From farm dog to campus icon: The golden face of Western
HANNAH ALPER COORDINATING EDITOR
The unbreakable bond of the Bontis brothers
MANAN JOSHI SPORTS EDITOR
If you looked at the Mustangs men’s soccer team roster, you’d be surprised to find two players with the same last name dominating the box scores.
Brothers Charlie and Dino Bontis were standout performers for the men’s team this season — fourth-year Charlie as a striker and third-year Dino as a goalkeeper.
Charlie was the third-highest-scoring Mustang this season — dominating the field with his ability to run past defenders. Dino ranked fourth this season in Ontario University Athletics for goals against — holding down the Mustangs net like a fortress.
Each brother brings something unique to the table.
Men’s soccer team head coach Martin Painter praised Charlie for his leadership within the team and skill on the field.
“I think his intelligence and awareness of the game stand out. I would say his creativity and his technical ability as well,” says Painter.
For Dino, Painter praised the younger brother’s athleticism, saying he’s an incredible goalkeeper in every area.
“Western’s had a lot of good goalkeepers, but I think Dino is the best I’ve seen,” says Painter.
Despite their differences, they have one thing in common: an intensity and a desire to win.
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Behind every great president, there’s a good dog.
For Western president Alan Shepard, that’s his golden retriever, Meisha Shepard.
Maybe you’ve seen her lending a helping paw at hot chocolate giveaways, strolling leisurely on campus or starring in videos wishing students a happy holiday. One thing is certain: Meisha has become the face of Western University.
“Honestly, what she’s allowed me to do on campus is connect with our students, which is really valuable,” says Shepard.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of Shepard’s family was stuck in the U.S. due to border closures, while he remained in London, Ont. with one of his sons. Like many during COVID-19, they decided they needed a companion.
Initially looking for a young goldendoodle, they called a breeder online who happened to be a Western graduate. While she wasn’t raising puppies anymore, she had a three-year-old golden retriever, one of her former breeding dogs, who needed a new home. Shepard didn’t hesitate.
“We drove out immediately, as you know, beautiful golden retrievers don’t come along every day,” says Shepard. “We literally went out the next morning and we brought her home.”
The transition from the farm where Meisha grew up to Gibbons Lodge — the residence of Western’s president — was not without challenges.
“She wasn’t really leash trained. She just ran wherever she wanted and did whatever she wanted,” says Shepard.
According to the president, those close to Meisha would describe her as “pretty chill and quiet-natured.” In the first six months of her new home, she reportedly only barked once a month. But Shepard
says she’s always quick to respond when the treat bag rattles, flying in to investigate.
Meisha made her debut in the Western family — and the university’s marketing department — in April 2020 during the height of the pandemic. With students in lockdown, Shepard gave COVID-19 updates from home, with Meisha right by his side.
When Shepard was asked to make safety videos for students, he knew no one would watch them.
“Then I had this idea. If I brought Meisha, they would tune in to see a beautiful golden retriever by my side. That’s literally how it started.”
Since her rise to fame, Meisha has received everything from Instagram DM’s to fan mail.
When Shepard has time in his busy schedule, he and Meisha walk around campus and stop to talk to students. Meisha always checks the same spots for groundhogs and rabbits.
“She’s got a farm dog in her DNA, and I’m a farm boy, so that worked out,” says Shepard, who was born in Iowa.
When people think of a university president, they often imagine a formal figure, someone who’s a bit distant and arrogant. For Shepard, Meisha helps bridge the gap between his role as the university president and the student body.
“She does humanize the job and me. I’m trying to get closer to students and not be some remote figure that doesn’t actually help,” he says.
Meisha’s impact goes beyond bringing smiles to students’ faces and breaking presidential barriers. She provides Shepard with a calmness he values deeply after coming home from a day sometimes filled with anything but that.
“Some people have said she could be a therapy dog, and that’s probably true. She, for sure, is for me.”
DESMOND MAHOOD GAZETTE Charlie and Dino Bontis, Western Alumni Stadium, Oct. 28, 2024.
ANGWARA NILANONT GAZETTE
London’s population predicted to boom 50% by 2050
GABRIELLA MCKENNA NEWS EDITOR
Anewprojection from Queen’s Park suggests London’s population may increase by more than 50 per cent over the next 25 years — leading population growth in Ontario’s southwest.
On Oct. 3, Ontario’s Ministry of Finance released its most recent projections for the growth of the province’s population from 2023 to 2051. The province releases new population projections annually based on recent data.
The projection, which includes figures for regions and municipalities, said the London region may grow to 880,000 residents by 2051 — a 56.7 per cent increase.
The rapid pace of population growth predicted for London parallels the province’s overall population growth. According to the Ministry’s projections, Ontario’s population may increase by 41.7 per cent by 2051.
Michael Haan, a sociology professor and director of Western University’s Statistics Canada Research Data Centre, suggested the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced London’s recent population growth.
“A lot of people left big cities like Toronto and wanted to go somewhere smaller, where they could afford a house with a backyard,” said Haan.
“I think the word about London got out.”
Martin Horak, a political science professor and director of Western’s Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance, agreed the region’s relatively inexpensive cost of living is a major factor in London’s population growth.
“It hasn’t so much been the pull of people coming here for jobs, but more a push from other areas,” said Horak. “The Greater Toronto Area has got really, really expensive to live in.”
Horak and Haan both suggest that international immigration will play a significant role in London’s population growth. The Ministry of Finance’s projections suggest that immigration may account for 97 per cent of population growth in Ontario by 2051.
“We have become a major direct recipient of immigrants over the last 10 years,” said Horak. In 2016, 11,595 immigrants who had been in Canada for five years or less lived in London. As of 2021, there were almost 20,000 recent immigrants living in the city.
Haan said London implemented a strategy to increase immigration to the city in 2016. The plan
primarily focuses on making newcomers feel at home and accepted in London.
“When newcomers show up here, they immediately feel welcome,” said Haan.
Despite this growth, the province’s projections predict a five-year stall in population growth until 2029. According to Haan, this might happen if recent cuts to international student permits remain in place. But, potential changes to these policies might affect the rate of growth.
“We could see a policy reversal or some other policy implemented, and forecasts really can’t account for that,” he said.
Horak also suggested that London’s population growth is influenced by the city’s economic expansion. He cited the Volkswagen battery plant being built in St. Thomas as an example of a major job creator in the area.
“We see the emergence of the London area as an area that’s become more on the radar for big businesses,” said Horak. “There are new employment opportunities that are beginning to emerge.”
According to Horak, population growth requires cities to expand municipal services for residents. In particular, he said that maturing cities like London should focus on building transit infrastructure to prevent increasing congestion.
“I think transit infrastructure is something that really needs to be on the radar,” said Horak. “The governments need to be focusing on London if we don’t want to run into serious gridlock issues.”
Horak said other municipal services, like water and sewer systems, will also need to be expanded with population growth.
The city’s rapid projected growth will result in an increase in construction in the local area. New building projects also have the potential to change London’s character, said Haan.
“We collectively have to have a discussion as a city as to what we want to be,” said Haan. “Do we want to be a sprawling collection of suburbs, or do we want to be a place that has a vibrant downtown core?”
In a statement to the Gazette, the Ministry of Finance said it is investing $190.2-billion in public infrastructure to support the province’s growing cities.
“The government recognizes that municipalities are critical partners in delivering important local services,” read the ministry’s statement.
“This plan is enabling us to build the roads, highways, public transit, hospitals and schools that municipalities rely on.”
Police hire 19 new special constables
MABEL ZHAO NEWS EDITOR
London police have hired 19 new special constables to help free up front-line officers, respond to non-emergency calls and engage with community members.
The London Police Service announced that residents can expect to see the new special constables on duty immediately, in a statement Oct. 28.
According to the Ontario Special Constable Association, special constables are civilians who take the same oath of office as sworn police officers but are granted limited police powers depending on where they’re appointed.
For London’s new special constables, key duties include assisting criminal investigations and dispatch calls, managing road closures, transporting people in custody and de-escalating conflicts.
“This new position is a good complement to patrol operations and police officers,” said special
constable Kyle Llewellyn, one of the 19 new constables hired as a part of the initiative.
“Some of the time-consuming tasks that a police officer would have to do can now be delegated to us, especially when it comes to lower priority calls,” said Llewellyn.
Special constables are equipped with some use-of-force options but do not carry firearms or tasers. They also have limited authority to initiate investigations and engage in certain high-risk situations without a sworn officer present.
The public can easily recognize London special constables by their royal blue uniforms with the words “special constable” across their vests. They also drive blue-and-yellow Battenburg-style cruisers.
The new constables underwent a “comprehensive in-house training program” before they were officially sworn in, according to the LPS statement.
“It takes about four months to complete once hired,” said Llewellyn about his training, “It was eight weeks of in-class training and there was
about a month and a half of training on the street doing calls with a police officer.”
Llewellyn applied for the position due to a long-standing interest in law enforcement.
“I’ve actually had an interest in law enforcement since I was about 15 and I volunteered here as an auxiliary constable for nine years,” said Llewellyn. “When I saw the position posted, I felt that it was time to challenge myself and apply.”
There are currently more than 3,000 special constables in Ontario, including Western University’s special constable service under campus safety and emergency services.
Llewellyn expects that London’s new special constables will collaborate with Western’s campus safety team for initiatives such as Project LEARN. This project increased police presence downtown and in near-campus neighbourhoods during the first few weekends of the academic year to support liquor enforcement and reduction of noise by-laws.
ARISIA QARRI GAZETTE
City of London launches ‘Stop TolerHating’ campaign
GABRIELLA MCKENNA NEWS EDITOR
The City of London officially launched a new anti-hate pilot campaign, designed to spread awareness about the extent and impact of discrimination in the London-Middlesex area.
The public awareness initiative “Stop TolerHating,” introduced Oct. 25 at Museum London, is focused on producing informational materials, like lists of resources and educational content for Londoners. Sanjay Govindaraj, London’s director of anti-racism and anti-oppression, said he hopes these materials will reach a broad audience.
“It could be school boards, it could be other businesses. The private sector is another huge space where I think this could be used,” Govindaraj told attendees at the launch event.
Govindaraj added the “Stop TolerHating” campaign may serve as a model for other growing municipalities looking to develop their own anti-discrimination resources.
“Once we started something, it’s kind of easy to adapt,” he said.
The City of London developed the campaign following increased reports of hate crimes in the city in recent years. Since 2019, the incidence of hate crimes in the city increased by 270 per cent, while hate crimes against the Muslim community have increased by 263 per cent.
“These are not just numbers. They are the struggles and stories of your families, your friends, your neighbours,” said Zahra Khawaja, the anti-hate campaign coordinator.
In addition to providing resources for victims of racism and supporting anti-racist initiatives, the campaign encourages individuals who observe discrimination to speak up against it.
“Change begins when we recognize that being anti-racist is not merely a stance, but an ongoing responsibility that shapes our interactions with ourselves and with each other,” said Khawaja.
London Mayor Josh Morgan said much of the city’s recent work on combating Islamophobia comes after the 2021 Afzaal family attack, in which a Muslim family were deliberately hit by a car near Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road. Four members of the family were killed.
“ We had members of our community struck down in one of the most horrific acts of hate that our community has seen,” Morgan told the crowd, adding the issue of Islamophobia in London predates the attack.
The campaign will run from November to June 2025, funded by a $500,000 investment from Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism. This funding was initially received in June 2023.
“No one is born hating other members of the community, for any reason,” said Morgan. “This is something we taught ourselves to do, and it has to be unlearned.”
The campaign’s launch event featured a performance by Canadian-Cameroonian singer Willy Aristide. In collaboration with the anti-hate project, Aristide wrote and starred in a music video called “NON À LA HAINE.”
The campaign’s posters and marketing materials will be displayed in public spaces, on buses and across the city’s social media platforms.
A new website was also launched to promote the campaign, which provides resources and information for members of marginalized communities and tools for bystanders and allies.
New eating disorders clinic opens for students
MABEL ZHAO NEWS EDITOR
The Harbour, a new eating disorders clinic for post-secondary students in London, officially opened Oct. 23 at Western Research Parks.
The clinic is a pilot project by the Eating Disorders Foundation of Canada — a charity dedicated to the research and treatment of eating disorders — founded by Western University professor emeritus and psychiatrist Dr. Robbie Campbell.
Campbell, who has worked with eating disorder patients for more than 50 years, noted there is a current lack of treatment facilities for Western and Fanshawe College students.
“This is a worldwide kind of phenomenon and sometimes students will come and struggle and can’t make it or have to go home,” said Campbell. “We’re way behind in terms of treatment and people need support while they’re here.”
Eating disorders refer to a range of mental health conditions, the most widely known being anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. The disorders have the highest overall mortality rate of any mental illness in Canada.
“Anywhere from 25 to 40 per cent of those in the 18- to 25-year-old age group may have disordered eating, which is a risk for developing eating disorders,” said Dr. James Stewart, the physician team lead at Western’s Health and Wellness Services.
“In post-secondary education, this can translate into about four in 100 people developing an eating disorder which is very complicated to treat and can affect students’ ability to thrive and succeed,” said Stewart.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, between one to two per cent of adolescents and young adults have an eating disorder. Ontario recently saw a 139 per cent increase in eating disorder-related hospitalizations.
Students can access the Harbour’s services through a referral from Western’s Student Health Services, with treatment covered under PurpleCare — the University Students’ Council’s undergraduate health insurance plan.
The Harbour offers each patient an individualized treatment plan and access to a team of specialists, including psychologists, dietitians, social workers, nurses, family doctors and other specialists.
“You can’t put somebody into a program because there’s no program,” said Campbell. “One size doesn’t fit all.” Campbell added that each eating disorder comes along with different comorbidities — medical conditions like depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder that coexist with their primary diagnosis — which the Harbour’s services can help patients manage.
“People don’t realize how complex and serious an eating disorder is,” said Campbell. “If we don’t treat it now when you’re a student, it’s going to go on and on and on and the damage becomes irreparable.”
DESMOND MAHOOD GAZETTE Zahra Khawaja, London’s anti-hate project coordinator, at the Anti-Hate Pilot Project launch event, Oct. 25, 2024.
DESMOND MAHOOD GAZETTE
Sanjay Govindaraj, London’s anti-racism and anti-oppression director, listening to the speaker at the anti-hate pilot project launch event, Oct. 25, 2024.
KAI WILSON GAZETTE Dr. Robbie Campbell shows off the new therapy room located at the London eating disorders clinic, The Harbour, Oct. 22, 2024.
KAI WILSON GAZETTE Dr. Robbie Campbell sits in his office, Oct. 22, 2024.
Taxi fare scam targets good samaritans near campus
MARIE JOHNSON NEWS INTERN
London police are warning residents about a growing taxi fare scam targeting neighbourhoods near Western.
In an Oct. 3 statement, police said the scam typically involves two people — one posing as a cab driver, and the other pretending to be a passenger. The suspects then approach passersby and request assistance paying for their cab fare before using a sleight of hand to steal the victim’s debit card.
Siri Wood, a third-year psychology student, was walking on Platt’s Lane near Trott Drive on Sept. 25 when a grey car with a taxi sign pulled up beside her. A man she described as being in his mid-20s exited the vehicle and approached her.
The man claimed to be a first-year Western University student and told Wood that he needed help paying his fare because the driver would only accept a debit card for payment. He said the fare was only $7.50, and promised to reimburse her in cash.
When Wood provided her debit card, the man inserted it into a card reader inside the car.
“At that point, I was thinking, ‘This is definitely a scam,’ but I was a little too far in,” she said. When the driver handed the card back, it appeared identical to Wood’s — except for the name on the front. Wood confronted the driver for swapping her card with a fake and demanded her card be returned.
“He pulled it out from the side of his seat and said, ‘is this your card?’ Like a magic trick,” said Wood, “I grabbed my card and I just ran away.”
Christopher Adamovich, a detective with the London Police Service’s Financial Crime Unit, said there has been a rise in taxi fare scams over the past few months, with several incidents reported to police.
Adamovich noted a similar ruse has been reported in many cities across Ontario — not just London.
“If you see a cab out there that is asking for you to help out with the cab fare, reject it and report it to the one of the police services,” said Adamovich.
He recommended that victims of this scam should also contact their financial institution to manage suspicious transactions.
Adamovich also emphasized the need to remain cautious with debit cards. Key elements of many scams are sleight-of-hand tactics to swap cards unnoticed.
“Never hand over your card,” Adamovich advised. “Always have them give you the point of sale machine.”
Amanda Pfeffer, a sergeant with Western Special Constable Services, also shared some tips for students to stay safe from this scam.
“The best way to protect yourself would be to not agree to engage in any financial transaction with anyone that’s exiting a cab,” said Pfeffer.
Pfeffer also recommended that individuals call 911 immediately if they are approached by someone asking for assistance in paying their taxi fare.
Wood has become more cautious after her experience with the scam.
“I’ve learned not to be nice to people anymore. Kind of always keep a guard up,” she said. “I felt pretty safe living in a university town. Because who wants to scam students? We don’t have enough money to begin with.”
The LPS encourages anyone who has experienced similar incidents to come forward.
“It helps us with our investigation down the road, because that might be the missing piece of the puzzle that we can use to help solve this case,” said Adamovich.
Pfeffer also emphasized the need for vigilance.
“Many members of our community, as well as the City of London, are always willing to help out another person in need,” said Pfeffer. “And in this case, that’s what was exploited.”
Western ends program to Trois-Pistoles
MABEL ZHAO NEWS EDITOR
Western announced it will permanently discontinue the French immersion program to Trois-Pistoles, Que. after pausing it earlier this year due to a decline in homestay families.
The language exchange program — the oldest of its kind in Canada — had around 30,000 student participants since its establishment in 1932.
As a part of the exchange program, Western University students lived with families in Trois-Pistoles for five weeks while they studied French in an immersive learning environment. The program was a part of Explore, the Government of Canada’s second-language learning program.
Trois-Pistoles is a small town about 250 kilometres from Quebec City, with a population of about 3,000.
In September 2023, CBC reported host families were pulling out of the program after the COVID-19 pandemic due to inadequate compensation to feed and house the students.
Western Continuing Studies executive director Amrit Ahluwalia said an external review determined that “the programming is becoming misaligned with Western’s strategic priorities,” in a statement to the Gazette.
Ahluwalia acknowledged the importance of this exchange program to the city and added that Western is exploring alternative schools that can continue the program with Trois-Pistoles.
“We are pleased to have facilitated an introduction with an institution that is interested in exploring collaboration with the Trois-Pistoles community,” said Ahluwalia.
Philippe Guilbert, the mayor of Trois-Pistoles, expressed his disappointment at Western’s decision in a statement to his Facebook page in French on Oct. 3 and urged his community to seize the opportunity for a partnership with the other university.
The identity of the alternative university has not been revealed as no formal agreement has been made, according to Guilbert.
In the post, Guilbert said the immersion program has contributed significantly to the social and economic activities of the city and that he hopes to relaunch the program in the future.
In the Oct. 11 Senate meeting, Jacques Lamarche, a French studies professor and Arts and Humanities senator, asked university leadership why the program was being terminated, describing it as “relatively important.”
Western’s provost Florentine Strzelczyk explained the university had issues with finding both participants for the program and student accommodations in the small town.
“After COVID, I would say we’ve experienced a lot of difficulties getting students into the program and that doesn’t have to do necessarily with us or the reputation the program had in the past,” said Strzelczyk.
Strzelczyk said the university conducted a review and external review and found French immersion tends to draw less interest from adults who can afford the six-week experience. Instead, she explained, there is a rise in learning French as a second language among students enrolled in kindergarten through Grade 12.
Genevieve Langille, a fourth-year philosophy student who participated in the program in summer 2023, said she had an “amazing time.”
“I was with a host family that was really wonderful, they were super kind people and very hospitable,” said Langille.
Langille has participated in other French immersion exchange programs, but she said the one hosted by Trois-Pistoles was the best and was sad to learn the program has been discontinued.
“When I heard that they were going to stop doing it, I thought it was just for a year, I didn’t realize it was going to permanently end,” said Langille. “It’s a shame because I think it was such a valuable experience.”
Riley Fidler, a microbiology and immunology master’s student at Western who also went to Trois-Pistoles in 2023, echoed Langille’s sentiments and said the other residents were very welcoming.
“It’s such a small town, everyone is super excited to meet you. So anytime you go outside, everyone would want to start a conversation with you,” said Fidler.
“I honestly left the program completely certain that that was the best five weeks of my life.”
London leads the nation in vacant downtown office space
NIKHIL REYNOLDS NEWS INTERN
London has the highest downtown office vacancy rate of any city in Canada, with 31.4 per cent of available office space lying empty, according to a recent report.
London’s downtown vacancies grew by more than four per cent in the last year, up from 27.3 per cent in 2023, stated the report from Commercial Real Estate Services of Canada.
The lack of working professionals downtown has negatively affected the district’s economy, according to Alexander Wray, a Western University geography and environment PhD candidate.
“Nobody wants to be in the downtown, restaurants are struggling, stores are struggling, it creates this cycle of vacancy,” said Wray. “It really affects economic vibrancy and cultural vibrancy.”
David Ferreira, London ward 13 city councillor attributed the high vacancy rate to the rise of remote work that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Work from home is a big factor here, if you don’t have foot traffic — especially during lunch — because people are working downtown, you have less commerce and less transactions going on with the storefront business,” said Ferreira.
Ferreira described the high vacancy levels as having a “snowballing effect” on London’s economy, with fewer visitors leading to less revenue for storefront businesses.
Western students living downtown, like fourthyear biology student Jaiden Thomas, have also observed a lack of activity during the week.
“I see no one at restaurants during the week usually, then on Friday at dinner time it is so busy, you can’t even get in,” said Thomas.
But, Thomas is optimistic about downtown London’s development, describing the district as having “a lot of potential” for the future.
According to Wray, visible homelessness is also negatively affecting stores and downtown businesses, leading to less activity in the region.
A report by the City of London identified that 1,776 individuals in the city were experiencing homelessness as of June 30, 2024.
“What you have left is people who are obviously in need of help and struggling and make people feel unsafe,” said Wray.
Wray added that downtown has a lot of older buildings, describing them as “out of date” and “a little bit tired,” but said major renovations to the infrastructure would improve the state of the region.
Despite the rising office vacancies downtown, the number of vacant suburban office spaces fell. In London, 9.3 per cent of suburban office spaces are vacant — eight per cent lower than the national average.
The City of London announced its Office-to-Residential Community Improvement Plan Incentive Program in 2023, allocating $10 million from the
$74 million given to London under the federal housing accelerator program.
This program provides developers with forgivable loans to convert downtown office spaces to residential homes based on the number of units — equivalent to $35,000 per unit. But Ferreira believes that while this program is helpful, it is not enough to create meaningful change.
“Ten million is not a lot, but as a municipality, we’re not equipped for these big issue items, so we’re doing what we can but we do need assistance from other levels of government,” said Ferreira.
Ferreira believes that it is possible to revitalize London’s downtown with additional assistance.
“We’re trying to make better use of the space, so that foot traffic is what we’re trying to bring back.”
TIFFANY CHENG GAZETTE
TIFFANY CHENG GAZETTE
Opinion: You should have climate anxiety
MIKAILA KIMBALL OPINIONS EDITOR
Itrudge home, collapse on my couch and turn on the news.
Click. A second hurricane crashes into Florida. Click. British Columbia wildfires expected to burn through fall. Click. Crowds cheer as Poilievre promises to “axe the tax.”
If one thing is certain, it’s that I have climate anxiety. And you should too.
Climate change has been proven to lead to more severe storms, droughts, extreme heat and rising
sea levels. It is displacing communities, eradicating species and costing governments trillions of dollars a year. The amount of natural disasters now experienced yearly is 10 times what was recorded in the 1960s — and they kill approximately 40,000 people a year.
In my 20-minute journey to school, foliage falls from trees like autumnal-coloured jewels. Birds sing melodies I can’t quite make out. Air is sharp in my lungs, the distinct crispness of fall.
It’s easy to forget the reality of climate change in my secluded corner of the world on Western University’s campus.
But climate change isn’t a problem we can stick in a box at the back of our minds, promising to deal with it later. It is something that we need to be actively worried about.
The short of it is: our planet is dying — but experts say it’s not too late to save it.
Allowing yourself to succumb to the idea that we’re too far gone to be concerned is a disservice to
yourself and everyone else on this planet. We are not too far gone — but we will be if we act like we are.
Apathy won’t get us anywhere. Do not abandon your hope for the future.
Too often, I hear declarations of resentment and indignation — it’s those damn companies. Honestly, they’re right. Since 1988, 100 companies have been responsible for 71 per cent of global emissions. We can’t delude ourselves into thinking that corporate social responsibility plans mean that companies care about anything more than shortterm profits.
Would it be great if all of these companies committed to carbon neutrality, carbon capture and initiatives to mitigate climate change? Sure. But that isn’t going to happen, and we have to stop pretending that it will.
Change is driven by people who care. People like you.
You don’t need to be Greta Thunberg to make an impact — you can channel your anxiety into change, in big or small ways.
Op-Ed: Moving reading week was a mistake
VASOULA IOANNIDIS CONTRIBUTOR
Idon’t know about you, but I felt more stressed coming out of reading week than I ever have before.
Reading week is meant to be a mid-semester break when students can catch up on work, visit loved ones and have some all-around rest and recovery. But cramming Thanksgiving obligations and midterm studying into one reading week made it more stressful than calming.
Since 2019, Western University’s fall reading week has started on the third Monday after Thanksgiving. It was pushed to October this year when Western’s Senate passed a motion to trial run an earlier fall reading week for a one-year pilot.
The Senate Committee on Academic Policy proposed the change because the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation fell on a Monday this year, increasing the number of non-instructional Mondays this term.
To maintain the minimum requirement of 60 instructional days in a semester, the options were to move reading week to include a non-instructional Monday or shorten the semester’s December exam study period.
SCAP believed shortening the December exam study period would impact students negatively, so combining fall reading week with Thanksgiving seemed the better option.
Don’t get me wrong — I love spending Thanksgiving with my friends and family, but I don’t find it particularly relaxing. Between travelling, helping
clean and spending time with my loved ones, it felt like there wasn’t enough time for resting or studying.
In previous years, it was easier to focus on family during Thanksgiving and catch up on coursework during reading week. Now that the two are combined, students are forced to choose which takes a back seat — school or family.
Fall midterms for undergraduate students usually start in October and end November, so reading week being in the middle of October leaves the majority of midterm season after the break. With Thanksgiving dominating the first portion of reading week, I spent the latter half grinding for midterms.
This completely defeated the purpose of balancing school and relaxation, and I found myself wishing the two were separate again.
Use local transit. Sign a petition. Engage in climate discourse. Eat local produce. Thrift your clothes. Use LED lights. Take shorter showers. Recycle. Meal prep to reduce food waste. Invest in a reusable water bottle. Attend a climate protest. Engage with your local MP.
The possibilities are endless — and relatively simple.
I’m not asking you to start a global movement or launch a campaign. You aren’t going to mitigate climate change on your own.
But you can make a difference. Wouldn’t you rather know you did what you could to leave the world better than you found it than regret not doing anything at all?
Listen, I’m not perfect. The global footprint calculator says it would take three Earths to sustain my lifestyle for everyone on this planet. I should be doing better. But if all of us take small steps, we can make a big leap forward.
I have hope for our future. Do you?
That way, all my thanks wouldn’t have turned into panic when it sunk in that I had all my midterm assignments to finish.
To be fair, combining reading week with Thanksgiving allowed out-of-province students to travel home for a full week and spend the holiday with their families. But with travel demands, they risked losing even more time to recharge or study. In this setup, it’s a lose-lose situation.
Since the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will fall on a Tuesday in 2025, I think Western’s fall reading week should be moved back to November, as planned. That way, students can use reading week to its full potential.
Sometimes hitting two birds with one stone isn’t the best option — especially when it creates more stress in an already stressful midterm season.
Opinion: Professors should record their lectures
ESHAL NAQVI DIGITAL EDITOR
Taking a day off class? You’d better weigh the costs — chances are, you’re never getting that lecture back.
COVID-19 brought many changes, but one crucial change was missed — the demand for professors to record their lectures. A professor’s refusal to record their lectures impacts the well-being of all their students — not just those who miss class. Sick students plus closed-off lecture halls make a quick equation for a campus-wide breakout. Recording lectures allows students who are unable to attend the class in person to still learn what was covered in class. Without the recordings, students are left to rely on notes from friends or volunteer note-takers — which aren’t entirely reliable. Plus, some classes don’t have volunteer note-takers at all.
If you don’t have a friend in the class able to save you, then you’d better hope a Hail Mary of asking the person behind you works out.
It’s not only sick students that would benefit from recorded lectures — travelling athletes, students with disabilities, students with English as a second language and anyone who wants to review the lecture material before exams could all make use of the recordings.
Professors don’t need to create an entirely new basis for their lectures. Using guides such as Universal Design for Learning gives professors a starting point for incorporating flexibility into their teaching style, reducing barriers to access in the classroom.
Participation-based classes can’t be replicated in a recording, but that doesn’t make recording them useless. Students who are unable to attend the class can still benefit from hearing in-class dis-
cussions, building on what they would get from the readings alone.
Look, I know that attendance can decrease with recorded lectures — when every class is accessible through a recording, what’s stopping students from skipping those early morning courses?
But professors can combat this issue by only providing recorded lectures to students who request them. Depending on the class, the professor can ask
students to provide proof of their absence or explain their reasoning as needed.
Professors also benefit from this arrangement. In the case where they aren’t able to teach for a couple weeks, their lecture material does not have to be pushed back. Previous years’ lectures aren’t always a goldmine, but in the case of a high-intensity course, they can allow for flexibility in the professor’s own life.
This also allows professors to maintain ownership over their lecture material. Lectures uploaded to sites like OneDrive, where downloading can be disabled, can prevent unsolicited sharing of intellectual property.
Recording lectures can be a daunting step, but it’s a mutually beneficial one for both professors and students. The technology has been there for years — it’s time for professors to make full use of it.
ESHAL NAQVI GAZETTE
The unbreakable bond of the Bontis brothers
Charlie and Dino Bontis were elite this season for the Mustangs men’s soccer team, rising together as brothers from childhood soccer games to the international stage.
MANAN JOSHI SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
CONTINUED FROM P1
Their journey started in Ancaster, Ont., the brothers’ hometown. Dino was two and Charlie was three when the boys started kicking a soccer ball.
“We were always around soccer growing up, my dad was a big soccer player,” says Dino. “He played at Western when he went to school here, so it was just all we saw growing up.”
Their father, Nick Bontis, earned his bachelor’s degree in 1992 and PhD in 1999 from Western’s Ivey Business School, while playing for the school’s soccer team.
Nick was the 35th president of the Canadian Soccer Association in 2020 and is an honoured member of the Western Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame. His influence encouraged the brothers to pick up the sport from a young age.
Dino and Charlie started in Timbits Soccer from ages two to seven, then joined the Hamilton Sparta
a goalkeeper, but how exactly that happened is heavily debated in the Bontis household.
If you ask Dino about it, he’ll tell you he made his shift when he was five, playing for the team his dad coached, the Hamilton Sparta. His dad tried him out as a goalkeeper, and he was really good — he’s stayed in net ever since.
Charlie remembers things differently — it all began in the first season they played together as kids.
“I ended up getting top goal scorer, and Dino was crying,” Charlie recalls.
No matter how it happened, Dino’s move to the net ultimately proved successful, setting him on a path to become one of the best young goalkeepers in the country.
Both boys would eventually wind up playing for the Mustangs soccer team, and they took the responsibility of representing Western very seriously.
“ University is a big part of your memories of
“If it’s a stressful situation, I just think about the times I played in very big games representing Canada,” says Dino. “I played against Mexico, I played against the U.S., so I’ve had a lot of opportunities to test myself in those high-stakes, very important situations.”
Dino says that after many years of playing together, they know each other’s styles well enough to offer constructive feedback and help each other play to the best of their abilities.
“[There is an] unspoken trust between us, which helps in high-pressure situations,” Charlie adds.
The brothers know each other so well that they can put themselves in each other’s shoes, which they did in a game against McMaster.
Dino had to leave the game when he received a red card after trying to make a play for the ball and acci-
Charlie would fire high-speed shots at Dino in the net every day. On some days, when Dino got bored, the brothers would swap so he could get some shots at Charlie.
“You watch your brother play in net for 20 plus years, for 365 days of the year, I would hope you would learn a few things from it, so I was able to take that and bring it into the game. It was a cool experience for both of us and our family,” says Charlie.
As Charlie nears graduation, his playing days are ending. He’s not leaving the cleats too far, though. Last April, he wrote his FIFA agent licence to be a professional intermediary for professional soccer players.
Charlie is the youngest person in Canada to achieve this. This summer, he was hired by Eikon Sports Group, an agency that represents some of Canada’s top players.
His first client? You guessed it — his brother
Dino has been signing development contracts with Forge FC, a Hamilton-based professional soccer club that plays in the Canadian Premier
“That’s obviously a dream of mine and a dream of a lot of soccer players growing up,” says Dino. “I just want to see how far I can go in the sport that
Although their playing days together may be numbered, the Bontis brothers are committed to
DESMOND MAHOOD GAZETTE Charlie and Dino Bontis, Western Alumni Stadium, Oct. 28, 2024.
Science or spirit? This professor studies what happens after death
HANNAH ALPER COORDINATING EDITOR
F or students, discussions about life after graduation are common, but what about life after … life itself? This is the realm explored by Imants Barušs, a psychology professor at King’s University College, whose research focuses on afterlife communications and what happens beyond death.
“I’m interested in deep things. Why are we here? What’s the meaning of life, what happens after we die? Is there some kind of intelligence organizing the universe or is it all just a big hot soup?” says Imants.
In his 38 years teaching at King’s, Imants has encouraged his students to develop a sensitive but critical attitude to the odd subjects he studies.
One of Imants’s main points is the “survival hypothesis” — the idea that consciousness continues, at least for a while, after physical death.
“We can be pretty much the same as we are right now, except without a physical body. We can be more than what we are right now. We might have some kind of extended abilities or capacities,” says Imants.
Imants believes his evidence points to us retaining our core selves after death — our memories, attitudes, hobbies and grudges — just without our physical body.
According to Imants, after-death communication can take many forms, like a butterfly landing nearby or catching a familiar scent. It can also include hearing a loved one’s voice through a song on the radio or other electronic media, an experience known as instrumental transcommunication.
Imants also mentioned a theory for sounds on recordings interpreted as spirit voices — electronic voice phenomena. Imants says humans tend to give meaning to unknown or odd things, known as “pareidolia.”
“So if I present you with a bunch of noise, you’re going to think you’re going to hear some words, right? So that’s just the way we are psychologically,” says Imants.
He explores the hypothesis more in-depth in his textbook, Death as an Altered State of Consciousness: A Scientific Approach, published in 2023 by the American Psychological Society.
Through his recent project, funded by a $44,500 BIAL Foundation grant, Imants focuses on after-death communications experienced through phones and apps.
Around 300 participants have responded to the project’s survey, reporting instances where they felt they’d connected with loved ones through electronic communication. Imants cla-
rifies that he’s not trying to convert people.
“The agenda is to give people the knowledge resources about what these experiences are like, how people are experiencing and what the consequences of them are and so on,” says Imants.
To further understand people’s experiences and how people are using them to work through their grief, Imants and his team offer survey respondents the option of an in-depth interview.
Imants explains a key purpose of his research is to bridge the gap between grief counselors and mental health professionals. He wants them to work with people who believe they have experienced afterlife communication rather than against them.
“People get gaslit a lot by the mental health
Predicting 2024 Halloween costumes
TARA YANG CULTURE EDITOR
Vampires, witches and Sabrina Carpenter?
Traditional costumes have long dominated the Halloween scene, but each new trend or culturally relevant icon ushers in a new wave of costumes.
Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest greatly influence pop culture, shaping this year’s top costume trends.
Many aspects of Halloween costumes are about recognition, says Jacob Evoy, an adjunct assistant professor in the department of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies.
“We don’t want to have to explain our costume. So drawing upon something that is already popular and trending or that is easily recognizable is something that we will gravitate towards,” says Evoy.
According to Dazed Magazine, this year’s costume predictions include the pop-singer holy trinity — Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX — and group costumes such as TikTok influencer couple Nara and Lucky Blue Smith and the cuckold-esque love triangle from the film Challengers
Evoy backs Dazed’s prediction about Chappell Roan, noting her distinctive style and rising popularity will likely influence many costumes.
Another influential source is Netflix, according to Dazed. From Ryan Murphy’s mini-series Monsters about the infamous Menendez brothers’ true crime case to America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders — the documentary
about the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders — these shows are expected to inspire many costumes.
Samara Golger, a first-year arts and humanities and psychology student, agrees that Netflix is a big influence.
“I anticipate the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders being a very popular costume,” says Golger.
In addition to the Menendez brothers, Evoy predicts other popular costumes for men will include Wolverine and Deadpool — inspired by the Marvel film released earlier this year.
As for couples, Evoy envisions the Joker and Harley Quinn and Barbie and Ken as being popular, drawing from recent films.
professionals. Some people just assume that if something unusual happens, the person’s mentally ill. It’s a delusion of some kind. A misperception or misremembering.” says Imants.
Imants emphasizes the importance of pausing before dismissing someone’s experience when they tell a therapist, for example, that they’ve been communicating with a deceased loved one or felt their presence.
“I’m trying to educate mental health professionals and other health care providers, so that they can have a more balanced view. So that when someone walks in and starts talking about these things, they’re not going to be clueless. They’re actually going to know something,” says Imants.
In the academic community, Imants’s work sits on the fringe — challenging conventional views on life and death. He tries to be a pure scientist and is more interested in what he knows than what he believes.
“The way I see it, my beliefs don’t matter. I’m not even sure what my beliefs are half the time,” says Imants. “What matters to me is the evidence and what the best explanation is to the evidence.”
Imants recalls trying to publish one of his papers in a journal. The editors rejected the paper because, regardless of the evidence, they didn’t believe it. But he remains undeterred by skepticism.
“A lot of the people are going to go, ‘Well, that guy is just crazy.’ Why? Well, not because I’m not a good researcher or because I don’t do my job well, but because they just don’t believe it. That’s not an examination of the evidence.” says Imants. Despite the wariness, Imants considers himself “the luckiest person in the world” for getting to work on topics he’s passionate about and helping people work through their grief in the process.
“I like deep questions and foundational issues, and so I made sort of my career. My academic career is an extension of my personal interest.”
Golger shares that she and her boyfriend plan to participate in a funny couple’s costume as the rat and chef from the movie Ratatouille
Another comedic costume Evoy predicts is the iconic pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng — who gained online fame in September for her cuteness and became an internet meme — a costume that has already started making appearances
While Evoy thinks there will likely be a healthy balance of both sexy and funny costumes at Western University, it usually depends on where you’re going.
Costumes for trick-or-treating with the family are probably going to be a little different from those for going out with a group of friends to a street bar, says Evoy.
Sexy costumes are a staple for undergraduate students, including Golger and her friends, who plan on dressing as sexy first responders for a group costume.
Whether you opt for funny, sexy or traditional this year, Halloween 2024 is in for some thrills.
SOPHIE BOUQUILLON GAZETTE
Dr. Imants Barušs, psychology professor at King’s University College, Oct. 23, 2024.
ARISIA QARRI GAZETTE
519 Pursuit is making a difference 1 sock at a time
AUGUST DISTEFANO CULTURE INTERN
What ties the members of a community together?
Often, it’s a sense of belonging, and although they can be overlooked, small but genuine acts of kindness can go a long way in fostering that feeling.
Eight years ago, Allison DeBlaire brought a crockpot full of chicken soup to a local homeless shelter and helped feed the people who couldn’t get a bed for the night. Despite it being a small gesture, DeBlaire saw how appreciated the chicken soup was and wanted to do more.
Enlisting the help of her friend Amber Irvine, the two founded 519 Pursuit, a London-based non-profit organization that aims to help the local homeless population and build community through donations, outreach and an empathy-driven approach.
519 Pursuit has partnered with London FoodBank, RBC Place and Youth Opportunities Unlimited.
Through these partnerships, 519 Pursuit has connected volunteers directly with countless people facing homelessness to provide them with food, clean clothes and a supportive community.
From Oct. 1 to Nov. 15, 519 Pursuit is hosting its annual “519 Pledge for Socks” campaign, accepting new sock donations in time for the winter season. Over the past six years, they have collected nearly 500,000 socks.
As a co-founder, DeBlaire is conscious of 519 Pursuit’s impact on the community and has seen firsthand how the organization has contributed to improving the quality of life of people experiencing homelessness.
This sparked the development of 519 Pursuit’s “friendship approach,” which strives to make members feel like they belong. DeBlaire and her
fellow outreach workers focus on forming genuine connections with 519 Pursuit members.
DeBlaire explains these relationships help those facing crisis find mental clarity and establish true friendships. Every outreach volunteer does what they can to help — whether or not they have money to give.
“One of our volunteers would show up every morning and have coffee with a 519 member,” said DeBlaire. “At one point the member mentioned wanting a rocking chair to drink their coffee in. The next day, the volunteer showed up to the morning coffee with a thrifted rocking chair and noted that she had never seen a bigger smile in her life.”
As 519 Pursuit grows, DeBlaire believes that its services and support will only improve. DeBlaire’s long-term goal is to provide enough support to help people facing homelessness achieve the goal
of being able to afford proper food and shelter on their own.
Those looking to participate as an individual or team in the socks campaign can take the pledge online.
If you want to donate just a pair or package of socks, you can drop by 519 Pursuit’s donation day at 203 Bathurst St. on Saturday mornings from 10:30 to 11 a.m..
DeBlaire’s advice to anyone wanting to make a difference in their own community is to start small — it all adds up.
“Don’t back down from challenges, everyone has their own capacity level, and you don’t need to do massive things, but little gestures in day-today life can improve the life of yourself and others much more than you realize,” says DeBlaire. “It all compounds.”
Craig’s Cookies takes a bite into Richmond Row
HANNAH ALPER COORDINATING EDITOR
In 2012, Craig Pike found himself without work for a month as an actor and musician. To help cover rent and bills, he started selling cookies made from his mom’s recipe — a treat he always brought to potlucks.
For five years, Pike baked in his home in Parkdale, Toronto and personally delivered each batch of cookies on his bike.
A decade later, Craig’s Cookies has expanded to 13 locations, mostly in Toronto, and become a viral sensation. It made its debut on Richmond Row, with the grand opening Oct. 26 at 11 a.m..
“Without really knowing it, I was building a brand and creating community around cookies,” says Pike.
Craig’s Cookies already has roots in London, Ont. — both co-franchisees of the new location graduated from Western University in 2017.
“Coming back to London is a really nice story. Being able to employ students and other members of the community in that what’s called the student downtown of Richmond Row is a really special opportunity,” says Parker Christie, one of the franchise owners.
When you first walk into the shop covered in hot-pink wallpaper, you’re met with over a dozen photos and artwork that pay homage to Pike’s story rooted in community, along with staple London and Western spots. Photos include the Grand The-
atre, Western Alumni Field and local sports team logos like the London Knights.
Christie’s favourite piece on the wall is a painting of a bike by the late London artist Greg Curnoe — a nod to Pike’s original delivery method and how the business first started.
Maybe what’s attracted so many people to Craig’s Cookies is the wide range of options beyond the classic chocolate chip. Almost 90 flavours have come and gone in the cookie business, with the bakers given creativity over the mixes. Different types of cookies they have include Oreo, Kinder Bueno, Sour Patch Kids and even Doritos.
“When I first started, it was just the classic chocolate chip cookie. And then I put a Mars bar in a cookie, and then I realized maybe I can put anything in a cookie,” says Pike.
While Pike has changed the recipe a bit here and there, the heart of the recipe is still his mom’s.
“I’m not sure if she’s just being a lovely mom, but she has now said that my cookies are better than her cookies,” says Pike.
Pike, who didn’t go to business school, prides himself on creating a business that celebrates diversity and gives back to communities.
“Everything I’ve learned has been through the heart of running a business, but having the feeling of responsibility to have the business reflects my values,” says Pike. “And also how I feel folks should be treated as far as our teams are concerned and also creating a space where everyone feels welcome to come in and get a cookie.”
As a member of the queer community, Pike wanted the business to offer a safe and inclusive place for 2SLGBTQIA+ employees and customers. Every year, they celebrate Pride with a signature cookie in partnership with local queer organizations.
Pike started his acting career right here in London, with his first play as a professional actor at the Grand Theatre. This is just one of the reasons why Pike is excited to open a cookie shop here.
“It really does mean a lot, especially because it’s still my mom’s recipe. It’s still that humble little cookie, and it’s still really important for me to make sure that Craig’s Cookies is about sharing a lovely little treat with people,” says Pike.
With files from Adshayah Sathiaseelan
New documentary educates on Ontario highway sex trafficking
MIKAILA KIMBALL REPORTER
Content warning: This article describes instances of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
Western alum AJ Edmonds highlights the harsh reality of human sex trafficking close to home in her haunting new documentary, Dark Highway
Using research and expert survivor testimony, Dark Highway aims to educate audiences on the prevalence of human sex trafficking across communities accessed by Highway 401. The 401 begins at the Detroit-Windsor border and heads east through London and the Greater Toronto Area to the Ontario-Quebec border.
Dark Highway premiered at the Forest City Film Festival on Oct. 26.
The Highway 401 corridor has been reported as a hub for human trafficking, primarily due to the ease at which victims can be transported to different communities connected by the highway and avoid detection. The average age of recruitment
for human sex trafficking in Ontario is just 13 years old — with over 70 per cent of victims being under the age of 25.
Despite making up only four per cent of Canada’s adult female population, Indigenous women account for 50 per cent of all victims of human sex trafficking.
“As soon as I knew what was in front of me and beside me on the highway, I couldn’t unknow it,” says Edmonds, a Kingston native.
Dark Highway is framed from the perspective of survivor leaders like Kelly Tallon Franklin, founder of Courage for Freedom, a Canadian-based charity focused on ending sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Edmonds often appears in the documentary’s interviews, actively listening as survivors share their experiences.
“I wanted the experience for the audience to be the experience I was having, which was a conversation about something we don’t talk about a lot,” says Edmonds. “I asked questions because I was curious, not because I was hoping to put together something that was exploitative or pornified.”
Edmonds graduated from Western University’s media and the public interest program in 2013 and cites the program as the foundation for her work as a filmmaker.
“The critical thinking component really came from my time at Western,” says Edmonds.
The film also breaks down tactics that predators use to lure and exploit their victims — which can include acting as a boyfriend, posing as an employer or using threats of kidnapping and violence. Through sharing their stories with a wide audience, Edmonds hopes to reframe the public’s perception of human sex trafficking and remind audiences that this is something that can happen to anyone.
“All of us are bystanders,” says Edmonds.
If you need support, Anova’s crisis line is available 24/7 at 519-642-3000 and resources for Western University students can be found at www.uwo.ca/health/student_support/survivor_ support/
VERONICA MIRANDA GAZETTE Craig’s Cookies co-franchisees and founder, Oct. 25, 2024.
Nostalgia fuels Oasis’ long-awaited reunion tour
PANIZ VEDAVARZ SENIOR CULTURE EDITOR
Canadian Oasis fans rejoice — the band is bringing their reunion tour to Toronto. But for many fans, the road to tickets will have them crying their hearts out.
The Britpop band unveiled it’s North American tour dates in late September, announcing shows across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Toronto, their sole Canadian stop, will host Oasis at the city’s newest open-air venue — Rogers Stadium — with a 50,000-person capacity for two nights on Aug. 24 and 25, 2025.
“America. Oasis is coming. You have one last chance to prove that you loved us all along,” reads a statement posted to Oasis’ social media on Sept. 30. The band surprised fans a month earlier by announcing a reunion tour, ending a 15-year split. Initially, the announcement only included dates in the U.K. and Ireland.
The two main stars of Oasis — Liam and Noel Gallagher — went their separate ways after a noto-
rious backstage fight at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris, where they hurled insults at each other.
Since then, the brothers have continued to insult one another in the press and online, with Liam becoming infamous for his tweets.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, like who knows if they’ll still be getting along at this point next year? We have no idea,” says fourth-year media, information and technoculture student Aria Title. “I just figured this is probably never going to happen again.”
Title was able to purchase tickets in the “nosebleeds” section after receiving a pre-sale code earlier this month. Starting at 3,800 in the queue, Title purchased two tickets for $340.
According to Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, the Oasis 2025 reunion tour was the “biggest onsale in history” with the “most demand in history.”
The brothers are estimated to make £50 million each from the tour alone, with scalpers listing tickets for thousands of dollars before sales even opened.
Eric Alper, a music industry publicist and Sirius XM host, says the intense demand is partly due to the tour’s limited city stops.
The fall of autumn
Fall is a unique season of many names — harvest season, spooky season, the time of sweater weather and cuffing season — but what about autumn?
It’s officially autumn, but the name doesn’t have the same ring as the more common name, fall.
According to Karen Pennesi, associate professor in the department of anthropology, this change isn’t new. Instead, it’s one she’s seen for quite a while, describing autumn as “poetic” and “in the books,” while fall is “the word of the people.”
“Autumn is the thing you learn. You may say it in school, or it’s in a poem,” Pennesi says, emphasizing the word’s uncommon use.
First-year health sciences student Anabelle Stinson agrees that saying autumn sounds more professional and formal.
“If I’m speaking to older people or people who are in authority positions, I’ll say autumn. So I sound more professional,” says Stinson. “We often look at European countries as being fancier and more professional than American countries, and they would say autumn.”
The history of these words adds context to their different meanings today. Autumn dates back to the 1300s, originating from the Latin word “autumnus.” Before autumn was used in the English language, the season was often called “harvest,” representing a time when farming and agriculture were important aspects of everyday life.
But Pennesi says farming now holds less significance, meaning few people say harvest.
“We still have farmers growing stuff, but most people are not engaged in that as their livelihood. So harvest is not such a relevant thing to our lives,” says Pennesi.
“I think people are also realizing that it’s okay to travel the world and go see your favourite band in concert,” says Alper. “This is a generation that has no problem trying to get tickets for a show in Europe when they have been shut out in their home city or home country.”
He explains that nostalgia is a major factor in the tour’s success. He suggests that when a band splits up, a generation passes and newer audiences seek out fresh music they can claim as their own.
Over time, many of them rediscover music from the past due to increased accessibility by platforms like YouTube and Spotify, experiencing renewed popularity.
Introduced to Oasis through her parents, Title has grown to explore her own musical tastes. Yet she says that some of that “residual taste” for the band has lingered, connecting her to the music in a way that feels both nostalgic and personal.
“British, American and Canadian pop stars of today are ones that are not seemingly playing any instrument. So there’s always a longing for something completely on the opposite end of it,” says Alper.
While Title might refer to the tour as “unpredictable,” Alper points out that extensive planning is actually behind it. He says months, if not years, of work go into booking venues, organizing staff and confirming details with all parties involved.
As Oasis returns to the stage, it’s clear the band’s impact has only grown in their absence.
For many fans, the ultimate hope is that the brothers can heal their rift. This isn’t just about the music — it’s about creating a sense of hope.
“We want closure in life, in relationships, in politics, in business and everything. So watching Oasis leak that they were reforming gave a lot of people promise that if they could get back together again, they maybe could have peace in the world,” says Alper. “I think that’s what Oasis signifies, more than just the band.”
Editor’s Note: Eric Alper is the father of Culture Coordinating Editor, Hannah Alper. Hannah did not participate in the editing process for this story.
Calling the season harvest was confusing, since it referred both to the time of year and the act of gathering crops. When autumn entered the English language, it quickly caught on as a clear distinction.
Then in the 1600s, people began referring to the season as “the fall of the leaves” which was eventually shortened to fall. At the time, the English spoken in America and Britain split, with words like fall and autumn reflecting this.
As lexicographer John Pickering noted in 1816, fall had universally replaced autumn in North America, mainly because American culture developed its own national identity. Fall became more popular in American English, while autumn remained common in British English.
Just like we don’t use Shakespeare’s old English in our everyday lives, autumn has faded in casual conversations across generations.
Joker: Folie à Deux is laughably bad
MIKAILA KIMBALL
OPINIONS EDITOR
Just because you can make a sequel doesn’t mean you should.
An hour into this absolute train wreck of a movie, I leaned over to my friend and whispered that this might be the worst movie I’ve ever seen. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it’s true.
Listen — I love bad movies, and I’d say I’m pretty generous with my star ratings. Twilight? Easily a five-star movie.
I’ve given 42 movies a full five stars and only 11 less than one star. In my heart, I’m a lover — not a critic. I can truly find something good in every movie I watch.
So if I say Joker: Folie à Deux is an absolute dumpster fire, you know I mean it.
A follow-up to 2019 smash-hit Joker — which even snagged the award for Lead Actor at the Oscars — this sequel was eagerly anticipated, especially with Lady Gaga starring alongside Joaquin Phoenix. Gaga isn’t a newbie to acting either, hav-
ing been nominated for Lead Actress for her role in A Star is Born. So what exactly went wrong?
The movie picks up where we left off in 2019, with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) awaiting his trial in Gotham’s Arkham Asylum. Where Joker was a nuanced Scorsese-esque character study — rumoured to have been at least partially inspired by cult-classic Taxi Driver — Joker: Folie à Deux loses all the subtlety of the first, doing all but directly saying, “This guy is a REALLY bad dude.”
I’ll give credit where credit is due — cinematographer Lawrence Sher does fantastic work, retaining the 1970s colour palette and lighting of Joker Costume designer Arianne Phillips seamlessly incorporates the character’s comic book style — like Harley Quinn’s (Lady Gaga) red-and-black diamond outfit — with vintage influences, creating outfits that are sure to be Halloween hits.
This is about where the good things end.
The movie approaches complicated themes — Arthur’s defence attorney (Sophie Dumond) questions the nature of his guilt over whether he has trauma-induced dissociative identity disorder, the moral complexities surrounding groupies of violent criminals and corruption running rampant in justice departments.
But each time we approach something complex, we veer off course and into a poorly rehearsed song.
I won’t even question the choice of making this a musical — although it is extremely questionable
— but I will question casting a global pop superstar and then making her sing … poorly.
I had held out hope that Lady Gaga’s voice would save this movie — I mean, she saved pop music. But instead, I was hit with some of the worst singing I’ve encountered in a musical. In interviews, she says this choice was intentional because her character isn’t a professional singer.
So, fall or autumn? The choice is yours. Fall is conversational, autumn feels more sophisticated — just be prepared for odd looks if you use the latter.
But why pay Lady Gaga $12 million for a musical just to have her sound like me in my shower?
Joker: Folie à Deux featured one of the worst scripts I’ve had the displeasure of hearing, a sex scene I want to scrub from my mind and a romance arc a 12-year-old girl on Wattpad could’ve written better.
Forget the movie theatre — this isn’t even worth watching at home.
ARISIA QARRI GAZETTE
MIK’S FLICS
YUSUF SEID CULTURE INTERN
ANGWARA NILANONT GAZETTE
Survivor winner pursues Western med school
KARMEL CLAMOR VIDEO PRODUCER
Maryanne Oketch won season 42 of the reality TV show Survivor — a game where she beat 17 other castaways on a remote island in Fiji to emerge victorious.
In 2022, she became the second Canadian and second Black woman to garner the title of sole Survivor and win the $1-million dollar prize.
Maryanne now lives in London, Ont., and is in her first year at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Maryanne says the biggest takeaway from Survivor, as a contained representation of life, is working to address biases.
“If you bring life into Survivor, that means you’re bringing all the biases, you’re bringing all the disadvantages, right? So Survivor’s really trying to go and break those disadvantages,” she says.
Maryanne says the show’s casting of diverse players and the production team’s efforts to understand everyone’s full story is creating a more level playing field where everyone has the best chance to win.
What surprised Maryanne most in the game was realizing that even “when you really want something, but you know that even if you give it your all, you still might fail.”
Heading into medical school, Maryanne hopes to use the lessons learned on Survivor to persevere through the rest of her life. She recalls almost being voted out, having few allies and knowing she was at the bottom of the tribe. She felt like her chances of winning were over, but she made it through to the very end.
“Having those past experiences where I’m like, I am going to be able to survive this, I am going to be able to succeed, will really help during those difficult times,” says Maryanne.
She advises students not to feel pressured to complete school within a specific timeframe.
“School will always be there. Experiences might not be,” says Maryanne.
She encourages students to prioritize unique experiences over academic schedules, noting that courses like Intro to Economics will always be there.
Maryanne also reminds students that learning is not a linear process and it is okay to take time off, switch programs or pursue education at different stages in life like she did.
In her own experience, Maryanne did not always know she wanted to be a doctor, but she always knew she wanted to help people. With an interest in ministry and a passion for science, she felt she had to choose between them because they seemed disconnected.
But the divide prompted Maryanne to realize that faith and science can actually complement each other.
“Having that passion for science, and also going and taking the context of where people are and showing that it’s like, you can go and treat people, both virtually, physically and mentally, emotionally,” says Maryanne. “That it’s all one holistic person, and you don’t have to separate. It really drew me into medicine.”
Drawing a parallel between Survivor and med school, Maryanne says to lean on your tribe and community. When she was on a remote island with five others, each had different skills and strengths, which helped them survive.
In an academic setting, Maryanne says to treat working with people like a collaboration, not a competition.
“You can ask them questions and they’ll be willing to help you out as well,” says Maryanne. “And if, for some reason, the person who you’re working with wants to stab you in the back, find someone else.”
The show’s filming took place in 2021, between the first and second years of her master’s degree in theological studies at Tyndale University. Maryanne says that while she was planning on taking summer classes, it was easy to forgo them to participate in Survivor
“I knew that school’s always going to be there, the courses are always going to be there. That’s always going to be a constant thing,” says Maryanne. “But getting to do really cool experiences, those might be once in a lifetime.”
Maryanne remembered feeling so excited about the news of her acceptance that she was sent home from her job at Walmart because she was too fired up. Later that night, she celebrated with her mother. Her family has a motto: “If you like something, don’t just observe it. Do it.”
Maryanne didn’t settle for just watching Survivor from home. Instead, she applied to the game — and outwitted, outplayed and outlasted everyone.
Chiara’s Confessions:
CHIARA WALLACE SENIOR SOCIAL MEDIA AND LAYOUT EDITOR
T
alking stages, situationships, wheeling, flirting, crushing, courting, hanging out, hooking up — all different ways to define a relationship that’s not defined. But how do you take the next step when you don’t know how the other person feels?
Having a crush in university feels embarrassing, awkward and weird, and there’s no way around that feeling. Whether it’s a campus celebrity you fantasize about, a class crush, a coworker or someone in the friend group, the beginning stages of a crush are simultaneously the best and worst.
There’s something so exciting about the chance interactions on and off campus, whether you’re going to specific buildings they study at or bars they go to with their friends, just to see if you’ll run into them. Looking through their mom’s Facebook page to dig up any information you can get — come on, don’t act like you’ve never done it.
I don’t know if they like me back
At first, the mystery is kinda fun. The backand-forth, the “will they or won’t they?” seems straight out of Sex and The City until you start to question — am I making this into something it’s not? Do they actually like me back?
Sending your friends screenshots for their opinion, and overanalyzing all the little things they do feels almost romantic. But in my experience, eventually, the giddiness starts to turn into insecurity.
I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve posted stories on my Instagram for specific people to see them, checked snap scores and quadruple-texted someone to get them to respond. Nothing gave me the answers I wanted, but what else do you expect from a hopeless romantic who’s obsessed with rom-coms?
Learn from my mistakes:
Know yourself.
Crushes and feelings can often feel too complicated and confusing to deal with. But knowing how you feel and what you want in your next relationship — and maybe more importantly, what you don’t want — saves you the hurt of figuring it out when it’s too late. If you ever get hit with a “what are we?” at least you know what to say.
As someone who has asked this question before, I used to be a lot more anxious and uncertain about crushes. I didn’t want to be direct because I was afraid of rejection. But once you start being upfront, nothing seems that scary anymore.
Don’t let it consume you, it’s just a crush. Supposed study sessions in Weldon have turned into overanalyzing every message and interaction I’ve had with my crush — wondering if I was doing too much or being delusional. Eventually, even the most supportive friends will tell you to shut up and that you deserve better.
It’s not worth your time to get all wrapped up in hypotheticals and “what-ifs” if you don’t even know how they feel in the first place. Remember, you have a whole life outside of this crush and it’ll still be there without it. Trust me.
Send the notes app paragraph. You know that moment, whether it’s a situationship or a friend, where you finally decide to write down all your vulnerable feelings and questions you want clarity on into your notes app? Send it. That is, after some light editing from a friend.
Sometimes, you need to do the scary thing and tell someone how you feel, regardless of whether you think they like you back.
Tell them how you feel and what you want, and be direct in asking them the same questions. My friends often remind me that I’ll regret not saying something sooner, than wasting time waiting around only to realize they liked me back the whole time.
Life is too short to hold back feelings for the sake of rejection that you will get over. And what if — just if — it works out?
I’ve grown more confident in my love life. At my big age of 21, I know what I want and I’ve lost patience for guessing games or playing hard to get. I’ve been through enough situationships and talking stages to know I don’t want another one if it’s not serious.
If I take my own advice, surely this year is my year.
KAI WILSON GAZETTE Winner of American reality TV competition series Survivor Maryanne Oketch in front of Huron, Sept. 23, 2024.
KAI WILSON GAZETTE Winner of American reality TV competition series Survivor Maryanne Oketch in front of Huron, Sept. 23, 2024.
Kohl Kletke shines in his rookie rugby season
MEGAN KENNEDY SPORTS INTERN
First-year athlete Kohl Kletke is quickly becoming a dominant player in the OUA men’s rugby world.
With an impressive eight tries, 22 conversions and two penalty kicks, Kohl racked up 90 points in the regular season, putting him first in the league. Kohl’s passion for rugby began long before his university career. Inspired by his father, a former Western Ivey rugby team player, Kohl was drawn to the sport from an early age, setting him on the path to becoming one of the most impressive rookies in the OUA.
“Ever since I started watching him play, I knew it was the right game for me. I saw the physicality, speed and skill that the game took and instantly knew that I would love playing,” says Kohl.
Starting out with the Burlington Centaurs and the Oakville Crusaders, Kohl excelled at the high school and club levels. While his high school rugby career started amid the COVID-19 lockdown, which stalled his time and experience on the field,
he did not let this rocky start affect his performance on the pitch.
Instead, he dedicated himself to training even harder over the next three years and caught the attention of Ian McLeod, the head coach of the Western men’s rugby team.
On recruitment day, Kohl was eager to impress the Western coaches with his off-season training.
Staying with a few hometown friends who were already a part of the program, he could see himself as a part of the team.
“I thought I could be a great fit. Once I got accepted into the program I wanted, it was a pretty easy choice. I knew it was where I wanted to come,” Kohl says.
Since then, Western has become home, with Kohl thriving both on the pitch and in academics.
“It’s been obviously a great experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to play in every game so far,” says Kohl.
With a season consisting of powerful rushes and even a game-winning kick against Laurier — in which he helped his team obtain their 24-22 win by
bringing in one try and three conversions — Kohl has shined brightly this season.
Kohl singled out the game against the University of Waterloo Warriors as a matchup in which the team really began to find its stride. He feels this energy will drive them through the OUA playoffs.
Western won the battle against the Warriors by an incredible 40-24, where Kohl showcased his talent with two tries and five conversions. This breakout performance marked him as a player to watch in the 2024 men’s rugby season.
“That game went super well, and I feel like that’s what we will continue into next weekend against Queen’s,” says Kohl.
Despite a stellar first season, Kohl is setting his sights even higher, aiming for the OUA Championship and, ultimately, the Nationals. While he’s been successful, Kohl remains focused on improving his game in whatever way he can.
“The main key area I need to work on is my size and physicality,” says Kohl. “Coming into training camp next year bigger, faster, stronger.”
Sneaker culture: Where performance meets personality
You see them everywhere. From famous athletes and celebrities to your classmates walking into lecture — everyone wears sneakers. But how did we get here?
In 1917, the Converse Rubber Shoe Company created the first mass-produced basketball shoe, the Converse All-Star. The shoe was later renamed the Chuck Taylor All-Star after the semi-pro basketball player — setting the stage for today’s global sneaker scene.
Fast forward to 2024, sneakers are a key part of athletics, with specialized designs for every sport.
Somewhere between the Converse All-Stars and the Jordan 11 Retro Space Jams, sneakers started fuelling sports and street style.
Aidan Callender, Western Sneaker Club founder and fifth-year environment and health student, remembers picking up his first sneaker — an Air
Force One remix pack — right before he started university.
“I wanted to have some drip around campus, right? So, that was the first purchase I ever made,” says Callender.
That one pair became 20, then 30, then an ambitious goal to hit 100 by graduation.
Callender thinks the current sneaker craze started with athletes who needed shoes and the brands that sponsored them — he says this was the
“OG days of athletics.”
Nike scored its first — and potentially biggest — home run with an athlete when they signed Chicago Bulls rookie guard Michael Jordan to a $15-million, five-year contract — three times bigger than any other NBA shoe deal at the time.
Today, that investment has paid off, with Nike generating $7 billion in revenue from the Jordan brand in the 2024 fiscal year alone.
“The athlete has a legacy, that then ties into the shoe. People follow that legacy so closely, and they idolize it so much that then it sort of becomes a no-brainer to go out and purchase that shoe,” Callender says.
When people see their favourite athletes wearing their favourite shoes in ad campaigns, on Instagram and on the court, they want to be just like them. This is where advertising comes in.
For varsity women’s basketball and soccer player Avarie Thomas, on-the-court sneakers aren’t just for looks. She’s particularly inspired by Las Vegas Aces star and unanimous 2024 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.
“I like her style. I like what she stands for,” says Thomas, a first-year bachelor of education student. “She shouts out her community, women’s empowerment, so I think overall, there’s always a message behind her shoes, and the colorways always have a story.”
When she’s suiting up for the Mustangs, Thomas makes sure her shoes represent the school by matching Western’s purple.
But it was tough for her to find the right shoes to wear growing up. She remembers going to the women’s sneaker section and seeing shoes with less functionality and just “girly colours.”
“As a female in sport, it’s really hard to find shoes that aren’t tailored to men and men’s feet,” says Thomas. “Like a LeBron [sneaker], it’s really heavy, and it’s clunky, and it’s hard, especially to run on the court.”
Things are changing. Thomas now rocks the Nike Women’s Sabrina 1s. It has her favourite features from sneakers like the Kobe 5, but the Sabrina 1’s are a model tailored specifically for women by three-time WNBA all-star Sabrina Ionescu.
Progress is also happening in women’s soccer cleats. ACL injuries are known to occur two to six times more likely in women’s soccer than men’s.
“In the past two or three years, women’s football got their first ever shoe that was actually tailored to the female anatomy and how we run on the pitch,” Thomas remarks.
According to Thomas, traditional soccer cleats with blade-like studs were effective for quick cuts and dynamic movement. But the design often
In with the old: The resurgence of Pilates
EMILY MORANO SPORTS INTERN
Pilates has become a popular choice among Western students, both for individual and group fitness. But why Pilates, and why now?
Originating in 19th-century Europe, Pilates is unlike any basic exercise routine. Joseph Pilates invented the workout method as a prisoner of war during World War I. To help rehabilitate fellow injured prisoners, he designed exercises that could be done while lying down or using hospital beds. Over time, Pilates evolved into a form of resistance training that uses repeated low-weight movements to challenge the muscles.
According to Kevin Boldt, a kinesiology professor at Western University, the distinct benefits of Pilates depend on the individual’s fitness goals. Boldt’s research background is split between biomechanics and exercise physiology, focusing mainly on muscle function and understanding how muscle adapts to different kinds of exercise.
“Muscles respond to the ways that you challenge
them,” says Boldt. “Pilates is more fatigue-related, where you hold a pose for a long time and do repetitive movements over and over until your muscles fail. So, metabolically, that is going to promote much more muscle endurance.”
For athletes, Boldt notes this kind of fatigue resistance is most beneficial to endurance-based sports or challenges.
But Pilates offers benefits beyond physical fitness. Pilates leads to increased brain blood flow, which offsets psychological, psycho-social and mental health benefits that would be valuable to anyone — athlete or not.
In terms of its popularity among students, social media has been a huge catalyst for the resurrection of Pilates.
Hollywood is filled with A-list celebrities and models like Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, who regularly practise Pilates and share their progress on social media with their followers.
Beside popular culture, Pilates has always been essential to professional sports. Some of the most notable faces of national sport — Cristiano Ronal-
do, Tom Brady and Lebron James — use this kind of fitness to perfect their mental and physical performances.
But you don’t have to be a professional athlete to improve your fitness and wellness with Pilates. Many people approach this style recreationally by taking part in group fitness sessions.
One of Western’s affiliate college’s, Huron University College, has a student-led Pilates and Yoga Club. It was kicked off in the 2023–24 academic year by Huron students Annie Varpio, Madeline Fergie and a group of friends at main campus.
“You wouldn’t necessarily think that Pilates is a super social thing, but being in a group setting is so beneficial. It’s great to learn from other people who are more experienced than you, but it’s also nice to see that there are people at your level,” says Varpio, Pilates and Yoga Club president and co-founder. Fergie, Varpio, and the executive team hope to connect Western students with others who share a similar interest in Pilates.
This year, the club has partnered with a registered yoga instructor to help lead yoga and pilates
caused players’ feet to get stuck in the ground, risking knee injuries.
Now, cleats for female players have circular studs that provide traction while allowing natural knee movement.
Recently, a female-led design team at Nike made the Nike Phantom Lunas, which has a circular ring in the middle of the shoe that moves with the foot. This prevents the shoe from getting stuck in the ground and catching your knees in an awkward position.
Sneakers are being innovated each year to improve court performance, but they’re also a way to stand out.
“Everybody on your team is going to have the same uniform, socks, shorts, but I think your shoes are the only kind of thing that can be truly you and be an addition of your authenticity,” says Thomas. With sneakers evolving in function, style and message, it’s not just about what you play in. Athletes can finally use their platform to express themselves.
So the only question now is — what are you wearing?
classes at Huron. The team has also contacted local fitness studios in the London area, hoping to kickstart various events and workshops for the 2024–25 academic year.
Thanks to the University Students’ Council’s ratification, Huron’s Pilates and Yoga Club membership is open to all Western main campus, King’s University College and Huron students.
So, if you ever feel like getting a workout in and improving your physical and mental health, consider trying a Pilates class — you won’t regret it.
MANAN JOSHI SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
ARISIA QARRI GAZETTE
COURTESY OF WESTERN MUSTANG
Western Crossword
ACROSS
1. A moron
6. Fictional store for a coyote
10. Way to watch sports games, pl.
14. Mulan’s spiritual guardian
15. Plant that provides hydrating gel
16. Snack dunked in milk
17. Exams, convocations and volleyball happen here at Western
19. Opposite gender of a Lady
20. North American association for an 11 player sport
21. Where Marseille and Nice are
22. Football org. meeting every four yrs
23. And more, e.g.
24. National ones are televised
27. Provincial museum celebrating culture
28. Building you might check the time on at Western
30. Soybean paste, used in soup
32. You spill this in private
33. Harry Styles hit, __ It Was
34. Round table representatives for chemistry and Physics among others
35. What med-sci students collect, abv.
36. __-sighted
37. Drink champagne or kiss someone on this night
38. “Whoops”
39. Self-reference for a Francophone
40. “All good”
41. System for buying things, abv.
42. Letters in an automatic, without Drive
43. Aspiring ones found in Thompson and Spencer at Western
46. Ancient Egyptian deity, depicted as a dwarf
48. Original to a place
49. Might be tough to crack
50. Text these after a surprise
51. Architectural curves, or a misspelling of a phrase said by Morty
53. ___’s Burgers
56. “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” singer
57. Dear Evan Hansen star might live here at Western
59. One of Green Gables
60. Aired series rating
61. Prominent name in glue
62. Cloth bag popular with university students
63. Looks
64. Adjective describing opposite of 1-Across
DOWN
A moron
1. Islamic faith leader
2. Not very bright
Fictional store for a coyote 10 Way to watch sports games, pl.
Building you might check the time on at Western
31. A celebrity, a star
32. Star Trek actor of Japanese-American descent
Soybean paste, used in soup
3. Among Us accusation, followed by a colour
4. Unit of resistance
36. Helvetica, e.g.
37. Denials
You spill this in private
46 Ancient Egyptian deity, depicted as a dwarf
47 (blank clue)
48 Original to a place
49 Might be tough to crack
41. Activity before hitting Richmond Row
5. What you might be told to do to reach 94.9
Radio Western
Mulan's spiritual guardian
Harry Styles hit, __ It Was
42. Dog, e.g.
44. “That’s true”
50 Text these after a surprise
15 Plant that provides hydrating gel
6. Horror movie reactions
7. Stranger Things mother
16 Snack dunked in milk
8. Formed to be, as a sculpture
9. Long fish
10. Canadian stereotype
17 Exams, convocations and volleyball happen here at Western
11. They teach you
Round table representatives for Chemistry and Physics among others
45. To change, genetically
51 Architectural curves, or a misspelling of a phrase said by Morty
46. What the LTC runs
53 ___'s Burgers
49. Your parents surfed this
What med-sci students collect, abv.
50. Reaction after missing a deadline
56 Bang Bang (My baby shot me down) singer
52. Responses to “When will you be here?”
53. Roll Tide sch.
__-sighted
12. With 15-Across
19 Opposite gender of a Lady
13. Turf
18. Company name ending
22. Answer in an exam question with two choices
20 North American association for an 11 player sport
23. Can be inflated
Drink champagne or kiss someone on this night 38 "Whoops"
54. What Thursday, Friday and Saturday have but Sunday doesn’t
57 Dear Evan Hansen star might live here at Western
59 One of green gables
55. Ernie’s partner
60 Aired series rating
56. If I fits, I sits animal
21 Where Marseille and Nice are
25. Everyone has one, annu.
Self-reference for a Francophone
57. Scoring units in games, abv.
58. ChatGPT, e.g.
61 Prominent name in glue
26. Your resume says you’re an expert at this
27. What 11-Down give you
22 Football org. meeting every four yrs
"All good"
62 Cloth bag popular with university students
28. Where lobsters come from, in French
23 and more, e.g.
29. Sports channel
24 National ones are televised
30. Viral jokes shared online
26 (blank clue)
27 Provincial museum
System for buying things, abv. 42 Letters in an automatic, without Drive
Aspiring ones found in Thompson and Spencer at
Email your comics or crosswords to managing@westerngazette.ca or come to UCC 263 and ask about volunteering for our Graphics section!
