Tuesday, January 30, 2018

SINCE 1906

westerngazette.ca TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 111, ISSUE 18 losing things since 1906

USC PLATFORM ANALYSIS PG6

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS WEEKEND GAMES PG11

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KAITLYN TERRANA

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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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Kaitlyn continued this way for over a month.

“I just remember waking up one morning and feeling like I had been drugged,” she said. “It was very, very scary.”

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Kaitlyn has Kleine-Levin Syndrome, a very rare sleeping disorder that causes episodes of extreme sleepiness which are only treatable by sleeping through them. It is sometimes called “Sleeping Beauty” syndrome, though it is not necessarily pretty.

As she continued in high school through her first episode, working around her daily schedule prolonged the episode to over 30 days. Episodes, in which the person sleeps for 16 to 20 hours each day, usually span 10 days.

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Though her condition is rare, Kaitlyn has done her utmost to connect and benefit the KLS community around the world.

In grade 12, she raised $1,000 for the KLS foundation by selling wristbands. She has set herself a goal for next year — to bring the foundation to Canada. She’s also told her story many times to the media to raise awareness of the condition: Huffington Post, the Daily Mail and the Toronto Sun are a few of those who have showcased her story.

“I found it to be my mission to raise awareness,” she said. “And I’ll keep going — I won’t stop doing what I’ve set out to do.”

Because of her prominence, Kaitlyn is in constant communication with people around the world, from Venezuela to Germany, who think they have or have been diagnosed with the condition. Many of them know each other through a Facebook group that has around 1,000 members.

Doctors were confounded. They gave her anti-epileptic medication, but it only made her more tired. Throughout her high school years, her episodes cumulatively spanned 100 days, and she even slept through her 16th and 17th birthdays.

Now, with nearly five years separating her from those deep sleeps, she has a Sleeping Beauty tattoo.

Eventually, she was correctly diagnosed with KLS at McMaster University Medical Centre and taken off the

■■MARTIN ALLEN

Kaitlyn said she feels lucky — she feels everything happens for a reason, and she plans to use her experience to help her bedfellows.

Blast from om the past

USC candidate name missing on 1998 election ballot GRACE TO NEWS EDITOR @GRACEKTO

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.

Even before her medical issues arose, Kaitlyn wanted to be a doctor. During her episodes, she believed her future as a physician was over, but the up-turn in her condition has left her with the energy to pursue her dream.

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GRAPHICS SISSI CHEN KIIJA GARGARELLO

When she was 16 years old, the now fourth-year medical sciences student started to feel a fogginess that lingered for weeks at a time. Her grades dropped and she became withdrawn — so withdrawn she once walked onto the road without remembering she had to look for cars. When she found out her sister had been in a car accident, she simply gave her mother a blank stare. And she slept.

medicine. Eventually, the fog faded away. She hasn’t had an episode since 2013. Typically, the condition fades after a decade, not just a few years, and it does so for unknown reasons.

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OPINIONS RICHARD JOSEPH

INTERACTIVE MEDIA CONNOR CLARK

Western University student Kaitlyn Terrana has slept normally since 2013. But for a few years before then, entire weeks and months blurred out like a long dream.

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CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE

VIDEO LAUREN COLES JOSH MERIFIELD

MICHAEL CONLEY 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

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NEWS SABRINA FRACASSI GRACE TO MARTIN ALLEN HILL DU KAROLINA JALOWSKA

The University Students’ Council election is a huge annual event to run and, oftentimes, the campaign period is filled with bumps and blunders.

When the voting booths opened in 1998, one student candidate was left out in the cold: one of the candidates for a social science councillor position was missing from the ballot.

The USC chief returning officer was notified of the mistake 45 minutes after voting commenced. Elections staff swiftly closed voting polls and had to reprint 5,000 new ballots. Two hours later, voting

stations were back in full swing.

According to the CRO, approximately 40 votes for the position had to be discarded. Fortunately, votes for all other positions were still valid.

Both the student candidate and the CRO were responsible for making sure that the list of candidates was complete. Candidates were supposed to check the list, which had been posted on the USC door for two weeks.

In their efforts to rectify the situation, the elections staff urged those who voted the social science councillor candidate to re-cast their ballots. To make sure that no one voted twice, students’ identification cards were marked on a different box.

Here’s hoping a blunder like that doesn’t happen this year.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 • 3

elections

Tuning into turnout KAROLINA JALOWSKA NEWS EDITOR @KJALOWSK McMaster University has one of the highest student voter turnouts in Canada. Many schools battle student apathy, so what’s McMaster doing right?

For the past five years, McMaster’s voter turnout has ranged between 40 and 45 per cent of undergraduates during its annual student elections. Although Western University’s turnout rates have increased over the past four years, the highest was last year at only 27.9 per cent, about 9,000 students of an eligible 32,000.

With both Western and McMaster having similar student populations (roughly 30,000 undergraduates), McMaster’s turnout rates are comparatively through the roof. But it turns out McMaster hasn’t always had a high voter track record.

Shane Madill, the editor-in-chief of the Silhouette, McMaster’s student newspaper, said McMaster’s high voting turnouts are a recent phenomenon at the university.

“It’s been as low as 13 per cent in 2009; that was the lowest year they’ve ever had on record, and it’s gone progressively up, reaching about 33 per cent in 2012 and moving upwards from there,” Madill said.

According to data from the Silhouette, McMaster experienced low voter turnouts between 2002 and 2010.

In 2012, McMaster switched to an online voting software platform, Simply Voting, which helped

increase student voter turnout.

Simply Voting is the same system Western uses.

An article posted in the Silhouette, written by Anqi Shen, quotes Steven Thompson, chief returning officer for the McMaster Students Union elections department in 2013. He told the Silhouette, “Online voting helps.... It’s more convenient since there are no crazy lineups. It also saves [MSU] money and is more secure.”

Madill credits McMaster’s current high student voter turnout to the importance of the student union at the university.

“Because of that 2009 year… being so low, there’s definitely been an active effort amongst all of the clubs and services when it comes to [voting],” Madill said. “When you look at the coverage this year, you have organizations like MSU itself, debates from the main union, ourselves and the first-year council.”

One of the differences between McMaster and Western’s student presidential elections is that McMaster students only vote for their president; their council elects the vice-president. At Western, students vote for the USC president and vice-president together as a slate.

Notably, this year’s McMaster elections mark a dip in student voter turnout — preliminary results show it fell to 28 per cent, marking the first time in five years that turnout was less than 40 per cent.

While voting systems and slates likely play a role, it may just come down to the candidates.

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elections

USC breakdown CARMEN MALLIA CULTURE EDITOR @CARMMALLIA The whole process of voting may seem intimidating to some students.

February means midterms are looming, and it can be hard to find the time to understand what the University Students’ Council elections mean — they sometimes seem to have a language of their own. Here’s a quick USC breakdown.

THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ COUNCIL The USC is a non-profit corporation and student government that serves undergraduates at Western University.

It’s comprised of a student executive, council and board of directors.

The student executive runs the organization and is made up of five positions: president, vice-president, secretary treasurer, communications officer and student programs officer. Each February, students elect the president and vice-president.

In March, following the election, a USC hiring committee hires the secretary treasurer, communications officer and the student programs officer. Together, the student executives oversee the USC and set its direction and priorities for their 13-month terms.

The council consists of 50 voting members, and its main priority is to represent the student voice.

These members are comprised of faculty presidents and councillors — undergraduate students elected

to represent their faculties and colleges.

Lastly, the board of directors manages the USC’s corporate and financial interests. They approve the USC’s annual budget and help set the organization’s long-term strategic plan.

Many students are familiar with the USC because it administers many undergraduate services, such as the bus pass, health plan and dental plan. Overall, the organization strives to develop initiatives that improve the Western experience. For example, they developed the inclusive washroom initiative last year and helped put on the recent Daniel Caesar concert. They also offer students paid and unpaid opportunities to get involved, experience leadership positions and make an impact on campus.

FACULTY PRESIDENTS Faculty presidents oversee councils, which are distinct from the USC. However, as mentioned, the president of each faculty or affiliate council is also a voting member of the USC. Every faculty has its own council to lobby for their faculty’s interests and to oversee programming and events.

AFFILIATE PRESIDENTS Consisting of students from Brescia University College, King’s University College and Huron University College, affiliate presidents also have voting rights at USC meetings.

They represent affiliate students’ interests to the USC.

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The student executives

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USC council breakdown Voting

Non-voting

President

Vice President Secretary Treasurer Comms.

Student Programs

Legend salaried

elected by council hired by committee

elected by students

voting

non-voting

1 president 1 vice-president 1 speaker 46 councillors, including council presidents

1 1 1 1 2 2

sec. tres.

8 directors,

spo dep. speaker 9 governors presidents, 14 38 council & sorority council

49 TOTAL

directors rez council presidents senators associates & coordinators

77 TOTAL

SISSI CHEN GAZETTE

USC presidents Where are they now?

VIVIAN CHENG CULTURE EDITOR @VIVIANCHENG20 As election season heats up, it’s nice to take a step back to see what the past University Students’ Council presidents have gone on to do with their careers and lives. Here’s where some of the former USC presidents have ended up.

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CROSSWORD SOLUTION Solution to puzzle on page 11

SOPHIE HELPARD, 2015–16: Helpard is currently working as the executive director at the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance in Toronto.

From her experience as president, she learned a lot about leadership, communication and strategic thinking. She also learned a lot about Western University students.

“What I learned about Western students is that our campus could come together and support one another when students needed help,” says Helpard.

MATT HELFAND, 2014–15: Helfand is currently in his third year of law school. In the summer, he’ll be articling at Aird & Berlis LLP, a law firm in Toronto.

For Helfand, he gained an appreciation of how complex solutions could be.

“I learned to listen to people, ask the right people and understand large and small organizations. These are things that will stick with me for the rest of my life,” says Helfand.

PATRICK WHELAN, 2013–14: In 2015, Whelan worked in London’s mayor’s office as a special projects coordinator. Later that year, he co-founded Paddle HR in Toronto, a startup focused on helping people discover the next step of their career.

The website uses career histories to give clients an idea of what their next career step could be.

He says he had to deal with complicated, high-stakes, interpersonal, political and financial decision-making on a regular basis.

“This is what gives you an edge at the beginning of your career, the ability to make tough decisions with imperfect information all the time,” says Whelan.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 • 5

elections

Presidential slate debate gets heated MARTIN ALLEN AND HILL DU NEWS EDITORS @_MARTINALLEN @HXDU638 Editor’s note: Since the media debate, the vice-presidential candidate for Team Ocean, Rav Datta, has dropped out of the election.

The USC Media Debate between presidential slates PrattChang and Team Ocean saw the personal mix with the political on Jan. 24.

The two presidential slates agreed many times throughout the night, but several topics sparked pointed rebuttals, including mental health and allyship.

The slates fiercely debated the best way to approach mental health and wellness on campus and how students should be supported. In their platforms and on stage, both slates stated that mental health was a top priority, but in the debate, they disagreed starkly on the right approach to each problem.

While PrattChang emphasized their systemic approach to tackling the mental health crisis, Team Ocean defended their platform’s individual proposals. Many times, PrattChang said they were not the “band-aid solution” slate, referring to Team Ocean’s platform points to plan more therapy dog events and implement an app.

In particular, the candidates debated Team Ocean’s support of the app Headspace to help mitigate students’ mental health problems.

“What we’re looking towards is an app that will offer students a way to deal with daily stress and anxiety,” said Rav Datta, Team Ocean’s vice-presidential candidate.

“But not a systemic solution,” interjected Danny Chang, vice-presidential candidate for PrattChang.

“Fortunately, how we’re approaching mental health is to consult with

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE THE GREAT SLATE DEBATE. From far left: Team PrattChang’s presidential candidate Mitchell Pratt and vice-presidential candidate Danny Chang; Team Ocean’s former vice-presidential candidate Rav Datta and presidential candidate Ocean Enbar.

students,” replied Ocean Enbar, presidential candidate.

Chang went on to say that using an untested app on Western University’s campus is irresponsible and that, while he’s tried it, he prefers another app, Calm.

Enbar said the Headspace app has been tested at other universities. Further, Datta said that what Western is currently doing to tackle mental health issues isn’t working, and Team Ocean is proposing solutions.

Another contentious subject was allyship and what it means to be an ally. Datta argued that allyship is not just wearing a badge: it’s something

you have to work toward every day.

He accused Team PrattChang of leaving an “All-in for allyship” presentation early. Presidential candidate Mitchell Pratt explained that PrattChang did have to leave the meeting for a another commitment, but he went further to say that allyship is more than just attending a single meeting.

The candidates also discussed the lack of women running for the USC presidency this year and women’s issues on campus in general. Both slates expressed disappointment that no women were running, promising to empower women on campus if elected.

Datta said Team Ocean is committed to making all USC subcommittees 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women. Pratt’s focus was on allyship and outreach.

While some issues were contentious, both slates agreed on many topics throughout the night, including support for Western’s smoking ban, support of bus rapid transit and the USC’s commitment to support women in leadership.

“If elected, one of the things that our slate hopes to bring to this campus is making sure that our diverse group of students always feel accepted, always feel at home, know that they’re in a safe space,

that they can express themselves and that they can be themselves,” said Datta.

PrattChang’s closing remarks emphasized their commitment to fight for students.

“At the end of the day — Mitch and I — our promises are not empty, and that’s what we’re committing to you if we’re elected,” said Chang.

“We’ve been fighting for students on this campus for the past three and four years and hope to continue doing so.”

Over 100 students showed up to the debate in the University Community Centre hosted by the Gazette and Radio Western.

Vice-presidential candidate steps down Presidential candidate continues campaign alone AMY O’KRUK, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @AMYOKRUK A University Students’ Council candidate withdrew on Friday, Jan. 26, citing a desire to protect his well-being and future.

The candidate, Team Ocean’s vice-presidential contender Rav Datta, alluded to a critical juncture in a Facebook post. The announcement comes one day after the Gazette published an article about a student’s claim that Datta punched him in September, leading to Datta’s resignation from his soph team.

“When I announced my candidacy, I understood that there would be tough conversations to answer,” wrote Datta. “After apologizing for a mistake numerous times to numerous individuals, admitting fault to my peers and university administration, and seeking counselling, I was hopeful that by sharing my story with students, I could engage in a larger conversation regarding the mental health services offered on campus. ... This is certainly not the outcome I anticipated.”

Datta’s slate mate, presidential candidate Ocean Enbar, announced he will continue to run solo. While

Enbar wished to recruit a new vice-presidential candidate, the USC’s elections governance committee ruled that the nomination period had officially closed, according to a press release.

“Many of you support me and my platform, which is why I will continue to fight for what our campus so desperately needs,” wrote Enbar on Facebook. “While it might seem as if I now stand alone, that is not the case. I have not stopped receiving messages of strength and support from supporters across this campus.”

Since the resignation, Enbar has already participated in a faculty Q&A against both PrattChang candidates, and will do so again at Monday night’s media debate.

The elections governance committee stated if Enbar does win the election, the vice-president position “shall be filled in a manner determined by council,” as cited in bylaw #1 section 9.6. Secretary treasurer Erin McCauley said council will “explore a variety of options” if this happens.

The committee also described Datta’s resignation as an unprecedented situation in the two-slate

system. The USC’s board of directors stated the decision to allow Enbar to continue his campaign alone also sets precedent.

“The board has tasked the governance subcommittee of the board to re-evaluate the exhaustiveness of our bylaws for future elections,” the board said in the press release.

This board said the process will entail looking to other institutions for precedent to create a framework that details how a mid-campaign resignation should be handled.

Once the board approves the changes to the bylaw, they will go before the USC for review and approval.

The USC executive and opposition slate, Team PrattChang, declined to comment. Datta did not return a request for comment.

“I would like to take a moment to thank all of my close friends who pushed me to pursue my goals of representing a campus community that has continuously lifted me up when I’ve been down on myself,” wrote Datta.

The announcement came 10 days before the beginning of the elections’ voting period on Feb. 5th and 6th.

With files from Martin Allen.

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6 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

elections

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PLATFORM ANALYSIS: PRESIDENTIAL SLATES

GRACE TO NEWS EDITOR @GRACEKTOE Made up of two University Students’ Council insiders, Team PrattChang’s platform is well-researched and has good intentions.

While Team PrattChang’s platform points are feasible, many of them depend on collaboration and cooperation with student groups and Western University’s administration. Team PrattChang’s platform also focuses heavily on advocacy — it is uncertain whether some goals are feasible in one year.

Here is an analysis of the slate’s platform.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE Student experience gets the most attention in Team PrattChang’s platform. The slate cites collaborative programming, which are events that involve input from different clubs and groups across faculties, as one of their main focuses. Referring to the success of the Tri-Sci dances in the past, the slate hopes to see different groups organize events together to reach more students.

This is a feasible platform point that has the potential to produce bigger, better events for students.

The slate’ plans to revamp The Purple Store introducing Propel products, which would showcase the work of Western’s student entrepreneurs. While their pilot project will only include Propel clothing brands, they hope that The Purple Store will become a showcase hub for other Propel products in the future. This is a good idea, as it would not only allow student entrepreneurs to showcase their products but also

Team PrattChang

potentially bring more business to The Purple Store.

PrattChang also plans to bring back the Homecoming parade, which was a Western tradition for decades before ending in the 2000s.

Team PrattChang revealed they have already been in discussions with Western’s marching band to try a pilot parade on campus. This has potential to be a fun idea for alternative Homecoming programming. The slate hopes that the Homecoming parade may eventually return to London’s streets.

In terms of the club experience at Western, Team PrattChang plans to fund renovations for a multipurpose space. Over the past few years, the USC has struggled to find a suitable space for all clubs, which has led to the formation of a clubs union in the past. While the USC spent $2,000 on renovations this summer, PrattChang have bigger plans for the space.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS The mental health crisis is an important issue at Western, and Team PrattChang has organized their goals for addressing it into short- and long-term.

In an effort to eliminate the confusion around available resources at Western, the slate proposes a USC wellness portal app that would ask non-invasive questions to direct students to the appropriate on-campus supports. This would be a useful tool to streamline resources that can be accessed by students without needing to come to campus.

Team PrattChang also looks to provide mental health firstaid training to student leaders on

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE Mitchell Pratt (left) and Danny Chang (Right)

campus. They hope the training will be similar to SafeTALK workshops at Western and will be facilitated by an external organization. While the slate is in consultation with the Student Success Centre, the costs of providing training for all student leaders remains unknown.

The slate also hopes to increase accessibility of fitness classes at the Western Student Recreation Centre by decreasing class fees.

Team PrattChang has been in talks with the Rec Centre’s facilities manager, and while both are willing to work together to determine the best solution for students, it is unclear whether the decrease in fee is feasible due to operations costs and the rise of minimum wage.

ACADEMICS While Team PrattChang’s platform

points under academics all fall under the Senate and administration, the slate emphasizes that they are open to having conversations.

The slate recognizes that many of their ideas, such as the academic relief program, pass/fail credits and course registration wait-lists, are advocacy efforts and require collaboration with other Western bodies.

A SAFER WESTERN Team PrattChang has chosen to dedicate a section focused on making Western a safer campus, which is not a common platform pillar from past USC slates.

The slate highlights the importance of ensuring that Western students feel safe on campus.

According to Team PrattChang, the slate has heard safety complaints

from students, such as faulty blue emergency light poles, inadequate pedestrian safety and lack of lighting in the Huron parking lot and on Brescia hill.

As safety is a potential liability problem for Western and the USC, the slate is hoping to rely on evidence-based recommendations and collaborating with other Western groups to improve safety. While well-intentioned, the goals of this section requires extensive research and cooperation with Western administration. Team PrattChang’s vision of a safer Western seems to be more of a long-term advocacy plan rather than immediate action.

Overall, Team PrattChang’s platform shows a strong knowledge of Western’s inner workings, from the USC to the administration.

Team Ocean SABRINA FRACASSI NEWS EDITOR @SABFRACASSI Team Ocean’s platform is wellrounded, with some unique topics including entrepreneurship and campus operations.

However, some of their platform points are questionable and depend on support from the Senate and other university institutions beyond the University Students’ Council.

This analysis highlights some of Team Ocean’s major platform points.

MENTAL HEALTH, WELLNESS AND SAFETY Like most platforms in recent years, one of Team Ocean’s major focuses is student mental health and wellness. Although the slate supports common mental health initiatives like academic accommodation, Team Ocean has some alternative ideas in mind — including offering students access to an app that promotes mindfulness and to more therapy dogs.

The platform especially highlights acknowledging the difficulties that sophs face and wants to offer soph-specific accommodations.

They also promise to bring back free Western Student Recreation Centre classes.

However, many of these platform points require support and collaboration with other campus groups, therefore they may be hard promises to keep.

STUDENT LIFE AND COMMUNITY This section of the platform leads with the promise of a new student

“Mustang Card.” Similar to a Student Price Card card, the Mustang Card would give students access to a number of discounts and benefits, including line bypass and early access to event ticket sales. Team Ocean said that they have already reached out to a number of London vendors who have said they would support and welcome an initiative like this.

The slate also promises to work with The Spoke and the Wave to offer more food options and to rearrange the layout of The Spoke. Although The Spoke just underwent an over $1.4-million renovation this summer, the slate said they want to increase accessibility and add more power outlets.

Other points include offering free breakfast during the exam season and hosting executive office hours at different places around campus.

Notably, Team Ocean hasn’t determined which USC operation would offer the free breakfast or how much it would cost, although they say it will operate similarly to the USC’s current midnight exam breakfasts.

ENGAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP One of the slate’s most unique platform areas, this section focuses on offering more entrepreneurial and experiential learning opportunities for students.

The most contentious point in this section is Team Ocean’s promise to work toward increasing accessibility on campus to Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. While some are questioning the necessity of this

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE

kind of project, Team Ocean insists that this is an innovative idea that is looking to the future.

They also want to offer spaces for students to sell their own merchandise in the University Community Centre for free during the school year, a feasible point so long as lost revenue is accounted for.

STUDENT ACADEMICS As for student academics, Team Ocean promises to advocate for projects at Western’s Senate, projects such as open access textbooks and pass/fail courses; however, both of these initiates are already in the works this year via various student groups.

They also want to work towards

implementing a wait-list for students when they are signing up for courses — again, something that would have to be worked out with the registrar’s office.

CAMPUS OPERATIONS In this section, Team Ocean wants to include a number of safety and accessibility features on campus including the installation of a guardrail at the site where Western University student Andrea Christidis was struck by a vehicle in 2015.

They also want to offer students alternatives to Greyhound and Via Rail transportation, to increase the number of bus shelters and to work with the city to improve

snow removal. While Team Ocean’s intentions are good, the feasibility of the aforementioned points relies on advocacy and overcoming legal barriers in the case of Greyhound’s monopoly on Ontario bus routes.

Overall, many platform points rely on advocacy efforts that will likely take more than one year to come to fruition. It’s a platform with some points we see every year, like more soph support, and a few new ideas, such as cryptocurrency access. It’s an ambitious platform, and it’s clear Team Ocean endeavours to put students’ interests at the heart of their initiatives.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 • 7

elections

Getting to know your affiliate presidential candidates GAZETTE NEWS @NEWSATGAZETTE

Affiliate presidents are the leaders of their college. They advocate for affiliate students’ interest to main campus and beyond. So if you’re at an affiliate, make sure you get to know your candidates and vote on Feb. 5 and 6.

KING’S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ COUNCIL

Olivia Smith-Rodrigues KUCSC presidential candidate Third year Double major in social justice and peace and political science

Hadia Fiaz, KUCSC presidential candidate Third year Political science and minor in philosophy

HURON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ COUNCIL

Husam Sabaa HUCSC presidential candidate Third year Political science

Inam Teja HUCSC presidential candidate Fourth year Global studies

BRESCIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ COUNCIL

Mikaila Hunter BUCSC president candidate Second year Food and nutrition

What do you see as the biggest challenge faced by students in your affiliate?

Although King’s students graduate with Western University degrees, during their four years, it can be difficult to compete with Western students for academic, professional and leadership opportunities in the community. Organizations are not as familiar with King’s as they are Western. My platform addresses this by further integrating King’s into the community and partnering with local organizations to create opportunities specifically for our students.

Challenges related to mental health, wellness, sustainability and diversity are not necessarily affiliate-specific — but our size and community allow us to approach these challenges and to create solutions in a way that is unique to the affiliate experience.

The biggest challenge that students have brought forward to me being an affiliate student is career development. Being a liberal arts student, you are constantly questioned, “What will you do with your degree?” Often times, students are ill-prepared to answer this question. That being said, it doesn’t mean that students don’t have the skills necessary to succeed. They just don’t know how to market themselves to employers. This is a challenge King’s students have identified, and I hope to work towards if elected.

I think the biggest challenge we face is that we can’t give students more reasons to remain at Huron as opposed to the main campus, Kings, Brescia or Ivey. Part of this ties in to the fact that these institutions feel more refreshed, speaking in terms of infrastructure. We also don’t utilize some resources to their best advantage. For example, we proudly state that Huron is the only affiliate with its own bar — but it currently only operates on Thursdays from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. and for events. It’s not necessarily a lack of identity but an inability to identify it.

One of the biggest problems faced

by Huron students is affordability — from cafeteria prices to textbooks, students are not getting the value they deserve. This is a problem not uniquely faced by Huron students, but it is one where Huron-specific initiatives can really solve some of the problems. Because Huron is small, we are nimble. We can pilot projects around free textbooks, and we can mobilize our students for advocacy efforts more easily.

I think the biggest challenge faced by students at our affiliate is getting involved and feeling engaged with Brescia and the Western community. Students feeling welcomed at the university has a huge impact on their comfort and experience during post-secondary education.

It’s my hope that our council can continue to work on programs that cater to students and raise awareness and that these programs are made aware to all students.

As president, what are the three most important initiatives you hope to accomplish in your term?

If I had to choose just three initiatives, I’d pick mental health scholarships, undergraduate research grants and community partnerships. Mental health scholarships are important in validating students’ experiences with mental health. It allows us the opportunity to move beyond simply an awareness campus to one that invests in students and their experiences. Funding undergraduate research through grants is another important initiative. Providing King’s students with the opportunity to conduct research independent from their studies and have it published in the King’s Undergraduate Research Journal sets King’s students apart — especially when applying to graduate and professional programs. Connecting King’s to the London community is something I’m so passionate about.

I believe embedding King’s in the wider community through partnering with organizations, creating co-op and internship opportunities and strengthening alumni relationships and investment will elevate the status and reputation of our institution and provide countless opportunities for our students.

The three initiatives I hope to accomplish in my term are setting the foundation for free textbooks, getting two-hour street parking to three hours and supporting students’ mental health through exam wellness stations. My platform goals are simple and student-facing, aimed at building on and improving the student experience at King’s.

I would love to renovate the Student Activity Centre. With it, we can have an alternative eatery on campus, expand our bar’s hours and introduce more employment opportunities, and we can show the students that we can continue making tangible improvements to our school.

I want to improve the dialogue for mental health by having administration seeing the conversation from our side. We’ve made some incredible strides at Huron with mental health, but we’re not quite there yet, and part of it is because of the disconnect between two generations. I want to fix that. I hope to strike a written agreement with faculty heads to be more conscious about which textbooks they assign students and hope that they choose the most affordable textbook that satisfies the course description and that they all try to build their courses around Western Libraries, resources that we pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for.

Firstly, I want to expand the capacity of mental health resources that are available on Huron’s campus. We currently have a counselor who comes once a week. This service has long wait times and should definitely be expanded next year.

Secondly, I want students to get the value that they are paying for. This means both lowering the prices of things like textbooks and cafeteria food and also increasing the utilization of services that students are paying for. Thirdly, I want to increase the transparency of council. A monthly email update, state of the Huron University College Students’ Council address; a master calendar and flexible office hours are all initiatives I have on my platform to do this!

As president, I hope I can increase council’s presence around campus and bring initiatives that give back to the students. I believe it is important that students know who represents them and are given opportunities to reach out. Secondly, I would like to focus on wellness; this includes physical, mental, financial and social capacities. The last initiative I hope to accomplish in my term is working on accessibility here at Brescia. In conjunction with current structures, I hope to create more dialogue on issues facing students related to mental health and disability.

www.westerngazette.ca

8 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

elections

•

Meet the Social Science Students’ Council presidential candidates Jared Forman, Social Science Students’ Council presidential candidate Third year, international relations

Adam Khimji Social Science Students’ Council presidential candidate Fourth year, political science, minor in psychology

Matthew Grenier, Social Science Students’ Council presidential candidate Third year, finance

What do you see as the biggest challenge faced by students in your faculty?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is the biggest challenge facing social science students, but I can definitely identify a few that must be addressed. Mental health and student wellness is an area that needs to be tackled and is the reason why it’s the first pillar of my platform. Also, dealing with the burden of the midterm and exam seasons is always a challenge so I will be advocating for grace days and a uniform makeup test policy among a variety of other initiatives.

After consulting with five generations of social science presidents, current and former executive members of council and current and former council members, as well as the general social science student body, it is evident that engagement is the key issue – not just externally but also internally. My platform (http://khimji.co) has multiple facets, but at the end of the day everything boils down to increasing engagement among council and the social science student body.

I believe that one of the biggest problems faced by the students of social science is feeling stuck in their core courses and then what people call “bird courses.” Social science students looking at graduate degrees are limiting themselves to their core courses then taking courses that their friends have describes as easy to boost their marks. I want to work with our senators and our professors to find a way to implement a pass/fail system to allow students to take courses they are passionate about not just courses they think they can achieve a high mark in.

As president, what are the three most important initiatives you hope to accomplish in your term?

Although my platform covers more than three initiatives, I have a set of clear priorities for next year should I be elected as the next social science president. First is to create a more inclusive campus environment by continuing my work to address sexual violence on campus as well as by consulting historically marginalized groups and our growing international student body. Second, improving council engagement is a key priority which I intend to do by improving transparency and accountability through initiatives such as open office hours, a Council Information Session and a budget release and statement of account on all of our social media platforms. Lastly, I want to foster a strong and lasting relationship between our soph team and the Social Science Students’ Council, whether that be through the creation of an annual programming budget for sophs or engaging with the soph team during Orientation Week and through regular round tables.

First and foremost, I will be striving to increase engagement within council and within the social science study body. I will be achieving this through my immense expertise in technology and marketing and my strong interpersonal relationships with various stakeholders on campus and abroad. Second, I want to enhance council members’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities and further create a greater bond and working relationship among them. Lastly, I will be striving to increase transparency within council and the greater social science student body. This is a deep-rooted issue and has multiple facets and goes further than just putting all the information on the website.

I want to firstly change up some of our less successful events making them into something that students are interested in going to. I believe that we should look at restructuring the events that we currently hold until they are a success before we look at adding new and costly events. Secondly, I want to make the SSSC more connectable and accessible to students by making us a “household name.” By hosting socials at events that students are already going to, like Rick’s or charity bar nights, we can expose the SSSC to more students and talk about what we are doing while also putting students in a comfortable location and situation that they’re used to.

Lastly, and this is more of an internal council item, I want to make sure that council has the appropriate training and transition so that they can succeed in their term.

Vote yes for mental health In the upcoming USC elections, students will be asked the following question: “Would you like to see student mental health and wellness included as a high priority of Western’s Strategic Plan in perpetuity, potentially at the expense of the funding and support of other priorities?”

Without a doubt, we believe that students should vote “YES.” This is an opportunity to start a dialogue between students, the University Students’ Council and Western University’s administration about the need to improve mental health services.

We know that this plebiscite will provide a clear indication on what undergraduate students desire with regards to these critical services.

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health and wellness.

For far too long, we have heard countless stories of students struggling with their mental health and feeling a lack of adequate support.

Many conversations about Western’s mental health and wellness resources end with stories of confusion, a lack of understanding of marginalized experiences and a lack of followup support. Change is necessary.

We are adamant about the fact that as mental health service demands increase, there should be further action taken regarding the necessary funding and support to the providers of these services. It’s important that we, as a student body, recognize the importance of mental health and that we’re taking steps to further a dialogue about necessary change. While this vote will not determine any direct allocations of funds, it’s a demonstration that shows students want this to be a priority. We need to speak up. To show that students are tired of the status quo. To express that mental health services need to be improved, and that this must be a priority of both the USC and Western’s administration. We need to use the power of student voices to show that we are demanding this change. It is not acceptable to see the status of mental health services remain stagnant.

There needs to be accountability, a push towards better services and a conversation about prioritizing student mental health and wellness.

This is why we’re voting “YES” to mental health. And you should too.

■■ACTIVE MINDS WESTERN

Referendum rundown AMY O’KRUK, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @AMYOKRUK This year’s University Students’ Council ballot will feature two referendum questions. Here’s what you need to know: What’s a referendum?

A referendum is generally a vote all students can take part in.

Referendum questions let organizations hear from students directly, and those organizations, like the USC, can then make decisions about everything from “Should a student fee be lowered or raised?” to “Should this be an advocacy priority?” For example, in 2015, Western’s marching band asked students for a fee increase to 50 cents per student — and it passed. In the case of the USC, referendum questions allow voters to inform the USC’s future decisions.

Notably, at Western, the results of any referendum are only binding if a minimum of 20 per cent of the student body vote. Historically, USC elections’ voter turnout fluctuates around 20 per cent, meaning no referendum is a sure thing.

This year’s referendum questions CHRW/Radio Western referendum This year’s ballot features a question

about the campus community radio station, 94.9 CHRW/Radio Western.

CHRW’s student fee has been the source of heated debate in recent years, and the USC voted last year to put it to a student referendum.

The question: Do you support the decision of the University Students’ Council to maintain the status quo of funding CHRW Radio Western at $12.47 per student annually, to lower the funding for CHRW to $10.50 per student annually, to lower the funding for CHRW to $7.47 per student annually or to lower the funding for CHRW to $5 per student annually?

In response to the upcoming referendum, Radio Western started a campaign to showcase its value to the community.

Pam Haasen, CHRW’s program director, said local news organizations and the community have been supportive.

“We are encouraging students to vote $10.50,… which we believe is fair. It is a lower fee as well, and it’s what we know how to work with.”

Haasen said. “It’s in our plan to be able to help reduce the financial burden on students.”

Haasen said that she hopes the referendum has given CHRW some exposure and that it causes more students to volunteer at the station.

“I think that we understand the

purpose of the referendum and that if there is any sort of discontent, that open discourse for students to use their voice for power to change what they would want their post-secondary institution to be is fabulous, so we are in support of more students voicing their opinion as well,” Haasen said.

If the referendum passes an option under CHRW’s recommended $10.50, the radio station will have to cut staff positions and services available to students.

Mental health referendum A question about mental health will also be featured on the USC elections ballot. While the answer won’t influence current funding, it’s an opportunity for students to voice if they want more mental health and wellness support on campus going forward.

The question: Would you like to see student mental health and wellness included as a high priority of Western’s Strategic Plan in perpetuity, potentially at the expense of the funding and support of other priorities?

Students will answer the referendum questions online when they vote in the USC elections on Feb. 5 and 6.

With files from Karolina Jalowska.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 • 9

opinions

Where my women at?

Amy, Myself and I

AMY O’KRUK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @AMYOKRUK I miss Sophie Helpard.

Helpard was articulate, smart and hard working. She was also a woman. And as it turns out, you could describe her as a rarity in an unusual year where a female candidate went head-to-head with the boys and won as the University Students’ Council president.

At this point, I have, to my chagrin, been around for five USC election cycles. And it is a cycle. Over and over and over again, bright young men vie for and win the USC’s highest elected offices. And I applaud them. But each year, my heart also dips. Where are all the bright young women?

We like to call these types of things boys’ clubs, but it’s really Helpard who’s part of a small, exclusive circle. Women made their first breakthrough in the USC in 1976 when Margaret O’Grady won the race for president. Since O’Grady, though, only five other female presidents followed suit, the most recent being Helpard three years ago.

This year will feature a grand total of zero female candidates for the president and vice-president positions. I should mention the Gazette is not exempt from this problem. Since 1976, we’ve had a paltry nine female editor-in-chiefs — including myself.

I know the issue isn’t that women are uninterested or unengaged in trail blazing or the political process; there are many female faculty and club presidents and women in other leadership positions around campus. After all, in 2017, the majority of Western University’s student population was female at 56 per cent.

A lot of smart people have weighed in on this topic, and there seems to be some consensus that one of the issues is support: not trivial, la-di-da support but the fact women suffer from a lack of mentorship and representation in high-level positions.

I know this first-hand. Initially, I grappled with my decision to run for editor-in-chief of the Gazette, given my predecessors were all men. I told myself repeatedly that acting assertively didn’t mean I was “bitchy” or an “ice queen.” I wrestled with how I could go about being myself, worried it might turn into a balancing act: would I be labelled as cold and calculating or “emotional?”

Regardless, I swallowed it all and took the plunge.

So here I am. If you’re reading this and you’re a woman, I’m not going to say it’s easy. I’ve had men march into my office and tell me the Gazette is shit because of my gender.

I’ve left meetings feeling invisible because eye contact doesn’t seem to be reserved for me. These situations aren’t the norm, but they do happen.

And it sucks.

But it is also so, so worth it. There are a ton of benefits diverse leadership brings to the table: better problem solving and collaboration, with studies suggesting people tend to view female leaders as more ethical and trustworthy. Ultimately, research suggests hiring more women, especially at the higher ranks, is even good for the bottom line. We all win with more women at the table.

When the next female editor thinks about running to be the Gazette’s editor-in-chief, I hope she remembers me and that the whole thing is a tiny, little bit easier.

Heck, I hope she calls me so we can commiserate.

This is nothing new. We’ve been talking about female empowerment for decades, and the term glass ceiling is over 30 years old. I don’t know what the solution is, but I do know we can’t patiently and passively wait and see. This is a plea during my last USC elections that we can do more. We need to experiment wildly and try anything different.

Let’s start with first-year students and encourage women to try out stepping-stone leadership roles like floor reps, first-year reps or frophs.

The USC, the Gazette — all of us — must fight stagnation.

If you’re a woman reading this and you’re thinking about running to be the USC president one day, I am rooting for you.

Welcome to the girls’ club.

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

Campus drunk tanks not a bad idea

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD As university students, many of us have had friends go a little too wild on a night out. The University of Guelph’s solution is a student drunk tank — and it’s worth considering.

students with practical experience. With SERT’s infrastructure already in place, the student response team could even expand their services to include a campus alcohol recovery room.

First introduced in 2016, Guelph offers students a campus alcohol recovery room, called CARR: a six-bed space equipped with vomit buckets that can be found in a campus residence building. It is a safe, confidential and judgement-free space where students who have had too much to drink can sign out a cot for the night. A group of trained volunteers run CARR, sometimes called the “drunk tank,” and check on students every 30 to 40 minutes to see if they need medical attention. Last semester, a total of 51 intoxicated students used the space.

Of course, there are some obstacles: funding, for example. Additionally, the stigma behind going to the campus “drunk tank” could cause students to avoid it altogether, as unfortunate as that is. If this was enacted, it should follow the structure of safe injection sites, which provide anonymity to users. If students are voluntarily going to take advantage of programs like CARR, then it must really be a judgement-free facility so that students are willing to go there on their own accord.

Ultimately, the program is a great service for a few reasons. Research by the National College Health Assessment suggests more than one third of Canadian post-secondary students admitted to binge drinking in the previous two weeks. With binge drinking being as prevalent as it is at universities, it’s smart to acknowledge it rather than ignore it. It allows students to take personal responsibility while also providing a good option for students who don’t know what to do with overly-intoxicated friends — we’ve all been there.

This is a safe, proactive solution.

Furthermore, a campus alcohol recovery room could also provide an opportunity for students looking to get more medical experience. With Student Emergency Response Team job opportunities in high demand, this program would provide nursing or medical sciences

You could also argue that the solution is for students to drink less. But until that happens, a campus alcohol recovery room is worth considering, especially during events like Homecoming, Fake Homecoming or St. Patrick’s Day. The bottom line is that programs like CARR provide students with support and safety as they navigate university life. Even though it might not be for everyone, the program could be a great option for students who don’t have much experience with drinking and who might feel distressed in new — sometimes dangerous — situations.

Implementing a program similar to CARR would be a net positive for Western. It would show their commitment to student safety and benefit the student body in the long run. Western’s all about the best student experience, right?

A student government needs students to govern Dry Martini MARTIN ALLEN EDITOR @DRYMARTINI If more people cared about the University Students’ Council, it would be something worth caring more about.

Students face this dilemma throughout the year: their more keen friends ask them to attend debates and like their campaign’s Facebook page, and they simultaneously see no real reason to care — beyond making their friends happy. It is a catch-22 which a voter must surmount.

There are definite problems with our student government now.

Occasionally, in meetings, the

assembly will applaud itself for successfully passing its own policy papers; during these long moments, only the clapping councillors and a few Gazette reporters are in the room.

But how impactful can a council meeting be if no students attend?

Let me say that our sudent government is not without merit.

Many students I’ve worked with are intimately, inspiringly devoted to the initiatives they see grow through their work. And yet a government in which the student attention was invested would be saturated, not punctuated, by such people. The more robust the culture surrounding our government, the more people who run, meaning better candidates for voters. Without this culture, the problems are various.

The chief issue of our council is its failure to stand up to the Western University administration. Little power is allotted constitutionally

to the USC, but more importantly, the administration knows that if our council orients itself against an administration policy, it can be little more than sound and fury.

This, in large part, is because our government carries the leverage of a usually dismal 20 per cent voter turnout (something both slates have lamented); undoubtedly, a majority of students cannot name any of our current USC executives.

Too few people know that our government is firm on reinstating Homecoming to its rightful date, but I feel this USC has indulged the administration in obscuring the OWL deletions last fall. The HOCO stance is the best indication of how the USC should position itself between students and the administration.

The highest purpose of a student government is its defence of students, but this is a weakness of our current system. A supported, more representative USC would carry the student will as a vessel to the professionals’ bargaining table and be taken more seriously.

But how do we navigate the paradox of our politics: caring for the system so that later care becomes more worth it? Our attention is an investment into making our student government more than a pretense for the administration to entertain.

If you care about Homecoming, academic counselling, textbook pricing, strapped mental health services or the London Transit Commission, then where will you find recourse if not through the collective voice of

your fellow students?

I assure you there is no help elsewhere. There is a whole government operating on your behalf, for which you pay, whose shortcomings are due in part to our own diffidence. So if you wish to criticize, or even downsize our council, the only respectable means to that end is by first understanding and then participating in the system which exists for your own benefit.

Your first involvements will not exceed expectations; you will watch councillors learn their own speaking rules during the first meetings. But you will also, by your own attendance, have made the system one person stronger. When other students attend their first meetings and cast their first vote, they may not see the same problems you helped fix.

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

www.westerngazette.ca

10 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

culture

•

EXPLORING IDENTITY

Two new exhibits open at McIntosh Gallery LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE

Black Students’ Association Fashion Show brings back the 2000s MELODY LAU CULTURE CONTRIBUTOR @UWOGAZETTE The Black Students’ Association’s second-ever fashion show brought a sold-out crowd back to the early 2000s’ hip hop era with do-rags, denim, cargo pants and hits from Nelly and Soulja Boy. This year’s “millenium” theme attracted approximately 180 attendees. They filled up the atrium of Western University’s Physics and Astronomy Building with loud cheering, singing and dancing, which enhanced the community vibe throughout the show friday night.

“We decided to do early 2000s because we thought that it was the epitome of black culture.

We believed that we could really get across the message of blackness, beauty, excitement and fun through the 2000s,” said Tomachi Onyewuchi, BSA’s vice-president of events.

The show was split into three distinct fashion styles: streetwear, semi-casual and glam. Most of the clothing featured was from thrift

stores and sponsors, including local businesses NU4U Closet and Filthy Rebena Vintage. Meeka Francis, the BSA’s events coordinator, also pitched in clothing from her own closet. The clothes were auctioned off during the intermission and after the show at their merch booth.

In the show’s opening messages, they made special acknowledgement to the fast-approaching Black History Month. Francis also highlighted the importance of making the fashion show as diverse as possible by including different skin tones and body shapes.

Streetwear set the night in motion with hoodies, jerseys and fanny packs as a representation of black street culture. Models danced their way down the stairs to contemporary R&B classics before striking a unique pose or dance move at the start of the red runway. A trio of male models wearing basketball jerseys gathered attention as they struck a collective free throw pose.

The semi-casual section also showcased a special fusion of

Something like this is so important for the black community. We don’t get a chance a lot of the time to show how beautiful we are, how strong we are and how powerful we can be.

TOMACHI ONYEWUCHI BLACK STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION VICE-PRESIDENT EVENTS

streetwear and glam, with tie-up crop tops and colourful windbreaker jackets before the intermission.

Following the intermission, BSA members took the stage to perform popular tunes from the 2000s. Keren Annor played a five-minute piano medley of songs, including Mario’s “Let Me Love You,” Nelly’s “Dilemma” and Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor.” A trio comprised of Kat Moscone, Chinua Ofulue and Chris Odetoyinbo also impressed the crowd. Odetoyinbo played the guitar while Moscone and Ofulue sang.

The final fashion style of the night, glam, featured short and long dresses in variety of colours with unique detailed patterns, emblematic of black creativity.

Many of the audience members did not want the night to end and praised the whole production and confidence of the models.

“That was the most phenomenal thing I have ever experienced. The energy was so great, so high,” said Jennifer Hill, a first-year health sciences student. “There were looks that I didn’t think could be looks, and I don’t even have a favourite part ,because it was so good. The fact that they had musical acts in the middle was kind of brilliant.”

Throughout the show, the BSA team acknowledged how appreciative they were of the audience for joining them in their celebration of black beauty, culture and fashion.

“Something like this is so important for the black community. We don’t get a chance a lot of the time to show how beautiful we are, how strong we are and how powerful we can be,” said Onyewuchi in her closing message. “It is exactly what this fashion show is supposed to be.”

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

GABRIELLE DROLET CULTURE EDITOR @GABRIELLEDROLET Queer culture and identity express themselves in a variety of different forms. On Jan.25,, McIntosh Gallery premiered two new exhibits that strive to celebrate the different aspects LGBT2Q+ expression: “If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It,” curated by Lucas Cabral, and “Michael Bidner: Raw,” curated by Jason Dickson.

While both exhibits are starkly different from one another in both content and style, the one commonality they share is that they both display art by LGBT2Q+ artists and explore identity through different mediums.

“If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It” focuses on performance art, showcasing both photography and video elements throughout the exhibit. Cabral explains that the aim of the exhibit is to express different forms of identity and self-love experienced by members of the LGBT2Q+ community.

“The idea came to me when I was listening to a song called ‘When You Got It, Flaunt It,’ which is a bit of a gay or queer anthem,” he says. “Those lyrics and that line cultivated the idea that queer people exist to a certain extent in their heads. You have to recognize your difference, what your identity is, how you identify and how you perform.”

Right when you walk into “If You’ve Got it, Flaunt It,” you’re greeted by The Dolly Shot, a video piece by Mr. Mrs. Keith Murray.

The video features the artist lip-synching to Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” As you walk through the exhibit, admiring everything from Danny Welsh’s vibrant photography to the retrospective images of Vivek Shraya, you can still hear the music playing faintly in the background.

“It’s a nice moment where love is also involved in the exhibition,” Cabral explains. “We’re

celebrating people learning to love parts of themselves and being confident in loving parts of themselves that make them queer and make them different.”

Whereas “If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It” focuses on the lensbased work of multiple different artists, “Michael Bidner: Raw” celebrates identity and expression in a completely different way.

The exhibition solely focuses on the work of Michael Bidner (19489), serving as a retrospective for the London-based artist’s career.

Dickson explains that, despite being a pioneer in his field, Bidner’s work is rarely remembered or celebrated today.

“Bidner was exceptionally groundbreaking in his chosen mediums of lithography, photocopy art, zines, artist books and artist stamps,” Dickson says. “He died prematurely in the late 80s of a complication with AIDS, and at the crux of his career when he was breaking through internationally, he passed away and sort of vanished. In this retrospective, we’re trying to draw attention to how important he was.”

“Michael Bidner: Raw” features pieces from every era of Bidner’s career, which was inspired by both London’s LGBT2Q+ community and London’s punk scene. Whether Bidner was experimenting with mail art or was creating zines, he was inspired by the movements happening in the communities around him.

“What he was doing in the 1970s and 80s was not well-regarded in his time,” Dickson says. “He was ahead of his time by about 20 or 30 years. I think the audience is there for him now and that younger artists will appreciate everything he did.”

You can visit both “If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It” and “Michael Bidner: Raw” at the McIntosh Gallery until March 24.

• www.westerngazette.ca

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018 • 11

sports

Women’s volleyball Men’s hockey win streak sweeps pair of ends with overtime loss weekend games CHARLIE MARSHALL CONTRIBUTOR @SPORTSATGAZETTE

MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEDBOER The Western Mustangs women’s volleyball team didn’t give up a single set this weekend, improving to 10–3 on the season with dominating 3–0 wins over the Nipissing Lakers on Saturday and the York Lions on Sunday. The Mustangs have now won their past four games three sets to none.

The Mustangs won their fourth straight match on Saturday as they beat Nipissing University 25–22, 25–10 and 25–19. The win solidified their spot in second place in the Ontario University Athletics West Division thanks to a dominating performance from star middle, Kelsey Veltman, who led the team with 15 points.

Second-year, right-side Carly Kimmett, also had an impressive afternoon for the Mustangs, leading the team with 15 kills.

“We’re really starting to get into our groove and figure things out,” said Mustangs setter, Kat Tsiofas.

“We know what we need to do on our side to win games now. That’s great to see towards the end of the season.”

The Mustangs played a solid defensive game throughout the day, as their blocking and defensive coverage allowed them to stifle the Lakers offensive attack.

“We’ve been working hard on our defence, and we’ve been practicing blocking a lot — footwork and handwork without coaches — and we really improved that during today’s game,” said Veltman of her team’s performance on Saturday.

The Mustangs followed up their win over Nipissing, who dropped to 6–6 with the loss, with another dominating, straight-set win over the York Lions on Sunday. Western took the sets 25–11, 25–16, 25–12.

Veltman led the Mustangs again, putting up an impressive stat line of 14 kills, two service aces and seven assisted blocks. The Mustangs’ serving game proved crucial as they recorded 11 aces on the day.

“A lot went well, and I think it started with serving,” said Mustangs head coach, Melissa Bartlett. “We served exceptionally well this weekend with minimal errors and hit our targets, and that was a big part of our success.”

Second-year outside, Melissa Langegger, also had a solid day for the Mustangs as she recorded 10 points, six kills, three aces and two assisted blocks.

With the pair of wins over the weekend, the Mustangs took an eight-game lead over the Windsor Lancers for second place in the OUA West. The Mustangs will now hit the road for much of February, as they play four road games before returning to Alumni Hall on Feb. 23.

Two of their next four games will be against the 9–4 Toronto Varsity Blues and the 12–1 McMaster Marauders. For a team with aspirations of an OUA title and a return to the U Sports National Championship tournament, two games on the road against fellow contenders will be pivotal as the playoffs begin to rear its head.

All good things must come to an end. The Western Mustangs men’s hockey team learned that the hard way on Saturday night as they suffered their first loss in eight games, a 3–2 overtime decision at the hands of the Brock Badgers.

“With the standings as tight as they are, we’ll take whatever points we can get,” said Western’s top goal scorer, Trevor Warnaar.

Western University currently sits in a playoff spot as the sixth seed in the OUA West Division.

Just four points back of Brock and the Laurier Golden Hawks, with a game in hand, Western has five games left to make a final push to move up the standings.

Brock opened the scoring just 30 seconds into the game on Saturday after a turnover by Western led to an easy goal for Brock’s Andrew Radjenovic.

Down 1–0, Western was able to find life from an unlikely source.

With 12 minutes left in the second period, Mustangs defenceman Zach Core beat Brock’s goaltender for his second goal of the year.

The Badgers responded quickly, finding Jesse Blais, open in front of the Western net. Blais extended the Badger’s lead to 2–1 with seven minutes left in the second period.

After playing a weak first two periods, Western came back out in the third with new life. Early in the period, a Brock turnover on the boards led to Western forward

Spenser Cobbold dragging and then firing the puck into the Brock net.

The hard-fought game resulted in three-on-three overtime.

Midway through the extra frame, Western’s Kyle Pettit fell, lying visibly injured on the ice. Brock, effectively playing three-on-two hockey, was able to find the open man and score the winning goal.

“We never had possession of the puck,” explained Mustangs assistant coach, Patrick Ouellet on the referee’s decision not to blow the play dead following the injury to Pettit. “That’s the rule.

Some refs apply it. Other refs don’t.… There’s nothing we can do about that.”

With important playoff implications, emotions were visibly high from both Western and Brock. It was a physical game, highlighted by a third period skirmish between

Western’s Anthony Stefano and Brock’s Dallas Rossiter. The play resulted in offsetting penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct and cross checking, respectively.

After the game, Ouellet commented that Western has recently “played teams with a lot of skill, but Brock, not to take anything away from them, that’s not their style.… They were really physical.”

Warnaar added that this game proved the team could play a tight, physical style that is common in the playoffs.

With an upcoming schedule featuring three games in four nights, Western gets back into action Wednesday at home against the Waterloo Warriors.

Waterloo, the last-placed team in the West, offers a chance to gain an important two points on the opening half of a back-to-back.

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WANTED DESPERATELY SEEKING MUSIC tutor for 3862B Guitar for Beginners. Please email rjohns57@uwo.ca or landline 519-226-9896. Fee negotiable.

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VOLUNTEERS WANTED

Kelsey Veltman jumps for a spike during a game against the Brock Badgers on Nov. 11.

First-year centreman Cordell James fires a shot against Brock University in the Mustangs’ men’s hockey game on Jan. 27.

To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca

theGazette

JORDAN MCGAVIN GAZETTE

MICHAEL CONLEY GAZETTE

JOIN THE BAND! The Western Pep Band is a lowcommitment, high-energy way for students to continue playing music and support their fellow Mustangs at events on-campus and in the greater community. Contact us at westernmustangband@gmail.com to join!

UPCOMING EVENTS PANCAKE SUPPER, 5.00 – 7.00 p.m. Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 13. St. Luke’s Church, 1204 Richmond St. Just N of the University Gates.

Admittance by donation. Pancakes, sausages, dessert and beverage.

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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

www.westerngazette.ca

12 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

games

PHOTO OF THE DAY

GAZETTE CROSSWORD

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Max Mao GAZETTE OLIVER HELDENS. The world-renowned DJ performs at London Music Hall on Jan. 26.

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•

For crossword solution, see page 11

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For solution go to westerngazette.ca/solution

Be a part of the 2018 Gazette sex issue (no experience necessary) Models must be available on Saturday Feb. 3 Send an email to michael.conley@westerngazette.ca

CLUES DOWN 1. Curved shapes 2. “Beastmaster” actor Singer 3. A female domestic 4. Starches 5. Without name 6. An air cavity within a bone 7. Relaxing places 8. Midway between east and southeast 9. Editing 10. Baseball team 11. Intended to be sung 12. Video game Max __ 14. Makes free 17. French young women 20. Express delight 21. Takes to the sea 23. Monetary unit 25. Paddle 26. Hit with an open hand 27. Gurus 29. Sings to 30. Book of maps 32. Publish in installments 34. Ink (slang) 35. American inventor 37. Unclean 40. Snag 42. Mars Excursion Module 43. Abnormal rattling sounds 47. For each 49. Country music legend Haggard 50. Electronic communication 52. Drenches 53. Type of sword 55. Lodgings 56. Messenger ribonucleic acid 57. Figure skater Lipinski 58. Acquire by one’s efforts 59. Stony waste matter 61. Offer 65. Without issue