thegazetteFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2014 WESTERN UNIVERSITY • CANADA’S ONLY DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • FOUNDED 1906 VOLUME 108, ISSUE 36

Feeling the sound check since 1906

Glad to be ShadHip hop artist Shad performs at Western on Monday>> Pg. 7

TODAYhigh4low-1

TOMORROWhigh6low0

The City of London is not too shabby, according to the recent pub-lication of the Ontario Municipal Chief Administrative Officers’ Benchmarking Initiative survey.

The annual survey assessed the performance of municipalities across Ontario and how effectively programs and services are delivered.

“We are very pleased and proud of the City of London’s results and staff continue to work hard to deliver effective and efficient services every day,” Jon-Paul McGonigle, project manager for London, said.

Thirty-six common services are assessed and displayed on a year-to-year basis in order to compare the municipality’s progress.

London fared relatively average across most of the 2013-year report, but shined in such areas as lowest licensing costs and lowest cost to dispose of garbage.

“There are many factors and metrics to consider when using the term ‘quality.’ The OMBI results accurately reflect that the City of London provides services in an efficient manner when compared to partnering municipalities,” McGonigle said.

London also had the highest non-traffic criminal code violations per police officer in comparison to other cities, though it had dropped from 2011.

• Olivia Zollino

London happily average

Courtesy of Western Women’s Lacrosse

WOMEN’S LACROSSE EXTEND THEIR OUA RECORD WINNING STREAK. Western claimed yet another OUA championship on Sunday, meaning they haven’t lost a game in four years. See pg. 4 for more on how they’ve kept it up for so long.

Kevin HurrenNEWS EDITOR-AT-LARGE

@KevinAtGazette

While most get sick from post-Hal-loween candy binges, students at Brock University have felt uneasy for a very different reason.

At an on-campus Halloween party on October 30, a Jamaican bobsled team won a costume con-test at Isaac’s Bar and Grill, with three of the four members dressed in blackface.

The first place costume, which was determined by crowd cheers, won $500.

Because the event took place at Isaac’s – Brock’s equivalent of The Spoke – the contest was hosted by the Brock University Students’ Union. As such, a number of stu-dents reached out to BUSU presi-dent Roland Erman to express their concerns.

After posting an initial apology to

the BUSU Facebook page on Friday afternoon, Erman has since released a more formal statement on Monday detailing how the union were hand-ling the incident.

“We took full responsibility for what took place and we’re going to try and take proactive steps to make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” Erman said.

One of the ways Erman hopes to accomplish this is by expanding equity and human rights training. Currently, BUSU executives and full-time staff receive workshops through the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

The contest, however, was facili-tated by Isaac staff – with boun-cers pulling costumed attendants onstage and one of the bar’s DJs judging the crowd cheers.

Though Erman doesn’t believe an Isaac employee called the bob-sled team onto the stage, he does recognize the process needs to be

improved.“We’re going to extend our equity

training to Isaac staff, as well as ensure there’s greater oversight with a contest like this,” he said.

As for the $500 first place prize, the BUSU is working with the uni-versity to contact the men involved with the costume.

“We’re hopefully going to have a meeting early next week with them and see what we can do,” said Erman, who hopes that the money – unless already spent – could be reinvested or donated.

The university’s president, Jack Lightstone, also released a state-ment earlier this week, denouncing the costume and refuting critiques that those offended are too sensitive.

“Historical consciousness makes the [costume] offensive, and the lack of historical consciousness risks insensitivity to the offence given,” reads the letter.

Still, neither the BUSU nor

university plan to discipline the cos-tumed participants, a decision that Erman sees as a matter of motives.

“I don’t believe there was any malicious intent [in the costume] nor any of the cheering,” he said. “But I certainly can understand how there are people who are hurt and offended by this.”

Acknowledging this, the BUSU will work towards encouraging more awareness come next trick-or-treat-ing season.

“Next year I won’t be here, but we’re looking at running some awareness campaigns in the time before Halloween – talking about what constitutes an offensive cos-tume – so we can be more proactive.”

This past Halloween was the first year that Western’s own University Students’ Council Enthnocultural Support Services launched the Question Your Costume campaign raising awareness about similar issues.

Brock’s bobsled blackface backlash

>> WOMEN’S LACROSSE > OUA CHAMPIONS

•••InsideUSC gold card entices students • P3

Women’s lacrosse wins championship • P4

So does women’s rowing • P5

Male sexual harassment just as scarring • P6

Letters: Ban Poloz banner in light of his comments • P6

live in style.

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2 • thegazette • Friday, November 7, 2014

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer

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.

519-858-2525 • themarq.ca • 75 Ann St. Luxury Student Housing

Caught on Camera

King’s prof wins prestigious Harry C. Koenig award

News Briefs

Interest in science doesn’t extend to

universityAlmost three quarters of high school students show an interest in science but few want to study it in university, according to the research report Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce: What do Canada’s Teens Think About Their Futures? released on Tuesday.

The report, published by Let’s Talk Science in coordination with Amgen Canada, showed that 72 per cent of the 818 students surveyed have an interest in science, but only 56 per cent of students show any interest in continuing with science after high school.

Seventy-eight per cent of the stu-dents surveyed believe that science offers many different career options and 81 per cent agree that if fewer students pursue science, this will have an impact on society in the long term. But these values do not translate into post-secondary inter-est, according to the study.

Bonnie Schmidt, president of Let’s Talk Science, explained that the challenge now is to get students to remain interested in science as they reach the university and col-lege level.

“Our mission is to really help change that conversation and bridge that gap between young people and having a good, positive attitude towards science, and bridg-ing the divide for students to stay in their post-secondary education and career,” Schmidt said.

• Christopher Miszczak

Taylor Lasota • GAZETTE

THE END IS COMING. By the end, we mean Winter, specifically London’s Winter. It consists of lots of staying indoors, consuming copious amounts of Starbucks, wishing that it would just stop snowing and bitching about how nothing ever gets plowed. This is your first clue that the end is near.

Katie LearNEWS EDITOR@KatieAtGazette

King’s University College profes-sor Robert Ventresca was awarded the Harry C. Koenig Prize by the American Catholic Historical Association on Thursday.

Ventresca won the award for his recently published work: Soldier of Christ: The Life of Pope Pius XII.

“[The award] is offered every two years [and] it recognizes outstand-ing biographies of members of the

Catholic Church,” explained Agnes Chick, communications and media relations assistant at King’s.

“Entries have to be published in English and the prize consists of $1,500,” Chick continued.

Ventresca’s publication was also nominated for the 2015 Grawemeyer Award in Religion by the University of Louisville for significant contri-butions to religious and spiritual understanding.

“This latest accolade for Ventresca is yet another occasion for King’s to celebrate the exemplary

achievements of our faculty,” King’s principal David Sylvester com-mented in a press release.

An associate professor in the department of history, Ventresca has been honoured previously this year as he was elected as a member to the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists on September 16.

Ventresca will be receiving the Koenig prize in New York this com-ing January, according to Chick.

We would like to remind you that you must meet with a counsellor at Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), in the Student Development Centre, to arrange academic accommodation for your 2014/15 winter courses.

If you have not yet requested accommodation for your courses, and you wish to use accommodation for December 2014 exams, you must meet with a counsellor by Friday, November 21st. If requested after this date, accommodation for December 2014 exams cannot be arranged by Exam Services.

To book your appointment please call

519-661-2 1 47

1411

06

Solution to puzzle on page 7

thegazette • Friday, November 7, 2014 • 3

USC spurs students with gold cards

Amy O’KrukNEWS EDITOR@AmyAtGazette

Exclusive event access and as many Western Film shows as the heart desires, these are the perks of the University Students’ Council’s new gold card.

The gold card was created by the USC’s president, Matt Helfand, and the vice-president finance, Andrew Lalka. The card gives its holder free access and line bypass to any USC event, free admission to Western Film and line bypass to the Spoke to see Rick McGhie on Wednesday nights.

At present, 10 gold cards are in circulation with five won during orientation week and another five given out during the recent muni-cipal elections campaign.

“We’re hoping that the next five actually go out during the strategic planning cycle,” said Lalka. “If people answer the USC strategic plan [survey] they’re entered in a draw to win one of five of those.”

Lalka added the cards will never be for sale. They’re an incentive for students to engage with the USC and increase the organization’s visibility.

The gold cards expire at the end of the school year, on May 30, 2015. Students who are interested in a gold card can find the strategic plan survey at https://www.surveymon-key.com/s/USCStrat2014. The draw for participants of the survey also includes an iPad.

“I think it’s a creative and fun way to not only give students the opportunity to do a couple of fun things, but also see what the USC does,” Lalka said.

Amy O’Kruk • GAZETTE

HELFAND’S GOT THE MIDAS TOUCH. The USC is introducing gold cards to Western’s students that offer them perks around campus such as free admission to Western Film and line bypass to USC events.

Hamza TariqNEWS EDITOR

@HamzaAtGazette

The American public has voted out the Democrats and brought the Republicans to power in the Senate in the 2014 midterm elections held on Tuesday.

In some of the most closely contested midterm elections, the Republicans further solidified their presence in Congress and are now slated to hold the largest Republican majority in the House of Representatives since the early 1950s.

President Barack Obama, who has two more years left in his second and last term, will now face a vocal and critical opposition when the newly elected Senate and Congress convene for the first time in January 2015.

“It appears that the Republican Party did a better job of framing the election as a referendum on Obama, who currently is suffering with low approval ratings,” said Eric de Ross, a political science masters student focusing on American politics at Western.

Obama wielded his veto power only twice in his second term, a historic low, due to the Democrats controlling the Senate. As the Republicans take charge of both houses of Congress from 2015, the president might be forced to be more actively involved with legis-lation than ever before.

“While the incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

(R-KT), has indicated recently he wishes to work with Obama to pass meaningful legislation, I remain unconvinced,” Ross said.

Senator McConnell has also been a vocal advocate of an issue that hits closer to home for Canadians — the Keystone XL pipeline. While the Democratic Senate had refused to deal with legislation relating to the pipeline for the past six years, the Republicans have made it a prior-ity. It appears that unless President Obama employs his veto power, the XL pipeline project may finally go through.

The results of the midterm elec-tions have also ignited debate over the direction of the U.S. foreign policy under a Democratic presi-dent and a Republican Senate. Issues range from ISIS and Iran to the Nuclear-Proliferation Treaty. The president cannot ratify inter-national treaties without a two-thirds approval from the Senate.

“The election results mean the entire NPT regime is threatened. We are entering a nuclear jungle with no rules,” said Erika Simpson, an asso-ciate professor in the department of political science at Western.

In the 2010 NPT Conference, it was expected that Obama would lead in putting in place substantial measures to strengthen the treaty and would start talks on the estab-lishment of a Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone.

“There was hope we would reach agreement on Iran and North Korea’s nuclear arsenals. Obama promised to consider signing the

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and maybe set up a Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty,” Simpson said. “All those plans and promises now lie by the wayside. A lame-duck president can’t sign — or even negotiate any grand nuclear agreements.”

Perhaps the greatest foreign policy challenge currently facing the United States government is the ISIS threat in the Middle East.

According to Salim Mansur, asso-ciate professor in the department of political science at Western, the two most important committees in terms of foreign policy will be the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Defence Committee.

Now headed by the Republicans, the committees and their chairs would aggressively grill the Obama administration on their stance on ISIS and their plans on deal-ing with the rampant terror being spread by the organization.

“The question will be what is the president’s policy — what does he expect? Does he take the issue of ISIS seriously or is it simply the matter of responding to public opinion,” Mansur said.

U.S.-Iran relations will be also be under scrutiny as the ongoing U.S. led talks with Iran conclude this month. The results of talks will be significant as they would set the tone for U.S. policy towards Iran.

“The new Congress will not allow any agreement to be signed in which they are not convinced … that Iran is going to dismantle their [nuclear] program in a major way,” Mansur said.

Republicans’ victory gives party majority in Senate

Jennifer Feldman • GAZETTE

ARIES - Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, containing your emotions may be challenging this week. Exciting events begin to unfold, so enjoy them as much as possible. Enlist some friends to join the fun.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, it is impossible to postpone a commitment any longer. It may not seem like the right time just yet, but you need to forge ahead anyway and handle things as they come.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Practice discretion this week, Taurus. You do not know how a particular situation will unfold, so it is better to stay neutral until the entire situation settles. Then you can take action.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 It is easy to feel burnt out before you achieve a goal, Scorpio. You just need to learn how to pace yourself a little better and to ignore distractions that result in delays.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Some colleagues may want to goof off all week long and get nothing accomplished, Gemini. But you have other goals and know some hard work now means fun later.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Express your creativity this week, Sagittarius. You have long felt the desire to display this other side, and now is a great time to do so. Encourage others to do the same.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 It is time for you to step up and take the reins, Cancer. Your leadership skills have long been an asset, and it’s time to put them to use for the greater good.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, express your emotions this week even if you think your ideas will not garner much support. Exercise diplomacy, as you do not want to engage in any conflicts.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, an upcoming adventure has you brimming with excitement. Some people are drawn to your vigor, while others are a little uncomfortable.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 You may explore different interests and hobbies this week only to find that nothing seems to be the right fit, Aquarius. Do not let it get you down. You will find the answer.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Downplay your authority this week, Virgo. Newcomers to your place of employment will feel more comfortable around you if they don’t have to worry about rank.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Don’t squander money on a lavish purchase this week, Pisces. There are better ways to spend your money in the coming weeks.

This horoscope is intended for entertainment purposes only.

Your Weekly Horoscope The week of Nov. 9 – 15

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS NOV. 12 – Wallace Shawn, Actor (71) NOV. 9 – Eric Dane, Actor (42) NOV. 13 – Gerard Butler, Actor (45) NOV. 10 – Miranda Lambert, Singer (31) NOV. 14 – Taylor Hall, Athlete (23) NOV. 11 – Leonardo DiCaprio, Actor (40) NOV. 15 – Chad Kroeger, Singer (40)

519-858-2525 • themarq.ca • 75 Ann St. Luxury Student Housing

4 • thegazette • Friday, November 7, 2014

sports gamedayBoth volleyball teams will host the Guelph Gryphons tonight at Alumni Hall. The women, who are 2–3, play at 6 p.m., while the men, who are 4–1, play at 8 p.m.

Rundown >> Amanda Truelove and Melissa Caruso were both named OUA all-stars for their contributions to women’s cross country • They helped Western win silver at the OUA championships this year

Women’s lacrosse definition of excellenceAll they do is win, and it’s because of more than just talent

Nathan KanterSPORTS EDITOR@NathanAtGazette

The Mustangs women’s lacrosse team is no ordinary group of gals.

Off the field, sure, they’re you’re typical talkative bunch. But on the field, the focus the girls display is second to none.

“Everyone knows how to joke around with one another but when game time rolls around we know it’s time to go to work,” said fourth-year midfielder Tenyka Snider, who was named a first-team Ontario University Athletics all-star this season.

And go to work they have. This team played 12 times in the 2014 regular season and came away with 12 victories. Last year, in 2013, 10 games and 10 more wins. Before that, in 2011 and 2012, the same: two more undefeated regular seasons. Four seasons, zero losses.

But that wasn’t enough. Each year, the Mustangs didn’t drop a playoff game either, and came away with their third straight OUA championships.

Which brings us to last week-end, when Western had a chance to make it four straight provincial crowns and extend their OUA record winning streak to 56 games – regular season and playoffs combined.

At half they were down 5–4 to Brock, yet nobody on the team was phased.

“Being down by one at half was nothing new for us,” said third-year forward Tawnie Johnson, a three-time OUA all-star. “Coach Hastings is a blessing in any crisis. He has the ability to keep a calm and collected manner that sends good vibes out to the entire team.”

Soon that calm and collected manner turned to energy.

“Everyone was fired up,” said Michelle Farrugia, a third-year mid-fielder who was also named an OUA first-team all-star this year. “We were pumping each other up and talking about what it means to be a Mustang – we win.”

From there, nobody looked back. Western didn’t allow a second-half goal and scored three of their own to take the game – and the champion-ship – by a score of 7–5.

It’s clear that something about this Mustang women’s lacrosse program is special. Not only have they won four straight champion-ships now, but they have won five times in the past six years. This year they shattered the OUA record for goals for per game – with 16.69. In 2011 they also set the record for the fewest goals against per game – with just 3.69.

So another thing that is crystal clear is that coach Dave Hastings has something to do with all the success.

A former Mustang player on the men’s side, Hastings came aboard to coach the women’s team in 2008, something he had never done

before.Immediately, he put a new struc-

ture in place. He wanted to change how the team practiced, when it practiced and how it approached games. Early conditioning camps in August became the norm and immediately he saw the commit-ment he was looking for.

Once all the players were com-mitted to practice every evening of the week, Hastings could focus on that one thing that troubles almost any sports coach — chemistry.

“We really push to make sure the chemistry is right with the team,” Hastings said. “We don’t like drama, we don’t like pettiness. Once we feel there is an issue, we deal with it right away, we get everything on the table. We correct problems so that people are feeling good about coming to practice [and] feeling good about playing.”

It certainly doesn’t hurt that this team has consistently been filled with all-star caliber talent, but as Farrugia notes, talent can only take you so far.

“The dominant factor in our continued success has been our atti-tude, our work ethic and our close-knit nature,” she said. “It means nothing if we have 25 individually talented players who don’t mesh well together ... We know we have lots of talent and our work ethic in practice reinforces our skill. So we focus a lot on our mental game and our team game.”

With drama and individual play out of the picture, the team can focus on what matters most. For Farrugia, stressing the importance of communication has been one of the keys and it has paid off in spades.

“When things break down, we talk about it. If we want to be stronger in certain areas, we talk about it,” she said. “It’s great hav-ing a coaching staff who not only teaches us, but let’s us teach each other. We have a very interactive vibe at practices and during games.”

Constant communication on the field also means the team has become closer off the field.

“It’s all of the girls and the day to day jokes that make being a part of this team so special,” said defender Jesse Porter, a first-team OUA all-star who is graduating after this season. “They are a second family and its hard to believe that it’s all coming to an end.”

Maddison Crowther, the captain of the squad who won’t return next year, says the special team bond is why she got emotional after this past championship, her last as a Mustang.

“For most of us senior play-ers this was the last competitive lacrosse game we will ever play, so ... it definitely brought tears to my eyes,” she said. “Everything we do together, from library dates, bus rides to games and team bonding activities seems to always come with a laugh or two.”

For Farrugia, who still has a year left, the off-field memories are the ones that will really stick with her.

“We spend a lot of time together and enjoy organizing team bonding nights where we all pitch money and resources to make things happen,” she said. “Big pasta dinners, ‘hydra-tion nights’ as we like to call them – where we intake twice our body weight in water, it seems, before games – bonfires, the list goes on. We all get along so well. These girls aren’t just my teammates, they’re my best friends.”

While Farrugia will get to spend another season with her best friends, Crowther and Porter won’t. The two seniors both felt this final championship was the most spe-cial of all the four they have won and they also agree the coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for the team’s success.

“The time and energy they put into our season does not go unnoticed,” Crowther said.

Lucky for them, they will still get the opportunity to play alongside their teammates in an exhibition tournament in the States during reading week.

Next season however, they won’t be back. But most of this year’s team – and its coaches – will be back, and they won’t expect anything less than another OUA title to add to the pile.

How long can they stay undefeated? Only time will tell.

Courtesy of Western Mustangs Women’s Lacrosse

FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN PROVES MOST CHALLENGING. Western trailed Brock at half, but they rallied once again to win their fourth straight OUA championship and 56th game in a row.

thegazette • Friday, November 7, 2014 • 5

Western rowing strokes above and beyond Suhaib Al-AzemGAZETTE STAFF@SportsAtGazette

The Western rowing team has been sweeping the podium in the Ontario Championships and National Championships over the past two weeks. The women’s team in par-ticular was dynamic in their season, bringing home two top-placement banners and many podium awards in all forms of competition: single, double and eight-person teams.

The Mustangs rowing squad, both men and women, travelled to St. Catharines to face all Ontario university rowing teams. Both the men’s and women’s teams domin-ated in their respective categories.

The women ’Stangs annihilated the competition, winning gold in the final standings thanks to a score of 532, nearly 200 points ahead of the second-ranked Queen’s Gaels. They took home six gold medals and two silver medals.

The men, although not as devas-tating as the ladies, were still impres-sive in their own right. The male Mustangs won silver overall, with a total of two golds and three silvers in their eight events. This left them 38 points short of the gold-winning

team – the Brock Badgers.Head coach Volker Nolte

described the transition from Ontario to the national level.

“We were really dominating in Ontario, and then when we came here, obviously UBC and UVictoria had a challenge put up for us and we answered very well,” he said.

The Western rowing team’s skills were tested and will continue to be tested as the team traveled

to Victoria B.C. for the Canadian University Rowing Championships. The competition is over but there will also be national individual races in the next couple days for national recruitment.

Similar to the OUA Championships, Western came out with all they had, and the women will be coming home with first place in all of Canada. They won podium placement in all six of the

events, with three golds, two silvers and a bronze. The men were close to a podium finish, coming in a solid fourth place. The men won first place in the men’s double, and added multiple fourth-place finishes in the other six events.

Despite rowing being a team-ori-ented sport, there are still star play-ers. Jill Moffatt of the women’s team and Marc Addison of the men’s team truly stood out.

Nolte had some praise for Moffatt, who won OUA women’s rower of the year and won out-standing female rower of the year for the Canadian University Rowing Championships.

“The one person I would men-tion from the girls is Jill Moffatt. She rowed this year on the national team; she didn’t lose a single race,” he said.

“She is a wonderful person,” he continued. “A rower from our team was diagnosed with cancer, and Jill spearheaded a movement called ONETEAM to raise money and to help their team member and the movement fundraised $20,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. So Jill goes beyond just being a student athlete,” he continued.

Although there is a strong focus on the individual aspect of rowing, it is a team effort to win in the final standings. The Western women’s rowing team was marvelous throughout their season, and the men were right on their heels. The races over the next days will deter-mine if any Mustang athletes, men or women, will be rowing for the Canadian National team.

Photos Courtesy of Western Mustangs

30,000 acres of Canadian wetland are destroyed by human activity each year. Help us protect what’s left. longpointwaterfowl.org

6 • thegazette • Friday, November 7, 2014

opinions

thegazetteVolume 108, Issue 36www.westerngazette.ca

Contact:www.westerngazette.caUniversity Community Centre Rm. 263The University of Western OntarioLondon, ON, CANADAN6A 3K7Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580Advertising Dept.: (519) 661-3579

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

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

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News Amy O’Kruk Hamza Tariq Katie Lear Olivia Zollino

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Diana Watson

• Please recycle this newspaper •

Sexual harassment is complex, subtle, and highly subjective.

• Kathie Lee Gifford

Bradley MetlinSPORTS EDITOR@BradAtGazette

One teenaged boy recently got incredibly popular — just for doing his job. We know little about him. His name appears to be “Alex,” he works at Target and he is pretty darn attractive. People have retweeted his photo thousands and thousands of time, giving him a small online fandom.

He seems flattered by the attention, which is fantastic that he hasn’t been negatively affected, but let’s keep in mind that this behaviour is equivalent to online catcalling. As a society, we try to break down our attitudes regarding how men view women — something we don’t do for men.

A YouGov poll from August concluded that 72 per cent of Americans said it was never appropriate to make a catcall. Of course, when we think of the victims of “street harassment,” how often do we think of men?

Before I get any further, allow me to clarify: there’s a huge difference between something on the street — where some-one is open and vulnerable — and on the Internet where people are behind a screen in a different location. What isn’t different, however, is that both are meth-ods of objectification.

In cases like Alex from Target, or the ridiculously photogenic guy, or the Instagram account DILFS of Disneyland

or countless other examples, widespread objectification from the masses is increasingly directed towards men. Keep in mind that they have not consented to have their photo disseminated to millions of people. They have not asked for the type of attention they are receiving.

Imagine the outrage that would exist if an Instagram account popped up called MILFS from Disneyland. It wouldn’t have over 150,000 followers. BuzzFeed would not label it as “the Instagram account we’ve all been waiting for.” It would be creepy, disturbing and wrong.

Through a study of sexual harassment in the military, Michigan State research-ers discovered that male survivors were more debilitated by their experiences than their female counterparts in that situation. No matter the gender, sexual harassment is a scarring experience.

Sure, there might be some appeal to “objectifying men for once,” but that’s not a proper attitude to hold. When, as a society, we are circulating creeper shots of hot men and then turning around and

critiquing male ownership of women — that seems unbalanced.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting that we stop looking at men and women. By all means, brew a pot of tea and ogle over whomever you prefer alone or with your closest friends. You can even take pleasure in your adjudication of the attractiveness of those around you and online — but as soon as you bring those opinions to the public sphere, that’s when it becomes problematic.

Speaking of the public sphere, Alex from Target was recently on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and said that he felt overwhelmed by the attention. Reflecting on his talents, he noted that people seemed to think he was good at bagging groceries. It was a lovely interview but why was he on the show at all?

As hot or adorable as Alex from Target might be, as a society, we need to be more aware of how we use our social media. If you wouldn’t catcall a random person on the street, so why would you do the same thing online?

Just ask Alex about sexual harassment

BreakingBrad

To the editor:While I applaud the fundraising efforts of Western’s “Be Extraordinary” cam-paign and am proud of the many alumni who grace our buildings, I would like to express my distaste with the banner donned on the side of the Social Science Centre near the UCC.

For those unaware, the banner has a 30-foot picture of Stephen Poloz, the Bank of Canada’s governor — a pretty big Canadian figurehead.

Poloz has recently come under fire for making comments about Canadian youth to our House of Commons. Poloz’s advice for the 200,000 young Canadians who are out of work, underemployed or back in school trying to improve their job prospects was to, “Get some real-life experience even though you’re dis-couraged, even if it’s for free”, adding that, “If your parents are letting you live in the basement, you might as well go out and do something for free to put the

Ban the banner

We Get Letters!

experience on your CV”. It goes without saying that these comments are ignorant, insensitive and undermine the recent efforts to establish employment stan-dards for students and youth.

I’m not sure what my intent is with this letter, other than that I hope others become informed about these remarks and the dissonance this banner creates for a university filled with students who face bleak job prospects after graduating with unprecedented student debt.

Having this monstrous banner of Poloz smile at me as I walk to get my daily coffee is, frankly, a slap in the face… But I’m just thankful that I don’t have to volunteer at Tim Horton’s to pay for my large black.

I am going to write a letter (and I hope others will do the same) to Amit Chakma, president of Western University, asking for the banner to be removed from the building to deliver the message to Poloz that his values are less than extraordin-ary and don’t reflect well on the Mustang community.

• Jeff ReedNursing Masters II

No defence for PolozI think it’s unfortunate that the Gazette Editorial Board and Richard Raycraft both leapt to the defence of Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz. In both the column and editorial, the merit of vol-unteering is used as a façade for the real problem – young people being left out of the job market.

Poloz made a shallow comment – he is perpetuating the stereotype of a young, lazy person sitting in a basement prepared to do nothing. If he wanted to make the headlines, he could easily point his finger at the ones disturbingly unprepared to remain engaged and motivated: corporations that have lost faith in the society they are a part of.

Poloz understands that large corpor-ations are sitting on vast sums of cash (facilitated by quantitative easing), with-out the desire to invest it and thus create employment. They are the ones that need encouragement from Poloz to “do some-thing for free.”

• Driton NushajArts Masters II

Courtesy of @auscalum

HAVE YOUR SAY

The Gazette asked students what they thought of Brock students in black face winning a costume contest.

Emily VandersandenPsychology I

“People’s races shouldn’t really be held in costumes. I don’t think they should have won,

that’s pretty racist”

Victor PironeAmerican Studies II

“In this case, it’s not with malicious intent … I don’t really have a negative view of it but obviously it kind of makes you think about those negative

connotations towards the ways in which in the past you had white people dress up and exaggerate

black features and stereotypes.”

Girisha BodavulaHealth Sciences

“I feel like they could have represented the Jamaican team without having to change the

colour of their faces. They could have just used a Jamaican flag.”

Stefan MorrowBMOS III

“I don’t see that as racist. I would never dress up as that, I would never paint my skin just for a costume but I don’t think its discriminatory … I can see why it

would be viewed in a bad light though.”

Re: “Poloz under fire for comments about unemployed youth,” Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014

thegazette • Friday, November 7, 2014 • 7

arts&life saywhat?“The thing about hip hop today is it’s smart, it’s insightful. The way they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable.”

• Barack Obama

Shad now or Shad later? UWO says now!Forest City native returns to open International Week

Conrad FloryanARTS AND LIFE EDITOR

@ConradAtGazette

International week at Western is held this year November 10–14 to celebrate our global community and engage students, staff and fac-ulty in international opportunities. London’s very own Juno award-win-ning hip hop star Shad opens up the festivities with a keynote talk and performance. The Gazette caught up with Shad for a little chat ahead of his show.

GAZETTE: How would you describe yourself in a nutshell?

SHAD: That’s a good question. I would say pretty simple. I get joy from creating, from being with friends. Pretty simple guy — I never really wanted too much more than that.

G: What can fans expect at your show?

S: It should be cool. I’m actually really looking forward to it because it’s something different for me — a chance to play my songs, some of which engage with some serious topics, just to get to engage in a dif-ferent way. I get to speak to people in a different way, hopefully not to speak but dialogue a little bit. I’m really looking forward to it.

G: Do you think young people in Canada are engaged with inter-national issues?

S: The weight of comfort is a dif-ficult one to lift. To be able to see with a more global perspective I think that’s something that most of us struggle with here in Canada. Hopefully we can talk a little bit about that. We can talk about some of our barriers to seeing the world as interconnected and seeing the suffering or success of people all around the world as connected to our own suffering and success more broadly and connect more deeply. Hopefully we can talk about that a little bit on Monday. We’re not even engaged on national or local issues, let alone international.

G: Could you give some insight into the work your parents are doing with the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Rwanda project?

S: I don’t know too much about it really. My dad is a liaison. His friend David Cechetto works at Western. They partnered on that in terms of my dad acting as a liaison, con-necting him with people in Rwanda, facilitating travel and that stuff.

G: Does playing your home-town change your approach to performing?

S: Yeah, kind of. There’s a level of familiarity there, which is nice. It’s comfortable and it’s usually warm. I don’t know if it really changes my approach but it’s usually a little bit of a different dynamic. I always just want to play well because I’m at home and these people all sup-ported me a long time so there’s always an extra motivation to do my best.

G: What are your favourite spots to hang out at in your hometown?

S: Mostly just at friends’ houses but if I had to name some more pub-lic spots I’d say definitely Barakat is a must visit when I’m in town, Prince Al’s — that’s up there and the parks downtown are always nice. Those are some personal favorites but at this point usually when I’m home I’m trying to catch up with as many people as I can.

G: You managed to balance establishing your career with your university studies. What advice do you have for students struggling to balance school with busy lives?

S: I just believe in the philosophy of putting a lot on your plate and you will find a way to get it done versus limiting what you’re doing because you’re not sure if you’ll have enough energy. I just believe in if there’s something that interests you, you take it on and if it really interests you you’ll probably find a way to get it done. Especially at that age, undergrad age, I highly recommend

it. There will be a time I think when you have to conserve your energy, when you really have to focus on pri-oritizing but I think when you’re an undergrad it’s really an opportunity to learn as much as you can, do as much as you can and often times you just find a way to get it done.

G: Is it important for you to be a custodian for hip hop and pro-duce content that diversifies the spectrum of a genre that can be narrow-minded and superficial, or do you just make music that you enjoy?

S: It’s more of the latter. I think that especially when I was starting out I wasn’t thinking of my relation-ship to hip hop more broadly. I didn’t really factor into the equation. Now I see I have a little bit of a role in music in Canada so I can maybe contextualize what I do in that way but I still prefer not to and think that it’s a little bit healthier not to and just to say, What’s of interest to me? What do I have to contribute?’ and

try to do that.G: What exciting projects

do you have for the future?S: Just a few more shows this

year. Mostly I’m focusing on writing and recording. I just finished an EP with my touring DJ TLO and that’ll be available this fall. Beyond that just thinking about the next full-length and writing and record-ing that.

Shad will be playing Alumni Hall Monday, Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at international-week.uwo.ca, Western Connections on the lower level of UCC and the International and Graduate Affairs Building.

Name • GAZETTE

HOUSING UPCOMING EVENTSANNUAL GREEK CHRISTMAS Bazaar and PastrySale Saturday, November 8th 8am – 4pm, HellenicCommunity Centre 133 Southdale Road West. Free ad-mission & parking. Greek pastry sale & more! Comeenjoy a Greek lunch 11am – 2pm. Takeout available.Starting 10:00am For more info 519-686-8466. GreekLadies Philoptochos Society of Holy Trinity of London.

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PUT YOUR SUDOKU SAVVY TO THE TEST! To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes.

For solution, turn to page 2

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

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FOR 30 WORDS

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8 • thegazette • Friday, November 7, 2014