Friday, November 23, 2012 by Western Gazette

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The Fontana effect

thegazette Having poor mayoral judgement since 1906

Protesters and national media descended upon London yesterday as Joe Fontana claimed his innocence. >> pg. 3 today high 7 low -2

canada’s only Daily Student Newspaper • founded 1906

Friday, November 23, 2012

tomorrow high 0 low -2 Volume 106, Issue 46

USC approves radical change to structure After a nine-hour meeting Wednesday night, council elected to overhaul the current governance structure of the USC. Online Editor Julian Uzielli has the story. This February, instead of just choosing the University Students’ Council president, students will be asked to elect a three-candidate ticket. After debating until 4 a.m. Thursday morning, council voted in favour of overhauling the structure of the executive council and election process. After several hours of heated debate, the proposal, first brought to council by President Adam Fearnall last month, was approved. The overhaul abolishes the jobs of the vice-president university affairs and vice-president campus issues. These jobs will be replaced with the more broadly defined vicepresidents external and internal, respectively. The external portfolio will focus on the USC’s relationship with governments and the university, and the internal portfolio will oversee social issues on campus. The new election process will see presidential candidates run with two running-mates—one for VP internal, and one for VP external. The other three positions on the executive council—vice-presidents communications, finance and student events—will be changed as well. Instead of being elected by the USC, as they have been in the past, they will be hired directly by the incoming executive slate after the election. Students do not need previous USC experience to apply or run for any of these positions.

With each passing hour, tempers ran higher, but the motion to create the three-person executive slate—to be made up of the president and vice-presidents internal and external—finally passed at 1:45 a.m. by a margin of 36 to 20.

I’m really concerned with how we’re going to promote this. It’s the end of November, in exam season people are in their own little bubble—they’re not going to care. —Kelly Mark

Faculty of Information and Media Studies Students’ Council representative

In a surprise appearance, former USC president Mike Tithecott, now a regular student, attended the meeting. He spoke against the change, saying council was moving too quickly. At the meeting, Tithecott asked council, “Is this something that you need to push forward this election cycle, this year and really watch it unfold, giving nothing but one council meeting’s thought—which is three hours?” Faculty of Information and

Media Studies Students’ Council representative Kelly Mark agreed, adding she didn’t want to see students forced to make a potentially uninformed decision in February, so soon after the overhaul. “I’m really concerned with how we’re going to promote this. It’s the end of November, in exam season people are in their own little bubble—they’re not going to care. And that’s my main concern, because then how are we encouraging this inclusive candidacy when [students] don’t even know they can run?” Ultimately, however, those arguing in favour of the motion prevailed. “We could ask the opinion of Mr. Tithecott, or Mr. Forgione, as to how they feel, but quite frankly that’s no longer the relevant question,” Dave Ennett, King’s University College Students’ Council president, said at the meeting. “We might have a ticket where we like a president, and we like a vice-president, but we don’t really like one of the other vice-presidents—we like one of the other vice-presidents on the other campaign. Well, that’s politics,” Ennett said. “Sometimes we don’t get every single thing we want. But you know what we will get? For the first time, we’ll get a presidential platform that has multiple ideas on it, that has external and internal issues on it. What we will get out of that is a vision—a unified vision.”

>> Board of directors breakdown If you’re a student looking for experience overseeing a multi-million dollar corporation, it may be your lucky day. In addition to overhauling the structure of the University Students’ Council Wednesday night, council voted to shuffle the board of directors, creating new job openings for students at large. Currently, the president and five vice-presidents of the USC’s executive council also make up the board of directors. While they’re primarily student advocates, their job as directors means they must decide what’s best for the USC as a corporation—this change aims to eliminate this potential conflict of interest. The new board structure will remove the vice-presidents and create positions for four students-

at-large, and four members of the community. USC President Adam Fearnall explained the new board members will mainly be responsible for legal, financial and HR-related decisions. “Typically, you have criteria around maybe somebody with a law background, somebody with an accounting background, somebody with a non-profit background,” he said. The details of the job descriptions will be finalized at the next meeting of council on December 5, and the members will be announced at the USC’s spring annual general meeting. The change was criticized for coming too close to the next election. At council Wednesday, Emily Soti, King’s University College Stu-

dents’ Council representative, proposed an unsuccessful motion to delay the decision. “There were too many ‘what ifs,’ kinks and other ideas that still need to be further discussed and researched,” Soti said. “I believe, as a council, we should have made more of an effort to do our due diligence and take our time with proposals so huge and influential.” Fearnall said he was satisfied with the debate. “We have a certain amount of momentum right now in terms of looking to change the conversation about what the USC’s role is in the university, and we didn’t want to miss that opportunity. And I think there was a certain interest in showing that we were serious about that.” —Julian Uzielli

Mike Laine Gazette

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thegazette • Friday, November 23, 2012

Caught on Camera

Crossword By Eugene Sheffer

Andrei Calinescu GAZETTE

JACK BE NIMBLE. Students celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, in the Mustang Lounge Thursday night during an event put on by Western’s Hindu Students Association.

CORRECTION NOTICE Solution to puzzle on page 8

Please note, that due to a production error, an incorrect offer appeared in The Athletic Club ad on page 121 of The 2012 Westernizer. Please refer to The Athletic Club’s January divider ad for the correct offer information. The Ad & Marketing Office apologizes to The Athletic Club, its clients and Westernizer readers for any inconvenience caused.

www.theathleticclubs.ca www.facebook.com/TheAthleticClubLondon

News Brief USC supports undergraduate research On Wednesday, the University Students’ Council announced they would be introducing the USC Undergraduate Research and Academic Grant to encourage and support undergraduate research within all faculties at the university. The grant is open to all Western and affiliate college students, and is intended to support unique, publishable projects with scholarly objectives, or the attendance of an academic conference. “We are always trying to find ways to offer diverse opportunities for students, and students have told us that we can do more to support undergraduates with their academics. We know that Western students make a tremendous impact through their scholarly work and we’re excited to be able to support them,” Adam Fearnall, president of the USC, said. According to a press release, the grant is designed to support research that goes beyond regular course requirements and cannot be used to fulfill components of a degree. The grant money is meant to lessen the costs related to the project or conference, and cannot be used to offset overhead costs. Applications for the grant are due by Friday, November 30 and are located on westernusc.ca —Gloria Dickie

On Thursdays we wear tweed. Volunteer for the Gazette UCC 263

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 • Friday, November 23, 2012

Sloppy Joe won’t resign

News Brief

Ontario pushes for Green Button Earlier this week, the Ontario government announced they are partnering with a working group from the MaRS Discovery District—an innovation centre located in Toronto—to explore a Green Button initiative that would give consumers direct access to their energy data. The program would allow Ontarians to easily view their smart meter data through a secure download from their utility’s website. Making this information accessible will allow consumers to easily track their energy consumption.

In a press release, Chris Bentley, minister of energy, said the new initiative will help Ontarians conserve energy while also saving money. “The Ontario Green Button initiative will enable each of us to have better access to information on our own energy use, and will help families make choices to save energy and money.” Earlier this year, this kind of technology was introduced in the United States, and Ontario is looking to become the first province to establish the initiative. —Kaitlyn McGrath

Masonville Place 519-679-4505

Music Tees Superhero Tees WE WILL ROCK YOU! Cameron Wilson GAZETTE

HANGING ON FOR DEAR LIFE. Mayor Joe Fontana sits with his lawyer, Gordon Cudmore, at a press conference yesterday. Fontana announced he would not be resigning from his political post.

Aaron Zaltzman News Editor Seated in his lawyer’s office before dozens of reporters, Joe Fontana defiantly stated yesterday he would not step down as mayor of London after being charged with three criminal counts by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “I’ve been given a mandate by the people of London to discharge my obligations and responsibilities,” Fontana said. “I’m innocent of those charges and I intend to fulfill my responsibilities. My choice is to stay and do my job, and work with my colleagues, work with the community.” Calls for resignation have hounded the mayor since allegations surfaced last month that he misappropriated public funds in 2005 while serving as Liberal MP. Fontana was charged Wednesday with breach of trust of a public officer, fraud under $5,000 and uttering forged documents. Most of the questions were fielded by Fontana’s lawyer, Gordon Cudmore, who said he had advised his client to remain mostly silent. This was Fontana’s first public address since the allegations came to light—his communications since hiring Cudmore have been limited to infrequent press

releases. “There has been substantial misinformation and speculation over the past several weeks as to what actually occurred regarding payment of the Fontana wedding,” Cudmore said. “I can tell you now that at the appropriate time, we will be entering not guilty pleas.” “Until that time, Mr. Fontana will be given the opportunity to clear his good name and we intend to do just that.” The mayor now faces a significant challenge from a council divided on whether or not he can effectively govern while defending criminal charges, after narrowly surviving a motion last month asking him to step down. A new motion is expected to pass at the finance and administration committee meeting, and may have more support on council than the last. “I will support the motion, as I always have,” Nancy Branscombe, Ward 6 councillor, said. “I guess we’ll find out how many councillors have changed their view since the first motion.” Branscombe said Ward 11 councillor Denise Brown had decided to support the motion which, along with Ward 5 councillor Joni Baechler, could give the motion and 8 to 7 vote, assuming other

Ivey prof sentenced Gloria Dickie Editor-in-Chief Following a fatal collision on Highway 3 last January, Murray Bryant, a professor of managerial accounting at the Richard Ivey School of Business, pled guilty earlier this week to the charge of careless driving. Bryant, also the husband of Ward 13 councillor Judy Bryant, was dealt a fine of $1,000 and given a 30-day driving suspension. His charge carried a maximum penalty of a $2,000 fine and six months in jail. “Careless driving is a severe charge,” Dennis Rivest, media relations officer for the London Police Service, said. When determining a charge, Rivest explained the police “would

look at the circumstances of the evidence that is presented to [them] and lay an appropriate charge” in accordance with the Criminal Code of Canada, or the Highway Traffic Act. The collision in question involved Bryant hitting and killing a 49-year-old tow truck operator who was changing a tire on the side of the highway on January 17. Helen Gale, justice of the peace, said Bryant drove “without due care or attention” on the day of the collision, but displayed no recklessness. According to Ivan Langrish, senior manager of media strategy for Ivey, Bryant was never on leave from teaching and will continue to teach in the school’s executive MBA program.

councillors vote the same. However, Fontana made it clear such a vote would not affect his decision. “He’s made it clear that, at the end of the day, he won’t step down even with that motion, so he’s thumbing his nose both at the public, and at council,” Branscombe lamented. “The honourable Joe Fontana has not done the honourable thing today by the citizens of London.” However, Fontana still has allies on council. “My position has not changed that the municipal council has to stay focused on its work, and that we should let the authorities handle this matter with mayor Fontana,” Joe Swan, Ward 3 councillor, said. “The public will have to express their views directly to mayor Fontana on how they feel about his situation.” Some Londoners did just that at the press conference. Members of Occupy London held a demonstration calling for Fontana, with whom Occupy has a substantial grievance, to step down. “We take this opportunity to bring a little karma back on Mr. Fontana,” Anthony Verberckmoes, a protester, said. “I’m not accusing that he’s necessarily guilty, but to me, it’s the fact that he’s lost legitimacy in the eyes of the public.”

090923

Your Weekly Horoscope The week of Nov 23 – 29

This horoscope is intended for entertainment purposes only.

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 While there’s much about a situation that you don’t You may find that things that are beneficial for othunderstand, you will quickly be filled in on all the ers may not always be beneficial for you. But often details you need to know to get the job done. you have to make sacrifices for the benefit of the entire group. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Confrontation will get you nowhere. It is better to avoid Certain challenges may be tough to conquer. But any troublesome parties and simply go on with your with the right help you can get the job done. Gemini days. No need to put monkey wrenches in the plans. may be your shining light this week. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Take some time to reflect on what you need to get There is no point in speculating about your finances. done. Things are about to get more hectic, and it will Keep track of your deposits and withdrawals so you help to know what is on your schedule in the coming have a handle on all accounts. days. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 There is no need to put off romantic endeavors. Now is not the time to leap without looking. You Make time to further relationships, and you will be have to be cautious with your choices and actions happier for having made the additional effort. this time of the month. Don’t make waves so close to the holidays. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 A casual encounter with an old friend goes by like Although you do plenty, someone around the house no time has elapsed at all. Agree to keep in touch could really use some more assistance from you. It may and spend more time together going forward. take some juggling of your schedule to accomplish. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 There are too many messes to clean up, so instead of Usually your outpouring of creative juices is unstopdigging in you may just decide to procrastinate a little pable. This week you could have a little trouble longer. Just be sure to make up the time later on. thinking up new ideas. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS NOVEMBER 25 – Christina Applegate, Actress (41) NOVEMBER 27 – Sharlto Copley, Actor (39) NOVEMBER 29 – Jon Knight, Singer (44)

NOVEMBER 26 – Tina Turner, Singer (73) NOVEMBER 28 – Judd Nelson, Actor (53)

New seats, snack bar, balcony Midnight Cult Movies $4.99 Adults $3.50 Children, Seniors & Tuesdays westernfilm.ca McKellar Room, UCC 519.661.3616

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thegazette • Friday, November 23, 2012

Campus > Protest

News Brief

Protesters disrupt Israel on Campus event Alex Carmona News Editor Campus police had to get involved at an Israel On Campus event held at the Western Law building Wednesday night when three individuals disrupted the scheduled speaker. On two occasions, Amos Guiora, a law professor at the University of Utah who was lecturing on counter-terrorism techniques in the Middle East, was interrupted with shouts from protesters. The first outburst came when two women got up on tables and began shouting the names of Palestinian civilians who have been killed in the current spate of fighting between Israel and Hamas. After campus police escorted the two women out, the speaker resumed his presentation, only to again be interrupted by a male member of the audience. After a brief shouting match with a pro-Israel attendee, in which the protester allegedly challenged the argument should be taken “outside,” implying physical violence, he was firmly removed by two other campus police officers. “He started threatening to fight people. Before I could get the police, they had already come in and removed him,” Josh Strub, executive member-at-large for Israel on Campus, said. After the event, a number of proPalestine protesters formed a candlelight vigil outside the Law building, while reciting the names of the dead in Gaza. That protest, how-

Julian Uzielli GAZETTE

FANNING THE FLAMES. Students remembered victims of the Gaza conflict at a pre-approved candlelight vigil Wednesday night. Shortly before the vigil, three students were escorted away by campus police after an unauthorized protest during an Israel on Campus event.

ever, was fully approved beforehand by the University Students’ Council and violated no university bylaws. Moayed Salim, president of the Western club Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, stressed the disruptive individuals acted against orders to remain silent throughout the event. “The executives from SPHR told everyone at the candlelight vigil that there should be no disruptions, and we told them that repeatedly throughout the night. No disruptions, inside or outside—it was supposed to be silent, and almost everyone followed those orders,” he said. Salim also noted that after the

male had been thrown out of the event, he was immediately told to leave the vigil as well. “I told him that he had to leave the premises—that he couldn’t be part of the candlelight vigil anymore because he did not follow the plans.” While the vigil was sanctioned by the USC, Strub took issue with how it was run. “The pro-Palestinian people had basically formed a corridor at the door coming out, so once you went out, in order to get out of the building, you had to walk through this corridor of them holding signs and placards and yelling names [of dead Palestinians] again. It was really quite intimidating—even I was in-

timidated, but I know a lot of other people were as well,” he contested. Elgin Austen, director of the Campus Community Police Service, however, had nothing but good things to say about how the vigil was conducted. “I’d be very complimentary to the protesters. I thought that they conducted themselves in a very orderly, professional fashion,” he said. Regarding the three individuals who interrupted the presentation, Austen was far less magnanimous. “They were warned at the time, but that’s not going to be the end of it. We’re going to deal with the issue of them going out and disrupting an event that they had nothing to do with.”

Purple Bikes gets new digs The Purple Bikes office is about to trade places. Currently located in room 318G of the University Community Centre, Purple Bikes will relocate to room 149 in January. The service is hoping the relocation will improve accessibility and transportation of bikes. “Right now, we’re located on the third floor. Only two of three elevators go to the third floor, so sometimes people take the other one and wander around wondering where to go,” Kevin Yaraskavitch, Purple Bikes coordinator, explained. “Not everyone knows you can take the elevator with your bike, so sometimes they [carry] it up. We’re extremely inaccessible up here.” The new location will be much more visible on the main floor of the UCC. “We’ll be right next to the Mustang Lounge, the social science entrance and an entrance by the loading dock that goes right outside, so it’s a huge improvement,” Yaraskavitch said. Purple Bikes has been looking to relocate for quite some time. With the support of Tony Ayala, vicepresident finance of the University Students’ Council, the service has been working on the move since summer. Purple Bikes is eagerly anticipating the move, and foresees it improving revenues. It will be closing down mid-December to accommodate the move. —Amanda Law

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thegazette • Friday, November 23, 2012

Arts&Life

funfact The inventors of bubble wrap originally intended it to be used as wallpaper.

London set as destination for Gaudino Kevin Hurren Arts & Life Editor For the career of Italian DJ and record producer Alex Gaudino, the destination is certainly not unknown. As a foreign artist, Gaudino claimed international success with his 2006 track “Destination Calabria,” a single that uses Gaudino’s previous track “Destination Unknown” and rifts of saxophone beats, creating a dance hit around the world. Now, more than six years later, Gaudino continues making music that people can move to. “It’s about being melodically strong,” Gaudino says. “Whichever way you look at it, it’s about having a good song. It’s always a great song that makes the difference and gives dance music a chance.” As part of his continuing journey in music, Gaudino sets his sights on London, scheduled to play at Burlesque Nightclub on Friday, November 30. “It’s going to be a big party,” says Gaudino of the show next week. “It’s always high energy, and people know what to expect with me.” For the show, Gaudino will be incorporating tracks from his second studio album, Magnificent. As a follow-up to his first studio project, My Destination, Magnificent —with a release date yet to be announced—will include tracks “I’m In Love,” “What A Feeling,” featuring Kelly Rowland, and the recently released “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” featuring Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo.

>> Fast facts > Alex Gaudino

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Alex Gaudino was born in Salerno, Italy.

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He is well known as a member of trio Lil’ Love.

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Gaudino’s second single “Destination Calabria,” released in 2006, achieved international success.

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He released his first solo album, My Destination, in 2008

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File Photo

DESTINATION LONDON. Italian DJ and record producer Alex Gaudino is set to play Burlesque Nightclub next Friday. Gaudino is best known for his 2006 track “Destination Calabria.”

In addition to making his own original tracks, Gaudino has worked on and created a number of remixes. Whether it’s Katy Perry, The Wanted, Pitbull or Cher Lloyd, Gaudino has a talent for taking the sounds of others and adding his unique musical twist. “It’s not a secret—it’s just something you have, a natural thing where I try to get what is going to be good for the market,” Gaudino explains. “It’s not easy because

to judge what somebody else is doing is always difficult. You need to be careful and respectful of their originals.” The pressure of treating someone else’s work is difficult to handle in itself, but that’s not the only pressure Gaudino has to live up to. Hailed as the spokesman for the Italian disco house industry, Gaudino takes his heritage with him as he performs around the world. However, the artist says the people

Lifestyle Brief

he plays for aren’t all that different when it comes to music. “It’s not easy to find so many differences. When you are in a club and you’re playing, you’re not really aware of what country you’re in. The club is just full of people having fun.” Alex Gaudino will play at Burlesque Nightclub November 30 at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

• Even though Gaudino

has released two singles off Magnificent, the album has yet to be released.

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Gaudino is known as the chief spokesman for Italian disco house.

Gazette-tested > Morning Pizza

Turn off bright lights at night If you’re a student who regularly uses a laptop or smartphone late at night, you may want to turn the brightness all the way down. A study conducted at Johns Hopkins University, shows a correlation between overexposure to bright light late at night and depressive symptoms and learning problems. Researchers for the study put mice on what they call a T7 cycle— a two-week period where the mice were exposed to a repeated alternation between 3.5 hours of light and 3.5 hours of darkness. The lead on the study, Samer Hattar, associate professor in the department of biology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, explains this cycle was ideal because it did not interrupt the sleep cycle. “The mice slept the same amount—the architecture of sleep was the same, and the circadian clock in these animals was still functional,” Hattar says. “If you overlay the light cycle on the activity and rest cycle of the mice, you see that light is given randomly across the whole day and night. This way we could study what happens to animals in the presence of a light cycle without affecting sleep, and without causing circadian arrhythmicity.” “We were actually quite surprised by how big the deficits were, especially for depression and learning and memory.” After the animals were studied

The second single from his newest album, Magnificent, features Kelly Rowland and made it to number six on the U.K. Singles Chart.

Getting a little stressed about all the final exams following midterms? Don’t think you have enough time to have breakfast before you leave? Sit down, relax and make sure you eat something. All you need is a few minutes to create a morning pizza to brighten up your day! —Danning Huang

✁

Morning Pizza Ingredients

• Leftover bread or pizza • Fat-free ricotta • Cherry tomatoes • Olive oil Directions

it’s warm. 2. Spread a couple scoops of fat-free ricotta on the bread, and top with some diced cherry tomatoes. 3. Give it a couple drizzles of olive oil if desired.

4. Pour yourself a glass of 1. Microwave the leftover orange juice, and now your bread for 20 to 30 seconds so breakfast is ready! Ritchie Sham Gazette

under the T7 cycle, Hattar explains they were also put through two tests to measure their level of depressive traits. The first, a forced swim test, tested how long the mice stayed mobile while placed in a beaker with no escape. The more mice showed signs of depression, the more immobile they became. The second, a pleasure-seeking test, tested whether or not the mice would be inclined to drink more from regular water, or water spiked with sucrose. Hattar says the mice that were under the T7 cycle drank much less of the water that had sucrose because they didn’t have as much pleasure-seeking behaviour.

As of right now, these tests may not show a direct correlation to how humans may respond, but Hattar says there is no harm in being aware of the effects light have on our overall functions. “If people are aware of this, they shouldn’t have the brightest iPad on at night and wonder why they can’t go to sleep,” he says. “You don’t have to be in complete darkness at night, you just have to figure out, by experimenting, what the minimum amount of light is that you need in your house in order to see without affecting your mood.” —Jesica Hurst Mike Laine Gazette

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thegazette • Friday, November 23, 2012

Opinions

Rather fail with honour than succeed by fraud.

—Sophocles, Greek playwright.

Fontana’s decision They say that purple to not step down cause for frown is the new gold Yesterday, mayor Joe Fontana announced he would not step down as London’s mayor despite facing three criminal charges from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Fontana maintained his innocence against the charges, which include fraud under $5,000, breach of trust by a public officer and uttering forged documents. The accusations first arose when the London Free Press broke the story October 19, reporting the mayor used government cheques to pay for his son’s wedding reception. Since these accusations, the mayor has been under constant scrutiny, and many suspected he would resign. And when the charges had officially been laid, even more suspected he would step down. Although, given his steadfast claim that he’s innocent, it’s not surprising he’s staying on as mayor. If Fontana had stepped down, some may have perceived it as an admission of guilt. However, whether he’s guilty or not, this scandal has become an obvious unwanted distraction for council, and perhaps Fontana should have kept this in mind when he made his decision. Had Fontana stepped down, at least he would face the charges outside of the public eye. It’s also not only the council who suffers from this scandal, but the City of London has also received negative press during this whole charade. The verdict has yet to be read, but we suspect either way Fontana’s political career will suffer from these accusations. It’s also unlikely Fontana will serve as London’s mayor for another term. This recent scandal brings back memories of former London mayors who were not free from their own negative press. During previous mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best’s term, her husband faced criminal charges, and these latest Fontana charges seem eerily similar. However, we can’t pin this on London residents. Coming into the elections, Fontana was a former minister of labour under Paul Martin’s minority government. Against DeCicco-Best, Fontana appeared to be a strong candidate. Only time will tell Fontana’s fate. Although, given the sluggish Canadian justice system, Fontana may be able to serve the remainder of his four-year term before the verdict is even read. As for the residents of London, let’s just hope the next mayor doesn’t have any skeletons in his or her closet. —The Gazette Editorial Board

Wrath of McGrath

Kaitlyn McGrath Associate Editor

It is an item of clothing more prized than any designer label. It is an award more prestigious than any trophy. It is an honour higher than the Dean’s List. It is the purple shirt. For those who are completely at a loss as to why I can’t simply walk into The Purple Store and choose from a plethora of brightly coloured purple attire, this isn’t any ordinary purple shirt—this is the purple shirt. It’s the coveted prize awarded to the top team in an intramural league. Acquiring the purple shirt isn’t a walk in the park. Given the abundance of teams in a league, the road to glory can feel like a trip across the Sahara Desert. The winning formula is composed of a careful concoction of blood, sweat and tears. And if all the stars align and your team has the game of their life, perhaps you’ll go home with an extra piece of clothing. During my time here at Western, I’ve been on a fair number of intramural teams, and none have been particularly successful. Not to say my teams have been dreadful—more so painfully average. But what my ragtag teams lacked in skill we made up for in heart—unfortunately, in sport, an abundance of spirit doesn’t earn you the championship. Nor does it earn you a purple shirt.

So here I am, with one more semester left in my undergraduate tenure at Western, and my chances of owning a shirt hang by a thread. Graduating is pretty swell and all, but if I leave this institution without that shirt, I will have failed—the stakes are high, just to let my future team know. We all know future employers barely bat an eyelash when you tell them you have a bachelor’s degree. But what if I have a bachelor’s degree and I am the intramural co-ed recreational volleyball champion? Now that sets you apart from the field. For those of you who are not athletically inclined, you might be wondering why this is so important. Competition is integral to human nature. Likely, at one point or another, we have all participated in some form of sport or competition. And let’s just cast aside all the new age rhetoric that postulates sport is about fun and “it’s not about who wins.” Correction—it is about who wins—that’s literally the point of competition. Recently, two Gazette editors won a purple shirt in the recreational ball hockey league—congratulations—and the next day the bright smiles on their faces matched the vibrant colour of their pristine shirts. There is a sense of pride and accomplishment that is attached to the shirt. By now, the average student will have given up any kind of professional sport aspirations. Despite what your childhood daydreams depicted, you won’t be competing for Olympic glory. Instead, we have the purple shirt—it is our pennant, our gold medal, our Stanley Cup.

weeklypoll Are you happy with the announcement of a fall reading break? Yes — it will give students much-needed down time. 68%

No — two days off isn’t long enough. 29% I don’t know. 3% Vote on next week’s poll at westerngazette.ca

thegazette

Volume 106, Issue 46 www.westerngazette.ca

Gloria Dickie Editor-In-Chief Nicole Gibillini Deputy Editor Cam Parkes Managing Editor

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Karen Savino Diana Watson

Gazette Staff 2012-2013

Iain Boekhoff, Danielle Bozinoff, Mary Ann Ciosk, David Czosniak, Megan Devlin, Jonathan Dunn, Chelsea Gauthier, Ross Hamilton, Sarah Mai Chitty, Bradley Metlin, Kaitlyn Oh, John Petrella, Sarah Prince, Chen Rao, Nathan Robbins-Kanter, Lily Robinson, Katie Roseman, Nathan TeBokkel, Kate Wilkinson, Kartikeya Vishal, Usman Zahid, Mason Zimmer

News Alex Carmona Jesica Hurst Cam Smith Aaron Zaltzman Arts & Life Sumedha Arya Brent Holmes Kevin Hurren Sports Richard Raycraft Jason Sinukoff Ryan Stern Opinions Ryan Hurlbut Associate Kaitlyn McGrath

Dear Life

Your anonymous letters to life.

Dear Life, YouTube should have a function that tells me when I’ve already watched a video. It would make my life so much more productive. Dear Life, Wrong number-callers hearing my voice and then asking if I’m Nancy have really been taking a toll on how I feel about my manhood. Dear Life, That nine-hour-long USC meeting really made a permanent impact on my life. Submit your letters to life at www.westerngazette.ca /dearlife. Letter to the Editor

Re: Bill Nye To the Editor: I didn’t think the Bill Nye lecture was as great as everyone seems to be making him out to be, and from talking to others who went I know I’m not alone. He took the stage with no stated lecture topic, which, in retrospect, might have been warning in itself. Maybe it’s because I’m an Arts and Humanities student, but it wasn’t like any of the science Bill put forth was that far over my head. I understood it all without too much trouble, but Bill struggled to really follow any sort of logical flow during his lecture, jumping from topic to topic without ever settling on anything long enough to truly get into it. I was hoping he would put forward some sort of idea on how we can attack climate change, but the lecture came to a close without any real suggestions, aside from a halfhearted thought about bubbles being pumped into the ocean. He instead opted to discuss everything that won’t work, which was hardly inspiring. In addition, some (albeit not all) of the questions afterwards were verging on embarrassing from a crowd of university students. I will say I was glad I went to see him, but it wasn’t as I had hoped. I guess I was expecting a grown-up lecture for a grown-up crowd, but what I got was a live version of the show, which I will remind you, was intended for children. —Scott Leitch Arts and Humanities V

Photography Andrei Calinescu Ritchie Sham Cameron Wilson Graphics Naira Ahmed Mike Laine Illustrations Christopher Miszczak Liwei Zhou Online Julian Uzielli Web Cameron Wilson Video Chris Kay

• Please recycle this newspaper •

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thegazette • Friday, November 23, 2012

Sports

gameday The women’s basketball squad will face off against the University of Toronto at home tonight at 6 p.m. The men’s team will take on U of T at 8 p.m. Both games will take place at Alumni Hall.

Rundown >> Mustangs Garret Sanvido and Darryl Waud were named to the Canada Interuniversity Sport All-Canadian football team on Wednesday > Sophomore running back Sanvido led the CIS in yards rushed with 1,001, and in rushing touchdowns with 13.

MoStangs promote men’s health in match-up Western and Waterloo hit the ice for Movember Ryan Stern Sports Editor Friday night Mustangs hockey games are always a great place for people to bring family and friends, but this week’s game against the Waterloo Warriors is also moustache friendly. The Mustangs men’s hockey team has paired up with Movember Canada to promote their annual Movember hockey game. The game will feature prizes, attractions and information regarding the cause, and a whole lot of crumb catchers. “The game will have tons of prizes and tons of promotions with lots of on-ice promotions and all kinds of other activities. Also, opportunities to get information about the cause,” Jason Young, manager of marketing, sponsorship and sales for the Mustangs, said. “In past years, there has been great support for Movember on campus, and there have been a lot of groups that have been working to support Movember.” The culture surrounding the hockey team drew in promoters, but the collaboration of many groups is what promoters are hoping will make this game a success. “Hockey has always been a staple part of Mustang Athletics and we felt that Movember would be the perfect adjoining charity to get involved in this project. Predominantly, in the past, we have had only lackluster efforts towards promoting this event at past hockey games due to the separation of campaigns across campus,” Matthew Shantz, head of promotions for Mustangs sports and recreation services, said. “My ambition for this game was to get all the parties involved in Movember and hockey, both on and off campus, to come

Piotr Angiel Gazette

together. As the last home game for the men’s hockey team in November, the moustaches should be in full bloom, but the crowd won’t be the only ones sporting moustaches. Despite not having a formal Movember campaign, many of the team’s players take raising money into their own hands. “A lot of the guys have moustaches growing right now. They are all going about raising money themselves through their Facebook pages, but we have no formal movement,” Pat Powers, Mustangs

interim head coach, said. “Some guys can grow some pretty good moustaches, and some guys can’t wait until the end of November. I’d say Josh Unice and Matt Clarke have the best ones.” Though the focus before the game and during the intermissions will be on the lip sweaters, the game at hand will be the centre stage attraction. With the Mustangs sitting three points ahead of the Warriors—with 18 and 15 points respectively—this game will go a long way in deciding the fate of each team.

Piotr Angiel Gazette

“There is a pretty good rivalry between us and Waterloo, as there is with every OUA West team, and they work extremely hard and follow their systems extremely well. They also have a good bunch of goaltenders in Justin Leclerc and Keaton Hartigan,” Powers said. “They are going to be a real tough match-up for us as they always are. They are going to keep grinding and grinding and grinding. They have a good mixture of skill throughout the lineup that can make you pay.” With all the build-up for the

game, the Mustangs are expecting a larger crowd than normal. By advertising the game through various mediums, the game’s promotional staff are hoping for a big return on their efforts. “We are over 600 tickets right now and we are expecting around 1,000 people. We will probably see double our average fan count for a Saturday night game,” Young said. With men’s health in the forefront, and two good teams strapped up for a vital showdown, this game has all the makings of an enjoyable afternoon.

Naira Ahmed Gazette

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thegazette • Friday, November 23, 2012

Mustangs ready to take on division’s best Undefeated Marauders head to Western for big match Coming off of a weekend of consecutive victories against the Royal Military College Paladins and the Queen’s Gaels, the Mustangs men’s volleyball team is at it again— ready to host the York Lions and the top–ranked rivals, the McMaster Marauders, at Alumni Hall this weekend. Thanks in large part to Garrett May—the Ontario University Athletics leader in both kills per game and points per game—the Mustangs easily disposed of the Paladins and Gaels by scores of 3–0 and 3–1 respectively. However, this weekend poses an even greater challenge for the purple and white. Even though they should be able to pull off the win against the Lions, the game against McMaster will threaten the Mustangs’ near-perfect record. After all, the Marauders have already defeated Western this year in exhibition action. “We played them earlier in exhibition at Mac. It didn’t go very well—3–0,” Jim Sage, head coach for the Mustangs, said. “I know my guys are looking forward to it, so it’s obviously going to be a good challenge. I think they are number three in Canada right now, so it will be a test for sure.” After that exhibition loss, the Mustangs have been on a tear during the regular season—sticking to their game plan and playing per-

fectly except for a slip-up against the Waterloo Warriors. “We had a tough upset loss here to Waterloo. But other than that, everything has pretty much gone according to plan,” Sage said. However, with losing comes the opportunity for learning and improvement, and the Mustangs hope their improvement thus far will help them against the current owners of the OUA’s top spot. “We are really looking forward to the opportunity to play them again and see how much improvement we’ve hopefully made. So I think it will be exciting,” Sage said. The difference this time around for the Mustangs is that they won’t be playing in Hamilton, but in their own house—Alumni Hall. Last year, the Mustangs had incredible success when playing at home, not dropping a single set during the regular season. They will hope to mimic that success on Sunday. “It did it for us last year—we didn’t lose a set at home during the regular season, but I think both teams are experienced, so it might be a bit of an advantage for us.” So go watch the Mustangs at Alumni Hall this Sunday, where another chapter in this epic rivalry will be written. This is a huge match for the Mustangs, because if they win, they will sit atop the OUA leaderboard. “We are hopefully to get some fans out because it is a big rivalry and a big match for us,” Sage said.

Ritchie Sham Gazette

Naira Ahmed Gazette

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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

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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Jason Sinukoff Sports Editor