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westerngazette.ca FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 110, ISSUE 7 strobe light candles since 1906

USC CLUBS MOVE OUT OF COMMON SPACE PG3

MEET THE ATHLETIC CLUBS GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY PG7

EXPLORING THE GENDER DIVIDE IN GYM ACTIVITIES PG9

JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

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2 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

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AARON SERES

Volume 110, Issue 7 WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA University Community Centre Rm. 263 Western University London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial 519.661.3580 Advertising 519.661.3579

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JENNY JAY GAZETTE

From Convent Garden Market to the river Thames, London’s a gentle echo of home for third-year sociology student, Aaron Seres. Not because he’s been here before, but because his journey started in another London — London, England.

While the thought of coming to a university can be a daunting notion, the culture shock that exchange students experience can add to the pressure. Aaron, who spent two years at Warwick University, chose Western for the same reason he chose Warwick — for the sense of community the campus offered.

“I didn’t like the idea of being in a big city,” he says. “My secondary school was quite small, so it was nice to go from something small to something slightly bigger.”

“I used to be quite shy and I think university back home really changed me as a person — it really made me so much more outgoing and I think it’s the best opportunity for finding who you are,” Aaron confesses.

“[O-Week is] an experience like I’ve never had before — it’s so overwhelming and there’s so much going on the whole time and everyone is making you do these different things you never thought you’d do before.”

For students who are thinking about exchange, Aaron says they should simply go for it.

“Whether you’re at Western going to somewhere in Europe or coming from England to Canada, go for it and throw yourself into everything that comes up whilst you’re here because that’s the only way you’ll fully enjoy it,” Aaron says.

However, it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing.

Homesickness is a struggle that both Canadian and international students face, and for Aaron it’s been all too real.

Aaron is quick to acknowledge that he wasn’t always as outgoing or open to new experiences.

Now, in his attempt to understand the difference between crisps and chips, Aaron writes in his travel blog “From Warwick to Western.” He plans on documenting the life of a young North Londoner exploring the North American version — where aubergines are referred to as eggplants, loos are bathrooms and O-Week is incomparable to the UK’s Fresher’s week.

For Aaron, his trip to Western is intertwined with his passion for new experiences and pushing his boundaries.

This meant being a part of the first round of students to come to Western from Warwick since it’s a new exchange partnership between the universities.

“On the first day that I got here, I had just shut the door of my room, and I was the first one who had moved into my flat,” he says. “It was quiet, and no one was around, and I just thought ‘oh my goodness, what am I doing here?’ ” Today, Aaron feels more settled in. It wasn’t long before Western’s pride soon made him feel at home.

“My favourite part — and it might sound cheesy — but I genuinely think it’s the pride and the atmosphere you get here,” Aaron says. “Everyone absolutely loves going here.

Back home, everyone enjoys uni — but you don’t get that same pride.”

Although Aaron has only been here for just over two weeks, he plans on spending the next year getting pissed with the Western community and having a piff time — and hopes that everything else doesn’t get lost in translation.

■■JENNY JAY

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• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 • 3

news

USC kicks clubs out of common space MOSES MONTERROZA NEWS EDITOR @MOSESMONTZ

The former common clubs’ space on the third floor of the UCC will now be exclusively for USC associates and support staff.

Beginning in the summer, the renovation of the student organization room and the annex on third floor project included a complete overhaul of the club space, removal of the lockers and breaking down the wall between the space and the USC offices. The annex, previously space used for associates, coordinators and interns will now be exclusive to USC coordinators.

Instead of consisting of tables, chairs and lockers, the space will now provide each of the ten associates with their own designated work desks.

While the space was supposed to be used by any of the 180 USCaffiliated clubs to coordinate meetings, events and more, the USC believes that it ended up becoming a crowded place where students unrelated to clubs would study and eat lunch.

Allie Adamo, USC student programs officer and previously an associate vice-president, said that there were times where the space wasn’t available because of how full it became.

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

“Sometimes clubs couldn’t even use the space,” Adamo said.

“Because students were there just studying or having lunch. Half of the time, even when I was a club president three years ago, I never used that space because it was always full and messy.”

Emily Ross, USC communications officer, also said that they wanted to provide associates and coordinators with an adequate space, given their increased workload and salaries.

“With more involvement with what we’re doing, more involvement

with the USC and a heavier workload, we wanted to make sure they had an adequate space to work out of,” Ross said.

Some, however, are skeptical whether or not the room was being used for its intended purposes. Nick Gill, third-year BMOS accounting student and volunteer for the Accounting Association, not only disagrees with the claims of the club space’s misuse, but also believes that the USC could have placed their supporting staff in many other locations.

“I think that during the day it was

definitely used for its purpose,” Gill said. “But during the night, because execs spend all day with club stuff, and if they didn’t have something to do for the club, then they would catch up and study.”

“The USC has more than enough space. They have their council chambers, their previous associate office, peer support rooms — there’s two of them — and they also have two rooms beside creative services,” Gill continued.

The USC has yet to decide upon a new club space location. So far, they’ve been considering the storage

spaces in the Mustang Lounge and room 80 in the UCC basement.

Adamo hopes to find a space that will give clubs more resources.

To mitigate problems of overcrowding, Adamo plans on working with the managing director of facilities to make the new space more exclusive to club executives by possibly adding a card access or a pin code.

In the meantime, Ross encourages clubs to book conference rooms and classrooms until the USC comes to their final decision in October.

London lottery winner donates $700,000 to Western scholarships MIKE SCAFE GAZETTE STAFF @NEWSATGAZETTE

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

Meet Max: The Bruiser Woods of Western Law SABRINA FRACASSI NEWS EDITOR @SABFRACASSI Max Meingarten could be the most recognizable face of Western Law. It helps that he’s a dog. As the Faculty of Law’s “canine ambassador,” his duties include eating leftovers, going for walks and greeting people at the door. If it all sounds a bit unlikely, take a look at the Faculty of Law’s staff directory — a perfect headshot of Max will grace your screen.

Max is a five-year-old golden retriever. His owner, Corey Meingarten, is the IT administrator for the Faculty of Law. He started bringing Max to the office roughly three years ago, and what started as a weekly affair eventually turned into a daily occurrence.

“He has a great time [in the office]. He mooches everyone’s breakfast and lunch and when

people’s kids come in they always have food and are covered in sticky things, so he loves it,” Meingarten said.

Not only is having Max in the office helpful for his owner, but he also provides some loving support for the other administrators in the office. Vera van Diepan, administrative assistant for the law office, has known Max his whole life.

“He used to come in [as a puppy] and he was just a little bit of a wild thing at the time, but he quickly learned some constraints,” van Diepan said. “He also learned to love us very much because we always had cookies for him.”

Max had his big break last year when an associate dean gave Meingarten permission to add him to the staff directory on the Faculty of Law webpage. Now, Max also has his own email address where students can request to meet with him

whenever they are in the building.

A longside Mei nga r ten’s co-workers, students and guests also enjoy Max’s presence. He’s even been trained to stand up at the front desk when someone says “greet.”

“The first-year students are slowly learning that there is a dog upstairs,” Meingarten said. “Guests like it too, it’s not what you would expect walking into a law school.

It’s fun! And usually he gets a lot of attention before anything else gets done.”

It’s a dog’s life for Max at Western. When on campus, he is constantly receiving treats and attention. The office even throws him an annual birthday party every year.

If you want to meet the canine ambassador himself, send him an email (max@uwo.ca) and he might just surprise you with a visit.

The local winner of a Lotto Max MaxMillions jackpot has chosen to donate a large portion of her $1 million prize to Western University.

Maria Stuhlemmer, a now retired Londoner, won a $1 million MaxMillions prize in the Sept. 2 Lotto Max draw. After previously expressing interest in potentially funding a university scholarship, she now says that contracts have been drawn up and $700,000 of the money will be donated to Western.

Stuhlemmer, almost 80 years old, lives with her 90-year-old husband who she has been married to for 58 years. He was the first to hear about the winnings.

“We are both hardworking common folks; we have worked hard our whole lives,” Stuhlemmer said. “We have two children and grandchildren. We are very sick and very tired.

I am crippled with one arm and my husband is crippled with one leg.”

Stuhlemmer initially splurged on a limousine ride from Toronto to London after claiming her prize at the OLG Prize Centre.

“I would like to help people.

[A scholarship] helps people that are poor and have nothing,” Stuhlemmer said. “It helps newcomers who come over from different countries and have nothing. The best way to help people is to help a doctor, because helping a doctor can help thousands more people.”

The winning ticket was purchased at a Shoppers Drug Mart on Richmond Street but Stuhlemmer waited a week before checking her ticket.

“I always buy a ticket. Every week, one ticket. Our pensions are so little that we couldn’t afford gambling. We were hoping God would reward us,” Stuhlemmer said.

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4 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

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Western prof rocks how researchers imagine earth’s formation MOSES MONTERROZA NEWS EDITOR @MOSESMONTZ AARON MALLET GAZETTE

Students caught off-guard

by MTP program cut SABRINA FRACASSI NEWS EDITOR @SABFRACASSI Media Theory and Production, a combined four-year program between Fanshawe and Western that allowed students to graduate with both a diploma and a degree is set to be cancelled this year.

This program was offered under the Faculty of Information and Media Studies along with two other branches: Media, Information and Technoculture (MIT) and Media and the Public Interest (MPI). However, on the FIMS website, MTP can no longer listed under the undergraduate programs tab.

Bridget Farrell, FIMS student council vice-president communications, commented that MTP students were unaware of the removal of this program.

“There was really no communication with students on this matter, and the fact that they finalized the decision for discontinuation and even removed the program from the website with no formal announcement left FIMS students blindsided,” said Farrell.

Kathie Hess, FIMS undergraduate senior academic counsellor, noted that the lack of communication has been because the University senate has not formally approved the decision yet. The Senate will give the final say on the program change in October.

“Sometimes with student representatives, they might not be aware of everything that is being discussed. I think once the students kind of understand why the program was being reviewed and some of the challenges, despite all of the improvements that were being made, they’ll understand the decision,” said Hess.

Hess said that the dialogue on discontinuing the MTP program has been going on for roughly five years already.

“There have actually been two reviews of the MTP program. One of the reviews interviewed every single fourth-year MTP student [from that year]. These decisions always take a long time between start to finish so you might have a cohort that has already graduated but started the discussion,” Hess said.

She continues that while the program information is available to current students, the faculty is in a difficult situation because they don’t want future students to be looking into the program since there is a possibility that it will be discontinued.

“I think the students are having trouble finding it which we probably need to do a better job. I think messages have gone out telling students it’s still there but it’s not as intuitive when you go in. It’s in the 2016 academic calendar as well,” Hess said.

Although the discontinuation of

the program has not been formally approved, a new agreement between Fanshawe and Western has already been discussed and approved on both ends. Jim Van Horne, MTP coordinator for Fanshawe spoke out on the new agreement.

“It’s not a collaboration anymore it’s now called an ‘articulation agreement’ and so it’s slightly altered but it’s also good for Fanshawe students,” said Van Horne.

The new articulation agreement states that high-achieving Fanshawe students who graduate with a diploma in broadcast journalism, radio broadcasting, television broadcasting or interactive media design, can apply to enter into year three of an honours program at Western.

Despite the reasoning behind the new program changes, Farrell felt that leaving students out of the discussion was unfair. And while the new agreement is good for Fanshawe students, it offers no real benefits to Western students wanting to get a diploma.

“We understand that MTP has issues that need remedying, but the disregard that the FIMS administration showed towards its students throughout the process demonstrates a lack of respect. We hope moving forward that this will change, as we hope to maintain a strong relationship with our faculty members,” Farrell said.

After an extensive three-year study, a Western department of earth sciences professor and a French researcher are shattering conventional beliefs about earth’s origin.

While previously scientists thought an isotope, Neodymium-142 (142Nd), was introduced later in earth’s development, Western professor of isotope cosmochemistry Audrey Bouvier and French researcher Maud Boyet proved the isotope was actually already present during earth’s growth, similar to other planetary objects in the solar system.

While to the average person, this discovery may seem trivial, in this particular area of research it’s actually a game-changer.

“Our results actually changed quite a lot of interpretation about the composition of rocks that we analyze on earth,” Bouvier said. “Not only is it changing a lot of scenarios for early evolution of the earth, but it also affects all of the models for how much heat is being produced from the earth.”

Bouvier said that scientists who read a lot of models about the evolution of the interior of the earth are going to use this new data to better constrain their models. She added the research idea came to her after realizing an old friend from her graduate days had access to a mass spectrometry facility.

“We were actually graduate students together,” Bouvier said about Boyet. “We got our PhDs at about the same time, but 10 years later when we realized our studies overlap, we were just like ‘oh, let’s work together.’”

To understand how earth evolved, Bouvier looked at isotopes, atoms and elements with small

differences in masses and using a measuring technique called mass spectrometry. By using these refined measurement techniques, Bouvier and Boyet concluded that different meteoritical objects found in the solar system incorporated the elements neodymium and samarium but with slightly different isotopic compositions.

These variations show that the solar system wasn’t consistent during its early development and that matter from previous generations of stars were incorporated in various proportions into the building blocks of planets.

Bouvier and her team were ecstatic when the results of the study came through.

“It’s super exciting when you’re a scientist and resolve something that’s puzzled people for 10 years,” Bouvier said.

Bouvier hopes to continue working at Western and to inspire more students to ask questions and delve deeper into their studies. She encourages students to stay close to their peers, because you never know when they’ll help you out.

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE

Western moves against vaping by introducing ‘clean air corridors’ MOSES MONTERROZA NEWS EDITOR @MOSESMONTZ In January of 2016, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne passed legislation that banned e-cigarette smoking and vaping in places where cigarettes are prohibited, effectively lumping vaping into the category of smoking.

Western is now following suit by banning students from vaping in designated areas called clear air corridors. What’s more, students within 10 meters of any entrance, window, air intake or loading dock

Solution to puzzle on page 10

are forbidden from vaping.

According to the Clear the Air website, after the London Health Science Centre went smoke-free on July 1, 2016, many people crossed from LHSC to Western property in order to smoke. As a result, many people began complaining of the lingering clouds of smoke appearing all throughout campus.

In May through June, Western conducted a series of surveys asking Western students what they thought of the increased smoking.

According to the results, 69 per cent said they are bothered by secondhand smoke on campus. 76 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that a move to smoke free campus would be a positive transition.

Whether or not Western will completely ban smoking from campus is yet to be considered. An advisory committee on the Future of Smoking at Western will decide what further action will be taken to reduce smoking on campus.

Students aren’t penalized for smoking in areas where they shouldn’t. Though, they are strongly encouraged not to do so.

Jane O’Brien, associate vice-president human resources at Western, said that they haven’t considered penalizing students as it is a health issue.

“Ultimately, we need to persuade people to ensure that they follow the request of the community,” O’Brien said. “We’re just asking people to follow the law, it’s no different than asking people to wear safety belts.”

Clear air corridors were first implemented in 2015. They began appearing in areas where there were significant complaints, especially between the University Community Centre and Weldon Library, the overhang in front of the Social Sciences Building, the walkway between Lawson Building and Somerville House.

Now there are clear air corridors on the north end of campus including Medical Sciences, Dental Sciences, the Health Sciences Addition, Taylor Library, Kresge, Siebens-Drake, Natural Sciences, Biology and Geology, Chemistry, the Biotron, the Greenhouses and Robarts Research Institute.

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 • 5

opinions

streeters The Gazette asked students in the UCC about their experiences during clubs’ week.

Here what they had to say.

SYDNEY WILLIAMS BMOS II “I’m actually a part of the executive team on Caribbean Students Organization. I’m the communications VP... I like interacting with different people, bringing them in, seeing who the new Caribbean people are and trying to integrate them into our club.”

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

SONU VARGHESE MEDICAL SCIENCE II “I’ll probably join Western Indian Students’ Association. I’m Indian and like they had pretty good events last year. And there’s a discounted price for all their events so that’s why I decided to join.”

Club space is needed at Western

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD

As clubs week continues in the Mustang Lounge this week, the groups have been uprooted from a communal space in order for the USC to house its associates and support staff.

The space on the third floor of the UCC was meant for club executives to have meetings and organize things for their groups. The clubs system at Western is the largest in Canada with over 8,000 members in over 180 clubs. In contrast, the USC employs only about 10 associates.

BEN TRAN KINESIOLOGY II “I’m definitely joining Purple Spur because I love them. I did first year exec last year so I love it.”

Turfing the clubs from their space really has no valid reason and the USC does not seem to know what to do. They have suggested that clubs book a room in order to hold meetings and plan things for their groups. The room used to have lockers but they’ve been removed as of now — to rent one would be an out-of-pocket expense for the club executives.

Changing the space comes at a critical time for clubs who could have used it at the beginning of the year, a time for clubs to plan events and hit the ground running. Right now, everyone is joining clubs and it would seem to be an essential time for organization and stability.

DALYA HUSSEIN HEALTH SCIENCE I “I just signed up for EDM and the Spur. I’m really big into EDM and I go to a lot of shows and festivals and stuff. And the Spur just looks like a lot of fun.”

Now, this has become just another problem for clubs to maneuver through within a bureaucratic system that does not make it easy for executives to get things done. There are many stories from clubs about the stress of navigating the system.

For example, the process of approving a t-shirt design, putting up posters for an event and booking

a room all comes with various hurdles. The USC should be making it easier for students to run their clubs — not harder.

Instead of making this unilateral decision, the USC should do better and foster a better relationship with the clubs community.

Going forward, the USC should reconsider this move. Putting the perceived needs of a limited number of staff over the thousands of people in clubs was ill advised.

In addition, the USC was planning to kick out the clubs months in advance — with construction being completed over the summer. Yet, there was no alternative space for the clubs when the school year started and USC is still evaluating its options until October.

In terms of access to conference rooms for clubs, the USC can apply the same logic to their associates and coordinators and let them book rooms as the need arises. With the weekly time cap being 25 hours for associates and 15 hours for coordinators, including time spent working remotely, a lot of these people won’t be on their desks for sizeable parts of the week and can hence share a space or book a room when they need it.

This USC executive ran on a platform that promoted inclusion and engagement with the student community. They should start with the clubs community — with their 8,000 members.

we get letters

ANTHONY GUOLLA MECHATRONICS II “I’m looking for something social, something where I can meet people that are into the same things as me.”

MUNEMA MOIZ MASTERS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY “I’m looking more at religious clubs and then cultural clubs... but most members are undergraduates. They don’t even know if as a graduate student I have to pay the fee.”

Re: The Gendering of Disciplines, Amy Skodak Thank you to Amy Skodak for this insightful piece about the pervasive and problematic gendering of disciplines in the university.

Several years ago, I transferred from a Bachelor of Science program to a Bachelor of Music program because of intellectual curiosity that I could not leave unfulfilled.

As a woman who chose to leave a STEM field, I am happy that Skodak’s article touches on a fundamental problem in twenty-first century higher education: the devaluation of the liberal arts. The article articulately points to two false and harmful assumptions that have become endemic in higher education: that arts degrees cannot lead to career opportunities and that the

university is purely a place for job training.

Despite Skodak’s nuanced take on the issue, I find the editor’s choice of graphics problematic because both the image on the cover of The Gazette and the image beside the article seem to imply that men are being excluded from the arts and humanities. In fact, men are simply choosing to go into STEM. Troubling as it is, what men choose to do tends to be an accurate metric of what we value as a society. The fact that men often favour STEM degrees over arts degrees is symptomatic of our society’s largescale depreciation of the arts and humanities. As Michael Milde eloquently put it in a town hall meeting last year, “The attack on the arts and humanities is the attack on the

university.”

More and more, we are coming to see the university as a conduit to a career and not as a place for getting an education, when there is no reason that it cannot be both.

We should be encouraging all students—regardless of gender identity—to take courses in the arts and in the sciences. We should also be encouraging students to combine career-focused courses with courses chosen purely out of interest or curiosity because to borrow the words of Michael Milde yet again, “The breadth of a liberal arts education is something that will last a lifetime and will be to the benefit of all students.”

— MARY BLAKE BONN PHD CANDIDATE, MUSIC THEORY

Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff. To submit a letter, go to westerngazette.ca and click on “Contact.”

www.westerngazette.ca

6 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

feature

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Scientists by day, popstars by night

DRISHTI KATARIA NEWS EDITOR @DRISHTATGAZETTE Do you ever wonder what super smart scientists do with their free time, if they get free time? For six scientists at Western’s Brain and Mind Institute and a Western psychiatrist, they jam out as members of Untidy Naked Dilemma.

The band’s organizer, Adrian Owen, is a world-renowned expert on consciousness in vegetative patients by day and Untidy Naked Dilemma’s lead vocalist and a guitarist by night. He’s loved singing and playing the guitar since he picked one up 24 years ago.

“I really love doing something else with my scientific colleagues that isn’t science, and the idea that we get out on stage and play in a band is great fun,” Owen said. “We have a tremendous camaraderie between us.”

For Owen, performing is second-nature. After Owen moved to London from Cambridge in 2011, he’d been a part of a band for 15 years and decided to keep the tradition going — despite also running Western’s Owen Lab, acting is a Canada Excellence Research Chair and working as a principal researcher involved with the University’s BrainsCAN project, which recently received the biggest research grant in the University’s history — $66 million.

AMY O’KRUL GAZETTE

But besides Owen, the band doesn’t lack star power: there’s his wife, cognitive neuroscientist and Grahn lab director, Jessica Grahn, on electric cello and keyboard; neuroscience PhD candidate, Dan Cameron, on drums; three postdoctoral neuroscience researchers: Conor Wild on bass, Molly Henry on vocals and Alex Billig on keyboard; and Western psychiatrist, Hooman Ganjavi, rounding out the group as its lead guitarist. Together, they practice once a month as Untidy Naked Dilemma.

And if you’re wondering, the band’s name is the result of a random band name generator followed by a democratic process of elimination.

“When I came here to work at the Brain and Mind Institute, other people played instruments and they were talking about starting a band, and it was this awesome opportunity to get back into playing just for fun,” said Wild, who slightly trumps Owen’s musical record — he’s played the bass for 25 years.

So far, the group’s a hit, according to Marc Lalonde, manager of the Grad Club.

“If you have a chance to go to watch them, I guarantee you’ll have a great time,” Lalonde said. “The music selection is great; Owen always puts on a great show. He even recalls a time the band performed “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.

The performance was accompanied by

dancers in the crowd that got up and did the entire dance.

Lalonde also doesn’t mind that the band is great for business. According to him, the musician-scientists bring in a big crowd.

“It’s a great show, a lot of fun, there’s dancing and everyone is having a great time,” he said.

While the band mainly performs at the Grad Club, they have also done shows at pool parties, St. Regis Tavern, done outside gigs and were scheduled to play at the Ceeps on Sept. 30 before they were forced to cancel due to their travelling drummer.

“I really like the experience of achieving something with another group of individuals,” Owen said. “It’s reasonably challenging, going out on stage trying to pull off a gig, getting all the songs right, playing with other people; it’s quite a challenge and I really enjoy that challenge.”

Untidy Naked Dilemma performs four times a year playing covers of 80s pop artists, like David Bowie, The Smiths, Queen, Bruce Springsteen or even modern musicians inspired by 80s pop.

Their next performance will be a Christmas gig at the Grad Club. Owen suggests following his twitter, @ Comadork, for updates on future band performances.

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 • 7

sports

Western athletic clubs giving back CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE Most students are aware of many of the athletic opportunities available at Western. There are varsity teams, intramurals and fan clubs.

An aspect of Western’s sports culture that might not be the first thing to come to mind, though, are the organizations that use athletics to make a difference in the world.

Right to Play, an international non-profit, has a large chapter at Western. The organization brings sport to underprivileged children in 20 developing countries. At Western, those involved work hard to raise money through events they organize.

Adam Walser, a fifth-year engineering and Ivey student and RTP Western’s vice-president finance, explained what the charity’s employees do when they go to underprivileged communities.

“They just play games with kids, and each lesson has a life lesson attached to it,” he said. “After the game they’ll do a debrief and just kind of give the kids an idea. It’s usually related to something that’s going on in their country. It’s a better way of teaching kids about stuff like that than in a classroom, because they get to experience it firsthand.”

Walser added that in London, club members go to schools associated with the Boys and Girls Club, playing sports and games to teach Canadian kids about the world. RTP Western also facilitates fundraising efforts on campus.

“Our biggest event is called the Sport-A-Thon,” he said. “It’s an allday sports tournament held at the

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

Rec Centre every year. This is our sixth year running it; last year we had almost 200 people sign up and we raised over $2,000.”

The charity has many other events, with bottle drives, bar nights and scavenger hunts all year long that students can get involved in.

More locally, Western has a flourishing branch of the Swim Ability program. The club is focused on providing affordable swimming lessons to kids with special needs.

Swim Ability operates nationally, but the London chapter is one of the most successful. The club’s offshoot branch, Tidal Waves, is a program that continues swim education into adulthood for those that have

graduated from Swim Ability.

Every Sunday at Western Student Recreation Centre, almost 150 students meet with the child or adult that they’ve been paired with, to teach them essential swimming skills. Despite only existing since 2009, Swim Ability has become one of the most successful initi atives on campus.

Fourth-year physiology student Daniel Onete, part of Swim Ability’s leadership group at Western, explained how helpful the organization can be for parents who want their children to become comfortable in water. “[The alternative] is usually private lessons, and it’s way more

expensive,” he pointed out. “[Swim Ability] is a lot cheaper than if you were to do private lessons with a city pool.”

Since the participants involved often do require one-on-one instruction, the price of swimming lessons would indeed be exorbitant at any other facility. However, by having a staff of volunteer student-teachers, Swim Ability’s service is affordable — with a price tag of $30 for an eight-lesson season.

As well as contributing to those outside of Western, there are clubs that work to use sport to enrich the lives of students themselves. One such group is Athletes in Action, again a local branch of a national

organization.

Co-president of Athletes in Action, Arlene Van Reenen, is a member of the women’s rugby team, as well as a fourth-year health science major. She’s found the club to be helpful in her own life, and has seen its impact on others.

The club combines athletics with spirituality, meeting weekly to play a sport and discuss how their religious faith relates to competition. They also work with athletes on campus, providing religious support and attending Mustangs varsity games to cheer on club members. Although primarily a Christian organization, meetings are welcome to those of all faiths.

Parity in OUA football producing a better league Magic Mike

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE REACH FOR THE STARS. The Western Mustangs just barely miss the ball in a last-season game against the Laurier Lancers pictured above, who found new footing for the OUA title after taking down the defending champions the Guelph Gryphons.

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE TOE TO TOE. The Western Mustangs took on the Ottawa GeeGees in a lastseason game pictured above. The GeeGees are a surprising contender this year, having took down the previous powerhouse McMaster Marauders on Sept. 10.

MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE The 2016 Ontario University Athletics football season has left many in a daze.

The OUA’s teams have not historically been on equal footing. The province’s stronger athletic programs like Western, Guelph and McMaster have long dominated the college football landscape.

But this year has been different.

Steve Sumarah has built the Carleton Ravens program into a contender, one that took down Western 38-31 in their Week 2 home opener. The Windsor Lancers, a perennial OUA cellar-dweller, took down the defending Yates Cup champion Guelph Gryphons 33-29 on Labour Day. The Ottawa GeeGees routed the McMaster Marauders 30-8 on September 10.

The OUA power structure has changed dramatically. Laurier and Ottawa are both undefeated through three games and look like true Yates Cup contenders.

Laurier, who was ranked fifth

in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport top 10 poll on Sept. 20, is a top five team since 2007.

Guelph, who finally got over the hump last year to win their first OUA title since 1996, is reeling at 2-2 this season. With dates against Western, McMaster and Laurier highlighted on their second half schedule, the Gryphons will be hard pressed to make the playoffs.

Even the York Lions, who have won 16 games in 13 seasons, are 2-2 and looking like a competent football team.

The second half of the OUA schedule is sure to be hectic.

Guelph takes on McMaster on Oct. 1, in a game with major playoff implications. That same day sees the always-entertaining Panda Game take place with the Ottawa GeeGee’s take on the Carleton Ravens in a battle of nationally ranked rivals.

Despite the power shift, the Western Mustangs still stand as the top team in Ontario.

Their running game has been dominant and the defence has made plays through four games.

However, been 20 years since the Mustangs have hoisted a national championship.

With so many programs in transition this might be the year that the Vanier Cup comes back to London.

It’s too early to declare the

Mustangs national champions.

Laval and Montreal look nearly unbeatable in Quebec and Calgary looks like it’s on a mission to avenge a loss to UBC in the 2015 Hardy Trophy game after an 8-0 regular season.

However, with OUA football going through a period of change, the Mustangs have a relatively clear path to the Yates Cup. Their test next week against the now desperate Guelph Gryphons will be tight.

Then, on October 1, the Laurier Golden Hawks come to town.

An epic showdown between Western running back Alex Taylor and Laurier running back Eric Guiltinen will be one for the books.

The OUA has more competitive balance this year than it has in recent memory. This comes at a perfect time for a sport that has been in a state of crisis, with the lack of parity combined with escalating operating costs threatening to shut down some programs.

Historically the fat-cat schools of the OUA, who spend wads of cash to achieve greatness, have dominated as dollars translated into wins. This is not the case anymore. And this should improve the league’s profile around the country, potentially resulting in an increase in revenue.

For this year, at least, the OUA is in good shape.

www.westerngazette.ca

8 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

sports

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Western golf’s ten-year Mustang MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE When you think of a university varsity athlete, Charles Fitzsimmons may not be the image that comes to mind.

The golfer is now in his tenth season on the Mustangs varsity squad. But he’s not Van Wilder, hanging out in school to work on a single degree while spending most of his time partying.

Fitzsimmons has finished his undergrad in psychology from Western. Then, he completed a master’s in sports psychology with a specialization in coaching. Last year, he obtained his PhD in sports psychology and is now pursuing another masters in counselling psychology.

His passion for the game began at a young age thanks to his father’s involvement with golf.

“I started golfing when I was two and a half years old, just following my dad around on the golf course at our cottage just outside of Toronto,” says Fitzsimmons. “I started competing when I was 11 or 12 years old, being entered in local tournaments by a family friend. I’ve been playing competitively for the last 18 to 19 years.”

Fitzsimmons had to adjust to competitive golf, a dramatic change from the leisurely golf he played in his early career.

“It was definitely an adjustment process,” says. “I had played little fun tournaments before that, probably when I was six or seven years old. But those serious, competitive tournaments started when I was 10 or 11 years old. It’s certainly an adjustment to follow all the rules, but also learning how to play with other people while trying to beat them and still trying to be a gentleman, controlling your emotions and dealing with the frustrations and challenges that are just part of golf.”

Fitzsimmons earned a scholarship to Clarion University in Pennsylvania, a small NCAA Division II school with a strong golf program. However, it was not an ideal fit academically, socially nor athletically, so he began searching for another institution to attend.

COURTESY OF CHARLES FITZSIMMONS

“So I came back to Canada,” says Fitzsimmons. “I had an older brother who went to Western, so I had been to London and seen the campus, and the golf program seemed like an exceptional program that had a great relationship with the local community.”

Part of that great relationship with the local community includes the unique opportunity the Mustangs program has been given with Sunningdale Golf & Country Club, where the team is allowed to train and compete.

For a golfer playing in a country with an incredibly short season, the winter has been both a blessing and a curse for Fitzsimmons who has been forced to train indoors.

“The good thing is that when you’re trying to make a change with your swing, the flight of the ball goes everywhere and it can be really frustrating and make it hard to commit to that technique change,” says. “So in the winter you can really commit to technique changes that you want.”

Fitzsimmons sees that while the American golfers who can play the game all year have an advantage over their Canadian counterparts, the ability to have a legitimate off-season can be a huge positive

in terms of avoiding burnout and a loss of passion for the game.

He used the off-season to get away from the game, train and rehabilitate his body from the toll the golf swing takes.

Fitzsimmons attributes much of his success on the course to the work he’s done on his body with the help of Western strength and conditioning coach Jeff Watson.

“Playing a full season of golf all swinging the one way, the muscles get all out of whack and it can lead to longer-term injuries,” saysFitzsimmons. “So getting the body back to neutral and getting it more flexible with greater strength is the best way to train in the winter to be ready when spring comes around.”

The head coach of the Western golf program, Jim Waite, has been pleased to have Fitzsimmons on the team both for his on-course competitiveness and his leadership abilities.

“He stays in touch with the kids all the time and gets them out there for practices and that sort of thing,” says Waite. “He’s an excellent captain on the team. A lot of times I’ll go through him to talk to people on the team.”

Fitzsimmons is able to continue playing golf at Western because

the game is not sanctioned under Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

The national championship tournament for Canadian collegiate golfers is held in the summer and the Mustangs solely compete under the umbrella of Ontario University Athletics.

Ontario University Athletics has no limits on eligibility, compared to the CIS which limits athlete eligibility to five years. An OUA athlete can compete for an unlimited amount of years. Thanks to these eligibility rules Fitzsimmons has become a staple of the Western golf program for a decade.

“Now the negative is that he’s been there all this time and he’s taking up a spot from another young athlete who might’ve made the team,” says Jim Waite on having a ten-year athlete. “But it’s totally legal and we love having him. If he wasn’t the leader that he was then I might say no, we’re going to go a different route, but he’s such an asset to the team that we wouldn’t even consider that.”

Fitzsimmons uses his education and expertise in the field of sport psychology in a game that emphasizes mental strength and balance.

Like the great Jim Flick who said “Golf is 90 per cent mental, and the

other 10 per cent is mental too,” Fitzsimmons uses his background to succeed on the golf course and help his younger teammates as well.

“It’s helped make my training much more efficient, so as I’ve had more commitments with school and running a business and everything like that it’s made my training much more efficient so I don’t have to train and maintain my level of performance which has been huge,” says Fitzsimmons.

His business is a mental coaching consultan firm called Eclipse Performance where Fitzsimmons and former Western varsity curler Nicole Westlund Stewart work to improve athletes mental skills.

He’s worked with a handful of professional golfers as well as the London Knights and other Western athletes to impart what he’s learned on others. He doesn’t only want others to become better competitors. He also wants them to continue to be passionate about the sports they play.

“Sports psychology has really helped me to rediscover that passion and enjoyment for the game while still being able to pursue those kind of competitive enjoyments,” says Fitzsimmons.

Field hockey facing early season struggles NATE CLAPINSON GAZETTE STAFF @SPORTSATGAZETTE

FILE PHOTO

Western’s field hockey team is struggling to find its footing so far, with losses to Toronto and Guelph and a tie with Waterloo in their first three games. Despite the setbacks, though, the team plans to remain optimistic as they host the Ontario University Athletics championships this year.

“The season is young,” head coach Jeff Pacheco explained. “We’ll be very competitive this year.”

Team captain Jessica Sutherland doesn’t seem daunted by the early results, either.

“We have demonstrated to the league how strong of a team we can be,” she said.

The past few seasons have been tough for the Mustangs. After winning OUA bronze in 2013, the next two difficult years were spent rebuilding the field hockey program.

However, this phase only brought the team closer together, and provided invaluable experience to the

players.

Going into this season the team’s morale is much more positive than in previous years. Pacheco calls it “the winning mentality,” which is something he has been emphasizing to the players this season.

“We are going to be competitive every match,” said Pacheco. He adds that the team must “know we can play a full game and compete.”

In addition to the new mentality, the team has three international players and a group of veterans leading the charge toward the OUA championships this year. The team finished in the top three in the indoor spring league, inspiring a lot of confidence among the players.

In past seasons, the team struggled offensively, but going into this year captain Jessica Sutherland says things are different now.

“We have a large emphasis on goal scoring,” Sutherland said.

According to her, they’ve become “an offensive threat in the league.”

With Western hosting the OUA championship this year, Sutherland

sees an extra incentive to play well.

She points out the importance of “performing at our best in front of the home crowd.”

The OUA tournament would be a perfect time to rebound for the Mustangs, as the underdog veteran side takes aim at fellow contenders Guelph and Toronto. The team hopes to compete with the big teams, something they’ve struggled with in the past.

With the added pressure of hosting the championship tournament, fourth-year player Lindsay Borrell emphasized the importance of performing well.

“I do not want to be out on the Friday,” she said. “I don’t want to be done on the very first day of OUAs.” The field hockey team are going for gold and know they can compete. Relying on veteran experience, international talent, and a “winning mentality,” the team has already proven that they can be competitors and come October it’ll be time to put it all on the line on home turf.

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 • 9

culture

Weighing in on the gym’s gender divide ANNIE RUETER CULTURE EDITOR @ANNIERUETER1 Walking into the Western Student Recreation Centre, masculine grunts can be heard from the main floor weight section, while women whir away on the treadmills and other cardio machines upstairs.

What’s up with the gender divide?

Does it deter students from trying new types of exercise?

Second-year kinesiology student, Kiera Hill, generally uses the upper floor cardio section and mats when she goes to the Rec Centre. But Hill also feels comfortable venturing down to the weight section a couple of times a week, despite the obvious female/male split between the upper cardio floor and the lower weight floor.

“I think the general consensus would be that women stick upstairs and guys are downstairs,” says Hill.

“I think there’s a definite stigma about the weight section… I know a lot of my friends think that about going down [to the weight room].”

Craig Hall, kinesiology professor and faculty director of Western’s Sport & Exercise Psychology Lab, confirms Hill’s observations. Hall says research suggests that in general, women prefer aerobic-type exercise and men tend to prefer resistance-type exercise.

This split can be intimidating.

I think the general consensus would be that women stick upstairs and guys are downstairs. I think there’s a definite stigma about the weight section… I know a lot of my friends think that.

KIERA HILL

SECOND-YEAR KINESIOLOGY STUDENT But the recent cancellation of Rec Centre’s women’s-only times and programs, which began in 2009, indicates that there isn’t a demand for gender-specific areas or programs at the gym.

Michelle Harvey, Rec Centre program coordinator of fitness and wellness, says, “Over the years we have tried various different programming options… Unfortunately, we have discontinued this programming this year due to lack of interest.” Last year the Rec Centre offered women’s-only studio time every Tuesday for two hours — only once did one attendee show up.

Though Hall agrees there is a gender divide, he suggests skill level deters students from trying new types of exercise.

“If you just kind of stick to your thing and put your headphones in and know what you’re doing, I think it’s a lot easier to not be intimidated,”

AARON MALLET GAZETTE

Hill says. Hill explains that otherwise, students may run the risk of feeling like people may be watching them as they do something incorrectly.

To boost confidence when trying new types of exercise, both Hill and Hall suggest working out with a friend. Hall explains how increasing competency or knowledge in a

certain area through using a fitness instructor or watching others can also help increase self-efficacy.

“We call that observational learning or modelling,” says Hall.

“And certainly it’s the old adage of if someone else can do it and it doesn’t look that difficult, then probably you feel you can do it too.”

So yes, it may feel intimidating to try new types of exercises or venture into unknown gym territory.

However, be it bringing a friend, watching an instructional YouTube video, or making a workout plan, gaining confidence appears to be the remedy for feeling at home in the Rec Centre.

Local Natives are reaching for the skies with Sunlit Youth STEPHANIE PHILLIPS GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

Grassroots makes vegan great ELLIS KOIFMAN CULTURE EDITOR @ELLISKOIFMAN1 Glassroots is the newest dining experience to come to Richmond Row. After a hugely successful summer of dinner service, they’re soon opening for lunch with reasonable student prices.

The idea behind Glassroots is its grassroots approach to everything from décor to construction to food. Everything is local; everything comes from the heart.

“We are fiercely local. Almost everything we do comes directly from farmers, directly from local buyers,” says Mike Fish, co-owner and front-of-house manager. “A lot of our cherry tomatoes and our herbs come from our patio. We’ve got 22 planter boxes that surround the patio.”

Located where Veg Out was open for several years, this new restaurant with new owners is entirely vegan. But you won’t find the word “vegan” anywhere in the restaurant.

Instead they want to be known for their environmentally friendly and healthy experience.

“For us it was like every other restaurant, the food just happens to be vegan,” says Fish. “We get people in all the time… They’ll leave not having a clue that they just ate at a vegan

restaurant. That’s really neat.”

If you check the Glassroots website, you’ll be able to find last week’s menu with items such as the mushroom melt burger and the late summer barbeque bowl. Whereas most restaurants will change their menu quarterly, they have a new one every week. “After the end of one calendar year we’ll have done 50 menus, which would take a restaurant 13 years to do,” says Fish.

Fish shares ownership of the restaurant with Glassroots’ chef Yoda Olinyk. The pair’s lives have always been surrounded by food.

When Olinyk was 18, her parents split up and she was left with the responsibility of cooking a decent meal for her dad and herself. “I bought a cookbook and pretty much since that first meal I made… I just loved it,” says Olinyk. Since then she has worked at several restaurants and ran the first plant-based catering company in southwestern Ontario, often serving at vegetarian and vegan events.

Fish’s story is similar. He discovered a love for food and worked in the food business. At the age of 18, he got into bartending and learned the “artistic mixology experience” at the Whistler Fairmont in British Columbia. He has spent years working

as a wine rep and has become known for his drink-mixing skills.

Sitting down for a meal at Glassroots will provide you with more than just a vegan dining experience — you’ll get to join the intimate atmosphere that Fish and Olinyk have created. With their limited hours — only open five days a week — they’re able to prioritize interacting with their patrons.

“That’s why our tagline is ‘A food and wine revolution’ — we really want to change the way people think about food in general,” says Fish.

“Everyone can be comfortable here.”

“At the same time, we wanted to have a place where vegans or anyone dabbling in that lifestyle could come in and not just have a kale caesar [salad],” adds Olinyk.

“We’ve got everything from Creole food to Mexican food to Italian food to Asian-inspired dishes.”

On Sept. 30, Glassroots will be opening for lunch. Olinyk emphasizes the value-driven reasonable prices for take out items like fresh soup and salad. If you’re downtown and in the mood for a new experience, Glassroots is the place to try.

Glassroots can be found at 646 Richmond St. and is open from 4:3011:00 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday (soon opening for lunch).

Artist: Local Natives Album: Sunlit Youth Genre: Indie rock Label: Loma Vista Recordings Star Rating: GGGGH Highlight tracks: “Villainy,” “Dark Days” and “Past Lives” After the release of two teaser tracks earlier this year, Los Angeles-based band Local Natives just released their third studio album, Sunlit Youth.

Layered with synthesizers, dreamy vocals and smooth guitar lines, the band seems to have finally hit home with this album.

While their sophomore album Hummingbird featured more complex emotions and an overall pensive atmosphere, this new 12-track masterpiece is energetic, simple and carefree, leaving the listener in a sunny state of mind.

The opening track “Villainy” is a euphoric, heavily harmonized tune that takes us to the band’s hometown of L.A. This hometown ballad may have been inspired by the band’s travels earlier this year when they went to countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Nicaragua.

Vocalist/guitarist Ryan Hahn explains in an interview with The Fader, “We tried to shake things up a lot when we were working on the record and wanted to see what would happen if we were writing in different environments and locations.”

This innovative approach certainly paid off and inspired tracks like the lo-fi “Jellyfish,” which was recorded in the living room of a rented home and features the sound of cereal being poured in the background. The sweet-sounding “Dark Days” is also sure to be a highlight track for many. With silvery guitar lines beneath vocal harmonies alongside Nina Persson of Swedish pop rock band The Cardigans, it is possibly one of the most memorable tracks on the album.

Despite the breezy, lighthearted vibe of Sunlit Youth, the band is not afraid to explore world issues with their clever lyrics. The running theme of claiming ownership over the future and seeking positive change is evident in many tracks.

To quote “Fountain of Youth,” “I’ll tell you a secret, we can do whatever we want.” There’s also “Mother Emmanuel,” a track that challenges racial issues and violence by referencing the Charleston church massacre of 2015.

From subject matter to musical style, each track is a unique listening experience and keeps listeners engaged from start to finish.

With Sunlit Youth, Local Natives have successfully built on their already solid style while working in some subtle experimentation without drifting too far off the edge. The L.A. indie quintet is miles away from where they started in 2009 and is continuing to evolve, always leaving us wanting more.

www.westerngazette.ca

10 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

culture

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King’s proves to be small but mighty AMY SKODAK CULTURE EDITOR @AMYSKODAK Getting there is the longest walk of all the affiliate campuses yet King’s still stands out from afar.

While students may venture off-campus to escape the concrete walls of Weldon in favour of King’s library — known as Club Carter — there’s more to the affiliate than just a pretty place to study.

Founded in 1954, the liberal arts affiliate is a Catholic college that prides itself in smaller class sizes and a closer sense of community.

Associate professor Pamela Cushing describes the often-forgotten campus as “a group of learners that’s the size you can wrap your arms around.”

With a population of staff and students just under 4,000, smaller than a first-year class at Western, she couldn’t be more right.

“It’s hard to walk across campus and not see someone that you know,” Cushing says. “It gives students a sense of belonging and connection.”

Cushing explains that King’s small size is something that sets it apart from main campus and gives students a really unique advantage.

A smaller population means that students have more opportunity to connect with faculty and contribute to research projects.

“They can get involved in research and course development in a way that really helps to discern their own career paths forward,” she says.

Third year criminology student, Alex Peca admits that a smaller class size is one of the main reasons he

COURTESY OF WESTERN

chose King’s over main campus.

He viewed the sea of students at Western as intimidating: “I felt like I couldn’t really say much because I felt more shy.”

Third-year political science student Kevin An agrees that there is less competition at King’s, as well as more opportunity to speak with professors and get valuable one-onone help.

Cushing explains that the diversity of courses at King’s is also a selling point because it offers more

specialized classes for students to explore, such as modules in disability studies and social justice and peace studies.

King’s allows for a more specified education and as An points out, “You still end up with a Western degree at the end of it.”

“One of the nice things about the affiliates is that part of our mandate is to try to concentrate on course areas that main campus does not,” says Cushing. She adds that since the disabilities studies module

began only three years ago, the program has already attracted 250 students in first year alone.

Third-year BMOS student, Connor Fehr, proves that King’s courses open students’ eyes to different streams of learning.

“My most interesting and favourite class thus far was a business ethics class,” he says. This class has helped Fehr focus in on a more specific career path. He plans on continuing his studies of the environmental effects of business.

Aside from the leg up, King’s seems to provide academically, Fehr adds that the school spirit tied to #IGoToKings is something that sets it apart from other campuses.

“I think being a bit further from main campus, we are all proud to call King’s home,” he says.

Whether it’s the small school vibe, the variety of courses or the chance to cram for exams in Club Carter, King’s is sure to welcome new students with open arms and lots of school spirit.

Don’t be Mike and Dave’s theGazette classifieds wedding dates To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca

EMPLOYMENT

GYMNASTICS COACHES REQUIRED Gymworld Gymnastics is expanding into a new facility in North West London.

Recreational and Competitive coaching positions available.

Great pay, flexible hours and on a bus route.

Please reply to Ildi at

info@gymworld.ca

UPCOMING EVENTS BLOOD DONOR CLINIC Community Room, 2nd floor UCC. Wed. Sept. 28, 10am \endash 3pm; Thurs. Sept. 29, 12pm \endash 4pm. Call or click to book your appointment. 1-888-2-DONATE. Blood.ca DANCE CLASSES AT DANCE STEPS- 275 Colborne St. between York and Horton. Accessible by bus. Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop drop in or join a session. www.dancestepslondon.ca or contact us dance_steps@hotmail.com, 519-645-8515.

FOR SALE 2003 HONDA CIVIC. A few bumps and scrapes but mechanically great. 248,000 km. Asking $1,600.

Contact Jeff.wright1212@yahoo.com MACBOOK PRO 15” $398.00 2008 MacBookPro4,1 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 2GB RAM, 250GB HD. Contact Kris 519-318-3209 or cmorley5@uwo.ca TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID BEING PHISHED 1. Never respond to emails that request personal financial information. Reputable companies don't ask for passwords or account details in an email.

2. Visit banks' websites by typing the URL into the address bar. Phishers use links within emails to direct victims to a fake site. If you suspect an email is bogus, do not follow any embedded links within it.

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

For solution, turn to page 4

Director: Jake Szymanski Starring: Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick Rating: GGFFF Sometimes a movie is so terrible that the actors are the only thing keeping people in the theatre. This is the case for Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.

With an explicit title blatantly indicting the premise of the movie, Mike (Devine) and Dave (Efron) are looking for wedding dates for their little sister’s destination wedding. Known for ruining family events, the dynamic duo put out an ad to find dates and end up being played by two girls, Alice (Kendrick) and Tatiana (Plaza), who happen to be more notorious than the boys. They also happen to be more alike than they expect — shocking.

Didn’t see that coming.

Everything cinematic about this movie is stale. It’s all been done before with absolutely no creativity from the director or writers.

It’s trite, tired and formulaic to the point where you wonder if it’s all part of the joke. Practically every scene is ended with a fade out, you know, for dramatic effect, but after the fifth fade out you begin to wonder if the editor is only familiar with iMovie.

The writing was atrocious: think of every silly comedy ever written all in one. The written jokes are nothing short of a yawn and the chemistry between the actors is non-existent.

This mediocrity spills over to the synonymity of the characters – is Efron Dave or Mike? Is Plaza Tatiana or Alice? Eventually you give up and refer to each character by their real name since the actors were the only thing keeping this movie together.

The cast was the only thing funny about this comedy.

Plaza, Devine, Kendrick and Efron are hilarious and their spontaneous jokes were the highlight of the movie. With Plaza and Devine leading the pack with their impeccable comedic timing and witty interjections, Mike and Dave generates a few moments of laughter whenever boredom hits.

If it weren’t for these much-needed scenes, a walk out is assured.

Devine, Kendrick and Efron even show their musical talents at the end with an unexpected musical number to end off the wedding and movie on a high note. They truly lifted the movie from the depths of Marianas Trench; production should send them a huge thanks for this one.

If not for the cast Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a movie you can miss. Check out Western Film for screenings of Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.

www.westerngazette.ca

11 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

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12 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

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