Tuesday, August 28, 2018 - FROSH

FROSH MAGAZINE FALL 2018 • VOLUME 112 • ISSUE 2

PRESENTED BY

THE GAZETTE

HELLO 2

LETTER FROM FRONT OFFICE

ADJUSTING 4

WEEKLY DEALS

5

SEPTEMBER RUNDOWN

6

WESTERN’S MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

8

YOUR GUIDE TO CAMPUS SAFETY

10 BALLIN’ ON A BUDGET

EXPLORATION 12 NAVIGATING TRANSIT IN THE FOREST CITY 14 MAPPING LOCAL BUSINESSES 16 LONDON’S CUTEST COFFEE SHOPS 17 DITCH YOUR ECHO CHAMBER 18 GRAB YOUR SEXTANT BECAUSE WE’VE GOT WATERS TO NAVIGATE 20 10 HEALTHY HABITS FOR ALL MUSTANGS 22 MAXIMIZING YOUR ROOMMATE RELATIONSHIP

AROUND CAMPUS 24 PURPLE DAYS 28 CRAFTING CULTURE: SELECTING O-WEEK PERFORMERS 30 VIEWS OF O-WEEKS PAST 33 HOW TO GET INVOLVED ON CAMPUS 34 CLUB SCENE LOWDOWN 36 GYMMING WITH PERSONAL TRAINERS 38 MUSTANGS FOOTBALL FIVE BURNING QUESTIONS

MISCELLANEOUS FUN 42 WESTERN BY THE NUMBERS 44 FACES IN HIGH PLACES 46 PLACES WITH HIGH FACES 47 CAMPUS’ GREENEST STUDY SPOTS 48 REVAMP YOUR SYLLABUS, GO DIGITAL

FALL 2018 • VOLUME 112 • ISSUE 2

gazette presents Fall 2018 • Volume 112 • Issue 2

MICHAEL CONLEY Editor-In-Chief MIKE DEBOER Managing Editor LUCAS SONKE Deputy Editor

MARTIN ALLEN GAZETTE The Gazette’s Volume 112 Front Office (left to right: Mike DeBoer, Michael Conley, Lucas Sonke)

CONTRIBUTORS Liam Afonso Martin Allen Judy Basmaji Sissi Chen Gabi Drolet Kyra Karakatsanis Kristin Lee Kaitlyn Lonnee Connor Malbeuf Carmen Mallia Courtney Mann

Greetings traveler,

Katrina McCallum Jordan McGavin Emily Tayler Lucy Villeneuve COMPOSING Ian Greaves, Manager Maja Anjoli-Bilić Robert Armstrong ADVERTISING Diana Watson FRONT COVER Michael Conley

You are now reading the Western Gazette’s 2018 Frosh Issue magazine. We hope this content gives first-year Western students — with an honourable shoutout to transfers — information to prepare for the impending journey. And to everyone else: thanks for taking the time. We hope you find a balance of healthy nostalgia and valuable advice to hit the ground running this new semester.

Western University’s campus, if you are yet to realize, beats the hell out of most places on Earth. There are full-blown forests, University College is a postcard and rez wing nights could make Bobby Flay weep saucy, joyful tears.

Yet, your experience on this campus won’t be as straightforward. Those things are manufactured, compliments to the administration. Our everyday lives can be straining. Stress concerning finances, sleep, studying and shit we make up clouds our heads and keeps us awake. Your university experience will be all the joy O-Week promises, but there will be anxiety-ridden bits too. Recognize that you and all that you encompass within and outside of academia matters.

So take a break once in a while. Speak your mind. Follow your passions and see where these coming years might take you.

As for the Gazette, we’re Western’s campus newspaper (and so much more).

We are a collaborative effort of hardworking individuals with a passion for journalism, design and cross-platform communication. From the newsroom’s hard-hitting features to Western TV’s notorious interviews, our work is supplied by hardworking students with a passion for community. We provide students industry experience in writing, editing, photography, videography, graphic design and production.

Through high standards built on over a century of journalistic integrity, the Gazette strives to improve our student experience through quality work and involvement opportunities, while growing the next generation of media talent.

So if that sounds like something you’re into, pick up a paper or come by and contribute. Campus organizations such as ours offer ways to engage with student life in meaningful ways.

Because life moves fast around here — what side do you want to be on?

Visit Start.ca/win to find out how you could win free internet for a year and a 15" Macbook Pro

Contest ends September 30, 2018 *Contest open to Ontario residents of legal age. No purchase necessary.

Prize may not be exactly as shown. Winner receives free internet for one (1) year. See complete rules and regulations at Start.ca/win.

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE  3

1/2 PRICE WINGS:

1/2 price wings at Molly Bloom’s

APPETIZERS:

THURSDAY

MONDAY

DOLLAR BEERS:

$1.25 beers at Jack’s

1/2 price apps at The Pub on Richmond

NACHOS & DRINKS:

1/2 price nachos, $5 Coronas, $4 Jägermeister at Winks

MOVIE NIGHT:

$3.25 student admission at Western Film

FRIDAY

1/2 price burgers, $13 pitchers at McCabe’s

1/2 price bottles of wine at The Pub on Richmond

TOONIE TAKEOVER:

SATURDAY

BURGERS & BEERS:

THIRSTY THURSDAYS:

ONLY AT JACK’S:

SUNDAY

TUESDAY

$2.50 tequila, $12.50 pitchers, 1/2 price nachos at Jack’s

$7.50 domestic schooners of Coors Light, Canadian, Bud, and Coors Banquet at McCabe’s

1/2 PRICE WINE:

$5 burger and $5 pints at Symposium

TEQUILA TUESDAYS:

SCHOONERS:

$14 pitchers of Labatt 50, $4.50 rail mixed drinks at Winks

BURGERS & BEERS:

$5 PINTS:

$2 tequila and Jägerbombs at Jack’s

$2.50 Jack Daniel’s and Florida Tracksuits at Jack’s

DRINKS AT WINKS:

$5 Caesars until 4 p.m., $5 domestic small draught, $3 Jägermeister at Winks

GROCERIES:

10% off with student card at Food Basics, Real Canadian Superstore and Metro

WEDNESDAY

WEEKLY DEALS AROUND LONDON

FROSH MAGAZINE

DOLLAR BEERS:

$1.25 beers at Jack’s

WINE WEDNESDAY:

1/2 price bottles of wine at McCabe’s

NACHO NIGHT:

1/2 price nachos at Molly Bloom’s

4 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

$5 pints at McCabe’s

SUNDAY FUNDAY:

1/2 price wings with purchase of a beverage at Winks

SEPTEMBER AT A GLANCE

SEPTEMBER 6 FIRST DAY OF CLASS Get ready for a wild ride!

SEPTEMBER 11 USC DAY Visit the UCC and Concrete Beach to learn about the services the USC offers and opportunities to get involved.

MAX MAO GAZETTE

SEPTEMBER 14 ADDING CLASSES Last day to add first-term and full-year courses, so make sure not to miss the deadline!

SEPTEMBER 14-15 BLOCK PARTY Head down to Harris Park to take in some of EDM's biggest names, including Zedd, Kaskade and Loud Luxury.

SEPTEMBER 17 BEERFEST Sample beer, eat food and enjoy live music on Concrete Beach. What could be better?

CONNOR MALBEUF GAZETTE

SEPTEMBER 17-21 CLUBS WEEK Visit the UCC to learn about Western's wide array of clubs and sign up for any you're interested in joining.

SEPTEMBER 28 GAZETTE OPEN HOUSE Stop by the Gazette (in UCC room 263) to learn more about our publication and how to get involved in Volume 112 of Canada's largest student newspaper.

SEPTEMBER 29 FOCO MAX MAO GAZETTE

Now an annual tradition, take to the streets to celebrate Western's traditional Homecoming date. Make sure to wear purple, but don't tell Chakma!

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE  5

FROSH MAGAZINE

Western’s mental health resources

By Michael Conley

Mental illness among university students is a foremost trial within Canadian society. Western’s planned renovations to Thames Hall will place its plethora of mental health resources under one easily accessible roof. But renovations aren’t scheduled to begin until 2019 and a year of stress awaits every student on Western’s campus.

Until it opens, here are a number of campus resources that offer mental health support: THE WELLNESS EDUCATION CENTRE

PEER SUPPORT CENTRE

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY CENTRE, ROOM 76 MON TO FRI, 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M.

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY CENTRE, ROOM 256 MON TO FRI, 10 A.M. TO 6 P.M.

The Wellness Education Centre is your friendly drop-in desk for all things wellness at Western University. Tell them what you need, and they’ll help you map your wellness journey. Feel free to stop by any time as there’s no appointment necessary.

The Peer Support Network is, at its core, a place to hang out.

The prospect of spending time sharing your thoughts with strangers may seem foreign, but it offers an outlet away from everyday social connections. Speaking to others when feeling unwell can grow self-efficacy and keep early-stage illnesses from worsening.

STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES

WESTERN SPORTS AND RECREATION CENTRE

UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY CENTRE, ROOM 11 MON TO THU, 9 A.M. TO 7 P.M. AND FRI, 9 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M.

MON TO THU, 6 A.M. TO 11:30 P.M., FRI, 6 A.M. TO 8 P.M., SAT, 9 A.M. TO 8 P.M. AND SUN, 9 A.M. TO 11:30 P.M.

If you’re a student registered at Western or its affiliate colleges, Student Health Services has you covered. Their services include free individual counselling and a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, physician psychotherapists and social workers who work to meet students’ varying needs. Stop by the clinic or call 519-661-3030 to book an appointment.

Don’t overlook being physically active and finding community. Going to the gym doesn’t just have to mean pumping iron: take an aerobics class, hit the pool, play some squash or join a pickup basketball game. Or even just walk to class if the Rec Centre isn’t for you.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES WESTERN STUDENT SERVICES BUILDING, ROOM 4100 MON TO FRI 8:30 A.M. TO 4 P.M. As part of the Student Development Centre, Psychological Services provides professional and confidential psychological services free of charge to all Western students. Their services include individual counselling, group counselling, crisis counselling and counselling for international students.

6 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

SEPT 7-16

AARON WALK OFF THE EARTH PRITCHETT WITH DARENOTS

TUESDAY, SEPT 11TH

$40

(FAIR ADMISSION, TAX & FEES INCLUDED)

WITH AARON ALLEN &

THE SMALL CITY SAINTS

WEDNESDAY, $30 SEPT 12TH

(FAIR ADMISSION, TAX & FEES INCLUDED)

*No Refunds, Exchanges or Rainchecks

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! @WesternFair

westernfair.ca

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 7

FROSH MAGAZINE

Your guide to campus safety

By Judy Basmaji

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Western University provides a number of services to ensure student safety on campus. Here are services that students should be aware of when starting at Western.

Campus Police Western’s Campus Community Police Service operates similarly to London Police but with jurisdiction limited to campus. Officers perform patrols 24/7 throughout main campus and the affiliate colleges. Special constables respond to 911 calls dialed from campus phones promptly, sometimes within two minutes. They investigate disorderly behaviour, crime and other matters, responding with warnings, criminal charges or arrests.

Western Foot Patrol Western Foot Patrol is a volunteer-driven program that provides students with safe escorts on main and affiliate college campuses, as well as certain off-campus areas, like student neighbourhoods, after hours. A co-ed team walks students to their cars, bus stops, residences or other campus buildings to ensure their safe arrival. The program has access to a vehicle for longer escorts, and these services are available to anyone free of charge.

Further, there is a Foot Patrol app with a number of features that make it easy for students to get in touch. The app’s features include a call button, an online chat option to request an escort and a map of serviced areas.

Work Safe Program Campus Police operates the Work Safe Program in collaboration with Western Foot Patrol for students working late on campus. Individuals can register by calling Western Foot Patrol or Campus Police.

Once registered, students can call the service when they plan to stay late on campus to select times throughout the evening to “check in” with Western Foot Patrol or Campus Police. If that student fails to “check in,” Campus Police will call them after five minutes. If they don’t answer, Campus Police will leave a message and wait five more minutes before dispatching personnel to the individual’s location for a welfare check.

Like Western Foot Patrol, the Work Safe Program is free of charge.

GET INVOLVED!!

EMAIL US YOUR IDEAS & DESIGNS!

If your design makes it to our shelves, we’ll give you one for FREE!

WE

SEE OUR ADS & COUPONS in Westernizer & Western Student Guide.

SHOWCASE

STUDENT

WORK

HERE 519.661.3811

BY STUDENTS 8 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

GET YOUR bragging rights

FOR STUDENTS

www.westernpurplestore.com Main Floor, Atrium UCC building

Spaxs Nail Bar is a full serve Nail Bar dedicated to consistently providing great service and quality products in a clean environment.

Our staff are here to service our guests with a truly one-on-one experience.

We spend more time with our guests, getting to know them and allowing them to enjoy the treatment and have some time to relax. The emphasis is

Student Emergency Response Team SERT is a student-run medical response team that operates from campus 24/7 during the academic school year and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays from May to August. Three-person co-ed teams are dispatched in response to 911 medical emergency calls made from campus telephones — cell phones would call London Police, not Campus Police. The team is equipped to deal with minor, non-life threatening situations that do not require an ambulance.

They can provide treatments for injuries and advise further medical care, often preventing unnecessary ambulance calls.

Western’s Emergency Weather Siren Western operates a campus siren in cases of severe weather conditions to alert individuals on campus to seek shelter. Campus Police monitors weather conditions through direct alerts from Environment Canada. They activate the siren when a tornado warning is issued for the immediate area.

on comfort and luxury in a boutique decor atmosphere.

Nail Bar • Nail Enhancement • Nail Design Eyelash Extensions • Facials • Special Mani/Pedi Packages Ladies’ Waxing Services • Micoblading • Permanent Make Up

   

spaxsnailbar.com

$5 OFF ALL SERVICES

Present coupon at time of purchase.

One coupon per client. Expiry: Nov. 1, 2018

Mon-Thu 9:30-8:30 • Sat 9-6 • Sun 10-5 519.473.1111 • info@spaxsnailbar.com • spaxsnailbar.com 595 Fanshawe Park Rd West (@ Wonderland, No Frills Plaza) Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 9

FROSH MAGAZINE

By: Kristin Lee

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

So you’re finally ready to unleash into unfamiliar territory: university.

Here, parental consent is most likely not needed, meaning you’ll probably be spending money on your own terms. But without a solid plan, you can bet you’ll find yourself shaking an empty wallet upside down within a couple of weeks.

Stock up on bills, not pennies, while freely enjoying your student life with these tips:

KRISTIN LEE GAZETTE

10 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

º1 Use cash

I know what you’re thinking: “What a hassle!” But spending cash helps you keep track of how much money you’re using. Rather than tapping on a debit machine — which admittedly most of us do without looking — handing over physical dough requires more effort and, therefore, makes you more reluctant to do so. So keep your bucks on deck.

Don’t you love waiting for hours in º2 Going out line at the club, exhausting yourself from dancing to blaring music until the point of no return and then feeling groggy the next morning with an excessive hangover? No? Then go to a free social event on campus or try a movie night at home instead of spending your night unpleasantly vomiting into a washroom stall at Jack’s. Save a weekend for sitting back and relaxing in your comfortable bed.

With popcorn. And blankets. And maybe a little bit of candy. OK, maybe a lot.

º3 Eating

º4 Shopping

Before tempting yourself with pizza or a quick McDonald’s run, don’t. If you’re desperate, try to limit yourself to once every two weeks but don’t forget your bank account needs to be fed too. That means learning how to cook can come in handy, even if you just boil a bowl of macaroni and top it off with some cheese powder like a master chef.

Get in, loser, we’re going shoppi — no wait, we’re going broke. That’s right: avoid shopping at all costs. Unless of course you’re being a responsible adult and going grocery shopping (on a full stomach and with a flyer). While shopping is often harmless, it can be a problem if you run into debt or if you’re not saving some money on the side. Create a budget for yourself so you’re not overspending and taking paycheques for granted. If you’re still recklessly spending, you can always ask your bank to cap your daily spending limit.

School books may be heavy, but your º5 debt will weigh a lot more if you don’t Textbooks use this tip: buy used textbooks and sell them when you’re done. Trust us: your future self will thank you for saving some money for that thing you’ve been eyeing all year. º6 Coupons

What do students and seniors have in common? They get discounts! Many places offer coupons or discounts for students with a school ID, so go on and take advantage. You’ll feel like a true VIP member.

If you’re not staying on top of it, saving money can be difficult, especially if wage income isn’t filling up the gaps in your pockets. After all, Bill Gates didn’t become a billionaire overnight. That’s why it’s important to control your spending.

This will keep you from gasping with offence when you check your account balance thinking you have $35 when you actually have $2.53. Now get saving!

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 11

FROSH MAGAZINE

NAVIGATING TRANSIT IN THE FOREST CITY

BY CARMEN MALLIA

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

As enticing as it might be to spend the next couple of weekends cooped up in your residence, hanging out in one of your floor mates rooms, binging Netflix or enjoying the plethora of food options in your cafeteria, there is so much worth doing outside of Western’s corridors. Whether you’re taking the route 2 to downtown or the route 13 to CF Masonville, familiarize yourself with the following routes, hop on a bus and explore the city.

London Transit Commission The LTC has been operating as London’s public transit since 1875 — originally as a horse-drawn streetcar — and it will be your main form of transportation over the next four years. While the LTC will get you to and from campus and home, if you can navigate the routes properly, it can also act as your gateway outside of the Western bubble and into the tightly knit villages in the city.

All full-time Mustangs can take transit with ease, since a percentage of tuition fees is put towards a year-long bus pass, which can be accessed through students’ Western ONECard.

LTC Routes Route 2 Major stops: Natural Science Centre, Alumni Hall, Oxford and Wharncliffe, King and Richmond, Dundas and Adelaide On route: London Museum, Budweiser Gardens, Greyhound Canada, Fire Roasted Coffee Co., Covent Garden Market, The Early Bird, Heroes Comics, London Music Hall By far the busiest bus on campus, you will see route 2 buses passing by more often than you’ll see your parents over the next four years.

Hop off at King Street and Talbot Street to be within walking distance of all of the city’s concert halls, as well as Covent Garden

12 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

Market, where you can bask in the assortment of local merchants and an outdoor farmers’ market.

Or get off at Dundas Street and Ontario Street to step foot into Old East Village and take advantage of the aesthetically charming local coffee shops and eateries.

Due to a massive reconstruction project south of campus, buses won’t be stopping on Wharncliffe Road between Oxford Street and Platts Lane.

According to the LTC director of planning, Katie Burns, there are no bus stops on Western Road/Wharncliffe Road that can safely be served by transit between Oxford Street and south of Phillip Aziz Avenue.

“We are working with the construction company and are checking on a regular basis to determine if there are safe stopping locations,” said Burns in an email. “If and when we are able to safely board and de-board passengers, additional stops will be opened.”

Route 6 Major stops: Natural Science Centre, University Hospital, Richmond and Oxford, Richmond and Queens, Richmond and King On route: McCabe’s Irish Pub, Molly Bloom’s, The Ceeps, El Furniture Warehouse, The Barking Frog, Prince Albert’s Diner, Victoria Park Route 6 is commonly used amongst upperyear Mustangs living in student-housing along Richmond Street, and with the spine of Richmond Row on this route, forget a taxi or Uber — simply take this bus to the bar.

With the Row along the route, students can hop off the route 6 bus and laze in an assortment of bars and nightclubs, including Western’s unofficial pub since 1890, The Ceeps, and one of London’s newer joints, El Furniture Warehouse.

If you’re not in the mood for drinks and want to spend time on some greenery, get off at Richmond Street and Kent Street and

enjoy London’s 18-acre Victoria Park.

According to Burns, the intersection of Richmond Street and Dundas Street in downtown London will be closed starting sometime in September, with six to eight weeks of construction taking place, impacting all northbound and southbound buses.

Route 13 Major stops: CF Masonville, University Hospital, Oxford and Richmond, Richmond and Queens, Wellington and York, Wellington and Base Line On route: CF Masonville, Five Guys, McCabe’s Irish Pub, Plant Matter Cafe, Molly Bloom’s, The Ceeps, El Furniture Warehouse, The Barking Frog, Burger Burger, Prince Albert’s Diner, Victoria Park.

Similar to the route 6, route 13 passes through Richmond Row, and it also stretches even further along Richmond Street to CF Masonville. Recently, the mall underwent a major redevelopment, adding a number of stores.

The mall is a go-to hub for students looking to shop, and it also contains a number of retail stores and restaurants in the surrounding area, not to mention an LCBO and The Beer Store.

Route 102 and Route 106 Major stops: Natural Science Centre, Richmond and Oxford, Richmond and Dundas, Oxford and Wharncliffe LTC rolled out the 102 and the 106 in 2016 to deal with overcrowded buses on route 2 and route 6. While the 102 operates along Wharncliffe and Western Road, the 106 operates along Richmond.

Both routes stop at Natural Science Centre on one end and downtown London on the other. While these routes have previously only been available during weekdays, they will start serving students during the weekend starting Sept. 2, according to Burns.

Affiliate Buses These buses run between main campus and the three affiliate colleges. Stops for these routes are found around campus, including Alumni Hall, University Main Gates and Middlesex College.

These buses offer the perfect ride for affiliate students and main campus students taking courses at one of the affiliate colleges.

For more information on route times, go to the King’s and Brescia bus route schedules.

Exam Shuttle With libraries across campus open 24 hours during exam seasons in December and April, it’s only fitting to have a free bus to take you to and from campus and home during those late night study sessions.

These buses depart from Oxford Drive in front of the University Community Centre every half-hour during exam seasons, following different routes to get students home.

Dr. Manish Kanwal

Mustang Express Another USC-provided service, this bus route was basically created to haul students home from the bars after the LTC stops operating for the night. All full-time and part-time students are eligible to ride the shuttle.

The Mustang Express will run between 12:30 am and 3:00 am, picking up students every 15 minutes.

According to the USC transportation web page, students can pick up a Mustang Express sticker at the Purple Store.

Western’s Accessible Transportation Service Travelling between university locations, including affiliate colleges, WATS is designated for students with disabilities. Students can request this service by contacting a counsellor to obtain the proper documentation.

While moving to a new city may be hard — in a new location with little familiarity — don’t just stick close to campus. Make an effort to explore the city and take advantage of the different forms of public transportation at your service.

Dr. Rachit Gangar

Over 20 years serving London • Dental Emergency Appointments Same Day • Invisalign, Teeth Whitening, Wisdom Teeth • Early morning, late evening, and weekend appointments available upon request • We accept the USC Dental Plan plus other campus health plans • Union Pay, Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Debit • FREE Whitening OR Electric Toothbrush with new patient exam scaling.

• On bus route and free parking

WESTERN SPECIAL RECEIVE 20% OFF

Professional quality services and located near campus UNIT#19, 735 Wonderland Rd. N Located next to Congee Chan in plaza

519.657.6767

info@thetoothteam.com

www.thetoothteam.com

Monday: 11 – 7PM Tuesday: 9 – 5PM Wed/Thurs: 8 – 5PM Friday: 8 – 1PM Weekend appointments available upon request

COURTESY OF LONDON TRANSIT COMMISSION

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 13

FROSH MAGAZINE

Mapping local businesses

By Emily Tayler “Do as the locals do” isn’t just a mantra for five-star European vacations. When in London, do as the Londoners do and support local businesses downtown!

Brown & Dickson Booksellers If you love the smell of old books, this is the place for you. This cute family-run bookshop has been located in the middle of Richmond Row for two years.

The shop features used and rare books from an incredible range of authors with new additions daily.

As a spooky new development for the shop, they’ll be hosting a tarot card reader every Friday. Book an appointment in advance by contacting them on social media (@brownanddickson) or drop in to have your cards read and pick up some exciting new reads all in one stop.

Grow & Bloom Co. Directly across from Victoria Park, this plant store’s wall of succulents and exposed brick make it a hip destination for students and locals alike. Be sure to stop in and pick up some plant life to spruce up your dorm room.

Prince Albert’s Diner This classic diner is a staple greasy spoon in the heart of Richmond Row with a full menu of milkshakes. Open late, Prince Al’s is the best place for a bite with friends once the cafeteria menu becomes tiresome. You can’t miss the bright yellow building.

GRAPHICS BY SISSI CHEN

14 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

Filthy Rebena Vintage Instead of hitting up CF Masonville for your back-toschool wardrobe, head downtown to Filthy Rebena Vintage and support their mission for a more sustainable fashion industry by recycling and reworking clothing. You’ll stand out on campus wearing these one-of-a-kind vintage looks. Focusing primarily on women’s wear, this shop has everything from accessories and shoes to dresses and jackets.

Grooves Vinyl has made a huge resurgence in the past few years. Located on Dundas Street, Grooves is among London’s best record shops. Their used records are not only all the vintage bands you already love: they’re also affordable and in working condition.

Grooves offers a selection of new records and CDs to keep you updated on all the latest trends in music. Whether your vinyl player fits in your dorm room or you left it at home, this local spot is a must-browse for all music lovers.

Attic Books This used book store is huge, with a full two floors of books ranging from literature to history to biology. The tall bookshelves and old book smell are comforting to any book lover, so take a look around for a new read or a discount on a novel for class!

Call the Office This venue features old-school punk bands to small indie shows in a space so intimate you’ll be face-to-face with the performers. Several times per year,, Call the Office hosts the Punk Rock Flea Market, where local vendors and vintage shops set up booths in and around the concert venue. The concert hall also hosts themed nights like ‘80s bashes and Pinball & Pints.

Follow their Facebook page for more information and concert listings.

The Early Bird Owned and operated by the Wolfe Pack Inc, two brothers from London, The Early Bird serves upscale brunch and lunch. Try the skillets on a lazy Sunday morning or their fruity mimosas if you’re looking for a boozy brunch.

But be sure to avoid peak hours; otherwise you won’t get a table without a wait. The Wolfe brothers also own Los Lobos, a hip taco spot on Talbot Street, and Wolfe of Wortley, accurately named for its location on Wortley Street, making them a staple in the London restaurant scene.

Covent Garden Market This farmers’ market operates year-round with indoor and outdoor vendors. The market hosts a variety of merchants selling everything from farmfresh fruits and vegetables to jewelry tos chiropractor appointments. When you start to miss home cooked meals, be sure to stop by and pick up some soup or a treat from one of the many vendors!

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU LOOK AT THAT MATTERS BUT WHAT YOU SEE

• HENRY DAVID THOREAU

224 Riverside Drive London, ON N6H 1E6

Specializing in supporting students working to address various challenges in life, work and school.

• Stress • Anxiety • Depression • Social & Interpersonal challenges • Panic disorders I accept the USC Health Plan

PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION AND MEMBERSHIP

• Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists.

• Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

standpointcounselling.ca 519-914-2805

Anthony Igbinedion

MSW, RSW, Counsellor

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 15

London’s Cutest

Coffee Shops

By Gabrielle Drolet Fireroasted Coffee Co. Fireroasted Coffee Co. is a campus staple. The London-based coffee company, which roasts all of its fairtrade coffee in the Old East Village, has multiple cozy locations throughout the city, such as at 105 King Street, where you can hang out and study.

London Bicycle Café The London Bicycle Café is exactly what it sounds like: half coffee shop, half bike shop. It’s a warm and cozy spot to browse different types of bikes, get a tune-up, or just curl up with a latté and read. While you’re there, be sure to ask the baristas about safe ways to bike in London and affordable bike options for students.

Plant Matter Cafe

Plant Matter Cafe offers up lattés, donuts, smoothies and a full food menu — and it’s all vegan. The cute, plant-based coffee shop is located near the Richmond and Oxford intersection, and it’s a great place to get some studying done or grab a bite to eat.

Locomotive Espresso Locomotive Espresso serves some of the best coffee in town. They exclusively feature Pilot, a Toronto-based coffee roaster, and their baristas are all skilled and knowledgeable when it comes to espresso. Beyond great coffee, Locomotive features a warm ambience, an affordable toast bar and delicious pastries from local bakeries. They even have magazines if you didn’t bring your own.

16 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

10Eighteen Located East of Adelaide, 10Eighteen is a bit of a hike from campus — but it’s worth it. The beautiful coffee shop features spacious tables to study at, delicious coffee and amazing food.

Whether you want a vegan cheese board or a slice of quiche, there’s something for everyone at this hip spot.

Ditch Your Echo Chamber

By Mike Deboer

Well hello there. And congratulations.

You've made it to Western, this shining beacon of higher education on the picturesque banks of the River Thames.

Justin Trudeau called us the Harvard of Canada. Playboy dubbed us North America's fourth-best party school in 2011. I'm assuming administration is equally proud of both distinctions.

Some of Canada's best and brightest have walked through these hallowed halls, among them television stars and astronauts and titans of industry. Some of you will become the next great alums of Western. Others, like me, will not.

You'll learn the ins and outs of Richmond Row, that hedonistic murderers' row of clubs and bars that your predecessors broke in for you. You'll learn that finding a study spot in Weldon is like finding Larry Bird in a Lakers jersey and that if you are indeed AEO, none of us actually care.

You'll learn that many of your preconceived notions about the world will be challenged. I arrived here a conservative and a Christian from a small town in Southwestern Ontario. And while I still take the Bible as gospel and Friedrich Hayek's The Road to Serfdom as something close, I learned that the people who are opposite of me in every conceivable way are not that bad after all.

Your mind will be opened and your world will be expanded. You'll meet people from backgrounds entirely different than yours — rich kids from Vancouver who love Starbucks and do yoga

and working class kids from Windsor whose parents worked tirelessly to get them to college.

You'll meet liberals and conservatives, theists and atheists, Leafs fans and Habs fans. Maybe you won't like all of them. But you'll become better for meeting them. And the world will be a far better place when we overcome the divisiveness that permeates every corner of our society.

It's easy to get caught in an echo chamber where everyone else thinks like you do. In many ways, it's human nature. But that's also a dangerous way to go through life. Befriend people you disagree with. Maybe, just maybe, you'll realize that their opinions come from good faith, not from a radical desire to “ruin” the world.

So explore the unfamiliar and reflect on your beliefs. The world is a complicated place full of complicated people. If you are curious and bold in your thinking in university, your beliefs will change and grow throughout your time here. Although this thought may be disconcerting, the uncomfortable process of intellectual growth and development is exactly what this place is designed for.

Agree and disagree, debate and discuss, read and talk and tackle your years at Western with unbridled curiosity.

Take a deep breath and throw yourselves out there. And enjoy your time here.

It'll be over in the blink of your mind's eye.w

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 17

FROSH MAGAZINE

Gr ab Your Sextant Because We’ ve Got Waters To Navigate B y Lucas Sonke

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

First year is hard: arguably the hardest year of your undergrad career.

It comes with a tremendous change in responsibility and self-sufficiency, and it’s a trying time for some people, especially those who have difficulty adjusting or going with the flow.

Couple that with the overwhelming deluge of emotions first year floods you with and it’s no wonder why so many students feel lost amid the currents of university life.

This blunt opening has a point, and if what I’ve mentioned has touched on fears you’ve already had, it’s a point you need to hear.

Even if you came to university with friends, your first few nights might be particularly lonely, challenging and emotional. Almost immediately, the contrast between university and high school becomes apparent.

On one hand, you’re likely out of the house for the first time, and even if you’re at home while attending Western University, you’ll find 18 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

there’s still a degree of independence involved: that’s tremendously exciting.

On the other hand, you’re uprooting your old lifestyle, venturing off to university, perhaps without the friends you conquered high school with: that’s difficult and intimidating.

Unfortunately, it’s not just the first week you have to get through. As winter creeps closer, you might feel yourself drifting farther and farther from the archetypal year you planned.

By your first round of finals, you may bemoan the fleeting nature of that experience you’re after. Maybe you’ve failed a test, lost touch with friends and family or felt too swamped with school work to attend all those parties.

Everyone has expectations and plans for how their first year — and the rest of their university career — will go, and hindrances, whether academic or social, can seriously damage those plans.

I worried things wouldn’t go the

way I imagined. Some of those fears became reality, and I convinced myself I was wasting my university career.

If you’re like me, no matter what you’re worried about, you’ll feel the same way if it comes to pass.

But if that happens, it will be OK. Trust me.

It took too long, but I eventually realized this fear stemmed from skewed perceptions of what university life should be. When reality didn’t match my expectations, I felt like I had missed out on some pivotal life experience.

I was so obsessed with chasing the experience everyone told me university should be that I didn’t do the things I wanted to do. I felt lost and annoyed at myself, but you mustn’t let that happen to you.

If you come to university with glorified ideas of campus life and you feel pressured to maintain that lifestyle because of external forces, you’ll be miserable in the long run.

Don’t let romanticized tales of frequent all-nighters and ludicrous schedules guide your views on the work ethic necessary to get your degree.

Don’t let highly fictionalized media portrayals tell you that bingedrinking is a requirement for getting the most out of your time here.

Don’t let anyone tell you how you should spend your time at university.

You can’t plan your university life around what you think others will want and expect or what sounds the flashiest and most interesting.

This is your university career, and you should explore and expand it as you see fit. If you limit yourself to narrow, idolized views of what university should be, you’ll find it

likely doesn’t work for you.

Try out as much as you can, and see where new interests take you, even if you don’t feel as “on track” as some of your hyper-focused classmates.

The timeline in our head for how our life should go isn’t the rule — it’s a suggestion, and it’s not appropriate for everyone. Take as long as you need to define yourself and your goals, whether it takes your first year or your whole undergrad career.

Because even if it does, you’re still making progress. Don’t forget that.

No matter what happens, you’re still moving forward with your life, learning, growing and challenging yourself.

Admittedly, it’s hard to notice.

You’ll spend so much time focusing on the present — the classes, the socials, the assignments and the chores — that you’ll neglect the bigger picture. You’ll fail to see how much everything, including you, has changed.

University is a river, and your graduation is somewhere downstream. Don’t panic if the current takes you off course. Even if you end up in a branching river, the current will still carry you downstream, and you’ll have made more progress than you realize.

As long as you apply yourself, university has an interesting way of working out in the long run.

Who knows, maybe you’ll like the unknown banks you find.

GET STARTED TODAY! Log your campus involvement using

Western’s Co-Curricular Record • Leadership roles • Volunteer experience

• Intramurals • Workshops and more!

myexperience.uwo.ca Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 19

FROSH MAGAZINE

By: Courtney Mann

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

1

3

DO get to know everyone on your floor You might not become best friends with every single person on 5E in Ontario Hall, but you can definitely make the effort to smile and get to know them. You’re going to be living together for the next eight crazy, exciting, overwhelming months of your life. It’s important to have a tribe of people to share the high highs and low lows with.

DO introduce yourself to your professors Getting into this habit will benefit you during your entire university career. Professors love getting to know their students, and most of us don’t go out of our way to establish that relationship. If you’re skeptical, just think of it as networking for your future — you never know what opportunities can arise from having positive relationships with people in high places.

DON’T feel stuck in one group For the very first time in your life, you really get to choose your friends. Cliques are a thing of the past, which is something to celebrate! Introduce yourself and chat it up with people from your residence, your classes, your extracurriculars and maybe even the 30-person 12:30 p.m. Starbucks line in UCC.

DON’T be afraid to ask them for help One of the biggest misconceptions about professors at university is that they expect you to figure everything out for yourself. So not the case. If you ask your professor about a concept that you can’t quite fully grasp, they’ll relish in being able to help you. Nothing makes a professor happier than a student with passion and curiosity.

2

DO lean on your sophs These volunteers have been hand-selected to be your rideor-dies. They are the all-supporting, advice-giving nomads of Western, and they want to make sure that your first-year experience is one you’ll never forget.

DON’T feel like you’re annoying them Don’t let the highly choreographed faculty dances and face paint fool you: sophs are just like you. Some of them were experiencing their first days at Western just last year. They understand your late-night escapades and midterm breakdowns better than anyone. Don’t believe me? Just ask for the story behind their soph names.

20 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

4

DO get involved on campus Interested in politics but never had the chance to engage in them? Or are you a foodie dying to wine and dine throughout London? Whatever your hobby, newfound interest or secret passion is, you can bet Western’s got a club for you.

DON’T over commit OK, the options to get involved may seem a little too exhilarating at first. Focus on a couple of groups that really spark something in you and devote your attention to them. Being fully invested in three clubs is going to allow for more growth and opportunity than being half-committed to six.

5

DO go to class and study hard This one seems more obvious than it is. It’s really easy to skip a couple of classes in university. And believe it or not, a couple can turn into a lot pretty fast. Make an effort to show up to every class and to take advantage of the education you’re receiving. Pro tip: reward your future self by not scheduling Friday classes.

DON’T stress over a low grade You’re going to fail a quiz, a midterm, an essay — or maybe even a course. Don’t beat yourself up over it: it happens to nearly everyone. If you’re showing up and putting in the work, then look beyond the number on the paper and think about changing your studying technique. Better yet, join a study group or talk to your TA about getting extra help.

6

DO check your module You don’t want to miss graduating on time because you forgot to fulfill that 0.5 credit in art history. Become familiar with your module and the required courses, because no matter how fun Western can be, at some point, you will need to graduate. Period.

DON’T feel restricted by your program Students at Western are fortunate to have a huge variety of interesting and sometimes obscure electives to choose from.

Literature studies in Harry Potter sound appealing? Or maybe you’d just like to see if your interest in Spanish could potentially turn into a minor. We encourage you to check out other faculties and the courses they offer.

7

DO enjoy the nightlife It’s no secret that at university, Western in particular, there’s a lot of opportunity to go out to clubs, bars and parties. Even if you don’t consider yourself a party animal, give wild nights on Richmond Row a chance. Discovering what kinds of music you like to dance to or people you like to go out with is all part of the fun of the next four years.

DON’T feel pressured No drinks, no problem. Same goes for any kind of drug or sexual activity. Do what works for you, not what’s encouraged by your peers. Remember, the night is only as long as you want it to be, and Smoke’s Poutinerie is only a quick walk away.

8

DO stay active Freshman 15 is a real thing, but you can avoid it by making a habit of walking to class instead of catching a ride on the LTC. Even if you love your greens and quinoa, joining intramural sports or attending group fitness classes at the Rec Centre is a great way to meet new people and take care of your health.

Plus, establishing a weekly routine will make for a smoother transition into university.

DON’T be intimidated by gym rats The weight room is always going to be filled with macho, uber-confident people. Ignore them. As hard as it is to believe, they weren’t born with muscles sticking out of their stomachs.

Everyone starts somewhere. Pro tip: go with a gym buddy so you can experience the newness together.

9

DO find balance Between school, extracurriculars, family, friends and yourself, it’s important to find balance. It’s OK to pull an all nighter for Chemistry 1301 just as long as you’re getting a full night’s sleep the next day. Sometimes, you need a cozy night in with warm tea and good friends. Other times, you need a visit back home filled with your favourite comfort foods and snuggles with your golden retriever.

DON’T neglect your mental health Make checking in with yourself regularly a priority. It’s easy to feel extremely overwhelmed with this big life change and it’s completely normal, and encouraged, for you to talk to someone about it. Western has amazing resources for all kinds of support. The lovely people at the Wellness Education Centre, Peer Support Centre, Student Health Services and other campus resources want to do what they can to make university a truly happy and fulfilling experience, so let them.

10

DO go out of your comfort zone Growth and comfort can’t coexist, so say yes to things that scare you and watch yourself evolve. Take the reigns on every new opportunity that throws itself your way. Western has a funny way of bringing you exactly what you need at exactly the right time, even if you don’t expect it.

DON’T forget to stay true to who you are At the end of the day, Western is your experience. It’s your time to go on crazy adventures, learn important life lessons, build life-long friendships and do some serious self-exploration. Make this experience one that you wouldn’t want to do any other way.

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 21

FROSH MAGAZINE

JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

MAXIMIZING YOUR ROOMMATE RELATIONSHIP

By Katrina McCallum

Who you live with for the next eight months is a game of roommate roulette. But that doesn’t mean you can’t control the relationship’s outcome.

Roommate relationships have an immense effect on university experiences. Positive roommate experiences have a positive effect on your GPA, whereas poor relationships can decrease your GPA and negatively impact social habits.

With this is mind, it’s even more critical to keep roommate issues at bay and actively work at fostering a healthy relationship.

Communication: First and foremost, you must communicate. This seems blatantly obvious, but it can be difficult. Start with something easy, like telling your roommate what method of communication works best for you.

Roommates who communicate in similar ways, whether through sit-down discussions, text messages or casual chats, are proven to have higher levels of roommate satisfaction.

Further, willingness to communicate, levels of aggression towards issues and competence of interpersonal habits are key factors in a healthy roommate relationship.

If communication is not your strong point, there’s no time like the present to start improving. Communicating properly is an important life skill and will come in handy everywhere, not just at your new home.

A fundamental aspect of communication is discussing problems as they arise. One of the worst things you can do as a roommate is let issues build up.

If you do this, you may harbour resentment and

22 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

end up in an argument that could have been avoided if you’d dealt with the problems individually. Passiveaggressive notes and snide remarks should be kept to a minimum.

Instead, opt to calmly explain issues. Chances are if you ask nicely for your roommate to keep their shoes on the mat instead of the floor, they will. They would probably have never known that it bothered you and will be more aware in the future.

It is important to remember that every person comes from a home life that could be starkly different from yours. Your roommate likely isn’t doing these things to annoy you but rather is unaware these actions bother you.

Since every person has their own quirks, it’s necessary to understand that habits don’t change overnight. Keep an open mind and try to stay positive.

If you’ve approached your roommate politely with a reasonable request, give them a chance and they should make the effort to change.

Study Habits: Aside from personal habits, study habits should also play a crucial role in the discussion.

University is most importantly a time to study, so be sure to include this in your discussion. If you are the type who likes to buckle down and pull all-nighters every week, inform your roommate, because they may need complete darkness to sleep.

Quiet hours are a good way to make sure that everyone can get their studying in, so if you need to listen to music every night before bed but your roommate needs silence to study, try using headphones.

Making Time For Each Other: Though studying is crucial, making time for some “roomie bonding” can benefit the relationship, like how couples should have a date night every week to keep the romance alive. You and your roommate should have a relationship outside of deciding who sweeps the floor this week.

It may seem silly, considering roommates live together, but spending time together can get difficult if other social circles are thrown into the mix. Plan to hang out outside of your home like you would with any other friend. This will go a long way in forming a good roommate bond.

If you’re always making plans without your roommate or doing things with only some of your roommates, there may be some bitterness.

You don’t need to stress over spending time with everyone equally, but it’s considerate to remember that if three of you are watching a movie, it doesn’t hurt to ask the fourth roommate to join.

Signature:

Friendships: You may not be best friends with your roommate, and that’s OK. First-years can have a lot of anxiety about whether or not their university roommate will be their best friend forever. It may work out that way, but there’s nothing wrong if it doesn’t. Putting extra pressure on a roommate relationship may not always help it grow.

There are plenty of places to make lasting relationships in university. Clubs and classes are perfectly fine ways to meet new friends.

Navigating these relationships can seem overwhelming, but there are ways to get off on the right foot.

A roommate contract can help establish everything that needs to be dealt with at the start. Whether it’s about your bathroom habits, intimacy habits or pet peeves, get everything out on the table at the beginning and be honest.

Putting in a little effort can go a long way to not only improving your year with your roommate but their year as well.

Witness: Date:

Your Discoverable Coupon App!

Get Notified

Shop

Save!

Locapon uses the GPS in your phone to alert you of amazing deals in your area!

Deals on Locapon can pop up at any time!

Keep watch and act fast for the best deals!

Deals Available For All The Places You Love!

And much more!

Visit www.locapon.com for more information

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 23

FROSH MAGAZINE

Purple Days

By Michael Conley

W

estern’s school spirit has reached folklore status. We parade the Earth with nearMark Wahlberg levels of self-importance.

This belief ties 200 years of history and an alumni network of over 319,000 graduates.

Some might say this indicates an underdeveloped sense of “the other,” which leads our community to arrogantly and brazenly evoke a baseless, egotistic sentiment of togetherness that doesn’t hold up under criticism.

But those people are sour. And jealous.

What these folks don’t realize is that the shower of good tidings Western University ushers into the world each spring, its ceremonial passing of the torch to the next flock of soaring graduates, is in our DNA. It’s on our clothes and in our hair. It wraps our pens, mugs and desktop displays. It pours out of us in a yearly h(f) omecoming climax, which thousands of people travel great distances to see, feel and Insta.

It’s purple. These are purple days.

We’re not the first to confidently embrace red/ blue. Purple has symbolized status and power in various societies throughout history.

24 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

After the birth of Julius Caesar’s son, Caesarion, in 47 BC, Caesar returned to Rome from Egypt and introduced a new toga in his partner, Cleopatra’s, favourite colour: Tyrian purple. For context, imagine if the Book Store released a new hoody but only President Chakma could wear it.

Referenced as early as the 15th century BC, Tyrian purple was darker than Western’s PMS 268. It derives from Phoenicians in Tyre (in modern Lebanon) where shellfish were cracked open so their hypobranchial gland’s liquid could be squeezed onto cloth. To make an ounce of dye, it took roughly 250,000 shellfish, whose remains piled so large they became geographical features still visible today.

Given its lengthy retrieval and dyeing process, Tyrian purple clothing was worth its weight in gold.

The ideal shade contained a mixture of both Murex and Thais shellfish liquid. To permeate cloth, the mixture spent 10 to 20 days in stale urine to allow fermentation. It is no wonder, as Kasia Clark writes in The Secret Lives of Colour, archaeologists find these foul-smelling treatment centres on city outskirts.

C

lose to one thousand years later, Byzantium’s elites maintained purple’s standing. They birthed babies “in the purple”: rooms painted with Tyrian purple walls ushered infants into status. In the 8th and 9th centuries, Byzantine emperors Irene, Euphrosyne and Theodora, adorned in purple, ruled through a period when women, even as emperors, were restricted from portions of their society.

These women, despite overseeing the Church’s role in social life, were not allowed entrance into a church’s sanctuary area. In Women in Purple, Judith Herren details how stereotypical views of women’s usefulness to society, particularly within theology, purveyed perceptions of female emperors and citizens alike.

But their status as rulers rather than women was almost certainly buoyed by the purple they wore.

In a traditional society with rigidly defined sexual roles, citizens likely built associations between purple and rule, identifiable traits aligned with purple’s importance beyond female stereotypes.

For as sociologist Fiona Rose-Greenland explains, a colour’s value is partially defined by its relationship

to other colours. Purple is exceedingly rare in nature, and given the extensive production of Tyrian purple, commoners experienced purple as an uncommon colour. And with purple presented as the Byzantine royal brand, as opposed to simply invoking the human characteristics of its wearer, the brand, as Jennifer L. Aaker writes, influenced the consumers (commoners) based on past experiences with the colour, rather than its wearer (in this case, women).

Our community, and Western’s coffers, benefit from similar associations. When we see an individual wearing a purple hat, or when we see a purple hat in the Book Store, we associate this brand with the positive feelings we have as members of this community.

Purple’s royal relationship continued globally for the following millennium. During Japans Heian Period (794-1185), the colours blue, green, red and purple (ordered lowest to highest) ranked status; Queen Elizabeth I’s 1577 Proclamation Against Excess prohibited common people from wearing “purpure,” British nobility’s shade of purple. >>

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 25

FROSH MAGAZINE

T

hen in 1856, William Perkin, vindicating shellfish everywhere, invented synthetic colouring dye. Soon after, products of every colour were widely available.

Is it a coincidence that Western was founded only 20 years after Perkin’s breakthrough? Possibly, but let’s say no. Instead of being saturated in pencil crayon boxes ad infinitum, eager-beavers along North London’s patch of the Thames River spurred a comeback.

According to William F. Tamblyn in These Sixty Years, Western’s original colours were purple and black, before switching to purple and white — after a one-year trial of purple, red and gold — in 1915.

Purple is obviously no longer exclusive to status-bearers. This is seen most notably in the plethora of vintage Toronto Raptors jerseys bouncing around at local festivals. But we maintain the sense of self-importance and self-efficacy past societies felt towards it.

These days, this mostly gets used to push everything from fast food to Mustangs jerseys.

Though despite knowing this, Western stu-

26 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

dents are likely going to buy pizza from a restaurant with a purple sign than another colour; when riding the tides of history, it’s best to go with the flow.

Our generational continuance of purple panache doesn’t occur without maintenance. As a home needs spring cleaning, our community’s bond needs annual refreshment.

Present: Homecoming.

In recent years, our HOCO’s H made the executive decision of sliding two letters and three weeks forward to form a late-September FOCO, but the celebration’s underlying function persists.

As ritual, we pour over 10,000 people onto a little side street one block from campus. No matter who you are or how bad you are at beer pong, you have a place in this huddled, drunken mass.

The spirit rages among its congregated bodies.

It radiates with screaming, reckless abandon, stretching through living rooms and backyards in a defiant grasp at something uncommon, something which everyday life won’t grasp on our behalf.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

A

nd now with Western’s administration having moved HOCO, our FOCO celebrations gain the benefit, as carnival-esque celebrations have since the middle ages, of building community out of resistance within our collective Broughdale song and dance. In Risk, Ritual and Performance, Leo Howe writes that each ritual is a re-enactment of past rituals, yet a unique performance within itself.

“If a ritual is a text, it is one re-written every time it is performed,” Howe says.

We need this chance to bond. Day to day, we’re strangers. This 319,000 plus person network looks like any other: perusing bookshops, riding subways and reading books on Subway.

On colour, professor Charles A. Riley II writes, “It begins in the wilderness of the physical, moves through the suburbs of the physiological, and lands in the urban depths of the psyche.”

A belief forged in classrooms, bars and Broughdale backyards, Western’s depths glow purple.

Every Saturday • 8am–3pm

New This October Sundays • 11am–3pm

900 KING STREET • LONDON • WESTERNFAIRDISTRICT.COM/MARKET

100+ Vendors

WesternFairDistrict @WesternFair

@TheMarketWFD Easy Access on Bus Routes 2 & 20 Dundas & Ontario Stop

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 27

FROSH MAGAZINE

Crafting culture:

Selecting O-week performers by: Liam Afonso

PHOTOS: MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

28  FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

O-Week and its events pass in a whimsical blur. An air of youth, nervousness and drunken splendour follow its crowds, culminating on UC Hill for the week’s biggest events. Often overlooked, however, is the magnitude of work that goes on behind the scenes to bring everything — including the performers — together.

The process of selecting performances begins in April, with most performers receiving offers in June and July.

“A lot of our early conversations were bouncing names around and checking availability and feasibility,” says Jake Schindler, the University Students’ Council orientation coordinator.

It takes about four months to confirm all speakers, musicians and entertainers for the week. The balance and variety of performances is an important attribute in planning, stresses Schindler.

“One of the best things about O-Week is that one night you can see a world-class hypnotist, another night, a powerful presenter and a slam poet, and

another night, go to see a hype concert,” he explains. “We have the opportunity to bring in not just amazing musical acts, but also powerful speakers and some of the world’s best entertainers.”

For Schindler, O-Week is all about community and its programming has to reflect that.

“Orientation’s goal is to make students feel at home and give them an amazing opportunity to meet other people,” says Schindler. “We want every performer we choose to add to the O-Week experience.”

The One Love event, a staple of O-Week’s programming, helps craft this culture of inclusivity. One Love conveys themes of self-care and acceptance, in addition to shining a light on the social issues that students face.

“One Love is about belonging,” says Schindler. “It takes the business of O-Week and quiets it down.”

As of now, Canadian EDM artists Dzeko and Felix Cartal have

been confirmed as the performers for O-Week’s Saturday DJ show.

Performances from hypnotist Michael C. Anthony and Western’s own Rick McGhie have also been announced.

Further adding to the variety will be an on-campus carnival planned for Tuesday, Sept. 4. The USC will unveil more events as O-Week draws closer.

“So far, it has been super rewarding to see all of the excitement building on our Facebook page as we release our headlining events,” says Schindler. “But I know once O-Week comes around and UC Hill is packed with first year students and their sophs, that’s when it will really sink in.”

Without those behind the scenes, O-Week wouldn’t resemble the amazing experience it has become. So enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience, and when you’re partying it up on UC Hill, remember that countless hours of work and coordination went into making nights that many students won’t even remember.

FREE DRINK

with the purchase of a combo

HEARTY. NUTRITIOUS.

Handcrafted fresh to order.

Receive one (1) regular-size cold drink or medium-size hot drink of your choice free with purchase of any Combo. Upgrade to a large drink for an additional $0.50. Additional taxes may apply. Valid only at aroma espresso bar, CF Masonville Place. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with other offers.

In-store only. Expires November 30, 2018.

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 29

FROSH MAGAZINE

VIEWS OF O-WEEKS PAST 1

2

5

6

8

PHOTOS GAZETTE ARCHIVES

BY LUCAS SONKE & MIKE DEBOER Every year, eager first-years and their pseudo-handlers (sophs) crowd UC Hill for a week of dance, music and festivities. But have Western and O-Week always gone together as well as purple and white? Check out these snippets of O-Week through the years to see all the wacky hijinks our predecessors got up to.

30  FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

3

4

1. Download the Refuel Mobile app

7

2. Order and pay for your fuel 3. Go home with a full tank of fuel after class!

1 Oct. 1, 1954

4 Sept. 11, 1987

2 Sept. 21, 1962

3 Sept. 4, 1997

5 Sept. 17, 1971

7 Sept. 2002

6 Sept. 9, 1977

8 Sept. 15, 2010 Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE  31

FROSH MAGAZINE

Open House

Friday Sept. 28 UCC room 263 2 to 4 p.m.

32  FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

VOLUNTEER

HOW TO GET INVOLVED ON CAMPUS

BY JUDY BASMAJI

KYRA KARAKATSANIS GAZETTE

JOIN A CLUB With over 200 student clubs at Western, you’re certain to find your niche. Options include culture, academics, religion, hobby and sports clubs. During Sept. 17 to 21, the University Students’ Council organizes a Clubs Week, where clubs set up booths in the University Community Centre to inform students about their activities. And if you can’t find a club you are interested in, you can always start your own!

VOLUNTEER There are numerous on-campus volunteer opportunities for students who want to give back to the Western community. Students can take part in Western’s Volunteer Program, where professional staff provide guidance and mentorship to volunteers within a variety of positions for 3–10 hours per week throughout the year.

Among many others, volunteer opportunities are available through Western residences, the McIntosh Gallery, the Western Foot Patrol, Radio Western and the Gazette.

PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS The Western Mustangs are the pride and joy of our university. Student athletes can join one of 22 varsity sports and 24 varsity clubs. Western also has one of the largest intramural sports programs in Canada, with more than 15,000 students on over 1,200 teams. Not an athlete? The Western Student Recreation Centre offers drop-in recreation and group fitness classes for all fitness levels.

GO GREEK With more than 10 fraternities and five sororities, Western is home to one of Canada’s largest Greek communities.

Fraternities and sororities prioritize leadership opportunities, community service, philanthropic projects and academic achievement. They also plan various sevents throughout the year, including formals and socials. These fraternities and sororities provide students with a strong sense

Freshman year is intimidating for many students, but getting involved on campus can make the transition to university life easier. It provides the opportunity to meet new people, build a sense of community, discover your passions and strengths and start building your resume.

Here are some ways students can get involved at Western University.

of community while building long-lasting friendships. Students can learn more during Greek week in September. Sororities will also hold a recruitment information session on Sept. 19.

JOIN THE USC What better way to get involved in student life than to work in student government? Western’s USC offers hundreds of volunteer and paid positions for students every year. Areas of involvement include executives, associates, coordinators, interns, creators and hype team members. You can find out more about each of these positions on USC Day on Sept. 11 in the UCC.

SIGN UP FOR A MENTOR First-year students can request an upperyear Peer Mentor through the Leadership and Academic Mentorship Program.

LAMP mentors are responsible for creating a rich academic experience for mentees by updating them on campus events and sharing valuable resources through weekly communications. They provide a support network for students through academic, social and personal development. The Student Athlete Academic Mentorship Program provides similar services to new student athletes at Western. Students can sign up for mentors online at the Student Success Centre website.

2018/19

London TransiT

MOVING LONDONERS Your London Transit is more convenient as of September 2, 2018.

New Extended Increased Increased Earlier frequency evening weekend Friday start times service on on Route weekday service on on Sunday Routes 33 29 during frequency Routes 29 & 102/106 peak times on Route 2 & 102/106 For more information visit londontransit.ca Follow Us on Twitter @LTCLdnOnt

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 33

FROSH MAGAZINE

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

CLUB SCENE LOWDOWN

BY LUCY VILLENEUVE

Whether you hope to make friends, try something new or keep up with your favourite hobbies, joining a club is an easy way to enhance your firstyear experience. With 213 clubs to choose from, there’s a spot for every Mustang to call home. To acquaint you with the many clubs offered at Western, here’s a breakdown of some of the clubs that may appeal to you.

POPULAR CLUBS If you want to meet new people, try these clubs. The most popular clubs are educational societies for pre-med, pre-law and pre-business students, among others. The Canadian Asian International Students’ Association is also at the top of the list. CAISA hosts an annual fashion show, which draws in hundreds of participants and attendees. Additionally, the Western Climbing Club is a unique crowdpleaser. They host rock-climbing events every Sunday, offering students a great reason to escape campus.

34 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

SPECIAL INTEREST CLUBS No need to drop your favourite hobbies just because you’re at school: Western has clubs for all interests.

Want to make your Pitch Perfect dreams come true? Join The Acapella Project. For other performers out there, try the UWO Breakers Club, UWO Dance Force or the Comedy Club. If you prefer something low key, join a gaming club such as the Billiards Club, the Board Game Club or the Association of Role Players.

We’ve got an Art Club, Fashion & Lifestyle Society, Automotive Society and many more clubs to satisfy a wide variety of special interests.

QUIRKY CLUBS If you can name it, Western probably has it! Students can take up knitting, learn sign language or go fishing with Western’s diverse range of clubs. The Paper Art Club and Juggling Club accept students regardless of skill level, making these activities especially accessible.

If you’re looking to savour the taste of classic refreshments, join the Tea Club, Coffee Club or Western Foodies. A much-loved quirky club is Dumbledore’s Army. Although they don’t fight you-know-who, they do connect students through a love of the Harry Potter universe.

CARING CLUBS Many of our students have a knack for philanthropy. We have on campus chapters of Heart & Stroke, UNICEF and Amnesty International, as well as local organizations such as London Bridges and SwimAbility London.

Crafting for a Cure is also a unique cause which brings creativity and friendship to hospitalized kids in London. If you love allyship, check out Spectrum UWO, The Indigenous Allies Society or Active Minds, Western’s premier mental health club.

If you’re unsure which cause suits you, join Rotaract to work with various charitable efforts and find your niche.

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

• Advancements in Medicine Society

• Run with Us

• ALS Western

• The Unmentionables at Western

• The Butterfly Effect UWO

• Canadians for Justice & Peace in the Middle East NEW CLUBS These 18 new clubs could use some love for their first official year on the roster:

• Children Health Improvement

• Western Crypto • Western for Ooch

• Clash Royale Western • Concussion Awareness Society • Crohn’s and Colitis Club of Western

• Western Real Estate Club • Western University Technology Review • Zua Western Don’t forget to check out all of Western’s clubs during Clubs Week 2018 from September 17 to 21.

• Lupus Awareness Club • Mathematics Society • Organ Advocacy Initiative

VAPE & 420

GILBRALTAR WEEKEND MARKET

#4 - 208 PICCADILLY ST

DUNDAS & THIRD ST. SAT/SUN: 9am – 5pm 519-860-2420

smokele s sjoe s . com

MON: CLOSED TUES–FRI: 11am – 8pm SAT: 11am – 6pm SUN: 12pm – 5pm

smokelessjoes.com

208 Piccadilly St. UNIT 4

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 35

FROSH MAGAZINE

GYMMING WITH PERSONAL TRAINERS

BY CHARLIE MARSHALL

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

THE WESTERN RECREATION CENTRE can be a daunting place for new students. However, a personal trainer can be a good introduction to the wonderful world of daily physical activity.

Western’s personal trainers are qualified to provide professional assistance to improve students’ strength, flexibility, endurance, posture, balance, coordination and cardiovascular health. They instruct students on resistance training and cardiovascular principles, providing encouragement and motivation while helping students set and achieve fitness goals.

“Students and members can expect a comprehensive, hands-on experience, leading the client through a personalized fitness program based around their specific goals,” said Shahriar Sabri, assistant personal training coordinator at the Rec Centre. “These programs will implement linear progression of weight training, cardiovascular 36 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

training and flexibility that stress and cause physiological adaptation to occur to the body.”

The first step toward a personal trainer is a short, 30-minute fitness assessment. This test determines the subject’s base levels of fitness, allowing the trainer to plan a specific program and set realistic goals.

Furthermore, at the end of the fitness assessment, the student receive a body composition report, which breaks down body weight into fat and fat-free mass, body water, and skeletal muscle mass.

The program is helpful both for new members trying to increase their commitment to exercising through a more consistent regimen, as well as “plateau” exercisers who are bored with their current fitness programs and are looking for a fresh regimen to take them to a higher level.

Western students can use the Rec Centre for free, gaining access with their ONECard. Additionally, students are eligible for membership

deals when booking sessions with a personal trainer. The sessions aren’t cheap, though. Members can expect to pay $45 per session.

However, the longer a student can commit, the better the deal becomes.

Ultimately, if the member is able to commit upfront to a 12-week program, they’ll be charged just $28 per session.

Getting in shape isn’t the only benefit fitness provides. In fact, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America notes that exercise can reduce stress and improve concentration.

As first-year Mustangs flock to campus, the personal training program can be beneficial in getting frosh started in the gym.

“We understand that, as first-year students, a balanced lifestyle may be difficult to achieve,” said Sabri.

“We know that exercise and physical activity is the best prescription for stress relief, positive mental health maintenance and maintaining a

healthy body, and so our end result is to have the client be able to replace us with their own gained knowledge of training and be their own motivators when walking into the doors of the gym.”

Personal training sessions aren’t cheap, and they require a fair amount of commitment. However, learning a proper program and good technique could save students much more time and money. Rehabbing from injuries sustained from poor workout design or technique is a lengthy, expensive process.

And perhaps most importantly, personal trainers can allow students to become comfortable in an otherwise daunting place.

“The gym can be a scary place with a sea of people and loud noises and we understand it can make people very uncomfortable,” said Sabri. “However, from these relationships, we hope to instill lifelong confidence in the trainee.”

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 37

MUSTANGS FOOTBALL FIVE BURNING QUESTIONS

By Mike DeBoer

The Western Mustangs kick off their Vanier Cup defence on August 26 as they travel to Ottawa to take on the Carleton Ravens. While they return most of their championship roster and head into 2018 as the clear favourites to win the Yates Cup and compete for a second national title in a row, question marks still surround the team heading into the season. Here are five burning questions for the 2018 Mustangs football team.

1. Will Chris Merchant continue to dominate?

Western’s third-year quarterback is coming off a year in which he emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in Ontario University Athletics, throwing for 2,959 yards and 18 touchdowns while picking up 700 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. It wasn’t a Hec Crighton-winning season and didn’t earn him a spot on the All-Canadian team. But it was a performance that led the Mustangs to a national championship.

With another Vanier Cup run highly anticipated, much is expected of Merchant in his third season in the purple and white. And throughout the off-season he’s taken steps to improve on his already impressive 2017 performance. He attended Hamilton Tiger-Cats training camp over the summer, which should go a long way in his development. He played in the U SPORTS Valero East-West Bowl alongside the nation’s top players, and he’s taken on a bigger leadership role in the program, organizing throwing sessions with his receivers over the summer.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

2. After a year under Steve Snyder, can the Mustangs offence become even better?

Snyder coordinated an offence that led the OUA in nearly ever major statistical category. In his first year with the program, Snyder’s offence scored 10 more points per game and 109 more yards per game than any other team in the OUA. In the post-season, they scored 261 points in four games and put up 39 points against a Laval Rouge et Or team that had allowed a meagre 9.6 points per game during the regular season.

They were unstoppable both through the air and on the ground.

Now with a year of experience under Snyder’s system and many of the key pieces of the offence returning, the Mustangs could be even more prolific this season. Merchant returns from his summer with the Tiger-Cats.

Receiver Harry McMaster returns after a season in which he surpassed the 1,000 yard mark. Three time All-Canadian running back Alex Taylor also comes back after rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2017. The offensive line remains largely intact and the Mustangs have incredible depth at every offensive position.

Together, it has all the makings of a scoring machine that should run roughshod over the rest of the OUA.

40 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

3. Can the Mustangs overcome a dreadful schedule?

While the Mustangs have more than enough talent to repeat as Vanier Cup champs, their schedule won’t do them any favours.

In 2017, the Mustangs’ farthest away game was in Windsor. This year, the team will travel to Ottawa twice and Kingston once.

Last year, they also had a prime late bye week which allowed them to rest up before the start of the playoffs. This season’s bye, however, comes early in the year, which is less than ideal for a team poised for a deep post-season run.

While the bye does come before a pivotal date with the OUA rival McMaster Marauders, allowing the Mustangs two weeks of preparation, Marshall and his coaching staff would prefer the bye to come later in the schedule.

The tough slate will test the Mustangs’ mettle and resilience.

Thankfully they have the depth to overcome any potential injury or rest issues that might come about as a result of their schedule.

4. How will the Mustangs fill key roster holes?

5. Will post-championship complacency set in?

The Mustangs bring back much of the core of their Vanier Cup team. Taylor, Merchant and McMaster are three of the best offensive threats in the country. Cedric Joseph was a playoff hero who found the end zone 12 times in the 2017 post-season. Philippe Dion, Fraser Sopik and David Brown return to anchor a stout Western defence. However, there are a handful of roles that will need to be filled as September approaches.

The Mustangs played much of last season with four linebackers on defence. Linebacker Jean-Gabriel Poulin was the leader in that system. He has since departed from the program to join the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes. Poulin’s departure will probably force the Mustangs to switch to a three-linebacker defence, with Dion in the middle. Thankfully the Mustangs have reinforcements coming in at the linebacker position with the incoming transfer of Michael Moore, a fourth-year starter at Queen’s University and a CFL draft pick. At the free safety position, the Mustangs will also lose Jesse McNair, who started for the program for five years. And at the SAM linebacker spot, Nick Vanin’s departure will have a big impact.

However, Marshall anticipates the program should replenish itself at these positions with a number of talented youngsters in the pipeline.

Winning championships is hard. Winning two straight is even harder. There have been examples of teams, like Laval, who have sustained excellence year after year. But there are also programs, like McMaster, the UBC Thunderbirds and Queen’s Gaels, who all won Vanier Cups and then quickly fell back to the middle of the pack.

The Mustangs have the talent to create the next great Canadian university football powerhouse. They have a great coaching staff, the depth and the resources to maintain success. But they must avoid the danger of becoming stagnant, which has forced many a potential dynasty to come crashing down.

According to Marshall, however, the dearth of talent within the program should prevent complacency. Younger players will be gunning for jobs throughout training camp and the early stages of the season.

The Mustangs 2017 season will go down as one of the greatest in university football history.

And, on paper at least, they should be even better in 2018. But championships aren’t won in August or September. After last year, the Mustangs know that as well as anyone.

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 41

Western by The Numb FROSH MAGAZINE

founded in

30,522

1878

enrolled

5.4 million

library book holdings

1,396

full-time faculty members

SISSI 42  CHEN FROSHGAZETTE MAGAZINE

Fall 2018

480.4 hectares of land

309,822 alumni

bers 400

majors, minors and specializations

1,252

residents of Saugeen-Maitland Hall

9

student residences

Gazette was founded in

1906

7

Vanier Cup wins

10

presidents in Western’s history

213

ratified clubs on campus

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 43

Faces in FROSH MAGAZINE

I

t’s important to know who represents you in student government and who makes the big decisions in the university’s administration. Always remember that they are accountable to you. And if you’re unhappy with the way things are being done on your campus, please send us a Letter to the Editor. We’ll publish it.

We’ll make sure your voice is heard.

HIGH places

By Mike DeBoer

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

WESTERN ADMINISTRATION

Western University’s administration is responsible for the institution’s oversight, managing the school’s operations to ensure Western runs efficiently and raising its profile within Canada and throughout the world.

AMIT CHAKMA

VICE-PRESIDENT AND PROVOST

519.661.3106 x83106

519.661.3110 x83110

achakma@uwo.ca

Amit Chakma is Western University’s president and vice-chancellor. He is the tenth president in Western’s history, having been appointed in 2009. He’s responsible for overall management of the university, leading its strategic direction and raising Western’s profile both nationally and internationally. Chakma will leave his role as Western’s president in 2019 when his contract ends.

44 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

ANDREW HRYMAK

PRESIDENT OF WESTERN

provostvpa@uwo.ca

Andrew Hrymak took over the position of provost at the beginning of August. He oversees all 12 of Western’s faculties and schools, as well as institutional planning and budgeting, faculty relations and student recruitment and registration. He also has executive oversight over the campus library system, international relations and information technology services.

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ COUNCIL

The USC is Western’s student government. It supports Western’s undergraduate population, providing them with services such as the health plan, the bus pass and the campus eateries. The USC offers students hundreds of paid and volunteer positions. The organization is led by five salaried, full-time executives.

MITCHELL PRATT PRESIDENT

519.661.2111 x82607 president@westernusc.ca

As the head of the USC, the president serves as the organization’s primary spokesperson. Elected by undergraduate students in a slate along with their vice-president, they provide the USC with direction and leadership. The president advocates for undergraduates to ensure an enjoyable and accessible student experience while providing support to the other USC executives.

DANNY CHANG VICE PRESIDENT

519.661.2111 x82617

vicepresident@westernusc.ca

MIKAELA HARRISON COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

519.661.2111 x 82618

communications@westernusc.ca

The vice-president is responsible for advocating on behalf of Western’s undergraduate students. As an elected representative, they advocate for students’ interests in front of university administration, as well as at the local, provincial and federal levels of government. They work alongside the USC president to provide support and ensure a cohesive organizational direction.

The communications officer is in charge of directing the USC’s external communications, liaising with media outlets and promoting USC events and initiatives. They are also responsible for ensuring students can easily engage with the organization.

CARINA GABRIELE

STUDENT PROGRAMS OFFICER

519.661.2111 x 82611

studentprograms@westernusc.ca

ANDREEA BEJAN SECRETARY TREASURER

519.661.2111 x 82612

secretarytreasurer@westernusc.ca

Overseeing all USC student-run services and programming, including O-Week, the student programs officer has a leading role in providing a positive student experience. They meet with student groups to create an inclusive and immersive campus. The student programs officer is also in charge of Western’s club system.

In their portfolio, the secretary treasurer oversees the organization’s financial health and governance. They create the organization’s annual budget, manage club finances and uphold USC policies and bylaws. Come USC election time, the secretary treasurer is tasked with ensuring a smooth and unhindered electoral process.

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 45

FROSH MAGAZINE

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Generally, smoking marijuana isn’t good for you. Unless you’re Seth Rogen or Wiz Khalifa, getting high all day doesn’t play well in the labour market. What was once a counter-cultural statement of defiance against “the man” has since been co-opted by large corporations to sell lava lamps and repulsive posters. Smoking weed has well-known benefits, including managing depressive symptoms in recreational users and alleviating pain. But it’s also a coping mechanism for some users’ social anxiety, with a potential connection between adolescent use and anxiety disorders later in life. Possession and use are highly controlled in Canada and will be until October 17, 2018.

As for campus, users will certainly wait much longer to be free of weed-related punishments.

That said, some folks still get stoned. And you might even see their high faces in locations around campus. Locations such as...

Be wary moving upon high faces within the Thames River’s dense riverbank bush. They spook easily.

There are a number of forests scattered around campus, which offer high faces temporary shelter from the outside world.

High faces are known to walk the earth like other beings. One foot after another — often with their head down.

Believe it or not, high people have been known to study. These faces are occasionally dabbed with eye drops, making them particularly hard to spot.

46 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

It’s funny thinking that our local student neighbourhoods are full of high faces, occasionally peering through their windows at passersby. They find much safety in these cones of refuge.

Campus’ greenest study spots

Beryl Ivey Garden

By Michael Conley

Campus woods

Benches

University doesn’t need to be a four to five year sentence of hard study in D.B. Weldon Penitentiary. Working among nature — even the manufactured type — is shown to stimulate the mind and improve work quality. Breaking from the walls of our brutalist surroundings may give way to a great scientific breakthrough. And if not, it should at least keep you from that person with their shoes off (?!) in the library.

Beryl Ivey Garden Built in 2004, this garden features plants from the home of Western’s late alumna Beryl Ivey. A tree-lined area along University College’s west wall, this space feels comfortably out of the way.

Social Science Centre garden This location seems rarely used. Two tables in Social Science Centre’s lower level line a large courtyard garden. The garden’s pathway doesn’t lead anywhere specific, but perhaps that’s a metaphor for the homework you’ll be doing.

Social Science Centre garden

Huron College study garden Located northwest of South Hall, this garden offers a green reprieve from everyday business. A number of large stones provide ample seating if you feel like changing your spot every once in a while.

Woods adjacent to Arts & Humanities Building This spot may seem a little abstract, but if all you need is a solid spot to sit down and read, then these woods will do. There is plenty of coverage to protect from the outside world’s peering eyes.

Huron College study garden

McIntosh Gallery green space This stone circle is located behind McIntosh Gallery. It isn’t off the beaten path, but it beats the indoors. And to the west are picnic tables among trees and sculptures if you need a further change of pace.

Benches Nothing like a few planks of wood to hold up your weary body.

Benches are scattered throughout campus, often out of the way and near green spaces such as this bench between Thames Hall and Somerville House.

Mcintosh Gallery green space

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Fall 2018 FROSH MAGAZINE 47

FROSH MAGAZINE

REVAMP YOUR SYLLABUS, GO DIGITAL

BY KRISTIN LEE

48 FROSH MAGAZINE Fall 2018

There’s almost nothing worse than giving yourself a headache trying to memorize 20 pages worth of syllabi, straining your eyes to see tiny font every time you forget due dates, which is — let’s be real — always.

But now with B4Grad, you can stop squinting and stay on top of things with a few taps on your phone.

B4Grad is a productivity app designed to help your decaffeinated brain focus on upcoming assignment due dates, exams and lectures.

Developed by Anthony Giugno, a fifthyear computer science student at Western University, the startup app emphasizes the idea that the agenda should do the heavy lifting for you.

“You shouldn’t have to spend time organizing your homework,” said Giugno.

“Your tools should do that for you or at least make it as efficient as possible.”

The app intelligently organizes all of your upcoming tasks chronologically, like that assignment due in two weeks or that lecture you’ve got later today, allowing you to easily visualize your most pressing concerns.

Unlike other productivity apps, B4Grad is specifically designed for students. With its digital syllabus, you can customize your calendar according to your course schedule by adding your lectures and tutorials into time slots, which are displayed in a week-by-week view. It sorts all of your scheduling and course information in one convenient display, and its design is minimalistic, making the interface easily navigable.

“I felt like there’s got to be other students in my shoes,” said Giugno. “The problem that I was dealing with was that I felt like using a physical agenda — which is what I’ve always been using — feels like an outdated tool. It doesn’t use our smartphones, which are in our pockets at all times. On top of that, there would be times where I forget my agenda.”

For visual learners, B4Grad emphasizes a sleek aesthetic and straightforward function. You can manually select an icon and colour for each task, assignment or scheduled course. Alternatively, you can use the icons and colours the app chooses for you. For example, if you type in “economics,” the app will select an image

of a coin, or if you type in “astronomy,” it will show a star or a moon.

The app works by searching the database of input information and reviewing all of the things happening within the next two weeks. It then decides how to order this information based on the type of task and due dates. With just a few taps, you can quickly change the due date for any listed task.

Another advantageous aspect to B4Grad is its convenience and its ability to help you pace yourself during the school year. Once you’ve input your course information, the app is essentially on autopilot, and will show you each of the tasks in your notifications tab when they become relevant.

It can save you considerable time, and it gives your overworked brain a break.

The struggle was real, as Giugno said.

He had to learn mobile-app development on his own, spending summers learning and trying different projects, which eventually led him to his first app, B4Grad, two years later.

But his app development doesn’t end there. Giugno wants to enhance B4Grad so that it can help students organize to their full potential.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Giugno.

“It’s been an interesting learning experience, and I find it fascinating to see the number of users go up.”

He’s currently working on features for future updates. Giugno said he may add a calendar feature at the bottom of the app that shows a month-by-month view of all your tasks. You’d also be able to tap on a day and manage all of that day’s tasks. Another possible feature is a timetable that would show a weekdayonly view of lectures, tutorials and labs, with an indicator that shows the current time to give you an idea of when your next lecture is.

If you want to get more done on the go without having to dig into the depths of your backpack for a pen to write reminders, using B4Grad might be a step in the right direction.

For now, it’s only available on iOS devices in Canada. Giugno hopes to create an Android version and release both versions in other parts of the world.

SAVE THE TAXES

ON NON-SURGICAL TREATMENTS FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF Just show us your western onecard when you visit by october 12, 2018.

FEEL BETTER, LOOK BETTER

WITH OUR COOL SCULPTING TREATMENTS. With CoolSculpting® you can eliminate stubborn fat and get the perfect contour.

Cool sculpting is a non-invasive, fat-reduction procedure that targets fat cells without surgery or downtime with long term results.

YOLANDA AND MARIAM

ARE LONDON PLASTIC SURGERY’S ADVANCED NURSE INJECTORS. They are London's top Nurse Injector team with a dedicated focus to providing natural facial rejuvenation with Botox, Dermal Fillers and Medical grade skincare. We are the only clinic in London working with one of Canada's top Plastic Surgeons allowing us to provide the most comprehensive and safest treatments in a professional environment.

For All Inquiries: Call: 519-850-5435 or Email: info@londonplasticsurgery.ca Complimentary Consultation!

www.londonplasticsurgery.ca