Thursday, November 5, 2009

SPORTS

A&E

NEWS

FIELD HOCKEY

SONG SHOW

INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING

Semifinal defeat … p.8

Pop music exhibit at Artlab … p.5

Program gets mixed reactions … p.3

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WESTERN’S DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • EST.1906 • VOLUME 103, ISSUE 36

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009

CONCRETE BEACH STUDENT ACTION

Brett Higgs/Gazette

RAINY DAY RALLY. Nearly 100 people congregated on Concrete Beach yesterday afternoon in a rally serving the dual purpose of supporting Western student Irnes Zeljkovic and his family as well as protesting police brutality. Zeljkovic was arrested by campus and London police in the Social Science Centre on Oct. 14.

Protest rally condemns police brutality Western student preparing to file charges against parties involved in SSC takedown By Mike Hayes and Lauren Pelley Gazette Staff

After hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube brought national media attention to his case, Irnes Zeljkovic has expressed an interest in bringing charges against the University of Western Ontario. The 22-year-old’s controversial arrest on Oct. 14 –– and subsequent public outcry –– has resulted in Western administration defending the actions of campus police services and many students debating whether the use of force seen in the video was appropriate. Zeljkovic’s attorney Phillip Millar has indicated his client will be bringing suit against the parties

involved in the incident. Millar has also been retained to defend Zeljkovic against his criminal charges, which include resisting arrest, assaulting a peace officer and escaping custody. “Right now, the first priority is for us to take care of the charges against him,” Millar said. The attorney indicated his client’s lawsuit has yet to be filed, but will likely involve both London and campus police services, along with the University itself. The probable lawsuit comes on the heels of an announcement by Western administration that they would be seeking an independent review of the arrest by former provincial police commissioner Gwen Boniface. Yesterday also marked an on-

campus rally in support of Zeljkovic. Around 100 individuals congregated in the cold on Concrete Beach, some holding signs condemning police brutality. “We were hoping to show we didn’t forget what happened three weeks ago,” one of the event’s organizers, fourth-year engineering student Sead Ferhatovic, said. He expressed support for the anticipated external police investigation of the incident, adding, “It’s good that everything is getting on track.” Reading a letter from the Congress of North American Bosniaks, social science student Dzeneta Trokic expressed the organization’s disapproval of the manner in which Zeljkovic was arrested. “[The incident] has damaged

the reputation of the […] police in the eyes of the community and the rest of the world,” Trokic read. Tom Murphy, a Western sociology professor, spoke at the rally in support of his former student. “He’s one of the most gentle persons I know,” Murphy said. As for Zeljkovic’s condition, Millar explained his client is still under medical care. Millar noted it was not his client’s physical injuries which have led to his extended medical care, but rather an examination for potential mental conditions. “The state of mind [Zeljkovic] was in at the time of the incident is undiagnosed as of yet, but he was obviously stressed and agitated,” Millar said. “He was not acting as his normal self.”

“We were hoping to show we didn’t forget what happened three weeks ago.” — Sead Ferhatovic, Event organizer and fourth-year engineering student

“[The incident] has damaged the reputation of the […] police in the eyes of the community and the rest of the world.” — Excerpt from a letter written by the Congress of North American Bosniaks

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news

theGazette • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009

COPYRIGHT LECTURE

Colleen Dekleyn/Gazette

WELCOME TO THE EXCITING WORLD OF COPYRIGHT LAW. Samuel Trosow, an associate professor at Western jointly appointed to the faculty of information and media studies and the faculty of law, gave an open lecture yesterday on copyright policies in academic settings.

Interested in journalism? Gazette News has openings for writers and interns. Visit Rm. 263 and talk to managing editor Jaela Bernstien.

Teach English Abroad

NEWSBRIEFS Driving us crazy Still looking to get your G2? Be prepared to wait. The DriveTest strike is continuing into its 11th week, marking just under three months of no licensing or testing. Pressure is mounting on both sides to reach an agreement, with a Facebook page with 8,000 members leading the way. During Tuesday’s question period at Queen’s Park, Andrea Horwath, MPP for Hamilton Centre for the New Democratic Party, asked

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why Premier Dalton McGuinty was ignoring new drivers. Serco DES, owner of DriveTest, bought the rights to provide driver testing from the province in 2003. The employees, represented by United Steelworkers Union Local 9511, went on strike Aug. 21. On Nov. 2, DriveTest tabled a final offer to the Union. “DriveTest has made significant concessions in order to end this strike and end the harm it is causing the public,” Paul Dalglish, managing director of DriveTest, said. While the union is recommending members reject the offer, they are still putting it up for vote this week. Drivers whose G1 licence has expired or those who required a written examination or road test during the strike have been given an extension until July 1, 2010. Most other drivers are able to renew their license through the Driver and Vehicle Licence Office. —Justin D’Angelo

Cardiovascular researcher honoured

OXFORD SEMINARS

Robarts Research Institute at Western announced the 2009 recipient of the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine. This year’s prize was awarded to cardiovascular researcher Garret FitzGerald, a professor from the University of Pennsylvania, for his contributions to the field of cardiovascular health. “[FitzGerald] is a brilliant scientist and his exceptional leadership in cardiovascular research makes him a most deserving recipient,” Murray Huff, a member of the selection committee for the Taylor Prize, commented. “[FitzGerald’s research] has resulted in dramatic and significant changes to clinical practice.” He was the first scientist to discover anti-inflammatory drugs, particularly the popularly prescribed Vioxx, actually increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. His research also contributed to the everyday use of Aspirin as a method to prevent heart disease. FitzGerald presented his latest research at the Taylor Cardiovascular Research Symposium at Western’s University Hospital yesterday. Following the symposium Fitzgerald accepted the award and the $10,000 prize.

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—Michael Wheeler 091105

The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.

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theGazette • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009

UNIVERSITY WORK ACTION

Timing of strikes troublesome McMaster, Nippissing, U of T still negotiating By Stuart A. Thompson and Meagan Kashty Gazette Staff

By Jaela Bernstien and Jared Lindzon Gazette Staff

The Gazette news section is currently looking for interns. An intern will be expected to devote one day per week where they will learn Canadian Press writing and editing style as well as professional interview techniques. Anyone interested in participating in the internship program is encouraged to come to the Gazette office in room 263 of the University Community Centre, Monday through Thursday anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“Most universities are taking a pretty hard line in bargaining, saying they’re in tough financial situations whether they are or not.” — James Turk, Executive director of Canadian Association of University Teachers

CUPE’s requests, while Farquhar maintained administration is giving the union ample time to reconsider their offer. Similarly, while the president of Nipissing noted the importance of averting a strike, the Nipissing University Faculty Association has said any offer from administration has fallen short of the mark. While unions and administrations continue to hash out the details, students are left in a wave of uncertainty.

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You could call it the season of strikes. Western librarians avoided a strike last week after a tentative deal was reached with administration. Now three more universities are facing strike situations. Teaching and research assistants at McMaster University were on the picket lines this week after rejecting what administration called its best offer, which included a pay bump to $39.40 per hour. Sessional faculty at the University of Toronto are also ready to hit the pavement as their Nov. 9 strike deadline approaches. At Nipissing University, faculty voted in favour of a strike on Tuesday as negotiations fizzled. While this recent pattern of strikes falls in line midterm season, officials explained this is unintentional. The trend is the result of the timeline for contract negotiations, which begins during the summer and often climaxes several months into negotiations, causing an impasse just as midterm season rolls around. “It’s not our goal to have them in the midterm season, it just sort of happens,” Derek Sahota, bargaining member of CUPE 3906 at McMaster, said. Andrea Farquhar, director of public and government relations for McMaster, said it’s common for bargaining to continue after contracts expire. This leaves instructors working without formal agreements. She added the negotiation process happens in sequence, so each side must follow an outlined procedure before a strike is an option. “[Faculty and administration] start negotiating well in advance of the contracts expiring,” Laurie Stephens, director of media relations at U of T said. “I know we’ve been negotiating for about five months.” Nipissing faced a similar situation this week, as more than eight months of bargaining resulted in a 95.8 per cent vote in the strike’s favour. During strike season last year, tensions at York University were escalating between union workers and administration as December approached. CUPE 3903 — which

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The federal government has recently come under fire for what critics are calling a lack of funding for post-secondary research. At the centre of the criticism is the Knowledge Infrastructure Program — a federal initiative, which allocated $2 billion in funding to support infrastructure enhancement at post-secondary institutions as part of Canada’s 2009 economic stimulus plan. Most of the funds are being spent on deferred maintenance and upgrades such as re-roofing and repairing air conditioning systems, according to a press release from the Canada Association of University Teachers. “The government is giving all of this money to physical infrastructure and is providing no money for human infrastructure,” James Turk, executive director of CAUT, said. He criticized the government for misrepresenting what the KIP funding would be used towards. By the end of October, only 41 per cent of the funding had been used for researchrelated infrastructure, according to CAUT. However, on Industry Canada’s website, an outline of eligible projects for KIP funding includes upgrades to building systems associated with research laboratories such as heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. At Western, KIP funding went towards paying for half of the new $100 million Richard Ivey School of Business building — a choice ultimately made by the government, not Western. “All together I think we submitted six projects to the federal government, and they chose the ones they wish to support,” Fred Longstaffe, vice-president academic, said. Although Longstaffe is grateful for the funds the University received, for some professors at Western this is not enough. “The buildings aren’t very

useful unless you have qualified people working in them,” noted James Compton, vicepresident of Western’s faculty association. Another concern raised by CAUT is the lack of funding for research might drive away Canada’s top scientists. “At a time when the [United States] council is spending $13 billion on research […] we’re in real danger in Canada of losing our top scientists,” Turk said. Scott Ernst, professor and head of the division of medical oncology at Western affirmed he has seen colleagues leave Canada for the United States. “Very worthwhile projects aren’t getting funded, not because of a lack of scientific merit, but because of the lack of funding,” he said. In an analysis of the KIP program, the office of the Official Opposition Critic for Infrastructure, Cities and Communities voiced concerns that the allocations of infrastructure funding were biased. The analysis of the KIP program claimed that, in the available national picture, colleges and universities hosted by Conservative MPs were given 33 per cent more on a per student basis than those in Liberal ridings — a gap of almost $250 million. “The Liberal government would have involved objective people in making [funding] decisions; we would have made them public and transparent […] We would not have built in a partisan bias into knowledge infrastructure,” Opposition critic Gerard Kennedy said. According to Longstaffe, Western is grateful for any funding it receives from the government. “It would have been great to get more money to [complete all of Western’s top priority projects], but you can look at it as the cup half full or half empty; I’m just grateful we got the funding that we did,” he said. Industry Canada, which oversees the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, could not be reached for comment as of Wednesday evening.

represents contract faculty and teaching assistants at York — hit the picket lines for an unprecedented three-month strike while students were locked out of class. Farquhar argued the situation at York may have set a precedent for what people expect from university strikes. However, she was quick to point out the differences. “For one thing, York was closed during the strike while [McMaster is] still open,” she said. “Their classes were discontinued, ours are not.” The recession has not made the situation any easier. “Bargaining has become very difficult,” James Turk, executive director for the Canadian Association of University Teachers, said. “Most universities are taking a pretty hard line in bargaining, saying they’re in tough financial situations whether they are or not.” Robert Ramsay, chair of CUPE 3902 at U of T, claimed universities always cite a lack of funds, regardless of the cause. “We hear this every single time we go to universities with demands,” Ramsay said. “This time the iteration is the recession. Last time it was restructuring the faculty budgets. It’s just a new version of the same story.” Despite differences between parties, one similarity is apparent on both sides — the desire to reach an amicable agreement without conceding too much. Sahota showed frustration with McMaster’s refusal to bend to

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Brain drain one of primary fears related to lack of funding

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opinions

theGazette • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009

thegazette Volume 103, issue 36 “Technology is a way of organizing the universe so that man doesn’t have to experience it.” — MAX FRISCH

Ryan Hendrick

Carly Conway

Jaela Bernstien

Editor-In-Chief

Deputy Editor

Managing Editor

Editor - [email protected] Deputy - [email protected] Managing - [email protected] website at www.westerngazette.ca University Community Centre Rm. 263 The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, CANADA. N6A 3K7 Advertising Dept.: (519) 661-3579 Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580 The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.

Learning with Facebook Yesterday the BBC reported on a study that claims incorporating social networking websites such as Facebook and Second Life into academics is helping to reduce college dropout rates in the United Kingdom. Western is slowly warming to the trend — a media, information and technoculture course is taught completely on Second Life. The university routine is pretty simple: eat, sleep, check Facebook, repeat. So why aren’t universities taking more advantage of everyone’s favourite social networking website to connect students with professors? There’s no doubt Facebook is convenient for students. Ninety-nine per cent of them have it and use it regularly. If course materials were on the site, it may even do the unthinkable and encourage students to get a leg up on their studies. The biggest advantage of individual classes having Facebook pages would be the ability for students in a common class to interact with each other and share information. Study groups could be formed through these online forums and the minute questions that flood the inboxes and grey the hair of professors could be answered student-to-student. Western currently spends a lot of money on WebCT, which attempts to fill this role. However, the interface is clunky and difficult to use. Using Facebook to interact with professors would also be convenient for students who live far from university grounds and have to go out of their way to get to campus for office hours. This study also calls into question the purpose of inperson office hours. Now that we have instant communication technologies we can connect professors with students under more comfortable, flexible circumstances. Office hours could be held online, with students able to run ideas by their professors from their bedrooms. On the other hand, getting to know your professors in face-to-face circumstances often allows for a better developed teacher-student relationship. Internet communication technologies tend to take the genuineness and authenticity out of interaction. And whatever happened to solving problems on your own? Having a professor literally at student’s fingertips can discourage independent thought and encourage student apathy. In being constantly connected to their professors, students run the risk of being coddled. Posting content online may also prompt more students to skip class — a trend that is already a problem on most university campuses. The best thing to do is give professors the option of using Facebook, Second Life, or whatever social technology they feel comfortable embracing to help students. It couldn’t hurt. But we cannot use new technologies as an excuse to completely abandon face-to-face interaction. Digital forums should complement personal communication and be used to enhance the university experience — it should not act as the be all and end all. Editorials appearing under the ‘opinions’ heading are decided upon by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff. Letters: Must include the contributor’s name, identification (ie. History II, Dean of Arts) and be submitted to [email protected]. Letters judged by the Editor-In-Chief to be libelous or derogatory will not be published. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters and submissions and makes no guarantees that a letter will be published. All articles, letters, photographs, graphics, illustrations and cartoons published in The Gazette, both in the newspaper and online versions, are the property of The Gazette. By submitting any such material to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette‘s hard copy and online archives. • Please recycle this newspaper •

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Sickies should stay home, not worth the risk To the editor: I understand that academic pressures are at an all time high at this point in the year, but paranoia about the H1N1 is also growing and students are trying their best to stay healthy during cold and flu season. Sitting in class this morning, I found myself about three seats away from an extremely ill student who was coughing violently and frequently for the duration of a two-hour lecture. Later that afternoon, a different student, who looked closer to green than tan, sat in another one of my classes, grumbling about how ill they felt when the professor called on them. Time and time again, taking the Richmond bus packed with students, I have people cough on me, I see people wipe their noses and then hold the bus pole and, worst of all, just sneeze right into the air with no regard about where their snot is flying. Most of us have been that sick student, pushing their limits. I know I sure have. You have a test or exam coming up, you don’t want to miss class, so you sit sniffling and sneezing trying to get down a few notes through a cough-syrupy haze. I get it, I really do, but at this point in time when so many people are on the edge of their seats waiting to find out when the H1N1 vaccine will be available for the general public, you need to just stay in bed and get well. As much as I

want to be sympathetic to what sick students are going through, I have to restrain myself from telling off extremely sick people I see around campus. They are not only compromising their own safety by overexerting themselves, but they are also putting the rest of us at risk. For the good of public mental and physical health I beg you, ill students, to stay at home. —Alanna Mager English IV

Midterms cause more frustration Re “Midterms prompt policy discussion” Oct. 29, 2009 To the editor: In light of recent midterm policy discussions, I would like to express a frustration regarding the scheduling of midterms outside of the regular class schedule. This year I have had several midterms scheduled during hours that conflict with my other classes. It is expected that I do not attend class to accommodate the midterm scheduling. To further my frustration, it has not been regular lectures that I have been forced to miss, but laboratories. I do not believe that the University would usually advocate skipping class, but apparently when it comes to midterms, skipping is mandatory.

Senior Mike Hayes Lauren Pelley Sports Daniel Da Silva Grace Davis Arden Zwelling Graphics Ali Chiu Jesse Tahirali

Kinesiology IV

Letters to the editor… so easy 14 year olds can do it!

[email protected]

Section Editors 2009-2010 News Allie Fonarev Meagan Kashty Abid-Aziz Ladhani Shreya Tekriwal

—Erica Beatty

Did you know? The Gazette looks back this week to 1990 when a group of Saugeen-Maitland Hall residents had their fishy United Way fundraiser shut down. Seven male students from 9Upper were thinking outside the tank when they offered to swallow live goldfish in an effort to raise money for the annual United Way campaign. Participants paid $1 to try and catch the bait with their bare hands in less than 10 seconds and if successful, one of the event organizers would swallow the fish whole. “There were nearly 50 people around and we had barely begun. People loved it,” Sanjay Gandhi, a participant in the event, told the Gazette. A total of five fish were consumed and $20 was raised for the campaign, but despite the enthusiasm, the fundraiser was short lived. After less than 10 minutes, residence manager Gary Robertson threatened the organizers with eviction if they did not cease the fish-eating immediately. “He took me aside and said ‘You may have put yourself in jeopardy,’” Evan Wailoo, another participant, explained to the Gazette. “After that we just shut it down. I didn’t want to get evicted.” However, when asked about the legitimacy of the eviction threat, Susan Grindrod, director of housing in 1990, said although she was not familiar with the incident, it was unlikely Robertson would have been able to evict residents on such grounds. Despite the controversy, students deemed the fundraising effort a success. “Everyone was doing the same old thing to raise money,” Brook Gardner, another participant said. “We wanted people to at least get entertained for their dollar.” As for the fish that weren’t consumed during the event, their tale was short lived as well. Organizers said they were consumed at a Halloween party later that evening.

Gazette Staff 2009-2010

Arts & Entertainment Amber Garratt Nicole Gibillini Maddie Leznoff

News - [email protected] A&E - [email protected]

Boateng, Jordan Brown, Dylan Clark, Julie-Anne Cleyn, Caitlin Conroy,

Opinions Jaclyn Haggarty

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Sari Rose Conter, Adam Crozier, Angela Easby, Adam Feldman, Mark

Photography Laura Barclay Brett Higgs Corey Stanford Web Stuart Thompson

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ArtsEntertainment Chekhov plays come to life in Conron Hall English department prepares for annual production with emphasis on characters By Kate Wilkinson Gazette Writer

To the dismay of Western’s theatre enthusiasts, the official academic drama program was abolished over a decade ago in an effort to funnel resources into more populated arts and humanities programs. Despite this setback, an energetic and dedicated theatre community continues to thrive on campus. This is exemplified by this year’s English department production — a selection of three works by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Jo Devereux, an English professor, directs the production. The production will feature Chekhov’s tragicomedy Uncle Vanya in combination with one of two single act plays. The Bear will be shown during the first set of performances on Nov. 6, 7 and 11, and The Proposal during the second set, on Nov. 12, 13 and 14. While not sharing any plot connections with one another, all three plays were written during the height of Chekhov’s popularity in the late 19th century and serve as prime examples of the playwright’s ability to combine comic absurdity with melancholic undertones. “We’ve taken the strength of Chekhov’s farces and combined it with the strength of his tragicomic writing, so you really get to see the best two sides of his art in one night of performance,” Devereux explained. Set in rural Russia in the 1890s, Uncle Vanya revolves around a coun-

Charlotte Guerlotté/Gazette

GRAND GESTURES. Cast members of the English department’s production of three Anton Chekhov plays rehearse in Conron Hall. Opening night is Nov. 6. try home and chronicles the interactions amongst a quirky set of characters, each dealing with their own personal dilemmas and eccentricities. The Bear and The Proposal focus on the comedy of courtship, each featuring a couple who spend the majority of their time arguing, which some might say is an indication of their true affection for one another.

The emphasis on characters in all three plays makes the intimate performance space of University College’s Conron Hall an appropriate venue for showing Chekhov’s work. The crew decided to adhere to minimal set decoration and simple 19th century costumes in an effort to promote interaction between the audience and the performers. As

these particular Chekhov selections call for an ensemble cast, the production has about 14 actors drawn from Western’s student and staff populations and represents several faculties on campus. Those who have attended other campus productions in the past will be able to spot some familiar faces in the cast, a testament to the sus-

tained level of interest Western’s theatrical productions despite the lack of an official drama program. The English department’s production of Chekhov’s works opens on Friday in Conron Hall, room 224 of University College. Tickets are still available on the main floor of the University Community Centre for $10, or for $15 at the door.

Song Show unites pop music and video art Western professor co-curated multi-media exhibit in Artlab By Maddie Leznoff Gazette Staff

Corey Stanford/Gazette

TAKE A LISTEN. Song Show, an exhibit co-curated by Western professor Daniela Sneppova, is currently on display at the Artlab in the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre.

Popular music and art have come together in the media-oriented exhibit Song Show in the Artlab at Western’s Visual Arts Centre. The display has been open to the public since last Thursday and is composed of eight video artworks created by high-profile international media artists to accompany popular songs such as Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven”. The videos play on eight screens scattered around the Artlab. Visitors are encouraged to explore the space and enjoy the works with headphones attached to each individual piece. The exhibit is co-curated by Western professor Daniela Sneppova and Ryerson new media professor Kathleen Pirrie Adams. It is being held at Western because it was the Artlab’s architecture that served as the initial inspiration for the exhibit. “It’s the architecture that began our conversations,” Sneppova says. “It’s a beautiful round building on the outside into which the very

conservative standard of the white cube has been placed as a shape for an exhibition space.” Sneppova and Adams’ shared passion for popular music also motivated this particular exhibit. “Music is an important element of culture and society,” Sneppova says. “It bridges the public and private boundary. The same song can mean many things to different people.” The popularity of the featured songs wasn’t the sole criteria for their inclusion in the project — the artists’ interpretations were a crucial aspect. “We chose the works not based on song, but on each artist’s reworking of their chosen piece of music,” she explains. “The relationship between art and music is not a new history. The works in […] Song Show may offer another layer of meaning to the songs presented.” For Sneppova, Song Show reflects her joint position in the faculty of information and media studies and visual arts, and she says both faculties have offered great support for the project. Susan Edelstein, director of the Artlab, also notes the importance of

the show. “It’s definitely one of the biggest exhibits we’ve had this year,” she says. “The subject appeals to such a wide range of students.” A symposium called “Twisted Covers” will take place prior to the opening reception of Song Show on Friday. The discussion of cover songs will explore popular music in even greater detail. The panel of speakers includes media, information and technoculture professors Norma Coates, Keir Keightley and Jonathan Burston, as well as Michael Paul Britto, a New York filmmaker and installation artist. Britto is giving a free talk tonight and will host a video workshop on Saturday. See Song Show at the Artlab in the VAC until Nov. 20. The gallery is open Monday-Friday from 12-6 p.m. and 12-8 p.m. on Thursday. The opening reception is 5-8 p.m. Friday, with the “Twisted Covers” symposium from 1-5 p.m. Both events are free. Michael Paul Britto’s talk is in room 100 of VAC tonight at 8 p.m. and his video workshop is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with limited enrolment. See www.songshow.org for more information.

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theGazette • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Attack in Black appreciate old, embrace new

ON DISC

Welland band shows appreciation for Canadian music, Asian pears By Nicole Welsh Gazette Writer

Classifying Attack in Black presents a bit of a challenge. They do not identify with a particular genre, as they have drawn inspiration from a wide range of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Ramones and Henry Miller. The band grew up listening to punk and hardcore, but found a lack of inspiring and creative punk bands. “Today, I don’t even know what the punk scene is anymore,” says Spencer Burton, the band’s guitarist. “Everything is so mish mashed and jumbled. You have bands, for example, like Alexisonfire, who are a punk band in my opinion — they’re on the top 30 on MuchMusic. It’s awesome that a band like that is influencing people, but on the other hand, I always thought that punk was about not letting that kind of thing happen and really digging to find music.” Attack in Black appreciate the old and embrace the new. They acknowledge their first radio hit, “Young Leaves,” gave them exposure within the Canadian music industry. However, Burton expressed they have developed musically over the last three years. “We don’t even really sound like that anymore. We don’t play a lot of those old songs at our shows,” he says. “Bands naturally evolve all the time into something different, and if they didn’t, they would not be a band.” Since signing with Dine Alone Records back in 2006, Attack in

The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack Various Artists Chop Shop/Atlantic Records

Gazette File Photo

BOOZE, DRESSES AND ROCK & ROLL? Attack in Black are bringing their wild ways to Call the Office this Saturday night. Black have released three full length albums, including their latest, Years (By One Thousand Fingertips), last March. When asked about their albums’ Canadian content, Burton believes being from this country definitely has an impact on how they write music. “I’m not going to speak for our whole band, but I think that Cana-

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dian music is among some of the best music in the world. I love Canadian music,” Burton says. “I do think that being from Canada does have [an] influence on your music — it made me see the world differently than people from other places who experience other things.” The fourth track on Years, “The Greater Niagara Circle Route,”

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makes reference to their hometown. “Welland is between St. Catharines and Niagara Falls, but it’s referred to as the Niagara region,” Burton says. “It’s a nice area. I really don’t mind it.” Attack in Black is currently on tour with Dog Day, a band from Halifax. “It is a small East Coast tour,” Burton explains. “We are thinking about a West Coast one coming up this winter. I feel like I really need a good, across Canada, below zero, through the mountain, drive.” So far their East Coast tour has provided the band with some interesting stories. Burton recalls an adventure to a 24-hour grocery store at an obscene hour of the night in a search for Asian pears. “They’re crispy and terrific!” he exclaims. Attack in Black play Call the Office with Dog Day Nov. 7. Call the Office is located at 216 York St. Advance tickets are $12.

There is perhaps no greater anticipated film this fall than The Twilight Saga’s New Moon. The first film, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, was praised for its use of alternative rock music, giving the film a modern and edgy feel. New Moon director Chris Weitz worked closely with music supervisors. The result is an indie-inspired soundtrack, boasting contributions from Death Cab for Cutie, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Sea Wolf, The Killers, Bon Iver and Muse. “Meet me on the Equinox” is the featured single performed by Death Cab for Cutie and is brooding and emotive but ultimately forgettable. The emotional crux of the soundtrack rests with the female-driven performances that supply adolescent angst with a touch of grace and maturity. “Satellite Heart” by Anya Marina is an angsty but earnest piece. Accompanied by acoustic guitar, Marina has a distinct and sultry voice well suited for the romanticized lyrics. Swedish singer Lykke Li’s “Possibility” is haunting and vocally subdued — she gives a unique vocal performance with her soft and wispy voice. Other standout tracks include “No Sound but the Wind” by Editors and “Roslyn” by Bon Iver and St. Vincent. Audiences will have to wait until New Moon hits theatres Nov. 20 to see how well the soundtrack matches up with the film. — Paula Meng

sports ➤ P7

theGazette • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009

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P8 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Sports

ON DECK: OUA Football semifinal preview... Friday

MUSTANGS FIELD HOCKEY

Shoot-out ends in heartbreak for Mustangs By Arden Zwelling Gazette Staff

University of Toronto Varsity Blues field hockey head coach John DeSouza couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present. “Tomorrow’s my birthday, so it was really nice of the girls to chip in and get me this,” DeSouza said after watching his team beat the Western Mustangs 2-1 in the Ontario University Athletics field hockey semifinals. With the win, the Blues not only moved onto the OUA finals, but also booked their tickets to the national championships in Victoria, B.C. “Obviously, I’m very happy with the result. We knew this was going to be a tough game. Western is a good team and they have been all season long,” DeSouza said. “This field has been nothing but miserable for me. I’ve never had any luck here. So this kind of gets the monkey off my back.” The Blues jumped on the Mustangs early, opening the scoring before the game was five minutes old as Natalie Provenzano took a baseball swing at an airborne ball, connecting for a line drive that found the back of the net. “Those baseball shots are not flukes. Those seem to happen all the time for me,” Provenzano said. “I usually try those shots in practice for fun. I guess it’s a good thing I’ve been practicing them.” Louise Radford replied for the Mustangs before halftime, banking

Corey Stanford/Gazette

in a goal from the side of the net after a frenzy in the Blues’ crease. The second half played like a tight boxing match, with both teams earning scoring opportunities at either end but unable to break the deadlock. Mustangs goalie Gillian Cummings was unbeatable in the second stanza, making three clutch stops with under five minutes of play to preserve the tie. “Gillian played the game of her life — she amazed us all,” Mustangs captain Sarah Cobourn said of the rookie goaltender. The game came down to penal-

ty strokes, which saw Provenzano, Kristen Shier and Kaelan Watson tally for the Blues while Kristen Jewell and Megan Scraper responded for the Mustangs. Fourth-year Mustang Louise Radford had an opportunity to extend the game to sudden death strokes with a goal as the fifth and final Mustang to shoot, but was turned away by Blues goalkeeper Samantha Lyzun. “I’m just numb,” an emotional Radford said after the game. “It’s a tough loss. Especially coming down to the last stroke … It’s disappointing not to put it away in my last year

here.” “I’ll probably have to peel the girls off the locker room floor,” Mustangs head coach Jeff Pacheco said of his dejected team. “We worked hard to get this chance in the semis, but we came up a little short. It’s tough. It’s a really hard pill to swallow.” For several Mustangs who have helped build the program over the last five years, this was their last chance to get to the elusive national tournament. “We had high expectations for ourselves and we kept fulfilling them throughout the season,”

Cobourn, who is graduating this year, said. “[Getting to nationals] was always the goal we were working towards. So not getting there is definitely disappointing.” The only thing left to do for the Mustangs is to focus on the positives as they begin their long offseason. “I think these girls should be really proud of themselves,” assistant coach Paul Valiulis said. “People on other teams might feel bad or take the loss on their shoulders, but these girls are smarter than that. They know they gave everything they had on that field.”

MUSTANGS WATER POLO

Men’s water polo tames Lions By Alexandra Pozsonyi Gazette Writer

Corey Stanford/Gazette

ITS LIKE HANDBALL — IN WATER. The Mustangs men’s water polo team had a tumultuous weekend with teams from GTA. They were crushed 21-5 by Toronto, but edged out a win over York 13-11. Their record stands at 2-4.

After a disappointing start to the day on Sunday with a 21-5 loss to the University of Toronto, the men’s water polo team managed to rally and pull off an impressive win later in the evening against the York Lions. Captain Greg Hoegy noted a difference in his team from the first to the second game on Sunday and attested their success to making a concerted effort to work together. “We came in against U of T — who is an undefeated team — and the entire game was an uphill battle. We have zero home court advantage and the pressure of playing a team like that turns it into a psychological game as much as a physical one,” Hoegy said. “For the York game we went in knowing what we needed — and that was a win. We had played them before so we knew what we had to improve on and we built off what did and didn’t work in our first match up. We were a lot more confident and it transferred to the way we communicated and ultimately played,” the captain added. After falling behind 4-3 in the

first quarter, Western netted five goals before York was able to respond on the score sheet. Holding on to their lead throughout the next two frames the ‘Stangs found themselves ahead 12-8 at the end of the third. York came back with a strong offence in the final quarter with two goals right after another but the men kept their composure, winning the match 13-11. The men must now win three of their next four games against U of T, McMaster and Carleton if they hope to keep any playoff hope alive. One obstacle Mustang player Brent Pickard acknowledged is the apparent disadvantage Western has when it comes to training facilities compared to other Ontario University Athletics teams. “Unfortunately when you play against a team like U of T who easily has the best university pool to train in, it’s hard to match a performance like that when the pool we practice in is […] too small and […] half shallow. The way we train would be similar to asking the football team to train on half a tennis court,” Pickard said. Water polo rules do not permit players to touch the bottom at any point, and the regulation size for a

match is approximately 30 metres by 30 metres. Western practices at the Thames Hall pool which is approximately 23 metres long, shallow for nearly half that length and extremely narrow. These conditions make training an obstacle in itself. “[A] major issue for us is the size of the pool; cardio isn’t as much of a problem as being able to practice accuracy for long passes and longer shots on net. When you are only able to drive 12 metres or so in practice, it makes a 20 metre drive in a game a whole different ball game,” head coach Charlie Smith said. Regardless of this obstacle, the team is looking ahead. “We know what we need to do coming up against these stronger squads and we need to work on not only watching our own men, but [also] working together as a team at all times,” Hoegy said. “We need to keep up our intensity and rather than play as individuals we need to communicate and set ourselves and teammates up for shots at appropriate times.” The team will next see action on Nov. 14 -15 when it will face U of T, Carleton and Queen’s in Ottawa.