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westerngazette.ca TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 110, ISSUE 38 peacing out since 1906

THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TRANS* STUDENTS PG10

INDIGENOUS STUDENTS FIND THEIR VOICES ON CAMPUS PG14

HOW THE MUSTANGS STACKED UP THIS YEAR PG16

THAT’'’ ’ S A WRAP.

WESTERN GAZETTE ISSUE YEAR

38

VOLUME

2016-17

110

PRODUCERS Hamza Tariq, Katie Lear, Bradley Metlin

Since 1906

END OF YEAR ISSUE DANIEL BODDEN GAZETTE

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2 • TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

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BRENNAN WONG

Volume 110, Issue 38 WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA University Community Centre Rm. 263 Western University London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial 519.661.3580 Advertising 519.661.3579

HAMZA TARIQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @HAMZATARIQ_

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BRADLEY METLIN DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR @BRADLEYMETLIN

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

MULTIMEDIA JENNY JAY TAYLOR LASOTA NATALIE TREFFRY DIGITAL MEDIA CONNOR CLARK GRAPHICS DANIEL BODDEN SENIOR GRAPHICS JORDAN MCGAVIN

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Donald William Greaves 1927–2017 We never met you, but if a man can be judged by his offspring, you must have been a very good man indeed. Rest in peace, Tiger.

Our condolences to Ida, Ian and all their family.

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

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

W

COURTESY OF MARCH BREAK HACKS

When second-year health sciences student Brennan Wong returned from Ecuador in the summer of 2012, nothing would be the same.

with young people.

“I think what keeps me engaged with all of this is the fact that this is a student-led, student-run organization,” Brennan says. “It’s amazing to be able to work with not only my peers but also to collaborate with other young people across the country and work towards that common goal — sort of that same philosophy of the minga that inspired this entire thing.”

In his volunteer trip abroad building schools, Brennan learned about an Ecuadorian tradition called “minga,” a term that can be defined as the way in which communities band together for a common goal.

Brennan, a high school student at the time, became so inspired by the experience that when he returned home he decided to start his own non-profit organization called Pledges for Change, a student-led movement that hopes to empower young people to get more involved on issues domestic and abroad.

“It was the philosophy of collective community effort that really inspired me to start an organization here that would share that same mentality,” Brennan says.

So far, the organization has engaged 62 non-government orginizations and garnered 5,000 supporters with 24,163 hours accumulated by program participants, according to their website.

For most people, juggling academics with anything is a challenge, and Brennan admits that.

Despite his young age, Brennan has accomplished a lot. But overcoming the idea that young age equates to inexperience, and therefore failure, was difficult.

“There was always this idea that I wouldn’t be able to manage it or I wouldn’t be able to make an effective contribution because I just wasn’t old enough yet to have that experience or that knowledge,” Brennan says. “I think that’s something that a lot of students experience. They have these internal battles with themselves and they think that they’re not able to do something just because they don’t think they’re talented enough.”

For Brennan, it’s not always about talent; rather, it’s about your drive and motivation.

“I know university gets really tough, especially in first year when you have a lot of things on your plate,” Brennan says. “It’s a challenge trying to maintain your involvements while also being academically successful and then you want to run an organization too.”

“Always believe that you can do it,” Brennan says. “Sure, you’re going to have to take detours and things are not always going to go the way you intended them, or [the way] you saw them going, but as long as you’re driven and motivated in achieving that end goal you’ll get there eventually.”

However, Brennan stays motivated through his work

■■MOSES MONTERROZA

HIGH 12 LOW 2

HIGH 12 LOW 6

HIGH 8 LOW 1

TODAY

TOMORROW

THURSDAY

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 • 3

news

Team Tobi abstains from voting on motion supporting trans* students on campus KATIE LEAR PRINT MANAGING EDITOR @KATIELEAR_ The first meeting of the 2017-18 USC council unanimously passed a motion supporting transgender and non-binary students on campus with notable abstentions from the two voting members of the incoming executive.

The motion, moved by science councillor Frank Ye and seconded by social science councillor Jared Forman, was voted on in two parts.

The first asked that council task the incoming executive to investigate and develop a plan to create new and more accessible gender-neutral washrooms on campus and bring forth a recommendation for further action to the USC’s advocacy standing committee during the Sept. 2017 meeting.

The motion also asked for a review of current USC services to provide “focused and life saving mental health support programs” and implement “new educational and outreach services with the purpose of combatting prejudice and stigmatization against transgender and non-binary students.”

The second part of the motion proposed that the USC fly the Transgender Pride Flag on the Transgender Day of Remembrance — Nov. 20 — but was later amended to read that the USC advocate Western to fly the flag as the USC does not own the flagpole.

The only abstentions from the motion came from USC president-elect Tobi Solebo, vice-president-elect Landon Tulk and King’s councillor Hasan Mahfoud.

Solebo abstained from voting on the first part of the motion but voted in favour of the second, while Tulk abstained from voting on both sections of the motion.

Mahfoud abstained from voting on the second part.

Of the councillors in attendance, 39 voted in favour of the first motion and 38 voted in favour of the second motion.

The rationale Solebo provided for not voting in favour of the first motion was that he wanted to leave it up to council to decide what they were being tasked to do.

“We’re still excited to move forward with looking into the feasibility of this and hope to have something ready for [council],” he said.

When asked why he decided to vote in favour of the transgender Pride flag motion, Solebo said, “It’s something that we’ve done before — during Pride Week — we have raised a Pride flag and it was stated during our meeting that the flagpole is owned by Western. But even if we are to advocate to the University and ask them to raise the flag, it’s highly likely that they’ll say yes and I still think that from a personal basis it is a good way to show that we are fighting for these marginalized students.”

There was no explanation for why Tulk abstained from both parts of the motion.

“With the recent happenings on campus I felt like the transgender community and non-binary community really needed someone to speak up for them,” councillor Ye said in an interview. “And to show them that you have a spot at this school and people at this school actually care about you.”

Speaking in favour of the motions, USC president Eddy Avila said, “I think that it’s a huge kudos to the councillors who brought this up. I think that we very much so appreciated the consultations that we had prior to council to possibly be able to make the motion the best version possible.”

While applauding Ye for bringing forward the motion, Solebo couldn’t guarantee if the incoming executive would always abstain from voting

TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE

on future motions when council tasked them to do something.

“We’re still getting used to sitting on council floor and being voting and participating members,” he said. “So looking forward to the future I think it would be irrational for us to predict how we are going to vote for the next meetings to come because it will be a case-by-case basis based on the motions put in front of us.”

The original text of motion 5, prior to minor aforementioned amendments, is included below: Motion 5 Support of Transgender and NonBinary Students Whereas, it is the interest of the USC to promote inclusivity and accessibility on campus; Whereas, there continues to be

Incoming council explores nap pods, councillor accountability and more MOSES MONTERROZA AND RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITORS @NEWSATGAZETTE The first 2017-18 USC council meeting of the year had a number of items on the agenda.

Right off the bat, the USC went into an in-camera meeting after a motion from president-elect Tobi Solebo.

According to reports, council among other items, discussed whether vice-president-elect Landon Tulk should run for the Ontario Undergraduate Students Alliance (OUSA) presidency.

Later in the meeting, Solebo publicly apologized for the incoming executives’ actions during the student programs

officer election.

When the public meeting resumed, council went right into selecting chairs for standing committees including: student experience, student advocacy and governance and finance.

The Gazette has not obtained the results yet.

The speaker of council position was acclaimed with Madison Ing gaining the position.

The second motion, which involved implementing a new councillor accountability and discipline procedure, passed after some debate. The third motion to provide a deputy speaker terms of reference passed with 85 per cent of the vote in favour.

Nap pods might finally come to Western as motion number four

tasked the USC to look into the feasibility of having nap rooms on campus. After some debate, the motion passed with 68 per cent of councillors voting in favour of it.

Motion five, supporting transgender and non-binary students on campus, passed unanimously.

Next on the agenda was incorporating a monthly town hall for students. Some councillors spoke about concerns over the feasibility of hosting town halls and if it would really increase student engagement with the USC. The motion ultimately passed.

The outgoing USC executive addressed council one final time and wished them luck.

Council will meet once over the summer on Sunday, July 16 before resuming on a monthly schedule

a growing understanding of gender identity; Whereas, transgender and non-binary students continue to be the target of discrimination and systemic oppression; Whereas, many current single user and unisex washrooms on campus are meant to be used as wheelchair accessible or family washrooms; Let it be resolved that, Council task the 2017/18 USC Executive with investigating and devising a plan to create new and more accessible gender neutral washrooms on campus and report to the Advocacy Standing Committee with a recommendation on future action at the September meeting.

Let it be further resolved that, the Student Experience Standing Committee will review and revise

Incoming pres Tobi Solebo apologizes for incidents that occurred during the SPO elections vows for a more transparent environment #westernu GAZETTENEWS (@NEWSATGAZETTE)

current USC services to provide focused and life saving mental health support programs for transgender and non-binary students, and present council with a plan at the September meeting.

Let it be further resolved that, the USC executive will work to devise a plan for implementing new educational and outreach services with the purpose of combatting prejudice and stigmatization against transgender and non-binary students, and report to the Student Experience Standing Committee with a recommendation on future action at the September meeting.

Let it be further resolved that, the USC fly the Transgender Pride Flag annually on November 20 in honour of the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

Solution to puzzle on page 17

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4 • TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

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Western’s time capsule project to celebrate Canada’s 150th KAROLINA JALOWSKA GAZETTE STAFF @NEWSATGAZETTE Fifty years from now Western students will read into the minds of current students and future alumni as part of the time capsule project to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday.

Josh Morgan, recruitment and development officer for the local government program at Western, is working as the head of the time capsule project as part of the Canada 150 committee.

The project’s committee will be collecting messages from staff, faculty, alumni, students and the wider community and will be putting them together in an enclosed capsule this fall. This time capsule will be stored at Weldon Library and will be opened in 50 years. What Western will do with the items in the capsule will be up to whoever is in charge in 50 years to decide. Morgan imagines a display of messages posted along a hallway for display where students will be able to walk up and read each message.

“The importance of this time capsule is two things: one, to provide an opportunity for the Western and wider community to participate in a project to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary and two, to capture a snapshot in time of what its like to live in 2017 as a member of the Western community and as a Canadian,” said Morgan.

This time capsule is unique as it will be constructed by Western Engineering students, and instead of predominately collecting items to put into the capsule — although there will be a few things — the project’s main objective is to collect messages in order to capture the culture of the day.

Morgan encourages everyone to participate in the project and to feel free to include messages that students will want to read in 50 years.

Morgan wants to capture a snapshot of a point in time, he wants people in 50 years to understand what life

Three high studenttraffic intersections make list of top collisions in London

TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE

GAZETTE NEWS @NEWSATGAZETTE

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

is like as a Western student in 2017.

“It’s easy to put stuff in a time capsule but it’s very hard to capture the culture of the day, the thoughts, aspirations, hopes of individuals at a certain point of time,” said Morgan.

The official launch of the time capsule project will be in the fall, at which time the Canada 150 committee will begin accepting messages.

The project will run until the end of the 2017 year.

Morgan encourages every student group and team at Western to participate in this important and worthwhile event that captures life at Western at this point in time.

If you have any questions about the time capsule project you can reach out to Canada150@uwo.ca.

Three off-campus London intersections frequented by Western students are among the high collisions list for 2016.

Wharncliffe Rd. and Oxford St. was fourth on the list with 71 collisions, Oxford St. and Richmond St., and Oxford St. and Wonderland Rd. shared the fifth spot with 70 reported collisions each.

Wharncliffe Rd. and Oxford St. maintained the fourth spot from 2015, while Oxford St. and Richmond St. moved from ninth in 2015 to fifth.

Oxford St. and Wonderland Rd. also moved a spot up from sixth in 2015 to fifth in the current list.

According to data from the London Police Service (LPS), there were 8,500 collisions in London in 2016. While still a fairly high number, it is a reduction from the more than 10,000 collisions reported in 2015.

“Distracted, impaired and aggressive driving behaviours continue to lead the list of causes of these preventable collisions,” a LPS media release stated.

In 2016, 1,900 drivers were ticketed in London for driving while holding cell phones or other handheld communication devices. 2,491 people were ticketed for the same offence in 2015.

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Since September 2015, the province has increased fines for the offence from $280 to $490 as well as adding on three demerit points upon conviction.

“Be courteous and be conscientious. Poor driving habits in our young drivers are learned from the adults in their lives: their parents. Be the change you want to see on our roadways,” the LPS media release concluded.

FULL LIST OF TOP TEN COLLISION INTERSECTIONS IN 2016 1. 84 collisions Wellington/Exeter 2. 78 collisions Wellington/Commissioners 3. 74 collisions Highbury/Oxford 4. 71 collisions Wharncliffe/Oxford 5. 70 collisions Oxford/Richmond 6. 70 collisions Oxford/Wonderland 7. 69 collisions Fanshawe Park Rd/Adelaide 8. 66 collisions Adelaide/Oxford 9. 63 collisions Wonderland/Southdale 10. 62 collisions Highbury/Huron

UCC basement Tim’s gets the axe PAUL RADOCCHIA GAZETTE STAFF @NEWSATGAZETTE

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The Tim’s in the UCC basement is officially a thing of the past.

Having briefly reopened during January and February after its initial closure in first semester, the Tim Horton’s in the UCC basement has permanently shut its doors.

According to Kevin McCabe, associate director of Western hospitality services, the Tim’s had initially closed in first semester due to lacklustre revenues and staffing issues.

During its brief reopening during this semester, the Tim’s shifted to offering only coffee and baked goods. McCabe explained that the Tim’s size constraints made offering all of the company’s menu options inefficient.

However, Tim’s move to a more limited menu couldn’t save it from closure.

“Our revenues weren’t covering our expenses,” said McCabe. “So we just made a decision to shut it down

for the rest of the semester and look for some other opportunities for what we want to do with that space for next year.”

McCabe does not foresee a Tim’s returning to the space that it previously inhabited in the UCC basement.

While McCabe said that Hospitality Services hasn’t received much in the way of complaints about the Tim’s closure, some students seem to be frustrated with the decision.

Fourth-year psychology student Alisha Muchemi, a frequent patron of the basement Tim’s, feels that the decision to close the Tim’s is a significant inconvenience.

“I just feel it’s very unfair because sometimes when the lines upstairs are super long, or if you have classes in the basement of the UCC, it’s just super convenient and I feel like there’s a need for it,” said Muchemi.

Students looking for a pickme-up while in the UCC will have to turn to the two other Tim Horton’s locations on the main floor.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 • 5

news

Exec Report Cards: 2016–17 Council’s grade was an average of responses from 2016–17 USC councillors and staff members

JAMIE CLEARY VICE-PRESIDENT

EDDY AVILA PRESIDENT

GAZETTE GRADE: ACOUNCIL GRADE: A-

Avila’s strengths this year were his approachability and willingness to take a stance on social issues. Avila’s friendliness and on-campus presence made him accessible and helped recast the University Students’ Council (USC) as a welcoming organization to students at large.

Avila took a public stand this year against “Western Lives Matter,” the mosque shooting in Quebec and the off-campus “no means yes” incident, among others. During these times, he displayed strong leadership.

On the flip side, Avila could have been more proactive and less reactive. He calmly and capably responded to situations that arose, but he also could have pushed his executive team more. Overall, the USC benefited from his leadership, but students did not see large-scale change during his term.

That said, notable achievements include drafting a new three-year strategic plan for the USC, overseeing the organization’s transition between chief operating officers and perhaps most celebrated: more microwaves on campus.

GAZETTE GRADE: A COUNCIL GRADE: A

GAZETTE GRADE: C+ COUNCIL GRADE: B-

The role of the USC vice-president is to advocate for post-secondary issues on behalf of students. In light of this description, it’s fair to say that Cleary has been exceptional in the role.

Cleary successfully advocated on a wide-range of topics, most of which proved to be successful.

He advocated to London’s city council on the issue of Uber and ultimately it stayed in the city.

Clearly also effectively spoke in favour of rapid transit on behalf of students.

Cleary additionally spent the year as the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) president. He advocated for the federal recognition of the post-secondary student support program (PSSSP) and the allocation of funds to it, which ended up in federal budget.

And Fall Reading Week.

One area of concern was the amount of time Cleary spent out of the office. In previous years the USC executive team was made up of a vice-president internal and a vice-president external, but this year, Cleary was expected to take on the roles of both.

His time out of the office resulted in tangible accomplishments and his absences from campus were balanced with Avila’s outgoing personality, making them a successful PVP duo.

As the SPO, Adamo’s portfolio was vast and certainly not an easy section of the USC to supervise.

O-Week is one of the largest events the USC runs and as co-chair of the Orientation Planning Committee (OPC) Adamo played a key role in planning O-Week. She took on new initiatives like getting students out in the city — frosh actually left the Western bubble — by planting trees. All in all, O-Week was successful and Adamo deserves credit for her role in this.

COUNCILLORS’ COMMENTS: COUNCILLORS’ COMMENTS:

“Eddy Avila is by far the kindest, funniest, inspiring most genuine leader I have ever worked with.”

“Thank you for reacting so quickly when issues arose on campus. Your support and quick replies were also very much appreciated!”

“Eddie is an incredibly nice guy, which at times made him a truly ineffective president.”

ISAAC JACOBI

SECRETARY-TREASURER

GAZETTE GRADE: A COUNCIL GRADE: A-

One of the most important jobs of the secretary-treasurer is making the budget for next year and ensuring its accuracy and consistency.

This year, the USC’s budget was passed by council without many hitches and Jacobi deserves credit for this. There was a surprising lack of debate and that could very well be credited to Jacobi’s thoroughness and availability to councillors

ALLIE ADAMO

STUDENT PROGRAMS OFFICER

“Jamie F*C*ing CLEARY. This man has KILLED. IT. Most students do not get to see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes in student advocacy.”

“I know he travels a lot, which is great that he has been representing us in the community! But it felt like he was treating it as a VP External position, as I am not sure what he did Internally. He DID help with bussing, which is incredible!”

for any questions they may have had prior to the meeting.

Jacobi strived for transparency this year with the USC and that was evident in the budget as the occupancy fee was not charged to many spaces this year whereas it was in previous years.

He was a competent secretary-treasurer, and his actions showed he had good intentions not only for the USC but for the students as well.

EMILY ROSS

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

GAZETTE GRADE: BCOUNCIL GRADE: A-

Emily Ross had a rough first half of the year. Speaking with the press is a significant part of being a communications officer and it’s important that the information provided to the public is factual

Overlooking clubs is a significant aspect of the portfolio and club execs have expressed disappointment with the club space fiasco. Although it was the previous exec who agreed to move the club space, Adamo was responsible for finding a new space and should have known the issues with the space she selected. The formation of a students union to combat the USC’s treatment of clubs speaks volumes as to how unhappy they are. The portfolio is perhaps too big and could benefit from moving clubs to its own portfolio.

Many events planned by the USC this year were hit or miss.

While the Fall Festival planned on the original Homecoming date was new and adventurous, it fell flat and wasn’t well attended. The fall BeerFest was well attended, but BeerFest 2.0 was a misstep. And the USC’s annual Haunted House was well done, but received criticism

for not being accessible to all students. Although Charity Ball wasn’t in the UCC this year, it suffered from low attendance at the London Convention Centre and garnered a lower charitable donation than in years past.

As the portfolio encompasses a great deal, Adamo delegated to her associates and staff to whom she trusted to plan many of these events. With that said, ultimately the responsibility for the failures within the SPO portfolio fall on Adamo.

and delivered quickly. There were a few times where Gazette editors had to either fact check Ross or seek out the information themselves. Ultimately, getting in contact with other USC executives proved difficult.

Some times Ross did a great job creating videos that resonated with students. Many people, Gazette editors included, really liked Ross as a person as she is kind and easy to talk to.

All in all, Ross is a very passionate person who feels strongly about a lot of issues and that’s been one of her strongest assets.

And we feel that she’s improved

a lot, and if given another year she’d excel.

WEST LONDON

CROSSFIT

COUNCILLORS’ COMMENTS:

“Allie you were wonderful to work with and I appreciate your dedication to the new SPO role!”

“Really great ideas and I truly appreciate everything you’ve done, however I think you can be more receptive of student opinions, even if they are not student leaders and contradict your views.”

COUNCILLORS’ COMMENTS:

“Emily did a dependable job as Communications Officer. She was friendly and laid back, which meshed nicely with the executive team.”

“I’ve really enjoyed the campaigns Emily’s started to promote the USC including the Week at a Glance as well as the Mustang Moment.”

“I do not think that she has sufficently reached out to students at large.”

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COUNCILLORS’ COMMENTS:

“Isaac you were always incredibly sweet, and whenever I had a question you were quick to find an answer.”

“Isaac’s done a wonderful job at reducing student fees, something that all students should be thankful for.”

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6 • TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

news

•

Gazette’s top stories of 2016-17 WITH THE SCHOOL YEAR COMING TO A CLOSE HERE’S A RECAP OF THE GAZETTE’S TOP STORIES FROM VOLUME 110

1 WESTERN MOVED HOCO DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT BROUGHDALE STREET PARTIES The Gazette’s biggest story of the year was on the administration’s decision to move Western’s 2016 Homecoming from Reunion Weekend on Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, to Saturday, Oct. 22, due to concerns ‘associated with the unsanctioned and unsupervised street party that has taken place in recent years.’

MOSES MONTERROZA GAZETTE

2

3

‘NO MEANS YES’ WRITTEN ON STUDENT HOUSE NEAR CAMPUS

DEAR WESTERN: YOUR STUDENTS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY

This Gazette story made it all the way to VICE after the message “No means yes... Yes means anal” sparked public outcry. A student found the message painted on the window of an off-campus student house in September.

COURTESY OF EMMA RICHARD

In response to Western’s decision to move Hoco to later in the fall, two community members ask the university to reconsider its priorities.

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

4 WESTERN RESPONSIBLE FOR UNCERTAIN HOMECOMING SITUATION A Gazette editorial board discussed the potential ramifications of moving Homecoming’s date.

5 MAN ARRESTED AFTER THREATENING TO BRING GUN TO CAMPUS WITH INTENT TO HARM

Many Western students felt uneasy after a 22 year-old male was arrested for threatening to bring a gun to Western with the intent to hurt individual(s) on campus.

JORADAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

TONY WEBSTER WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 • 7

opinions

Goodnight sweet Gazette.

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest Moses Supposes MOSES MONTERROZA NEWS EDITOR @MOSESMONTZ Without the Gazette, I’m certain my experience at Western would have been dull beyond measure.

I still remember being in second year, meandering through campus, hopping from class to class, writing endless essays and just being completely disillusioned with the labours of being a student.

Eventually, I realized that I had to spice up my university career somehow, so I decided to get involved with a bunch of extracurriculars, one of which was the Gazette.

The Gazette slowly cultivated my addiction to student journalism. What began as a curiosity became the only reason I decided to continue my English and political science degree. I can’t even imagine following through with my initial career as an immigration lawyer. I still snore at the thought of it.

Nowadays, I can’t thank this nutty student publication enough for helping me not only find my career choice but my passions as well. I learned photography, how to shoot a good video and edit nearly anything to my heart’s content because of this place.

I got to travel around the world, meet interesting people and learn about the the oddities and mysteries of this campus. Hell, I even made my own documentary, which I am still baffled about.

Above all, I feel this experience taught me how important it is to enjoy the work that you do. Now, I’m not necessarily saying you should join the Gazette; rather, you should always be striving to find something that you’re truly passionate about and that will push you beyond your limits. I learned that if you’re considering a career path solely because it pays well, there’s a high chance it will make you miserable. Not only that, but the quality of your work will suffer too.

It’s honestly been a wild ride here, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to be part of it. While I’m sad to be leaving, I’m excited to see what the future has in store for me.

Jenny Jay is leaving the Gazette block behind I now know.

And yet, here I am. For me, goodbyes have always been hard.

Every year that I’ve been at the Gazette, I’ve had to say goodbye to journalists and writers who have been mentors and inspirations.

This year, it’s my turn.

Within a matter of days, I’ll be joining the long list of proud Gazette alumni — and not just saying goodbye but leaving the province all together — and I couldn’t be more excited — but I also couldn’t be more sad.

I’ll be saying goodbye to the office that has seen me through my university career, my career changes and ultimately the guiding path to my passion. I’ll also be saying goodbye to the office that has seen me through too many all-nighters.

I probably shouldn’t mention how many nights I’ve spent editing stories, videos or photos in the office, only to crash on the back couch before continuing in the early morning. I’ll be saying goodbye to the distractions and tangents that my fellow editors have gone on when we should have been working on stories. I’ll be saying goodbye to the water cooler conversations that are often wildly unrelated to work — and yes, water cooler conversations are definitely a thing.

Jenny From The Block JENNY JAY MULTIMEDIA EDITOR @THEJJCOLLECTIVE It’s 2 a.m. on a Saturday night, and I’m nowhere near Richmond Row. No, instead, I write this to you as an episode of Friends plays on my friend’s computer — a friendship brought to us by virtue of the Gazette.

I’ve always been a writer, but I never thought I would make it as a journalist. It always seemed like one of those career options that were a little too far-fetched.

Yet, when I arrived at the Gazette in my second week of my first year at Western, I didn’t quite know it yet, but I had found home.

It’s strange writing this out.

Every editor’s experience at the Gazette is a unique one, and there are a select few that experience it the way I have — as an integral part of every single year of my four years at Western. It is without a doubt that I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.

Heck, I wouldn’t even be the photographer that I am without the Gazette teaching me the skills that

I’ll also be saying goodbye to my desk, and the miscellaneous pile of books that I’ll have to take with me when I leave — I’m sure future editors will be grateful for this at least.

There are some days when I tell people I work for the Gazette and I hear a little laugh. Comments about us being fake news are lightheartedly passed, but at the end of the day there is an underlying respect for the work that we do.

There are times now that after my four years here, I’ll meet someone only to hear them say, “Hey, you work for the Gazette, right? I’ve read your work — good stuff.” It’s moments like these that remind me of how great of a decision I know I made back in my first year — my 18-year-old self really did have my back.

So for all of you reading these sappy accounts of the incredible place this paper is, I hope you take this as inspiration to walk through the doors that are so hard to find in the UCC. We’re an eclectic bunch, I can guarantee you that. But it will always be a place of learning, of home, and of acceptance, and I know that wherever I am, there will always be a piece of my heart that will find it’s way to the Gazette —time and again.

Leaving Weldon Library Apr. 4th–30 th mon

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12:30am • 1:00am • 1:30am • 2:00am 2:30am • 3:00am • 3:30am • 4:00am THE HOURS OF SERVICE AS FOLLOWS: April 4-15, from 12:30am to 4:00am April 16-30, from 12:30am to 2:00am

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A late night Shuttle Service is being provided by the USC offering students a safe way to get home.

Starting April 4 to April 30, Robert Q Shuttle Busses will be departing from Oxford Drive (in front of the UCC Building.)

www.westerngazette.ca

8 • TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

opinions

Into that good night Breaking Brad BRADLEY METLIN DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR @BRADLEYMETLIN When I was in my second year as an editor at the Gazette, there was a moment that has stuck with me since. The brazen casualness would have been innocuous if not for the topic of conversation.

It was a comment during a discussion on the Obamas’ recent trip to Saudi Arabia that has singed into my memory.

Michelle Obama did not wear a headscarf during her trip which had sparked some commentary in the media. During the exchange, we noted that other educated women like Condoleezza Rice also chose not to wear a headscarf when they traveled to the country.

“Well, maybe she didn’t wear the hijab because she’s educated,” said someone in the office.

The remark might have even been dismissed as something this person would just say, but I made eye contact with my friend, someone who wore the hijab proudly — and who is phenomenally intelligent and educated.

We talked a few minutes later and were perplexed by what had just happened.

This was one of many conversations I had at the Gazette about contentious topics but this was the only where I ever heard anyone show such flippant disregard for another person’s identity. This dismissal of her faith, a key part of who she was, has still stayed in my head years later.

When I first came to the Gazette, I loved debating and engaging in controversial topics.

I was unafraid to step on people’s toes and if others got emotional, I would view it as a sign that someone could not maturely handle heavier issues. Part of being at a media outlet was pursuing uncomfortable topics, after all.

But during my five years, I’ve learned that you can still do this while being respectful and empathetic to everyone. To use a metaphor, you don’t have to tear the house down in order to renovate — oftentimes I had a scorched earth mentality during discussions. This was wrong.

I haven’t always gotten this right and I’ll be the first to admit it. Some of my older columns feature hostile and dismissive language. I’m still harsh and take a strong stance on an issue when I write, but I try not to disregard key parts of people’s identities.

This is not me preaching against adversarial discussions — sometimes there has to be a yay and nay side. Since I’ve been at the Gazette we’ve talked about trigger warnings, Muslim prayer spaces, trans* rights, Justin Trudeau’s government, cultural barbaric practises, the price of tuition, USC politics, Amit Chakma’s salary, politically correct culture and a lot more. Do not shy away from controversial topics! I’ve learned that you can argue with your friends and colleagues in a respectful fashion.

Sometimes we all grow the most when we’re challenged, when we’re unafraid to explore uncomfortable subjects. I’ve learned so much by listening to other perspectives and confronting the way I think. With civility and the willingness to push, we truly become better people.

As I leave the Gazette, I leave thinking of the refrains from a Dylan Thomas poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

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Queen Lear abdicating at last Queen Lear KATIE LEAR PRINT MANAGING EDITOR @KATIELEAR_ When I first walked into the Gazette office over four years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. I’d been encouraged to volunteer by a friend, but had no intentions of seriously pursuing journalism.

That spring, I asked a different friend whether or not I should apply to be a news editor for the following year. While he told me I should, I hesitated — I wanted it too much to risk not getting the job.

Somewhere in the piles of briefs and stories I’d spent the year writing, I found myself hopelessly and irreversibly hooked.

Applying was a risk I took not knowing what I would ultimately get out of the experience, and now I find myself on the other side of my Gazette career ironically struggling

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to find the words to describe the years I spent writing every day.

As a starry-eyed first-year news editor, I remembered excitedly telling my father about an upcoming interview with Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne, and his response stuck with me: we were punching above our weight class. I was offended at the time, but later I realized just how true it was. The Gazette has given me incredible opportunities I earned simply by showing up and putting in the time.

I’ve had the incredible privilege of covering rallies for political figures such as Stephen Harper and Tom Mulcair. I’ve interviewed a sitting premier and covered the disqualification of the winning USC presidential slate. I’ve gained experience as a manager at 22 years old.

Among the Gazette’s astronomical highs, we’ve had lows as well: too many students passed away while I was in the newsroom.

All of the ups and downs came from one spontaneous risk.

University students are incredibly pressed for time. Balancing course loads with social lives and

extracurriculars, it’s no surprise that we often ask what we’ll get in return.

This year has taught me that it’s alright to take a risk without knowing what will come of it. While this is the end of my journalistic career, I’ve learned more about writing and work than any class has offered. I’ve learned more about myself than I could have imagined. And above all, I’ve had the honour of making lifelong friends here.

The student journalists I’ve shared a newsroom with absolutely cannot be doing this job for anything less than an illogical passion for journalism, whichever aspect grabs them and refuses to let go. For me, that was arming students with information — making the inaccessible accessible and telling stories.

I couldn’t have known any of this was possible the day I first walked into the office. The university experience is a unique point in our lives we’ll never get again, so make the most of it. Take risks. Try new things.

Give a bit of your time to somewhere you hadn’t anticipated — you never know what you’ll get back.

University is what you make of it A Cup of Drishti

DRISHTI KATARIA NEWS EDITOR @DRISHTATGAZETTE I was hungry. And the Gazette whet my palette.

It is an experience for me in university that I will talk about it for years to come.

Coming from a sheltered and homogenous high school, in this newsroom I was exposed to unique perspectives of those from vastly different backgrounds and I loved it, it felt like I belonged.

As a volunteer, I was first drawn to the people in the newsroom,

but I soon came to see writing as an escape for me. I was learning so much from the editors and the editor-in-chief that I knew I had to apply to be a news editor: I was addicted. This was in my second year.

Having been chosen for the news editor position in my third year, I can say with confidence it was a year full of growth and unexpected challenges but most importantly, I realized I was capable of so much.

There were times I would go home from the office at 10 p.m. after having a full day of class and have a quick stress-induced cry, then proceed to get it together to start and finish a lab report due the next day and do it all over again.

So, despite barely having any time to breathe, I wouldn’t exchange this experience for any-

thing — it was all worth it.

For many of us, the people in the newsroom were the first people you see when you get on campus and the last people when you finally go home at night. It’s safe to say that being around these people for that long, they have become very close friends to me.

I look upon my last two years at this student newspaper fondly.

I truly had no idea what I was getting into and it turned out to be unimaginable in every way, from the people to the conversations had to the amount of pizza eaten.

The Gazette defined my university experience and I urge those reading to find something you love in university and to do it wholeheartedly. Your student experience is what you make of it.

Find the friends that challenge you The Rueter Report

(part-time day shifts)

CUSTOMER SERVICE & PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT.

•

ANNIE RUETER CULTURE EDITOR @ANNIERUETER1 A jack of all trades — that’s what I considered myself until I walked through the Gazette doors in September of my third year.

Throughout my time at Western I was involved with sports, sophing and volunteering. But I moved on from those activities once I realized, “Hey, this Gazette thing — there’s no way I’m half-assing this.”

So I dove into the all-consuming world of the Gazette. And I couldn’t be happier that I made that choice.

Other than my love for writing, one thing truly made me truly stick around at the Gazette: the people.

The best nugget I’ve gleaned from this experience — and what I hope you take away from this column,

dear reader — is the importance of surrounding yourself with people who make you better. Whether it be a better student, a better friend, a better journalist, a better athlete, a better USC rep — surround yourself with people who make you want to be better at what’s important to you.

I don’t mean “be better” in a competitive sense; I mean invest in what you care about. For me, it took one sit-down session with an editor to point out where my writing could improve. I knew I could be a better writer, and that feedback combined with the inspiring crowd that hangs out in UCC 263 made me get there. I could not be more grateful for these people who continually drive me.

From this experience, sure, I’m taking away some journalism skills.

But of equal importance are the lessons I learned about collaboration, working on the fly and pushing creative ideas beyond original conception. Have an idea for a written story? Make it multimedia. There’s a weekend-long event? Do live coverage. Found an interesting person to

interview? Turn it into a profile feature. Take an idea, let others make it better and run with it as best you can.

I apologize if I ever grimaced in the face of an editor who suggested ways to improve a piece; I was likely un-caffeinated and thinking about the extra work involved. But every single time, running with those suggestions has been worth the extra effort. I’m proud of the work the Gazette has done this year, and don’t believe any of us editors would be as successful without one another.

I hope that you, dear Western student, find your place and people on campus that push you to be better at what you love doing. And once you find that environment, cling on. I hate to end my final piece for the Gazette on a quote (a no-no in the world of journalism), but Amy Poehler forever encapsulates my attitude toward life: “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”

I promise.

• www.westerngazette.ca

Musings from a ‘mature’ student Damn, Danielle

DANIELLE GERRITSE COPY EDITOR @UWOGAZETTE Here’s the number one thing I’ve learned in my 27 years: no matter how much you feel like you don’t know where the hell life is taking you, you will figure it out.

Three years ago, after dropping out of yet another program that I hated, my friend looked at me very seriously and asked: “If you could do absolutely anything in the world, with no regards to money or time, what would you do?”

“I’d go back to university for English Lit and then I’d be an editor,” I replied, surprising myself at my answer.

“Then why the fuck aren’t you doing that?”

The truth is, I was terrified of failing again. I thought I was too old. I was scared of the money and time I’d put into it if nothing came of it. But I had already wasted seven years in different programs and jobs trying to figure out where I belonged.

I had moved to Vancouver for art school; I spent a year and a half at the University of Saskatchewan for psycholog y; I moved to London to attend Fanshawe’s photography program; I started an entrepreneurship course and dropped that a week later; I was enrolled in Medix to be a lab tech, quitting after three days.

I’ve been a photographer and a makeup artist, worked a plethora of retail jobs, managed multiple stores and salons, worked at bars and moved about 13 times.

I’ve done a lot and I’ve messed up a lot.

But when I was finally accepted to Western, everything clicked. I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be and I was finally ready to put in the work it would take for me to succeed. I began to figure out who I wanted to be and work towards that. I thought that figuring everything out meant the end of my seven-year bad luck.

But not everything has been smooth sailing.

In these past three years, life has happened alongside my education. Two relationships have ended. I’ve moved twice — once in the middle of finals. My brother has given me a niece and

a nephew that I’m 2,765 km away from. My mother has had back surgery. My grandmother, who was also my best friend, passed away. I’ve lost friends, I’ve battled with more health issues than I can count and I’ve struggled to find a balance in every aspect of my life.

But let me tell you something, and I want you to listen close: No matter how much you may feel out of place right now, or think you don’t know what the hell you’re doing, it will work out.

No matter how much things may feel impossible, all of those hardships are worth it.

And no matter how much you feel like giving up and you can’t do it, you can.

Going into university, I was under the impression that profs were mean and never willing to help, that I would fail if I didn’t meet deadlines and that I’d probably always end up with grades I was unhappy with no matter how much work I did.

So I really didn’t expect how many people were willing to help me succeed when I was willing to put in the effort. I went to office hours and I talked to my profs who are now my friends. I went to events and networked and I was given opportunities beyond anything I could have imagined.

When I needed more time for essays and assignments because life was getting messy, I was given accommodations. Things got difficult sometimes, but I never went through it alone, and I never failed.

Now, I’m walking out of university with more than just a degree. Out of these years, I’ve made incredible friends, I’ve set myself up for the future I want, I’ve got a pretty great resumé and a head full of knowledge. I’ve been a research assistant and a mentor. I’ve been the editor of a newspaper and an academic journal. I’ve been sent to Norway and England on research trips. I’ve received honours in every year.

I’ve been accepted to not one, but two grad school programs.

But more than that, I’ve got a passion for books, for editing, for my career path and for life.

So I promise you this: No matter how lost or confused you might feel, have faith. Be patient.

Work hard. You will get to where you’re supposed to be; time is relative. Make mistakes and get messy. Ask for help. Everything you learn, all the hardships you go through — they’ll all bring you exactly to where you’re supposed to be.

Thank you, dear readers, for all of the letters, op-eds, community posts and comments!

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 • 9

opinions

Green Eggs and Hamza signing off Green Eggs & Hamza HAMZA TARIQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @HAMZATARIQ_ At 18 years old, I left home to move 11,000 kilometres to a new country.

A year later — after having moved to three different cities — I spent much of O-Week listening to Phillip Phillips blare “Home” over every loudspeaker on campus, still adjusting to yet another move to Saugeen.

At the end of that week, I stepped into a big, white room stuffed in the back of the second floor of the UCC. It finally felt like home again.

The Gazette has been my home and refuge for the past four years. It is where I figured out what I wanted to do with my life, friendships I’ll cherish forever and spent almost all my time on campus.

Most former editors who have gone on to real-world journalism say they learned most of the tricks

of the trade during their time at the Gazette. They’re likely right — sitting through four years of USC and Senate meetings have taught me patience my mom wished I had as a child.

Observing the the highs and lows of the campus community in the newsroom made me develop a special relationship with Western I don’t think I would have otherwise.

The Gazette defined my Western “experience.”

Having the opportunity to lead the place is so far the proudest and most humbling experience of my life. But I also want to use this space for what will likely be my column to go beyond reminiscing.

As journalism at every level comes under increasingly polarized attacks, college journalism is more important than ever before.

Massive resources are spent towards public relations at both the university administration and student government level. There is little to challenge the official narrative other than campus media.

During my time with the Gazette, I have seen the paper cover issues which have shaped debates on

campus. Issues which would otherwise never seen the light of day brought forward to the campus community.

Granted, there have been mistakes. But it has always been a learning experience and the intention has always been to serve students — after all it’s your peers at the other end of the screen.

For those who feel the paper has a certain leaning — depending on the debate at the time — as students, you have the prerogative to decide the stances of the paper. It’s up to you to come and get involved, no student is ever turned away. I have never heard an opposing view shut down at an editorial meeting. And if that’s not your cup of tea, you can always add to the debate with letters – as many have this year. We need your feedback.

I continue the proud editorin-chief tradition to proclaim the Gazette as the best student newspaper in Canada. It continues to be the best due to the endless hours put in by student volunteers and the student readers who engage with it.

It’s also the best because it’s where I found home.

Create spaces for others like you Stop!

Samah time!

SAMAH ALI CULTURE EDITOR @SISTERSAMAH When I came to the Gazette three years ago, no one really looked like me. I jetted in and out of the office, speaking to my editor about my latest film review, then ran off to my next Kinesiology lecture. It wasn’t until I saw a fellow Muslim woman that I thought this place could house me for the next two years. Surprisingly, it did all that and more.

Looking back at where I was at that point in my life — a student on the edge of switching her program, dealing with the overwhelming thoughts of internalized racism and breaking out of conventional fashion trends — I can’t help but chuckle. We come a long way during our university careers, but I have to admit: my two years at this paper shaped my life dramatically and I have nothing left to say but thank you.

Thank you to the establishment that challenged me every day. The place that pulled me out of bed, excited to tell people’s stories who do not share the same platform but need it desperately, especially

during times of hate. The place that published my opinions, no matter how unpopular, because I needed to let others know they’re not alone. The place that allowed me to create space for others like me, and hopefully will allow more of us to do the same.

Obviously, none of this came easy. Unlearning and learning had to be done, both personally and throughout the office, but this is the greatest thing I take away from the Gazette. Of course my writing improved and I kickstarted my closeted passion for producing, but the conversations were priceless.

People do not always agree with you and there are multiple sides to an issue. Having the space to hash this out with colleagues, likeminded and otherwise, solidified as well as changed my views. We, as a generation, need to break out of our echo chambers and have humility; understand each other as humans. Instead of calling out another’s privilege, call in and empathize. See what it’s like to be in another person’s shoes, feel for them and work together to create more spaces.

When people like me come to the Gazette, we leave fearing that this place will forget our existence like muscle memory.

How long will it take before things return to the way they used to be? Where another black Muslim woman doesn’t see herself in a space. We need

to learn from each other to prevent this from happening, and those outside the paper can prevent this too.

Activism lives in many forms and sometimes, all you have to do is be present. Be present so another person can see that it’s possible, that they too can write at the Gazette fearlessly and unapologetically. Seeing someone like you in a space can change the trajectory of your life and I thank the past editor every day for doing that for me and countless others.

As I leave this paper, I hope that I made this impact on the women of colour who entered the office. I pray that my representation influenced my fellow editors to embrace their identities and proclaim it every chance they got. I wish that every story published made another community feel important and noticed. And I look forward to reading future articles that spark more conversations that call each other in rather than shutting down the conversation out of fear and negligence.

I am only one person who worked at the Gazette during its 110-year run. Even though I know my legacy is futile, I hope the same activism I brought to the editorial board is carried on in future years.

Represent yourselves, your communities and your values, and along the way don’t forget to raise while you rise.

www.westerngazette.ca

10 • TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

feature

•

Shaping space:

The trans* experience at Western

By Michael Conley

W

rapping up classes for the day, Max* stepped in the stall of a women’s washroom in the Spencer Engineering building.

Two other people entered the washroom after Max — a man and a woman. The man pronounced, “I just want to make sure everyone is reading the sign on the washroom.”

Sitting silently in the stall, Max did not respond.

Reflecting, he now quips, “Is it me? Are you referring to me?”

As Max left the stall, he caught a weird look from one of the women who came in after him.

…

stern

mond Street

JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

Some people’s lives are deemed more disruptive than others.

Noah Reid, Layne Clark and Max know this well.

As transgender students, carving space to grow in a community where their sense of self is seemingly up for debate can be hard. Proper pronoun use and free speech— as recent guest speaker Jordan Peterson elaborated upon — are popular topics concerning what society should accept as normal.

Max has warmed up to his masculinity over the past year. He planned to ‘pass’ — a term for performing your assigned gender — his whole life. But the dual life has grown tiresome, and if he physically transitions, taking testosterone to lower his voice and square out his face, he cannot hide that from his parents who still believe him to be their “daughter.” Max says Western never called to him like it does other students, but it is a refuge from old friends and old expectations.

Max and Noah have been dating for over a year, but Max is less connected on campus than Noah. Unlike his partner, Max did not live on a rainbow ally floor, missing out on building early relationships because he could not afford Elgin hall.

However, housing is not Max’s main grievance.

“It’s the bathrooms,” he says.

Remembering another incident in a women’s washroom, a student walked in, saw Max and startlingly did a double-take of where they were. He said nothing.

Given old expectations like gender-binary views of bathrooms, as reinforced through legislation in parts of the United States, and as bathrooms are a primary source of violence for trans* people, Max laments a lack of bathroom accessibility as a constant reminder of his struggle for inclusivity, and says a lack of all-gender signs on washrooms suppresses the existence of trans* people.

Noah also holds frustration with Western washrooms. But his annoyances on-campus lie moreso with residence and Western’s administrative structure.

Noah grew up in a small town surrounded by traditional male values. He encapsulates these values with a hearty, “Grrr sports.”

But Western has provided him a chance for self-exploration: living on the rainbow ally floor in Elgin Hall during first year, meeting a small community of LGBTQ+ individuals and finally getting to express himself in feminine ways as a male. He cites last Christmas break when he dyed his hair bright pink. At times, his story’s recitation sounded routine, as though he has done it a thousand times before.

Every time he updates his documented old name or meets new people, he feels obliged to share his story: visiting ITS to change his OWL and Student Centre profile, the office of the registrar to change his transcript, calling the government to change OSAP and then hoping the names all line up. Administration often need an explanation along with documentation. Though, if they asked for his old driver’s license, the story becomes a little less routine.

“My old license is in about a million pieces in a dump somewhere having also been mildly lit by a lighter.”

When entering first year in 2015, Noah’s entrance survey only offered gender binary options, forcing him to connect with housing and explain his situation. He finally decided to live with women, hoping they would be less hostile to a transitioning person.

Noah explains that his housing experience was positive, but only after finding an alternative channel.

“[Housing was] very accommodating, but I don’t want every single student who is trans* in the future to do the same thing over and over.”

Layne lived on Elgin’s rainbow ally floor with Noah last year, appreciating the same sense of community Noah did. Though in regard to gender identification, Layne feels differently than Noah or Max. “I don’t care,” Layne laughs. Now in their second year, Layne is indifferent to boxing themselves into a gender binary. “Just use my pronouns please.”

They appreciate Western primarily for its reputation as a research university. Layne says being academically driven is their first priority, but recognizes a need for improvement in Western’s LGBTQ+ services.

Pride Western, a USC service, hosts events such as mixers and group discussions, which Noah says have doubled in participation this year, to promote LGBTQ+ acceptance and build an inclusive on-campus community.

But last year, despite living on the rainbow ally floor, Layne did not know it was Pride Week. As Pride is a valuable resource for promoting inclusivity and connecting LGBTQ+ individuals, Layne believes a wider promotion of pride events is necessary, especially in residence for underage students who cannot go out downtown.

As the hub of early communication, a positive residence experience is crucial to building a sense of identity for Western students.

Chris Alleyne, executive director of residences, says Western is adamant about creating more inclusive residences, and he has already overseen improvements.

Although Western did not run a rainbow ally floor this year due to fleeting interest, he points to meetings with equity and humans rights services as well as Pride Western as examples of housing’s improvement.

Alleyne also highlights updates to entrance surveys, which, as of September 2016, gave students entering first year a choice between male, female and non-binary. These choices will increase as designated by the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) which controls Western’s applications.

The residence bathrooms, though some still without all-gender signs, will be updated as part of a plan stemming from 2008 to implement more all-gender bathrooms on campus.

In discussing this plan, Larissa Bartlett, director of equity and human rights services, explains that all-gender washrooms will have either a purple sign saying “washroom,” with either no persons or a person in a wheelchair.

Though the policy indicated all-gender washroom updates would take “a couple years,” Bartlett says this was in reference to an initial 10 bathrooms and the process is ongoing, relying on individual feedback and walkthroughs. Bartlett adds that a poster campaign will feature posters explaining washroom usage throughout residences and main campus.

But it is in the classroom where Layne, Max and Noah see the highest potential for affecting people’s views toward trans* persons and growing social inclusivity as a whole.

They feel as though the classroom is an inclusive space that they can be themselves, far from public spaces which may seem dangerously exclusive. Courses within women’s studies, but also trans* specific courses such as Queer theory and Introduction to Trans Studies, have been incorporated into the curriculum and are ardently supported by Max, Noah and Layne.

Professor Wendy Pearson, undergraduate chair of women’s studies and feminist research, taught Queer theory this year. Queer theory, deriving from the early 1990s, attempts to address gay and lesbian issues while also exploring why, given all sexual options at our disposal, the one that counts is gay or straight.

“No one asks are you sexually active or are you celibate ... We don’t ask, ‘do you masturbate or do you not masturbate?’ We don’t ask, ‘do you like kinky sex or do you not like kinky sex?’ Those are not fundamental questions for us but they are as fundamental parts of people’s sexual lives,” she says.

The arbitrariness of straight/gay discussion stems in part from the nineteenth-century invention of statistics, explains Pearson, where “normal” seems good and “abnormal” accounts for everyone else; simply counting people, especially in a repressive society, leads heterosexuality to seem normal.

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Pearson says courses like these tackle the “fear mongering” some use to provoke a transphobic agenda — pointing to the zero recorded attacks by trans* people in bathrooms versus the regularity of which they are attacked — during a social confluence of white Christianism, men’s rights and homophobia.

She feels this confluence is where individuals like Jordan Peterson, who recently spoke at Western, find popularity, masking free speech with “specious” arguments rather than fact. Pearson also feels Western had no obligation to let Peterson come.

Peterson has been in staunch opposition to Bill C-16 which will update the Canadian Human Rights Act to include gender identity and expression. He sees people viewing gender identity and sexual orientation as social constructions to be incorrect, and says free speech, rather than censorship, is the only way to democratically solve our societal differences.

Noah, Max and Layne feel if students want someone to come, then Western should let them. But they refute Peterson’s message.

Peterson’s perception of free speech is “deluded,” says Noah. “All opinions have the right to be shared,” he adds, but free speech is different than “intentionally insulting someone [by] not using their pronouns.”

Max declares him to have minor transphobia. He says Peterson hides degrading sentiments under a veil of free speech.

“Acting like my identity is up for debate [creates] a negative atmosphere,” states Layne. They see Peterson’s message as a passing fad, but is disillusioned by the number of peers defending him, saying it creates a less safe environment for them and their friends.

Fostering positive public spaces, as they each explain, is crucial for growing LGBTQ+ people’s confidence in their institutional safety and allowing them to flourish as everyday students.

Pearson explains that despite legislative advancements for trans* peoples’, like inclusion into the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, social progression occurs from the ground up through things like language and the attitudes we promote.

A recent motion in the University Students’ Council for increased supports for trans* and non-binary students, put forward by science councillor Frank Ye, is a positive example of how on-campus efforts are following the federal government.

“It [is] a step forward for a community who in their everyday lives face emotional, physical and sexual violence. It [is] a respite for students whose very existence draws out irrational and deplorable prejudice, hatred and bigotry from others,” Ye wrote in a letter to the Gazette.

Western is more aware of these problems than everand so it seems are the students, trans* or not. It is now up to the administration, but more importantly the campus-at-large, to decide the direction Western will take on trans* rights.

“A lot of people don’t realize [transgenderism] is here, and it’s no fault to themselves,” says Noah. “Unless you have a reason to get to know it, you don’t.”

Max* preferred to be identified only with his first name.

Western 1151 Richmond Street

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12 • TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

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Does Western muzzle free speech on campus?

RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITARAHMATI On a cold March morning, 700 people lined up outside Western University’s Natural Sciences building to hear Jordan Peterson, the psychology professor at the University of Toronto who made national headlines when he refused to call students by their preferred pronoun.

The crowd of students and London residents that wrapped around the building was punctuated with a handful of red “Make America Great Again” hats. Several individuals in attendance said they were watching Peterson because of his vehement support for freedom of speech.

Given the vociferous opposition that Peterson has faced at other universities, his Western visit was decidedly different. The only people outside the venue cheering or holding signs were those trumpeting freedom of speech.

Universities are often regarded as extremely liberal, left-leaning and politically correct space that don’t allow views from the right to be heard — a columnist at The Washington Post even referred to this as “illiberal leftist militancy.”

“We don’t have that much freedom to exist on campus, but we do [have some] and we have to make sure we have that voice on campus,” said Marisa Maslink, the president of the UOttawa Conservatives.

“Because if we don’t have that voice it often gets drowned out by the lack of free exchange on campus.”

A survey from the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA found that 43 per cent of students now agree that “colleges have the right to ban extreme speakers from campus” — double the number from the 1970s and 80s.

Peterson’s warm reception begs the question: does Western stand

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among the so-called “liberal” campuses accused of stifling free speech?

Although student debates for years focused on issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, gender identity has become a central topic in recent years.

The Peterson debate highlights the gender identity conversation which is arguably shaping the definition of free speech on university campuses.

“Gender identity is the thing that has shifted the most. Queer activism, trans-activism; those are important issues for this generation and the speed to which they have progressed is remarkable,” associate political science professor Dan Bousfield said. “Which I think is interesting because it’s led to a proliferation of ideas and identities in a way that I don’t think any of the other debates did in the same way.”

On March 30, a bus sponsored by various conservative groups arrived at Harvard University’s campus. Printed on the bus was a clear slogan: “It’s Biology: Boys are boys… and always will be. Girls are girls… and always will be. You can’t change sex.”

The Harvard Crimson reported that the bus was part of a campaign to promote “a renewed policy debate [on transgender issues] that tries to accommodate for everyone,” according to a spokesperson.

With “#FreeSpeechBus” plastered on the side of the bus, it was met by protesters who chanted and held up posters in solidarity with the trans* community.

At his Western appearance, Peterson — a former Harvard professor — challenged the ideology behind the new Bill C-16 in front of the Canadian Parliament. He began with examining the ideology behind C-16, which, according

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to him, purports that gender identity, expression, birth sex and sexual orientation are societally formed and independent of biology.

He stated that these presuppositions are false: “Nature doesn’t arrange itself so that everything it presents to us is in keeping with what we would like to be true politically; in fact, quite the contrary.”

Peterson argued that these differences are not only biological, like chromosomal and hormonal differences between men and women, but are also psychological.

While no protesters were seen at the sold-out Western event, Peterson’s talk at McMaster University was interrupted by air horns and megaphones.

Newspaper columnists of all political stripes have weighed in — speaking mostly of the attack on free speech on university campuses.

“Universities used to be about dangerous ideas. Now they’re about social work. You’d have to laugh, if it weren’t so sad,” said Globe and Mail writer Margaret Wente in her column titled “Why campuses are ditching free speech.” She pointed out in her column that Peterson received a warm welcome at Western.

On Western’s campus many students have openly discussed their views on LGBTQ issues and gender identity. The Gazette’s editorial board stance that Peterson should not be provided a platform at Western received backlash from many students.

A Facebook comment defending Peterson’s right to visit garnered 111 likes stating: “God forbid we invite a speaker who might challenge our views at an institution of higher learning. I think we should start padding the walls in every classroom with bubble wrap and maybe hang snowflakes from the ceilings too.”

But at Western gender identity is just one of the many controversial topics students are open to discussing. Just this year, Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions

519.661.3811 • www.thepurplestore.ca UCC Building, Main Level (Atrium)

TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE

(BDS) — a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality — made its way to Western with King’s University College Students’ Council (KUCSC) hosting a hotly contested referendum on BDS. After almost an entire academic year spent debating the issue, the BDS motion failed due to a low voter turnout, although 76 per cent of students who turned out voted in favour of BDS. In recent years, Western’s hosted several controversial conservative speakers including Conrad Black and Conservative leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary. Jian Ghomeshi’s lawyer Marie Henein received a positive reception when she visited in 2015. Even Ann Coulter spoke on campus in 2010.

Students at other Canadian universities have been less tolerant of controversial speakers.

After Coulter spoke in 2010, she headed to the University of Ottawa (U of O) for the next part of her Canadian campus tour. She didn’t even make it into the venue as 2,000 protesters gathered outside the building, prompting security officials to cancel the event due to concerns for her safety.

Andrew Potter, director of McGill’s Institute for the Study of Canada, resigned just last month following criticism for his article in Maclean’s on Quebec.

Maslink spoke about Janice Fiamengo — a U of O

professor well-known for her advocacy for men’s rights groups and what many cite as anti-feminist beliefs — was unable to attend a speaking engagement due to protests and safety concerns at a venue near the university. When Fiamengo was speaking at U of T in 2013, her speech was quickly interrupted after someone pulled the fire alarm. After the disruption, her talk continued with little fanfare until the question and answer session.

Marie Henein’s visit to the Nova Scotia university St. Francis Xavier gained a public outcry with many calls for her visit to be cancelled.

While expressing concern over the willingness of a large community willing to spend money to listen to Peterson speak, Noah Reid, a third-year engineering student who identifies as trans* believes all opinions should be open to debate.

“All opinions have the right to be shared,” he said. “[It’s] not our place to say [Peterson] can’t speak his mind.”

And as the free speech debate continues to intersect with gender identity on university campuses, Western’s institutional stance on the conversation is summed by President Amit Chakma, who spoke to the University Senate before Peterson’s visit.

“I think we’ve been an open and inclusive community, but at the same time I think we are also equally responsible for respecting all people’s right to express their views.

I think as an academic body, we fight ideas with ideas,” Chakma said.

“We don’t try to prevent people from speaking their minds ... I think our student body and community is mature enough to be able to make up their own minds.”

Many evidently did make up their minds.

The large lecture hall in Natural Science filled up quickly in anticipation for Peterson as the hundreds took their seats. As he entered, everyone shot up to their feet, giving Peterson a rapturous standing ovation.

His talk would be interrupted at several times as he spoke — not by protesters’ chanting or distracting airhorns or the sound of a pulled fire alarm — but by more excited applause from the Western audience.

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What students should know about the federal budget GRACE TO, SABRINA FRACASSI & BRADLEY METLIN @NEWSATGAZETTE OTTAWA — The federal government tabled a budget on March 22 that largely stayed the course laid out last year while prioritizing a more forward-thinking approach.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said middle-class Canadians want to see a more ambitious government.

“They want a government that puts our skilled, talented and creative people at the heart of a more innovative and globally competitive economy,” he said.

Here’s what you need to know: GETTING AROUND LONDON Students’ commute to, from and around campus is projected to see changes in the near future.

The 2017 Liberal federal budget focused on the improvement of Canada’s public transit systems as well as municipal taxi and ride-sharing services.

The funding is meant for all public transit systems across Canada, not specifically London; but London’s ward 6 councillor Phil Squire thinks positively about this investment.

“It continues to indicate that our project matches up with the investments that they want to make,” said Squire. “We’ve been assured by our MPs that that is the case.”

Jamie Cleary, University Students’ Council USC vice-president, also is glad that the Canadian government has recognized the need for investment into transit.

“We were hoping for some infrastructure money for transit projects and I think London will align quite well with the rapid transit project,” said Cleary. “I think that the city will have some work to do in moving forward to see how they can align with the investment … I think that gives rapid transit here in London a very good opportunity.”

To support the next development stage of new public transit system, the 2017 budget is set to invest $20.1 billion into public transit projects over the course of 11 years.

The budget is also proposing to eliminate the public transit tax credit, which may impact ridership.

However, Squire does not believe that this will have a direct impact in London.

“For people of lower income, starting in 2018, we’re going to be reducing the past rate from about $90 down to about $52,” explained Squire. “So I think that is going to be substantial enough to help any increases in that area.”

Asides for public transit, the budget also outlined tax excises on ride-sharing services.

The federal government stated that the definition of a taxi business will be modified to include ride-sharing services, such as Uber.

This amendment will be effective as of Canada Day 2017, which would cause passengers using ride-sharing services to be charged tax on their fares.

Cleary acknowledged that it is unfortunate that there will be a tax when students choose to take an Uber. However, he also adds that for a short Uber ride, the overall fare increase may be minimal.

“I think it’s important that we

CONNOR MALBEUF GAZETTE

look into what other transit methods students can take,” continued Cleary. “Recently, we did have Uber pass within the city of London so I think it will be interesting to see how the tax is going to affect students and if they’re still wanting to use that as a transportation method or if they’re looking into others.”

Although he is uncertain of whether students will change their minds about taking Uber, Cleary thinks that the budget’s investment on rapid transit alone will translate into alternative means of transportation within London.

TRAINING STUDENTS FOR JOBS Recognizing that students struggle with finding practical work experience in order to secure a job after graduation, the 2017 budget proposes actions to equip them with the skills that they need.

The Youth Employment Strategy is a government initiative that works to prepare Canadian youth for the workforce. With the support of federal investment, the initiative generates short-term job positions for students.

“We will help students get the skills and work experience they need to kick-start their careers,” said Morneau.

Starting in 2017-18, this year’s budget proposes to allot an additional $395.5 million into the Youth Employment Strategy over the course of three years. For the 201718 year, this will total approximately $480 million — a modest decrease of about $15 million from last year.

Combined with last year’s federal budget, these investments aim to create 15,000 new green jobs and more than 1,600 new job opportunities for youth in the heritage sector. It is also projected to aid over 33,000 vulnerable youths to develop the skills needed to find work or to attend school.

Practical work experience relating to the students’ areas of study is still in high demand, despite investments that were made in the 2016 budget. The Liberals plan to meet this demand by creating more co-op and work-integrated learning placements for students.

“To give our young people the best possible start, we will promote hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering and math,” explained Morneau. “Especially for young women, girls and indigenous youth.”

Specifically, the government will increase funding for Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that builds connections between industry employers and educational institutions. Over the course of next five years, Mitacs will be provided with $221 million, starting in 2017-18. With this investment, the organization has high hopes of providing a yearly total of 10,000

work-integrated learning placements to students.

INDIGENOUS STUDENTS For years indigenous students were faced with a shrinking pool of funds to access post-secondary institutions, but there’s some relief on the way.

In the budget, the government committed to “renewing Canada’s relationship with indigenous peoples and making real progress on the issues that matter most to them.”

The Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) was created years ago to help fund indigenous students’ endeavours to achieve a post-secondary education. However, a cap was established and funds have not increased with inflation.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ran his campaign on the promise to eliminate this cap and provide the fund with $50 million per year.

However, last year’s budget did not live up to that promise.

This year, student groups like the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) noted that they would be paying special attention to the

implementation of this promise.

In a sense, their wishes did come true. The federal government has proposed to increase funding to the PSSSP, essentially removing the cap.

However, the government has only allocated $90 million over a twoyear period, meaning that they fall short of their pledge by $5 million per year.

Anne-Marie Roy, national deputy chairperson of the CFS, spoke out on this.

“We know that there are currently 10,000 indigenous learners who are on a wait list to have access to the PSSSP,” said Roy. “So while this is a welcomed announcement, we know that we need to keep working to make sure that all, that education as a treaty right is fully upheld by our federal government.”

CANADA’S FIRST-EVER GENDER STATEMENT Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — a self-identifying feminist — and his government have enshrined women in the budget like never before, devoting an entire chapter to a gender statement.

The government committed the last year to using gender-based

analysis (GBA) to draft the 2017 budget and each subsequent budget after that. GBA looks at the way in which public policy affects men and women differently. It was applied to all budget measures — not just those aimed at women.

The gender statement explored the causes of the wage gap in Canada, noting that it is relatively high compared to other countries. One of the primary causes of this gap seems to be motherhood according to the budget.

“Women with children are often excluded from full participation in the labour market due to challenges in balancing work and family life, or they work part-time which often means lower wages and less benefits,” reads the budget.

During their first two budgets, the Liberals have argued they have taken measures to try and reduce the gender wage gap. They cite the Canada Child Benefit and investments in early learning and child care as areas that are designed to narrow the gap.

This year’s budget also points to a $14 million investment in Futurpreneur Canada, a national not-for-profit organization that helps young entrepreneurs with mentorship, learning resources and financing. Last year, 40 per cent of the businesses supported by the organization were owned by women — double the national average.

Morneau explained that these investments will lead to cascading effects for Canada. “[The government] can ensure that we empower women to be in the workforce. That will help women, that will help our economy.”

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Indigenous students:

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Finding their voices on campus AIDAN TONG GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE For the last two years, Kaitlyn Powless wasn’t with her family when she celebrated her most important annual tradition, Midwinter.

“I’m Onondaga,” says Powless, a third-year history and political science student. “One of our biggest traditions is the annual Midwinter festivities.”

The celebration awaits the arrival of the first new moon and has no set date. Involving tobacco invocation, dream rituals, a dance and a feast, it can last up to nine days. Though this cultural tradition is specific to the Longhouse people, it’s an example of one indigenous custom that’s hard for students to get academic accommodation for.

Logan Smith, president of the Indigenous Student Association, can relate to Powless’s experience.

“If we’re not able to practice Midwinter, we feel like we’re missing something,” he said. “Everything is interconnected. And you’re not going to be successful as a student if your cultural and ceremonial needs aren’t met, if your health needs aren’t met and if your spiritual needs aren’t met.”

For indigenous students, leaving their communities and coming to Western is not only a momentous decision, but can be an intimidating one too. Smith says the younger indigenous generation’s ability to maintain their cultural authenticity is vital, and leaving the communities they have known their whole life is a daunting step. Hoping to find a sense of belonging at Western while cultivating their indigenous identity is the goal, but small moments of cultural insensitivity from students and the academic curriculum can cause a disconnect.

LACKING HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE Some could argue the disconnect stems from the students’ minimal knowledge of Canadian history.

For example, many students are unaware of the historical significance of Western’s campus location — the campus sits on the indigenous territories of the Anishinaabe Peoples, the Haudenosaunee Peoples and the Leni-Lunaape Peoples.

On the academic side of things, Powless explains her discontent with some of her courses. She says their simplistic approach to indigenous topics like treaty and territory infringement as well as environmental issues is hard to hear.

“Even in some of my classes, they talk about it like it happened a long time ago, even when it’s happening today … It’s not that I think there should be a mandatory course, but at least mandatory content,” says Powless about First Nations studies.

“As an indigenous student, I feel like

they just breeze through it all.”

Powless says she took a first-year political science course, and the professor spent more time lecturing about animal rights than indigenous issues.

“Me, as a person, I feel unimportant.”

She also observes that among the flags that are raised during flag day in the University Community Centre (UCC), visual representation of the Anishinaabe Peoples, the Haudenosaunee Peoples and the Leni-Lunaape Peoples are nowhere to be seen yet, the university is situated on the territory of these tribes.

Some could argue the disconnect between the indigenous student body and Western seems to stem from the two historically conflicting cultures: anglophone Canada and indigenous Canada. Brent Stonefish, director of Indigenous Services at Western and a member of the Indigenous Strategic Initiatives Committee, describes the relationship between Western and the indigenous community as developing.

“The biggest issue is trust. For the indigenous people, the educational system was designed to assimilate,” referring to the residential schools.

Today, Stonefish calls attention to some of the cultural challenges particular to indigenous students within post-secondary institutions.

As some are still trying to maintain their cultural identity, they are asked to prescribe to a certain way of knowing and doing things at Western.

He stresses that, “working with indigenous communities doesn’t necessarily align with that [university] bureaucracy … meaning that you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole. There has to be greater understanding, not short-term solutions.”

ACKNOWLEDGING CULTURAL TRADITIONS Although there’s work to be done, Western’s come far in its journey to create a welcoming environment for indigenous students.

Last November the University approved its first-ever Indigenous Strategic Plan. The plan aims to right the wrongs of Canadian history and increase the number of indigenous students at Western.

With more than 400 indigenous students enrolled to date, Western’s five year strategic plan is committed to giving indigenous students an experience that is more accustomed to their traditions. From daily smudging to drumming and singing groups, as well as the benefit of counselling by visiting elders, the Strategic Plan’s objective is already demonstrating its inclusivity and positive impact.

As the University’s Indigenous Services website points out, 60 years ago, indigenous people in secondary institutions were essentially non-existent. The main reason for

this stemmed from legislation prohibiting indigenous people from pursuing a secondary education unless they relinquished their treaty rights. Today, Western reaches out to prospective indigenous students through its annual Mini University program — a one-week on-campus experiential learning program targeting indigenous youth ages 12–16. Since 2006, over 700 indigenous high school students have been provided with programs encouraging post-secondary education at Western.

In addition, Powless is finding ways to make her voice heard. She participated in a few focus groups for the strategic plan and was happy to see that recognition of indigenous land is becoming more prevalent in academic courses. As well, more positions have opened up in the Indigenous Services department, and Western has also recently created a co-chair position for an indigenous leader to be part of the head of the Provost Implementation Task Force.

For Smith, Indigenous Services has been key to his success at Western.

“I can personally say that I have achieved a lot of success here at this school because of the cultural, academic and financial support,” he says.

WESTERN’S PLAN MOVING FORWARD With Western’s 11th annual powwow celebrated last month, the Indigenous Student Association has organized and demonstrated their traditions once again. It was a day that gave many indigenous youth a chance to engage with their roots and enjoy festivities that included drumming, dancing and chanting throughout the afternoon. Bringing in residential school survivors, indigenous armed force veterans and different First Nations groups, this combination of different people celebrated a broad range of experiences.

Looking ahead, Western states its commitment to engaging and elevating the voices of indigenous students and faculty members. To achieve these goals, the University says it will be collaborating with the Indigenous Postsecondary Education Council (IPEC) and will aim to expand indigenous culture awareness at Western, grow the current visiting elders program and build partnerships with provincial and national aboriginal institutions. Western’s Indigenous Services expects the strategic plan to come into effect next year.

Looking to the future, students like Powless and Smith are hopeful for a more interconnected Western community — culturally and socially — because from their perspective, it’s understanding and empathy that create change.

PHOTOS BY MOSES MONTERROZA GAZETTE

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TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 • 15

sports

Mustangs Year End Report Cards SPORT

MEN’S

WOMEN’S

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: B-

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL: A-

The men’s volleyball team’s season ended in heartbreak, as they bowed out in the OUA quarter-final to the Ryerson Rams after winning the first two sets. Despite pushing a talented team to the brink of elimination in a hostile road atmosphere, the Mustangs saw their season cut short. A dangerous team, Western finished in the OUA’s top five in both kills per set and assists per set, placing third overall in the West Division.

Women’s volleyball managed to scoop up an OUA silver medal, and a trip to the U Sports national championships.

Despite their success, there’s still some work to be done.

The Mustangs had the opportunity to grab gold against their rival McMaster Marauders, who they split their season series against 2-2, but saw the gold slip through their fingers on the last play of the game. The team also had some losses against teams that they should have easily defeated.

With a strong incoming rookie crop, expect another OUA final four appearance, as well as another trip to the U Sports nationals next year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: C The Mustangs headed into the 2016-17 campaign with a young and inexperienced squad. With expectations low, the team went 7-13 and finished third in the Ontario University Athletics West Division. Freshman Omar Shiddo had an explosive rookie year, averaging 15.5 points per game while breaking the school’s single game rookie scoring record.

With Shiddo, Eriq Jenkins and a number of other dynamic young players returning, the Mustangs should be back in contention next season. While 7-13 is not a record to write home about, the Mustangs are deserving of a C grade due to the improvement seen throughout the roster as the season progressed.

MEN’S HOCKEY: D The Mustangs fell short of the mark in a major way this season, failing to make the OUA playoffs for the first time in 18 years. Just one year removed from a CIS championship appearance, the men’s hockey team struggled to keep the puck out of their own net. With 117 goals allowed, the Mustangs were the worst defensive team in the league. Still, their core on the blueline is young and bound to improve as they grow accustomed to the OUA level.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: C+ Expectations were relatively high for the Mustangs coming into the season, with Mackenzie Puklicz returning after a 2015-16 season that saw her lead the OUA in points and make the OUA All-Star First Team. However, the Mustangs were inconsistent all season, finishing the regular season with a record of 8-12. The team struggled through a nine game losing streak stretching from the end of November to the beginning of February. However, the team was able to pick up an upset win over the Ottawa Gee-Gee’s in the first round of the OUA playoffs before falling to the McMaster Marauders to end their season.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY: BThe women’s hockey team had a pretty average season, staying at around .500 winning percentage for most of the season. They managed to finish the regular season off on a six game wining streak, and finished with a 14-10 record.

Despite their struggles, the team managed to sneak into the playoffs; some bad puck luck resulted in the team being eliminated in the first round. The Mustangs didn’t reach their full potential this season, but there are some promising signs that indicate next season will see them enjoy more success.

JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

Table tennis set to take on nationals MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE Western’s table tennis team doesn’t get much love on campus. In fact, if the Mustangs’ website is any indication, the team appears to have not had a schedule since the 2011-12 campaign.

But one Mustangs athlete will be representing the purple and white at the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association’s (NCTTA) national championship tournament in Eau Claire, Wisconsin from April 7-9.

First-year BMOS student and Edmonton native, Kelly Li, will be competing in the 2017 TMS College Table Tennis National Championships alongside athletes from Canada and the United States.

The NCTTA is divided into seven regions. Western competes in the Greater Toronto Area region, which consists of Ontario universities and colleges.

Li went 11-15 during the NCTTA season and has mixed emotions about how her first collegiate table tennis season went.

“I think, because I haven’t really played in five years, it’s definitely been a transition to get back into the routine again,” she said. “But with all the team support I think I

did good enough, but not as well as I could have done if I was able to practice a lot more.”

Coming from Alberta, Li stopped playing the sport at a high level in junior high. But when deciding on a university to attend, the fact that Western had a sanctioned table tennis program was one of the factors in her choice to come to London.

“I’m from Alberta and table tennis isn’t one of the big sports in Alberta,” said Li. “I did compete for the provincial team but I kind of stopped in junior high. I just played recreationally so coming into the varsity team has been a transition.”

The coach of the Mustangs program is Eunice Chan, a former Mustangs player who is currently pursuing her PhD in mathematics.

According to Chan, Li has been one of the team’s most energetic and committed members.

In short, she’s precisely the kind of athlete that Chan wishes to recruit to the program.

“She’s been such a good team member and her skill is much more advanced than some people that I do recruit for the team,” said Chan.

“During tryouts I try to find people who are very dedicated and I can see that they can improve. I don’t necessarily take the best players because

occasionally when you take good players they’re not committed and don’t come to practice. She’s been there the whole time training and it’s been awesome.”

Li is excited to compete in the national championship tournament, where she will have the opportunity to compete against the best of the best at the collegiate level.

But she also anticipates building relationships with the athletes she will compete against.

“First of all, nationals is when the best players come together,” said Li. “So meeting my role models that I haven’t seen in many years will be great, including some people who have competed in the Olympics and World Championships is something that I’m really excited about. But as a university student, just getting to know new people both as players and then on a personal level will bring everyone together because we share that common interest in the sport.”

It’s been a dry season for Mustangs athletics this winter. And although Li will head to Wisconsin as an underdog, she has the opportunity to compete against the stars of the sport while donning the Western colours.

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16 • TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

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Inaugural Gazette student choice awards

CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE YEAR

COACH OF THE YEAR

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

The Western Mustangs were crowned champions of the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association after defeating the Trent Excalibur on Nov. 5. It was the fourth national title in program history and the first since 2001. After losing their home opener, the Mustangs went on an improbable 14-game winning streak that culminated in the 11-7 win over Trent. Ryan Myles scored five goals and recorded one assist to earn player of the game honours in the national title match. He was also named the tournament MVP after compiling eight goals and two assists in two games.

The Coach of the Year award will be shared by both Volker Nolte and Melissa Bartlett, who managed their programs to incredible heights during the 2016-17 season.

Nolte led the men’s and women’s rowing teams to provincial titles this season, while the women also won their fourth straight national championship. The men’s side finished fourth in the nation. As for Bartlett, the women’s volleyball program upset the perennially powerful Toronto Varsity Blues in the OUA semifinals before taking home a provincial silver medal. The team finished sixth in the nation at the U Sports national championships.

Kelsey Veltman continued her impressive university volleyball career this season, leading the Mustangs women’s volleyball team to an OUA silver medal and a berth at the U Sports national championships. Veltman earned All-Canadian Second Team honours and was the OUA West Division Player of the Year. She led the country in solo blocks (35) and ranked second in blocks per set (1.35).

Veltman also ranked fourth in the nation in hitting percentage with a .325 success rate and ninth with 3.81 kills per set.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

MUSTANG EVENT OF THE YEAR

RIVALRY OF THE YEAR

Few U Sports athletes brought home as much hardware as Sheffar did this year.

Representing Western in both cross country and track and field, he medalled at both the provincial and national levels. In the fall, he led the Mustangs to an OUA gold and a U Sports bronze, named a First Team All-Star by the OUA. Later in the spring season, Sheffar brought home the Hec Phillips Trophy as the outstanding male athlete in OUA track and field, after winning gold in both the 3000- and 1500-metre events. The third-year social sciences student was also named Mustangs Athlete of the Week five times this year for his success.

Along with other universities across Canada, Western participated in Bell Let’s Talk Day on Jan. 25 to support mental health initiatives.

The men’s hockey team hosted the Windsor Lancers that night, as fans packed Thompson Arena to cheer on the Mustangs and to raise money for a good cause. Students, families and local hockey teams came together to write messages of support on blue speech bubbles and sign a giant Bell Let’s Talk banner, before watching Western keep their faint playoff hopes alive with an exciting 3-1 win.

The Mustangs and Marauders were two of the top teams in the OUA during the regular season, with a combined record of 31-7 between the two programs. The two powerhouses of the OUA West Division met four times during the regular season. The teams split their two regular season meetings, with the Mustangs winning 3-0 in London and the Marauders winning 3-1 in Hamilton. In the OUA championship game the Marauders took home the title in a five set thriller. When the teams met in the U Sports national tournament, the Mustangs ousted the Marauders 3-1 in the consolation semifinals.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

SENIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

TEAM OF THE YEAR

Melissa Langegger established herself as a future star for the Mustangs volleyball program, as the first year outside hitter earned a spot on the U Sports All-Rookie Team after an impressive inaugural campaign.

Langegger appeared in all of the team’s 19 matches, averaging 2.1 points and 2.04 digs per set for the Mustangs while ranking third on the team in kills per set (1.75) and service aces (14).

Candice Scott had an exceptional final season of university volleyball, helping lead the Mustangs women’s volleyball team to an OUA silver medal. Scott played a pivotal role in the Mustangs upset win over the Toronto Varsity Blues in their OUA semifinal matchup, recording eight kills, two blocks and an ace. Scott finished the year ranked ninth in the OUA in service aces and second in service aces per set.

The Mustangs dominated on the water this season, as the women’s rowing team took home the championship for the fourth straight year at both the OUA and national level. Western snagged six medals at the Canadian University Rowing Championship, giving them a three-point overall victory over the second-place University of British Columbia. At the OUA competition, Western won 10 medals and claimed the banner by a whopping 342 points. Long a powerhouse in rowing, Western’s women won their 25th Mrs. W. Lathrop Challenge Trophy as OUA champions.

Men’s Lacrosse

Jack Sheffar

Melissa Langegger

Melissa Bartlett Volker Nolte

Bell Let’s Talk Game

Candice Scott

Kelsey Veltman

Women’s Volleyball Mustangs vs. Marauders

Women’s Rowing

The inaugural Gazette Sports student choice awards (affectionately known as The Gazzies) were established to allow Western’s students to have their say on which Mustangs athletes deserve to be recognized for their achievements.

Nominees were chosen by the Gazette’s sports editors and online voting began just over a week ago. The winners were announced online on Sunday, April 2.

JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 • 17

culture

Provincial politics affects postsecondary students VIVIAN CHENG GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE Flashback to the 2015 federal election where student political engagement was relatively high: campus debates were frequent and both residences and social media saw the open support of political parties.

But with the 2018 provincial election coming up, student political engagement has been dismal in comparison. In fact, political sciences professor Robert Jonasson says that “most people, including students, tend to vote more on average across Canada for federal elections.”

William Khoury, fourth-year physiology student, believes people don’t care as much about provincial politics because most of the attention is geared towards what happens in federal politics.

“There is an impression that the federal government has more influence on people than the provincial politics,” says Khoury. However, the impression that provincial politics is less important is a fallacy.

Taylor Lau, second-year FIMS student, isn’t particularly interested in politics.

“Provincial politics doesn’t seem to have a large effect on my dayto-day functioning. I feel a lot of the times politicians say we’ll see change, it takes a long time for them to implement it and it doesn’t really affect me in the moment,” says Lau. Lau also mentions that she finds politics boring.

However, many areas of provincial jurisdiction directly affect students and should be of particular interest to students. Khoury mentions that most of a student›s daily interactions involve the provincial government.

“Provinces have jurisdiction over healthcare, education, social services, power generation and licensing as well as many provincial taxes,” explains Jonasson.

Jamie Cleary, vice-president of the University Student’s Council (USC), delves into the numerous responsibilities of the post-secondary education sector within the provincial government.

Cleary mentions the “big focus on experiential work learning through internships, co-ops or out of classroom learning,” as one of the directions the government wants to head towards.

In addition to the direction of post-secondary education, the affordability of education also remains a primary responsibility of provincial government. Whether it’s tuition fees, OSAP or university funding, these are all issues that affect students and that should prompt concern, explains Cleary.

In addition to the financial burdens of post-secondary education, students struggle to find affordable housing. Students are also impacted by rising living costs.

Cleary mentions that utility bills should be something to focus on for students.

Recently, there has been a lot of public outrage in regards to Premier Kathleen Wynne privatizing hydro and rising energy costs over the years. Although Ontarians approve

of the promised 25 per cent hydro rate cut, there is concern about the $25 billion extra in interest payments placed onto the next generation.

Despite the importance of students engagement, Khoury believes that the disengagement also stems from the lack of effort on the part of politicians in regards to youth/ student issues.

There are many other issues that students should become informed about.

Although “[students] might decide to hear from students on direct issues like tuition and student loans, other policies such as taxes, transportation and social programs have less input from students even though they are just as important to our lives,” says Khoury.

Cleary hopes his successors will host ‘get out to vote’ events on campus.

Cleary, Jonasson and Khoury believe it is critical for students KYLE PORTER GAZETTE to stay informed about provincial issues. Students can stay informed elections are the most vital. By makthrough media sources reporting ing their voices heard, students can on provincial change and following influence the direction of certain local MPPs, party leaders and local issues. candidates.

Although not glamorous, provinClass 4x117 170404 AMpolitics Page 1is an integral aspect of Jonasson argues GZ that2017-03-31 provincial 9:57 cial

Canadian society. Khoury believes that the direct and frequent interactions with the provincial government should prompt students to pay very close attention to provincial politics.

“The issues of Ontario directly affect all of its citizens, including students, for their entire lives,” says Jonasson.

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culture

How to avoid student moving struggles JOANNA SHEPHERD GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE For most university students, April is a stressful time due to final essays and exams, but having to organize moving can really add to the strain.

With move-out days fast approaching, here are some tips for how to make moving out less stressful.

THINKING ABOUT MOVING IN WHILE YOU’RE MOVING OUT Some excited students may have spent the past three months planning everything about their new room, but they may forget to pay attention to the logistics of moving out.

Third-year medical sciences student Briannee Dover knows first hand what it feels like to gloss over the move-in date.

Two years ago, Dover moved out of her old place in April only to find out her new landlord had given the previous tenants an extra day to move out.

“My housemates and I couldn’t bring any of our stuff into the house,” Dover says. “It was pouring rain, so we had to put our mattresses outside on the back porch under a tarp. We ended up sleeping overnight in the parking lot of Walmart in our truck.”

Like Dover, many students struggle to figure out what to do when their lease ends at the end of April and their next one doesn’t begin immediately. To avoid this, make sure you know exactly what date you’ll be able to move in and consider what sleeping arrangements you may need to make. Hotel prices can be expensive, but AirBnB works as a cheaper solution for handling overnight wait time. Crashing at a friend’s place is always a good go-to as well.

BE AWARE OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT AND EXAM DATES Move out days also often coincide with exams and end of semester essays and projects. Arranging moving plans can be an additional stressor for students, especially for first-years moving out of residence and into off-campus housing.

Second-year anthropology and

Should you be picking up those past exams?

NICOLE LAM GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

dance student Reesa Barkhouse faced difficulties when she finished exams on April 20 and only had 24 hours to move out of residence.

Since the break between when her lease started and when she moved out of residence was so long, she ended up moving all of her stuff back to her home in northern Ontario.

Additionally, she had to wait until September to move in, which was difficult to balance alongside school and being a soph.

To avoid this, pay close attention to when your exam and assignment schedule when planning how you’re going to move. Organize your belongings accordingly and figure out what kind of accommodations you may need ahead of time.

THINK TWICE BEFORE MOVING OUT “If you don’t have to move, don’t do it!” third-year English student

Jessica Viggiani says. “I’m excited to live in a new space, but moving is so hard.”

Is the draft in your bedroom really that much of a problem? Do you really need an extra foot of closet space? Is a small bathroom actually that inconvenient? Moving out can seem appealing, but it can often be more hassle than it’s worth. There’s so much preparation and work involved, and so much potential for problems to arise that, unless it’s completely necessary, it’s better to just not switch locations.

So if you’re planning on moving at the end of the academic year, beware of the struggles and stress involved. Whether you end up storing your things until September or sleeping in a Walmart parking lot, know that student housing isn’t forever and someday you’ll get to move into a place for good.

•

Every student has a checklist when they begin studying for exams.

Lecture notes? Check. Textbook?

Check. Coffee? Double check. Past exams? TBD. Using old exam questions to practice is a common study strategy among students if they can get ahold of them. Western currently lacks a campus-wide policy for old exam distribution. It varies between faculties and even between professors within the same department.

This has resulted in an informal exam black market, where students obtain past exams through other means: friends who’ve taken the course before, buying them off upper-year students or even purchasing them on third party sites.

Faculty sophs are one of the groups on campus that try to act as an informal exam bank for frosh who ask.

Brooke Grant, a science faculty soph, says there isn’t an official compilation of old exams for sophs to give to their frosh. It’s usually up to the individual soph to either find old exams or provide their own.

However, there is a lot of communication within faculty soph teams, and sharing resources with each other is a team effort.

“Everyone’s pretty close and tightknit,” says Grant. “So if someone has something that they think would help other people’s students, they’ll post it in our main Facebook group.”

There are obvious problems with this system. Some students who aren’t lucky enough to get their hands on an old exam are at a disadvantage compared to people who are. And for the students who do find themselves in possession of an old exam, they’re faced with the ethical dilemma of who to share it with and how.

Elias Bacarro, a third-year BMOS student, says, “We have a very

inefficient system, and it’s up to the student to circumvent that.”

He adds that it’s not unethical for students to use past exams; rather, it should be the teacher’s responsibility to uphold a standard.

Some professors such as Tom Haffie, who teaches first-year biology, are conflicted about releasing past exams. While Haffie sees them as a useful tool for students to gain feedback, he is also worried about giving students the wrong impression about what will be on the exam.

“The danger of using old tests is that they’re old,” says Haffie. “Past exams make people think that their studying is more efficient or supercharged in some way.”

He explains that the course material changes every year, so questions on old exams may not be relevant anymore. Exams are also not comprehensive, testing only a fraction of the entire course.

While Haffie releases modified versions of old exam questions for term tests, with the irrelevant questions or ones with typos taken out, he prefers to write new sample questions for students to use to study for the final.

There are a lot of parties involved in the issue of circulating past exams — professors, administration, sophs, third party companies — not just current students, so the solution may not be straightforward. There is no quick fix, and there are many things to consider such as grade distribution, bell curves and academic dishonesty.

One possible option is to introduce a faculty-wide, centralized portal for old exams, like at the University of Toronto, where professors can upload their old exams as a resource for students, but the feasibility of a new policy such as this one is unclear for Western.

Nevertheless, students are a resourceful bunch, and will probably find a way to get a hold of old exams anyway.

Ground Up Organic Café a vegan must-try AMY SKODAK CULTURE EDITOR @AMYSKODAK Entirely fair trade, organic and plant-based meals at the Ground Up Organic Café make it a triple threat, with a variety of goods attracting vegans and non-vegans alike.

The colourful walls accented with artwork, potted plants and bowls of fresh fruit give the new café an Instagram-worthy aesthetic with an equally colourful menu to match.

Ground Up proves that eating a plant-based diet doesn’t mean having to compromise on taste; they serve everything from creamy lattes and loaded breakfast burritos to chili “cheese” potato bowls, rainbow wraps and doughnuts.

“Everything in here is 100 per cent vegan,” says owner and Western grad, Steve Loney. He explains that Ground Up, which opened January 12, started thanks to his own journey towards healthy eating and environmental awareness.

“I’ve always considered myself an environmentalist but I never realized that 50 per cent of my carbon emissions come from the food choices I was making,” says Loney. This makes up one of the three pillars that drives Loney and many others to maintain a plantbased lifestyle: personal health, the health of the planet and the health and well-being of animals.

Compassion for all living things is at the root of everything Ground Up does: making smart food choices, reducing waste and sourcing ingredients as locally as possible.

“I believe strongly in the organic process,” Loney says. “It’s a lot less harmful to farmworkers than traditional farming or industrial farming.”

Along with being organically sourced and plant-based, the café restricts processed foods in favour of freshly-made goods from real ingredients.

“Our end goal is creating a delicious meal that is wholesome and full of flavour,” says chef

Andy Paquet. “The vegan cheese sauce is actually a potato, carrot and cashew base,” he says of their popular topping. Ground Up also makes fresh cashew milk, English muffins and guilt-free sweets among their line up of goodies.

Paquet explains that many of their ingredients include healthy fats from nuts, chickpeas and avocados because of their benefits for the brain, body and palette.

Acknowledged as the “mastermind” of many of Ground Up’s dishes, Paquet works hard to create fresh meal options.

“At the end of the day, we serve healthy food that’s affordable, 100 per cent organic and accessible for everybody,” says Loney. His goal of making available vegan meal options that are equally enjoyable for non-vegans is coming to fruition.

The Ground Up Cafe is located at 717 Richmond St. It’s open Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

AMY SKODAK GAZETTE

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19 • TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017

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