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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
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CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906
VOLUME 107, ISSUE 22
Buttons for restaurant staff spark dispute Richard Raycraft NEWS EDITOR Employees of the Spoke and Wave are being encouraged to wear buttons expressing support for the LGBT community. The pins are meant to show that the employee has received “ally” training — training done as part of the University Students’ Council’s Ally Western initiative. According to the USC website, Ally Western works to create a more inclusive university campus with a focus on understanding and celebrating sexual diversity. It provides resources and support for students to be strong, effective and visual advocates for LGBT people. Sam Krishnapillai, vice-president internal at the USC, explained that the buttons serve a purpose as indicators. “Traditionally when Ally training is given we provide the person with some sort of visual identifier as an Ally. This informs people that this person is one that believes in equality,” she said. “It’s something that we feel strongly about because the USC believes that all students should be treated respectfully.” “So the combination of a broadened mandate and a tradition of providing Allies with something that visually identifies them as such is what created Ally pins,” she continued. Krishnapillai explains that Ally training is provided to all USC employees. Training includes teaching employees to be conscious of their words and behaviour, and
this year has also included a “safer space training” component. Safer space training is designed to ensure that USC employees to be allies to those who use USC services and operations. “We want our staff, if they feel comfortable and safe doing so, to feel as though they can politely let someone know that their language isn’t appropriate, or that their behavior is discriminatory,” Krishnapillai said. “The pins are meant to be a visual identifier that shows others that this individual treats all people — regardless of gender, race, sexuality, ability, economic status, etcetera — equally,” she continued. “It creates a feeling of solidarity to those who may be discriminated against and shows those that may intentionally or unintentionally discriminate against people that the pin wearer is against such behavior.” Krishnapillai also emphasized that while wearing the pins is by no means mandatory for USC staff, it would be encouraged — especially those employees working in customer service roles. Not everyone is comfortable with this arrangement, however. Jordyn Martinez, last year’s Ally coordinator and a server at the Wave restaurant, feels that pressuring staff to wear what she believes is a political statement is not a good policy. “My issue is mostly with political statements in the work place,” she said. “I totally agree with marriage equality and the message behind their initiative, but as a server and a student, I’m there to make money
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and honestly adding politics to serving tables for me causes a bit of an issue.” Martinez explained that the pins were distributed last week, with each staff member being presented one individually. “I have heard [people from the USC] asking us where our pins are and if we are going to wear them,
but I don’t think that they’ll officially push it anymore,” she said. “I think the main issue for me isn’t necessarily that we were asked to wear these but that the Ally initiative, as supposed to be putting out by the USC for all students, is kind of being targeted towards everyone who works for the USC rather than as a public statement.”
Say what you need to say to the USC Kiah Berkely CONTRIBUTOR The University Students’ Council has addressed student concerns and they’re launching a new blog in response. Concrete Speech, a USC service designed to let students engage with the council, will be rolled out in the next two to three weeks as part of an overall reconstruction of the USC’s media outlets and their website. “We’re hoping it will become a site facilitated by the USC to spark discussion between students and members of the USC,” Kelly Morgan, publications coordinator, said. “Ideally, it’ll become something where USC members can put out what they’re working on and what they want feedback on, and then students can go ahead and give
them that feedback.” Concrete Speech is in some ways an extension of the now-defunct Fuss on the Bus, a site that sought to provide information to Western students in an easy-to-understand and accessible way. The blog’s creation was also inspired by the 2013 orientation at Western, which saw much debate on campus about the selection of sophs. “I thought that that would be a great place for there to be a discussion, to speak with the USC. There are people who don’t like what’s going on, and the reality was people were just making Facebook posts. I saw all these Facebook posts and thought, I don’t think any of the members of the USC are going to see these,” Morgan explained. Part of the idea behind Concrete
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Speech is to let students know what’s happening around school ahead of time. “So it isn’t just the students reacting once something’s passed,” Andrew Potter, the blog’s editor-inchief, said. “I think a lot of the negative reactions come from when students feel like they had no say in a process,” Nico Diplacido, digital publications editor for the blog, said. “It’s taken me a third year to realize that as a student, as an undergrad, you have more of a say than you think you do.” The blog’s creators are hoping that students will hear about and access the site through social media as well as finding the link on the USC’s website. While the site is designed to let students voice opinions and input to the USC, it is not meant to be “a
I think a lot of the negative reactions come from when students feel like they had no say in a process. — Nico Diplacido
digital publications editor of the blog, on USC decisions
way for people to gripe about things they don’t like,” Morgan said. “We welcome criticism of course, but we’re hoping it will be an agent for positive change,” she said.
Western’s notoriously unreliable Wi-Fi has been causing angst among annoyed students. The only problem is — there is no problem, apparently. “I called [Information Technology Services] the other day and they denied that there was anything wrong,” Alex Grosdanis, an upperyear science student, explained. “I am living proof that there is something wrong. They just ignore the problem until it goes away.” Grosdanis has experienced frequent campus Internet problems throughout his four-plus years at Western — and he isn’t the only one. On the main floor of D.B. Weldon Library, masters of civil engineering student Anas Alsaid struggled to connect to the Wi-Fi. While students across campus have criticized the Wi-Fi for years, after returning to Western this September, the complaints have only increased. “It’s getting worse,” Alsaid insisted. “Especially in the big hours, from nine to two, the Wi-Fi connection is really bad.” Across the library, fourthyear criminology student Marci Ahumada admitted she has continually struggled with the Internet. “I know that sometimes I’ve had to literally go home to print stuff or to get on to my e-mail,” Ahumada complained. “It’s pretty annoying if I have to leave campus just to get on the Internet.” Even worse, the Wi-Fi woes do not seem to be isolated to Weldon. At Allyn and Betty Taylor Library, students vehemently complain about the awful connection. “It’s always been terrible,” Jevan Friedlander, an upper-year genetics student, said as his friends nodded in agreement. Sitting beside him, fourth-year biology student Teagan Mackenzie finds the problem to be contingent on location. “Going to lower floors and classes that are underground, I’ve had a really hard time connecting to the Internet,” Mackenzie said. In today’s education system, connection to the Internet is necessary for accessing and completing coursework. In the wake of fickle Wi-Fi, the pressure to be online is forcing students to switch to more expensive alternatives, such as cell phone data plans, to finish academic assignments on time. >> see WI-FI pg.3