of #Chakmagate one year on and everthing that’s happened this past year.
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• www.westerngazette.ca
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insightopinions
Fighting for campus spirit and community Claire Force One CLAIRE CHRISTOPHER COPY EDITOR @CLAIREATGAZETTE Let’s talk about the Western Fight Song. Oh, you’ve never heard of it? Funny, neither had I until quite recently. I accidentally came across it while editing one of our stories from last week’s spoof issue. The article mentioned the Western Fight Song,”and like a diligent copy editor, I did a quick search online to make sure this was an actual thing. After typing “UWO school song” into Google, the first result that came up led me to an obscure page somewhere in the depths of the Western Mustang Athletics website that referenced the Western Mustangs Official Fight Song. I had to refresh the link after a few minutes once I clicked it, as it wouldn’t load properly. It was probably re-greasing its Internet hinges, dusting itself off and putting on something nice for the first visitor it’s likely had since the page was added to the website in 2009. Feel free to take a look at the song for yourself. My search for this song opened up a whole host of questions and doubts about my university experience that I had not anticipated. Why did it take me until the last month of my last year of university to find out that Western had a fight song? Why have I never heard of it being sung at sports games, especially high-profile ones like football, or other school events? I’ve been to a grand total of one and a half football games at Western in the past four years — you didn’t actually expect me to stay for the full Homecoming game, did you? — but not once during those games or any of the other games I’ve heard about over the course of my university career have I heard of a rousing rendition of the Western Mustangs official fight song. The reason the obscurity of this song troubles me so much might have something to do with an experience I had while deciding what university I would attend. I was at the Queen’s March break open house with my aunt, who had completed
one of her degrees at Queen’s, and she was regaling me with stories of her student experience there. One of these happened to include her own Homecoming story, where she and some friends, who were obviously completely sober, paraded through campus chanting their fight song. As I think about my recent discovery of Western’s Fight Song and why I’m so bothered by its lack of performance around campus, I realize that that story of my aunt singing the Queen’s fight song on Homecoming gave me one of my first ideas of what university life was like — and I didn’t realize until now that Western has not delivered. Oh Western, Western, Western U, with all your efforts to appeal to international students and bolster the student experience, why have you not proudly promoted this quintessential aspect of school spirit to the students who are already here? After Orientation Week, all the faculty and school chants firstyears learn quickly fly out of our heads along with any enthusiasm we might have had for engaging in school activities. If any, that would be the perfect time to teach us the fight song and rekindle that flame. I doubt any school athletes even know that this fight song exists, but please, correct me if I’m wrong. Maybe I’m living in a fantasy world of decades past, where schools still had weekly dances and attended clam-bakes, gave their significant others letterman jackets and pinned each other when they were “going steady,” and maybe that’s unrealistic. Or maybe I’m searching for a connection with my fellow students in an age where people seem to keep their heads down and ignore their classmates and their shared experiences. I want a campus that has a sense of community, I want a campus where everyone can feel a part of something and I want a campus that maintains its traditions. I don’t know when the fight song fell out of use on our campus or if it was ever really a staple at Western events, but I can tell you I feel its absence. I’ve felt it for four years without really knowing it until now. I want Western students to remember that “this U is our U, and for her we’ll strive to do our best to fight with might and main.” Let’s bring the fight back to Western. n
TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE
Humanities feelin’ the love… and the dollars BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD The fruits of last spring’s crisis have come to fruition in this year’s budget, which shows special funding for previously ignored programs. The University announced a $5 million endowment for SSHRC disciplines (social science and humanities), an additional $200,000 in spending for next year and $500,000 to make up a donations shortfall so the Alice Munro Chair in Creative Writing can be established. While this funding is small in the grand scheme of things — Western’s operating budget is $732 million and change — it’s a step in the right direction and a sign that the University has put its money where its mouth is. After President Amit Chakma promised to listen to the concerns of faculty — particularly in arts and humanities — the budget delivers in terms of increased research funding. It’s particularly important in the context of enrolment numbers at Western and across North America. Enrolments in arts and humanities at Western are declining — nearly 25 per cent in the past five years — and since funding is tied to number of students, that means the Faculty of Arts and Humanities has seen its funding eroded. While this one-time funding doesn’t reverse a decline in its budget, it is a good sign from the University that it still values the Social Science and Humanities disciplines.
The problems facing Western on a broad level are not insignificant. Not addressed in the budget are continued cuts to faculties base budgets and an overall uncertainty in funding, which in a normal year would be a worry but is especially so this year as the province is rejigging its funding formula for universities. Western’s budget is also not particularly flexible due to expenses increasing at a far more rapid rate than revenues (about a two per cent gap exists year over year). With little in the way of alternative revenue, tuition capped at three per cent increases and declining provincial funding, Western is facing a long-term funding problem, most notable in its $23 million deficit in just two years. Given the two compounding problems facing humanities programs long-term — declining enrolment and overall funding crunches — this special funding can be seen as a glimmer of hope or the last spark of life. Hopefully, it is the former. n
We’re voting ‘Yes’ to 15% RE: STUDENT SENATORS LAUNCH SURVEY ON COURSE FEEDBACK, MARCH 24, 2016 TO THE EDITOR: This Friday, for the third time in three months, an amendment to the policy on evaluation of academic performance will come to Senate; and we will be voting ‘yes’. For those unfamiliar, the proposed policy change will mandate that all undergraduate students receive 15 per cent of their grade a week before the deadline for withdrawal, with faculty allowed to seek special exemptions from their deans for courses where this would be impractical. Over the past few weeks we have asked students how they feel about the idea and the response has been remarkable. More than 450 students completed our
AMY WANG GAZETTE
This funding for humanities research can have a positive impact. It signals to researchers that they will have the ability to study here and to students that they can have the opportunity to do research even if it can’t be directly monetized or applied to the “real world.”
survey, with an overwhelming 88 per cent in favour of the change. However, more important than the number we received were the individual voices and student stories that came with it. Students shared with us how they have struggled to make informed decisions about whether to remain in a course and how stressful it can be to have the majority of their coursework due in the final weeks of the semester and year. What this tells us is that the academic experience is not static. As teaching methods evolve, student needs change and the resources at our disposal improve. The University must continue to develop its academic policies to match the standard of its students. Western students do not just want to succeed, we want to excel and
giving us the tools and feedback to do so should be at the heart of each of Western’s academic policies. This week, we have a chance to take the first step in creating an assessment policy that values feedback as part of the learning process, ensures that we can make informed decisions about our academic future and makes student mental wellness a priority inside the classroom. This Friday, we will be voting in favour of the new policy and we hope that our colleagues on Senate will do the same. EMILY ADDISON 2015–16 CHAIR OF THE WESTERN STUDENT SENATORS HARRY ORBACH MILLER 2016–17 CHAIR OF THE WESTERN STUDENT SENATORS
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.”
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10 • TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016
experience
•
Sensual movement as self-expression ZEHRA CAMILLER GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE Dance has been idolized for its elegance and grace; ballet, jazz and tap being the common triad one associates with classical dance. However, the styles of dance that were formerly stigmatized have resurfaced as a new means through which women can express themselves. The modern resurgence of dance involves styles that are commonly associated with the strip club industry, including: pole dance, chair dance, exotic dance and sensual movement. Sophie Luxton, former exotic dance and sensual movement teacher, explains why she became interested in teaching this style of dance. “Around 2000, I read a book written by Sheila Kelley, titled The S-Factor. Strip workouts for every woman and I fell in love with the intention and the expression behind the movements,” she says. After reading Sheila’s book, Luxton started teaching her own version of the style. Luxton currently owns Juicy Woman Revolution, a business that teaches women to connect to
their inner-selves and “reclaim their womanhood.” Luxton has performed various styles of dance and explains that “in [her] experience, the most powerful movement for women to express themselves is the sensual movement.” The sensual movement is a style of dance also known as exotic dance, striptease and stripping. By taking the standard style of striptease, sensual movement adds choreographed movement meant to embrace the female body, further empowering women to find strength and beauty in their own bodies. Since this form of dance is commonly associated with the strip club industry, an industry which has received criticism for being demeaning to women, Luxton explains how this style of dance does not always receive a positive response. “When I was teaching ‘striptease’ and performing in it, there was definitely a stigma for some people,” Luxton notes. “I think mostly it was people who didn’t understand how it could be such a beautiful and powerful expression, and that it wasn’t just available as something that women did for men.” Luxton recalls that every time a
woman attended one of her classes, she experienced what it was like to do this style of dance for herself and not solely for male pleasure. As this style of dance increases in popularity, more studios are beginning to emerge. Andrea Fleury, owner of Studio Chic, London’s first and premiere pole dancing and fitness class studio, explains how she became interested in these styles of dance after seeing pole dancing on Oprah. “[I] knew it was something I had to try, but could find no studios in London that offered lessons,” Fleury explains. “I had to go outside our city to try a class and that is where I became addicted.” “Pole dancing was the perfect combination of sensuality, dance, strength and flexibility. It was empowering, and I just had to share it with women and men in London,” she says. Fleury explains that all of their pole, choreography and chair fit classes encourage their students to embrace their sexy side and break out of their comfort zone “in a welcoming, non-judgmental environment.” Ashley Clifford, second-year French and women’s studies
COURTESY OF STUDIO CHIC
student, has been dancing at Studio Chic since January of this year. Clifford uses pole dancing as a form of self-expression and says she would recommend it for anyone looking for a way to tone up in a pressure-free environment. “I pole dance because it makes me feel good,” she explains. “It
makes me feel strong, beautiful and independent, something I feel that a long of young women struggle with.” Exotic dance and sensual movement, though stigmatized at times, can provide a way for women to celebrate their unique beauty, and express themselves in a way no other dance compares. n
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random ‘Hannah Montana’ facts do you actually remember” on Buzzfeed. How did this happen? How can you stop yourself from getting so distracted? To manage endless Internet distractions, there are apps such as SelfControl that block distracting websites like Facebook, YouTube and Buzzfeed. Charlie Stigler, SelfControl app developer, says, “SelfControl can help anybody who finds themselves distracted by technology — which, these days, is just about everybody.” Stigler developed SelfControl seven years ago to help a friend block access to his email, which he found distracting while working. Today, the app is an open-source app for Mac. The app allows users to set a timer for one of two functions. “The blacklist function lets the user block access to only the websites or servers they find particularly distracting,” says Stigler. “The whitelist function inverts that — you pick a few websites you want to
access… and the rest of the Internet becomes inaccessible.” Evie McLaren, first-year medical sciences student, has used SelfControl for about a year and a half, ever since she found herself getting distracted by websites like Facebook and Youtube while studying for exams in grade 12. “Because it’s on a timer, I use it to plan out my study time and it is really helpful with keeping me focused,” says McLaren. “I usually set the timer for three hours to keep me on task when I have homework to do, although when I have a lot of stuff to get done, then I’ll put it on for the maximum time, 24 hours.” Stigler says the largest audience of SelfControl is students, though it is also useful in workplace settings. Although SelfControl prevents users from straying to distracting sites, Stigler emphasizes the importance of users’ willpower. “The truth is that the app is only as effective as the people using it,” says Stigler. “It’s the user who decides to turn on the app in the first place and without that first step of
SelfControl can help anybody who finds themselves distracted by technology — which, these days, is just about everybody. CHARLIE STIGLER SELFCONTROL APP DEVELOPER
willpower, we can’t do a thing.” Despite the success of the app, Stigler wants users to build up their own ability to manage distraction by remaining focused on the task at hand. “I hope that we can remind [users] what it feels like to be tuned-in and present,” says Stigler. “Teach them to wield their own self-control and help them learn to keep that mindset in the future — perhaps even without the help of an app.” If you need help remaining focused during exam studying, check out any of these apps below. They are arguably as effective as real self-control. n
Free apps to help with self control Self Control
Cold Turkey
Available for Mac, iPone, and iPad
Available for PC, soon to be for Mac
Set a blocking timer for up to 24 hours for personalized blacklist or whitelist
Similar to SelfControl Pro versions allows you to block all access to your computer and set specific break/work times
Isolator Available for Mac
Minimizes visual distraction while working Provides an overlay that block all other applications other than the one in use
Strict Workflow Available as an extension to Google Chrome
Enforces a 25 minute work/ 5 minute break workflow
Stay Focused Available as an extension to Google Chrome
Allows you to set maximum indulgence time on time-wasting websites
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TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016 • 11
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APRIL 2016 • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 3
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Deathly discussions RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITAATGAZETTE The discussion of death is often considered taboo. For most people, it’s a downer. But over the past few years, there’s been a growing interest in death cafés. Death cafés are set up for individuals to come together and discuss death in an open environment. “Death cafés [are] a relatively new movement that’s been spurring all over the world,” said Mark Shelvock, a third-year King’s University College student double majoring in thanatology and philosophy. “Death is everywhere, but we don’t talk about it. It’s an interesting paradox.” The Than Club at King’s hosted its first death café last week, attended by over 20 people. The Than Club was created by Shelvock, who’s highly intrigued by thanatology: the study of death, dying and bereavement. King’s is one of the few universities in North America to have a
thanatology program. According to its website, a death education program began in 1976 and more than 4,000 students have taken courses in the area since then. In the 1990s the program expanded, offering a certificate in grief and bereavement studies. Courses within the current thanatology program include principles of palliative care, grief counselling and support, and popular culture and death. Darcy Harris, thanatology program coordinator and associate professor at King’s, is a supervisor of the Than Club. Harris was one of the first graduates of the thanatology certificate program. Prior to discovering the program, she was a palliative care and hospice nurse. “To be able to talk about something that a lot of people are uncomfortable [with] and give you a language and familiarity about talking, I think eases the conversations when they get more difficult like with your family or people that are closer to you,” said Harris. At the Than Club’s death café,
there were refreshments including a cake with a black raven and an opportunity for students and faculty to discuss death. “We have a variety of tables set up so students can basically just talk about whatever their thoughts, feelings, concerns, questions, whatever’s on their mind currently regarding death,” said Shelvock. Death cafés have been hosted all across Canada including in London and Toronto. Shannon Calvert, who co-hosted the King’s death café, is hosting another death café in London on April 12 at the Church of St. Jude on Adelaide Street. n
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2 MINUTES WALK to UWO. Recently renovated 2 bedroom basement apartment partly furnished. Large, clean, bright, quiet, private home. Rent includes separate free laundry, TV, Internet, A/C, parking. $500/person including utilities. Separate entrance. 519-434-8164. AMAZING LOCATION!! ALL-INCLUSIVE!! 3 Bedrooms, 2 Blocks from UWO!!! 255 Regent (beside bus-stop). Open-concept Living Room & Furniture, Bright/Clean Kitchen with Table & Microwave. NEW windows/flooring & Laundry. $460/BR May 1. Call/Text: Jo-Dee (519-639-8654)
UPCOMING EVENTS COME ON OUT to the First Annual De-Stresstival! April 7 in Mustang Lounge. A great opportunity to destress right before exams with music, food, and much more to come! Follow us on Twitter @DeStresstival and our Facebook event page De-Stresstival 2016 for more information and ticket sale locations! LONDON POLICE SERVICES Auction - Over 250 Bicycles and approx 250 items from the London Police Services. Monday April 11 at 5:00pm. www.mckenzieauction.com. McKenzie’s Associated Auctioneers. 1881 Scanlan St. London (519) 453-7182 GET ACTIVE! LONDON Sport and Activity Expo, Sat. April 30th at the BMO Centre, 295 Rectory St. Free to the public. Watch demonstrations and participate in sports and activities. 100+ prizes to be won from local vendors. www.BMOCentreLondon.com
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MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE THAT’S A WRAP. The Western Sikh Students Association hosted a turban-wrapping event on Monday afternoon in the UCC.
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