Tuesday, April 8, 2014 by Western Gazette

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University Students’ Council Report Card TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014

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>> Council’s grade:

Pat Whelan President

This was a successful year for Pat Whelan. Councillors were largely supportive in their feedback, saying he was approachable and an effective leader. In feedback received by The Gazette, councillors were appreciative of his respect for council and due process. While there were a handful of councillors who found him unapproachable and criticized his accessibility, council’s feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Quotes from council: “Maintained his sense of humour and, more importantly, his sense of self over ther course of the year. When there is every opportunity to become tired of the unrelenting weight of bureaucracy, Pat avoided Atlas syndrome and, despite the weight, managed to keep things light.” “Fair at providing multiple perspectives to inform council before voting on issues.” “Empowering and motivating, a pleasure to work with.” “Pat has been an enthusiastic and brilliant leader. His ideas and detailed explanations to council show his ability to lead well. He is very personable and approachable for ideas.” “Talks a big game but largely misses the mark.” “Always in office, should have come out more and be more personable.”

>> Council’s grade:

Amir Eftekarpour Vice-President External

Amir Eftekarpour had one of the most successful years in the external portfolio in recent memory, and it showed in council’s feedback. Comments received by The Gazette were glowing, with only a couple offering any criticism at all. Quotes from council: “Amir took a portfolio that can feel extremely disconnected and is often unbelievably dull and made it palatable for the USC councillors and students-at-large while doing a kick-ass job.” “Delivered on many of his platform points while being present and accessible to council.” “Great advocacy success on all levels, poor e-mails and communication.” “Amir was often absent, which comes with being OUSA [Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance] president. I did not appreciate the ‘let’s not fuck this up’ campaign but overall he did a good job.” “Most involved VP. Did a lot for the concerns of students and was very transparent with his platform.” “Great job with OUSA, Project LEARN, Good Neighbour campaign.”

>> Council’s grade:

Sam Krishnapillai Vice-President Internal

A-

Krishnapillai was the most polarizing member of the executive this year. Most councillors who responded to The Gazette’s survey were critical. Quotes from council: “Confrontational when addressing the concerns of councillors and their constituents.” “Always prompt and helpful.” “Sam did a good job but at times she was not available for council, coordinators and others who relied on her. She lacked in communication and also was an instigator of frustration and conflict.” “She is difficult to get a hold of, does not provide support for her coordinators, and has micromanaged many of the coordinators or forced them into events they didn’t have time for or weren’t capable of running on their own.” “Despite the drama, she would have been a great CI [vice-president Campus Issues]. Internal advocacy side is lacking, but picked it up a lot. But she honestly is much better than people perceive her to be.” “Sam went through a few circles of Hell this year. The fault lies in the fact that you could tell.”

VOLUME 107, ISSUE 97

>> Gazette’s grade:

The USC executive accomplished a lot this year, and much of it can be attributed to Whelan’s leadership. Though he may not have had the tangible accomplishments of past presidents, like the bus shelter on concrete beach or the 12-month bus pass, Whelan made it clear in his voluminous platform that he was more concerned with advocacy, improving students’ quality of living in less obvious ways. Whelan’s advocacy focus paid off in the university finally creating the associate vice-president students position, a post specifically meant to improve the student experience and which can be directly traced to USC advocacy. Perhaps the USC’s highest-profile success was London police’s reform of Project LEARN, the zero-tolerance antiparty police blitz that has targeted students every fall for years. In many ways this was due to the police’s own mistakes, but Whelan and the USC saw their chance and took it. The USC stumbled on One Love, the handling of elections, and Whelan was slow to respond to criticism of his handling of student discontent with the university’s strategic plan. But overall Whelan provided effective leadership and had some big accomplishments.

>> Gazette’s grade:

A+

The problem with Amir Eftekarpour is it’s difficult to name anything that he really did wrong in his term. In fact, he aced his portfolio. He struck a good balance between municipal and provincial advocacy, and somehow was able to accomplish things even The Gazette thought weren’t possible. On the municipal side, Project LEARN was rolled back and he started the good neighbour campaign, an initiative with a lot of potential. On the provincial side, he positioned OUSA as the go-to organization for national media on unpaid student internships, provided input on legislation and met with cabinet ministers on a regular basis. He also oversaw a review of the federal advocacy group CASA. He broke new ground in all three of his portfolio areas and was not shy to share that fact. Sure, not everything was completely his doing — the de-clawing of Project LEARN is largely attributable to the police’s own blunders. But, he was prepared for the situation when it came up and had a plan of attack, which was a successful strategy he used many times. When it comes down to it, Eftekarpour was an ideal USC executive: smart, active, opportunistic and just a touch boastful. It’s a deadly mix and that’s why he deserves the coveted A+.

>> Gazette’s grade:

Sam Krishnapillai’s year got off to a rocky start in July, when one of the Peer Support Network coordinators resigned publicly with an open letter accusing Krishnapillai of restricting transparency between herself and her coordinators. The internal portfolio was plagued by controversy throughout the first semester, when Krishnapillai sought to give the Peer Support Centre a more professional atmosphere. Though her intentions were good, many former PSC volunteers slammed the changes as exclusionary. The semester was capped off by a One Love event that, while a nice idea, failed to attract significant interest from students. Krishnapillai’s second semester was more successful, with the announcement of Western’s new associate vice-president students position — a big win for her and the USC — and the successful Laverne Cox event. And to her credit, the internal portfolio is arguably one of the most challenging, with so many diverse and opposing interests at stake. But on the whole, the internal portfolio appeared to spend most of the year in a state of confusion and disorganization. Krishnapillai is passionate and knowledgeable about her portfolio, but this didn’t always translate into successful policy or programming. >> report cards continue on page 3

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thegazette • Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Caught on Camera

Taylor Lasota GAZETTE

STORY TIME WITH PAT. Gazette editors gather around USC president Pat Whelan as he talks about how he thinks the USC elections committee should be reformed. An ad-hoc committee of the USC is currently investigating the way elections are handled after accusations of poor election oversight in this year’s elections.

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer

News Briefs

USC awaits elections investigation results The University Students’ Council is waiting on a report from the elections ad-hoc committee who is investigating issues with elections procedure. The elections were plagued by Partner Perceptions in Romantic Relationships Have you been in a romantic relationship with an opposite-sex partner for at least 3 months? Are you both at least 18? We would love to have you both participate in our study!!! In this research, we are investigating romantic partner behaviour in a gaming context! This study should take approximately 10 minutes to complete, and you will each receive $5 (so, $10 per couple) compensation, for your time! This study is being conducted by Lorne Campbell, PhD, and Melanie MacEacheron, MSc, of the University of Western Ontario. Want to learn more? Tear off an email address and let me know!

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technical problems for the third year in a row. In one example, some medicine students who should have been able to vote were prevented from doing so because of a registration error. In other cases, the wrong candidates appeared on the wrong ballots, and not all voters were presented with all the right candidate choices. “I wouldn’t say it’s a fault of anyone,” Pat Whelan, USC President, said. “We need to articulate who should be represented by who because we haven’t done that before.” The ad-hoc committee is composed of seven students from the current council. The committee presented an oral report at the previous council but it is uncertain when the written report will

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be available. “I also don’t think we ever needed a governance ad-hoc committee,” Whelan stated. “We have a standing committee that’s chaired by the speaker of council, called the governance and agenda committee. Its job is to look into governance.” He has given recommendations to the committee to review the structures of the USC as well as Bylaw 2, the bylaw governing elections, and investigate the elections and their issues over the next couple years. “It is very important for us to learn from our mistakes,” Matt Helfand, incoming USC president, said. “The ad-hoc committee has produced good results.” Helfand said that the next steps are looking at the election policies and practices, and that the ad-hoc committee’s findings will be incorporated into future plans. “Elections are crucial and we really need to sort this out, I just hope we can do this quickly and effectively,” Whelan said. — Morgann Sampson

Hand-writing notes aids memory, study shows Handwritten notes are more effective when compared to typed notes, according to a recent study. Daniel Oppenheimer of University of California Los Angeles and Pam Mueller of Princeton University compared two groups of students who were given the same lecture and asked to either type out or write out their notes. They were then tested 30 minutes later. Laptop users were disconnected from the Internet to decrease the number of distractions. The study showed that both groups of students were able to answer factual questions, but students who typed out their notes were unable to answer concept-based questions. “People who had taken hand-written notes did better [on tests],” Oppenheimer said. While laptop users had longer notes, the benefit of long notes typed out verbatim was limited. “[The] deeper processing of rephrasing the arguments in … [one’s] own words is a key reason for improved learning,” explained Oppenheimer. “[Educators should] emphasize to students the importance of summarizing concepts in their own words,” he said. — Kopikaa Easwaran

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 • Tuesday, April 8, 2014

>> Council’s grade:

Spencer Brown Vice-President Finance

Councillors were reserved in their comments about Brown. They largely gave him good grades, and had little to say except for the most important thing: He balanced the budget. Quotes from council: “While, to some degree, it consumed him, the budget process and the result it yielded are healthier than they have been in memory after a serving of Spencer Brown.” “Although progress still needs to be made, best budget process ever.” “Great work with approachability. Budget was amazing. Nice guy.” “Spencer did a great job as VP finance. He made the budget process very accessible and was always present throughout the year about his portfolio.” “Great initiative taking in altering the budget process. Very open-minded.” “Budget was passed in record time this year due to Spencer’s long-term dedication to preparing and explaining the budget to council!” “Good timeline/planning with budget, very clear with allocations and good goals for future VP finance.” “Overall well done, simply lacked a bit of communication.” “Was able to get student opinion for budget, took time to speak with all councillors.”

>> Council’s grade:

Adam Smith VP Student Events

B+

Councillors, commissioners and coordinators mostly thought that Adam Smith did a satisfactory job as vice-president student events. Some events went off without a hitch, while others ran into significant issues, leading many to give lukewarm comments on his term. Quotes from council: “Adam has been a great mentor, however, he is incredibly difficult to get a hold of or track down. This was my first year on the USC and so it was a bit difficult to figure out my role in the scheme of things.” “Overall good work, One Love and O-Week issues brought him down.” “Adam was a rock star during O-Week but made some poor choices such as running the One Love ceremony for upper year students. Overall he did a good job.” “Great work and success in portfolio. Better job needed with e-mails but extremely approachable.” “I love Adam Smith. End of story. Very refreshing to have a VPSE that was not constantly under fire for their actions.” “Most events were well-planned, however a few lacked enough preparation.” “Adam ran a very successful O-Week, but many events throughout the year such as O-Week concert and One Love were poorly planned and received bad rep.”

>> Council’s grade:

Jas Irwin VP Communications

Councillors were nearly unanimously agreed on their opinion of Jas Irwin: A great personality who was effective at internal communications, but struggled on the event promotion side of her job. Quotes from council: “Lots of great promo during O-Week and elections and charity ball, but lacked consistency. One Love promotion was bad, we need more than Facebook events!” “She was so helpful and easy going and made every effort to ensure we were looked after with our roles. She made me want to continue being involved in the USC, and has inspired me to be a harder worker.” “Great in general in terms of vision, but external communications lacked a little.” “Did a lot of things behind the scenes but promotion for some events was lacking and too heavily focused on others.” “Great job keeping councillors in the loop and hilarious personality; kept her reports concise and interesting.” “Though promotions for events lacked, her PR was great. Jas always offered a wonderful level of comedic relief to council.” “Jas did a great job at communicating with council and coordinators and others who relied on her. She fulfilled the description of her position very well.”

>> Gazette’s grade:

A-

Spencer Brown balanced the USC’s budget and got councillors to pass it quickly, which is perhaps the most important goal of any VP finance. Early on, Brown was diligent in ensuring that each and every councillor understood how the budget worked and had their questions answered before the debate took place, and that early outreach effectively skirted any last-minute bickering on budget night. The creation of both the new advocacy office and volunteer services are both accompaniments that Brown can also put under his belt. Brown’s tenure was not without its setbacks though. In the first semester, in the name of being environmentally friendly, The Spoke announced they would not offer the environmental discount to students using non-Spoke travel mugs. But, students were quick to object, claiming that the mugs were just a money grab, forcing Brown to backtrack on the decision. There were also occasions when he avoided answering financial questions promptly when the answers might have been embarrassing for the executive. That being said, we agreed with Brown when he summed up his tenure by simply challenging his successor to do better. He earned his A by cultivating the most financial transparency for his position in recent memory.

>> Gazette’s grade:

B-

Student events survived, but didn’t thrive this year. Orientation Week — arguably the most important part of the portfolio — had a few controversies, including the Sean Kingston cancellation, Classified’s rape joke, and protestors. Granted, a lot of this was beyond Smith’s control, but considering the fact that he chairs the O-Week planning committee, he does hold some responsibility. Events during the school year were plagued by inconsistency. From an abysmal and unpromoted November One Love Rally to an outstanding and energetic Laverne Cox talk, student events at times felt like it was a one-or-the-other type of deal. Certain events seemed like they lacked any sort of promotion at all, while others seemed to have a lot of momentum behind them, inexplicably. That being said, there weren’t any big scandals with any of the events. Smith was also accused by coordinators of prioritizing some portfolios at the expense of others. In general the clubs system seemed to function well, and Smith was a visible presence on campus. In all, the portfolio could have been better, but it also could have been worse. Smith performed competently in the role, but hopefully the portfolio will see more consistency in the future.

>> Gazette’s grade:

B+

Jas Irwin had a solid tenure as the University Students’ Council’s vice-president communications. She came into this USC executive position as an outsider, and was able to use that perspective to excel. She was an approachable, open and accessible vice-president communications, and she facilitated USC transparency not only for the media but for students as well. One of Irwin’s strengths was her professional composure. She was unflappable in the face of controversy — evident when she organized various town halls to diffuse crises stemming from other executives’ portfolios. While Irwin excelled at communicating to the media and students-at-large directly, she struggled with promotions — a key aspect of her portfolio. Promotions for different events were inconsistent. While not necessarily all her fault, the lack of awareness for One Love point to a lack of promotion. Another criticism, with regards to promotions, is that Jas may have embraced social media at the expense of “traditional” outreach methods. What’s more, the USC website is still badly in need of an overhaul. All in all, Irwin was an excellent vice-president communications, but promotions, her one weakness, prevented her from receiving an A.

HOW WE GOT OUR GRADES Report cards were written collaboratively by The Gazette’s news editors and editor-in-chief. The Gazette’s grades were decided based on consideration of the year’s events and feedback from councillors, commissioners and coordinators.

Feedback on the executive was solicited from council in the form of a paper evaluation form handed out at the second half of the annual general meeting on March 15. Councillors were asked to anonymously give a letter grade and comments for each executive. The commissioners and coordinators in each portfolio were asked to do the same for the executive member they worked with. Council’s grade was calculated by taking an average of the grades received. The Gazette received feedback from 23 councillors and eight commissioners or coordinators. Naira Ahmed GAZETTE

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thegazette • Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Arts&Life

saywhat? It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.

— Ernie Harwell

The consequences of caffeine consumption Jennafer Freeman GAZETTE STAFF

others. According to Lisa Cianfrini, a registered dietician who specialAs exams approach, many Western izes in nutritional development, students will be stocking up on the maximum dosage of caffeine energy drinks to help get through that is said to be safe for conthose dreaded all-nighters. sumption is 400 mg per day. The Although many students rely on effective dose used in most studies caffeine to help keep awake and is about a cup of coffee, which is alert, they don’t always recognize about 100 mg. the harm in caffeine consump“For most people, if they have tion or take into consideration the more than that at any one time it can actually have a U-shaped alternatives that exist. “Caffeine has been shown to curve,” Cianfrini says. “They will enhance performance, improve be jittery or can’t concentrate. So concentration, enhance alertness getting in 100 mg at a time or about and reduce fatigue,” says Christine a cup of coffee is likely beneficial.” Dol, registered nurse. Energy drinks don’t have a conDol has worked as a RN since stant caffeine content, with some 1983 and now teaches the Practical containing up to 300 mg of caffeine Nursing program at Fanshawe or more, which is a lot for one sitCollege. ting. Energy drinks also usually Despite the positive effects contain a high amount of sugar that caffeine has been proven to as well as many other additives. produce, Dol adds, “Caffeine also “I often caution against using causes dehydration, nervous- energy drinks because of the high ness, anxiety, insomnia, digestive amounts of caffeine and sugar in discomfort and abnormal heart them,” Cianfrini says. “One of the rhythm in larger quantities.” main problems with energy drinks Dol explains that caffeine is often times students use them amounts vary in the many different with alcohol. We know that there’s foods and beverages found in our a lot of very negative health effects daily diets. When it comes to com- that go along with that, so I caution paring coffee and energy drinks, against doing so.” Dol explains that it’s not a matter When it comes to sleep depriof which is better or worse, it’s a vation, Dol explains that as a stimmatter of understanding which ulant, excessive caffeine can lead drinks contain more caffeine than to irritability, nervousness and loss

Taylor Lasota GAZETTE

of sleep. For her, the only way to remain alert throughout the night is to receive adequate rest. “For certain, seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is the healthiest way to stay awake and alert the following day,” Dol says. “Sleep is restorative for the

body and the mind.” Cianfrini agrees that caffeine can have a major effect on a student’s sleep cycle. “For most people having caffeine after 2 or 3 p.m. is going to really affect their sleep that night and their performance the next

day,” Cianfrini says. “It’s a bit of a vicious circle. Consuming good foods, making sure you’re wellrested and eating well to make sure you’re giving your brain the nutrients it needs to work properly is more important than relying on caffeine.”

Smoth bids farewell

grew and many of my columns focused on sharing this appreciation with a demographic not known for its love of such strong spirits. If my first column was a bottle of red wine, brought in greeting, then this one — my last in The Gazette — is undoubtedly a bottle of strong whiskey. My tenure as deputy editor and alcohol columnist has come to an end, and I’d like to raise one final glass to the community with whom I shared so many wonderful sips. Take joy in what you drink. Everyone enjoys a good buzz, and there’s nothing wrong with this visceral indulgence. However, if you deepen your appreciation of drinking, it will cease to merely be a means to an end. Learn to love the craft and you will unlock new levels of appreciation for alcohol. Share your experiences. Don’t be ashamed of enjoying a beverage alone, but realize much of drinking’s pleasure comes from the context in which it’s consumed. Don’t be stingy, pour tall glasses and don’t overly concern yourself with saving some for later. Consume with class. Alcohol is a powerful substance, not one to be approached too frivolously. Respect it, respect yourself, and the experiences you have under its influence will be better for it.

So goodbye Western. I raise my glass to you all, and hope that I’ve instilled some passion for the distilled. I ended my first column by advising you to “sip it slow,” an axiom not only meant as a piece of drinking advice, but as a slogan encouraging you to savour an experience. For one last time, pour yourself a drink, admire the artistry of it, appreciate its nuances and enjoy your buzz. Just always remember to sip it slow. — Cam “Smoth” Smith

>> On The Shelves > I of The Sun

GGGGF I of The Sun Troubador Publishing Ltd. Ever thought of taking a year off after graduation or travelling the world for a little adventure? As budding students there are so many life experiences that still wait after graduation. Richard Arthur, author of the autobiography travel piece, I of The Sun, embodies the very idea of youth, travel and exuberance in his book. Travelling to Southeast Asia at the age of 22, Arthur leaves everything he knows behind so that he can explore some of the great many sites in Southeast Asia. Running away from the life of the nuclear family and suburban homes Richard Arthur chases the sun east cutting his own path in a world filled with predictability. Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, Arthur is swamped with feelings of exhilaration and excitement, but is still fearful of what awaits. Delving into his story of adventure, Arthur journeys to Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam

— covering all the highs and lows of his travels. The book contains explicit details of Arthur’s experiences in Southeast Asia that at times may be too audacious to the respectable person. I of the Sun is a story filled with a surplus of imprudent and sometimes foolhardy behaviour that includes too much drinking, partying, casual sex and drug use. However, the book is not meant to be a pretty and romantic fairytale, but an accurate account that describes the personalized experiences of an outgoing young adult. Although these experiences may be a touch too crude for some readers, Arthur’s backpacking journey remains truthful to its core. While Arthur gives an honest narrative, he also deliberatly skims over some of the larger issues of life. His autobiography explores many philosophical considerations of travel, life and adventures. While deliberating over the debate of free will and determinism Arthur yearns to discover the simple truth in life. His philosophical considerations throughout the book leaves his readers with food for thought on varying philosophical, scientific and historical perspectives. It is a story filled with endless roads, bottomless glasses and unique people and cultures. The account contains a balance of entertaining personalized stories as well as intellectual content making it the perfect read for budding travellers. A well-informed and realistic record of what travelling the world is actually like, the book gives its readers a taste of what to expect for those who wish to follow in Richard Arthur’s footsteps. — Mackenzie Morrison

Wine is the drink of greetings. A bottle of wine is an immensely appropriate token of appreciation when invited to a friendly gathering or dinner party — a reminder of how grateful you are to be in attendance. The clink of crystal is a sound that connotes “hello” almost as well as the phrase itself. I began “Sipping with Smoth” with a very brief column about red wine and what made it such a special beverage. It was my greeting to Western. Beer is the drink of camaraderie. Between the games invented to augment its consumption and its association with sporting events and general boisterous behaviour, beer provides an atmosphere as effervescent as the fluid itself. From wine, my column evolved to include craft beer and hopefully expand the repertoire of your average student’s beer fridge. Whiskey is the drink of farewells. When the night winds down and the corks are no longer popping, the caps no longer cracking, the rich and powerful whiskey takes centre stage. Its associations with melancholy are not misplaced — there’s a certain gravitas to this drink which requires a more subtle respect. As I dabbled with whiskey, my appreciation for it

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thegazette • Tuesday, April 8, 2014

CROSSWORD ANSWERS from page 2

Tune in to 94.9 CHRW today at 11:30 for Gazette Radio’s last episode of Volume 107

Courtesy of HBO

Game of Thrones: “Two Swords” Beware: the night is dark and full of spoilers! For the past few years, it seems the first sign that exams are coming is the return of HBO’s hit fantasy television series Game of Thrones — the show where who dies next is made up and the main character billing doesn’t matter. The previous season ended on a somber note with the horrific Red Wedding killing off several key players. The challenge for the new season is dealing with a board seemingly with a lot less to play with — if “Two Swords” is any indication of what is to come that won’t last long. The season premiere introduces several interesting new players into the series. In the South, Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) and his paramour Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma)

provide fresh faces and plenty of the show’s famous sexposition. Meanwhile in the North, Ygritte and Tormund Giantsbane team up with the Thenns, formidable wildlings who are interested in joining in on a feast of crows. Unfortunately, while the new players may be interesting, the same can not be said of the longstanding ones and nowhere is this more true than with Daenerys Targaryen, whose army of Unsullied approaches yet another city far removed from the complex political scheme in Westeros. The recasting of Daario hasn’t helped either. In many ways “Two Swords” feels like half of a premiere — Stannis Baratheon, Roose and Ramsay Bolton, Bran Stark and Yara Greyjoy are all on the field but not present in this episode. Fans will have to wait another week to catch up on all of the plot lines with which season

On Disc

GGGGF Timber Timbre Hot Dreams Timber Timbre’s latest effort fits comfortably into Arts & Crafts’ recent catalogue; somewhere between the loose-limbed roots of Jason Collett’s solo work and Cold Specks’ spooky soul. It’s a little more sinister than those comparisons suggest, though — frontman Taylor Kirk’s deep, imposing vocals are prominent in the mix, soaked in

gothic echo, and prominent baritone guitar leads lend a haunted Wild West ambiance throughout. There’s a dark humour in the songwriting here, like in the best of classic country, and Kirk’s vocals are subtle and straight-faced enough to avoid overselling it. Avant-jazz sax hero Colin Stetson appears on a few standout songs, lending a smooth, Sanborn-esque solo to the title track and taking a more characteristically knotty approach at the climax of “Grand Canyon.” You could call this roots music at a stretch, but it’s far from easy listening. The record’s often-abrasive production — with its sour electronics, horror-movie strings and distant, skeletal rhythms — points to an altogether more interesting slate of influences: Think Tindersticks, the Handsome Family, Tom Waits circa Mule Variations or Smog circa Rain on Lens. — Darren Sharpe

Thank you to all those who volunteered at The Gazette this year!

four will have to dance. Next week also promises another long-awaited wedding between Margarey Tyrell and the incest-born king, Joffrey Baratheon. “Two Swords” does end on its highest note, returning to Arya Stark and the ever-more lovable Hound. The duo play a kind of bad-cop/ badder-cop routine that makes them consistently entertaining, and a confrontation with Lannister men at an inn sees Arya able to start taking revenge for the deaths of her family. While Arya’s reclaiming of her sword Needle is nowhere near as violent or as vicious as the books, it does provide a satisfying scene as she tortures the murderer of one of her friends in an eye-for-an-eye kind of way. Small victories, but in the game of thrones, small gains can be the start of larger ones to come. — Brent Holmes

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thegazette • Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Opinions

The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.

— Oscar Wilde

We did it, together Uze Your Brain

Julian Uzielli EDITOR-IN-CHIEF I know my colleagues have spent the past few days filling this space with their farewells, and you may be starting to tire of it. But I could hardly end my tenure at this newspaper without a proper goodbye, so I hope you will indulge me a final few words. When I first stepped into this office in my second year at Western, I was scruffy, bearded and shy (my friends affectionately refer to this period in my life as “Lumberjack Julian”). I had spent my whole first year and half of my second telling myself I was going to volunteer one of these days, but I was too busy playing Call of Duty to find the time. But then through my mastery of Western’s course selection system and my choice of program, I somehow found myself with only two full days of classes a week and nothing to do. So I finally got around to finding the office of the student paper. “That should be a fun way to pass the time,” I thought to myself. The time flew by, as it tends to do, and three and a half years later I find myself beardless and hopefully more mature (my co-workers now call me Darth Fastidious, mostly affectionately). As I write my final column, I wonder where that time went. In my time as a news volunteer, then news editor, then online editor and now editor-in-chief, I’ve spent more hours in this office than in all my university classes combined. And I’ve learned more here, too. Not that the degree hanging on my wall is useless — far from it. At Western I

learned to think critically, ask questions and find answers. But it was The Gazette that gave me a place to put those abstract abilities into practice. At the beginning of this year, I set out with a simple goal: Make The Gazette more relevant to our readers. We’ve tried to ensure that every article we publish is in some way relevant to you — not just as students or Londoners, but as students at Western, who pay student fees to the university and the University Students’ Council. Because as much as I’ve gained personally from my experience here, that would have been impossible without an audience, and as our readers you deserve a Gazette that matters to you. I think we’ve accomplished our goal — notwithstanding a few slow news days, of course — and I’m proud. Part of being relevant, of course, means being critical, whether it was our coverage of the Social Science faculty’s use of student donation funds, Western’s compensation for their TAs and sessional professors, the university’s strategic plan or today’s USC report cards. But when we hold up a magnifying glass to the university, it’s not out of any sense of moral superiority or pomposity, but out of love. I love Western, and so does everyone else who decides to spend the majority of their free time thinking, talking and writing about it. And if we want to improve something we love, we must be critical, or we would never know where to start improving. That goes for us, too. When faced with constructive criticism, we’ve done our best to improve, and I hope that after I’m gone The Gazette will only get better. So thank you, Western, for reading The Gazette. Thank you for all your letters, comments, tweets and Dear Lifes. Without you, there would be no Gazette, and with no Gazette I’d probably still be a lumberjack wannabe. Together, we’ve tried to make Western an even better place. I thinkwe did.

Dear Life Your anonymous letters to life Dear Life, Maybe my e-mail inbox wouldn’t be almost full if I didn’t get five e-mails a day telling me it’s almost full. Dear Life, Can we get rid of people who breathe heavily on quiet floors? I feel like there’s a serial killer lurking in the stacks. Dear Life, Why go home to sleep when you can curl up on one of the couches in the Mustang Lounge? Dear Life, Why don’t employees wear gloves at the Spoke? Dear Life, Way to ruin HIMYM. Dear Life, What you wear to a concert matters. Plaid to a metal concert? Are you serious? Dear Life, If you’re reading this, then apparently it’s permissible for me to use the word “ass” in a Dear Life. wgaz.ca/dearlife

Letter to the Editor

Helfand should not be president RE: “Confusion reigns over Helfand USC eligibility,” Thursday, April 3, 2014. To the Editor: At the risk of making myself seem like all I do is write letters to The Gazette, I could not read Thursday’s article regarding the eligibility of Matt Helfand to run for USC president and not speak up. Having served for over four years on the USC myself and worked as a member of the administrative staff at Western, I am beyond stunned that the USC elections committee could make such a monumental blunder as to conclude that Helfand was eligible to run for USC president. Section 7.03(2) of the USC bylaw 2 states, “Candidates in the Spring Elections shall be full or part-time undergraduate students at the university at the time of

thegazette

Volume 107, Issue 97 www.westerngazette.ca

Julian Uzielli Editor-In-Chief Cameron M. Smith Deputy Editor Jason Sinukoff Managing Editor

Contact: www.westerngazette.ca University Community Centre Rm. 263 The University of Western Ontario London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580 Advertising Dept.: (519) 661-3579

The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.

Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff. To submit a letter, go to westerngazette.ca and click on “Contact.” All articles, letters, photographs, graphics, illustrations and cartoons published in The Gazette, both in the newspaper and online versions, are the property of The Gazette. By submitting any such material to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette‘s hard copy and online archives.

their candidacy.” Helfand has argued that, despite being a graduate student, he was eligible because he enrolled in an undergraduate course. Unfortunately for Helfand, your status as an undergraduate or graduate student does not flow from the courses in which you enroll. It is determined by the program in which you are registered. Indeed, the university allows undergraduate students to enroll in graduate courses and vice-versa, with appropriate permission. Enrolling in these courses does not change the student’s designation as either an undergraduate or graduate student. By Helfand’s own admission in Thursday’s article, he did not terminate his graduate studies to begin a new undergraduate program. Similarly, concurrent enrollment as both a graduate and an undergraduate student would be an extraordinary and almost unprecedented occurrence to my knowledge. It

Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Robert Armstrong

Diana Watson

Gazette Staff 2013-2014

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

News Richard Raycraft Megan Devlin Iain Boekhoff Jeremiah Rodriguez Arts & Life Brent Holmes Mary Ann Ciosk Bradley Metlin Sports Daniel Weryha Nusaiba Al-Azem Caitlin Martin Newnham Opinions Kevin Hurren

is therefore clear that Helfand failed to meet the eligibility requirements to run for USC president. As a consequence of this revelation, any of Helfand’s rivals — particularly runner-up Brian Belman — may wish to immediately call on the USC’s chief returning officer to enforce bylaw 2. If the USC is unwilling to do so, Belman or others would be entirely within their rights to seek legal intervention compelling the USC to comply with its own bylaw. Of course, if my time on the USC taught me anything, it’s not to hold your breath waiting for the USC to do the right thing. I have nothing against Helfand and I have no particular reason to believe he would not be a good president. That said, the rules are clear, and candidates and other students have a right to have them respected. — Arzie Chant Biology IV

Associate Kaitlyn McGrath Aaron Zaltzman Photography Bill Wang Kelly Samuel Taylor Lasota Graphics Naira Ahmed Illustrations Christopher Miszczak John Prata Online Jesica Hurst Graphics/Video Mike Laine

• Please recycle this newspaper •

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thegazette • Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Sports

saywhat? I’ve always had a great relationship with the fans — they’ve pretty much seen me grow up. I’ve been here since I’ve been 20 years old and one thing about Yankee fans is they watch every day and pay close attention to their teams.

>> Derek Jeter on his last opening day in New York with the Yankees

Rundown >> On behalf of The Gazette, the sports section would like to congratulate all Western Mustangs athletes for their accomplishments, and for another great season as ambassadors of Western Athletics > The Gazette wishes all graduating Mustangs the best of luck in their future endeavors.

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye The Sin Bin

Jason Sinukoff MANAGING EDITOR I would like to start off this column — the final installment of The Sin Bin — by saying that I’m not naïve. I know that out of the 30,000 people at Western, you are the only one person that will be reading this. And chances are you are only looking at this column because while reading the

paper you reached page seven and thought to yourself, “why not?” But that has been the case with you all year long. Regardless, I’m going to take this opportunity to talk about something that you care about even less than sports — my experience at The Gazette. I would love to say I have always wanted to be a journalist — that I came into The Gazette office as a bright-eyed volunteer that wanted nothing more than to write for Canada’s only daily student newspaper. Unfortunately, that is simply not true. My friend dragged me into room 263 of the UCC in my second year because apparently “I had too much free time.”

So after much resistance and pointless bickering, I finally walked into The Gazette office. Little did I know that those walls would be my home for the next three and a half years. I started off my Gazette journey as a news volunteer. Writing about news on campus and around London was certainly a new, interesting experience, but I didn’t feel like it was for me. However, after the sports section was scrambling to find volunteers one day (as I soon learned was the norm for the section), I decided to jump ship and try my hand writing about the Western Mustangs. I quickly figured out this was my niche, and

after a semester of volunteering, I was hired as a sports editor — a position I would keep for two years before being elected to the post of managing editor. The Gazette has given me so much over the years. Sure, I learned how to be a journalist — honing my writing, editing and time management skills — but working for the paper was so much more than that. The Gazette was a place where I could dick around in between classes and a place to print anything I needed for free. It was a place where I forged amazing friendships and learned some things in my spare time. But in the end, dear reader, I

have you to thank for this. You are the one who turns to the sports section to either read about the Mustangs or just to learn what rolling the tide means (it’s gibberish and means nothing) and definitely not because you want to do the sudoku. It has been for your entertainment that I have come into the office day in and day out for three and a half years. Without you, the one, faceless person that I hope I didn’t simply imagine to validate my section’s existence, I wouldn’t have had a job here, met a bunch of amazing people and, most importantly, I would have missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

Barry leaves Mustangs after great career Caitlin Martin Newnham SPORTS EDITOR Brianne Barry is leaving Western this year after five years of being a Mustang wrestler. However, she will be taking a ton of athletic and academic accolades with her into her bright future, a bachelor’s degree in management and organizational studies, and top rankings as a national wrestler. “She’s always been a solid competitor and we can always rely on her for good results to contribute to the team,” Ray Takahashi, coach of the Mustangs wrestling team, said. “She steps up the bar; just by having her in the room just makes all the other team members better.” Barry has not only won Ontario University Athletics, Canadian Interuniversity Sport and JuniorSenior National championship medals and titles throughout her career at Western, but she has also maintained a spot on the Canadian women’s U24 team for all five years. Additionally, Barry was awarded as an academic all-Canadian last year for her academic and athletic excellence. She was also recently awarded with the F.W.P. Jones award — which is awarded to the female athlete to contribute most to intercollegiate athletics within the university — in recognition of her athletic achievement. “The F.W.P. Jones, to me, is a really nice award because its kind of a contribution award throughout all the years — not just one year. Even though she had an outstanding year,” Takahashi said. “I don’t know how she could have had a better year. […] She was a co-captain on our team with Larissa D’Alleva. She was a team leader. She had a nice overall student athlete leadership role with us.” Although Barry can no longer compete with the Mustangs, she will continue to compete on the Canadian women’s U24 team and enter provincial and national competitions. She has aspirations to compete in the Olympics in the future like coach Takahashi, her two-time Olympian coach.

Courtesy of Ray Takahashi

AT THE TOP. Mustangs’ wrestler Brianne Barry (centre) will be graduating from Western this year and will be leaving a void in the purple and white’s roster next year. This multi-title winning wrestler has been one of the top female wrestlers on the provincial and national stages throughout her career at Western.

“I know her goals are to make it to the Olympic level, so I think that she still has a good future in the sport,” Takahashi said. “She’s been top-three in the nationals for

I know her goals are to make it to the Olympic level, so I think that she still has a good future in the sport. […] She’s been topthree in the nationals for the last couple of years, so it’s not unrealistic for her to be at that level. It’s close — it’s very competitive, but she’s close. — Ray Takahashi

Head coach of the Mustangs wrestling team

the last couple of years, so it’s not unrealistic for her to be at that level. It’s close — it’s very competitive, but she’s close […] We would like all of our wrestlers to have high goals. That’s how you stay motivated to improve.” Barry may be moving out of Western and up in the wrestling world, but she has no plans to leave her memories and experiences behind. “Despite no longer being able to be part of the varsity team I will still always be a Mustang for the rest of my life, which is an honour,” Barry said. “My team is like my family; I spend every day with them and endure some of the happiest and toughest moment of my life with them. I will miss travelling with them to varsity tournaments, wearing my purple singlet proudly and being part of the team success that I

know the future holds for Western.” Over five years, Barry has collected many positive experiences, but her favourite moment as a Mustang wrestler happened this year when the women’s team won the OUA championship team title. “Wrestling is an individual sport so the ability for every single girl on our team to perform at their highest potential and come together all on the same day was beyond exciting,” Barry said. “It will be an unforgettable moment when we started screaming of joy and hugging one another knowing we finally won the team title after seven years.” Barry has high hopes for the wrestlers that she will be leaving behind, despite all of the strong women that are graduating along with her. She expressed pride in all of the accomplishments of the women on the team, and

acknowledged the potential in her younger team members. “When you lose someone like Brianne from our squad, it’s going to be a void. But we have some good younger wrestlers — first, second, third-years — so I’m hoping with some good balance and further development we’ll still be strong as a women’s team,” Takahashi said. With her time as a Mustang up, Barry offered some advice to next year’s crop of wrestlers planning to follow in her footsteps. “My advice for the next year women’s team is to remind themselves how lucky and talented they are to be given the opportunity to be part of the Western wrestling team,” Barry noted. “Despite the grueling hard work, blood, sweat and tears they need to remember to enjoy every single moment because five years will fly by before they know it.”

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thegazette • Tuesday, April 8, 2014

ONTARIO’S CURRENT INTER-CITY BUS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM STATUS REPORT

Right now, the bus system in Ontario is a monopoly so the government decides which one bus operator can run on any one route in Ontario. If the government were to change the system, as they have promised to do, this outdated monopoly would become competitive and service would be designed by consumer demand. All bus companies could operate on whichever routes are needed and Ontarians that rely on inter-city bus transportation would benefit from more routes and amenities plus lower fares.

Ontarians are asking – Where’s the Bus? Take Action and tell the Government that monopolies belong in board games, not buses!