Tuesday, September 26, 2017

SINCE 1906

westerngazette.ca TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 111, ISSUE 5 better than queen’s since 1906

STUDENTS FLOCK TO WESTERN’S VISITING ELDERS PROGRAM PG3

WESTERN-QUEEN’S RIVALRY HAS BECOME A ONE-SIDED AFFAIR PG7

BINGE ’TIL YOU CRINGE: RETHINKING NON-STOP TV PG11

Rec centre revamp Gym cuts hours and changes class prices SEE PAGE 5

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

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2 • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

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CAMILLE INTSON

Volume 111, Issue 5 WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA University Community Centre Rm. 263 Western University London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial 519.661.3580 Advertising 519.661.3579

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AMY O’KRUK @AMYOKRUK MANAGING EDITOR OF DESIGN JORDAN MCGAVIN @JMCGAVIN13 MANAGING EDITOR OF CONTENT RITA RAHMATI @RITARAHMATI

WESTERN TV COORDINATOR CONNOR MALBEUF

GRAPHICS SISSI CHEN KIIJA GARGARELLO COPY PATTY HU LUCAS SONKE

GAZETTE ADVERTISING & COMPOSING IAN GREAVES, MANAGER ADVERTISING DIANA WATSON

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Despite her success, Intson remains humble. “My hobbies are just being human. Although I have some cool extracurriculars, I’m still a human being with flaws,” says Intson.

Today, the third-year double major theatre studies and English student is part of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. She has written several plays that have been produced around the country, notably at London’s Grand Theatre, Paprika Festival, Newmarket National Ten Minute Play Festival, About Love Festival and Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.

Even though Intson is heavily involved in the writing world, she wasn’t always a writer. At the age of 10, she was a harpist who played at weddings. After she quit the harp, she began songwriting and then fell in love with the art of writing.

Her play Road, a story about four love-struck individuals moving in and out of each others’ consciousness on a train, won the Newmarket National Playwriting Competition and competed internationally to be selected for Vancouver’s About Love theatre festival in 2016. She also directed the Arts and Humanities’ theatre production Antigone in 2016 and launched her own Winnipeg-based company, the ArtLaunch Theatre Company, that provides a space for voices and stories.

Although Intson loves to take risks and put her work out there, she admits that it comes with significant challenges.

“I have a very fragile sense of self, but I also work really, really hard,” says Intson. “Criticism is tough in any creative field because you get genuine criticism from people who are there for the work and then social criticism where people don’t separate you and your work.”

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Intson says she’s had to build a thick skin while also acknowledging that her work isn’t made to impress people.

When she’s not writing, Intson spends her time reading, watching foreign films and napping in hidden spots on campus. She particularly enjoys reading her family’s genealogy and watching Russian history documentaries.

She also has a love for culture and activity planning. She works as a Quebec City tour guide during the summer and volunteers as head soph for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities during the school year.

Currently, Intson is working on three pieces about love, fate and time with the hope that one day she can produce a show in Toronto. Although she doesn’t know what will happen, she knows that her passion and motivation will allow her to create works that give her insight into the people around her.

Her positive attitude extends to her advice for aspiring artists.

“Don’t put people on pedestals. Learn from everything you read and write, even if you hate it. You can learn something from everybody,” she says.

■■VIVIAN CHENG

Blast from om the past

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OPINIONS RICHARD JOSEPH

INTERACTIVE MEDIA CONNOR CLARK

“I was a big storyteller as a kid. Does that mean I was a chronic liar back then? Probably,” muses Camille Intson, an award-winning playwright.

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CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE

CLAIRE PALMER

VIDEO LAUREN COLES JOSH MERIFIELD

MAX MAO GAZETTE

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SPORTS MIKE DEBOER

PHOTO MICHAEL CONLEY LIAM MCINNIS MAX MAO

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CULTURE AMY SKODAK NICK SOKIC VIVIAN CHENG

WESTERN TV ASSISTANT COORDINATOR SHANNON MARKS

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NEWS SABRINA FRACASSI GRACE TO MARTIN ALLEN HILL DU KAROLINA JALOWSKA

Looking back at SERT’s start in 1988 GRACE TO NEWS EDITOR @GRACEKTOE

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

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

If you’ve ever hung around Western University’s campus during the day, you’ve probably noticed students in blue uniforms carrying around enormous red backpacks.

Sometimes mistaken for paramedics, these students are actually a part of a volunteer organization at Western.

Western student Robert Garland started the on-campus student emergency response

team back in 1988.

Garland conducted a preliminary study and showed that there were no on-campus services that respond to emergencies. He also found that ambulance services were not adequate for university students as there is no extra accommodation for students during the school year.

“Last year, the response time for on-campus emergencies was eight to ten minutes,” said Garland at the time.

He followed up by conducting a one-year

SERT on Sept.21, 1988 feasibility study for SERT, assessing campus needs and the possibility of student involvement. He envisioned a team of trained student volunteers who would be responding to campus emergencies during the day. These volunteers were to be equipped with pagers and a medical care pack.

By September of 1989, SERT officially launched at Western and continues to provide emergency medical assistance to university students today.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 • 3

news

Students flock to Western’s visiting elders program

COURTESY OF INDIGENOUS SERVICES HOME AWAY FROM HOME. Myrna Kicknosway is from Walpole Island, Bkejwanong Territory and is one of three visiting elders employed by Indigenous Services.

HILL DU NEWS EDITOR @HXDU638 With widespread community interest, expanding Western’s visiting elders program may be a step in the right direction for the university.

Acting director of Indigenous Services Amanda Myers said on a regular day when an elder is available, he/she sees approximately eight to 10 students. However, up to 100 students may be looking to meet with them. She said there’s consistent demand from faculty and students to meet with the indigenous elders, and their schedules are always fully booked.

“Students can go to them for anything: it can be personal, it can be school, it can be cultural,” said Myers. “The elders are here for whatever it is they need.”

Currently, Indigenous Services’ visiting elders program brings in three elders at least once a month.

The elders come to campus and support indigenous students. They provide an alternative to traditional campus counselling services and the cultural barriers those services can have for indigenous students.

“Some universities are more fortunate in the sense that they actually

have an elder in residence who is a full-time staff that is accessible almost every day,” said Myers.

Recently, other Ontario universities have done just that. Wilfrid Laurier University will soon appoint a new, full-time elder at its Brantford campus.

At Western University, the elders are hired through the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre on an honorarium basis.

The program has been running for 15 years, and it expanded to host three elders six years ago.

Amanda Morin, fourth-year health science student, spoke highly about the visiting elders program and the impact it has. She recounted how the program offered her another avenue of support during tough times. Morin said a great next step would be to hire someone who shares her self-described half-native identity.

“There’s a lot of identity struggle with that,” said Morin “So that’ll be nice to get somebody who is of both cultures.”

Students are not the only ones who hope to meet the elders.

Myers said Indigenous Services gets requests from other departments, faculties and partners for the elders

every week or two.

Expanding the visiting elders program was also identified in last January’s first-ever Indigenous Strategic Plan. The plan aims to engage the community in advancing indigenous research, education and campus life. Specifically, the plan pledged to increase the number of visiting elders.

To carry out the plan, an implementation task force consisting of indigenous council members and faculty partners was assembled.

The task force had its first official meeting last week, and so far is committed to bringing in an indigenous counsellor.

“I really look forward to a time when we can have a permanent elder in residence,” said Myers. “I really think it’s something that not only indigenous services and our students need, but that our campus as a whole needs.”

Western’s current visiting elders are Myrna Kicknosway, from Walpole Island, Bkejwanong Territory; Bruce Elijah, from the Wolf Clan of the Onyota’a:ka Nation; and Liz Akiwenzie, who identifies as both Ojibway and Oneida.

London becomes first Ontario city to implement UN sexual violence prevention initiative KAROLINA JALOWSKA NEWS EDITOR @KJALOWSK London is the first city in Ontario to begin a five-year journey to becoming safer by focusing on sexual violence prevention in the city.

Following the vote of approval by London’s City Council on Sept. 19, London is joining the UN Women Safe Cities initiative.

Anova, the product of a merger between London’s Women Community House and Sexual Assault Centre London, brought the request to city council. The request asked city councillors to implement an initiative that will look at prevention as well as the city’s general response to sexual violence and harassment in the city.

Anova brought the issues of sexual violence and harassment to the major office’s attention six months ago, after the organization presented their findings from an informal survey of sexual assault on

city buses. The survey found there were bus lines that were over representative of having occurrences of sexual violence and harassment, specifically ones related to student bodies from Western University and Fanshawe College.

AnnaLise Trudell, manager of education at Anova and postdoctoral fellow at Western said that the initiative plans to collect information during its first year and look into who sexual violence and harassment is affecting and in what forms. The data will be used to inform action next year.

The initiative will also create a committee during its first year, with high-profile members like Western’s sexual violence prevention coordinator Danielle Carr, London Police Service, a Fanshawe representative and other business associations in downtown London.

Trudell said that the number of sexual violence and harassment occurrences in London are

unknown, although, according to a Globe and Mail investigation, London police dismissed about one-third of all sexual-assault allegations in 2014. On a national level, Trudell said one in three women and one in six men experience sexual violence, and those numbers are higher for the LGBTQ community.

Trudell added that women between the ages of 15 to 24 are at the highest risk of experiencing sexual assault incidents.

“University campuses are a prime place to have these conversations as they are often the first time people are living alone and one of the first times sexual activities are being engaged in,” said Trudell. “We need to give people the tools to navigate that and to help prevent [sexual violence].”

Students who experience sexual assault or harassment on or off campus can call Anova’s 24/7 helpline at 519-642-3000.

BRIEFS GAP-YEAR PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS GET TO POSTSECONDARY

High school graduates who aren’t sure of what to do next are the focus of a new gap-year program in Ontario.

Launched on Sept. 18 by FOCUS, a not-for-profit employment office based north of Toronto, the GAP Year program aims to help graduates make plans for their futures. Specifically, the program walks Grade 12 graduates through career decisions, employment, budgeting and, ultimately, post-secondary education.

Angela Adams, outreach coordinator at FOCUS, said students might feel pressured to follow a certain path. “[Students] are pushed to make decisions so early in life,” said Adams. “A lot of the time, they haven’t had the opportunity to make mistakes or try something and discover it doesn’t work.”

The program will combine a traditional classroom approach and workshops with casual meetings outside of the classroom — public areas such as libraries or coffee shops will provide a venue to guide students through career decision-making and budgeting for postsecondary and enrolment.

■■JASON PAIERO, CONTRIBUTOR

WESTERN RESEARCHER DISCOVERS WORLD’S HOTTEST ROCK

A Western researcher has identified the hottest rock on Earth.

Michael Zanetti, now a post-doctoral earth sciences researcher at Western, found the rock on an expedition to Mistastin Crater in Labrador in 2011.

Zanetti used zircon grains found in the meteorite to determine the rock’s former temperature — 2,370 degrees Celsius: the hottest known temperature for a rock on the Earth’s surface ever, according to scientists. The source of the heat was a city-sized asteroid that smashed into Labrador 36 million years ago.

Previously, the highest observed temperature was 1,700 degrees Celsius.

“We know rocks can get hot deep down in the earth where there is really high temperatures

and pressures,” said Zanetti. “What is very rare is having that at the surface of the Earth.”

Driven by his interest in impact cratering, Zanetti emphasized Western’s involvement in the discovery. He largely credits his accompanying researchers, the Canadian Space Agency, as well as good fortune.

■■SHAMIR MALIK, CONTRIBUTOR

UNDERGRADS WIN BIG AT UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

For the third consecutive year, Western has the second most competitors recognized at the Undergraduate Awards.

The Undergraduate Awards is an international award program that recognizes outstanding undergraduate work and shares it with the global community.

38 Western University undergraduates have been internationally recognized in the competition.

Two Western students placed among the 25 best entrants, winning a Global Award: Amy Lewis, for her work regarding suicide prevention in Inuit youth, and Bridget Murphy, for her research into the effects of higher temperatures and CO2 concentration in plants and ecosystems.

“I was pretty much in shock when they called me. It’s just really amazing to find out that you won an award like this, and I really wasn’t expecting it,” Murphy said.

While their research ranged from climate change to mental health, both Lewis and Murphy’s work looks toward a brighter future.

■■SHAMIR MALIK, CONTRIBUTOR

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4 • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

news

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Enrolment at WELC highest-ever GRACE TO NEWS EDTIOR @GRACEKTOE

With international student enrolment up, more students than ever before are registering at Western University’s English language centre.

The Western English Language Centre’s job is to ensure that students’ English skills meet university standards before they start their undergraduate or graduate degrees. Since its inception, the WELC has increased its enrolment from 98 students in 2013 to 435 in 2016, according to Matt Bazely, a director at the centre.

“We’ve had double digit growth over the [last] five years,” said Bazely.

“This was our biggest year to date in over five years, so there’s no reason to think that we’re going to shrink at all over the next few.”

Bazely explained that students enrolled in the English programs at the WELC are on a conditional admission. At Western, admission is based on academic strength and proven English proficiency. For students whose first language isn’t English, applicants are required to write one of eight acceptable English language proficiency tests, such as the academic English program or English boost program offered by WELC. As long as the international

GAZETTE ARCHIVES

students complete a WELC program successfully, they will be officially admitted to Western.

Now a first-year master of nursing student, Ohud Banjar said the WELC gave her valuable guidance when she first arrived in Canada in 2016.

“They gave me confidence, they gave me support and they were always there when I needed them,” said Banjar. “If I had a problem, they

always listened to me.”

Originally from Saudi Arabia, Banjar was enrolled in the WELC program for eight months. Based on her experiences so far, Banjar said she likes the diversity of students at Western and in London.

Depending on the student’s initial level of proficiency, WELC’s language programs can be anywhere from nine weeks to 12 months long.

Bazely added that the WELC helps Western meet their goal of enrolling a certain number of international students each year.

“The university capacity is nice and high,” said Bazely. “But in other spaces, for example in engineering and BMOS, we are given a quota by the university … There are caps in some of these high-demand programs.”

Overall, international student enrolment is increasing at Western. In 2016, Western had an international student population of about 10 per cent, which has doubled from approximately 5 per cent in 2010. This September, Western welcomed an incoming class of 5,100 international firstyear students. A university senate report stated the international student population now makes up more than 10 per cent of the overall student population at Western. Most of these international students are from China, India, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Pakistan and the Syrian Arab Republic.

Although Western is seeing high enrolment in international students, Bazely said he also sees a trend of students needing less English as a second language support. As host countries are providing better English instruction to prepare their students for study abroad, the WELC has seen students complete their English training programs in less time.

Bazely believes that Western’s world rankings play a big role in international student recruitment.

Western’s campus life, residences and student services are also some of the features that often attract the eye of prospective international students.

Admin admits OWL wipe was a mistake MARTIN ALLEN NEWS EDITOR @_MARTINALLEN Western University administrators didn’t see the OWL dump coming, according to the university’s provost at the first Senate meeting of the 2017-18 academic year.

During the meeting’s discussion and question period, senators asked Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Janice Deakin about this summer’s OWL course wipe.

The wipe happened in August when students lost access to all previous course content on OWL, Western’s online learning management system, without warning.

Deakin began the Senate meeting with an apology: “I take responsibility on behalf of all my colleagues who were involved in this,” she said. “This

Solution to puzzle on page 11

CROSSWORD SOLUTION

was a pear-shaped affair — it went sideways.”

The provost said she was unaware the OWL content removal was to take place Aug. 8, and that she had no communication strategy prepared.

Deakin said OWL, which replaced the previous online system WebCT in 2012, didn’t have an automatized process for removing course content from students. However, with WebCT, the content was removed 60 days after final grades were submitted.

Deakin said considering how labour-intensive an annual course material removal would have been, Western Technology Services began working on an automatic removal system similar to WebCT’s. After it was done, she said WTS activated the new system without realizing many students used OWL to archive course material.

Sergio Rodriguez, the new director of client services at WTS who directs the OWL platform, said WTS is in the process of organizing an internal review which will consult the associate deans of each academic faculty at Western.

The provost also faced criticism for how the administration handled the situation. Arzie Chant, a staff senator, questioned the provost if she would talk to the Gazette directly, citing the paper’s frequent, denied attempts to speak to the administration about the OWL changes. Deakin said she always tries to get back to the Gazette, but sometimes is unavailable. She added perhaps the Gazette should have been copied on the internal memo that was eventually sent out.

Deakin said that OWL will continue to remove old course content in the future but that details are still being worked out. She said no course material would be removed without a mechanism to reinstate it.

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Sales of student parking permits suspended after overwhelming demand SABRINA FRACASSI NEWS EDITOR @SABFRACASSI Due to overwhelming demand, the sale of student parking passes was suspended by parking services last week.

Mark Van Den Bossche, manager of Parking and Visitor Services, said in his seven years at Western, this is his first time they are suspending sales. Western University’s Parking and Visitor Services suspended the sale of student parking passes Sept. 13.

In total 2,510 parking passes were sold to students this year, even though just under 1,800 student parking spaces are available on campus. This is up from last year’s sales of 2,430 passes, according to Van Den Bossche. “[Overselling] is actually in our rules and regulations; we have a common oversell position of about 30 per cent,” Van Den Bossche said. “Unfortunately we went a little bit over that with the

green permits, and that’s because it was an unprecedented run. We just didn’t see it coming.”

Van Den Bossche said Western has sold out of student passes once before in the early 2000s. Huron University College and Brescia University College also sold out their parking permits for this year.

“It’s crazy how it fills up. If you want to be there and have your first pick of spots, you have to be there by 9 a.m,” said Rachel Hill, a third-year media, information and technoculture student.

Keith Marnoch, Western’s director of media relations, said there are no concrete plans to build more spaces in the short-term future.

If Western continues to expand and build more buildings, it’s likely discussions about creating more parking spaces will happen, such as creating a parking structure.

Western’s master plan for the coming years focuses on making campus more pedestrian and cyclist friendly and will potentially even

[Overselling] is actually in our rules and regulations; we have a common oversell position of about 30 per cent.

MARK VAN DEN BOSSCHE MANAGER OF PARKING AND VISITOR SERVICES

move cars off campus entirely.

In the meantime, a parking services app is in the works. The app would measure capacity and let students know if lots are full, according to Van Den Bossche. He added that permit holders don’t buy access to a lot, they buy a pass for a zone. Even during parking’s peak capacity last week, there were still about 100 student spaces available.

With that said, both Marnoch and Van Den Bossche predict parking spots will be more readily available after the Thanksgiving break as some students leave their cars at home and the September rush dies down.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 • 5

news

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

Rec centre changes leave students confused MARTIN ALLEN NEWS EDITOR @_MARTINALLEN When Sarah Martin went to the Western Student Recreation Centre on Sept. 15, she noticed something had changed.

The fourth-year student was trying to take a spin class — a class she had taken many time before — but after arriving, she learned the class now costs a fee. However, an employee said there was a grace period she could use to attend the class on a free trial basis.

When Martin went to the spin class, the instructor told her she couldn’t attend if she hadn’t paid. She told him what the other employee had said of the grace period, and the instructor let her join the class.

However, in the middle of the program, a third employee approached Martin and told her that she had to leave — the grace period had actually ended a week before. Martin asked if she could pay to stay, and the employee said that she no longer could because the class had already started.

“There was no set information posted anywhere,” she said. “It was very confusing.”  DOLLARS AND HOURS Changes to fitness class fees are one of several changes to Western’s Rec Centre this fall.

Previously, Rec Centre classes would either be paid or free, with no obvious reasoning behind it, according to Gareth Cunningham, the associate director of recreation and facilities.

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Cunningham gave the example of a spin class that was paid on a Monday and free on a Tuesday.

Now, if a class has an in-person instructor, the class must be paid for; classes that are lead by video, called fitness on-demand, are free.

Cunningham said class prices are also different because the Rec Centre has moved to a different pricing system. While classes were previously purchased for a semester, they can now be purchased in phases.

The class price gives the student access to a single time-slot on a particular day, which is the same each week. For one class, the fee is $5. For a five to seven week phase, the price is $15. That said, Cunningham said the first week of every semester will be an official grace period; students will be able to try classes for free.

Also, in comparison to the last school year, the Rec Centre is open seven fewer hours per week.

Those losses come from cuts to the gym’s earliest and latest hours during the week and the weekend.

According to Christine Stapleton, Western’s director of Sport and Recreation Services, the changes reflect decreased activity during the cut hours.

“There was some examination of the data of the usage over the last year,” she said. “There were significant drops in usage during the week after 9:30 p.m. and even more on Fridays and Saturdays after 7 p.m.”

Stapleton said the data was collected by cataloguing student-card tap-ins at the front entrance.

Of all the changes, Cunningham said, “Every

year there’s a little bit of innovation and evolution of our program offerings, but our communication probably could’ve been better.”  MINIMUM WAGE AND THE GYM When Martin asked the third employee why things had changed at the gym, they said it was due to budget cuts and impending increases to the provincial minimum wage.

Ontario’s provincial government is currently deliberating over Bill 148, which would increase the provincial minimum wage from $11.40 to $11.60 in October, $14 in January of 2018, and $15 in 2019.

Both Cunningham and Stapleton said that wage-increases would affect recreation facilities but that no recent changes to the Rec Centre are due to possible increases.

“We plan on continuing to deliver on health and wellness for students without compromising their experience,” said Stapleton.

The Rec Centre currently employs over 350 people, many of whom are students. Cunningham said that because recreation has established expectations with students, no employees this school year will be let go due to wage increases and that the new program model will also be unaffected.

But for the long-term, Cunningham said, “We’re not necessarily getting a huge influx of revenue, so there’s a whole set of things we might have to do. We’ve still got a budget.”

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6 • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

opinions

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The myth of ‘East of Adelaide’ Filthy Rich RICHARD JOSEPH OPINIONS EDITOR @RJATGAZETTE A friend once described the 2 Dundas bus line as “an episode of Jerry Springer on wheels.”

It’s at its most entertaining passing through the downtown core because when students mingle with East London locals, you might get some full-on class conflict.

Now, that’s a dramatic term for what actually happens: students squirm uneasily, clutching their designer handbags, and the Old East eccentrics babble on unabated.

It’s a term I’ve heard thrown around a lot with apprehension or derision: “don’t go EOA, or you’ll get stabbed.” Who would dare venture beyond the welcoming haven of Richmond Row into the sketchiest part of London, that hotbed of crime and iniquity past the dividing line of Adelaide?

Except, really, East of Adelaide is none of those things. A crime map of London, adjusted for January of this year to the Sept.

15, places the highest density of crimes by far on Richmond Row. Incidences of assault and vandalism are especially numerous along Richmond Street and often unfold at bars popular with students.

So, if East of Adelaide isn’t a terrifying ghetto — if, in fact, crime is more prevalent in the student hangouts — why the narrative that it’s “sketchy”?

I suspect it’s because “sketchy”

is a euphemism for “poor.” This points to the idea that really, students aren’t uncomfortable with East of Adelaide because it’s a crime-ridden hellhole; they’re uncomfortable because it’s poor.

London has a brutal problem with income inequality. The city recently placed second-worst in the province for median household income, but you’d never guess it from Western’s picture-perfect campus. It’s the sort of hamhanded depiction of class disparity you’d find in shitty dystopian fiction: the gleaming university spires versus the halfway homes in east London.

In my experience, Western has a fairly privileged student populace, and we’re insulated in this sprawling, utopian Starbucks of a university. We have all the bare necessities: hair salons, travel agencies and charcuterie boards.

Why would we ever leave?

Well, despite the dilapidation, there is a thriving cultural scene east of Adelaide Street: thrift shops, The Root Cellar, Mystic Bookshop and the London Potters Guild. The School For Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities connected its students with the Aeolian Hall, a theatre on Dundas Street that I volunteered at for years What helps is compassion, a willingness to suspend judgment and, above all, destigmatizing being poor. Sure, there’s a few people pacing around and talking to themselves — mental illness and drug addiction are often unfortunate byproducts of poverty.

What doesn’t help is painting half the city with the brush of “sketchy.” Forget the labels — take a walk on the wild side. If nothing else, you’ll find the cheapest pizza in London.

Relationships can foster self-development Viva la Viv

VIVIAN CHENG GAZETTE STAFF @VIVIANCHENG20 Whenever I hear people say “I don’t want to get into a relationship because I want to work on myself,” I instantly raise an eyebrow.

Some people may genuinely feel ill-prepared for the challenges that relationships bring, and that is a perfectly valid reason to stay solo. But the problem lies in suggesting that personal development and relationship development are mutually exclusive: you can, and should, engage in both.

By spouting these platitudes, we reinforce the media-driven stereotype of being single as a time characterized by a spiritual journey of self-actualization. But let’s be honest, not all of our single friends fit that mold. Not everyone engages in self-improvement nor wants to, and that’s OK: being single doesn’t have to be a time of robust self-growth, and it doesn’t have to be a time of utter debauchery, either.

There’s also an implicit

a ssu mpt ion here t hat self-improvement stops once we get into a relationship; but of course, self-improvement should be ongoing. If you have personal goals you want to achieve, why would you become complacent just because you found your bae?

Chances are, many of us have weaknesses we want to improve — but some of those weaknesses should be worked on long-term, not resolved before your next Tinder date. We shouldn’t deny ourselves a relationship because we have weaknesses, nor should we stop working on our weaknesses once we get into a relationship.

Besides, this hokey narrative about singledom disregards the potential for your significant other to bring out the best in you.

Your partner may inspire you to become a better person by having strengths that complement yours; they could motivate you to pursue your goals and provide support when you’re not meeting your own standards. Your partner often has keen insight into your own personality, paving a path for more selfgrowth opportunities.

At the end of the day, we’re individuals with our own thoughts and ambitions, and having a partner shouldn’t deter us from prioritizing that.

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Western needs solution to increasing studentparking demand

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD Demand for student parking spots appears to be on the upswing. For the first time in recent memory, Western University’s Parking and Visitor Services sold out of student parking passes this September.

you’re a student living in neighbourhoods like Byron or Westmount, getting to class can often take an hour or more. While London’s bus rapid transit plan may help, it’s not set to be operational until 2022.

For 1,800 student parking spaces, the university sold 2,510 parking passes to students before sales were suspended. There is clearly significant student demand for parking at Western.

In the short-term, the student-parking problem needs to be addressed. One quick fix would be to repurpose a lot in another zone as student parking.

Down the line, there are opportunities for more compact parking and more parking on the perimeter. As the master plan states, multi-level parking structures and underground parking could free up space on campus while there’s room for at least one more surface lot to be developed behind Springett.

With that said, Western doesn’t need to build more parking spots smack dab in the middle of campus. If the campus master plan is any indication, Western plans to focus on becoming a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly university in future years.

Other campuses are also moving in this direction, and it’s a good thing — reducing car traffic will create opportunities for more green space, make Western safer and reduce the university’s carbon footprint. As Western’s campus plan points out, investments in cycling and walking infrastructure, more ride-matching and carpooling and more reliable public transit will all decrease the number of single-occupant vehicles at school.

But until then, some students’ primary mode of transportation to and from campus is a car; London’s current public transit system likely contributes to this. London Transit Commission can make getting to Western unnecessarily time-consuming — if

The other issue at play is that even during peak capacity two weeks ago, there were still about 100 empty student parking spaces. This suggests students are having trouble finding them — no one wants to start their day cruising through lot after lot looking for a spot. Currently, Parking and Visitor Services is working on an app that would monitor capacity and let users know when lots are full. This is a project worth being expedited.

The campus master plan suggests Western has a parking plan, but its unclear when students can expect to see any changes. Right now, Western should acknowledge there’s a student-parking problem and work with students to come up with a shortterm solution.

we get letters

USC priority to help students access lost OWL content Students were loud and clear on their dissatisfaction with the changes to OWL that resulted in the disappearance of their previous course materials.

There was no hesitation from your University Students’ Council executive team to bring this to the attention of members of the university administration. After good discussion, steps were taken by administration and Western IT services to provide students access to their OWL materials upon request.

A notice is on everyone’s OWL site outlining the simple process that students can now use to retrieve previous course materials.

If you require access to old OWL course content pre-dating spring/ summer 2017, please contact the Western Technology Services helpdesk. For assistance locating specific course reading material formerly accessed via OWL, e.g. journal articles or book chapters, please contact Western Libraries at wlfeedback@ uwo.ca. While this situation was

not ideal for any student, it became a priority for our USC executive to provide an immediate solution for students. I am grateful that more students will be able to re-access the materials they require, and I appreciate the energy that provost Janice Deakin’s office and vice-provost (academic programs) John Doerksen have put into helping to resolve this issue.

LANDON TULK UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ COUNCIL VICE-PRESIDENT

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

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 • 7

sports

Western-Queen’s rivalry has become a one-sided affair

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE

MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEDBOER The Western Mustangs football team has been consistently inconsistent throughout much of the 2017 Ontario University Athletics season. Despite a dominating 59–7 win over the Windsor Lancers on Sept. 16, the Mustangs had yet to show that they were a true national championship contender.

It took a date with a historic rival, the biggest crowd of the season and a Hec Crighton calibre performance from running back Alex Taylor to change all that.

The Western Mustangs are for real.

The Mustangs have dominated Queen’s University as of late, winning every game against the Gaels since 2013.

Western continued their onesided domination of the series on Saturday with a 48–10 win in front of nearly 4,700 fans at TD Stadium.

If it wasn’t a perfect performance, it was as close to perfect as the Mustangs have been all season. Taylor found the gaps and put together big run after big run.

Quarterback Chris Merchant was efficient in moving the chains both with his arm and his legs.

The defence continued their imposing play, shutting down the Queen’s offence throughout the game.

Mustangs kicker Marc Liegghio definitely played his

part in the win, tying Western’s single-game record for field goals at six.

While the Mustangs and Gaels have a well-chronicled rivalry, dating back to 1929, the importance of the game has changed for many in the Mustangs program.

It’s still a rivalry, mind you.

But as the Gaels program has fallen out of the ranks of the contenders, and as the nouveau-riche programs of the OUA from Wilfred Laurier University and the University of Waterloo are rising, the significance of the Western-Queen’s game isn’t the same as it was a decade ago.

With that being said, the two schools still hate each other, so a demolition of the Gaels was enough to make the Mustangs sing their post-game celebration twice in the locker room.

More importantly, the Mustangs played their most complete game of the year. And with a Yates Cup rematch with Laurier looming next weekend, head coach Greg Marshall is happy with where his team is at.

“It was our best game, our most complete game,” said Marshall. “Offensively, Chris was really good. He made good decisions ... With a defence as good as Queen’s has been, they felt their defence deserved to be 3-0. That’s how good they’ve been throughout the year.”

The Mustangs offence has come under scrutiny throughout the first four games of

the season. Perhaps it’s been undeserved, as Western leads the OUA with 48.6 points per game and 2,979 yards of total offence, but this team is being measured on a different level than the rest of the conference.

While the Mustangs had trouble finishing on a handful of drives, Liegghio came up in the clutch to put points on the board and extend their lead.

“There were a couple drives we didn’t finish off. We took some chances and that happens some times,” said Marshall. “I thought overall when we didn’t finish, Marc got points on the board for us which was very important.”

The Mustangs offence emerged as a two-headed monster on Saturday. Merchant threw for 306 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-29 passing. Taylor looked like one of the top players in the nation, running for 184 yards and a touchdown while catching two more touchdowns and 50 yards receiving.

Cedric Joseph added 63 yards rushing, while receiver Harry McMaster caught seven passes for 111 yards.

Taylor is the catalyst of the Mustangs offence. He is as dominant a running back as there is in the OUA. And after sitting out the Windsor game to rest his shoulder, which was banged up in the game against McMaster University, Taylor came out firing on all cylinders against Queen’s.

“It was just a nice week to kick back and let things settle down

a little bit because we’re heading into a tough stretch here ... I’d rather be healthy going into the second half of the season when we play competitive teams,” said Taylor.

He’s right about the tough stretch. The Mustangs have their most important game of the regular season coming up.

Everyone remembers what happened against the Laurier

SISSI CHEN GAZETTE

Golden Hawks in the 2016 Yates Cup. Revenge will be on the minds of every single Mustang who felt the sting of that loss last November.

“It’s a huge game ... first place, home-field advantage,” said Marshall. “Football is an emotional game. You try and put those things out of your mind and just play, but it will be in the back of our kids’ minds.”

www.westerngazette.ca

8 • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

sports

•

Iranian Reza Nafar finding success on the soccer pitch CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE The minute he stepped off the plane from Tehran, Iran in 2015, Reza Nafar was homesick. He’d traveled over 10,000 kilometres to come to Canada, leaving his family back in Iran.

Nafar, who has made a name for himself as a dangerous striker for Western University’s men’s soccer team, has been here for three years now. He’s well into his financial modelling degree, and he’s lighting up the Ontario University Athletics on the soccer pitch. He moved to Canada for university, following his older brother Amin (who plays soccer at the University of Waterloo).

“Here, there are more opportunities than back home,” explains Nafar. “My father told me ‘it’s better for you, the education is better, everything is better.’”

Western wasn’t Nafar’s first choice: he had looked at a lot of schools in Canada and in the United Kingdom and was particularly

interested in joining his brother in Waterloo. He ended up in London, Ont. because he knew a few people here who encouraged him to apply.

The exact differences between Nafar’s life in Iran and his new life in London are hard for him to articulate. He points out that there are less restrictions on him here; for example, he’s free to play soccer in concert with his studies. Back home, he would’ve had to pick one; to continue his athletic ambition, he’d have to leave school.

“To be honest, at first I didn’t want to leave,” says Nafar. “I kept on telling my brother I don’t want to stay here, I want to go back. He helped me stay. He told me it’s normal: everybody feels like this.”

Nafar says that soccer was a major factor in easing his transition to living in Canada. In Iran, the sport is much more culturally significant: it’s the number one sport and most of Nafar’s family played it at some point.

Since he came from so far away, Nafar wasn’t recruited to Western’s team. He had to go through open

tryouts at the beginning of his first year. That meant a nerve-wracking evaluation of his abilities, in front of a completely foreign group of players and coaches.

Fortunately, Nafar’s skills didn’t fail him. He’s a naturally talented soccer player, honing his craft at home in Iran. The game is played differently there, according to him.

He learned a more pragmatic style of play, which he thinks gives him an edge in Canadian competition.

“Here, I think people are always thinking about athletics,” he

explains. “But you need to be smart: you need to understand it. I feel like in Iran, it’s more technical; it’s more about keeping the ball than being physical. Here, it’s super physical.

People are super fit, super fast, but over there you play with the ball more.”

Iran is currently the 25th-strongest soccer country in the world, according to FIFA’s rankings.

Comparing that with Canada, ranked 96, it’s easy to see how the level of play might be a little higher over there.

A different approach to the game has allowed Nafar to fit into Western’s team smoothly.

He has become an integral part of the lineup this season, appearing in every match and leading the Mustangs with three g o a l s and one assist.

The team knows h o w important Nafar is to their success. He was named their rookie of the year in his first season, and they sorely missed his abilities last year when he took some time off, choosing to focus

on his commitment to the local soccer club FC London.

“Reza is an absolute joy to watch on the field,” said head coach Rock Basacco.

The players and coaches that now value Nafar’s skills so highly were instrumental in helping him adapt to a new country and a new brand of soccer. He says that the bond he has formed with his teammates especially, has allowed him to integrate smoothly; the sport provided him with a ready-made group of friends that he sees every day.

Nafar and the Mustangs are currently 5–2–2 this season, sitting fourth in the OUA West. The men lost both of their contests this past weekend but will look to return to their winning form this upcoming weekend when they’ll take on the Windsor Lancers and the York Lions.

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE

Volleyball recruits make strong impression CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR @CLAIREPALMSTER After a second consecutive quarter-final loss to the Ryerson Rams last year, the Mustangs men’s volleyball team will look to their incoming recruitment class to take them to the next level.

This year’s crop of incoming players looks promising, with rookies Eric Pierce, Brady Fidler, Ryan Scott and Evan Hochman joining the team.

“We like our veterans and feel we have a real shot at [the] final four and hopefully beyond,” said Mustangs head coach Jim Sage.

“Our OUA league and especially our West Division is what we need to focus on. The first years have fit in, and I really like our chemistry.”

Fidler and Scott will both be joining the Mustangs from Lakeside, a competitive club in Oakville, Ont. So far, the duo looks promising for the Mustangs.

“I wanted four of them from the same team, but got two,” said Sage. “We managed to get Brady and Ryan, and they have worked out great so far.”

Over the last few years, the Mustangs have done well with pulling two or more players from the

same minor teams, ensuring that they already have chemistry with at least one other player when they join the Mustangs. Last season, the team recruited Matt Stasiuk and Ben Hooker from the same team in Winnipeg. They joined Ben’s older brother Matt Hooker, who had been on the team since 2014.

“The [first years] might not contribute right away, but they give us great practice depth and competitive natures that really help our program,” said Sage. “We hope they are stars in 2–3 years. It’s a big jump to OUA and U SPORTS volleyball, and they know that. Patience goes a long way in first year.”

“We recruit based on our needs as a team and positional depth. We look for academic excellence, character ability to work in a team setting and obviously skill,” said Sage.

“We look at club tournaments, high schools and provincial team rosters, as well as emails and videos from potential players.”

The new recruits will get their first test when the Mustangs exhibition season gets underway at the Humber Cup this weekend, from Sept. 29 to 30. The regular season kicks off against Nipissing University at home in Alumni Hall on Oct. 10.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 • 9

sports

MUSTANGS WEEKEND RECAP

Softball and football continue to dominate MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEDBOER MEN’S TENNIS The Mustangs took down the Waterloo Warriors on Friday before beating the Brock Badgers on Sunday.

With the pair of wins, the Mustangs improve their record to 3–1.

WOMEN’S TENNIS The Mustangs won a pair of matches this weekend, overtaking the Waterloo Warriors on Friday before beating the Brock Badgers on Sunday. The Mustangs are now 3–1 on the season.

MEN’S LACROSSE On Friday, the Mustangs beat the University of Toronto 26–3. On Sunday, Western University suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Brock University 12–11.

The Mustangs are now 5–1.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE The Mustangs won both their games on Saturday, beating University of Guelph 15–1 before taking down McMaster University 12–2. The Mustangs are now 5-1 on the year.

CROSS COUNTRY The Mustangs hosted the Western Invitational this weekend. The women’s team finished in second place, while the men finished in fourth place. Among the top finishers was Western’s University Ben Carson who finished in first place in the men’s race and Kristina Popadich who finished second in the women’s race.

WOMEN’S RUGBY The Mustangs had a rough time this weekend, losing to the Guelph Gryphons 65–0. The Mustangs remain winless on the season with a record of 0–3.

MEN’S RUGBY The Mustangs fell to the Queen’s Gaels 28–6 on Saturday in Kingston.

With the loss, the Mustangs fall back winning 48–10 to improve to 5–0 on the year. to .500 with a 2–2 record.

MEN’S GOLF MEN’S SOCCER The Mustangs had a disappointing The Mustangs won the team gold weekend, losing 3–1 to Brock on medal at the Brock Invitational this Saturday before falling to McMaster weekend in St. Catharines. Mac 3–0 on Sunday. With the two losses Carter won the individual gold medal, while Eric Flockhart took Western is now 5–2–2. home a share of the individual silWOMEN’S SOCCER The Mustangs had an impressive ver medal.

WOMEN’S GOLF showing this weekend, shutting out Brock 1–0 on Saturday before The Mustangs won the team gold beating McMaster 2–1 on Sunday. medal at the Brock Invitational this The Mustangs improve to 8–1 on weekend. Jennifer Knox won the individual gold medal, while Divya the year.

Chawal won a share of the individBASEBALL The Mustangs played four games ual silver medal. this weekend, losing two games against Ryerson University on Saturday before going 1–1 against Brock University on Sunday. The Mustangs are now 7–5 on the year.

FIELD HOCKEY The Mustangs traveled to Kingston for a trio of games this weekend.

The Mustangs opened up with a 2–1 win over Queen’s University on Saturday. They followed that up with a 1–1 tie against Toronto. On Sunday, the Mustangs beat McGill University 3–1. The Mustangs are now 3–1–1 on the season.

SOFTBALL The Mustangs went 4–0 on the weekend, winning a pair of games against York University on Saturday before sweeping a two-game set with Queen’s University on Sunday.

The Mustangs remain undefeated with a record of 16–0 on the season.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE The Mustangs competed in the Steeltown Classic tournament this weekend in Hamilton. The women’s team won the tournament title, beating Toronto 11–10 in the finals. MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE Kristen Pearn prepares to run in a FOOTBALL game against the York Lions, Sept. 23.

The Mustangs took down the Queen’s Gaels on Saturday night,

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE Linebacker Fraser Sopik fends off an incoming Queen’s attacker on Sept. 23.

COURTESY OF THE BROCK UNIVERSITY GOLF TEAM FACEBOOK PAGE Western’s Divya Chawla (left) and Jennifer Knox (second from left) won silver and gold respectively at the Brock Invitational golf tournament last weekend.

Success keeps rolling in for women’s soccer team CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR @CLAIREPALMSTER Western University’s women’s soccer team is off to a hot start this season, going 8–1 in the first leg of Ontario University Athletics play. The team is currently on a seven-game win streak and sits atop the OUA west division, with a five point cushion over the second place Guelph Gryphons.

“It’s a very competitive division so we really try to focus on our next game; we don’t concentrate too much on the games we’ve won or the games we’ve lost,” said Mustangs head coach Martin Painter.

The team’s success continues last year’s tremendous run that saw them go undefeated right up until their last game of the season. They capped off the 2016 season with a bronze medal.

This year’s success has been a product of hard work and great defence.

“We’ve been very good defensively, we’ve had very good goalkeeping, we’ve limited teams’ opportunities and [we’ve] controlled the game for the most part” said Painter. “Out of our eight wins, seven of them have been by one goal, so they’re all very close games.”

The success of the team over the last few seasons is a testament to the strong incoming freshman classes over the last two years. Of the 32 women on the team, 27 are in their first or second year with the team

while only five are senior players in their third or fourth year with the team. Team captain Jenna White and fellow captain Sabrina De Nard are the only two fifth-year players on the team, and they play an important role in the young team’s leadership core, providing an important veteran presence that has been key to the Mustangs success.

“Our two fifth-years and three fourth-years have stepped up and had a really strong season so far, both in terms of how they play and how they bring leadership to the group,” said Painter. “Those players have been through a lot, they’ve been to Nationals, they’ve been to Provincials and they’ve been a big positive on the team.”

Looking ahead into the bottom half of the season, the Mustangs know they are in for some tough competition. They’ll have to play some of the top competition in the OUA and to face a rematch with the University of Guelph in their final game of the season. However, the Mustangs aren’t settling for anything less than first.

“I would say consistency is a focus right now. We’re 8–1 and ranked top-ten in the country, and I think that a lot of teams have a target on our back right now,” said White.

The team starts the back-half of their season this Saturday, when they’ll take on the University of Windsor at home on Mustang Field.

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www.westerngazette.ca

10 • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

culture

•

Futurisms exhibit encourages experimentation AMY SKODAK CULTURE EDITOR @AMYSKODAK

Western band plays in ‘secret show’

NICK SOKIĆ GAZETTE

NICK SOKIĆ CULTURE EDITOR @NICKATGAZETTE The special allure to any unknown art is the chance it might yield a creative gem, not in a hipster, knewit-before-it-was-cool kind of way, but with the joy that arrives with discovery.

The worldwide non-profit organization Sofar Sounds, an abbreviation for “songs from a room,” exemplifies this appeal through their carefully curated secret shows, like the one on Sept. 20 in London with Western University’s own The B-Club.

There couldn’t have been more than 20 people at the borrowed, bohemian office on Bathurst Street, but everyone that attended truly seemed like they wanted to be there. They had to be, as the location was only announced 24 hours prior.

So when The B-Club kicked off the night with their jazz and funk-infused covers, the audience was rapt, with not a phone in sight.

Sofar’s planning also reflected the night’s simplicity.

“Sofar reached out to us around three weeks ago on our Instagram page and set the whole thing up with a few messages,” says Dominic Toccacelli, second-year music administrative studies student and member of The B-Club.

Despite the cramped space, each member of the club had their time to shine, with a few clever

musical additions like a bass solo to Kanye’s “All Falls Down” and solos throughout their as-yet untitled original. The band closed their set with a soulful rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”.

“That was hands down one of the best environments we’ve ever played in,” says Toccacelli. “It’s always fun to play at some big venue, but it’s also intimate just having 25 people in a room that really dig what you’re doing.”

Since Sofar stresses the lack of a regular opener or headliner, Rachel Man was both the second and final performer of the night. She finished the show with six pop covers on her keyboard and acoustic guitar.

The genesis of Sofar came when three friends from the United Kingdom became tired of the audience noise and smartphone distractions at live shows. They decided to plan their own gigs in their living rooms, and from there, Sofar expanded around the world.

To attend, play or host a show, you need to apply on their website; however, volunteers often reach out to potential artists. The idea when choosing a venue is to find anywhere that music isn’t usually performed. Normally, the ticket prices go towards artist and tech crew compensation, but yesterday’s show was a part of a much bigger collaboration with Amnesty International.

The funds were gathered in support of the world’s refugees. London’s

show was one of 300 gigs from over a thousand artists in 60 countries.

While the shows largely consist of local artists, other Sofar performers around the world Sept. 20 include Ed Sheeran, The National, Moby, Daughter, Oh Wonder and Esperanza Spalding.

A true appreciation of low-key performances is also what drew Anna Svikhnushin, a second-year psychology student, to running Sofar’s London chapter.

Originally from Calgary, she had heard from a friend who had been asked to play a gig for Sofar. It was at Radio Western that she had heard of London’s local chapter, and from there immediately sought out a show.

Svikhnushin only started running Sofar London this week but curated many secret shows over the past months as a volunteer. She heard of The B-Club as a volunteer for Radio Western.

“What we really sell at Sofar is music without distractions,” says Svikhnushin. “Our main focus as an organization is to bring the music back between the artist and the audience.”

It’s quite a lofty mission statement, yet seeing how Snapchat was almost a complete nonentity in last night’s performances, it appears they succeeded.

The next Sofar Sounds show is on Oct. 25. The link to apply for tickets will go live Oct. 1.

Walk into the McIntosh Gallery this month and enter a laboratory of artistic proportions. The new exhibition, Futurisms, is curated

by Adam Lauder and is meant to be an experiment of sorts using contemporary art and historical and modern theories.

Within the exhibit are large sculptural pieces: a detailed sketch of Weldon Library’s brutalist architecture and square canvases painted in different solid colours.

Don’t be surprised if the connection between the works seems difficult to find. As Lauder explains, that’s kind of the point.

“I wanted to create a laboratory in which works that ... are not alike could interact,” he says. He wants to see if anything unexpected develops. Here, Lauder is working off of French theorist, Francois Laruelle’s concept of “superposition” wherein things (in this case, artworks) are layered or superimposed on top of one another to see what evolves.

According to Lauder, the show is less of a single thesis or statement and more of a “network of propositions” between “contemporary artists engaged with the social legacies of historical modernisms”. However, one similarity he is able to draw is that the pieces are thinking about the future, occasionally looking to the past

AMY SKODAK GAZETTE

Record revival: vinyls live on NICK SOKIĆ CULTURE EDITOR @NICKATGAZETTE Dozens of students thumb through the seemingly endless supply of records while friends eagerly discuss their finds. The genres span from the earliest of rock ’n’ roll to the latest progressive house. For some, a long dig through albums, soundtracks and compilations will hopefully yield a musical gem.

Despite having been overtaken

by CDs and the internet, vinyl records are still enjoyed by many. Over the last few years though, their audience has expanded beyond hipsters and the elderly. How else can you explain the incredible resurgence in vinyl sales over the last few years?

For a demographic that was born years after vinyls’ peak in the ’80s, college-aged students make up a significant portion of the market.

Eric Glube, owner of Campus Discs, recognizes this fact. For students, purchasing vinyl records doesn’t bring feelings of nostalgia: it’s something new.

The tenth annual international

Record Store Day was this past April.

Nielsen figures in Canada reveal that sales of vinyl singles grew by 1,600 per cent during the week sandwiching the holiday.

Glube started his business with a friend over 20 years ago, beginning with a few used CDs at a Queen’s University bookstore. Now, he tours universities across Ontario with a vast collection of records, CDs, cassettes and DVDs. “There’s a base on our Facebook page,” says Glube. “And at some campuses, I see a lot of the same faces all the time.”

Glube worked hard to bring a large selection right to the students but believes there isn’t a sole reason for vinyl’s continued relevance. He thinks vinyl’s appeal is similar to people’s desire for brand-name jeans over no-name jeans. To many, vinyl is the brand while digital is the knockoff.

Despite their price, Glube is aware of the myriad of appeals that vinyls offer, something he shares in common with Troy Hutchison, the owner of Grooves Records on Dundas Street.

Having been in business for over 14 years, Grooves has never really seen vinyl go away and has maintained a dedicated customer base over time. However, Hutchison has noticed a slow, steady increase in that base over the last 10 years. In this sense, he doesn’t see vinyl as a fad.

“It wasn’t a big explosion like fidget spinners,” he says. “I think I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life.”

Like Glube, Hutchison cannot pin down one unifying factor behind the love of vinyl. He cites the fact that many new vinyl pressings don’t have a lot of prints, and thus, become valuable very quickly.

There’s also the never-ending sound quality argument.

The actual act of shopping for vinyls is an integral part of record browsing. Music enthusiasts can feel at home because everybody shares a similar

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

passion. Hutchison notes that there are some people who come in just to look at the oversized album art.

Students browsing Campus Discs’ table on Concrete Beach seem to agree with Glube and Hutchison.

“It’s not necessarily better quality, but it just has more character. It gives the impression the band is in the room with you,” says Simon Benoit, PhD candidate in neuroscience. “There’s a serendipity to flipping through records that you don’t get in the online world,” says Hutchison.

to uncover visions of the future.

This concept draws on ideas explored by London-based psychiatrist, Richard Maurice Bucke, and his famous theory of “cosmic consciousness” — the idea of a utopian future of social transformation. Lauder explains that he wanted to incorporate artists using modernism to think about “the social” and “the future” on a broader scale rather than their own nostalgia for the past.

“To me, Bucke was a historical futurist like European and American avant-garde contemporaries: … someone thinking about the future and its social consequences,” he says.

Using the theories of Bucke and Laruelle helps give structure to an otherwise highly conceptual exhibition. By understanding Lauder’s theoretical inspiration, viewers can begin to make their own connections as they walk among the works.

Lauder is excited about the outcome of Futurisms and is pleased with how the differences among the works help to compliment each other. He hopes that the show will illicit curiosity among students about the past and about the global impacts that London, Ont. has had through figures like Bucke.

The opening reception for Futurisms takes place Sept. 22 at the McIntosh Gallery from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will be on display until Oct. 28.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 • 11

culture

GMOs: food or foe?

NICOLE LAM GAZETTE SENIOR STAFF

SISSI CHEN GAZETTE

Binge ’til you cringe: rethinking non-stop TV VIVIAN CHENG CULTURE EDITOR @VIVIANCHENG20 You’re up late at night and intertwined with your bed sheets, deciding whether you should click “next episode.”

In recent years, this has been a common scenario. Students spend countless hours watching shows one after the other, even sacrificing sleep to watch “just one more episode.” So how has this phenomenon become the norm?

In the past, individuals had a hard time binge watching: viewers were forced to wait between episode airings. Now, with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, students’ TV-watching habits have evolved.

Cliffhangers don’t leave viewers hanging for long.

“People are going to get caught up in a story,” says Tim Blackmore, a Faculty of Information and Media Studies professor. “They may set aside other activities if they love the story.”

Much like when reading a book, Blackmore believes that individuals think of stories in much longer arcs, Without stopping cues. Viewers take in entire seasons at a time, instead of appreciating the arc one episode at a time. There’s no more waiting to find out who shot J.R. or whether Rory Gilmore would end up with Dean or Jess (spoiler alert: it’s neither).

Blackmore says people might prefer binge watching nowadays because of the pleasure that comes from being completely immersed in the world of a TV show. He describes it as an intense experience, enthralling and upsetting — “everything that good art is.”

Besides providing entertainment, binge watching also provides stress relief for many students.

Third-year genetics and medical sciences student Shilpi Patel bingewatched Grey’s Anatomy three times.

She says discussing TV shows with friends is also enjoyable.

“I think binge watching is a healthy stress reliever compared to what other students do for fun, such as drinking or partying,” says Patel.

But for all the stress relief that binge watching can offer, it can also have a substantial impact on your wellness.

A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to many health problems, like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Western University students spend, on average, anywhere from 10 to 25

hours in class per week and five to 10 hours per week reading. If they’re watching copious amounts of TV, there can be little room for physical activity. Even mentally rigorous activities that involve sitting down burn slightly more calories than watching TV. Myonis Hasnain, a third-year kinesiology student, also binge watches TV to relieve stress — he loves cracking a laugh while watching the ’90s classic Friends.

“When I binge watch for eight to 10 hours, I feel really bad after sitting for such long periods of time,” says Hasnain.

Like other forms of art, TV content may also have negative psychological effects on viewers. Notably, the show 13 Reasons Why was at the centre of controversy due to its graphic content and its romanticization of self-harm, which critics argued could have influenced others to behave in similar ways.

Excessive television consumption can affect not only a student’s well-being but also their grades.

“In the academic world, my guess is that most of us binge watch during exam or essay time, and this is the time you can least afford it,” says Blackmore. “There are a limited number of hours in a day which we can do work. We tend to assume that we can get by with four or five hours of sleep, but you may get sick or find it hard to pay attention in class.”

Instead of binge watching, Blackmore suggests that students should set up a reward-based system for TV watching.

“Maybe study for 50 minutes, take a 10 minute break and repeat this for five hours. Then take a break to watch an episode and go back to studying for a couple more hours,” says Blackmore.

Although binge watching is harmful to our health, it’s unlikely to disappear from popular culture any time soon. Just this past weekend, Hulu’s binge-worthy dystopian show Handmaid’s Tale scored eight major Emmy Awards, beating out network shows.

If you are going to spend your entire weekend binge watching a show, at least consider watching one that educates you and forces you to have a different perspective on the world.

As Blackmore warns, “Entertainment that doesn’t ask anything of you or challenge you, that’s problematic.”

Western University residence and campus eateries offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and Halal options, but not non-GMO. Chances are that if you’re eating something on campus, it has probably been genetically engineered.

GMOs are hyped up as the world’s solution to famine, but also sheathed in controversy. It can be tough to wade through the heaps of scientific literature, legislation and misleading information surrounding GMOs. “G e n e t i c a l l y Mo d i f i e d Organisms” is a misnomer because it’s an umbrella term that encompasses manipulation of genetic material in general, whether it be through genetic engineering or traditional breeding techniques. Much of the produce consumed today is genetically modified through hundreds of years of selective breeding (yes, even organic kale salad is genetically modified wild mustard plant).

Products are defined by the National Standard of Canada as “genetically engineered” only if their genetic material was modified through transgenic methods such as recombinant DNA techniques.

The motivation behind genetically engineered (GE) food is to introduce genes into organisms that result in beneficial traits, like the ability to grow during drought.

There is huge potential to change the global food supply through genetic engineering.

“We’re talking about a necessity to be very flexible in producing crops that can sustain changing

environments and unequal distribution of food,” says Vojislava Grbic, an associate professor of biology at Western. “We’re experiencing hunger in a substantial part of the world.”

Most people are concerned about potentially negative health effects because the idea of genetically modified food seems foreign and gross.

“It’s not as mad scientist-y as a lot of people think it is, but there’s not a lot of public education on it,” says Cory Soininen, a fourth-year genetics student. “It’s really hard to determine on the internet what’s true and what’s not true.”

There is currently no scientific evidence attributing GE food consumption to health risks. In their report analyzing existing scientific literature, the National Academy of Sciences concluded that GE crops do not have a higher health risk compared to their non-GE counterparts.

The ecological effects of GE crops are less conclusive, since there is a lack of long-term studies and conclusive experiments. Wayne Myrvold, professor of philosophy at Western, believes questions about the ecological effects of any novel crop, whether they are GE or not, should be addressed.

“You should be aware that there are people with visceral reactions, who might be raising unfounded concerns,” says Myrvold. “There are very serious people who are raising serious concerns, and those people are, for the most part, saying the scientific evidence isn’t totally unambiguous on whether there are negative ecological effects.”

KIIJA GARGARELLO GAZETTE

Almost all the canola and corn grown in Canada is already genetically engineered, and the sale of GE salmon was approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada last year. The labelling of GE products in Canada is voluntary, and the only way to completely avoid GE food is to eat products that are certified as organic.

That’s particularly difficult to do at Western, since the labelling of food focuses on if it’s local, not organic.

The ethical implications of labelling GE foods have yet to be resolved, but genetic engineering itself is technology with significant applications in agriculture and medicine – technology that is currently being used in Western research. Specific health or ecological concerns about GE foods should not be rooted in criticism of the science itself.

“GMOs are here to stay. So I think maybe discussion should be around, first, education, and then if there are some concerns, these concerns should be discussed, rather than dismissing the whole technology as being dangerous,” Grbic says.

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UPCOMING EVENTS REFORMATION 500 CELEBRATION 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in Germany. To celebrate Martin Luther’s legacy, Lutheran Social Services (London) is hosting an afternoon of music and fellowship at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 472 Richmond St. in London. Everyone is invited and welcome to join in this community event. Attendance is totally free - no additional charge, no offering and free parking at London Life. Put the date on your calendar: Oct. 22, 3:30-5:00pm at St. Paul’s Cathedral. lutheransocialserviceslondon.ca/reformation-500/

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

For solution, turn to page 4

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ANNOUNCEMENTS LEARN TO PLAY the guitar and earn an elective credit! Join 3862B Beginner Guitar this winter! little/no musical experience required. Final group performance, no final exam. Contact:pfeely@uwo.ca

New Varsity Sport Opportunity for People With Disabilities We are looking for individuals who: • Are interested in trying a new sport • Enjoy training and competing • Have either a visual impairment or physical disability, including but not limited to: mobility/strength impairments; amputation; neurological impairments or movement disorders.

Please Contact: Dan Bechard (dbechar5@uwo) and Matthew Waddell (camwaddel2@uwo.ca) University of Western Ontario Rowing

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12 • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

games

PHOTO OF THE DAY

GAZETTE CROSSWORD

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE BRUCE YOURSELF. Becky O’Neill, 38, and Mike Kaye, 47, dressed up as Harley Quinn and Batman at 2017’s Forest City Comicon on Saturday. Sept. 23, 2017.

WORD SEARCH

MAKE A MEAL DICE WORD SEARCH DINNER DOT BOIL DRAIN BROIL FLOUR CHILL FOLD CHOP FRYING COMBINE GARNISH CREAM GRATE CUBE GREASE CUT GRILL DESSERT INGREDIENT

•

CLUES ACROSS

CLUES DOWN

1. Current unit 4. 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet 7. Confederate soldier 10. Car mechanics group 11. Australian TV station 12. Trouble 13. Getting up there 15. Cool!

16. Adventurous English aristocrat Jane 19. Glow 21. A way to appear like 23. Absence of bacteria 24. Type of water 25. Cool Hand __ 26. German river 27. Partial paralysis 30. Immobile 34. Federal savings bank 35. Swiss river 36. The Windy City 41. Female’s genitals 45. German courtesy title 46. Matter 47. Exonerated 50. Danced 54. Act destructively 55. Baked an egg 56. 140-character missive 57. NYC museum (abbr.)

59. Christmas carols 60. No (Scottish) 61. Heartbeat display (abbr.)

62. Rum 63. Flop 64. Cease to live 65. Small Arkansas city

1. For future use 2. Church garb 3. Winged horse 4. Muscular weaknesses 5. Helps little firms 6. Directories 7. Bases 8. They clean up manuscripts 9. S. Wales river 13. Small constellation 14. Fuel 17. British thermal unit 18. Thus far 20. One of football’s Barber twins 22. Manner in which something occurs 27. Beginning military rank 28. Powdery residue 29. Baseball stat 31. 007’s creator 32. Fellow 33. A distinct period 37. Cap 38. Treated a lawn 39. Bryant Gumbel’s brother 40. Mandated 41. A route 42. Home to the Utes 43. Sunday (Span.)

44. Involve 47. Television tube 48. Order’s partner 49. Make improvements to 51. Home to rockers and athletes alike 52. Snake-like fish 53. Tooth caregiver 58. Defunct phone company

For crossword solution, see page 4

KNEAD MEAL PAN FRY

PASTRY PEELING ROLL



SALTY SAUTE SIFTED

SIMMER STOVETOP SUGAR

SWEETENED TOSS WHIP

For solution go to westerngazette.ca/solution

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