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westerngazette.ca TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 110, ISSUE 35 alternative elections since 1906
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TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE
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Out of Western and onto the runway. Maddison Fysh, a former Mustang, has taken on the world of modelling since her time at university.
Growing up a competitive figure skater, she’s always maintained a strict routine and is able to adequately work through the pressures of the two strikingly different careers.
It was just a regular bus ride home when Maddison, a first-year student at the time, was approached by a modelling agent and told to contact her agency for work. “I started late, I was 18. I never even thought twice about modelling,” Maddison recalls. Since that interaction, Maddison has walked in New York Fashion Week shows for designers from across the globe. She has already had modest success having been one of the top delegates in Miss Universe Canada and as the top runway model in Top Model Search Canada. While at Western she participated in the Purple Spur Fashion Show as a model and a member of the executive team. Since leaving the University she’s come back to help out with the upcoming show.
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“It has been a great experience to help Spur on a different level,” Maddison says. “I have had a lot of models reach out to me for advice and help.” Maddison is also working as a sports psychologist — her major during her time at Western University. “Sports and fashion compliment each other in many ways: They are both fast-moving industries where you are constantly working towards the next level, staying very organized and on task so goals are achieved and keeping confident and driven with your own personal goals,” Maddison says.
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When asked about the pressures of the modelling industry, Maddison says she has never felt negative pressure because in recent years, the modelling industry has become more open to different body types and sizes. “There’s a lot of focus going into plus size models and I’m all for it, I think it’s great because not all of society is a size two,” Maddison says. Although the modelling industry is primarily made up of female models and clients, the world of sports psychology is dominated by men in jobs and clientele alike. Maddison says it’s sometimes difficult being a female sports psychologist telling masculine and hefty athletes how to heal. “What big muscly athlete is going to listen to a five foot nine girl?” she jokes. However, Maddison states that she’s able to excel in the career as she is an athlete herself and can connect to her clients. When she was a competitive figure skater, she experienced her fair share of injuries and therefore understands the mental strain on athletes when they receive an injury. As Maddison’s modelling career was unexpected, what the future holds is still up in the air for her. For now, she travels back and forth between London, Ontario — her home town — and Toronto — where she works, but says New York is her favourite city and loves every chance she gets to visit. ■■RITA RAHMATI
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Sexual assaults on student bus routes spark LTC safety concerns GRACE TO NEWS EDITOR @GRACE_KTO Results from a social media survey conducted by the Sexual Assault Centre and Women’s Community House found that London Transit Commission (LTC) bus routes servicing students see the highest number of sexual assault incidents. The survey was released in late January and posted on the Sexual Assault Centre’s Facebook and Twitter accounts asking about individual’s experiences with sexual violence on public transit. On behalf of the centre, AnnaLise Trudell, program co-ordinator, had organized and compiled the social media survey results. “We had a couple of clients and survivors at our centre who told our counsellors that they were experiencing or had experienced sexual assault on buses,” said Trudell. “They voiced that they wanted to know if that was happening to other people beyond them and whether any changes needed to happen on the buses because of it.” Respondents were asked whether they have ever experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault or threats of sexual assault on London’s city buses. If any of the previous questions were answered with a yes, respondents were asked to select the bus routes on which the events had
occurred. The survey did not ask what times the event occurred and recorded no demographic data. According to Trudell, 329 responses were collected with 122 of those disclosing that they had experienced harassment and 44 experienced assault on public transit. Of the bus routes analyzed, six lines had significantly higher incidences than the rest with three of them servicing student populations of Western and Fanshawe. The 2 bus route was found to have the highest rate at 36 per cent. “This can’t be entirely representational — chances are that you filled it out when you were more likely to have experienced some form of violence,” acknowledged Trudell. LTC general manager Kelly Paleczny met with Trudell on Monday to discuss the survey’s findings. Trudell expressed that she was pleased to hear about LTC’s efforts for increased safety. One of the measures that the LTC currently has in place is the ability for courtesy stops. If a rider is feeling unsafe, they can ask the driver to stop the bus at any time. All buses also have audio and visual recordings of activities that can be requested for retrieval if a rider has experienced assault. However, Trudell says these features are not well known. The LTC began a review of their safety and security program in 2016.
We have always advised students, safety-wise, if there are any suspicious persons, any acts that are uncomfortable, the next step is to call the police right away and report it. JEAN-CLAUDE AUBIN OPERATIONAL LEADER OF CAMPUS POLICE
Paleczny expects that an update will be introduced in the spring of 2017, ensuring LTC’s priority to provide riders with a secure transit experience. “The updated program will not focus solely on sexual assault, but rather on all aspects of the transit experience and the various issues that could give rise to a customer feeling unsafe,” stated Paleczny in an email. Jean-Claude Aubin, operational leader of campus police, said that all sexual violence incidences on the LTC are reported to London Police Services as most buses operate off-campus. “We have always advised students, safety-wise, if there are any suspicious persons, any acts that are uncomfortable, the next step is to call the police right away and report it,” said Aubin. “Any instance of sexual violence is unacceptable.”
Potential changes to copyright law could threaten use of class material
If you enjoy getting your readings from OWL directly, start reading up on copyright law in Canada. Western’s copyright librarian, Tom Adam, is warning that this November changes may be coming to copyright law that could impact how learning material can be used in class. The Canadian Copyright Act (CCA) is up for statutory review this year, and its contents are being re-evaluated. According to Adam’s reports, nothing is off the table — not even the educational fair dealing provisions introduced in 2013. He stresses, however, that while these changes are possible and likely to be discussed, amendments to the educational laws seem unlikely. “Typically, as long as a dealing is fair for an educational purpose, we don’t have to seek explicit copyright clearance in order to do things like reproduce a chapter from a book,” Adam says. “Or we aren’t required right now to get explicit clearance to use an article from a journal as supplementary reading and upload it into [OWL].” However, if educational fair dealing protection measures are to be struck down, this may no longer be the case. If the government chooses to rescind such fair use measures — as many copyright holders, says Adam, are
The survey has sparked a concern amongst students and their safety. Jamie Cleary, University Students’ Council vice-president, believes that both the University community and the city of London must take on a proactive role in bystander intervention. “This also highlights not only issues with the LTC but overall the culture of the London community,” said Cleary. “It is important that we
begin to look into ways for us to showcase an environment where we are tolerant and embracing.” Cleary says that he is excited to see what the LTC will do with the information as they move forward. In the future, Trudell hopes that there will be a sense of accountability with the LTC. She emphasizes that bus safety shouldn’t only be about physical safety, but also about a personal sense of safety.
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pressuring the government to do — then professors may not be able to use copyrighted works for teaching purposes without paying copyright holders. This means less readings available on OWL, and less textbook excerpts available for classes. “Everything is up for grabs, essentially,” Adam explained. “There is the potential that [the sections of the act pertaining to education] could be reopened in November.” Because OWL is locked to students only, anything uploaded there is effectively protected for education, Adam said. However, if these changes to the CCA pass, these protections could suddenly disappear. The measures date to 2004, where the Canadian Supreme Court determined the bounds of fair dealing in educational use. In the case of CCH Canadian Ltd v Law Society of Upper Canada, the court determined that using and reproducing copyrighted works for research purposes was protected use under copyright law. Since then, the protections have only expanded, enshrined in the CCA. However, as Adam reminds us, these protections were hard won and there are many who would seek to end them. Students and faculty alike should keep an eye towards the trend of the statutory review as November approaches.
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MOSES MONTERROZA GAZETTE FIVE FOR FIGHTING. The five SPO candidates at the elections at AGM II on Sunday.
Controversy-ridden SPO election finally comes to an end GAZETTE NEWS @NEWSATGAZETTE The controversial student programs officer (SPO) election is finally over after a vote recount reaffirmed Mac McIntosh as the winner. When the initial results were announced on Sunday, Mac McIntosh had won. However, the USC’s elections department made an error in counting the results in the second round of the ranked ballots which led to a recount. The ballots to elect the SPO requested each councillor to rank their choice out of the five candidates running. Under a traditional application of the preferential ballot system, the candidate receiving the fewest first-choice votes would have been eliminated in the first round of ballot counting, then those votes would have been reattributed to the ballot’s second-choice candidate. During Sunday’s meeting, the points were first awarded to each councillor’s first choice of candidate, and then their second choice of candidate, effectively allowing each councillor to vote twice. The ballots were recounted at 5 p.m. on Monday in the USC boardroom under the supervision of the candidates and/or their appointed scrutineers. Present were Emma Cumuric and Angus Lai from the elections committee, who weren’t involved with the initial vote, and Carina Gabrielle (observing for Harry Orbach-Miller), Hirad Zafari (observing for Ella Wardlaw), Mackenzie McIntosh, Paul Scala and
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Imraan Mukri. Gazette editor-inchief Hamza Tariq was also allowed in the room as an observer. The outgoing USC council voted to destroy the ballots used for the SPO election during Sunday’s meeting. To destroy the ballots, they are placed in a confidential box where they are later taken offsite to be shredded. As the SPO election happened Sunday afternoon, the box had not yet been taken offsite, so the ballots were still recoverable. As the box also houses other confidential USC documents to be destroyed, Jeff Armour, USC chief operating officer, was present for the retrieval of the ballots, but left after they were recovered. Cumuric and Lai were responsible for the recount, while being observed by the six others present. There was further elections drama after councillors complained that Landon Tulk, incoming USC vice-president, messaged councillors before the vote and asked them to vote for certain SPO candidates and outright requested they refrain from voting for Harry Orbach-Miller. SPO candidate Imraan Mukri admitted he was happy that the election had reached its conclusion. “I think we were all looking for closure after Sunday,” he said.”I got that closure about an hour ago, my feelings in general didn’t change [from Sunday]. I know Mac put a lot of effort into his campaign and I absolutely do think that he’s going to do a great job.” Paul Scala, another candidate for
SPO, expressed his displeasure with the way the election was held. “After hearing there was collusion on part of the incoming USC [executive], I really begin to question my faith in democracy as well as my trust in the USC.” He also raised concerns that the election’s mishaps will make students thing twice about engaging with the USC. “It will ruin the relationship that the USC ought to have with students, and the problem is that no one holds the USC accountable,” he said. “Also adding the fact with problems of counting the ballots which is something the USC should know how to do and has been doing for some while,” Scala added. “When you combine the two it just looks bad — I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a vote of non-confidence.” Comments from the deputy returning officer (DRO) and other candidates will be updated online as they come in.
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Landon Tulk responds to election interference allegations GAZETTE NEWS @NEWSATGAZETTE
Tensions from the USC presidential election earlier this year have spilled into the election of the student programs officer (SPO) on Sunday, with allegations of the incoming executive trying to influence the vote. Earlier on Sunday, the Gazette received screenshots of Facebook messages between vice-president elect Landon Tulk and some councillors where Tulk either encourages councillors to not vote for candidate Harry Orbach-Miller or asked them to vote a certain way. The SPO elections were filled with contention from the start when vice-president runner-up OrbachMiller of Team DiBrina announced his candidacy. Orbach-Miller ran as a member of president/vice-presidential slate Team DiBrina and lost to Team Tobi by almost 1,000 votes. After the election, Team DiBrina filed seven appeals against Team Tobi. The Appeals Board rejected all seven appeals, retaining Team Tobi as the winners. Three councillors, on condition of anonymity in fear of repercussions and to keep a working relationship with the incoming executive, came forward to the Gazette with statements about the interference in the election. “It is unacceptable for the executive to go out of its way to disrupt and undermine the democratic SPO election by preying on councillors who are just beginning to understand their role and the associated power dynamics within the USC,” one councillor wrote. In a statement to the Gazette, Tulk attributed his actions on a desire to have a unified executive. We are embarrassed, remorseful and incredibly apologetic about trying to influence councillors’ votes,” Tulk wrote. “After months of elections with the intense pressures that come with that, we are terribly sorry that we let our stress get the better of us. The fear of not having a cohesive, supportive team got in the way of our respect for council and the democratic process. We should have had faith in our council in their choice for the most qualified candidate.” Another councillor detailed the way in which pressured had been applied. “Although everything has been phrased passively (such as ‘I would highly encourage you to…’), it has made myself and several councillors uncomfortable in our roles. Especially for incoming councillors who do not quite know everything about their role yet, these people are trying to influence the vote with impressionable councillors,” wrote the councillor.
“Whether it has been through pushing particular proxies for certain members who have two votes (outgoing/incoming), explicitly messaging councillors to rank a candidate lower, explicitly messaging councillors about how they will personally be ranking their ballots, or even passively asking a ton of councillors, ‘how they will be voting?’ only to then express why they will not be voting for a particular candidate, this entire election period has been full of nepotism and peer pressure; it’s really been unfortunate in the face of the democracy of our SPO elections.” The third councillor was worried about the effect Tulk’s behaviour could have on the upcoming year. “In regards to the contentious SPO elections, comments and messages sent from the incoming executive set an alarming precedent for the upcoming year. The ethical implications of messaging uncertain incoming councillors the executives voting preferences is alarming… In what is supposed to be an impartial election, direct messaging their support or disdain for a specific candidate, whether out of nepotism or animosity, should be a concerning matter for the student body in regard to how council will be run past these elections.” In an interview with the Gazette, Tulk admitted that he “likely shouldn’t have said that [the private messages to councillors].” “I actually reached out to a couple of those councillors that I had engaged in conversation with around this and apologized for my actions and made clear that I’m looking forward to rebuilding a working relationship and sitting down with them in the new future to discuss any ramifications of this,” Tulk said. “I think, for the most part, they were all quite receptive actually of that proposal.” He commended Orbach-Miller’s work as a student leader on campus and said in retrospect he should not have made comments about him in the messages. However, Tulk didn’t confirm if he would reach out to Orbach-Miller himself in the aftermath of the revelations; instead, he said he would be willing to sit down for a discussion if Orbach-Miller is open to it.
TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE
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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 • 5
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USC passes comprehensive policy paper to bolster pedestrian safety MARTIN ALLEN GAZETTE STAFF @NEWSATGAZETTE The University Students’ Council’s new policy paper on pedestrian safety combines dramatic recommendations for infrastructure with a message of co-operation between Western and London to combat pedestrian safety issues on campus. The paper was authored by USC associate vice-president Mauricio Diaz, and presented by vice-president Jamie Cleary in front of council on March 1, where it passed unanimously. Both cite the death of Western student Andrea Christidis, who was struck by a car while on the sidewalk in 2015, as having catalyzed the USC’s once-passive interest in a pedestrian safety initiative. “The conversation started to happen on our campus and got noticed by officials in the London community, when we had the death of a student on our campus,” said Diaz. “We felt we should have a stance on it.” The paper, as well as the USC’s advocacy papers for rapid transit, are the first externally facing position the USC has had on pedestrians and pedestrian safety. To inform a continual progress, the paper calls for a comprehensive and accessible information base on Western’s part as well as the city. It recommends Western assess its services every four years and publish
its findings to the Western Safe Campus website, and for London to do the same, publishing it to the Community Safety and Data Collection website. Though data is sparse, the USC nonetheless identifies several areas needing development on campus in the near future. The paper states that 60 per cent of pedestrian deaths in London occur at night. In response, it recommends implementing more lighting fixtures around roads, as well as painting the emergency phones on campus a more noticeable colour than the current dark grey. It also calls for a re-orientation of Western’s Foot Patrol service, as well as Campus Police. Diaz said that the lack of data from Foot Patrol usage could lead to inefficiencies, and that if the USC could better understand the different reasons students use the service, it could be adapted to fit those needs. He also mentioned the recommended change in the philosophy of pedestrian policing on campus: “We need to make sure that we’re not penalizing students for perhaps violating something, but more so ensuring that Campus Police is operating in a way that considers where pedestrians feel safe.” The paper calls for all these changes to occur within two years. But there are larger and far more significant recommendations which outline infrastructure changes
TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE
needed throughout campus. The paper recommends the building of pedestrian islands, like those at the intersection of Western and Wellington, by Saugeen, down the whole of Western Road. Another intersection is Western and Sarnia Road, which is singled out for major change. Besides lowering the current speed limit around the crossings, the paper
recommends the construction of a four-way underground tunnel beneath the intersection. The USC and Diaz decided on a tunnel in deliberations with London city councillors as well as the Mayor. Of the available options — an overhead walkway, a pedestrian scramble and the tunnel — the tunnel was chosen as the most effective method to lower pedestrian’s risk crossing at
the intersection. Cleary said that the paper’s high aspirations will require a “long-term conversation” between London and Western, but he is optimistic about the paper’s future: “Ultimately what the paper will do, is allow us to have a stronger advocacy effort, because now we have a research backing, and it has council’s full support.”
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Rounding out the rest of the USC executive Jana Cernavskis and Erin McCauley announced at AGM II
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GRACE TO NEWS EDITOR @GRACE_KTO As the newly-hired USC communications officer for 2017-18, Jana Cernavskis admits that being involved with the student council was not in her initial plans when she first came to Western. Instead, the fourth-year FIMS student recalls that she had her sights set on television production. “If I looked back on it now in hindsight, since second year, I could see this path unfolding,” said Cernavskis. “But when you’re walking the path, you don’t necessarily see it that way. So I didn’t expect all of this, but I’m happy to be here.” In her second and third year, Cernavskis was involved with Western TV, learning how to do videography and editing. Working behind the scenes, she realized that she had a passion for video production. The following year she landed an internship with USC promotions, which is where she got an understanding of and found the desire to get involved with the communications portfolio. “I want to engage students,” says Cernavskis. “I know that’s something a lot
JENNY JAY GAZETTE
of communications officers have said in the past, but it’s a big task at hand … There is a real opportunity to engage students and to get them involved with USC content.” With a grasp on the promotions aspect of her portfolio, Cernavskis says that she will be working hard to learn about the operational backbone of the USC during her transition period. Cernavskis’ planned initiatives and social media campaigns will be building off outgoing USC communications officer Emily Ross’ success. She applauds Ross’ hard work in making information accessible to Western students online and is looking forward to spark more student interest. Her major goal for next year is to break down the barrier between the students and the USC executives to increase student engagement, citing the importance of transparency and accountability. She also wants to work with councillors so that students will have a better idea of how the USC council operates. “I’m super excited to be working with the executives, with the councillors and with the students,” says Cernavskis. “I think you’re going to see a lot of great work coming out of this year’s executive team.”
Selection Committee for University Secretary CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS A selection committee has been struck for the position of University Secretary, in accordance with the Appointment Procedures for Senior Academic and Administrative Officers of the University. The committee is seeking input from the university community as it begins the search. Reporting to the Chair of the Board of Governors and the President, the University Secretary is responsible for all matters related to the university’s governance. The Secretary works closely with the Board and Senate leadership, as well as the senior administrative leaders of the university, providing strategic advice and support on a range of governance and policy development matters. The University Secretary and the staff of the Secretariat are also a resource to any in the university community with interest in or questions about the university’s governance and matters coming to the Board or Senate. In addition to supporting the work of the Senate and the Board of Governors, and their various committees, the office has oversight of convocation and academic and non-academic discipline processes with respect to students. Detailed information about the work of the Secretariat can be found at www.uwo.ca/univsec. Your advice will be helpful in guiding the development of the position profile for the new University Secretary, including the qualifications, experience, skills, and leadership and communication attributes we should be seeking in the successful candidate. Written submissions should be sent by Friday, March 17, 2017 to MALCOLM RUDDOCK Executive Assistant to the President & Provost Stevenson Hall, Rm. 3107G mruddock@uwo.ca Questions about the selection process should be directed to Mr. Ruddock at extension 84133. All submissions will remain confidential to the committee.
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RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITARAHMATI After three years of working with the elections committee, Erin McCauley, a third-year Ivey HBA student, has been hired as the USC’s new secretary-treasurer. McCauley is very excited about her new role and her position in the executive. “I think that my role within the executive is being an anchor. So hearing all of their ideas and then helping them find a way to facilitate those within the governance and finance constraints,” McCauley said. McCauley has had a knack for bylaws and elections since high school when she worked on her student council’s elections team. This year she was the USC’s elections governance committee’s chief reporting officer (CRO). Some of her decisions came into question when Team DiBrina filed seven appeals after
the elections, but the Appeals Board upheld all of her decisions, reaffirming her actions. Over the next few weeks McCauley says she’ll be trying to learn as much as she can from Isaac Jacobi, the current secretary-treasurer, who she thinks did a great job in the role. “I think it’s really important in a role like this where the turnover is every year, finding that continuity and making sure I’m approaching things with my own twist but still continuing what he’s been working on,” McCauley said. McCauley noted that the incoming president/vice-president are USC outsiders and she looks forward to bringing her USC and bylaw knowledge to help them bring their vision to life. “I think that they had a lot of great ideas, so I’ll help them work out the feasibility of their Wave breakfast or other really ambitious goals and finding a way to make those work,” McCauley said.
University College set to reopen doors in 2018 HALEY DANIEL CONTRIBUTOR @NEWSATGAZETTE Arts and humanities students can rejoice as University College undergoes some major updates. The main objective of the renovation is to provide more areas for interaction between students outside of the classroom. This will be done through the creation of more common spaces in University College. Opening up space between floors will also be a big change in order to provide visual connection between floors. There will be replacements to the windows of the building, but most of the changes will be focused on revitalizing the interior. “Certainly we want to respect the traditions and the historical significance of that building so physical changes to the exterior won’t be significant,” says Michael McLean, Western director of facilities and design. The mechanical and electrical components are in need of an
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update due to deferred maintenance, making it a focus of renovation. Another goal will be to bring the classroom technology up to today’s standards. “[We] need to upgrade the facility to meet today’s requirements for learning spaces in particular,” Maclean said. The building was built in 1922,
making it the oldest building on campus. Except for two additions made to the building in the 1960s, University College has only received minor renovations since being built. Renovations of University College began in June 2016 and are expected to be completed by September 2018.
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Governor General talks mental wellness on campus SABRINA FRACASSI NEWS EDITOR @SABFRACASSI
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Western increases security ahead of Peterson event MOSES MONTERROZA NEWS EDITOR @MOSESMONTZ Campus is abuzz in anticipation for the arrival of University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson on March 18, so much so that Western recently decided to increase security for the event. According to Keith Marnoch, director of media and community relations, the increased expenses were “mostly personnel costs.” Marnoch also stated that any incidents occurring during the talk will be dealt with immediately. “Should there be organized groups on hand who choose to voice opposition,” said Marnoch, “they will be communicated with directly to ensure a safe environment at the event.” The security bill comes to around $1,200 and will be paid by the organizers, however, Western has helped with directing them towards student funding to partially cover costs. Tickets sold out over the weekend, with just under 700 people set to fill room 145 in Natural Science Centre. Kyle Maresky, president of the Young Canadians in Action
FUNDRAISER HONOURING WESTERN STUDENT SURPASSES GOAL
A Tilt fundraiser set up to honour Western student Jeff Costa reached its goal soon after it was posted online. Within 24 hours, the fund reached $1,500 and at the time of publication surpassed the $2,000 goal with $3,232 donated. Costa, a social science student, died in April 2016. The donation fund was created by Natalie Major, a fifth-year sociology student, who was Costa’s roommate and one of his best friends. The money raised is going to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s One Brave Night for Mental Health Challenge. Major chose this cause as Costa was always passionate about mental health and she believes he would have supported the choice. “I felt pretty motivated to try to find a way to honour his life,” Major said. “I was trying to think of a nice way we could all celebrate his life and I wanted to give him one last birthday present to try to thank for everything he did for me.” Major wants to keep the fund open until March 25 — what would have been Costa’s 23rd birthday. “What the initiative stands for is basically what Jeff stood for. We wanted to donate money to something he would be proud of,” Major said. ■■RITA RAHMATI
group responsible for bringing Peterson, is on full alert. “I’m not sure what to expect,” said Maresky. “But we are prepared nevertheless.” Recently, Peterson has become a polarizing figure in Canada after publicly refusing to use gender-neutral pronouns, something he argues is a violation of freedom of speech. Many of his talks not only bring about impressive turnouts, but also protesters who feel his actions are discriminatory. According to the London Free Press, Peterson’s last talk garnered 100 protesters denouncing his appearance in Ottawa. Maresky hopes that regardless of where people stand on Jordan’s opinions, it’s important to show up and engage in the discussion. “I encourage anybody who disagrees with Dr. Peterson to attend the event and voice their opinions during the Q&A.” Maresky added that his group is considering live-streaming the event for those unable to attend. “In any case, a video of the event will be posted to Facebook and Youtube,” he said.
In a quiet event on Wednesday afternoon, Governor General of Canada, David Johnston, and his wife Sharon visited Western with a specific topic in mind: mental wellness. The governor general visited campus for the third year of the president’s lecture series presented by Amit Chakma. However, before presenting his lecture, Gov. Gen. Johnston spent some time touring campus. He visited the Brain and Mind Institute, the Wellness Education Centre (WEC) and took part in a roundtable discussion on post-secondary mental health. Jana Luker, associate vice-president of student experience at Western, spoke about the importance of this visit. “I think it just certainly brings more attention to the issues around post-secondary mental health,” said Luker. “What we’re trying so hard to do is get the information out to students so it just adds to the buzz around all of the programs and services that are available to students.” During the WEC walk through, wellness coordinator MelanieAnne Atkins emphasized the holistic vision of the wellness centre and the importance of the various areas of wellness including physical, mental, financial and academic. After the WEC tour, a roundtable discussion was held. The discussion focused on the stigma surrounding mental health and focused specifically on post-secondary students. The roundtable was led by Atkins and included the Johnstons, Western administrators, donors and
President Amit Chakma. However, some of the more powerful discussions were led by the students who work and volunteer for WEC. During the discussion, Sharon Johnston acknowledged that there is a mental health crisis going on. “I think it’s particularly severe amongst young people. There are people at the older age of the spectrum of course, there are mental health issues such as dementia, but there is a crisis amongst young people,” she said. Other important talking points included the impact WEC has had on students, the unique needs of different communities on campus and the importance of peer-to-peer counselling. Towards the end of the discussion, the governor general commended and highlighted the
I think it’s particularly severe amongst young people. There are people at the older age of the spectrum of course, there are mental health issues such as dementia, but there is a crisis amongst young people SHARON JOHNSTON HER EXCELLENCY, WIFE OF GOVERNOR GENERAL DAVID JOHNSTON
importance of mental wellness initiatives at the WEC and Western. “You’re a beacon of light in a world that is not totally dark, but not totally illuminated,” he said. The roundtable discussion was followed by the lecture series at 3:30 p.m.
TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE
INDIGENOUS WEEK HOPES TO PROVIDE INSIGHT
The third annual Indigenous Awareness Week is coming to Western from March 20 to March 25. Many events are planned, including a sunrise ceremony, a film festival and a powwow. Sean Hoogterg, a Learning Resource Centre co-ordinator at Indigenous Services, discussed the importance of the week. “[Indigenous Awareness Week] promotes indigenous identity and culture within the boundaries of the Western community and allows us to share with those who were not raised in a native community.” As of right now, there are five different nations of indigenous people around the London area and 450 self-identified indigenous people at Western University. “Some people have a conception of what an indigenous person is based on their hair, their dress, their colour and some of them are true but the truth is most people are intermixed,” Hoogterg explained. “We are not trying to sit here and dwell on the fact that majority of Canadian society isn’t sensitive to native histories and rights,” said Hoogterg. “Ignorance isn’t a bad term. It just means they don’t know.” All events will be located inside either the University Community Centre or the Mustang Lounge and are free of change. The events are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to come out. ■■KOREY BROAD
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8 • TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017
opinions
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Gazette editorial on Jordan Peterson’s visit sparks letters PETERSON DOESN’T NEED YOUR PERMISSION TO SPEAK AT WESTERN
speak at Western, should he also be banned from U of T? Should he be prevented from publishing academic papers? Should it be up to a left-leaning school newspaper to decide who can and cannot speak at our university? The answer to these questions is, of course, no. However, the editors at the Gazette seem utterly confused about their role as a paper. A newspaper should be committed to the examination of all viewpoints, not the silencing of ones with which it disagrees. No one, certainly not a group of amateur journalists, can tell free citizens which arguments they are permitted to listen to, and which ideas they are allowed explore. The Gazette’s attempt to do so is an insult to students at Western and a disgrace to the institution of higher education. KYLE MARESKY, ENGINEERING I PRESIDENT, YOUNG CANADIANS IN ACTION
PROTESTING JORDAN PETERSON IS NOT THE SAME AS SILENCING HIM
is not as some would claim the so called “policing of language,” but rather the denial of marginalized communities the platforms to practise the freedoms and protections that they should be guaranteed. Never in history has an instance of social and political oppression arose because of protecting and uplifting a marginalized group. For it seems today that those who cry the loudest about being oppressed are the very ones denying the legitimacy or even existence of the groups which they insult. There needs to be an understanding that to receive backlash and refutation from those who don’t agree with you is not the same as having your freedom of speech taken away. Make no mistake, we do have an obligation to respect everyone’s right to have an opinion, but we hold no obligation to respect the opinion itself. To protest Jordan Peterson is not the same as silencing Jordan Peterson, you cannot draw a parallel between state sponsored policing of thought and the right for free citizens to protest ideologies they disagree with. Jordan Peterson is not set to come for another week, but it’s evident that he has already caused fractions within the student body. We cannot separate his fight for freedom of speech from what he wants to use that freedom for; to hold up his so-called fight for freedom is to also hold up his blatant transphobia. It is important to fight to protect our freedoms, but no freedom is absolute if it is not enjoyed by everyone. FRANK YE MEDICAL SCIENCES II
Re: Jordan Peterson doesn’t need a platform at Western In the Gazette’s recent piece on Dr. Peterson’s upcoming talk at Western, the editorial board asserts that some people should not “have the right to a platform for their opinion.” This blatantly authoritarian sentiment is unfortunately becoming more and more common on university campuses across North America, and it is mildly disconcerting to say the least. Instead of promoting free and open debate, there is an emerging desire among the political left to silence differing opinions. If the Gazette’s recent editorial is to be taken seriously, which is somewhat hard to believe, then it begs the following questions: If Peterson should not be allowed to
Re: Peterson doesn’t need your permission to speak at Western At the age of 20 — the same age that I am now, my father stood in Tiananmen Square unarmed with over a million other university students ready to face the gunfire of the Chinese army. They risked everything fighting for the fundamental rights denied to them by the communist government. I grew up with the pictures and stories of university students like ourselves rallying together behind one call to action. Their faces filled with hope as they stood in the joint symbolic shadows of the monument to the people’s heroes and the statue of democracy. The stand they made on June 4, 1989 is forever engrained into history, they became global symbols of free speech and democracy because the threat they were fighting against was legitimate, it was powerful and above all else it was oppressive. The government they resisted had the intention of limiting the rights of everyone especially those of marginalized groups. However, it seems today that the motives and symbols of the free speech movement have changed, and not for the better. We used to hold up the unknown protester as the symbol for the fight against tyranny, but instead today protesters are dismissed as SJWs, and those who hold power are praised as champions of freedom for attacking those who are most vulnerable. The biggest threat to freedom of speech
THE GREATER ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH
Re: Free speech is under assault on North American campuses In a recent letter to the editor, a writer argued that the “amateur journalists” at the Gazette were “utterly confused about their role as a paper.” He was upset about a recent editorial in the Gazette where the editors had argued that Western should not provide a platform for Jordan Peterson, a controversial University of Toronto professor. For those who don’t know, an editorial is an opinionated piece put forth by the editors about a topic of interest. Arguing that Gazette’s opinionated editorial is an attack on free speech and should not have been published is, ironically, the greater attack on free speech. Nowhere in the Gazette’s editorial are they telling people who they should and
shouldn’t listen to. In fact, it was the exact opposite — the Gazette numerously put forth their belief that hearing differing points of view is hugely important and that the focus should be on discussion without discrimination. I remember when Donald Trump first ran for election, I never thought he’d win. Neither did anybody else apparently. Everyone watched on as Donald Trump was allowed every chance to spread hateful and divisive rhetoric. Now he’s President. And the “Trump Effect” has seen a surge in hate crimes in the US. Maybe it’s time to start taking a heavy look at who we are giving a soapbox and the content of what they are saying, instead of simply blaming all censorship on excessive liberal political correctness. A.J. CLARK MEDICAL SCIENCES III
HIDING BIGOTRY IN THE LANGUAGE OF DEMOCRACY
than it already has. Figures like Peterson — a white, cisgender, male academic — and recently-disgraced alt-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos, who couch their bigotry in the language of democracy, have, by virtue of their power, been given bullhorns far louder than those of most other private citizens. Why is it the responsibility of Western to provide them another? I am not a ‘triggered snowflake’ crying for a ‘safe space’. I am a student who is aware that words incite actions: dehumanizing messages invite demagogues to turn rhetoric into violence, as demonstrated by the recent wave of threats against Jewish and Islamic centres. When we defend speech for speech’s sake, we own the consequences of what is said. ZAYD KHRAISHI ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE II
THE CLASSIC LEFTIST APPROACH TO SILENCING DISSENT
in intellectual conversation about free speech, government regulation, and the legitimacy of fluid gender identity. That choice is theirs. But the campus community should not be insulated because of the inability of some to be challenged. We need only examine Middlebury College to recognize the travesty that is authoritarian suppression of ideas, where last week political scientist Allison Stanger was violently assaulted by the intolerant left in their effort to suppress intellectual thought on their campus. As Frank Ye alluded to, in 1989 people fought against the leftists in support of democracy. Individuals must continue to do the same now on college campuses throughout Canada and the United States, lest universities become bastions of indoctrination. JOSHUA D. WRIGHT PHD CANDIDATE, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY AND COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM IN MIGRATION AND ETHNIC STUDIES
GAZETTE WRONG IN PUBLISHING DEGRADING LETTER
necessary in this public forum, especially regarding issues such as the ones raised by having Peterson speak. I disagree with Peterson’s message and ideology, but wish to respectfully refute his statements using logic and fact — not by calling him childish names and stomping my feet on the ground because others disagree with me. When we legitimize such crude attacks in such a public forum without proper refutation, as the Gazette is on this campus, we embolden worse and worse hatred to occur on campus. An anti-Semitic letter was sent around campus earlier this year — I would argue that the rise of hatred, in that form anti-Semitism, is directly linked to the legitimization of hatred through giving it such a platform in public space without the proper notation that such speech is inherently hatful and emboldening of extremist views. This then delegitimizes the conversation, as such condescension and hate are abhorrent. I disagree immensely with the publishing of such a piece in the intent of journalistic integrity, however I understand the stance that the Gazette is taking with publishing it. And in such a spirit, I wish to disavow — not call for a censorship of — the aforementioned piece. It is nothing more than bottom of the barrel hatred that, while still owning its unfortunately rightful place in public discourse, is disgusting in its own right. ALEK LUMIA-GARBIN ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE I
Re: Peterson doesn’t need your permission to speak at Western It is easy to be concerned about the future of democracy when world leaders seek to muzzle the press and silence dissent. But when the expression of one individual poses an active danger to the security of another, we as citizens are responsible for the defence of the marginalized. The Editorial Board of the Gazette has not argued that Dr. Peterson should be fired. It has not attempted to grant or rescind ‘permission’ for him to speak. It has merely pointed out that the words of the powerful have powerful consequences. As an ardent supporter of global democracy, I too fear growing authoritarian sentiment, and so I must agree that rhetoric threatening not just the comfort but the security of marginalized groups does not deserve a more powerful platform
Re: Hiding bigotry in the language of democracy The flames of intolerance are stoked. The hypocrisy exposed. Zayd Khraishi appeals to the classic leftist approach to silence dissenters: out them as white, cisgender males. Zayd claims he doesn’t want a “safe space” but he and others ask for a place without confrontation, debate, or thought. University is no place for these people. Frank Ye suggests to receive refutation for your ideas is not the same as revocation of freedom of speech. He is correct. But any attempt to prevent student access to dissenting views prevents the opportunity for refutation. Peterson was provided a platform by hundreds of curious minded students. Any authoritarian attempt to prevent its use suggests an entitlement to decide what views the student body may be subjected to. The Gazette’s editorial board is not so entitled. Some may refuse to engage
Re: Free speech is under assault on North American campuses In response to a letter published in the Gazette containing such phrases as “crying social justice warriors” and the mocking of “trigger warnings,” I would like to offer a public rebuttal and refute the disgusting rhetoric published in the pages of the Gazette. Before I do so, I would like to make my intent with this letter very clear: I am disavowing the previous letter and its content, not advocating for the censorship of Jordan Peterson. I wish to debate with him as I fundamentally disagree with his perspective, but will not advocate to censor him nor do I believe that doing so would benefit my beliefs. The Gazette is a place for student voice and student engagement, but it is also an official newspaper of an institution of higher education. It must be held to certain standards of journalism, regardless of the opinions highlighted in its pieces, lest it become nothing more than a YouTube comments section. The piece penned by first-year student Dean Barlett is one such example of the degradation of this public medium in the pursuit of a personal agenda. This speech, while disgusting, has a place within public discourse — to be discussed and, if necessary, shamed and affirmed that it is wrong, but not to be censored. Healthy, coherent debate is what is
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Fix the proxy mess, ASAP Green Eggs & Hamza HAMZA TARIQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @HAMZATARIQ_ “I hate proxies. I hate them to the core.” Those were the sentiments of former secretary-treasurer Jonathan English after last year’s budget approval meeting. This was at a meeting where the then speaker of the University Students’ Council (USC) broke council’s own rules of registering proxies 24 hours before a meeting and allowed them to sit in mid-meeting. “It was, I think, a little disingenuous,” English said. “It was during the topic of the Gazette budget and the people who had publicly written and published a report criticizing the budget of the Gazette were then stepping in to fill the shoes of other social science councillors.” What are proxies you ask? A proxy is when a councillor sends in a student — any student — to sit in their place at a council meeting. The proxy has the same rights as a councillor. They can speak at the meeting, propose a motion and vote. At Sunday’s USC Annual General Meeting (AGM) II — where the student programs officer (SPO) was to be elected — several proxies were present. At a meeting where the most student-facing executive with the largest budget was to be chosen, a number of usually non-voting members of the USC suddenly had voting rights. Arguably, this compromises the fairness of the election because these proxies are under no obligation to vote for who their councillor would have preferred. At this year’s first AGM, a proxy motioned to defund the Mustang Express. That’s a $10 USC service whose use can be debated on, but a budget approval meeting isn’t the place to remove its funding entirely. Students would expect a responsible councillor to consider the impact of such a decision in more detail. There are contracts, ridership and student safety considerations which would give one cause to do more wide-ranking consultations before going ahead with it. But in the event the motion would have passed, who would the students hold accountable? The councillor or their nonelected proxy? Would the councillor be comfortable defending a major motion made under
their name? We have seen cases where people have sat in as proxies with the specific goal of pushing specific agendas and bringing forward a motion they drafted themselves, but how does that reflect on the USC? Yet the bigger question here was why were councillors sending proxies to one of the biggest meetings of the year where council was going to approve the $20 million student fee? Under provincial corporation regulations, the USC can’t do away with proxies entirely. But there are other ways to make the process cleaner — here are a few: 1. Councillors need to ensure that they don’t miss major meetings of the year. It’s okay to miss perhaps a meeting or two due to unforeseen circumstances, but before you sign up to run, you know you’ll have a meeting on the last Wednesday of each month. Keep it free. 2. Councillor attendance policy needs to be stricter, just like it is at other student unions. At McMaster University, a member is automatically relieved of their seat if they miss two meetings in a term, are more than 30 minutes late or leave before the meeting is over without having sent regrets to the speaker. 3. Council needs to publicize its voting records on the USC website. If a proxy votes or puts forward a certain motion under a councillor’s name, students should easily be able to find that information. 4. Councillors should ensure that their proxies refrain from doing anything they wouldn’t themselves in a meeting. There’s nothing wrong with being an inactive placeholder for one meeting. 5. Councillors should try as best as they can to represent their constituents themselves. Much like the USC did for AGM II, online polling should be set up where councillors can still vote on motions if they can’t make it to the meeting. 6. Proxy approval rules should be followed stringently by the speaker. Councillors shouldn’t be allowed to send in a proxy the day of or when the meeting has started. 7. As English recommended last year, demerit points could be allocated for proxies or they could be forbidden under certain circumstances (voting on budgets and SPO, perhaps?) Proxies are tricky to figure but they’ve only served to undermine trust in the USC so far. Council needs to figure out a way to make this work and this should be on the top of its agenda for next year.
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opinions
What a fucking mess A SPO election think piece
Breaking Brad BRADLEY METLIN DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR @BRADLEYMETLIN Alison Redford became the premier of Alberta in 2011, but she only got 19 per cent of the vote in the first ballot of her party’s leadership election. Her opponent, Gary Marr, received 41 per cent. Through the magic of ranked ballots, Redford pulled her total up to 37 per cent of the vote in the second round while Marr only inched ahead one per cent. In the third and final round, Redford came out ahead with 51 per cent of the vote. When using a ranked ballot, it’s not out of the question to see a candidate seemingly far away from victory gather the support of other candidates to come out on top. That’s why the University Students’ Council’s (USC) student programs officer (SPO) election is an especially concerning fuck up. Instead of dropping off candidates with the lowest support and redistributing their preferences, second choices were seemingly just added to the candidate’s totals. By the second
round of voting, 168 votes were counted — despite the fact there were only 84 eligible voters — a pretty clear error. Yet, it was not fixed right after it happened. This evening, candidates are being encouraged to send scrutineers to monitor a recount of the ballots — retrieved from a box meant for shredding. This, of course, raises questions: Who was in custody of the ballots from the time they were taken from AGM II and put in the box for shredding? Will scrutineers be present as the box is opened and sensitive USC documents meant for shredding are rifled through to find ballots? There is no way to guarantee that these ballots were not tampered with, altered or that all can be recovered. This whole thing puts doubt on the entire electoral proceedings. Of course, there’s also the issue of the incoming executive influencing the vote by telling councillors who they should and shouldn’t vote for. While they’re not breaking any written rules, they are certainly raising ethical questions about their behaviour. New councillors who don’t fully grasp their roles and want to have a productive relationship with the incoming executive may have felt obliged to follow their wishes. Again, it adds more doubt on the election process and undermines confidence overall.
Tulk apologized for trying to influence the election, attributing it to “stress.” Let’s be honest, there is little stress in being an incoming student executive of the USC — you will have a great salary for a year while being an afforded an amazing platform. Thus, his apology seems questionable. So how does the USC proceed from here? In my opinion, a revote would be the fairest solution. Unfortunately, that’s not as easy as it may sound — last year’s council was de-ratified on Sunday. The USC is in this strange predicament now, and there is no perfect solution moving forward. As outgoing Faculty of Music Students’ Council president, Jaclyn Siou, drew attention to in a letter to the Gazette, it’s unfortunate that Mac McIntosh has become collateral in these discussions. While I don’t necessarily share her complete confidence that McIntosh would have won regardless, I believe he was certainly one of the most qualified candidates for the position. In the end, five candidates have had their election thrown into disarray, plagued with doubt and uncertainty. How did this all happen? The incompetence from the incoming executive and those administering the vote.
It really is okay to not be okay Skodak Moment AMY SKODAK CULTURE EDITOR @AMYSKODAK For as long as I can remember, I have been complimented on my smile — or rather, the fact that I’m always smiling. This has led anyone that I met or worked with to assume that I am a happy person. While this isn’t a bad assumption — I like to think I’m pretty optimistic — it isn’t entirely true. I used to think sadness was a bad thing. People always tell you to be happy, the term “resting bitch face” even evolved to define girls who don’t smile or appear joyful enough. While most of my smiles are genuine, a number of them are masked by a “fake it ‘till you make it” mentality. I didn’t see anything wrong with pushing myself to feel
better than I did — be it during the stress of exam season or a recent argument — I saw it as mindful positivity. After all, who has time to feel upset when there’s a test to study for and an assignment to finish? The negative connotations associated with being sad and unhappy suggest it’s a feeling you should get over quickly. This is something that the demands of our education system only enforce. Moving on from an upsetting time or working towards bettering your mental health are important stages of self-help and awareness that take time. By thinking I could just push down my sadness in favour of not letting it get in the way of my busy schedule, I was postponing my healing rather than accelerating it. This is something I hadn’t realized though, until recently picking up a copy of Cosmopolitan magazine. One article in particular caught my eye: “Don’t Worry, Be Unhappy.” I found myself relating to their
definition of “self-propelled positivity” and began to wonder if I was doing more harm to my mental state than good. According to Cosmopolitan, I needed to let myself feel sad sometimes in order to foster future drive and motivation. I couldn’t agree more. As pathetic as it may sound, usually I can tell when I need a good cry before bed. Allowing myself to confront my stress and release some emotion sets me up to feel more goal-oriented and happy the next day. But during the midterm grind, personal needs tend to fly out the window. Or at least, that has been my experience. Sometimes taking time to be unhappy and allowing yourself the opportunity to heal just isn’t enough. In that case, don’t be afraid to seek help. Be it from a professional, family member or friend. It’s okay not to be happy all the time, but that doesn’t mean you should be navigating through it alone.
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10 • TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017
sports
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Women’s volleyball claims OUA silver CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR @CLAIREATGAZETTE Western’s women’s volleyball team will return to London as OUA silver medalists after losing a tightly contested five-set match to the McMaster Marauders in Toronto on Saturday. Both teams have qualified for the National Championships taking place this weekend in Toronto, hosted by Ryerson. The silver medal is an improvement on the back-to-back bronze medals that the Mustangs have had in the past two seasons. Despite ultimately losing the gold medal, the game could have gone either way. The Mustangs were neck-and-neck with the Marauders up until the final point. “I don’t think I could be more proud if we had won,” said Mustangs head coach Melissa Bartlett in a post-game interview. “It was one of those where unfortunately in that match there had to be a loser, but both teams put on such a phenomenal display of volleyball, we have so much to be proud of.” The Marauders claimed the first two sets over the Mustangs, 28–26 and 25–18. The Marauders were the stronger team, dominating the Mustangs at the start of the first set before the Mustangs clawed their way back, tying it up and exchanging points late in the set. Nerves seemed to get the better of the Mustangs who had a shaky start. In the first set alone, the Mustangs made nine errors, compared to McMaster who only made four. The second set was more onesided, with the Marauders jumping out to an early 5–2 lead. McMaster maintained their lead for the entire set, and came out with a decisive victory with only two errors and 13 kills. The Mustangs had seven errors
CLAIRE PALMER GAZETTE
and 11 kills and were on the brink of losing the match. “I think it was just nerves,” said third-year middle and OUA Western Player of the Year Kelsey Veltman. “OUA finals, none of us have ever been in that situation before, so I think it was just getting nerves out and dealing with that right away.” Western battled back, taking sets three and four 27–25 and 25–23. The third set got off to another slow start for the Mustangs, as McMaster dominated early, but the momentum shifted after a ruling that saw one of McMasters points get awarded to the Mustangs. Western managed to go on a six-point run that saw them tie the set up at 16. Both team exchanged points before the Mustangs pulled ahead and claimed the set. “We gained some confidence;
now we know even though we can be 10 points down, we know we can battle back and even win those sets,” said Veltman. “No matter how tight or how far we might be, it just gave us a whole new type of confidence.” The fourth set once again saw McMaster jump out to an early lead, but saw another momentum shift after McMaster received their second yellow card of the game, giving the Mustangs a point and possession of the ball, making it 11-6 for McMaster. The Mustangs managed to tie it up at 16 with both teams exchanging the lead before Western emerged on top. The game went to a fifth deciding set which saw the teams go back and forth. McMaster had an 8–7 lead at the turn before the Mustangs came storming back. With the match point and the gold medal only a point
away, the Mustangs served out of bounds, bringing the serve back to McMaster where they sealed the deal, winning OUA Gold by a score of 3–2 (28–26; 25–28; 27–25; 23–25; 17–15). “I think we treated everyone to something pretty special, to go that far down the road and get a couple of blocks against that team, so it’s just those tiny little moments,” said McMaster head coach Tim Louks. “Western is pretty darn good, it’s about staying on game plans and making small adjustments, it’s a bit of a chess match, shifting things, and then you just got to get some breaks and we got a couple at the end.” The silver medals come at the heels of an amazing triumph for the Mustangs in their semifinal game that saw them take down the
Kaleigh Hole making the most of senior season NATE CLAPINSON GAZETTE STAFF @SPORTSATGAZETTE If you asked Kaleigh Hole what sport she saw herself pursuing before starting at Western, the answer would not have been track and field. She certainly never foresaw being the captain of one of the top women’s university teams in Canada who leads the country’s university competition in both high jump and pentathlon. Before she got her start doing track and field, Kaleigh focused her time on competing nationally in figure skating. She was so passionate that she uprooted her life, moving to Strathroy, Ontario from Manitoba at the age of 15 to compete as a member of the Canadian national team. Wanting to compete for a team in her high school, she ran a single track event for the team in her senior year and was immediately noticed. “One of the Western coaches saw me and said, ‘Well, if you’re going to Western, you might as well try out,’” Kaleigh remembered. The following fall she decided to go to Western and try out for the team. Kaleigh ended up making it, but barely. Vickie Croley, the team’s head coach, saw potential in Kaleigh’s athleticism and quickly got her to
compete in high jump and pentathlon. “[Croley] threw me in to see how I would do at all the events and each year it kept progressing,” Kaleigh said. Croley’s trust seems well-placed, as Kaleigh is now in her second year as the women’s team captain, a CIS gold medalist and in position to contend for more this year after only a few years from her start in track and field. Being voted as the captain for a second consecutive year speaks to her leadership. “Growing up I really watched people and saw what they did and you observe that and you learn from them,” said Kaleigh. “People learn by example.” She also makes a point of keeping all of her young teammates under her wing. It’s a leadership method that helps develop the depth of the team. The team has always been a huge focus for the kinesiology graduate who is now pursuing a graduate diploma in pedorthics. Last year, at the CIS championships, her performance established her as a leader when one of her fellow pentathletes, who at the time was seeded above Kaleigh, was forced to withdraw with an injury after only her first event. While many would struggle with the sudden absence of a teammate and top athlete, Kaleigh had a breakthrough performance. She lead the
team by example and won the gold in pentathlon. It was a surprising performance considering she was only seeded eighth entering the competition. The track and field team competed in Edmonton over the weekend, with the women’s team securing third place of the U Sports track and field championship. Kaleigh also added to her medal collection at the OUA championships at York University, winning gold in the women’s pentathlon, as well as a silver medal in high jump and a bronze in the 4x400 metre relay. As an athlete routinely competing at a high level, Kaleigh explains her approach to dealing with the pressure. “I don’t put too much [emphasis] on it,” she said. “I thought last year was my last year, so I’m back and I’m just trying to improve.” As Kaleigh’s Western track and field career is in its last year, she hopes to have a lasting effect on the team, so that next year the team can keep growing as a whole. After this year, Kaleigh is unsure about how she will pursue track and field as she is torn between sport and pursuing her career. She’s decided to finish this season off and make a decision when it comes while taking her final season day by day.
COURTESY OF GEOFF ROBBINS
undefeated University of Toronto Varsity Blues in five sets (25–19; 17–25; 25–22; 20–25; 16–14) in a huge upset of the defending champs. The Varsity Blues were undefeated in the regular season for the second year in a row, and had not lost a game since the CIS national tournament in 2015, where they lost in the bronze medal match against Université de Montréal. The loss means that the Varsity Blues will not have a chance to defend either of their banners, as they failed to qualify for the National tournament next weekend and settled for OUA bronze against the Ryerson Rams (25–19; 25–23; 19–25; 25–23). “It’s ok to feel this one and it hurts a little bit, but I know that we’re super excited to get back to work next week and find out who we match up against,” said Bartlett. The Mustangs’ season is far from over as they will be heading back to Toronto later this week to compete for a national banner. McMaster will be heading to Toronto as well, along with Ryerson, this year’s host of the national tournament. The Mustangs have not been to the national tournament since 2011, where they finished in sixth. “I think we’re really going to focus on starting sets efficiently. Nearly every set we started at a deficit and we battled back nearly through all of them,” said Bartlett. “When you’re playing very good teams, and they will be very good teams next weekend, we can’t start off 5–1 and expect to be in a position to win at the end.” The U Sports national tournament will start on March 17, when the Mustangs will play their first quarterfinal game. The tournament will conclude on March 19.
• www.westerngazette.ca
TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 • 11
sports
Men’s volleyball announces recruiting class MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE After their elimination on Saturday at the hands of the Ryerson Rams, the Western Mustangs are now looking ahead to next season with a strong incoming recruiting class. Five rookies will arrive in London next season to begin their university careers. Deman Dulat, Brady Fidler, Ryan Scott, Evan Hochman and Eric Pierce will don purple and white in the fall of 2017, and make up what Mustangs head coach Jim Sage describes as one of his best incoming classes. “We’re really excited about the group that has committed,” said Sage. “It’s a wide range of skills that should give us a lot of depth at positions we needed to fill. They are some of the top players in Ontario so it’s one of the best classes since I’ve started coaching here.” Dulat is a 6’4” left side out of Lakeside Volleyball Club, and judging by his resumé both on the beach and in the gym, the Mustangs will look to Dulat to provide instant production. Fidler and Scott also join the Mustangs program from Lakeside
Volleyball Club. Both athletes were integral members of a Lakeside Volleyball Club that dominated the Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) this season, taking home a gold and silver medal during the campaign. Scott, in particular, was one of the OVA’s top middles, with his 6’6” frame and impressive history of on-court success making him one of Ontario’s highly coveted prospects. Sage also added a libero to his program, with Hochman joining the Mustangs from TanenbaumCHAT and the Leaside Volleyball Club. Hochman, a captain and MVP at TanenbaumCHAT and one of the top players on a Leaside team that finished fourth at the 2016 Volleyball Canada U17 Championships. Pierce rounds out the group, joining the program from the Strathroy Saints. The 6’5” right side was a multi-sport athlete at Strathroy District Collegiate Institute. Although not a position that Sage immediately needed to address, the Mustangs now have two incoming left sides to reinforce roster depth. “It wasn’t an area of immediate concern,” said Sage. “But with the
Three men’s volleyball athletes named OUA All-Stars MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE Three members of the Mustangs men’s volleyball team have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West Division Second Team All-Stars for the 2016-17 campaign. Fourth-year middle Chris Newcombe, third-year outside hitter Zeid Hamadeh and fifthyear middle Mike Choja were all honoured after leading Western to an 11-6 regular season and a quarter-final appearance in the OUA playoffs. Both Newcome and Hamadeh are first time All-Stars. Newcombe, a native of Tavistock, Ontario, finished the season with 0.89 blocks per set, along with 30 assisted and 20 solo blocks during the campaign. He also finished the season tied for third on the Mustangs leaderboard with 2.6 points per set. Newcombe was redshirted in his first year, but emerged as one of the cornerstone pieces of the program. Hamadeh will be the only returning All-Star next season after a third year season that saw him compile an impressive resumé. He finished the season ranked second on team with 2.9 points per set while adding 16 service aces along with 1.22 digs per set on the year. Choja earned his second career OUA All-Star selection after being named a second team All-Star last season as well. In his final university volleyball season, Choja put together a dominant statistical year with 14 solo blocks and 37 assisted blocks. Choja is proud of the backto-back All-Star selections, an accomplishment he believes is a testament to the hard work he
has put in throughout his career. “I’ve never really been one for personal accolades,” Choja said. “I like to put the team first and that’s always been a big mandate of mine. But this does really prove the hard work that has gone into my career and makes a lot of the time spent here all worth it.” Early in his career Choja had a difficult time cracking the Mustangs lineup. But after modelling his preparation and play after his predecessors on the roster, Choja became the face of the program this season. “Starting off here I didn’t get a ton of playing time or a ton of opportunity to prove myself. But I knew it was an opportunity to learn from the guys ahead of me and to really step up when my name was called and I’d like to think I can be remembered for that.” The Mustangs suffered a tough loss to Ryerson in the OUA quarter-finals to miss out on earning a berth in the Final Four. But with a history of producing All-Star caliber athletes and an exceptional incoming recruiting class, the Mustangs program has a bright future ahead. “It definitely isn’t a bad thing for recruiting,” said Choja. “[Hamadeh] will be a great mentor for these guys next year as someone who just goes out there and does his job. Coming in it does build a great culture and also speaks to the power of the coaches here. And I have to owe a lot of my success to those guys.” The OUA named McMaster’s Danny Demyanenko Player of the Year, while John Elgersma of Brock took home the Rookie of the Year honour. Dave Preston earned the Coach of the Year award after leading McMaster to a 17-0 regular season.
left-side starters now starting to get into their third and fourth years we want to replenish them now so those guys have a year or two to figure out the OUA game after the seniors graduate.” After a heartbreaking loss to Ryerson in the OUA quarter-finals, the Mustangs are looking to retool their roster to go on another playoff run, and potentially break through next year to earn a berth in the Final Four. Although Sage is uneasy to openly vocalize his expectations for the incoming recruits, he hopes that this class can immediately impact the program. “I hope so,” said Sage on whether the class can come in and produce right away. “It’s really hard to tell when the recruits come, because it is a big step up from speed of the ball and size of the players. Some make the transition right away and some take, in most cases, two or three years to get up to the level of play where they can compete. But we’ll have to see what they’ve got.” With an impressive recruiting class coming in next year, the Mustangs will return in 2017-18 as one of the OUA’s top squads.
COURTESY OF MUSTANGS ATHLETICS
Could dry winter season affect future Mustang funding? Charlie Horse
CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE Western has pretty much always had a strong reputation for athletics. Mustangs teams have won 72 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships in the last 10 years, and many former Western athletes have gone on to compete at a high level after graduating. This winter, though, has been a relatively dry one for some marquee teams. Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams, after appearing at last year’s CIS tournaments, found themselves far removed from contention to even make a playoff run this year. The only U Sports-level team in true contention for national titles is track and field. Let’s not take away from the accomplishments of some smaller teams. In the winter term, women’s fencing and men’s squash won OUA gold and various other teams competed well for championships. The 2016 fall term was a good one for Western, with championships for the tennis, cross country and baseball teams. Nonetheless, only hockey, basketball and football are defined as “market driven sports” by the OUA. They get all the attention, and, perhaps more importantly, the funding. Western football is in a pretty good spot, of course, with back-toback Yates Cup final appearances (no trophy either time, though). And really, both hockey teams should be back near the top of their leagues
next year — there’s no way that men’s hockey team was really as bad as they performed. Still, a relative lack of success this winter might come at a very interesting time for Western Athletics. Jim Weese, interim athletic director since Thérèse Quigley’s retirement in December, is heading up a program-wide evaluation of Sports and Recreation Services. Athletics has been fairly mum on what exactly a review like that entails. According to Weese, they’re looking at “a number of things including finances and our capacity to deliver the best sports and recreation program in the country.” Intercollegiate athletics at Western operate on a substantial budget, with an $87.61 fee tacked on to every student’s tuition in addition to various sponsorships and the team fees paid by athletes themselves. So, it’s not an unfair expectation to be one of the best athletics programs in Canada. That said, Western Athletics find themselves in a sticky financial situation. Sports and Recreation Services reportedly saw a six-figure loss this year over the Homecoming football game, with low student turnout. This year, the six “market-driven” Mustangs teams either missed the playoffs, got bounced in the first round, or lost Athletics a ton of money (or a combination of these). That’s got to play a role in the discussions Weese and his committee are having. “My hope is that we can accurately assess what we have the capacity to deliver given our existing resources, determine if additional sources of revenue can be found and efficiently deployed, and look for economies to ensure that we deliver on our objective of creating opportunity and pursuing excellence,”
said Weese in an email. If Weese’s role is to determine if something really is rotten in the state of Western Athletics, there are a few ways this could all play out. With operating costs stratospheric, if the University decides to make cuts it’ll most likely affect the teams that Western largely ignores to begin with. Several non-OUA sports, including ultimate frisbee and ringette, could find themselves on the outside looking in. The idea of cutting teams completely probably isn’t the ideal solution for Western Athletics, but it’s surely been discussed, and Weese has not ruled it out. And if not that, then some student-athletes could see their fees increase. A hierarchy of funding for sports at Western certainly exists, with team fees shooting up the farther down the ladder you go. Consequently, it seems unlikely that Weese’s evaluation would decrease funding to the top-tier teams like hockey, even if they’re at their lowest point in almost 20 years. Actually, if Athletics decides they need to be more competitive in the marquee U Sports-level sports, the evaluation committee could even look at increasing their budget— either by upping the student ancillary cost, or by cutting other teams. Western takes pride in the reputation of its athletic program, and Weese is confident in its ability to bounce back in the long term. “We will rebound in our sports that had off years — no question about it,” he said, “and continue our traditional position as the leading sport and recreation program in the country.” Still, whoever is appointed the new athletic director at the end of Weese’s review may have a slightly different landscape to work with.
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12 • TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017
culture
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CHRISTINA CHAN GAZETTE
Publish or Perish NICOLE LAM GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE
While completing his master’s degree in biology at St. Mary’s University, Joel Slade accidentally contaminated a bottle of chloroform used to extract DNA. He realized immediately, because it looked identical to the bottle designated for waste. He taped it shut and labelled it as contaminated. But when the researcher sharing the same lab space found out, he banned Slade from the lab for two weeks. The experience deeply affected Slade, making him feel like a failure. It almost convinced him to quit.
“There’s some people who take their job so seriously, and they should take it seriously in science to a degree, but not if it’s hindering the student’s educational experience,” says Slade. He added sometimes it can get to the point where graduate students are seen as “paper-producers” to further the principal investigator’s (PI) own career rather than students who are simply there to learn. Now three and half years into his doctorate degree at Western, Slade sees the same kind of fear of failure in undergraduate students who work in labs — if they can get a lab position at all. Researchers who run their own lab (referred to as PIs) are generally wary of giving responsibility to undergrads in the lab because they’re perceived to be less experienced than grad students or postdocs. Edward Ho, a third-year medical sciences student at Western, says that volunteers or work-study students who aren’t working in a lab as part of a course can end up doing menial jobs such as washing dishes or filling pipette tip boxes. Academic research isn’t always friendly to undergrads: they can end up subject to the same pressures as their PIs, can be brushed aside from meaningful work or shut out completely. This isn’t the fault of the students or even the PIs. There are larger forces at play in academia that create a system where labs can become focused on producing published research — sometimes at the expense of offering students chances to learn and make mistakes.
PUBLISH, PUBLISH, PUBLISH Although not all researchers are like the one who banned Slade from his lab, the pressure to not mess up still exists. One mistake could mean jeopardizing a researcher’s data and their chance of getting their work published. There can be a lot at stake for researchers in terms of producing publishable data, and that pressure can trickle down to undergrads. “If you’re an investigator and you’re doing your own research, you need to get published to get more grants,
get more money and be able to keep doing the work that you do,” says Ho. “I do feel like publications are very important. There’s a lot of debate as to whether or not that’s a good idea, and whether or not putting so much emphasis on publishing is good for science.” Publications are an implicit but controversial measure of success in academic research. Parameters such as the number of publications a researcher has produced, the number of times a specific paper has been cited and its journal’s impact factor can all be considered when assessing a researcher both formally and casually. David Smith, an assistant professor with Western’s department of biology, says that publishing history can be considered when evaluating job candidates for faculty positions, evaluating students for scholarships or doctorate programs and evaluating postdocs for jobs. “Usually CVs are diverse, but really it does come down to a paper-counting contest. It’s not only the numbers, but it’s the prestige of the journal,” he says.
GRANT MONEY IS A GOOD SERVANT BUT A BAD MASTER Granting agencies, such as the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), can also consider publication history when reviewing researchers’ applications for grant money. Although obtaining grants as a master’s student is based mostly on grades, Slade says that it’s based on publications for PhD students.
“If you’ve done a master’s and you have no publications yet, you might as well kiss the NSERC goodbye,” he says. Pauline Barmby, the associate dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, says that the importance of the number of past publications varies with grant and field, but it’s the researcher’s timeline of publishing that matters more. If a researcher hasn’t published anything in five years after receiving a grant, their granting agency will want to know why. They may also consider why one researcher has substantially more publications than another researcher, but she says that if it came down to choosing between two candidates, a single publication more wouldn’t make a difference. Grant money is often essential to a PI’s research. Barmby explains that the university doesn’t give PIs all the money they need to buy lab equipment or hire postdocs when the PI is first hired as a researcher. “You are kind of running your own small business as part of the university. And that can be stressful on the part of a faculty member because you have people depending on you,” she says. “If you have a postdoc or research assistant working for you and your grant funding runs out, those people are looking for another job.” Smith says that there are simply more researchers
than there is money available. Although it varies across disciplines, the process for getting grants can be incredibly competitive. Granting agencies are usually extensions of the government, so grant money comes from taxpayer money making it very limited. PIs applying for these grants are therefore often asked to justify their research in the interest of taxpayers or the government. With a limited amount of money, hiring undergrads isn’t always realistic for PIs. Ho says that lab volunteers are an appealing option for PIs financially, but they may not be committed to the lab the same way paid or thesis students are. Volunteers can essentially leave whenever they want, and that can mean wasted time spent training them in the lab.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE But for all of the flaws, there are reasons publications are prized in academia.
“It’s true that whatever metric you come up with, people are going to try to take advantage of it,” says Barmby. “But what’s the alternative? Is the alternative to go back to the system where so-and-so gets a job because they were such-and-such’s student, and that person says they’re nice?” Barmby admits that the system isn’t perfect, but she sees many positive things about incentivizing publications. It’s a way of sharing knowledge, an important aspect of research. In terms of undergraduate lab experience, Slade hopes that lab courses will incorporate more room for fun and exploration. Without the fear of failing, he believes students will walk away with the experience and confidence they need to feel competent volunteering in actual research labs. Ho thinks that undergrads should be trusted more and possibly given a mini research project of their own. Having meaningful responsibilities enriches their own research as well as the PI’s; even if they end up leaving the lab, they’ll have gained a valuable experience and contributed to the lab’s body of research. “While they are just undergrads, they’re not dumb,” says Ho. And if you give them the opportunity, they’ll learn and they’ll develop even more.” Whether publishing as a measure of success will change by the time today’s undergrads become PIs themselves remains to be seen. It’s difficult to change something that’s been in place for decades, especially when this parameter of success has become almost second nature to researchers. The importance of publishing may still persist in the next 10 years, but there’s hope that academia will move away from giving researchers the ultimatum — publish or perish.
• www.westerngazette.ca
TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 • 13
culture
Is Medway-Sydenham
the new Saugeen? EMMA LORENZI CONTRIBUTOR @GAZETTECULTURE The setting is Halloween weekend, one of the most legendary nights for a first-year student in residence. Residents of the floor have blacked out all of the lights and covered the walls in glowing decor, and a DJ is manning a room cleared of furniture. Many would think that this is describing a night in Saugeen-Maitland Hall, but they would be wrong. This is one of the legendary parties that take place in Medway-Sydenham Hall, leading many to believe that it has taken over the role of Western’s “party residence.” There’s a lot of history behind the notorious Saugeen-Maitland Hall, and the only way to discover how it got its reputation is to start at the beginning. Saugeen-Maitland opened its doors in 1969. Even though the Saugeen side housed strictly men and the Maitland side only women, it was the first coed residence in Western history. The nickname “the Zoo” was coined by its residents and students over time, based on the outrageous parties and animal-like behaviour. It infers that students living in the building are living in zoo-like conditions, and pure senselessness occurs within its walls. For many years, the Saugeen yearbook was officially titled “The Jungle Book,” which further brought this nickname to popularity. Between 1971 and 1981, the Zoo transformed into a fully coed residence. This produced results that administration wanted; the male residents got a better understanding of how to live away from home, and the rowdiness subsided. This was the first stage of taming the Zoo, but was only the beginning stages of Saugeen’s legacy. After years of rowdy residence parties, pulled fire alarms and wild stories in the historic building, Western Housing once again had to intervene. In 1989, the ever-fitting nickname “the Zoo” was banned by administration. According to Western Housing, this term not only compared the residents to animals, but gave off the idea that
KYLE PORTER GAZETTE
Western as a community did not have their priorities straight. Nick Jeffers, the 2017-18 head soph for Saugeen, believes this to be the turning point for the residence. “Recently there was the Maclean’s article that ranked Western really high as a party school, and they still refer to Saugeen as ‘the Zoo’” says Jeffers, “I have never heard from anyone in Saugeen refer to it as the Zoo because it is not the Zoo anymore,” Jeffers says. “Every aspect of the building was changed at that point.” In response to the banning of Saugeen’s second name, a secret club who went by the name “Zoo Crew” formed. This elite group was known to sell packages including supplies for their pub crawls, such as drink tickets, shot glasses and clothing with the club name on it. No one knows what ever happened to the Zoo Crew; it still remains a mystery today. 2005 was the year of the Saugeen Stripper. This is the event that is thought to have put Western on the international map of party schools, with the
COURTESY OF SAMIYA HASSAN SAUGEEN FEELING THE UPTOWN FUNK. while saugeen may haave cooled down, in 2015 a floor went viral, garnering over 400,000 views with their lip dub.
viral story gaining a lot of criticism both inside and outside of Ontario when a female first-year student in Saugeen performed a strip tease for some of her fellow male students. It is assumed that the tale of the Saugeen Stripper is what put Western on the radar of Playboy magazine, securing the number four position on their prestigious “Top 10 Party Schools” in 2011. This high ranking attracted attention from the Toronto Star, CBC News, and even Maclean’s. Following this ranking, as well as many outof-control parties and critiques that Western did not have its academic priorities set in place, Western administration put the Zoo on lockdown. In September of 2014, Saugeen had a new security system installed. Each floor was only accessible with the keys of those who lived on it, making floor-hopping much more difficult. Despite the increased security, Saugeen’s colourful reputation endures, as first-year FIMS student, Nicole Tucker, explains her devastation when she was assigned to live in Saugeen, despite ranking it last. “I actually called the school a couple of times and tried to get out of it,” Tucker says, “I was very anxious about coming here because of the rep Saugeen had.” Tucker came to realize, along with her floor mate, first-year kinesiology student Erin Alizadeh, that the building was much more mellow than they had expected. ”It’s had a couple nights where [Saugeen] has lived up to its reputation, but I am still able to get to sleep, and it’s never too rowdy,” says Alizadeh. The word on campus is that Medway-Sydenham Hall is the “new Saugeen” in regards to rowdiest residence. First-year FIMS students and current Med-Syd residents, Briar MacPherson and Serena Mendizabal, agree that the residence is gaining this reputation around campus. In addition to weekly floor parties, MacPherson explains a unique tradition in the residence. “We do ‘Tour de Med-Syd,’ which is where you take a shot on every floor before you go out.” Only some floors take part in it, but it is a well recognized activity among the residents. Mendizabal states that she ranked Med-Syd as her first choice because she heard that it was a place that always had a lot going on in it, but you could still get your work done. “It tamed down second semester, but other than Sundays and Tuesdays, you can always find people to party with.” Increased security, nickname banning and years of a more peaceful existence are seen as the key factors in Saugeen’s decline as Western’s craziest residence among today’s first years. Even if Med-Syd is claiming the rowdiest residence title, it can never replace the stories and history from within the stark, white, concrete walls of Saugeen-Maitland Hall.
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14 • TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017
culture
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US She Panel:
New format, same engagement VIVIAN CHENG GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE The US She Panel made a bigger and better return this year as roughly 40 people gathered on Thursday to hear from the four panelists in attendance. This year, the University Students’ Council (USC) and the Women’s Issues Network (WIN) invited Karen McArthur, Andrea Lehman, Maureen Cassidy and Bipasha Baruah to speak about women in the changing world of work as part of International Women’s Week. Emily Ross, USC communications officer, says, “We were incredibly lucky to secure four panelists who have experienced the hardships of being women in the workforce.” The speakers focused primarily on the unconscious biases that were propagated by institutions and everyday rhetoric. The questions were posed by WIN co-ordinator, Katherine Boyce. They emphasized how these unconscious biases find their way into many spheres of life and create many obstacles in the workforce. Baruah mentioned that women shrink themselves in order to appeal to men. She cited an
example of a student who debated pursuing a master’s program because of assumed potential conflicts with family life. In addition, Baruah mentioned the incorrect assumptions people made about her title, with people often assuming that her husband had the PhD instead of her. Councillor Maureen Cassidy delved into the stereotype of polite women. She acknowledged that women tend to be people-pleasers because they were raised to be civil and polite. Lehman explored the multiple roles of women in society. She revealed that even in cases where women were the breadwinners of the family, they were often expected to do most or all of the housework. While the speakers made important points about the nature of women in work, there was a lack of speaker-audience interaction. Compared to last year, the panel evolved from a speaker-style event to a discussion-based event. Ross believes that the shift to discussion-based learning paved the way for a more enjoyable event. Despite the format change, almost all of the questions were still posed by Boyce, making the discussion forced and
COURTESY OF JANA CERNAVSKIS
inorganic. After the panelists finished speaking, the women came to sit at tables and answer other questions that were not addressed during their presentation. Ross acknowledged that this event was a great snapshot of the discussions happening over
Revive yourself with Reverie this week TORI WILEY CONTRIBUTOR @GAZETTECULTURE As the last few weeks of class come to a close, some of us may already be feeling the mounting threat of finals. To de-stress, you can look forward to a study break by celebrating the arts on campus with Reverie this week. Artists from all walks of Western life will be showing off their talent as part of the annual arts festival, taking place Monday, March 13 through to Thursday, March 16. Many faculties and student organizations have collaborated this year to bring Western a collection of events and exhibitions. The collaborative effort ensures there will be something to inspire everyone. The festivities begin Monday at 4 p.m. with the return of Juno award nominated singer/songwriter Craig Cardiff running a songwriting workshop in the University Community Centre’s (UCC) McKeller Room. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, there will be pop-up performances at 12:30 p.m. on the atrium stage in the UCC. If pop-up performance isn’t your artistic style, kick back and relax at the paint night de-stressor on Wednesday. Whether you’re the next Picasso or just super bummed about an exam, you’re invited to join this student-run art class from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Wave. Also on Wednesday night, Nuit Violette returns for its third year. From 9:30 p.m. until 11 p.m., the UCC Atrium will be transformed into a celebration of multimedia art, inspired by Toronto’s outdoor arts festival, Nuit Blanche. Closing out the week is a slam
International Women’s Week. Even though the speakers addressed many issues in the workplace, the conversations were sparked by the planners of this event, leaving audience voices out of the discussion. The night then came to a close
Individuality outperforms conformity in A Chorus Line JOANNA SHEPHERD GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE
SAMAH ALI GAZETTE
poetry event Thursday night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., hosted by the Coterie, the Arts and Humanities Students’ Council and the USC’s campus events committee. “I’m really looking forward to continuing to create such an open and creative space again this year,” says Coterie president Laura Brooks on the success of last year’s poetry slam during Reverie. “What’s different this year is that the slam will be taking place at The Spoke which I think will help to create a better atmosphere for poetry,” Brooks says. “Since The Spoke is a place everyone is familiar with and comfortable in, I really feel like it will give the event a cozier and more personal feel.” Last-minute performers are welcome to sign up at the door, though Brooks encourages anyone who is considering performing to check out the Coterie’s Facebook page to
sign up now. Why is supporting the arts important? For Brooks, it’s about the connections: “An arts festival is unique in the sense that not only are student sharing, but students are sharing such personal aspects of themselves. You can make such a genuine and immediate connection with someone because of their art.” Events like Nuit Violette which bring together music, traditional art and new forms of digital art into one night, demonstrate the benefits of students from different faculties working together. Every week is a good week to appreciate the arts on campus, but if you had to pick just one, March 13 to March 16 is the perfect week to get out there and get inspired.
with a raffle and a warm, complementary dinner at The Wave and this was the most social aspect of the night. For next year, the USC can improve their event by making the US She Panel more interactive and opening the floor more to the audience.
Theatre Western’s third and final major event of the year, A Chorus Line, dances onto the Mustang Lounge stage this Wednesday. The musical centres on 17 dancers who are auditioning for spots on a Broadway chorus line in the 1980s. When the director asks the dancers about what makes each of them special, a direct contrast to the uniformity and conformity of a chorus line, the characters delve into their backstories and explain their passion to perform. “A Chorus Line is ultimately a love story — it’s just not the love story we’re used to hearing,” producer and fourth-year Ivey HBA student Lauren Nicolaas says. “It’s not about what you do for the love of someone, but what you do for the love of something; what you do for your passion.” This is Nicolaas’ tenth time being involved in a production, and she believes that A Chorus Line really stands out amongst other musicals due to its exploration of the individual and the dilemma of choosing between doing what is pragmatic or following one’s passion. She considers the musical to be a tribute to uncertainty about the future and believes that many students will easily relate to it. The show features a diverse cast of students coming from all types of academic backgrounds, from astrophysics to MIT. “I think that one of the misconceptions about Theatre Western is that they assume everyone is a
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music or theatre student. That’s not true,” Nicolaas says. “What I love about Theatre Western is that it offers performance as a hobby and a passion, not for grades. [A Chorus Line] as a show really reflects the passion of our cast and crew.” Ben Leibovitz, a first-year music theory master’s student and the production’s music director, says that Theatre Western has never done a dance show to this scale before; in addition to rich character stories and musical performance, audience members should anticipate some “mind-blowing choreography.” The audience should also expect an emotional roller-coaster, according to assistant choreographer and second-year international relations student Cassandra DiFelice. She explains that there are some really high notes and really low notes — be ready for a few tears — but that the tone of the play is ultimately hopeful. Jack Sizeland, a second-year anthropology student who plays Al Deluca in the show, says that A Chorus Line’s focus on individuality really transfers to a university setting. “I think it’s an important message and that a lot of students in university can relate to it,” says Sizeland. “The show asks, ‘How do you stand out in a place that demands conformity, demands you to want to blend in, be the same, and try to meet a standard?’” A Chorus Line runs from March 15 to 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students and can be purchased at the Purple Store or online.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 • 15
culture
SafeTALK provides suicide prevention knowledge to campus SAMAH ALI CULTURE EDITOR @SISTERSAMAH Suicides are hard to talk about, especially after the heartbreaking losses students have experienced in the past few years. As a result, the Student Success Centre’s program safeTALK offers an opportunity for everyone on campus to learn more about discussing the issue. The program takes place throughout the year and provides people with the right language and knowledge to detect signs of suicidal ideations present in others. What makes SafeTALK special is its encouragement to approach the conversation without fear. safeTALK aims to dismantle the stigma that stops people from talking on the matter and also points out particular services offered on campus for participants to direct people when they see others in need. Co-ordinator of student engagement programs Brent Boles believes this service feeds a hungry campus of people interested in learning more about
mental health and suicide prevention. Every day he is constantly impressed with students’ willingness to learn about these matters and he believes offering safeTALK aids the campus community with greater knowledge and a problem that affects us all. “A program like safeTALK allows us the opportunity to arm any member of the community with the strategies, techniques and tips that they need to take someone who is having
thoughts of suicide and make sure we can connect them to the resources they need,” Boles begins. “I think when doing that we create not just a campus but a community where we are more cognizant of mental health challenges and cognizant of thoughts of suicide and we are more willing and able to recognize when those thoughts are occurring and we feel more emboldened to take steps to help people help themselves.”
BRADLEY METLIN GAZETTE
Learning how to approach a conversation about suicide is one of the fundamental steps in being a support system in their time of need. One of the most important qualities Boles points out is the act of listening, truly and wholeheartedly. Even though he recognizes this is something we do every day, he believes that it is in the simple actions and statements where one can identify a behavioural change in another. Understanding this information is one of safeTALK’s takeaways, but he admits that the success of this training is difficult to quantify saying, “If we’re successful, we’ll never hear — and that’s the hope. The hope is that by providing students and members in the campus community with the knowledge and resources to be more active in these conversations that people are getting the help that they need.” Rebecca Smith, scholars program and academic outreach coordinator and safeTALK trainer, echoes Boles’ statements. Measuring their success is not their aim for the program but rather making Western’s campus safer for everyone. “The more and more people
[who] can talk about their feelings, mental health, issues surrounding suicide, I think the more often we will hear people coming out about their thoughts of suicide or their mother’s thoughts of suicide,” she says. “I think the more we can have the conversation about this topic, just broadly, I believe it reduces the taboo and stigma that certainly swirls around the subject.” Students interested in developing their leadership skills and learning more about suicide prevention are welcome to participate in the day-long symposium. This will be the last public opportunity to participate in safeTALK, but Smith assures there will be more possibilities next semester for those who do not register in time. In the mean time, Boles and Smith look forward to next wave of participants of both safeTALK and the summit. Encouraging more conversations and knowledge on mental health builds a stronger and safer campus community for everyone, and they hope this philosophy extends off Western’s campus to ensure a safe, stigma-free society in the future.
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ALBUM REVIEW
Ed Sheeran’s Divide doesn’t add up VIVIAN CHENG GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE ARTIST: Ed Sheeran ALBUM: Divide RECORD LABEL: Atlantic Track RATING: GGGFF HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Castle on the Hill,” “Dive,” “Shape of You,” “Supermarket Flowers” Ed Sheeran has become somewhat of a Casanova with a guitar, so when “Castle on the Hill” and “Shape of You” dropped in January 2017, there was much anticipation for Sheeran’s upcoming album. Despite topping iTunes charts with Divide, the singer-songwriter falls flat in his attempts to diversify himself in his third studio album. Sheeran’s attempts to expand his sound become evident with the very first song “Eraser.” “Eraser” delves into Sheeran’s musings on fame. While Sheeran tries to showcase his multitude of skills, his mediocre rapping skills leave a dull impression that set the tone for the rest of the album. The tracks, “Castle on the Hill,” “Dive,” “Shape of You” and “Supermarket Flowers” redeem the album after the initial disappointment. “Castle on the Hill,” an electronic pop anthem, evokes a rose-tinted sense of nostalgia and tempts listeners to sing along. “Dive,” a love ballad, differentiates itself from songs on his previous albums but still pleases old fans.
The track’s acoustic-sounding guitar riffs create the warm and intimate atmosphere that Sheeran fans have come to love. “Shape of You” is a song that is as catchy as it is audacious. Sheeran successfully diversifies himself as he sings a lustful song over dancehall beats. Then, the powerful piano ballad “Supermarket Flowers” tugs on listeners’ heartstrings as Sheeran opens up about his grandmother’s death. Sheeran’s poignant lyrics, like “you were an angel in the shape of my mum,” express the depth of the pain he feels, and this pain effortlessly resonates with the listeners. Despite the many positives of the album, there were also songs that were disappointing. “Galway Girl,” “Barcelona,” “Bibia Be Ye Ye” and “Nancy Mulligan” did not feel coherent with the album; “Barcelona” and “Bibia Be Ye Ye” had tropical overtones that felt too different for the pop/ballad style of the album. “Nancy Mulligan” and “Galway Girl” had heavy elements of Irish rock that also did not blend well with other songs. Both the Irish and tropical tones fail to integrate themselves successfully with the overall sound of the album and create tension in the listening experience. While Sheeran’s vocals remain swoon-worthy and easy to listen to, his album is overrated. Divide will undoubtedly sell millions of copies, but Sheeran can do better. You can find Divide on iTunes and Spotify.
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16 • TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017
games
PHOTO OF THE DAY
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CROSSWORD BY EUGENE SHEFFER
LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE Members of the Western Calligraphy club appeared in a public presentation in the UCC on Friday, making personalized calligraphic cards for students. The club specializes in the art of Chinese calligraphy.
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