Friday, September 26, 2014

Fashion for Friday Looking fashionable during the transition from summer to autumn >> pg. 4

thegazette

TODAY high 24 low 9

Getting drunk at work since 1906

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906

TOMORROW high 23 low 10 VOLUME 108, ISSUE 16

Varsity sports attendance has been declining across the province. Why aren’t students interested in watching their peers, some of the best athletes in the country?

Nathan Kanter investigates...

The curious case of declining attendance

Nathan Kanter SPORTS EDITOR @NathanAtGazette

It was a scene straight from a Disney movie.

Dying seconds of the game. The score is barely within reach. Time for one final play; the Hail Mary.

Quarterback Jesse Mills launches the ball 50 yards down-field, hoping for a miracle. The ball falls short of the end zone, but tips off a defender and miraculously lands in the hands of receiver Nate Behar, who runs it in for the touchdown.

The game is over and pandemonium ensues. Behar is mauled by his teammates in celebration. Thousands of fans storm the field. The Carleton Ravens have won the game.

That was the exciting finish at last Saturday’s “Panda Bowl” in Ottawa. The game drew a crowd of 12,000,

many of them students, who had to pay admission.

Similarly, Western’s Homecoming drew a crowd of 11,459 and Guelph’s Homecoming had nearly 8,000 in attendance.

But the sad truth is these types of crowds are a rarity in Ontario University Athletics. Go to nearly any other university football game in Ontario, most of which are free, and you’ll be lucky to see even close to half of the thousands that attend on Homecoming. And football is the crown jewel of the OUA. Attendance at other sports doesn’t even hold a candle to football.

“I think there’s a lack of engagement in all sports across the country,” said Scott Hastie, a sports editor with McMaster University’s student newspaper The Silhouette and co-editor of a blog dedicated to Canadian Interuniversity Sport. “I think wherever you go, you’ll find engagement to be really low and I think the OUA knows.” >> see ATTENDANCE pg.2

NEWS

ARTS&LIFE

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Beerfest is the best fest Pg. 3

Teenage Kicks concert preview Pg. 4

Lounge space should be for all Pg. 6

Mustangs football travels to Waterloo Pg. 7

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thegazette • Friday, September 26, 2014

Jonathan Dunn • GAZETTE

Where are all the fans? >> ATTENDANCE continued from pg.1

How low is low?

Well, the most common attendance figure you’ll see on game summaries on the OUA website is – wait for it – zero. It’s clear that in most cases that’s not the correct number, but it does point to a likely

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scenario: attendance is so low it’s insignificant.

Is this an issue? As Jeff Daniels character Will McAvoy states in the opening scene of the HBO show The Newsroom, ‘The first step in solving a problem is recognizing there is one.’ Bryan Crawford, the executive director of the OUA, is well aware. “Generally we’d love [attendance] to be better than it is,� he said. “It’s certainly an area that each and every one of our institutions and ourselves at the office are focusing on.�

So if step one is recognizing the problem, the next step is figuring out why. Why aren’t students attending games at Canadian universities?

Neate Sager, a blogger for Yahoo Sports Canada who closely follows the CIS, says one factor is time. “There is so much strain on young people’s time, the course loads are more demanding, more students have to work during the school year,� Sager said. “So to commit 3.5 hours to watch the Mustangs, or Marauders, or whoever your school is, is much more difficult.�

Morris Dalla Costa, a sports reporter with the London Free Press, feels the same way. He’s covered the OUA for decades and has seen things change over time. “I think with school, with work for a lot of them, with simply preferring to go out on a Friday or Saturday night rather than come to a football game,� he said. “I just think that its really hard to attract them unless it’s a really special event.�

To him, the OUA could help its cause by working on improving its promotion. “The OUA is not really good at publicizing their own game, “ he said. “I think they publicize it as a sporting event instead of publicizing it as more than a sporting event. It’s a time and a place where students can get together and have a good time.

It’s not just about football.�

That being said, Dalla Costa does point out a problem with people’s perception. Often times, Canadians look at low attendance figures and ask the question, “Why aren’t we more like the States?� South of the border thousands of fans flock to college football, basketball and all kinds of other sports. But Dalla Costa, who is not alone, says that is not a fair comparison. “We can’t [be like the States] because we don’t have the same money, [and] we don’t put the same value in university athletics as the States does,� he said. “There’s also a value in education, which a lot of the universities in the States don’t

force their student athletes to follow.

Whereas here it’s a little different.�

Dalla Costa’s point is key. After all, the OUA’s mission statement is: “Developing student-athletes through academics and athletics to achieve excellence in life.�

Something in the States would probably read more like: “Feeding the pros with college athletes and making money off them without paying them a dime.�

Another thing that may get lost on many is our perception of just how many students go to college games in the U.S. While the University of Michigan may draw upwards of 100,000 fans to a game, what gets lost is just how many of those are students.

Sager feels student attendance at some of the biggest schools in the States is often a misconception. “If you look at the “big-10� schools, 75 to 80 per cent of the fan base for Michigan or Ohio state or Iowa, they are people who don’t have any formal connection to the university,� he said. “A lot of the people who are Michigan fans are just people from Michigan or who grew up in Michigan. They didn’t necessarily attend the university of Michigan but they feel like that’s ‘their’ school.�

College programs down South are actually seeing declining student populations at games, according to the Wall Street Journal. An August 2014 article written by Ben Cohen found that average student attendance at college football games in the United States was down 7.1 per cent since 2009.

Unfortunately in Canada there is nobody tracking the numbers, as is evidenced with OUA game summaries often recording a game attendance of ‘zero’. Also, it’s still clear the numbers aren’t strong, even when games are free.

But fortunately, Canada has great student-athletes, who aren’t solely dependent on their athletic careers to succeed in life. And, as Dalla Costa notes, the on-ice, on-field or on-court product isn’t too shabby. “Is it Michigan [versus] Ohio State? No, because you don’t have 130,000 people coming to the game,� he said. “But it’s certainly a product that should be on TV, should be watched, should be supported.

There’s no doubt about that.�

For those students who do find the time to attend a game, you never know, you might witness a storybook ending like the fans in Ottawa got. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll get to storm the field too.

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer

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. Š 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.

•3

thegazette • Friday, September 26, 2014

Beerfest a wild success USC to streamline appeals process Katie Lear NEWS EDITOR @KatieAtGazette

Winnie Lu • GAZETTE

Kevin Hurren DRUNK EDITOR-AT-LARGE @KevinAtGazette

Everything seemed to come together for the University Students’ Council’s Beerfest, held on Concrete Beach yesterday.

The weather remained consistently good, beer continued to be handed out by the plastic cup and – for the first time i a while – there was an excited and • Kevi n’s Tas eager line-up for a USC event. ting Car The event in question was the d first ever Beerfest, an occasion where the five dollar admission fee ONE HOUR LATER would get an attendee a burger, a An hour into Beerfest, little seems soft drink and a couple dozen beer to be going array. Although summer samples. has officially ended, the weather After tasting these samples, seems to permit an extra day for stustudents were encouraged to take dents to enjoy beer samples under notes on the various brands of beer. the sun.

These brands included Moosehead, Molson’s, Sleeman’s, Mill St. and a TWO HOURS LATER number of others.

Students continue to gather – and I Students were then prompted to continue to try more beer. The numvote for their favourite beer, with the ber of participants is impressive and winner added to the Wave’s roster of University Students’ Council memalcoholic beverages. bers continue to mix with students.

In an attempt to fully under- I’m fairly positive I’ve been stung by stand the experience of the aver- a bee. age student taster, I’ve traveled from my perch in the Gazette office THREE HOURS LATER down to Concrete Beach to try the The event is almost over. Having samples available. completed all 26 of the beer samples,

I find myself lost in a sea of faces.

Contestants are called onto stage for various challenges and though I wave my hand enthusiastically, I am yet to be called to participate.

Instead, I continue to sip my drink…

FOUR HOURS LATER

Beerfest is now drawing to a close and I shake plastic cups off my body as they announce the winner.

Cris Cervoni, manager at the Wave, announces that Carlsberg’s Grimbergen is the grand winner – becoming part of the restaurant’s on tap family.

Runner-ups include Lake of Bays’ Top Shelf NHL Alumni Lager and Hockley’s Dark Ale. Although not the main winners, both will be brought in as tall boys for the Wave.

“We just wanted to know what the students of Western wanted and they voted so now we know,” Cervoni said.

Of the roughly 650 participants in Beerfest, about 200 votes were cast.

FIVE HORSES LATER

Now that they Beeeerfest is over, I’ve bean left to pick up the pieces of my life and continew my day. With the successful event, how knows if ther Beerfrest will continue as a you es sea tradition.

The University Students’ Council passed a motion to create an independent appeals board in their council meeting Wednesday night.

“Previously we had different appeals boards for different processes. So there was one for elections, another for clubs and governance and there was another for grants,” Jack Litchfield, social science students’ council president said.

“Now all of these are being amalgamated into one appeals board that is supposed to be more objective and professional and composed — at least — partially of law students, so there will be an element of legal training there. We think that that will add a lot more legitimacy to our appeals process and hopefully prevent appeals from going to actual courts,” Litchfield said.

According to the draft of the bylaw, the appeals board will consist of nine students, who will be recommended to the post by a boards and appeals nominating committee that will include three members from the USC, a chair and two additional directors.

Health sciences councillor Megan Yang seconded this motion, originally moved by Trevor Hunt, social sciences councillor.

“An independent appeals board will provide a centralized and clear venue for appeals to be processed,” Yang said. “[It also] will allow appeals to be

dealt with in a more streamlined and accountable manner. There will be a mandated body where students can go to deal with appeals and it will take the onus away from the executive,” she said.

Eliminating conflict of interest within the appeals board was a key feature of the bylaw.

“No longer will the USC president be determining appeals on elections, it will be a fair body doing it – same thing with grants, same thing with clubs,” USC president Matt Helfand said.

“I really think this will make sure that fair and impartial decisions are handed down on appeals but also it limits our exposure, because if someone is unhappy with that appeal and they did for some reason take it to a court of law, we believe that this will be sort of due diligence on our part to make sure that we’re taking all of the steps necessary to put down fair decisions,” Helfand continued.

The motion also requires that there be at least three and no more than six students from the Faculty of Law on the appeals board.

“The justification behind that was that we wanted to give opportunities to law students who didn’t always have roles within the USC and also we wanted to provide a learning opportunity for people who are directly within that field and have experience there,” Helfand said.

The remainder of the appeals board will be made up of students of any faculty.

Correction In the article titled, “University enrolment down across Ontario,” published in yesterday’s issue, the accompanying graphic had some incorrect information.

The University of Ottawa had enrolment of 5,016 in 2013 and 4,491 in 2014, for a total decrease of 10.5 per cent.

The University of Toronto had enrolment of 10,110 in 2013 and 10,177 in 2014, for a total increase of 0.7 per cent. The Gazette regrets the errors.

Your Weekly Horoscope

The week of Sept 28 – Oct 4 This horoscope is intended for entertainment purposes only.

News Briefs

Magnet attracts employers to students

Western University has partnered with a new, non-profit enterprise that is aimed at making meaningful connections between job-seeking students with employers.

Co-founded by Ryerson University and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the goal of Magnet is to reduce the unemployment rate, particularly of youth, by connecting them to employers.

A number of schools, including Humber College and University of Toronto, have already signed up.

Western will soon have access.

Angie Mandich, acting associate vice-president student experience, said she is excited for the networking platform to be offered to students.

“It’s a great opportunity […] for students to be exposed to worldwide jobs, in terms of looking at making those connections,” Mandich said.

Business owners are able to select specific traits they are looking for in potential employees, including academic majors and languages spoken. The free service in-turn matches students with job postings that fit their credentials.

“A resume often doesn’t tell the

whole story, so this is an opportunity to get more information to the employer, and for the employer to give more information to the student,” Mandich said.

• Olivia Zollino

The challenge is on

During Western’s International Week, the second annual “World’s Challenge Challenge” will dare students to find a solution to an international issue.

Students are told to gather two of their peers and determine a problem currently facing the world and offer a remedy. They have five to seven minutes to present their answer to the identified issue in front of a panel of judges that’s set to include provost and vice-president academic Janice Deakin — so the pressure is inevitably on.

The main incentive for winning is a $1,000 scholarship for each group member to put towards funding an international experience. These opportunities include exchange, studying abroad, or volunteering.

Sara Ferwati, of Western International, says the point of the “World’s Challenge Challenge” is to, “encourage students to seek

those international opportunities if they had problems with money or expenses.”

Last year, the problems were varied, as were the remedies offered up. The winners developed safer alternatives to space heating and cooking in the developing world by utilizing satellite dishes and solar energy.

Ferwati stated that the main benefit of the competition is the fact that, “it raises awareness to a world that’s larger than the bubble of Western.” She continues to talk about the importance of fostering global citizenship; ensuring students are, “Not just consumed within the problems of the western hemisphere or within their own small community.”

The application deadline to participate is October 10 at 11:59 p.m. with the semifinals taking place on November 4 followed by the finals on November 11.

While the scholarship might enable students to be able to go abroad, it’s not just about that, says Ferwati.

“It’s not just the money, it’s the experience.”

• Bradley Metlin

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, though you are usually up for a conversation with someone you don’t know, this week you could be in a more conservative mood. You’ll have future chances to chat.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Few people will accuse you of being uncommunicative, Libra. In fact, you’re usually downright chatty. It’s one of the traits people will admire most in you this week.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 You have been on a shopping binge of late, Taurus.

If you have unlimited funds, this would not be so problematic. But finances are tight, and you should be more cautious.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, a new person comes into your life and your attraction to this person catches you off guard. It’s okay to flirt, but if you’re already attached to someone, leave it at that.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you are often an entertaining and fun person to have around. This is probably why you get so many invitations to parties and other social occasions. Enjoy your fanfare.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, you’re often the one to take the lead in conversations in your group of friends, but this week someone else takes the lead. You’re content to sit back and simply listen.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Surround yourself with children this week, Cancer.

They’ll provide the unedited, honest information you desire right now. It can certainly be eye-opening.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, once you have gained enough confidence in a special interest, you may be able to turn it into a career instead of just a hobby. Keep working toward that goal.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Spend some quality time with a romantic partner this week, Leo. He or she can provide more of what you need, such as true affection and companionship, than what’s offered by friends.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 It’s time to tie up some loose ends, Aquarius. Rustle up some energy to take care of all those little things that need to be wrapped up. You’ll feel a weight lift afterward.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Virgo, you deserve credit at the office. If you’re Pisces, increase your level of activity this week. patient, some measure of recognition will come your Exercise can do you a world of good, especially if way this week. It’s a start to getting what you need. you’ve felt sluggish of late.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS SEPTEMBER 28 – Hilary Duff, Actress (27) SEPTEMBER 29 – Alfie Boe, Actor/Singer (41) SEPTEMBER 30 – Barry Williams, Actor (60) OCTOBER 1 – Matt Cain, Athlete (30)

OCTOBER 2 – Brian Regan, Comic (57) OCTOBER 3 – Clive Owen, Actor (50) OCTOBER 4 – Shontelle, Singer (29)

4 •

thegazette • Friday, September 26, 2014

arts&life

badwriting “The Knights Templar were warriors,” Teabing reminded, the sound of his aluminum crutches echoing in this reverberant space.”

• Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

Where to get it Baggy Jean Dress: Nasato’s loose jean dress was purchased from H&M. Other similar styles can be found at a variety of stores, such as Forever 21. While Nasato’s dress looks great worn as is, adding a belt would also add to the outfit, creating a more feminine silhouette.

Grey Knee-High Socks: Socks like these are great to wear with dresses or skirts and can be found at many different stores ranging in price from Ardenes to American Apparel.

Grey Converse Shoes: These grey Converse are the perfect way to tie Nasato’s outfit together. They come in a variety of colours including white, which are also great for this season.

Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE

Fall may have begun but by some stroke of luck the weather has appeared to stay – at least for today anyways. Fourth-year BMOS student, Clarice Nasato, is embracing the season in style.

Her loose jean dress paired with grey knee-high socks is perfect for this weather – not too summery, but light enough for fall.

When it gets a little more chilly in the evening these socks will definitely add a practical aspect to the look in addition to simply being fashionable.

The light-coloured Converse shoes are also great for this time of year. They’re comfortable for

Ray-Ban Wafers: You can never go wrong with Ray-Bans – black, brown, whatever you choose – they’ll do nothing but add to an outfit.

trekking around campus all day and are stylish as well. It’s time to put those flip-flops away until next year and embrace shoe season once again.

a classic choice that go with any outfit and add to the overall look.

Nasato admits that her favourite part of the outfit is her dress.

“I love the dress,” she says. “It’s simple and easy to throw on and come to campus in, especially on hot days like this.”

“Throw on a simple baggy dress, dress it up with accessories and other things like that,” Nasato explains.

With heat comes sun, so sunglasses are another key item to have on days like today. There are many different styles and brands that are trending currently, however, Nasato is choosing to sport black Ray-Ban wafers. These are

For those hoping to emulate Nasato’s style, she suggests that they keep it simple.

Nasato demonstrates that it’s possible to dress comfortably for a jam-packed day on campus, while also looking good doing so.

She stands out from the typical sun-dress-and- flats combo that Concrete Beach is filled with and opts for something more cozy and cute.

Kelly Samuel • GAZETTE

Authentic rock ‘n’ roll alive and kicking Courtesy of Chris Payne

Sara Mai Chitty GAZETTE STAFF Toronto rockers Teenage Kicks emerged five years ago, an inevitable project that grew out of 10 years of brothers Peter and Jeff van Helvoort making music together.

Londoners will get an opportunity to send them off in style today at Rum Runners before their 10-date tour in Northern Ontario and the East Coast.

Having been through seven drummers in seven months, the band’s lineup hasn’t always been the most stable.

“This is probably the first time in a long time that they can expect a proper band, because we’re playing in a four-piece for the first time in I guess almost a year and a bit,” says Peter van Helvoort, guitarist and vocalist for the band.

Tonight will see the brothers joined by an old bandmate, Christian Turner, on guitar and Konrad Commisso of Poor Young Things on drums. The four-piece are fresh from touring last week says van Helvoort, so they’re sounding really good.

Teenage Kicks’ sound, for those who haven’t heard it, is definitively Canadian rock, yet the band sets themselves apart by not catering to fads and trends in modern rock.

“We’re not on the radio, that’s obviously something to do with it. I wouldn’t feel good if I was just like, ‘what’s going to get me on the radio, what do I need to do?’” says van Helvoort.

“My dad’s generation, they got to hear The Beatles on the radio

and all these amazing bands and be like ‘wow!’” he says. “And there’s another generation that got to hear “Eruption” by Van Halen for the first time on the radio and that was shocking to hear. And then there was another generation that got to hear “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the radio and these are all thing that changed something.”

For van Helvoort, honesty in his sound and performance are integral to keeping his interest in a business that has become about worshipping someone you’re not.

Citing Bruce Springsteen as an example, van Helvoort explains that when Springsteen first broke out, he was just himself and people loved him for it.

“No one who goes to see Springsteen feels let down,” says van Helvoort. “They don’t feel like they’re seeing, you know, Springsteen do a kick, which is what a lot of music is – it’s theatrics and then you portray it as being reality. So it’s always been important to me to give actual reality and not really escapism and all that stuff.”

Van Helvoort stays true to himself despite believing it’s not what people want from their music. This attitude is what he believes sets their music apart.

“I don’t care about money. I just wanna do something that I can respect and that ultimately, in the end, I might get remembered for.

That’s always been the goal.”

Catch Teenage Kicks at Rum Runners tonight with special guests The Weathered, Big Lonely and The Naysayers at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5.00

•5

thegazette • Friday, September 26, 2014

>> THE MAZE RUNNER

Brent Holmes DEPUTY EDITOR

— or at least, until you put another scoop of leaves in!

@BrentAtGazette

Pistachio Cream If you love the taste of pistachios, this tea is for you.

A white tea from David’s Tea, Pistachio Cream is a delicious tea combination. Pistachio aroma and a creamy chamomile taste make for a tea that brings together the best of both for a savoury dreamy cup.

The aroma of the tea smells like pistachio ice cream, courtesy of pistachio nuts and flavouring and natural cream. This is a dessert tea, great for after dinner when craving a bowl of ice cream.

The pistachio nuts mixed into the white tea work fantastically. To sip, the tea starts with a nice nutty flavour and transitions to a chamomile aftertaste.

This is a tea that needs to be sipped slowly. Large gulps make the flavour of the chamomile compete with the pistachio, with the chamomile winning out. To get a true appreciation for it, take small, short sips that allow a smooth blending.

Unfortunately, the tea leaves do not do well for multiple infusions.

While I will normally down 2–3 cups of tea from one spoonful of tea leaves, the aroma, pistachio and chamomile taste disappear after one infusion. Like a sweet dream, the magic of this tea needs to be savoured in the moment. The leaves provide a beautiful dance of flavours that can only be experienced once

Raspberry Cream A black tea from Steeped Tea, Raspberry Cream is a bitter black tea that doesn’t measure up to Steeped Tea’s other experiments with raspberry. I was hoping for an interesting cross between fruit and black tea what I got was a cheap-knockoff of Guinness.

Even before I infused the leaves, they smelled of a disheartening, artificial raspberry flavour that failed to inspire the same excitement as their Razzle Dazzle Raspberry rooibos.

The rooibos gave off an aroma that was warm and inviting, smelling like a warm raspberry crisp. Raspberry Cream felt to my nose as citrus acid feels to one’s eyeball. It felt artificial, like a raspberry flavoured candy but without the sweetness.

To sip, the tea is dark and unpleasant. Heavy black leaves overwhelm the hints of raspberry and the aftertaste is worse than coffee. Whoever thought that Barq’s root beer has bite has clearly never tried this tea.

I normally never add milk or sugar to my teas to keep the flavour pure but I did with this tea to see if it would enhance the taste of the tea. Sometimes milk and sugar can compliment the flavour of a tea, polishing and sweeting it. They didn’t.

The bitter taste was only slightly suppressed. I will only be drinking this tea again if I need coffee.

Disaapointed with the Gazette’s typos?

Come write for us in UCC Rm. 263

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240 WHARNCLIFFE RD. S.

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CITI CENTRE MALL

FRI. SEPT. 26 — THURS. OCT. 2

FRI. SEPT. 26 — THURS. OCT. 2

YVES ST. LAURENT (14A Sexual Content, Substance Abuse, Subtitled) Fri. 12:30, 6:45, Sat. 12:45, Sun. 2:35, Mon. 4:55, Tues. 12:45, Wed. 2:35, Thurs.

4:55 THE TRIP TO ITALY (14A Coarse Language) Fri. 2:30, Sat. 9:15, Sun. 12:30, Mon. 6:55, Tues. 4:40, Wed. 12:30, Thurs. 6:55 A MOST WANTED MAN (14A - Coarse Language) Fri. 4:30, Sat. 7:00, Sun. 4:35, Mon. 12:45, Tues. 6:45, Wed. 6:55, Thurs. 12:45 WALKING THE CAMINO: SIX WAYS TO SANTIAGO (G General) Fri. 8:45, Sat. 4;40, Sun. 6:50, Mon. 9:00, Tues.

9:00, Wed. 4:35, Thurs. 9:00

THE BOXTROLLS, (1hr 47min), FriThu:, 1:00 3:20 7:00 9:20 THE EQUALIZER (18A), Coarse Language, Brutal Violence, (2hr 22min), FriThu: 12:55 3:45 6:50 9:35 THE MAZE RUNNER (PG), Violence, Frightening Scenes, Language May Offend, (2hr 3min), Fri-Thu (No Passes until Sep 29): 1:05 3:35 7:15 9:40 THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU (14A), Coarse Language, Sexual Content, Substance Abuse, (1hr 53min), Fri-Thu: 1:20 3:40 7:05 9:30 A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES (14A), Coarse Language, Disturbing Content, Graphic Violence, (2hr 4min), Fri-Thu: 1:10 3:45 7:20 9:45 DOLPHIN TALE 2 (G), General, (1hr 57min), Fri-Thu: 1:15 3:30 7:10 9:30 THE HUNDRED FOOT JOURNEY (PG), Mature Themes, (2hr 9min), Fri-Wed: 12:50 6:55, Thu. Oct. 2: 12:50 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (PG), Violence, Not Recommended For Children, (2hr 12min), Fri-Wed: 3:25 9:25, Thu. Oct. 2: 3:25 ANNABELLE (14A), Gory Scenes, Disturbing Content, (1hr 49min), Thu. Oct. 2: 7:00 9:15

WESTERN FILM

MCKELLAR ROOM, UCC 2ND FLOOR

FRI. SEPT. 26 — THURS. OCT. 2

GODZILLA, (PG), 133min, Fri–Thu. 7:00 22 JUMP STREET, (14A), 122min, Fri–Thu, 9:30 MEAN GIRLS, Tonight Fri. Sept. 26 12:00 Midnight

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

A not so a-maze-ing film Kevin Heslop GAZETTE STAFF GGHFF Director: Wes Ball Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen Another popcorn massacre brought to you in part by the people who gifted us the notorious Eventide trilogy, The Maze Runner combines the three ingredients a pubescent science fiction action thriller can’t see coin without: an accumulation of genre signifiers, the phrase “You’re different from the others,” and the exhausted coming-of-age narrative to remind you of your going-tograve internal monologue.

The film jumps to a start with the birth-like emergence of an egoless adolescent (Dylan O’Brien) into a walled, agrarian society. Following a drink-and-wrestle ritual with the film’s antagonist Will (Will Poulter), the new guy — Thomas — is let in on the town secret: the ostensibly paradisal plateau hopelessly absent of the fair sex and called the Glade is surrounded by a shifting, concrete

maze. The maze is explored daily by running mapmakers and autonomously closed at night when nonetoo-savoury beasts come to dine.

The curious Thomas earns the respect of the Gladers’ leader Alby (Aml Ameen) and ventures out into the maze looking for answers.

Let’s get the merits of the film out of the way. To the credit of James Dashner, who penned the novel upon which the film is based, and the three screenwriters, the details of the plot hold together under scrutiny. A sausage is a sausage, in other words, but at least this one was carefully encased.

The principle performances were admirable, considering the average age of the cast. Dylan O’Brien, as a sort of male Bella, conveys intensity and the glimmers of in-character thought. Aml Ameen as the mayor of Gladesville would likewise benefit from greater depth of character. Will Poulter, as the obstreperous Joker to O’Brien’s Batman, stands out by a meagre margin with the hubristic tone of a convincing villain.

But you can smell conveyor belt all the way through. From the blatant, franchise-keen upswing

at the end of the film through the played dialogue to the monochromatic archetypes, you can almost hear director Wes Ball licking his amateur chops behind each frame.

The producers of the film have succeeded in hanging one-dimensional typecasts on the upstart actors and actress while paying dues to Henry Ford and darkening Edison’s grave.

Cinematographer Enrique Chediak provides the dark, dystopian palette for which the plot begs but, given the material, finds himself in talented corroboration with a crime. Something similar can be said of composer John Paesano, whose patient exercise of sprawling instrumentation, warm strings and vibraphone match the film’s texture well enough to be almost, to his credit, unnoticeable. But, unfortunately, a frump’s stylist is still a frump’s stylist.

With a cast and crew of clipped wings and the sincerity of an 18 year-old’s bachelor party, The Maze Runner is to Twilight what G.I. Joe is to Barbie — a patriarchic toy for the uninitiated and another executive, anemic hand in search of the old and holy dollar.

6 •

thegazette • Friday, September 26, 2014

opinions HAVE YOUR SAY

The Gazette asked students if they have ever been to a varsity sports game? Why or why not?

Kevin Hurren NEWS EDITOR-AT-LARGE @KevinAtGazette

3rd year, BMOS

Yes, I have this year for Homecoming...

I’ve been too lazy, I go out too much, Western makes you go out too much, maybe that’s why.

Alexandra Venger

4th year, Food and Nutrition Yes, Homecoming...

The rugby team. My roommates are on the rugby team and I’m interested in rugby.

2nd year, Nursing

Yes I have. Mostly football games, I’ve also been to volleyball and rugby...

I have a few friends who play or support the team, […]

I really know nothing about football but I just love the atmosphere and the excitement of [the games].

Brennan Ford

1st year, Social Science I have, yes, I was at the Homecoming football game, […] and I was at a volleyball game back in grade six or seven, I came to a volleyball game with my school...

I played football growing up, so I really like football. It’s probably one of the more popular sports here.

Theresa Sawkins 2nd year, Nursing.

I have, last year at Homecoming...

I never know when they are. One of my good friends just made the volleyball team, so I’ll probably go out to his because he’ll tell me when they are.

Volume 108, Issue 16 www.westerngazette.ca

Iain Boekhoff Drinker-In-Chief Brent Holmes Deputy Drunk Editor Richard Raycraft Sloppy 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.

Though not every student knows what it’s called, almost everyone has enjoyed the comfy couches, phone charging stations and good vibes of the Mustang Lounge East.

The West side of the Mustang Lounge, equipped with a fully functioning stage and individual meeting rooms, is used for large production shows, speaking events and conferences.

The East side, however, has a much more low-key setup — fluctuating between a rest station for students and venue for coffee houses, poetry nights and other club events.

Or at least it used to be.

This year, the University Students’ Council will not be allowing any clubs or organizations to book the Eastern side of the Mustang Lounge.

Why? According to one of the council executives, the decision was made to not only ensure the space remains open at all times but also to push students towards

the community room on the second floor of the University Community Center.

While this reasoning sounds valid, I can’t help but scoff.

My skepticism comes from the fact that Mustang Lounge East hasn’t been open to students as a place to relax. It hasn’t really been open at all this week as posters currently populate what is supposedly a student sanctuary.

Now, I don’t mind the poster sale. In fact, my argument isn’t against corporate presence on campus.

Rather, it’s against that corporate presence trumping student opportunity.

This isn’t the first time this year I’ve been confronted with such realities.

During O-week, subsidiaries of the USC were encouraged to set up booths to engage with and potentially recruit firstyear students.

I was somewhat surprised to find that instead of setting up inside the UCC atrium — where booths arguably see the most traffic — groups were told to pick a table outside on Concrete Beach.

The inside spaces, I discovered, were reserved for companies, like Bell and Rogers.

Ultimately the day went well, with great weather throughout, so being outside wasn’t a big deal — but what would have happened if it had been raining? I doubt Bell would have packed up and made room for the USC supports and

services.

Really, I’m offended on behalf of these supports. The USC offers valuable services for students with disabilities, students who can’t afford food, and students who feel that their gender race or sexual orientation is a barrier for success in university.

The fact that these groups are being shafted is disrespectful to the work they do and impedes upon their ability to reach out to students.

The same principle applies to Mustang Lounge East — that space was great for these organizations and many of the other clubs to host events. The location is out of the way, but still noticeable enough to attract wandering students.

It offered a quieter atmosphere than the Spoke but a more intimate one than the large Mustang Lounge West. It was a place where art flourished, friendships were made and the support and clubs system felt empowered by their council.

So if the USC doesn’t want events in the Mustang Lounge East in order to keep the room open — fine. But if the past week of poster sales has been any indication, our council is putting students second and I strongly suggest they reconsider their stance on the lounge.

Then again, I’m not Rogers, so why listen to me?

compete for the Charity Cup and challenging kids to raise the most money for Shinerama and Terry Fox are a few of the things Charity does.

Raising money to help fund research to make genetically deficient humans live longer lives seems objectively less important than providing food, water and shelter to people in Africa, and certainly not as important as providing London residents with those basic needs.

Yet, we still fund the research.

Charity asks us to think about the people we know suffering from cancer and brings people to give testimonials on stage for those who don’t have close relatives who have suffered from cancer.

This is what makes us donate. We donate for those we know. We donate because we think it will make the cute girl on stage suffering from CF live longer than the few years the doctors say she will live.

Perhaps there is a better way to redistribute the wealth of Western’s students and London’s residents besides the classic methods of charity.

Maybe we could be collecting money to ensure Western and its staff and students are watered, fed and with a warm bed before we start trying to fix genetically defective humans.

The motives behind Charity seem unfounded. Why do we donate to the Terry Fox Foundation? Why Shinerama?

Because we’ve been doing it for 50 years?

That doesn’t seem like a good reason.

Because it improves the school’s reputation — after all, who doesn’t like people who support charity? Perhaps well-fed students would be able to improve the reputation themselves.

But people won’t give money to Western students struggling financially.

After all, homeless people don’t deserve the money — they got themselves there.

So we give to charity instead.

Western, it’s time to rethink charity.

• Sam Gray

Letter to The Editor

Brianna Jackson

thegazette

• Bernie Worrell

USC puts students second Seven Minutes in Kevin

Hussain Bukhari

I was known around the college for jamming in the lounge.

Sophs getting soft on charity To The Editor: Last week, I shaved off my red, Huronspirited soph hair to look somewhat normal for the 10,000 people I would be cheerleading for at Homecoming. I had to shave it twice because after the first time, the red was still visible. Apart from generic comments about the red in my hair and the surprised faces that come with any drastic haircut, there was one especially interested human who persistently wanted to know why I shaved my head.

They were shocked when I told them it was for something other than cancer.

Offended, they spent a few minutes explaining the importance of doing your part to raise awareness for such important illnesses. It got me thinking a lot about the concept of “raising awareness” for charities and the purpose of charity as a societal tool of power.

Before I continue, I’m explicitly saying that while I may not support all charities, I commend any group of people actually working towards the betterment of society.

The Charity Soph Team (“Charity”) has been getting first-year students to wake-up early to beg London for money for 50 years. Enticing kids to buy Charity merchandise, getting soph teams to

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.

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

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Gazette Staff 2014-2015 Christine Bonk, Sarah Botelho, Tabitha Chan, Jonathan Dunn, Spencer Fairweather, Conrad Floryan, Sam Frankel, Jennafer Freeman, Janice Fung, Stephanie Grella, Dorothy Kessler, Kevin Heslop, Jenny Jay, Nathan Kanter, Katie Lear, Emory Liu, Haida Liu, Winnie Lu, Cheryl Madliger, Sara Mai Chitty, Soheil Milani, Mackenzie Morrison, Robert Nanni Jr., Amy O’Kruk, Vidhant Pal, Lily Robinson, Morgann Sampson, Alex Seger, Tiffany Shepherd, Tristan Wu, Olivia Zollino

Philosophy II

Dear Life Your anonymous letters to life

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News Amy O’Kruk Hamza Tariq Katie Lear Olivia Zollino

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•7

thegazette • Friday, September 26, 2014

sports

gameday The Mustangs men’s lacrosse team hopes to gain retribution against the Brock Badgers. Catch the game today at 3:00 p.m. on Mustang Field.

Rundown >> Mustangs lacrosse midfielder Lauren Stewart was invited to the under-19 Team Canada final selection camp training • Mustangs batter Nolan Anderson was named Ontario University Athletics male athlete of the week.

Mustangs face Waterloo in likely blowout Western looks to maintain perfect record in upcoming match Philip Benmore CHRW NEWS DIRECTOR @chrwradio

The upcoming matchup between the Western Mustangs and the Waterloo Warriors may seem like an open-and-shut case, but the Mustangs aren’t treating it that way. The Mustangs, who stand in second place tied with Windsor, who are near the top of the Ontario pool with an impressive 3–0 record, will be looking to extend their dominance Saturday. And as with any team with a game coming up, there is still a lot for the ‘Stangs to work on.

While not explicitly saying it, the team is clearly not prepping for Waterloo but is rather focusing on issues that if exploited could be critical in games in the coming weeks against bigger and more developed teams like McMaster, Guelph and Windsor.

On the offensive side of the equation the focus, as well as most of the talk on-and-off the field, surrounds star quarterback Will Finch. Finch is the linchpin of the team and a lot of their practice revolves around him and how he interacts with other players, particularly with receivers Brian Marshall and Matt Uren.

In the Homecoming game against the Varsity Blues last week, Finch threw four interceptions, which he’ll want to avoid facing teams with tighter offensive lines especially against Windsor who the Mustangs are set face in just a few short weeks. Despite all the talk, Finch threw for an impressive 314 yards in the last game and will be looking to do that again.

The other focus in the offensive

line will on the newest member of the Mustang squad Shaquelle Johnson who has impressed many in his two games as a Mustang so far, catching passes for 85 yards and also returning two kickoffs and five punts for another 67 yards. The Western offensive lines will likely be looking to resist the urge to chuck down the middle choosing the less comfortable routes to the far left and right of the field, in an effort to throw a less experienced opponent like Waterloo right off of their game.

While the Mustangs enter Saturday’s contest with their three win record, the Waterloo Warriors are the exact opposite. The Warriors season hasn’t exactly been pretty as the team has yet to find their rhythm and as a result, are without a victory so far this season. The Warriors have been outscored and outmatched by every opponent they’ve faced, giving up 206 points so far this season. Leading the Warriors’ attack are quarterbacks Jaime Cook and Lucas McConnell, both of whom have posted low numbers this year throwing only 586 yards passing, with a whopping six interceptions, and between them, only one touchdown. It’s the same story on the running side of things, with running backs Ryan Di Risio and Danny Silvestri putting up 140 and 139 yards a piece.

The Mustangs will be looking to continue their dominance of the field and tighten up their defence, using this game as a preparatory piece for future engagements.

You can catch all the action from Waterloo by tuning in to 94.9 CHRW. Kickoff is set for 1p.m.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS HAPKIDO: TRADITIONAL KOREAN Martial Arts, The Huron Hapkido Society meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00PM-9:30PM, Huron University College Dining Hall (Huron Room) Visit us at “UWO Hapkido” on Facebook for more info.

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

For solution, turn to page 2

8 •

thegazette • Friday, September 26, 2014

Did you know?

As an Upper-YeAr student, you can Live in all residences.

RezLife adds many advantages to your Western experience

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