Tuesday, January 28, 2014

W W W .W E STERNGAZETTE.C A • @UW OGAZETTE

Eyeopening referendum

thegazette Surprise meetings since 1906

USC calls referendum to potentially add vision care to health plan >> pg. 3 TODAY high -16 low -19

TOMORROW high -11 low -14

CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014

VOLUME 107, ISSUE 61

Senate passes strat plan amid protest

Taylor Lasota GAZETTE

CHAKMA? I BARELY KNOW YA. Western President Amit Chakma addresses protesters outside of the Senate meeting Friday afternoon. Students and professors were concerned about the Western Strategic Plan, which was debated and passed at the meeting.

Richard Raycraft NEWS EDITOR Western’s top administrators were met by protesting students and professors at Friday’s Senate meeting as they were set to debate the university’s strategic plan.

The strategic plan, which sets guidelines for the university’s aspirations and direction, was passed by a convincing margin, though not unanimously.

As administrators, faculty, student representatives and others filed into the chamber for the meeting, they passed through a hallway of 66 silent protesters, each holding a sign expressing their opposition.

“We have visitors,” said Amit Chakma, Western’s president, as he approached the protestor-lined hallway.

Chakma was the only administrator to speak to the silent

demonstrators, commenting that he appreciated what they were doing while objecting to the points made on their signs.

The plan, titled “Going Global: Achieving Excellence on the World Stage,” emphasizes four major themes: Education of students, producing world-class research, community and alumni engagement, and diversifying revenue sources.

“We’re trying to let the board of directors know that undergraduate students, teaching assistants, grad students know about the Western strategic plan,” said Madeline Marmor, a fourth-year FIMS student and spokesperson for the protestors. “We’ve gone through it [...] we are unhappy with the vagueness and how there are a lot of questions raised with it.”

A concern amongst protestors and speakers at the meeting was that the plan would encourage

I feel that the message that students brought forward absolutely got across.

— Kevin Godbout

SOGS president and protester

selectivity in faculty funding under a banner of specialization. The plan states a goal to “invest selectively in interdisciplinary areas of strength.”

“A lot of the faculties — such as Arts and Humanities, Music — they don’t necessarily have research chairs, and to entice a research chair that takes money and we don’t have the money right now,” Marmor continued. “With the Western Strategic plan saying that that money is going to be going to

faculties that already have research chairs, because they’re doing so well in research — what does that say about the faculties that don’t?”

Despite the presence of the protesters, still holding up signs in silent defiance inside the meeting chamber, the plan passed.

“The students who attended Senate last Friday had every right to be there; they should be applauded for demonstrating the courage of their convictions and for expressing their views in such a respectful manner,” said Malcolm Ruddock, executive assistant to the provost and president, speaking for provost Janice Deakin and Chakma in an e-mail to The Gazette. “President Chakma and provost Deakin were pleased to see a strong majority of Senators vote to support the plan and they are satisfied it outlines a bold direction for Western’s future that is well informed by the campus

community.”

Kevin Godbout, Society of Graduate Students president, thought the protesters made their point.

“I feel that the message that students brought forward absolutely got across,” he said. “Now, did it necessarily have a measurable impact in terms of the vote?

Maybe not, but we had a group of students that quietly and respectfully gathered with their signs, with the message that they wanted to convey that the strategic plan didn’t reflect their values and what they ultimately did was make that very clear.”

Much to the frustration of Jordan Pearson, another protest spokesperson, was that Pat Whelan, University Students’ Council president, spoke in favour of the plan.

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thegazette • Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Students protest strat plan >> PROTEST continued from pg.1

“I think this is the final thing that says this administration does not care about students, what they care about is money, and what they care about is revenue for the university,” Pearson said. “This needs to be a call for students to take things into their own hands, because clearly the Senate and the University Students’ Council, who said nothing about this, do not have our best interests in mind.”

Whelan, however, said he spoke in favour of the plan at the meeting because USC recommendations had been heeded and that it was ultimately good for students.

“Our recommendations were well-represented,” he said. “On the whole I think the plan is good for students — I think that we’re going to want to be involved in how the plan becomes operationalized and how the plan becomes interpreted moving forward, but it gives us a great basis moving forward as a

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university community.”

Whelan added that he didn’t agree with the protestors’ largest concern surrounding the selectivity of funding.

“I hear their concerns. I have a slightly different interpretation about their piece on the selectivity of research investment,” he said.

“I don’t think selectivity means Science versus FIMS, I think selective means good projects existing in different faculties.”

News Briefs

More assistance from working students: CASA The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations is asking the federal government to tear down a stipulation in the Canada student loans program that annually takes away $2,900 from working students.

The Canada student loans program currently reduces the financial assistance doled out if a student makes over $100 each week. After looking at the budgets from 2011, the Canadian University Survey Consortium found that over 60 per cent of students surveyed were putting in an average of 18 hours each week at a job.

CASA is recommending that finance minister Jim Flaherty completely dash away the limit in the upcoming budget. The stipulation has been in place since 2004.

According to Jonathan Champagne, national director of CASA, that money students miss out on is further stretching dollars that students need to balance debts, housing, utilities or even children.

“We’re looking for the federal government to start taking charge going forward,” he said.

—Jeremiah Rodriguez

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer

Ontarians like university: study

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A survey has found Ontarians value universities’ contributions and an overwhelming majority hopes their children apply to university.

The survey, conducted by the Gandalf Group for the Council of Ontario Universities, found 88 per cent of adult Ontarians ranked universities’ overall contributions to the province as important — right behind hospitals and elementary and high schools.

Additionally, 83 per cent of those who did attend universities feel their education played a role in their career success.

“Ontario universities are pleased at the recognition among graduates and Ontarians in general that they play an invaluable role in society,” said Bonnie Patterson, COU president and CEO, in a press release.

Furthermore, 79 per cent of Ontarians believed universities make a very important contribution through research to understanding science and health care.

—Iain Boekhoff

business.humber.ca/postgrad

Solution to puzzle on page 8 4 2 5 7 1 6 8 9 3

6 1 3 8 4 9 2 5 7

7 8 9 3 5 2 6 1 4

3 9 1 4 2 7 5 6 8

5 4 6 9 3 8 7 2 1

2 7 8 1 6 5 4 3 9

8 3 2 6 7 1 9 4 5

1 5 7 2 9 4 3 8 6

9 6 4 5 8 3 1 7 2

The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.

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•3

thegazette • Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Referendum on USC ballot Vision care may be added to health plan

Bill Wang GAZETTE

CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? Students will get the opportunity to choose to add vision care to the campus health plan via a referendum question on this year’s USC elections ballot. The proposal would increase the cost of the student health plan by $30.

Megan Devlin NEWS EDITOR Western students will be choosing more than just their president on this year’s ballot — they will be choosing whether to add vision coverage to the campus health plan.

The University Students’ Council passed a motion last Wednesday night to hold a referendum to add optical care to the health plan.

This means a question will appear on this year’s USC elections ballot asking students if they want to pay an additional $30 into their health plan in order to have vision coverage.

The last time a referendum like this appeared was in 2012 when students chose to add dental services to the health plan.

“I’ve seen firsthand in my experience at Mustang Central people commenting or asking questions about vision on the healthcare plan. I know it’s something that a lot of people need and a lot of people want. I think it’s something that students would be interested in,” Steven Wright, who moved the motion, said.

Jen Carter, president of the King’s University College Students’ Council, seconded the motion.

Carter, who herself wears glasses, thought it was important to ask students about whether they need vision care.

The Ontario Health Insurance Plan ceases to cover eye exams after age 20, and this made Carter feel the coverage was even more important. “We’re students,” she said. “It’s important to go to class and see what’s on the screen.”

In addition, she thought the referendum question could work double duty by getting more students out to the polls.

I’ve seen firsthand in my experience at Mustang Central people commenting or asking questions about vision on the healthcare plan.

I know it’s something that a lot of people need and a lot of people want. I think it’s something that students would be interested in.

— Steven Wright

FIMS vice-president external

Wright said the new vision care centre in the basement of the UCC made vision coverage even more pertinent, since it would be so accessible.

However, Wright only moved the motion under the condition that the USC would improve the information campaign for opting out of the

health plan.

“I feel that the USC needs to do a better job letting students know when and how they can opt out of the health or dental plan,” Wright said.

Students can opt out of the health plan and the dental plan each year and receive a refund for those services by going to studentbenefits.ca. The deadline for opting out is usually September 30.

Students can opt out independently, but if vision coverage were added, it would be bundled together with the health plan. This means that students cannot choose to opt out of vision care alone — they would have to opt out of the entire health plan.

James Hirsh, law councillor with the USC, thought adding vision care to the health plan was unnecessary. Although he was not opposed to a referendum asking students what they wanted, he didn’t think vision care was something students needed.

However, both Hirsh and Wright were disappointed that the motion wasn’t included in the meeting agenda, so councillors didn’t have time to read through the motion to get an understanding before the meeting.

According to Hirsh, the motion was presented sometime after 10:30 p.m., when several councillors had already left.

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thegazette • Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Arts&Life

tuesdaytweet The mayor of Sochi says no gays live in his city, so there goes any hope of the Olympics having decent catering.

— @TheTweetOfGod

Label-mates bring diverse music to London Conrad Floryan GAZETTE STAFF This Thursday, the London Music Club will feature a double performance from Nevada Records labelmates Emilie Mover and Megan Bonnell. The two artists have both released albums last year to strong critical acclaim, and The Gazette spoke to each artist about their work.

Emilie Mover Time has always been a fascination for Emilie Mover. Her latest album, Mighty Time, explores how the ticking clock forces you to surrender control.

“How can it be, all these changes, everything around us, everything that goes in our bodies, it’s just affected by this thing we have no control over: Time,” she muses. “[My album] was about me figuring out how to feel comfortable in the uncertainty that I exist in a world where you have no control essentially.”

Mover has a diverse taste in music, counting Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk and Townes Van Zandt as influences. Mighty Time is suitably eclectic, drawing on poppy rhythms while still offering a mellow ambiance reminiscent of her past jazzy work. In 2013, Mover won the Juno Award for Children’s Album of the Year for The Stella and Sam Album, ft. Emilie Mover.

“I think the Juno mainly had the effect of making me want to continue in children’s music. Also it made me think a lot about just what good kid music is and made me more confident in my ability to

Courtesy of Emilie Mover

write good kid music,” she says. “I do think there is plenty of opportunity for there to be kid art.”

For the January 30 show, fans can expect a minimalist, intimate gig.

“I think I’m going to be doing solo stuff so that’s […] more for sad love songs to put it bluntly,” Mover says.

“I like to use the space and crowd that will allow me the silence that is a crucial part of a song.”

Mover feels that her music can communicate effectively accompanied with a visual medium. Her music has been used for television commercials and shows like Grey’s Anatomy but she’s most pleased with her work being featured on HBO’s Girls.

Mover is looking forward to playing with Megan Bonnell, with whom she hung out in Los Angeles this summer.

Megan Bonnell “My music draws on a lot of different types of music. At times it can be a bit theatrical and classical and at times folky and stripped down,” Bonnell explains.

The 27-year-old singer-songwriter dropped her debut album Hunt and Chase on Nevado Records this past October. The album is an ethereal marriage of haunting vocals and surreal orchestration framing painterly lyrics that examine love and loss.

“There’s a lot of different emotions that come with Hunt and Chase and it’s honest. I think we were more into production and didn’t shy away from crazy ideas,” Bonnell says.

She grew up in rural Caledon, Ontario just outside Toronto.

Her small-town roots colour her

Courtesy of Megan Bonnell

songwriting, which explores nature imagery. Further drawing on her surroundings, Bonnell finds inspiration from local artists. “[It’s] very inspiring, between players everyone sort of comes together and helps each other out.

It’s sort of a family feeling and it’s nice to have that sense of community,” she says.

A recent European tour has provided further artistic stimulation.

“I feel like all the crowds there, you could here a pin drop,” Bonnell gushes. “They were so quiet and curious and excited about new things.”

Bonnell learned how to play piano as a child by listening to her sister play the old family piano.

Eventually she started singing and studied classical vocal in high school. She promises a “stripped

down” set at the London Music Club which will focus on the play between piano and vocal elements.

Living in downtown Toronto for the past 10 years and writing music, Bonell has come into her own as an artist and is enjoying the keen response to Hunt and Chase.

“I would say I’ve become more confident in what I’m doing and really found my voice because I’m more sure who I am and that comes through,” she says. “I saw that people were connecting with [Hunt and Chase] and the message was getting across; it’s the best feeling. It’s super inspiring so I’m going to keep going with it.”

Emilie Mover and Megan Bonnell will be playing the London Music Club along with Ivory Hours on Thursday, January 30. Tickets cost $8, and the doors open at 8:30 p.m.

Courtesy of NBC

NBC’s Community said goodbye to series regular, Troy Barnes (Donald Glover) Thursday night in the only way Greendale Community College can — with a school-wide game of “The Floor is Made of Lava” by Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi).

In terms of send-offs, Community struggled to find its old form. The school-wide game stories such as paintball and pillow fights are classic episodes, but with Britta (Gillian Jacobs) running around trying to make Abed and Troy accept the fact that one is leaving, the episode struggled to maintain its effective comedic tone.

As a character, Abed has ceased to be the stable genius who could predict events through his knowledge of TV and movies to a Sheldonlike character who cannot relate to

people outside of his referential humour. The episode’s conclusion involving a pretend cloning ritual crossed the line from funny into outright weird making the final farewell between Troy and Abed unsatisfying.

If the show is able to maintain its mantra of six seasons and a movie, it is highly unlikely that this is the end of Troy. Going forward, the show has the potential to develop Abed in a post-Troy Greendale.

With show-runner Dan Harmon having returned to the helm and five fantastic episodes opening Community’s fifth season, Community, “Geothermal Escapism” is a decent send-off episode and a brief hiccup in what has been a nearly flawless season.

— Brent Holmes

•5

thegazette • Tuesday, January 28, 2014

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Conrad Floryan GAZETTE STAFF GGHFF You Can’t Take It With You Directed by: Paul Eck Starring: Jo-Ann Rutherford, Kevin Curnutte, Allan McPhail, Bill Meaden Produced by: Mary Jane Walzak The actors enjoy themselves in The London Community Players presentation of You Can’t Take It With You at the Palace Theatre. The production evokes the whimsy of playing dress up as a child but unfortunately, watching others play dress up is only moderately amusing.

The year is 1936 and the eccentric Vanderhof clan is, for the most part, happily surviving the Great Depression. Alice (Jo-Ann Rutherford) worries that her unusual family will hinder her courtship with the strappingly conventional Tony (Kevin Curnutte). Rutherford effectively conveys the common quandary of being embarrassed by one’s family, when in reality all families have different issues. Curnutte is suitably awkward and stilted as the framed portrait of blandly orthodox

success.

Proceedings take place entirely in the Vanderhof residence, which has been meticulously crafted to handsome period detail by David Long. The charming costumes follow suit and effectively convey each character’s personality. For instance, Mr. De Pinna (Allan McPhail) sports oversized dungarees that flesh out this old kook.

The quirky household is exploited for comic effect to mixed results. Throughout three acts, the initially intriguing abundance of eccentricities grows increasingly grating. Nonetheless, the mostly grey-haired audience enjoyed the jokes. The play originally opened in 1936, and its quaint screwball patter may be more suited for an older crowd.

At its core, the play is a social critique about the flawed convention to pursue material prosperity at the cost of happiness but in the end, happiness could be found by relishing simple daily pleasures.

Tony Kirby and his parents (Steve Favro and Linda Worsley) successfully depict the stress of struggling to live according to constricting social pressures.

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Martin Vanderhof (Bill Meaden) is the standout. He’s graced with the funniest lines, and his refined comic timing generates the loudest laughs. Furthermore, he serves as the emotional anchor through his nuanced portrayal of a man at peace with himself by doing what feels good and tuning out convention. Fans of theatre will appreciate the play just for his performance, and might even enjoy themselves as much as he does.

Charming simplicity abides in a production with only one set, no orchestra, and little musical accompaniment. Although the production is centered on dialogue and chemistry between players, additional musical accompaniment could have enlivened the story. Nonetheless, the stage radiates kinetic energy; there are usually several characters crowding the Vanderhof residence and all of them have something to do. It’s delightfully reminiscent of a cluster of children playing dress up in their bedroom with their parents’ clothes — it feels like the actors love performing.

You Can’t Take It With You will run from January 31 — Febraury 1 at the Palace Theatre.

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thegazette • Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Opinions

Peaceful, lawful protest — if it is effective — is innately disruptive of ‘business as usual.’ That is why it is effective.

— Naomi Wolf

Vision coverage Strategic plan snubs short sighted arts, FIMS and more Last Wednesday night, the University Students’ Council took a second look at what our current health care plan covers, deciding that their eyes could use some work.

A referendum was called, suggesting vision coverage be added to the campus health plan. If students vote yes to the change, an additional $30 will be tacked onto the health plan fee, and while students can opt out of the health plan, they wouldn’t be able to opt out of vision care alone — it’s all or nothing. Our eyes may become healthier, but we can’t help but narrow them — wondering if the additional coverage is really necessary.

After all, while everyone needs doctors and dentists, not everyone wears glasses and many students will never even need to consult an optometrist. Also, there seems to be little statistical data available as to how many students need the coverage, what the plan would include, and so on. It seems that after students voted in favour of dental coverage in 2012, eye coverage was a natural progression — but is it worth adding $30 more to an already steep fee?

There are undoubtedly those students who do wear glasses and contacts, and who would welcome the extra support the coverage can offer. On an ideological level, it would be nice to support our fellow students and help them see, an ability crucial for academic success.

Regardless of who will or won’t benefit from the coverage, a main problem lies with the barriers in place for opting out. A student could only opt out of the eye coverage if they opted out of their whole health plan. Even if a student did want to opt out completely, recent changes to the methods of both opting out and refunding have made the process difficult.

Instead of simply selecting an online option — as was the format in previous years — students now need to go through tedious stages of submitting documentation, contacting insurance companies and waiting in long lines. Even after enduring these bureaucratic steps, the funds aren’t even returned anymore, but instead subtracted from future tuition payments.

If the USC really wants students to get into the idea of extended health coverage, they need to make it easier to get out of the coverage. Until that happens, it will be an unfair system that depends on the revenue from those too busy or apathetic to figure out how to get their refund. After all, seeing is believing.

—The Gazette Editorial Board

Smoth soundin’ off Cam Smith DEPUTY EDITOR On Friday, a new strategic plan for Western was passed at a meeting of the university senate. The plan was passed without much contention, with only four votes opposing it against a multitude of support. In fact, both Western’s president Amit Chakma and our very own University Students’ Council president Pat Whelan spoke fervently in favour of it. However, at the back of the room stood upwards of 60 silent protesters, their presence a visual symbol of discontent with the strategic plan — a plan that, once again, shows the university’s commitment to making money at the expense of students.

In essence, the strategic plan intends to selectively invest millions of dollars in research-driven faculties that have research chairs, which the plan refers to as “clusters of research excellence.” The plan is a wet dream for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, faculties who stand to receive an immense boost in their funding. In turn, the university stands to profit off the marketable research produced by these STEM faculties. On the surface, it would seem that everyone wins — everyone, that is, who isn’t in Arts and Humanities, Social Science, Information and Media Studies, Music or any other faculty not deemed a “cluster of research excellence.”

They just get a proverbial “fuck you” from the administration.

Former FIMS Students’ Council president Jordan Coop published a call to action in the FIMS publication OPENWIDE cautioning “Western’s proposals evoke visions of a dystopian future

in which the university is devoid of all faculties whose primary function is critical inquiry.” While undoubtedly a tad alarmist, Coop isn’t far off the mark. By dedicating additional millions of dollars to already-wealthy faculties and leaving the cash-strapped ones floundering, Western has made a commitment to ignore the interests of its own students in favour of maximizing profit. The university comes off no better than a sleazy, cash-greedy corporation.

It’s apparent that students aren’t humans to the administration. They are fat little cash cows who pump out tuition money and push the Western brand. If they learn something while attending, that’s merely a small bonus. What Western doesn’t seem to understand is that there are thousands of students interested in the arts and non-STEM related research, and they’re only neglecting some of their cash cows in favour of others. It’s immensely short-sighted.

One of the most unfortunate occurrences that arose from the senate meeting was USC president Pat Whelan’s obvious and purposeful ignorance of the protesters present. As he spoke in favour of a strategic plan which alienated half of his constituents, he had to willfully ignore over 60 placard-bearing protesters whose vote he had once tried to cultivate. The Western administration is expected to ignore student concerns, but their elected representatives are not.

So what’s to be done? The Western Solidarity Network has set a good example of making their dissatisfaction known, but more action needs to be taken. The strategic plan doesn’t just negatively affect FIMS, it purposely neglects all nonSTEM faculties. Any student who values artistic pursuits, social studies or any sort of education that can’t be turned into a quick profit for Western needs to rise up and show their discontent. The work of over 60 brave protesters needs to be carried forward by the thousands of students for whom they spoke.

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Letter to the Editor

BPC decision not final call RE: “Big Problems Continue for BPC Rebrand,” Wednesday, January 15, 2014.

To the Editor: The University Students’ Council’s Student Outreach and Communications Standing Committee (SOC) would like to respond to Ramon Sanchez’s Letter to the Editor concerning Big Purple Couch (BPC).

Representatives from BPC were not consulted or asked to attend the meeting on January 9 because SOC was simply

thegazette

Volume 107, Issue 61 www.westerngazette.ca

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

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

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

Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff.

To submit a letter, go to westerngazette.ca and click on “Contact.”

All articles, letters, photographs, graphics, illustrations and cartoons published in The Gazette, both in the newspaper and online versions, are the property of The Gazette. By submitting any such material to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette‘s hard copy and online archives.

initiating a preliminary discussion about the future of BPC and identifying potential improvements. Representatives from BPC are welcome to attend as these meetings are open and public.

This year, we have invited members of the Western community to our meetings while encouraging them to join the discussion and participate in the decisionmaking process. We have not and would not seek to make any changes or decisions pertaining to BPC without first consulting the appropriate stakeholders. Since our previous meeting, we have reached out to the USC’s Communications portfolio and BPC reporters for further discussion.

SOC’s elected representatives were not involved in the decision to cancel the

Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Robert Armstrong

Diana Watson

Gazette Staff 2013-2014

Christine Bonk, Tabitha Chan, Jonathan Dunn, Spencer Fairweather, Conrad Floryan, Sam Frankel, Janice Fung, Stephanie Grella, Dorothy Kessler, Kevin Heslop, Jenny Jay, Nathan Kanter, Taylor Lasota, Katie Lear, Emory Liu, Cheryl Madliger, Sara Mai Chitty, Soheil Milani, Vidhant Pal, Lily Robinson, Alex Seger, Tiffany Shepherd, Hamza Tariq, Josh Teixera, Anne Wozney, Tristan Wu

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

BPC rebrand project. We appreciate your desire to increase viewership and make BPC more relevant to Western students.

We haven’t forgotten about the need to involve and inform the student volunteers who work hard to maintain BPC. You will not be left in the dark.

BPC certainly does have some strong supporters. That being said, SOC has determined that there is room for improvement in terms of having a strong, identifiable presence on campus. The elected representatives of SOC are willing and committed to supporting and working with the BPC team.

— Emerson Tithecott USC SOC Chair Political Science IV

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

• Please recycle this newspaper •

•7

thegazette • Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Sports

factattack Sunday’s Pro Bowl introduced the latest rule changes in what could very well be a last ditch attempt to reinvigorate a fizzling game. New uniforms, a fantasy draft, a change in possession after every quarter, and four two-minute warnings were among the rule changes introduced on Sunday.

Rundown >> The Western Open for wrestling will be held in London, Ontario this Saturday > This is the Mustangs’ last event before the Ontario University Athletics Championships > Western’s women’s volleyball team will be playing a home game against York this Saturday.

Mustangs keep the good times rolling Western demolishes U of T to take top spot in OUA Nathan Kanter GAZETTE STAFF The Mustangs men’s hockey team rolled over the U of T Varsity Blues at Thompson Arena on Friday night by a score of 7–1. The victory marks Western’s eighth in the past nine games, and solidifies their top standing in the Ontario University Athletics West with a 16–6–0 record.

Blowouts are uncommon in the OUA, but with the way Western has been playing as of late, they aren’t all that surprising. The ‘Stangs were coming off a convincing 4–0 road shutout of the Guelph Gryphons the night before, while Toronto had given up eight goals in its previous outing, an 8–4 loss to Waterloo on January 17.

“Everyone will look at our offence and say that we’re producing really well but it feels like we’ve come together defensively,” said second-year forward Matt Clarke, who registered an impeccable five assists in the win. “The D seem to be moving the puck well, we’re not playing in our zone a lot and that kind of contributes to the other end,” he added.

“Producing well” may be an understatement at both the offensive end and the defensive end as the Mustangs have scored 24 goals during their current five-game win streak and have allowed just six against.

One reason they’re scoring so many goals is their power play, which has gone nine-for-21, or 42.9 per cent, in the past five games, and scored on four of seven on Friday night against the Varsity Blues. Kyle De Coste had a pair of power play goals, as did captain Steve Reese.

“We’ve been playing that PP unit together for two years now,” Clarke

explained. “It seems we’re a welloiled machine and were working in the right direction so if we can keep this going it’ll be good.”

On the season, Western’s power play currently sits second in the OUA with a 26.3 per cent efficiency.

De Coste opened up the scoring with a one-timer rocket from his sweet spot just inside the top of the circle. After Varsity Blues’ forward Paul Van De Velde tied the game with a well-placed wrister to the top corner, Mustangs’ forward Daniel Erlich showed his unbelievable patience and out-waited Toronto goaltender Brett Willows to put the Mustangs ahead once again. A five-on-three allowed the Mustangs to put their power play to work, and they never looked back from there.

De Coste scored an almost identical goal to his first just 26 seconds into the two-man advantage, and Reese extended the lead to 4–1 just 22 seconds after that. Rounding out the scoring was Stephen Gaskin with a shorthanded marker, followed by Reese with his second power play strike, and finally Zach Harnden scoring with just two minutes left in the game.

As Matt Clarke notes, defensively the team has been gelling well. But one thing that can make a defence look really good is strong goaltending. Josh Unice has done just that as he has won seven consecutive starts, dating back to December 16. He hasn’t given up more than two goals in a game over that span, and boasts an incredible .956 save percentage and 1.43 goals-against-average. “[Josh] has gone from playing good to playing great,” Mustangs’ head coach Clarke Singer said.

“He’s been the best goaltender most nights and we’ve won eight of nine.

Courtesy of Grace Chung

PUCK POISE. Mustangs’ captain Steve Reese uses the boards to squeak by Paul Van De Velde of the Varsity Blues en route to a scoring chance. Reese scored two goals in Western’s 7–1 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues. The Mustangs have now won eight of their last nine games.

He’s got to keep playing well for us to be successful.”

The focus now shifts on closing out the regular season in the right mindset. For Singer, there’s always room for improvement.

“We’ve got to have a real good week of practice and just keep focusing on the little things it takes to get better,” he said. “First place would be nice, but not the end-all-be-all.”

“We’d love to have it but the league is so close I think every playoff matchup is going to be critical,” Singer continued. Having home ice is nice for sure — we love playing at Thompson Arena — but we’re just focused on getting better.”

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Volunteer in room. 263 in the UCC

8•

thegazette • Tuesday, January 28, 2014

New Pro Bowl equally as insignificant Rule change gives new game with same problems Wild Danimal

Daniel Weryha SPORTS EDITOR The NFL made a desperate attempt to reignite the long lost thrill of the Pro Bowl by introducing a new system, but the dullness of the worst all-star

game in pro sports shone once again on Sunday night in Honolulu.

Instead of the traditional AFC against NFC showdown that showcased the divisions’ best talents — usually ending in an utter blowout — the Team Rice, Team Sanders fantasy draft was just a thrilling end to a pointless game.

The result was ugly jerseys and terrible football.

For those voted in, the Pro Bowl is the final game of an incredibly tiresome season. Players that miss out

on the NFL playoffs have three weeks to rest and are then summoned to play in a game that means absolutely nothing after the initial nomination.

Fans get to see a lackluster performance from players just trying not to get hurt, and players get to play a game that nobody watches and risk getting injured in a game that no one cares about.

Even the Grapefruit League is more relevant.

Solution? I think the NFL should cancel the Pro-Bowl and replace it

with just about anything else — or nothing at all.

Up until 2007, the Pro Bowl had its annual skills challenge. The poorly advertised event was held every year before the Pro Bowl and included a 40-yard dash, bench press, kicking distance, throwing accuracy, and catching competitions.

The most anticipated part of all the professional all-star games is the skills competition that precedes them. Fans love watching the best athletes of the year test their skills

and compete against each other in something that is comparable.

Most combine stats date back to the players’ rookie combine performances. Wouldn’t it be nice to find out who runs the best 40 out of the nominated athletes?

The NFL needs to cancel the pointless game that is the Pro Bowl and replace it with a skills competition, a fun event that reduces the possibility of injury due to contact but still allows players to compete against each other.

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9 only

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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