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westerngazette.ca FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 • WESTERN UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER • VOLUME 110, ISSUE 25 holding clammy hands since 1906

THE CASE OF THE MISSING FLAGS CONTINUES PG4

WRESTING OFF A SUCCESSFUL EARLY SEASON PG8

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THE BEST AND WORST FIRST DATE SPOTS IN LONDON PG10

Rec Centre thefts put gym security in the spotlight

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JORDAN MCGAVIN AND DANIEL BODDEN GAZETTE

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www.westerngazette.ca

2 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016

profile

WILL HYLAND

Volume 110, Issue 25 WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA University Community Centre Rm. 263 Western University London, ON, CANADA N6A 3K7 Editorial 519.661.3580 Advertising 519.661.3579

HAMZA TARIQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @HAMZATARIQ_

KATIE LEAR PRINT MANAGING EDITOR @KATIELEAR_

BRADLWY METLIN DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR @BRADLEYMETLIN

NEWS SABRINA FRACASSI DRISHTI KATARIA MOSES MONTERROZA RITA RAHMATI GRACE TO CULTURE SAMAH ALI ELLIS KOIFMAN AMY SKODAK ANNIE RUETER CULTURE-AT-LARGE RICHARD JOSEPH SPORTS CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE MIKE DEBOER CLAIRE PALMER MULTIMEDIA MAAILAH BLACKWOOD JENNY JAY TAYLOR LASOTA NATALIE TREFFRY

DIGITAL MEDIA CONNOR CLARK GRAPHICS DANIEL BODDEN SENIOR GRAPHICS JORDAN MCGAVIN FEATURES & GRAPHICS AMY O’KRUK WESTERN TV CONNOR MALBEUF COPY DANIELLE GERRITSE OPINIONS HALA GHONAIM COLUMNISTS JUSTIN DI CAMILLO JACEK ORZYLOWSKI

SENIOR STAFF AMAL MATAN MICHAEL CONLEY

If Will Hyland hadn’t been totally bored at the cottage years ago, he never would’ve found the passion that makes up so much of his life now. Desperately looking for something to do, he dug out a board game his little brother had begged their mom to buy at Toys ‘R’ Us when they were little kids.

find people who are into roleplaying games than it is to find someone to talk about sports with. Everyone needs a way to de-stress and for Will that’s hunting for treasure with his friends for a few hours. He says that leading WARP has helped him learn how to manage people, but he’s not there to pad his resume.

The siblings and their friends grew to love that Dungeons & Dragons board game so much that they had to adapt it to accommodate more players than the game could be played by. Will’s passion outstripped that of his brother, and soon enough he was a full-blown D&D lover. “It’s a collaborative storytelling sort of thing,” says Will, a fourth-year geology student. “It’s not something super well-known to people outside the hobby.” Now, Will’s the president and most prolific member of the Western Association of Roleplayers (WARP). If you go to a meeting, you’ll probably see him leading the group that looks up to him as their game master. He narrates games and directs the other players on their quest for that day.

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The inventive aspect of running the game is what appeals most to Will, who used to struggle with expressing his creativity. “I’ve always loved telling stories,” he says, “but I didn’t like writing and I didn’t like drawing comics or anything like that.”

Once he leaves Western, Will wants to work in mining before applying to grad school. He doesn’t think his roleplaying will have a tangible effect on his job prospects, but that’s not the point. Unfortunately, Will has had to deal with the stigma that comes with being a roleplayer, but he says that it’s becoming a lot better now that the stereotypes are being challenged. “There are the [stereotypes] that are really unrealistic, like back in the ‘80s when everybody thought that it was satanists in their basements,” says Will. “[Then] people thought it’s still nerds in their basements but they’re dressed as wizards.” Things have progressed since then, though, and Will says the new misconceptions are more reasonable. People ask him if players always make up voices for the game or whether he’s had the same character for five years, but they’re opening their minds to roleplaying. With the rise of “geek chic,” as Will puts it, it’s become cool to be a nerd.

Will also loves the collaborative aspect of D&D. To him, creating a narrative and working on it with his friends is extremely satisfying. When Will first came to university, it was tough to find friends with common interests. As he says, it’s harder to

“For a while, it was weird to be a geek,” he says.”I went through very much the stereotypical high school geek story of ‘no one likes me, I don’t have any friends,’ until eventually everyone else sorta became a geek and I had all the friends.” ■■CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE

HIGH 5 LOW 3

HIGH 5 LOW 0

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TODAY

TOMORROW

SUNDAY


• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 • 3

news

UCC basement Tim’s set to reopen

TAYLOR LASOTA GAZETTE

GRACE TO NEWS EDITOR @GRACE_KTO The UCC has been one Tim Horton’s short with the temporary closure of the basement location since September. According to Kevin McCabe, associate director at Western hospitality services, the temporary closure is due to staffing issues. With the opening of other eateries on campus, McCabe said it has been difficult to properly allocate staff according to demand. “The Argo Tea café has been a huge success,” McCabe said. “So that’s where we need most of our staff right now.” McCabe added that the Tim Horton’s in the UCC basement was frequented less than the Tim Horton’s upstairs. He believes that this may be why the temporary closure seems to

have had little effect on Tim Horton’s lines and speed of service on the main level of the UCC. “Students can use the Tim Express in the UCC,” said McCabe. “With the closing of the basement location, most people have gone to use the express service.” Jennifer Hillhouse, second-year English student, said that she often bought her coffee at the basement location when it was open. “I noticed it was closed the first week I came back,” said Hillhouse. “I was so sad.” Now, Hillhouse usually gets her coffee at the Tim Horton’s located on the main floor. McCabe reports that hospitality services is currently looking to hire more staff for campus eateries and the basement Tim’s location is projected to reopen by January of next year.

OUSA campaign highlights workintegrated learning GRACE TO NEWS EDITOR @GRACE_KTO Work-integrated learning (WIL) is in focus as part of a province-wide campaign advocating and raising awareness for experiential learning opportunities for students. Organized by the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, the “#myWILis” campaign is spread across eight university campuses in Ontario this week. According to Amanda Kohler, OUSA communications director, the campaign was started in response to the provincial government’s recent move to identify experiential learning as priority for students. Experiential learning is often regarded as hands-on learning where students can combine their educational and work experiences. “Students’ satisfaction in their program can be a result from participation in work-integrated learning,” said Kohler. “Student outcomes such as salary, work related to their program of choice and likelihood of employment also increase when participating in work-integrated learning.” A booth has been set up this week in the UCC to educate students on what work-integrated learning is can do for them. Mauricio Diaz, USC associate vice-president, says that the booth is a partnership among OUSA, the USC and various campus partners. “All campuses are running this campaign at the same time, so we will be able to compare and contrast students’ experiences,” Diaz explained.

Students can write about their WIL experiences on a whiteboard in the UCC, sharing ideas for improvement. If students are unable to visit booths, OUSA is encouraging students to share their thoughts on Twitter using the #myWILis hashtag. Diaz adds that 52 per cent of students do not have any work-integrated learning experiences and the campaign would be a great opportunity for students to start thinking about how to find an outside experience that ties into their academic stream. Western’s co-op advisor for the master’s program in environment and sustainability, Alison McInnis, believes work-integrated learning will allow students to connect class material to the real world. “I think the one key thing is that internship at the undergraduate level adds an extra year on the four-year degree so it turns out to be five years,” said McInnis. “I think that makes people shy away, but my perspective is that students will graduate with a year of experience so that saves them time in the job search.” Students are encouraged to take advantage of programs including co-ops and internships affiliated with their faculties to improve their learning experiences as well as future job prospects. Kohler added that OUSA will compile the responses from the campaign and work to create a more comprehensive definition of work-integrated learning so that they are better able to lobby the issue to the government.

MOSES MONTERROZA GAZETTE

Western schedules HOCO 2017 in late October, again RITA RAHAMTI NEWS EDITOR @RITARAHMATI

a return to tradition. “Back in the day Homecoming was in October [and] more of a fall Students hoping for a return to a tradition so we’re going back to warmer Homecoming next year will those roots,” Walker said. Walker said the two separate be left disappointed as Western has scheduled Homecoming 2017 on Homecoming celebrations that occurred in the 2016 year were an the weekend of Oct. 20-22 again. Earlier this year, the university anomaly and doesn’t believe it will administration caused an uproar happen again in 2017. Many students expressed disamong students and alumni when it moved the Homecoming date appointment with the university’s from September to later in October decision. “I was quite pissed off to say in an attempt to tone down rowdy the least. It was right around midBroughdale street parties. Despite the date change and terms and I couldn’t go to the real extra police patrols, the original Homecoming because I had a midHomecoming date on Oct. 1 saw term, 2257 which is a big course,” more than 7,000 people flood said Cassidy Leblanc, a second-year Broughdale and saw bigger crowds BMOS student. than in previous years. “No one was really happy with it, so When asked about the date I think they should listen to that and change, executive director of alumni switch the date [back],” Leblanc said. Some students said they 5:39 predict relations Trista Walker said continuCity_CDIS2016_Ad_WesternGazette_Print.pdf 1 2016-11-17 PM ing with the date change is actually that the two-weekend celebration

will continue in 2017. “I think we’re probably going to have a second Homecoming again,” said Stephen Paton, a fourth-year sociology student. However, Paton and his friends also agree that if the date continues to be in late October students will eventually stop attempting to celebrate it at an earlier time.

Solution to puzzle on page 11

Are you passionate about diversity & inclusion?

We are looking for volunteers to develop London’s Community Diversity & Inclusion Strategy. Learn more and apply at london.ca/CDIS Applications due December 16, 2016 Questions? Contact: Kinga Koltun | 519-661-2500 x5638


www.westerngazette.ca

4 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016

news

Scholastic offences still underreported

KYLE PORTER GAZETTE

MARTIN ALLEN GAZETTE STAFF @NEWSATGAZETTE Plagiarism was the leading scholastic offence at Western in the 2015-16 academic year, with 121 reported incidents. The offences were officially reported to the University Senate at its monthly meeting last Friday. The 2015-16 scholastic offences reports includes incidents reported by different faculties to vice-provost John Doerksen academic programs and students. It lists the 200 offences reported this year and is categorized by faculty or affiliate college, includes the nature of the offence and the sanctions doled out. Offences Similar to last year’s report, plagiarism is the most common offence with 121 of the 200 sanctions handed out for it. Cheating on tests or exams is the second most common offence. The highest number of offences was reported by the Faculty of Social Science with 63 incidents. However, the highest number of per-head offences was reported by the Faculty of Music with a 1:54 ratio between reported offences and total number of students in the faculty. The Faculties of Law, Engineering and Education had the lowest number of reported offences

with four incidents each. The reporting of scholastic offences has been highlighted as an issue at Western in the past with an underlying underreporting trend. In an interview with The Gazette last year, Doerksen said the numbers show a pattern of underreporting scholastic offences. “It seems to me that there is some underreporting in general,” he said. “If you consider that we have … a student population of 37,000 or more and think that we have only about 150-200 instances of scholastic offences, it’s probably being quite optimistic, and so I think that we probably see some evidence of underreporting.” Doerksen added that in most cases underreporting occurs because instructors might deal with the student directly and not process the offence through the official channels. “A more effective way is to proceed exactly how the policy has indicated,” Doerksen said. That way, fairness can be ensured for both the student and the faculty member, he argued. If students feel the sanction is unfair, they can proceed through three levels of appeal: the department chair, the dean’s office and the Senate. Doerksen said that in most cases, appeals do not go higher than the first level even if they are denied.

Sanctions For every offence, there is a sanction issued by the offending student’s department chair. The sanction for every offence is listed in the Senate report, and the severity of the punishments vary. “Generally, the principles of these scholastic offences policies are applied fairly across campus,” Doerksen said. Doerksen said that means that the standards of interpretation of university policy are different in different programs and faculty. For instance, the repetition of phrases in a lab report is common, but not in an essay. The most common sanction was mark deductions and in most cases students received a zero, or had their course grade reduced to ‘F’. But some sanctions were more creative. When two science students shared the same work on a written assignment, they were forced to split the assigned grade. In the report, many students also received reprimands instead of mark deductions, which Doerksen attributed to the offence being possibly accidental or to the student not knowing better. “Students come to the realization that in the end, when you do cheat, the person who suffers most is yourself. The whole point of higher education is to undertake that challenge,” Doerksen said.

Main Campus Faculty/ Affiliates

Offences in 2015–16

Offences in 2014–15

Arts & Humanities

7

20

Ivey HBA

8

0

Education

4

4

Engineering

4

1

Health Sciences

12

6

FIMS

6

3

Law

4

0

Medical Sci & Science

19

28

Music

8

7

Social Sciences

63

81

Graduate/Post-Doc

18

7

Brescia

9

12

Huron

9

6

Kings

31

15

DANIEL BODDEN GAZETTE

Flags missing from UCC during International Week (again) RITA RAHMATI NEWS EDITOR @RITARAHMATI

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As Western International Week takes place, one thing is noticeably missing again — flags in the University Community Centre. In previous years, flags from all around the world used to be hung up around the UCC during the week. But after some complaints two years ago, generic colour flags were hung up last year to avoid potentially offending people. This year, all flags are gone and students can draw their own flags on a bulletin board in the UCC atrium. The flags were traditionally hung by the USC’s Ethnocultural Support Services. Over the years, they’ve been lost, stolen them or outdated, according to Kris Dundas, Western International communications officer. Dundas added that in the past couple of years, students felt excluded if their flag wasn’t hung or there were other issues. Some students protested when a Palestinian flag wasn’t displayed. An Iraqi flag was hung up, but

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE

backwards. A Syrian flag was hung but it was outdated. “In the past its been a collaborative effort with the USC [University Students’ Council], who actually own the flags, and what was happening was as the years went by flags were getting stolen, flags were being hung up potentially incorrectly [and] some people were upset that their flag wasn’t there,” said Dundas. “What we did this year as an alternative is have boards in the atrium where students can draw the flag of where they’re from or where or a flag that identifies them,” said Allie Adamo, USC students programs officer. “So it doesn’t have to be a specific country, it could be a state, a province, etc. and so we thought that would be a more

accurate depicition of the students we that have on this campus.” Adamo said she would like to see flags hung up again if there was a way to ensure each country was represented and ensure that flags would not be stolen or vandalized. Last year, former USC presidents, a number of students as well as Western President Amit Chakma lamented the absence of the flags from International Week. “The flags let the whole Western community know it’s International Week, this year a lot of people are just like maybe its here for a day and don’t know of the other events,” Alison Cavanagh fourth-year MIT student said at the time. With files from Sabrina Fracassi


• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 • 5

opinions

FIMS kids need to get off their high horse Coach Clarter

CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR @CLAIREATGAZETTE One of the most valuable things you can gain from a university education is the ability to formulate critical thought. The ability to articulate your own ideas and to appropriately evaluate an issue is key in making decisions and is an important tool to have in life. As a FIMS student, I’ve done that constantly. In the age of knowledge and information, it’s important to be able to analyze information for yourself without someone else telling you what to think. Critical thinking is key and university is a perfect place to develop this. However, some students don’t use critical thinking and don’t develop their own independent thought process. In a media-driven age, we are constantly overwhelmed with images and advertisements trying to sway our opinion. This is where the importance of critical thinking comes in. You need to know not to accept everything that you are told as fact and to search out other opinions and find the happy medium. FIMS is a faculty that heavily relies on critical thinking and emphasizes students developing independent thought. As a student in FIMS, I’ve experienced this first-hand. Critical thinking isn’t limited to FIMS classes; in arts and humanities, as well as in the social sciences, critical thinking is a main focus for professors. For example, in first-year sociology I had a 10-page assignment where you were expected to take a relevant issue and analyze it critically. It’s easy to pick on FIMS. The faculty offers courses that are mostly subjective and pose questions that lack a right or wrong answer. The faculty wants to push its students; it wants to challenge their ideals and get them to question themselves. The problem is that too many

people don’t use FIMS classes as a place to develop and explore their own ideas and completely miss what the faculty is trying to teach them. Although this is not a problem that is unique to FIMS, it’s something that I’ve come to notice. There’s always one or two people in every class who are just there to bullshit their way to a passing grade. It’s time to stop. These are the students that think they’re being original and intelligent by repeating everything that FIMS professor Warren Steele says wordfor-word. Even Steele himself tells his students to develop their own opinions. By simply repeating what the professor says, you are not learning to formulate your own ideas and you are actually missing the point. Repeating what the prof says may earn you that passing grade, but it won’t bring you much success, especially if you plan on working in media. Media is an industry full of people who think outside the box, not people who copy somebody else’s opinion. FIMS is often teased for the left-wing curriculum of some of the classes. Half of the time this is just to challenge more of the pervasive right-wing ideals in society. You’re not supposed to take these ideas directly to heart; you need to incorporate them with your own ideas. It’s not expected that you join in the permanent revolution and declare yourself a communist. What is expected is that you realize that there is more than one school of thought and that you keep your mind open to other ideas. It upsets me when I see people blindly repeating what the professor spoon-fed them in lecture. It all goes back to what everyone’s grade one teacher tries to tell them — it’s important to be a leader instead of a follower. Overall, FIMS has some great people who are easy to have a conversation with and are open to exploring new ideas. There are just a select few who don’t embrace what the faculty is really about and it’s time to change that. It’s key to learn to develop your own independent thought. When students don’t do this, they are not getting all they can get out of their university experience.

JENNY JAY GAZETTE SOMETIMES BLURRING THINGS JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.

Accountability for your actions is important — so is dialogue

BY GAZETTE EDITORIAL BOARD

A party held by Queen’s University students in Kingston made headlines across Canada on Tuesday after the university announced that it was investigating the event after a number of photos surfaced on social media featuring partygoers wearing stereotypically racialized costumes. The costumes featured in the photos attached to the articles were exaggerated representations of Buddhist monks, Mexican people and Viet Cong fighters, among others. In the reporting of the investigation into the party, media outlets including CBC, VICE and Buzzfeed chose to blur the faces of the photographed attendants, while The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Kitchener Post did not. For media outlets to blur the faces of the partygoers, they have offered the photographed attendants anonymity. As journalists, we may offer anonymity to sources and/or subjects. For instance, The Gazette code of ethics states that “sources of information should be identified, except when there is a clear and pressing reason to protect their anonymity.” What is the clear and pressing reason to protect the partygoers’ identities? As adults, they are responsible for their actions and should be held accountable. They are not survivors of violence or emotional

trauma. They are not risking their livelihoods and speaking out against a larger issue. Perhaps various news organizations have different guidelines for offering anonymity but shielding people from controversy should not be one. Those dressed in culturally appropriative attire were undeniably stupid. They are university students and should have a basic knowledge of societal issues like racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination. This is just another incident where conversation is needed. How can we have a conversation with a blurred face? While it’s starting to become tiring to constantly speak about more education, the behaviour at Queen’s just reiterates that it is needed. As journalists, we are in a position where we can set an example for how to engage with new ideas and communicate it to a wide audience. While a diversity of viewpoints is necessary, we will never stop engaging in contentious topics. Blurring these students’ faces was foolish. While we want to hold them accountable for their actions, we also need to be critical of the media as well. And for goodness sakes, think before you act and stop putting on offensive costumes.

In defense of consumerism this holiday season Queen Lear

KATIE LEAR PRINT MANAGING EDITOR @KATIELEAR_ I am what you’d call an online quiz aficionado. I can tell you everything from my Myers-Briggs type (INTJ) to what pastry I’d be (lemon square). Recently, a quiz to determine how I express affection to loved ones informed me that I prefer to give gifts to show I care. Which is really handy given the time of the year that’s approaching. While I wouldn’t exactly call it Christmas cheer, I am ready to join the throngs of people weaving

through Masonville and Yorkdale with a list I’ve checked twice. But with the certainty of the crowded malls also comes a backlash against consumerism. And I hear the arguments. There’s buying so much you lose sight of what you have or need; People purchasing the new iPhone every year throw away a perfectly good phone made in a polluting factory that goes straight to landfill; and a last-minute gift shows more of the giver’s sense of obligation than affection. Of course, if people can make things instead of buying them, that’s an amazing alternative, but not everyone has the time or ability to make the gifts they want the other person to receive from them. The only real response I have is to buy better stuff. I’ll give an example. Recently, a

very close friend of mine gifted me a wall tapestry. It wasn’t something I’d been meaning to buy (my sense for decorating can be described as a lazy minimalist), but I realized the sentimentality of the gift after unwrapping it: It was of the New York City skyline to remind me of the time we spent there together. On the other hand, one of the most meaningful gifts I’ve ever given was a personalized necklace for a close friend who’d gotten into law school. The charms were relatively simple; one with the first letter of her name, another with her birthstone and the last the scales of justice. When she received it, she said it was the most thoughtful gift she’d received.

I’m not telling these stories to brag about my great friends or gift-giving abilities. When done right, gift-giving is taking part in the celebration and can say just as much as words can while being a physical reminder of the love, thought and care that went into them and evidence that the recipient is worthy of the time, thought and care. Neither of these were gifts the recipients needed, but the space they occupy isn’t all that different than the space someone takes up in another person’s heart. The upcoming holiday season is a period of time deliberately set aside because we all agree to recognize how important our loved ones are to us. It’s a time to press pause

on the sometimes-chaotic lives we lead and carve out moments to remind each other of the connections we have. I’m not exactly one for Christmas spirit, but giving gifts to the people I care about steps in where my words fail me and stand as a reminder of my care when I can’t physically be there where I want to be. The gifts may not have the same meaning if someone were to find them on the side of the road, but it’s the context that truly matters in giving gifts. So if you need to find me in the next little while, look in the checkout lines in the mall. I have some presents to pick up.

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.”


6 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016

feature

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

www.westerngazette.ca


• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 • 7

THIEVES HITTING THE GYM News editor Grace To investigates the rise in thefts at the campus Rec Centre this year and looks into how secure students’ belongings are, even when locked and stowed away in the gym lockers.

Syed Abbas Rizvi spent much of Thursday at the Rec Centre.

He met with some friends for a game of pickup basketball. He worked out in the weight room with another friend. By the time Rizvi returned to the change rooms, it was around 8 p.m., almost four hours since he had stowed away his belongings in one of the gym lockers. The first thing he noticed was that his locker was open. Initially a little startled, Rizvi didn’t think too much of it — his jacket, shoes and backpack were still there. He quickly changed out of his gym clothes. It was only when he lifted his bag did he notice that it was a lot lighter. Panicking, Rizvi turned to his friend and said, “I think something got stolen.” His laptop was gone. The King’s economics student reported the theft to the Rec Centre staff and Campus Police. He was initially told that the cameras had found the culprit and the police were optimistic of catching the suspect who was most likely a student, according to a Facebook post by Rizvi. With his laptop stolen on Nov. 10, he is still waiting on Campus Police to update him on their investigation. As a fourth-year student writing his thesis, Rizvi is worried about the files on his laptop since he did not get the chance to back them up elsewhere.

A rise in thefts Thefts at the campus Rec Centre aren’t uncommon. According to J.C. Aubin, operations leader at Campus Police, 32 thefts have been reported at the Rec Centre this year. “These 32 thefts represent an increase, but this has not been our worst period,” Aubin said in an email. “In 2010, 54 thefts were reported to us during this time.” Membership services program coordinator, Jenna Smith, said the Rec Centre does not have a formal theft policy as they are not directly responsible for the security of members’ belongings at the facility. Instead, the staff has steps to follow when a member reports an incident. “If [members] do report it, then we write out an incident report and then we encourage them to go to Campus Police,” explained Smith. “We’re not responsible for basically anybody’s belongings. So we encourage them to lock everything up, but at the end of the day, like at any facility, it’s their responsibility.” Thefts can take place all over the facility, including on courts where members leave their belongings unattended. But many thefts have been concentrated in the Rec Centre’s lockers. The Rec Centre and its basement change rooms can be accessed by students swiping their

Western ONE cards, much like the gyms at other university campuses, including McMaster and York universities. But a spate of thefts at the Western facility this year has brought forward security concerns. The Rec Centre has a strict no-bags policy which means most students attending the gym have to store their belongings in the basement lockers. And with winter fast approaching, members will be bringing along more items than usual, including winter coats and boots. While non-student members can also purchase a Rec Centre membership, of the few people caught stealing from the lockers, at least one was a Western student, according to Aubin. There have been some reports of people gaining access to the gym facilities using someone else’s student cards, bringing the security at the Rec Centre door into question. On swiping the card at the entrance, the member’s information and photo shows up on the computer screen behind the counter, which is attended by gym staff. To test the gym’s door security, The Gazette sent four editors at different times to try and enter the gym using someone else’s student card. All were successful in gaining access to the Rec Centre and the lockers’ space.

How safe is your lock? Rizvi was unsure if his locker was broken into or if he had just failed to lock it properly. While the Rec Centre staff makes regular rounds in the change rooms to keep an eye out for suspicious activity, Smith strongly advises members to lock up their belongings and to double check their locks before leaving the change rooms. Messages flashing on the Rec Centre’s television screens constantly remind patrons to secure their belongings. In the hallways leading to the change rooms, the walls are lined with huge posters. Some of them warn members that thefts can only take 0.3 seconds and that membership services can provide locks at the equipment desk. Locks are available for rent for 50 cents and for purchase for seven dollars. But in some instances, locks haven’t proven to be very secure either. Recently, a gym patron approached the Rec Centre staff claiming he had forgotten his lock code and requested them to cut open the lock on his locker. After the member gave a description of the contents of the locker, the gym staff obliged his request, according to a Rec Centre employee who spoke to The Gazette on condition of anonymity. However, a while later, a second member confronted the gym staff, questioning why his lock and belongings had gone missing. Further

investigation revealed that the person who had first approached the Rec Centre staff was actually a thief who had watched the real owner put his things away and was able to provide a description of the items inside. “The old policy — it was just to describe the details of stuff in the locker,” the employee who preferred to stay anonymous, said. “If it was accurate enough, we let them take it.” They added that the Rec Centre has since implemented guidelines to avoid such incidents in the future. Members now have to produce photo ID that can prove that the items in the locker belong to them. They are also required to provide Rec Centre staff with their personal contact information if they want their locks to be cut. Smith said the extra measures, put into effect this term, are to ensure that the possessions belong to the correct owner.

Catching the culprits The absence of cameras in changing rooms makes theft surveillance and prevention challenging. Campus Police investigating Rec Centre thefts speak to the complainant and try to gather as much information as possible about the incident. Unfortunately, the rate of success in resolving these crimes isn’t very high. “It depends if we have witnesses around,” said Aubin. “In the Rec Centre, it is very difficult because usually there are no witnesses around to observe it and it’s often in the locker rooms where there are no cameras.” But despite the theft reports, some students still want to be able trust other gym members, mostly students, to act as a community. In his Facebook post, Rizvi made an open request to the thief to return his laptop because he doesn’t want them “to get charged with a criminal record thats gonna [sic] stay with you [sic] for life for a stupid $500 theft.” Julia Di Ianni, a second-year health sciences student who frequents the gym regularly, says that she does not usually use a lock. Since first year, she has been leaving her belongings, including her laptop, in an unlocked locker every time she uses the gym. Her friend, Yana Kovalevich, a secondyear social sciences student, also shares this sentiment. “I feel like we’re all a community and kids should trust one another,” Kovalevich said. “It shouldn’t be a thing where you should be worried about leaving your stuff for an hour at a student [recreational] centre.” With files from unnamed editors.


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8 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016

sports

Four Mustangs make Team Canada’s hockey training camp CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR @CLAIREATGAZETTE

COURTESY OF RAY TAKAHASHI Western Mustang Caleb Rutner (top) in a “scramble” position.

Wrestling enjoys early season success MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE The Western Mustangs men’s wrestling team has earned their place in the top 10 USports ranking, holding onto their ninth-place ranking after three events thanks to consistent performances across the roster. In the team’s season opening event at McMaster, the men’s team was led by Adam Redgrift, who earned a silver medal in the 68kg weight class. The Mustangs women have also seen success so far this season, largely thanks to the performance of second-year Huron student Michalia Walls, who has placed third in all three of her events thus far. The team also saw success at the Greater Toronto Open, coming second in overall team points with 28. Josh Procter led the Mustangs by winning the 76 kg weight title, while Caleb Rutner (72 kg) and Kyle BonkDann (100 kg) both captured second place finishes in their respective weight classes. This past weekend saw another solid performance from the Mustangs as three wrestlers earned spots on the podium at the York Open. Caleb Rutner was third in the 72 kg weight class and first-year Chris Nikolaou earned his first ever

podium finish, placing third in the 57 kg class. On the female side, Walls again earned a third place finish. Head coach Ray Takahashi was pleased with his team’s performance at the York Open. “Yeah, I thought we competed well and had some good finishes,” said Takahashi. “You can always do better and we need to improve on some things, but I thought overall the team competed well.” Takahashi hopes his team can gain experience as the season progresses, especially for next week’s Ontario Senior Championship, an event open to not only university wrestlers but any wrestler in the province. “We need to have more matches to get better,” said Takahashi. “[The Ontario Senior Championships] will be a tough test because it’s open to anyone in Ontario. The competition will be tough.” Caleb Rutner came into the season after a difficult summer. An invitee to compete on Canada’s University World Championship team, he injured himself the day before heading off to Corum, Turkey for the event. Despite the disappointment, Rutner was inspired after watching fellow Team Canada member and Western alumnus Steven Takahashi take home a bronze medal at the

championship. “Since the heartbreak, I have performed great, and have been getting better and better,” said Rutner. “My techniques have been flowing like water. A big thanks has to be given to all of my coaches.” Rutner has established a rivalry with Brock Badgers wrestler Cruiz Manning. Manning has defeated Rutner at the York Open and in the final of the Greater Toronto Open in what has become one of OUA wrestling’s top matchups. “I wrestled Cruiz for the first time when I was in grade ten,” said Rutner. “He was much older than me, and much more developed. Since then I’ve wrestled Cruz several times, losing to him. However, every time we’ve wrestled it’s been closer and closer.” “I anticipate wrestling him this weekend in St. Catherine’s,” he added. “I’ll beat Cruiz and it could happen this Saturday.” For Rutner and his Mustangs teammates, the Ontario Senior Championships allow the team to gauge their development as they move closer to the USports national championship in February in Winnipeg. “The Senior Provincials are almost like a midterm progress report, before the final exam which is nationals,” said Rutner.

Four Mustangs have been invited to Team Canada men’s hockey training camp for the FISU Winter Universiade in Kazakhstan. In total, 40 players will be competing for 22 spots to represent the OUA, USports and Canada. The camp will be held in Caledon from Dec. 27–30, and will be overseen by Queen’s head coach Brett Gibson. “Getting that call to go to training camp is a great honour for those guys,” said Mustangs men’s hockey head coach Clarke Singer. “They’re all great players and great people and I think they all stand a very good chance of making the team.” The invited players are forwards Robert Polesello and Spenser Cobbold, defender Jonathan Laser and goalie Greg Dodds. Polesello, a second-year left centre, has four goals and seven points so far this season, while Cobbold, a secondyear left wing, has two goals and four points. The duo make for a dangerous pair and have exhibited their offensive ability in a season that has seen the Mustangs lack in scoring. “In my mind they’re two of the best forwards in the league,” Singer said about Polesello and Cobbold. “They’ve got great speed, they’ve got great offensive prowess and they’re a very important part of our team.” Laser, a second-year on the team, has developed into one of the best defenders for the Mustangs and in the OUA with two goals and six points. He has become a trusted player on the blue line and a veteran presence for the young defensive core. “Laser is probably one of the best defenders in the league,” said Dodds. “He’s definitely our best. He’s a young D in the league, but he plays minutes for us and he’s really solid back there.” Dodds, a fourth-year goalie, has continued his reliable play for the

Mustangs this season. Despite an injury that left him out for the last few games, he’s been one of the best players on the team so far this season, standing in net for four of the Mustangs wins this season. Dodds is focused on getting back to full health and is determined to make Team Canada. “I’m going into camp expecting to make the team. I don’t think I’ll be happy with anything less than that,” said Dodds. “I’ve just got to show up and have a good camp and let my play do the talking, and hopefully I end up on the final roster.” All four players have excelled in what has been a rough start for the Mustangs. As long as they play their game and have a good showing at training camp, their talent should shine through to the Team Canada coaches. Although Dodds has high expectations for himself, hoping to earn one of two goalie positions, he has faith in his teammates as well. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in all of them,” said Dodds. “I think the sky’s the limit for those guys, and going into training camp, if they have a good week, you never know what could happen, so I’m hoping for the best for all three of them.” Having players fight for a spot on Team Canada for the Universiade isn’t an anomaly for the Mustangs. Mustangs are almost always invited to training camp, and Singer has coached the team for the past two tournaments. “Western’s always been well represented,” said Singer. “It’s a great opportunity for those guys to have a chance to represent their country and their conference.” If they make the team, they’ll travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan. The tournament will take place from Jan. 30, when Canada plays their first game against the U.S., to medal games on Feb. 8.

Major League Soccer has a fan culture like no other sport Charlie Horse

CHARLIE O’CONNOR CLARKE SPORTS EDITOR @CHARLIEJCLARKE You have to be at least somewhat crazy to make an 1,100 km round trip on a wintry Tuesday just to see a soccer game. But 2,000 crazy people did exactly that this week though, as we followed our Toronto FC to Montreal for the first leg of Major League Soccer’s conference final. That formidable pack of diehards marched through snowy streets with red flares held high to wait outside the Olympic Stadium for those poor security guards to let us in. They marched inside to paint a corner of that cavernous stadium TFC red, and to do vocal battle with the sea

of blue Montreal fans. When their beloved team was scored on, only crazy people would stand up as one to give a stadium of 58,000 screaming enemies the finger. At times the opposing fans did physical battle too, as Toronto’s supporters were held in their section for half an hour after the game while belligerent Montreal fans were dispersed. Ten years ago, you would’ve been hard-pressed to find a diehard supporter of a Canadian soccer team. At best the fourth or fifth most popular sport in the country, you could barely even find a local team to cheer for in 2006. That’s why it’s such a big deal that 60,000 fans packed in to see a local soccer game in Canada. After an embarrassing delay of the game’s kickoff while the grounds crew repainted field lines they’d measured wrongly, the game did not disappoint. The home side jumped out to a 3-0 lead, before conceding twice in the second half to give

Toronto two away goals that will be so crucial in the second and final leg of this series next Wednesday. No soccer game held on Canadian soil has seemingly ever generated more excitement. Quebec’s francophone sports network, RDS, bumped this match up to their main, basic cable channel, demoting a Montreal Canadiens game to the premium RDS2. In just a few years the game of soccer has come so far that an MLS playoff game can outdraw a hockey team that’s basically a religion in Quebec. Early reports say that a million people nationwide watched the game, far outstripping any previously-held Canadian record for an MLS game. Top-level pro soccer has only existed in Toronto for 10 years and in Montreal for five. Somehow, though, both teams have built up the passionate fan bases that take teams in other sports decades to create. Sure, success helps with attracting fans. Both teams had their

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

foundation of diehards before they started winning, though. The supporters in Toronto were happy to serenade an atrociously bad on-field product. What really made soccer stick in Canada is the experience. You’ll never see thousands of fans at a Leafs or a Blue Jays game singing a Depeche Mode song in unison. The Air Canada Centre will never be purposely filled with red smoke and fireworks after a goal. Nobody would ever buy a frontrow ticket for a Raptors game only to spend the whole event with their

back to the court leading the crowd in song with a megaphone. Soccer’s fan culture has caught the attention of people on TV. People noticed a camera shaking because the stadium was vibrating too much to hold it steady. You don’t even have to love soccer to love a soccer team. Soccer fans have found a place for emotion and creativity in sport that we would never have seen in Canada before Toronto FC was established in 2007. That passion is what makes these crazy people take time off work to drive to Montreal.


• www.westerngazette.ca

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 • 9

sports

Men’s basketball loses heartbreaker in double OT MIKE DEBOER SPORTS EDITOR @MIKEATGAZETTE The Western Mustangs gave themselves opportunities to win on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall in their matchup with the Laurier Golden Hawks. Ian Smart had a layup under the basket that couldn’t find its way in to break the 70–70 deadlock at the end of the fourth quarter. At the end of the second overtime Eriq Jenkins had a wide open breakaway layup as time expired with the chance to break another tie and improve the Mustangs to 2–3 on the season. He missed. And the Mustangs fell in double overtime 90–84 in another heartbreaking loss for a team that has been so close time and time again. “Exciting to play in a game like that, for the crowd and the players,” said Jenkins after the game. “High intensity and high competition. Not finishing out the game when we had a chance to — I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel right.” Up until that moment Jenkins had put the Mustangs on his back. The 26 point, 12 rebound performance was another standout display from the man who has emerged as the Mustangs most consistent player through its first five games. But the Mustangs again put themselves in the position to win and again fell short. They’ve played much better than their 1–4 record indicates. But that doesn’t change the difficult position that record puts them in.

“You can’t produce better shots and we didn’t convert,” said head coach Brad Campbell on the pivotal misses from Smart and Jenkins. “If you gave me those shots I would take them any time and we didn’t make them and we left the door open.” Campbell was clearly frustrated on the bench, both due to the lack of execution from his team down the stretch and from questionable refereeing decisions at critical moments late in the game. One call in particular, a flagrant foul call on Nik Farkic that gave Laurier the chance to tie the game up at the end of regulation, was especially perplexing. “As the head coach of this program I work tirelessly off the court with our guys, as any coach does, doing any number of things to try and win games on the court,” said Campbell. “When some mysterious calls occur that are gonna decide the outcome of a game that you find mind boggling, I was upset about it and I think I found my cool later on and was able to put some things together.” He then proceeded to describe the call on Farkic as a “head-scratcher.” The Mustangs saw solid contributions offensively from Jenkins as well as Alex Coote, who had 14 points on 60 per cent shooting and nine rebounds, as well as Cam Morris and Ian Smart who finished with 12 and 10 points respectively. Jenkins had an explosive game despite his costly miss. He was attacking the lane and

JENNY JAY GAZETTE Mustangs guard Nik Farkic (#20) maneuvers the ball away from an incoming Golden Hawk.

hitting jump shots and playing aggressively, willing his team on as fatigue set in. Campbell was proud of his work effort. “He was great today and he’s a tremendous athlete,” said Campbell. “He played his butt off and helped us get back in the game with several great takes to the basket. He was a warrior today and unfortunately that one late didn’t go

for him but we got a game Saturday we gotta get ready for.” That game on Saturday, a meeting with the Waterloo Warriors on the road, is the next test on the Mustangs schedule. But it will be hard to move on from another loss that could have gone the other way. “We just didn’t close the game out in that fourth quarter stretch,” said Jenkins. “We had big leads

going into halftime and didn’t pull it out. We could be 4–1 but we’re just young.” This team is young. And inexperience is costing them games. But they’re also being hardened by these hard-fought defeats. With three games remaining before Christmas break they will look to learn from their failures in execution and turn their season around.


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10 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016

culture

Date spots in London

: TESTED Finding the right spot in London to go on a first date can be tough. In the age of Netflix and chilling, picking a place that will be memorable but not excessive is a challenge. Romantic comedy movies have taught us that everything will always work out. A spontaneous mix of circumstances will have you bump into your life-long lover and you’ll both live happily ever after. Of course, that’s not realistic. It seems like everyone these days meets after swiping left or right on an app. That’s alright. Here at The Gazette, we support any way you meet a beau. We also want you to keep them and captivate them on your first date. Some of our editors have scoped out the best and worst spots in London to do so.

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

ELLIS KOIFMAN

GRACE TO

ANNIE RUETER

BRADLEY METLIN

RITA RAHMATI

THE BEST Fire Roasted Coffee

THE BEST The gym

THE BEST Covent Garden Market

THE BEST Coffee and Indigo

THE BEST An escape room

I’ve always been a fan of coffee dates for the first date. It’s pretty straightforward and you’re able to just converse and get to know each other without worrying about being terrible at an activity. The Fire Roasted Coffee location near Covent Garden Market has amazing coffee (and hot chocolate), limited seating and a great atmosphere. Even better, you’re out of the way enough to not run into anyone you know, but not so far that you’re stuck on the bus for three hours after the date. And hey! If the date doesn’t work out, you’ve experienced one of the best coffee places in London.

I met my current boyfriend at the gym. So unofficially, our first few dates were there. A gym date is a win-win situation — you’re getting your exercise in for the week and you’re not pressured to stand around in painful heels all night long. You can take fitness classes or play some basketball together. The gym is a very casual setting so it’s easy to make conversation while staying healthy. Plus, your date can also be your go-to spotter when you’re benching. But truthfully, it doesn’t even have to be a gym date. Any activity date would be fun if it’s something that you both love.

Covent Gardens is always a fun date option considering all the options available. There’s never a wait for food like at established restaurants and there’s no pressure to pick one place you’ll both enjoy in advance; you’re bound to stumble across a vendor that appeals to you both. The seating upstairs coupled with a nice pot of tea from The Tea Haus gives you some quiet space away from the bustle below. If there’s an awkward lull in conversation, a quick glance at your surroundings can give you a topic of conversation. Overall the market has something for everyone and can be a cool place to explore – Who knows what you may learn about each other’s interests?

Coffee always keeps you safe and alert. That’s my mantra for a first date. Unlike other activities, sitting down over a cup of joe is openended for how long it can last — but more importantly, it can be wrapped up whenever you need to. I like to head to a Starbucks attached to an Indigo so you can walk around with your date and have inspired conversation based on what you stumble upon. Whether books, magazines, houseware — there better be something you can talk about. If the conversation is flowing, then perfect. If not, chug that coffee and head for the exit.

It may be unconventional but a date at an escape room seems like a great time to me. It’s unique and regardless of how well the date goes, it’s sure to be a fun night. An escape room enables you to really get to know your date and learn many key skills of theirs without awkward conversation. By the end you’d be able to assess their determination level, how they handle pressure and if you work well as a team. If you’re able to make it through one hour of being trapped in a room together, you’ll be able to last a long time.

THE WORST Anywhere on campus

Under no circumstances should a first date be at any club on Richmond Row. A first date shouldn’t consist of too much alcohol — although a little bit of liquid courage is certainly helpful. Clubs are noisy so it’s hard to hear each other and there are lots of distractions, you’ll want the focus of your first date to be on each other. The odds of sweating through your shirt and looking far below your best is also high when around large crowds and dancing. It’s also important to consider what message a date at a club sets. If this ends up being a long lasting relationship is this where you want to tell people you first went out to? And what if your date sees someone else they like? Awkward…

THE WORST The mall parking lot Back when I was in first year I asked out a girl I had a crush on. Unfortunately she turned out to be extremely flaky. After about three weeks of texting back and forth, she finally agreed on a time to go out for a dinner date. When she showed up, she informed me that she had a pre-existing appointment elsewhere in 30 minutes and accused me of poor planning. Dinner was cancelled. Instead, we hung out in the parking lot of the mall for about 20 minutes before awkwardly parting ways. Needless to say it was a pretty awful first date. At least I knew it was a bad match early?

THE WORST The movies For a first date, going to see a movie doesn’t leave much room to impress. It’s a completely different situation if the dinner comes before the movie, but if the movie comes first, things can get awkward. Basically, a movie first date is two strangers sitting next to each other in absolute silence for two hours. Chances are, you might not even be paying attention to the movie because you’re so nervous. But you can’t drop a smooth line to calm those nerves without receiving dirty looks and you can’t make a move without coming off as creepy. And stale theatre popcorn? Not exactly the most ideal aphrodisiac.

THE WORST A dessert café The way to a girl’s heart is through her stomach – or at least the way to my heart. So when a date suggested going to a dessert café, I expected that he enjoyed a good pastry. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Upon entering Williams, my eyes widened at the dessert case and coffee was a mere afterthought. My date, however, ordered a cup of black coffee and called it a day. While I chowed down on a slice of cheesecake, I couldn’t help but think why on earth we came to Williams if a cup of joe would suffice. Some advice for a first date – pick a place you’ll both like and not leave the other person hanging.

Apparently 2016 is 1984 — at least, that’s what it’s like when you make the suspect decision to have a first date on campus. You’re always being watched. No matter where you go, you’re bound to run into a friend, enemy, lab partner, or forgotten first-year floor-mate. This will not only halt the conversation with your date but will invite follow-up from those you bump into. Your phone will buzz repeatedly with probing texts about how your budding romance is going. Unsolicited advice will begin pouring in as the figurative dam representing your privacy has burst. You’ll have forgotten any details of your date, instead focused on the flood of intrusion you are now faced with.

THE WORST Richmond Row


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GIULIA TATANGELO GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE Many big-name celebrities like the Kardashians are always seen decked out in the latest trends and wearing the most innovative outfits. It is inevitable that we tend to look towards them for inspiration for our everyday looks, whether we like it or not. We can often feel torn between looking as great as they do and dipping into our savings account. Fear no more: it is possible to look like a million bucks on a student budget. Jenny Gilbert, second-year criminology student, shows us how she looks fashionable on campus. Her favourite fashion icon is the beautiful Gigi Hadid. Jenny can’t help but be inspired by Gigi’s street style to recreate her looks for less. Shirt dresses are in. Lately the fashion world has made it acceptable for one to walk out of their house wearing their boyfriend’s clothes top to bottom. This loungy casual look has been a girl’s safe haven recently, allowing us to ditch the tight, restricting clothing and finally let us be comfortable. Thigh-high boots make it appropriate to wear shirt dresses in public creating an illusion that the shirt dress is longer than it may actually be. The high-cut boots cover the

majority of the legs thus the reality of ‘lack of clothing’ is disguised. You may recall that Kourtney Kardashian is notorious for wearing a men’s size large sweatshirt and thigh high boots — and yet she pulls it off. Jenny’s favourite piece is her neck scarf. A silk neck scarf alludes to a luxurious look often seen on your favourite celebrities. The minimalist accessory not only looks expensive but also transforms your outfit from basic to now fashionably different. Of course, lastly, throw on your favourite long line coat. You wouldn’t look like your favourite celebrity and be able to recreate their street style without statement outerwear. When in doubt, always layer. All of Jenny’s pieces are at an affordable price - if you listen closely you can hear student wallets rejoicing. She advises aspiring re-creators to shop affordably. This entails going through big department stores like Forever 21 and Winners. Shop smart and look around for good deals. More often than not, stores like Forever 21 get their style inspiration from big designer labels and recreate them at an affordable price. So if you are patient enough and wait it out that same coat Gigi Hadid wore last month will appear on the rack of your favourite department store - after all it’s the life cycle of fashion.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016 • 11

culture

Where is it from? Boots

: Steve Madden. The price may seem a little steep despite the fact that a pair of Stuart Wiseman’s boots may be $900. Check Aldo or UK Website Public Desire for boots under $100.

Dress:

Abercrombie. Relativity cheaply priced at under $30, but if you can’t justify that for a plain white shirt, look at Forever 21, H&M or even your dad’s closet!

Sweater:

Aritzia. If you want a well-made coat and are willing to dish out some extra cash for the investment then shop Aritzia. If you are just buying for the look and could care less for quality, shop Zara or even Urban Behaviour.

Scarf:

Aldo. You could buy hundreds of Aldo’s neck scarves with the money you would spend on one Gucci silk neck scarf. JENNY JAY GAZETTE

A very welcome Arrival to theatres MICHAEL MACNEILL GAZETTE STAFF @GAZETTECULTURE Director: Denis Villeneuve Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker Rating: GGGGG The annual November sci-fi movie has become a tradition over the last few years, with the likes of The Martian, Interstellar and now Arrival. Not only is Arrival a breath of fresh air after a long summer blockbuster season and a serious candidate for the Academy Awards Best Picture, it also accomplishes what the best of sci-fi always does: uses complex ideas to tell a poignant human story. When 12 alien spaceships land around the world, Louise Banks (Adams) is called upon to lead an elite team of investigators, including physicist Ian Donnelly (Renner) and Colonel Weber (Whitaker). They race against time to establish communication with the aliens so they can figure out where they came from, how they got here and, most importantly, what they want with humanity. Any extra information about the plot would be a major disservice as this film is best viewed with as little prior knowledge as possible, but it is good to manage expectations prior to seeing the film. Do not go in expecting giant military vs. alien battles à la Independence Day. The film is slow. This is not to say that Arrival is boring; on the contrary, it is quite captivating. There are a lot of big themes and ideas explored in Arrival,

from the journey vs the destination to humanity’s reaction to the unknown, but easily one of the best is the nature of communication. The film does an incredible job of showing the many subtle nuances of our everyday communication that we take for granted. Some of the best scenes are of the team standing in front of a whiteboard going over how many ways a simple sentence could be misunderstood. There are many heady themes to chew on. The cerebral aspects to Arrival are also accompanied by heartfelt human emotions. This is mostly through the outstanding performance of Amy Adams. She is definitely the star and emotional tether of this movie. Renner and Whitaker are also great in their roles but every other character is in the periphery compared to Adams’ Louise. Throughout the entire film Adams is able to draw you in and make you care deeply about her character and her consequential decisions. Bringing all of these magnificent elements together is Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, a rising star in Hollywood. His choices of smooth camera movement, sparing use of vibrant colours and unnerving alien/spaceship designs give the film a strange surreal feeling. He is also aided by some breathtaking cinematography. So long as you go in with the correct expectations, it is an amazing experience. It’s the rare film that combines complex cerebral ideas with powerful human emotion and will stay with you long after you have left the theatre.

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Between York and Horton. Accessible by bus. SAT. DEC. 3 St. Luke’s Anglican Church, 1204 Richmond St. N at Bernard, Old Fashioned Christmas Bazaar & Silent Auction. 12 noon - 3.00 p.m. Tea Room, chilli lunch available for purchase. Jewellery, books, preserves, marmalade and Christmas baking etc. Enter off Bernard. St. Luke’s is wheel chair accessible.

SERVICES BUSINESS 2257 TUTOR seeking students looking to maximize their 2257 grade. My qualifications include: Achieving a 94% in 2257, 8+ years of tutoring experience, and Economics TA of the Year. Contact: trooney3@uwo.caexperience, and Economics TA of the Year. Contact: trooney3@uwo.ca

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 3


www.westerngazette.ca

12 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016

games

PHOTO OF THE DAY

CROSSWORD BY EUGENE SHEFFER

MAAILAH BLACKWOOD GAZETTE HAPPY TIMES CRAFT SHOW. Meet Lawna Wilson (left) Linda Davie (middle) and Doris Camps (right) — the ladies bringing adorable knitted crafts to Western University for 21 years. The craft show runs for one week in the basement of the UCC before the holiday season.

WORD SEARCH

THANKSGIVING DESSERT WORD SEARCH DINING DINNER ACORN EAT AUTUMN FEAST BAKE FOOTBALL BASTE GATHERING CASSEROLE GRAVY CONVERSATION LEAF CORNBREAD LEFTOVERS CORNUCOPIA NAPKIN DELICIOUS NATIVE

OVEN PILGRIMS POTATOES

PUMPKIN RECIPE SQUASH

WESTERNTV

@WESTERN_TV

STUFFING TASTY THANKFUL

THANKSGIVING VEGETABLES THURSDAY WISHBONE TRADITIONS YAM

For solution go to westerngazette.ca/solution

265 & 267 – UCC BUILDING CREATIVESERVICES-USC.CA 519-661-3578

PRICES STARTING AT $5 SQ/Ft.

WESTERN TV IS GROWING VOLUNTEER WITH US #BuildYourResume VIDEOGRAPHERS • EDITORS • SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERTS • ROOKIES

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Friday, November 25, 2016 by Western Gazette - Issuu