Tuesday, January 23, 2018

SINCE 1906

westerngazette.ca TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 111, ISSUE 17 dropping like flies since 1906.

USC PRESIDENTIAL SLATE RUNDOWN PG4

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LAYNE CLARK

Volume 111, Issue 17 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

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“It was a bubble,” Layne says. “[My hometown] was an hour to the closest town and grocery store.”

With few queer individuals around and no way to reach them, Layne was determined to start university on a different note. After Western University acepted them, they applied for a floor that would help them foster a sense of community in Elgin Hall: the rainbow and ally floor.

“We had a really great queer community on the LGBTQ+ floor,” Layne says. “But there really needs to be more opportunities to expand and meet other people [at Western].”

Layne says joining the floor gave them a sense of safety and security within the wider Western campus — finally, a sense of home. Although Layne appreciates the advocacy Western has done for LGBTQ+ issues, they wanted to create more opportunities for social programming.

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Layne wasn’t alone in this thinking. They say many of their queer friends also expressed a need for a social group because this sort of social atmosphere was hard to find at Western two years ago.

Starting Spectrum was a bold move for Layne at the time.

Layne didn’t always have confidence in their leadership abilities. Although Layne started building these skills in high school by going on exchange to the Netherlands, it wasn’t until they became a soph at Ontario Hall last year that Layne began to develop more confidence.

As a soph, Layne helped first-years navigate the unique struggles of transitioning to university life and directed them to resources as needed. With their experience as a mentor, Layne noticed a lack of resources and community spaces for queer students.

One day, Layne hopes to work with minorities in the field of global health, and apply the experiences gained from running Spectrum to their future career.

But for now, there’s work to do.

“In the future, hopefully Spectrum will grow and we’ll do more events,” Layne said. “I would like to reach out to affiliate colleges. We’re hoping people will come, meet each other and build a sense of community for queer students.”

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Blast from om the past

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GRAPHICS SISSI CHEN KIIJA GARGARELLO

Like many Western students, Layne grew up far away from London, Ont. Their family owned and lived on a logging camp in Holberg, B.C., a 350-person town in northern Vancouver Island. Layne described it as idyllic, rural and homogenous. Shy and soft spoken during their youth, Layne says the internet didn’t come quickly to Holberg like it did other cities.

That’s why Layne started Spectrum, a University Students’ Council social club that builds a sense of community for queer students. Currently, they’re the president of the club with an aim that’s simple: Spectrum facilitates friendships by creating bonds through board games, trivia nights and study days — some of Layne’s favourite activities. When Layne isn’t running activities for Spectrum, they’re reading historical books or watching comedies. Their favourite show is Arrested Development.

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OPINIONS RICHARD JOSEPH

INTERACTIVE MEDIA CONNOR CLARK

For Layne Clark, finding a sense of home has never been easy.

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CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE

VIDEO LAUREN COLES JOSH MERIFIELD

LIAM MCINIS GAZETTE

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SPORTS MIKE DEBOER

PHOTO MICHAEL CONLEY LIAM MCINNIS MAX MAO

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CULTURE NICK SOKIC VIVIAN CHENG CARMEN MALLIA GABRIELLE DROLET

WESTERN TV ASSISTANT COORDINATOR SHANNON MARKS

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NEWS SABRINA FRACASSI GRACE TO MARTIN ALLEN HILL DU KAROLINA JALOWSKA

Gorilla candidate runs for USC prez RITA RAHMATI MANAGING EDITOR OF CONTENT @RITARAHMATI

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.

A shocking blow in the 1983 University Students’ Council presidential election, front-runner G.O. Rilla was disqualified just one week before the election.

Rilla was running for president on behalf of “all Simians of the world.” and his unique promises made him the favourite to win the election. Outgoing president, Janet Belch, said she found him very “ape-pealing.” Rilla looked forward to working with Western University’s president-at-the-time, George Connell, who Rilla referred to as “Curious George.”

Rilla’s campaign promises included getting more monkey bars for the Thames Hall gym and adding banana daiquiris to the menus of The Spoke and the Elbow Room.

Rilla was disqualified after the USC discovered he faked his address — 41 Plantation Rd. — and phone number — the USC’s central phone number — on his application.

Rilla was disappointed with the USC’s “Neanderthal” decision.

He claimed he used a fake address simply to avoid bad publicity.

Following Rilla’s disqualification, the remaining presidential candidates scrambled to get Rilla’s endorsement, but he called them all “dark horses”.

“The way I see it, you’re going to get a monkey for president next year anyway. At least I’m honest about it,” Rilla said.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018 • 3

news

THE GREAT DEBATE

The dominant economics model HILL DU NEWS EDITOR @HXDU638 One professor is arguing universities are not preparing economics students for the real world.

In early January, Louis-Philippe Rochon, professor of economics at Laurentian University, said the mainstream economics model taught at universities, known as the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model, is becoming increasingly irrelevant. He argued that, as a result, students are not well set up for success after university.

DSGE is a popular macroeconomics model that explains how the economy evolves over time to a steady equilibrium while taking into account potential random “shocks.”

“Much of the economics that’s being taught now is about mathematical sophistication and internal consistency,” said Rochon. “It’s not about relevant issues like income inequality, secular stagnation, unemployment and growth.”

Recently, the Oxford Review of Economic Policy dedicated an entire issue to addressing the DSGE model and its limitations.

Rochon believes that, as departments continue to teach the mainstream model, they risk being left behind.

“Universities are graduating ‘idiot savants’: students well-versed in manipulating complex and

One of the main things we try to instill in our students is to be critical thinkers. To ask questions, to try to seek out evidence, to collect data and to understand shortcomings of the theories and the models that are out there, so they can make better decisions.

AUDRA BOWLUS

PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF WESTERN’S DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

technical models, but who have nothing to say about solving realworld problems,” said Rochon in the Globe and Mail.

Audra Bowlus, professor and chair of Western University’s department of economics, respects the limitations of the mainstream models but also believes the DSGE model has been highly influential.

“As something like the financial crisis happened, research [pertaining to DSGE model] at the time certainly did help prevent the Great Recession from becoming a Great Depression,” Bowlus said.

To Bowlus, Rochon’s statements about the DSGE generalized too much. Bowlus said, although the DSGE model is used frequently, it is not the only model adopted by macroeconomics. In addition, there

MAX MAO GAZETTE

is an entire field in microeconomics that uses other approaches to describe the economy.

However, Bowlus still feels that Western economic students still receive quality educations.

“One of the main things we try to instill in our students is to be critical thinkers,” said Bowlus. “To ask questions, to try to seek out evidence, to collect data and to understand shortcomings of the theories

and the models that are out there so they can make better decisions.”

Fourth-year economics student, Kenneth Chau, believes that understanding the DSGE model is beneficial.

“The effects of shocks to the economy are always hard to capture for an undergraduate student who doesn’t have an economics background,” said Chau. “The DSGE is a really good method to let students

understand how shock might cause business cycle fluctuations.”

Bowlus says that students in the economics department’s PhD program have a 100 per cent placement rate in the job market.

“We just finished our undergraduate and graduate review, and I do believe that we are preparing our students well for the job market,” said Bowlus.

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4 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018

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PLATFORM ROUNDUP

USC presidential slates

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GAZETTE NEWS @NEWSATGAZETTE With the 2018 University Students’ Council elections officially underway, here’s a need-to-know rundown of Team Ocean and Team PrattChang presidential slates’ platforms, .

TEAM OCEAN

Team Ocean’s platform is built around their slogan: “A new student experience.”

Presidential candidate Ocean Enbar and vice-presidential candidate Rav Datta’s platform consists of five main sections: mental health, wellness and safety; student life and community; engagement and entrepreneurship; student academics; and campus operations.

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STUDENT LIFE AND COMMUNITY Under student life, Team Ocean proposes a new Purple Card for students, which would grant discounts on campus and across London. Other highlights include the introduction of an early morning breakfast during exam season (location to be announced) and better advertisement of the USC’s Food Support Services to fight food insecurity. Team Ocean also plans to introduce travelling office hours for the executives and more food options at The Spoke and the Wave.

ENGAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP To encourage student entrepreneurship, Team Ocean promises to eliminate the USC vendor fee for students who are looking to showcase and sell their products in the University Community Centre. The pair also plan to introduce access to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on campus, as the slate believes that many students are gradually investing in digital currency.

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MENTAL HEALTH, WELLNESS AND SAFETY Team Ocean proposes to combat the mental health crisis at Western University by increasing the number of therapy dogs and by introducing stress-reduction training, such as mindfulness sessions. The pair also promise to give students access to a subscription to the mental health app, Headspace.

Under this section, Team Ocean includes platform points for student leaders. The candidates promise to offer more support to RezLife staff and sophs through increased academic accommodation and better self-care stations. Team Ocean also plans to try and bring back free classes at the Western Student Recreation Centre.

STUDENT ACADEMICS Within academics, the slate presents many advocacy points. Team Ocean promises to advocate for free, open-access textbooks, pass/fail courses, course registration waitlists and more co-op and workplace-integrated learning opportunities. Team Ocean states many students have expressed “dissatisfaction” with the amount of co-op and workplace-integrated learning opportunities at Western, and they plan to work with local businesses to amend this.

A final academics platform point describes “transitional” co-curricular courses for first-years that would ease their transition to university and educate them on the importance of diversity.

CAMPUS OPERATIONS Team Ocean began its campus operations section with universal washrooms to accommodate all genders and disabilities. They also promise to improve snow removal on campus, to add shelters for bus stops on the Brescia and King’s University College routes and to add an intercity shuttle that runs on the weekends to the Greater Toronto Area and back.

The slate also aims to ensure that students are well represented in the development of London’s upcoming bus rapid transit system and that store hours, prices and student jobs are kept steady at campus storefronts as the minimum wage increases to $15 in January of next year.

TEAM PRATTCHANG

Team PrattChang’s mission statement is clear: “break down barriers and ensure that every student has the best years of their life here at Western.”

Released Monday morning, presidential candidate Mitchell Pratt and vice-presidential candidate Danny Chang divided their platform into five main “pillars”: student experience, academics, health and wellness, a safer Western and life in London. Notably, summarized versions of the platform can be accessed in three languages besides English — Korean, Chinese and Hindi.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE As the platform’s largest section, student experience is clearly a priority for PrattChang. Some of the candidates’ most noteworthy platform points focus on more student programming, like bringing back the Western Homecoming parade and securing higher profile performers for Purple Fest.

This section also promises a clubs’ space renovation and a review of the administrative fee that sophs currently pay. Further, PrattChang plans to advocate for a self-identification system that would allow students to use their preferred name on non-legal documents, such as class lists or their student email account.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS Points in this section were divided into three main categories: proactive solutions for mental health, reactive solutions for mental health, and health and wellness.

Under proactive solutions, PrattChang aims to create a wellness portal, which will help students quickly identify wellness resources on campus. PrattChang also looks to empower students by providing sophs, USC members and other campus leaders with mental health first-aid training.

Otherwise, PrattChang promises to consolidate and streamline existing mental health resources across Western, and they also plan to work with the Rec Center to review class instructor fees.

ACADEMICS The academic section of PrattChang’s platform focuses on advocacy initiatives, ranging from smaller asks, like a waitlist for course registration, to larger ones, like a promise to help maintain Ontario’s current three per cent tuition cap.

Other points include advocating for the continuation of fall reading week and the introduction of pass/fail credits and free, open-access textbooks. PrattChang also suggests introducing an academic relief program that would give students accommodation on one assignment each semester worth less than 25 per cent by submitting a form online.

A SAFER WESTERN PrattChang plans to advocate for the original Homecoming date in late September. Regardless, they also promise to provide food and water on the original date and to run informational campaigns beforehand that promote safe celebrations.

Other items include striking a working group to look at sexual violence prevention on campus and installing railing guards to increase pedestrian safety on Western Road and Lambton Drive.

LIFE IN LONDON Finally, PrattChang promises to represent students’ interests to the city. This includes transit — such as bus rapid transit — pedestrian safety and Homecoming.

The pair also plans to highlight London’s upcoming municipal election.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018 • 5

opinions

Shame on you, school boards Filthy Rich

I learned about irony in high school English. Apparently, the local school boards could use a refresher.

For example, imagine an intolerant authority trying to shut down a student play because it portrays students standing up to an intolerant authority. Now, wouldn’t that be ironic?

For the first time in 20 years, the Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board have pulled funding for the Grand Theatre’s High School Project performance, this year’s Prom Queen: The Musical. It’s based on the true story of gay high schooler, Marc Hall, who took his school board to court for discrimination (they told him he couldn’t bring a same-sex date to prom) and won.

Almost immediately, both school boards were roundly criticized for the decision to pull their usual $30,000 donation from the play’s budget.

TVDSB chair, Matt Reid, cited concerns about profanity and content.

“I just do not feel comfortable, and the board does not feel comfortable, with the mature content that is being portrayed, especially with our younger viewers,” he says.

To be clear, this is the same TVDSB that was happy to fund the High School Project’s West Side Story twice in the past: West Side Story, a fictional account of brutal gang violence riven with racial tensions.

Past performances also include Guys and Dolls (gambling and gangsters), Les Misérables (forced prostitution, bloody revolution, a rape scene), and Evita (a woman seducing her way up the political ladder).

But, of course, the true story of a landmark Canadian court case, on its way to the New York Musical Festival, is too much for delicate viewers.

The difference, according to Reid, is that this play is a little too close to home, about real students defying real administrators, who are portrayed in a negative light. In other words, they don’t like a story about students standing up to those

in power.

Here’s Reid criticizing the content of the play: “There were other more alarming aspects, including having a priest blackmail a student … and having a teacher betray the student and lie (in court) under oath.” True.

This is “alarming” — because it literally happened in real life.

I spoke to fourth-year sexuality studies major, Levi Hord, my classmate in the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities program and this year Rhodes Scholarship winner. Hord was a part of four High School Project productions, including a co-op, and was also active in various Gay Straight Alliances at school.

TVDSB pulling funding from the play, says Hord, is in line with their past experiences at the High School Project. When they did Legally Blonde, Hord says there were concerns that the board would pull the plug because of the song, “Is he Gay or European?”

“There’d always been this idea that they were very aware of that, should they overstep a line, they would lose the funding of the school board,” Hord tells me.

Thankfully, because of legions of outraged Canadians, an online fundraiser promptly raised more than enough money for the musical.

Now, the production is going ahead anyway with two free matinees, and the school boards look downright villainous.

After initially doubling down on their bigotry, the school board now says they will be discussing a motion to fund the play after all — making this a case of “too much, too late.”

It’s a start, but what’s really called for here is a public admission of wrongdoing, an apology and an assurance that the school boards will start to behave in accordance with the 21st century. These are, after all, the custodians of modern-day education in Ontario, and they hold the future of entire generations in their hands. Isn’t it time we started holding these people to account?

TVDSB and their ilk talk a lot about acceptance, and if they’re going to talk the talk, they’d better walk the walk. Else they might find themselves in court, or — even worse — cast as the villain in an

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Aziz Ansari exposé is flawed but important

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD The #MeToo spotlight has swung round again and landed on award-winning actor and comedian Aziz Ansari.

The website babe.net published the story, “I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life.” The story details how Grace — an anonymous source — went home with Ansari, known for his role on the NBC series, Parks and Recreation and his Netflix show, Master of None.

The article alleges Ansari continually ignored her verbal and non-verbal cues indicating she wasn’t interested. They never had sex, but Grace felt pressured throughout the encounter and eventually left in tears. Ansari, in his response, states that they “engaged in sexual activity, which by all indications was completely consensual.”

The story, which has been spreading like wildfire, is unique in how divided its responses are. In the context of the #MeToo movement, there are those who argue that this is ultimately an account of a bad date and cannot be figured alongside more clearcut cases of abuse, such as with Harvey Weinstein.

In fact, these critics say, this story is irresponsible in that it actively derails the movement by muddying the waters.

Certainly, the story is rife with issues and published in a lifestyle blog rather than a more reputable news outlet. It is a bizarre hybrid of opinion piece and exposé: at one point, the author baselessly telegraphs foreboding based on which wine Ansari chose for his date. The author also offers her opinion on

Grace’s outfit, which was apparently good: whatever happened to objectivity in reporting?

Furthermore, they gave Ansari a mere five hours to respond, and when he did release a statement, they said it came “a full 14 hours later.” Right of response is the most fundamental journalistic tenet, and it comes with an expectation that you give your source a reasonable amount of time — a few days, ideally, but certainly not five hours.

Still, although poorly handled by babe, and certainly not a clear-cut case of sexual assault, the story was ultimately an important one: it deserved to be published. As long as we remain mature in our discussions, the Ansari controversy will nuance our collective understanding of consent rather than derail it. Clearly, it’s not an entirely black-and-white issue, and the grey area must be investigated. For example, the uncompromising headline of the New York Times op-ed — “Aziz Ansari is Guilty. Of Not Being a Mind Reader” — is perhaps the sort of sweeping absolutism we shouldn’t be endorsing.

Instead, this story may hit home the importance of consent that is affirmative and enthusiastic, rather than the antiquated gender-role-dominated version that pervades our bedrooms.

Despite the babe article’s undertone of tabloid sensationalism and its status as a poor piece of journalism, the story highlights how murky consent can be within our current dating culture. That’s a conversation worth having.

No, your life isn’t ‘depressing’ (unless it is) Con of the Dead

So, you like to put your left sock on before your right. You dunk your cookies twice on each side.

Sometimes you might even use conditioner before shampoo because it feels so, so right.

But what if I said that doesn’t make you “obsessive-compulsive”, no more than dropping a slushy makes you “depressed,” a mood swing makes you “bipolar,” a tantrum makes you “schizo” or an angry text makes you “psycho.”

These shouldn’t be everyday

words. They are representations of specific psychiatric terms with connotations unfitting for hyperbole.

Individuals’ behaviour fits these connotations only so far as their neurological makeup matches the clinical diagnoses.

Sadness, for example, is an unfortunate but normal part of life.

It does not necessarily accompany a neurological imbalance of serotonin as depression often does. And relief found by redirecting attention is a privilege depression does not allow.

Likewise, that left-sock-first mandate makes you particular. It may even frustrate you when you can’t remember whether you did it. But it probably isn’t reflective of a misguided fight-or-flight mechanism or imbalanced serotonin,

as may be the case with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Recognizing the difference between daily life and mental illness is important because some people’s daily lives are consumed by their mental illness. They can’t divert their attention or sleep it off. Their ill thoughts spring from an unwell foundation, leaving them at the whim of their neurological makeup.

As misuse of psychiatric terms occurs, the distinction between healthy and ill is muddied. This creates tensions in communities’ understanding of mental illness, giving those coming forward with their stories less of a chance to be

properly understood. If someone thinks watching their favourite team lose is “depressing,” how will they properly relate to someone who’s actually depressed?

Only one in three Canadians experiencing mental health issues seek services or treatment, and the Canadian Mental Health Association indicates public misunderstanding as a primary cause of mental health’s stigmatization.

Cleaning up our language will clean up the way we think about mental health. By centring our conversations on science, we will allow for honest discussion around illness and treatments. We each have

a responsibility to support those around us and also ourselves when we may be feeling irregular. This begins with how we present mental health in everyday life.

So yeah, your ex-partner sent you 19 texts in 18 minutes. That doesn’t make them “psycho.” Creepy, yes.

Overly-attached, maybe. But not “psycho.”

Resisting the urge to lazily label them, or anyone else, will promote sensible discussion around mental health when it matters most. That’s worthwhile.

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.”

6 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018

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By Michael Conley

feature

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Unplugged The connection between social media and mental health

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018 • 7

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

MAX MAO GAZETTE

T

eal Nolte is good at social media.

The fourth-year Faculty of Information and Media Studies student says it’s a skill.

And with over 3,400 Instagram followers, she’s wielding the Insta-influence many students dream of — influence that can be turned into cash for nothing more than a promotional shoutout. She, like many, is also active on Twitter and Facebook.

Nolte says social media allows for a “continuous circulation of ideas,” offering users effortless connection to friends and even financial opportunities for some. She points to a Toronto club owner who offered her a booth and free drinks for her friends, although she ended up declining the offer.

However, for Nolte, social media runs deeper than followers and promotions. It’s vast, complex and not always positive. Despite being an outlet — whether it be “fake Twitter” (the secret Twitter account she shares with her friends) or campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk — Nolte says the cycle of social media’s assurance-seeking and expectations leaves her stressed. “I want to get the best picture with the best angle and post it at the best time,” Nolte says. “Overthinking just makes it stressful.”

She admits she’s constantly on her phone, flipping between Twitter and Instagram in a “gross cycle.” If she’s socially anxious, the phone is back out and she’s texting someone to make her feel comfortable.

Research suggests Nolte is not alone. An estimated 2.5 billion people will be active on social media in 2018, and while Facebook’s mission is to “give people the power to share and make the world more open” — Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat share similar sentiments — emerging studies suggest social media may have a dark side.

Callista Forchuk, a Western University graduate student in the department of psychology, is writing her master’s thesis on the potential connection between Facebook reassurance-seeking and depression. Her mother, Cheryl Forchuk, professor and associate director of nursing research at Western, also looks at similar research. Noticing that Facebook users tend to hope for “likes” on their posts, Callista Forchuk wondered about the potential harm to users’ self-esteem. “[It’s] persistently asking if you’re good enough and asking for reassurance — excessively,” Callista Forchuk says.

Using surveys from first-year students, Callista Forchuk conducted a study last year investigating a potential link between Facebook and depression, but her study found no relation. However, she says

this may have been due to a poor measure.

Another recent study, involving Facebook and people aged 14 to 24, places Facebook in the middle on a ranking of five popular social media sites impact on physical and mental wellness.

The ranking listed Youtube — which had the only net positive score — Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram from most positive to least. Though each provided positive effects, such as self-expression and community building, they received negative marks concerning areas like bullying and bodily self-esteem.

Western’s director of health services, Cynthia Gibney, says she sees the effect of social media on students’ lives first-hand. She notes a surge of students buried in their phones and a rise in students struggling with mental illness. According to an analysis of the National College Health Assessment survey of nearly 35,000 students in Canadian postsecondary institutions, 57.6 per cent of students report more than average stress. Of those who reported any level of stress, 46 per cent said their academic performance was impacted by it.

Gibney worries that young people invested in the digital world may be missing out on elements of real-life connection.

“You still have to care for one another. You get something from giving,” Gibney says. “[When you] are on social media and connecting electronically, you miss emotional cues and you miss sarcasm.

You can’t pick up on that as well if you don’t talk to people face-to-face.”

However, according to Cheryl Forchuk, some of the stress we feel is normal.

“Mental health is something which applies to everyone; we all have mental health,” Cheryl Forchuk explains. She notes that, while stress is natural, stressors compound at university due to challenges in our social and emotional supports, such as academic pressure and distance from home.

It’s the simultaneous, collective increase of stress which raises concerns and leaves students at risk of more serious anxiety.

“About a third of individuals we see at the crisis centre or through crisis services are under the age of 24,” says Lori Hassall, a director at the Canadian Mental Health Association Middlesex. “They are not necessarily just calling to inquire about services; they are coming because they’re in crisis.”

She says social media regularly comes up in client discussions. Hassall suggests it may contribute to the social isolation and sleep deprivation that some of her clients face.

Students also have options in regulating the effect social media has on their well-being. Similar to Gibney, student leaders see room for campus improvement: former Active Minds president Ryan Henderson and Western alumna Kristy Townshend are proponents of Western’s Peer Support Network, which helps address stressors through discussion before they compound. Further, the Wellness Education Centre has information for improving one’s life financially, nutritionally, physically and mentally.

One student following Gibney’s advice is fourth-year political science student, Ethan Martin. Inspired by a TED Talk on quitting social media, Martin gave it up last year.

“I sort of detest Facebook,” Martin says, “Every time I go on, I’m reminded of how much I don’t miss it.”

After quitting Facebook, his productivity increased, and he spends more time with the people he “actually wants to see.”

Codrina Ibanescu, a second-year environmental science student at York University, also decided to give up social media after seeing others’ disconnection from real life and out of a desire to feel good about her own.

Now, the quality time in Ibanescu’s life is found far from Twitter and Facebook — though she loves a good meme — where there is less pressure to conform. Though the sponsors paying Snapchat up to $750,000 a day for branded selfie filters likely want her snapping, she appreciates the ad-free experience that real-life socializing can offer.

“My motivation to start using my phone less is inspired by the fact that I would like to engage in day-to-day life and feel as though I am more present from moment-to-moment,” Ibanescu explains.

But it’s not all positives. Being one of a few to break from social media leaves her in the minority, and at times, Ibanescu says she feels more isolated than when she’s online. Whether those around her use their phones for practical functions such as Google Maps or perusing their friend’s girlfriend’s sister’s Insta, Ibanescu’s plight to be social in “real life” is complicated when she’s one of the only ones doing it.

Social media isn’t evil, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention to the larger role it may play in our lives. For better or worse, it seems Ibanescu’s friends’ lust for social media, much like many others, is here to stay. But for social media’s many benefits, it couldn’t hurt to take a break from time to time — could it?

www.westerngazette.ca

8 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018

sports

•

Mustangs miss chance against Marauders

MICHAEL CONLEY Jedson Tavernier of the Western Mustangs in the defensive zone against the McMaster Marauders on Jan. 20.

MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEDBOER The Western Mustangs were looking for their fifth straight win on Saturday as they took on the McMaster Marauders at Alumni Hall, but a second-half meltdown led to a 90–76 loss.

Things came together easily for

the Mustangs early on the offensive end of the court, thanks largely to second-year guard Omar Shiddo, who came out firing early with an array of step-back jumpers and penetrating takes to the basket.

Shiddo led all first-half scorers with 18 points on seven-of-11 shootings.

However, the offensive intensity wasn’t matched on the defensive

glass, as the Mustangs gave up 16 offensive rebounds to the Marauders in the first half.

“We just did a very poor job of our defensive rebounding,” said head coach Brad Campbell. “In the second half, and primarily in the third quarter, it was our defence’s penetration: we constantly got beat, broke down and gave up a lot

of layups in the quarter. The help wasn’t there, and I thought we were outplayed physically in that game.”

The two teams continued trading baskets in the third quarter, and the Mustangs continued to struggled to box out the Marauders in the paint. A 15–7 Marauders run led to McMaster claiming a 59–52 lead halfway through the third quarter. The Marauders would then take control, increasing their lead to 69–56 as the Mustangs were continuously unable to answer.

Things started to get out of control in the fourth quarter: the Mustangs proved incapable of competing on the boards and turned the ball over. Despite a four-game winning streak that had the Mustangs rolling coming out of the winter break, issues that had plagued them for much of the first half of the year came back to haunt them.

“Our execution lacked on offence, we forced some stuff and we’ve done this throughout the season a few times where we’re struggling on offence then we force it a little bit too much and make it difficult on ourselves,” said Campbell.

“Instead of trying to produce better shots, we kind of rushed and took poorer shots like we were going to get it back, and we did that during the stretch and it played right into

McMaster’s hands.”

The Marauders lead continued to grow, looking very much unlike a team with a 2–13 record.

Freshman guard Sasha Simic led the Marauders offensively, with 22 points to go along with seven rebounds. Shiddo cooled down in the second half due largely to foul trouble, finishing the game with 21 points. Jedson Tavernier and Henry Tan had 12 points apiece.

“Everything that could’ve went wrong went wrong,” said Shiddo on his team’s subpar performance. “It’s a tough one to lose because we were sitting in second in the division and that was a bad loss against a team we should beat.”

The Mustangs turned the ball over 15 times while losing the rebounding battle 46–31.

“It’s everything, you know,” added Shiddo on whether the loss was due to a lack of effort. “It is effort, obviously, but it’s also just the ball not always rolling your way. It’s the little things and they did have more effort, but we were working too. It was just one of those days.”

With the loss, the Mustangs fall to 9–7 on the season. Next up for the Mustangs is a trip to Sault Ste. Marie to take on the Algoma Thunderbirds on Jan. 26.

Women’s basketball shows resilience in loss to McMaster MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEDBOER The Western Mustangs women’s basketball team have had an up-and-down season so far.

A 3–1 start was followed by a 5–7 stretch, and as the Mustangs sit at 8–8 and fifth in the Ontario University Athletics West Division, they’ve struggled to find solid footing as the season moves closer to February.

On Saturday, the McMaster Marauders came to Alumni Hall looking to extend their winning streak to six games, and while they did just that with an 83–80 win over the Mustangs, this Western University team also did something valuable.

Or, more accurately, they learned something valuable. They learned that refusing to wilt in the face of a deficit gives them a chance to win games. As they came back time and time again against the Marauders, before ultimately falling short, they showed that this season has the potential to gain traction heading into it’s most important stretch.

“The resilience was fantastic.

Two weeks ago, we talked about having no excuses and we’ve really started to live up to that,” said Mustangs head coach Brian Cheng.

“Walking the talk is always hard, and I’m proud of our players today. A few more bounces our way and we’d be looking at a victory.”

The Mustangs came out swinging in the first quarter, as they held a 19–18 lead after the first quarter.

Mackenzie Puklicz was the dominant presence the Mustangs needed to keep the game competitive, as she followed up her 18 point performance in a win over the University of Guelph on Wednesday with a 28 point outburst on Saturday.

It was Puklicz who ran the fast break and stepped up defensively with three steals. But if Puklicz

was the Mustangs best performer, as she has been all season, it was Victoria Heine’s performance off the bench that was the catalyst for the Mustangs.

The fifth-year senior came off the bench, while still recovering from an injury, and put up 15 points on seven-of-10 shootings along with nine rebounds.

“Victoria always has a wealth of potential within her. If she decides to bring it on any given day, then we’re always going to be in a good position,” said Cheng on Heine’s productive afternoon. “She made some really good plays and some really good passes out of the high post. It kept us in the game.”

The Mustangs had a slight 55–53 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

And, while their zone defence was struggling to stop a Marauders offence that continued to pick them apart, the Mustangs only trailed by three points with a minute left in the game.

Then, Laura Graham hit a three from the corner to tie the game.

But then McMaster’s Jelena Mamic hit a three of her own to ultimately decide the game. The Mustangs fell. But they kept their dignity in the process.

Now the Mustangs will go on the road with confidence, as they head to Sault Ste. Marie next weekend for a two game series with the Algoma Thunderbirds. Then it’s back home on Jan. 31 for a date with the Waterloo Warriors.

Algoma and Waterloo are a combined 3–29 on the year. They’ll provide the Mustangs the ideal opportunity to get back above .500 and jump ahead of the Laurier Golden Hawks for sole possession of fourth place in the OUA West.

A loss will always sting, but in losing, the Mustangs learned what they’re capable of when they play with resilience and hustle.

Men’s hockey improves to 5–0 in 2018 JORDAN MCGAVIN MANAGING EDITOR OF DESIGN @JMCGAVIN13 MEN’S HOCKEY This past weekend, the team travelled north to Thunder Bay for a pair of games against the Lakehead Thunderwolves. The Western Mustangs won their Friday night matchup 6–2, scoring three goals on six shots in the opening 10 minutes.

Saturday’s game required overtime, but the Mustangs came out on top with a 3–2 win.

Since returning from the winter break, the Mustangs men’s hockey team has been the hottest team in the Ontario University Athletics and is currently riding a six-game win streak. With 22 points, they hold the second-last playoff spot in the West division.

Five of the Mustangs’ final seven games are at home. Their next game is against the Laurier Golden Hawks on Jan. 25.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY The women’s basketball team split their weekend road games. The Mustangs lost 2–0 to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology on Saturday but bounced back on

Sunday with a 3–0 win against the Queen’s Gaels.

The win against the Gaels — who are ranked first provincially and eighth nationally — improves the Mustangs’ record to 10–2–5–2 (wins–overtime wins–losses–overtime losses). With 36 points, the Mustangs currently sit in third in the OUA, and with five games left to play before the OUA playoffs begin, the Mustangs look to be in good shape.

The next game for the women’s hockey team is at home against the Laurier Golden Hawks on Jan. 26.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The women’s basketball team hosted the McMaster Marauders this past weekend in an 83–80 Mustangs loss that came down to the wire.

With less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter, Laura Graham tied the game for the Mustangs with a clutch three-pointer. The Marauders responded immediately with a three-pointer of their own to regain the lead. The Mustangs were never able to recover.

The loss brings the Mustangs to 8–8 on the season. Next up, the team travels to Sault Ste. Marie for a pair of games, the first of which is on Jan. 26.

MEN’S BASKETBALL The men’s basketball team’s fourgame winning streak came to an end this weekend as the Mustangs lost 90–76 to the McMaster Marauders.

The loss brings the Mustangs to 9–7 overall, and with 18 points, they sit precariously in second place in the West, with the Laurier Golden Hawks just two points back.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL The women’s volleyball team was in Thunder Bay this past weekend for back-to-back games against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

The Mustangs defeated the Thunderwolves in dominating fashion, winning both games 3–0.

Kelsey Veltman lead all Mustangs with 21 points over the weekend.

Melissa Langegger and Taylor Beedie were not far behind with 15 and 13 apiece.

Next up for the Mustangs is a weekend home stand where they will host Nipissing University on Jan. 27 and York University on Jan. 28.

The following are not included: curling, men’s squash, ringette, swimming, track and field, and wrestling.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018 • 9

sports

Western track team cleans up at meet CHARLIE O'CONNOR-CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE The Western Mustangs track and field team hosted the 35th annual Don Wright Meet at Thompson Arena on Saturday, where they dominated the competition. Western athletes medalled in 24 out of 30 events, and as a team, the Mustangs finished first with 618 total points — beating the second-placed Waterloo Warriors who had 175 points.

Having completed their last home event of the year, Western’s season is now ramping up as they prepare for the Ontario University Athletics championship. The OUA meet, held in Toronto this year, will be on Feb. 23 and 24, giving the Mustangs just over a month to prepare.

The Don Wright Meet is perfectly situated to help some of the Mustangs’ top athletes get their feet under them. It allows the Mustangs to gauge where they’re at heading

into championship season.

“It’s the second big meet in our 2018 season,” says head coach Vickie Croley. “We don’t have to travel.

We’re competing at home. All the athletes on the team have an opportunity to compete.”

The Don Wright Meet is a community affair, involving younger athletes from local clubs as well as Mustangs alumni.

Croley adds that the meet’s intent is to both bolster Western’s program and celebrate its history. It’s important for rookie Mustangs especially, since it gives them a taste of what competing in purple will be like. The Don Wright Meet can also play a role in recruiting, since high school athletes can watch Western’s success.

“We’ve evolved into more of a community event,” says Croley.

“We have all-comers events in the morning. Local athletes compete and the intent of that is that they stay and watch.”

In terms of the 2018 season as a whole, Western made some serious

MICHAEL CONLEY A Western Mustangs high jumper performs at the Don Wright track and field meet on Jan. 20.

noise in the U Sports scene on Saturday. Multiple athletes moved up in the national rankings, and Croley thinks the Mustangs will move up in this week’s overall team rankings (the men and women were seventh and fourth, respectively last week).

Several Mustangs posted impressive results on Saturday. Chief among them, perhaps, was Caroline Stricelj in the 300-metre dash. Her winning time of 39.75 seconds broke a Don Wright Meet record. Stricelj’s time puts her sixth nationally in the event.

She also leads a 4x200-metre relay team, which ranks third in U Sports after their gold medal on Saturday. Stricelj is joined by Sydney Smith, Courtney Langille and Ally Oulds — who came second, third and fourth in the 300-meter event.

Team captain, Devyn MacKenzie, continues to be a consistent force in high jump, winning the Don Wright competition with a 1.70metre jump.

The women’s team’s strong

results are a bit of a pleasant surprise for Croley, who wasn’t sure how they’d do with a slightly younger contingent this year.

“I really do think, based on how we’re matching up against the rest of the country, we do have a legitimate shot at finishing in the top three [at the U Sports championship],” she says. “Coming into the season, I didn’t necessarily think that because we had four athletes graduate that were U Sports medallists last year.”

On the men’s side, the Mustangs’ success is a mixture of veteran talent and young blood.

Jack Sheffar, for example, has been a top competitor in the 1,500metre run for years — he won OUA gold in the 1,500- and 3,000-metre runs last season. Competing for the first time this year on Saturday, he moved to first in the national rankings with his time of 3:50.46.

Similarly, third-year sprinter Ramzi Abdulahi moved to the top of the U Sports list, missing out on a Don Wright Meet record in the

300-metre run by just four hundredths of a second.

Among the up-and-comers is second-year jumper Jonathan Balogun, whose 7.34 metre long jump is second-best in the country among U Sports athletes. Two weekends in a row now, Balogun beat the U Sports leader — Waterloo’s Joerg Ahne.

There were far too many impressive performances on Saturday to name them all. Overall, Western’s track team is in a good position for the OUAs coming up at the end of February and the U Sports meet a couple weeks later.

“It’s quite exciting,” says Croley.

“We certainly have tough competition across the country.”

Next up for the Mustangs is a meet at Boston University next weekend. They’ll be sending most of their top athletes, including two major U Sports contenders — Michael Petersen (600-metre run) and Ben Carson (3,000-metre run) — who didn’t compete on Saturday.

MICHAEL CONLEY Mustangs pole vaulter Daniel Gleason at the Don Wright track and field meet at Thompson Arena on Jan. 20.

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10 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018

culture

•

WHO recognizes video game addiction

COURTESY OF ANOTHY TUCCITTO

SISSI CHEN GAZETTE

NICK SOKIC CULTURE EDITOR @NICKATGAZETTE Almost everyone plays video games, but in the new year, an obsession with the virtual may lead to a mental illness diagnosis. At least, that’s what the World Health Organization has announced. Video game addiction is to be included in their 11th update of the International Classification of Diseases to be published in May. The ICD is recognized by over 100 countries worldwide, and doctors and other health care practitioners use it to diagnose patients.

There are 1.2 billion gamers globally. Canada’s video game industry ranks third behind the United States and Japan, adding $3 billion annually to our GDP, according to the Financial Post. It’s an understatement to say that gaming is here to stay, but what exactly does this diagnosis entail, and how do the gamers feel about it?

According to the draft, the diagnosis of the new ICD it is centred on a lack of control and the increasing priority given to gaming over other activities. It also notes that

the excessive gaming must be consistent 12-month period. There is currently only a clinical description and no treatment or preventative measures.

Jordan He, a fourth-year economics student and professional gamer specializing in CrossFire, is conflicted about the diagnosis.

“Mental illness is a really touchy subject, and when I first read this ,I didn’t comprehend, ‘What’s the difference between playing video games and playing guitar all day?’” says He. “If you do it too excessively, it’s not good for anyone.”

He notes that one important difference between video games and other purported virtual addictions like social media is that platforms like Instagram are often more positive than many online gaming communities, which he describes as “toxic.”

Even the more casual gamers, like a fourth-year data management student Juan Alanes, have stories of gaming overuse.

“A close friend of mine had issues towards the end of high school,” says Alanes. “Instead of working them

out, he stopped going to school and just played video games … [he] turned to playing as the solution.”

In this sense, Alanes feels the new diagnosis could help parents make informed decisions in terms of their children’s gaming time.

In the world of eSports, the level of competition can often lead to real addiction. He says the North American eSports organizations promote taking breaks, but in Asia, the story is much different. “[In Asia], these players are given contracts for life and they have to uphold them to feed their family,” says He. In those circles, video game addictions are almost necessary.

Nonetheless, both gamers do see the positive aspects of gaming.

Alanes remembers the puzzle-solving in The Legend of Zelda and says it helped his cognitive thinking, while He says “Communication is the biggest key to online gaming.”

The impact of the diagnosis is looming, but even the gamers themselves can see that video game addiction can be a problem for many and should be addressed.

King’s Players’ ‘First Date’ puts the ‘community’ in community theatre EMILY TAYLER CONTRIBUTOR @GAZETTECULTURE Join the King’s Players Theatre Company for their second show of the year, First Date, as they tackle awkward first meetings through song and dance. The King’s Players are a student-run theatre company within the Western University community.

Community extends beyond the cast and crew — the show relies on the Western community to come out and enjoy the show. The club is open to students from main campus and the affiliate university colleges. They host a variety of events from improv every Thursday to multiple shows a year, including a winter musical, fall play and smaller productions in between.

The show promises laugh-outloud humour as Casey (played by Simmie Patoka, a first-year vocal studies major in the music faculty) and Aaron (played by Brent Miller, a second-year nursing student) are set up on a blind date. From there, questions of commitment

and religious quarrels ensue.

Director and third-year international relations student, Cassandra Di Felice, says the humorous and relatable aspects of the show make it a perfect musical to indulge in escapism.

“Especially in today’s political climate, sometimes it’s nice to just kind of escape from everything,” Di Felice says. “As much as [theatre] is driving a political agenda and sending a message, sometimes it’s just nice to be able to sit down and kind of escape the troubles of day-to-day life and laugh at some people on stage.”

The goal of King’s Players is to “put the ‘community’ in community theatre,” says Di Felice.

Producer Shelby Price, a fourthyear criminology student, explains that this is the King’s Players slogan. King’s Players prides itselves on creating productions for students by students.

The crew is made up of Western students from all campuses, which creates an interesting dynamic for

putting together a show. The cast comes together with completely different schedules and levels of experience. As Di Felice explains, they try to maintain a balance between friendly support and a professional atmosphere.

This community also includes the student band accompanying the show. Ben Liebovitz, a masters in musical theory student, is the show’s musical director. With past music teaching experience, he explains the importance of creating a culture that provides students with the opportunity to lead.

“Working with sort of my age group, with my peers, is really rewarding to see all of us in such a vital growth stage in our musicianship,” Liebovitz says. “As we go through undergrad, we evolve a lot, not only as students, but those of us in the band and the cast as musicians. And it’s a critical time for that sort of evolution.”

More information can be found on their Facebook page (@kingsplayerskuc). The musical runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3.

Dwayne Gretzky to celebrate the greatest songs of all time at London concert GABRIELLE DROLET CULTURE EDITOR @GABRIELLEDROLET

You might not think that The Beatles, Britney Spears and Fleetwood Mac have all that much in common, but Toronto-based cover band Dwayne Gretzky would disagree. While these artists’ songs span different genres and decades, they all share one important commonality: they have the ability to capture audiences. On Feb. 15, Dwayne Gretzky will be performing at Rum Runners in London Music Hall, in a set bound to include everything from Bowie to Beyoncé.

Dwayne Gretzky has become a musical phenomenon in the Greater Toronto Area, drawing crowds with their covers of the most well-loved songs of all time. Tyler Kyte, the band’s lead singer, explains that, whether the band is playing classic rock or modern pop, their goal is always to pay tribute to the original artists.

“We celebrate the songs as much as we can, and I guess audiences have connected with that,” Kyte says. “These are all great songs that were written to perfection and recorded to perfection, so we want to do that justice.”

Despite their GTA stardom, Dwayne Gretzky never formed with the intention of being a full-fledged cover band. Instead, it started off as a group of friends performing in Toronto bars for fun. The band realized that they could turn their cover sets into a career when they saw how much their performances resonated with audiences.

“When we started playing in Toronto, there was a real dialogue between us and our audience,” Kyte expressed. “The band had found each other, the audience had found us and we had found this audience, so it was this joyful experience that became really fun.”

When the band first started performing, they didn’t even have a name yet. After one of their sets, someone in the audience asked

what the band was called. Nick Rose, one of the band’s founders, answered “Dwayne Gretzky” as a joke.

“It’s a joke that I probably never would have remembered, but somebody put us up on YouTube under the name ‘Dwayne Gretzky,’” Kyte laughs. “That was the point where we realized that we were a band.”

The success Dwayne Gretzky found in Toronto shouldn’t come as a surprise to Western University students, who have a tradition of celebrating covers of popular songs.

Week after week, Rick McGhie’s sets in The Spoke join students together with everything from “Sweet Caroline” to “Pumped Up Kicks.”

While Dwayne Gretzky tends to focus on classic rock, playing songs from Tom Petty, Springsteen and The Tragically Hip, they throw in modern songs as well. With such an eclectic mix of music in their repertoire, the members of the band have learned to curate their setlist based on their audiences’ preferences.

“We read the room like a DJ would and play some songs that suit the environment,” Kyte says.

“We have a repertoire of about 80 songs which are all open season. So we just go to the venues and we see who’s there.”

Part of a small tour through Ontario and parts of the United States, the upcoming performance at Rum Runners marks Dwayne Gretzky’s first ever concert in London. Above all else, Kyte hopes that this tour will be an opportunity to keep celebrating great music while finding new audiences.

“I really don’t know what to expect since this is our first time doing a tour like this,” he says.

“Because we’re 10 people on stage, we’re already a bit of a moving house party in ourselves, so we’ll be having fun, and hopefully everybody else will be having fun too.”

Tickets to see Dwayne Gretzky at Rum Runners can be purchased through Ticketfly.

• www.westerngazette.ca

s gh s Western students show off their ink

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018 • 11

culture

Daniel Caesar finds love at the Mustang Lounge NICK SOKIC CULTURE EDITOR @NICKATGAZETTE

The opening notes of “Best Part” begin to play while hundreds of students in the audience scream the lyrics, building up to Daniel Caesar’s arrival. He comes on stage in the Mustang Lounge, performing with a knowing-smile on his face. It was his demeanour, coolness and charisma, that was emblematic of his sold-out performance Thursday night at Western University.

Hosted by the University Students’ Council and Tri-Sci, Caesar greeted an enthusiastic crowd. With a sold out North American tour, it’s safe to say the R&B artist is riding a high right now.

While EDM has proven to be Western students’ favourite, Caesar’s intimate and romantic lyrics also went over well. Caesar frequently engaged the audience, using a call-and-response style, particularly during the joyful choirs of “We Find Love” and “Neu Roses (Transgressor’s Song).” And Western students delivered, singing lyric after lyric and giving the entire show a vibe that consisted of equal parts Kirk Franklin and Frank Ocean.

The live drums, keys and guitar also helped lift his more somber songs, making them more upbeat without taking away from the seriousness of his lyrics. Caesar was unapologetic about mixing in some of his older tracks from his SoundCloudonly EP and showing his own talent by playing guitar for a few songs.

Caesar has his roots in gospel, growing up as a devout follower of

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the Seventh-day Adventist Church — and the show was about as long as mass. Caesar has shown he’s capable of longer sets before, like his recent 80-minute-plus sets in Toronto. The audience seemed to want more, and one or two covers would have padded out the concert.

Caesar closed with an encore of “Get You.” Henry Ho, a first-year management and organization studies student, left the venue ecstatic.

“The concert was so good. I’ve been a fan since last year after I heard ‘We Find Love.’ ” Last night was also an opportunity for Western band, B-Club, to gain exposure. Opening for Caesar, the band played for about an hour at The Spoke.

Caesar, the 22-year-old Torontonian is coming off of a breakout year: his debut album, Freudian, sparked two Grammy nominations

for Best R&B Performance, for “Get You,” and Best R&B Album. If the concert is any indication, 2018 may prove to be even more successful, and it’s safe to say he gained a few more devotees Thursday night.

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Fourth-year media, information and technoculture student Sam Morgan’s tattoo is inspired by a New Zealand sunrise.

Third-year fine arts student Cassidy Morris shows off her shake the dust piece.

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Second-year creative writing and English student James Gagnon dons a polar bear tattoo.

Third-year sociology student Aaron Heffernan’s mandala precedes more tattoos along his right arm.

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12 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018

games

PHOTO OF THE DAY

GAZETTE CROSSWORD

CONNOR MALBEUF BRIDGING THE GAP. Peter Mansbridge delivered the keynote speech of Social Science Student’ Council’s academic conference in the Mustang Lounge on Jan. 21.

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1. Type of ion 5. __ N’ Bake 10. At all times 14. __ Triad: fictional cult 15. Spiked revolving disk 16. Swiss river 17. Bleat 18. Finnish lake 19. Spanish cubist Juan 20. Consumer 22. No seats available 23. Arrive 24. Upstate NY city 27. Team’s best pitcher 30. Follows sigma 31. Consume 32. Congressman 35. Spider’s territory 37. Conclusion 38. Female parent 39. Instruments 40. __-bo: exercise 41. Jewish spiritual leader 42. Oil cartel 43. In support of 44. More creepy 45. Color of blood 46. ‘__ death do us part 47. Radio finder (abbr.)

48. Promotions 49. Songs 52. Tony winner Daisy 55. Not just “play” 56. Affected with rabies 60. Formal group of like-minded people 61. Hold valuables 63. Male admirer 64. Actress Lucy 65. Prevents the fermentation of 66. Furniture 67. Long, winding ridge 68. Cover with drops 69. Major European river

1. Greek goddess of youth 2. Early kingdom in Syria 3. Fortifying ditch 4. Walk into 5. Island state __ Lanka 6. Japan’s most populous island 7. Mindful of 8. Fuel 9. NY Giants’ Manning 10. Very willing 11. Linear unit 12. Guitarist Clapton 13. Semitic letter 21. Habitual repetitions 23. Soak 25. Taxi 26. Small amount 27. A theatrical performer 28. 2-door car 29. ___ and flowed 32. Arabic female name 33. Implant within 34. Groups of two 36. College athletic conference 37. Body part 38. Disfigure 40. Accept 41. Allude to 43. Type of tree 44. Doctor of Education 46. Pearl Jam’s first album 47. Flower cluster 49. Heavy cavalry sword 50. Arabian Peninsula desert 51. Marten 52. Type of sound 53. Expression of grief 54. Liberian tribal people 57. Wizards’ shooting guard Bradley 58. Metrical foot 59. Mislead knowingly 61. Sino-Soviet block (abbr.)

62. Midway between south and southwest

For crossword solution, see page 11

HYDRATE INTENSITY ISOLATION

ISOMETRIC MUSCLES OBLIQUES



REPETITIONS RESISTANCE SETS

SPOTTER TRAINER TRAINING

WEIGHT WORKOUT

For solution go to westerngazette.ca/solution