SINCE 1906

2 • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 www.westerngazette.ca •

HHarrison Arnold is easygoing. The fourth-year Faculty of Social Science student sits down across from me, and I tell him I’m going to ask him fun questions about himself. He smiles, replying he’ll give me fun answers.Twenty minutes later, I’ve decided there’s not much that rattles Harrison. Not organizing thousands of first-year students, leading hundreds of sophs — or even needles.

“I was trying to give blood, and I woke up early, I ate breakfast and I did everything they told me to do,” says Harrison. “I even drank a litre of water, and I go there and they tell me my blood pressure was still too low to take my blood. I don’t know what else I could have done! I’m a very stress-free person.”

It’s a key quality to have as 2016’s orientation coordinator: Harrison’s the main liaison between top-tier groups like Western’s administration, the University Students’ Council and the on-the-ground soph community, a group of over 800 student orientation volunteers.

This year, it’s his job to help Western successfully pull off the biggest orientation program in the country. That said, the two-time social science soph admitted he would have never seen it all coming in first-year.

“I rolled up at 8:30 a.m. and people were screaming, and I was a bit timid,” he says about coming to Western. “I’m also a very introverted guy and sophing is known as a very extroverted, outgoing community — loud people and all that. It was all very awkward for me at first.”

However, Harrison clicked with his soph. She went out of her way to make him feel comfortable during that first week and bring him up to speed with the group. One year later he got to pay it forward as a social science soph himself. One of his students didn’t have an O-Pass so he put extra effort into making the freshman feel included like taking him to eat at the Spoke or sitting with him on the sidelines when he couldn’t get into O-Week’s main stage.

“He came up to me a few weeks after that and said an amazing thank you, which to me meant a lot,” he says, adding the student would go on to become a resident soph. “It makes me realize how important the sophing community can be to certain people who need it.”

Now, it’s only two months until Harrison’s fourth and final O-Week, and he’s focused on enhancing soph culture and emphasizing that same attitude of openness, acceptance and inclusivity.

“We’re one of the most accepting campus communities, but there’s always room for improvement,” he adds.

But crunch time or not, the former foot patroller, faculty council member and resident council participant is used to a packed schedule. This summer you’ll still catch Harrison outside in the sun squeezing in some games of ultimate frisbee when he gets the chance.

Leaving the interview, Harrison’s unhurried and optimistic.

“There’s a lot to do, a lot of stress, but it’s been rewarding, that’s for sure. Sorry for going on tangents,” he trails off with a grin.

■AMY O’KRUK

HAMZA TARIQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF@HAMZATARIQ_KATIE LEAR PRINT MANAGING EDITOR@KATIELEAR_BRADLEY METLIN DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR@BRADLEYMETLIN

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Volume 110, Issue 1WWW.WESTERNGAZETTE.CA

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About Gazette Media Hi! Thank you for picking up a copy of the Western Gazette, your very own campus newspaper. Over the next few years of your undergradu-ate careers, you’ll be hearing a lot from us — hopefully you’ll like what you see. So what exactly do we do? The Gazette was founded in 1906 and is Western’s 110-year old student newspaper. Our mandate is to inform

and entertain students and be a watchdog of the University and the University Students’ Council.

Over the years, The Gazette has expanded and evolved in the digital age. We are a one-stop media shop for Western students. Gazette Media includes the twice-a-week news-paper, daily online coverage, regular videos and a weekly radio show. If you’re into writing, editing, taking

pictures, making videos, graphics and illustrations or being on-screen — The Gazette is the place for you! And if you’re not into any of that, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Youtube to be in the loop with everything that is happening on campus and in London. If it matters to Western students, it matters to us.

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

PROFILE HARRISON ARNOLD

HIGH 12 LOW 22 HIGH 12 LOW 23 HIGH 15 LOW 27TODAY TOMORROW THURSDAY SATURDAY

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

• www.westerngazette.ca SAO ISSUE • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • 3

A snapshot of the next four years of your lifeMARWA HASSAN COLUMNIST@UWOGAZETTE

By the time you read this I’ll have walked across the stage in Alumni Hall, posted a few Boomerangs on Instagram – quintessentially featuring me tossing my cap in the air – and joined thousands as a Western University alumna.

If you had asked me four years ago what to expect as a freshly minted Mustang, I’d have given you a naive answer with plenty of enthusiasm.

Looking back now, most of my expectations didn’t align with any kind of reality, and I can guarantee that most of yours won’t either.

Your first week is going to be blissfully chaotic: everyone’s going to refer to you as ‘that frosh’, you’ll get this fluorescent band attached to your wrist for O-Week, you’ll meet your room-mates, observe sophs vibrating with adrenaline and then you’re going to get tossed onto UC Hill for opening ceremonies. Each student will be feeling some mixture of excitement, hope,

nervousness, uncertainty and most of all liberation.

You’ll grow to love that last one more than anything, so you’ll immediately take advan-tage of it. My advice is to do so, but try to be smart about this new freedom — you’ll thank yourself in the future.

For now, I know the most pressing question you have is, “will I make friends?” and the answer is: Yes! It might happen right away or take you a few tries, but you’ll find your squad in time – we all did.

Over the next few weeks, family and friends will — without fail — be telling you to sign up for as many clubs as possible and “put yourself out there!” It’s a lot of pressure, especially if you’re not really feeling all “#bleedpurple” just yet, and that’s okay. You have time to think about what you want to do here. If after you’ve tried something out it makes you uncomfortable, then by all means change your mind and then change it again and again.

Eventually, something will click with you — be it a sport, acapella, modelling, volunteering, gaming,

knitting, writing or something else entirely. You’ll find it.

You’ve also probably already heard that Western’s the “party school” because, let’s face it, the reputation precedes it. That’s why it’s not surprising when pro-spective students sometimes ask if all we do here is chill with Pat Greenall and wear Canada Goose jackets, aside from partying.

The truth is while many students do thrive during Homecoming, St. Paddy’s and thirsty Thursdays, a lot of them don’t — myself included. If you’re the same, don’t worry; you’ll quickly discover that there’s always something else to do on and off campus.

Either way, you’ll outlive the FOMO, and probably buy yourself a black Canada Goose jacket at some point. After all, you’re here to learn from your mistakes right?

Then before you know it, first, second, third, fourth and maybe even fifth and sixth year will have gone by and you might be writ-ing one of these. You’ll wonder how best to let incoming frosh know that everything will be

okay, even when it isn’t.You’ll remember pulling an

all-nighter at Weldon for a hor-rible exam and that one profes-sor who completely changed your perspective. You’ll think back to skipping class in favour of lounging on UC Hill with a Spoke bagel in hand. You’ll relive your worst heartbreaks and your finest triumphs, the thick silence at vigils you attended, the ringing

cheers at celebrations and the passionate chants at protests.

And with each recollec-tion, you’ll come to realize that you never saw any of it com-ing — that’s what makes it so worthwhile, that misalignment between expectation and reality.

Until then, welcome to Western. We’re happy to have you and I look forward to seeing you around. n

Your first days at Western may not be what you expectJUSTIN DI CAMILLO COLUMNIST@UWOGAZETTE

My impression of O-Week before entering first year was primarily a mixture of stories I had heard and what I had seen in the mov-ies — wild parties and excessive drinking. Not to mention every-one coming together as one common entity to celebrate the great institution that they all chose to attend.

Mine was Western and despite my apprehension of going to a school with virtually none of my hometown friends, I was still excited for this new chapter in my life.

Three years ago, I was assigned a single room in Saugeen-Maitland Hall. Its large capacity and traditional-style housing was the greatest selling feature for me. I heard that these elements tend to yield the most friendships and best residence experience.

I, like many others, wanted university to be a fresh start.

To my dismay, the week that was billed as the “best time of your life,” was far from it.

Many of my floor-mates had pre-existing relationships lead-ing to cliques from the get-go, and although I’m normally out-going, I found myself unable to break into these social groups. The anxiety I had tried to sup-press over the summer by think-ing optimistically about the new beginning had all come back to me during O-Week.

I marched with the rest of the first year students during the week’s festivities, envious of all of the new connections I saw around me. I reverted back to what was comfortable for me

and spent most of my time with a friend from high school in my residence. She was in the same boat.

I questioned whether I made the right choice for residence over and over again. I cursed internally about my floor place-ment, thinking how much better my experience may have been if I was on a different floor. I didn’t even get to see Sean Kingston, the performer that year, as his performance was cancelled last minute. Anything that could have gone wrong for me did.

I eventually placed the guilt on myself for not making enough of an effort to form relationships with people. Towards the end of the week, as everyone else solid-ified their groups, I felt that it was too late for me to join the party.

But reminiscing back at my first year, I realize this was far from true. Despite my unevent-ful first week at Western — I still managed to have an incredible first year experience.

Somewhere between eating my dinner in my residence room and watching copious amounts of Netflix while my floor was partying, I decided that this was not going to be how I spent the next seven months, despite how good the season of Breaking Bad was. I swallowed my pride and began introducing myself to people by spending more time in common spaces in the residence.

Soon enough, I began to form life-long bonds, being introduced to new people on a daily basis.

The worries I had prior to first year had all gone away, despite facing many struggles.

One floor up and four floors down from me happened to be

where I spent the majority of my year. A floor placement didn’t dictate whom I could make friends with and more import-antly, O-Week didn’t dictate how my first year went. n

JENNY JAY GAZETTE

• A wide variety of music and dance courses are also available as electives

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For information on courses and ensembles, including audition excerpts and dates, visit:

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Want to continue playing or singing?

• Non-music students are encouraged to audition for Large Ensembles in September.

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DID YOU KNOW...?The Don Wright Faculty of Music hosts 350+

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Crossword and Sudoku Solution

4 • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • SAO ISSUE www.westerngazette.ca •

SABRINA FRACASSI NEWS EDITOR@NEWSATGAZETTE

The first year of university feels like a whirlwind of emotions, experiences and hard work that goes by very fast. By the end of it you’re wondering where all the time went and how you’re going to cope with being back home for four months. However, along the way it is important to remind yourself that you are here for school and that it’s not the easi-est part of first-year.

Western has a lot of resources that can be used to help deal with academic stress, concerns and questions. But sometimes it can get confusing trying to figure out whom to turn to when you need help. That’s where the academic counsellors come in.

Each faculty has their own team of academic counsellors who specialize in working with students who are studying simi-lar subjects as you. As their name suggests, they are here to help with any academic concerns students like you may have.

Ben Hakala, senior academic counsellor for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, explained the role counsellors play at the university.

“We educate students about their degree and program options — [counsellors] can explain what courses and requirements they need for degrees and modules and can give advice about uni-versity regulations,” Hakala said.

What makes an academic counsellor different from your old high school guidance coun-sellor is the things they focus on and the way they will approach them. They are not going to focus on career and life opportunities. However, if you don’t know where to go you can see your academic counsellor and they will direct you to the appropriate person.

The reasons to go see an academic counsellor are end-less. However, here are a few of the most common reasons why students venture into their coun-sellor’s office:

DEGREE FULFILLMENTSFor those of you who already know what you want to jump into — and for those of you who have no clue right now — degrees come with specific pre-requisites which must be met in order for you to graduate. There are a bunch of different types of degrees, but the main thing to keep in mind is that there are certain courses you are going to have to take and averages you are going to have to keep throughout your four years here. They vary from degree to degree so it can get confusing, but that’s what your counsellors are here for!

ADD/DROPOnce you pick your courses there is a window of time where you can choose to either drop or add a course. Usually, the window to add is a lot shorter than the one to drop. This year, you can add a course up until September 16 and can drop a course up until November 5 for half-term courses and November 30 for full-term courses. The deadlines for second semester will probably be posted sometime closer to winter break.

Now there are some conse-quences for dropping courses. If you drop a course before the deadline to add courses, the course will not appear on your transcript at all. It will be as though you were never enrolled in the first place. If you drop a course after the add deadline but before the drop deadline, there will be no academic pen-alty but the course will show up on your transcript as “WDN” which stands for withdrawn. Any course that is dropped after the final drop deadline will show up on your transcript as “F” which stands for failure.

Moral of the story, try and pick your classes wisely before school starts. And make sure to attend your classes the first couple of weeks to see if it is something you’d like to study for the rest of the semester or the year. If you really feel like a course is just bringing you down, make sure you pay attention to the add/drop deadlines.

SPECIAL PERMISSIONSThere may be some cases in which you will need to be granted special permission for your aca-demics. Examples include want-ing to overload (taking more than 5.0 credits per year), wanting to take more than 1.0 credits at an affiliate or wanting to take a class for which you do not have the outlined prerequisites.

If you need special permission you must submit a request, wait for approval, and then finally enrol in the course for which you have been granted special per-mission. Enrolling can either be done manually or by a counsellor.

Each case for special

permission is unique and you should approach your academic counsellor with your situation as soon as possible.

EXAMSExam season kicks in right before winter break in December and before school ends in April. As a student you can view your personal exam schedule by log-ging into your Student Centre and clicking the tab that reads “Personal Exam Schedule”.

The Social Science academic counselling website outlines some common situations that may arise leading to a student missing their exam including illness and compassionate prob-lems, examination conflicts, Holy Days, sleeping in, mis-reading the schedule and flight arrangements.

ACCOMMODATION-WORTHY SITUATIONSStudents who are unable to write their exams or finish their assignments due to illness or compassionate reasons must have the appropriate documen-tation proving their case before seeing an academic counsellor. Counsellors also recommend individually letting your profes-sors know about your absence beforehand, however all docu-mentation must go through academic counselling.

Exam conflicts are when you have a direct exam conflict or if you experience a multiple exam situation. Direct exam conflicts are pretty simple — it is when you have two exams scheduled for the same time slot. Usually, an academic counsellor will email you, but if you notice it before the

email goes out be sure to con-tact someone. You will definitely receive accommodation for this.

A multiple exam situation is a bit trickier. Each day during exams there are three periods in which exams will be held: mor-ning, afternoon and evening. If you find yourself in the situation where you have three or more exams within three consecutive periods, four or more within six consecutive periods, or five or more within nine consecu-tive periods you are eligible for accommodation.

You can check out the regis-trar’s office for a visual on what these conflict schedules might look like.

In regards to Holy Days, let your counsellor know and they will help accommodate you.

NO-ACCOMMODATION SITUATIONSThe official policy is that you are not eligible to retake or move exams or assignments if you slept in, misread the schedule or have flight arrangements. If you are half an hour late to the exam you may be given permission to start. Otherwise, you must con-tact an academic counsellor immediately. That said, there have been one-off occasions where professors will “throw you a bone” if you sleep through an exam — but gambling on a major assignment or final like that is pretty silly!

REQUEST FOR RELIEFIf you think you will not be able to continue your studies for any reason, you must see your academic counsellor immedi-ately. Each case is different and

a counsellor will work with you on a one-on-one basis. However, it is important to note that your request may not be processed right away.

PROGRESSION REQUIREMENTSThese are basically the minimum requirements needed for a stu-dent to continue their studies at the university. The adjudication process involves assessing each student’s academic standing either at the end of the fall/win-ter session, or at the end of the summer term. There are three different standings that a student may fall into:

In good standing means that a student has met all minimum requirements to continue their studies

On probation means that a student has not met the min-imum requirements but is being allowed to continue their stud-ies under certain conditions. This happens when a student’s cumulative average is within five per cent of the minimum requirement. He or she will have to take a reduced course load for a period of twelve months. If pro-bation conditions are met after twelve months, the student will be restored back to good stand-ing. You will also have to make mandatory academic coun-selling consultations with the appropriate faculty.

Required to withdraw means that a student has not satisfied the minimum progression requirements and is not eligible for probation or has exceeded the maximum of 6.0 failed courses.

FINAL WORD ON YOUR FIRST-YEAR ACADEMICS

This might seem like a lot of information — but do not worry.

“As an incoming student, it is difficult not to get overwhelmed by the quantity of knowledge you are encountering. Our advice would be that you do not have to memorize every policy and procedure that you are required to follow. But rather, simply be aware that such things exist and learn how to reference these at a later date,” Hakala said.

A helpful tip is to learn when to visit your academic counsellors and when to avoid their offices. At certain times in the year it can get very busy — the busiest times of the year are around the first two weeks of the semester in September and January, around the withdrawal deadlines, dur-ing exam periods and during the intent to register period.

Of course you can still visit them during these times, — that’s what they’re here for. It is best to get to the academic coun-selling offices before they open for office hours or if possible, plan it out in advance so you can visit them during the off-season when they are not so crammed with students.

Lastly, remember to be easy on yourself. You’ll come across situations you haven’t been in before and it’s okay to not know what to do right away. Take your time to settle in, attend your classes, hit the books and go see your academic counsellor if you have questions! n

The ins and outs of academic counselling

• www.westerngazette.ca SAO ISSUE • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • 5

Freeloading in university

RICHARD JOSEPH CULTURE EDITOR-AT-LARGE@RJATGAZETTE

I like to think of off-campus students as the Night’s Watch of Western. We swear no fealty to the jumped-up houses of Saugeen or Medway, and take no part in their petty wars. We face a far darker, more sinister enemy – Not Getting Invited To Parties.

Unlike the Night’s Watch, though, a bunch of us live with our parents.

It’s every Western student’s greatest fear. I mean, let’s be hon-est, the university’s main appeal is its “student experience” and how are you going to get that when you’re living with mom and dad?

Turning 20 was mildly trauma-tizing because now I was officially an adult living at home. A terri-fying vision of my future flashed before my eyes: another base-ment-dwelling English major, purportedly “working on his novel,” with no idea how to func-tion in the real world.

In reality, it’s not so bad. In fact, more students are living at home now than at any time since the 1940s. In the United States in 2014, 43 per cent of male uni-versity students were living at home, and 45 per cent of female students.

The reasons for this are var-ied, but most of them have to do with money. It’s an unfortunate fact that living in residence can be quite expensive, which was the main reason I opted to stay at

home. Now, I can put the money I saved on residence fees and food towards something more practical, like a wardrobe full of Kanye’s $90 APC t-shirts.

On top of that, when you’re in residence, you’re in “university mode” 24/7. You live at the univer-sity. You eat, drink and sleep at the university. Everyone you know is at the university. And that’s exactly what a lot of people signed up for – complete immersion.

But it’s not really my thing, or at least it wasn’t in first year. I needed to recharge at the end of the day, and having somewhere to relax in peace was an abso-lute godsend. Home-cooked meals, my own bed and my cat was well worth the “student experience.” It was a valuable transitionary period between “much-indulged only child” and “functioning adult.”

Now, my watch has ended. I’ll be living in residence for the first time next year, in a differ-ent country, no less, and I look forward to my independence. At the same time, I’m happy I chose to live at home for my first two years at Western, because I got the best of both worlds. No doubt I missed out on some resi-dence shenanigans, but then I’ve always seen residences as pris-ons – interesting places to visit, but terrible places to stay. n

Everything you need to pack for residence

A terrifying vision of my fu-ture flashed before my eyes: another basement-dwelling English major, purportedly “working on his novel,” with no idea how to function in the real world

Filthy Rich

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

AARON MALLETT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR @AARON_MALLETT

Packing for residence is one of the most stressful things about coming to university — but that may be because I hate packing. At any rate, packing the right things for residence is key to setting you up for success and having lived in residence for three of my five years here, I can vouch for this. While Housing does provide a packing list for residence there are things that aren’t on it that will help to make your residence experience more comfortable. Thus, here is the the ultimate list of things to pack for residence at Western.

1. Kettle Bringing a kettle and some tea/coffee (whatever you prefer) and instant oatmeal is by far the eas-iest way to save money on your meal plan. You’ll be the envy of the floor when you’re eating like a king come April and everyone else is eating cereal! One handy tip, just make sure your kettle has an automatic shut-off or face the wrath of housing.

2. Hanging closet organizer Closet space comes at a premium and bringing one of these gems will allow you to keep your closet organized – and your clothes off the floor, especially if your room-mate has a lot of clothes too! I didn’t have one of these first year and I was very jealous of my friends that did.

3. Air freshener If you love the smell of sweaty gym shoes in the morning then by all means skip this one. But for the rest of us, a small can of Febreeze can refresh your resi-dence room faster than you can say Polyethylenetetraphthlate.

4. Laundry basket and detergent Your mom is right, you will at some point need to wash your sheets and clothes. Just be care-ful which kind you choose as not every building has a laun-dry room on every floor, so make sure you get something you’re able to carry easily!

5. Toiletries and a shower caddy Showering is important no matter how many exams you have in a short period of time. A shower caddy is absolutely essential for those living in traditional style residences – I can’t count the number of times I dropped something while walking the halls of Saugeen to go shower.

6. Shower shoes Shower shoes are a contentious issue among – some people swear by them and others swear the people with them are crazy. We’d recommended bringing them just to avoid any unpleas-ant surprises in communal showers.

7. Bedding and a mattress pad Let’s face it. No matter what anyone says the beds are not the most comfortable and if you value your sleep, a mattress pad is absolutely essential. I have used both “egg crate” style and a memory foam one and either one is infinitely better than the mattress, so choose depending upon your budget and desired level of comfort.

8. Umbrella and good rain shoes It rains a lot here and walking on campus in the rain is not everyone’s idea of a wonderful time. Plus, for some reason we get huge puddles on campus and walking through those with run-ning shoes is not the most fun so bring a pair of shoes that will allow you to traverse the inevit-able lake that appears at the bot-tom of UC hill after a storm.

9. Under-bed storage containers As large as our residence rooms are, storage is at a premium. So, these containers are an excellent addition to your room for storing odds and ends or things that you may not use every day.

10. Snacks and drinks Want to make friends? People love food. Snacks are a good way to bring people together and because not every residence has a snack bar, snacks are a great addition to your packing list. You don’t need to bring tons of snacks and drinks because of the meal plan but if you get too enthralled with Netflix this is an excellent solution.

When packing don’t forget your identification (health card, driver’s licence) – you never know when you may need it. Finally, keep in mind that you may not have that much room to store things in your room. While you may want to bring everything from home, trust me when I say that you won’t need it. I brought all of my clothes from home and didn’t wear them all and looked like a fool trying to fit them into the chest of drawers I shared with my roommate. If I can offer you one piece of advice, it would be to bring the things that make you feel most comfortable – it is above all else your home away from home. n

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6 • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • SAO ISSUE www.westerngazette.ca •

Your comprehensive guide to the main campus residences

Saugeen-Maitland Hall,With a colourful history, Saugeen was dubbed

“the zoo” due to its tumultuous party reputation.

But in recent years, that environment has simmered considerably. What you’ll find in this

residence are tight-knit communities, a sprawling

dining hall that has some of the best food on campus and frequent programming throughout the building’s 36 floors. While the architecture

of the building is certainly a little grungy, this towering residence’s glowing spirit certainly makes up for it.

Elgin Hall

Located across the street from Medway-

Sydenham, Elgin is the only suite style

residence on this side of campus. The location

allows for both the comfort and privacy of

having a suite without having a long walk.

It’s also conveniently close to two buses that

take you downtown and to Christina’s Pub,

a Western staple that has some of the best

breakfast in town. There’s also a lovely nature

path located right beside the residence for

a

walk after midterms.

• www.westerngazette.ca SAO ISSUE • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • 7

Your comprehensive guide to the main campus residences

Delaware Hall,The most central residence on campus, Delaware is conveniently located near many major buildings on campus. The building’s “X” shape clearly marks its spot on a map. Home to the music faculty floor, Delaware has a reputation for its lively coffee houses which showcase the musical talent and other skills of its residents. Residents of all faculties will also enjoy the extraordinary amount of communal space for studying and socializing that Delaware has to offer.

Essex Hall

Located right beside the gym, being healthy

and working out will be much easier for students

in Essex. If the proximity to the gym isn’t

motivation enough, maybe being close to the

varsity athletes, who are frequently placed in this

residence, will prompt a more active lifestyle.

Essex is also home to the engineering floor, so

when their exams are over, get ready for quite the

celebration in those big suite style rooms.

Medway-Sydenham HallOh, Med-Syd! This is certainly the most energetic residence, known for its extremely dedicated soph team that pumps its students up with their long-held traditions. This building also boasts some of the wildest parties on campus. Being the oldest residence at Western, there is certainly some old-school charm, though that also comes with some older infrastructure. Students can definitely expect a vibrant and enjoyable experience.

Ontario Hall

The newest residence, Ontario Hall, is

the most aesthetically impressive by a count

ry

mile. It boasts multiple fireplaces, modern-

looking furniture and a giant dining

hall.

Let’s talk about the dining hall for a

minute

— it’s beautiful. There’s so many different

options and a lot of the food is cooke

d in front

of you. But the beautiful amenities come at

a price (or a small workout) – the walk to

campus is the furthest of all the residen

ces for

most big first-year classes.

Perth Hall

“Nothing ever happens at Perth,” is a frequent refrain at Western in reference to the muted party scene in this residence. That being said, the quieter environment offered here can allow bonding with fellow floormates, sophs and staff members to occur more naturally. Perth is far from the center of campus but it’s also located right beside Barakat, Pizza Hut, Subway and 7/11 which might seem like a minor detail, but those eateries will prove valuable by the middle of the year.

BY: BRADLY METLIN GAZETTE • PHOTOS BY: AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

8 • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • SAO ISSUE www.westerngazette.ca •

AMY O’KRUK NEWS EDITOR@AMYOKRUK

Leave it to a mechanical engin-eer to design a coffee-making hydraulic press.

While caffeine addicts are likely familiar with a French press or AeroPress, soon they may be buzz-ing about Pascal Press, an innov-ative all-in-one pressure coffee brewer and travel mug designed by Western student, Alan Kalbfleisch.

The current thermofluids master›s student recently won Propel’s annual start-up pitch competition, and now he’s team-ing up with the campus business incubator to launch a Kickstarter campaign for his design later this month.

Q&A with Alan Kalbfleisch

What inspired Pascal Press?I started developing Pascal Press while I was working on my mas-ter’s in thermofluids engineering. Coffee was really the one thermo-fluid system I would use every day, so I started experimenting with coffee the same way I would experiment with any thermo-fluid system, looking at how I could optimize coffee’s flavour extraction and really figure out what variables make a good cup of coffee. That’s where the Pascal Press came from.

What sets Pascal Press apart from travel French presses or an AeroPress?

Compared to an AeroPress, the brewing is pretty much identical. I took the AeroPress brewing and made it into a more convenient package. I was already using my AeroPress in the lab, and one day when I was using it, I asked myself, ‘why can’t I just drink out of this?’ The big thing that sets it apart from the AeroPress is that it’s all in one, so you don’t need to bring another travel mug. As for travel French presses, it’s a bit of an oxymoron. A travel French press is really not designed for travel [because] the filter doesn’t stop the coffee from repeatedly coming into contact with the grounds and over brewing after about ten minutes. With a Pascal Press, the grounds are com-pletely separated. After you’ve pressed it down, the coffee that you brewed is going to be the coffee you taste throughout the entire day.

What’s your connection to Propel?Propel was introduced to me by professor Darren Meister from Ivey. I took a course called busi-ness acumen last summer that was intended for PhD engineer-ing students, and as a master’s student, I talked my way in. It was a week-long crash course in business and one of the things that I started talking to Professor Meister about is what do I do with all of these ideas? I have books full of drawings of different

inventions and I just didn’t know what to do with them. What he recommended was I start off with a $20 prototype, so my first prototype for Pascal Press was actually $20 worth of plumbing material just to prove that the flow and everything worked. Once he saw that, he thought it was pretty great and introduced me to Propel and I got in there. I met with Ian [Haase], the head of Propel, and Jaclyn [Longo], one of its business analysts, and we started talking about how to focus in and develop into the prototype into something that could actually be sold.

What are your immediate plans for Pascal Press?A Kickstarter is the immediate goal. Our Kickstarter will be launching June 21, and we’re

hoping to raise the money needed to actually start manu-facturing. Right now, I’m tunnel visioned to that first day of the Kickstarter, and after that, it’s just tunnel vision right to manufac-turing to make sure I can take my prototype and actually turn it into a mass produced product that still has the same quality.

What kind of feedback has the Pascal Press received so far?Some of the best feedback I’ve received I’ve actually through posting on Reddit. I posted my second prototype — one that could actually brew coffee and wasn’t made out of plumbing material — to Reddit right after I filed my patent and that kind of blew up. That’s now the sixth most popular post of all time on the coffee forum of Reddit.

… Then I’ve brought it around to some other coffee shops, so I’ve been working closely with Fire Roasted Coffee ... and then just bringing it around to friends. Luckily, one of the machinists at the university machine shop is kind of a coffee connoisseur; he used to roast his own coffee at home, so he was a huge help giv-ing me feedback on the variables that make the best cup of coffee.

Lastly, how do you take your coffee?

With Pascal Press, it’s just black. It brews very smooth, so you really don’t need any milk or sugar.

The Pascal Press has now launched on Kickstarter and at the time of publication has already accumulated over $30,000 in investments. n

Western student launches prize-winning coffee press

London’s top four thrifting gems

JACKIE LEE CONTRIBUTOR@GAZETTECULTURE

Thrifting is no ordinary shop-ping experience. It’s an art that requires precision and an eye for creative fashion. Not everyone enjoys going through second-hand items, but for those who are fans of thrifting, here are some great places in London that can add some character to your wardrobe.

Blue Pepper Vintage187 Dundas StIf you are all about fashion experimenting and styling out-fits that make everyone’s head turn in your direction then this store screams your name. Blue Pepper Vintage sells some bold and wild statement pieces; one item in particular was a high-waisted demi long skirt with cir-cle metal locks along the centre of the skirt. Where have you seen

a skirt like that? Things are a bit pricey, so if you are on a student budget, then why not just explore the store and open your eyes to some wild fashion.

Filthy Rebena177 Dundas StIn this store, you’ll find minimal-ist decorations, small plants on the display tables, ceiling hang-ers, and of course, vintage and retro clothing. The stuff in this store has some range but there is a noticeable bohemian and avant-garde vibe. Unfortunately, the items are expensive but the quirky charm makes up for it. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to walk into a store that looks like an Instagram feed from the 1970s (if Instagram was a thing then…)

Goodwill1225 Wonderland Rd NNot only is Goodwill London a big second-hand retail store,

they are also a non-profit that looks out for some of the most disadvantaged people in the city. They have everything here: from antique furniture, older pieces, clothing, artwork and paintings. You can satisfy your thrifting appetite with their low prices while still contributing to charity — it’s the best of both worlds.

Mine101900 Oxford St EDon’t be disappointed by how small this store is, it hides treas-ures! If you’re diligent while look-ing through the racks, you may even find quite a few designer bands and each piece is vintage and unique. The price range is pretty big, so the size of your wal-let should not be a major con-cern. After visiting several times, its taste and style are not diverse, but when you do find something, then you can go home happy. n

Restaurants for the family during SAOELLIS KOIFMAN CULTURE EDITOR @ELLIS_KOIFMAN

Whether you’re visiting London for SAO or you’re family is visit-ing you during the school year, there are a number places in the city where you can enjoy a good meal. We’ve got you covered with a short list of quality local options for almost any dietary restraints or preference.

The Bungalow910 Waterloo St.You can never go wrong with bur-gers and here you can choose from a large list of toppings for no extra charge to make your very own unique creation. The restaurant has a warm, dimly lit atmosphere and plenty of sitting room plus a nice outdoor patio. It might be a good idea to make a reservation as the restaurant can get unexpect-edly busy at times and it’s unlikely you’ll want to wait around for long after a day of orientation.

London Chinese Restaurant530 Oxford St. W, London MallThis recently opened Chinese restaurant has a wide variety of quality authentic dishes, from Szechuan beef to Peking duck and a good selection of noodle dishes of all styles. There is a dim sum menu that includes items such as har gow, rice noodle rolls and youtiao (fried dough). It is a fairly large restaurant, seating over 50 people, so finding a table shouldn’t be a problem.

Zen Gardens344 Dundas St.Families interested in eating vegetarian food should check out Zen Gardens for their welcoming menu and relaxing atmosphere. While some of the dishes can be on the smaller side, their bento boxes have a good variety of food – such as purple rice, sweet and sour lappa, fruit salad and tofu. The menu is based on Asian cui-sine but has a good variety.

Barakat551 Richmond St.If you’re looking for Halal diet options look no further than Barakat, a quality Middle Eastern restaurant located on London’s notorious Richmond Row. Known during the year among students as a great place to get food for studying, this restaurant offers huge portions of foods including shawarmas, mala salad, falafel and shish kebob. The booths aplenty make for a good spot to enjoy a family meal.

Ozen607 Richmond St.If your family is one that can’t go too long without some good sushi, look no further than Ozen. This is arguably the best of the quality sushi restaurants in London that aren’t all you can eat. Food you have here won’t disappoint, despite being a bit pricier than some of the other options. Unfortunately, this res-taurant is a bit on the smaller side, so finding a table might be difficult at times. n

AARON MALLETT GAZETTE

COURTESY OF FILTHY REBENA

• www.westerngazette.ca SAO ISSUE • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • 9

ELLIS KOIFMAN CULTURE EDITOR@ELLIS_KOIFMAN

When students spending the summer in London think patio bars, they usually default to Barney’s, a massive patio bar right in the heart of downtown. But for anyone interested in trying out something new while still enjoying the fresh air alongside a favourite brew or mixed drink, here are some great options.

MILOS’ CRAFT BEER EMPORIUMThis pub has some of the best food in the city such as an in-house ground beef cheese-burger and $16 Wagyu beef steak frites for lunch. Their rotating selection of over 20 craft beers on tap will keep you coming back to check out new options; to make things even better, they let you taste the beers before investing in a pint. At Talbot and Carling St., Milos’ usually has a quieter atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of downtown drunkenness and tomfoolery.

The downside to this pub is the expensive bill at the end of the meal. A small patio and a lack of selection for mixed drinks are also drawbacks.

LONE STAR TEXAS GRILLHere you’ll find a large patio that is partially covered so even if it’s raining, it’s still possible to enjoy the outdoors. Fire pits, heat lamps and some comfortable couches add atmosphere and comfort to this patio. On Tuesdays you can enjoy (smaller) frozen margaritas for $2.50 a piece.

Unfortunately, a lot of the heat lamps never seem to be working when I visited and service can be slow at times. Drinks can also be very incon-sistently made, to the point where it can really start to drag on the overall experience.

JACK ASTOR’S BAR & GRILLNow here’s a large patio with (working!) heat lamps and various seating options from tables to bar stools. There’s a pretty decent view that over-looks downtown London which is pretty pleasant. And if you’re looking for a snack while drinking they even have a small selection of cheap desserts.

The biggest issues here are the high prices – they offer typical food from a chain res-taurant which also can be very inconsistent and often offer extra slow service.

THE EARLY BIRDProbably the best brunch place in the city. Food is cheap, amazing and bountiful (with massive portion sizes). This a great daytime patio to take in the sun while enjoying a good meal (such as their fantastic tacos) – they also have pretty good mixed drinks.

Sadly, this is by no means a nighttime place as it closes by 9 p.m. most nights of the week and 11 p.m. on weekends. It’s also pretty far downtown (on Talbot St., south of Kings St.)

MOLLY BLOOM’S IRISH PUBIn all likelihood you already know about Molly’s. That said, you may have not found your way to its nice patio and for that reason, it deserves a place on this list. Wooden tables and an outdoor bar are features of this patio, with all the usual student-loved beers on tap and bar snacks available.

Apart from the sometimes rowdy student atmosphere (which I’m sure you’re used to if you frequent Richmond Row at night), the biggest problem is the train tracks located right next to the patio, meaning if a train passes by you’ll have to resort to sign language and other hand gestures for as long as five minutes (or more). n

CLAIRE PALMER SPORTS EDITOR@CLAIREPALMSTER

Western is known for being a uni-versity with one of the best stu-dent experiences in the country. The school offers many interest-ing programs, high-quality facili-ties and great classes. There’s something for every student, and it’s easy to stay busy during the school year. One of the best ways to get involved is to embark on a quest to win a coveted purple shirt by joining an intramural sport team. Western offers many recreational and competitive leagues, which can make it hard to choose which sport you want to sign up for. Here’s our list of the top five intramural sports to make your decision easier when it comes time to register.

#5 • QUIDDITCHAlthough Western didn’t have a quidditch team last year, there have been teams in the past, which is enough to earn the sport a place on this list. A rela-tively new sport born out of the beloved Harry Potter franchise, quidditch is a great co-ed intra-mural sport. For people who are looking to try something new, quidditch is perfect, as almost everyone goes into the sport with no prior experience, putting everyone on an even level. There are a minimum six players per team: three chasers, two beaters and one keeper. It starts at the beginning of the fall semester in September, so if you’re in your first year and looking to meet new people within the first week, quidditch is perfect for you. With opportunities to compete at the annual quidditch World Cup, quidditch is a great sport to meet people with a similar interest.

#4 • INNER TUBE WATER POLOThe little brother to water polo, inner tube allows you to play a great game from the comfort of a personal floatation device. If you’re looking to try something out of your comfort zone, this is a great sport to try for the first time. Most people don’t have too much water polo experi-ence, so everyone is starting from scratch together. It’s a fun way to vie for the purple shirt in a fun but competitive league. It’s a great intramural sport to enter a team made up from your resi-dence floor or to join with some friends. However, if you aren’t comfortable with swimming, this may not be the sport for you, as it’s recommended that athletes be able to swim for 50m and tread water for one minute comfortably.

#3 • ULTIMATE FRISBEEAnother relatively new sport, ultimate frisbee at Western has enjoyed a lot of success over the last few years, with an ultim-ate varsity team joining the ranks of Western’s elite athletes. Offered in the fall semester, it’s a great co-ed team sport that’s all about fitness and disc skills. Sportsmanship is emphasized, as there are no officials and players call their own fouls. The sport is all about respect for play-ers and respect for the rules, but mainly it is about playing for the joy of it. Teams are made up of different skill levels, and there’s a spot for everyone in the ultimate frisbee league, making it a great sport to try for the first time.

#2 • HOCKEYCanada’s winter sport and national pastime, hockey is eas-ily the most popular sport on this

list. Its popularity means that it has well developed intramural leagues and plenty of teams, which makes it a fun, competi-tive intramural choice. Whether you’ve just graduated out of your local house league program or spent years playing rep, there’s a team for you. With competitive and recreational leagues offered for both men and women, it’s fun to get your old teammates together and play together again. You can also join a team as a free agent, making new friends and meeting new people in the pro-cess. Hockey is one of the few intramural sports that runs for both the fall and winter session, meaning you can stick with your team for the full school year and if the full year commitment seems a bit too much, there’s always ball hockey offered for half year sessions.

#1 • FLAG FOOTBALLFlag football is a staple in Western intramurals. There are several chances to play; whether it be in the residence league representing your building or in the powderpuff league, flag football is the perfect sport to join with friends or your floor. Male, female and co-ed teams are all offered to anyone who wants to give it a try. Coming into first year, the residence league is great to join in order to meet other people in your building and compete for the Champs Cup at the end of November. Flag football in first year is a proud competitive tradition at Western, with the residence league offered in the fall semester for women and the men’s league offered dur-ing the winter semester. Also for the winter semester, those who competed in the fall leagues get recruited to join the powder-puff team, an all-girls team that plays outdoors in the snow and sleet, competing in tournaments against other universities. n

Intramural leagues you should try out

MEGHAN BHATIA GAZETTE

editor@westerngazette.ca

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10 • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • SAO ISSUE www.westerngazette.ca •

HAMZA TARIQ EDITOR-IN-CHIEFBRADLEY METLIN DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR@UWOGAZETTE

Western’s 2016 Homecoming has been moved from Reunion Weekend on September 30 to October 2, to Saturday, October 22, due to concerns ‘associated with the unsanctioned and unsupervised street party that has taken place in recent years.’

According to a media release by Western, despite repeated efforts by the University to dis-courage unsanctioned street parties on Broughdale Avenue, as many as 10,000 people have congregated on the street in recent years, creating an unsafe environment.

Faculty events such as Alumni Awards of Merit and Golden Anniversary dinners will still take place on the original Reunion Weekend while the Homecoming game will be on October 22.

The University is hoping that by moving Homecoming to a later time in October, Western students and students coming from other universities will be busy with academics includ-ing assignments and midterms which will discourage them from attending the ‘unsanctioned’ fes-tivities. The colder weather in October was also cited as a dis-incentive for people to attend a street party.

“I remain personally commit-ted to doing everything we can as a university to build awareness of how serious the Broughdale issue has become. Western is fortunate to have the support of important community partners such as the London police and we will con-tinue to work collaboratively to address the problem,” said Western President Amit Chakma in the media release.

The University stated that the thousands of people attending the street parties include those with no connections to Western, high school students and people with criminal histories.

“London Police Service has been working closely with Western administrators and other community partners to address this issue and we support the university in its decision to move Homecoming,” said LPS deputy chief Steve Williams.

COMMUNITY REACTION TO THE HOCO MOVEWestern’s plans to move

Homecoming received a swift and relentless reaction on social media from students and alumni.

A Facebook page titled “Save HOCO” and inviting people to celebrate on the original weekend has more than 2,000 people going and 4,000 invited at the time of publication. In addition, t-shirts with the slo-gan “Save Hoco” are also being sold online. An online petition urging Western to reconsider its decision has more than 800 sig-natures. A Twitter account titled “KeepHocoAlive” was made in efforts to save the traditional festivities.

Alumni have penned letters to the Gazette sharing their dis-may over the University’s inabil-ity to deal with more pressing problems likes mental health resources on campus and instead focusing on Homecoming.

WESTERN AND USC RESPOND TO HOCO BACKLASH

Associate vice-president student experience Jana Luker explained the motivations behind Western’s decision.

“Homecoming is a very big production with a lot of proud traditions but after last year, the Broughdale unsanctioned street party was quite large ... This is where several administrators sat around a table and made the decision all together and the police were quite involved as well,” she said, adding that concerns have been brought for-ward from the city of London, the University Hospital emergency department and students.

Cr it ic ism regarding Homecoming festivities is noth-ing new and a city councillor pro-posed to cancel the event in 2014 if it got any more out of hand.

Luker added that after this year’s Homecoming, there will be a period of reassessment in which plans for future years will be discussed. She also added that the University would be keeping its eye on the original October 1 date to see how students respond.

Some stakeholders have been worried that a continued party atmosphere could lead Western to act similarly to Queen’s in 2008, when they cancelled their Homecoming. When asked if Western had considered this

option or would explore can-celation if rowdiness occurred on October 1, Luker didn’t shut down the possibility.

“All decisions will be on the table but there is certainly isn’t any plan specifically.”

A TAMER HOCO VILIFIEDThe criticism of last year’s

Homecoming events, however, comes as a surprise considering the USC and University adminis-tration celebrated it as a success at the time.

“As a much bigger event than it was last year, it definitely went really well,” former USC president Sophie Helpard said in 2015. “We had a lot of great attendance and a lot of positive feedback.”

The move to keep Homecoming festivities on cam-pus was titled “Hoco on the Hill” and two major concerts were held on campus. The DVBBS and Our Lady Peace concerts drew big crowds of up to 6,000 people.

Students who attended Broughdale last year found the police presence to be friendlier than in past years. The police also laid significantly fewer charges during the 2015 Homecoming.

Overall, there was a 78 per cent drop in criminal charges, with 105 criminal charges in the fall of 2014, down to 23 criminal charges in 2015. Additionally, 1422 provincial offence notices were issued in fall 2014, with a substantial drop to 791 provincial offence notices in 2015.

Comparing provincial offences given out on the day of Homecoming, notices went down from 213 to 76.

LPS constable Sandasha Ferguson said that students on the popular party street were well-behaved and interacted well with police.

Addressing the fewer char-ges during the weekend events, Keith Marnoch, director of media relations at Western said in 2015 that such successes were built on lessons learned in previous years.

Despite the successes of last year’s Homecoming, Luker said there would be a move away from that sort of programming but added that there would be other events, though they have yet to be finalized. n

With files from Drishti Kataria

Western moves HOCO to tone down Broughdale street parties

ZIJING ZHOU GAZETTE

Dear Western: Your students

are not your enemy

In March 2015, while I was still a student at Western, University President Amit Chakma vowed to listen to stu-dents and work to create a better campus for students, staff, and faculty. It is now over a year later, and as an alumnus I feel that Amit Chakma is continuing to fail the Western community.

Western endured some heartbreaking tragedies this year. What was so tragic about them was that they were preventable, and the fact they were preventable suggested a university environment wherein students were not being kept safe by an administration that was supposed to pro-tect them.

For me, the most troubling thing is that this unsafe environment continues to exist.

Right now University Hospital is the most overcrowded hospital in all of Ontario, and has been for over 2.5 years. For ten consecutive quarters, University Hospital has been operating at over 100 per cent capacity, meaning that stu-dents in need of physical care or mental health treatment may be forced to wait for the resources they desperately need.

Campus Police has also recently sounded the alarm over unsafe conditions on campus, with constables suggesting that the administration has taken no steps to address the circumstances that led to some of the aforementioned tra-gedies. In fact, the administration is actually attempting to further decrease police presence on campus, and as of this writing not a single Western campus constable is even adequately trained to answer 911 calls.

These stories, and many others, paint a picture of a campus that puts other priorities ahead of the safety of its students.

So, what has the administration spent their time and money focusing on? Trying to stop students from drink-ing on Homecoming by moving the event to the middle of exams, despite the fact that last year’s Homecoming was described as one of the calmest in recent memory.

While it remains unclear whether Homecoming’s new date will actually curb street parties, what is strikingly clear is that the university is putting outside influences ahead of the wellness of its students.

Moving Homecoming to one of the most strenuous aca-demic periods of the semester will put additional stress on students, forcing them to choose between their academics and taking part in Western’s largest tradition.

When justifying the decision, Janice Deakin, provost and vice-president academics at Western, said that during last year’s Homecoming the university was “flirting with unspeakable disaster” and that “something terrible is going to happen.”

Ms. Deakin, I have to disagree. Something terrible isn’t going to happen. It already has.

This year was characterized by a series of unspeakable disasters, none of which were Homecoming related. Months later, there’s still a lack of resources and safety measures in place for Western students.

To current Western students reading this, I urge you to speak up and demand accountability from university leadership.

To my fellow alumni, I urge you to consider whether or not your donations actually go to support the best student experience in Canada.

And Amit Chakma, if you’re reading this, I implore you to consider my words.

I implore you to really consider what will actually keep the students you’ve sworn to protect safe.

Above all else, I implore you to start working with us instead of against us by not treating the students of Western University as mere liabilities.

We are not the enemy.

CHRIS WILLIAMSON AND DALAI COTEWilliamson is a 2015 Western alumnus and former Mustang, residence adviser

and faculty soph. Cote is a 2016 Western alumnus and a former faculty soph.

letter to the editor

• www.westerngazette.ca SAO ISSUE • TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016 • 11

Western’s own weightlifting successKATIE LEAR PRINT MANAGING EDITOR@KATIELEAR_

“Let’s take the photo first,” Meg Thorne says, walking between the weights towards the back wall at Hybrid Fitness. Once she’s done her workout for the day, she doesn’t want to risk straining her-self further by deviating from her training regimen.

She’s choosing a weight and getting ready to show off her lifts when one of the other gym mem-bers calls out and encourages her to show off why she’s called the ‘Snatch Master’.

As it turns out, ‘snatch’ is a weightlifting term for a lift that brings the weight off the ground and above the head in one smooth motion.

“My nickname is ‘Snatch Master’ I think because I’m technically relatively good at the snatch exercise,” Thorne laughs when asked about the name. “It’s kind of a play on words because I’m a master’s athlete.”

Thorne has earned her name due to her prowess in Olympic weightlifting at the masters level, showing a level of skill that has allowed her to win the bronze medal at the 2016 Pan American Masters Weightlifting Championship in Puerto Rico earlier this month.

Although Thorne only began

weightlifting two years ago and attended her first competition in October, she also has two silver medals under her belt at both the provincial and national levels. She attributes the love of the sport to the community at Hybrid Fitness.

“This is an amazing environ-ment to train in and it’s about what your body can do and how strong you are, both mental strength and physical strength,” she says. “Participating in this community is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”

Thorne has been at Hybrid Fitness for almost three years now, since before Jordan Bartol, manager of member experience at Hybrid Fitness, joined the staff team. When he remembers his first day, Thorne’s warm welcome comes to mind.

“I remember my first day here she just took it upon herself to come on up to me, find out who I was, get to know me, learn a few things about me,” Bartol says. “Meg was just super warm, super friendly and extremely welcoming.”

Thorne’s warm nature is likely an asset in her other life, as she works as an academic advisor at Huron. Thorne cites a love of watching students transi-tion from high school through Huron and into their careers

as a primary drive in her role. She’s no stranger to Western, having previously worked as a FIMS academic counsellor after graduating with an MIT degree.

However, both Bartol and Stephanie Paplinskie, ses-sional kinesiology lecturer and coach at Hybrid Fitness, note that Thorne is very humble and not one to talk about her accomplishments.

“With someone like Meg you would have never known that she a) is an Olympic weightlifter and b) that she was going to Pan Am,” Paplinskie says. “The fact that she’s only been doing this

for two years and she’s already going to the Pan Ams ... is quite outstanding.”

Bartol echoes Paplinskie’s pride and adds that her success — despite her late start to the sport — serves as an inspiration to other gym members.

“She’s such a big deal for the younger lifters here, but she’s also a big deal for the rest of our athletes in the gym. So people who maybe don’t weight-lift, but who just assume that they can’t get into it, because they’re too old or they’ve missed their shot or they’re over 30 now so there’s no hope. They can look at Meg

who picked this up way, way after you think that you can pick it up and master it.”

While Thorne’s humble nature may make her hesitant to call herself an inspiration, she finds the sport has its own rewards through tangible results.

“It’s really empowering to be strong and to continue to watch those weights go up as you put in so much effort and so much work ... it can be very empow-ering to focus on the numbers on the weights moving up as opposed to the numbers on the scale moving down.” n

KATIE LEAR PRINT MANAGING EDITOR@KATIELEAR_

The upcoming football season is set to see a few changes in the roster, as the Mustangs sign a new quarterback and congratu-late six of their own on being drafted to the CFL.

WESTERN’S NEW QUARTERBACKChris Merchant will be joining the Mustangs after spending the past two seasons with the Buffalo Bulls, an NCAA Division I university.

“Chris is a great athlete, and brings a strong arm to our pro-gram with a skill set that suits our offensive scheme,” Western head coach Greg Marshall said in a press release.

“He is a high character young man that we know he will be a great fit in our locker room and a great addition to the Western community.”

Merchant was the top ranked Canadian quarterback recruit in 2014, when he joined the Bulls after two successful seasons at St. Andrew’s College.

“I am both honoured and excited for the opportunity to become a student and athlete at such a well-respected univer-sity,” Merchant said in the press release. “I will do everything I can to live up to Western’s trad-ition of excellence.”

According to Marshall, the team hasn’t made any decisions on who will take on the role of quarterback, as Stevenson Bone is another option for the Mustangs.

Bone replaced Will Finch as quarterback after Finch retired from the sport following a third concussion in January.

SIX MUSTANG ATHLETES DRAFTED TO THE CFLSean Jamieson, George Johnson, Josh Woodman, Rupert Butcher, Jamal Kett and Matt Uren were all selected in one of eight rounds of May 10’s CFL draft.

Jamieson, who was drafted in the third round and 20th overall, will be heading to the Montreal Alouettes along with Johnson, who was chosen in the fourth round.

“It’ll be awesome, just com-ing in with Sean [Jamieson] and having the pleasure of play-ing with him over four years,” Johnson said.

They will be joining for-mer Mustang Vaughn Martin, who signed with Montreal in February after spending seven seasons in the NFL.

Woodman will be heading to the Edmonton Eskimos after being selected in the fifth round of the draft.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers chose Butcher in the sixth round. Kett will be joining the Redblacks in Ottawa after being chosen in the seventh round.

“The best way I can honestly put it is that Kanye West has a song called ‘Ultralight Beam’ and that’s legitimately what I felt like I was on — it was amazing.” Kett recounted.

Uren is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ eighth-round pick and has played through his five years of CIS eligibility. n

Mustangs football’s hellos and goodbyes

KATIE LEAR GAZETTE

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