GGGGF I’ll be frank with you Fassbender gives quirky performance in dark comedy >> pg 5
thegazette
TODAY high 24 low 16
Experiencing irregular heartbeats since 1906
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014
WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
>> WATCHA GONNA DO WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU
TOMORROW high 18 low 12 VOLUME 108, ISSUE 06
>> Sardines or students
Students stuffed into residences Olivia Zollino NEWS EDITOR @uwogazette
Inside Project LEARN: ridealong with London Police Iain Boekhoff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @IainAtGazette
“Shaft!” There was no response from the homeless man sitting on the side of Richmond street, looking down at the ground. Sgt. Tyler Cowan honks the horn of the London Police Service van. This time the man looks up, grins broadly and is at the side window in a flash. “How ya doing tonight?” Cowan asks him. He continues to talk to him for a few minutes before continuing down Richmond Street. It was 1 a.m. on the first Saturday of September and Cowan was on patrol for the night with the dreaded media. For four hours, The Gazette joined Cowan on patrol for Project LEARN. What Project LEARN is Project LEARN — Liquor Enforcement and Reduction of Noise — is an LPS program conducted in the fall when post-secondary students come back to school. The program mainly consists of increased patrols in the student residential areas around Western
and Fanshawe College, as well as an increased presence downtown. While this may be seen to specifically target students, the majority of charges and tickets over the past few years has been to those who do not go to either school. Cowan, the leader of the community oriented response unit, leads a team of 12 constables on Project LEARN with up to 20 additional officers on patrol for busy nights during the fall program. This year’s LEARN runs for four weeks instead of the usual five because Western’s homecoming is so early this year. Cowan is in his fifth and last year of leading the program. The relationship with students Cowan said the relationship between the police and the University Students’ Council has been much better already this year. Cowan noted the relationship with student leaders at Western was antagonistic last year and it was exacerbated by a couple major controversies that cast a negative view of the police in many people’s minds. This thawing of the relationship is shown by this year’s vice-president external, Jen Carter, and other executives who already have gone on a
No boring nights on ride-alongs
ride-along with Cowan, with plans for more student representatives to go, while last year’s representatives were not interested in doing so. Cowan said not only have student leaders been more receptive to cooperation with the police, they have successfully persuaded the police to be more conscious of student issues. Project LEARN officers will be more carefully taking into consideration the effect of a several hundred dollar fine on a student this year. Project LEARN is not just a police initiative, Cowan said. It involves students, student leaders, university and college administration and community members. This year, all have been in the same room together, which is a first. So about that cheerleading ticket last year…. During Homecoming last year, Western’s cheerleading squad performed an impromptu routine for students partying on Broughdale Ave. before the football game. After they were done, a police officer issued a $140 ticket for causing a disturbance to the captain of the team.
I really didn’t want to go, initially, and I made it obvious to the editorin-chief. I had to clean my apartment, finish up a few errands and nap. I had better things to do on a Saturday night, even if they didn’t involve alcohol and dance partying. But three hours later, I was in the back of a police SUV, buzzing around London on the lookout for troublemakers, hooligans and ordinary students having a pee in a back alley. I covered a lot of the Gazette’s Project LEARN stories from last year. The London Police Service enforcement initiative focusing on noise violations, alcohol consumption and public urination has certainly raised its share of controversy, and I was following all of it. Laying
>> see POLICE pg.3
>> see UNDERSTANDING pg.3
World of Raycraft Richard Raycraft MANAGING EDITOR @RichAtGazette
Western’s Housing Services have converted residence rooms in order to accommodate the overwhelmingly high influx of firstyear students. Housing Services has implemented bunk beds in Ontario and Medway-Sydenham Hall in an effort to keep up with the demand for on-campus residence. “Western has experienced a higher than anticipated enrollment of first-year students, which has created a high demand for spaces in our residences,” said Susan Grindrod, associate vice-president of housing and ancillary services. In addition to the overabundance of first-year acceptances, Delaware Hall is closed for the 2014-2015 year due to renovations. Students were notified and given the choice to be placed in expanded spaces beforehand, as well as given a discount. For a three-person room, the rate dropped to $6,000. David Harris, a first-year engineering student, accepted a residence room with a bunk bed. “It’s been pretty good so far, it’s bigger than my bedroom back home,” he said. However, not everyone is happy with the way Housing Services handled residence placement. Zach Smith, a first-year science major, said he was not informed that his payment was not received until he made a phone call to Housing Services the Friday before move-in day. As a result, another student had >> see RES pg.2
Inside Dwindling parking spaces P2 Movie Review: Frank P4 Just Ask Jenny P5 Syllabus accountability P6 Men’s soccer P7
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thegazette • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
>> Aparkolypse 2014
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer
Parking woes for students Megan Devlin ONLINE EDITOR @MegAtGazette
Springett parking lot has a new entrance this year, but the reduction in spots is giving many student drivers headaches. Over the summer, Western closed the Brescia lane entrance to the parking lot and constructed a new intersection and entrance at Huron College along Western Road. The construction removed 120 spots from Springett, but some were gained at Huron. Overall, students are down about 80 parking spots at Springett this year. Faculty and staff surrendered just over 30 spots. They recouped their losses at Springett in the new South Valley lot between the Rec Centre and Health Sciences Building “Community members need to realize that over time there’s going to be less parking on campus not more,” said Keith Marnoch, director of media relations at Western. The reduction in spots in the already cramped Springett lot as well as the lane closures on Western Road due to the entrance construction have student drivers aggravated. Hayley Rudolph, a fourthyear Media, Information and Technoculture student, described
Solution to puzzle on page 8
Community members need to realize that over time there’s going to be less parking on campus — not more. KEITH MARNOCH
DIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS AT WESTERN
the situation with just one word: “horrendous.” “I have a lot of issues about parking, like how they’ve actually removed spots from Springett […] so annoying,” Taylor Hanson, a fourthyear medical science student said. Western Communications even sent out an email over the summer warning students they would likely not find parking at Springett after 9 a.m. “Springett is the preferred lot for many students and spots tends to fill quickly at peak parking times,” the email read. Marnoch, however, mentioned that there is still unused capacity at
both Medway and Huron Flats lots. Another problem Hanson had with parking was the increased monthly price students pay compared to faculty. When purchasing a yearly pass, both groups pay around $400. However, when purchasing a parking pass per month, faculty pay $34.80 but the student price is markedly more expensive at $85.10 per month. Undergraduate students are only permitted to park in green permit lots at the outskirts of campus — essentially, when paying per month, they are paying more than double the price for worse spots. “The pricing structure was established several years ago for parking and is in line with other universities,” Mark Van Den Bossche, manager of parking services at Western, said in reply. With regards to yearly pricing, Marnoch was quick to point out that Western is in the bottom third of what universities typically charge. “You’re looking at about $400 here at Western. If you’re at Laurier, for example, it’s about $429, waterloo is $450, Guelph is $455,” Marnoch said. The rates at Western did, however, increase by five per cent since last year.
Students forced to bunk up in some residences >> RES continued from pg.1
already taken his spot in residence. “When I got that news, that was the most devastating thing in my life. It was shattering,” Smith said. While he puts some onus on himself for the payment error, Smith is upset that Housing Services did not inform him earlier so that he could apply to affiliate colleges for residence. Western’s policy dictates that residence is guaranteed for full-time first year students who have come directly from high school. However, that is if you accept your offer of residence and pay the deposit fee by a set date.
“In order to manage these increased enrollments and uphold the residence guarantee, established deadline dates were enforced,” Grindrod said. Smith was issued a refund for his $800 deposit, but was left scrambling for off-campus housing. “I feel like they didn’t care at all about my situation,” Smith said. As for Housing Services, they continue to assert that they did the best they could with the limited space given. “We appreciate the understanding of the affected students during this time and wish them success in their first year at Western,” Grindrod said.
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 • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Police softening approach >> continued from pg.1
The public’s reaction was swift: what the hell? The problem stemmed from the fact the scene on Broughdale showed signs of escalating beyond control, something the LPS is wary of following the 2012 St. Patrick’s Day riot. Cowan said there were many elements that had the police concerned about the safety of the people partying — roughly 5,000 people were on the street at its height, the vast majority of them were drunk and there were people perched precariously on rooftops. “There were so many things that were similar on Broughdale that we saw on Fleming Drive on St. Patrick’s Day.” “There’s probably 3,000 people on the street, we were barely hanging on to it. We had drunk people everywhere, people on the rooftops and here now we’ve got a school sanctioned team walking down the middle of the street, pulling people onto the street like crazy, essentially shutting the street down to us. So my question to you is, […] is there not some accountability to that school sanctioned team for being such an instrumental part of directly opposing what we’re trying to accomplish there?”
The school has to take more responsibility for the actions of sanctioned teams off campus, Cowan said. “Do that same event, we’ll help you block off some grounds on the university, get people there and have a party — and that’s what Matt [Helfand, USC president] and Jen [Carter] are trying to do this year with an on campus Homecoming is generate that school spirit in a safe and simple way somewhere else.” The canvassing Another controversy from last year, police canvassing of student information, was not a rip-off of some oppressive “Nazi” idea. In fact, the intention had to do with helping students protect themselves in the event of an out of control party, for example. Should students holding a party find that it becomes more than they can handle — if 50 friends turns into 200 —the police can help clear everyone out, but only if they know who and how many people live in the home. Cowan noted if students are concerned for the safety of the people or property in their home, they can call the police to help them without automatically being ticketed hundreds of dollars for the various infractions that inevitably happen. Furthermore, students are
News Briefs
Universities unite for new online grad program
A web-based program called MyGradSkills.ca has been developed to offer online modules for enhancing professional skills such as career development and entrepreneurship. The program’s hope is to provide students with more resources to help with the time constraints many graduate students face. Alison Sekuler, associate vice-president and dean at McMaster University, is taking the lead on the initiative. “We worked as a group of seven universities and each university took lead in an area they specialized in,” Sekuler said. “It’s the first time its been done in this way.” The Ontario Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities has contributed $1.2 million to the venture with future funding coming from website subscriptions. The ministry has been working on the program alongside Ontario graduate universities such as Western. To date, 65,000 graduate students in Ontario have already joined the program during its trial run. “Given the time restraints of graduate students […] having this access is a huge step forward,” Sekuler said. • Darcy Mundair
Western gets new app
Students now have a chance to take Western with them outside the bubble. A new app called Western U has been created to share information, events and other tools with students. With over 5,000 downloads and a 4.7 out of 5 rating on Google Play, this new app expands upon its predecessor while keeping the same free price. “This was a joint venture between Western’s Information Technology Services and the department of Communications and Public Affairs,” said Terry Rice, the director of marketing and creative services at CPA.
This application required a busy summer for DivergentSoft, the development firm responsible for the app. DivergentSoft, a company founded by Western alumni, allowed the work to stay in the school. The bus schedule feature includes support for transit both within campus and around the city, providing bus times for all stops. The eatery function is capable of determining which on campus locations are open. With the goal of making this app as “usable as possible to students,” there is full OWL functionality. A recent review of the app by user and Western student Bhavin Prajapati claims that “Western has entered the next generation of mobile computing.” According to Rice, comments and suggestions for the application are being regularly monitored on the App Store and the Play Store. • Mitchell Nagy
Goodall comes to Western
A world class primatologist is coming to Western. Dr. Jane Goodall is a globally renowned primatologist, ethologist and anthropologist. Goodall is most widely recognized for her 45-year landmark study of the social interactions of chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. She is considered one of world’s top experts on chimpanzees. Goodall will be giving a lecture at the event, An Evening with Jane Goodall, taking place this Thursday, September 11, at 7:00p.m. at Alumni Hall. Helping to facilitate Goodall’s visit is Dr. Rick Quinn. Quinn is a veterinary ophthalmologist, Western faculty member and the founding director of the charitable organization, Docs4GreatApes. Docs4GreatApes spreads awareness about issues affecting great apes and is partnering with Western to sponsor Goodall’s visit. • Amy O’Kruk
notorious, Cowan said, for not locking their doors in the Fanshawe area and that leads to not only theft, but out of control parties. “What will happen is, these guys are looking for parties, they’ll find an unlocked place and they’ll start kicking up a party there,” Cowan said. “There will be 100 people in the house and the owners aren’t even there.” Cowan said while the goal of the program was good, the execution was a “mistake.” The difference between Western and Fanshawe students While this Saturday night was unusually quiet — disappointingly so for your intrepid correspondent — there was a noticeable difference in activity between the two post-secondary student residential areas. We only went once towards Western and there wasn’t a soul — outside of some skunks on the prowl — on Broughdale Ave. However, Cowan took us several times to the Fleming Drive area where many students were walking the sidewalks and having parties on their porches and in their garages. The reason for this, Cowan thought, was that Fanshawe students, being further away from downtown, prefer to stay near their homes to party, while Western students “love their bars.”
Understanding LEARN >> continued from pg.1
down fines of hundreds of dollars on broke students who decided to turn their speakers or stereos up a few decibels. While I had a fair amount of knowledge of Project LEARN I was lacking in understanding, and that’s ultimately what convinced me that going on this ride along would be worthwhile. The whole experience was incredibly fun, even though Sgt. Cowan, our trusty police escort for the evening, assured us that it was a really slow night. Even then, though, downtown was a gongshow and there were a fair number of parties. We went around London’s core about four or five times, from Western to downtown to Fanshawe and back. Seeing downtown on a Saturday night through sober eyes in the back of a police car is like entering a whole new world. There’s something about drunk adolescents and young adults stumbling downtown that’s remarkably puerile in this context. This brings me to a broader point about how illuminating the whole experience was. The sergeant consistently emphasized to us that the extra patrols sent out during L.E.A.R.N. are not out
to get students — that they have a genuine function and purpose. I always agreed with the basic premise of the initiative, namely that increased noise violations, alcohol consumption and dangerous behaviour necessitates more enforcement. But like a lot of the Western student community I rolled my eyes at some of the tickets being dolled out, not least of which was the one slapped on the cheerleaders for…cheering. When I brought the matter up to the sergeant, he provided an astoundingly solid rationale that the cheering, considering the time and place, was in fact quite dangerous. The same broadly goes for other warnings and tickets handed out to students. As isolated incidents they seemed ridiculous, but if you aggregate the populations of Western and Fanshawe descending upon a city that includes over 300,000 non-students, the whole effort starts to make a lot more sense. And looking out the window of the police vehicle into the downtown, watching piss-drunk students stagger over themselves while a veteran who’s spent decades in the London Police Service explains the dangers and the often inadvertent harms, it did.
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thegazette • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
arts&life
wednesdayword Morass: a fiasco, a complicated or confused situation. Also, an area of muddy or boggy ground.
Watching your waistline at the movies Conrad Floryan ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @ConradAtGazette
They say mindless blockbusters are bad for you. While high-octane action movies can be thrilling, they are often derivative and Optimus Prime has wreaked just as much carnage on audiences’ attention spans as on the Chicago skyline. According to a recent study from Cornell University, blockbusters can claim another casualty — your waistline. Researchers from Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab discovered that viewers eat significantly more while watching whopping action films than during slower, talk-heavy shows. Test subjects viewing Michael Bay’s The Island consumed 98 per cent more food and 68 per cent more calories than those watching Charlie Rose. “We do sell more snack bar items for blockbuster movies,” confirms James Waite, Western Film coordinator. “They’re called popcorn movies for a reason.” Anne Zok, nutrition manager with Western’s Nutrition Services is not surprised by the study results. She says our environment affects how we eat and often we fall into mindless eating. Len Piche, Foods and Nutrition professor at Brescia College affirms the impact of mindless eating. “The viewer’s mind is not on what they’re eating at the time,” Piche says. “They are more engaged in the car chase or whatever action’s
happening on the screen.” Higher concession sales at theatres for blockbusters are also related to the demographics interested in these movies. “The younger crowd tend to come to the blockbusters and they tend to buy more food and the serious films draw an older crowd and they tend to eat less,” Waite explains. Popcorn is the mainstay of film-going cuisine — Canadians consume 1.6 billion quarts of popcorn every year, about a quarter at the cinema. The nutritional value of popcorn depends largely on how it is served. “Popcorn in and of itself is considered a whole grain and it’s a beautiful snack however if you buy it at the theatre chances are it’s loaded in butter, oil, and probably a lot of saturated fat and sodium,” says Zok. Although theatres offer few healthy snacking options and it is discouraged to bring personal refreshments to the cinema, there are useful strategies for patrons who want to take in the carnage without packing on the pounds. It’s helpful to eat a meal before leaving for the theatre. Bringing a limited amount of money will prevent excessive purchasing of concessions. “Maybe even forget about lunch if you’re going to the matinee,” says Piche. “Whatever you have at the theatre is going to be your lunch.” Piche believes awareness is crucial. If moviegoers are conscious of the tendency to overeat
Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE
LIGHTS, CAMERA, POPCORN. A study by Cornell University found that moviegoers consume more calories while watching an action film in comparison to other varieties of entertainment. Participants in the study consumed 98 per cent more food while watching a Michael Bay film.
at blockbusters they may decide to order smaller portions at the snack counter. Watching movies at home provides a greater control of healthy snacks. Zok recommends baked chips, whole wheat crackers with cheese, fruits and vegetables, or a handful of nuts and seeds. “Have a water bottle because sometimes we mindlessly want to
put something in our mouths and if it’s just a water bottle that will help to keep you fuller longer,” says Zok. Despite healthy alternatives, junk food concessions are inextricably linked with cinema culture and viewers are often happy to resign a night out at the movies as a special treat exempt from health considerations. “Theatres started bringing in things liked air-popped popcorn that
was healthier but nobody bought it,” Waite says. Junk food has mass appeal and movie theatres are dependent on concession sales to survive and keep ticket prices at check in a tumultuous film economy. So go ahead and upgrade that slushy to an extralarge. Nothing washes down a little mind-numbing better than a cool calorie cocktail.
On Disc
GGGGF Slow Leaves Beauty is so Common Manitoba Film and Music Highlight tracks: “Everybody Wants to be in Love” “Life of a Better Man” “Institution” Back to school shopping means it’s time to update our school supplies, wardrobes and playlists. A fitting time for the release of Winnipeg folk artists, Slow Leaves’ new album Beauty is So Common on September 6. The album showcases the natural beauty of Slow Leaves poetic lyrics, accompanied by a melodic Americana folk instrumental
with pop style harmonies. Beauty is So Common, deviates from Slow Leaves’ (Grant Davidson’s) freshman album, Tired Limbs for Ashes, where he sheds his Hank Williams inspired country flare and turns to a subtle sound with intimate lyrics. The album was created in collaboration with fellow Manitoban musician, Rusty Matyas, who produced the album. Matyas incorporated shimmery pop harmonies, framing Davidson’s heartfelt lyrics. Every track sounds unique. The final product is comparable to other Canadian folk artists such as City in Colour and Great Lake Swimmers. Tracks range from more upbeat country tinged tracks like “Life of a Better Man” to easygoing and subtle melodies, such as “Institution.” Slow Leaves provides a collection of polished and well-written ear candy. Whether it will be snuggling up with a tea and textbooks, or a late night study session at Weldon, Beauty is So Common, will be a welcome addition to many study soundtracks this year. • Christina Carfagnini
Volunteer for Arts & Life! Come see our editors at Rm 263 of the UCC
Doctor Who “Robots of Sherwood” Episode written by: Mark Gatiss The classic cult and nerd show, Doctor Who returned this August with a new season and new Doctor. Peter Capaldi took over for Matt Smith in the title role as the infamous, face-changing alien time-traveller, while the ever bland and uninteresting, Clara (Jenna Coleman) continues as his companion. Last Saturday’s episode, “Robots of Sherwood” was a merrier episode involving spoon fighting, archery and funny commentaries on Marxist theory. When Clara asks the Doctor to take her to meet her childhood crush, Robin Hood (Tom Riley), the two are startled to discover that the fictional hero is actually real — and fighting an army of time-travelling robots led by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Miller). The Doctor spends most of this episode trying to prove that Robin Hood is a fake but their back-andforth banter falters on the line between funny and annoying. Fans of the show have not been impressed with the last few seasons. Recent companions, Amy
Courtesy of BBC
and Clara, have been criticized for lacking the character development of the companions of past eras of the show. Show runner, Steven Moffat, is often critiqued for making the show Doctor-centric and while “Robots of Sherwood” is 45-minutes of forgettable entertainment, it does highlight some of the problems Doctor Who has been facing. The episode ends with the Doctor and Robin Hood having a discussion about the nature of heroes with the conclusion that the stories of old-fashioned heroes can inspire others to greatness. Therein lies the problem, when David Tennant starred as the main role and Russell
T. Davies was show runner, the focus was on the heroism of ordinary folk. Making the Doctor into a legend, or even a superhero, diminishes the character development in favour of spectacle. “Robots of Sherwood” will likely not be the most remembered episode of this season. It’s B-level entertainment — an opiate for the masses — but its themes point towards the bigger issues Doctor Who is going to have to deal with if it is to continue being the classic show fans remember. • Brent Holmes
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thegazette • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
The Essentials > Ways to Get Over the End of O-week
JOIN CLUBS
YOUR ROOMMATES
GOING TO THE GYM
BINGE EAT
DENIAL
It’s the old adage — you get over someone (or thing) by getting involved in someone (or thing) else. It’s just as true for O-week. If you’re down in the dumps that it’s over, just make your way over to UCC to participate in Club’s Week. While O-week is fun for a week, clubs and other campus extracurricular activities make your university experience fun full-time. That’s where you meet your life-long friends, develop passions that turn into careers, and start padding your resume. And of course, always remember: The Gazette is only a few steps away from Club’s Week, in UCC room 263, and accepts volunteers year-round!
Although the end of frosh week may make you want to lock yourself in your room and sadly reminisce, you can’t do this. There will be many more fun activities throughout the year that you will have the opportunity to attend. However, in order to attend these activities and have as much as fun as possible, you will need a good group to go with. And who better to accompany you than your roommates! Face it, you’re going to be stuck living with these people for the next eight months; your best option is to make them your friends. Not only will they be there for the post-Oweek parties, they will also be there during your exam-meltdowns and extreme Sunday hangovers.
Now that frosh week is over, the first thing that needs to happen to overcome post-froshweek-depression is to get those endorphins pumping. There’s nothing quite like burning off the many calories we all know were consumed through the action packed week. Hitting the Rec Centre is a sure-fire way of forgetting that you may have ordered a giant pizza and consumed it by yourself late Friday night — and will also get you in the spirit of hitting the gym right off the bat.
Have you ever tried frowning with a mouthful of chocolate cake? It can’t be done. Nothing cures the blues like some good ol’ binge eating. Last week was frosh week. Now it’s fat week. Students troubled by fledgling abs emerging after a week of dancing and trekking the Western campus can restore a healthy paunch with a steady diet of junk. There’s no better way to cap off a long day of studying than plopping down in front of the tube with a tub of Haagen-Dazs, a hot-and-ready pizza, or any tasty cuisine proven to cause heart attacks.
Some people claim that denial is the first stage of grief but with a determined mind, you can make it the first and last. Leaving mountains of scattered red cups, broken ceiling tiles and half a dozen noise complaints in their wake, the most determined frosh make O-week never end by non-stop partying in residence. Hardcore frosh keep the party going even during exam season, earning the ire of any nerds who actually care about academics. The most determined, however, maintain the O-week spirit in its truest form — by dolling out thousands in tuition dollars to repeat their first year over and over again.
• Nusaiba Al-Azem
• Jenny Jay
• Conrad Floryan
• Jennafer Freeman
• Brent Holmes
>> FRANK
Jenny Jay ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @JennyAtGazette
During O-week I got really drunk and hooked up with this guy. I later found out that my roommate slept with as well. We both really like him, and I think I had something special with him. Help? Sincerely, More than just a one-night stand Dear more than just a one-night stand, Here’s the thing. We need to remember that orientation week, for the most part, is one giant fiesta of the male population thinking only with their lower male organs and starting up a kill count. Sure it might have been something special — although to the drunk mind, anything could classify as something special — but is it really worth having roommate wars over? Trust me, coming home to an all out war between two girls is scarier than failing your first exam. My advice? You just had a great night that will be in your memories to treasure as you stare at the poster at the end of your bed, grateful that it hasn’t been covered with sharpie moustaches from a vengeful roommate. Is it too early for a turkey dump? I just got to school and I had a lot of fun during O-week and I don’t think my boyfriend, who goes to a different university, understands – he wants to talk all the time and I just want to go out and have fun. What should I do? From, Girl who just wants to have fun Hey Girl! I understand that orientation week at Western is an amazing
experience that leaves you excited for all the new and exciting possibilities that comes with entering university and all the freedom that comes with it but having a boyfriend during a time like this can be restricting. Don’t forget that you’re still so young and sometimes you have to live that way, even if it means uncomfortable break ups hey, it’s a part of growing up, right? Keep in mind that it’s probably really hard for him to be away from someone who is familiar, and in a new place as well, so let him off easy before you scream to the world that girls just wanna have fun.
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
I’m in a long-distance relationship and my significant other is unhappy with Skype dates. She wants something a little more personal. What should I do? Sincerely, Confused LD Boyfriend
A Quirky, Complex Comedy
Dear Confused, I can understand why you’re confused about this debacle. If you have a little extra cash, you can have flowers delivered to anyone in any city including having them show up at your SO’s house (where all her friends will gush about how sweet you are, so you can trust that this will help). Hand written letters sealed with a spritz of your cologne, whilst very melodramatic, are also very cute. Let’s not forget random video messages or recordings that cost nothing and you can count on the fact that she will watch them over and over when she misses you most. If she isn’t smitten twice over with all of this, then maybe there’s also considering that the relationship itself may be the issue, and then it may be time to sit down and have a talk and see where the relationship stands.
Frank GGGHF Director: Lenny Abrahamson Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Send your questions to Jenny via email at
jennyjay@westerngazette.ca
Robert Crocco CONTRIBUTOR @UWOGazette
Quirky, bizarre, yet strangely interesting, Frank is a dark comedy that screams cult-hit. A follow up to Irish director Lenny Abrahamson’s critically acclaimed film, What Richard Did, Frank centers itself on a wannabe musician named Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) who is in desperate search of a keyboard melody. Still living at home — and presumably in his late twenties or early thirties — Jon works a conventional job in an office and dreams of breaking free from the mundane atmosphere of his uninspired life. The story is compelling despite derivative formula. Jon accidently stumbles upon an avant-garde band that is in a sudden need of a keyboard player and is ‘tricked’ into joining the group. The
story unfolds in the most unpredictable way as we soon learn that Frank (Michael Fassbender) — the leader and singer of the band — wears a jumbo paper maché head over his natural head whether he is performing or not. It’s hard to know at first watch if this meant to be gimmicky and funny or if Frank suffers from mental illness. Abrahamson’s use of comedy is dark and ironic — there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in the first two thirds of the film. For instance, Frank discloses his hidden facial expressions to the band: “I’m giving you a nonthreatening, encouraging grin.” The last third of the film however changes drastically in tone. We veer away from what is funny and into the realm of depression: neither Frank nor Jon is fully prepared for what they want from each other. Frank becomes Jon’s vehicle into the authentic side of music, just as Jon becomes Frank’s link into mainstream world. The problem is that Jon really isn’t much of a musician, and Frank isn’t ready to share his music outside of the band, or his identity with anyone. They both fall
apart in their attempt to attain what is beyond their capacity to reach. The music played in the film acts as the movie’s score, but it never reaches its full potential – perhaps that was Abrahamson’s intention: a band on the verge of something spectacular that hires the wrong guy. Nevertheless, there are hints of greatness in the band’s attempt to create a sound that is distinctly original, however the lack of fulfillment leaves the audience craving more from a band that doesn’t achieve its full potential. Ultimately, Frank is about a band of misfits that find solitude in each other. The inclusion of someone outside of their bubble compromises that harmony. Jon is so desperate to stand out that he drives a wedge between Frank and the rest of the band. Although Frank is dying to be accepted, he cannot conceal the fact that he is hiding in plain sight. Frank reminds us that we often wear our heart on our sleeve; the very thing we desire is the very thing that contributes to our doom. It’s human nature to self-destruct and Frank reminds us that at times it is pure poetry in doing so.
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thegazette • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
opinions HAVE YOUR SAY We asked first-years: Did you get your money’s worth from O-week?
Abracadabra Al-Azem
OPINIONS EDITOR @NusAtGazette
Medical Science I “No, I didn’t. Basically we didn’t get to do the main event – the concert – and also the dances weren’t as good as they hyped it up to be.”
Matthew Arora
Medical Science I “No, I didn’t. I thought that all the music was one type of genre, like EDM, and EDM’s not my first choice of music. And we missed out on the concert, but I heard there’s going to be a makeup concert, which will be fun. I hope.”
Kent Godinho
BMOS I “Well considering that the concert was cancelled, not entirely. However, all the staff put a lot of work into it and I really did appreciate that and I had a great time.”
• Ernest Hemingway
Syllabus standards not in synch Nusaiba Al-Azem
Elisa Chu
“I drink to make other people more interesting.”
We all know the drill by now — the first week of classes is filled with monotonous recitals of the course syllabi. I know these lectures seem (and often, act) like your freebie class to skip or sleep in while pretending school hasn’t actually started yet, but sometime around second year, I began to understand the wisdom behind course outlines. It’s important to develop expectations of ground rules that everyone has to play by and make sure those rules are known by all. The problem, however, with course outlines and established expectations is that professors are hardly, if ever, held to their own standards. Numerous course outlines cite the need to be component in technology proffered by the university to maximize learning services. We don’t have a choice in the matter — we have to learn how to use OWL. Other outlines are adamant that we can only miss a certain number of classes before we’re disciplined, the particular punishment doled out depending on the faculty and professor. And other outlines stress that university is a place of higher education, professionalism and respect. These outlines ask that as students we display those qualities in — and preferably also out of — the classroom. I am not against punctuality, respect, technology, professionalism or anything else you’d find in course outlines. The above statements are all completely fair, and true.
So why do some professors not abide by them? Why is it okay when you have some professors who declare they’re too stuck in their ways, so they require some obscure and inconvenient way of handing in assignments because they don’t want to use OWL? Why is okay when professors unexpectedly cancel class, despite our tuition dollars paying for that time? If standards are going to be implemented, shouldn’t they be implemented for everyone, first and foremost the people dishing them out? When students groan about having to sit down and listen to yet another course syllabus, professors often apologetically shrug and claim that it’s school policy. But if there’s some over-arching school policy that requires all professors go over plagiarism, tardiness, and professionalism, shouldn’t that policy at least be consistent across the board? Consistency is certainly not the word that comes to mind when you consider that some faculties have a strict 3-absentclasses rule before penalties while other faculties couldn’t care less if you never show up. Discrepancies occur even within the same faculty. Again, there is no inherent issue with either system, or any of the rules in class outlines, if they existed alone. The problem is that each classroom is a whole new minefield you have to figure out, and yet every professor is both exempt from their own standards as well as assumes their way to run a classroom is the only way on campus. It’s about time that professors quit with this double standard of classroom policy; no one should be above the law, not even if you have some letters that accompany your name.
Dear Life Your anonymous letters to life
Dear Life, I was at Fanshawe picking up a friend late on Tuesday night. One of the mongrels begins to drunkenly chant, “Fuck you, Western.” And they wonder why they’re lower hominids in the academic world? Dear Life, Dear Frosh: Your long distance high school relationship will end before Thanksgiving. Plan ahead now and thank me later. Dear Life, But seriously, can we address the real issue on campus: Where did Williams go and why is Bento Sushi replacing it? Dear Life, Matt Helfand and the USC are so politically correct. They should stick to playing parliament and looking like J. Crew models. Dear Life, Thank you for making Booster Juice. It is my lifeblood. Dear Life, After watching a day of American college football, I don’t know why I help the Mustangs with their essays. Dear Life, Why am I already behind in my readings? How did this even happen? Dear Life, I keep hearing about it everywhere, but what’s a USC?
Maegan Dubois
Environmental Science I “Not really. It’s not the fault of the university, it’s just with the bad weather we missed out on a lot of things. But the stuff I went to, though, was a lot of fun and I did have fun.”
wgaz.ca/dearlife
thegazette
Volume 108, Issue 6 www.westerngazette.ca
Iain Boekhoff Editor-In-Chief Brent Holmes Deputy Editor Richard Raycraft Heart beat 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.
Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Robert Armstrong
Diana Watson
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
News Amy O’Kruk Hamza Tariq Katie Lear Olivia Zollino
Sports Bradley Metlin Nathan Kanter Robert Nanni
News-at-large Kevin Hurren
Photography Kelly Samuel Taylor Lasota Winnie Lu
Opinions Nusaiba Al-Azem Arts & Life Conrad Floryan Jennafer Freeman Jenny Jay
Online Megan Devlin
Graphics Jennifer Fldman Illustrations Chris Miszczak Graphics/Video Mike Laine
• Please recycle this newspaper •
•7
thegazette • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
sports
saywhat? That man should be thrown out the NFL and thrown into jail […] Stand up for what’s right. I don’t give a damn who you are or how much money you make. No place for this.”
• Denver Broncos’ defensive lineman Terrance Knighton said regarding Baltimore Ravens’ running back Ray Rice’s elevator altercation with his fiancée.
Rundown >> The Mustangs’ women’s soccer team galloped toward their fifth straight victory on Sunday afternoon over the Brock Badgers > Striker Amanda Boyle provided all the offence, scoring each of the goals resulting in the Mustangs’ 3-0 trampling of their challengers.
‘Stangs charge but can’t seal the deal Soheil Milani GAZETTE STAFF
@SportsAtGazette
The Mustangs men’s soccer team went cleat-to-cleat with Laurier’s team on Saturday, and maintained their undefeated streak this season with a 2–2 tie. The ‘Stangs now stand at 4–1–0 with the tie. The game was particularly energetic and each team was eager to steal possession and take a shot. The momentum of the game was unusually consistent, as Laurier dominated the first half of each period, and Western dominated the latter. “I’m disappointed that we gave up the two points,” Mustangs head coach Rock Basacco said. “I thought we dominated the first half for the most part, I mean we didn’t penetrate as much as we wanted to and get quality opportunities.” “Second half we got a little bit scrappy so we got a couple things we need to work on, for sure,” he continued. Sixteen minutes into the game Laurier’s Anastasios Sitaridis simply took the ball and singlehandedly conquered half of the field, scoring the game’s first goal. “[Sitaridis] was a good player. Unfortunately we were caught one-on-one with him,” Basacco said. “Second half we adjusted and made sure that opportunity didn’t present itself again.” Sitaridis was prominent throughout the game, and made several more attempts at the net, as well as some key defensive manoeuvres. There were a lot of fouls called
File Photo
out by the referee, most of which were against Laurier. “I don’t think it was just one way,” Golden Hawks head coach Mario Halapir said of the calls. “I think the refereeing was consistent on both ends.” Throughout the game some of the smallest incidents of contact, including minor touching and shirt pulling, caused the whistle to be blown. Twenty-five minutes in the referee gave a very controversial yellow card — the first of two — and at 27 minutes Western was awarded an equally controversial penalty kick
which resulted in a goal from Alex Lewis. Parker Seymour also scored for the Mustangs. Both teams went on to score score two very beautiful goals in the second half. Western turned an ordinary strike into a curved heat seeking missile. Later on, Laurier made an intricate play consisting of no less than seven passes on Western’s half of the field, ending in a well-earned open shot from the side. “It was fairly exciting I would say, especially the last bit,” Halapir said
of the game. “It was a competitive game today, it didn’t look like either team really wanted to let up.” “We also made a lot of substitutions, and from our point of view it’s the experience — a lot of our players are young and first-year guys,” he added. The Hawks’ goalie — Julien John — is a towering 6’6 and was last year’s starting quarterback for the Laurier football team. This gladiator of an athlete caught what few balls made it past the defense like they were magnetically attracted to him. Two times near the end of the
game John dove completely in the wrong direction and left the net wide open, Western could not sink the ball in despite the number of players in the penalty box. It was a well-played and exciting game. Despite the tie score Western outplayed Laurier and earned every point. Laurier had players who come out strong, but burnt out rather quickly and could keep up with the Mustangs’ play strategy and footwork. The Mustangs are back in action against York this Saturday at home at 3:15 p.m.
>> 5 MUSTANGS TO LOOK FOR ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM
Will Finch – QB:
Garret Sanvido – RB:
Brian Marshall – REC
Matt Uren – REC
Daryl Waud – DL
Finch’s sophomore season speaks for itself: he set an OUA record with 3,047 passing yards, was named OUA MVP and was nominated for the Hec Crighton Trophy as CIS MVP. Last week against York, Finch completed 21 of 25 passes for 253 yards and three touchdown passes despite playing only three quarters of the game — the score when he was pulled from the game was 47–0. The Mustangs last matchup against Queens was last year’s Yates Cup when Western won 51–22 and Finch had another three touchdown passes and over 250 yards passing. The question is: how far can he lead this team?
Last season, Western’s star running back was injured in the fifth game of the season when he tore ligaments in his ankle. At the time he was averaging 99.6 rushing yards per game. Although he returned for the CIS semifinal against Calgary, he wasn’t 100 per cent healthy. The year before last, the Vancouver native rushed for 1,001 yards, leading the entire OUA and earning a CIS First-Team All-Canadian nod. The key is now he’s healthy and raring to go, as is evident in his 127 yards rushing last week against York on just 12 carries. Finch makes the Mustangs air game difficult to defend against, but Garret Sanvido is just as dangerous for team defences on the ground.
Marshall was chosen by the Calgary Stampeders this past June in the CFL draft but — lucky for the Mustangs — he will be returning for his final year of CIS football. Last year he was third in the OUA in receiving yards — with 753 — and third in receiving yards per game — with 107.6. He also tied for the OUA lead with nine touchdown receptions and was named an OUA first-team all-star. In his first game of the season last week he led the Mustangs with 105 yards receiving and one touchdown. He will be a common target for Finch all season long.
5-foot-9 receiver Matt Uren is what you call versatile. Despite his size, he’s an excellent receiver — when healthy — but he can also rush the ball. The London native was given the Dalt White Trophy as MVP of last year’s Yates Cup when he caught seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. In last year’s playoffs he rushed for 121 yards in three games, in addition to 185 yards catching. The key for him — and the Mustangs — will be staying healthy as he played just four regular season games last regular season. So far he is off to a good start as last week he caught two touchdown passes.
The two-time OUA first-team allstar leads this year’s defense in his fourth season as a Mustang. Last year he was named a CIS SecondTeam All-Canadian after recording 21 total tackles, 12 solo tackles, 18 assists on tackles and two sacks. In 2012-13, Waud was named a CIS First-Team All-Canadian thanks to 32 total tackles, 25 solo tackles, 14 assists on tackles and one sack. Last year’s defensive stalwarts Dylan Ainsworth, Pawel Kruba and Beau Landry have all moved on to the CFL, but Waud will make sure this defense doesn’t lose a step. He had two sacks last week against York.
• Nathan Kanter Photos Courtesy of LifeTouch Photography and Mustangs.ca
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thegazette • Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Mustangs strikeout against Gryphons Amy Legate-Wolfe CONTRIBUTOR @SportsAtGazette
The Western Mustangs baseball team came up short this past Sunday at Labatt Park, losing both games in their season opening doubleheader to Guelph. The Gryphons shut out the Mustangs 4–0 in the first game and took the second by a score of 5–3. A frustrated fan summed up the doubleheader: “Just relax and hit the damn thing!” The low scoring frustrated both teams, especially in the first game, where it was scoreless until the fifth inning. That was when Wesley Romak, former Ontario University Athletics All Star MVP, batted in an RBI for the Gryphons. Guelph Coach Matt Griffin said nerves could have been the problem. “First game of the year and we’ve got a few first year guys with the jitters,” he said. Then in the sixth and eighth innings, Gryphons Peter Ricciardi added to the scoreboard, batting in Jamie May. Ricciardi then stole third and made it home before the bottom of the eighth inning. At the end of the first game, Guelph made great defensive plays and stole six bases. Mustang’s Coach Mike Lumley said the Mustangs have some defensive work to do. “They hit the ball really well,” said Coach Lumley. “But it seemed like we hit it to everybody.” Guelph carried their momentum from the first game into the first inning of the second. A shot over second base by Matthew Forer and a
Jonathan Dunn • GAZETTE
line drive by Kyle Westwater gave the Gryphons two runs right off the bat. Veteran pitcher Adam Paish motivated the team after a slow start in the first game. Now in his seventh year as a Mustang — a new record — Paish brought the heat, bringing three up and three down in the second inning. Last year Paish went 4–2 with a 2.39 ERA and led the Ontario University Athletics in innings pitched with 49. That kind of durability is something he tries to focus on.
Ray Rice not so nice, nor is NFL response Breaking Brad Bradley Metlin SPORTS EDITOR @BradAtGazette
So let’s get this out of the way: Ray Rice is a huge piece of shit. It takes a special kind of person to be able to hit another human being, let alone someone they “love.” This column however, isn’t about the fact that Rice is someone most of us would want to shun to the far corners of the Earth—this column is about the NFL, their response, and the way we treat professional athletes. Firstly, remember Michael Vick? He was the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons until 2007 when it was discovered he was involved in a dog fighting ring. Vick was found guilty and served 19 months in prison and then became the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. That was seven years ago so we don’t talk about it now because, well, he’s a great quarterback. We almost revere our professional athletes, but why? Sure, they are talented and Olympic athletes are talented too but we only think about them in the few months following the games. In February, Ray Rice
mollywhopped his fiancée in the face, knocking her unconscious in an elevator. Rice then poked at her body with his foot and attempted to drag her out while her skirt flew up above her hips. TMZ released video of Rice dragging his fiancée out of the elevator almost immediately after the assault occurred. The Baltimore Ravens tweeted after the incident became public that “Janay Rice says she deeply regrets the role that she played the night of the incident.” Regrets her role? Did she not duck for cover quick enough? The NFL then handed Ray Rice a two game suspension. Such a clear denunciation of his behavior, right? This is the league that has suspended players for a year because they were caught with marijuana but assaulting your wife? Nah. A two game suspension sends the perfect message that we disagree with your behaviour. Keep in mind that Rice has not received any prison time. Also keep in mind that there is a video of the incident in question. On Monday when gossip website TMZ released further footage clearly showing the assault, the NFL then suspended Rice indefinitely. Why now? Michael Vick says “there’s no room for that” in the NFL — “that” being spousal battery. In seven years who knows what we’ll think of Rice. After all, he is a really good football player.
“My goal every year is just to lead the league in innings pitched,” Paish said, “with hopefully some good results.” The Gryphons defense made it hard, but the Mustangs finally got a run in the third inning when Chris Mireault hit a ground ball single with the bases loaded, bringing the score to 3–1. However, Guelph would bring in two more runs by the top of the sixth and the Mustangs continued to have a hard time getting past the
Gryphon defense. The Mustangs would manage two more runs when Taylor Patterson stole home in the sixth but that was all the offense Western could muster on the day, losing the second game 5–3. Both teams finished last season with an impressive 17–7. But this means it’s the third year in a row the Mustangs have lost both opening games to the Gryphons. Guelph, who hosted last year’s OUA baseball championship series but couldn’t
claim the title, has set a high precedent for this season. “We’re looking at a championship,” said Guelph’s coach Griffin. “Nothing short of that would satisfy any of these guys.” Although it’s likely the Mustangs will make the playoffs, they’ll have some work to do if they plan on hoisting a trophy in October. Their next chance to bounce back will be this coming Saturday on the road against Queen’s where they will play another double-header.
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