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Volume 105, issue 26
USC pushing for gender-neutral bathrooms 70 bathrooms on campus slated to be converted Cheryl Stone News Features Editor There’s only one in the University Community Centre, there are another two in Weldon if you know where to look, and there are only 18 of them on the entire Western campus. This is after the University Students’ Council was promised to eventually see 70 gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. According to Marissa Joffre, vice-president campus issues for the USC, in 2008 a list of 70 single stall bathrooms were given to the vice-president at the time, with the promise 10 of these would have signage indicating they were gender-neutral by the end of the year. Each year after would see 10 more bathrooms converted. “If you’re stressed about going to the washroom, this campus isn’t accessible,” Joffre explained. She noted trans people could face violence, or even have to out themselves when using one of the single-gender bathrooms on campus.
“It is commonplace for transgendered individuals to develop bladder and kidney infections because they do not feel they are safe using single-sex washrooms,” Stephanie Armstrong, director of gender diversity and awareness with PrideWestern, explained. She noted gender-neutral bathrooms were not just for people who did not fit the dual-gender norm, but people who wanted more privacy or may need to wash before prayer would also benefit. Joffre noted her goal was to have the spaces available to whoever wanted to use them, whether the individual was out or not. Armstrong is currently working with the transgendered community to create an inclusive symbol to label the new washrooms. Joffre explained by the end of the year she was hoping to be able to put a pamphlet in the Support Services Centre. As Armstrong explained, providing the gender-neutral space is half the battle. “As someone who has tried find-
Photo illustration by Adam Godin Gazette
ing the gender-neutral washrooms between classes or on break during class, I know that these are often in the back corner of a building,” she said. “If there were more genderneutral washrooms on campus with better signage, finding and using these washrooms would be easier for students and would support inclusivity on campus.”
Joffre admitted part of the stall on the part of administration may have been because past vice-presidents had other priorities. “I feel like someone needs to be pushing this forward.” She explained the administration had been receptive to this issue since she brought it up again, but she was left to figure out why
the issue had been put on the back burner by the University. Armstrong explained the bathrooms were one of many important steps to an inclusive campus. “I do think it is a step in the right direction and sets an important precedent for supporting the diverse community that Western values so much.”
Southwest Ontario may be getting off track No current plans for high speed railway to make stop in London Gloria Dickie News Features Editor If a high speed train leaves Toronto at 11 a.m., and is travelling at a speed of 250 kilometres an hour, when will it arrive in London? Never, according to a report released Monday by EcoTrain consultants. Canadian officials have been considering the implementation of high speed rail along the Quebec City-Windsor corridor for years, endorsing several studies on the subject. However, the most recent feasibility study left London and Windsor out of the plan for economic reasons, instead focusing on construction to the east. “It’s obviously done by someone in Toronto and they think the world stops at Toronto,” Bud Polhill, ward one councillor for the City, said. “This is the fourth busiest rail station in Canada, and yet we’re not stopping here. It doesn’t make any sense.”
High speed rail, according to the recommendations, would connect Toronto to Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City with trains travelling at speeds between 200 to 300 kilometres per hour. “[The study] sends the message that we don’t deserve to have high speed rail,” Polhill argued. “And that’s not the message I want to send. We want to be part of this.” High speed rail would have the ability to cut travel times in half, making a trip from London to Toronto take as little as 51 minutes. “I think that in today’s world, people are expecting faster, more efficient transportation,” Dianne Cunningham, director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy Management at Ivey who has studied the impact of high speed rail, observed. She argued high speed rail gives people a choice of jobs and where they want to live, allowing people to have a better quality of life. For Polhill, high speed rail would
It’s obviously done by someone in Toronto and they think the world stops at Toronto. This is the fourth busiest rail station in Canada, and yet we’re not stopping here. It doesn’t make any sense. —Bud Polhill,
ward one councillor for the City
have profound effects on London’s economy and the international corridor to the United States. “That’s why we have the 401—that’s why it goes through London and Windsor, because of all the traffic from the United States,” Polhill explained. “You’ve got a highway to go there, but the train won’t.” However, Canada’s lack of high speed transit also makes a much bigger statement about the nation, Cunningham believed. While Canada was once a leader in transportation, with the TransCanada highway and Toronto’s subway system, in recent years the nation has fallen behind. “Regular rail systems in Canada are really not competitive with what people who live in other countries in the world enjoy,” Cunningham said. “And that means they’re old, they’re not always comfortable, they’re slow and they don’t always arrive on time.” She compared Canada to Spain,
a nation which has constructed a high speed rail system in only five years, while on the other hand, Canada has taken 25 years to simply study the subject. “Now, we are the only G8 country that does not have fast speed rail,” she said. The study predicted that if built by 2031, the rail system, with 10 million passengers, could generate $1.2 to $1.3 billion annually for the Canadian economy. But that money would have little effect on London’s local economy if the city continued to be left off-track. In the meantime, Polhill promised the City of London would continue to advocate on London’s behalf to be included in the plan. “We as a council are going to lobby and basically put our position forward very strongly that if this rail system comes into play, we want to be part of it,” he concluded. “And we want to make sure there’s a stop in the city of London.”
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thegazette • Thursday, October 20, 2011
Caught on Camera
Nyssa Kuwahara GAZETTE
GETTING WASTED OFF WATER. Students played water-pong in the University Community Centre atrium yesterday as part of Enviro week, hosted by EnviroWestern
Crossword By Eugene Sheffer
News Briefs
Study examines electoral dysfunction A group of Canadian researchers performed a study in relation to Ontario’s Provincial Election where voters had to vote using three different electoral systems: first past the post, the alternative vote and proportional representation. Over 9,000 people voted using the three electoral systems, with different electoral systems resulting in different outcomes. Most notable is the results for the Liberal Party. Under the FPTP system, which is Canada’s current electoral system, the party received 47.5% of the votes. However, under the PR electoral system, where seats are distributed approximately according to the percentage of votes, the Liberal
Solution to puzzle on page 6
Party’s votes dropped to 39.4%. “In our electoral system, it is very clear it is only a race between the top two candidates, because in each riding only the one who gets the most votes wins,” Laura Stephenson, a researcher involved in the study, said. “So, if you prefer a party which has no chance of winning, then you are stuck in an interesting situation because if you cast a vote for the candidate you prefer most of all, but they have no chance of winning, then essentially you know your vote will not count towards the outcome.” —Francis Siebert
No one wants to text the police Got a crime to report? Don’t text it. Crime Stoppers for London, Elgin and Middlesex has decided to forgo the text-your-tip option that Toronto adopted in 2008. The goal of the texting option allows tipsters to pass along information without being overheard. Toronto was the first chapter to bring texting into the crime-fighting arena and according to Darlene Ross of Toronto Crime Stoppers, the program was an overall success. “We do get quite a few tips. It is up and running and has been running successfully for three years,”
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she said. “However, it’s not as popular as we thought. We thought it would become very popular, especially with youth.” Ross also noted texted-tips make up a very small portion of total tips. In an article by the London Free Press, regional coordinator for London, Elgin and Middlesex Crime Stoppers, Susan Ashley, cited a disconnect between the cost of the program and the low number of tips likely to be received by text. Toronto is not the only city to introduce a text-your-tip option. In 2009, Windsor and Essex County Crime Stoppers decided to follow suit, however the project failed in its first year. Despite much promotion, especially in high schools, only six texts were received. None of these texts turned into tips. —Vincent Orsini
United Way wants your money At Western, there are many activities supporting the United Way. To support the charity, the Western community has set a goal of $650,000 to be donated by students and staff. The charity recently announced this year’s total goal of $8.5 million. The fund will be used to help solve the increasing need for service within London and Middlesex County due to the current economic situation. “Need is greater than ever,” Barbara Patterson, associate director of the campaign, said. “Western is the top account of our donation and also is one of the most important partners for the United Way as well as our community. The fund is important to people who need help in the community—everyone benefits from this.” According to Patterson, events such as Coffee Day and Pancake Breakfast are arranged where Andrew Lockie, chief executive officer of United Way and Western president Amit Chakma will help serve coffee. Money raised will be donated to the fund. Moreover, the faculty and staff have more chances to donate through payroll deductions. Early bird prizes are available to Western faculty and staff who fill in and return their United Way pledge forms by November 11. —Mengxi Li
The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.
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thegazette • Thursday, October 20, 2011
The city of London goes to the dogs City committee hopes to improve animal welfare Cheryl Madliger Gazette Staff While the City of London has been vocal about its efforts to improve its image, our fluffy friends might not have heard about efforts to make the city a more animal friendly place to wag their tails. The City’s Community and Neighbourhoods Committee wants animal welfare to improve in London. Their recommendations, which included initiatives like increasing awareness regarding responsible pet ownership, coordinating community-based animal welfare initiatives, and improving facilities for fostering and adoption of stray animals, were presented at Tuesday’s council meeting. Jay Stanford, director of environmental programs and solid waste, made the presentation and said the report had been a long time coming. The City’s contract with the London Animal Care Centre— London’s open admission shelter whose doors are open to any stray animal—expires in December 2012, posing a great opportunity. “This is the opportunity to add change. It’s very encouraging that the city is looking at animal welfare,” Kent Lattanzio, director of operations at the LACC, said. Matt Brown, ward seven councillor, says the issues in London are
common across North America. “The same discussions are occurring in many municipalities. There are too many pets without homes, which results in too many stray pets being euthanized,” he said. The City is using other animal friendly cities as models. “Over a 15-year period, Calgary has evolved into a full service program that focuses on responsible pet ownership and has achieved very good licensing rates for cats and dogs, high claim rates for dogs, and very good adoption rates,” Brown said. “Responsible pet ownership needs to be a high priority. We also need a greater focus on cats in London.” Lattanzio echoed this concern. “You can’t give away cats quick enough, even when they’re spayed or neutered,” he said, explaining that even when adoption fees are waived and spaying and neutering, deworming, and first vaccinations are included free of charge with an adoption, there are still too many homeless cats. “You can’t adopt your way out of this issue,” Lattanzio said. Rather than moving to a “no kill” policy, the city is aiming for “no homeless animals” instead. “[The City] has researched “no kill” and they would rather call London a “no more homeless pets” community because they recog-
Nyssa Kuwaharaz Gazette
nize that euthanasia is a part of sheltering,” Lattanzio said. Proponents say prevention is key. “The best program that could be put in place to have an impact on the number of cats coming into the shelter is for the city to have an aggressive, low cost spay neuter program,“ Lattanzio said. Though issues at shelters largely concern cats, the city could be
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thegazette • Thursday, October 20, 2011
Opinions
I don’t see gender as the most significant fact of human existence.
—Jim Harrison
>> ACCESSIBILITY ON CAMPUS
Gender neutrality on campus Gender-neutral bathrooms were supposed to be created on campus, with 70 single-stall washrooms to be converted over time. Progress is slow on these conversions, which brings up the question of the importance of gender-neutral bathrooms and the importance of gender in general. Bathrooms are divided right now to maximize space and resources—a collection of stalls and/or urinals is more efficient than several separate rooms. Right now, the majority of people seem to agree that segregated washrooms are necessary, but how prominent is this gender dichotomy elsewhere in our society? Although it may be less extreme than it used to be, we still raise our children with assumptions about what their interests will be. If you get a happy meal, you still have to either choose the “girl toy” or the “boy toy.” Abolishing gendered bathrooms, at least at Western, isn’t going to happen without major construction, which will probably involve creating many more single-stalled bathrooms. Although a co-ed bathroom could work, the idea would likely be met with a lot of North American backlash. Although catering to the minority is often expensive, historically progressive societies do tend to recognize when some of its members are being significantly wronged, taking it upon themselves to radically alter the way they operate. Right now, we tend to have to identify our gender, even if what we’re doing is independent of sex. As a society, should we be looking at how prominent this binary is? Males have to pay more for insurance based on statistics, and intramural sports are divided by gender. Although there have been efforts to eliminate bias from society, there are still some instances of gender discrimination that remain unchanged. There is however a grey area where it might be difficult to determine where the line should be drawn. The Olympics would probably still have to be divided, for example, between male and female, but that could be more so to do with biological differences. As of right now, there is a major gender rift in our society, and this will probably linger on throughout our lifetimes. We are looking into eliminating these issues, even if it’s slowly, and the introduction of gender-neutral bathrooms, if done efficiently, could be a good start. —The Gazette Editorial Board
Rape not a laughing matter Like a Rolling Stone Cheryl Stone News Features Editor Whenever I leave an exam there’s always one person who feels the need to scream, “that exam just raped me!” Excuse me, but your last exam didn’t rape you—it probably didn’t even come close. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, rape or sexual assault is defined as the crime of forcing another person to have sexual intercourse against their will. Therefore, sexual assault is any sort of unwanted sexual act forced on an individual. Last time I checked, exams asked you questions, sometimes they might even ask you tough questions, but they definitely didn’t force you to have sex against your will. When you compare a tough exam to
rape, it unjustly equates the exam with a traumatic experience that victims or rape of sexual assault have faced. This presents a problem that is prevalent in our society. When people toss around the word “rape” so casually, it shows they think sexual assault isn’t important or even worse that it’s a joke. And it’s not only after exams that student’s feel the need to use the word. Often in sport you hear the people suggest that an opponent was “raped,” or in the middle of a fake fight, the word “rape” is yelled and hilarity ensues. It’s a sad truth that some students seem to act like rape is an everyday occurrence with no bearing on victims’ lives. Are we supposed to expect victims of rape to laugh at these terrible experiences because some people think it’s funny to call rape on someone? There is nothing funny about the act of rape or sexual assault and the statistics around it prove it. The Sexual Assault Centre of London estimates 51 per cent of Canadian women have been victims of sexual assault and according to Statistics Canada
only six per cent of sexual assaults are ever reported. It’s a serious issue reflected in the attitudes of our society that everything from a videogame to an exam can “rape” someone, yet when an actual sexual assault happens people don’t feel comfortable going to the authorities. Not only do survivors not feel comfortable about reporting the incident to the authorities, they may not even feel comfortable getting any kind of help or counselling. After all, why should a victim get help for something when their peers clearly think it’s a joke. Of course, it’s not. It’s a serious issue and there are a lot of services that are available to victims of rape. SACL offers a 24-hour crisis lines, public education and prevention strategies, along with referrals, counselling and advocacy assistance to survivors of rape. Society needs to stop trivializing the experience of sexual assault. Victims need support and to feel safe going to the police, not to feel as if what happened to them is just a joke.
thought, and inquiry. It wants shiny brands to be consumed passively—so we need a shinier brand. If that is not reason enough to rebrand, vice-president external for Western Kevin Goldthorp points out that the administration’s corporate communications are terribly confusing with the current logo because the logo only says “Western,” but the school’s name is “The University of Western Ontario.” He’s right—how is anyone without a PhD supposed to make sense of this— we need a change. Like any well-run corporation, Western must ensure that only the finest
advice is sought in making such important decisions. I have to assume that the administration has hired the Torontobased design firm Hahn Smith because there are no creative people at Western capable of “retooling the University’s visual identity,” an incredibly difficult and crucial task. I would like to recommend that the administration concern itself with more important issues and, if it is shiny enough, recognize Western’s Coat of Arms as the school’s official logo. —Aaron Codner
Letter to the Editor
New logo a waste of time To the Editor: As Western continues its transformation from an academic institution into a corporate pawn, it is not surprising that the administration is paying close attention to really important things like the school’s logo and accompanying brand. Of course the brand is important, it is the facade that masks the internal conflicts and those practices detrimental to the public interest. The bureaucratic society of controlled consumption does not want education, academics,
Social Science IV
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thegazette • Thursday, October 20, 2011
Arts&Life
thespianthursday “All human wisdom is contained in these two words—wait and hope.”
—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
Matthew Good still has a lot to say Jennifer Tammy Contributor Matthew Good has remained remarkably humble after 20 years in the spotlight, but he still seems to have the casual confidence that garnered so much attention for him when he first debuted. He has learned from the creative and collaborative missteps of his past and is moving forward without hesitation. You used to post short fiction on your website, and then you published your book of short stories At Last There Is Nothing Left to Say in 2001. Do you have any writing projects in the works? No, not really. To be honest with you, that was kind of one of those things that you look back on and go, ‘Eh, that was probably a mistake.’ There was a lot of youthful exuberance going on there— it’s not something I look back at and say, ‘yeah, I’m proud of that.’ It was basically a whole bunch of stories thrown together and put into a book because at the time my management thought it would be a good idea. Most of your website posts are about politics, not music. Do you feel responsible to use your notoriety as a platform for activism, or is there another motivation there? No, I do it for myself. It’s really just a cathartic process of self-cataloguing things. It’s kind of like having a journal. Sometimes you throw the journal out—I’ve discontinued it in the past, didn’t bring the archives back. It’s just my thoughts in general at the time about certain things that go on that I happen to know things about. What is the creative relationship between you and your band now?
I think as an artist you reach to attain certain goals in your career, but I think that those goals are always sidelined by the fact that you have new and different goals after that. —Matthew Good
Are they basically employees or is there a form of collaboration happening? That’s always been the case since I’ve been a solo artist. I hire musicians. I was in a band, a highly dysfunctional one, [which] was very poisonous and this tour for me is very cathartic in the fact that Ian Brown’s playing drums for me. He was in the Matthew Good Band and him just coming in and being a drummer, not being a member of a band, has been really good for both of us. Ten years was too long not to talk. So, having him back there is really awesome and he still remains one of the most talented drummers I’ve ever played with. I’ve played with a lot of people in my life, but I’ve only played with one guy sitting behind the kit with a crowd of 76,000 people and that’s him. Do you feel like you can now be considered a “successful” musician? I don’t know, I think as an artist you reach to attain certain goals in your career but I think that those goals are always sidelined by the
Courtesy of Hype Music
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL. Matthew Good prepares to play Centennial Hall tonight. Over his twenty-year career, the writer/ musician has learned much from his creative experiences.
fact that you have new and different goals after that. So, I think that what you accomplish artistically is a snapshot of a place in time and you go from there. That’s what creativity is. Do you have any advice for young musicians? I’m the last person who will be giving advice about this business.
I came up at a time that was drastically different than now. When I was in my twenties, we started out playing local shows and if you didn’t jump in the van and go and play a show just in the next town, you go to Halifax and back, numerous, numerous times. [You eat] 7-11 hot dogs at two in the morning. You pay for it big time, you know, with your sanity and with your personal
relationships and the whole thing, and that’s not something a lot of people do anymore. A lot of bands it’s just like, “bam!” and they’re in a tour bus. Matthew Good plays Centennial Hall tonight to support his latest album, Lights of Endangered Species.
All for one, and none for Musketeers Nathan Tebokkel Contributor
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Starring: Orlando Bloom, Mila Jovovich
file photo
Paul Anderson, director of such darkly violent films as the four Resident Evil movies and Alien vs. Predator, lends his eye for striking scenes, skill for odd-angled camera work and talent for quick-cut edits to this teen-oriented action flick. The Three Musketeers is a film with little going for it other than a handful of excellent sword fighting scenes, which see the three washed-up musketeers, Athos (Matthew Macfayden), Aramis (Luke Evans) and Porthos (Ray Stevenson), along with their cocky young counterpart d’Artagnan (Logan Lerman), swashbuckling against overwhelming odds. They repeatedly defeat the smug and appropriately black-clad minions of Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher
Waltz), led by eye-patched master swordsman Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen). The plot, which is the only other redeeming feature, initially unfolds as an expected and boring actionmovie—fight the innumerable bad guys and get the blonde-haired beauty—but grudgingly, and after prolonged boredom, shirks these stereotypes and coils into a tense and winding drama. Supported by sparse, weak dialogue and stereotypical characters, the plot stands second to sword fighting as reason to see the movie. The special effects, including ridiculous flying ships, also border mediocrity. They are often over-done and even awkward at some points, as when a staircase opening into an underground vault appears one-dimensional and an underwater explosion is obvious computer simulation. The characters are simple and often tedious, spearheaded by the betrayed angst of Athos, the youthful pride of d’Artagnan and the
predictable strong femininity of Milady de Winter (Mila Jovovich). Many aspects of the characters are clichéd. The humourous characters—King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox) and Planchet (James Corden)—are sometimes situationally funny but tend to verge on annoying, and the characters with the most potential—Aramis and Porthos—barely play a supporting role. The simplicity of the characters may be a boon, however, because sharp dialogue and detailed development certainly do not distract from the adrenaline-filled sword fighting scenes. Unfortunately, the movie was produced in 3D. This gimmick is ineffective, almost never noticeable, and during the movie’s most crucial moments is nonexistent. Is The Three Musketeers worth watching? If you like sword fighting and excessive corset-induced cleavage, or if you’re under the age of 16, yes—but not in theaters.
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thegazette • Thursday, October 20, 2011
Royal Wood sneaks up on London Sumedha Arya Gazette Staff Named iTunes songwriter of the year 2010, Canadian artist Royal Wood has been receiving critical acclaim. In the midst of his Canadian tour, Wood took some time to discuss his “Sneak Peak” tour, his song writing and how his music has progressed over the last few years. How has your “Sneak Peek” tour with Danielle Duval been so far? It’s been far greater than expected. I wasn’t sure how the idea would go because it’s a tour before the record’s actually out. The audience obviously wouldn’t have heard a bunch of [the new songs] and we weren’t sure if that was a concept people would jump on to. But the turnout’s been amazing. The feedback for the new material has been positive. Courtesy of Ivan Otis
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Your song “A Mirror Without” was featured on Grey’s Anatomy. How have you been dealing with the increased attention? [Making music] is all I’ve ever wanted to [do]. Some kids grab a hockey stick. I wanted to play the piano at a really young age and everything else kind of happened along the journey. Making music has always brought the greatest joy in my life. Just the fact that I get to call this a career—I’m very fortunate. Do you feel that your musical style has changed from The Milkweed EP to The Waiting? Oh yeah, most definitely. It’s been a pretty exciting journey thus far, and musically it just evolved.
On Disc
I’ve gained more confidence and [have] had more experiences that found their way into my artwork. Have you had musical aspirations for a very long time? I’ve had that question before because I ended up going to university for business at McGill. The question always seems to be “Why did you go for business if you wanted to do music?” There was parental pressure. My parents wanted to make sure that I experienced university but also had something to fall back on. But making my own music interested me. Did you find it difficult to balance your musical endeavours with your classes at McGill? No, I didn’t, actually. I realized that as long as you put the effort in, you could succeed in school. For me, education continued even after I left [university]. I’m curious about life. I’m fascinated by life and I’m always learning, I’m always reading and I’m always watching things that I find interesting. That’s the best education. How has working with Pierre Marchand [producer for Sarah McLachlan] been? He’s been amazing. He [produced] a few songs off The Waiting. He is a veteran and almost like a pillar in the musical community. He’s succeeded in ways that most producers couldn’t dream of. I’m going back to [his studio] this November to make a new record. Royal Wood play in London on October 23 at the Forest City Community Church. Doors open at 6 p.m. and advance tickets are $22.
Sunparlour Player Us Little Devils Outside Music (Canada) Us Little Devils has been described as Sunparlour Players stretching out from the confines of folk and rock and embracing electronic and pop influences. With that said, the band keeps to their roots, with a focus on acoustic instruments. “Runner” opens the album with a little electronic intro leading into a folk style, whereas “Red Bloody Red of Home” is a fast heavy hitter, with Penner howling like a dog. “One For You and One For Me” and “Once Before” are some of the softer songs on the album, with soothing banjo and lyrics. “Damn All You” is another simple song with Penner wailing mournfully on the vocals. The album’s only downside is it’s only 36 minutes long. However, with the multitude of instruments and sounds in each song, the driving beats, howling vocals and sorrowful banjo, Us Little Devils is an album for anyone into folk music. —Jared MacAdam
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thegazette • Thursday, October 20, 2011
Sports
gameday The Mustangs softball team will be competing in the Ontario University Championships this weekend. The men’s hockey team will hit the road and face off against Harvard in exhibition action.
Rundown >> For the second consecutive week the Mustangs men’s football team took the top spot in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport rankings > Having defeated the University of Toronto Varsity Blues by a score of 21-9, the Mustangs clinched the Ontario University Athletics top seed and a bye through the quarterfinals.
Inexperience plagues Mustangs in exhibition American opponents use size to dominate men’s basketball team Megan Mcphaden Gazette Staff Taking on an opponent from south of the border, Tuesday night’s basketball exhibition game proved that this young Mustangs squad has a lot to learn. Held at Alumni Hall, the Mustangs welcomed visiting Wittenberg University hailing from Springfield, Ohio. With mixed results against other teams from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, the Wittenberg Tigers looked to take advantage of the Mustangs’ inexperience. Dominated to the tune of 8351, the young Mustangs squad will use this as a chance to improve and gain experience. “The loss of veteran players has certainly had a great effect on the team in terms of leadership and playing, we’re going to continue to work our plan and mature the players, we need to be more mentally prepared collectively as a team,” Brad Campbell, Mustangs head coach, said. The Mustangs are going to have a difficult upcoming season. Making up for the loss of key players— particularly Andrew Wedemire who has signed a contract with the Glasgow Rocks, Scotland’s only professional basketball team—will be instrumental to the Mustangs’
Jamie Yeung Gazette
success. The exhibition games help them prepare for what could be a steep learning curve throughout
the season. Despite the loss to Wittenberg, the opportunity to play high calibre NCAA teams and learn from their style of play has been
beneficial to the Mustangs. Wittenberg Tigers head coach Bill Brown, a veteran who has been coaching the Tigers for many years,
fundraised so that their team could have this opportunity. The Tigers played with discipline and capitalized on the many turnovers the Mustangs gave up. “This is our first experience playing in Canada, the 24 second shot clock definitely changed the play of the game, we had to increase the pace of our offence and it really put the pressure on the defence,” Brown said. In terms of physicality, the Tigers had the upper hand, with three starters averaging 6 feet 5 inches. An intimidating presence on the hardwood, the Tigers dominated the Mustangs with a bruising style of play that differed greatly from what they saw from the Canadian teams. “It took us a couple of games but we had to adjust to the higher tempo and we had more success,” Alex Brandt, Tigers captain, said. “It’s nice to play here with an audience and the facilities coming from a smaller school, although I do prefer the longer time in the American game with the 35 second shot clock—it’s a slower game with more time to have the ball inside.” The Mustangs look forward to maturing as a team, with a tournament this weekend at Laurentian University providing much needed experience for the young squad.
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thegazette • Thursday, October 20, 2011
Will the Flyers “Bryz” through the season? The Sin Bin Jason Sinukoff Sports Editor It’s been two years since the Philadelphia Flyers’ miracle run to the Stanley Cup finals. The Flyers’ success was mostly due to backup goaltender Michael Leighton’s superb play. A year later, Leighton showed why he was never more than a backup goaltender as rookie Sergei Bobrovsky got the start. Bobrovsky had an excellent rookie campaign as he went 28-13-8 in 54 games played. He had a 2.59 goals against average and a 0.915 save percentage. It looked like the Flyers found their savior, but in the playoffs Bobrovsky showed he couldn’t handle the pressure and the Flyers had to cycle their three goalies time and time again before being swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champi-
ons, the Boston Bruins. However, this past off-season, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren did what most thought was unthinkable. He traded two of his top four scorers, Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards. The trades freed up some cash allowing the Flyers to make a move that many, including myself, have been anticipating for a while. With the abundant cap room, the Flyers were able to lock up star goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to a long-term, nine-year contract, worth $51 million. Bryzgalov started out as a backup goalie for J.S. Giguere for the Anaheim Ducks. After proving his worth in Anaheim, Bryzgalov went to the Phoenix Coyotes. It seems that a change of scenery was all Bryzgalov needed to break out of his shell, as he went 42-20-6 and 36-20-10 in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons respectively. The Flyers then traded for the rights to Bryzgalov’s contract before the start of free agency. The trade saw prospect Matt Clackson and a 2012 third round pick going to Phoenix in exchange for negotiating rights to Bryzgalov’s contract.
Another new acquisition that the Flyers traded for, Wayne Simmonds, is all too familiar with facing off against Ilya Bryzgalov. Simmonds played for the Los Angeles Kings before being dealt to the Flyers in the trade that saw Flyers captain Mike Richards going to the Kings for Simmonds and prospect Brayden Schenn. As the Kings are in the same division as the Coyotes, Simmonds is all too familiar with facing Bryzgalov. “I’ve played against Bryz for the last few years when he was on the Coyotes and he was lights out for them,” Simmonds said in an interview at the pre-season game at the John Labatt Centre. “He’s an unbelievable goaltender and I’m just happy to be playing with him.” Though many would disagree, I think Holmgren made all the right moves. He may have traded away two of his star forwards, but in return he got two top prospects in Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier, great role players in Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek and the star goalie the Flyers have been in dire need of since Ron Hextall. file photo
Naira Ahmed Gazette