Friday, November 4, 2016

news

sports

culture

SINCE 1906

westerngazette.ca FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 110, ISSUE 17 being late for print drop again since 1906

FOOD SUPPORT SERVICES FIGHTS STUDENT HUNGER PG3

MUSTANGS FOOTBALL TO PLAY CARLETON IN OUA SEMIS PG9

A CANADIAN INSIDE A TRUMP RALLY PG10

Eddy, set, go!

Turn to pg. 6–7 to learn all about this rock-climbing, Beyoncé-listening and dogpetting USC president.

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

www.westerngazette.ca

2 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

profile

•

LUKE PERESSINI

Volume 110, Issue 17 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 GRACE TO CULTURE SAMAH ALI ELLIS KOIFMAN AMY SKODAK ANNIE RUETER CULTURE-AT-LARGE RICHARD JOSEPH SPORTS CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE MIKE DEBOER CLAIRE PALMER MULTIMEDIA MAAILAH BLACKWOOD JENNY JAY NATALIE TREFFRY

DIGITAL MEDIA CONNOR CLARK GRAPHICS DANIEL BODDEN SENIOR GRAPHICS JORDAN MCGAVIN FEATURES & GRAPHICS AMY O’KRUK WESTERN TV CONNOR MALBEUF COPY DANIELLE GERRITSE OPINIONS HALA GHONAIM COLUMNISTS JUSTIN DI CAMILLO JACEK ORZYLOWSKI

GAZETTE ADVERTISING & COMPOSING IAN GREAVES, MANAGER ADVERTISING DIANA WATSON

SENIOR STAFF AMAL MATAN MICHAEL CONLEY

COMPOSING MAJA ANJOLI-BILIĆ ROBERT ARMSTRONG

OREN WEISFELD ZEHRA CAMILLERI

WESTERNGAZETTE

UWOGAZETTE

@UWOGAZETTE

WESTERNGAZETTE

WESTERNGAZETTE

WESTERNTV

All articles, letters, photographs, graphics, illustrations and cartoons published in The Gazette, both in the newspaper and online versions, are the property of The Gazette. By submitting any such material to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette‘s hard copy and online archives.

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

C

NATALIE TREFFRY GAZETTE

Coming from a small town just north of Toronto, Luke Peressini started playing hockey in grade one when most of his friends did. He hasn’t always played goalie though; it happened when he was asked to fill in for one game at the last minute.

“I started playing as defence actually,” said Luke. “One day our goalie didn’t show up, and I went in net and did pretty well, so I stuck with it.”

For a lucky group of players, an end to their Ontario Hockey League career means they’re moving on to the big leagues. The remaining typically exit the league quietly after they age out, and the hockey world rarely hears from them again.

After winning OHL Goalie of the Year and earning a spot on the OHL first all-star team in the 2014-15 season, Luke, goaltender for the Kingston Frontenacs, has aged out of the OHL. However, Luke is not ready to hang up his skates just yet; he is continuing his hockey career with the Western Mustangs men’s hockey team.

“It’s a school I’ve always wanted to come to,” said Luke.

“I’m happy with my decision.”

Luke has now embraced the goaltender life, and shows no signs of looking back to his old defenceman days.

While most hockey players look up to all-star snipers or playmakers like Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin, Luke looks up to goaltenders such as Carey Price.

“There’s a couple of guys [I admire], but I like watching Price play,” he said. ”It’s pretty amazing what some of those goalies can do.”

Luke is looking forward to the upcoming season with the Mustangs, who have welcomed him with open arms. Despite already knowing a few of his new teammates prior to joining the team, Luke knows it’ll be an adjustment learning to play on a team that isn’t the Kingston Frontenacs.

“It’s a little different obviously, I didn’t really know too many of the guys on the ice when I came here,” he said.

“It’s gonna take a bit to get used to playing here but it’s been fun so far.”

Luke has missed the first bit of the season with the Mustangs due to the try-out training with the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League, the affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets. After spending some time in both cities, he has returned to Western and has played one game with the team.

Despite his only game being a 4-1 loss against Windsor, Luke managed to stop 39 of the 43 shots he faced.

Hockey isn’t the only thing that Luke had in mind when he came to Western. The first-year goalie is in the BMOS program at King’s, and is hoping to get into the Ivey School of Business. After he graduates, he hopes to continue on in the field of business, although he knows that he needs to work hard and achieve high grades if he wants to do that.

“We gotta see how I do with my school here first,” said Luke. “Hopefully I get into the Ivey program and then get to do something along those lines.”

■■CLAIRE PALMER

HIGH 10 LOW 4

HIGH 15 LOW 4

HIGH 14 LOW 4

TODAY

TOMORROW

SATURDAY

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 • 3

news

Western works with Canadian Space Agency in Mars rover simulation DRISHTI KATARIA NEWS EDITOR @DRISHTATGAZETTE

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

USC food program addresses student hunger ANNIE RUETER CULTURE EDITOR @ANNIERUETER1 The Breakfast Club is more than just a classic 80s movie. For over 93,000 children in Canada, breakfast clubs are the only means of getting a filling and nutritious morning meal.

But the problem of student hunger isn’t only felt at the elementary school level. What happens to university students who are unable to afford food once the support of breakfast clubs ends?

Western’s Food Support Services works to address this issue of student hunger, which is often an overlooked and underreported issue on Western campus.

Michael Hong, coordinator of Western’s Food Support Services, says the issue is overlooked due to the general misconception that students attending post-secondary education institutions are a privileged group. In reality, the average Canadian student graduates with $27,000 of debt and may struggle to afford things other than tuition such as rent, textbooks and food.

One of the key services WFSS provides is a free and anonymous on-campus food bank. The service, which is supported by the University Students’ Council, builds customized food hampers

for undergraduate students struggling to afford food. Students who need a hamper fill out a Google Doc available on the WFSS Facebook page where they have a chance to request specific items or indicate any dietary restrictions.

“What’s nice about our service is that it’s not generic hampers; [the hampers] are made per the students’ request,” says Allie Adamo, USC student programs officer. “We also provide things like feminine hygiene products, diapers, toilet paper and life necessities.”

After WFSS volunteers assemble these customized hampers, they are left for students to pick up at specific locations in the UCC — the final step of the anonymous process.

“I think that the stigma around not being able to afford food or going to a food bank isn’t something that Western and London are exempt from,” Adamo says. “The confidentiality and anonymous piece is the reason why our services are used so frequently by some students,” she says.

In recent years, Western has seen an increase in use of food bank services as costs of being a student continue to rise and WFSS works to increase awareness about the availability of the service.

“In 2013-14, there were 212 hampers that were filled,” Hong says. “In

2014-15, there were 230 hampers filled. This September, I believe we had 24 hampers filled.”

If 230 hampers doesn’t seem like a huge number, imagine that number translated into an entire lecture hall filled with undergraduate students in need of a food bank.

While Meal Exchange Canada indicates that 3.2 per cent of Canadian students report using local food banks (not on campus), this statistic likely reflects a lower number than the reality due to underreporting.

“One of the big issues is that [student hunger] is so underreported that nobody knows how to get help,” Hong explains. “There’s a lack of awareness that causes [students] not to know about the issue and look at [students] as a population that needs help.”

Through hosting events to raise awareness about student hunger and methods of budgeting and healthy cooking, WFSS hopes to help increase food security for students.

In conjunction with Meal Exchange, a national multi-chapter organization working to increase food security on university campuses,WFSS will give a savory crepe-cooking demo on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. in front of Centre Spot in the UCC.

Scientists from all over the world are trying to figure out whether life exists on Mars, and this includes scientists at Western.

Students and researchers from Western and other Canadian Universities are working with the Canadian Space Agency from Oct. 31 to Nov. 18 on a Mars Sample Return Simulation which involves directing CSA’s Mars Exploration Science Rover in the Utah desert.

“Western is leading the university collaboration that is a part of this mission… but we have students and participants from many other universities across the country,” said Gordon Osinksi, NSFRC/MDA/CSA industrial chair in planetary geology.

Utah was selected for the sample mission because its geological features have a high resemblance to the features observed on Mars.

The purpose of the CanMars 2016 Mars Sample Return Analogue Mission is to test and determine the best ways to select and collect rocks on Mars in order to bring them back to Earth for analysis.

“It is focused on Mars Sample Return, this is a mission that is very much the highest priority for most of the world’s space agencies and it’s never been done before,” said Osinski. “We are actually helping to figure out how to do operations of this type for future missions.”

Osinski also mentioned that

COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY

Study detects humour in vegetative patients DRISHTI KATARIA NEWS EDITOR @DRISHTGAZETTE Researchers at the Brain and Mind Institute at Western have detected responses to humour in vegetative patients, potentially giving their families some comfort about the impact of their own caregiving to the patients.

Adrian Owen, the Canada excellence research chair in cognitive imaging and neuroscience, and Chris Fiacconi, postdoctoral fellow in the Owen Lab, used facial electromyography (fEMG) to test the facial muscle response, beginning the study in 2013.

According to Fiacconi, this study can be applicable to bedside

comfort given by families and it brings significance to their efforts.

“Not only does it gives families some comfort and allows them to know that what they’re doing when they put their favourite show on TV, they could be having an impact on their lives,” he said.

He mentions there is evidence that patients can enjoy music, and families should continue in their efforts to bring them a sense of enjoyment.

The responses of two vegetative patients and 37 healthy participants were tested using FEMG when presented with jokes and statements.

The measurements showed that one of the two vegetative patients’

NASA is interested in the findings that result from this sample mission.

The science team will be and testing and demonstrating new technologies such as the manipulator arm and grapple system on the rover.

This is master’s geology student Elise Harrington’s first time on the science team for the CanMars investigation.

As a part of the geographic information team, she is involved in making an overall geographic interpretation of the site the rover is exploring.

Harrington is most excited about the various data coming in from the rover on a daily basis such as photos and geochemical signatures.

Osinski emphasized the training and experience this investigation provides to the students involved.

“It’s outside the scope of a what a student would do in a masters or PhD thesis... that student experience and the training experience is one of the biggest things we’re trying to provide here.”

Osinski said there is still room for volunteers and anyone who is interested in seeing what the science team is doing.

The CanMars Public Event Night on Nov. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m. will give those interested a chance to tour mission control and check out the instruments being used. It will be in Western’s Physics and Astronomy Building atrium.

facial muscle responses to humour was identical to that of the healthy participants.

Fiacconi said it is difficult to determine the cause of the difference in response between the two vegetative patients, since the underlying cause of their vegetative state was very similar. “…It could be that the day we tested patient two, he wasn’t having a good day. The patients are so variable from day to day in terms of what they can and can’t do,” he said.

According to Fiacconi, Western is the first to study the preservation of emotional responses in these patients with this technique of facial muscle activity.

Brain imaging for studies such as this has limitations because patients with metal in their bodies can’t be brought into the scanner.

“So we think of facial EMG as a way to provide a relatively accessible means with which to test these patients because there aren’t as many restrictions in terms of the kinds of patients that can have these tests,” Fiacconi said.

In the future, Fiacconi would like to use this technique to explore other types of preserved emotions, such as response to music.

“I think this general technique is promising as a way forward to explore other preserved functions that these patients have,” he said.

Solution to puzzle on page 11

www.westerngazette.ca

4 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

news

•

Election schedule moved ahead to engage more students GRACE TO NEWS EDITOR @GRACE_KTO

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED. The future of the clubs’ space is here in the UCC basement, even if it’ll take a little while to look a bit cozier.

New clubs’ space opens in UCC basement MOSES MONTERROZA NEWS EDITOR @MOSESMONTZ After a month-long process of carefully scoping out potential rooms in the UCC, USC student programs officer Allie Adamo has finally found a space for clubs.

Located in the UCC basement, right beside the newly opened health and wellness centre, the new clubs’ space will be open and ready for use within a week.

The clubs were removed from of their former space on the third floor of the UCC after the room was made exclusive to the University Students’ Council support staff and associates.

In contrast to its previous location, the new space will be exclusive to club members and executives and won’t be shared with other USC members.

Adamo said with time the space will include more resources for club members to use, but as of right now

the focus is just to get it up and running.

“We’re in the process of getting at least some temporary things in there, like tables and chairs so that the students can start to use it,” Adamo said. “And then during November, we’ll actually start bringing in some whiteboards and make it a bit more welcoming.”

In collaboration with USC managing director of facilities and operations Jeff Armour, Adamo spent the whole of October looking at different spaces around the building.

“I walked through this building [UCC] about 15 times with Jeff Armour,” Adamo said. “And just went through floor by floor, room by room, to see what we own and what could be used. I picked that space because it was the most accessible.”

While the former clubs space was frequently used, it ended up becoming more of a common area for students rather than a dedicated place for clubs.

For Duncan Spilsbury, president of the political science association, classroom settings are more ideal for club meetings.

“I guess it’s just the kind of events that we run which required more classroom type areas for things like essay clinics and various different socials,” Spilsbury said. “So we didn’t find ourselves having to use that kind of stuff. We mainly use the professor lounge in the social science building and just classroom type stuff.”

Though he admits that the new space, would be much more practical as it would be exclusive to clubs.

“Especially if it’s a designated club space then I would imagine that it would be a lot easier to book,” Spilsbury said.

Adamo hopes to make the new space exclusive by either providing club presidents with keys or by implementing a student card access lock.

The USC elections are slated to kick off two weeks earlier this year with nominations opening on Dec. 5 and closing on Jan. 13.

In previous years, nominations for the election were opened up right before the start of winter break.

This early shift in the election period was approved in the first meeting of this year’s council. Isaac Jacobi, USC secretary treasurer explained that the extra two weeks could potentially help with any hiccups in the elections process.

The entire election process is set to end two weeks earlier than it did in previous years, giving some breathing room before the February reading week.

“If there was to be an appeal or any contest with the election, we would have time to look into that and resolve that,” Jacobi said. “[For example], the communications officer and the secretary treasurer will be hired with enough time that they will be able to select people for their portfolio as well so that appointments wouldn’t go too far into the summer.”

The USC elections planning committee is currently working on promotional campaigns for the election and brainstorming ways to get Western students out to vote this year. According to Erin McCauley, USC chief returning officer, campaigns will run in

both first and second semester to encourage nominations and involvement in the voting process from the general student body.

“We have a lot of systems in place from last year, so in terms of all the governance, that’s really strongly in place,” expressed McCauley. “And then what we’re really trying to do this year is really push ‘Get Out the Vote’.”

According to McCauley, there will be a large social media push and booths set up in the UCC during the campaigns. She believes that the change in campaigning period will raise awareness and involvement among students as it will not occur during the majority of midterm season during second semester.

With the earlier election, both Jacobi and McCauley expects to see more applicants this year.

“More applications because of a bigger marketing push and actually clarifying what the positions are,” said Jacobi, as he adds that USC is working on initiatives in restructuring the councillors’ terms of reference. “Hopefully, that will help prospective applicants understand what they will be applying for.”

In the winter elections, students are able to apply for all elected USC positions including the president and vice-president slate and councillor positions.

Elections for student positions for the Western Senate and Board of Governors are held alongside the USC elections.

Western maintains top 10 position in rankings MARTIN ALLEN CONTRIBUTOR @NEWSATGAZETTE The 2017 Maclean’s university rankings are out and Western has retained its top 10 position in both reputation and overall rankings and also obtained a top five position in the student satisfaction survey.

In the magazine’s student satisfaction survey, Western placed fifth. According to student responses, Western’s student-life staff and extracurricular activities placed the fourth highest of the surveyed universities. Mental health services and academic advising services placed lowest at 13th and 14th.

The magazine also listed three standout programs at Western: The green process engineering program, the school for advanced studies in the arts and humanities and the Ivey honours business administration program. The Ivey program was ranked fourth, making it Western’s highest in this category.

Western also placed eighth in the “medical/doctoral” category, one place lower from its 2016 ranking. It was ranked seventh in the reputation category, conducted by a survey of the professional and educational world. Student success in prestigious awards, student-teacher ratio and satisfaction

surveys comprised the weightiest of the “student” category.

“Faculty” was next in influence, with teaching awards and grants received being considered as well as scholarly output by each faculty member.

Keith Marnoch, Western’s director of media and community relations, said that the rankings “keep us on our toes,” but that overall, the drop in ranking is not concerning given how Western either improved or remained stable in each of the 14 metrics considered.

He said that the placings are based on impressions that are gathered from what he considered to be a lacking sample size.

Marnoch said that the rankings are important but that Western considers multiple polls and lists, citing the QS World University Rankings, which is based primarily on academic reputation and citation.

Marnoch said that an issue with the magazine’s rankings and profiles is that they can gloss over lesser known parts of larger institutions. In particular, he added that Western’s psychology and philosophy programs are drawing prestigious faculty and placed third and fourth nationally on QS’ rankings, but they were not mentioned in the Maclean’s list.

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 • 5

opinions

Why I, as a conservative, can’t stand Trump Magic Mike

MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE I am a conservative. And as a conservative, the rise of Donald Trump truly hurts me, because he isn’t a conservative.

To be a conservative is to understand that everyone has the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To be a conservative is to believe that limited government is necessary to maintain civil order. And to be a conservative is to maintain that an individual is more likely than a bureaucrat to know what is in their own self-interest.

Trump is a con artist, a man without principle who has gone back and forth on many major conservative policies. He used to support Hillary Clinton. He formerly supported abortion. He was a registered Democrat before he was a Republican and called for a 14.25 per cent tax on the wealthy.

Besides the fact that he’s a populist masquerading as a conservative, Trump is also racist, misogynistic, xenophobic and narcissistic. He exhibits none of the qualities you want in a leader: humility, sacrifice, poise and integrity.

I’m not American. But my grandpa was born there. I respect America and the Republican Party, and often America’s problems are the world’s problems. I truly believe that the issues that have allowed Trump to rise to where he is now should be addressed and not just mocked.

I understand that people are disenchanted with today’s hyper-sensitive politically-correct culture. But when Trump threatens America’s Muslim, population it offends me because I have close friends who are Muslims. And when he mocks people with disabilities it disgusts me because he lacks basic human compassion.

Trump also isn’t a successful businessman. He’s lost money running a casino. Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka and Trump Airlines were all real Trump business ventures that

failed. It’s one thing to go bottom-up in your private business. It’s another thing to mess with one of the world’s most important economies.

Trump’s plan to “deport” 11 million undocumented immigrants would prove an enormous blow to the American economy. He also wouldn’t cut spending on Medicare, Medicaid, defense, or Social Security. Conservatism should be about small, limited government.

Under Trump, massive government spending would continue while seven million workers would simply disappear.

It’s one thing for Trump to pay lip service to the ideals of the conservative movement but it’s another thing to be blatantly bored of religious conservatism and say nothing about the ever-expanding welfare state.

Conservatives should not support someone who is open to imposing tariffs on China, going against what economists have been saying for centuries: tariffs harm consumers by raising the price of goods at home and do nothing for economic development.

Edmund Burke described conservatism as “manly, moral, regulated liberty.” Trump does nothing to exhibit this ideal. To me conservatism is a temperament. It should be sensible, consistent and should hold knowledge and policy detail in high regard.

As a conservative my conscience would not allow me to vote for Trump. Because I don’t believe a conservative president should step on religious freedom by openly stating that the members of one religious community can’t travel abroad and not be guaranteed re-entry into America. Because I don’t believe that a president should imply that the government should openly target journalists. And I don’t believe the presidential candidate of the party of Abraham Lincoln should spend debates talking about building walls.

You can’t reinvent conservatism and attach it to whatever person you identify with. Conservatism is a philosophy with a core set of guiding principles and a long, storied history. Trump has risen because people wanted to “flip the bird” at the Republican establishment that they perceived to have abandoned their values.

Ironic that they have chosen to support a man without any values at all.

Less regulation for Uber and the taxi industry

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD

Last week, USC vice-president Jamie Cleary spoke about the importance of Uber in the lives of Western students at a public participation meeting about the ride sharing app. The statements were welcome news as students value the service.

The city of London is currently in the process of figuring out how to properly regulate Uber. City staff proposed outlawing surge pricing and requiring cameras, which can cost thousands of dollars, in all cars. City politicians correctly vetoed these two regulations.

The convenience of requesting a car from your phone, knowing when it will arrive, estimating how much your trip will cost and seeing a review of your driver are all features to highlight about Uber. They have placed a clear emphasis on customer satisfaction and that’s important.

Over the past few years, taxis just haven’t been able to keep up. It seems their fares are more expensive and the rider experience isn’t as strong. Uber seems to be the future while taxis are lagging behind.

This isn’t exclusively the fault of taxi companies, however. Municipalities across Ontario, including London, have placed a number of regulatory burdens on cabbies. Requiring them to pay unreasonably high fees for licensing doesn’t seem like

Parking lot gate areas unsafe for cyclists laneways by cyclists and pedestrians has always been discouraged and is not a new limitation of the current system. With the previous parking gates, signs echoing this warning were located on each of the entrance islands. The signage has now been integrated with the gate arm itself.

Cycling is my passion, as well. It’s how I get to work everyday. It’s how I unwind on the weekends. It’s how I keep fit as I prepare for club races. I understand the value of safe passage for active transportation and occasionally that can mean dismounting when a hazard presents itself. It is my hope that my fellow cyclists feel the same way.

Warm regards, Brandon Watson Communications Officer, Facilities Management

it helps the common good — it seems like cities see taxis as cash cows.

Reducing the level of regulations for taxis would be a welcome change for Western students. Allowing these companies to compete on the same level of Uber might encourage more competition; students and other riders would likely be the beneficiaries.

It’s also important to remember that many cab drivers are doing this to get by. Many taxi drivers have professional credentials that may not transfer to Canada, making taxi driving one of the only accessible jobs. While there are many jobs that have been jettisoned due to increased innovation — we no longer have milkmen making deliveries every morning — the taxi industry doesn’t have to collapse.

Many Uber drivers have similar life experiences to taxi drivers. It’s not unusual to be picked up by a fellow student who is trying to earn money for tuition and books. Creating an equal playing field for Uber and taxi drivers should be the priority for the city.

We hope that the city will approve the new bylaw allowing Uber to operate in London. Uber may be the way of the future but cabs can fight their way to relevance again.

Don’t judge me on the form of my activism Hala At Your Girl

HALA GHONAIM OPINIONS EDITOR @HALAATGAZETTE

we get letters

Re: Cyclist Feeling Left Out After Summer Parking Change To the Editor, I appreciate the balance of Amy O’Kruk’s article on cycling published on November 1. However, I wish to further stress that although the arms are longer and keep motorists from skirting around the entrances, the key information I discussed with Amy was that the gate area is unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. This information was not reflected in the article and is essential to the discussion of cycling safety as it relates to our parking lots.

The magnetic mechanism under the asphalt for detecting vehicles will not acknowledge people and bikes and the gate arms could raise or descend at any time. From a safety perspective, use of these

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

I often get criticized for not speaking out against injustices as often as some think I should.

Unfortunately, my activism is calculated by my number of Facebook posts and Twitter reweets.

With social media an integral part of life, activism has garnered an array of expectations. Often by the ones campaigning for change themselves.

Although hashtags, check-ins, and blogs seem to have little practical effects on their own, with the appropriate amount saturating social media, they can cause a tangible change. I support online public activism and there are many movements that got their start online before sending warriors on the ground. But this shouldn’t be the determining factor of an individual’s fight.

Quiet activism is just as effective, disregarding any negative criticism from outside parties.

There are many ways for someone, including myself, to get involved without blatantly keeping a public diary of altruistic actions.

However, targeting others who don’t subscribe to the same ideas seems to be common practice within the social justice realm.

The underlying assumption that an activist isn’t making a tangible difference unless it’s public is an outdated theory.

Historically, it was easy to pinpoint the rare peace warrior.

However, with solidarity becoming more socially acceptable comes the changing face of the activist.

The Oxford Dictionary describes an activist as “a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change,” and also describes campaigning as “an organized course of action to achieve a goal.” Unfortunately, many people believe that you’re only a true activist if you bluntly vocalize your opinions. “If you’re not using the hashtag, then you’re not raising awareness,” is a statement I’ve heard one too many times by people who label themselves as

activists.

There are many types of activists who publicly and privately speak out over pressing issues. It could be publicly protesting down major roadways or privately donating to relief funds.

Campaigning for social change isn’t easily definable. Reducing effective modern activism to online petitions, campaigns and statuses has ruined the flexible definition of the war on injustice today. Ultimately the judgmental nature that has recently hovered over social media has turned many people away from partaking in that culture, with myself being on the verge.

The ever changing face of activism is a multi-dimensional one.

Social justice goes beyond what is conventional or routine to the public. Not too long along, traditional activism could mean outdoor canvassing, and today it’s a simple click.

Social justice has seeped through everyday politics or conventional topics and the only way to continue the momentum is by freeing the definition of activism.

There isn’t a specific method to follow but your heart.

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, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

feature

www.westerngazette.ca

•

A the ni who finis

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 • 7

News editor Rita Rahmati profiles USC “PrezEddy” and finds out if he’s really the Mr. Nice Guy everyone around makes him out to be.

The University Community Centre is empty. It’s late on the Friday afternoon of Fall Study Break. Eddy Avila is sitting across the table from me in Centre Spot, wrapping up our third and final interview for the profile.

Over the past week I’ve gotten to know the University Students’ Council president. I’ve learned his favourite TV show is “Mr. Robot,” he loves Beyoncé and is an avid PokemonGO player who goes by the username “PrezEddy.”

Deeper than that, the people he’s surrounded by have described him as an all-around Mr. Nice Guy. But I’m unconvinced. Leaving our last interview, I hadn’t had a chance to witness it first hand.

And then it happened.

We’re walking back up the UCC’s stairs, chatting about his plans to go rock climbing on the weekend, and as we’re about to part ways, I run into my friend who’s in tears.

Eddy had met my friend on a handful of occasions, but before I could even react he wraps her in a hug. He doesn’t pry for details, he just says “It’s okay.”

Later, my friend expressed how much this small gesture meant to her describing it as simple, but meaningful. She said it was Eddy’s hug that reminded her she wasn’t alone.

In this moment, it’s clear to me that Eddy’s goal of trying to make as many students on campus feel as comfortable as possible is genuine.

But a presidency is unpredictable. As Eddy learned a few months into his tenure, doing what he thinks is right doesn’t always pay off.

In February 2016, Eddy became the president-elect by a landslide victory.

In one of the most competitive elections in recent USC history — five slates initially entered — Team Avila beat the second-placed slate by a comfortable 1,416 votes.

Being president wasn’t something Eddy had seriously considered until his fourth year at Western when he realized many students didn’t have the same positive experience he’d had.

He came to the realization in the fall of 2015 when he attended a Black Student’s Association reflection event in the UCC basement. During the event, students shared their experience about what it was like to be a black student in residence, during O-Week and on campus at large.

The students gathered there didn’t believe Western’s claim that the University offers the best student experience in Canada, and that’s when it clicked.

“I have always been involved with extracurriculars and always cared about school and the only reason I came to Western was the combination of the two. To hear that people were fundamentally not being given that same opportunity was shaking — it shook me,” Eddy said.

Eddy started to get things in motion. He knew he had experience from his student leadership roles as a head soph, as the orientation coordinator and as a USC science councillor — he was ready to take on the USC presidency.

But he needed a vice-president running-mate. Eddy chose his long-time friend, Jamie Cleary. The pair shared similar goals, and a friendship that was cemented in their first year on the first day of O-Week.

“We were partners and friends first and foremost, and then I think we also made a very good team in terms of our strengths,” Eddy said. “We could balance each other because we could fill in each others gaps.”

The duo prepared for the upcoming elections over the 2015 winter break. They identified major issues on campus, focusing on mental health and racism, before building a platform to address those problems.

“When he was running in the election, there was no phoniness to it,” said Dan Mously, a friend of Eddy’s, who worked with him as orientation staff. “He just really wants to make genuine connections and be friendly to everyone.”

Team Avila resonated with students. In no time, Eddy was leading a student executive and a $27 million corporation.

Avila: ice guy shed first

Four months into the presidency, Eddy hit a hurdle.

Psychedelic-stylized posters popped up across campus depicting Eddy as Western administration’s thought police.

The posters were likely made in response to a video Eddy had recently posted. In the video, he criticized a “Western Lives Matter” banner that parodied the Black Lives Matter movement.

The banner appeared on the Sept. 30 weekend in response to Homecoming’s date change from late September to late October by the administration.

In his video Eddy said, “Equating the student upheaval of a Homecoming date change to the Black Lives Matter movement, which represents years of pain, oppression and violence is the epitome of ignorance and privilege.”

When Eddy first saw the posters, he was surprised that someone disliked him so much that they spent time and money making posters to attack him.

“Walking around campus that day, I knew people were looking at me. That was uncomfortable — not knowing whether they were supporting me or not supporting me,” Eddy recalled.

Eddy admitted he was upset and overwhelmed for a little while, but then took some time to reflect. He became confident that he made the right decision by uploading the video and began thinking about his co-workers.

“People have the right to do whatever they want,” Eddy said.

“I felt very bad that [my co-workers] felt like they had to protect me, and I didn’t like that feeling because I felt like everyone in the office was vulnerable.”

If anything helped Eddy to put the posters in perspective, it would be his instinct to focus on the people around him rather than himself. Putting the team first, so to speak, is something Eddy’s dad, Oscar Avila, would say he’s always done.

Specifically, Oscar points to Eddy’s time as a soccer player.

He said when Eddy was young, he joined a competitive soccer team. Despite being an average player, Eddy rose to the rank of captain after only six months.

“He was a brand new member of the team, but he showed leadership skills very quickly,” Oscar said. “He always liked to tell the team ‘come on, we can do it’.”

“He is a leader. And not just by imposing, but by becoming friends with people,” Oscar added.

It’s a trait that stayed with him. His positive attitude is something his co-workers say is a huge part of his leadership style today.

”We have to make some pretty huge decisions, but no matter how stressed the rest of us get, Eddy’s always so calm, so collected and just super supportive of all of us,” said USC communications officer Emily Ross.

Eddy knows success doesn’t come without a good team and he trusts each member of the executive to do their work effectively and efficiently.

With Eddy’s term half over, he’s more determined than ever to make the Western students’ experience the best it can be.

Towards this end, he’s focused on spearheading the USC’s new three-year strategic plan. It hasn’t been reviewed since 2012, and its goal lines up with his own: to review the USC’s role in serving Western’s undergraduate student population.

But if there’s one tangible thing Eddy hopes to accomplish this year, it’s working with his executives and Western administrators to lengthen fall reading break from two days to a week.

It’s something Western students have wanted for a long time.

Despite his ambitions, Eddy still finds time to unwind off campus.

These days Eddy’s swapped out soccer practice for rock climbing. He started rock climbing just last year, and it quickly became his favourite hobby. When on the wall, Eddy’s able to block out the rest of the world and focus on one goal: getting to the top.

Outside of the rock-climbing arena, Eddy is just as focused on his goals. The only difference is, here he focuses on taking other people along with him to the top.

www.westerngazette.ca

8 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

sports

•

Western trying to minimize off-campus training facility costs CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

Men’s lacrosse looks to earn CUFLA gold after big win STEPHANIE ORLANDO CONTRIBUTOR @SPORTSATGAZETTE The men’s lacrosse team dominated their playoff game against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues last Saturday, earning a final score of 20-12.

Western started the game off strong with a 7-1 lead after the first quarter and more than doubling their goals in the second, ending the half with a 16-3 lead. Thomas Masterson was a strong presence for the Mustangs, with three assists on top of a hat trick helping his team pull ahead. Nikolai Farrus and and Reid Reinholdt rounded out the team’s effort with three goals each.

Western didn’t just dominate on the scoreboard but also dominated defensively, shutting down many of U of T’s attempts at a goal. Craig Charteris came in with a huge hit in the first quarter knocking the other team’s player to the ground getting

quite the reaction from both his teammates and the crowd.

“We stuck to our system and had a great game plan going,” said team captain Peter Hunt. “We worked hard, ran the ball well, our goalie played great and we shot the ball well too.”

The win means that the team has qualified for the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association championship next weekend, hosted by Brock in St. Catherines. Western finished in first in the West and will therefore have a bye to the semi-finals.

“We’re all really excited and looking forward to next weekend,” said Hunt. “There’s a lot of great teams and it should be a good battle.”

Going into this weekend, the Mustangs know they have a target on their back and that other teams are looking to snipe.

“Trent, Brock and Guelph are all good teams that have a chance at

winning,” said fourth-year veteran and attacker Ryan Myles. “But I think we’re the team to beat going into the weekend.”

The Mustangs roster boasts a number of CUFLA all-Canadians including attackers Ryan McCrory and Cody Ward as well as midfielder Reid Reinholdt and defensive midfielder Jordi Jones-Smith.

A few other players also received honourable mentions including defender Patrick McCrory, goalie Manraj Nijjar and face-off specialist Michael Byrne.

The big win shows promise and motivation for the boys on their road to bringing home the gold at the CUFLA championships. This year is a chance to redeem themselves after a heartbreaking loss to McGill last year in the gold medal game. The team has not claimed gold since 2001 and look to change that this weekend.

Despite the ready availability of many top-notch athletic facilities on campus, it’s still hard to fit all 46 varsity teams. Some Mustangs teams have specific training needs that can’t be filled at Thames Hall or the Recreation Centre.

Fifteen of Western’s teams travel across London to practice, the longest journey being the ringette team’s 40 kilometre trek to St. Mary’s.

“There are a number of facilities that are not under the ownership of Western that we utilize for varsity teams and clubs,” said athletic director Thérèse Quigley.

“Our cheerleading team trains out at a cheering gymnasium out in London East, not far from the Western Fair, for example.”

Most teams that train off campus are forced to other locations because of specialized facilities they need. The baseball and softball teams need a diamond, of course, so they play at a couple of parks in London, including Labatt Park.

As well, the golf and curling teams need sport-specific playing fields, so their training hours are spent at Sunningdale Golf Course and Highland Curling Club, respectively.

In the off-season, when Western’s turf fields can’t be used due to snow, a handful of teams practice indoors at BMO Centre east of downtown London. The soccer, rugby and football teams all use the large multi-field complex to keep up their training regimen during the winter.

There is a cost associated with using these spaces. However, the price is often offset in some way by Mustang Athletics, or some other arrangement is made.

“It depends on the sport. Some are rentals, some have agreements, some have partnerships,” said Quigley.

“We offer services to the

There are a number of facilities that are not under the ownership of Western that we utilize for varsity teams and clubs.

THÉRÈSE QUIGLEY ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

partner in some cases to offset the facilities, and in other cases that’s not an opportunity. Others it is straight rental, and some it’s a donation of their facilities. It’s quite varied but we work in as many cases as we possibly can to work into a partnership with the facility operators.”

In terms of services that Western offers facility operators in return, Quigley pointed out that athletes from some teams donate their time to contribute to the community. For example, the cheerleading team is part of an instructional program that minimizes their expenses.

Ultimately, varsity team fees are not necessarily affected by training location. Western Athletics attempts to avoid that as much as possible. However, there are some instances where team members assume some of the cost. The fencing team’s members do contribute to the rental of London Christian Academy’s gym, which is used for some practices.

“We try and minimize that as much as we possibly can,” asserted Quigley. Western Athletics was unable to give any exact figures for the costs to each team, but they insist that having players pay extra for their practice facility is a situation they try to avoid.

Junior Mustangs program gives back to London CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR @CLAIREATGAZETTE It’s hard to remain oblivious to football while attending Western.

Even if you never go to a single game, you’ll stumble across the odd post about Homecoming or the Yates Cup or about how Western finished in first. But the Mustangs varsity team isn’t the only purple Mustang team making a mark in the football league. For the last five years, the London Junior Mustangs have competed and excelled in the Ontario Varsity Football League with great success.

“In terms of scouting and getting recruited, our league is probably the premier league,” said Junior Mustangs UWO liaison and Mustangs assistant coach Josh Malekzadeh. “If you play Junior Mustangs football, scouts are going to know who you are and if you’re good enough, you’ll get a scholarship offer.”

The Junior Mustangs is a

grassroots football program designed to develop and teach fundamentals at the younger age groups, and prepare their varsity and junior varsity players to compete at the next level. The varsity team is treated like an all-star team for London, with some of the best football players in the area competing with the team.

“We have kids from ages 7 to 18-19. With the younger ages, we work more developmental and fundamentals,” said Malekzadeh.

“We’re geared towards getting kids to play at the next level.”

The program wasn’t always called the London Junior Mustangs. It started out as the London Falcons, up until about five years ago, when Dan Valente bought the rights to the Falcons and rebranded. The team became the Junior Mustangs, and changed their logo and their colours to purple. However, it wasn’t until two years ago that they had an official affiliation with the university. The

team now competes in the Ontario Varsity Football league, an elite league that allows its players to compete at the highest level.

“Hockey came first and we piggy backed off of them,” said Malekzadeh, referring to a similar program that the Mustangs have with junior hockey teams. “Two years ago, hockey kind of saw what we were doing, and made a proposal to the university and made an official affiliation.”

Although there is a Junior Mustangs hockey program, they remain independent from the football program. Part of what makes the football program so unique is the involvement from coaches and players, which is something that the hockey program does not directly offer. The hockey program is more oriented towards getting young athletes out to games and Western’s summer hockey camps, whereas football has a more hands-on approach.

“We have a very detailed legal

contract with that organization in terms of the partnership and how they can use the name the Junior Mustangs,” said athletic director Thérèse Quigley. “In return, they promote our hockey games, our hockey camps and essentially direct their members to Mustang hockey.”

Although some of the varsity athletes volunteer their team to coach with these junior hockey teams through an outreach program put on by Junior Mustangs hockey, the affiliation with the hockey program is far less hands-on than the football program. Football’s affiliation allows them to use Western’s facilities for games, practices and film. The Mustangs’ coaches are also often coaches with the Junior Mustangs, and members of the Western Mustangs varsity football team will often stay during the summer to volunteer coach.

“All of our games are at Western, our coaching staff historically

has been Western coaches,” said Malekzadeh. “The kids get a university-level experience with the film and the on-field stuff and the meetings and all that.”

With all the resources available, it can be easy to lose track of what really matters here — the kids. Despite the university-level coaching and facilities, these are still young kids just looking to compete at the highest level they can.

They’re athletes looking to play for the love of the game, and it’s important not to forget that.

“For some of these kids, they just want to play ball, and then for other kids they kind of see this as a vehicle to make their lives better,” said Malekzadeh.

Junior Mustangs is focused on providing a safe and fun environment for kids to learn to play football and develop their play as they get older. It’s all about giving opportunities to kids, and giving back to the community through player and volunteer development.

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 • 9

sports

Mustangs hungry for revenge against the Ravens

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE The Western Mustangs will have revenge on their minds on Saturday as they take the TD Stadium field.

The stakes will be high in their Ontario University Athletics semifinal match — a spot in the 109th Yates Cup Game is on the line. And with the Carleton Ravens acting as the first obstacle in the Mustangs’ quest for a 31st provincial title, there will be no shortage of motivation for Western to avenge their

Sept. 4 loss to Steve Sumarah’s squad.

That loss is the only blemish on the Mustangs’ otherwise spotless record this season. But it provided the adversity required for a team to grow into a championship contender. The Mustangs learned from that gut-wrenching loss. And they’ve been rolling ever since.

The Ravens were an enigmatic team during the regular season.

Their win over Western, a 38-31 nail-biter, saw the Ravens stave off a furious Mustangs comeback

and was one of the most impressive victories in the program’s history.

But a 40-10 loss to the McMaster Marauders and a gruelling 17-16 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks dropped the Ravens to 6-2 and fourth in the OUA. Last weekend, the Ravens dismantled the Ottawa GeeGee’s en route to a 45-9 beatdown of their crosstown rivals. The Ravens used their lethal running attack to pound the ball through the Ottawa defensive line. Christian Battistelli ran for 131 yards and a touchdown while

Past five Mustangs football OUA semi-final games MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE The Western Mustangs return to the Ontario University Athletics semifinals on Saturday as they face off against the Carleton Ravens with an appearance in the 109th Yates Cup on the line.

With the Mustangs vying for their first provincial title since 2013, The Gazette looked back at the last five semifinal matchups the program has been involved in.

2015 The Mustangs took down the Laurier Golden Hawks 32-18 at TD Stadium. The Western running game dominated the Golden Hawks defence as Matt Uren rushed for two touchdowns while Alex Taylor rushed for 114 yards.

The win was overshadowed by an injury to Will Finch in what would be the last game of his football career.

The Mustangs went on to lose 23-17 in a hard-fought Yates Cup game to the Guelph Gryphons.

2014 The Mustangs fell to the Guelph Gryphons 51-26 in a game that was close for much of the first half until Guelph quarterback James Roberts made it 27-16 with a 39-yard touchdown pass as the

DAMON BURTT GAZETTE

Gryphons never looked back.

The game saw Stevenson Bone start for an injured Will Finch and perform admirably with 203 yards and two touchdown passes.

2013 After a perfect 8-0 regular season the Mustangs took down the McMaster Marauders 32-3. After being knocked out of the playoffs for two straight years by the Marauders, the win was redemptive and gave the Mustangs the confidence to move on and win the 30th Yates Cup in program history.

The Mustangs were anchored by a dominant defensive performance led by Simon Bahru and Beau Landry, holding the Marauders to just 82 offensive yards.

2012

The Mustangs fell to the McMaster Marauders 42-28, marking the first time Greg Marshall’s team would not move on to the Yates Cup after six straight appearances.

Facing the number one team in the country, the Mustangs were tied at the half while being led by 18-year-old rookie quarterback Will Finch. But eight penalties worth 129 lost yards and an overpowering McMaster team marked the end of Western’s dominant stretch.

2011 Coming off a 37-0 loss to Queen’s two weeks prior, the first shutout loss for the program since 1973, the Mustangs rebounded to take down an underdog Windsor Lancers 33-27.

Jayde Rowe compiled 125 yards and two touchdowns in a dominant performance.

The Ravens rely heavily on a dynamic pass defence that led the OUA with 184.8 yards allowed per game in the regular season. After facing the OUA’s best-run defence in their final regular season game against McMaster, the Mustangs will need to use powerful feature back Alex Taylor to move the chains against Carleton.

The matchup between Taylor and Rowe will also be compelling as the two have shredded OUA defences this season. Taylor finished the regular season with 123.4 yards per game, good for second in the OUA behind Rowe’s 136.8 yards per game. Taylor led the OUA with 10 touchdowns, while Rowe was third with 10.

In their matchup in week two of the regular season the Ravens jumped out to a quick 24-0 lead over the Mustangs midway through the second quarter. The Mustangs came back with 31 consecutive points before two Jesse Mills touchdown passes dropped the Mustangs to 1-1.

Mills threw 341 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Rowe ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

The Western defence will need to be better this time around. Judging from their win over McMaster, they will be.

The Mustangs limited McMaster

to only 281 yards of total offence while stopping the Marauders on all four of their third down attempts.

The Mustangs will need JeanGabriel Poulin, Malcolm Brown and Philippe Dion to continue their stellar play if Western wants to advance to the Yates Cup. Question marks still surround the Mustangs offence that seemed stagnant in the McMaster game.

There was no flow and the offensive line struggled to hold off McMaster’s lethal pass rush.

But they found a way to win. And at this point in the season, that’s all that matters.

The Mustangs have been hot since their loss to Carleton. That game taught them a valuable lesson: Wins aren’t given. They’re earned. And the Mustangs have indeed earned their six game winning streak. They won’t come out flat on Saturday.

The Carleton Ravens are a formidable team without a doubt, but the Mustangs are proven winners who are hungry to take home their first Yates Cup since 2013.

The Mustangs are also hungry to reach higher, past the Yates Cup, and compete for a national championship. Their grind-it-out win over Mac two weekends ago shows how hard this team can fight. The Ravens will need to fight in the trenches if they want to steal another game from the Mustangs.

Do you have a passion for all things Mustangs?

Want to write for the sports section?

Email volunteer@westerngazette.ca to get started!

www.westerngazette.ca

10 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

opinion

•

I went to a Trump rally and I can see the appeal —

IT’S DISHEARTENING

T

he 2016 presidential election is days away and after opening up a wide polling lead in October, Hillary Clinton has since fallen behind. The polls have tightened and Donald Trump now stands a growing chance of being elected president. I had seen the news reports, speeches and interviews, but in the middle of October, I experienced first-hand what Trump was like.

This past June, I crossed the stage at Alumni Hall and received my degree in Canadian-American relations. Throughout my four years, I was constantly bombarded with exasperating questions like, “Don’t you care about Canada?” Yes, I care about Canada. But I have always taken particular interest in the United States and how their culture affects those above the 49th parallel.

The decision to head to a Trump rally came very last minute. Four friends and I packed into our rented car the night before the rally and set off on the six hour drive at 10 p.m.

In the afternoon before the rally, we talked to people every chance we could. From the front desk clerk, to the servers at restaurants to Ohioans walking down the street, everyone was pretty uniform in how they felt about the election.

As people waited to enter the stadium, I noticed their outfits. Many people were decked out in American flag patterned clothing and other patriotic garb. Others wore Trump campaign T-shirts and the famous “Make America Great Again” hats.

When people began filing into the seats and onto the floor, I looked around to try and find people of colour but that proved to be a difficult task.

Overwhelmingly, the people in the stadium were white.

Everyone I talked to in the stadium was excited to see Trump; they viewed him as something of a flawed saviour — one who could save them from the current political system. Sure, he had done things that were unsavoury or inappropriate, but “he’s not running for Pope,” one middle-aged woman told me. To many, Trump’s flaws far outweighed keeping the current political system in place.

American voters seemed

JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

frustrated by regular politicians who fail to address their needs. Illinois State University history professor Andrew Hartman gave a talk on Western’s campus last week and believes this frustration is about economics.

“I think that the economic doldrums of American society since the great recession of 2008 help explain this. The government does not seem very responsive to any of that,” said Hartman.

Many people highlighted the fact that Trump had been a businessman and believed this experience would help jumpstart the American economy. While this outsider status was highlighted, it was frequently contrasted to the insider status of his opponent.

On the Jumbotron, a video featuring Clinton’s head rendered like Pac-Man provoked large cheers. Instead of glowing dots, little envelopes were swallowed as a counter at the bottom rose to indicate the number of emails Clinton deleted. The crowd cheered wildly.

The energy was always very high at the rally; most people remained standing for a large portion of the night. Cheers, applause and chanting were frequent.

There were times when I thought I was at a concert for a famous musician. Instead of lyrics, there were understood responses to some of the material presented — anytime someone mentioned Clinton, it took only a few seconds for the arena to be filled with the sound of everyone shouting “Lock her up!”

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani took the stage to introduce Trump as “New York, New York” blared over the speakers. He shouted through the microphone like a televangelist. In many ways, Giuliani was scarier to watch than Trump.

At one point, he literally raised his hand to divide the crowd, as if he was putting a giant ruler down.

“This half of you — deplorable,” Giuliani declared to his right, provoking excited cheering as the crowd embraced Clinton’s new nickname. As he cut the crowd into pieces, it reminded me of the cracks in America’s identity that Trump has caused. Western’s political science chair Donald Abelson would probably agree.

“I think that in a lot of ways — economically, politically, socially — we [Canadians] have deep concerns about the fractures, the political fractures in the United States and how Trump could exploit those for political gain,” Abelson said. “He’s made it very,

very clear that not only will he try to make America great again but he’ll do so at everyone else’s expense.”

The first thing I noticed, from several yards away, was Trump’s hair. Much maligned by late-night talk show hosts and comedians, his hair looks lighter in person. He also didn’t seem as orange in person as I expected but given the satire, I was probably expecting someone coloured like an oompa-loompa.

Trump is undeniably charismatic. I used to watch him religiously on The Apprentice but this persona was different from the host who fired someone every week. I was gripped with everything he was saying even though I questioned how truthful most of it was.

He only spoke for about 40 minutes but it seemed much longer. It was incredibly brief on policy — the only thing I can remember is he said he would tax imports to the United States by 30 per cent. Yet, I still left thinking it was an effective political speech.

Hartman asked me a question when I asked about how Trump is perceived abroad.

“How do Canadians explain Mayor Rob Ford?”

Like Trump, Ford had his fair share of questionable behaviour from smoking crack cocaine to inappropriate remarks about minorities. As someone from Mississauga, maybe I had seen unsavoury behaviour up close before from politicians. If Trump managed to win, though, how would it affect Canada?

“Most Canadians would not feel comfortable with Donald Trump in office,” Abelson said bluntly. He then proceeded to list things such as a renegotiation of NAFTA, concerns about a softwood lumber deal, how Trump could pressure Canada in terms of foreign diplomacy as causes for concern under a President Trump.

Perhaps most worrying is something harder to quantify.

“I think we’re deeply concerned about the impact a Trump presidency would have on American culture and how that could spill over into Canada,” Abelson said.

I just graduated from Western with a degree in Canadian-American relations; I spent four years learning about the U.S., but maybe going to a Trump rally was the best lesson I learned.

As we left the stadium — failing to score an infamous “Make America Great Again!” sign — I felt unnerved. I proudly wear my “I’m with Her” T-shirt and have rooted for Clinton since 2007 but I was enthralled by the way he spoke. The comedy pieces on YouTube and latenight TV lampoon Trump to the point that I couldn’t really grasp why he was so effective. I think I finally understand — and that’s terrifying.

■■BRADLEY METLIN

• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 • 11

culture

Exploring the STI testing stigma AMY SKODAK CULTURE EDITOR @AMYSKODAK Last February, Western students broke the Guinness World Record for most STI tests done in a single day.

Promoting safe sex and frequent STI testing are important to sexual health awareness, but what happens when the tests come back positive?

Although the dialogue surrounding STIs is happening more frequently, it still holds a negative stigma.

“Traditionally women were always treated as the vector of disease… the main source of infection,” says health studies professor Treena Orchard. “It also builds upon existing ideas we have about female sexuality as being dangerous.”

“I think women have often had the blame for STIs and I think that there’s quite a large amount of theoretical material that deals with it in relation to the AIDS crisis,” explains women’s studies department chair Wendy Pearson.

However, this negative stigma doesn’t seem to be tied to only one gender or sexuality. Currently and historically, STIs have shed a negative veil over anyone who has one or anyone who simply wants to get tested.

The assumption that STIs constitute “dirtiness” is similar to the ‘80s AIDS crisis and the backlash that targeted the queer community.

Misunderstanding of AIDS, formerly referred to as gay-related immune deficiency (GRID), lead to inaccurate assumptions that the illness was restricted to homosexual men.

This negative view of STIs also attacks self esteem. There seems to be an intersection between STIs and the body acceptance movement.

When people say their test results come back “clean,” this language suggests that those who are diagnosed with an STI are “unclean.” It is a binary that has snowballed into making people “dirty” because of their illness. Orchard feels that this way of thinking needs to change so that people don’t feel ashamed.

I think [STIs] can have a really serious impact on self esteem issues and issues with body acceptance, especially if people are already struggling to begin with. There’s no shame in addressing these health concerns, and [STIs] don’t change who you are.

GABRIELLE CHRISTIE PSYCHOLOGY AND FRENCH LINGUISTICS STUDENT

When people are made to feel unclean or “bad” for having an STI, what results is a socially-fuelled “body hierarchy.” Now people don’t just feel ashamed about how their body looks on the outside, they get to feel ashamed with the inside of their body as well.

STI stigma has become a form of marginalization, scaring those who are STI positive into believing they are in isolation.

“Personally, it’s nerve-wracking to go get tested,” admits third-year psychology and French linguistics student, Gabrielle Christie. Christie was part of the group that set the record for #GetTested Western and says that while the day itself was very supportive and positive, this isn’t the

case every day.

When someone needs to make the decision to get tested on their own without crowds of students cheering them on to set a world record, the experience becomes much more individual, difficult and “shocking” to others, as Christie points out.

The fact that simply deciding to get tested for STIs can illicit such shock and fear speaks to the larger issue of the stigma at hand. Christie explains that even talking about getting tested will cause people to look at someone differently and make assumptions about their sexual health and habits. This is dangerous because it could limit people from getting tested and taking steps towards improving their health.

At the end of the day, the derogatory implications surrounding STIs is a multifaceted issue, that goes beyond the health implications.

“I think [STIs] can have a really serious impact on self esteem issues and issues with body acceptance, especially if people are already struggling to begin with,” says Christie. She feels that cultivating healthy and open discussion on a regular basis is something that needs to be implemented in order to fight STI stigma.

“There’s no shame in addressing these health concerns, and [STIs] don’t change who you are.”

Changing the negative stigma around STIs begins with starting a positive dialogue about getting tested and encouraging others to do the same.

To book a free appointment to get tested, visit Health Services in Room 11 of the UCC or the Middlesex London Health Unit.

Throughout the month of November, Western students will learn about and create mukluks, an important indigenous tradition that is often forgotten.

Mukluks are traditional indigenous winter boots that are handcrafted and often decorated with custom bead designs. Each pair takes about 100 hours to make, from the skinning of the animal to being ready to wear.

On Oct. 24, the Manitobah Mukluks Storyboot Project opened its pop-up school at Western for members of the indigenous community and others interested in learning about mukluks and making their own pair.

Despite the amount of time and effort that goes into making them, they are often sold for around $200 a pair, which means the artist can’t earn enough to support themselves. This under-appreciated and often forgotten art deserves more attention as it bears strong ties to indigenous tradition and community.

Director of the Storyboot Project Waneek Horn Miller, a Mohawk and Six Nations member from Kahnawake, stresses the importance of mukluks.

“When couples are married they get matching mukluks, and even when people pass on to the next world, they are buried with new mukluks or moccasins because

they need them on that journey,” explains Miller. “It’s a connection to that. To make a pair of mukluks for someone, I personally find it very empowering.”

In addition to making sure artists are fairly compensated and appreciated, the Manitobah Mukluks Storyboot Project helps re-educate members of the indigenous community who have lost touch with this important tradition, such that they’ll understand the high price tag.

Ashley Deacon, instructor for the London pop-up school and a Western student, is a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. She says tradition is everything to her. “It’s something that I live by.”

Deacon grew up around family that has been making mukluks for generations and she herself has been making them for the past eight years or so.

As the instructor of the class, she stresses that your emotions go into and are passed on through the mukluks, so keeping a positive energy is critical while making them — an arduous task considering the 100 hours they take to produce.

This mukluk-crafting class is sure to be a very educational experience that will help locals connect or reconnect to indigenous communities and their important cultural traditions.

This class runs every Monday until Nov. 28 in UCC Room 269 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

YOU can

TEACH YOGA

and deepen your practice DevaTree School of Yoga | www.devatree.com

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

Mukluk making meets Western ELLIS KOIFMAN CULTURE EDITOR @ELLIS_KOIFMAN

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

theGazette EMPLOYMENT

classifieds

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

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 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.

SAT. NOV. 5 London Central Lioness Annual Christmas Bazaar, 11.00-2.00 pm will be held at St. Luke’s Church, 1204 Richmond N. at Bernard. Books, bake table, treasures, DVD’s etc. Good quality Christmas gifts. Refreshments, free admission. Enter off Bernard. The premises are wheelchair and handicapped accessible. All funds raised are used for the benefit of the community.

SERVICES BUSINESS 2257 TUTOR seeking students looking to maximize their 2257 grade. My qualifications include: Achieving a 94% in 2257, 8+ years of tutoring experience, and Economics TA of the Year. Contact: trooney3@uwo.ca

ANNOUNCEMENTS BLOOD DONOR CLINIC Community Room, UCC 2nd floor. Wed. Oct. 19, 11am - 4pm; Wed. Nov. 9, 11am - 4pm. Call or click to book your appointment.

1-888-2-DONATE. Blood.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.

3. Keep a regular check on your accounts Regularly log into your online accounts, and check your statements. Report any suspicous transactions to your bank or credit card provider.

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

For solution, turn to page 3

www.westerngazette.ca

12 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2016

games

PHOTO OF THE DAY

•

CROSSWORD BY EUGENE SHEFFER

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE DIY DONE RIGHT. Pinterest for Poverty, a local charity group, makes DIY projects found on the website and donates the proceeds to Mission Services.

WORD SEARCH

LITERARY WORD SEARCH AUSTEN BRADBURY BRONTE BROWN CHEKHOV DAHL DICKENS DOSTOEVSKY DUMAS HARDY HAWTHORNE

HEMINGWAY JOYCE KEROUAC KING LEWIS MARQUEZ MELVILLE MILLER MORRISON NABOKOV ORWELL PICOULT PLATH POE

PROUST RUSHDIE SALINGER

SHAKESPEARE SPARKS STEINBECK



STEVENSON STOKER TOLKIEN

TOLSTOY TWAIN VONNEGUT

WELLS WILDE WOOLF

For solution go to westerngazette.ca/solution

265 & 267 – UCC BUILDING CREATIVESERVICES-USC.CA 519-661-3578

PRICES STARTING AT $5 SQ/Ft.