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w w w .w e sterngazette.c a • @uw ogazette

Hitting the pavement Campus Police are investigating a Foot Patrol imposter luring young women on Western’s campus. >> pg. 3

thegazette Counting down to summer since 1906

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

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canada’s only Daily Student Newspaper • founded 1906

Volume 106, Issue 78

Survey: Students not sophiciently satisfied Kaitlyn McGrath Associate Editor The University Students’ Council recently revealed survey results that asked first-year students to evaluate Orientation Week. While many of the results were positive, there were several concerns students raised regarding the approachability of sophs, as well as some of the programming. According to the questionnaire, when asked to respond to the statement “I felt comfortable approaching sophs if I had an issue during Orientation Week,” only 51.13 per cent of the 1,060 respondents strongly agreed, while 31.98 per cent somewhat agreed. Erin Uberig, vice-president student events, stated she’d like to see that number much higher. Additionally, only 55 per cent of students said ‘yes’ when asked, “Did you feel that you could approach a soph from a different faculty for assistance and receive the same

level of assistance compared to a soph from your own faculty?” Again, the USC was not entirely pleased with this number. “In my perspective, it’s not a statistic I would like to brag about. I’d like it above 80, if not 100 per cent,” Uberig said. In response to this, next year the USC aims to instill a more inclusive attitude by promoting the idea of a “Western soph,” rather than one strictly confined to a specific team, Kelly Hobson, orientation coordinator for the 2013 orientation program, said. “All of our volunteers have a responsibility to help all first-year students in any way they can, and part of that is being as approachable as possible.” Uberig noted the USC does not believe sophs behave negatively, but rather they may not see their actions from a frosh’s point of view. For example, the pitting of faculty Ritchie Sham GAZETTE

>> see Change pg.3

FROSH-HERDING. A soph watches over her frosh in Talbot Bowl at Western’s 2012 Orientation Week.

Government allocates $231M for bad student loans Aaron Zaltzman News Editor

Cameron Wilson Gazette

It’s a shame the government doesn’t employ loan sharks, as last week the Treasury Board tabled an estimate in which the government will need to budget an additional $231 million this year to write off defaulted students loans. The additional money is meant to cover over 44,000 student loans that have been declared bad debts. This could end up leaving taxpayers to pay for the loans if they are declared delinquent, which in Canada occurs after 270 days of the government not asking for repayment. However, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the governmental department responsible for student loans, emphasized default rates in Canada were relatively low and trending downwards.

“The default rate represents the proportion of loan amount that goes into default within three years after entering repayment,” the HRSDC

The default rate represents the proportion of loan amount that goes into default within three years after entering repayment. —Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

media department explained in an email. “The default rate on Canada Student Loans has decreased from 28 per cent in 2003–04 to 13.8 per

cent for 2009–10.” The Canada Student Loans Program does, however, have systems in place to reduce default rates. The HRSDC emphasized the 2009 introduction of the Repayment Assistance Plan for low-income borrowers. “[The plan] makes it easier for borrowers who experience difficulty repaying their student loans by allowing them to pay back what they can reasonably afford based on their family income and family size,” the HRSDC media department explained. “Affordable monthly payments are limited to less than 20 per cent of a borrower’s income.” Under the RAP, the government of Canada also covers the interest on the loan, as well as the principle of the loan that the borrower cannot pay. The total amount now allocated to writing off bad loans has increased to $540 million.

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thegazette • Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Caught on Camera

Crossword By Eugene Sheffer

Andrei Calinescu GAZETTE

A WORLD APART. Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights marked Israeli Apartheid Week by erecting an exhibit titled ‘Shuhada Street Meets Western’ in the University Community Centre atrium yesterday.

News Brief Solution to puzzle on page 7

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International students at all-time high Citizen and Immigration Canada recently announced a record number of international students came to study in Canada last year. Over 100,000 international students attended Canadian colleges and universities in 2012—a 60 per cent increase from 2004. The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade reports international students contribute over $8 billion to the Canadian economy annually. According to DEFAIT, international students also enrich the culture of the university by bringing different ideas and perspectives. In recent years, more international students have been choosing to study at Western. Over the past three years, international students in the incoming first-year class have increased by about six per cent. In September, Western will launch an English language centre through the faculty of education, which will allow international students to come and learn English before the start of classes. “They allow us to develop our diversity on campus, and enable us to interact with them in such a way that we learn about their cultures, and they learn about our cultures. It develops a sense of cross-cultural learning,” Julie McMullin, viceprovost international for Western, explained. Under President Amit Chakma, Western has been focusing on attracting more international students. Currently, there are just over 2,600 international students attending Western. —Danielle Williams

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

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thegazette • Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Police warn of Foot Patrol fake

USC to change soph roles >> continued from pg.1

teams against one another during cheers may contribute to students feeling they cannot approach a soph outside their faculty. “You can be a team without standing in Talbot Bowl looking militant. I don’t think it’s very inclusive, and I don’t think they think about it from a first-year perspective,” she said. With more first-year feedback and involvement in planning next year’s O-Week, I think they’ll be more accepting of the criticisms, ideally.”Additionally, some students felt pressure to donate money toward charitable initiatives run during O-Week. To aid this, next year the USC will promote awareness rather

than ask students to shell out funds. “Students, as a demographic, are not the most financially able to give funds, so that’s why we wanted to move toward awareness rather than fund raising,” Jeremy Santucci, vicepresident communications for the USC, said. The last time the USC dispensed a similar survey was 2002–03, and Hobson added the USC will take the new feedback in stride and look to improve O-Week for years to come. “Having this be the most tangible feedback at this point in time from first-year students, we’re going to take away as much as we can from this survey to make positive change to the program for next year,” she said.

L S AC Courtesy of Brian Carey

TWO’S COMPANY. Western Foot Patrol members can be easily identified by their black jackets with reflective purple trim and logo on the front and back. Additionally, members of Foot Patrol will always travel in co-ed teams.

Jesica Hurst News Editor Western’s Campus Community Police Service is continuing their investigation into an incident that happened on campus at approximately 10 p.m. this past Thursday. According to Elgin Austen, director of Western’s Campus Community Police Service, a male in an unmarked vehicle reportedly approached a female student on University Drive, claiming he was a member of Western’s Foot Patrol Service. “The car came westbound on University Drive, pulled up with the side door of the car opened and invited the student to get into the car, saying that he was with Foot Patrol,” Austen explained. “The student, she didn’t believe that it was Foot Patrol and had some questions

to ask and certainly wasn’t going to get into the vehicle. When he left, she said that he looked angry.” Austen also said another female student had reported a similar incident around Delaware Hall at a later time. “Consequently, London Police were notified, and we put a posting about the incident online so there could be more information provided for others who read it. In fact, the second female read the posting and said she had a similar, experience, and gave a similar general description,” he said. The suspect involved in the incident on Thursday has been described as a 20- to 30-year-old male with a dark-coloured beard, wearing a dark coat and hat. He was driving an older, poorly maintained four-door car, which was yellowchampagne in colour.

Tuition framework may include hikes Megan Devlin Gazette Staff While students in Ontario anxiously await a new tuition framework for post-secondary education, recent comments by Brad Duguid, the new minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, suggest student groups may not get what they requested. In advance of the expiring Reaching Higher framework, the government may either extend the current framework, which allows tuition rates to increase by five to eight per cent per year, or choose a new framework. Student groups believe the tuition framework should be changed to either freeze or reduce tuition, and shift financing of post-secondary institutions to rely more on government funding. While it seems there will be a new framework in place this April, students should not expect either a freeze or a reduction in tuition fees, at least according to comments made by Duguid to The Toronto Star. “Unfortunately, Minister Duguid’s comments suggest that while they don’t plan on increasing by five per cent, they do plan on increasing tuition fees by some amount without providing funding to the sector,”

Sarah Jayne King, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students, explained. Her group is calling for a 30 per cent reduction in tuition fees over three years. Alysha Li, president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, said her group’s recommendation to the government is to freeze tuition for at least one year, after which it should not increase by more than inflation each year. “We believe that five per cent increases per year outpace the ability of students to pay. In the past 10 years we’ve seen tuition increases of about 28 per cent, whereas the median family income—the ability of families to pay—has risen by eight per cent,” Li said. However, some believe the status quo is the best strategy. “The major concern of the presidents of the universities of the province is the impact on quality, and the student experience that will occur if the tuition framework is not rolled over in its current form,” Bonnie Patterson, president of the Council of Ontario Universities, said. Patterson said universities must rely on tuition increases to maintain quality, since extra funding won’t be coming from the government, which is already facing a deficit.

Samantha Johnstone, manager of Western Foot Patrol, was able to clarify for students how members of Western Foot Patrol can be identified. “We’re very, very clearly marked—all of our teams wear jackets. They’re black jackets with reflective and purple trim—a big, clear Foot Patrol panel on the back and our Foot Patrol logo on the front as well,” Johnstone said, and added members of the service always walk in co-ed teams, so there is always one female and male member together, and members will never be working alone. If students happen to see this suspect on campus, Austen advised to not engage with this person, but to write down a license plate number and report it to Campus Police immediately at (519) 661-3300. For emergencies, always call 911.

Diversity at Western Law: A Student Perspective Monday, March 11, 2013 Law School Building, Room 36 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Admissions Information Session Student Panel Reception in Student Lounge

Sponsored by the Law School Admission Council

DiscoverLaw.org

This open event will include law school admission information provided by Western Law’s Assistant Dean, Admissions and Recruitment, followed by a panel discussion with current law students from diverse backgrounds. The student speakers will shed light on their cultural, ethnic, socio-economic, and gender-related experiences at law school. FREE pizza and pop reception to follow in the new Student Lounge For additional information, please contact Danielle Istl, Assistant Dean, Admissions and Recuitment at distl@uwo.ca and register at DiscoverLaw.org

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Campus > Crime

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thegazette • Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Arts&Life

tuesdaytweet @ConanOBrien: The line between hipster and homeless gets thinner by the day-scarf.

—Conan O’Brien

X marks the spot for Theatre Western Kevin Hurren Arts & Life Editor Coming off last year’s successful production of Legally Blonde, Theatre Western is trading in their pink heels for a pair of roller skates for this year’s spring musical Xanadu. “I almost felt that I was learning how to walk again,” says fourth-year Western student Alene Degian, one of Xanadu’s leads. Degian dons the wheeled shoes as part of her portrayal of Clio, a Greek muse who descends from Mount Olympus in order to inspire a struggling artist named Sonny, in the pursuit of his greatest endeavour— opening a roller disco. Xanadu, a musical based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name, follows Clio and Sonny’s story of seduction, secrets and, of course, skating. Patrick Callegaro, Xanadu’s choreographer, faced some challenges with the musical’s element of roller skates. “We’re going to clean up a few of the roller skating numbers so our leads can be more comfortable on the skates,” says Callegaro, who promises more than just skating from the show’s choreography. “There’s a lot of disco inspiration in the choreography—we do some 20sand 40s-inspired movements. It’s kind of over the top and dramatic, but in a funny way.” Humour is definitely a key element of Xanadu, at least according to director Steve Morrow. “People can expect to have fun, to laugh, to enjoy themselves,” Morrow says. Xanadu is Morrow’s directorial debut, although he has been involved with Theatre Western before. Last year, he was a cast member of Legally Blonde—though

Morrow is very aware of the differences between this and last year’s show. “The one big thing is that everyone knows what Legally Blonde is, whereas not many people know what Xanadu is,” he explains. “It’s not dramatic, so it’s similar in that aspect, but it’s a whole different type of story.” The story isn’t the only thing that’s different for Xanadu, and Morrow identifies the cast as one of the other main differences with this year’s production.

I think Legally Blonde showed everyone Theatre Western can do an amazing show, and now more people wanted to audition. It kind of opened up this whole new realm of people. —Alene Degian

Xanadu cast member.

“It’s a small cast,” Morrow explains. “Originally, in the show, there were just nine, but I added two roles because there was such a good turnout for people who wanted to be in it.” A stark contrast from Legally Blonde’s cast of 23, Xanadu saw a larger group of people auditioning for a smaller selection of roles. Degian saw this as a result of last year’s success. “I think Legally Blonde showed everyone Theatre Western can do

an amazing show, and now more people wanted to audition,” Degian says. “It kind of opened up this whole new realm of people.” Callegaro, who was involved in the cast selection process, agrees with Degian’s sentiments. “We had a new pool of people with theatre backgrounds and professional training who hadn’t auditioned for Legally Blonde because they didn’t know the scope of the show.” Though the casting opportunities were smaller, Degian notes the compressed size allowed the cast to rehearse together and foster a sense of community. “It’s nice to be with your whole cast the entire time because you grow that camaraderie. You know that on stage you’ll have each other’s back no matter what happens.” Similarly, Morrow is excited for not only the cast, but also the production and music crews to come together for the show. “We’re doing rehearsals, but it’s very blocky because everyone’s schedule is so different,” Morrow says. “Actually seeing the show come together is the best part for me.” Another important part of the show is the pit band, coordinated by Xanadu’s musical director Peter Karle. “A good chunk of them have already been in musicals, or pit bands, for other projects,” says Karle of students he’s working with, all of whom are part of the faculty of music. “Just bringing this collective talent from all parts of the faculty, whether it is orchestra or string quartet, to this one rock show has been great.” Degian promises this collaborative effort will exceed expectations

Courtesy of Stephen Gris

ROCK & ROLLERSKATES. Xanadu stars Alene Degian and Adam Bornstein rehearse their on-stage chemistry while sliding across the stage.

for the show. “I think people don’t really know what to expect because they don’t know the show. They might think about not coming to it, but I highly suggest coming. It’s a hilarious show.” Callegaro agrees. “I think people won’t expect how

great the show is actually going to turn out.” Xanadu is playing in the Mustang Lounge from March 6 to 9. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased from Western Connections, any cast member or at the door.

Westerner hoping to take on the world

Kevin Hurren Arts & Life Editor First-year Western student Chelsey Mori got her first taste of the pageant life competing in Miss Preteen Canada when she was 12, earning the title of first runner-up. Now, about six years later, Mori prepares to take on some of Canada’s most charismatic and well-rounded young women in the Miss World Canada competition. “The Miss World pageant is actually the oldest pageant there is, and it has more views than the Olympics even,” says Mori, who, after over a thousand applications, is one of 40 finalists in the competition. The winner of the pageant will go on to represent Canada in the Miss World race being held in Indonesia later this year. Though

the competition is a large undertaking for Mori, she entered the race on little more than a whim. “I actually just had a lull in my schedule and I thought ‘What would be really cool to do right now?’ and I thought, ‘Why not Miss World Canada’?” This free time isn’t that common a thing for Mori, who fills her schedule as a first-year representative on the Social Science Students’ Council and as a model manager for the upcoming Spur Fashion Show. “I like keeping busy and not having much free time, so I make sure to balance the Purple Spur fashion show and students’ council with pageant stuff and homework.” When Mori mentions ‘fashion stuff,’ she does so lightly. As part of the Miss World Canada competition, the 18-year-old must raise over $2,500 as a pageant entrance fee. “The pressure is definitely gaining sponsorships,” Mori explains. “A lot of people are helping me out by giving me things like a free dress, a custom-made Victoria Secret bathing suit, hair extensions and photography sessions. I’m still looking

for a couple of London businesses to help me plan various events so I can work on my fundraising score.” The score Mori’s referring to is part of Miss World Canada’s motto of “Beauty with a Purpose,” an aspect of the competition that encourages contestants to go beyond looks and become involved with a number of children’s charities. In addition to the fundraising aspect, there are portions of the competition dedicated to eveningwear, talents, sports and bikini-wear. “The one I feel most comfortable in is going to be the evening gown section, because it’s not going to be the swimsuit competition.” While Mori is excited about her chances in the Miss World Canada pageant, she also works toward ascertaining the most pre-competition votes. “A way to move to the top 10 is called the People’s Choice Award. If you vote on either Facebook or the Miss World Canada website and win then you move right up.” While her peers are busy preparing for midterms, Mori will be focusing on raising the right amount of sponsorships and votes until the second round of the competition taking place in early May.

Courtesy of Chelsey Mori

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thegazette • Tuesday, March 5, 2013

A ho-hum fairytale adaptation

Gazette tested

Asian-sesame chicken wraps Ingredients: Skinless boneless chicken thighs (3 to 4 lbs) 1 cup bottled Asian-sesame dressing/marinade sauce ¼ cup water 1 package of broccoli slaw Package of 8-inch flour tortillas, warmed Sliced green onions

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Directions:

file photo

Leah Mahoney Contributor GGGFF Jack the Giant Slayer Director: Bryan Singer Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor Gritty modern adaptations of classic fairytales have become commonplace at the box office. Audiences have been treated to pretty much every adaptation from Snow White and the Huntsman to the recently released Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, and each one seems to follow a similar formula. The adaptations are loaded with plenty of adventure, shallow characters and CGI. Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Slayer follows in this tradition as another generic CGI makeover of a

well-known fairytale. Jack the Giant Slayer tells the familiar story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack (Nicholas Hoult) travels to the market to sell his horse and instead comes back with magic beans. The film does, however, expand on the fairytale. This time, Jack must climb to the top of the beanstalk to save a princess, Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) and foil Roderick’s (Stanley Tucci) evil plan to wipe out the human race with an army of giants. Jack the Giant Slayer boasts an impressive cast with Ewan McGregor as the charming Elmont, and Tucci as the scheming Roderick. This well-rounded cast and their portrayals are the shining moments in this film. Especially McGregor, who proves throughout the film that he could have chemistry with a clump of dirt—an impressive feat considering the film’s impersonal

script. It’s a joy to watch Hoult and McGregor on screen together—the film comes alive with their whimsical back-and-forth interactions. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between. Despite the fantastic cast, the film’s plot is shallow. It moves along easily enough, progressing smoothly through each plot point, but leaves much to be desired. The film sacrifices character for plot, which produces impersonal, archetypal characters. Villains are helpfully easy to hate, while the heroes are easily likeable. The only discernible, albeit weak, character trait the film gives to its main character, Jack, is a love for adventure. The princess has the same love for adventure, but she quickly becomes a plot point passed around throughout the film. The character arcs are generic—their only purpose is to advance the plot. The tone of the film jumps all

over the place, seemingly uncertain of whether it wants to be a dark drama or a light-hearted children’s film. There is plenty of bodily humour used with the giants who fart, snore and eat their own boogers. Awkwardly juxtaposed with the light moments are the dark ones, where giants twist off human heads and eat them. The audience is left with goofy moments that make the dramatic moments seem out of place in the film, and vice versa. Jack the Giant Slayer is largely forgettable. The film does little to distinguish itself from the slew of modern fairytales that have flooded the box office. It follows the familiar formula of its mildly successful predecessors with impersonal characters, lots of adventure and plenty of ugly CGI monsters. If a generic adventure with lots of CGI is your type of film, Jack the Giant Slayer will not disappoint.

1. Lightly coat a slow cooker with cooking spray. Oil and paper towel can also be used. Place chicken in prepared cooker. In a small bowl, stir together dressing and water. Pour over chicken. 2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3 ½ hours. 3. Transfer chicken to cutting board, cool slightly. Using two forks, pull chicken apart into shreds. Return mixture to cooker. Stir broccoli into mixture in cooker. Cover, let stand for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove chicken mixture from the cooker. 4. Warm tortillas stacked on a plate in microwave for about 30 to 45 seconds. To serve, place some of the chicken mixture on each tortilla. Top with green onions. If desired, drizzle some Asian-sesame dressing on them. Roll and serve immediately. —Brent Holmes

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thegazette • Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Opinions Fired up over arms I know I bring up my military experience in every column that I write, but for this one it’s a bit of a necessity. I have a confession to make, and it makes me feel a little wimpy to admit this. I hate guns. I really, really hate guns. You might be saying “So what? So does most everyone outside the Bible belt of the United States. You’re not so special.” Perhaps, but I hate guns in all their forms, not just the AR-15 specifically. Whether they’re for hunting, shooting at ranges, weirdo gun collections—whatever. I understand why guns are needed for security and protection purposes, but civilian fascination with guns just downright confuses me. Why am I bringing this up? It’s because no matter how hard I try, guns keep finding some way to interfere with my life. This is true even in a gun control-conscious country like Canada. In the army, I hated my weapon. I was lousy at stripping and assembling it, it loved to jam during my handling tests and I was such a bad shot they handed me a radio and a compass and declared me navigator. I was good at that stuff, but no one brags about being a good navigator. Who was the awesome navigator dude in Black Hawk Down? In Saving Private Ryan? Yeah, I don’t know either. Maybe I’m just bitter. I usually am when I fail at things. So I did what I always do when I start to fail, and quit. I thought my journey with guns had come to an end when I left the military—I thought I would never have to handle one again. I applied for a job with Canada Border Services Agency this summer so I could be an all-business border guard. Part of the appeal of the position was that it was explicitly stated that I would not be armed, because apparently they don’t trust students with firearms. Thank God. Well, the blasted items of death found a way. The Agency requires that everyone obtain standard and restricted firearms licenses, so I’m currently missing academic classes—and losing grades—to attend classes on how to avoid shooting the person next to you in the face while hunting à la Dick Cheney. I hate my life right now. The point is this—it’s commonly assumed everyone in policing, the armed forces or some other security occupation is a macho gun nut. When I get in debates about gun control with peers, it’s assumed from the get-go I’m a supporter of some sort of Tea Party militia movement, simply because of my military experience. Please be a little more considerate when sizing people up. They’re not their job, to quote Tyler Durden, and neither are you. Signed, a former soldier who hates guns. —Richard Raycraft

thegazette

Volume 106, Issue 78 www.westerngazette.ca

Gloria Dickie Editor-In-Chief Nicole Gibillini Deputy Editor Cam Parkes 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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True friends stab you in the front.

—Oscar Wilde, Irish poet

Tweets of the week

@JeremyDeMello @uwogazette gotta love a newspaper with free archives. Thanks guys!

Playing sophball

@OPENWIDEzine A little late, but a big shout out to @uwogazette and @JesicaHurst for their A+ article on gender and USC elections!

Seven Minutes in Kevin

Uze Your Brain

Julian Uzielli Online Editor

Kevin Hurren Arts & Life Editor

A recent survey by the University Students’ Council showed not all frosh were satisfied with their sophs. While the majority found them helpful, some students thought sophs were unapproachable, intimidating or otherwise off-putting. Sophs are meant to be friends, mentors and role models to vulnerable first-year students—many of whom are away from home for the first time—and sometimes that’s just what they are. But a noteworthy number of frosh seem to be dissatisfied with the current approach to O-Week, and I think I know why. In my experience, a lot of sophs take their roles a little too seriously. When I first arrived at Western, after a couple of days of being forced to memorize inane cheers and being woken up early by outlandishly-dressed, megaphonewielding zealots, I soon began to feel less like an adult and more like an unwilling camper at Camp Western. The intentions of most sophs, of course, are pure—I doubt any of them sign up for an exhausting, sleepdeprived week with the aim to lessen anyone’s O-Week experience. And according to the USC’s survey, this usually isn’t the result. My O-Week wasn’t a negative experience, and I vaguely recall my residence sophs being helpful guides from time to time throughout my first year—unlike my perpetually absent faculty sophs, not that that is representative of the group as a whole. But despite their best intentions, when sophs address their frosh as newcomers, they often appear to be addressing them as inferiors. It shouldn’t be a shock that offering counsel to someone the same age as you can easily appear to be patronizing. For most frosh, O-Week is their first experience living away from home as an adult. Different people will respond to this new and unfamiliar freedom in different ways—while some benefit from a helping hand, others will disdain any attempts at imposed authority. Though sophs often aim to be cool, older siblings, for some frosh, they will always be lame babysitters who are trying too hard.

Some high school graduates come to Western excited to start the school year. They move in with their friend from home and make plans to meet up with a few others before O-Week’s opening ceremonies. They’ve bought all their textbooks, found their classes and are looking forward to the upcoming semester. These students start the year off with a bang. I wasn’t one of these students. When I came to Western, I knew no one. I had never shared a room, or even been away from home for more than two weeks. I’m not embarrassed to say that I was scared, panicked and generally unsure of everything I did and said. It was in these moments that my residence soph, mysteriously named Tumblr, provided solidarity. She understood my insecurities, encouraged my involvement and—as many sophs refer to themselves as —became an insta-friend. As the year went on, I quickly learned to shed my self-doubt, making connections in my classroom, residence and extracurriculars that would come to define my first year at Western. While I now stand tall over the timid person I was back then, I’m confident in saying that without my soph I wouldn’t have been able to familiarize myself with Western as quickly as I did, and it was this that motivated the choice to become a residence soph myself. Does this mean that all sophs are amazing? No. Many students taking on the soph role underestimate the extent of the commitment. Do all students need a soph? Once again, no. As alluded to in the first paragraph, a number of first-year students will arrive at Western with the confidence to easily get through the first few weeks of school. The sophing program, however, isn’t for these students. The sophing program is for the large majority of students who I count myself part of—the lost, the uncertain, the firstyear students who have the potential to shine, but need a little help along the way. So to those who say they didn’t need their soph, or that sophing isn’t a big deal, I say congratulations. It means you were able to traverse first year with the resources you already had, and that’s great, but understand that not all students have the same resources. Sometimes all you have is a soph with a goofy name like Tumblr.

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.

Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Robert Armstrong

Karen Savino Diana Watson

Gazette Staff 2012-2013

Iain Boekhoff, Danielle Bozinoff, Jaclyn Carbone, Mary Ann Ciosk, David Czosniak, Megan Devlin, Jonathan Dunn, Andrew Evans, Chelsey Gauthier, Ross Hamilton, Danny Huang, Amanda Law, Logan Ly, Jared MacAdam, Sarah Mai Chitty, Sarah Manning, Bradley Metlin, Kaitlyn Oh, John Petrella, Sarah Prince, Chen Rao, Herb Richardson, Nathan Robbins-Kanter, Lily Robinson, Jeremiah Rodriguez, Katie Roseman, Jasleen Sembhi, Nathan TeBokkel, Jacqueline Ting, Caroline Wang, Kate Wilkinson, Zoe Woods, Kartikeya Vishal, Usman Zahid, Mason Zimmer

News Alex Carmona Jesica Hurst Cam Smith Aaron Zaltzman Arts & Life Sumedha Arya Brent Holmes Kevin Hurren Sports Richard Raycraft Jason Sinukoff Ryan Stern Opinions Ryan Hurlbut Associate Kaitlyn McGrath

@mcgreg_m did @patrickdwhelan cut @uwogazette funding already!? it’s Tuesday—where is the paper! @western_usc Follow and tweet your thoughts to @uwogazette Letter to the Editor

Mental matters To the Editor: Re: Accessibility still an issue on campus, February 28, 2013 I was shocked to read some of the uninformed opinions expressed by the Gazette Editorial Board in Thursday’s editorial. Amongst a whole host of other issues, I was disappointed by the assertion students with mental disabilities are better accommodated academically by Western than those with physical disabilities. Such a statement is dangerous, because it not only discourages students with physical disabilities from going to the Student Services Department to get accommodated when the department does a fantastic job given their low budget and huge number of students, but also marginalizes and under-represents the struggles of those with mental disabilities. In reality, the issues faced by the two categories of disability identified are not comparable. On the surface, it may seem like those with mental disabilities are better accommodated, but this is only because the accommodations— longer exams, quiet rooms, et cetera— tend to be less expensive and quick to implement compared to the changes in physical infrastructure and costly support/technological services that many physical disabilities do require. Are these accommodations adequate? Arguably not—the issue is with our current university system’s highly lecture-centric, testing driven environment that puts many students at an inherent disadvantage. Most academic accommodations merely seek to make the negative impacts of this system less apparent without addressing the root causes why students struggle. The Gazette mentions there is no one with a disability on their editorial board, but this is no excuse for developing their opinions before getting informed. —Alex Lu Science III

Photography Andrei Calinescu Ritchie Sham Cameron Wilson Graphics Naira Ahmed Mike Laine Illustrations Christopher Miszczak Liwei Zhou Online Julian Uzielli Web Cameron Wilson Video Chris Kay

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thegazette • Tuesday, March 5, 2013

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To place your classifed ad, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca

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NEWLY RENOVATED HOMES 1&5 BDRM 1150 Richmond St., 3&4 BDRM 53 Beaufort St., and 2&3 BDRM 57 Beaufort St. Clean, hardwood floors, laundry, close to campus. Available May 1st. Other units available. www.luigistudentrentals.ca, call/text 519-852-2674.

13TH ANNUAL SCUGOG Lecture in Earth Sciences; Thursday, March 7th, 7:00-8:00 pm, Western 3M Centre, Room 3250. Dr. Stephen T. Johnston, University of Victoria, will speak on “The Great Alaskan Terrane Wreck: A Plate Tectonic Odyssey & the Origin of the Cordilleran Mountain System of North America.” The evening lecture is FREE and open to all members of the community! All are also invited for a reception to follow. Free Parking in Weldon Lot. Contact Dr. Phil McCausland 519-661-2111 x.88008 for more details.

STUDENT LIVING RENTALS. 1&2 large bedroom 795 Richmond St., 2&3 bedroom 255 Sydenham St., 3 bedrooms 375 Wharncliffe North (hardwood floors). Close to campus, parking, laundry. Available May 1st. Other units available. www.luigistudentrentals.ca, 519-852-2674.

EMPLOYMENT GYMWORLD GYMNASTICS - is looking for coaches. Flexible hours. Start right away! Bus from campus. Call 519-474-4960 or email info@gymworld.ca.

WANTED 4 BEDROOM HOUSE available May 1/13. Two bathrooms, livingroom, rec room, dishwasher, laundry, chest freezer, parking, fenced backyard w/patio. Close to bus. 147 Paperbirch Cres. $425/room+utilities. Call 519-289-2374 or 519-281-7174. 5 BEDROOM BROUGHDALE behind Med/Syd front Gates. Modern, open-concept, kitchen island/barstools, side-by-side stainless steel fridge. Large rooms (no basement room), 50” flat-screen, fireplace, dishwasher, lots of parking. $450/room. 416-835-5293, enmars@hotmail.com.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS THE TA AND Post Doc Union’s Foodbank distributes grocery store gift cards of $50-100 to members in need. Stop by the office (1313 Sommerville Hall) or apply at psac610.ca TO WRITE A CLASSIFIED AD THAT SELLS 1. Use a KEYWORD. This immediately tells the reader exactly what it is you have to sell.

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.

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WESTERN NAVIGATORS- COMMUNITY Meetings on Wednesdays, Room 59, UCC at 6:30 pm. We are a growing Christian community that is eager to discover who God is and how He fits into our lives. We challenge and strengthen our faith through lively discussion dinners, small groups, campus events and volunteering. Come and add your own individuality to this growing Nav community. For more information, contact Tim Bartja, tbartja@uwo.ca or visit www.navigators.ca/western.

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thegazette • Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Sports

factattack Memphis Grizzlies centre Marc Gasol accrued 11 assists during the Grizzlies’ victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Gasol’s total was the most by a centre since Marcus Camby in 2008.

Rundown >> The Mustangs men’s and women’s sevens rugby teams travelled to Langford, British Columbia for the sevens national championships > The defending national champion men’s team finished second to the University of Victoria, while the women’s team placed fourth.

Wrestlers impress in front of home crowd Mustangs accumulate five medals in championships Andrew Evans Gazette Staff Following a hard-fought season, the top wrestlers from coast to coast converged at Western on the weekend for the 2013 Canadian Interuniversity Sport Wrestling Championships. The home team and the home crowd did not disappoint over the course of the two-day event. Four Mustangs went undefeated to open competition on Friday, including defending champion Steven Takahashi, Brianne Barry, Ilya Abelev and Josh Procter—who all finished with 3–0 records after day one. Also moving on to Saturday’s medal round for the Mustangs were Matt Jagas and Kevin Ens on the men’s side, and Larissa D’Alleva on the women’s side—all of whom finished Friday’s action with 2–1 records. Championship Saturday would get off to a bumpy start for the Mustangs, as D’Alleva was defeated in the women’s 63kg bronze medal match, losing 1–0, 0–5, 1–0 to Natasha Cheng of the Brock Badgers. The Mustangs would suffer the same fate in the men’s 65kg bronze medal match as Jagas was defeated 3–2, 2–0 by James Mancini of the Concordia Stingers. Facing adversity, the Mustangs would fight back as the day continued. Ens captured the first medal of the championships for the Mustangs by defeating Chad Lee for the bronze medal in the men’s 90kg division, and from there, the Mustangs would continue their medal haul. While it was not the result she was hoping for, Barry settled for the silver medal in the women’s 55kg gold medal match, losing 2–1, 2–0 to Carlene Sluberski of the Brock Badgers. Despite the disappointing loss, Barry took the loss in stride moments after the match.

“It’s exciting, a little disappointing,” Barry said. “I was expected to win so it always hurts to lose, but [I had] great competition. As one of the only girls who was in the finals for Western, it’s one of the exciting things, but I’m proud of our team—I’m proud of everyone. I’m just happy to have had the chance to represent Western here, especially on our home court.” As for competing at home, Barry could hardly contain her excitement. “I think it was really exciting. As I stepped on the mat and went on the podium I could hear everyone screaming. I could hear my parents and I could see my little sister smiling. So to have that here, it excites me more than it puts any pressure on me, so that was nice,” Barry said. A short time later, the Mustangs would strike gold for the first time of the day as Abelev defeated Ryan Myrfield of the Saskatchewan Huskies 1–0 and 3–2 to capture the men’s 72kg title. This marked Abelev’s third national title—all of which have come in different weight classes. While proud of his national championship, Abelev already had his sights set on the next goal after stepping off the podium. “It obviously feels satisfying. I did what I came here to do. My goal for the year was never to win the CIS as an individual. It was to perform well enough at the senior nationals [in two weeks] to make the World University games team in Russia. I think this is really important for me to continue to be successful at this level,” Abelev said. Abelev’s gold medal performance was then followed up by Josh Procter capturing the Mustang’s second silver medal of the day, falling 0–4, 3–0 to Javon Balfour of the Brock Badgers in the men’s 68kg weight class. With four medals already on the day, the stage was set for the final match of the day featuring one of the Mustangs’ brightest stars in Steve

Cameron Wilson Gazette

Courtesy of Ray Takahashi

PICK ME TEACHER, I’M EVER SO SMART! The Mustangs’ Ilya Abelev defeats Ryan Myrfield of the University of Saskatchewan at the CIS Wrestling Championships in front of a capacity home crowd.

Takahashi, taking on Dustin Helwig of the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the final of the men’s 54kg class. After splitting the first round 3–3, Takahashi would capture his third national title by winning the match 8–0 in the second round. Needless to say, Takahashi was once again thrilled to be back on top of the podium. “It feels really good, especially being at home at Western and doing this in front of my school, my friends, my family—it feels really good. I’ve

never really competed in London. Normally, I travelled other places, so it was a nice difference coming in and having a good crowd,” Takahashi said. Despite capturing five medals on the day, the Mustangs were unable to capture the men’s or women’s team titles. Although disappointed his team did not place better in the overall standings, head coach Ray Takahashi was still proud of how his team performed.

“It was a really competitive tournament with a lot of good wrestlers here. We lost some close ones, but the team did really well. They brought their best so I was really happy overall. To get two champs in Ilya and Steven, they’ve been our most consistent performers and it’s nice to see them both win it again for the third time.” The University of Alberta would capture the men’s overall title, while the Brock Badgers captured the women’s overall title.

Mike Laine Gazette