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Volume 111, Issue 9 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 NEWS SABRINA FRACASSI GRACE TO MARTIN ALLEN HILL DU KAROLINA JALOWSKA CULTURE AMY SKODAK NICK SOKIC VIVIAN CHENG SPORTS MIKE DEBOER CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE

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Jane Kovarikova grew up in the Canadian foster care system, remembering “it wasn’t a fun experience.” Now, as a PhD candidate at Western, Jane is putting her energy back into the system that almost failed her.

Her report documented outcomes after youth left the system: homelessness, poverty, jail time, early pregnancy, loneliness and mental and physical health issues were all common. But Jane wondered one key question: how there could be no improvement in four decades?

Jane is not only a Western University PhD candidate but also the founder of Child Welfare Political Action Committee, an advocacy group dedicated to changing the Ontario child welfare system’s outcomes.

She recognized that the government was not keeping up with youth once they left the system, and that this lack of data was detrimental to changing issues in the current system.

The project stems from Jane’s personal experiences.

These experiences led Jane to create the Child Welfare PAC in April — a not-for-profit organization focused on changing the child welfare system with increased expertise, research and advocacy.

Jane entered the child welfare system at six years old and was made a crown ward at age 12. After being moved around between foster families and high schools she decided to leave the system at 16 years old. With only $600 a month from the government, she had to build a life for herself.

Her struggles did not stop once she left the system.

Dropping out of high school multiple times, Jane struggled to make ends meet. However, with the help of a mentor she was able to enter community college as a mature student.

“In Ontario, 56 per cent of crown wards drop out of high school,” Jane says. “It’s not because they’re 56 per cent incapable. There’s something else going on there.”

After community college, Jane transferred to Laurentian University and then the London School of Economics.

There, she received her master’s degree in human rights and went on to become an electoral observer for the Czech and Canadian governments.

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It was her work at Queen’s Park that really led to the creation of Child Welfare PAC. While working on a research project, she found that outcomes for youth in the child welfare system had not changed in 40 years.

“If we’re having the same conversation 40 years from now about the same outcome, then I will have failed,” Jane says. “What do we do? The government is failing to interrupt life outcomes for these youths.”

In a way, her path has come full circle.

“It feels like everything I’ve been working towards across the last 15 years has come together in this one initiative,” Jane says. “All of it has just come together in this one initiative in a way. So, I don’t know what the word is for that but it feels incredible.”

On Oct. 24, Child Welfare PAC held their first Advocacy Day at Queen’s Park. Jane says she wants to make this an annual event and hopes to expand it outside of Ontario into Canada. The day consisted of a press conference and MPP meetings.

“The people who are like me ... have had to be really brave to identify publicly as someone from care because that comes with a lot of stigma,” she said. “It definitely does expose them, and that’s a pretty powerful moment.”

■■SABRINA FRACASSI

Pumpkin Painters 1977 RITA RAHMATI MANAGING EDITOR OF CONTENT @RITARAHMATI In 2017 students rock 1970s-inspired costumes like Sonny & Cher, and John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. But thirty years ago, Halloween was quite different.

In 1977, students might have opted not to hit up Richmond Row and instead attend a Halloween dance held the Friday before the big day. The dance took place in the good ‘ol University Community Centre, where tickets were only $2.50. The dance featured a live band, Hawthorne.

Western engineers were still up to their usual pranks though. As was tradition at the time, the engineers painted the observatory into a giant pumpkin. This prank was done annually until as recently as 2004.

By the time Campus Police made it to the scene, the engineers were already done. Claude Brown, the chief of campus security at the time, said he was surprised they painted it during broad daylight; it was 2:30 p.m.

Fifteen students took only 15 minutes to get the job done, as a crowd of students watched from below. The engineers made sure to use water soluble paint so that it could easily wash off, having gotten in serious trouble in the ‘60s for using permanent paint.

In more recent memory, engineers participate in the annual pumpkin drop around Halloween, which typically takes place on University College Hill.

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University contract staff have similar concerns as striking college faculty SABRINA FRACASSI NEWS EDITOR @SABFRACASSI

Courtesy of Western Media Relations NEW BEGINNINGS. Western University’s new Child and Youth Development Clinic at 1163 Richmond St.

Western opens first-of-its-kind youth clinic HILL DU NEWS EDITOR @HXDU638 On Wedneday Oct. 25, Western University opened the doors to its new psychological services clinic for youth.

The Child and Youth Development Clinic’s grand-opening attracted program, faculty and community members to the new interdisciplinary training facility.

The only clinic of its kind in Ontario, it offers high-quality psychological services for children ages of three to 18 with no referral necessary.

“The motivation came from a number of different places … but one was certainly about hearing the needs in our community,” said Colin King, director of the Child and Youth Development Clinic. “We know that there are hundreds of children on wait lists for various services in our community.”

According to King, one service that has been attracting a lot of interest is their comprehensive assessment, where clinicians work with children and their families to find and treat any learning, social, emotional or mental health problems.

For families struggling financially, the clinic takes advantage of a sliding fee scale schedule to help set affordable fees.

“The goal is that families who

have a little bit more financial means and stability can help in the long run and subsidize those to pay lower fees,” said King.

King says that the clinic also provides graduate students with an opportunity to receive high-quality, interdisciplinary training experience.

Under the supervision of experts, Western graduate students will work together and provide the necessary assessment and treatments for children with education, psychological, behavioural, speech and language difficulties.

“Right now, we have our psychology graduate students and our speech and language students working together in an integrated way with our families and children,” said King.

Moving forward, King hopes to use the clinic’s rich dataset about the challenges children and families are facing to empower Western researchers interested in child development and the greater community.

“For me that’s what very exciting about having those conversations with our different partners about how we can work together,” King said.

The clinic is located near Western’s gates on Richmond Street at 1163 Richmond St.

Ann Bigelow has worked fulltime for Western University for over 15 years. Throughout her career, she’s served as president of the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association and has been acting chair of the DAN Management department for two six-month terms.

However, even after 15 years, she’s still being hired as a limited-term faculty member.

Bigelow spoke about her experiences at an event for Fair Employment Week, an annual event organized by the Canadian Association of University Teachers that highlights academic contract issues across the country. The week ran from Oct. 24 to Oct. 27 and an event was held at Western on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

“Universities, including Western, have been hiring more professors on short-term contracts with low wages, no job security and limited access to benefits,” Bigelow said in her speech. “It’s time for this to stop.”

More full-time teaching opportunities and job security for part-timers are also issues fuelling the current province-wide college faculty strike. Ontario college faculty are on strike in an attempt to secure better working conditions. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union wants more job security and academic freedom for college faculty. They are calling for the number of full-time faculty to match the number of contract faculty members. The College Employer Council said meeting the demands would cost an additional $250 million each year.

Over two weeks into the strike, the two sides have yet to meet at the bargaining table.

Stephen Pitel, UWOFA president, said that although the association is troubled by the fact that OPSEU and CEC have not met, they support the position college faculty are taking since these issues are felt at the university level as well.

In February 2016, UWOFA estimated that 56 per cent of undergraduate and graduate courses at Western are taught by contract faculty — teachers who work from contract to contract and are non-tenured, non-probationary university teachers.

However, Keith Marnoch, Western’s director of media relations, said many part-time faculty are employed full-time outside of Western. He also said many parttime faculty are graduate students who are seeking teaching experience so that they can effectively compete for teaching positions when they graduate. In addition, he said some part-time faculty meet temporary needs. For example, to cover for tenured faculty members who are on sabbatical or to teach courses in response to sudden changes in student demand.

Pitel said Western’s faculty association is set to meet with the university to negotiate their own collective agreement this spring 2018. Western’s faculty collective agreement outlines the terms and conditions of employees in their workplace, their duties and Western’s duties as the employer.

It’s renegotiated every four years.

UWOFA is currently at the beginning stages of the collective bargaining process and is gathering input from its members. As a result, Pitel said it’s hard to tell

exactly what they will pursue at the collective agreement negotiations. However, he said he’s confident increased compensation and heightened protection for contract faculty will likely be on the table.

During the last collective agreement, Marnoch said UWOFA agreed that instead of receiving benefits, part-time faculty would be paid an additional compensation amount “in lieu of benefits.” Its intention is to enable them to purchase a health benefit plan if they wish.

Johanna Weststar, a DAN Management professor, said the decisions to hire contract faculty are financial and do not create better learning environments for students or better working environments for faculty. As opposed to the current Ontario college faculty strike, she also noted that a province-wide strike would not be possible at the university level since each institution has their own union.

“At a minimum, I’m optimistic that we will be able to continue to achieve improvements in the working conditions, particularly for contract faculty,” Pitel said.

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London-Toronto high-speed rail one step closer to reality MARTIN ALLEN NEWS EDITOR @_MARTINALLEN

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For students from the GTA, a highspeed rail project connecting London to Toronto is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The $20-billion project is estimated to connect London to Toronto by 2025 and London to Windsor in 2031. The trains would travel as fast as 250km/hr, traversing London-Toronto in half the usual two-hour commute.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced last Monday that the Liberal government is creating a new advisory panel to spur the project forward. The panel will feature financing and infrastructure experts, engineers, environmental scientists and transportation planners. The group will consult local stakeholders and indigenous communities.

Phil Squire, London’s Ward 6 councillor (where Western University resides) said he supports the idea of the project, but is skeptical about how the project will develop in the coming years.

“It would be a wonderful thing to happen, but is it realistic?”

Squire said. “Until I see something more concrete, I’m not going to hold my breath.”

He added the 2018 spring provincial election will greatly affect the fate of the project, and, to his knowledge, no money has been budgeted for its construction yet.

Squire mentioned that Canadian governments have proposed similar systems before.

Aviva Blacher, a psychology graduate student, said she thought it would be useful for students without a car to get home on a long-weekend. Joseph Sabati, a first-year bachelor of management and organizational studies student, said if it was relatively the same price, he might consider it.

So far, the government has proposed that the train will also stop in Chatham, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, and at Union Station and Pearson International Airport in Toronto. If all goes as planned, the stops would connect seven million people.

But Squire said there are also other ways of improving the London-Toronto commute, such as a dedicated rail-track for Via Rail trains. These trains currently

I know going to Toronto, the Greyhound is usually too late, and everything else is too expensive. It could be a great option for students.

YOO-JUNG JUNG A SIXTH-YEAR BRESCIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENT

share tracks with freight-trains, and Squire said that Via’s scheduling plays “second-fiddle” to the other trains.

Squire said that the LondonToronto connection is crucial; many London homebuyers work in Toronto, and he thinks businesses would be more likely to move into London if the commute to Toronto was easier.

Yoo-Jung Jung, a sixth-year Brescia University College student, said it could help students out, as many of their current options are not good.

“I know going to Toronto, the Greyhound is usually too late, and everything else is too expensive,” she said. “It could be a great option for students.”

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Fighting the flu London health care professionals weigh in on the flu shot’s benefits for students PRACHI OZA CONTRIBUTOR @UWOGAZETTE With flu season just around the corner, flu shot clinics are popping up all over London — and at Western.

Western University’s Student Health Services started up the flu vaccine clinic on Oct. 27 and had overwhelming demand during the first three days, with over 1,000 people showing up between Oct. 17 and 19. In the past, SHS has usually seen 2,500 to 3,000 students, staff and faculty at the clinic overall.

It’s even mandatory for some students to get the flu shot, like nursing students including Julia Mutton and Parris Bell. They encourage other students to learn about the flu vaccine straight from their healthcare professional rather than relying on anecdotal information or hearsay.

“Especially in university, you live in such close quarters to everyone, and it’s really important because things can spread extremely easily,” said Julia Mutton.

Still, youth tend to be underrepresented when it comes to flu vaccination rates. In 2013–14, Statistics Canada reports 64 per cent of seniors (aged 65 and over) got a flu vaccination; meanwhile, only 19 per cent of Canadians aged 12 to 44 years old got the vaccination.

News outlets have reported many people don’t get the flu shots because they feel like they don’t need it, they’re concerned about side effects, they don’t think it works or they believe the shot causes the flu. Despite the misconception about the safety of the shot, studies consistently conclude that the flu vaccine has a very good safety profile.

Cynthia Gibney, director of Student Health Services said the flu shot is especially important for students.

“Students have such little time to get everything done and only four months to prove themselves in a course, so if you’re out in bed for a week, that can be really detrimental

to your academic work,” she said.

Further, getting the flu shot is important because, unlike the common cold, getting influenza is extremely serious and can lead to serious complications, according to Marlene Price, vaccine preventable diseases manager at London and Middlesex Health Unit. She said the flu shot is proven to reduce chances of getting the flu, ease flu symptoms and, ultimately, reduce the number sick days and increase productivity.

While students tend to have strong immune systems, she added it’s a good idea to get the flu shot to protect those around us, especially those not able to get the flu shot.

“You can wash your hands and stay home when you’re sick, but the best way to prevent the flu is by getting the flu vaccine,” Price said.

Student Health Services’ clinic runs in the University Community Centre basement on Nov. 1, 7 and 9 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The flu shot is also available in the UCC basement pharmacy on a limited basis.

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USC recap: Bus pass up for review, HOCO retrospective MARTIN ALLEN NEWS EDITOR @_MARTINALLEN The cost of student bus passes, upcoming policy papers and this year’s Homecoming saga dominated Wednesday’s University Students’ Council meeting.

BUS PASS EFFICACY Despite much debate as to which sub-council body should conduct the investigation, most councillors spoke in favour of a motion to research how useful and cost-efficient the student bus pass is.

Every full-time student at Western University pays $227.88 per year for the pass, which many councillors said amounts to just shy of $7 million annually. Students cannot opt out of the fee.

Amongst council debate over the supposed lack of councillors to conduct the project, social science councillor Jared Forman said that USC efforts are better spent elsewhere.

“The bu pass is a very popular policy; a lot of people already use it,” he said.

The motion, put forward by social science councillor Keaton Olsen, stated that the current amount students pay is equivalent to 119 normal trips on the London transit system.

Olsen said that he noticed bus passes at many other universities

were cheaper for students than Western’s.

“We’re trying to build an information base so that, if the issue comes back to be renegotiated, we’ll have years of understanding behind us,” he said.

The USC signed a contract this summer to continue the bus pass as is until 2021. Tobi Solebo, USC president, said that since the pass’ inception, the rates have been essentially the same and that the passes are usually negotiated annually. He also added that students at Western pay up to $700 less than London residents do for their bus-pass.

Councillor Alessia Zonta claimed in debate that a more pertinent issue to consider is that part-time students cannot opt-in to the bus-pass.

Solebo said it would be “wonderful,” but explained that many part-time students take very few classes, often remotely, so they wouldn’t use it.

As for any existing data, with the recent combination of Western ONECards and bus passes, the London Transit Commission will make the most recent usage data available at the end of this year.

HOMECOMING AND POLICY PAPERS On this year’s Homecoming and fake Homecoming saga, Solebo said

the administration’s stance that “HOCO isn’t for students” didn’t work this year.

He said that the USC is already in talks about next year’s proceedings, given how “political” things were this year. The USC is negotiating with the university, as well as London stakeholders and citizens, with the hope of meeting the USC’s official stance that HOCO should be reinstated to its original September date.

“I think there is interest from everyone in finding something that’s a little better,” he said.

Negotiations are also different from previous USC efforts in that they are beginning much earlier.

The USC also approved a proposal commissioning three policy papers on the affordability of school, student employment and equity and diversity.

The affordability paper will centre on the message that all eligible students in Ontario should be able to afford post-secondary education.

Student employment will assist students, who, the proposal states, often attend university with the goal of employment.

The equity and diversity paper will address concerns expressed to the USC by marginalized groups at the “Let’s Talk Racism” event held by the USC and the Organizing Equality Student Coalition this year.

SABRINA FRACASSI GAZETTE TAKE NOTE. USC President Tobi Solebo speaks to council on Oct. 25, 2017.

Student fave Christina’s SOGS execs defend student’s Pub replaced by Inside Dalhousie right to free speech The Bun … for now HILL DU NEWS EDITOR @HXDU638

KAROLINA JALOWSKA NEWS EDITOR @KJALOWSK One of Western University students’ favourite breakfast spots, Christina’s Pub, has been replaced by Inside The Bun, but maybe not for long.

The previous owners of Christina’s Pub at 1131 Richmond St. didn’t renew their lease in May, instead choosing to return to South Korea.

Mary Mouhtouris is the owner of Inside The Bun, and she also co-owns the Richmond Street plaza its located in, which includes other popular spots, like King Richie’s Pizzeria.

With no one to lease to, Mouhtouris decided to take over the lease and renovate the restaurant.

Mouhtouris’ husband chose the name “Inside The Bun” because, seven years ago, King Richie’s used to be a burger place with the same name.

Inside The Bun is a diner that serves all-day breakfast and foods like burgers, sandwiches and salads.

“I tried to keep a lot of things [Christian’s Pub] had on their menu, but a lot of the Korean things we don’t have on the menu anymore,” Mouhtouris said.

Mouhtouris said the restaurant opened Sept. 7, and since then business has been somewhat slow.

“We had a lot of people calling in for Christina’s Pub, and when they found out the menu wasn’t exactly the same, they were kind of turned off and didn’t really give it a chance,”

Mouhtouris said.

Due to customers’ ambivalent reaction to the name, next week the restaurant will be renamed Broughdale Pub. Mouhtouris thinks it will resonate more with students.

However, Mouhtouris said everything is up in the air for now, and the restaurant may only be temporary.

She’s currently looking for people to lease the place to. If she doesn’t find anyone within the next month, she will run the place as Broughdale Pub, get a liquor license and extend their business hours beyond their current 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule.

“Over time, I hope that business grows like it was with Christina’s Pub. Christian’s Pub was a staple, and hopefully Broughdale Pub will be a staple,” she said.

KAROLINA JALOWSKA GAZETTE WISH YOU WERE BEER. Photos of the recently renovated restaurant at 1131 Richmond St. Inside The Bun replaced long-time student favourite, Christina’s Pub in early September.

Western University’s Society of Graduate Students’ executives are speaking out against Dalhousie University’s decision to potentially sanction a student for expressing her political beliefs.

The SOGS’ executives wrote an open letter to Dalhousie’s president in support of the student, Masuma Khan’s, freedom of expression.

Earlier this year, Khan, the vice-president academic and external of the Dalhousie Student Union, put forth a motion for the DSU to not participate in any Canada 150 promotion or celebration programming. In the motion, the DSU called the current celebration of Canada Day an act of colonialism.

The DSU passed the motion, and it was met with community criticism, specifically from the Nova Scotia Young Progressive Conservatives who considered the motion as an act of “attacking Canada.”

Khan addressed the community criticism with a Facebook post stating “white fragility can kiss my ass,” and “your white tears aren’t sacred; this land is.” The post has since been deleted.

After Khan declined Dalhousie’s proposed informal resolution of going through counselling and writing a reflective essay, Khan now faces potential sanctions from Dalhousie’s senate discipline committee. The nature of these sanctions are yet to be decided.

THE SOGS LETTER In the SOGS’ letter, which was also shared on Twitter, the executives stated they “stand in solidarity”

with Khan and that Dalhousie’s decision to discipline Khan is “out of step with the values of academic freedom and political expression.”

“Every student has the right to express their feelings on any particular issue, especially political ones,” said Madison Bettle, SOGS vice-president student services, in an interview.

Bettle added that this issue is especially important for minority students who should not be afraid of the university stepping in to curb their opinion.

According to the letter, SOGS’ executives recommend that Dalhousie’s administration “be required to partake in diversity training, with a focus on the challenges faced by racialized students” so that those students can express political opinions without “fear of reprisal.”

The letter also references a previous scandal involving Dalhousie dentistry students. In 2014, a Facebook group for men enrolled in dentistry was discovered to contain misogynist posts about female classmates and women in general. Although the students faced repercussions, SOGS mentions that these punishments were fairly light — the students had to participate in education workshops and group discussions. In their letter, the SOGS executives write it is unsettling that Khan’s case faces disciplinary action while the dentistry students were “only granted access to restorative justice methods.”

“We really hope that no further action will be taken against Khan as we feel that it is certainly a situation that appears to have gotten out of hand,” said Bettle.

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have your say The Gazette asked students what their plans were for Halloween.

Lauren McCartney

FOURTH-YEAR, HURON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENT “I’m going to be a vampire because that’s easiest to get together last minute.”

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Sarah Whittaker

SECOND-YEAR, FACULTY OF SCIENCE “I am going to Montreal for Halloween … I’m visiting my friend at Concordia University. I might be cotton candy.”

Shajar Qureshi

FOURTH-YEAR, FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE “Not sure if I’ll be going out, but it’s a likely possibility. I’m going to go as a train conductor because I have a hat that fits.”

Tariq Kichawele

FIRST-YEAR, FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES “I’ll probably go out. I’m not sure yet. I’ll be dressed up as Barack Obama ... he’s like an idol to me.”

Damla Alper

SECOND-YEAR, FACULTY OF SCIENCE “I was Little Red Riding Hood on Saturday because I used to dance and I had an old dance costume — it’s just a hood, and I wore black. [It’s] easy, and I didn’t have to spend money.”

Let’s stop romanticizing the ‘tortured artist’ It’s troubling that, as a society, we’ve glorified the image of the “tortured artist”. Just look at artists like Franz Kafka, a revered artists that was open about his mental illnesses. Today, society celebrates the works of these artists while simultaneously romanticizing their illnesses.

Viva la Viv

Even at Western, creative artists Intson and fine arts student Katie Pickell have experienced the negative impacts of this glorified mental illness stereotype.

VIVIAN CHENG CULTURE EDITOR @VIVIANCHENG20 Like most other basic females, I was ecstatic to receive John Green’s newest book Turtles All the Way Down in the mail.

But after I read his interview in the New York Times where he spoke out about the harmful effects of going off medication to spur creativity, I began to see the unique set of mental health challenges that plague artists and how we, as a society, have been complicit in romanticizing mental illness.

Although Pickell isn’t on medication, she says that she struggled with the identity of the tortured artist for many years. She says that society’s stereotypes of the “tortured artist” made her feel as if being tortured was a given with creative people.

“I always felt like I made my best and most gripping art and poetry while I was at my worst emotionally and mentally,” she says. “But the truth is, I didn’t.

Because I was depressed and getting out of bed was a struggle, let alone having the energy to create.”

To me, this perception that art has to come from the depths of suffering encourages artists to seek out emotional pain. Western University student and playwright Camille Intson said that creatives, like John Green, may feel the need to go off their medication because they believe it sedates their “true self”.

Popular onscreen examples include Carrie Mathison from Homeland, who went off her medication to tap into her “superpowers” to solve a CIA case, and Nobel laureate John Nash, from the film A Beautiful Mind, who did the same because he believed that his medications blunted his intellect.

Although mentally distraught artists can make for a good storyline, it can also have harmful impacts for individuals who aspire to create meaningful artwork.

Mental health is an incredibly nuanced facet of life, and we should strive to look beyond what the media portrays to us. Although we should appreciate work that’s inspired by emotional pain, we should realize that artists, like everyone else, experience pain but can emerge from traumatic experiences as more resilient individuals. It’s unfair to expect artists to be continuously hounded by their demons.

This mentality is extremely dangerous: stopping medications abruptly, without a physician’s advice, can not only have adverse effects but also encourage people to suffer for their art. This mentality also implies that good work can only be created when an individual is mentally unwell, when in fact, feeling mentally unwell can impede you from creating productively, especially for those on medications meant to stabilize symptoms.

Although you can live a healthy life with a mental illness, there’s nothing romantic about the debilitating symptoms of it. If we truly want to make progress in the realm of mental health, we need to reevaluate the way we perceive others. We need to separate an individual’s artwork from their mental health and refrain from romanticizing the “tortured artist” just because they create beautiful work that reflects their painful experiences.

we get letters

Don’t be afraid to call a sexual assault hotline Like most “millennials,” I have trouble working up the nerve to order pizza over the phone. Most people wouldn’t pin me as having volunteered on a sexual violence crisis hotline. And yet, my time taking calls was the most necessary work I’ve done.

And you — you might not consider yourself someone who would use a crisis line. Most of us don’t.

And yet, each of us exists in a culture where sex is always marked by power dynamics. Each and every one of us is somebody, or knows somebody, who has had that power compromised or has taken it from somebody else.

Despite the number of people on my Facebook feed in the past few weeks who have been able to vocalize their “me too,” the conversations that we have about sexual assault are scripted. When they are

spoken aloud, conversations about assault and the grey areas of sex and power happen behind closed doors: only ever with people of the same gender, only ever contained in private spaces.

But most often, these conversations happen through faceless organizations, through brief hashtags or scrawled across banners like “sexual assault month.” There are always things we can say here — but most of the time they aren’t ours.

And yes, we do need these things.

Awareness has brought us so far, but there’s a fundamental disconnection happening when our conversations about sexual assault become a disturbing game of Mad Libs.

That said, there are prescient reasons why many of us choose not to use crisis and support lines, the foremost pair being that those who haven’t experienced

oppression are quick to call out “victim culture” — and read us claiming our pain as a movement towards gaining social clout through sympathy. If I were to call a crisis line, I’m admitting I’m a “victim,” and I’ll either come off as a social justice warrior or have to prove myself to those who think I should be stronger. we’re not always “in crisis” — pain defines itself in variant ways but those who use crisis lines must be at rock bottom in that moment, otherwise it’s not “serious” enough.

Why should I take up a line when there might be someone who needs it more?

These sentiments are so pervasive that we rarely have to think them through fully before they become legitimate reasons not to reach out.

But the thing is, the conversations

I had on the crisis line do not fit into these predefined narratives of what sexual assault looks or feels like, and that’s because our conversations are based around human beings, not ideologies. There are no criteria here other than the imperative to talk, to share what weighs on you, and to move past the paralysis that so many of us survivors feel. Grappling with and healing from our experiences doesn’t just happen in singular moments of crisis — it is a constant process in which acknowledging your truth plays a profound part.

While our social scripts stigmatize frank conversation, there is something radical in being able to speak our stories and to have these conversations on our own terms.

The crisis line is a space that allows this to happen. More importantly, the crisis line is there for you. It’s there for us: those of us who have

ever negotiated moments of skewed power dynamics, violence or the grey areas of agency, which is to say all of us.

Picking up the phone sucks.

Reaching out sucks. Making yourself vulnerable with someone you’ve never met sucks. But once you’re able to dial that number, you become part of a provisional community based around the humanity that still exists astride our existence in inhumane hierarchies of being.

When you call, we listen. We don’t judge you on anything you say or don’t say. We make space for the thoughts that’ve been forgotten in our public.

We are waiting to hear from you.

LEVI HORD FACULTY OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES STUDENT

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017 • 7

sports

WEEKEND RECAP

Women’s rowing captures fifth consecutive OUA title

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Mustangs midfielder Jessica Vieira battles for possession in a quarter-final game against the Waterloo Warriors on Oct. 29.

Mustangs forward, Shana Alexander, moves the puck up-ice during their game against the Brock Badgers on Oct. 27.

JORDAN MCGAVIN MANAGING EDITOR OF DESIGN @JMCGAVIN13 It’s a busy time of year for the Mustangs. Basketball, hockey and volleyball are in the early stages of their seasons, while cross country, rowing, men’s lacrosse and women’s soccer are nearing the end of their respective seasons. This weekend also saw the athletic year come to a close for the Mustangs field hockey, men’s rugby and men’s soccer teams.

BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S) The women’s basketball team won their first game of the season this weekend, defeating the Waterloo Warriors 48–43. After missing the entirety of last season due to injury, guard Maddy Horst led the way for the Western Mustangs with 14 points. Next up for the team is their home opener against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday.

BASKETBALL (MEN’S) Following a disappointing loss to open the season on Oct. 25, the Mustangs came out strong

this weekend, beating Waterloo 69–62. The next game for the men’s basketball team will be on home court on Friday when they take on the Varsity Blues.

CROSS COUNTRY (MEN’S) At the Ontario University Athletics cross country championships in Windsor this weekend, the men’s team posted a number of strong results, claiming fourth place overall. They will now turn their attention to the U Sports national championship in Victoria, B.C. on Nov. 12.

CROSS COUNTRY (WOMEN’S) At the OUA cross country championships, the women’s team finished sixth overall. Among the top finishers was Western’s Kristina Popadich, who finished the race in second place with a time of 27:23, three seconds behind the first place finisher. Next up is the U Sports cross country national championship in Victoria, B.C. on Nov. 12.

FIELD HOCKEY The Mustangs field hockey team was in Toronto this weekend for the

OUA playoffs. The team dropped their first game on Friday, a quarter-final matchup against the Queen’s Gaels, 0–2. While no longer eligible for a medal, the Mustangs played two more games and won them both. The 2–0 win over the McMaster Marauders and the 1–0 win over Waterloo was enough for fifth place overall.

HOCKEY (WOMEN’S) The women’s hockey team had a successful home-opening weekend, coming out with a shootout loss and a win, earning four of a possible six points. On Friday against the Brock Badgers, 65-minutes was not enough to decide a victor and the Mustangs eventually lost 1–2 in a shootout. Saturday was a better night for the team as they defeated the Ryerson Rams 3–1.

HOCKEY (MEN’S) The men’s hockey team lost their sole game of the weekend 2–5 against Brock. Five games into their 28-game season, the team sits last in the West with 2 points and a 1–4–0 record.

LACROSSE (MEN’S) The Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association playoffs began this weekend and the Mustangs came out strong, posting a 14–5 win over the Laurentian Voyageurs in round one. Next up is a semifinal date with Queen’s on Friday in Kingston.

of the season on Sunday, eliminating Waterloo with a 4–0 win.

Giulia Geraci, who finished the regular season tied for second in goals scored (11), helped propel the Mustangs to victory on Sunday with a pair of goals. With the win, the Mustangs advance to the OUA semifinals.

ROWING It was a successful weekend for the Mustangs rowing teams as they competed for provincial titles. The women’s team won first place, capturing their fifth consecutive provincial title with a dominating 622 points. The men’s team also posted impressive results at the regatta, taking home second place and finishing with 427 points.

SOCCER (MEN’S) Following a 2–1 quarter-final loss to the York Lions, the men’s soccer team’s 2017 season has come to an end.

RUGBY (MEN’S) The Mustangs men’s rugby team has been eliminated from OUA competition following a 12–36 loss to the Laurier Golden Hawks in the quarter-finals.

SOCCER (WOMEN’S) The Mustangs women’s soccer team won their first playoff game

VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S) The OUA volleyball season began this weekend and the women’s team started it off strong with a pair of wins. They won 3–0 on Friday against the Guelph Gryphons, followed by a 3–1 win on Saturday against Waterloo.

VOLLEYBALL (MEN’S) The men’s volleyball team opened their season on the road this weekend, winning one and losing one.

The team lost 0–3 against Guelph but rebounded on Saturday with a 3–1 win over Waterloo.

Women’s hockey splits home opener weekend CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE The Western Mustangs women’s hockey team emerged from their first weekend of home games second in the Ontario University Athletics, after a shootout loss and then a win at Thompson Arena.

Western fell in a hard-fought defensive contest on Friday, losing 2–1 in a shootout to the Brock Badgers. They bounced back the next night, beating a hot Ryerson Rams team, 3–1.

The three-point weekend improved the Mustangs’ record to 3–0–1, with 10 points. They sit just three back of the first-place Queen’s Gaels, although they’ve played one less game.

Four games into the season, there’s plenty of cause for optimism for Western. They’ve allowed just one goal in three of their games, and as a result they place ninth in the most recent U Sports national women’s hockey rankings.

Rookie goaltender Carmen Lasis has been excellent in her first year of OUA hockey, starting all four games.

Her .946 save percentage puts her sixth among goalies who have started more than once, and she’s averaging just 1.47 goals against.

Lasis is supported by a strong defensive corps, featuring veterans

like Edie Levesque, captain Emma Pearson, and her own sister, Anthea Lasis. This defensive improvement is encouraging for Western, after they were sixth in the OUA in goals against last season.

The offence has started to click as well, although the Mustangs were thwarted time and again by strong goaltending on Friday. They scored just once, despite throwing 42 shots at Brock goalie Jensen Murphy.

Western has found the net more in other games, though, scoring six against the Nipissing Lakers and five against the Laurentian Voyageurs.

“We’ve had a lot of success up front and getting pucks to the net,” said head coach Kelly Paton. “[On Friday] we had a lot of great chances and just didn’t score when we needed to.”

One major source of Western’s offensive success has been the power-play. Last year theirs was the most effective in the league, and it looks to be strong again this year.

They’ve scored four times with the man advantage this year, putting their success rate at 21.1 per cent.

Their one goal against Brock came on the power play, off the stick of Megan Taylor.

Brock’s only goal that night was also on the power play, though, when Kimberly Brown was left wide open in front of the net. The penalty kill is one area the Mustangs will

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE Mustangs centre Evra Levesque wins a faceoff at centre ice in their game against the Brock Badgers on Oct. 27.

likely want to improve.

“We’ve touched on the importance of special teams and girls buying into roles a lot in practice,” said Paton. “There’s gonna be moments when they don’t see a lot of ice if they’re in a specific role. Our execution on the power play’s been fairly successful, but we’d like our penalty kill to be a little bit tighter.”

Both Paton and her players agreed that there are kinks to be

worked out in their game. Finishing more of their scoring chances would’ve put them past Brock, and it will help them in the future. The Mustangs had a handful of glorious chances in overtime that they couldn’t bury.

The team also stresses the importance of maintaining their level of effort.

“We need to improve on playing a full sixty minutes,” said centre

April Clark, who was robbed by Murphy on her shootout attempt.

“We’ve taken some shifts off, and we can’t win when we don’t play sixty.”

Regardless, Western is a strong force in women’s hockey this year.

They’ll try to continue rolling next weekend. The Mustangs take on the Toronto Varsity Blues next Friday at 7 p.m. at Thompson Arena and play at Ryerson University on Saturday at 7:15 p.m.

www.westerngazette.ca

8 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

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Mustangs field hockey takes fifth place at OUAs MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEDBOER After their 2–0 loss to the York Lions in the quarter-finals of this weekend’s Ontario University Athletics championship tournament, the Western Mustangs women’s field hockey team could’ve folded. They could’ve lost their fire, letting their season fizzle out.

But they didn’t. They finished off their year with two wins in the consolation round, shutting out the McMaster Marauders to earn their way into the game for fifth place, a meeting with the Waterloo Warriors in a rematch of last season’s bronze medal game.

The Mustangs followed up their shutout of McMaster with a second blank slate against Waterloo, as one goal was all that was needed for Western to secure a top five finish in the province.

It was a positive end to the season for a team that struggled through a difficult October, winning zero of six regular season games.

“Our goal as a group was never defined on where we would place as we knew this year’s road would be an uphill battle,” said Mustangs head

coach Jeff Pacheco. “We lost a lot of older players last year that logged a lot of minutes. If you asked me at the start of the year if I would take the fifth-place spot, I would have been pretty excited about that.”

The Mustangs started off the year with a modest record of 3–2– 1. However, once September was in the rearview mirror, the season started to spiral.

The team went 0–5–1 in October and scored only four goals.

However, while the Mustangs did struggle down the stretch, the 2017 season saw the team increase their win total from 2016 when they went 2–6–4. While that season finished with a surprising bronze medal win for Western, this team is still in a good position to build the program for the future.

In the win over Waterloo to secure fifth place, the Mustangs were able to win with a single goal from Payten Lang. Their defensive dominance in the OUAs was thanks in large part to Marielle Fernback, the OUA field hockey goalkeeper of the year.

The Mustangs were one of the youngest teams in the province this season, as eight of the 18 players on the squad were rookies. Pacheco credits captains Katie Newton, a fourth-year engineering student,

and Sabrina Bradshaw, a fourthyear health sciences student, with serving as positive role models for their inexperienced teammates.

“The key was excellent leadership,” said Pacheco. “It was important the new members of our team understood we win with 11: the system is not designed for individual success.”

With such a young team, the program has an exciting future. While losing someone like Fernback will be tough to replace, there were a number of key contributors this season that will be returning in 2018.

Brigid Sterling and Nakisha Slavin will come back next year for their fourth years, carrying the midfield and distributing the attack.

Lang and Sarah Gahan were both rookies this season and performed admirably in generating attack for a team that had offensive struggles all year.

With a strong finish to the year, the Mustangs have hope for contention in the years to come. But Pacheco was also happy with his team’s performance this year, refusing to quit on their season after that tough quarter-final loss to the Queen’s Gaels.

“Very proud is an under statement,” said Pacheco.

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Provost & Vice-President (Academic) Western University Western University is seeking an exceptional academic leader to join our vibrant community as our next Provost and Vice-President (Academic) to provide a key leadership role in the advancement and ongoing success of one of Canada’s top universities.

Founded in 1878, and considered Canada’s most beautiful university, our main campus encompasses 400 acres and includes a unique mix of gothic and modern architecture. Our students come from over 100 countries and are characterized by high academic achievement and a broad world view. They benefit from “The Western Experience,” a philosophy that emphasizes an innovative learning experience and challenges students to meet the highest standards in and out of the classroom, preparing them for future success. Our alumni network of over 260,000 graduates make significant contributions around the world in every walk of life.

Western has established itself as a destination for academic excellence and we are home to over 1,350 distinguished faculty. The depth and breadth of our research, from fundamental to applied discovery, is extraordinary. Our Strategic Plan, “Achieving Excellence on the World Stage,” has guided the institution in recent years and helped strengthen our University’s national and international reputation. We are on pace to surpass our $750-million goal for our “Be Extraordinary” fundraising campaign in 2018.

Our incoming Provost will be a visionary leader with the highest academic standards and the ability to oversee a broad and dynamic portfolio. We are looking for a collaborative leader with exceptional interpersonal skills who engages the academic community; has compelling academic standing in their field of study; significant experience in recruiting, training and supporting high-achieving faculty across a range of disciplines; a highly developed history of leadership and management experience, and strong financial acumen gained in a major academic institution at the Dean or Vice President level. Working together with our University community our new Provost must be able to develop and implement a compelling vision for our academic future which leverages our unique strengths and proud history.

Western is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups / visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons with any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression. Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process by contacting our search consultant (see below). In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and Permanent Residents will be given priority.

Western is partnering with the executive search firm Perrett Laver on this search process.

Further information, including details of how to apply, can be downloaded at www.perrettlaver.com/candidates quoting reference 3286. For informal inquiries, please contact Audrey Gamet at Audrey.Gamet@perrettlaver.com

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE Mustangs striker Vanessa Guglietti battles for possession during their quarter-final game against the Waterloo Warriors on Oct. 29.

Mustangs move on to Final Four with quarterfinal win CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE For the third time in four years, the Western University women’s soccer team will play for a championship in the OUA’s final four. They beat the Waterloo Warriors 4–0 on Sunday, moving on to next weekend’s semifinals.

The Mustangs got the ball rolling early, as rookie phenom Giulia Geraci drew first blood just over six minutes in. The goals continued from there, with Julia Crnjac and Rachel Drouillard adding to the tally before Geraci added another of her own to make it 4–0.

Despite scoring four times, Western was hardly a dominant possession force. Instead, they made good use of their opportunities, scoring on four of seven shots on target. Waterloo likely saw more of the ball, but the Mustangs’ resilient defence limited them to just three shots and no goals.

In the elimination game, the firstplace Mustangs had a lot of pressure on them, which can be tough on a young team. A goal so early, scored by one of their most important rookies no less, set the tone and calmed some nerves.

“It gave the team a lot of confidence,” said Geraci. “Once we got that goal in it brought all our spirits up and gave us a lot more determination.”

Many of the Mustangs’ key players had never seen OUA playoff action before this weekend. Four of Western’s starting eleven on Sunday were first-years, as were three of their substitutes. The young team had some nerves to shake off, but Geraci’s goal helped them find their footing quickly.

Western’s coach Martin Painter hopes the big win was a smooth introduction to the playoffs.

Knockout games are particularly stressful, so staying in form is crucial.

“We were a little tentative in

some areas of the field,” he said.

“But that should be out of our system now. We should be ready to have an even better performance next game.”

Such an offensive outburst is a little surprising from Western, which haven’t necessarily been a dominant attacking force this year. Four goals is especially impressive against a team like Waterloo, who hadn’t conceded more than two all season.

The scoreboard may be a touch misleading, though, since the quarterfinal was no walk in the park for Western. The Warriors threw a lot at the Mustangs’ defenders, spurred on by a very noisy contingent of travelling fans from Waterloo.

“Credit to Waterloo, they pressed a lot, created some chances, and forced us to defend,” said Painter.

“We had to absorb some pressure but we didn’t let that turn into any real chances.”

The Mustangs’ focus now turns to the semifinal. They’ll travel to Oshawa, where the University of Ontario Institute of Technology will host the final four. Western’s opponent will be the Queen’s Gaels, who finished second in the OUA East Division and beat the University of Ottawa on penalty kicks in their quarter-final.

Western didn’t play Queen’s in the regular season, but fortunately for them the two teams did meet in the preseason. The Mustangs lost 1–0 on that occasion, but any exposure to their semifinal opponent is helpful.

“We’ve got three practices to get ready. We’ll be able to watch some film,” said Painter. “The key focus for us is more on how we prepare to play: we know the other teams will be strong.”

The Mustangs don’t yet know when their game will be, but they’ll spend this week preparing as they hope to earn a spot in the OUA championship game and to qualify for the U Sports national championship.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017 • 9

culture

FOR THE HUNGRY

Students’ apps prioritize healthy eating and convenience CARMEN MALLIA CONTRIBUTOR @UWOGAZETTE The 21st-century student is expected to have a social life, to get good grades, to participate in extracurricular activities and to go to the gym. This on-the-go lifestyle presents a challenge when it comes to making time to eat, and more specifically, eating well.

But two new Western University food-delivery startups hope to change this. Both are directed at London students, and they’re looking to compete with already-established food services such as JustEat and UberEATS. Paul Okundaye, a first-year Ivey HBA student, is tackling healthy eating head on at Western with his new student-based food-delivery service, Dine Easy.

“Personally, there are a lot of times where I will get home at 10 p.m. and realize I haven’t eaten all day, and the last thing on my mind is how long it’s going to take me to make a decent meal,” says Okundaye.

Dine Easy cooks nutritious entrées at a low cost to students and either delivers them, or students can pick them up on campus. A flip switched for Okundaye when he noticed that he and his friends were always too busy to cook and that there are barely any wholesome alternatives on campus that provide students with their daily health needs.

Students can also try new foods. Dine Easy’s menu includes a wide variety of international dishes to choose from including Chinese honey chicken, Filipino coconut beef adobo and Indian biryani chicken.

The menu changes every week, and there are usually three entrée options for each day.

Each meal, priced between $8.99 to $9.99, includes a protein portion, a carbohydrate portion and a seasonal vegetable portion.

“When you order from Dine Easy, you are also helping to support a really good cause,”

KIIJA GARGARELLO GAZETTE

says Okundaye. The company has partnered with Youth Opportunities Unlimited — a social support service in London for at-risk teens — in order to hire individuals who are not in school or working.

Dine Easy is currently working with Propel, Western’s entrepreneurship centre, which has provided resources and support for Okundaye and his team.

“One of the big things about starting a company, or becoming an entrepreneur, is identifying a problem you think you can solve,” says Alan Kalbfleisch, business analyst at Propel. “Obviously, students do face the problem of food insecurity, which is a problem that Dine Easy is trying to solve.”

Dine Easy isn’t the first food-related business Kalbfliesch has worked with. Currently, he is also helping out with uMunch, a food-delivery app that specifically targets Western students and is currently being created by Western alumni Amir Rezvani and Arvin Drajah. uMunch is designed for Western foodies who want easy access to local restaurants and a payment sharing option on their app, something other food-delivery apps have fallen short of.

UMunch is set to be released around exam season in December. Rezvani and Drajah are currently working with London restaurants such as Burger Burger, Molly Bloom’s Irish Pub, Cousin Vinny’s Pizza and Deli and Baba’s Shawarma Grill to bring the best deals right to students’ front doors.

“We have a split the bill [option], so that kind of sets us apart,” says Rezvani. “Our end goal is to deliver right to you on campus. If you are studying at Weldon, the food literally comes to your desk.”

With companies like Dine Easy and uMunch accommodating the Western community, getting food easily is one less thing students will have to worry about.

www.westerngazette.ca

10 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

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•

SEX TALK

Challenging perceptions of porn VIVIAN CHENG CULTURE EDITOR @VIVIANCHENG20

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Walk it Out Western: Taking wellness outdoors AMY SKODAK CULTURE EDITOR @AMYSKODAK Ryan Henderson remembers late nights as a first-year student in Delaware Hall, mentally exhausted with a case of the jitters after a long study session.

Trying to fall asleep after cramming didn’t seem to work, so Henderson took a new approach.

“In the evening, I would just grab my jacket, and I’d go for a walk around campus. I called them my night walks,” he says.

The now-fourth-year DAN management student says this regular physical activity has helped him get a more fulfilling sleep after mentally strenuous periods like midterms.

“I can’t tell you how many times those [walks] really made a difference to me when it came to getting the proper sleep and then ultimately starting my next day totally fresh,” he adds.

The benefit of spending time outdoors for mental and physical well-being, is something that’s gained quite a bit of attention.

A Stanford study concerning

urbanization and mental illness found that spending time in nature can increase mental well-being, and an article in the Guardian notes increased self-esteem among people who live closer to green spaces.

Luckily for Western University students, campus is filled with nature paths and tree-laden labyrinths to explore and de-stress.

The Student Success Centre, in partnership with the Wellness Education Centre, is taking advantage of this with their weekly event, Walk it Out Western. Every Thursday from 12 to 1 p.m., students, staff and faculty members meet at the WEC and embark on an outdoor walk throughout campus — sometimes with therapy dogs.

Rebecca Smith, scholars’ programs and academic outreach coordinator, says the initiative is meant to bring people together and “add a little bit of walking wellness to their day.”

Smith has been at Western for over 15 years in student affairs and was an undergraduate student herself. She notes that so often people walk around campus distracted by

their cell phones.

“We have so many responsibilities, especially as students,” she explains. “Your priorities are being pulled in many different ways, so for me, just getting out in nature and having this opportunity to walk and talk and chat with other people, who many times I don’t know, just reminds me that we all need to slow down and enjoy the world around us.”

Like Henderson, Smith sees Western’s campus as an opportunity for wellness exercise. She says that the students who have been attending Walk it Out Western each week are grateful for getting to spend time outdoors, away from their classrooms, offices or labs.

Walk it Out Western has grown since its launch in the spring of 2017, but it is hoping to get even more students, faculty and staff involved before it ends for the winter months.

The crisp, fall air and colourful foliage won’t be on campus much longer. Walk it Out Western is a seasonal resource for mental well-being to be taken advantage of.

Selection Committee Provost & Vice-President (Academic) Call for Submissions A Selection Committee for the Provost & Vice-President (Academic) has been struck in accordance with the Appointment Procedures for Senior Academic and Administrative Officers of the University.

The Committee is seeking input from the community as it begins the search.

The responsibilities of the Provost & Vice-President (Academic) are diverse and multifaceted.

The portfolio includes senior executive oversight of all Academic Units, Faculty Relations, Registrar’s Office, Student Experience, Institutional Planning & Budgeting, Western Libraries, Western International, the McIntosh Gallery and Western Technology Services.

Your assistance will be helpful in guiding the development of the position profile for the new Provost, including the qualifications, experience, skills, and leadership and communication attributes we should be seeking in the successful candidate.

The following information may be of assistance when formulating your submission: •

Provost & Vice-President (Academic) org chart at http://provost.uwo.ca/provost/org_chart.html

•

Roles & Responsibilities of the Provost & Vice-President (Academic) http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/board/special_resolutions/spres11.pdf

•

The Provost home page which provides information on the scope of the work of the Provost & Vice-President (Academic) http://provost.uwo.ca

Submissions should be forwarded to the Secretary of the Committee, Kathleen Kwan by November 20, 2017 at kkwan63@uwo.ca or mailed to: K.Kwan, University Secretary Rm. 4101, Stevenson Hall Western University London, Ontario, N6A 5B8

When the word “pornography” comes to mind, many people hold v iscera l preconceived notions regarding this taboo subject. Some think it’s an exploitative field, while others think it’s empowering. As part of Western University’s Consent and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, Western researchers held a talk on Oct. 24 to discuss their findings, which challenged traditional notions about pornography.

To start, AnnaLise Trudell, manager of Anova (London’s sexual assault centre), said that all of the researchers had a sex positive lens.

As part of a government sponsored research study to curb violence against women, William Fisher, a psychology professor at Western, conducted a study in November 2015 to see if there was a correlation between watching violent porn and committing sexual assaults. But he didn’t find any evidence to support that theory. In February 2017, he testified these findings in Parliament because of the government’s desire to know more about sexual assault.

However, Taylor Kohut, another professor of psychology at Western, mentions that there’s been evidence to suggest that aggressive men may be encouraged to commit sexual assault after being exposed to violent porn, but new research studies now factor in sex drive in aggressive men.

Kohut says, although a lot of

sexual misconduct is blamed on porn addiction, porn may not be addictive in the way people typically think it is.

“Studies have shown that porn may not be addictive in the way substances, like alcohol, are.

However, that doesn’t mean that porn can’t be misused,” Kohut said in an interview.

Fisher discussed his research regarding how porn affected relationships. In his study, he talked to couples in which either or both partners consumed porn separately or in which both partners watched it together. Fisher found that most couples who were surveyed said porn did not have an impact on their relationship. Some couples mentioned that watching porn had a positive impact on the relationship, either by improving intimacy, giving them new ideas or giving one partner an outlet when the other didn’t want to have sex.

Meanwhile, a minority of couples said porn had a negative impact on their relationship.

The researchers acknowledged that the findings didn’t support popular perceptions about porn, but they said it provides a learning opportunity for students.

“Research in this area is incredibly politicized, so it’s hard to do rigorous science because sometimes we’re looking to find a certain answer,” said Kohut.

Regardless of their findings, they all acknowledged that sexual assault is a huge problem in Canada, and the necessity of effective sexual assault prevention programs.

Arkells’ frontman talks upcoming London concert GABRIELLE DROLET CONTRIBUTOR @UWOGAZETTE When you buy tickets for an Arkells concert, you’re signing up for a night full of singing, dancing and uninhibited head-banging. The Nov. 25 show at Budweiser Gardens promises to be no different.

The London concert will be the biggest in the Arkells’ Knocking At The Door Tour, which travels through Canada and the U.S. up until Dec. 9. Max Kerman, the band’s lead singer, expressed that it’s one of the concerts he’s most looking forward to in the upcoming months.

“London has always been one of our best places to play. Last time we headlined a show there, we played London Music Hall, and it was such a bonkers concert,” he laughed.

“The London crowd knows how to get down.”

One of Kerman’s favourite things about performing in cities like London is having students in the audience. The Arkells have performed at Western University before, having played at 2016’s Purple Fest.

The band formed when three of the members — Kerman, Nick Dika and Mike DeAngelis — met at McMaster University, so Kerman recognizes the importance of bringing music to university towns.

“I hope we can perform for and maybe even inspire younger generations,” he stated. “If there are a lot of Fanshawe kids or Western kids at the show, that would be really cool.

I just know how much music meant to me when I was that age.”

Kerman also expressed that above all else, the goal of every Arkells concert is to get the audience dancing and singing along.

“The best shows are the ones where the audience is just as into it as we are,” said Kerman.

The band’s charismatic approach to performing is inspired by artists like Gord Downie, who was known for giving it his all during every performance.

“We toured with The Hip, and it was amazing to see them perform.

Because the guy at the front of the crowd was dancing and was really into it, everybody would become that much more uninhibited,” he said.

The ability to get a crowd dancing isn’t the only parallel between Arkells and Gord Downie. While they may be more subtle than Downie was, Arkells also find ways to include political or social commentary into their sets and their songs. This particular tour is named after “Knocking At The Door,” a song which was heavily inspired by the women’s marches early this year.

“We didn’t make a concentrated effort to make this a political tour, but we always want to be writing and talking about things that are meaningful to us,” Kerman explained. “I think all of our songs come from a place of passion — whether they’re about relationships or friendships or politics.”

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017 • 11

culture

VegFest London 2017 AMY SKODAK CULTURE EDITOR @AMYSKODAK

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Blue Pepper gives vintage a deeper meaning VICKY QIAO CONTRIBUTOR @UWOGAZETTE From chokers to flare pants to embroidery, vintage fashion trends are hotter than ever. If you’re a vintage lover, there are quite a few thrift shops in London that are worth a visit. Located on Dundas Street, Blue Pepper Vintage is more than just a vintage shop. It offers not only a variety of quality vintage from the 1920s to ’80s but also a story behind each item. A small note is attached to each piece detailing its origins. Amber Smith, the owner of Blue Pepper Vintage, has gone into countless homes to collect vintage clothing.

“One of the best parts of going into people’s homes is the fact that you get to learn a lot about the history of the clothing and the individual,” says Smith.

For Smith, buying clothes for her store often becomes personal and emotional since people often bring out old photographs of themselves or their parents wearing the clothes, sharing the stories behind them.

“Things were a lot different back in the day. You went through the whole process of saving up and making a payment until it could become yours.” As a result, people really cherished and took great care of their belongings, and it’s not uncommon for people to keep their entire wardrobes until they go to retirement homes.

One of Smith’s favourite purchases was a collection of jewellery consisting of about 30 brooches that the owner’s husband had bought for her as birthday gifts.

They were married for 33 years, and when her husband passed away, she wanted her brooches to go to someone who would cherish them.

“She could tell me each year and where they were. I just thought that was so beautiful,” Smith says.

For each brooch, Smith recorded the date it was given on a little piece of paper, and many pieces found homes with people who were moved by the story behind them — one of unwavering love.

Another important story Smith encountered is that of Howard

Maxwell, a veteran. About four years ago, Maxwell called Smith and asked if she would be interested in his military uniforms.

Maxwell served in the Air Force and Navy during World War II before working as a psychologist at London Health Sciences Centre.

He asked if the uniforms could be displayed on Remembrance Day each year in honour of those who fought in the war; Smith happily

The experience in dealing with people and vintage is a lot more personal because I take the time to talk to them.

AMBER SMITH OWNER OF BLUE PEPPER

agreed to this.

“Those are the things I get to see that nobody ever knows about,” says Smith. “The experience in dealing with people and vintage is a lot more personal because I take the time to talk to them.”

Smith also sells products from local vendors following a “519 local policy”: vendors must be located within the London-KitchenerSarnia area. The movement started five years ago in the London community to promote local business.

“It is really important to support local vendors. I am just thrilled that I can be a venue for them,” she says.

Smith usually takes five to eight vendors at a time. The ones that are currently in the store include Stone and Bone (hand-made jewellery) and Spruce Moose (bow ties).

A night market takes place twice a year at Blue Pepper Vintage, where customers meet and talk with the artists who make the jewellery and accessories.

“It is important for people to learn who is behind the craft,” says Smith. The next night market will be on Dec. 1 and will be Christmas-themed.

Smith recommends shoppers take the time to look and mixing and matching, funky, cool, retro, cute — whatever your vibe is, just enjoy it and have fun.

James Aspey took a vow of silence for a year in support of animal rights. Robert Cheeke is the bestselling author of the book Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness. Gene Baur was recognized by TIME magazine for his animal rights advocacy.

These are just a handful of the speakers coming to 2017’s VegFest London.

The fourth annual VegFest is coming to London Nov. 11 at the Metroland Media Agriplex at the Western Fair District. The event hosts vegan cooking demos, vegan food and product vendors in addition to rescue organizations and animal sanctuaries.

The event will occur during World Vegan Month, pausing to honour Remembrance Day at 11 a.m.

VegFest London founder, Krista Kankula, is excited about the growth of the event since it began four years ago.

“When we first started, I think we had 30 vendors and this year we’re close to 150 vendors which is just kind of crazy to believe,” she says. The event has also expanded to include two stages with guest speakers set to cover topics from animal rights to nutrition to personal experience.

Kankula started the event after transitioning to a vegan lifestyle herself and finding inspiration from similar VegFest events in Niagara and Toronto. She says that educating people and connecting them to a community is

feeling inspired to make a positive change.”

However, learning to prepare vegan meals independently is something people need to consider when living a plantbased lifestyle. To help with this, VegFest will also feature a “Fuss-Free Vegan Cooking” demo hosted by Sam Turnbull, the creator behind the blog, It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken.

As Kankula explains, this is something that may be especially useful for students still learning how to best cook and prepare meals for themselves and explore their food options.

At it’s core, VegFest seeks to inform and inspire. According to Kankula, more VegFest events are popping up across Ontario and the world.

VegFest London 2017 will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $5 and the first 500 visitors will receive a swag bag. For more information and to view the full vendors and speakers list, visit their website at vegfestlondon.com.

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UPCOMING EVENTS BLOOD DONOR CLINIC: Community Room, UCC 2nd floor. Tues. Nov. 21 11am-4pm, Wed. Nov. 22 11am-4pm, Wed. Nov. 29 10am-3pm, Thurs. Nov. 30 11am-4pm. New donors needed. Book your appointment at blood.ca. Canadian Blood Services.

LONDON CENTRAL LIONESS’ Annual Christmas Bazaar, Sat. Nov. 4 from 11-2p.m. being held at St. Luke’s Church, 1204 Richmond at Bernard (just north of the University gates). Preserves, Books, treasures, Gift ideas, etc. Free admission. Refreshments. All funds raised are used to support local charities.

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an important goal of VegFest.

Kankula attributes much of VegFest’s growth in London to the evolving local vegan scene.

“There’s more vegan restaurants out there and more organizations, and so that’s a big evolution in terms of the variety and number of vendors that we have on site,” she says.

London has increasingly embraced more vegan food options with restaurants, cafes and food trucks such as Plant Matter Kitchen, The BoomBox Bakeshop and Globally Local, all of which are on the vendors list. According to Kankula, such variety helps combat the stigma that veganism means having to deprive yourself.

“A lot of times when people think about going vegan they think of all the things they have to give up,” she says. “VegFest is a way of showing that there’s so much out there. There’s lots of great businesses and organizations to get involved in, and I just wanted to give people those resources so they leave

Book your REIKI SESSION to help you unwind and relax.

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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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12 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

games

PHOTO OF THE DAY

GAZETTE CROSSWORD

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE OH MY GHOURD. Third-year medical science students Mithila Somasundaram (left), Sachi Patel (middle) and Dilpreet Dhaliwal (right) work Habitat 4 Humanity’s Pennywise’s Pumpkin Patch table on Oct. 30,2017.

WORD SEARCH

KITCHEN & BATH CERAMIC WORD SEARCH COLUMN CONTEMPORARY ACCENTS COOKTOP APRON FRONT CORBEL SINK DISHWASHER BACKSPLASH DRAINBOARD BASEBOARD DRAWER BATHROOM ENGINEERED BEADBOARD FINISH BEVEL FORMICA BURNISHING GLAZING CABINETRY

CLUES ACROSS

CLUES DOWN

1. River herrings 6. Body art (slang) 9. Taxis 13. Covered with asphalt 14. Mineral found in granite 15. Assist 16. Handled 17. Not drunk 18. Home to a famous tower 19. Songs 21. A way to designate 22. More infrequent 23. Medical man 24. Tellurium 25. Cycles/second 28. Neither 29. Home to a famous tower 31. Former Ravens tight end Todd 33. One who helps 36. Tries to persuade 38. Israeli city __ Aviv 39. Political distance (abbr.)

41. Emergency first aid worker 44. Canadian law enforcers 45. Fathers 46. Drain of resources 48. An awkward stupid person 49. Home of the Wolverines 51. Chinese 52. Gives a hoot 54. Emaciation 56. “Sam Malone” 60. Horses do this 61. Hillsides 62. River in Florence 63. Republic of Ireland 64. Lapse 65. Blemished 66. Backside 67. Woman (French) 68. An edict of the Russian tsar

1. The Bird of Paradise 2. Emit coherent radiation 3. Above 4. Passover feast and ceremony 5. Commercial 6. Rome is on its banks 7. Kershaw and King Felix are two 8. Seaman 9. Stores an electronic charge 10. Teething babies need _ __ 11. Threaten persistently 12. Not fresh 14. Presides over 17. Astronomical period 20. Harding’s self-proclaimed mistress Britton 21. Nocturnal primate 23. Patriotic American women 25. Vietnamese river 26. Suspect 27. Heroic tales 29. Fences of wooden stakes 30. Venzetti’s partner 32. Outermost parts of an area 34. Type of student 35. Noncoding RNA gene 37. Frocks 40. Sunscreen rating 42. Opposite of women 43. Needed to play games 47. A partner to carrots 49. Absolute 50. Disgraced French aristocrat Antoinette 52. End 53. Food eaten between meals 55. Cold wind 56. Streetcar 57. Soluble ribonucleic acid 58. Singles 59. Intersecting point 61. Beats per minute 65. Gold

For crossword solution, see page 4

GRANITE GROUT HINGE

ISLAND KITCHEN MIRROR



LAURA ELIZABETH HARPER GAZETTE

•

MODERN SAW SHELVING

SHOWERHEAD STONE STOVE

TILE TRADITIONAL TUB

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