Thursday, October 24, 2013

W W W .W E STERNGAZETTE.C A • @UW OGAZETTE

UBC suffers third sexual assault in as many weeks >> pg. 3

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Western launches Mental Health course Lily Robinson GAZETTE STAFF This week Western demonstrates its commitment to addressing mental health issues on campus and in the academic community, as it rolls out its first Interactive Learning Module on mental health.

The instructive online session is 30 minutes in length and versions are available for students as well as faculty and staff members. The informative module is intended to be an easily accessible learning resource for the Western community to broaden mental health awareness and provide knowledge of available resources.

“There’s been a lot of talk across the country about mental health training […] so this was a real opportunity for Western to be in line with best practice,” Nicole Versaevel, health promotion manager of Western’s health services, said. “Having something campusspecific is unique in that [students and faculty] get more from it.”

Versaevel and a team of collaborators have worked for roughly a year and a half on developing this initiative in order to provide Western students and faculty with a navigable and interactive learning medium.

“Ultimately the goal of the module is twofold. Primarily it’s to increase mental health literacy on campus — to get people aware,” Versaeval explained. “The other part of it is to increase access

Chris Miszczak GAZETTE

TODAY high 7 low -1

and awareness of resources that we have on our campus, because we were finding a lot of people were unaware of the services on campus.”

Those who complete the module will be guided through an interactive experience consisting of appearances by members of the Western community, representative scenarios and quizzes drawing upon external knowledge as well as knowledge gained within the module.

Five common areas of mental health are presented within the module: Stress, anxiety, depression, suicide and eating disorders.

The exploration of each category adheres to a model referred to as identify, approach and access.

According to Versaeval, this model addresses common questions encountered by Western’s counseling services about concern for a friend or colleague.

Angela Mandich, associate vice-provost of academic programs and students, echoes Varsaeval’s hopes that this module will address a gap in the understanding of how important mental wellness is to our everyday happiness and success, and how to help both others and yourself.

“Part of our goal at Western is to support all aspects of the student, a very holistic approach.

They come here for education, but education is more than just intellectual learning — it’s looking after yourself, it’s being a part of the community and participating in global activities,” Mandich said. “Western is really dedicated to our students and to supporting them in terms of all aspects of their education, and we want them to be successful.”

Mandich emphasized the many ways in which we can ensure our mental wellness, and appealed to students to pursue positive and healthy involvements. Exercise, connectivity and social interaction, continuous learning, exercising compassion and selflessness, and finding enjoyment in the little things are amongst wellness practices promoted by Western health services.

Students who complete the Interactive Learning Module will attain credit towards their cocurricular transcript. Students and faculty can access the module at www.health.uwo.ca/ mental_health.

TOMORROW high 8 low 3 VOLUME 107, ISSUE 28

Study says students avoid condoms in relationships Aaron Zaltzman ASSOCIATE EDITOR It seems Canada’s university students are predominantly fools who do not wrap their tools, according to a survey released by Trojan and the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.

“It was a broad survey, so we looked at many different aspects of university students’ sexual health.

But one of the main findings that stuck out was the level of condom use, which turned out to be pretty low,” explained Alex McKay, research coordinator for SIECCAN. “Only about 50 per cent of university students reported that they used a condom the last time they had intercourse, which is disappointing given that it is precisely that age group that have the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections in Canada.”

The problem was not so much students shunning safe practices, but rather shifting them to other methods. For many students, it seems, pregnancy is of greater concern than STIs. “The students who were using condoms were doing so primarily as birth control, rather than reducing STI risk,” he said. “The reason given from many people who didn’t use condoms was that they were already using another form of birth control.”

“In other words, birth control is driving condom use behaviour among university students.”

McKay said this trend is disturbing because unlike condoms, oral birth control — such as the pill — don’t protect against STIs, for which students are in the riskiest age group.

However, the students engaging in unsafe sex were not Casanovas and Casanovettes, but rather the monogamous type who typically only have one long-term partner.

“We found that sexually active students who engaged in casual sex were more likely to use condoms,” McKay explained. “The people who were not using them were the students in a relationship — they assumed that because they only have one partner, that is curing both partners of any asymptomatic diseases.”

This practice can have serious consequences for students if they’re not being careful.

“One of the reasons why so many students do end up with STIs is that >> see STUDENTS pg.3

Mike Laine GAZETTE

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thegazette • Thursday, October 24, 2013

Caught on Camera

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer Logan Ly GAZETTE

PURPLE AND WHITE. A student takes advantage of savings on Western wear. The Book Store at Western is having its annual Fall Sidewalk Sale in the lower level of the University Community Centre.

OUSA to meet at Western Assembly to tackle provincial student issues Iain Boekhoff NEWS EDITOR The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance will have its Fall General Assembly at Western over the first weekend of November.

OUSA is a coalition of various Ontario universities’ student governments, which lobbies the provincial government on student issues such as the cost of tuition and quality of teaching. The association has a research centre and focuses on creating policies that all member universities can agree on.

The biannual general assembly is the “highest governing body of the Alliance and conducts the passage of policies, breakout sessions for current issues, and directs the focus of the Alliance” according to OUSA’s website.

Delegations from seven universities will be present, including 11 Western representatives.

Universities attending include Queen’s, McMaster, Brock, Wilfrid Laurier, Waterloo, and Trent.

Notable speakers will include Brad Duguid, Ontario minister of training, colleges and universities, who will deliver a speech and also be involved in a question and answer period, as well as his NDP counterpart Teresa Armstrong.

Amir Eftekarpour, president of OUSA and vice-president external for the University Students’ Council, said the general assembly will focus on passing three policy papers. One focuses on an access strategy for low-income groups, underprivileged groups and racialized groups, another focuses on ancillary fees and the rising use of ancillary fees to cover costs and the final paper focuses on student success through teaching quality and student support services.

Western’s delegation will consist of three USC councillors who were elected to attend and eight other people selected by Eftekarpour for their various skills and job positions.

“What you always hope to accomplish out of GA is really, really productive dialogue that can

inform the three policy papers,” Eftekarpour said. “[We] hope to get the research and the ideas that OUSA’s been doing, the staff have been doing, and that student leaders from steering committee have been doing, and to have those be approved by students from across all the schools, or changed and discussed based on student input and then those are passed and they become standing policies.”

The first day of the assembly will feature speakers in the morning and policy paper discussions in the afternoon. The second day will have presentations on OUSA’s recent activities, Change Camp, which is a forum where people identify issues and discuss them to contribute to future policy papers, and finally a tour of Western for the delegates.

The third day will be a council meeting where policies are deliberated and voted on.

“We want to get standing policies that can drive the organization,” Eftekarpour said.

News Briefs

London Hydro not for sale

Solution to puzzle on page 8

After a slim 8–7 vote, city council decided against selling any portion of London Hydro Tuesday. The sale of the $300 million utility has been the topic of heated debate since Monday night’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee meeting, which concluded with the recommendation not to sell the utility.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, Ward 4 councillor Stephen Orser attempted to convince the council the city should only be barred from selling a controlling interest of London Hydro, allowing the city to sell up to 49 per cent of the asset.

In spite of Orser’s efforts and the support of six other voting members, including Mayor Joe Fontana, the initial recommendation held.

The rationale behind selling London Hydro was to generate funds for the city. However, while the sale appeared lucrative, Ward 5 councillor Joni Baechler was not convinced.

“This is an asset that provides the city with approximately $10 million every year,” Baechler said. “There are many examples of municipalities that have sold the asset, blown the money and are watching their rates go up.”

For Baechler, even the proposition of limiting the sale of the utility to maintain a controlling interest was not a convincing option.

“If you sell a portion of Hydro you have someone sitting at the table and participating in directing the utility with an interest other than a London shareholder. There are numerous examples of a partial sale of Hydro that has been problematic,” she said.

Despite the confirmation of the ban, there are still several options at hand for the future of London Hydro. Notably, the city may begin exploring options for the expansion of London Hydro through merger and acquisition opportunities.

—Christine Bonk

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 24, 2013

UBC has rash of sexual assaults on campus Stephanie Grella CONTRIBUTOR A recent series of campus assaults against female students at the University of British Columbia has impelled the RCMP’s Major Crime Unit to step in and investigate.

In the wake of these attacks — three have occurred in the past month — the UBC Alma Mater Society’s Safewalk program has extended their regular hours of 8:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.–4:00 a.m. “[The extension of hours] can provide comfort for people in the short term, and that’s great,” Samantha Johnstone, unit manager at Western’s Foot Patrol, said. “But it obviously doesn’t solve the problem of sexual assault in society.”

In all three UBC assaults, the students were walking alone in the late hours of the night — between midnight and 3:30 a.m. — when a male suspect grabbed them from behind and attempted to drag them elsewhere. All women screamed, causing the suspect to flee.

The most recent attack has been the most violent one yet — the suspect punched the woman in the face

and tore off part of her clothing, according to The Ubyssey. Although the suspects’ physical descriptions resemble each other, police have not yet confirmed if one perpetrator is responsible for all three assaults.

Here at Western, Foot Patrol has been offering a safe walk for students since 1989, covering areas on main campus including all Western residences, the affiliate colleges and local student neighbourhoods.

Providing safe transportation for students, Foot Patrol also deploys SUVs, bringing students to the Masonville Gardens area as well as down Wharncliffe Road.

“Our volunteers provide a feeling of safety and an overall sense of comfort even if [students] are not using the service,” Johnstone said.

“It’s like seeing some type of presence on campus — students tell us they feel a bit more comforted by that.”

Western Campus Police is a 24-hour operation that promotes a safe community on campus year round. Working closely with residence staff, Campus Police ensures students are well educated about campus safety.

Bill Wang GAZETTE

“I find the results here are much better than in the city,” Campus Police staff sergeant Jean-Claude Aubin told The Gazette. “We have a large amount of officers and more visibility around Western’s campus.”

UBC campus security police, the Vancouver Police Department and the RCMP are working together to ensure security of all students.

Increasing awareness around campus, the university has put up posters, e-mailed notices to students and faculty and held emergency meetings in campus residences about the recent attacks.

The series of assaults follows the “rape chants” that occurred during UBC’s frosh week. Some students have become even more cautious

Haunted forest moved to Mustang Lounge Flooded Saugeen Forest forced move from usual location Richard Raycraft NEWS EDITOR The University Students’ Council’s annual “haunted forest” Halloween event will be more of a “haunted room” this year. The popular spook will have to be moved from its traditional Saugeen Forest location to the Mustang Lounge East due to flooding in the woods.

Adam Smith, vice-president student events for the USC, explained the move.

“Due to increased rain, […] the forest is not only cold but hard to run in terms of getting volunteers to actually come and stay — to make sure they’re warm enough and that they feel good,” he said. “[The forest] isn’t completely under water, but there is a lot of flooding, which

meant that the path would have to be reduced anyways, so it would be probably half of what it could be last year.”

The move will return the event indoors, having been conducted in the Saugeen Forest for the last three years.

“So it was a pretty simple decision to move it into the lounge and make it a haunted house again,” Smith continued.

Smith also explained that the move has a number of advantages aside from avoiding the flooding.

“It also was going to be overbudget, considering typically a lot of the supplies get ruined in the forest,” he said.

“You set them up and by the end of the three days it’s either raining, or there’s mud, or there’s [fake] blood

Due to increased rain, […] the forest is not only cold but hard to run in terms of getting volunteers to actually come and stay — to make sure they’re warm enough and that they feel good.

— Adam Smith

vice-president students events for the University Students’ Council

on everything. So we had to throw out a lot of stuff last year because we also don’t have security to come and watch everything, so anybody could come into the forest and steal anything they wanted.”

The event will now take place in the Mustang Lounge East from October 28 to 31. The move will also make the event easier for students to find and access. That portion of the lounge will be closed for student use during that period.

Asked about the event’s scare potential, Smith commented that the move would add to it.

“I think it will be scarier,” he said.

“It will be less about watching what’s on the ground — because usually you’re tripping on a tree — and more about watching what’s around you.”

of the campus’ perceived culture of rape and violence. “[UBC’s Safewalk program] is a short-term solution, and it’s a good one if it makes people feel safer,” Johnstone said. “But there are obviously still other things that need to be done on a societal level that we all need to work on in terms of violence against women.”

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Students use other birth control >> continued from pg.1

once they’re in a relationship they discontinue condom use in favour of other birth control,” McKay said.

“Once that relationship ends, and they move on to a new relationship where they repeat the pattern. They have had unprotected sex with multiple partners, which is a recipe for STI risk.”

“The students who tended to engage in casual sex did a better job

of protecting themselves because they used condoms a lot more. So the thought that people who engage in casual sex are more at risk is not so accurate.”

According to McKay, even STI testing doesn’t do enough to protect against potential infection — the most common STIs can often go overlooked on a routine test.

“What people don’t recognize is that the two most common STIs in Canada are HPV and genital herpes.

If you walk into a clinic and ask to be tested for STIs, what you’ll often get is a test for HIV, chlamydia, and maybe a pap test for a woman,” McKay explained. “But a test for HPV and herpes costs extra money in most cases.”

“Both partners have to go through a range of tests and periodically repeat them. If you’re that determined, you can do that,” he said. “But most students who make the transition don’t do that.”

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thegazette • Thursday, October 24, 2013

Arts&Life

saywhat?

“Of all that is written, I love only what a person has written with his own blood.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Sweet Lemon makes no-meat sweet treats Mary Ann Ciosk ARTS & LIFE EDITOR With the foundation of the Vegan Club at Western this year, it is clear that veganism is becoming a more viable and popular option among students. Although cooking vegan meals is an easy change to make, eating at restaurants and cafes around town still remains a challenge. Fortunately, Sweet Lemon Bakery (82 York St.) is a beacon of hope for those looking for sweet treats devoid of animal by-products.

“I always had dreams of opening a place that was strictly vegan.

I found it really hard in London to find [somewhere] just to grab a cup of coffee or a cupcake,” says Romy Buchner, founder and owner of Sweet Lemon Bakery. “Veg Out and myself are the only strictly vegan places.”

The bakery is completely vegan, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, casein-free and refined sugar-free, with an emphasis on local, organic foods — and incredibly, the treats taste virtually identical to their animal-derived forbearers.

“Being a strict vegan, I was always interested in providing delicious foods free from animal

by-products that everyone could enjoy. I love the look on someone’s face when they bite into something that I have made, and it can stand up against non-vegan treats,” Buchner says. “People are often shocked that vegan foods can taste so good.

Maybe it will encourage those that aren’t vegan to realize that they can still enjoy food if they were to give up dairy, meat and eggs.”

Sweet Lemon offers an incredible variety of sweets and baked goods including cupcakes, cookies, biscotti, cinnamon buns, brownies and cakes.

Traditional ingredients such as milk, butter and eggs are substituted with wholesome and ethical alternatives. Earth Balance can be used in place of butter and blended cashews are surprisingly effective in mimicking the taste and texture of cheesecake.

“My favourite thing to make here at the bakery would be our cashew cheese cake which comes in many flavours. In the summer months we also made almond ice cream sandwiches. They were a hit,” Buchner says.

Sweet Lemon Bakery was open in the Western Fair Farmer’s Market for approximately a year before it

Bill Wang GAZETTE

NO GLUTEN, NO ANIMALS, ALL TASTE. Sweet Lemon bakery is a rare gem in London if you’re looking for food both high in ethics, and high in deliciousness.

opened its new location on York St in June 2012.

“We have a strong customer base that knew us from the market and followed us here, and we have more and more people are coming in every day. And a lot of our customer base isn’t necessarily vegan,” Buchner says.

The bakery has been extremely

popular with individuals endeavouring to find tasty alternatives to foods with gluten, dairy and eggs.

Sweet Lemon further promotes healthy living and veganism by only using sugars that are unrefined.

“Refined sugar is stripped of any nutrients that are derived from sugar cane through a bleaching process that often uses animal bone

char,” Buchner explains.

Buchner’s philosophy of using only wholesome foods is still a rarity in London. However, hopefully with the increasing demand for restaurants offering food compatible with a vegan lifestyle, students will see more restaurants in line with Buchner’s “long-time passion for veganism.”

Halloweentown (1998) For numerous children, it became evident Halloween was around the corner when Halloweentown began to grace the schedule of the Family Channel. While sitting in front of the television for the noon movie as kids was fun, throwing back to this film with Halloween around the corner will surely bring back awesome memories.

The story focuses on Halloween night in the “mortal world” in an average neighbourhood. Seemingly magical things have been happening to the children of the family, which their mother, Gwen (Judith Hoag), tries to suppress. Unfortunately for Gwen, her mother, Aggie (Debbie Reynolds), comes to town and begins to educate the children about all things magical. It turns out both women are witches from a place called Halloweentown, a place where all kinds of creatures can get along. As the two begin to bicker, one of the kids, Marnie (Kimberly J. Brown) overhears and sets out to follow her grandmother along with her two other siblings.

Watching the film again while in university makes you realize that some of the most endearing moments of Halloweentown are quite campy; it’s evidently aiming to be a fun children’s movie.

That said, there are a few dark scenes that make you wonder how this movie is digestible for

kids. For instance, at one point, the children watch as their mother and grandmother are attacked and literally frozen in time, which is still a little heart wrenching.

The performances are also just straight up fantastic. Watching Debbie Reynolds, a very famous film actress, carry on as a kooky witch is undeniably enjoyable. What makes it better is the fact that the actress also seems to be having fun with her role. The rest of the cast delivers adequate performances.

While the corny jokes might be a little hard to handle, throwing back to Halloweentown is going to fill anyone with nostalgia. Sure, it’s not horrifyingly profound but it’s fun and that’s what counts. The film is best viewed (at this age) in groups, so wrangle a few friends together and watch your childhood slowly come back to you!

— Bradley Metlin

Canadians far too salty Recommended salt-intake raised Jenny Jay GAZETTE STAFF Health Canada recently increased the daily recommended salt intake for adults to 2,000 mg.

The previous daily recommended intake of 1,500 mg was seen as unfeasible for Canadians to achieve, as the average Canadian is already well over the recommended limit with an average daily intake of 3,500 mg of sodium.

“They changed it is because 1,500 mg was just not something that Canadians could adhere to,” says Anne Zok, nutrition manager for Western.

Individuals should recognize that although the daily recommended sodium intake has been increased, it does not mean that it is permissible to increase the amount of salt one is having in a day.

“Salt in the diet is still a huge issue and I think that they should not misinterpret the fact that it has been increased to imply that Health Canada is saying that we can consume more salt,” Zok explains.

Students should be wary of food items that may be hiding more salt than you’d think.

“Two slices of bread can easily have 250-300 mg of sodium, […] an everything-bagel can contain 500 mg of sodium,” Zok says. “Read the nutrition facts panel, stock cupboards with food items that have a responsible sodium content, [and] be aware of what the recommendation is for sodium, and how much sodium you’re taking in.”

Salt contains a mineral called iodine, and helps the body maintain

FILE PHOTO

fluid balance. While it is definitely necessary to have some salt in our diet, too much can cause the body to retain fluid, and can cause high blood pressure.

“Where there is too much pressure in the arteries it causes high blood pressure, […] it affects the blood flow, and that can predispose you to atherosclerosis or the hardening of the arteries, and that of course predisposes you to heart disease,” Zok explains.

Consuming too much salt is a problem that many North Americans fail to recognize and fail to monitor. By taking preventative measures and being more aware of how much salt is in their diet, individuals can easily prevent health conditions that may ail them later on in life.

It should also be noted that while Health Canada has given Canadians a guideline to strive towards, the amount of sodium that should be

taken depends on age and gender as well.

“Young adult males are at the greatest risk for consuming the greatest amount of sodium,” Zok says.

But while many North Americans are at the risk of consuming high amounts of sodium, having too little salt could also be a problem.

“Extremely active competitive athletes may risk the chance of hyponatremia, which is low sodium in the blood, because they are losing so much sodium through sweat,” Zok says.

While this may be the case, students should recognize that the vast majority of them are not active and competitive athletes. Students may like to believe they’re amazing athletes, but if they’re not training for the Olympics or a national team, chances are they probably need to be watching their salt levels and they are likely exceeding them.

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thegazette • Thursday, October 24, 2013

One horrendous horror Remake of classic adaptation a bloody mess

Night of the Living Sequels Holmes is on the Case Brent Holmes ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Courtesy of MGM

Kevin Heslop GAZETTE STAFF GFFFF Carrie Directed by: Kimberly Pierce Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore Carrie, the latest version of Stephen King’s thrice-adapted 1974 novel of the same name, follows the story of a socially inept teenager who discovers, hones and uses her telekinetic ability to avenge the cruelty of her clique-bound peers and delusional mother while navigating the charm of an impossible love.

To say that this film is comparable to a barn being set alight would be an understatement as unworthy of ink as this film is to King’s novel, or Brian De Palma’s original adaptation; furthermore, a barn burns much more interestingly.

Director Kimberly Pierce has clumsily strung beads of King’s novel and the age of Facebook into a necklace unfit for public viewing — the matching bracelet includes gratuitous violence, frenzied CGI and an array of mostly unexceptional

performances.

With the principle role, the 16-year-old Chloë Grace Moretz oscillates Carietta “Carrie” White impressively between the poles of cripplingly shy and violently enraptured with some success, despite severely reminding us of the handicap of her age; at best she is as stunted socially as the film is dramatically; at worst, she is forgivably obvious.

Often opposite Moretz as Carrie’s mother, Moore is unpredictable and tangibly inhibited by a warped view of reality — her performance is what Robert DeNiro’s presence would be to a Justin Bieber concert.

Judy Greer, well-cast as Miss Desjardins, Carrie’s P.E. teacher and ally, is charmingly conflicted and appropriately mediocre and well-contrasted to Moore.

Portia Doubleday imbues Carrie’s counterpart, Chris Hargensen, with incongruous, though meagre, depth and attention to Hargensen’s humanity; she gives a performance surely second to Moore, though by a considerable margin, and adds en masse to the sparse positive tallies of the film.

Ansel Elgort, as Tommy Ross, rounds out the trio of top performances, with compelling moments of genuine connection to life between himself and Moretz with admirable intimacy and moments of tact.

Gabriella Wilde, as Sue Snell, gives us her best “conflicted face” with about as much depth as a puddle.

Despite the implicit claim, this film is more a holy terror than a supernatural horror — it is rife with the loudly obvious moves of any work attempting to claim a genre, achieving in degenerating King’s fourth novel into the bastard offspring of “The Jersey Shore” and the as yet unpublished “Remaking a Horror Movie for Dummies.”

Gene Wilder once said that he considered the 2005 remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory an insult — similarly, this modernized attempt to capture King’s early novel onscreen slanders De Palma, King himself and the horror genre generally and succeeds in little besides falling flat.

This past Monday I got to watch one of the scariest films I’ve seen for a while — it was a 1964 Japanese film called Women in the Dunes. It is the story of a man who gets kidnapped and thrown in a pit with a woman where the two must endlessly shovel sand out of their small prison home.

The film is by no means a horror, but it does its job better than most horror movies. Watching the man’s will slowly break down was a terrifying experience reminiscent of how I feel when watching contemporary horror films.

This October, moviegoers will be happy to know that the fifth Paranormal Activity movie has been pushed back allowing for that god-awful remake of Carrie to take the spotlight in the rotten pumpkin festival that makes up Hollywood’s Halloween horror releases.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that horror movies have significantly declined in quality over the past 20-30 years — shock scares, overuse of CGI, and bad characterization have taken front and centre in horror movies when what makes good horror is a matter of thematic tension and revealing the hidden evils within its respective society.

George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead are two of the best films for revealing the horrific aspects of American society — the family, racial tensions and consumerism provide the meat and potatoes

of watching the film while the blood and gore is appropriately regulated to being the goat cheese and dressing on the side salad.

What works about these films is the revelation that the American 50s family is a site of horror rather than safety. These kinds of things still exist in our society — celebrity obsession and fast food culture were successfully turned horrific in last year’s Antiviral and Compliance, respectively. Hopefully, we will soon see a horror film exploiting the terrors behind social networking and Internet obsession.

But it’s more than that.

Another thing Hollywood cinema has forgotten is the importance of offscreen space. Some offscreen monster will always be scarier than a make-up or puppet monster and that will always be scarier than some CGI thing. We aren’t going to see improvement from Hollywood. If something sells, it will only be remade or continued to the point where one forgets what made the original film good — Paranormal Activity was a decent enough, if flawed, scary movie before it got sequelled to death.

The point is that there are legitimately good horror films that get made — but they have to be discovered. With independent cinemas, the Internet, and other means of distribution, we can find good films that exist outside of the Hollywood mainstream.

Often I have heard that music, film, and books have declined in the Information Age and that our generation is incapable of creating quality art. I think that we are still capable of doing so, it just requires that we cannot be afraid of actively looking for works of art — even if they may be located in the deepest, darkest corner of our grandparents’ basement.

Get healthy by desk-ercising Danielle Taffe CONTRIBUTOR The use of exercise equipment in the office is rapidly gaining popularity.

While exercise equipment such as stability balls, treadmill and bicycle desks offer a solution to the common conflict of finding time for both exercise and work, there is still speculation about whether they are worth the investment.

Saddie Pudister, a personal trainer at the Western Student Recreation Centre, is a huge supporter of these new inventions, as they break up the time spent sitting.

“I think that these ideas are definitely pointing us in the right direction — trying to decrease the amount of time spent sitting. It is detrimental for our health to spend too much time sedentary and inactive,” Pudister says.

Pudister contends that using stationary exercise equipment is also a great way to introduce exercise

I think that these ideas are definitely pointing us in the right direction —trying to decrease the amount of time spent sitting. It is detrimental for our health to spend too much time sedentary and inactive.”

— Saddie Pudister

to those who often put work before fitness.

“I think that it is great to see that health and exercise are becoming a higher priority for businesses and their employees. For those who do not exercise at all this is a good starting point. However, once introduced to regular movement I think

that exercising at greater intensities should be explored,” she says.

Despite Pudister’s excitement, she warns potential users about the dangers of the trend.

“My only concerns would be postural issues from sitting on a stability ball if the individual has lumbar spine and or weak back extensors, and distraction from work because of the equipment,” she says.

For those of us that are not quite ready to invest in office exercise equipment, Pudister suggests doing a few simple exercises during the day in order to avoid the negative mental and physical effects of being inactive for extended periods.

At the very least, Pudister encourages taking walks or an exercise break during lunch. As she explains, “This small bit of exercise works wonders to burn more calories and allow your muscles to be stretched, contracted and stimulated which will make sitting for longer time periods easier on your body.”

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thegazette • Thursday, October 24, 2013

Opinions

There is nothing funny about Halloween. This sarcastic festival reflects, rather, an infernal demand for revenge by children on the adult world.

— Jean Baudrillard

“Sexy” costumes not an excuse for sexual assault Seven Minutes in Kevin Kevin Hurren OPINIONS EDITOR “In girl world, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”

This line of dialogue comes from the 2004 classic Mean Girls, but a trip to any costume store today will prove that, after eight years, not much has changed.

Racks are lined with skimpy and revealing costumes, many of which are just “sexy” versions of costumes that would have never before been associated with sex appeal. “Sexy chipmunk,” “sexy garbage can,” “sexy aquarium” — all these are very real examples of Halloween options women can choose.

When it comes to such costumes, I find myself in two different camps.

First, I strongly believe that women and girls should be given more choice.

Mixed with these sexy costumes should be ones that are scary, gruesome, cute and funny.

These costumes should also come in varying sizes and shapes, better reflecting the natural variation of bodies in our community.

That said, unlike many of my peers I don’t think that sexy costumes should be ceremonially burned. They can’t be the only options, but they should remain an option.

Why? Because Halloween should be treated no differently than any other day of the year, where women can — or at least should — have enough personal autonomy to wear whatever they choose.

The most common reasoning I hear from those against such Halloween attire is that overly sexualized costumes will lead to an increase in sexual assaults.

Before going on, I must acknowledge that anyone can be sexually assaulted — but for the scope of this discussion I’m going to talk strictly about women and female costumes.

The main problem with the “sexy costume” mentality is that it once again blames victims, asking women and girls to regulate their behaviour so that they

Dear Life

Letter to the editor

The plight of the lefties To the Editor: Last Wednesday, I broke my wrist flying over my handlebars on Sarnia Road. At the last moment of my crash I remember reaching out my dominant hand and instinctively slamming the brakes.

For the average person, that would have locked the back wheel and slowed down the bike. For me, the left brake controls the front wheel, and my moment of instinct caused me to be propelled even further.

For almost 90 per cent of the population, the distinction of a right-handed bike is invisible. For me, however, that tiny engineering decision doomed my split-second instinct. The obstacles that lefties face every day are trivial compared to the barriers of other minorities, both past and present. Yet, they still exist.

I mean, imagine having to hold a cheese grater the wrong way. Every time.

When I buy a funny coffee mug, I want the picture to face me so I can enjoy it while I sip my drink. What about struggling with can openers, leaf blowers and measuring cups on a daily basis? If I can’t find a left-handed desk in Middlesex or NCB, my back will ache while taking notes.

These inconveniences may be trivial,

thegazette

Volume 107, Issue 28 www.westerngazette.ca

Julian Uzielli Editor-In-Chief Cameron M. Smith Deputy Editor Jason Sinukoff Managing Editor

Contact: www.westerngazette.ca University Community Centre Rm. 263 The University of Western Ontario London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580 Advertising Dept.: (519) 661-3579

The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.

Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff.

To submit a letter, go to westerngazette.ca and click on “Contact.”

All articles, letters, photographs, graphics, illustrations and cartoons published in The Gazette, both in the newspaper and online versions, are the property of The Gazette. By submitting any such material to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette‘s hard copy and online archives.

but the pent-up aggression is real. History tells us the oppressed always fight to make our world a fairer place. We may not be able to reload a Nerf gun without switching hands, but that doesn’t mean we’re a joke.

Left-handers have always been great leaders, disproportionately so. Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, Jay Leno. Our free world will be cultured by the likes of van Gogh, da Vinci, and Lady Gaga. Our art will be symmetrical, guitars reversible, cooking appliances versatile.

Any child can be born left-handed, even yours. How can you sleep knowing the world will shun your potential offspring? Your child will never be able to “casually” borrow a baseball glove. Our next generation should never be forced to shake hands, salute or pledge allegiance in a manner that represses their very nature.

In our new world order, people will rejoice. Three-ring binders will be no more, so students can write without being jabbed in the arm. No longer will clumsy Kindergarteners be forced to use righthanded scissors like fools. Foreigners will flee their archaic nations that still deem the left-handed as satanic, greeted here with open arms. Newcomers will be welcomed, regardless of their orientation: Left, right, or even the ambidextrous.

As a leftie, I demand my rights.

—Kevin Chao FIMS III

Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Maja Anjoli-Bilic

won’t be the target of “natural” male sexual frustration. As many pro-feminist discourses have already established, reaching these conclusions just isn’t working. Why are we more concerned with teaching people how not to be sexually assaulted than we are with teaching others not to sexually assault?

By telling women not to wear such costumes for fear of sexual assault, we’re shaming some women for wearing the only type of costume available and making others feel guilty about wanting to wear these costumes. This Halloween season we should instead focus on teaching the perpetrators of sexual violence — male or not — that their actions are not okay, regardless of what their victim was wearing.

So yes, a “sexy racoon” is a ridiculous costume — but when I’m out at a bar or a club and I see someone being forced into a situation she is uncomfortable with, I won’t stop myself from intervening because she’s wearing a certain costume. If I did stop myself from objecting because I thought in any way that she deserved it, then — regardless of what costume I was wearing — I would be a monster.

Diana Watson

Gazette Staff 2012-2013

Danielle Bozinoff, Jaclyn Carbone, Jonathan Dunn, Andrew Evans, Chelsey Gauthier, Ross Hamilton, Danny Huang, Amanda Law, Jared MacAdam, Sarah Mai Chitty, Sarah Manning, Kaitlyn Oh, Sarah Prince, Chen Rao, Herb Richardson, Nathan Robbins-Kanter, Lily Robinson, Katie Roseman, Jasleen Sembhi, Nathan TeBokkel, Jacqueline Ting, Caroline Wang, Kate Wilkinson, Zoe Woods, Usman Zahid, Mason Zimmer

News Richard Raycraft Megan Devlin Iain Boekhoff Jeremiah Rodriguez Arts & Life Brent Holmes Mary Ann Ciosk Bradley Metlin Sports Daniel Weryha Nusaiba Al-Azem Caitlin Martin Newnham Opinions Kevin Hurren

Your anonymous letters to life Dear Life, I am so over everyone criticizing Miley Cyrus. Leave her alone, she’s growing up.

Dear Life, I just learned that masturbation helps relieve menstrual pains!

Dear Life, Do people even tweet anymore?

Dear Life, Remember KONY 2012?

Dear Life, There needs to be a Dear Life app!

Dear Life, I’m so glad I took Psych 2075. Best. Course. Ever.

Dear Life, What ever happened to Mischa Barton? wgaz.ca/dearlife

Associate Kaitlyn McGrath Aaron Zaltzman Photography Logan Ly Bill Wang Kelly Samuel Graphics Naira Ahmed Illustrations Christopher Miszczak John Prata Online Jesica Hurst Graphics/Video Mike Laine

• Please recycle this newspaper •

•7

thegazette • Thursday, October 24, 2013

Sports

tweet of the week Had a long cry with Reggie…now he’s gonna do what Reggie does…out work everybody and fight n work his way back. >> Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay), owner of the Indianapolis Colts in response to Reggie Wayne’s injury

Rundown >> The Western Mustangs softball team won their fourth consecutive Ontario Championship on Sunday with a rematch win over the Ottawa Gee Gees > The Mustangs secured the 5–2 victory with an early three-run jack from their third-year infielder Shannon Davidson.

Mike Laine GAZETTE

8•

thegazette • Thursday, October 24, 2013

Mustangs climb rankings after weekend The Western Mustangs field hockey team finished the season strong on Sunday by adding two wins to their record and squeaking into third place for the playoffs.

Sporting pink socks and bows for the team’s annual breast cancer game, the Mustangs took the field at TD Stadium against the Waterloo Warriors.

“Many of the team and staff have ties to this cancer, so we thought we’d show our support,” Jeff Pacheco, Mustangs head coach, said. “It just shows what type of family our team is and how we support each other.”

Fourth-year defenceman Megan Duffy lead the way on Sunday by hammering in the first goal early in the game off of a well-executed short corner. For the remainder of the half the Mustangs continued to control the play and generated chances.

“Going into the game, we knew what we needed to do in order to win but did not let the confidence overpower us,” Duffy said.

Two minutes into the second half, Waterloo’s Melissa Lewis pocketed a goal to show that they were there to contend. However, the experienced Mustangs responded with back-to-back goals off of consecutive short corner opportunities by veterans Karly Bryson and Katelynn Roganowicz. Before the end of the

game, Stephanie Snyder finished off a Waterloo corner to bring the final score to 3–2 for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs’ short corner unit has been consistently effective this year, scoring 12 of a total of 26 regular season goals off of short corner plays. Duffy’s powerful shot is perhaps at the heart of the unit’s success, and it has placed her fourth in the league for individual points.

She attributes the play’s success to practice and confidence in her teammates.

“Whether it is straight from the top, a rebound or smart plays at the top of the defensive circle, our corner unit is always determined to score as many goals as possible in short corners,” Duffy said.

She opened up the team’s second game of the day against McGill with yet another short corner finish. This was followed up by a goal from Western’s lead scorer, Katelynn Roganowicz, who is second in the league for individual goals. Co-captain Safia Mohammed scored before the end of the half. In the second half, Duffy claimed a second goal along with rookie forward Nicole Borgess. McGill matched the Mustangs with two goals of their own, but remained unsuccessful, being defeated by a final score of 5–2.

“Winning this weekend was crucial for us in order to earn a more comfortable seed going into the OUA championship,” Duffy

The hijinx of jinxing

Caitlin Martin Newnham SPORTS EDITOR It is my fault that Garret Sanvido, running back for the Mustangs football team, injured his ankle on September 21. Before you get any ideas, let me explain. I didn’t take a bat to the guy’s leg, but I definitely jinxed him.

Jinxing is the act of casting bad luck on someone, something or some event. In sports, fans don’t even need to be interactive with players or teams to feel like they have attributed to a specific injury or failure.

Whether you believe in luck or not, psychologically speaking, we have a natural tendency to want control. As humans, we have expectations, but these expectations don’t always parallel reality.

On September 20, the day before the aforementioned injury, I was on assignment to write a story about injuries in football for The Gazette’s Homecoming issue. I headed out to TD Stadium, digital recorder in hand, ready to ask four players about their experiences with football injuries.

Sanvido stood in front of me on his fully functioning ankle, geared up and ready to practice for the game against Laurier the next day.

From my perspective, it was when I opened my mouth and started asking questions that things started spiraling out of control.

I asked Sanvido — along with three other star players — multiple questions about injuries, including,

“What football injuries do you see the most amongst your team members?” I got a range of answers, but ACL tears and ankle injuries were the most touched upon.

Specifically, one phrase that Sanvido uttered in response to my questions about concussions is my strongest evidence that I jinxed the poor guy. He said, “I just try not to think about it.”

This unsuspecting running back was just trying to focus on preparing for his game against the Golden Hawks and I was drilling the idea of getting injured into his head. I’m likely giving myself more control over Sanvido’s mind than I have, but I cringe when I think that this idea could have been the seed in his brain for a rapidly growing tree of worry about the harms of playing football.

This phenomenon of “jinxing” players and teams is not uncommon in the sports fan world. It has led to countless face-palms and freak-outs amongst our sports editors already this year.

Only a few days ago, sports editor Daniel Weryha was talking about how confident he was with his pick of Reggie Wayne for his fantasy football league, only to have the player suffer a season-ending ACL tear the next day. Dan, grasping the sides of his head in frustration, looked like he was about to blow a gasket while admitting that his confidence had jinxed Wayne.

Regarding the issue of control, in my case, I was expecting our star running back to go into the Laurier game and set records. However, I attribute my expectancy and reality not matching up to my perceived control over Sanvido’s mind and, therefore, his ankle’s safety.

Sorry, Sanvido.

remarked.

The Ontario University Athletics championships kick off this Friday at York University, and the silver and gold medalists will continue on to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships. Pacheco is keeping his expectations high for the tournament.

“We have had our sights on top two for weeks now. I expect the girls to rise to the occasion, they have yet to play to their full ability,” he said.

Western is set to play the last place seed from the Atlantic university conference on Friday, and if they are successful, will play Guelph in the semifinals, which Pacheco says is their biggest challenge.

“We know [Guelph] has had our number so far this year, but we also feel the score in those games doesn’t reflect who we are as a team. I can guarantee that the girls will be ready to compete,” he said.

Western has lost to Guelph by a one-point margin both times they have seen each other in the regular season. Michelle Turley, head coach of the Guelph Griffins, is preparing for another tough match with Western in the OUAs. “Western makes for a very competitive contest, and we don’t take them lightly,” she said.

Mike Laine GAZETTE

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START LOOKING FOR next year early and beat the wait lists! Visit www.varsityhousing.ca for luxury apartments and houses. $500-$600. Downtown and near campus: 519-858-2525, tbell@varsityhousing.ca

GYMWORLD-GYMNASTICS CLUB in North/West London is looking for an ECE (Early Child Educator) and gymnastics coaches. On bus route. ECE position - $14-20/hr for 4 morning per week+, 14 to 24 hours per week available. Gymnastics coaching has many different shifts available. Days, evenings and/or weeksends. Work as little as 3 hours per week or as many as 20 hours. Great pay. Please call 519-474-4960 or e-mail to info@gymworld.ca.

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR SAT. Nov. 2 between 11a.m. and 2p.m. London Central Lioness will be holding their Annual Christmas Bazaar at St. Luke’s Anglican Church, 1204 Richmond at Bernard (just north of the university gates). Books, bake table, treasures etc.

Refreshments, free admission, enter off Bernard.

DANCE CLASSES AT DANCE STEPS- 743 Richmond St at Oxford 2nd floor beside Urban Outfitters.

Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop drop in or join a session. www.dancestepslondon.ca or contact us dance_steps@hotmail.com, 519-645-8515.

FEELING STRESSED OUT? Registered Massage Therapy and Registered Acupuncture minutes away from Western. Coverage under SOGS and USC Health Plans.

Call 519-601-5436 email: chaboczki@rogers.com

Alternative Beauty Services is opening a retail outlet in London. As the exclusive distributor for L’Oreal, Redken, Tressa, Sexy Hair and Spa Ritual products in Ontario, Alternative clients range from large multi-chair salons to small one owner salons.

UPCOMING EVENTS

TIPS ON HOW TO AVOID BEING PHISHED 1. Never respond to emails that request personal financial information.

PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.

For solution, turn to page 2

We need people to staff the store – a. Full time – 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday – Store Manager, Salary $26K. b. Part time – 20 hours per week (including 5 hours Saturday) – Store Clerk, $10.25/hour We anticipate opening the store in early November and will require staff late October to assist in setup and for training.

E-mail your resume to mktsearch@newellconsultants.com.

Alternative welcomes all resumes from qualified individuals, but unfortunately, we will only contact those selected for interview. No phone calls, please.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED LIFE AFTER DIVORCE A study out of Western University exploring life of participants age 13-23 whose parents separated/divorced after age 10. Includes 2 interviews and art-based participation. Contact Laura 647-990-9806 or lhartma@uwo.ca

HOUSING RESIDENCE ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE Vacancies now available for first-year and upper-year students in main campus residences. Visit our website at www.residenceatwestern.ca and login to myResidence to complete the application and provide contact information.

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