OPENWIDE 22:1: OUTSIDE

OPENWIDE THE FIMS’ ALTERNATIVE STUDENT PUBLICATION

OUTSIDE

OPENWIDEZINE.COM

VOL. 22 ISSUE 1

editor’s note What a whirlwind this year has been.

After countless lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and an incredible amount of strength and resilience shown by all, the OPENWIDE team is hopefully and cautiously looking forward to a new year and new beginnings.

Although this year has been hard for all of us in many different ways, I believe that this time spent inside has been an amazing opportunity to reflect on our lives, reflect on the world around us, and most importantly, reflect on what changes we need to make going forward. During the past year, we’ve had a unique opportunity to critically and thoroughly observe the inequalities and injustices happening in the world around us.

As we begin to slowly move back towards our regular lives, here at OPENWIDE we believe that this is our chance to make sure we don’t let the world go back to its normal. Instead, we are dedicated to using our voices, our writing, our artwork, and our creativity to challenge and change the status quo, to create a world that puts the planet and its people first, and to create a new normal.

OPENWIDE: OUTSIDE is the first installment of the year, created by a brand new editorial team full of passionate and enthusiastic students excited for what’s to come. Inspired

by Bo Burnham’s Netflix special Inside, our team shares Burnham’s sentiments that we’ve been inside for way too long, that the outside is way too messed up, and that things are in desperate need of a change.

Packed with critical content about the world around us and encouragement and advice on how to navigate these next four years of your life here at Western, this issue is here to aid you in your journey of becoming a critical thinker and activist, and to inspire you to make change wherever and however you can.

The future is bright, and change is on its way. You’ll want to be outside for a time like this.

Juliana Konrad Editor In Chief

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editorial team Editor in Chief Juliana Konrad

Assistant Editor in Chief Jumana Labib

Senior Editors

Tia Sacks Sarena Akhter Jessie Chabot-Hamden Kylie Walker

Resident Writers Sahaana Kuganesan Bianca Vasile Nicole Goverde Cat Tang Diya Motwani Hailey Wettlaufer

Digital Content Coordinator Lauren Medeiros

creative team Lead Graphics

Cassie Kaczmarski

Graphic Designers Kayla MacInnes Mya Cahill Rachel Feigenbaum Thea Medland Zainab Moosavi

Photographers/ Videographers Farah Shohib Milena Sztainbok

Resident Artist Emma Russell

Social Media Coordinator Selena Lim

Podcast Editors Pritha Mukherji Rebecca Bartkiw Madeleine McColl

table of contents Guest Feature The Soundtrack to Your Frosh Experience Poster Insert Why Sophs Aren’t Just People With Weird Names Overcoming Imposter Syndrome The Truth About Hauls How to Survive a Goose Attack Two Documentaries that Helped Me Make Sense of My MIT Studies Best Places to Study on Campus Western Bucket List Poster Insert Top 5 Late-Night Food Spots on Richmond FIMS Colouring Page

socials

4-5 6 7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20 21 22-23 24

Juliana Konrad Nicole Goverde Cassie Kaczmarski Sarena Akhter Hailey Wettlaufer Jessie Chabot-Hamden Cat Tang Tia Sacks Tia Sacks Kylie Walker Cassie Kaczmarski Bianca Vasile Thea Medland

Cover concept by Cat Tang Cover illustration and design by Emma Russell

INSTAGRAM: @OPENWIDEZINE ISSUU: OPENWIDE Zine WEBSITE: OPENWIDEZINE.COM EMAIL: OPENWIDEZINE@GMAIL.COM New OPENWIDE podcast and online gallery coming soon!

wanna contribute?

We love to celebrate FIMS talent and are always looking for new contributors! Check out openwidezine.com or email us at openwidezine@ gmail.com for more information on how to submit your writing, art, photography, videos, or whatever else you’re passionate about!

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THE PARADOX OF An Interview With

By Juliana Konrad

You’ve done the research, made the decision, and finally, you’re here. You’re officially a “university student.” You’ve made it this far, but do you know why you’re here? Do you know where you are? Do you know why you made the decision to come to university?

Most people come to university because they see it as the next step to climb on the ladder; the prerequisite of getting into the corporate world and making enough money to live comfortably. This was true for me, and I’m sure it’s the reasoning behind many of your decisions as well.

Over the past 4 years and what feels like a million MIT courses later, I’ve learned that that mindset and reasoning - viewing education as a commodity, as an experience to be bought to stand out from the crowd in the modern-day labour market - is inherently flawed.

Since I’m no scholar on the subject, I sat down (virtually) with Alison Hearn, an Associate Professor of FIMS at Western University, to talk about why most modern students are taking the wrong approach to education.

“I feel as though students make decisions about what they are going to do predicated on ‘will it get me a job,’ and they’ll decide on what kinds of extracurriculars they’re going to do in terms of how it will look on their resume,” Hearn tells me during a Zoom interview. “That’s not their fault, that’s everything in society telling them how they should approach university and [a] university education.”

“One of the sad parts about that pressure is that it detracts from seeing higher education as an opportunity to learn for learning’s sake [and from] having a kind of open-ended experience where they have the room and the flexibility around them to explore what they really want to do,” she adds.

Back when the university as an institution was first created, higher education was seen not as a rung in the ladder to be climbed, but as a unique time in someone’s life where they could explore their passions with no ulterior motive; where they could learn about whatever interested them instead of being forced to pick a program that would guarantee them a livable income later in life.

Clearly, the university experience has changed a lot since then.

Hearn describes to me how back in the 1960s, higher education was seen as a right, not a privilege. “The vision of higher ed at that time was that it was a right, that we didn’t want to create barriers to access. So anybody from any income level, any background, could theoretically access a university education because the belief then was ‘that’s how you grow an economy,’ by educating people and by encouraging them to take that knowledge and go out into the world,” she says.

So why is education treated so differently now?

If you take Hearn’s MIT 3933 class, “The University, Student Activism, and the Public Interest,” you’ll learn that it’s because the university is a paradoxical place. It’s an institution that both needs to be separate from the state and is also bound by the state to survive; it needs to have the freedom to be critical of the state, but it also needs to be funded by the state to be free from external pressures.

When this funding dries up, complications emerge.

Over the past 30 years, universities have slowly been deprived of public government funding and have been forced to turn to external sources to make up for it. “The problem arises when universities are so strapped for cash that outside sponsors begin to constrain what they

THE UNIVERSITY Alison Hearn

are able to do,” Hearn explains. As large corporations, capitalists, and other outside sources step in to fund the university,“students and faculty have less and less power over how the university is run, and the university becomes more like a business because it has to be [to survive].”

The corporatization of the university has had a myriad of negative consequences on students, staff, and society at large. From almost criminally inflated tuition prices that act as a barrier to access, a rise in contract faculty, the prioritization of profitable knowledge over research for the public interest, and a lack of academic freedom, social and economic pressures have taken away the potential of the university to be a bastion of learning for learning’s sake.

“You just can’t have external determinations on where knowledge is going to lead you. Knowledge needs to be free,” says Hearn, who also serves as the Chair of the Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT).

Simply put, academic freedom exists for the public interest. It exists to protect knowledge and protect society at large.

“We need that desperately as a society,” she continues. “We need people to tell us the truth about s**t, and so if you can’t trust those people because you think they’re in the pocket of some state actor, that’s really problematic.”

The corporatization of the university has turned education into a commodity, and the ramifications of that are being felt across all disciplines, all households, and society at large. As students and young activists, it is our job to fight back, to take a stand and to invest as a society in higher education as a right.

“They will continue to try and put their fingers in the pie, to shape knowledge the way it suits their interests.

Whether it’s the government, or private interests, or whoever it is, they’re going to keep trying to do that.

And we have to resist that,” Hearn says.

“So, get out there and lobby the provincial government, or get involved in the elections, and elect a government that’s going to invest in higher education,” Hearn says with a chuckle. “That would be my advice.”

My advice? Know that your education is a privilege that many people are not afforded, and take advantage of it. Now, more than ever, we lack the flexibility to explore, to try out new things, to fail, and discover what we enjoy on our own terms. Our ability to learn for learning’s sake has been corrupted by corporate pressures on the university, and we desperately need to change the narrative of higher education.

Keep this in mind as you navigate these next four years of your life, and, as much as you can - as much as societal pressures will let you - make decisions based on your interests and learn about things that excite you. Seek out opportunities even if they won’t look good on a resume. Work to be passionate and to change the world into a better place.

As Hearn tells me, “The point is not to describe the world, the point is to change it.”

Knowledge is power. If you have it, don’t waste it.

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WHY SOPHS AREN'T JUST PEOPLE WITH WEIRD NAMES

PHOTO BY PETER HOANG FOR @USCPROMOTIONS

The FIMS Resource You Need

By Sarena Akhter You want to know what names like Hot Dawg or Slingshot have in common? They’re both former Faculty of Information Media Studies (FIMS) Sophs.

Unique to Western—even more than their creative aliases—

FORMER FROSH GUSH ABOUT THEIR SOPHS "Sometimes I needed a safe space but I didn’t want to be lonely. My soph was there for me as someone I could share a safe space with, whether that was to vent about being homesick or just chill out together and drink hot chocolate."

Faculty Sophs are upper-year students who volunteer their time and energy to guide and help frosh acquaint themselves

"Without my soph, I seriously wouldn’t have

during their Orientation Week, known more co mmonly as

known about half the cool stuff on campus!

OWeek. For a whole week they adopt an anonymous persona,

[They] would always mention any upcoming

complete with a special name that holds an even crazier story behind it (You seriously don’t want to miss out on when they reveal their Soph stories).

With their signature jean jackets, hoards of buttons, pins and patches, and crazy hair as their unofficial uniform, FIMS Sophs show frosh around campus and lead them through activities and education sessions.

clubs or give me a gentle push to do any media-related projects."

"It’s so nice to be able to ask your soph to help you with course registration or give you feedback (or even old study notes or tips) because MIT and MPI are so subjective and abstract."

"My sophs honestly became my best

Frosh, Sophs are here for you. They are your bridge into

friends; I’m an introvert so I seriously

getting the resources you need or questions you have

wouldn’t have been able to enjoy half of

answered without all the intimidation of sending an email or LinkedIn direct message to an academic advisor.

The great thing about them is that even after OWeek, they’re more than happy to hear from you! Think about it: if there’s an essay course dragging you down because yo u don’t know how to format in Chicago, all you need to do is reach out to your Soph, who knows your pain far too well.

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what I experienced at university without [them]."

"Do you know what semiotics is? Trick question, no one does. Except your soph… trust me, they know far more than you think and they’re 100% willing to help you, too!"

For last year’s FIMS Soph, Hot Dawg (aka Mia

Both Hot Dawg and Slingshot share the same belief:

Semeniuk), Sophing also helped her network with

it’s not about how many people you know on

frosh and upper years. “I initially wanted to be a

campus, but the people you surround yourself with

soph because it’s one of those hallmarks of

(and Sophing only gives you the best of the best to

Western—it’s wholesome and you feel that sense of

be around).

community!” said Semeniuk. “I loved my soph (Hot Pocket) for being so genuine, and I was inspired by

More importantly, OWeek is the best time to take

her. I wanted to be approachable, chill, real, and

advantage of all the resources offered to you, and

hopefully someone [frosh] could reach out to for

OPENWIDE believes that one of the first things you

anything.”

should do is befriend your favourite Sophs—in the long run, it’ll be your best decision.

(Hot Dawg: Semeniuk worked at Dairy Queen during Halloween in 2019 and was the only one who came

According to some of you former frosh out there,

PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH

dressed up, and in a literal hot dog costume at that

here are some of the favourite ways their FIMS

(sausage suit and everything). She was yelled at for

Sophs influenced their student life:

the first time by a Karen and she went to the freezer to cry—she really was a Hot Dawg).

HOW YOUR SOPHS CAN This sentiment is shared with Slingshot (aka Skylar

ACT AS RESOURCES

Gnomes), who was FIMS’ Head Soph from 2019 to 2021. Gnomes shared with OPENWIDE how, more

Ask them about their electives and their opinions

than anything, Sophing gave her more confidence to

on certain courses. Sometimes you’ll need to drop

interact with others and feel more connected with the people in her program.

or swap courses, and they can help make sure you’re still fulfilling your requirements and give you advice on what to expect from your courses and professors!

“I came to Western without many people from high school, so first year was essentially me trying to befriend the people around me… it was difficult at first, but after I started to Soph, it was a game changer,” said Gnomes. “The sense of community you feel is unlike any other—you form such

You will soon sadly learn that we have way too many essay courses, so a lot of frosh like asking their Sophs for help with essays, editing, or course reviews.

Notes and textbooks! More valuable than you think.

interesting connections with your frosh, and I still

Someone to vent or talk to. They’re under oath to

even keep in contact with some of them!”

keep your information confidential unless absolutely necessary, so they’re great listeners.

(Slingshot: Gnomes used to have brace elastics, which are basically rubber bands on your braces to keep them secure. One time, when she was talking to this cute boy she liked, the brace band came off mid-conversation and smacked him right in the face, like a Slingshot!).

Networking! You need more people to talk to in the field, so why not make mentorship relationships with the best of the best?

If you ever need help with anything (FIMS-related or not), just ask! Chances are, if they can’t help you themselves, they’ll know someone who can.

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OVERCOMING IMPOSTER SYNDROME WE'RE ALL FAKING IT 'TIL WE MAKE IT

By : Hailey Wettlaufer The phrase “Faking it ’til You Make It” used to feel like a way of saying, “I’m owning my own inadequacies, and triumphing in spite of them.”

In a way, I felt empowered by this acceptance—that is, until I realized that I was never really “faking it” at all.

What I was experiencing was imposter syndrome, an internalized sense of self-doubt and incompetence someone may feel regardless of how capable and successful they appear to be on the outside.

The term “imposter syndrome” was first used in the 1970s to explain the powerful emotions one experiences when feeling like a fraud.

In fact, research on perceived imposterism has found that selfperceived imposterism commonly occurs as individuals enter new situations that they deem “out of their league,” such as new jobs, social environments, or educational settings.

A lot of the time, first year postsecondary students get hit with imposter syndrome like a bus (or at least, I did).

Personally, I felt like a faker when I was in a room full of classmates and peers.

I was so out of place, despite all of the hard work I put in to actually make it to university in the first place.

Realizing this meant that from that point on, I wanted no one to find out I felt this way.

I thought I was doing myself a service by avoiding the unfamiliar and laying low. I got by in counting myself out of any situation that I’d already convinced myself I wasn’t good enough for. But when I realized I was holding myself back from reaping the full benefits that university had to offer, I decided I would start faking it ’til I made it.

So, I branched out. I would speak up more in class, I formed new friendships with peers and classmates, and I looked for jobs in my field. But, “faking it ’til I made it” still meant that I was essentially “faking” it, so I never attributed any of my outward successes to my own adequacy.

Leaving that narrative behind is easier said than done. But there were a few things that helped me overcome this internalized feeling of imposterism.

When I started seeking more social support, like speaking to my classmates about the imposter syndrome I had been experiencing, I realized it wasn’t just me. In fact, it was a common theme for a lot of them—this included those I knew who spoke with confidence and ease in class, those who finished their two hour-long exam in forty-five minutes, and those who always used the ten percent flexibility to go above the 2000 to 2500 word count limit rather than below. All of them, at one point or another, made it clear they felt like they were faking it.

As the saying goes, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Learning that it wasn’t just me who thought that I was a faker in a room full of my peers reminded me that we were all equally capable; it’s just that some of us just needed more support to be reminded of our capabilities.

So when you make it to the place you’ve been working so hard to be, don’t minimize your accomplishments and successes.

Because you made it, and, really, you were never really faking it at all.

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THE

t u tH ABOUT HAULS r

Amidst the pandemic, many of us have turned to online shopping as a means of normalcy and to reward ourselves for all the hard work and difficulties of staying at home. However, because of this, fast fashion and online shopping have become more normalized than ever before.

Bolstered by social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram and new and rapidly changing fashion trends, online shopping has skyrocketed. A notable example is the emergence of shopping ‘hauls,’ which consist of people sharing videos where they buy enormous amounts of clothing, usually from fast fashion companies, and try them on for their followers to watch. While this seems harmless at first glance, a closer look reveals the shocking environmental and ethical toll that these videos produce.

When buying clothes online, rarely do we think about the toll that the manufacturing and transportation costs have on the environment. More often than not, we forget about the workers who produce the clothes and products, and the dangerous workplace conditions they are subject to. Instead, we separate the manufacturing process and the product itself, essentially dissociating the two. Embarrassingly, most of us would rather buy a shirt that was made under unethical conditions for $6 rather than invest a bit more for one made ethically and sustainably. This becomes even easier to justify when we don’t acknowledge the realities of fast fashion production and labour conditions, and purchasing your clothes behind a computer screen conveniently disconnects us from that reality.

By Jessie Chabot-Hamden

Online stores like Shein, Boohoo, and Princess Polly have thrived throughout the pandemic because of their extremely cheap clothing and their speedy deliveries.

While it is well-known that the stores have terrible factory conditions and working conditions, many continue to buy from them for convenience’s sake, because of their wide variety of styles and cheap pricing.

Fashion trends are also fluctuating more quickly than ever before due to the rise in popularity of influencers who share what they consider in and out of style. So, one of the easiest, fastest and cheapest ways for us to satisfy our fashion cravings and stay ‘in style’ is by purchasing trendy clothes from fast fashion companies, despite knowing about their unethical, harmful conditions and impacts.

One of the prevailing trends on TikTok is for fashion influencers to spend an exorbitant amount of money at a fast fashion company and buy hundreds of pieces of clothing. When we see our favourite influencers showing off a cute skirt they got from Princess Polly for only $15, we choose to buy it for ourselves too. Because if they can do it, why can’t I? Well, because this trend is not only wasteful and unethical, but also totally unnecessary.

13 Sometimes it’s hard to see how the climate crisis is actually impacting us. Social media apps like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram divorce the product from its production, and make it difficult to see how a product is made (the fabric, the material), who is assembling the product (factory workers and their working conditions), or even the environmental toll (transportation, energy required, and resources needed). Instead, we are shown influencers who advocate how much they love the product, and tell you to buy it, too.

If you are looking for new clothes without the hefty price tag that often accompanies small businesses and environmentally sustainable brands, there are plenty of other ethical, sustainable ways to satisfy your fashion needs. Try: - Going over to your local thrift store - Value Village and the Salvation Army are always great options!

- Having a clothing swap with your friends - Do some browsing on Depop (a great app to buy and sell secondhand clothes) - Check out Facebook Marketplace - Purchasing new clothes intentionally, and invest in high quality pieces that will last you for years We need to pause and reflect on the truth of fashion hauls and fast fashion companies, and keep that truth in mind when we make clothing purchases. Convenience is not an excuse for the ethical and environmental impacts of fast fashion, and every action against hyper-consumption counts.

HOW TO SURVIVE A GO OSE ATTACK

By Cat Tang If you encounter a grizzly bear, they say you should play dead. If you bump into a coyote, you should make yourself big and loud. But what do you do when you encounter a Canadian goose?

While the Mustang may be Western’s official mascot, the Canadian goose has become just as much of a campus icon thanks to their hostile reputation. There’s “Beware of the Geese” merchandise being sold at The Book Store, the r/uwo subreddit is filled with memes about geese, and students can even grab a bite to eat at the Angry Goose Food Truck on campus.

Dr. Keith Hobson, a Western biology professor and researcher at the Advanced Facility for Avian Research, explains that Canadian Geese only become aggressive when people get too close to their nests — otherwise, they are generally harmless.

“They like to nest on campus during the summer, and the male will protect the female once they pair off,” explains Hobson.

“The male will just hang around and make sure that nobody bugs his partner. If students come close to the incubating female on the nest, then it’ll get pretty upset and rush towards the individual and so on.”

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Natasha Barlow, the boreal conservation project specialist at Birds Canada, feels that the Canadian goose’s aggressive reputation is sensationalized — a sentiment that Hobson agrees with.

“They can definitely look and sound aggressive, and they can fly at you,” says Barlow. “But I think it’s just a lot of people not knowing what to do and [feeling] extreme fear.”

Knowledge is power, so on the off chance that you do wander too close to a goose nest and end up being attacked, here’s what to do: First, notice the warning signs. One of the earliest signs of a potential goose attack is when the bird starts bobbing its head up and down. This can be followed by hissing, sticking their tongue out, and stretching their neck.

“The body language of a goose is really quite revealing,” says Hobson. “You know when they’re upset—if you look at them and they’re coming at you and hissing then [it’s] probably best not to bug them too much.”

If the male goose still feels like you’re too close, then they will flap their wings and fly up to you.

At this point in an encounter, Hobson is more worried about students injuring the birds rather than the other way around.

Hitting a bird with a backpack or laptop could cause some real damage, and broken wings and legs are very difficult to rehabilitate.

Instead, Hobson recommends that students simply block the attacking bird with their hands.

“It would only last a few seconds,” says Hobson. “And then if you back off a bit, the bird would stop.”

“You’d probably be absolutely fine,” he adds. “As far as I know, nobody’s ever been injured by a goose on campus.”

The best way to survive a goose attack is to prevent one from happening in the first place, so just give the geese some space during nesting season. Otherwise, they can usually be found on UC hill, engaging in their favorite pastime: eating grass.

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2 Documentaries That Helped Me Make Sense of My MIT Studies

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ON RICHMOND

Although this list is a little subjective (and was difficult to narrow down). I don’t think that it’s possible to argue against a place with 17 varieties of grilled cheese sandwiches or a $5 plate of stacked nachos. Additionally, almost all of these picks are within a couple steps of each other.

Meltwich | 646 Richmond St

This place is my favourite. Not only do they make the best grilled cheese that I’ve ever had, but their chocolate milkshakes also rock. It’s super cozy inside, complete with huge tables and warm lights. Try not to fall asleep while eating the grilled cheese, because this place really makes you feel at home. Plus, Meltwich gets bonus points for being a couple hundred meters from Ceeps, and for being open until 4 a.m. on weekends.

TRY: the Guac & Roll Grilled Cheese (you won’t regret it).

By: Bianca Vasile

TOP 5 LATE NIGHT FOOD SPOTS 1.

It’s September, and at Western the return to campus has inspired a buzz of excitement among frosh and senior students alike. The prospect of moving my classroom from my bedroom to a lecture hall makes me more excited than it probably should, and the idea of studying with other students seems almost too good to be true.

As our on-campus lives are slowly returning to normal, I’m crossing my fingers that our off-campus social lives will resume as well. This year, “going out” might mean more than “to the grocery store,” and our social lives may include a definition broader than the word patio. In hopes of returning to social normalcy, I created a list of my favourite late-night food spots on Richmond Street (because a real “night out” can’t be considered complete without a greasy 3 a.m. food stop).

King Richie’s Pizzeria (a cult classic) | 1133 Richmond St If you lived in residence during your first year, then this is not the first time that you’re hearing about Richie’s. In Med-Syd, going to this pizza place during orientation is a literal rite of passage, and akin to an initiation ritual. Their Slices are good, but incredible when dipped in creamy garlic sauce (do not forget to order this - it’s essential. Ask for extra). Although the pizza is the star of the show, their Cheesy Bread gets an honorable mention. Richies is a little trek from downtown, but this list wouldn’t be complete without it. It smells like heaven inside, and is almost always packed with students. You’ll be so busy making friends that you won’t even notice the wait. Take a look at the Richie’s picture wall when you go, which features generations of Western students happily eating their pizzas, absolutely in love with this spot.

TRY: a Slice with creamy garlic dipping sauce.

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El-Furniture Warehouse | 645 Richmond St Warehouse’s brightly coloured string lights, loud music and excited buzz of students makes it a great option for when you’re hungry after a night-out, but not quite ready to crawl into bed yet. Known for their huge portions, cheap prices, and extensive menu, Warehouse is a favourite among Western students. Their menu includes all the classic bar staples, plus a variety of salads and noodle bowls if you’re in the mood to switch it up. They always seem to have a table available, and they’re perfect for when you have $10 in cash left in your wallet. Pro tip: drinks are not as cheap as the food.

TRY: The Stacked Nachos.

Burger Burger | 633 Richmond St Right down the street from Warehouse, Burger Burger does not mess around when it comes to their menu. With a variety of burger options and an impressive list of toppings (fried egg or blue cheese if you’re feeling adventurous), your late-night burger cravings will be 100% satisfied here. The only con to this place is that everybody knows how good it is, and everyone loves burgers, so the line is often out the door. Worth it, but dependent on how much energy you have left at the end of the night. Bonus points for this place because they have the cutest black and white brick wall, which is perfect for pictures (holding the burgers, of course).

TRY: Top Bun and a Strawberry Milkshake.

Smoke’s Poutinerie | 551 Richmond St Crispy fries, cheese curds and gravy. Minimal explanation needed for this one because everyone likes poutine, and everyone REALLY likes poutine after 2 a.m. It’s almost impossible to go wrong with Smoke’s. The poutine is great, and they make it fast. I like their original poutine, but I’ve heard that they make a wicked pulled pork version. Definitely a post night-out staple.

TRY: the Traditional (with extra cheese curds and gravy).

By Jessie Chabot-Hamden

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10 THINGS EVERY MUSTANG SHOULD DO BEFORE THEY GRADUATE

By Kylie Walker Hey,

frosh!

choosing

Welcome

Western.

While

and your

congratulations time

here

in

on

London

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PUT TOGETHER A TEAM FOR INTRAMURAL SPORTS

Always thought you’d be good at inner-tube water

won’t last forever, the memories you make will last a

polo? Well, now’s your chance to dive into some fun and

lifetime.

show off your skill. Western Intramurals is a great way

Ensure

those

memories

are

the

best

they

can be, and check out these ten bucket list items to

to meet new people, make some friends, and get some

complete before you graduate.

exercise. Just pick your sport, grab some friends, and

SEE RICK MCGHIE PERFORM LIVE AT THE SPOKE

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get ready for a sweet, sweaty time.

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Wednesdays are for Ricks. Western legend Rick McGhie has been performing on Wednesday nights at the Spoke for over 50 years. Playing classics like “Hotel California,” McGhie’s concerts are known for their smooth and easy listening style and allaround good times. This 19+ event is a must-see.

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Wanna drink a Bud at Budweiser Gardens? Yes, please.

Home of London’s Ontario Hockey League team, the London Knights, Budweiser Gardens is the perfect place for a fun night out on the town. Minutes away from campus, this venue hosts concerts, hockey games, and other exciting events you won’t want to miss.

SLED DOWN UC HILL

Who knew cafeteria trays had another purpose?

Tray-bogganing is a common occurrence here at Western. During the winter months, one can find trays in all shapes and sizes laying at the bottom of the snowy hill in front of University College. If you’re looking for some fun during those cold and bitter months, grab your dearest friends and closest trays and head down UC Hill!

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ATTEND A GAME AT BUDWEISER GARDENS

HIT RICHMOND ROW

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STUDY AT A LIBRARY ON CAMPUS

Having a hard time writing assignments, studying for midterms, and preparing for exams? Don’t fret. Western has several beautiful spaces on campus that will get you into work mode in no time. Feel free to book a study space in the bright and open Allyn & Betty Taylor Library or explore the conversation-friendly floors and silent zones of the D.B. Weldon Library.

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DROP-IN AT THE WAVE

Trying to find some good food on campus? Well, look no If there’s one thing Western Students are known for, it’s having a good time. And where better to have a good time than Richmond Row? With student-packed bars like The Ceeps, Molly Blooms, and Jacks sitting on this strip, you’re guaranteed a wild night. Try to keep it together when you visit these clubs; the bouncers might not find it as funny as your friends do.

4

CATCH A FLICK AT THE UCC

When most students think about the movies, they think about Cineplex. But did you know that Western has its very own movie theatre hidden on the second floor of the University Community Centre? For under

further. The Wave Restaurant and Bar located on the second floor of the UCC is the place to be. Whether you get their gourmet Gourmac Burger or one of their decadent Deep Dish Cookie Pies, you’ll leave The Wave feeling full, satisfied, and happy.

9

GO TO MCCABE'S ON A WEDNESDAY

Wine Wednesdays are the perfect pairing. Get half-off bottles of wine at McCabe’s Irish Pub and Grill every Wednesday. Join your fellow students for ALL the fun at HALF the price!

10

ATTEND A FOOTBALL GAME

$5 a ticket, the McKellar theatre is the perfect place

Touchdown! There’s nothing better than the electric

for that cheap and cheerful first date. From classics

atmosphere at a live sports game. Heading to TD

like The Godfather to modern-day box-office hits like

stadium while repping your favourite Western gear is an

Black Panther, Western Film has a great collection of

experience like no other. The best part is tickets are

films for students, faculty, and the public to enjoy.

free for students! Make sure you watch our talented herd of Mustangs hit the field before your time at Western’s up.

Completing this bucket list before you graduate will ensure a great four years at Western!

Now go and make some memories!

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