Thursday, October 16, 2014 pdf

Staying Alive Mustangs fight Marauders to a draw to stay competitive in the OUA >> Pg. 8

thegazette

TODAY high 16 low 12

Eating with our hands since 1906

TOMORROW high 16 low 11

WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014

VOLUME 108, ISSUE 25

Preliminary exam schedule (finally) released

>> MAYORAL DEBATE

Olivia Zollino NEWS EDITOR @wuogazette

Mike Laine • GAZETTE

THIS BIG FOUR IS MISSING SOMETHING... Mayoral candidates (from l-r) Matt Brown, Paul Cheng and Joe Swan debate on Wednesday night in the Mustang Lounge. The debate followed a meet and greet with Ward 6 candidates and the mayoral candidates themselves.

FOR A FULL REVIEW OF THE DEBATE, SEE FRIDAY’S ISSUE.

Funding targets youth employment Amy O’Kruk NEWS EDITOR @AmyAtGazette

The federal government has granted almost $1-million in funding to three London organizations that will use the money to create new employment opportunities for the city’s youth.

Skills Link, the federal program responsible for the grant, is pledging more than $952,000 to be split between LEADS Employment Services, Youth Opportunities Unlimited and Hutton House. The services will be using the money to equip young Londoners, especially those facing barriers to employment, with the skills they need to find work.

Susan Truppe, London NorthCentre MP, said a valuable asset the organizations are offering young job seekers, is the chance to gain experience.

“It’s very hard [for youth] to find a job and part of the problem is, if you don’t have experience, [employers] don’t want you to get the job,” Truppe said. “You’re in a catch-22.”

Truppe added by supporting young people who face employment obstacles, it gives these youth the opportunity to enter the workforce and become independent young

I

T’S VERY HARD [FOR YOUTH] TO FIND A JOB AND PART OF THE PROBLEM IS, IF YOU DON’T HAVE EXPERIENCE, [EMPLOYERS] DON’T WANT YOU TO GET THE JOB. IT’S A CATCH-22.

How is your exam schedule this semester? Or rather, how is the schedule you “think” you’re going to have?

The preliminary exam schedule for the fall 2014 semester was released Monday by the registrar’s office. In comparison to other universities, Western is among the latest to post final exams schedules — November 11.

John Doerksen, vice-provost academic programs explained that Western’s scheduling process is in place in order to prevent as many direct and indirect conflicts as possible.

Scheduling commences after the add/drop period ends in September and January. That information is then fed through a system to build the exam schedule.

“We look to build the most efficient exam schedule that we can with that information,” Doerksen said.

The system also takes modular programs into consideration.

Modules are combined from different faculties in order to give students flexibility.

“We’re one of very few universities in the province to have this flexible program choice for students and this is, in a sense, an outcome of that flexibility — we need to have a lot of the data as it changes from year to year to build as effective a schedule as we can for final exams,” Doerksen said. >> see EXAMS pg.2

SUSAN TRUPPE

LONDON NORTH-CENTRE MP

adults.

Since 2006, the Skills Link program has contributed to over 179,000 youth across Canada getting jobs or returning to school. In London, the funding will translate into an estimated 135 young people gaining employment or schooling.

LEADS is projected to help 56 young individuals join the workforce or return to school by offering group based skill training and opportunities to attain work experience. YOU will offer a similar program and link 30 young people to jobs in retail, food and the hospitality sector. >> see EMPLOYMENT pg.2

Inside

•••

October Mayor Madness: Alex Main

• P3

Betty’s Summer Vacation preview

• P4

Review: Hector and the Search for Happiness

• P5

Western should review exam scheduling

• P6

Softball wins national championship

• P7

Men’s soccer ties McMaster

• P8

Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE

2•

thegazette • Thursday, October 16, 2014

Courtesy of Susan Truppe

PUTTING THE YOU IN YOUTH. Marilyn Neufeld, executive director of Hutton House, Steve Cordes, executive director of YOU, Wendy Lau, CEO of LEADS and London North-Centre MP Susan Truppe announced a nearly $ 1 million investment in youth jobs in London on Tuesday.

Gov’t funds youth employment >> EMPLOYMENT continued from pg.1

Hutton House will use the funds to support their work involving youth with disabilities. The organization will aid 49 young people overcome barriers to employment.

Hutton House’s executive director, Marilyn Neufeld, said the funding is important because young people have the highest percentage

of unemployment in London. She described how the program operates at Hutton House.

“The funding works so that young people come in and they have training opportunities, they can take workshops on all kinds of topics that relate to becoming employed,” Neufeld said. “From there, they go out on a 12-week work experience at a business. We try to match each

person individually to what their employment goals are.”

Truppe said every dollar spent on youth is a dollar well spent.

“Youth are our future and we have to do something to get them jobs and … help them, especially the ones that really don’t have a chance to move out into the work force.”

To volunteer contact

Travel plans hindered

iain@westerngazette.ca

Universities across Ontario use different methods to schedule exams. For example, the University of Guelph provides students with the date of the exam when choosing a class. Through this system, students essentially make their exam schedule when making their class schedule.

More commonly, universities will post their final exam schedule mid-October, such as Carleton and Waterloo. However, one has to take into consideration the considerable size difference of the university.

“When you consider that we’re scheduling exams for somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 courses in a year, and we’re scheduling those exams over a relatively short exam

Solution to puzzle on page 8

4 Pizzas

>> EXAMS continued from pg.1

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer

period, I think it’s a good outcome that way,” Doerksen said.

He added that the university aims to have less than 100 direct exam conflicts in a typical exam period. Indirect conflicts — such as having three exams in 24 hours — vary.

Monica Rzepecki, a third-year student in political science, said the exam schedules simply comes out too late, especially for international students.

“I’m from the United States, so my parents want to book flights for me and they can’t now until the final exam schedule is out, which is very inconvenient,” Rzepecki said.

“On the whole, I’m quite satisfied with how we are able to schedule exams,” Doerksen said.

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Mike Laine • GAZETTE

•3

thegazette • Thursday, October 16, 2014

Bloxam to review overnight parking ban

Courtesy of Phil Squire

This is the fifth of seven profiles of the candidates for Ward 6, which encompasses the university and the surrounding student housing.

Courtesy of Alex Main

This is the eighth of thirteen mayoral candidate profiles.

Name: Alex Main Phone: 519-852-5663 Twitter: @amain0418 Website: www.alexmain.ca

Name: Phil Squire Twitter: @SquirePhil Website: www.PhilSquire.ca Facebook: Phillip Squire Email: psquire@bellnet.ca ABOUT THE CANDIDATE

ABOUT THE CANDIDATE

ABOUT THE PLATFORM

For mayoral candidate Alex Main, these municipal elections have meant hard work and determination.

With a small budget and intimate supporting team, Main has been running a small campaign. He’s spent the last 10 years in London working several jobs and owning a glass and mirror etching company.

Focusing on this working-man status, Main has opted not to invest funds towards campaigning in the traditional manner of signs and advertisements. Instead, he’s dedicated the past few weeks to participating in and hosting various charity events.

Also as a working-class person, Main said he understands the plights and struggles of the average Londoner.

He suggests that if the city elects the same type of leaders it’s had before, it will not be able to expect different standards of living.

When it comes to these different types of leaders, Main promises to be an approachable one if elected.

Part of this will be by establishing an interactive government. In addition to encouraging the city centre to conduct programming attracting participation, Main hopes to use online polls and social media to further connect city residents with the council.

Such bi-directional messaging can really improve public perceptions of municipal government, said Main.

“By providing the tools, resources and examples I certainly hope that we will get people on board working together within their community making it better for everyone,” reads Main’s platform.

This outreach, explained Main, will lead to a London city council that makes decisions that better reflect the desires and goals of those they represent – fostering a sense of trust and commitment.

Phil Squire is a life-long resident of ward 6 and has attended Western University. A father of two and current criminal defense lawyer, Squire has volunteered as a soccer coach for many years. He is a school board trustee and former chairperson of the London Habitat for Humanity.

Squire has served as trustee and chairperson for his local school board in the past.

ABOUT THE PLATFORM

Squire’s platform contains six key points. For starters, he wants to

improve accessibility to Ward 6 residents, including with regular town hall meetings. Squire wants to revive the London transit system he calls outdated and inefficient, along with restoring faith in City Hall through cooperative approaches, such as the “Moving People Smartly” transit strategy he helped draft.

Additionally, he wants responsible, sustainable housing and neighbourhood development — a cause close to his heart since being a board member of Habitat for Humanity.

Finally, he aims to market London to entrepreneurs and businesses, creating growth and jobs.

• Olivia Zollino

Ward 6 candidate Mike Bloxam wants to get rid of the overnight ban on parking in London.

The ban currently runs from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. and was implemented to help clear the roads for snow plows and street sweepers, as well as to help police spot abandoned vehicles.

However, Bloxam believes that the ban has negative impacts on the city’s road safety as it encourages drunk drivers to take their car home to avoid the fine.

“We want people not to drink and drive; we don’t want people to drive when they are drowsy or feeling exhausted if they know their car is going to get ticketed $35-40 because they’ve parked overnight.”

Bloxam also stressed the effect on tourism, as those visiting London are encouraged to leave the city earlier in the day to avoid overnight fines.

“If I get on council I would like to see a review done of the policy and see if we can’t make it a bit more flexible for folks,” Bloxam commented.

“Even if we start with a permit system like Waterloo or if we go the full-blown system like they have in Kitchener where there is no ban on overnight parking except if there is a snow alert or a snowstorm coming.”

Fellow Ward 6 candidate Amir Farahi agreed with Bloxam but stressed the importance of other issues taking priority.

“I think it’s a great idea, but judging by the fact that I’ve been talking to a lot of folks here in Ward 6 and they’ve been telling me that we should focus on the broader issues and obviously those small issues will solve themselves as a result,” Farahi said.

On the other hand, Bloxam believes that there is merit in overturning the ban.

“It’s just the responsible thing to do, to allow people to stay in the city and stay with their friends and be safe,” Bloxam said.

• Katie Lear

News Briefs

Professor named president of international science council

Western professor Gordon McBean was elected as the president at the 31st General Assembly of the International Council of Science held last month.

McBean is a professor at the department of geography at Western. According to him, the council builds big scientific programs which aims to use scientific evidence to help people understand major environmental issues and take appropriate action to solve it.

ICSU is a non-governmental organization which incorporates national scientific bodies and international scientific unions from all over the world. The organization

aims to use scientific knowledge for the betterment of society.

“It is an assembly which brings together all members of the Council of Science which includes national members from every country’s national scientific body and 31 scientific unions,” said McBean.

McBean said that in addition to discussing scientific issues, the assembly also votes on president and vice-presidents for the next general assembly which will be held in 2017.

McBean also wants to promote the Canadian scientific communities and he is collaborating on a new program called Future Earth research for Global sustainability and one of the international program offices for this project will be in Montreal.

• Mohammad Abrar Abdul Hanan

Study an internationally accredited Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in Melbourne, Australia Find out more about the exceptional student experience at go.unimelb.edu.au/225n Canada various 6x6.21inches.indd 1

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4 •

thegazette • Thursday, October 16, 2014

arts&life

saywhat?

“Movies will make you famous; television will make you rich; but theatre will make you good.”

• Terrence Mann

Play brings dark comedy to Huron Jenny Jay ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @JennyAtGazette

Courtesy of Jody Photography

Punk band sees London lights Sara Mai Chitty GAZETTE STAFF It’s been over 20 years of skanking, partying and singing about girls and beer, and Less Than Jake show no signs of stopping.

“It’s both surprising and an honour that people still show up to see us play after 22 years of being a band,” says lead singer and guitarist Chris DeMakes.

Their riotously fun ska punk style has been a staple in the genre. Any ‘90s kid will surely recollect Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts or Sugar in Your Gas Tank. The Florida fivepiece have always walked the punk rock line, but their signature bold brass accents of saxophone and trumpet have made a mark on modern day ska.

The boys are playing London Music Hall on Sunday and DeMakes says they are incredibly stoked to be in Canada.

“Tim Hortons is high on the list of why we like touring Canada,” DeMakes says.

In all seriousness the guitarist sees Canada as a place full of great memories.

“London, Toronto and Montreal in particular hold a lot of great memories for LTJ,” he explains. “I saw one of the biggest circle pits in my life when we played Montreal Warped Tour some years ago – insane!”

DeMakes is well known for his fondness of circle pits and often calls for action in the pit. Be it “skanking,” a type of two step dance that mimics

T

IM HORTONS IS HIGH ON THE LIST OF WHY WE LIKE TOURING CANADA. CHRIS DEMAKES

LEAD SINGER AND GUITARIST OF LESS THAN JAKE

skipping and involves some arm flailing, or plain old moshing, Less Than Jake is a band who is all about crowd participation.

The group often meet fans after or before shows, never turning down a request to sign something or a picture. They are possibly the friendliest punk band on the planet.

Less Than Jake haven’t been to Canada in four years, something DeMakes says is unacceptable.

“It’s been a while since we did a full, proper Canadian tour and we owed it to our awesome fans to get back there to play!” he says.

When DeMakes isn’t relaxing on the beach near his Gainesville, Florida home, he’s touring solo or with the band, giving guitar lessons or producing records.

“I like to keep myself busy.”

That may be why fans haven’t seen a full-length album in five years.

The 29 date Canada-U.S. tour is in support of Less Than Jake’s fall 2013 release See the Light, DeMakes says there aren’t any new projects,

but he’s always thinking of new material.

For fans that may not be up to date on the latest LTJ, See the Light delivered the band’s signature cynical lyrical style and ska punk flare in a fresh yet somehow mature way.

The great thing about this tour is that Less Than Jake have enlisted their pals Big D and the Kids Table.

Supporting the two ska greats is a band who is gaining popularity.

Made up of four blood brothers, fronted by their sister, they call themselves The Interrupters.

The family burst onto the festival scene this summer, often playing with Tim Armstrong of Rancid, who recently signed them to his label Hellcat Records.

DeMakes says he is super excited about the tour. Since Less Than Jake has been looking forward to playing Canada and yes, even London specifically, the vocalist promises a great show is in store.

Audiences should be prepared to move and groove this Sunday as Less Than Jake assault all pre-conceived notions on what a good time is.

“We played the Embassy and Call the Office many, many times over the years,” DeMakes says. “The shows have always been great, so it was pretty much a no brainer to play [London] again.”

Less Than Jake will be playing London Music Hall with Big D and the Kids Table and the Interrupters on Sunday, October 19. Tickets are available for $22 online at Ticketfly.

Doors open at 7 p.m.

The word theatre is synonymous with boring to the average uncultured young adult. The English department at Huron University College is changing that with their rendition of Christopher Durang’s Betty’s Summer Vacation.

Bethany Radford, a third-year English student at Huron, plays Trudy in what she describes is a “really weird play.”

“It could be viewed as very offensive if it’s not done properly, so I think that’s something that’s very different about it. I think we’ve done a really good job of directing it and staging it in a way that it can make a difference, instead of just offending,” Radford says.

The play comes with a warning of explicit humour and dark comedy, and Huron has done a great job at warning students that the play may be offensive.

Matt Stefan, also a third-year student in English and Philosophy at Huron, states that offensive might be too strong of a term.

“I wouldn’t even say the play is offensive, because that kind of assumes that, the subject matter in it, isn’t taken lightly and it’s kind of just for comedy sake … He’s dealing with things, subject matter that you know is pretty deep, it’s pretty dark in some places but he’s never offensive about it, he’s never poking fun at it. What he’s poking fun at is how media treats this stuff, these archetypes of characters and how they would treat a situation like this,” Stefan says.

The play is meant to take all the expectations and throw them out the window — while simultaneously keeping the audience both entertained and intrigued as to what may possibly happen next.

“It really pushes the lines of what’s appropriate,” Radford says, “I think that’s what theatre should do, it should change your mind, it should m a k e you see some-

I

T’S A SHOW THAT OPENS YOUR EYES TO WHAT OUR CURRENT CULTURE FINDS FUNNY — EVEN IF IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT WHAT IT WAS BEFORE, IT REALLY SLAPS CURRENT ENTERTAINMENT IN THE FACE. BETHANY RADFORD HURON ENGLISH III

thing — it shouldn’t just be entertainment.”

While the play pushes boundaries, FIMS or MIT students will also appreciate the reflection it has on the current state of the media in Canadian society.

“It’s a show that opens your eyes to what our current culture finds funny — even if it’s not what you thought what it was before, it really slaps current entertainment in the face,” Radford says.

Stefan explains the audience should be ready for anything, as the actors have a few surprises hidden up their sleeves.

“I don’t want to give away too much, but yeah there’s a few big surprises and it goes in directions that you don’t expect it to all the time,” Stefan says.

Students should expect to come to the play with an open mind, and to leave cultured, as Stefan says Betty’s Summer Vacation “is going to take you down hilarious rabbit holes that you would never expect to see in theatre — it’s gonna be a wild ride.”

Betty’s Summer Vacation premiers tonight and will be performed on Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Rm V214 at Huron University College. Tickets are $8 and are available at the door or at Huron’s Info Desk.

Courtesy of Mark Heeney

SUMMER NIGHTS. Bethany Radford and Christian Ridley star in Betty’s Summer Vacation, a dark critique of what contemporary society finds funny. The play will be performed at Huron from Thursday to Saturday this week.

•5

thegazette • Thursday, October 16, 2014

>> IN THEATRES: HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS

Courtesy of Relativity Media

Pegg pursues new depth Diyin Deng CONTRIBUTOR

Simon Pegg was in a series of films with a cult following — Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. Hector and the Search for Happiness promised a different take from his usual comedy style so it was exciting to see how it would turn out.

“Is this as good as it gets?” is the prevailing question the film asks the audience. It can be a bleak question to answer, for who among us could honestly say they are completely satisfied with their position in life?

The film begins by introducing Hector, who is living the affluent life that garners much envy as he is a well-established psychologist and has a beautiful girlfriend. It seems like his work and sex life are fulfilling — what more could he ask for?

The film deliberately makes the audience feel contempt for this

milquetoast man unhappy with his seemingly perfect life but afraid of change. It gets to the point where he starts asking strangers how to be happy. He is an unlikeable character — uptight, bitter and unappreciative of his blessings. In a film where the main character is made so unappealing in the beginning, it tends to mean that character development will be a major focus of the story. Not surprisingly, he embarks on an epic journey to find happiness, leaving behind a loyal girlfriend (Rosamund Pike). Bless her soul for not dumping him right then.

Each experience and modicum of happiness Hector gleams from the people he meets around the world becomes a small note tucked away in his notebook. Would it be a mistaken notion to believe that this film attempts to be a mantra of happiness? Hector argues that he started his journey to better help his patients, yet this noble, selfless reason is a cipher of a lost child looking for his own happiness.

It’s slightly awkward how the film attempts to follow a mantra of

Remember 3D TVs? They were supposed to be the next “big thing” in TV watching but never seemed to take off despite overly excessive advertising campaigns. With that in mind, Samsung and LG are leading the charge in what they hope will be the start of the next TV revolution with the creation of curved TVs. A curved TV is exactly what it sounds like. It is essentially a flatscreen TV with the edges curved in.

Users will get the optimal viewing experience if they sit at a distance away from their TV that is equal to the TVs curve radius. So if a TV has a 4-metre curve radius, the viewer would want to sit 4 metres away from the TV in order to find the “sweet spot.”

The curved TVs biggest selling point is that it creates an increased sense of immersion. Viewing a curved TV becomes less enjoyable while sitting out of the “sweet spot.”

This increased sense of immersion comes from the wider field of view created by the TV’s curves.

Other subtle pros of curved TVs are the increase sharpness at the edges of the image, pictures feel like they have more depth and a richer contrast.

Of the many downsides brought on by curved TVs, the biggest one is distortion. Distortion is evident when looking at the TV from a weird angle. It’s important to note that curved TV’s offer a slightly smaller viewing radius than flat-screen TVs. This doesn’t mean that you can’t look at it from off-axis, it just might look a bit weird from slightly different angles.

Some of the other cons include increased reflections and price. At the moment, curved screens cost more to make than flat ones, which means they’re more expensive to buy. This cost difference may disappear as curved TVs become more popular, but for now, the price difference could be a reason to stay flat with your next TV. The effectiveness of curved screens is directly proportional to the size of your TV. In fact, the curve cons tend to outweigh the pros with any curved TV smaller than 65-inches in size.

While it is unlikely that flatscreens will die out any time soon, hockey fans may find themselves watching more NHL games on a curved TV in the near future.

• Shachar Dahan

GGGGF Director: Peter Chelsom Starring: Simon Pegg, Rosamund Pike, Toni Collette and Stellan Skarsgård

happiness. Some scenes feel forced, as though they are added to hammer home a certain point. For example, Hector’s friend offers his take on happiness — “happiness as being loved for who I am” — which refers to his homosexuality even though it is not outright revealed at the time.

Later on Hector “randomly” mentions in conversation that his friend is gay just to make sure the audience understands that from earlier. Such ham-handed cues are unnecessary.

The film is worthwhile to see Simon Pegg stretch his comedic range, observe tidbits of wisdom and hear a selection of international music. The movie is different from Pegg’s previous fare because it places a lot of burden on him to act out Hector’s character development and he does it brilliantly — it’s great fun watching him express raw emotions.

The film does not provide any definite answers for how to be happy. However, viewers will leave the cinema feeling happier than when they walked in. The picture is a satisfying mix of excitement, lighthearted comedy and emotional nourishment.

6 •

thegazette • Thursday, October 16, 2014

opinions

A ‘multicultural society’ is a logical and physical impossibility.

• Satoshi Kanazawa

Western must Hands-on approach to multiculturalism reconsider exam scheduling Jenny from the Block

It’s only the middle of October but exams are already stressing some students out.

Western’s exam period runs until December 17 this year and that’s all students knew until Western released the fall preliminary exam schedule on Tuesday. This preliminary schedule contains the following disclaimer in all caps: DO NOT MAKE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON THIS SCHEDULE. CHANGES WILL BE MADE. We understand Western’s general approach to scheduling exams. They strive for as few conflicts as possible and as few breaches of the “3 in 23,” “4 in 47” and “5 in 71” rules. It takes time to figure out all the classes, class sizes, locations and dates for the thousands of classes Western offers. However, they are no different than other universities who have the same policies and as many or more students.

The preliminary schedule release followed by the final schedule release have serious implications financially for students, as well as on their stress levels.

Travel in the last half of December is notoriously hectic and expensive. Students needing to go home are forced to either risk money on a ticket they could not be able to use or wait and pay more for their travel.

With an increased push for international students, the scheduling of exams has a significant impact on students trying to get home for the holidays.

This problem is further compounded for first-years in residence who are given 24 hours after their last exam to leave, except they don’t know for sure when they are leaving until what amounts to the very last minute for Christmas travel plans.

Some other schools in Ontario provide exam schedules when you sign up for the class. This puts an onus on the student to choose electives that both do not conflict with class times and exams, rather than just the class times students at Western have to worry about. However, this added onus also increases control. Students know when they are finished exams and they can book their travel home or other plans far in advance knowing their exam won’t change.

This added financial stress and the stress of not knowing how and when they can get home adversely affects students preparing for midterms and final exams.

We believe it would be beneficial and feasible for the university to schedule and notify students of final exams earlier. It has been shown at other similar sized universities in Ontario that it is possible — it’s time for Western to join this club for the benefit of its students.

• Gazette Editorial Board

Jenny Jay ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR @JennyAtGazette

I’m apparently barbaric. It’s apparently disgusting. I never quite learned how to use a fork as a child — but I refuse to apologize.

As a Canadian-born Sri Lankan, I was always raised to eat our traditional rice and curry with my hands. Wash your hands first, right hand only, mix curries with the rice, take a bite and never let your food go past your knuckles.

This was never weird to me. Growing up, rice and curry was always the afterschool meal, so no one ever saw me eat rice this way. Family gatherings with other Sri Lankans, or going back to the country itself, only further established that this was completely normal. While I was, of course, exposed to Canadian culture of forks — and indeed, I use forks for everything except this traditional dish — I just couldn’t see eating rice and curry any other way than I was taught.

Today, eating Thanksgiving leftovers proved challenging. Even the mention of the fact that I eat with my hands produced scoffs, laughter and remarks that apparently people can relate to — after all, they used to eat with their hands as a child, until of course they learned to use a fork.

It makes me feel uncomfortable. More than that, it makes me feel sick, because it makes me feel like I should be ashamed of my culture. I am without a doubt more Canadian than Sri Lankan — I speak Sinhalese and Tamil with a Canadian accent, I don’t understand how the

Dear Life Your anonymous letters to life

weddings work and going to the country made me feel like an outsider. Regardless, I still have aspects of my heritage that resonate as a result of the ways that I have been brought up, aspects of my heritage that I am proud of.

I am proud to say that this includes cultural foods that are filled with both spices and flavour, but that I eat it in the traditional ayurvedic way, to feel the food I put into my mouth. Even then, there’s no better way to perfectly mix all those flavours and curries together quite like the five-fingered utensil.

To think that we are supposed to be part of a society that is multicultural and open-minded but are reduced to shock and disgust at a different cultural norm than we are used to is saddening to me. I would hope that while cultural shocks are exactly that — shocks — young adults can learn that there is a difference between being curious and being judgmental about cultures that exist beyond their realms.

I am proud to call myself a Canadian.

I am proud to be raised in a quilt of cultures, teeming with open-minded philosophies. I am equally proud to say that I am raised with Sri Lankan traditions and customs — even when it means saying that I eat with my hands or that we have a ceremony when a girl gets her period for the first time. As strange as it may seem to the Western culture, I am proud.

I’m not going to apologize for my culture. I’m not going to say sorry that my eating habits make you feel uncomfortable because you find them barbaric.

I’m definitely not going to change the aspects of my culture that I have retained to maintain an apparent social integrity.

No, instead, I simply ask that before you turn your nose at habits of culture, I beg of you to go ahead and be curious, ask questions, understand the world around you, but above all, be respectful.

Dear Life, Is it only me or is Bradley Metlin the personification of white liberal guilt?

Signed, the marginalized Dear Life, Western uses too many contract faculty, true. But tenure track faculty are also lazy as sin and don’t do nearly enough teaching.

Dear Life, Irnes Zeljkovic deserves every penny he gets and more for what was done to him. Anyone arguing the contrary has no sense of justice.

Dear Life, It’s amazing the number of Londoners who “become” Western students during holiday weekends.

Dear Life, No Gazette for 5 days makes Homer something something.

Dear Life, Why is UCC the hottest building on campus?

Dear Life, The two ‘e’s in resumé are pronounced different in English. Hence the one accent. How embarrassing.

For you.

Dear Life, Every fine arts student should write a dear life to practice their elevator pitch for Starbucks.

Dear Life, She packed my bags last night. Pre flight…

Dear Life, Next week for Logopalooza: Westervelt College. wgaz.ca/dearlife

thegazette

Volume 108, Issue 25 www.westerngazette.ca

Iain Boekhoff Editor-In-Chief Brent Holmes Deputy Editor Richard Raycraft 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

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thegazette • Thursday, October 16, 2014

sports

tweet of the week Xenophobia night in Canada off to a hot start this year. Don Cherry should build a fence around tronna.

• Chris Peters CBS Sports Writer @ChrismPeters on Don Cherry’s rant on Saturday’s edition of Coach’s Corner in which he lambasted the Toronto Maple Leafs for not drafting enough Canadians

Rundown >> The Mustangs women’s cross country team placed first overall in the 23rd Annual 2014 Mustang Open • Amanda Truelove got a four kilometre personal best of 13:44 — a new Western record.

Mustangs defeat Gryphons in opener Kyle Porter CONTRIBUTOR @SportsAtGazette

After a shaky start, the Western Mustangs men’s hockey team roared back to score five straight goals and defeat the Guelph Gryphons 5–2 on the opening night of the season.

Guelph came out strong, drawing two early penalties and scoring on a shot deflected by a Mustang stick.

Western was able to quickly regroup, using their powerplay to jumpstart the offence and score four straight goals to finish the first period.

Special teams were a highlight for Western as they went two-forfour on the powerplay while shutting down Guelph on the penalty kill, killing off all five of their own infractions.

When asked about Western’s impressive shot blocking on the penalty kill, Mustangs’ assistant coach David Kontzie explained that it was part of their game plan.

“We always want to get in the shooting lanes, help our goaltenders out, make life a little bit easier down low.”

Western goalie Greg Dodds had a tough start after surrendering the first goal of the game to Guelph forward Andres Kopstals just 1:21 into the opening frame. Less than three minutes later he took Western’s second minor penalty by clearing the puck over the glass. Dodds quickly settled down and went on to make 19 saves, including a few spectacular ones in close to hold Guelph to just two goals.

Kontzie dispelled notions that Dodds’ early struggles were a result of nerves.

T

HE FIRST-YEAR PLAYERS HAVE PLAYED VERY WELL ALL PRE-SEASON. PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM BRING SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF A STYLE OF PLAY. DAVID KONTZIE

MEN’S HOCKEY ASSISTANT COACH

“Dodds isn’t a goaltender that gets rattled with nerves or anything like that, it was a shot that got by him, you can call it what you want. I don’t think it was nerves at all, it was just one of those things that got by him,” he said.

First year player Trent Ouellette had a great debut for the Mustangs, scoring back-to-back goals for Western in his first career OUA game. Ouellette’s first goal came off a harmless looking shot from the top of the circle that handcuffed Guelph goalie Keith Hamilton. Ouellette roofed the puck for his second goal that resulted from a two-on-one with second-year Mustang defenceman Jed Rusk.

Kontzie had nothing but praise for Ouellette and his fellow first-year players after the game.

“The first-year players have played very well all pre-season.

Kyle Porter • GAZETTE

LET’S GO THE OTHER WAY FOR A CHANGE. Defenceman Matt Paltridge of the Mustangs attempts to take the pressure off goaltender Greg Dodds in Friday’s action. The Mustangs would take a decisive 4–1 lead at the end of the first period, leading to a 5–2 victory.

Pretty much all of them bring something a little bit different in terms of a style of play,” he commented. “[Ouellette] had a couple of great chances today, he was able to bury a couple of goals. You know the one goal probably you won’t score like that again in the league, your boys going to want that shot back as well, much the same as what Dodds would want with the first goal for us so it’s good to see a young player get a couple of goals and you get the

season off on the right foot for him.”

Kontzie dispelled notions that the Mustangs took the pressure off late in the game, knowing that they play Brock for their second game of the season in just 24 hours.

“We are going to be a hockey team that has to roll four lines this year, that was a big focus for us in the off-season with the team that we wanted to build, so whether we play Brock or McGill we’re going to kind of approach the game in the same

way with four lines, high energy play with a lot of pace throughout the game and then go from there.”

The Mustangs would go on to defeat the Brock Badgers 3–0 on the Saturday, with Dodd picking up the shutout. The two victories have them off to a strong start at 2–0 on the season. The Mustangs next matchup is tonight at home against the Ryerson Rams. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at Thompson Arena.

Mustangs softball captures nationals Suhaib Al-Azem GAZETTE STAFF @SportsAtGazette

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Western Mustangs softball team showed Calgary, Alberta how to truly stampede. Rolling in on the Saturday, the Mustangs brought their best game to the University of Regina, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Humber College and St. Claire College and came away with the National championship title for the fourth consecutive year as a result.

In their first game of the Canadian Collegiate Softball Association National Championships, the girls buried the SAIT Trojans. Rachael Jacques, Mustangs pitcher, wouldn’t let a single batter get a hit in the game allowing for a 15–0 win. Both offensively and defensively, the girls performed well.

And that was just the first of four games.

Later that same day, the Mustangs took to the diamond against the University of Regina. Similar to their last game the starting pitcher, Stacie Cox, was unstoppable and the rest of the team was just as good, leading

Courtesy of Mustangs Softball

to a 7–0 win.

Next, the girls would go up against Humber College, and although posing more of a challenge for Western, the Humber Hawks were dispatched as easily as the Trojans and Cougars. Only letting three runs against, the final score was 11–3 for the Mustangs. At the time, this had meant that the ladies were going on to the semifinals, and this was when they started to pick up speed.

On their final day of the championships, the ladies replayed Humber College for the position in the finals. Learning from the last game they played there were very few mistakes. Because of that, the final score was a 7–0 win for Western, who secured their place in the finals.

As defending champions consecutively for three years, Western was aiming to continue their undefeated streak for the season, and for the CCSA championships.

And despite the fact that St. Claire College was a challenging team to play, our softball team stopped them in their tracks. Stacie Cox was incredible once again on the pitcher’s mound, only allowing two hits.

She also managed a perfect score at bat, scoring two runs, and batting a run in. The Mustangs went on to win the game with a score of 9–1 and capture the title.

They also went undefeated in the season.

Pete Lemon, head coach of the team, was happy with his team’s performance.

“Yes, I think we did pretty well, we run rolled every team ... I think we performed very well in all aspect of the game, we just need to maintain that to make sure we’re sharp.”

And sharp they will need to be for the Ontario Championships that will be held at Western over the coming weekend at Stronach Park.

8 •

thegazette • Thursday, October 16, 2014

Double standard gives hope for Solo Nusaiba Al-Azem • GAZETTE

Mustangs tie Marauders Nusaiba Al-Azem OPINIONS EDITOR @NusAtGazette

It was a bittersweet match for the Mustangs men’s soccer team as they took on the McMaster Marauders on Saturday at Mustang Field. The game ended in a 1–1 draw, leaving the Mustangs’ undefeated streak of five games intact, but significantly hindering their chances of acquiring an advantageous playoff position.

Mustangs head coach Rock Basacco was not disappointed with the result.

“Certainly a win would have been nice for us but I’m quite happy with the 1–1 tie,” he elaborated.

Marauders head coach Dino Perri, on the other hand, did express disappointment at the end product.

“Considering we’re battling for second place, and considering [Western was] missing four or five of their starters, we were hoping to come out of here with a victory,” he said. “It’s very disappointing.”

The first goal of the game would come just five minutes in by Mustangs

defender Chuka Ononye to secure a lead for the next 12 minutes, before Marauders defender Aleksandar Vincic tied the game. Despite both sides gaining a tally early on in the game, the rest of the 90 minutes lacked any goals and primarily consisted of a battle of possession.

Perri attributed the loss to careless mistakes, such as offside men and failing to shoot.

“I thought we played well. We definitely played well enough to win — we just made some really bad decisions in their end for goal-scoring opportunities,” Perri said.

“And credit to them, [Western] worked really, really hard and they battled the whole game and gave us a tough time so we couldn’t capitalize on it,” Perri continued.

While the game’s result could have been more favourable for Western, one Mustang in particular had a successful game. Ononye scored his first career goal as a ‘Stang on his one and only shot on goal.

“It felt awesome. Whenever I can contribute to the team, it’s always a good way, so it’s fun, “ Ononye said.

“Scoring a goal is the best feeling in the world.”

Western will have one week of rest before taking to the field against Guelph and York respectively.

“We need to stay focused the 90 minutes of the game and play hard, both in attack and defence,” he asserted.

Onoye echoed that sentiment.

“I feel like our weakness really is just staying in focus for the entire game because all it takes is a slip up for like 30 seconds, a minutes, and then it results in a goal,” Onoye said.

Prior to the game, McMaster was ranked fourth, while Western trailed behind in sixth in the standings.

The game leaves McMaster tied for second with Guelph and Western just a point behind.

As for the future, Basacco has a different vision for the next face-off against McMaster.

“Next time it’ll be maybe a different story,” he said. “Well, we hope it’ll be different story.“ The Mustangs next game is Saturday, October 18 at 3:15p.m. at home.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

GREAT SEX! An interactive talk for first year students on everything you need to know about how to have Great (and safe) sex from your friendly and knowledgeable Obstetrics & Gynecology doctors!

Bring your friends and partners! Talks will be held October 21, 22, & 23rd at 7pm! Check posters in campus residences for locations. Don’t miss out on this Great opportunity for Great Sex!

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VOLUNTEERS WANTED

GYMWORLD-GYMNASTICS CLUB in North/West London is looking for gymnastics coaches. On bus route. Work as little as 3 hours per week or as many as 20 hours. Great pay. Please call 519-474-4960 or e-mail to info@gymworld.ca.

ROMANTIC COUPLES NEEDED for a 1.5-hour study on perceptions of romantic relationships. Partners will receive $15.00 each ($30.00 per couple) for participating. If interested, email: uwocouples@gmail.com.

The Nanni Diaries Robert Nanni SPORTS EDITOR @SportsAtGazette

Last week, the United States women’s national soccer team announced its roster. Their star goalkeeper? Hope Solo, best-known for her abilities to stop a ball and start a fight.

As the team goes into the World Cup qualifiers this month, you would think that they would desire a more respectable composition of players, but I guess they’re praying she’ll channel some of that aggression on the field.

Solo was charged in Washington with two counts of domestic violence against relatives of hers. She allegedly left her 17 year-old nephew with a sliced ear and her half-sister with a swollen cheek. If she could do this to family members, imagine what she might do to her opponents.

We’ve watched Baltimore Ravens running back, Ray Rice be suspended from his team after pummelling his fiancée in an elevator, and Arizona Cardinals’ running back Jonathan Dwyer get temporarily deactivated from his team due to domestic violence charges against his wife. Universities are also not immune, as McGill Redmen running back Luis-Andres GuimontMota was recently cut from his team due to the same charges against his estranged wife.

But Solo? Not a single suspension or disqualification for her. Why? Because she is a woman.

In a world chock full of negative images for women, little girls require role models whom they can look up to; women of influence, power

and respect. Not this sad excuse for a goalie, who drunkenly beats her family as a side hobby. Perhaps I’m being unnecessarily harsh on Solo, but this just seems so unfair. In a world where equality is preached by so many, why does there seem to be a one-way street when it comes to violence?

If a man beats a woman, he is penalized; if a woman beats a man, she should be similarly punished. If people want to sit and preach feminism and call for the equal treatment of women, then they should certainly accept the same convictions a man does.

While Nike immediately scrapped its endorsement deal with Rice and temporarily suspended its contract with Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson after he allegedly beat his four year-old son, the athletic wear corporation stuck by their star goalie.

I think what makes me angriest is the statement released by U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Neil Buethe stating that they are aware of Solo’s “personal situation” but recognize that she has the opportunity to set a significant record and as such should be allowed to do so.

So basically, she did some bad shit, but she might help us win some games and that’s more important!

In my opinion, this perspective is entirely deplorable. If any man were to commit such foul crimes and continue playing, there would be public outcry; but a woman?

Well that’s okay, as long as she keeps stopping shots.

If Solo is being charged for domestic abuse, she should not play for the American team, plain and simple. If that’s an issue, reinstate Rice, Peterson and every other man with assault charges. Equal opportunity for all or restriction for none – take your pick.

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

Arts & Humanities Presents:

The Coffeehouse & Silent Art Auction!

On Sat. October 18th at 7:30pm, in partnership with St. Luke’s Anglican Church, 1204 Richmond St. (at Bernard), we will be raising money for The Canadian Hearing Society (www.cha.ca).

Come out for lots of food and drinks, entertainment and art!

The theme will be “Tapered Lips, Untapered Minds”, focusing on communication through artistic mediums.

The whole event is wheelchair accessible, and if you would like to perform, contact mstorvol@uwo.ca

ALL YOU CAN EAT!

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