W W W .W E STERNGAZETTE.C A • @UW OGAZETTE
Another August performance from Streep August: Osage County strikes an uncomfortable chord >> pg. 5
thegazette Reconsidering our career choices since 1906
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CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2014
VOLUME 107, ISSUE 54
Team Whelan releases self-evaluation LTC gripes Jesica Hurst ONLINE EDITOR In late January of last year, Team Whelan — then still a trio of candidates for their current positions on the University Students’ Council — released a 19-page platform consisting of goals they would like to accomplish if elected. Since their term started, the executive team has been working to make progress on many of these platform points, and will be making this progress public today. According to Jas Irwin, vicepresident communications for the USC, a detailed progress report will be released to students via e-mail and social media and published on westernusc.ca. Irwin provided an interim draft of the report to The Gazette, including details on what progress has been made for each original platform point, with a colour-coded ranking system — green for completed, yellow for in progress and red for items that haven’t been addressed. In an interview with The Gazette, Irwin explained that, to her knowledge, this is the first time the USC has released a progress report. “We’ve been putting an effort into keeping track of our progress internally, because the platform isn’t just a tool to get someone elected, it should be a series of actual commitments or goals for that person or slate’s team,” she said. “In the process of looking it over as a team, it occurred to me that we’ve never actually communicated that progress back to students.” “Before the elections start again, I thought it would be good for us to go, ‘This is what the progress has been, and this is what we’ve been able to achieve,’” she continued. “Not only will that reinforce to students that the elections are important, but will also be an educational tool to bring everyone up to speed.” According to the draft provided to The Gazette, the USC executive
has completed 42 per cent of Team Whelan’s original platform points, while 11 per cent of the platform points have either not been started yet, or didn’t work out. The executive gave 47 per cent of the platform points a “yellow,” which Irwin explained means they have made some progress, but still have more things they want to accomplish. When asked how the executive decided on which colour to assign to each platform point, Irwin explained that while it may not be a good formal criteria, she approached it as if she was explaining the points to her grandmother — the report is meant to be as honest and sincere as possible, she said, while having the understanding that every point on the platform is going to be an ongoing process. USC president Pat Whelan explained he was happy with the progress his team has made, saying he was excited that information on the progress would finally be able to reach the student body. “We report to council every council meeting, and we tell them exactly what we’ve been up to, what our priorities are and what our progress has been along the way,” Whelan said. “It can be difficult to sort of disseminate that information down to students all the time, so we really wanted to do a comprehensive report on what we’ve been doing, especially when it is related to what people put us in office to do.” Whelan explained this report isn’t about showing students that they have or haven’t done a good job — it’s more about showing confidence in the student government as an idea, especially with elections approaching next month. “In real-life politics people like to show they’re doing a good job because they’re hoping to be able to continue doing the job,” he said. “I think this is a really good way to say, ‘Look, this is our progress to this point, now let’s have a conversation about what lies in the next chapter of the USC.’”
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directed at Fontana Richard Raycraft NEWS EDITOR A mysterious flyer appearing at numerous London bus stops is urging frustrated LTC passengers to phone the mayor’s office to protest the service. It is unknown who posted the flyer, which suggests that LTC users should contact Mayor Joe Fontana any time a bus passes them by. It includes a phone number and an e-mail to the mayor’s office. “Last year during the budget process the mayor voted against buying larger buses. Let us tell him how much we want better public transit in the city. Contact him today and every day you are left waiting because public transit is underfunded,” the flyer states. While The Gazette spotted flyers on both on-campus and off-campus locations, the on-campus flyers had been removed by yesterday afternoon. Fontana spoke to The Gazette about the criticisms mentioned in the flyer, denying the accusations flatly. “They say I voted against larger LT, that’s not the truth,” Fontana stated. “Secondly, we are one of the most efficient transit systems in Ontario — I think we’re second best not only in terms of performance, we’re carrying 22 or 23 million passengers per year.” “I’ve never voted to reduce the LTC buses, and I’ve supported the [University Students’ Council] in order to make sure that their bus pass system could be expanded to include after-hour service,” he continued. Despite this, the mayor admitted that the service needed improvement. “The main question is do
Mike Laine GAZETTE
>> see LTC pg.3
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thegazette • Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Caught on Camera
Conrad Floryan GAZETTE
CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer
TEACHING ISLAMIC TRADITIONS IN THE UCC. Muslim students share information about their religion, culture, and heritage through creative means such as slam poetry and information booths in the University Community Centre.
News Briefs
Province improving online learning A new province-wide online learning initiative has been given the green light and $42-million from the Ontario government. The money will go toward the creation of a collaborative project
called Ontario Online. The e-platform that will offer a one-point access to high quality postsecondary online courses. Credits acquired through Ontario Online will be recognized across participating Ontario universities. “Ontario Online will help make
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our province a leader in e-learning and will expand access to a worldclass education for our students,” said Brad Duguid, minister of training, colleges and universities, in a press release. “By improving collaboration between our colleges and universities and giving students more choice in courses, we are continuing to transform our postsecondary education system into a worldwide leader in innovation.” Expected to launch for the 201516 school year, the final product will consist of three inter-related hubs dedicated to course enrollment, course development, and technical support. Amir Eftekarpour, president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, regards the project as a “solid investment in online learning.” “Online learning can really improve access for a lot of people. A lot of people simply can’t access a university campus,” said Eftekarpour. “In fact, distance from university campus is probably one of the biggest barriers to achieving a postsecondary education.” An established board of governors composed of university representatives, students and online learning experts will oversee the development of the project. Graeme Stewart, communications manager for the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Association, expresses concerns for the absence of Ontario professors on this board. “From our perspective, Ontario’s professors are going to be the ones designing and teaching these courses, and they have the best understanding of the on the ground realities of delivering a high quality online course,” he said. “So to not have them on the board of governors is depriving them of this valuable insight.” — Tristan Wu
Solution to puzzle on page 2
The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.
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thegazette • Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Harassment on LTC bus Student allegedly ejected by racist driver
Residence Life Staff Applications are invited from full-time undergraduate students for the (live-in) positions of:
● Head Dons ● Residence Dons
for the 2014–2015 academic year. Taylor Lasota GAZETTE
FUSS ON THE BUS. Fourth-year student Serena Klumpenhouwer, pictured, is looking for witnesses to come forward who were on the same 2 Dundas bus as her on Saturday, January 11. Klumpenhouwer is alleging she was harassed by the driver. The LTC is investigating the incident.
Megan Devlin NEWS EDITOR It was cold and rainy last Saturday night while Serena Klumpenhouwer waited for the 2 Dundas bus to pick her up at Alumni Hall. What began as an innocuous commute home turned into an unsettling run-in with what Klumpenhouwer described as a prejudiced driver. The bus slowed down in front of Alumni Hall on Saturday but did not stop to pick up passengers. Instead, it sped up and drove away. According to Klumpenhouwer, the bus was not full. Not wanting to miss her ride home, Klumpenhouwer waited for the bus to circle around and caught the same one at the Brescia stop. Upon boarding the bus, she inquired as to why the driver had missed the waiting passengers at Alumni. The driver allegedly told Klumpenhouwer that Alumni Hall was not a real stop, and that he was not obligated to stop there. The fourth-year English major was confused, as she had been catching the 2 Dundas there for the past four years. “But among most students it’s presumed to be a stop,” Klumpenhouwer told the bus driver, whose identity is unknown. He then allegedly mocked Klumpenhouwer’s speech. “It’s presumed? I’m sorry, you’re
not using that word properly. I can’t understand you,” Klumpenhouwer said the bus driver responded. According to Klumpenhouwer, the driver continued to mock her English, claiming he couldn’t understand what she was saying and that she was speaking incorrectly. Next, the driver told Klumpenhouwer he felt threatened by her, and told her to sit at the back of the bus. She obeyed, saying she walked to the back of the bus, sat down, and pulled out her book. However, the English major, who was born and raised in London, Ontario, knew there was no language barrier. “The idea of black people being threatening is very common,” said Klumpenhouwer, who is black. “If you look foreign, claiming to not understand you is a way of belittling your speech.” What came next on her ride home was even more shocking. About a block after picking her up, the bus pulled over and the driver got on the phone with the dispatcher. “I figured the bus broke down or something’s wrong,” Klumpenhouwer said. But then she heard an, “excuse me miss,” from the driver, and realized he was talking to her. “He said to me, ‘I don’t feel safe with you on this bus, I’m going to ask you to get off,’”
Klumpenhouwer said. She said she disembarked without protest. “I personally think that because of the colour of my skin and because I am female he executed his power and will in an unethical way,” Klumpenhouwer said. Klumpenhouwer was left stranded in the rain to wait almost an hour for the next bus. Klumpenhouwer contacted the police and the LTC to get to the bottom of the incident. She is currently looking for witnesses who were riding the bus at the time. The LTC confirmed they received a complaint regarding an alleged racial discrimination incident on Saturday, January 11. “We received a contact regarding an alleged racial discrimination incident,” Larry Ducharme, LTC general manager, said. “Did that mean there is an actual occurrence? That is in the process of being investigated. We don’t comment on them […] first and formest subject to our review. We have a protocol for investigating alleged incidences.” He also confirmed that Alumni Hall is in fact a scheduled stop on the 2 Dundas route, and noted “drivers routinely ask passengers to move to the back of the bus” to let more people on. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the LTC at 519-451-1347.
Flyers urge LTC complaints >> LTC continued from pg.1
we have to improve services for students and for Londoners? Absolutely,” he said. The mayor mentioned that the proposed Bus Rapid Transit and BRT Lite systems are moves towards improved service, and that more money will not necessarily improve the service until changes are made to the system as a whole. Amir Eftekarpour, vice-president external at the USC, affirmed that improvement of service for students is a priority for the USC.
“Obviously, transit is one of the most important parts of student life and we’re really trying to institutionalize transit advocacy as a part of what the USC does,” he said. “The whole point of that is to recognize that students have particular dependence on transit to get to school and exams, so our big recommendation is that we need more investment in the transportation master plan that the city put out.” Eftekarpour also agreed with Fontana that the issue goes beyond increased funding for the LTC. He
mentioned that the USC is working on a policy paper regarding transit that supports this idea. A combination of implementing the Bus Rapid Transit system and increasing investment in the LTC would be the ideal situation for students. “Our thoughts in general are that when it comes to throwing more buses at the problem […] we do hear quite a bit of discussion that more buses won’t simply solve the problem,” he commented. “What we do need is sort of a reimagining of how service works.” —With files from Iain Boekhoff
Members of the Residence Life Staff are responsible for ensuring the overall aims of residence life are achieved, and that these aims are in keeping with the mission of Huron University College.
For more information about the positions and the application process, please contact Ms. Sharon McKillop at 519-438-7224, ext. 202. Head Don applications are due by 4pm on Jan. 20, 2014. Don applications are due by 4pm on Feb 3, 2014. Applications are available at www.huronuc.ca/applytobeadon
Sharon McKillop Director of Housing & Student Life Huron University College 1349 Western Rd. London, ON N6G 1H3
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thegazette • Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Arts&Life
wednesdayword August Adjective. Respected and impressive.
Making music and having a Gay old time Jenny Jay GAZETTE STAFF Gay, a small band from Toronto featuring Neil Rankin, Paul Erlichman, Tom Avis, and Cameron Michael Murray — resembling a mix between guitar pop and music from the 70s — re-evaluates the meaning of the word “gay.” “We felt like [our band name] fits what we do,” Tom Avis, drummer in the band, says of Gay. “I think that sometimes it gets read as some sort of thing that’s supposed to be funny, and it really isn’t — it was more what we felt about what we did.” Described by Avis as a band witch sometimes lends a level of silliness to their music, a signifier of their sound, Gay reflects the happy and free nature that is sometimes over looked in the music industry. One of their music videos, “Chrysotile” directed by Aaron Kopff, reflects this free nature as it features the members of Gay rolling down a hill in slow motion, to their track. “The hill was really wet and muddy and we hadn’t really necessarily anticipated to what degree it’s quite painful to roll down a hill over and over again,” Avis says. “We were just doing it non-stop for an hour and a half, and I had two broken ribs from a bike accident so it was really uncomfortable […] I think it is tremendously funny to see my friends in pain, and it’s funny to
Courtesy of Norman Wong
GAY IS OKAY. Happy-sounding and free natured Toronto band, Gay, is bringing their upbeat 70s style pop music to London this Saturday with a concert at APK Live.
people we don’t know as well.” The video itself is a reflection of the light nature of music Gay makes and shows that not all aspects of music need to be taken seriously, with overlapping vocals and a distinct dynamic between the four band members. However, while the band members each bring their own personalities and talents to the table, it is not always a bed of roses. “We went on a US tour and by the end of it we were ready to completely kill each other — you’re just
in a car with the same four dudes and you’re often sleeping in the same spaces and it’s inevitable that nerves will chafe,” Avis explains. “But that’s the thing, we have these conflicts but I can’t even remember why I was mad at them anymore, and I don’t think they can either.” Avis identifies that there have been a few struggles as a band, but they have helped them become better at collaborating together as a whole. All four of the band members write songs, which sometimes results in different sounds being
produced. While it does get complicated Avis says, “I think it’s a good thing to be able to have the different perspectives.” Although a Canadian band, Gay has toured across the United States and will be likely touring Europe around this May. Just recently, they played in cities including Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, New York and Chicago. They do however sport their Canadian spirit, as one of the band members even spent the whole time touring the US in Blue Jays gear, earning them at least one
The one where Streep yells for two hours
Gazette Tested Potatoe Casserole Ingredients • 2 cups mashed potatoes • 1/2 cup sour cream • salt and pepper • 1 small onion, sliced thin • 1 small bell pepper, sliced thin • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter • 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar • 4 medium potatoes, cooked • 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp
Bradley Metlin ARTS & LIFE EDITOR August: Osage County GGGGH Directed by: John Wells Starring: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Margo Martindale, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson While a more appropriate title for August: Osage County might have been Meryl Streep Yells At Her Family For Two Hours, that would seem to underplay this darkly humorous portrait of a family rooted in their own dysfunctions. Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) is a serial pill popper who uses the medication prescribed due to mouth cancer in hopes of dealing with the unfortunate realities of her life. When her husband Beverly goes missing, she calls in her three grown daughters — Barbara (Julia Roberts), Karen (Juliette Lewis), and Ivy (Julianne Nicholson.) Each child has their own set of baggage and problems. August: Osage County is sometimes melodramatic in the way the lives of the characters slowly unravel. We see issues of incest, child molestation, and infidelity all bundled into this film. What’s more compelling is the relationship between Violet and her daughter Barbara, who are more similar than we’re supposed to originally believe. At a dinner scene celebrating
Canadian joke a night. “He was just a walking [Canadian] billboard with a Blue Jays warm up jacket and a hat — we were always just a little embarrassed to be seen with him,” Avis laughs. The band sees itself hopefully being able to do more shows like these in the future, and play more shows around Ontario, which they haven’t had many opportunities to do. The goal of Gay, however, unlike many bands, isn’t the fame and the money, but simply the ability to share their music as they hold the humble values for the desire to spread the enjoyment they have for their sound. “It would be nice to make some money off it, but we’re not going to stop doing it because we’re not making any money,” Avis says. “If and when [people hear our music online], it only helps move our records and lets us play in more interesting places.” Music piracy, he says, usually only affects those with a vested interest in the profit of money making in the music industry, but for this band it’s simply an opportunity to get more people in different places to hear their music by having it available online. Gay will be playing at the APK (347 Clarence St.) on Saturday January 18, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 each.
Courtesy of Smokehouse Pictures
the life of a character who has recently departed, it devolves to a diatribe by Violet denouncing the actions of the various members of her family. As Streep’s vitriol rolls off her tongue with ease, it’s easy to begin to wonder if her cruel insults are not attacks but rather but what she calls “truth telling.” The tour de force scene allows Meryl Streep to “do her thing” and showboat quite considerably. Throughout this entire onslaught, the various reactions of the daughters are seen. Most notable is Barbara’s, whose outward disgust at her mother only adds fuel to the hateful flames. Roberts’ frustrations are expertly held within and as she struggles to contain her revulsion. It’s perhaps the most nuanced work of Roberts’ career and she certainly strays away from the image of
America’s sweetheart. A subplot involves Violet’s sister Hattie Mae (Margo Martindale) and her interactions with her husband Charles (Chris Cooper). She drops a bombshell which shakes the very foundations of the family. Martindale and Cooper provide the most realistic performances as they disappear completely into their characters. Martindale, in particular, reveals a pain and disconnect with the environment provided by Streep’s Violet. While the performances of everyone in the film are done with precision, the structure of August: Osage County clearly lends itself much more to theatre (this film is adapted from a play). The tension surely lends itself better to the intimacy of a live audience. In addition, with a theatrical performance,
actors may take their time when playing certain moments — on films these sometimes appear schmaltzy. This is ultimately the most major flaw of August: Osage County, its somewhat confused familiar story. While the audience likely craves solely the exploration of maternal similarities between Barbara and Violet, a journey through unimportant filler is taken. Despite this, the film is a constant guessing game; one could surely never call August: Osage County a boring movie. Strong performances, led by Meryl Streep as a monstrous matriarch who believes strongly in the power of “truth telling,” allow August: Osage County to transcend the weakness of plot and continue to provoke thought amongst audiences about their own dysfunctions.
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Spread mashed potatoes evenly on bottom of casserole dish. Layer sour cream evenly over top. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter; evenly layer over top of sour cream. 3. Slice potatoes and layer over onions and bell peppers. Add butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper seasoning. 4. Finally top with cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and crumble bacon over top. — Bradley Metlin
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thegazette • Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Good Scotch, Bad Scotch Sometimes it takes a glaringly imbalanced comparison to really provide perspective on what you’re drinking. I was afforded this opportunity when a couple of my buddies busted out their bottles of Singleton of Glendullan 12 year Single Malt Scotch and Cutty Sark Blended Scotch. The Singleton was a Christmas gift, the Cutty Sark a “get the job done” purchase. It was the perfect chance to pit a bottom-shelf budget scotch against a more refined opponent and note the differences. On the surface, it would be hard to find two Scotches much farther apart. The Cutty Sark is a blended whisky, while the Singleton is a single malt. Cutty is aged in American oak barrels, while Singleton is aged primarily in European sherry oak. But it’s the price that really separates
them: Singleton retails for the respectable price of $56.95, while Cutty Sark can be bought for incredibly cheap, at $24.95. What they do have in common, however, is their region — both are Speysides, and have the classic Speyside subtlety. Upon smelling them, it became immediately clear which was the superior scotch, and why. Cutty Sark had heavy alcohol fumes and evoked chemicals — there wasn’t much to it beyond that. While similarly subtle, Singleton had pleasant floral notes, a sweet wood scent, and even a touch of something akin to organic honey. It even looked more substantial, with a rich, darker golden colour compared with Cutty Sark’s light urine-yellow. Unsurprisingly, it all falls apart for Cutty Sark in tasting. It has a harsh, almost bitter taste that detracts from its simple, fairly pleasant graininess. But that’s it. No depth, no complexity, a bit of sweetness that is unfortunately overwhelmed by a weird synthetic essence. On top of that, Cutty Sark is incredibly light bodied, and has the mouthfeel of alcoholic water. It just seems to lack substance in every category. Singleton, on the other hand, has a soft oiliness to its feel, which gives the impression of a more organic beverage. The taste isn’t loud, with only background notes of spring garden, clover honey, a
Courtesy of Mainframe Entertainment
At some point or another I’m sure you’ve heard fans of a show, movie or video game pester for a reboot or remake. Among one of the more recently announced and anticipated revivals is a reboot of a TV show called — erm, ReBoot. Originally airing in 1994, this Canadian CGI-animated cartoon series revolves around a guardian program sprite and his friends defending the system from threats presented by viruses and the User — a human being inputting commands into their computer. One of the show’s protagonists, Bob, frequently enters games, reboots them to become one of the game’s characters, then fights the User’s character in order to save the sector. In retrospect, the many nods to the virtual world in ReBoot are quite
ridiculous, albeit clever and amusing. In the inter-connected world we all inhabit today, it’s hard not to praise the show for its ambitions way back then. It stands the test of time brilliantly and even today is fascinating to see in motion. Characters are exceptionally quirky, models are very well done, and watching all of the action unfold in its vibrant glory is a joy to watch on the screen. All of this reminiscing has tech savvy individuals excited about how a rendition of this show will compliment modern technology. If you have ever used a computer before and are at least mildly interested in cartoons, stop whatever it is you’re doing and go watch this show right now. — Josh Teixeira
bit of wood, and just the faintest hint of a spice akin to nutmeg. It’s quite sweet and incredibly easydrinking. Definitely not the best scotch I’ve ever had, but relative to the Cutty Sark, it might’ve well been. One of the most fascinating outcomes of this experiment was just how many more flavours I was able to distinguish from the Singleton. While my scotch palate is sophomoric at best, after tasting the Cutty Sark, the Singleton was like drinking sunshine and happiness, and each individual flavour note stood out like a neon sign. In the end, tasting the lowend scotch was worth it, because it made the higher end one all the more enjoyable. I really recommend trying this experiment at some point if you can and want to truly appreciate scotch. Listen, this wasn’t a fair comparison. Pairing a bottom-shelf blend against a midrange single malt was bound to produce predictable results. However, what it did reaffirm for me is there is a reason scotch usually costs a lot. If you buy cheap, it’ll taste cheap, and nowhere is this more apparent than Cutty Sark. If you just want a decent whisky buzz, by all means, bend for that bottom shelf. But if you’re a scotch enthusiast, looking for a real drinking experience don’t skimp. Buy a scotch worth sipping slow. — Cam “Smoth” Smith
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thegazette • Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Opinions HAVE YOUR SAY
The Gazette asked students how they thought Pat Whelan has performed as University Students’ Council president so far.
“If you think American-style politics is nasty, you guys have just attacked Kuwait.”
— Rob Ford to Toronto city council after they stripped him of some of his powers
Political extremists shift entire spectrum Breaking Brad
Bradley Metlin ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Conor McGarvey
Political Science IV I’ve been fairly happy with Whelan’s performance this year, pleasantly surprised. The fact that there’s an absence of anything I’m really disappointed about is nice.
Nicholas Bright
BMOS I I think he’s done a good job. I’m not a part of a lot of the councils so I don’t really know what they’re all up to, but during Frosh week I thought he was a wicked guy and I was pretty happy with the job he did.
Robyn Decost
Once, American Congresswoman Michele Bachmann suggested the director of Planned Parenthood in Illinois wanted the organization to be “the LensCrafter of big abortion,” a comment which provoked laughs from pundits. While campaigning for president (and having a lead in the polls), Bachmann had another PR embarrassment. Bachmann said, “Like John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa […] that’s the kind of spirit I have too.” Unfortunately for the Congresswoman, the John Wayne from Waterloo is not the famed movie star but John Wayne Gacy — a serial killer who murdered over 30 people in the 1970s. It’s this type of radical conservatism, this series of factually incorrect statements, which has remarkable staying power. As Matt Taibbi wrote in his Rolling Stone article on Bachmann and her presidential aspirations, “You will want to laugh, but don’t, because the secret of Bachmann’s success is that every time you laugh at her, she gets stronger.” We draw attention to this type of grandstanding politician — and they’re not just in America. Look at the way we view Rob Ford. Indeed, Ford has become an international spectacle and this negative attention, however, does more harm than good. Though we find it amusing when Ford makes absurd statements, we are implicitly validating him. This type of attention, as mocking
as it may be, allows radical and kooky players in the political field to shift the entire spectrum. When Ford puts forward ideas like closing the majority of Toronto libraries, it makes his other, less radical ideas much more palatable. This shift where radical members push a political party further into the fringes occurred on a large scale in Canadian federal politics. The Progressive Conservative Party was a socially centrist, economically center-right party that had been around the Canadian political scene since Confederation. In the early 1990s, the Reform Party was founded which was significantly more right wing (think a Canadian equivalent to the Tea Party.) During the 1993 election, the Progressive Conservatives were trounced and the Reform party became the leading right wing voice in Canada. There was not a real chance for a right wing party to form federal government until 2003, when both parties merged — the radicals had pushed the mainstream conservatives further to the right. Even more recently, some backbenchers within the Conservative party have been itching to reopen the abortion debate. While abortion seems like a non-issue within Canada, that’s not quite the case. At the most recent Conservative Party convention, party members voted to denounce sex-selective abortion. This action undermines a woman’s right to choose and pushes the party further to the right. It’s not as obvious in Canada as in America, which I think makes political polarization even more dangerous. By giving media attention to radical and “crazy” politicians, we’re giving them a platform. We might find it easy to laugh and even enjoy embodiments of insanity within the political arena, but beware the implications.
Nursing III Honestly I don’t know what he’s really done.
Dear Life
Your anonymous letters to life Dear Life, Over it, over you. Dear Life, Wait, so how many floors does University College have? Dear Life, The new Game of Thrones trailer looks amazing! I can’t wait for the show to come back on and distract me from all my readings. Dear Life, I woke up like this. Dear Life, It’s funny how I can go from empowered and motivated to insecure and miserable in 0.07 seconds... Dear Life, Why does nobody else like my music? Dear Life, Sometimes I’m really impressed with bathroom graffiti. Dear Life, That awkward moment when you try to stop a girl from falling at the bar and she thinks you’re hitting on her. I should have let you hit the ground. Dear Life, I’m pretty sure duct tape has saved my life at least a hundred times. wgaz.ca/dearlife Correction In the article “Budget changes for the USC” published in yesterday’s Gazette, a quotation was misattributed. The quote that began “It’ll give council a much better timeline for students’ fees” should have been attributed to Pat Whelan, not Spencer Brown. The Gazette regrets the error.
Riley Wong
MIT II I think so far he’s done okay. He’s got a presence in the school, and he’s very well known so I think that’s good. Mike Laine GAZETTE
thegazette
Volume 107, Issue 54 www.westerngazette.ca
Julian Uzielli Editor-In-Chief Cameron M. Smith Deputy Editor Jason Sinukoff Managing Editor
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Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Robert Armstrong
Diana Watson
Gazette Staff 2013-2014
Christine
Bonk,
Jonathan
Dunn,
Spencer
Fairweather, Sam Frankel, Stephanie Grella, Dorothy Kessler, Kevin Heslop, Jenny Jay, Nathan Kanter, Taylor Lasota, Katie Lear, Emory Liu, Cheryl Madliger, Sara Mai Chitty, Soheil Milani, Vidhant Pal, Lily Robinson, Alex Seger, Tiffany Shepherd, Hamza Tariq, Josh Teixera, Anne Wozney
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
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thegazette • Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Sports
saywhat? “I love the transparency. Now if I could just get them to do the same level of transparency for the other 47 minutes and 55 seconds, I’d really be making progress.”
>> Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban on improving NBA officiating.
Rundown >> The Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau has named Western Mustangs’ football players Beau Landry and Dylan Ainsworth among the top 15 prospects for the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft > Landry was listed as the top OUA prospect in the league’s fall rankings.
Second in a row begins ‘Stangs win streak Western beats Laurier in their second away game Max Stone CONTRIBUTOR With the help of 26 points from Mustangs’ forward Peter Scholtes, the Western men’s basketball team won their second straight road game to start 2014 by defeating the Laurier Golden Hawks 81–69. After the first quarter ended with the score tied at 21 apiece, the Mustangs opened the second quarter on a 12–0 run led by Mustangs’ guard Quinn Henderson, who scored all 15 of his points, including four three-
We slowed the game down to our pace; we were disciplined on offence and were able to keep some of their hot shooters from having big days. — Brad Campbell Mustangs head coach
pointers in the first half. By the end of the first half, the Mustangs would stretch their lead to 15 points and never look back. Western maintained a comfortable lead that never dropped below seven points until the final buzzer, despite a halftime delay due to a leaky pipe above the court that moved the second half to a different court at Laurier’s Athletic Complex. Despite losing the turnover battle and surrendering more
Spencer Fairweather GAZETTE
IN THE ZONE! Mustangs’ guard Elliott Dooley gets his head in the game. The Western Mustangs played the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday, maintaining their undefeated record of 2014 by winning 81–69. The victory now places Western at a record of 4–8.
second-chance points than the Golden Hawks, the Mustangs can attribute their victory to their excellent field goal percentage, as they shot 48.5 per cent from the floor compared to just 36.8 per cent from the Golden Hawks. “Laurier is a very high octane offensive team and they like to put up a lot of shots and score a lot of points,” Mustangs’ head coach Brad Campbell said. “We slowed the game down to our pace; we
were disciplined on offence and were able to keep some of their hot shooters from having big days.” In the winning effort, Mustangs forward Greg Morrow contributed his second straight double-double of 2014 by scoring 24 points on 10–19 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds. “Greg [Morrow]’s a little too quick and athletic for the guys that [the Golden Hawks] had on him, so we have to make some changes
there and Peter [Scholtes] had a good game, played a great game inside and made some shots,” Laurier Golden Hawks’ head coach Peter Campbell said. The Mustangs’ hot start to the new year came at just the right time, as they now find themselves at 4–8 and tied for fourth place in the Ontario University Athletics West division with the Lakehead Thunderwolves, who they will play in back-to-back contests on Friday
and Saturday in Thunder Bay. If they can find a way to win two more games away from Alumni Hall, the Mustangs could find themselves in third place in the OUA West by the end of the week. “We need to take care of business one game at a time and all those teams that we’re really close to in the standings — including Lakehead this weekend — will all be big games for us,” Campbell said.
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thegazette • Wednesday, January 15, 2014
There and back again: A Broncos tale Wild Danimal Daniel Weryha SPORTS EDITOR The overtime barnburner played in the late November NFL game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots should certainly entice even the most
casual football fans to watch this week’s rematch for the NFL’s AFC Championship. The memory of a second-half meltdown still haunts the Broncos, who after taking a 24-point lead in the first half, watched their certain victory slip epically into shocking defeat. Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, carried his team on a 31–7 run and tied the game to force an overtime period that was won by a field goal. Despite their odd hiccups, the Broncos finished at the top of the
AFC and are quietly being considered the NFL’s greatest offence of all time. Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Broncos, had a magical season. The Broncos’ offence operated almost flawlessly and scored at will. While I do enjoy delving into past weeks’ matchups to help me preview games to come, the circumstances of the week 12 thriller at Foxborough are far too different to hold any bearing. The Gronkowski-less Patriots are a different team. They successfully torched the Indianapolis Colts for
166 yards on the ground, but if they are forced to throw the ball, Brady will have his patience tested more than ever. Riding LeGarrette Blount was the safe choice. They wore down Indy’s defensive line, biding their time as they tore off small chunks of yardage and then unleashed the Blount-train for a 73-yard ride to the end zone. At Mile High stadium in Denver, New England will definitely try to get the ground game going early. It will be a solid offensive base, a good way to keep Manning off the field,
hold the ball, kill the clock, avoid crowd noise and wear down a hapless Denver defence that is without their defensive end, Von Miller, and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. The Broncos defence is known for falling apart under pressure, and it should come as no surprise when it happens on Sunday — expect it. But, by some form of divine right, Manning and his Broncos will find a way to undo what has been horribly done by his lesser half and quarterback his team to the Superbowl — at that point, anything can happen.
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#1 AMAZING, LUXURY 4 and 5 bedroom units. GREAT LOCATION less than 2 km to campus and on multiple bus routes! Newly built, homelike setting, backing onto a park! All units have big bedrooms with huge closets and keyed entry, 2 bathrooms for busy mornings, white kitchens with breakfast bar and pantry, ceramic and wood floors, custom window blinds and ensuite laundry. Walk to shopping and downtown. VIEW THESE AMAZING QUALITY rental units at www.oxfordrentals.ca. Call or email Wendy to schedule a tour, 519-667-0047, question@oxfordrentals.ca. Follow us on www.facebook.com/oxfordrentals. * *#1 STUDENT rentals* * All best locations around campus and downtown, from 2-6 bedrooms available. Call, email or text to get information or book a tour with the largest selection of student housing anywhere around Western. Make the process of looking for a place easy on yourself (226) 973-9346 or jmiles@londonproperty.ca.
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#1 STUDENT HOUSING in London. 2-7 bdrms. Popular Redbrick apartments and townhouses, plus houses in various student locations. Come with 5 appliances and huge rooms with large closets. Call now! These rent on a first come first serve basis. Zach 226-973-9044, zachs@londonproperty.ca
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3 BDRM TOWN houses and apartments. These units are just steps from campus at the corner of Sarnia and Western road, right next to Perth and Essex residence. These units all have spacious bedrooms and common areas. All come with free parking, maintenance and full-time property management. Call Zach anytime at 226-973-9044.
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5 BEDROOMS IN the famous Redbrick apartments and townhouses right next to campus and downtown. Great locations. Huge rooms and closets. Including washer/dryer and dishwasher. Call John @ (226) 973-9346 or email jmiles@londonproperty.ca with questions or to book a tour. 6 BDRM HOUSES on all sides of campus. Most feature 5 new appliances, spacious rooms and huge closets, open concept kitchen/living room, and free parking. Act fast-these won’t last! For more information call Zach at 226-973-9044. 6 BDRM. #1 student rentals. Newly built red bricks in all the best student areas around campus and downtown! Includes 5 appliances. Huge, spacious rooms with massive closets. Parking included, and 24 hour property management. These ones always go fast so call soon. Call Sam anytime at 519-495-7661 or email samm@londonproperty.ca 6 BDRM. * *#1 student rentals* * Newly built red bricks in all the best student. 5 appliances included. Huge, spacious rooms with massive closets. 24 hour emergency maintenance and parking included. These ones always go fast so call soon. Call Stephen anytime at 226-236-4409.
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3 BEDROOM MODERN townhouses close to Masonville area. Close walk to campus and steps to major bus route. Spacious bedrooms, with huge closets and close to all amenities. Contact Stephen to book a viewing; units will rent very quickly. stephenn@londonproperty.ca 226-236-4409. 3 BEDROOM REDBRICK townhomes on Richmond near Masonville. 10 minute walk to campus, right on bus route to campus and downtown. Great location, near all amenities. All new appliances including washer/dryer and dishwasher. Call John @ (226) 9739346 to book a tour.
3 BEDROOM SPACIOUS redbrick apartments. Open concept 1 floor or 2 floor units just steps from campus, on major bus route and close to all amenities. Includes parking, 5 appliances and 24 hour property management. Call Sam, these rent fast! 519-495-7661, samm@londonproperty.ca
3, 4, 5 bdrms at 217 Sarnia. Live at one of the most popular student corners in London. Within steps of campus, you can’t get closer. All of these units have big common rooms and spacious bedrooms. Live in style with 5 appliances, free parking, free maintenance and full time property management. Call Stephen anytime at 226-236-4409.
3, 4, 5 bdrms at 217 Sarnia. Live at one of the most popular student corners in London. Within steps of campus, you can’t get closer. All of these units have big common rooms and spacious bedrooms. Live in style with 5 appliances, free parking, free maintenance and full time property management. Call Zach anytime at 226-973-9044.
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5 BEDROOM HOUSES and apartments right on bus route to campus and downtown. Great locations. Huge rooms and closets. Most have all new appliances including washer/dryer and dishwasher. Call Stephen @ 226-236-4409 or email stephenn@londonproperty.ca with questions or to book a tour.
5 BEDROOM HOUSES and townhouses for rent on all sides of campus. All places have free parking, free maintenance and full time property management. Units are rented on a first come first serve basis. Call Stephen at 226-236-4409, stephenn@londonproperty.ca 5 BEDROOM HOUSES and townhouses for rent on all sides of campus. All places have free parking, free maintenance and full time property management. Units are rented on a first come first serve basis. Call Zach at 226-973-9044, zachs@londonproperty.ca.
AFFORDABLE 1, 2 and 3 bedroom suites. Walk to campus! Call (888) 522-6650
RESIDENCE ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE Vacancies now available for first-year and upper-year students in main campus residences. Visit our website at www.residenceatwestern.ca and login to myResidence to complete the application and provide contact information.
UPCOMING EVENTS DANCING FOR A CAUSE Attention Western students. We’re offering a Hip-hop dance lesson for all students. The event will run from 6:30-7:30 on Thursday, January 16th in the Brescia auditorium. Admission will be $2.00 at the door, all proceeds will be donated to the Right To Play© organization.
PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.
For solution, turn to page 2