Friday, November 30, 2012

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thegazette Celebrating the halfway point since 1906

Friday, November 30, 2012

Our Gazette editors ‘stache in as the month draws to an end. >> pg. 4 today high 0 low -2

tomorrow high 6 low 5

canada’s only Daily Student Newspaper • founded 1906

$100,000 moustaches Western surpasses 2011 Movember total

Antidepressant use on the rise at universities Jacqueline Ting Gazette Staff

Julian Uzielli Gazette

Kaitlyn McGrath Associate Editor Mo’ money, no problem. As of press time Thursday night, the Western University network had raised $102,299 for Movember, far surpassing last year’s total of $60,343. At the onset of the campaign, Brett Larson, a fourth-year BMOS student and the Western representative for Movember, set a goal of $75,000. He was confident the goal would be met, but never projected Western would top it by as much as they did. “It well exceeded my expectations,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be this big at all, and it’s something to really be proud of.” And for yet another year, Canada is atop the worldwide leaderboard, currently sitting at a total of $31,283,181, over 8 million ahead of the second-place United Kingdom. “I think that’s just the Canadian nature,” Larson said about Canada once again leading the campaign. “Charity is really big in Canada.” With each year, the Movember movement, which looks to raise money and awareness for men’s health, continues to grow. Larson explained that, along with a large social media campaign, Movember had a more visible presence on campus this year, which led to the high totals. However, Western still trails the University of Toronto in the race to be the top university in Canada. Paolo Campisi, a third-year history student, is a member of his fraternity, Delta Upsilon’s Movember team. This is the fourth time he’s participated in Movember, and has raised $753 for the cause this year.

Campisi explained he’s motivated because it helps shed light on important men’s health issues. “The community knows exactly what’s going on,” he said. “I can’t count the amount of times I’ve walked by a guy in the bar and been given the nod and heard them say, ‘nice Mo.’” With today marking the final day of Movember, the University Students’ Council is hosting a free Movember Party at the Spoke, which will feature a performance by Canadian musician Karl Wolf. Tony Ayala, vice-president finance for the USC, explained the idea for the event came straight from Spoke employees. “The university’s campus is just a hub of student interests. When you have enough of them who share the same interests, they just naturally come together,” he explained. “Western Movember is a purely student initiative.” The USC has also supported the campaign by placing Movember change boxes at all the USC-run operations on campus. Although the month of Movember is nearly over, donations will still be accepted until the end of December. As far as his own goals are concerned, Larson expects to raise $2,000 to support prostate cancer and men’s health research. Although the campaigning may be coming to an end for Larson, the recent addition to his upper lip may live to see a few more days. “I’m attached to it—I don’t want to shave it off,” he said with a grin. “I know a lot of people do, but I think a lot of the guys would love to keep it because they think it’s hilarious.”

>> Westerns top 20 teams 1. Blakes MOs $8,723 2. Western University Mo’s $7,145 3. AEPi $6,757 4. Dr. Mo & the Mo-lars $4,780 5. Schulich Homeostaches $4,137 6. Mo’ DREs $4,030 7. MoGeo $3,437 8. LHSC $2,923 9. University of Western Ontario Frosh 2012 $2,691 10. Hillel: M-Omer $2,476 11. York University Security $2,374

Volume 106, Issue 50

According to a recent report from CBC, antidepressants have now become the most prescribed medication in university students at many schools, beating birth control pills, which have held the title for years. Hayley Bell, director of sexual health education at Western’s University Students’ Council Health and Wellness Support Service, explained how these reports skew opinions to think this means an increase in depression, when this may not be the case. According to Bell, the increase is caused by progressively eliminating the stigma that comes with mental health and antidepressants. “It’s very possible that antidepressant use has increased among students in recent years, however, I don’t think this necessarily indicates an increase in the prevalence of depression,” Bell said. “Rather, I believe that this increase is due to the fact that [...] people can now feel more comfortable talking about their experiences with mental health issues, [and that] people who wouldn’t have been comfortable seeking treatment for their depression in past years can now do so.” Bell explained how the increase in the use of antidepressants should not be seen as an issue, and the belief of it as such perpetuates this stigma. Rather, she explains the increase is a positive sign showing people are now taking the necessary steps in treating

their mental health. “Antidepressant use is not a problem—it’s crucial that we don’t perpetuate the idea of antidepressants as being dangerous or unnecessary. For the folks who need them, antidepressants can mean the difference between making it to therapy appointments and not being able to get out of bed,” Bell said. Myuri Komaragiri, vice-president campus issues for the USC, said the USC is executing vast strategies to eliminate this negative stigma toward mental health problems. According to Komaragiri, the solution to this stigma is being able being able to create an environment on campus that facilitates discussion. “A lot of our role is to make sure students can share their stories. Things are stigmatized because we don’t talk about them,” Komaragiri said. “If we normalize talking about our experiences with mental health, [students can] say, ‘You know what? My friend went through this, it’s not a big deal.’” Komaragiri hopes to implement strategies that promote a more holistic approach to mental health and a balance of mental, spiritual and physical health. “A lot of people just think that mental health means one thing, and that they need to go to see a counsellor, but it’s so much bigger than that. I think we need to get students to recognize that those different areas of life they need to get in balance is really important.”

12. FBU $2,146 13. Musical Moustaches $2,050 14. My Moustache Brings All The Girls To The Yard $2,034 15. Team Mo Vaughn $1,946 16. The Harry M. Ontopalip Gang $1,795 17. Brothers of the Mighty Mo Mo $1,713 18. UWMo Law $1,696 19. Delta Upsilon Western Ontario $1,614 20. Western Snow Federation $1,596 Cameron Wilson Gazette


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Friday, November 30, 2012 by Western Gazette - Issuu