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thegazette • Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Campus > Life
News Brief
Students freezing their buns for hot dogs Cam Smith News Editor With freezing temperatures and sudden blizzards, Canadian winters can be extremely harsh for Western’s hot dog vendor Jarda Novotny. Novotny, the proprietor of Top Dog Hotdog stand on Concrete Beach, has twice erected a shelter to protect himself, and his wares, from bitter London winters, and has twice been told to remove the shelter by Western administration. According to administration, the structure violated building codes and had unappealing aesthetics. Moreover, Western administration feels Novotny’s work is best suited for warmer weather.
When it’s windy and rainy, it’s impossible to keep the product protected if you’re not against the wall, or in his case a wellconstructed tin house. It can become a real pain. —Kevin Godbout
Third-year PhD student at Western
“He was never meant to have a hot dog stand there for the cold season—that was entirely his decision, recognizing that those types of operations are very seasonal,” Frank Miller, director of Western’s Hospitality Services, explained. “What [Novotny] had done was pretty much build a house around his hot dog stand and, without any
type of code agreement, you need building permits to do that stuff. We simply asked him to take it down.” But Novotny stated his business is focused on students, regardless of the weather. And with lines at Centre Spot often making it impossible for busy students to grab a meal on the go, hot dogs became a viable alternative. “I try to make life better for the students. When it is not winter time, it is fine to work with just umbrella,” he explained. “The awning we set up before winter. The whole summer we were looking for who would OK it, but we could not actually find anybody interested in that.” Novotny explained the original hut was meant to be temporary and was constructed on a platform. “We had it done by a professional company and it was set up so the food was protected. The students can come inside the hut, and it can be removed anytime,” he said. “We have those huts everywhere else at my locations. They’ve been standing 15 years—they never collapse or anything. They are really fantastic for winter, they protect the customers and the food and they also protect me, as an employee.” Novotny acknowledged that while the winter cold was challenging to work in, it’s even worse for his patrons. “I’m here from around 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the cold is fine, but when it’s a windy day, it’s very difficult to operate this food service,” he explained. However, Miller maintained the visual presence of the structure was a negative for the campus, garnering community complaints. “It doesn’t look good. We’ve had complaints from library [employees] about the look and his vehicles.
Andrei Calinescu GAZETTE
GOING TO THE HOT DOGS. Jarda Novotny, proprietor of Top Dog Hotdog, barbecues hot dogs on Concrete Beach.
It is a centre of attention in that area,” he said. However, for Kevin Godbout, a third-year PhD student in comparative literature advocating on Novotny’s behalf, administration needs to look past the appearance of the shelter. Godbout, who once operated a hot dog cart in his native New Brunswick, knows the hardships vendors face first-hand in the cool, winter months. “The two things that are really, really troublesome when you’re working are when there are heavy winds and rains, and when there’s
a lot of extreme cold,” he explained. “When it’s windy and rainy, it’s impossible to keep the product protected if you’re not against the wall, or in his case, a well-constructed tin house. It can become a real pain.” In terms of cold weather, Godbout explained that even if you’re completely covered, your face will become frozen or frost-bitten. Godbout acknowledged the convenience of the vendor, and noted students appreciate it there. “It is really convenient,” he said. “I think the students appreciate that he’s there in the first place.”
Western to celebrate Founder’s Day This Thursday, March 7, Western’s Alumni Association, in conjunction with the department of alumni relations and development, will be hosting Founder’s Day—a day meant to commemorate the contributions of Western’s founder Bishop Isaac Hellmuth, as well as celebrate accomplishments of staff, students, faculty and alumni alike. In honour of this, the Alumni Association will be organizing many events on campus and around the world. These include a student refreshment break in the University Community Centre basement on Thursday at 10 a.m. and a staff and faculty coffee break in the Great Hall at the same time. Outside of Western, there will be events taking place in New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and London, England. Most events are free of charge, as they are funded by the Alumni Association. A video will also be sent to alumni around the world for those unable to attend, highlighting the importance of the day. President Amit Chakma will be addressing a group of business leaders and alumni at the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce in London, England. Natalie Devereux, alumni and development officer, is excited about the event, but hopes to see more student involvement in the future. “It’d be great to see more student groups actually organize events of their own, through their clubs [...] tying in a Founder’s Day theme and reminding us all of what we have to be proud of with Western,” she said. —Nusaiba Al-Azem
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