thegazettewww.westerngazette.ca WESTERN’S DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • EST.1906 • VOLUME 103, ISSUE 17 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

... catching presidential slips since 1906

A&E

YOUTH BRIGADEStill cool 25 years later … p.6

SPORTS

MUSTANGS GOLFWomen score silvers… p.7

NEWS

MIT PROGRAMNew admissions policy … p.3

STUDENT HOUSING

Laura Barclay/Gazette

CAN YOU TELL WHICH ONE IS THE STUDENT HOUSE? YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED. A recent report submitted by London city planners claims there are issues “that threaten to under-mine the health and sustainability of [student] neighbourhoods”. Whether or not these issues are causing long-term residents to physically flee remains to be proven.

By Shreya TekriwalGazette Staff

City of London planners have indi-cated neighbourhoods around Fan-shawe College and Western are atrisk of becoming student slums.

With more students replacinglong-term residents in areasaround the campuses, city plannersare concerned about the welfare ofLondon residents and are lookingat ways of improving their qualityof life.

Among the list of changes, thecity planners suggested the maxi-mum number of bedrooms inrental homes be reduced from fiveto three. Also, it was recommendedoutdoor areas used for entertain-ment be no less than three metreswide in any direction.

“The report that went to theplanning committee has been sup-ported by [Western’s University Stu-dents’ Council and Fanshawe Stu-dent Union] and [they] are in favourof what the council is looking at,”said Glenn Matthews, Western’shousing mediation officer.

Devon Biebert, a second-yearhealth sciences student living off-campus offered his insight:“Garbage and disrepair are majorissues in student ghettos. I see

couches lying around out front …student poverty is clearly visible.”

According to Matthews, therehave not been any major com-plaints coming from studentsregarding housing disrepairs.

While some students’ experi-ences confirm the city’s concerns,others do not feel the issue is of par-ticular importance.

“Reducing bedrooms is notgoing to help. It will only createmore demand for houses and willalways be a problem no matter howmany people are in each house,”Houda Babetti, first-year social sci-ence student, said.

Babetti also added while someareas have a high concentration ofstudents, it is only a handful of peo-

ple who give the area a bad name.The USC maintained they

have the best interests of the stu-dents at heart in supporting theCity’s plan.

“We want to ensure our studenthousing is safe and hospitable,”Dan Moulton, USC vice-presidentuniversity affairs, said. “This hasbeen a problem for a while now[and] the City is taking this issuevery seriously.”

Among other concerns, theincrease in student occupancy hascaused the prices of homes to rise,making it more difficult for familiesto buy them. Many properties havelost green space and have becometargets of vandalism.

Additionally, city planners sug-gested proponents of new singleand semi-detached houses as wellas those who want to add bed-rooms to existing buildings berequired to have their plans exam-ined by city hall.

Moulton confirmed the USC issupportive of the city’s efforts tooverlook the neighbourhoods nearcampus.

“The city is looking at the wholepicture, at what is appropriate andwhat would fit into the neighbour-hood,” Mathews added.

—With files from Angela Easby

“We want to ensureour student housing issafe and hospitable,”

Dan Moulton, USC vice-president university affairs

By Allie FonarevGazette Staff

With Western’s librarians andarchivists already at odds with theuniversity over renegotiating con-tract agreements, president AmitChakma’s verbal gaff in his report tothe Senate last Friday may haveevoked further sensitivities.

While mentioning the changingnature of academic learning, hewas misunderstood and appearedto belittle the already unsettledcampus librarians.

“I’ve given up going to thelibrary for my reference needs …life has changed — I subscribe toelectronic [services] […] I don’thave to go to libraries any more,”Chakma said. “But I still like to go,”he added.

University of Western OntarioFaculty Association Librarians andArchivists president Regna Darnellappeared to take this comment asan insult to the libraries.

“One could infer from yourremarks about the library that youthink the library and its profession-al staff are somewhat irrelevant tochanging information needs,” sheobjected during the Senate meeting.

However, Chakma was quick todefend his meaning and ensuredthe statement was simply an inar-ticulation.

“I am a friend of the library […]the library continues to be impor-tant but they are playing a differentrole and our colleagues are actuallytalking about it,” he said.

Senators-at-large Michael Tithe-

cott and Nathan Caldwell agreed. “He made a joke about how he

didn’t go to libraries. His jokeflopped and he meant no badintentions,” Tithecott contended.

Caldwell also noted Chakmawas misunderstood by Darnell.

According to Darnell, theUWOFA-LA is looking for renewedcontract agreements that willensure job security, a fair evaluationprocess, a competitive salary andother benefits.

But this weighted request hasnot been arbitrated with the uni-versity at the last conciliationattempt on Sept. 24 and the meet-ings will continue on Oct. 9 with theconciliator.

“The meeting was wildly inef-fectual,” Darnell said. “We are deal-ing with an employer that does notwant to be reasonable. We haveproposed compromises which theyhave not taken. There is an appar-ent lack of respect for bargainingmembers,” she added.

The UWOFA-LA will be able tolegally commence a strike if a bar-gain cannot be met. If this happens,Western students will still be able totake out books although they willnot be provided with electronic orresource help.

“Our libraries and how we usethem have not changed, but theimportance of high quality profes-sional librarians and archivists hasnot. I place a high value on the con-tributions made by these individu-als,” Chakma reiterated.

— With files from Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt

Chakma slip irks librariansPlanners propose to remedywoes of school neighbourhoodsChanges to include limiting number of bedrooms perhouse and restricting size of useable outdoor yard space

Western hosts new healthcare network

A new health care program wasannounced last Friday by the Min-istry of Health and Long-Term Care.

The Applied Health ResearchNetwork Initiative consists of twomain hubs — the System Integra-tion and Innovation network host-ed by Western and the PopulationHealth Interventions network at theUniversity of Ottawa.

The SII network is led by MoiraStewart, director of the centre forstudies in family medicine at theSchulich School of Medicine &Dentistry. According to Stewart, thisinitiative will develop new and bet-ter modes of communication andinteraction between Ontario’shealth care policy makers andresearchers.

“Researchers who are connect-ed to the Ministry are on call toanswer Ministry questions and toprovide structures to facilitate thesettling of the questions,” Stewartsaid. “[The program also] encour-

ages researchers in doing our ownresearch [and] ensures the newgeneration of applied health ser-vices and researchers are well con-nected to the Ministry.”

—Alice Yuan

Research projects win$140,000

Three Western research projects arenow closer to becoming commercial.

The research projects are therecipients of the Western Innova-tion Fund Awards, awarded annu-ally by the office of the vice-presi-dent (research).

The winning June 2009 projectswere the development of a proto-type combined MRI and PET scan-ner (Blaine Chronik and FrankPrato), the development of a proto-type production reactor (Leo Lau)and the development of a softwarequality assurance tool for medicalradiation treatment plans (EugeneWong and Jeff Chen).

The fund was first launched in2004 with the aim of supporting the

cost of innovative research resultstowards application and commer-cialization.

“The purpose [of the fund] istwo-fold: one is the investmentWestern is making to its researchcommunity […] the other is toserve as a mechanism for creatingawareness about the value andbenefits of commercialization,”said Paul Paolatto, director ofWORLDiscoveries, a research com-pany which works closely with theapplicants.

A maximum of $50,000 may begranted to each project. This year,funding for successful applicantstotalled $140,000.

—Cathy Dai

Student recruitmentcampaign draws controversy

A student marketing campaign hassparked concerns at Algoma Uni-versity in Sault Ste. Marie.

The campaign targets publicareas in Southern Ontario to adver-tise Algoma University to prospec-tive students. One released adver-tisement depicted a midriff and thestatement, “Put 681 km between youand ‘You’re not going out in that!’”

According to Vanessa Gastaldo,president of Algoma University Stu-dent’s Union, the 681 kilometrescampaign has received numerouscomplaints regarding the contentfrom AU students. However, Gastal-do could not address specific con-cerns.

“The AUSU will be having atown hall meeting for AU students[on Monday],” she said.

The town hall meeting will allowthe AUSU to take appropriateaction by taking questions and con-cerns from current AU students.

— Aaron Blok

Crocs in LondonKillarney Road was the last placeresidents expected to see a scenereminiscent of The CrocodileHunter.

But John Stephan, a resident ofnortheast London, caught a 43-inch sub-species of crocodile whilewalking his dog on Monday.

According to Kent Lattanzio,director of operations for the Lon-don Animal Care Centre, the centrereceived calls Sunday morningfrom residents reporting sightingsof a large reptile.

“Officers were dispatched toassess the situation, and [to] see ifthe animal was sick or injured.However, it was a warm day, theanimal was quite active and it sub-merged into the pond when theyarrived,” he said.

“Monday was colder, so the[crocodile] was quite lethargic,which would have made capturefairly easy,” Lattanzio added.

Indian River Reptile Zoo repre-sentatives took the animal to Peter-borough yesterday, where it will bequarantined for at least six monthsto ensure its health.

—Angela Easby

Weather

P2 ➤ news theGazette • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

WednesdayCloudy with showers

High 11C

Low 6C

ThursdayVariable cloudiness

High 12C

Low 3C

FridayLight rainHigh 12C

Low 1C

3-day forecast

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By Mike HayesGazette Staff

London’s public transportation isopening its doors for public inputon the future of city transit.

On Monday the London TransitCommission launched SmartMoves — a new study meant tohelp plan transportation for theForest City through 2030. The cam-paign will collect public input inorder to map out transit routes andincrease efficiency.

Smart Moves will look, in part, tocommunity residents for help shap-ing the policy’s recommendations.

In addition to public meetings,public participation will be solicit-ed through phone surveys and webpolls.

“We are trying to convince peo-ple to change their habits,” MagedElmadhoon, project manager forSmart Moves, said. He explained thestudy would look to multi-modetransportation, including findingways to encourage increased use ofpublic transportation along withwalking and cycling.

For the LTC, this new studycould be a game changer. John

Ford, LTC director of transportationand planning, explained what thestudy results could mean for busingin London.

“Transit needs to move quickerto reduce travel times,” Ford said.“What happens now is [the buses]get caught in road congestion […]we just have to be smarter aboutthe way we move around the city.”

Ford explained city develop-ment could also create a more effi-cient public transit system, withElmadhoon noting such develop-ment could take the form of creat-ing dedicated bus lanes.

Western’s University Students’Council also has a vested interest inthe development of city infrastruc-ture. With students accounting fora significant amount of London’sbus traffic, student leaders havepledged to make sure they will beinvolved with the discussion.

“Students are a part of the com-munity,” Dan Moulton, USC vice-president university affairs, noted.“Our largest priority will be a dis-cussion around late-night busingfor routes around the universitycommunity.”

The Smart Moves study comes

on the heels of a controversialchoice by the LTC last year toincrease the price of rides, a deci-sion that left Western students fac-ing a referendum on the bus pass.

“We need to continue [lastyear’s] discussion,” Moulton said.“I’m hopeful that the LTC will bewelcoming to the opinions of thestudents and the USC.”

Elmadhoon explained the pro-ject would be glad to hear from stu-dents and encouraged any interest-ed parties to seek out Smart Moves’online survey.

If you are interested in partici-pating in Smart Moves there willbe a public workshop held on Nov.10 in the Carousel Room at theWestern Fair.

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FIGHT WITH THE CANADIAN FORCES

MIT admissions tightening up for transfers10 spaces to be reserved for upper-year’s wanting to join programBy Meagan KashtyGazette Staff

The Media, Information and Tech-noculture program is revising itsadmission process.

In last Friday’s Senate meeting,a motion dealt specifically withadmission to the second year ofMIT along with the processrequired for upper-year studentslooking to transfer into the pro-gram.

Currently, any first-year in anyfaculty can be admitted into thesecond year of MIT as long as theyhave taken the three required firstyear courses and maintain thenecessary averages. This alone,however, does not guarantee aspot in the competitive program.

As stated in the senate agenda,this admission process has givenrise to many problems includingthe confusion of an undetermined

admission average, no reservedspace for upper-year students andlack of priority for students in thefaculty of information and mediastudies.

The revised calendar copy rec-ommends all students registeredin FIMS who maintain therequired average will be guaran-teed admission into the secondyear of an MIT major. There willalso be 10 spaces reserved forupper-years to transfer into thesecond year module.

The proposal was welcomed bymost of the Senate.

“Western takes pride in the flex-ibility of its academic system,” saidMatthijs van Gaalen, media infor-mation and technoculture/socialscience senator. “This proposalenshrines that this value will becarried on in the MIT program.”

Van Gaalen added the motionwill ensure FIMS students’ inter-

ests will be protected. While the admission revision is

an improvement, there have beensome concerns raised about the 10competitive upper-year spots.

“I think it’s definitely a step inthe right direction,” Arzie Chant,administrative staff senator said.“They’re guaranteeing space in theupper years, which they weren’tdoing before. But consider a sce-nario where there is an upper-yearstudent who is quite gifted and hasan interest FIMS, but can’t get intothe program because they discov-ered it too late.”

Van Gaalen also expressed con-cern about the limiting nature ofreserving only 10 spots for under-grad students.

However, transferring majors,particularly in upper years, canprove to be a complicated proce-dure for any student no matter thefaculty. Nonetheless, it is assumed

the University should be able tooutline the requirements forupper-year students to transferprograms if they so desire.

“I know it can get complicatedwith courses,” Shilo McBurney,second-year fine arts student,said. “But I assume you have theright courses and the right aver-age, you can [transfer into anyprogram].”

While the revision does notaddress all the concerns of the MITfaculty, the proposal will work toalleviate the anxiety of potentialapplicants, give FIMS students firstpriority and will still allow studentsfrom other faculties to be admittedto MIT.

“I want to stress that this isindeed a step in the right direc-tion,” Chant said, “but it’s not asfar as they could go in terms ofequal opportunity for all FIMSstudents.”

LTC looking to Smarten up

London has claimed the influx of students and poorlymaintained student rental properties are driving non-stu-dents away from the areas, forcing many family-focusedbusinesses to leave as well. As a result, the city is planningto set housing regulations on rental properties near theWestern and Fanshawe campuses.

It is understandable parents would not want to raise afamily within the perimeters of a student slum. Whilemany students are quiet, responsible citizens, it is unde-niable that student communities are often home to rau-cous gatherings and dilapidated housing projects — notthe ideal neighbourhood for a young family.

However, with Western’s history spanning over 125years, new residents should be aware that moving withinclose proximity to a university or college means movinginto an area largely populated with students.

Whether it’s because rent in these neighbourhoods issignificantly cheaper or if it’s because families genuinelywant to live within walking distance of Western or Fan-shawe, people are still knowingly moving into studentareas despite complaints.

It should not be surprising that within an area highlyconcentrated with young people — on their own for like-ly the first time — there is an increase in noise and alco-hol consumption.

Also, because the university is always expanding, itnaturally means more students are enrolling and in needof off-campus accommodations.

If anyone should be blamed for the ramshackle con-ditions of student housing, it should be the landlords. Stu-dents are not the ones purchasing the properties and con-verting them into the rundown, multi-unit rentals. Theonus should be on the landlords to uphold the integrity ofthe properties and ensure the neighbourhood is main-tained and aesthetically pleasing.

Another complaint addressed the decreasing marketfor family businesses surrounding campus. However, stu-dents contribute greatly to the stores, eateries and bars inLondon. If a number of families decide to move awayfrom the student area, and as a result a few daycares orshops leave as well, a more student-oriented business willsurely take its place.

While it’s nothing new for London residents to criti-cize the student population, it is unfair that even thoughstudents contribute to the local economy, we are still notseen as legitimate members of the community.

Overall, the City is making an issue out of nothing.London residents need to be realistic with their expecta-tions. If they are living in an area known for its high num-ber of students, then they should accept the good and thebad that comes with it.

For more information on this issue, please see Page 1.

StudentHousing

Here to Stay

thegazetteVolume 103, issue 17

“Borrow trouble for yourself, if that’s your nature, but don’t lend it to your neighbours.”

— RUDYARD KIPLING

Ryan Hendrick Carly Conway Jaela BernstienEditor-In-Chief Deputy Editor Managing Editor

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Advertising Dept.: (519) 661-3579, Fax: (519) 661-3960Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580, Fax: (519) 661-3825

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

Re: “On Richmond Row, gay hatredgrows” Sept. 28, 2009 and “Tolerance aRealistic Goal” Sept. 16, 2009

To the editor:The problem with the use of hatefulslurs is people genuinely feel as thoughthere is no consequence to their actions.They also believe that whoever dares tospeak up to them is a type of “languagepolice” or [they] even respond with,“don’t be so gay, you know I’m joking.”We do not realize it is not a joke, espe-cially when we consider the number ofsuicides committed by homosexualindividuals.

I would dare say that the world, morespecifically our university, is made up ofa higher percentage of bystanders thanperpetrators. The question is then:which role is worse? If the perpetratorsfeel as though there is no consequenceto their actions, who or what is it thatgives them this freedom and safe space?

When I think of this analogy I cannothelp but compare it to the fact, that justtwo weeks ago, there was an editorial inresponse to a hate crime towards a 22-year-old homosexual male — whereinthe solution was seemingly deemed to bethe “realistic goal” of “tolerance.”Although this is a noble thought, I offeran alternative. It is one thing to be one ofthe three aforementioned categories butI feel the need to highlight the impor-tance of a fourth, which is to be an ally.

If it is your friend who speaks in aquestionable way, most of the time youtrust they don’t mean it negatively and so

you merely brush off their remarks. Thisillustrates the largest part of the problem.It is also fueled by the fact that there is noapparent role of an ally in between —someone that may not, but can at leasttry, to point out the offensiveness.

Why do I feel as though, as a straightwoman, I need to be an ally? I am an allybecause I cannot count the number oftimes I have felt discriminated against asa visible minority, as a woman or as areligious believer. The vicious cycleextends beyond those directly connect-ed to the remarks, but it can stop.

Let me end with an anecdote. I have afriend in a professional program whoused an offensive term. Although he is agood friend of mine, his “that’s so gaycomment” caused me to pause andexpress the offensiveness. It caused meto be an ally.

Although he willingly listened to mypoint of view and openly accepted andagreed with my reasoning, he concludedwith another argument. It was based onthe fact that, “the chances someone gaywill hear me ever say these comments, orsomeone will be offended” is slim to none.

If the leaders of tomorrow will leadwith this mindset, then who do we haveto blame for the injustices around us,other than ourselves?

Yes, tolerance may be important, butwhat does it mean to be tolerant? I per-sonally strongly dislike this word. Myfriend is clearly tolerant of the fact thatgay people exist — although he insistsit’s a small number — but this doesn’tchange his actions, nor does it necessar-ily force him to understand.

Celebrating diversity is a large part ofthe solution, but the first and mostimportant step for this to happen is toopenly be an ally. At the end of the daywe all live in the same space. One groupis not more human, or “tolerable” thananother, so why make someone feel asthough this is the case?

—Bianca CanaveReligious Studies IV

Re: “Grad students split on CFS member-ship”Sept. 24, 2009

To the editor:It’s about time that a national campaignwas initiated to disaffiliate from the Cana-dian Federation of Students. They takeour money through student fees, thedozen companies they manage —including Travel Cuts — and claim tolobby on our behalf.

Despite everything we pay them, CFShas consistently failed to give us any-thing in return — including results fromtheir “lobbying.” Organizations or indi-viduals that take people’s money with-out giving them any good or service inreturn are a scam.

Indeed, I fail to understand why CFSexists, and more importantly, why peo-ple [have supported] it for many yearsnow. This is an organization that receivesmillions and millions of dollars worth ofstudent money every year and does notactually do anything for students.

And no, designing fancy advertise-ments that seek to justify its own exis-tence does not count as protecting stu-dent rights, especially when the moneyfor those ads is money collected by theCFS from students.

I bid good luck to the many organiz-ers across the country who share thebelief that the CFS is little more than ascam. Though heaven knows they willpour thousands of student dollars — ormore — into the campaign to preventthis disaffiliation campaign from actual-ly happening, I remain optimistic thatpeople will be able to cast them asidewhen everything is said and done.

—Rachel WassermanArts II

Ed note: CFS currently represents West-ern’s graduate student body on a nation-al level, whereas the undergraduate stu-dent body is represented by the Canadi-an Alliance of Student Associations.

P4 ➤ opinions theGazette • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editorials appearing under the ‘opinions’ heading are decidedupon by a majority of the editorial board and are written by amember of the editorial board but are not necessarily theexpressed opinion of each editorial board member. All otheropinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarilyreflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff.

Letters: Must include the contributor’s name, identification (ie.History II, Dean of Arts) and be submitted to gazette.opin-ions@uwo.ca. Letters judged by the Editor-In-Chief to be libelousor derogatory will not be published. The Gazette reserves theright to edit letters and submissions and makes no guaranteesthat a letter will be published.

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Don’t toleratehurtful words— be an ally,take action

CFS “lobby”efforts a scam

No one cares what you have to say. (except us)Submit your letters through our website at

www.westerngazette.ca

By Amber GarrattGazette Staff

Most university students spendtheir days attending classes, work-ing on labs and doing readings —diligently working towards whatev-er they aspire to one day become. Itis rare to have the opportunity tostop everything and be given thechance to have your goals withinarms’ reach. For Western studentMelanie Mah, that is her reality.

So You Think You Can DanceCanada held auditions for its secondseason this past spring. They tookplace across the country, with stopsin Vancouver, Edmonton, SaintJohn, Toronto and Montréal. Morethan 2,500 people auditioned butonly the top dancers were selectedto come to Toronto and compete.

Mah, a 19-year-old Western sci-ence undergraduate, auditioned forSo You Think You Can Dance Cana-da during the May 18 Toronto stopand blew the judges away. She hassince stood out in the competitionand has made it all the way to thetop 10 dancers.

The competition is demandingas the dancers select a new dancestyle, learn a new routine, rehearsefor two days and then perform eachweek. The bottom three couples,based on viewers’ votes, have toperform a solo routine and hopethey are strong enough to stay inthe competition.

“It has been physically and men-tally draining,” Mah admits. “But Iam having the time of my life.”

Dance has been more than just ahobby for Mah — it is her passion.At the age of five she started balletlessons, which then led to classes injazz, hip-hop and competitions byage 13. Now she is competing for$100,000, a 2010 Mazda 3 Sport andthe title of “Canada’s FavouriteDancer.”

Mah is partnered with CodyBonnell, 19-year-old Unionvillenative.

“I can’t believe what is happen-ing right now,” Mah said. “It is anamazing feeling and I am so happyand so excited.”

Mah and Bonnell made a namefrom themselves early in the com-petition. Their dance skills havebeen put to the test in a wide rangeof dance styles from contemporaryto mambo and they have yet to dis-appoint.

Canadian ballerina Karen Kainwas the guest judge last week anddescribed Mah as “a chameleon” asshe has “the impeccable ability to

change dance styles.”As the competition gets more

intense, Melanie’s ability as adancer continues to astonish thejudges and audience.

“Melanie, you are one of themost beautiful contemporarydancers up there,” praised Rex Har-rington of the National Ballet ofCanada after last week’s perfor-mance. “You show your inner souland that’s what it’s all about.”

When asked what her favoritedance routine has been so far, Mah

raved about last week’s routine toKeri Hilson’s “Turnin’ Me On.”

“I really loved the hip-hopLuther Brown did for Cody and I,”she said. “I got really cool exten-sions and I loved the piece and thesong.”

This week the top 10 will be nar-rowed down to the top eight, andtensions are high.

“I try not to look at it like a com-petition because that’s when I getstressed out. I try to remind myselfthat I am here because it is an

amazing opportunity,” Mah said. “Ihave had no expectations for thecompetition. I am taking it one dayat a time.”

Mah’s incredible style and versa-tility as a dancer will be sure to takeher far in the competition, and thisonce in a lifetime opportunity willremain with Mah forever.

“I will definitely take away every-thing I have learned dance-wise,from the choreographers and theother dancers I have met,” she said.“I have learned a lot about myself

and how to deal with the stress andall the different emotions — it isdefinitely something that will comein handy in the future.”

Mah is grateful to everyone whohas voted for her throughout thecompetition and who has believedand pushed her along the journey.

To show your support for fellowWestern student Melanie Mah, tuneinto So You Think You Can DanceCanada, which airs every Tuesday at8 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.mon CTV.

ArtsEntertainmentP5 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Take Out and Delivery (limited delivery area)

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�

Courtesy of CTV

ARE YOU CHECKIN’ ME OUT? Western’s own Melanie Mah impresses the judges on the So You Think You Can Dance Canada stage with partnerCody Bonnell.

Western student thinks she can danceMelanie Mah a top-10 finalist on popular reality TV show

By Drew WhitsonGazette Writer

The Saturday night bill at Call theOffice proved to be an evening ofexcitement for punk fans. The raredouble headliner show saw iconicband Youth Brigade share the stagewith the younger, yet largely influ-

ential quartet, The Bouncing Souls.For Youth Brigade, a prominent

band out of L.A., the punk scenethey helped pioneer has sincechanged considerably in their 25years — and counting — of touringand releasing music. However, itappears the punk-rock scene isn’tready to go down quietly. Newbands have kept this fire burning,and the sold-out show at Call theOffice proved punk-rock is stillpopular in the underground scene.

Opening bands Off With TheirHeads and Saint Alvia provided anenergetic and engaging start to thenight, and certainly didn’t disap-point fans who quickly crowded thestage. Although both opening bandshad similar and repetitive playlists,the energy from each song hadmosh pits and skank circles poppingup all over the venue. The vocalarrangements of both bands provedexplosive — although at times hard

to distinguish — but the overallsound quality was surprisingly clear.

Youth Brigade was quick to keepthe adrenaline high and put on atimeless performance, proving theirage simply isn’t a factor. At this pointCall the Office was packed to capac-ity and standing room was virtuallynon-existent. The crowd was bounc-ing from the first chord and stayedengaged during the entire hour set.

The highlight came when theband played their well-known track“Sink with California,” which hadthe entire crowd singing along. Themix of old favourites and newersongs kept the set from feeling toodrawn out, and allowed fans tocatch a much needed breath.

It wasn’t long before the secondheadliner The Bouncing Souls tookthe stage to ignite the crowd onceagain. Amassing a large following intheir 20 odd years of touring, TheBouncing Souls have been at theheart of punk-rock revival since theearly 1990s.

Playing a light-hearted and fastset, they picked up right whereYouth Brigade left off, challengingthe fans to keep the pace and con-tinue to bring down the house withloud, intense energy.

Hailing from New Jersey, TheBouncing Souls played a strong setof classic hits and a few songs yetto be released. Well versed in tour-ing, their sound was bar-none thebest of the evening. The voice mix-ing was easily distinguishable, andthe multiple vocals provided astrong backing to the fast-pacedguitars.

As the night came to a close, thecrowd dispersed, knowing thatpunk-rock institution Youth Brigadeand the equally anticipated Bounc-ing Souls, have continued to keep thepunk movement going. The mixtureof older and influential punk bandswith these new, up-and-comingbands provided the crowd with anopportunity to not only see into thenear future of punk rock music, butalso to see the torch passed from onegeneration to another.

P6 ➤ arts&entertainment theGazette • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

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Pioneers of punk pass the torch Old meets new as Youth Brigade and The Bouncing Souls headline together

Drew Whitson/Gazette

LETTING IT ALL OUT. Youth Brigade brought passion to their performance at Call the Office on Saturday night.

CONCERT REVIEWCONCERT REVIEWPerformance: Openers: Crowd:

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SportsP7 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

ON DECK:Women’s Soccer... Thursday

WESTERN INTERNATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL

Off and runningMustangs start season withstrong showing at homeBy Melanie LuiGazette Writer

The firing of the starter’s pistol offi-cially kicked off the 35th annualWestern International cross-coun-try meet at the Thames Valley GolfCourse. Teams from all over Canadaand a number of American squadscompeted for gold this past Satur-day afternoon at the Londoncourse.

The Mustangs had a strongshowing against tough competi-tion. The women won the bronzemedal and the men finished justshort of the podium, taking fourthplace.

Meanwhile, the GuelphGryphons women’s team finishedin first place, while the New York-based Geneseo Knights took tophonours for the men.

The women impressed by hav-ing four runners finish in the top 25.Lorelle Convery and Lynn Mockler,both 2008 Ontario University Ath-letics second team all-stars, led theteam placing 10th and 13th, respec-tively.

“It was a very tough field,” Con-very said. “The top girls went out ata very fast pace, but they pulled usto go faster.”

“This meet definitely gave us abetter idea of the competition wewill be facing,” rookie Laura Des-jardins added.

The McMaster Maraudersclaimed the silver medal, while theQueen’s Gaels finished fourth, justedging out the fifth place GeneseoKnights by one point.

“We knew this was going to be atest for us and we answered it quitewell. I’m impressed by the resultstoday,” Mustangs head coach BobVigars said.

From the start, Lindsay Carsonof the University of Guelph led the

field without much competition,finishing 30 seconds ahead of sec-ond place. The multiple CanadianInteruniversity Sport gold-medalistalso smashed the meet record, setin 1987 by Mustang SandraAnschuetz. Carson ran 13 secondsfaster with an outstanding time of17:01.

“This was my first race of theseason,” Carson said. “I just reallywent for it today [and] I felt good; Iknew my legs were with me. As Icrossed the finish line, I was justhappy with my accomplishment.”

On the men’s side, the Mustangsfinished fourth, with three runnersplacing in the top 25 at the compe-tition.

“The competition was prettystrong today,” co-captain MattSuda said. “This is still a buildingpoint in the year; we’re focusing onthe OUA and the CIS Champi-onships.”

The team has been working toimprove its strength and mileage,and have not worked on a lot ofspeed yet.

“Once we get into the speedworkouts, we should be zippingalong,” co-captain Ryan Huff said.

Kyle O’Neill led the Mustangswith a fifth place finish. He almosttook fourth but was edged out atthe very end by Guelph’s Allan Brett.

“We’re not thinking aboutGuelph too much,” O’Neill said. “It’smore realistic for us to just be in thehunt for a medal at the OUA cham-pionships. I know we can do it.”

Missing the podium was disap-pointing for the Mustangs. Howev-er, all five of the scorers performeda personal best time for this course.

Despite the impressive perfor-mance from his veterans, Vigarsfeels the team is still growing andwill get better as the year goes on.

“Our men’s team is not 100 per

cent right now,” Vigars said. “Wehave a few runners who sat outtoday due to injury. Based on howthe guys did today, I’m happy.”

Guelph’s men, despite not run-ning their top two runners, finished

second to the Knights from Gene-seo, while the Windsor Lancersclaimed the bronze medal.

“One of the keys to our successis a tight team atmosphere,”Guelph coach Dave Scott-Thomas

said. “We don’t let our individualegos get in the way of team stuff.”

Next weekend the cross-countryteam will be in Chicago facing sev-eral NCAA Division 1 schools at theLoyola of Chicago Lakefront meet.

Laura Barclay/Gazette

GO GRAB THE BAGS, ROOK. Mustangs rookie Alicia Knox (above) has been a force for the Mustangs to beginthe cross-country season. At the Western Invitational on Saturday she was the top Mustangs rookie in the 5Krun, finishing 21st with a time of 19:01.

Women’s Results

Guelph GryphonsMcMaster MaraudersWestern MustangsQueen’s GaelsGeneseo KnightsToronto Varsity BluesWindsor LancersLaurentian VoyageursMcGill MartletsRMC Paladins

Mustangs Top Five

10. Lorelle Convery...................................18.1913. Lynn Mockler......................................18.2821. Alicia Knox..........................................28.5922. Laura Desjardins ................................19.0136. Hailey Cummings................................19.19

Men’s Results

Geneseo KnightsGuelph GryphonsWindsor LancersWestern MustangsQueen’s GaelsToronto Varsity BluesMcMaster MaraudersMcGill RedmenLaurier Golden HawksWaterloo Warriors

Mustangs Top Five

5. Kyle O’Neill .........................................32.2416. Ryan Huff ..........................................33.0425. Matt Suda...........................................33.4029. Will Komer..........................................33.43

34. Brent Smith ........................................33.54

P8 ➤ sports theGazette • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

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vs.vs.

Golfers earn medalsHall, Jennings lead the wayBy Eric LeBlancGazette Writer

Coming into this season, both themen and women’s golf team hadbig expectations.

“Our number one weapon isexperience. We have our wholeteam except one guy back thisyear,” men’s coach Jim Waite said.“Having a year or two of experiencein the [Ontario University Athletics]is huge, and we have great leader-ship from Charles Fitzsimmons andJohnny Hall, so I think we’re goingto be really solid this year.”

The women, on the other hand,lost many of their top golfers.However, despite rebuilding thisyear, they brought back starsCaitlin Jennings, Lisa Boyko andKatie Lebel with a handful of tal-ented recruits.

Although early in the season,both teams seem to be living up toexpectations, performing wellenough to medal in both golf tour-naments this past weekend.

The women’s team earned silverat both the St. Thomas Invitationaland the Western Invitational held atSunningdale Golf Course on Thurs-day and Friday respectively.

Jennings led the team at Sun-ningdale with a 78 followed byAmy Williams and Lebel with 84,for an overall top score of 246, justbehind Queen’s who took the titleat 234.

The four-time defending OUAchampion women’s team will haveits work cut out with Queen’s win-ning three consecutive tourna-ments this season.

The Western men settled forthird place once again. After Thurs-day’s tournament in St. Thomas,Waite was hoping to rebound froma bronze medal.

“We were disappointed. Ourcaptain Charles [Fitzsimmons] shota 79, which was unlike him, andtwo others shot 78. We know thatcourse so those numbers shouldn’thave been that high,” he said.

Michael Hastings came in onFriday hoping to help the Mustangsadvance up the medal standings,but unfortunately it was not be.

Waterloo performed well inearning silver at Sunningdale andwill be one of Western’s biggest

competitors this season. “We expect good results. We

still don’t have all our top playershere but we expect good things,”Warriors coach Dave Hollingersaid.

Jimmy Latta of Waterlooscored the lowest of any playerwith a 68, helping Waterloo cap-ture the silver medal with anoverall score of 298 — two strokesahead of Western.

Even with back-to-back bronzemedals, Hollinger still doesn’tunderestimate Western’s potential.

“Western is always a top team.Laurentian and Guelph also seemto have a good team, and Toronto isthe defending champion so I’msure they will have a very solid teamagain,” he said.

Like the Mustangs, Hollingersets his team’s goals high for theseason.

“Our goal is to win the OUA.We’ve won it three of the last fiveyears, and we’re hoping to return tothe top,” he said.

In an impressive display over theweekend, Laurentian shocked thecompetition by winning both tour-naments in London.

“Laurentian surprised us yester-day. They’ve never medaled in any-thing before this year, but they havesome really solid young guys,”Waite said.

With back-to-back gold medalsthis week, it could be possible thatthere will be a new OUA championthis year.

With the season still early, themen should be able to reboundbefore the OUA finals at theAngus Glen course in Toronto inmid-October. However, Waite hasissues with the championshipsbeing played in such frostyweather.

“The one thing that’s wrong isthat we qualify all our teams in thisgreat weather, and by the time mid-dle of October comes around wehave cold, rain and sometimessnow so we don’t know who theplayers are that perform well incold weather,” he said.

Both teams now head to Water-loo with the men playing at theWhistle Bear Golf Club and thewomen playing at the CambridgeGolf Club next weekend.