Tuesday, February 26, 2019

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Whether graduate student Kelsey Bush is wearing red silk or diamond-studded black, she’s a prominent lingerie model in the university’s fashion scene, strutting down the runway for clubs — including Purple Spur Society and Canadian Asian International Students Association — for the past three years.

To onlookers, it’s clear that the 25-year-old walks with purpose onstage; she reps a confident and comfortable stride, proclaiming a sense of belonging on the runway.

Currently enrolled in Western University’s master of media in journalism and communication, Kelsey’s assertive demeanour is not a facade — far from it, in fact.

But as one of the university’s only plus-sized models, one who saw almost no representation in campus shows before she strut out herself, it was nerve-racking for Kelsey to start.

Those nerves led Kelsey to almost walk out on her first audition three years ago, intimated by the fact that all eyes were on her during the tryout for the Purple Spur Society’s fashion show in 2017.

“The whole time I was like ‘I don’t think I fit in.’ I just felt so different compared to everybody else,” says Kelsey.

But after chatting with the judges, who were supportive and conversational, she felt a sense of belonging that she still holds today.

Not only that, but she has an abundance of friends that support her during her performances. She took notes on how to walk and pose from friends who wanted to see her modelling debut come to fruition. And even though Kelsey was still anxious during the show, she felt confident, seeing friends cheer her on through the limelight.

“I still to this day remember walking and not falling, but I remember almost falling. I still get nervous, but it’s a different kind of nervous, and I feel like it’s changing every year,” says Kelsey with a smile.

Last year, those nerves were sparked by the fact she would be modelling in front of 1,500 people at CAISA’s fashion show. Having already performed once, she was enjoying the

spotlight the second she got on stage. Now in her last year at Western, Kelsey has put a certain level of pressure on herself to inspire and empower other plus-sized students to take the stage and feel the same sense of euphoria.

“What you see in the media very much defines what we understand as beautiful. It’s important to have representation of everyone, and I don’t feel like in the modelling industry there’s a good representation of curvy women,” states Kelsey, who’s hoping to change that perspective during the weeks leading up to this years CAISA fashion show through her “Thirty Days to Show Day” challenge.

The “Thirty Days to Show Day” Instagram challenge is a medium where Kelsey posts one photograph each day, sharing insight on her performance preparation, among other topics, including self-love and body image in her day-to-day life. Through the challenge, not only has Kelsey had others reach out to her to communicate their gratitude for her openness, but she’s also felt a closer bond with friends who are reaching out in support of her.

While body-positivity has become a prominent trend on social media, she thinks most of these posts are too coated in happiness.

“It’s great, don’t get me wrong. But I think that self-love is accepting that we have ups and downs,” says Kelsey, who states that in her youth, she would often try to hide through her clothing in order to fit in, often wearing whatever would attract the least attention.

But today, she’s already had a successful career representing plus-sized individuals in the modelling industry, walking the catwalk on campus several times and even modelling for L’Oreal. She hopes everybody can feel comfortable with the idea that they too can pursue modelling inside and outside of Western.

“Change is slow. I hope that we get to a point where everybody feels like they can model,” says Kesley.

“Where companies dress you even though you’re fivesix and not tall enough.”

■ CARMEN MALLIA

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542 points scored by Omar Shiddo in 25 games this season

144 RAs, dons and academic leadership programmers at Western

15 days until University Drive bridge reopens

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news

• TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

Western argues rez staff not ‘employees’ MARTIN ALLEN NEWS EDITOR @MTRALLEN RAs and dons across campus can negotiate with Western or appeal to Ontario to succeed in unionization efforts allowed only to “employees.”

Amid residence staff casting a ballot on the unionization question on Feb. 11, Western University filed with the Ontario Labour Relations Board that the staff are not employees under provincial law and thus have no right to unionize.

The committee said 80 per cent of campus’ 144 residence advisors, dons and academic leadership programmers cast ballots.

Western University’s vice-president of operations and finance, Lynn Logan, emailed residence staff the day before the vote.

“You are often the first on the scene navigating difficult situations while at the same time balancing a full student schedule.… You deserve to be heard and supported,” she wrote, adding, “The relationship between student leader roles and the university is, in our view, not an employer-employee relationship.”

The OLRB will mediate a Feb. 27 meeting between the Residence Staff for Unionization Organizing Committee and Western. If the parties do not agree on the “employee” distinction, the OLRB will hold hearings through March to decide themselves.

Until a resolution is reached, the ballots will remain separate and uncounted.

Western’s filing is listed under a different administration figure, associate vice-president of Human Resources Jane O’Brien. Submitted Feb. 1, five days before the original voting day, it argues residence staff are “experiential learning roles.”

Tristan Baker-Scala, a committee spokesperson, said this conflicts with language Western itself uses. He said staff are given

“employment packages” and that their police checks also indicate they are employees. Western’s associate vice-president of Housing and Ancillary Services, Chris Alleyne, emailed staff late January that he respected their “right to join a union.”

When asked for comment, Alleyne said Housing will continue to contend staff are not employees.

The parties disagree on whether residence staff fit the “employee” definition of the Ontario Labour Relations Act, which regulates unions and collective bargaining.

Faculty, hospitality workers, teaching assistants and postdocs are all represented by unions.

Residence staff are filing to be part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which also represents 335 Facilities Management staff and 570 Hospitality Service workers. It is Canada’s largest union with over 680,000 members.

In the last year, Western has seen a bargaining breakdown with PSAC 610 — Western’s TA and postdoc union — and a near-strike with the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association.

NEW HIRES BECOME A FLASHPOINT Housing told residence staff last Wednesday it was delaying announcing who would be hired for the

2019-20 year. Staff were notified of the delay two hours after the results were set to be announced, on Feb. 13. Housing said they will be released this week.

The committee cried foul, calling the delay’s coincidence with the union push “suspect.” BakerScala said in his eight years within RezLife, hiring results have always been given before Reading Week.

“Residence Staff for Unionization urges the department to rectify this blatant lack of regard for current and potential employees,” they wrote in

a press release. “We are not deterred from our goal to have a seat at the table.”

In their email, Housing told staff they were “genuinely overwhelmed” by the number of applicants, which Alleyne later told the Gazette was 372, over 100 more than last year; two-thirds of the applicants are new.

“It speaks to both the important impact these roles contribute to the student experience and the meaningful opportunity it offers for leadership development,” said Alleyne.

fill a gap in your program Athabasca University has over 850 courses to choose from to meet your needs and courses start every month, AU has over 6,600 transfer agreements around the world (including with this institution).

SAMANTHA BLOOM GAZETTE A corridor in Saugeen-Maitland Hall, Nov. 6, 2018.

Bridge construction delayed to March 8 by weather MARTIN ALLEN NEWS EDITOR @MTRALLEN The University Drive bridge will reopen one week later than planned after its construction was set back by extreme winter conditions.

While originally set for a March 1 completion, Facilities Management announced today the severe weather that shut down campus twice in two weeks also stopped contractors.

Western News reported that construction was slowed or stopped, particularly by the freezing rain.

The bridge has been closed since Oct. 18 when it closed to all car and bus traffic after an inspection revealed problems in the bridge’s bearings. The flaws were not urgent, but would eventually need repairs.

590 bearings still need to be removed in order for the bridge’s centre bearings to be replaced.

Once reopened, the bridge will again support cars and articulated buses. Several notable bus routes, including the 6, 13 and 106, detoured through the north of campus. The 95-year-old structure also closed briefly in 2016 to undergo other repairs, and Western University has said they plan to bar cars from campus entirely by 2022 if London’s Bus Rapid Transit plan is successful.

Western mourns passing of third-year student GAZETTE NEWS Kenneth Oommen, a third-year Western University student in the

Faculty of Science, passed away suddenly at his home on Feb. 17.

The flag atop University College was at half-mast Friday in memory

GAZETTE STAFF The half-mast flag atop University College in memory of Kenneth, Feb. 22, 2019

of Kenneth. He was 23 years old.

A celebration of Kenneth’s life took place on Friday in London. He is remembered by parents Oommen Mathews and Ani George (John), grandparent Aleyamma Mathews, sibling Nathan and step-siblings Andrew and Anita.

Donations in Kenneth’s name are encouraged to be directed to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Ongoing support is available to students through individual counselling, crisis contact services, wellness resources and external resources from CMHA Middlesex.

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news

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 •

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Mayor demands action on FOCO: ‘There will be blood on all of our hands’ JUDY BASMAJI NEWS EDITOR @JUDYBASMAJI London’s mayor Ed Holder directed critical comments at Western representatives for the university’s weak response to unsanctioned street parties at a city council committee meeting last Wednesday.

The community and protective services committee meeting addressed the ongoing problem of rowdy student behaviour on Broughdale Avenue during “fake homecoming” — known as FOCO — celebrations in late September.

“There will be blood on all of our hands — that sounds dramatic, but there will be — because people are being stupid or encouraged by others to be stupid,” Holder said at the meeting, according to the London Free Press. “It’s only a matter of time before someone gets killed.”

Last September, FOCO was attended by around 20,000 people, resulting in over 3,000 warnings and

130 provincial offence notices. The event cost London police upward of $100,000, and over 52 people were hospitalized, with one person suffering serious injuries after jumping off a roof. Similar numbers have been reported by several other Ontario universities.

“To Western, I say, ‘Enough is enough.’ We need you to help us help London,” said Holder.

Western University’s vice-president of student experience, Jennie Massey, explained the university is working to find solutions through communications with other universities in Canada and the United States, as the problem of illegal street partying is widespread among post-secondary institutions. She added the issue has no quick fix and requires a multi-year approach.

However, Holder insisted more immediate action must be taken.

“I’m not prepared to wait, quite frankly, for years to get this fixed. If that death happens this year,… we

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[would] look back and say, ‘What could we have done today to prevent that from happening?’ ” he said.

STEPS TO QUELL FOCO Holder called for stronger academic sanctions for students who partake in dangerous or illegal behaviour, including suspensions and potential expulsions.

Western representatives expressed their intention to consider expanding the student code of conduct to off-campus behaviour. However, several representatives highlighted that changes to the student code of conduct would have limited effects, as many students attending the event come from other universities and even high schools.

“There’s no magic wand that somebody can swing to say, ‘This one thing is going to solve these parties,’ ” said the city’s chief bylaw officer Orest Katolyk at the meeting.

“We have to look at a number of different factions of why these parties are such an attraction for the youth.”

The attendees agreed the way forward lies in stronger communication and harsher consequences.

The debate highlighted several steps being set in motion to manage street partying.

LAUNCH OF TWO WORKING GROUPS A new task force was recently launched as a collaborative effort between Western, the London Police Service and London’s city council to address FOCO. The task force is made up of two working groups. One will focus on enhancing communications among the parties involved, including the students, the public and emergency services. The other will examine potential changes to city bylaws and Western policies to help deter dangerous or illegal behaviour during the event.

“From a Western perspective, we are looking at the code of student conduct and exploring what changes might be made to that in conjunction with changes that would be happening within the city,” said Massey, who sits on the policy working group, in an interview with the Gazette.

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE Ed Holder, London’s 64th mayor, addressed the audience during the mayoral debate at King’s University College, Oct. 3, 2018.

HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAMES LIMITED TO TWO WEEKENDS In response to Ontario universities’ efforts to curb homecoming parties, Ontario University Athletics will align homecoming football games at several Ontario universities in the 2019 season so that the matches fall on two weekends instead of spreading out over five or six.

“There is some hope that by limiting the number of dates that homecoming is scheduled on, it will reduce the number of people travelling from out of town into the various municipalities and fuelling or growing these street parties,” said Massey.

The change applies to six of the 11 OUA institutions with football teams due to reports of problematic street partying behaviour on homecoming weekends at these universities. The universities are Western, the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, McMaster University, the University of Guelph and Queen’s University.

Both Western’s and Queen’s 2019 homecoming games will take place on the same weekend of Oct. 18-20.

LOBBYING FOR HARSHER BYLAW INFRACTION PENALTIES A motion was unanimously passed at Wednesday’s meeting to lobby the province for harsher penalties that incentivize payment of fines accrued from bylaw infractions on Broughdale, such as noise and nuisance offences.

Presently, when individuals who are ticketed do not pay the fine, it is

handled by collection agencies who attempt to contact individuals and request payment, with little further consequences. The committee suggested implementing a system similar to parking offences, where drivers are restricted from renewing their licence until the fine is paid.

Massey added another meeting was to be held yesterday evening with community members where further conversations would attempt to develop ideas and solutions.

“This is a very complex situation that municipalities and post-secondary institutions are grappling with not just across Ontario, but really right across North America,” said Massey. “There’s been a longstanding commitment to collaboration, [and] I do think we’re seeing that now moving to the next level, which is really hopeful and encouraging.”

LIAM MCINNIS / GAZETTE A backyard party during last fall’s FOCO, Sept. 29, 2018.

Senate discusses cut-mitigation plan JUDY BASMAJI NEWS EDITOR @JUDYBASMAJI

Explore these and more at a series of interactive events and free webinars from March 4th - March 8th 2019 See what’s on here: https://tinyurl.com/OpenEd2019

Join the conversation at #OEweek

Western’s provost Andrew Hrymak highlighted adjustments to the university’s budget planning process considering the recent provincial changes to the post-secondary tuition framework at a Senate meeting on Feb. 15.

Western University’s budget planning for the next two years started in late September, well before the government announced in January that domestic tuition will undergo a 10 per cent cut in 2019-20, which will be held flat in 2020-21.

The cuts will cost the university $35 million in the year 2019-20 and $43.3 million in the year 2020-21.

Hrymak explained the impact of the announcement is two-fold, as the annual three per cent increase to domestic tuition will not take place on top of the overall 10 per cent cut to tuition.

“The 10 per cent tuition rollback is actually a much worse financial condition for us than what our

September plan was,” said Hrymak at the meeting.

To mitigate the loss, the university must enact a 10 per cent reduction in the base budget through generating revenues and decreasing expenditures over the next two years. The university will use part of its reserve from previous years, estimated at $70 million, to fund the two-year transition but will prioritize creating a stable budget in the long run.

“We will have to end up at a lower spending structure, and we must achieve structurally stable and balanced budgets,” said Hrymak. “We will not be carrying deficits forward and trying to figure out how to make it up later, and everything we do has to be governed by what our strategic plan priorities are.”

Hrymak highlighted several longterm and short-term action steps to achieve the necessary reductions.

INCREASING INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLMENT The university will increase international student enrolment in

programs with available capacity.

Hrymak explained the university is working on diversifying the regions international students come from and ensuring that they see opportunities in more than the few international student-dense programs at Western.

“This will be what all the Ontario universities will be doing, so there will be intense competition for those international students,” said Hrymak.

Hrymak explained levels of international tuition will be guided by those set at other Ontarian universities in order to ensure that a fair but competitive price is charged.

Further, student interest and each faculty’s ability to accept them will determine how much international enrolment increases.

“For example, I know engineering is ready to take on more international students and a plan to do that is in place,” said Hrymak.

Read the rest of this story online at www.westerngazette.ca.

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opinions

• TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

we get letters

Why pre-meds do research If you ask pre-meds why they’re involved in research, four out of five of them will respond with something along the lines of “it’s good for my medical school application” or “everyone else is doing it; I feel I have to do it too!”

But is this the correct mindset? Is this the correct culture? Personally, I believe that students should be involved in research because of their genuine interest, not to simply boost their resume/CV. Yes, research may look better on your medical school application.

But if your mission is to become a doctor and the best doctor you can be, you should really spend time on areas where you enjoy and where you can further develop yourself as a person. There are many aspects of a physician that one can spend time working on that they may truly enjoy.

Do you like to debate/argue?

Join the debating team! This can help hone your communication skills, which is an important attribute of effectively speaking with other healthcare professionals and their patients.

Do you prefer to be involved in athletics? Feel free to partake in intramurals and varsity sports.

This can allow doctors to maintain a healthy lifestyle and even suppress the ever-pressing issue of physician burnout. And hey, maybe you’ll find yourself in a position where you want to become a sports team’s physician in the future.

It’s more important to do activities you enjoy to develop yourself as a person. Many successful medical school applicants have strong research, but there are also successful applicants who aren’t research driven.

And in fact, not all medical school applicants need to do research.

Among practicing physicians, we see that the majority of physicians are community physicians (and not clinician-scientists), who are not involved in research. There is another handful of academic

physicians who are primarily focused on education and training programs, and then a smaller bunch that is involved in the research that so many pre-meds are involved in.

Medical schools cannot train everyone to be clinician-scientists.

Not everyone is involved in research.

So why should pre-meds be involved in research, if they are?

There are many other more valid reasons…

Research can provide an opportunity for students to delve deeper into a specific field and learn whether their interest lies in that specific field. Getting involved in basic science vs. clinical medicine research can help pre-meds learn about the different possibilities in the research world and learn whether they could see themselves doing that for a career in the future Students who really want an early start in trying to help touch lives of patients can see research as a way of trying to enhance standard-of-care, and better treat future patients. And this is possible as pre-meds! I’ve been fortunate to work on a few papers in the field of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and one of my papers was cited in 2017 (one year after my paper was published) to support the latest changes in clinical practices as recommended by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

And again, if research is not for you, that’s perfectly fine. Feel free to spend your time elsewhere to better develop yourself as a person and ultimately be the best doctor you can be for your patients.

Research is not for everyone.

Don’t do it because “all my friends are doing it” or “it’s good for my application”; do it because you enjoy it or have a genuine passion for it.

RONALD CHOW THIRD-YEAR BACHELOR OF MEDICAL SCIENCES AND SCHOLAR’S ELECTIVES STUDENT

Are Ford’s education changes really for the students?

Is this really what we have all been asking for? Us, the post-secondary students of Ontario. Set to come into effect September 2019, tuition fees for post-secondary education will be cut by a staggering 10 per cent.

The motion to cut tuition fees was announced by Premier Doug Ford on Jan. 17. It has been a long-anticipated cut for students across Ontario as undergraduate full-time tuition continues to outpace inflation. It is not a surprise most graduating students have a debt of approximately $28,000 upon completion of their undergraduate studies. This tuition fee cut introduced by the Ford government sounds like the perfect idea: it would save the average post-secondary university student approximately $660 a year. But is this tuition cut really all that great?

Come September 2019, Ford’s

new government policies will be implemented. One new policy will allow students the option to optout of fees they pay every year to their home school. These fees can include organizations, school’s fees and personal health care fees. The option to opt-out of fees can save students anywhere from several hundred dollars to $2,000 per year.

Although many fees will have an opt-out option, some campus wide initiatives will have a mandatory fee, including: “walk safe programs, health and counselling, athletics and recreation and academic support.” Students have been fighting for decades to get more compensation for engaging in post-secondary education, but governments before Ford’s haven’t alleviated universities’ growing financial burdens. Is it maybe too good to be true? $660 may sound like a lot of

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Given scandals, student unions need more oversight

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In the uncertain era of OSAP cuts and opt-out ancillary fees, having a trustworthy student government is crucial.

permanent full-time employees whose livelihoods depend on young executive teams responsibly exercising the power they hold over campuses.

Student governments have a hand in just about everything that happens on a university’s campus, from clubs to health services. So it’s no wonder the University of Ottawa was shaken when their student government, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, was accused of financial mismanagement and improper governance. An investigation resulted in the university freezing the federation’s access to student fees and calling a referendum that lasted from Feb. 8 to 11. Through the referendum, students elected a new body, the University of Ottawa Students’ Union, to represent them.

The fact that these incidents both happened at separate universities within a year suggests the need for increased financial oversight of student governments. Financial mismanagement is not an easy thing to hide and there should be stricter safeguards against it. Permanent staff from either universities or student unions must ensure numbers align in executive teams’ reports. It’s not enough to place blind trust in student governments — designated individuals need to make sure governments are acting in students’ best interests.

While this behaviour is not reflective of student governments in general, SFUO’s mismanagement is not an isolated incident. Earlier this month, Ryerson University’s Ryerson Students’ Union voted to impeach its president and suspend their vice-president of operations after the union came under fire for questionable spending of $250,000, which was used for everything from booze runs to nights out at The Rec Room.

Universities need to have systems for dealing with corrupt student governments and to prevent corruption in the first place. Both uOttawa and Ryerson seemed ill-prepared to deal with the mismanagement in their student governments. This is concerning not only because students rely on these governments to run properly, but because there are more

Of course, a key element to all of this is student engagement. Only 17 per cent of eligible students voted in uOttawa’s referendum, while the 2018-19 RSU election saw a 20 per cent drop in turn out.

When students are ignorant of or disinterested in how student governments spend money, these governments aren’t held accountable, making it easier for executive teams to conduct themselves irresponsibly and forget the services they owe students.

These incidents come at a particularly onerous time for Ontario student governments as the Progressive Conservative’s opt-out ancillary fees call into question their legitimacy. The actions of these mismanaged student governments reflect badly not just on their universities, but on Ontario student governments as a whole — at a time when they’re in dire need of the public’s support.

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.”

money, but once it is broken down into the expenses of a full-time student, it is clear it will not cover the basic costs that come along with post-secondary education.

Some required textbooks range upwards of $200 for one class.

With a full course load, including five courses a semester, $660 might not even cover them all.

This does not even include costs of laptops, papers, pens and notebooks. It may seem like a substantial amount of money, but when all is said and done, it’s clearly not enough for students.

With the 10 per cent tuition cut, the Ford government has changed the Ontario Student Assistance Program loans grace period and will now begin charging interest on OSAP loans directly following graduation. Ford’s plan is to “align Ontario’s repayment terms with

that of the federal government by charging interest during the sixmonth grace period.” Remember the $660 the Ford government made seem so great; how does it sound now? Although every year your OSAP loans will be less, you will still need to pay them, with interest building directly after your graduation. By implementing a 10 per cent tuition cut students have been asking for, there comes a set of consequences. The Ford government has made this very clear.

Unfortunately, the extra $660 post-secondary students will now have in their pockets as well as a potential $2,000, has not kept students from being furious about the OSAP loan grace period being taken away. Even with the 10 per cent relief, bank accounts will dwindle following graduation for those students being required to

repay their OSAP loan and extra accrued interest.

Lowered tuition costs were a major win for post-secondary students across the province, but it was quickly squandered by the surprising OSAP loan changes. Is it the Ford government’s fault or were students naive to think their wish of being granted lower tuition costs would come with no consequences? It is hard to have one without the other.

So the question is whether the tuition cut was really what we, the students, have all been asking for.

Tuition might be cheaper, but our debt will be higher and our bank accounts lower.

MARGARET HILL SECOND-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE AND FRENCH LITERATURE STUDENT

feature

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 •

Western Savages: From fringe memes to Mustangs’ unapologetic, unof ficial voice Carmen Mallia • Culture Editor @carmmallia

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• TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

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Febru a ry was a slippery month for Mustangs, with a number of ice storms and frigid weather warnings. On Feb. 6, Western made the bold decision to cancel classes at noon, arguably one of the most heavily-populated times on campus. Students took to social media, filming their escapades while they fought to hop on packed buses in bottleneck traffic and make their way out of campus without slipping on ice.

Some weren’t so lucky.

“It was icy, and that was the main talk for students because school was closed for the first time in a long time,” says Western Savages owner Alex Metaxas, who received a number of videos from students who were falling down staircases, skiing on roads and shoving their heads through iced-over car windows during the storm. The fourth-year management and organizational studies student was also left to fend for himself, having an exam that morning. But it was a great opportunity for WS to take something relatable (and obnoxious) and make it entertaining.

“It’s relevant because a lot of people actually ate shit that day,” says the 21-year-old. “If I can hop on a trend or topic that’s being talked about and put it into a visual form, then I know it will do really well.”

WS, the unapologetic Instagram account that has garnered over 17,000 followers since its inception, is a student-driven page that encapsulates the side of Western you won’t find on any official university accounts, one that puts the microscope on real life in London, documenting different touchstones of campus life through the purest cultural form: memes.

But with the hugely popular entertainment comes backlash and questions over its acceptability. In an era of fast follows and faster likes, orchestrating shenanigan-based celebrity might come with a cost — for poster and sharer alike.

MEME CULTURE THRIVES Metaxas wanted to start WS after some of his videos were getting licensed by WorldStar and Buzzfeed.

Between him and his friends, the fourth-year had enough belligerent content to start WS a year-and-ahalf ago. The page is almost entirely run by Metaxas, with his roommate occasionally helping out with the graphic design elements.

Metaxas saw a gap in bigger party pages like Barstool Sports and Canadian Party Life because they weren’t catering to niche audiences, and he knew that if he could get enough students on board during the page’s initial inception, there would be an exponential increase in

video submissions and followers.

Whether it be students camping out in D.B. Weldon Library with blow-up beds and George Foreman grills, squealing in an Uber with a goose in-hand or playing frisbee with London police during Fake Homecoming, milestones of Western’s outlandish party life can be seen in snapshots on WS. “Western has their own Instagram page, the University Students’ Council has their own Instagram page, but they don’t understand that student party life is a huge part of the university experience, and it’s not really documented anywhere, which makes sense because Western’s not going to post these crazy videos,” says Metaxas.

“But it still matters to the students.”

According to Yimin Chen, PhD candidate in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies who studies trolling, fake news and meme culture, comedy requires a level of suffering. This is something that WS understands and capitalized on during the storm.

A pivotal moment in the account, according to Metaxas, was a video showing two women in high heels falling on ice at Richmond Street and Huron Street. After a student sent the video with a feminine voiceover to Metaxas, he saw potential and posted it to what was then 3,000 followers.

“That went viral,” he says, noting that it brought hundreds of new followers. In addition, the video was being reposted on popular accounts including 6ixbuzz and Barstool without any credit, which is the main reason that WS is now private; people must actually engage with the page in order to reap the benefits of local humour, instead of ripping off videos for other pages.

“It has almost 90,000 views. The reach was crazy. That was a setting point,” says Metaxas.

BIGGER THAN MEMES With such a big audience, it wasn’t long before WS became a sought-out brand. Metaxas has helped promote big events, including an appearance

by Canadian prank duo Nelk Boys at The Barking Frog. They also had a big hand in marketing Purple Fest.

After Metaxas made the Facebook event page for last September’s FOCO under WS, and with over 10,000 people RSVP-ing, the University Students’ Council reached out for a partnership.

“They knew that all the marketing had already been done. You have everyone going to Broughdale in one place, and you’re trying to get people off of Broughdale and go somewhere else,” says Metaxas. In one night, WS went from the USC’s campus antithesis to its Purple Fest

business partner.

There was also monetary value in the partnership, since WS solidified a large portion of compensation based on a ticket commission.

The branding aspect reaches well past the memes themselves, with Metaxas planning a number of events — including a McChicken giveaway to an entire class — and edgy merchandise that Metaxas thinks will help generate WS as an all-around component of party life at Western.

He’s realized the true impact of the page after students have approached him to study his business in their feasibility reports.

Some have even told him that WS is part of the reason they chose to come to the school.

“This one girl was in first year and she found out that I ran Western Savages. She said, ‘No way, that’s one of the main reasons why I came to Western,’ ” says Metaxas. “A lot of people got recruited because of this platform, so now I’m wondering where my cut in the tuition is?”

CLOUDY CONTENT CAUSES BACKLASH That said, things aren’t always sunshine and flowers for him. With such a big platform, Metaxas feels a sense of responsibility in the things that he posts, learning from slip-ups in the past.

In one case, Metaxas received a video of an individual hitting his head at the gym whilst looking at his phone. He posted the picture with the caption, “When you see your Uber Eats bill from last night.” Upon release, he faced outcry, with people commenting that the individual in the video had Tourette syndrome.

He immediately took it down.

“Another thing that happens a lot is I’ll get a submission that I think is pretty jokes, I’ll post it and 20 minutes later they message me saying that I have to take it down. They’ll say, ‘My friend’s in it and they’re pissed off,’ ” says Metaxas.

Chen believes there are a number of consent and privacy concerns when it comes to a page like WS. “In a way, it’s nice for students to be able to have fun with this and build a community because we have all drank too much in the past and puked in the bushes,” says Chen. “But do the negative potential downsides of having it [online] essentially forever — does that outweigh the more temporary positive effects of sharing experiences with your peers?”

Toronto-based meme page 6ixbuzz is an example of this balance. The page has been at the centre of controversy for the last year, showcasing videos of individuals parachuting off of a high rise and

alleged Uber drivers spanking and kissing passengers, causing public outcry and, in some cases, police investigations. In one extreme instance, Toronto local Marcella Zoia, who was accused of tossing a chair off of a condo balcony in downtown Toronto, was charged with mischief endangering life, mischief damaging property under $5,000 and common nuisance after a video of her actions went viral.

“There’s a difference between a self-deprecating joke and filming someone who is literally harming themselves and then putting that out to an audience,” says Chen. “I think that when a platform gets to a size comparable to Western Savages, it does come with responsibilities.”

ONWARD But Metaxas is aware of this social responsibility. He estimates that WS receives about 60 video submissions from students each week, of which only a small portion actually make it onto the page. He refuses to post anything involving nudity and anything he finds personally repulsive,

COURTESY OF ALEX METAXAS

such as people throwing up.

WS will continue wavering on the outskirts of acceptability in an increasingly uptight student community. Ever-evolving trends of acceptance might be too vast for one person to grasp, shown in Metaxas’ past controversial run-ins, but with Instagram and other social media platforms mediating growing online communities, it’s hard to say what next year — better yet, next week — will look like in the digital stratosphere.

The fourth-year has realized that meme consumption is a valuable currency for our generation.

Students’ moral quandaries and self-deprecating drinking habits will continue to catch eyes and create a buzz on campus through WS. And as this online language continues to develop, there will undoubtedly be an everlasting amount of enchanting content, but at what cost?

Regardless, through all of the work and pressure university students experience, sometimes it can be nice to see a belligerent frat boy jump headfirst into a folding table.

sports

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 •

• 8

OMAR SHIDDO

Western basketball’s clutch factor GREG SIDERIS GAZETTE STAFF @UWOGAZETTE Omar Shiddo of the Western Mustangs men’s basketball team was recently awarded a milestone for his 1,000th career point as a Mustang. Before coming to Western, Omar went to Chinguacousy Secondary School and later Castlebrooke Secondary School in Brampton, Ont. After graduation, he attended Trinity International High School in Las Vegas.

Ahmed Shiddo, Omar’s eldest brother, gave some insight into the type of basketball player Omar was growing up. “[Omar] always played with the older crowd, never shying away because of his age, or any stronger competition, for that matter,” said Ahmed.

Omar, a third-year King’s University College student, has proven to have a killer instinct on the floor: an unmatched confidence in his shooting abilities. He has averaged roughly 15 shots per game and 17.1 points per game over his threeyear career at Western.

The Mustangs posted a losing record of 7–13 in Omar’s freshman season and improved to a winning record in his second year, averaging 13.5 field goal attempts in his first two years of play. However, at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, Omar suffered an injury, causing him to start only 14 of 24 games on the season.

“In the first half of last season with the injury, mentally being at a different place, my role on the team made it difficult,” explained Shiddo.

But he also spoke about that year as the adversity he needed.

“I’m grateful I had that year, though, knowing what I have to improve on and finding how bad I really wanted it,” he said.

Shiddo averaged 10.7 PPG in the first half of last season and improved his numbers after the break to just under 18 PPG and a field goal percentage just over the 40 per cent mark. The Mustangs managed to post a winning record of 15–9 and advanced to the Ontario University Athletics quarterfinals held in Alumni Hall. Facing off against the Windsor Lancers, Omar scored a team-high 20 points in only 23 minutes of action. Despite his strong

“Coming into this year, I needed to just take care of my part, so I can try to help lead this team to get to where we want to go. We have had a couple blips even though we have had injuries to key guys.”

OMAR SHIDDO performance, the Lancers ran away with the game in the fourth quarter, winning 89–72.

Ahmed described Omar as a relentless scorer who doesn’t hold back, no matter the competition, “even if it meant overshadowing his older brother.”

He was always a fierce competitor in everything he did, especially basketball. Omar had zero compassion for the opposition when he stepped into the game.”

Ahmed describes Omar as an extremely compassionate individual with a hunger to win. Ahmed vividly remembers Omar’s semifinal matchup against the Bramalea Broncos when he was playing for the Chinguacousy Chiefs.”

“The score was tied 70–70, Chinguacousy basketball with approximately 18 seconds left in the game. They had the ball on the sideline and ran a backdoor inbound play to get a quick layup.”

Ahmed explained that the play had fallen apart and the ball was quickly put in Omar’s hands.

“As soon as Omar got the ball, he waited at the top of the three-point line with the clock winding down.

Calling a screen, he was doubled off the pick by the defence [and] found his open teammate on the wing.”

COURTESY OF MUSTANGS BASKETBALL

His teammate hesitated on the open shot, and instead of shooting, he sent the ball back to the doubleteamed Omar.

“With the clock about to expire, Omar put up a low percentage threepoint shot without hesitation, and it was nothing but net, the whole gym erupted. It was the beginning of a story that is still being written today. He was always the clutch player he is known for now,” said Ahmed. At Western, the fourth quarter is known as #Omellytime.

That name wasn’t just born; it was made. With his clutch ability in the last moments of a game, the fourth quarter always belonged to Omar Shiddo and still does.”

Speaking with Omar over some chicken tacos and mac and cheese bites, I learned that he likes the persona of Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard. He recounted the buzzer beater three that then-Philadelphia 76er Lou

Williams, another of his influences, sunk against LeBron James and the Heat in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

“He never seems off-balance,” said Omar. “He can draw contact and get open shots, and he always seems to have a great feel for the game.”

Like Lou Williams, Omar is cool, calm and collected in high-leverage situations. In the exciting overtime game in the season series finale against the Brock Badgers, Omar went 50 per cent from beyond the arc and posted 33 points and five boards. The Mustangs collapsed in the fourth quarter, and Brock was able to force the game to overtime.

Taking care of business in the extra frame, Western defeated Brock 96–91, sweeping the season series.

“Coming into this year, I needed to just take care of my part, so I can try to help lead this team to get to where we want to go,” said Shiddo. “We have had a couple blips even though we have had injuries to key guys.”

Women’s hockey sweeps Warriors CHARLIE MARSHALL SPORTS EDITOR @CWMARSHALL98 The Western Mustangs women’s hockey team rolled over the Waterloo Warriors this weekend, securing a date in the second round of the Ontario University Athletics playoffs. The Mustangs defeated the Warriors 3–2 and 2–1 to secure the sweep.

Western dominated possession in both games against the Warriors, outshooting Waterloo 32–20 in the first game and 35–12 in the second.

Despite a total of 67 shots on goal, Western was able to solve Warriors netminder Amanda Smith just four times. No Mustangs player scored more than once in the series.

Each of Evra Levesque, Catherine O’Connor, Beatrice Arsenault Dufour, Shailyn Waites and Sydnee Baker notched a marker in the short

two-game sweep.

Not only was the offensive attack spread out for the Mustangs, but it came from some unexpected heroes. Both O’Connor and Baker failed to put a puck past a goalie during the regular season, but they were able to find twine in the post season.

After the game one victory, O’Connor explained that her point production has not concerned her this year.

“It’s my last year, so I’m just looking to have fun out there,” explained O’Connor. “Work hard, not too concerned about points, stay focussed on what I can do … to help out the team.”

Production throughout all levels of the offence was not something that surprised Mustangs head coach Candice Moxley in this series — it was simply a matter of capitalizing on good chances.

“I mean, all those players have the capability to do it and it’s just a matter of them finding their confidence and seeing those lanes,” said Moxley. “You find yourself in a spot with the puck like that, you got to get it on net.”

Another promising development for the Mustangs was strong play from the penalty killers. Despite struggling during the regular season with a 83.7 per cent success rate — which ranked them second-last in the league — the unit allowed just one goal against in seven opportunities.

Dufour explained that the team’s strength in their own zone came from strong physical play.

“Yeah, [Moxley] really wants us to always be present and use our bodies as much as we can,” said Dufour.

“Pin on the boards, take the body, just live sticks, always be physical,

and blocking shots is a huge thing for her.”

While limiting shots was impressive, it also ran the risk of providing a counter-intuitive, negative effect on Mustangs goaltender Carmen Lasis. With less shots on net, Lasis was forced to maintain focus in limited action.

The need for Lasis to remain attentive was a challenge that Moxley acknowledged after Wednesday’s game.

“Yeah, absolutely, it’s a tough game for a goaltender when you’re not seeing a lot of pucks,” conceded Moxley. “To stay in it, stay focused … that was her challenge tonight.”

With the victory, the Mustangs will play the Toronto Varsity Blues on Wednesday.

Nikola Farkic was out for two games, Marko Kovac was out for six games and Eriq Jenkins was out for one. Without their key pieces, rookie players stepped up to the occasion.

“We have so much depth on our team. They are trying to learn as much as possible, and they have been able to help us a lot, more so than last year,” Omar said.”We were top-heavy, and now we have guys like Julius [Laurinavicius], Aryan Sharma and Aaron Tennant,” said Omar, “on top of the already established depth of guys like Jedson Tavernier and Alex Coote. For the future, we have to be accountable to ourselves for these guys for the years when we’re gone and so on. We have created such a good atmosphere in the locker room.”

“Coach [Brad Campbell] told me in my first year when we were going out to Edmonton to play in a few exhibition games that experience wins in this league,” he continued.

And he seemed to be correct.

Now the Mustangs have been able to close out those tight games that they weren’t able to in years prior. Shiddo and Western were awarded with a first round bye with a winning record of 16–8. Shiddo has blossomed into the high-volume shooter that the Mustangs have needed late in the stretch, finishing the year third in the OUA scoring race — averaging 21.3 PPG with his FG per cent and 3 PT per cent hovering around the 40 per cent mark.

Campbell expressed that Shiddo has all the skills to become the best sharpshooter in U Sports.

“From the day he joined our program, he has been a very confident player who believes in his abilities.

He has put in the work, on and off the court, to prepare himself, and as a result, he has also become more of a leader on our team. His work ethic has turned him into one of the most dangerous shooters in the country” said Campbell.

The Mustangs season ended in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday, as they fell to Brock 89–88. Yet Shiddo, who scored 30 points, continued solidifying his scoring legacy.

9 •

sports

• TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

The 36-year dynasty of Mustangs men’s squash HANNAH DIEBOLD GAZETTE STAFF @UWOGAZETTE From Feb. 8 to 10, the Western men’s squash team competed at the White Oaks Resort and Spa in Niagaraon-the-Lake to pick up yet another Ontario University Athletics championship title.

Building upon their unprecedented dynasty, the Mustangs men’s squash team brought home their 45th overall, and 36th consecutive, OUA championship win.

Helping to lead Western University to the 2018–19 title was team captain and prized veteran David Mill. Mill has been a valuable asset to the team throughout his entire university career, and this championship was no exception. He took the top position in the championship and came out undefeated

— as a result, Mill was recognized as an OUA all-star for the third year in a row.

Another Mustang recognized for an exceptional season was first-year athlete Elliot Hunt, who won OUA Rookie of the Year honors. Hunt was a strong prospect when recruited by the program and has certainly proved himself this season. In seeing the momentum he has produced in his first year, it’s safe to say that looking ahead, great things can be expected.

Despite the wild success of this season’s athletes, Western’s 36-year reign has spanned a variety of athletes and coaches. Every year since the 1983-84 season, Western has been able capture the OUA title.

This makes the Western Mustangs the record holders for the most consecutive championship wins in any

sport in the OUA. But the strong run that Western has created was not solidified without cause.

When asked about the key to sustaining long term success, Mustangs head coach David Moore describes how Western’s dual league participation attracts some of the highest calibre athletes in the country. Not only do Western squash athletes compete in the OUA league, but they are also given the opportunity to participate in the U.S. College Squash Association. “[The College Squash Association] provides the highest level of college squash in the world,” said Moore. “If students want to continue at a high level of competitive squash during their university career, then Western is the best place in Canada to be able to do that.”

But Western’s highly attractive

recruiting model doesn’t encompass all that Western’s team has to offer. Western has a long-standing tradition of equally talented and committed athletes and coaches who perpetuate the resonant spirit of the team.

After taking over from legendary former head coach Jack Fairs in 2016, Moore continued the program’s tradition of exceptional coaching. Indicative of his hard work and continued success with the team, Moore was recognized as the OUA Men’s Coach of the Year this past weekend.

“It wasn’t me that won Coach of the Year,” said Moore. “It was the guys on the team who won it for me.”

But his humility fails to tell the whole story — the effort and passion Moore has poured into this program

isn’t unnoticed, and he is very much a part of the team’s continued and future success.

Even after an extremely successful season so far, this team was not done yet. The team headed to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut from Feb. 15 to 17 to compete at the College Squash Association’s men’s national championships.

They went into the tournament ranked ninth overall in the US league and second in their division bracket. “Every team in our division is incredibly close in skill,” said Moore. “No match will be easy.”

Western ended up capturing the division two bronze. But with so many strong performances behind them from this season, they are poised and ready to take on whatever comes their way in the future.

Men’s hockey continues playoff run CHARLIE MARSHALL SPORTS EDITOR @CWMARSHALL98

COURTESY OF MUSTANGS BASKETBALL

Mustangs run ends against Brock CHARLIE MARSHALL SPORTS EDITOR @CWMARSHALL98 The Western Mustangs men’s basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 89–88 decision in the Ontario University Athletics quarterfinals against the Brock Badgers on Saturday afternoon.

The game was dictated by momentum swings, and Western was unable to lock down a lead in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, a short bank shot with under a minute remaining from Badgers guard Tyler Brown sealed the Mustangs fate.

Head coach Brad Campbell was short in his assessment of the team’s performance.

“Well, [in the] second half we gave up 54 points,” explained Campbell. “We couldn’t defensive rebound, and we just haemorrhaged and gave up way too many points.”

A lack of control on the defensive glass was a key trouble spot for the Mustangs all game. In total, the Badgers grabbed 37 boards, including 14 on the offensive side of the floor.

Western’s rebounding was hampered by the loss of one of their best players, Marko Kovac. The fourth-year forward fouled out of the game with just over five minutes remaining.

Despite playing just 25 minutes, the Windsor native racked up 25 points, four rebounds and three steals.

The loss of such a key member of the team was a tough blow for Western, according to teammate Omar Shiddo.

“It’s tough because we got out rebounded, and [there were] a couple balls where he could have helped,” said Shiddo. “He could have been one of those guys to get a big shot at the end. Just making big plays; that’s what we do as a team, that’s what the team needs.”

Shiddo, who led the Mustangs with 30 points, felt that the game score didn’t truly reflect the play of the team.

“We played a great game,” said Shiddo. “We competed. We left everything out on the floor. It’s a tough way to go out, man. They got hot at the end, made some tough shots. But they’re a veteran team.

You know they’ll do that. It was just one lucky shot at the end, he wasn’t even aiming for the glass. It is what it is.”

The third-year forward was correct in his assessment of the game — the Badgers only had control in the final seconds. Despite multiple runs at the opening of the first three

quarters, the Mustangs held a 67–61 lead entering the final 10 minutes.

With the loss, Western was officially eliminated from the OUA playoffs.

Fifth-year seniors Jedson Tavernier and Alex Coote played their final game as members of the purple and white on Saturday afternoon.

After the game, Tavernier hadn’t truly wrapped his head around the idea of his university basketball career being over, but he was thankful nonetheless.

“I think it’s going to take a bit for me to actually take in [that] it’s over,” said Tavernier. “But just thinking right now, it was a great five years. Made friends for life, grew up here, grew up to be the man I am today because of this program. Nothing but love for all of the Mustangs, and I’m excited to be an alumni and support the program for the future.”

“Man, that’s sports for you,” said Shiddo. “We got better as a team, we got closer, felt like we had something special within us… We get this game, you never know what happens after that. But I’m proud of these guys, man. I love these guys.”

The Western Mustangs men’s hockey team’s Queen’s Cup playoff charge continued this weekend as they cleaned up a three-game set against the Brock Badgers.

In the first game, the Mustangs — who entered the series as underdogs — dominated the opening period, took a step back in the second and charged from behind in the third frame for the 3–2 victory.

In the second game, the team dominated action throughout, but they unfortunately couldn’t put more than two pucks behind Brock’s goaltender, Logan Thompson, dropping the 3–2 decision.

The absolute control Western exerted in Friday’s game carried over to the final match, as the team essentially sealed the Badgers fate after just two periods of play en route to a 7–1 win.

Throughout the series, the depth on the offensive side of the puck was evident. Western’s combination of size and skill overmatched the Badgers defenders on multiple occasions.

The third line of Ray and Kenny Huether and Kyle Langdon was a force all series, but they were particularly dominant in Game Two. After Friday’s contest — in which the group accounted for both of Western’s goals — head coach Clarke Singer lauded the line’s ability to control offensive possession.

“They’ve been playing gritty,” asserted Singer. “I think their corsi tonight was at 74 per cent — one of the top we’ve had all year. They had a great game for us.”

It should be noted as well that each of the other three lines combined for at least one goal in the series.

The defensive corps played a major role in this offensive upsurge by consistently moving the puck into dangerous offensive positions. Specifically, Stephen Desrocher opened eyes with his

offensive ability.

Ethan Szypula — who finished the series with four points — heaped praise on Desrocher and the defensive corps as a whole after Friday’s loss.

“Our [defencemen] are great for us,” said Szypula. “When they come down and help us on the rush that generates a lot more for us, as well. They’re really active and they’re really great with that.

Especially [Desrocher], he’s been playing really solid.”

Creating offence off the blue line helped boost the Western powerplay. After compiling just 12 goals in 28 regular season games, the unit exploded for four goals in the series.

While one side of special teams was unusually dominant, the penalty kill was somewhat weak — allowing three goals in the first two games.

The killers cleaned up their play in the deciding game, though. In total, the Mustangs shut out the Badgers powerplay on seven opportunities on Sunday night.

The final game of the series was the ultimate display of strong playoff hockey for Western: their special teams were strong, the goaltending was great, the offence was flying and, perhaps most importantly to their head coach, they played a gritty game.

The team cycled the puck well, pushed for goals in the dirty areas of the ice, played the body effectively and didn’t back down from any post-whistle skirmish.

According to Szypula, physical play is a product of the post-season — when everyone is required to produce more.

“Playoffs are something where everything has got to do a little bit more,” explained Szypula. “I felt playoffs, that’s where the players really show out and that’s when games really, really matter.”

The Mustangs will need to keep searching for more as they close in on a berth in the Queen’s Cup Championship game.

Up next, Western will take on the Guelph Gryphons in the OUA West championship series.

sports

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019 •

• 10

Canada-US rivalry comes to London KARINA LEUNG GAZETTE STAFF @UWOGAZETTE Heading into Feb. 14, the Canadian and American national women’s hockey teams had met 140 times.

Their first meeting came at the 1987 Women’s World Hockey Tournament in North York, Ont., where Team Canada earned a 2–1 victory. Since then, the teams have created one of the greatest rivalries in sports, entering into an arms race for resources and development, and taking over the world of women’s hockey in the process.

More recently, the Americans have taken Canada’s long-held position as world number one, rattling off four straight IIHF Women’s World Championship gold medals, along with first place finishes at the last four 4 Nations Cups and the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

The 141st meeting between the two nations came on Feb. 14 in London as part of the newly minted Rivalry Series, a set of three exhibition games pitting the two hockey Goliaths against each other for bragging rights. And in the aftermath of their recent struggles against the women in the stars and stripes, Team Canada was looking to seek revenge and return to the top of the international women’s hockey hierarchy.

Game day in London brought a sold-out crowd of over 9,000 to Budweiser Gardens. Included in the crowd were local female hockey players from the surrounding areas, including London, Dorchester, Brantford and Cambridge. The Western Mustangs women’s hockey team was also in attendance to cheer

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on Western alumna Katelyn Gosling, who left the program in 2016 and played with a few skaters still active on the Mustangs roster. Additionally, in attendance were Gosling’s cousins, Nicole and Julia, who recently won gold with Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship.

As the arena slowly filled, the crowd became a sea of red and white spirited voices, there to show their support for the 23 Canadian women on the ice about to play against their greatest rivals. The puck dropped, and what commenced was a highly skilled yet physical affair — nothing but reputations and pride on the line.

The first period saw the Canadians on top of their game, intercepting passes and keeping possession of the puck. However, the game remained scoreless,

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even though the Americans’ strong forechecking led to Canada defending for extended periods of time in their own zone. At the end of the first, the crowd became riled up as they were treated to their first true taste of the rivalry. Canada’s Halli Krzyzaniak and Team USA’s Megan Bozek both ended up in the penalty box, serving matching roughing penalties.

Tempers continued to flare in the second frame, as a pileup in front of American netminder Alex Rigsby occurred when Canadian forward Jillian Saulnier drove hard to the net. After the Canadians’ lackluster power play unit was unable to capitalize on a penalty by Brianna Decker, the Americans became the first to spill blood. Hilary Knight potted the first, and ultimately only, goal of the game off a lucky bounce into an open net.

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Knight commented after the game, “We had a great defensive presence up top, and then we had a lot of girls skating in front of the net, and so it was literally just a puck that bounced into my direction.”

The goal quickly deflated the crowd going into the last period of the game, and the play of the Canadian skaters reflected their mood. It wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the game that they then started to pressure the Americans, but their efforts came too late, as Team USA won the first match of the Rivalry Series 1–0.

After the game, Canadian head coach Perry Pearn was quick to voice his optimism about his team’s play, drawing attention to the developmental aspect of the series.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to analyze the whole picture, and if we look at where we were at the end of 4 Nations, how we played in the gold medal game there, this is a gigantic step forward for us,” he said.

Veteran forward Rebecca Johnston echoed Pearn’s sentiments, adding, “I think we definitely took a step in the right direction; we’re using our speed, getting the puck low and getting shots on net.

It was a good stepping stone for us for the next two games.”

The Canadians put up 33 shots to Team USA’s 21, which was a hopeful indicator of Canada’s upcoming success. With both teams unable to capitalize on their own two power plays, it was indicative not only of their strong penalty-killing units, but also of the importance of needing to score with the player-advantage. Because, as players on both sides noted, the game could have gone either way, especially with Canada’s offensive push at the end, and having the extra marker would have certainly bolstered either team.

In terms of the crowd and the support for the game, Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin was pleasantly surprised by the swell of fans in the arena.

“It’s amazing, to be honest, when you hear the crowd going so loud

you can’t even hear the coach talk in between the breaks,” said Poulin.

“I think it just shows the support.

It was great tonight in London, and seeing the red and white in the stands tonight was awesome.”

Even though the Canadians weren’t able to pull out a win in London, the team didn’t seem to regard the game as a setback. Instead, the loss propelled them even further, as they went on to win the next two games of the series by scores of 4–3 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and 2–0 at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, effectively winning the inaugural Rivalry Series.

Poulin and Jamie Lee Rattray led the team in the second game with a goal and an assist each, while Brianne Jenner notched a power play goal on goalie Shannon Szabados’ perfect night, who stopped all 38 shots on net for Canada.

After facing off against their fiercest rivals for the 143rd time in history, Canada’s national women’s hockey team finally restored some confidence and pride in themselves — and in their fans. The series was indeed a stepping stone for them to regain momentum within women’s hockey and rebuild their reputation as the top powerhouse within the sport.

However, the rivalry will now be put on hold as the Canadian players rejoin their respective professional teams’ own playoff races across the continent, mingling with and playing with many of the very same Americans they faced off against in this series.

The level of respect these players share for each other transcends the hostility that is required of the rivalry, as all animosity will be brushed aside for the goal of winning a Canadian Women’s Hockey League Clarkson Cup or a National Women’s Hockey League Isobel Cup. But when the 2019 World Championships come along in April, and the two countries go head-to-head on the ice again at the international level— as Hilary Knight emphasized at the end of the series — it’ll be like they “don’t even know each other.”

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11 •

culture

• TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE

Get tested!

Breaking STI stigma EMILY TAYLER CULTURE EDITOR @EMTAYLER16 HSV, better known as herpes, is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections globally, yet people seem to know the least about it.

In an emailed response, Dr. Sonya Malone at Western University Student Health Services says approximately 90 per cent of the global population “has antibodies for at least one of the two strains of HSV.” The first strand, HSV-1 is present in approximately 65 per cent of Americans, while HSV-2 is present in between 20 and 30 per cent of Americans.

So, if herpes is so common that the majority of the population carries the antibodies for it, why does no one know anything about it?

Just as with any other STI, there’s stigma that can be associated with a herpes diagnosis. However, Malone explains this stigma is primarily perpetrated by misinformation and a lack of education.

“Even though STIs are quite common and mostly treatable, patients feel alone and isolated when they are diagnosed because no one is talking about this problem,” Malone writes.

“It magnifies the stigma when a person feels that others cannot relate to their situation.”

A secondary reason is that

patients don’t always show symptoms, and some may show symptoms only weeks after contracting the virus.

“The problem is that when a person comes into contact with one of these common viruses, their body makes antibodies,” writes Malone.

“But the person may never ever develop any skin lesions in their lifetime (including cold sores, canker sores or genital sores).”

Standard STI testing does not include the test for herpes. Instead, there is an additional blood test that is not covered by OHIP, that costs around $100.

The blood test detects which strand of HSV is present, even if

the patient is already producing antibodies, so physicians generally don’t recommend the blood test if symptoms aren’t present.

Unless a patient is experiencing symptoms, Malone explains that the test essentially does more harm than good.

“The test is not particularly sensitive in detecting active herpes virus infections,” Malone states. “Rather, the test creates a lot of anxiety for students without much useful information about true STI transmission risk.”

If a patient is showing symptoms, then testing can be conducted through swabs, which is more accurate and effective.

Although there are many avenues to STI testing in London, Malone predicts that approximately 2,000 students are tested annually at Student Health Services. Young people age 15 to 24 are the most susceptible to contract an STI, which means that university students are more vulnerable.

To combat this, the University Students’ Council’s Health Promotions Coordinator, Camilla Parpia, a fourth-year health studies and Scholar’s Electives student, plans programming centred around STI education with the help of the Middlesex-London Health Unit.

Parpia organizes the Get Tested event, in which its organizers attempt to break the record for most people tested in one location in 12 hours. They broke the record last year, testing around 1,150 people in the University Community Centre atrium, and they plan to break that record again this year.

The Get Tested event will be held on March 28. The event asks students to take 30 seconds to take a urine test for common STIs like

chlamydia and gonorrhea.

This event doesn’t focus on HSV, instead looking to viruses that more commonly affect university students with effective, easily available tests for detection. According to the Middlesex Health Unit, there are about 2,000 cases of chlamydia diagnosed in London each year; this means an average of eight people are diagnosed each day.

Parpia hopes to use group mentality to her advantage, as people feel less intimidated approaching the booth if there’s already a crowd.

“By having such a large number of people getting tested, we break that uncomfortable environment that’s surrounding people and everyone feels more comfortable doing something that should be so normal,” she says.

Parpia aims to shift the culture around getting tested. She, as well as Malone emphasize the importance of education in diminishing the stigma.

“We also want to make sure we’re not just focusing on the number,” she says. “We’re also focused on making sure that there is a difference in understanding of one’s sexual health from this event and we’re actually affecting change.”

KRISTIN LEE GAZETTE

Copper Branch: Sustainable veganism KRISTIN LEE CULTURE EDITOR @KRIIISLEE Dear carnivores, chomping on carrots, lettuce and grains isn’t the extent of veganism; there’s more to it.

Burgers, wings, sandwiches — you name it. More fast-casual vegan options have now arrived in Central London with Copper Branch’s new location at 660 Richmond Street.

Bethany Turowec, a graduate from the chemical engineering program at Western University, and her fiance, Jon Schmidt, committed to opening this fast-casual vegan spot that sources most ingredients locally, as it aligned with both of their values around sustainability and ethical eating.

Through their endeavors, they want to create awareness and give people a chance to realize there are other options for a vegan diet other than munching on a platter of vegetables for lunch.

“You don’t have to eat meat to feel satisfied,” says Turowec, describing the zest of the Copper Burger’s “meat,” and the pulled pork consistency of the shiitake teriyaki. “It’s just interesting what you can do with food; there are so many options.”

Turowec pretty much lived off of poutine at Sammy Souvlaki’s during her undergraduate years.

Though she became a vegetarian to support the planet’s sustainability, she can still enjoy a vegan poutine from this fast-casual franchise, a healthier alternative which substitutes gravy with cremini mushroom sauce and uses vegan cheese.

KRISTIN LEE GAZETTE Copper Branch had their grand opening Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019.

Neither restaurant nor fast-food joint, Copper Branch provides an in-between: an affordable meal without being waited on. Their gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options provide a meal for everyone. According to their website, the name Copper Branch reflects their values in quality cooking and energy. Copper is a metal often used in gourmet cookware, and branch comes from the company’s ties with nature and their mission to preserve the environment.

For Turowec and Schmidt, everything about plant-based eating is positive. With the mass consumption of animal by-products, the couple is concerned with the volume of it all, which is affecting the planet’s well-being. For them,

going vegan diverts the waste that goes towards animal agriculture, and with Copper Branch sourcing food locally, it can directly support local businesses.

“The reason that we like what the franchise stands for is the community aspect,” says Turowec. “It’s not even that I’m against people eating meat; it’s the factory farming. When we source locally, we’re helping local businesses and giving back to the community as much as we can in whatever way that is.”

The couple’s compassion for animals and sustainability doesn’t stop there. On top of Copper Branch’s mantra, which is to empower, energize, and make people feel their best by serving the community food that’s good for them and the

KRISTIN LEE / GAZETTE Jon Schmidt (left) and Bethany Turowec, the owners of Copper Branch in London, Feb. 24, 2019.

planet, Turowec and Schmidt want to give away their produce waste to sanctuary and farm animals by collaborating with the Humane Society London & Middlesex.

Standing by the sustainability aspect of this franchise, Turowec says the younger generation is seeing the impact of population growth, over-consumption and mass agriculture. She felt compelled to start taking action by providing people with options through Copper Branch that can propel action, like their takeout cutlery, which is corn-based and compostable.

And with Canada’s updated nutrition guide, the benefits of plant-based diets have gotten national recognition.

“You’re not only feeling energized, healthy and good about yourself, but you’re also eating ethically,” says Schmidt. “It’s OK if you’re not eating plant-based all the time and if you’re getting meat from a source where you know how they’re treating the animal. It’s the mass-level that’s the problem.”

Schmidt realizes a lot of people don’t want to be vegan because of the extra time and effort required to make the food, but he believes thinking harder about our food is the right thing to do.

“We have to stop taking things for granted; we’re lucky to be here,” says Turowec. “To even have an Earth to live on is amazing. Let’s stop messing with it. Let’s start appreciating it.”

community

12 • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

photo of the day

•

gazette crossword

24p0; 144.999al; Black; Ad Offi ce CLUES ACROSS CLUES DOWN LIAM MCINNIS GAZETTE WBE! Welcome back, everyone, Feb. 25, 2019.

1. A greeting 5. A type of hall 9. Planes need one 11. Wealth 13. The act of exciting 15. A movement downward 16. Type of storage 17. A funny and sad play 19. After cinco 21. Dry white Italian wine 22. Where golfers begin 23. Witnesses 25. Relaxing places 26. Of she 27. Discontinued compact car 29. Resulted 31. Large Irish castle 33. Offer for a price 34. One type is Irish 36. Free-swimming invertebrate 38. A type of tale 39. The middle of the month 41. Christmas 43. ‘__ death do us part 44. Goes with Gomorrah 46. Ethnic group of Thailand 48. “Grown Ups” funnyman 52. A type of index 53. A mass of rocks 54. Splashed 56. Kids’ playground necessities 57. Sears and London are two 58. Strip of cloth 59. Church

word search

grand slam word search assist balk baseman bases batter bench bullpen catch center

changeup coach defense earned error groundout hitter home run infield innings lead manager

1. Progressive decay of a bone or tooth 2. Deliberately contrary events 3. Unit of mass 4. Kiln 5. Soybean paste 6. Electronic counter-countermeasures 7. Made the bed 8. One who mails 9. Bar bills 10. Automotive vehicles 11. Breaks 12. Swelling of the eyelid 14. Asian country 15. Couches 18. Stare with mouth wide open 20. Member of U.S. Navy 24. A sulk 26. Greetings 28. Craftsmen 30. Mongolian city __ Bator 32. Did again 34. Sunrooms 35. Start over 37. Georgians love them 38. Women 40. “Snake Tales” cartoonist 42. Pariahs 43. Caps 45. Gradually become less solid 47. Goats 49. French city Le __ 50. Exhale 51. Homes have at least one 55. Type of power cable

For crossword solution, see page 3

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