w w w .w e sterngazette.c a • @uw ogazette
Bell tower Cellular service amped up on campus >> pg. 3
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
today high 17 low 4
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Volume 106, Issue 15
Alleged sexual assault in rez HOCO parade no London police continue investigation
longer downtown Aaron Zaltzman News Editor
Cameron Wilson Gazette
CONSENT CONCERNS. According to London police, an alleged sexual assault occurred in an undisclosed residence on September 16.
Jesica Hurst News Editor The London Police Service is looking for more information on an alleged sexual assault that took place at a Western residence. According to Dennis Rivest, media relations officer for the London Police Service, the assault— which was reported to London police late last week—occurred between approximately 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on September 16. “At the present stage of the investigation, there’s nothing that indicates that this was an incident of a stranger-on-stranger violence,” Rivest said. “Clearly, the investigation is still continuing, but we’re not releasing which residence it was.” Susan Grindrod, associate vicepresident for housing and ancillary services, said that housing is doing all they can to support the victim during this difficult time. “Housing’s role is to support the survivor and give him or her referrals to professional support on campus, or in the community,” Grindrod said. “There are many options open to a survivor, including Student Health Services, Student Development Centre and the Regional Sexual Assault and Do-
mestic Violence Treatment Centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital.” Although these situations can happen regardless of the training and education put into place, Grindrod explained the safety of students is the highest priority for the university, and they are doing everything they can to ensure the campus is a safe place to live. “We, as a university, work diligently to instill in our students that safety is a shared responsibility,” she said. After the alleged assault was reported to police, Western News published a news release online, which included safety tips students could use to stay safe. Although Myuri Komaragiri, vicepresident campus issues for the University Students’ Council, understands why the university took this approach, she believed including more information would have been beneficial. “Upon first read, there are some aspects of the [news release] that are problematic,” Komaragiri said. “I will say that I understand the university’s approach, as it’s always good to remind people of safety tips in any kind of situation, but the feedback I’m getting is about the way in which it’s presented— it’s kind of a larger societal thing
where we tend to put the blame on the victim.” “Instead of saying the victim should not be putting themselves in a situation where they are going to be attacked, we should be focusing on the fact that there are perpetrators of this violence. It would have been nice to see a balance.” Jess Rueger, coordinator of I Know Someone, a campaign targeted at sexual violence, agreed the university’s response to the issue should have targeted perpetrators of sexual violence. “Staff should be educating students on what sexual violence looks like, how to respond appropriately to it as an active bystander and how to support other students who come to them disclosing their experiences,” Rueger said. “If Western cares about its students, they really need to show it by keeping students safe instead of re-victimizing them by blaming them for what happens to them at the hands of nasty people.” If anyone has any information about this incident, they are urged to contact London police or Crime Stoppers.
This year’s homecoming parade will come a little closer to home, as it will be held solely on campus, rather than starting downtown as it has for the past several years. The decision was made by the University Students’ Council in response to the news that the London Police Service would be unable to provide officers for the parade. “London police, in the past, have basically given us pro bono service, but this year they indicated they wouldn’t be able to secure the route,” Adam Fearnall, president of the USC, said. “We were left with an unbudgeted expense that we would have had to go to council with, but, based on student feedback, we decided to make a go of hosting it on campus.” Sergeant Ryan Scrivens of the London Police Service’s traffic management unit said the police could not afford to provide security for free this year. “The cost wasn’t going to be entirely unloaded on the university, but there was going be a cost depending on the route that was chosen, because that would determine the number of officers,” Scrivens said. Fearnall explained the police gave the dwindling attendance of the parade, compared to other, better-attended events, as a reason for the change this year. “For example, if you take the Santa Claus parade, the police know there’s going to be a significant number of people from the city drawn to the event,” Fearnall explained. “So it makes sense
to staff it, and not have to worry about pulling officers from other parts of the city.” “However, the police service thought that for the homecoming parade—given the low turnout—it didn’t make a lot of sense to pull people from areas where there’s still a need for police.” Scrivens cited the increased need for police presence during the rest of homecoming as an example of other priorities for the force. “I can’t have officers assigned to a parade if they have to work that night and into the morning.” Erin Uberig, vice-president student events for the USC, said she wasn’t surprised to hear about the dwindling attendance. “You don’t see a ton of students getting super excited about the parade—not many of them would list it as the highlight of their homecoming,” Uberig said. “So we decided to focus on the quality of the parade, rather than the length and location.” “We’re also going to try to push the parade back later in the day […] so more students can sleep in, and then come out and see it.” Fearnall explained the location of next year’s parade would be revisited later in the year. “I think it will be interesting to see what the student feedback is. [The campus parade] is not the only way to go,” Fearnall said. “We’d be just as happy to put the parade back downtown, but it would be up to the council whether or not that’s something to be budgeted for.”
Mike Laine Gazette
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thegazette • Thursday, September 27, 2012
Caught on Camera
Crossword By Eugene Sheffer
Andrei Calinescu GAZETTE
DOES WHATEVER A PHOTOGRAPHER CAN. A Gazette photographer rappels down One London Place in preparation for the second annual Easter Seals Drop Zone, which raises money for children with physical disabilities.
News Briefs
CLASSE action against tuition Quebec student group Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante will continue to fight tuition hikes in the wake of the fall of Jean Charest’s Liberal provincial government. “With another four years of Charest, we may have seen those tuition hikes maintained,” Jérémie Bédard-Wien, secretary of finance
Solution to puzzle on page 8
for CLASSE, said. “CLASSE created such a strong social pressure on the previous government, and the new government, to put through progressive measures.” However, the fight against hikes is not over. The recently elected Parti Québécois has proposed a tuition freeze subject to inflation as a compromise, one that CLASSE continues to object to. “That’s hardly a tuition freeze— what they’re proposing is a hike in disguise,” Bédard-Wien argued. As for future communication, the PQ has proposed an education summit, but according to BédardWien, CLASSE has not made a decision yet due to the lack of information. “We would like to see what the summit will be about, such as what topics the government will allow us to address,” he said. —Felix Wu
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Although Apple products are known for their cutting-edge technology and quality, it appears that their mapping software has fallen below the mark, which could cause problems with, among other things, new students trying to navigate the university as the school year begins. “If I’m looking at campus specifically, I can see street names, but I don’t know where any of the buildings are,” Patrick Whelan, a fourth-year social science student, said. Despite Apple Maps’ issues, there is some speculation that it could be due to Apple’s inexperience with such software, considering that Google Maps had previously been the dominant navigator of choice. Despite the map application, Whelan still sounded satisfied with the iPhone in general. “It’s beautiful. I waited in line for several hours. After soph pub, I went straight to Masonville, and waited in line from 3 a.m. till 8 a.m. It was good fun,” Whelan said. —Herb Richardson
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thegazette • Thursday, September 27, 2012
Bell strengthens cell London cops crack down service on campus Project LEARN curtails student partying Cam Smith News Editor
Logan Ly GAZETTE
BOOSTING JUICE. Western and Bell have partnered to bring improved cellular service to the university by installing new signal boosters, fiber-optic cables and antennae.
Julian Uzielli Online Editor If you’ve noticed an improved signal on your Bell or Telus mobile device on campus over the past week, that’s no accident—today, Western announced a new partnership with Bell to bring improved cellular service to the University Community Centre, Concrete Beach and the surrounding area. Bell has committed to $3 million over the next three years to improve cellular coverage on campus. With the proliferation of smartphones and other devices, there has been an explosion in cellular network usage on campus over the past few years, resulting in widespread service problems. Mona Brennan-Coles, telecommunications business manager for ITS, explained the new cellular system does more than just boost existing signal. “The best part of all of this is that we’re not just plucking [the signal] out of the air —if you buy a home booster system, you’re plucking it out of the air and you’re still competing with everyone. This is actually trunked in on fiber. So all of a sudden, now, we have our own signal separate from the surrounding area,” she said. The improvement in service is facilitated by a new system of fiberoptic cable, signal boosters and antennae. There are two in-building signal boosters in the UCC and Student Services Center, and a new set of antennae on the roof of D.B. Weldon Library. The antennae on the Weldon roof are specifically to improve reception on Concrete Beach. “Rather than being angled in a
big umbrella to cover a wide area, it’s actually been focused down at Concrete Beach to give Concrete Beach improved signal. So there is a very real expectation that Stevenson-Lawson, Somerville and some of the buildings right around Concrete Beach will see improvements in cellular service that you would not expect if the configuration was different,” Brennan-Coles said. Increasing Western’s signal capacity should also mean improved service for Bell and Telus customers who live near campus. “People who live around the campus—students and non-students alike—will see improved service simply because Western won’t be draining all the cell signal onto campus,” Brennan-Coles said. So far, Rogers has declined to participate. However, their Western customers received a noticeable boost last year with the addition of two new towers in London. The signal improvement is part of a recently cemented business partnership between Bell and Western that will see Western employees offered discounted rates for mobile contracts—a perk that Brennan-Coles said couldn’t be extended to students for legal reasons. “The challenge with students is the following—the pricing that the university gets is based on Ontario government pricing, and all publicly funded institutions are eligible for that, but one of the restrictions is you have to work at one of those institutions and use the phone for business or work,” she said. “So what Bell will be looking to offer the students are attractive residential promotions.”
While some students may be getting ready to crack open some beers this homecoming weekend, London police have been cracking down on liquor offences, among other alcohol-related violations. Project Liquor Enforcement and Noise Reduction has recently published statistics on the number of offences committed this year, and they are up dramatically. Almost 700 more offences were reported this year than last. “It’s tough to answer [why] right at this moment, because we’re right in the midst of our project,” Dennis Rivest, media relations officer for the London Police Service, said. LEARN’s presence was increased significantly in the wake of the Fleming Drive riots earlier this year, in order to prevent a similar incident from occurring again. “As we have indicated in the past, in light of what has transpired from St. Patrick’s Day, we don’t want to allow something like that to occur again,” Rivest explained. “Therefore, we take the strict enforcement approach.”
However, as its acronym would suggest, LEARN is about more than reactive law enforcement. “Project LEARN is specifically to educate people in and around student housing about respectful behaviour,” Rivest said. “It’s about being respectful to the neighbours, and being a responsible part of our community.” He also noted that homecoming weekend would see a rise in liquor and other violations. “Certainly, the number of offences is going to be higher by the end of the weekend,” Rivest asserted. “Offences such as drinking in public, public intoxication, urinating in public and tickets under the noise bylaw—those are the common ones.” Yet, this rigorous crackdown has been tough on some students looking to host a party. “We had a party this past Friday,” Tyler Rothfels, a fourth-year social science student, said. “The cops showed up at 9:30 p.m., […] no one was making a lot of noise. We were just keeping to ourselves, on our own property.” According to Rothfels, this strict monitoring of parties is a direct result of last year’s riots.
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“This is absolutely the backlash from the Fanshawe riots last year,” he explained. “It’s just too bad that we’re being forced to feel the whiplash.” Despite more offences being reported elsewhere in London, things remain relatively serene on campus. “I wouldn’t say we’ve noticed any increases of offences on campus, it seems to be very similar to previous years,” Elgin Austen, director of Campus Community Police Services, explained. “I think for 35,000 students and the number of problems we have, they’re pretty minimal.”
CORRECTION NOTICE 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.
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thegazette • Thursday, September 27, 2012
Arts&Life Haters gonna HATES
funfact Pigs always sleep on their right side.
The spirit of indie music Local artists celebrate compilation album Laura Trabucco Contributor
file photo
Ross Hamilton Contributor GGFFF Director: Mark Tonderai Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Max Thieriot, Elisabeth Shue It seems unlikely that there will be a film this year with a title less inspiring than House at the End of the Street—British director Mark Tonderai’s lacklustre contribution to the PG-13 horror genre. Unfortunately, the generic name sets the tone perfectly for things to come, and despite boasting the excellent Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role, HATES—as it has been abbreviated—never aspires to be anything other than a rudimentary ‘thriller.’ The premise is appropriately straightforward—Lawrence plays strong-minded teenager Elissa, who, along with her irritating mother (Elisabeth Shue), moves from the city to a country town inhabited by a cast of horror movie stereotypes. There’s the stuck-up rich kid, the compassionate local cop and the quiet recluse with a mysterious past, who live in—you guessed it—the house at the end of the street. Naturally, Elissa befriends Ryan (Max Thieriot), the recluse, and for the most part things play out as expected from there. There are a cou-
ple of minor plot deviations, but otherwise HATES is formulaic to a fault, falling back time and time again on clichéd scenarios pilfered from other, better horror movies. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and had the overall execution been up to scratch it might have worked, but some excruciating dialogue, stilted performances and a peculiar mix of editing styles combine to give the film a tedious, amateurish quality. On top of all this, HATES suffers from another fundamental problem in that it just isn’t all that frightening. Tonderai consistently relies on cheap, predictable shockscares and the approach rapidly wears thin, provoking boredom and frustration instead of fear and suspense. If there is any satisfaction to be had, it’s that, at just over ninety minutes, the film zips along at a fair pace, and doesn’t linger. There really isn’t much more to say about House at the End of the Street. If it was spectacularly bad it might have found an audience as an inadvertent comedy, but it doesn’t inspire ridicule so much as it does apathy. If HATES is remembered at all, it will be as a sub-par film with an A-list star, but the likelihood is that within a few weeks HATES will have faded away into welcome obscurity.
It’s an important week for live music in London. Two years ago, APK Live opened its doors on Wellington Street. Since then, the unique venue has earned a welldeserved reputation for showcasing exceptional live music and fostering local talent. A year later, on the same week of APK Live’s first anniversary, Matt Trocchi founded promotion company and arts collective Half A Dino. He explains that what began as promoting shows at APK has become an important part of the local music scene, bringing good— but not necessarily well-known— music to London. To celebrate this special week, Half a Dino gathered twelve of London’s most talented up and coming artists together for a special local compilation CD. An eclectic mix of London’s indie talent, the tracklist showcases a dynamic group of local artists. Trocchi himself has been a part of the scene since grade nine as a member of the band Say Domino. He is proud of the talent that Half A Dino’s new album showcases. “These are bands that are the best representation of the music scene in London right now,” he explains. “We’re just trying to get people exposed to good music.” Sam Allen, whose song “Love Like a River” is featured on the album, believes the record is a great way to access the exciting and talented musicians who are working in London right now. “There’s a lot of great music happening just outside the Western bubble, students only need to look a little outside of their comfort zones to find a very eclectic and exciting scene, full of music that I’m
Courtesy of Amanda Grant
sure they’ll love,” Allen says. He describes his own music as a more interesting type of indie pop or rock music. “We try to do some weird things, work with different ideas that wouldn’t necessarily be expected from your typical pop song,” Allen explains. The same can be said of most of the tracks found on the new album. While no two songs are quite alike, all embody the quintessential spirit of indie music. Folk band Lonnie in the Garden displays a pretty melody and deep lyrics. The mountain, the forest, the earth is a band that relies on tribal drumming and smooth bass for a sound that is entirely different and yet just as enticing. Each artist has something different to offer, but all aspire towards their own unique sound. Joe Thorner of Wild Domestic says he is very happy with the compilation. He credits the tight-knit indie community with a measure of their success. “I feel our ‘do-it-yourself’ mentality has been a positive,” Thorner says. “We’ve been putting together
events ourselves and with the help of people like Matt [Trocchi] and the people from APK Live, […] so many people have been working really hard to make a name for our projects.” Fellow band member Andrew Lennox also stresses this sense of community, and urges students to be adventurous and discover what the London music scene has to offer. “Our aim is to develop a sense of community among listeners […] we know that people will appreciate what’s happening here.” Half A Dino’s local compilation album is only a small glimpse into the passion and pride that characterizes the live music scene in London right now. The new album is a testament to the creativity and hard work of London’s local musicians, as well as the first step into a flourishing community that truly has something special to offer. Check out 10 of the 12 bands featured on Half A Dino’s first compilation album at APK Live tonight. Doors open at 7 p.m. and admission is $5. The album will also be available for $10.
On Disc
GGGHF Various Artists Half a Dino Local Compilation Half a Dino
Ahmed Javed Gazette
Half a Dino, a London concertbooking and musician collective, is celebrating their first anniversary with a compilation album of all local music. The Half a Dino Local Compilation is an eclectic mix of talent grown in the Forest City, showcasing the diversity of London’s local music scene. The genre-spanning album is definitely geared towards indie
music lovers. Rounded out by some fantastically catchy indie rock tunes from artists like More More, Wild Domestic and Amity Beach, there’s also a healthy dose of electronic and experimental songs for more adventurous ears. Take the track “Save Return” by Gym Zsahib—if you took the music from eight-bit video games and mated it with dubstep, you might wind up with something resembling this track. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. You would be hard-pressed to find a person who likes every song on this compilation—from indie pop, to metal, to trance-y electro tracks, this compilation covers a lot of ground. But liking every song probably isn’t the point—London artists create all kinds of music, and all kinds of people will find something to like on this album. If you’ve been longing to get to know the local music scene a bit better, now’s your chance. —Julian Uzielli
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thegazette • Thursday, September 27, 2012
Toronto band produces giant dreams Sumedha Arya Arts & Life Editor Toronto-based band Bravestation released their first album Giants & Dreamers this past summer. Tonight, Bravestation will play London at Call the Office. Derek Wilson, the band’s guitarist, took some time to talk to the Gazette about Bravestation’s origins, their album Giants & Dreamers and the feedback the band’s been receiving for their new album. Gazette: Bravestation has been gaining a lot of popularity lately— how did you get started? Wilson: We’ve been a fourpiece band since 2009. I met our keyboardist at a recording arts school in Toronto. Prior to that, I was making music with my brother and our drummer for a few years. We’ve been Bravestation for only a few years—but we’ve been together longer than that.
Derek
Gazette: Was there a certain point when you decided to expand? Wilson: When I went on to recording school, I took the audio engineering program. Andrew Heppner, who plays keyboards, was in the same group as I for a year. We had a school project for which we had to record a demo. We thought, ‘why don’t we just make our own band’? We put in crazy 12-hour sessions for a couple months on end, and came out with a demo in 2009. Andrew ended up taking up keyboard—that’s where it all started
Courtesy of Beth Cavanagh
for us. Andrew has recorded all of our albums as well. Gazette: Giants & Dreamers was released this past summer —was there a certain inspiration for that album? Wilson: The record has a lot of lyr-
ics that carry themes about different things. Musically, we were after elements of tribal rhythm with electronic instruments. We wanted something that harkened back to something tribal-esque, but something that also had a futuristic element to it. As far as instrumentation and vibe goes, you really hear 80s-inspired instrumentation. The overall concept of the record was [to create] something that was futuristic, but that contained elements of the past as well.
What kind of feedback have you been receiving for Giants & Dreamers?
Gazette:
It’s been fantastic. People who enjoy the record seem to really understand what we were trying to create. [The album] is not immediately accessible after one or two listens. There are a lot of subtleties we added to make it more complex— you need to take your time with the album to appreciate it. But overall, [the feedback] has been great. There have been positive reviews in the Toronto Star.
Wilson:
You’re based in Toronto, and you’re coming to London this week—where else are you performing?
Gazette:
Wilson: We’re primarily doing sup-
We’ve basically been trying to build an audience online. I think we’re actually back in London at Fanshawe on October 19 doing a show on campus. Recently, we just opened for Imagine Dragons, a band from Las Vegas. We played that show last Monday at The Opera House—it has huge capacity, and the crowd was so receptive. Those are the kinds of opportunities we are looking for. We like playing with bands we enjoy listening to. What do you planned for the future?
Gazette:
have
Wilson: We’re working on new ma-
terial right now. Hopefully, we’ll be putting out a handful of singles early in the new year.
port spots in Toronto right now.
Naira Ahmed Gazette
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thegazette • Thursday, September 27, 2012
Opinions Consent should be top priority When an email concerning a sexual assault was sent out to all students living in residence last week, the campus population began to question the wording of the message and if it was another case of victim blaming. In addition to the news about the sexual assault, the email contained a number of key safety messages. Issues arose due to the fact that these safety tips put an emphasis on victim actions, such as drinking too much or leaving a door unlocked. While the safety tips included aren’t inherently wrong or unneeded, their pairing with news about the sexual assault implied that the victim of the alleged assault was partly to blame. Though residence security and staff wished to address the rumors and keep everyone safe, the message felt one-sided and lacked other important information, like tips on what everyone can do to prevent assaults from happening on campus, not just the victims. While it may seem naive to direct safety messages towards the perpetrators of sexual assault, the victims aren’t the only aspect involved in such assault cases. News about the assault could have easily been distanced from the safety tips in the message—tips that could’ve been delivered during homecoming weekend where excess drinking could have been linked to an eventful weekend, as opposed to the victim in the sexual assault case. That said, this incident hasn’t shifted the perspective of residence safety. With large portions of O-Week and residence programming dedicated to alcohol safety, as well as issues of consent and sexual respect, students in residence still have plenty of information available to them. The dynamic of the floor is also a significant part of feeling safe in residence. Though many sexual assaults aren’t committed by strangers, the contained environment of residence in addition to the large amount staff and sophs make for a relatively safe environment. So will residence security now crack down on sexual assaults? Perhaps, but with a number of other, more prevalent residence issues, such as theft and vandalism, it’s doubtful that residence officials can take steps that they haven’t already taken. They might even want to take a step back, handling delicate situations like sexual assaults more intimately, instead of alerting the entire residence population before the assault was confirmed. —The Gazette Editorial Board
I’ve yet to be on a campus where most women weren’t worrying about some aspect of combining marriage, children and a career. I’ve yet to find one where many men were worrying about the same thing.
—Gloria Steinem, American feminist and political activist
Exposure, not requirement ent that making a women’s study course mandatory is not an effective means of combating ignorance and patriarchal corruption. So, what are we to do about it? With ridiculous concepts of gender identity being enforced by the media every day, sexual assaults occurring far too frequently and hyper-masculinity still perceived as a virtue by many young people, must we merely sit on our asses? Forcing students to take women’s studies is not the solution. The program is not without merits, but it is the university’s responsibility to provide proper exposure and accessibility, and it is the responsibility of professors to market a course in a desirable and attainable way. Women’s and gender studies is an undeniably valuable tool to combat ignorance. So, how do we best utilize this tool? Promote it. Target courses to a more diverse audience—not necessarily those already passionate about women’s and gender studies. Make it hip, encourage students who may have been on the fence to give it a shot. Realistically, those who are least in-
Smoth soundin’ off
Cam Smith News Editor Undoubtedly, gender and women’s studies courses are at the vanguard of social change. Ignorance breeds oppression, while education combats it. Thus, when the York Federation of Students proposed to make women’s studies a mandatory course for students, you’d think it would be a great idea. Wrong. What breeds resentment in a freshmen more than being forced into something? Finally inundated in independence, there is nothing more painful than authorities telling people they have to take a course they’ve never had an interest in. What better way to further entrench the foolish, but pervasive notion that feminists are pushy, demanding and unreasonable? It is remarkably appar-
Letter To The Editor
clined to take this course would be the most bigoted, the most ignorant and the most in need of such studies. This type of person is more likely to mock the program than sign up for it. Some might ask, ‘aren’t these the exact people we wish to change by making it mandatory?’ No. Rather than further alienating them and giving them ammunition for their hatred, let’s target those less set in their ignorance. Focus on the changeable. There are many students underexposed to gender education. These people are susceptible to the culture of hyper-masculinity and arrogance. Women’s studies should provide an attractive venue for those looking to learn more—a course that extols the virtue of education and condemns ignorance. While not everyone will take it willingly, not everyone has to. With greater exposure, the education imparted by women’s studies will inevitably be disseminated into wider culture.
Dear Life
Election bias
The final paragraph of the opinions piece condemning Horwood is little more than a temper tantrum. While it is technically true that the “second election [had] no guarantee that the results would be the same as the first,” and “Horwood could have cost a candidate their spot on the USC,” it is fairly safe to assume, without any contrary evidence, that Fearnall’s 1000-ballot lead, with little to no difference in turnout between elections, led to the accurate result. Speculative at best, childishly redundant at worst, your elections coverage is hopefully over. Stop whining and act like the grownup newspaper we love. —Nathan TeBokkel Science IV
I am tired of the bias surrounding the elections hack. In March, when Adam Fearnall won the re-election, complaints hinted that Jon Silver’s team believed he won the first election—though results were kept secret by the University Students’ Council. Last year, I thought the paper was annoyingly politicized throughout the elections, and this year I am dismayed that the same old biases have been dragged out again. Comments such as “Adam Fearnall, USC president and one of those most affected by Horwood’s hack” and “Adam Fearnall wins the revote” imply that someone else—Jon Silver, perhaps—won the first vote, although it remains unknown and unable to be proven.
weeklypoll Keith Horwood, the Western vote hacker, has been ordered to pay $10,000 in damages and complete 100 hours of community service. Is that a fair punishment?
No — $10k is too harsh. 66% Yes — The punishment fits the crime. 24% There was a hacker? 7%
Your anonymous letters to life.
Dear Life, Processed cheese seems oddly named. It makes it sound like there’s natural cheese growing in caverns or something. Dear Life, Why do people get on the bus at the Rec Centre, and then get off at Alumni Hall? Dear Life, Why do I always buy bananas when they turn brown before I eat them? Dear Life, Why am I so bad at math? Dear Life, Why is it so hard to make new friends when you are alone? Submit your letters to life at www.westerngazette.ca /dearlife.
No —It’s not harsh enough. 3% Vote on next week’s poll at westerngazette.ca
thegazette
Volume 106, Issue 15 www.westerngazette.ca
Gloria Dickie Editor-In-Chief Nicole Gibillini Deputy Editor Cam Parkes Managing Editor
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Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Robert Armstrong
Karen Savino Diana Watson
Gazette Staff 2012-2013
Greg Colgan, David Czosniak, Megan Devlin, Kevin Estakhri, Connor Hill, Elton Hobson, Kelly Hobson, Katherine Horodnyk, Sarah Mai Chitty, Victoria Marroccoli, Megan McPhaden, John Petrella, Megan Puterman, Chen Rao, Pat Robinson, Taylor Rodrigues, Nathan TeBokkel, Amy Wang, Hillete Warner, Kate Wilkinson, Kartikeya Vishal, Usman Zahid, Mason Zimmer, Karty Vishal
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
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 • Thursday, September 27, 2012
Sports
tweet of the week @drewbrees: “Ironic that our league punishes those based on conduct detrimental. Whose CONDUCT is DETRIMENTAL now?”
—Drew Brees airs his frustration on the recent state of the NFL and the controversy around the replacement officials.
Rundown >> This week’s CIS rankings were released and the Mustangs are among the top in the country > After a successful weekend at the Western Invitational, the women’s cross country team is ranked fourth in Canada, while the men’s team is in ninth | For the first time this season, the women’s rugby team has cracked the top 10, sitting in 10th spot currently.
Gryphons score much-needed win Frustrated Mustangs scoreless in losing effort Richard Raycraft Sports Editor The Mustangs men’s soccer team was shut out 2-0 by the visiting Guelph Gryphons on Sunday. The loss puts the team at a record of three wins, two losses and two draws on the season. “[It was] very frustrating, I’m very disappointed,” Rock Basacco, Mustangs coach, reflected. “It’s unfortunate because we played so well on Friday and we’ve basically taken three steps back with that performance.” The win was a much-needed one for Guelph, who snapped a three game losing streak with the victory. They have now racked up three wins and four losses this season. “We’ve played well recently, we just haven’t been putting the ball in the net, and today we did,” Keith Mason, Guelph’s coach, said. “Western had possession, but they didn’t really test our goalie too many times, and created a number of chances down at their end, so I’m very happy with this performance.” The Mustangs controlled the game early, creating a number of threatening chances in the Guelph end, including a rocket of a shot that went soaring just over the crossbar. Guelph had their chances early too, in no small thanks to a referee who seemed prone to being hit by the ball. The second instance nearly led to a breakaway for the Gryphons, and the Mustangs were not particularly keen on hiding their frustration. “Again! That’s the second time he’s done that—the second time!” an angry Mustang shouted on the field. At just over 20 minutes into the contest, the Gryphons crossed the ball deep in Mustang territory.
Although he won his last decision, I still have to ask. What’s wrong with Ricky Romero this year? Alexander Ryan, Sociology III There has been increased speculation as of late that Ricky Romero’s woes have been the product of his changeup being too good. The changeup, which has been Romero’s bread and butter pitch in the past, has lost a couple of miles an hour in velocity, and the resulting increase in movement may be causing batters to lay off this pitch. With the changeup giving the batter an automatic ball in this case, Romero has been falling into more hitter’s counts, and giving them more chances to swing at some-
Mustang keeper Ivan Skoko was caught slightly out of position on the pass, and Jared Agyemang fired the ball into the webbing to put Guelph up 1-0. Despite a few Mustang chances late in the first half, they just could not find the net and the Mustangs headed to the locker room down by a goal. Despite the half-time rest, and a couple of substitutions, the Mustangs looked tired and unmotivated as they scrambled to hold off a renewed Guelph attack. Late in the second half, the Guelph strategy switched to defence, and the Mustangs failed to find a chink in the Gryphons’ armor. At 83 minutes, Guelph managed to pick off a pass in the Mustang zone. The ball was again sent to Agyemang, who scored his second goal of the game to put the Gryphons up 2-0. The goal put the game virtually out of reach for the Mustangs. Despite fighting back for the last seven minutes of the game, the Mustangs were unable to put a single goal up on the scoreboard as the game ended with a score of 2-0. “We started off alright, but then we gave up a weak goal and it kind of fell apart from there,” Eric Amato, captain of the Mustangs, said. “We have to work harder.” Frustration was in no short supply on the Mustangs bench throughout the contest. Basacco made it clear following the game that what the Mustangs needed most was some basic drive. “It all comes back to desire and wanting to win, and wanting to play,” he said. “Right now, we don’t have everyone on that same page, so we’ve got some work to do.” The Mustangs will look to bounce back on Wednesday against the Brock Badgers. The game will take place at 8:15 p.m. at TD Waterhouse Stadium.
thing in the middle of the zone or take a walk. Further evidence of this can be seen in the games where Romero has pitched well, as they usually came off an extended break, where his changeup was back to it’s old speed. Faith in his ability to rebound next year remains high. Do you think there is a real possibility that the NHL would move the Edmonton Oilers franchise to Seattle? Cecil Wentsmith, Psychology IV Firstly, I’m not Gary Bettman so I really can’t tell you anything for certain, but what I can say is
Corey Stanford Gazette
LOOK MA, NO HANDS! Despite numerous close chances throughout the contest, the Mustangs men’s soccer team failed to tally a single goal and were shut out by the Guelph Gryphons 2-0 on Sunday. The Mustangs are now 3-2-2 this season.
Mike Laine Gazette
that I certainly hope the franchise stays in its rightful place, and that’s Edmonton. The Edmonton Oilers have a storied history, and although, in recent years, the team has occupied a place in the bottom of the standings, loyal Oilers fans stand by their team. Removing the team from the city would devastate not only the city’s residents, but also the citizens of Canada. And think about this—in Seattle, an NHL team would not be in the forefront of people’s minds. The city already has a NFL team and we all know Americans and their football. We already have enough NHL teams barely treading water in the U.S.—we don’t need to
add another. Alright guys, I have to ask—Seahawks’ touchdown or Packers’ interception? Alan Stevens, Biology II There’s no way to dance around this direct question, so I’ll just come out and say it—I agree with the call, and think it was a touchdown. Before you get all angry, let me explain why. For those not in the know, there’s a rule called simultaneous catch. In a nutshell, this rule says that, in the event that two players both catch a pass, possession goes to the passers. Now, clearly M.D. Jennings of Greenbay had both hands on the ball, while Golden Tate of Seattle had one—at first.
The key here is knowing how and when possession is determined. Possession is not established until both of the player’s feet are on the ground. If you watch video replays as closely as I have, you’ll see that, by the time Jennings’ second foot touches down, Tate has two hands on the ball. Hence, simultaneous catch and touchdown. Although I agree with the end call, I don’t think the refs handled it correctly. Instead of meeting on the field for a final consultation, they went straight to replay. Although they could have overturned the call (possession on a simultaneous catch is reviewable in the end zone), they didn’t, and I think that was the right decision.
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thegazette • Thursday, September 27, 2012
Summer is over, school is back BUT SOCCER CONTINU ES!
Women’s & Men’s INDOOR LEAGUE Register now for indoor soccer at www.kensalparksoccer.ca
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SERVICES DANCE CLASSES AT DANCE STEPS- 743 Richmond St at Oxford. Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Modern. Check our web page for schedule www.dancestepslondon.ca or contact us dance_steps@hotmail.com, 519-645-8515. ENGLISH LANGUAGE TUTORING - Near the University. Group or individual tutoring in English reading, pronunciation, and writing - half-hour or one-hour classes. Email barbara_landstreet@sympatico.ca or call 519-473-4174.
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