Friday, September 16, 2016

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westerngazette.ca FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME VOLUME 110, ISSUE 5 being dumb since 1906

REC CENTRE’S DRESS CODE UNDER FIRE PG3

BREAKING DOWN THE COSTS TO REP PURPLE & WHITE PG4

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2 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

know

•

PROFILE MAZAN AL-BABA

Volume 110, Issue 5 WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA University Community Centre Rm. 263 Western University London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial 519.661.3580 Advertising 519.661.3579

HAMZA TARIQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @HAMZATARIQ_

KATIE LEAR PRINT MANAGING EDITOR @KATIELEAR_

BRADLEY METLIN DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR @BRADLEYMETLIN

NEWS SABRINA FRACASSI DRISHTI KATARIA MOSES MONTERROZA RITA RAHMATI CULTURE SAMAH ALI ELLIS KOIFMAN AMY SKODAK ANNIE RUETER

GRAPHICS DANIEL BODDEN SENIOR GRAPHICS JORDAN MCGAVIN FEATURES & GRAPHICS AMY O’KRUK WESTERN TV CONNOR MATTHEW MALBEUF

CULTURE-AT-LARGE RICHARD JOSEPH

COPY DANIELLE GERRITSE

SPORTS CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE MIKE DEBOER CLAIRE PALMER

OPINIONS HALA GHONAIM

MULTIMEDIA MAAILAH BLACKWOOD JENNY JAY AARON MALLETT NATALIE TREFFRY

COLUMNISTS JUSTIN DI CAMILLO MARWA HASSAN JACEK ORZYLOWSKI

C JENNY JAY GAZETTE

For most students, juggling school, friends and work can feel overwhelming. But that’s not the case for Mazan Al-Baba.

to integrate the children, improve their language and literacy, and improve their mental and emotional wellbeing.

The summer camp program was regarded by Mazan as a success and he is even using one of his research groups here at Western to study the children’s cognitive development.

The second-year masters student in neuroscience has somehow found time to both apply for medical school and run H.appi, a non-governmental organization he started only one year ago.

“The idea was that these children had been so away from school. They had been in camps – and not summer camps but refugee camps – and they haven’t had the opportunity to be children,” Mazan says.

H.appi was designed to combat the stigmatization of mental health in the Middle East and Africa, and hopes to achieve this through an increase in research and knowledge.

His passion comes from his own personal experiences combined with a profound passion to help those in need.

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Mazan emigrated to Canada from Lebanon in 2005. He and his immediate family have been settled in Toronto ever since. Although he has been in Canada for some time, his memories back in Lebanon are vivid.

“Growing up in Lebanon, it’s a whole different world.

Lebanon, comparatively speaking to other developing countries, is doing pretty well on a social level and in terms of being open and accepting issues that are related to taboos elsewhere,” says Al-Baba. “But there is still high stigma and discrimination against individuals suffering from mental health illnesses and addictions.”

H.appi publishes blogs in both Arabic, English and French and last year a summer camp dedicated specifically to Syrian refugees was started. The goal of the camp was

The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.

However, his future dreams keep pushing him to continue forward. He definitely sees a future in medicine for himself, but when asked what he wants to specialize in there is some hesitation.

“This year I changed a lot, and of course I think I will change more once I’m in medical school. At first, given my interest in mental health and addiction, psychiatry was on the table. But working in the summer with children I noticed how amazing children are, which made me think of pediatric surgery. So, it’s all up in the air,” AlBaba says.

■■SABRINA FRACASSI

EVENTS CALENDAR • WEEK OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 – THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 FRIDAY • 16

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BLOCK PARTY 2016 HARRIS PARK, FRI/SAT

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.

When asked how he keeps his own mental health in check, Mazan admits that he doesn’t have as much personal time as he would like. When he’s not running an NGO or applying for medical school, Mazan loves to play volleyball, garden, travel, cook and drink wine.

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CORRECTION Volume 110, Issue 4’s culture story ‘Getting inked is entering the mainstream’ (published September 13, 2016) stated that the McIntosh Gallery had an upcoming project called the #ForestCityTattooProject headed by Heidi Kellet. This project, spearheaded by Heidi Kellett, took place back in the winter of 2014 and is no longer active. The Gazette regrets the errors in the project details, as well as the spelling of Heidi Kellett’s name.

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• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 • 3

news

Rec centre’s dress policy sparks debate SABRINA FRACASSI NEWS EDITOR @SABFRACASSI Every September, hordes of Western students head over to the Rec Centre, and the campus gym is one of the busiest places on campus. With so many new students visiting the gym for the first time, many may not be aware of the dress code guidelines at the gym.

However, the more than a decade-old dress code has come under fire for forcing people to cover up.

While enforcement has been lax in previous years, students have reported being asked to leave the gym for wearing apparel that does not follow gym guidelines.

Michelle Harvey, coordinator of fitness and wellness at the recreation centre, outlined the dress code and the reasons behind it. The policy states that nipples, midriff or glutes cannot be visible at the gym.

This means gym patrons aren’t allowed to wear certain apparel including sports bras, crop tops, athletic shorts and loose tank tops that might be too revealing.

According to Harvey, the dress code is based off a study that found that such rules help people with body image issues who otherwise are less likely to frequent the gym.

“People who work out in a sports bra and tiny little shorts are still going to work out if you make them do it in shorts and a T-shirt.

But people who have body image issues are less likely to come back to your facility if [others] have lower amounts of clothing on,” Harvey said.

Harvey added that wearing fulllength shirts is also a sanitation measure to prevent sweat from making contact with the workout machines.

According to Harvey, this policy was already in place when she started working at the recreation

People who work out in a sports bra and tiny little shorts are still going to work out if you make them do it in shorts and a T-shirt. But people who have body image issues are less likely to come back to your facility if [others] have lower amounts of clothing on.

MICHELLE HARVEY

COORDINATOR OF FITNESS AND WELLNESS AT THE RECREATION CENTRE centre in 2005.

“I don’t want to put up more barriers for people to exercise. We want people here. But we want everyone to feel comfortable here,” Harvey said.

The dress policy has sparked conversation amongst both students and professors on campus.

Samantha Brennan, professor of women’s studies and feminist research and philosophy shared her thoughts on the dress policy.

“My original thought was [that] as long as it’s gender neutral and gender neutrally applied there isn’t a particularly feminist objection to having a dress code. Twenty-four hours later, after hearing all of my friends’ outrage at the idea of a dress code, I did begin to wonder what the point of a dress code is,” Brennan said.

“If it’s simply to make other people feel comfortable, I’m not sure we should have a dress code.

I think probably people should just decide for themselves what they want to wear to the gym and if you don’t want to look you shouldn’t look.”

Thanoja Gnanatheevam, fourthyear honours specialization student in health and biology, also spoke out

USC reveals plans for new strategic direction HAMZA TARIQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @HAMZATARIQ_ The University Students’ Council held a special meeting on Wednesday to discuss the organization’s upcoming strategic plan as well as the USC’s plans for the two Homecoming weekends in October.

The strategic plan Kathy Burns, the USC’s new Chief Operating Officer, introduced herself to council and spoke at length about the new strategic plan. Burns replaced USC general manager Cathy Clarke who was in the position for around eight years.

The purpose of the plan is to “proactively create the future” of the USC and will include a department scorecard to review the position and goals of various services, according to Burns. The plan will set the threeyear objectives of the USC and will be completed in five phases which include consultations, workshops and vetting the draft plan.

In response to questions about the success of previous strategic plans, USC President Eddy Avila said there have been three plans in the past 10 years, with the last one being in 2011. The plans have had varied degrees of success but the

USC is optimistic about the upcoming plan.

Burns added that a draft plan would be brought to council on Oct. 17.

Homecoming The USC executives presented plans to hold activities on UC Hill on the first Homecoming weekend labelled “Reunion Weekend” on Sept. 30. Activities such as zip lining, hot air ballooning and concerts by student musicians were discussed.

Most councillors spoke out about the futility of holding dryonly events when the purpose was to counter unsafe drunken student partying. Concerns were also raised about inebriated students taking part in activities such as zip lining.

A consensus was reached towards the end of the meeting about holding both dry and wet events on the weekend. While the dry activities could continue on UC Hill, the USC might use the Spoke and Wave and the Mustang Lounge to hold wet events as well as for indoor programming if it rains on the weekend.

For all the details on everything that happened at the Sept. 14 meeting, visit westerngazette.ca/news.

TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE about the policy.

“I believe that everyone going to the gym should be able to go in whatever they are comfortable with wearing and that they should be comfortable in their own skin regardless of how any one else is dressed or how any one else looks,” she said.

Private gyms such as GoodLife Fitness do not enforce dress codes similar to one at the Rec Centre and patrons have more freedom in

Solution to puzzle on page 11

choosing their workout attire.

The dress code is posted on a pillar in the weight room, on slideshows on TVs there and on the Rec Centre’s Twitter account.

Harvey made it clear that she is open to engaging in the conversation.

“If people have suggestions or other things they want to talk to me about I’m always willing to meet

with students and address their concerns. I’d love to hear feedback, positive and negative. We usually only hear the negative but obviously people still keep coming back so I’m hoping that it’s a positive experience,” she said.

At the time of publication, Michelle Harvey was looking to find the study.

On stands every Tuesday and Friday

SUBMISSIONS INVITED

Western’s Code of Student Conduct defines the standard of conduct expected of students at Western and sets out the disciplinary procedures that the University will follow.

Western University Code of Student Conduct

The Code stipulates that it be reviewed by the Board of Governors every five years and the Board has established an ad hoc committee to conduct the current review. The committee, chaired by Iain Scott, Dean of Western’s Faculty of Law, invites written and oral submissions from interested individuals within and outside the University community regarding the content of the Code or its implementation.

The committee’s report, including any recommended revisions to the Code, will be submitted to the Board in early 2017.

Written submissions should be addressed to Dean Iain Scott, Code of Student Conduct Review Committee, University Secretariat, Room 4101 Stevenson Hall, or to iain.scott@ uwo.ca. The deadline for receipt of written submissions is Friday, October 7, 2016.

Individuals wishing to meet with the committee should indicate this in their written submissions.

The Code may be viewed at: www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/board/code.pdf

www.westerngazette.ca

4 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

news

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Anti-abortion flyers hung on doors in student neighborhoods RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITARAHMATI

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

Strike mandate vote passed

by Brescia Faculty Association RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITARAHMATI Members of the Brescia Faculty Association held a successful strike mandate vote on Sept. 7 where 94 per cent of members voted in favour of a strike mandate.

A strike mandate does not necessarily mean BFA will go on strike, but signifies that the association supports the negotiating team, according to Melissa Jean, BFA president.

Jean said the faculty’s contract expired on June 30 and negotiations with the employer have been ongoing since late April.

“We made certainly some early progress on non-monetary issues, but as soon as articles were opened that we would consider monetary, that the employer incurs a cost, really the negotiations sort of really slowed down and came to a stall,” Jean said.

Colleen Aguilar, director of communications and external relations at Brescia, couldn’t discuss the reasons why the bargaining process is lagging on, but did say the administration is optimistic.

“So to this point, both parties

have made significant progress in bargaining,” Aguilar said. “Brescia really values the contribution of our faculty and we remain optimistic that an agreement can be made.”

Jean said some of the issues being discussed include benefits for dependents, workload and salaries.

According to Jean, the low wages at Brescia compared to other institutions is a central bargaining issue.

According to the Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents 2014/15 results, Brescia ranked 21st out of 22 post-secondary institutions in salary rankings, with Western and the affiliates all ranking higher on the list.

“We know our pay is lower than that of our comparators: Huron, King’s, Western, we’re the lowest paid,” Jean said. “Not only are we the lowest paid, we’re the highest percentage of females. And we see that as a gender wage gap issue.”

72 per cent of Brescia’s faculty is female, the highest proportion in the country. Jean explained the salary parity sends a negative message to Brescia’s students and conflicts with the college’s advocacy goals.

Jean acknowledges that an

Houses in popular student neighbourhood — Broughdale St. and Huron St. — were covered with graphic anti-abortion door flyers Wednesday morning.

“It’s pretty shocking, the photographs on it are very shocking,” said Charlotte Carment-Baker, a fourthyear health science student who lives on Broughdale.

The flyers, sent out by the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, had strong messages against abortions. The front of the flyer contained graphic representations of pre-natal embryos and a first-trimester aborted embryo.

On the backside of the flyer, there were questions about abortion such as: “Will it unrape a rape victim?”, “Is it right to kill an innocent child when adults face challenges?” and, “Would we kill an infant or toddler because her parent was poor?”

CCBR has also handed out flyers in other areas across the province, including Toronto, where there was a case in which a mother took the flyers out of mailboxes, fearing children would be disturbed by them.

Most students The Gazette interviewed were not pleased about the flyers and did not agree with the message or tactic.

“It’s stating things like abortion doesn’t solve any problems, but that’s a very blanket statement... and it’s not how [all] people feel when you’re in that kind of position and that might be the only right choice for you,” CarmentBaker said.

Anika Grum, a second-year student, said she thinks students were targeted because they are going through a transition period and facing many new decisions.

“I think everyone is entitled to their own choices, so it’s not really fair,” Grum said.

“Perhaps they think students are likely to get abortions, maybe people in our age group have more pro-choice attitudes,” said Brian Lauzon, a fourth-year physiology student who lives on Broughdale. “I don’t think it’s right that they should be doing things like this.”

By mid-afternoon, barely any flyers were seen left on doors.

CCBR could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

increase in salary or benefits would cost more money, but believes Brescia can afford the request.

Jean, who was a charted professional accountant, said a financial analysis of Brescia was done, and that Brescia has had a surplus over the past five years.

Jean also cited the payout controversies surrounding Western’s President Chakma’s and Brescia Principal Colleen Hanycz’ double payment in 2013.

BFA is flexible and does not expect all the money at once, but overtime wants to ensure parity, according to Jean.

Third-party mediation is being brought in to help reach an agreement. A provincially appointed conciliator from the Ministry of Labour is coming Sept. 26 and 28 to aid the negotiations.

During the conciliation process, either party can ask for a no-board report and 17 days after that report it would be legal for BFA to strike and legal for Brescia to lockout BFA. If a collective agreement is reached it will likely last three years.

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

Take Back the Night boycotted by LAWC MOSES MONTERROZA NEWS EDITOR @MOSESMONTZ The London Abused Women’s Centre is boycotting the Take Back the Night march, an annually held march focused on sexual and gender-based violence, after a local pole dancing studio, The Pole House, was invited to perform at the event.

In an official statement, LAWC said they withdrew because they “cannot tolerate an environment that condones violence against women,” arguing that pole dancing contributes to the objectification of women.

The Pole House publicly stated they won’t be attending the event after being informed of LAWC’s

boycott, but LAWC has remained resolute in their decision not to attend.

In response, The Pole House pole-fitness instructor Kris Mac expressed disappointment in the way LAWC handled the situation.

“I think this was a response that was made very hastily,” Mac said.

“For the LAWC to make the statement that they have made, as well as posting a meme on Facebook stating that pole dancing normalizes male violence towards women, is inaccurate and irresponsible for them, we do not condone that statement.”

Invited by a local business, The Pole House was set to do a few performances at Take Back the Night.

Knowing the event was for a good

cause, The Pole House accepted, though admittedly with a few reservations.

“Our position is that we don’t know if pole dancing should be at an event like that,” Mac said. “It’s not a festival and it’s not a party, it is a political demonstration, so perhaps having performers there at all is not the right tone for the event.”

For Heather Wharram, program manager at LAWC, pole fitness stems from a history of female objectification, drawing its roots in strip clubs and the sex trade. But for those involved in pole fitness, it’s about reclaiming pole dancing as a sport and as a way of empowering the female form.

Wharram, however, doesn’t

believe in this reasoning, especially in a world that’s still dominated by men and patriarchal systems.

“You can’t reclaim something if it was never yours,” Wharram explained. “So women without lived experience of stripping, I question who’s doing this reclaiming. Is it women with no lived experience?

And can they then say the pole is empowering to them? Because it might be empowering to them but a survivor of the sex trade might see that very differently.”

However, in an effort to help people understand what pole fitness is and why they believe it is empowering, The Pole House is hosting an open house Oct. 1 and will be offering free classes. They will

also be accepting cash donations.

“We’re hosting this event so that anyone who wants to understand what pole fitness is about can come and give our classes a try,” Mac said.

“We feel there is a misunderstanding about what we do.”

Take Back the Night is an annual event held all across the globe to help end and bring awareness to sexual, relationship and domestic violence. Beginning in 2001, the event is now held in 30 countries and usually involves marches, rallies and speeches.

This year marked London’s 38th annual Take Back the Night and took place on Thursday Sept. 15 in Victoria Park.

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 • 5

opinions

Free speech not an excuse Jenny From The Block

JENNY JAY MULTIMEDIA EDITOR @THEJJCOLLECTIVE Freedom of speech.

It’s a fundamental freedom as per section two of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But in a case where one person’s free speech impacts another person’s right to security in their own homes, where is a distinction get made?

In a world where there are currently about 40-50 million abortions a year, it’s easy to see why pro-life supporters — those who are opposed to abortion and believe in a right for a fetus to be carried to term — feel so passionate about changing that number.

Let’s get this straight: it is okay to have an opinion. It is okay to also voice that opinion, especially on a topic that has been subject to heavily controversial debates and discussions.

What is not okay, however, is hanging signs with graphic illustrations of aborted fetuses on student’s doors.

The signs, which state, “Consider, though: will abortion make a poor woman rich? Will it unrape a rape victim? Will it turn a woman’s frog of a boyfriend into a prince?” do not help facilitate a productive and healthy discussion about the benefits of pro-life. They instead turn the conversation, and in their attempts to create a new and ‘creative’ argument to the pro-life side, end up being flat out offensive.

They emphasize the helplessness of a woman; why she should

just submit to her circumstances, thereby taking away the idea that she should even have the right to choose.

The issue here isn’t the cause.

Many pro-lifers manage to make their point without being condescending. What these pamphlets seem to do is discredit a woman’s ability to make choices for herself.

They fail to recognize that choosing to get an abortion could be one of the hardest decisions a woman can make. It’s a decision that comes with heavy thought and consideration, and to simplify this choice into a few simple and belittling sentences suggests that this group of pro-lifers come from a place of ignorance.

The recent campaign in the student neighbourhoods also fails to recognize that oftentimes, women suffer trauma and are in need of support and counselling after making this decision. For women who have made this choice, seeing pamphlets like these can cause them to think retrospectively in a way that can trigger the same trauma — especially those who may have had abortions due to sexual assault, since it’s one of the key points that they attack.

Perhaps the worst thing to me: they had the audacity to trespass into people’s safe spaces, their homes, and leave these pamphlets behind. These pamphlets are not for getting your lawn mowed or garbage picked up. This is a pamphlet with extremely graphic imagery and an extremely controversial viewpoint.

At the end of the day, free speech should not invade the safe spaces of others. Free speech does not give the right for hate speech. And although we cannot help that some views are more ignorant than others, freedom of speech becomes an issue when it begins to harm the safety and mental health of other individuals.

What’s with the obsession with race?

Rita All About It RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITARAHMATI People constantly ask me, “What are you?”

I’m Rita. I’m a political science student, I love movies and I work at The Gazette. I don’t mind being asked what my ethnicity is – I’m probably curious what yours is – but my ethnicity doesn’t define me.

My ethnicity is Persian. My parents were born in Iran. My mom went to college in England and my father has Italian citizenship.

My parents are Canadian and I am Canadian. None of us define ourselves based on any of these categories.

I have never understood why people are defined by their race, by the colour of their skin or by the country their parents are from. I was raised in a town that was, and still is, extremely multicultural. In my eighth grade class, 27 out of 30 students spoke a second language.

In my high school, people of Asian

decent outnumbered caucasians and in my childhood I never felt ethnicity determined anything about a person other than their physical appearance.

But here at Western, people are constantly surprised that I don’t “match” my ethnic background.

I’m not Muslim, I’ve never been to Iran and I don’t have many Persian friends. The constant focus on ethnicity often times makes me question if there is something wrong with me for not identifying with mine more.

I understand there is racism across North America and I commend movements like Black Lives Matter. I’m a blurred spot on the racial spectrum and that makes me afraid to voice my opinion on social media about any racial issues. I’m technically Persian, but I identify as Canadian; sometimes I’m considered a visible minority and other times I’m not; and I’m not Muslim (I’m agnostic) but I was born to a Muslim father. I feel judged for not commenting on racial issues and I also feel judged for commenting on racial issues.

I don’t fit in completely with Persians, Caucasians, East Asians or any other race. Growing up, I was always alright with this as everyone around me had friends

GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

Outdated dress codes need to go

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD

Western students may be starting the new school year on campus, but a rule recently enforced at the campus Recreation Centre feels fresh out of high school.

The Rec Centre has implemented a policy banning clothing that exposes students’ nipples, midriffs and glutes using a study.

The study suggests that people who want to attend the gym but suffer from body image issues may be made uncomfortable by the clothing and not feel like they can attend the facility.

Considering that a membership to the gym on campus is a mandatory fee that can’t be opted out of, students are highly disincentivized to pay for a second membership for a different gym if they disagree with the policy. Western should have at least conducted a similar study of the undergraduates at Western to see if there was a large number of students who were uncomfortable attending the gym due to body issues, and then see if they would be more comfortable if fellow gym-goers covered up, before introducing the policy.

But the heart of the issue is prioritizing one group’s comfort over another. The assumed discomfort of

from varying backgrounds. I have the Jewish sense of humour and I love pumpkin spice lattes. But now I feel people are constantly trying to categorize me on social media, in political discussions and general everyday conversations.

When I first came to Western I was shocked that so many people were intrigued by my ethnicity. In Saugeen, I met countless people who had never met a Persian. Some people constantly berated me with questions about my culture. Huh? My culture? Well, like I said, I’m Canadian. I was born in North York.

I know people are just curious, but I don’t understand why people care so much about my ethnic background.

I have always had friends of all ethnic backgrounds and that is something until recently I thought everyone in Canada had. Silly me. As

patrons who may be troubled by more fit bodies is reason enough to tell attending students to change their behaviour.

To say nothing of the discomfort students may feel after being asked to leave the gym for wearing inappropriate clothing. If the gym is concerned about patrons not going out of discomfort, it seems counterproductive to police the clothing worn in this way, ensuring students will be uncomfortable after being singled out.

With the increased support for body positivity lately, it’s important to remember that positivity is for all bodies, not just certain ones. By saying some bodies with certain levels of fitness are not okay to show off and celebrate in comparison to others, we’re just shifting the societal shame to another group instead of eliminating it.

Going to the gym should be a personal activity done to feel better about yourself, whether through attending with friends, doing fun activities or through the physical enjoyment of pushing your body to your limit. We shouldn’t be making it about who is and is not accepted there — the gym is for everyone, and should welcome everyone, regardless of the body they choose to show off.

I look around Western I realize there are many people who try to define others and themselves by their appearance. Now I’d like to make it clear, I think it’s perfectly fine if you and your friends are from the same ethnic background as long as you didn’t pick them because of that.

I’ve had people say I’m trying to “act white” when all I’m really doing is acting like myself and acting like a Canadian – Canada after all, is the only country I’ll ever call home.

I am more in touch with being “Canadian” than I am with any other ethnic or cultural background. Growing up, my family and I celebrated all the Canadian holidays. Canada Days were spent at Wonderland watching the fireworks.

During the month of October our entire house would be decorated for Halloween and on Christmas

morning we opened presents. My mother never wanted me to feel out of place and although we celebrated Persian holidays and the holidays of her country, it was important to her I got to experience the culture of my country. I know more about Canadian history than the history of any other nation. I have been formed by the interactions I’ve made with people in my life – luckily people from diverse backgrounds – and am not not merely a representation of the blood I was born with.

If you are someone who is very in touch with your families roots and culture then that is great! I wish I knew more about my parent’s heritage, but I don’t. For me, that’s not a big part of who I happen to be and I don’t think we should ever try to assume anything about a person based on their ethnic appearance.

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.”

6 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

feature

www.westerngazette.ca

•

In 2005, the fictional game of Quidditch w Harry Potter universe and turned into a “muggles.” Since then, it’s exploded on un from all walks of life. The Gazette’s Mike D the game at Western and in t

BY MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR

iddlebury College is located in a picturesque, post-card worthy town in central Vermont. It’s the kind of place where the leaves turn vibrantly orange in the fall and the colours are breathtaking.

It’s quintessential New England.

The private liberal arts school was founded in 1800 by congregationalists, the first operating college in the state. It’s small and quaint, and trendsetting.

Fast forward to 2005 when Middlebury student Alex Benepe and his friends had a random conversation centred around the idea of fictional sports. Of course, the legendary game from the Harry Potter universe came up — Quidditch.

You know, the one played on brooms. In the air. Flying.

“We started saying, hey, how would you try and do this in real life,” says Benepe. “And we kind of assembled some rules and gave it a try and I have to admit I was actually somewhat reluctant to try at first just cause I couldn’t imagine that it would work in real life.”

Giving it a try meant Quidditch was born.

Since 2005, it has become a growing phenomenon on college campuses.

As Benepe explains, college provides the perfect context for the game to grow. He also sees the game provide skilled athletes the ability to play something outside of the ultra-competitive intramural leagues seen on campuses today.

“Most colleges do a good job of fostering a culture of creativity and experimentation and trying new things and new ideas,” says Benepe.

“They really become breeding grounds for new concepts and I think people also like community and sport-oriented activities.”

Cameron Reilly has participated in the Western intramural Quidditch league for three years. He believes the demographic of the Western Quidditch community is a perfect mix.

“I think it’s a nice healthy mix of the Harry Potter fan base in general and like people who actually want to be active in the community,”

says Reilly. “They want to be running around, participating in team events and stuff like that.”

Benepe loved Harry Potter, but as he explains, no more than the average person who grew up with the books and movies as an institution in their lives. While the literary origins of the game have shaped it, the game has grown and become more dynamic. It now has national federations and an international ruling body (the International Quidditch Association).

That’s a long way from the small beginnings in central Vermont. If you ask Benepe, who now serves on the board of U.S. Quidditch, whether he expected the game to grow this way his answer is profound.

“I read an interesting quote the other day that at first ideas can seem impossible and then eventually improbable as they begin to grow and when it hits a certain point it becomes inevitable and I think that describes Quidditch fairly well,” he says. “I don’t think I could’ve imagined this on the first day we played but as it grew and the excitement began to build, you can see what a positive impact it had on people because they loved it, now it all sort of begins to make sense.”

Quidditch has since arrived on Canadian college campuses, at both a competitive club level as well as an intramural level.

The game has moved away from simply being a game for Harry Potter enthusiasts.

Participation numbers have gone up, as has the skill level in the sport.

“It’s growing, it’s diversifying,” says Benepe.

“The biggest growth happening right now is on the competitive level. The game becomes increasingly intense and dynamic and exciting to watch and play and the level of experience and athleticism with the players is just really high right now. Like I wouldn’t stand a chance against the top players in the game today.”

According to Reilly, his regular Quidditch team, which has been quite successful on the intramural circuit, generally averages 20 to 25 people. Other teams vary between 10 and 20 people. There are eight teams in the intramural league.

• www.westerngazette.ca

was lifted from the pages of J.K. Rowling’s a real-life, non-flying organized sport for niversity campuses and attracted athletes DeBoer explores the growing popularity of the wider college sports world.

Reilly believes it has become so popular on campus, and across the world, because of a love for sport and activity in the context of a passion for the universe that J.K. Rowling created.

“Definitely because Harry Potter is something we all grew up with, whether you read the books or whether you watched the movies, it just most likely clicked with you as a kid,” he says. “And now that we’re in a university setting, so many people want to play an intramural sport anyways; it’s got a very comfortable environment for stepping into something new.”

While there is no competitive club team at Western right now, schools like Queen’s and McGill have been competing at a high level nationally for years.

“We have four sets of tryouts,” says Samantha McCaul, a third-year Queen’s student who joined the team in first year.

“We chose players based on the potential to learn the game because it’s a teaching sport; we don’t expect you to show up knowing anything. We also test general athleticism, enthusiasm and dedication.”

The Queen’s club team competes at tournaments against other schools and community teams registered under Quidditch Canada, the national ruling body. In the first semester of this year, both the University of Guelph and Carleton are hosting tournaments. Then there is a 16-team regional tournament hosted by Quidditch Canada itself.

One of the defining factors of the real-life version of the fictional sport is its emphasis on gender integration. While most intramural sports at Western provide a co-ed opportunity to play, Quidditch is gender-inclusive at all levels.

This is one of the factors that Benepe believes has helped quidditch grow in popularity and significance.

“We’ve had a number of sociologists do studies on Quidditch over the years and they found that not only did participating in Quidditch change participants’ view of gender in sports, but also gender in general — in a positive way,” says Benepe.

Reilly agrees that the co-ed aspect of the game has provided it with an interesting dynamic.

“I think it adds a level of fun to the game, a dynamic where there are like star players of both genders,” says Reilly. “I don’t think it causes any constraints and I think it’s making it more fun cause more people are able to play.”

The sport gained an increase in recognition from the 2014 Netflix documentary Mudbloods, directed by Farzad Sangari.

“In addition to the viewership it’s gained just being on Netflix, also while being produced and released, it got a ton of media attention,” says Benepe on the significance of the documentary. “It seemed like every global outlet out there wrote about the fact that there was this quidditch documentary coming to Netflix.”

The documentary showed real-life Quidditch as it would any sport: nail biting, intriguing, with storylines and heart-pounding excitement.

Reilly attempted to build a Quidditch club at Western before his dream was deterred.

However, he hopes one day a Mustangs Quidditch team can exist.

“I would love to be involved if there are. I think it would be so cool to play other teams and have legitimate practices where you go and you do a little regimen based around Quidditch, I think that would be awesome,” he says.

Samantha McCaul started playing Quidditch because she loved Harry Potter.

She has also been playing sports since she was five. Quidditch provides her with a way to pursue those interests, while creating lifelong friendships along the way, both with her fellow Queen’s students as well as her competitors from other teams.

Despite the lack of flying and the lack of a legendary wizard poised to save the world as we know it, Alex Benepe has built an amazing sport. One that is kind of goofy, but also awesome. And inclusive. And changing the sports landscape as we know it.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 • 7

www.westerngazette.ca

8 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

sports

•

Athletes must pay to wear the purple and white CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR @CLAIREATGAZETTE Many students aren’t aware of the fact that it isn’t free for athletes to represent the purple and white.

Even athletes themselves may not completely understand the team fee.

“In general what we do is we have a student athlete team fee, which is $175, so every student athlete is paying that,” said Chuck Mathies, Western’s manager of intercollegiate athletics. “That basically allows them to get their Under Armour gear that we have available for them each year.”

The Under Armour gear is included in every athlete’s ‘Varsity Kit.’ In the past, this kit has included the famous purple tracksuits, bags and backpacks, sweatshirts and jackets.

However, that $175 only covers the team apparel. Varsity teams also have transportation costs, which can be steep, to get to and from away games. According to Mathies, the big purple Mustang buses often used by varsity teams for transportation are actually owned by Greyhound and are chartered out to the teams.

“There’s a daily cost that is incurred for [the purple bus], which is a price that Greyhound charges,” Mathies said. “It’s based upon the

daily rate for the mileage.”

In addition to transportation costs, there can be hotel fees and dinner bills for overnight trips and tournaments. Depending on how much travel or how many overnights a team has to do, the costs can pile up and the team fee can skyrocket.

However, the burden of the team fee doesn’t fall squarely on the shoulders of athletes. There are programs in place in order to offset the price of varsity athletics.

According to Mathies, the school allocates a limited amount of their budget towards some of the teams.

This budget comes from an $85.89 ancillary fee that’s included in the price of tuition of every student, under the title “Intercollegiate Athletics.” Varsity Athletes also pay this, in addition to their team fee.

“Our sport model is different, we have certain sports that are within what we call our competitive club level of varsity competition,” said Mathies. “There’s a base [amount] that they get through an application.”

Teams also have a fundraising account, where they can deposit revenue streams. This account is what the coaches use to pay for the expenses of the team. These revenue streams come from fundraising, budgeting from the school, donors, the $175 team fee and any additional

fees that the teams require. Each team fee is unique, and can range from paying nothing to paying over $600 depending on donations, fundraising and how much travel is involved.

“It all depends on what their needs are,” said Mathies about how much of the budget is allocated to the teams. “They make decisions on what events they want to go to, based upon the dollar allocation that they see available within their fundraising account and the allocation that they get.”

Fundraising is organized by the teams individually and can range from clothing sales to volleyball or golf tournaments. Donations are incurred through the school’s Adopt-a-Mustang program, where donors are given the option to donate funds directly to a specific team or Mustangs Athletics in general.

“The Adopt-a-Mustang program is there to again seek out people who want to support a specific sport or team,” Mathies said. “If you were interested in supporting women›s lacrosse, as an example, and you wanted to donate $200 to them, you would go in, you’d fill out an adopt a program form contribute the $200 and that goes into that program’s fundraising account.”

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JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

Women’s soccer’s winning streak has rookies to thank CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE A six-game undefeated streak doesn’t come along often in soccer and it’s even more rare when half your roster is composed of rookies.

That’s exactly the position of the Mustangs women’s soccer team currently, as they’ve won four and drawn two of their league games this year.

Fourteen first-year players fill out Western’s 28-player team, including all three goalkeepers. Megan Girardi, Megan Brown and Julianna Guglietti have been splitting the duties in net, all contributing to the team’s 0.33 goals-against average, which is good for second in Ontario University Athletics.

Eight of the Mustangs rookies has featured in the starting lineup at least once this season, as head coach Martin Painter tries to find the

perfect combination for his team.

“It’s been a case of experimentation,” Painter said about this season.

“Different formations, different tactics. We want our players to be smart players, and players who are adaptable to different circumstances.”

This tinkering has been largely successful so far, with the team starting their season red hot.

Second in the OUA West Division, the Mustangs were ranked tenth in this week’s national rankings for Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

The large contingent of youth isn’t solely responsible for the team’s fate, though. Ten of the Mustangs are in their fourth or fifth year of varsity soccer and have been setting an example for the future of the team.

“That group has been exceptional in the leadership they provide by setting a tone and working with the younger players to make sure they know what’s expected,” Painter noted.

The first-years have also found room to step into leadership roles.

Striker Vanessa Guglietti has played in five games and has scored twice, with two assists as well. Midfielder Kiera Grein has also found a spot as a regular, coming on in the latter stages of games to help secure a lead.

Painter also points to the trio of goalies as a source of young leadership on the Mustangs. Although in competition for the starting job, the group of Girardi, Brown and Julianna Guglietti has managed to set an example for the rest of the first-years.

“All three goalkeepers have worked exceptionally hard [and] led by example with their work ethic in training,” he said.

The Mustangs have ten games left on their schedule, and it will be a tooth-and-nail fight to the finish.

Western hasn’t won an OUA title in women’s soccer since 2004, but the future is now very bright.

JENNY JAY GAZETTE EYES ON THE PRIZE. First-year Mustang defender Lauren Ince keeps possession of the ball while facing off against a player from the Algoma Thunderbirds.

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE FULL STEAM AHEAD. Kendra Marlatt, first-year Mustang midfielder, charges towards the action in one of the doubleheaders against the Algoma Thunderbirds.

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 • 9

sports

Athletic director Thérèse Quigley announces retirement CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

How does TD stadium stack up to other stadiums?

CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE The most popular venue for Mustangs sports, TD Stadium, has been the home of Western’s football team for 16 years. With two stands that seat a combined 8,000 people, a million-dollar Field Turf surface, a fully-equipped press box and 400metre running track, TD has a lot of features to boast, but the field is only really used for football; the soccer and rugby teams play their home games at Mustangs and Alumni Field respectively.

But how does Western’s primary sports field compare to those of other Ontario universities?

When the Mustangs travel to Kingston this weekend, they will take part in the opening game for Richardson Stadium that Queen’s rebuilt this summer.

The new football field for the Gaels will have two new scoreboards, as well as seats on three sides — rather than TD’s two.

There are several food vendors and a liquor-licensed area behind the north end zone, though Richardson stadium is a half-hour walk from the main Queen’s campus.

TD and Richardson are the two largest regularly used stadiums in Ontario University Athletics, at a capacity over 8,000 both of which can be expanded for major events.

Varsity Stadium in Toronto is easily the most historic OUA venue, having been in continuous use (in many shapes and forms) since 1898.

It’s hosted Grey Cup Finals, Olympic soccer matches and archery events in the Pan Am games. It also features a 400-metre track just like Western’s stadium, and unlike many other OUA venues.

Its capacity has been pared down in the last 15 years to just 5,000, and some of its facilities are beginning to show their age. Nevertheless, the stadium in the heart of Toronto and on campus is very convenient for U of T students.

There is one OUA venue that trumps TD Stadium unequivocally,

though it’s only used once a year.

The TD Place, home of the Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian Football League, is a 24,000-seat park that plays host to the annual “Panda Game.”

The Carleton Ravens and University of Ottawa Gee-Gees play their rivalry football game in front of a huge crowd in a professional-grade stadium that often hosts international rugby and soccer, as well as pro football.

Other OUA teams from Guelph to Laurier to Waterloo have less impressive stadiums. Most universities have put money into renovating their football facilities in the past 15 years but they remain fairly old-fashioned. Small, concrete stands are the norm in OUA football, and that’s what the Mustangs see at most of their road games.

As far as regular home stadiums go, few universities can top Western.

TD Stadium has everything the Mustangs need, and its location right on campus makes it a perfect spot for homecoming crowds.

Western’s director of sports and recreation services, Thérèse Quigley, announced on Wednesday that she will be retiring from her position this year. She will remain in her post until Dec. 31, at which point the university is hopeful a successor will have been found.

Quigley has been in charge of athletics at Western since 2009, when she came to London after an 18-year career as McMaster’s athletic director. She has been a pioneer for many years in Canadian intercollegiate sports, having committed herself to the growth of student-athlete leadership and facility improvement in all of her positions.

“It was really a personal decision,” Quigley said about her choice to retire now. “One that I’d been looking at for really the last year. The decision to retire in January was primarily to give the university opportunity for a seamless transition in time to conduct both a review and a national search [for a successor].”

Over the years, Quigley has become known around Canada for her dedication in working with students, and her innovation in advancing intercollegiate athletic programs. In her eighth year in charge of Western athletics, Quigley has spearheaded efforts to establish the Mustang Academic Success program for student-athletes, and has had a hand in the building of Mustangs and Alumni Fields for high-performance varsity sport.

Quigley speaks very highly of the people she has collaborated with at

TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE

Western, particularly students.

“I remember my very first meeting in July of 2009 when I arrived at Western,” she reflected. “My very first day on the job was meeting with the [University Student Council] and planning Orientation Week. I’ve enjoyed working with USC presidents from Emily [Rowe] to Eddy [Avila], and everybody in between.”

A winner in 1975 of the FWP Jones Trophy for Western’s top female athlete, Quigley has always had a strong connection with Mustangs sports.

She won a national championship with the volleyball team in 1972, perhaps the peak of her success as a varsity athlete.

Canadian Interuniversity Sport has a leadership award named after Quigley, presented annually to a women’s volleyball player for her commitment to citizenship and scholarship in sport.

As for the future of Western’s athletic program, Quigley intends to continue to support her successor in every way she can. She is heavily invested in ensuring the transition to a new director is smooth, and insists that she will be available to pass on her expertise in the future.

After she leaves Western in January, Quigley hasn’t yet thought about what she might do.

“I intend to take some time to myself and look at what the next chapter of my life is going to be,” she said. “I may not have any specific plans at this point, so I’ll be looking in the first several months to relook at that, an opportunity to just reflect on what I would say has been a very blessed career working in university sports.”

THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY, RIGHT, IS RETIRING AFTER 7 YEARS AT WESTERN.

Teams to watch this weekend CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR @CLAIREATGAZETTE

With 46 teams and clubs at Western, it can be hard to keep track of how each team is doing. In order to keep you in the know, here’s our list of the top five teams from this past week.

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE

SOFTBALL Softball exploded into their regular season, going 6-0 last weekend.

The Mustangs proved why they are the defending Ontario champions in double headers against Laurier, Ottawa and Carleton, only giving up two runs over the six games and scoring an impressive 44 runs.

They’ll be looking to capture their seventh consecutive provincial title this year, in action again on Sept.

16 in a doubleheader against the Waterloo Warriors at Stronach Park in London.

WOMEN’S SOCCER Women’s soccer continues their unbeaten streak with a 5-1 win over the Waterloo Warriors last week. The program has won four of their six

games, tying the other two. As well, the team only has two goals against to start the season, with 27 goals for in only six games. The Mustangs are currently second in the Western conference of the Ontario University Athletics, two points behind York.

They’ll be in action again on Sept.

18, as they hit the road to face off against Laurier.

MEN’S SOCCER After starting off the season with a tough 1-0 loss to McMaster, the men’s team has gone five games without another loss. The team’s only two non-wins have come on the road, after the team went on a four game win streak on home turf.

With only three goals against in their first six games of the season, and nine goals for, the Mustangs are sitting in second in the Western conference of the OUA. Their next game is Sept. 18 in Waterloo against Laurier.

FOOTBALL After an upset defeat to Carleton 38-31, the Mustangs bounced back this week, rolling over the Waterloo

Warriors 75-14 on Saturday. After dropping from fourth to seventh in the Canadian Interuniversity Rankings, the team has rebounded back to fifth in the national rankings.

Sitting in fourth in the OUA, the Mustangs have their work cut out for them. The Mustangs are looking to build on their momentum from this weekend as they head to Kingston to face off against Queen’s on Sept.

17, to open up Queen’s new football stadium.

BASEBALL Baseball opened their 2016 campaign with two solid wins over McMaster. Taking the first game 14-1, and the second game 10-8, the Mustangs got off to a convincing start. This season the Mustangs are looking to repeat as Ontario champions, a title that they stole from Brock after they upset the Badgers in the gold medal game 9-4 in 2015.

The Mustangs will hit the road next as they travel to Waterloo for a double header against Laurier on Sept. 17.

www.westerngazette.ca

10 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

culture

•

The coveted vendors of Covent Garden ANNIE RUETER CULTURE EDITOR @ANNIERUETER1 Covent Garden Market has been a staple in the London community since 1845. Home to dozens of local London vendors, the indoor market is lively on weekends and offers students a change from the food options available on campus as well as harbouring an array of artisanal products and relaxing study spots.

Here are a few vendors who offer interesting and affordable products for students.

The New Delhi Deli Bhan Mudliar, owner of The New Delhi Deli, serves up delicious homemade Caribbean-Indian cuisine. When Mudliar came to Canada from the Fiji islands, she put her cooking skills to the test by opening the small business. Today, Mudliar has loyal customers who come in weekly, if not daily, to take advantage of the changing daily specials.

“It’s all homemade food, so [students] come to me,” says Mudliar.

“I have different things every day so everybody has their own choice.

I make chicken curry; I make fish curry; I make goat; I make lamb; I make pork; Oxtail; Beef vindaloo…”

Vegan, vegetarian and gluten

ANNIE RUETER GAZETTE

free options are available. Mudliar’s intimate lunch counter and affordable pricing make lunch at The New Delhi Deli ideal for students looking for a flavourful and inexpensive plate. Lunches range from $7-10 and are always served with a warm smile from Mudliar.

The Chocolate Factory Liz Pache, current owner of The Chocolate Factory, has been involved in the chocolate business since her parents opened the shop in St. Mary’s, Ontario over 30 years ago.

Pache’s business offers affordable, quality chocolate and personal items that make for fun gifts or treats.

“Our mint smoothies are our best seller,” says Pache, describing the refreshment with an all-chocolate mint centre coated in a layer of milk chocolate. Pache also recommends the chocolate-covered potato chips, pretzels and licorice, especially during stressful exam times when quality snacking is crucial.

Pache’s pricing is very reasonable for students. “You can get gifts or personal items from anything a dollar on up,” says Pache. “It suits every budget, and if you like good chocolate then you’ll like ours.”

Sab’s Soaps Sab’s Soaps is a local operation that sells handmade natural soap and beauty products. Sabrina Lemky, owner of Sab’s Soaps, is happy to talk soap-making with customers as they peruse the selection of colourful soaps and bath bombs.

Lemky, who has been going to Covent Garden Market since she was a young child, got into soap-making by crossing items off her personal bucket list. “I wanted to learn how to make old-fashioned soap and I did,” she says. “I fell in love with it and three years later I have a booming business.”

Lemky’s best-selling items among students are the relaxing lavender and ylang ylang bath bombs, as well as the fresh lemongrass bath bombs. The satsuma, mandarin and jasmine shampoo bar is the overall best-selling bar, which makes for an easy product to keep in a gym locker.

The products are affordable and competitive with commercial beauty products. “I believe in affordability not only for students, but for everyone,” says Lemky.

“Body care and skin care shouldn’t be outrageous.”

Covent Garden Market is open daily and is accessible by bus. Take the 6 or 13 southbound to Dundas or the 2 eastbound.

Huron pride lives on ELLIS KOIFMAN CULTURE EDITOR @ELLIS_KOIFMAN Huron University College was here first – and they’re damn proud of it.

We’ve all heard the name, but what is the story behind this small university college?

Huron was founded as a small Anglican seminary in 1863 on the east bank of the Thames, explains Huron history professor Geoff Read. In 1951 the college moved to its current location and soon began offering liberal arts and humanities degrees on top of its already successful theology program.

Unfortunately, according to Matthew Patterson, a third-year history student at Huron, Huron bears a false stigma of being a second choice to Western or a place where students go if they aren’t accepted into main campus. Patterson says he heard this a lot during O-Week when he started at the College.

“There’s this sense of ‘what’s Huron? Is that really a part of Western?’ … the stigma is easy to get over, but it still exists,” says Inam Teja, a third-year dual-degree Ivey HBA and Huron global studies student.

Students and faculty alike at Huron boast of the benefits of small class sizes and closer community that school creates. While it is true that for some students that Huron isn’t their top choice, the vast majority of Huron students seem to really love it there.

“This is kind of cliché, but you can have the best of the two worlds: a research university [and] also the small classes of Huron,” says Huron history professor Jun Fang.

Teja agrees with this sentiment, saying the small class sizes are definitely a benefit for him. He likes the ability to get to know the professors, which can make it easier to get a reference letter later on.

Despite being the founding college, Huron has become lesser known over the years. Fang suggests this is due to the course offerings being primarily humanities, whereas main campus offers much more variety, albeit at the cost of larger class sizes. That said, for what it has, Huron really stands out.

“If you want to do a liberal arts or humanities degree I honestly don’t think there is a better place to pursue your education in Canada [than at Huron],” Read says.

Today the theology department only makes up only a very small portion of the student population.

The chapel that once attracted many religious students now serves a different purpose for many.

“I didn’t even realize which denomination of college this was before I went to Huron,” says Teja. “[The chapel has] a lot of people come in and meet students ... [it is] a nice place to get away from it all and have a nice quiet space to think.”

Between the small class sizes, pride in attending the founding college and availability of the chapel to escape the stresses of everyday campus life, the close-knit community of Huron is a small and under-appreciated gem on the campus of Western University.

“I really have a strong attachment to [Huron],” says Read. “I think most people who work there, or go there, share that feeling.”

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE

Uncovering Western’s hidden gaming culture ELLIS KOIFMAN CULTURE EDITOR @ELLIS_KOIFMAN Western campus is filled with gamers who play everything from League of Legends to Super Smash Bros. and more — but they often go overlooked due to a small number of clubs and a lingering stigma.

“We are reaching the point where if you ask anyone if they play video games … There’s no social stigma around it anymore,” says Christian Tam, president of Western Electronic Gaming Association (WEGA).

Tahir Dahrouj, the fourthyear medical sciences student who started the Facebook group Pokémon GO UWO, disagrees. He says there is still a fair bit of stigma around gaming, such as being called a nerd, which often may make people less willing to open up about it.

When you think about the Western community, you probably don’t notice a large presence of gamers. As of right now there are few clubs that specialize in playing video games and promoting a community around it. Tam says this is likely due to USC restrictions towards having too many similar clubs as well as poor marketing for the club.

The other part of the low awareness is the lack of ability to connect over very popular games. For example, when Tam was in his first year of university, he connected with others on his floor in Saugeen by asking whether they played League of Legends. Today, this is perhaps the most popular game among people at Western.

WEGA is split into different sections, each having a coordinator that focuses on a different game — Dota 2, League of Legends and Smash Bros., for instance — which allows people to make friends with gamers who play the same game as them.

This in turn increases the chances of joining the community around niche games.

The club also holds a huge Local Area Network party at the end of clubs week where people bring in their computers to hang out together and game. Two years ago, the attendance was a staggering 85 people — far more than they had anticipated. Last year their Smash Bros. tournaments saw 40 people in attendance weekly. These numbers show a strong interest in gaming on campus.

A big problem with modern gaming is that it occurs mostly between

close friends. “A lot of people have that core friend group that they [play games with],” says Tam. “I want people to add to their friend group.”

Dahrouj feels gaming is still in the process of becoming more mainstream and the community within Western is more hidden than they’d like to be. “It’s hard to find people to get into it,” he says. He explains, however, that once you’re part of a gaming club, it’s easy to find lots of people on campus who are part of the gaming community.

While console and PC gaming on campus seem to fly under the radar, Pokémon GO shows unique potential to help people on campus connect. Fourth-year kinesiology student Gursuraj Grewal says he sees a lot of people walking around campus playing the game.

“When you see a bunch of people in one area [on campus], they tend to form groups,” says Grewal. “They might become friends.”

With more people visibly walking around playing Pokémon GO, perhaps the more hidden gaming communities in Western will see greater interest from students and the lingering stigma will come to an end.

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016 • 11

culture

RICHARD JOSEPH CULTURE-EDITOR-AT-LARGE @RJATGAZETTE

Tech Talk SHACHAR DAHAN GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE

APPLE

Apple finally confirmed our worst fears by removing the AUX headphone jack from their new iPhones.

Instead, the headphones included with iPhones will now connect via the Lightning port. However, if this doesn’t work for you, another option is the newly released wireless headphones named “AirPods.” Aside from the outrageous $160 price tag, it seems almost impossible to imagine keeping track of them.

Apple also added a dual camera system to the iPhone 7 Plus, and made some changes to the home button. But aside from that, you still aren’t going to find any sign of wireless or fast charging capabilities.

On the computer side, with macOS Sierra, Apple made some exciting changes by bringing both Apple Pay and Siri to your Mac.

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Of course phones and laptops are exciting, but the summer of 2016 truly belongs to the autonomous car platforms and sophisticated electronics marvels that will eventually come with these mind-boggling technology advances.

BMW announced that it’s joining hands with vision processing specialist Mobileye and chipmaker Intel to create a central computing architecture for self-driving cars.

Around the same time, news broke about a Tesla driver dying in a crash while using the semi-autonomous “Autopilot” feature. Industry reports suggest that this fatal crash eventually led to Tesla’s decision to stop using Mobileye’s EyeQ vision chips in its Autopilot driver-assist systems. Last month, Uber and Volvo also announced a partnership to develop a fleet of self-driving cars.

Most of the projections for these autonomous vehicles hint at a 2020 release date, but Tesla is hoping to have their model 3 on the road as soon as 2018.

Early last year, I applied on a whim to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Now, somehow, I’m actually here. In goddamn Scotland.

Like, the Scotland from Braveheart.

I was commissioned by The Gazette to give my fellow Western students bimonthly updates on my (sometimes inebriated) escapades in this strange land, and thus “Scot Topic was born”. I’ll introduce myself: I’m RJ —a sheltered, spoiled only child who has lived with my parents for the first twenty years of my life and is now living alone halfway across the world in a country that seems to have unlimited alcohol. The potential for narrative is off the charts.

Perched precariously along the rocks of coastal Fife are a series of ruins, ancient castles and sprawling golf courses that make up the university and town of St. Andrews. I’m a week into my year-long exchange, and so far — pardon my Scottish — it’s proper fucking brilliant.

The O-Week equivalent in St. Andrews is known as “freshers,” a similarly chaotic week-long orientation period. Jetlagged, tired and slightly tipsy, I’ve been reliving my orientation week in a bit of a daze.

There are, however, a few differences.

Director: Barry Jenkins Starring: Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Saunders, Trevante Rhodes, Janelle Monae, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris Rating: GGGGG Being a black man in America has an unofficial rulebook outlining how to behave and feel when conceptualizing oneself. This limitation can restrict men to become a shadow of a person, a body acting as stereotypes and conceived lifestyles meant for them as opposed to who they are. This complex is flushed out through Barry Jenkins’ incredible feature Moonlight.

Following the same boy at different stages of his life, Moonlight features Little/Chiron/Black (Hibbert, Saunders, Rhodes respectively) navigating through his life in Miami, Florida as he learns what it means to be a black man. As he struggles with his sexuality, Moonlight captures the fine boundaries within black masculinity and how one can get lost when they don’t fit in.

Within the opening scene it’s clear that Jenkins is a wizard.

As the camera whips around two characters conversing, Moonlight immediately wraps you into the story and gets you invested in the little boy running away from a group of bullies. Jenkins splits Chiron’s life into acts as he develops with his identity as well as his environment: first introduced as ’Little,’ then going by his real name Chiron, and finally adopting his best friend’s nickname ‹Black.’

The dominator behind each performance is the cerebral acting – nothing is said and it’s just enough.

Jenkins holds scenes between the actors letting them, well, act. From Little’s formation of his sexuality to Chiron’s sexual awakening to Black’s self betrayal, Jenkins plays with your emotions, moving between joy and tears in every act.

Moonlight’s success is dedicated to its impeccable cast and cinematography. Black people in all lights and no lights, engulfed by oceans or street corners, every profile is shot with a strong focus on the actors and their reception of their surroundings. Shades of light set the scene while the eyes of each character tell they are holding back everything they need and should say but know they can’t. Watching the male characters restrain themselves is heartbreaking and devastating but just enough to push the point across — black masculinity suffocates men into being someone they’re not: a shell of themselves.

Jenkin’s Moonlight is a gem. A topic that isn’t discussed enough is beautifully captured through a silence that truly speaks louder than words. It encircles you into a world felt by some and not communicated by most. Suffocating under the pressure felt by black men in America, Moonlight pushes you to think beyond what you know about a person. They may be dealing with a lot more than you expect, especially when expectations prevent them from expressing themselves.

More screenings of Moonlight can be found at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 17.

For an entertaining example of this relaxed attitude, let’s look at the “pier walk,” an ancient St Andrews tradition. Around noon, right after the Sunday service at St. Salvator’s Chapel, students in their iconic red gowns (I have one, by the way, and it’s pure class) congregate and walk en masse down the pier. Sounds pleasant enough, right?

On some days, maybe. But the thing about St. Andrews is that we’re on two ocean fronts, and the wind gets pretty aggressive. The pier is alright on the way up, but the raised platform along which you walk back is a precarious, narrow ledge with the raging ocean on one side and a steep, rocky drop on the other. Some days, you’re basically walking across a stone tightrope in a hurricane. And it’s exhilarating, if not quite up to code.

All in all, I think Western could learn a few things from St. Andrews in regards to O-Week. Undergrads at both institutions drink like fish, and it’s pretty much impossible to stop them. The St. Andrews attitude seems to be, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Why not work with the culture of binge-drinking instead of against it?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go see Hodor from Game of Thrones.

He’s DJing here. No, I’m not kidding.

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Moonlight shines a light on black masculinity SAMAH ALI CULTURE EDITOR @SISTERSAMAH

For one thing, St. Andrews makes little pretense of having a “dry” orientation week, which as we all know is a blatant lie anyway. You can’t carry around liquor in an open container, but there are plenty of faculty events with drinks involved and quite a few reputable pubs in the vicinity. Maybe it’s because booze is a national pastime in this country, but the attitude towards drinking is rather refreshing – almost like they’re treating the students as adults capable of self-control rather than deranged alcoholics.

On top of that, there are no sophs.

I moved into my dorm pretty much on my own, and went to the events I thought might be interesting – no hordes of weirdly-dressed, enthusiastic people herding me around.

It adds up to a much more laissezfaire experience than O-Week. The organizers and residence staff are friendly and willing to answer questions, but they’re not your guides, per se. You’re free to do as much or as little as you want, but you do have to take a little more initiative yourself. The same mentality applies to studying in the UK: as an honours English student, I have a paltry four hours of class a week, but I have to do an immense amount of self-study if I want to keep up. Two classes per semester, but two novels a week.

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MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE BUT IS IT FREE THO? ‘Starving’ students line up for free pizza on Concrete Beach on Wednesday afternoon, in a throwback to when Pizza Pizza was a vendor in Centre Spot.

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