Thursday, October 29, 2009

SPORTS

A&E

NEWS

ROWING

RAH RAH

ANOTHER POSSIBLE STRIKE

Double gold for Mustangs… p.8

Confetti and pop rocks at Blackshire … p.6

This time at U of T … p.3

thegazette ... tired of covering strikes since 1906

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009

WESTERN’S DAILY STUDENT NEWSPAPER • EST.1906 • VOLUME 103, ISSUE 32

MANAGING MIDTERM STRESS

Midterms prompt policy discussion

Latest LTC offer declined USC keeping tabs on transit negotiations By Meagan Kashty Gazette Staff

Brett Higgs/Gazette

CRAM CITY. Students currently facing three midterms within 23 hours cannot request alternative arrangements according to Western policy.

Increased workload sees rise in demand for psychological services By Shreya Tekriwal Gazette Staff

As midterms and assignments pile up for many students, Western’s administration is looking into the implications of altering its policy on tests and examinations outside the exam period. Under current policies, students may request alternative arrangements if they are scheduled to write more than two examinations in a 23-hour period. However, this policy does not apply to midterm tests. Therefore, students with three midterms within 23 hours may not be able to request alternate accommodations in accordance with the policy. “There is a difference in terminology. People refer to midterms as exams but the [accurate] terminology for that is tests,” Lee Ann Wilson, team leader of examination services at Western, said. Despite classifications, the demand of midterms is a noticeable issue, according to Dan Moulton, vice-president university affairs for the University Students’ Council, “I think that’s obviously a concern for students, because when it comes to midterms, the workload seems to increase more and more

every year,” Moulton said. One student senator has brought the issue to the attention of John Doerksen, vice-provost academic programs and students at Western. Ray Park, the USC undergraduate senator-at-large who contacted Doerksen, voiced his concern for student constituents. “There is no real difference between final exams and midterm exams in my opinion,” Park said. “[In most cases], midterm exams are worth just as much as final exams.” “During midterms, you are even more stressed because you have other work going on at the same time […] like assignments [and] extra-curricular [activities],” Jaclyn Vertes, a third-year social science student, said. “Often exams are on the exact same amount of material as midterms.” Doerksen explained one of the challenges in changing policy is that, while the registrar’s office oversees the three in 23 hours policy for final exams, midterms are the responsibility of each faculty. To help with midterm stress, some universities have initiated fall reading weeks; however, Western has not followed suit. While Park believed the policy

changes should be passed without much discussion, he did not feel Western’s administration will be implementing a fall reading week. “Senate policy requires a minimum number of days for a term. And so if we were to implement a fall reading week then that would mean an earlier start to the term or a later ending,” Doerksen added. “We are hopeful that the University will recognize that the stresses of academics are not limited to the exam period […] and that they are incredibly difficult during the midterms [as well],” Moulton added. According to Gail Hutchinson, director of the Student Development Centre, all programs including psychological services face an increase in demand during midterms. “Midterms have put me behind in every single class by three weeks,” Vertes added, while emphasizing the greater importance of applying the policy to midterms over final exams. Additionally, the examination policy requires final exams to be in a consecutive order. “I have five final exams in six days. [The academic counsellors] are not going to do anything about it,” Vertes said. “They said there are

“We are hopeful that the University will recognize that the stresses of academics are not limited to the exam period […] and that they are incredibly difficult during the midterms [as well].” — Dan Moulton USC vice-president university affairs

still a few hours between each exam […] do they not want us to sleep?” While Moulton characterized the current examination policy as fair and appropriate, he felt it still required some work. Doerksen noted Western would be looking into the implications of applying examination policy to midterms.

London transit workers rejected their company’s final offer on Tuesday, leaving the London Transit Commission dispute unresolved. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 471, a representative of the LTC’s staff, referred to a 94 per cent rejection rate of the offer made. “It gave us a chance to express how dissatisfied we were and express a democracy to vote, yes or no,” John Gillet, vice-president of Local 471, said. He added while workers have not come to an agreement, they will continue to work regular hours as they have in the past couple of days. However, employees are refusing to work voluntary overtime. Gillet pointed out some prevalent misconceptions of transit workers, particularly the belief they are city workers. “We don’t receive any of the benefits that city workers receive,” Gillet noted. “We wanted to be compared to other transit workers and what they receive and what they do.” According to Gillet, the ridership in Guelph is in the neighbourhood of 12 million passengers a year, whereas the ridership in London is between 23 and 24 million. Guelph transit workers, however, make roughly $1 more per hour. He added Hamilton transit workers make about $3 more. Threats of a strike have left many students aggravated with the idea they will have to find their own way to school, but the University Students’ Council is maintaining contact with the LTC in order to be updated on any new information. “We [are] continuing to liaise with LTC to get the latest info from negotiations,” Dan Moulton, USC vice-president university affairs, said. “Our primary concern is that students get to campus,” he added. Gillet was quick to point out a strike is not the first option for the union. “At this present time, we want to keep working,” Gillet said. “We understand it’s an essential service and students have to get to their exams. We understand it’s very important.” While negotiations are not currently taking place, the union has expressed they are willing to meet with management at any time and look at another offer. “What we would really like is just a starting point to start getting some of those benefits,” Gillet concluded. “We’re just looking for a starting point and getting basic benefits.” London transit’s management could not be reached for comment by press time.

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news

theGazette • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009

NEWSBRIEFS outstanding researchers who’ve received it in the past,” Vandervoort said. Recognition from an American organization for studies done at a Canadian university is an important factor for Vandervoort. “When I accept this award, I’ll be acknowledging a large group of students and faculty, colleagues and administrators to whom I feel indebted for supporting our research over these past 25 years,” he said. Vandervoort highlighted the supportive environment Western has for such research — specifically the team of graduate students who have conducted studies with him at the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging at Western. “It’s like I’m accepting on behalf of the group,” he said humbly. He will be receiving the award in March of 2010. —Allie Fonarev

puzzle solution from page 7

Man stabbed downtown A 24-year-old man was stabbed following a confrontation on a London Transit Commission bus. The victim was involved in an altercation with four other people while riding the bus last Monday and was followed by the group after exiting near Dundas and Richmond Streets. The victim was stabbed at the intersection at approximately 7:15 p.m. “It is unusual to have something

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happen where there are lots of people and during the daylight,” said Amy Phillipo, media relations officer for London Police Services. According to Phillipo, London police originally sought the arrest of four suspects, but arrested only one 17-year-old male on Tuesday night. Upon further investigation, police determined the man arrested was the only person responsible for the stabbing. He is charged with aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon, uttering threats and assault with a weapon. — Ora Morison

Bomb hoax at York A bomb threat called in to York University on Tuesday afternoon prevented a number of students from writing their midterm exams. Two buildings were evacuated around 3:00 p.m. following the phone call and students as well as staff were allowed to re-enter roughly two hours later. According to officials, the quick resumption of class and work did not mean the event was insignificant. “A hoax such as this takes resources away from the community, both in the form of fire personnel and police and, in this case, it disrupted traffic,” Alex Bilyk, director of media relations for York, said. Bilyk noted similar hoaxes appear to be more frequent during exam periods, but did not confirm the most recent prank was performed to avoid an exam. He lamented the inconvenience caused to students who were prepared for their exams and worried the York community may not take threats seriously if hoaxes become more common. “It is our obvious hope that whoever is responsible will be caught. If it is a student, expulsion will be the least of their problems. A criminal act such as this merits full punishment,” Bilyk said. — Ora Morison

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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Vandervoort recognized Tony Vandervoort, a Western health sciences professor, received a surprise at the end of last week, as he learned he would be the recipient of an esteemed award for his research in the field of aging. Vandervoort has been conducting research at Western for 25 years, studying the benefits of exercise programs on the physical effects of aging. The Herbert A. de Vries Research Award he will receive comes from a large American organization representing educators in the physical and health fields. “I’m delighted by it and a little bit humbled to be amongst a list of

news ➤ P3

theGazette • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009

Thirty per cent of U of T undergrad teachers set to strike Wages, job security and research on bargaining table By Mike Hayes Gazette Staff

Another Ontario university may soon find its operations severely impacted by a strike. Sessional instructors at the University of Toronto have voted themselves into a legal strike position. On Nov. 9, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local 3902 will be able to strike. The union represents part-time lecturers and instructors who teach approximately 30 per cent of U of T’s undergraduate courses. Mikael Swayze, the staff representative for CUPE local 3902, cited three main sources of contention for the union going into negotiations: wages, job security and research. Most of the University’s bargaining units were in negotiations last year before, during, and after the economic crisis, Swayze said. He noted that even with the financial troubles, most groups were given annual increases of around three per cent. “Now, [U of T] is coming to the bargaining unit and saying 1.5 per cent for three years,” Swayze said. “Our members are only paid on average about $15,000 a year.” He noted the discrepancy in wages was especially visible when U of T was compared to Ryerson and York universities. Sessional instructors at U of T only organized under a union relatively recently, compared to Ryerson and York’s units who organized

in the 1970s. “We’ve been playing catch-up ever since,” Swayze said. Sessional instructors at U of T should not pay a premium to work at the school, he added. “Especially when our full-time faculty members are paid much more than their counterparts at York or Ryerson.” Another issue brought forward was job security. Under current conditions, sessional instructors must reapply for their positions every four to eight months, making it difficult to count on long-term work in Swayze’s eyes. “It’d be great if we had the same job security as a Wal-Mart worker or a Tim Hortons coffee slinger,” Swayze quipped. “We’re not even talking about the same job security as a civil servant or a professor.” The union’s final grievance concerns research assistance. While the University provides full-time faculty with resources for their research, sessional instructors are required to do research work on their own time and out of their own pocket. “[Under the current model] there is no conference funding, no grants to do research, no support for subscriptions to academic journals,” Swayze said. Laurie Stephens, director of media relations for the U of T, explained the school would not comment on issues currently under discussion. “The University is committed to getting a fair and balanced result from negotiations,” Stephens said.

MSA BREAST CANCER DAY CUPE 3902 DEMANDS List of issues in dispute for the union fall into three groups: WAGES • Members allegedly earn only $15,000 a year while carrying a large teaching load • Proposed raise of 3.5 per cent first year followed by a 3 per cent increase the following two years • Wage increase would be accompanied by a four per cent market adjustment • U of T is offering a 1.5 per cent wage increase over three years JOB SECURITY • Union wants a change from current system where members must reapply for jobs every four to eight months RESEARCH • Members should have access to the same research resources granted to full-time faculty

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FOR A GOOD CAUSE. Members of the Muslim Students’ Association met on Wednesday wearing pink in support of breast cancer awareness.

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We would like to remind you that you must meet with a counsellor at Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), in the Student Development Services, to arrange academic accommodation for your 2009 fall/winter courses. If you have not yet requested accommodation for your courses, and you wish to use accommodation for December 2009 exams, you must meet with a counsellor by Wednesday, November 18th. Accommodation for December 2009 exams cannot be arranged by Exam Services if requested after this date.

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opinions

theGazette • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009

thegazette Volume 103, issue 32 “Well, you see, Siegfried, I thought it would be a lot easier to study for tomorrow’s exam if I had a copy of it tonight.” — MAXWELL SMART IN GET SMART

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, Fax: (519) 661-3960 Editorial Offices: (519) 661-3580, Fax: (519) 661-3825 The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.

Education vs. Memorization As anxious students fill the libraries and struggle through midterm season, the stress on campus is palpable. Especially at an institution that boasts “academic excellence” like Western, there’s no doubt students should work hard for their degrees. However, is the University demanding too much of its students? Technically, university should be preparing us for meeting the demands and rigours of adult life. However, collegial expectations have little application to life in the “real world.” Teaching students time management skills is one thing, but earning a respectable grade should not require one or two all-nighters in a row. Western Senate policy allows students to file an appeal if more than two exams are scheduled within 23 hours; however, this rule does not apply to midterms. This means students are often faced with deadlines for exams, assignments and essays all in a tight period of time — along with having to balance their daily class schedules and other commitments. A manager would never expect employees to complete several varied, highly challenging and rigidly timed tasks within 24 hours — likewise, a university should never do the same. Admittedly, studying at Western is supposed to be a challenge. We regard ourselves as among the best institutions in North America because our programs are more demanding, our content is more complex and the work we produce is of a higher standard. But where do we draw the line? The University’s expectations of students are, at times, excessive. There has to be a way to encourage high performance without pushing students to the point of nervous breakdown. A second reading week during October is one solution to alleviating the stress of midterm season. Certainly most students would not mind sacrificing a week from their summer or winter vacation if it meant gaining some much needed study time during the fall. Another solution would be to limit the grade weights of midterms to be level with or below the weight of final exams. When a course’s midterm reflects a significant percentage of a student’s mark, a one-time poor performance could dig a deep hole in anyone’s average. Schools should also be looking at the ways they evaluate students. Timed, multiple-choice exams are not an appropriate judge of a student’s knowledge. Throwing anyone into a high-stress situation — especially those with learning disabilities or anxiety issues — is setting them up for failure. Ultimately, it’s not only Western we should be criticizing, but also the general university system. Midterm stress is simply a symptom of a larger problem among post-secondary institutions — instead of testing an individual’s ability to comprehend and apply knowledge, education has become a forced habit of memorizing and regurgitating information — a far cry from academic excellence. For more on midterm mania, see Pg. 1 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

Librarians, archivists stand in solidarity An open letter to President Amit Chakma and the Board of Governors: In late September, 88 per cent of the librarians and archivists at the University of Western Ontario authorized their union to initiate strike proceedings. The 55 librarians and archivists at Western have been without a contract since July 1. The reasons for this decision are three-fold: First, the librarians and archivists wish to ensure they receive fair job evaluations conducted by their peers in order to continue to develop as professionals, academics and educators. Secondly, they are calling for increased job security. This would provide assurances that our librarians and archivists are allowed to continue performing the duties and responsibilities they have been hired to carry out without fear of involuntary relocation or reassignment. Thirdly, they are seeking improvements in salaries and benefits equitable and representative of their collective level of education, academic knowledge and professional roles. Despite the wealth of riches available at Western, our librarians and archivists are among the lowest paid in Canada. According to the 2009-2010 Canadian Association of University Teachers Almanac, the average salary of a librarian at Western is nearly $15,000 less than that of the national average for academic librarians in Canada. Moreover, in comparison to the 113 members of the Association of Research Libraries, the salaries and benefits for librarians at Western Libraries rank at 91st.

These highly trained and highly educated professionals are experts in their field. They provide the student body, as well as faculty and staff with an inimitable wealth of academic expertise. Our librarians and archivists are the heart of the university: facilitating the flow of scholarly information and research throughout the University and its affiliates. Additionally, these individuals are highly respected mentors and role models for the students in Canada’s leading Library and Information Science program at Western. The librarians and archivists have stridently kept pace with the rapid technological changes affecting the profession. Now it is time for Western to also keep up with the times by providing our librarians and archivists with a fair deal reflective of their intrinsic value to the success of Western and its student body. We, the undersigned Library and Information Science student groups along with the Library and Information’s Science student body, pledge our support to the librarians and archivists at the University of Western Ontario: our colleagues, peers and future professionals. — Debbie Kendze Chair of the Canadian Library Association UWO Student Chapter

Julia Merritt Master of Library and Information Science Student Council

Jessica Luet Member of Librarians Without Borders UWO Committee

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

In the spirit of Halloween, the Gazette looks back this week at the haunted happenings of one of the city’s most beloved theatre houses. London locals are likely familiar with the story of Ambrose Small — the big shot theatre entrepreneur from Toronto whose mysterious disappearance and reported haunting have fascinated people for years. The story begins in 1901 when Small moved to the sleepy town of London, Ontario and soon acquired ownership of the Grand Theatre, which still stands on Richmond Row today. Legend has it, following a series of failed attempts to produce a successful theatrical show, Small deposited a million-dollar cheque into his bank account, had lunch with his wife, left for Toronto and was never heard from again. Police immediately launched a full investigation that focused extensively on his London theatre house, but Small’s body was never found. But that was not the last Londoners heard of Ambrose Small. Since his disappearance, a series of strange events have taken place in the hallowed halls of the Grand Theatre. Jay Campbell, local TV weatherman told the Gazette in 1990 of his own encounter with Small’s ghost, which occurred in 1964. “I went to the back [of the theatre] and I saw this glowing apparition crossing the catwalk. It was a smallish person, dressed in period clothing. I’m convinced that I saw the ghost of Ambrose Small,” Campbell recalled. “I got out of there fast. I don’t really believe in ghosts, but I keep saying to myself, ‘what did I see there?’”

Only a few more sleeps until All Hallows’ Eve. But there’s no need to be scared. Just be sure to pick up the Gazette tomorrow for our ghoulish weekend edition. And remember to vote for Murray, the Gazette’s boo-ti-ful entry in the USC pumpkin-carving contest. All entries are on display in the Students’ Council Office, Rm. 340 of the UCC.

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

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Arts & Entertainment Amber Garratt Nicole Gibillini Maddie Leznoff

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P5 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009

ArtsEntertainment

Gazette file photo

“Like Light Off Water” sets poetry to a music landscape Canadian poet Daphne Marlatt collaborates with the Minden Duo By Paula Meng Gazette Staff

This evening Conron Hall will be transformed into a sensuous musical and poetic landscape. In the collaborative “Like Light Off Water” performance, Canadian poet Daphne Marlatt will read passages from her book of poetry, Steveston, set to a musical soundscape score performed by the Minden Duo, comprised of Canadians Robert Minden and Carla Hallett. The music aims to intensify the undercurrents and rhythms of Marlatt’s poetry. Marlatt is an experimental writer who has been praised for her use of poststructuralist technique and feminist theory. She is a member of the Order of Canada. In her work, Marlatt is concerned with themes of subjugation,

empowerment and the breaking down of hierarchical structures. Steveston is no exception — it is both a nostalgic and critical work. It explores the sensory experiences of a small fishing village called Steveston on Canada’s Pacific coast, and also describes its history as a Second World War internment camp for Japanese-Canadians. “There was something in Steveston which drew us, over and over again, and which our work attempted to enunciate — something under the backwater quiet, the river hum of comings and goings, the traffic of work, that was ‘shouting’ at us to tell it,” Marlatt once said of the village. She uses long-lines to capture the ebb and flow of the rustic lives lived by the sea, explores the dark times of the prison camps and gives a voice to a disempowered people. Western English professor Man-

ina Jones describes Marlatt’s work as innovative and avant-garde feminist fiction theory. “The [poetry] is also about the changing relationship people have to the land,” Jones explains. “For instance the river Delta becomes an image of environmental change and the way people relate to it.” When Steveston was first published in 1974, it was accompanied by a series of photographs taken by Minden. “They are quite striking,” Jones says. “The Minden Duo has been really interested in how storytelling and song come together, incorporating experimental vocals, and unusual instrumentation,” she adds. To imitate the feel of an accompanying symphony, an array of non-traditional instruments is used to marry the sounds to the imagery of the text, including waterphones,

carpentry saws, blown bottles, conch shells, floating bowls and other percussion objects. Minden and Hallett have been creative partners since 1986 and formed the Robert Minden duo in 1996. Born in Australia, Marlatt and her family immigrated to Vancouver in 1951. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in literature from the University of British Columbia and published her first volume of poetry in 1968. In 1996 she received her honorary LL.D. degree from the University of Western Ontario and served as writer-in-residence at Western. Western’s current writer-inresidence, Penn Kemp, who has been a long time friend and collaborator of Marlatt, will introduce the “Like Light off Water” performance. “Like Light Off Water” takes place tonight at 8 p.m. in Conron Hall, Room 224 in University College.

“There was something in Steveston which drew us,

over

and

over

again, and which our work

attempted

to

enunciate — something under the backwater quiet, the river hum of comings and goings, the traffic of work, that was ‘shouting’ at us to tell it.” — Daphne Marlatt

Courtesy of Jocelyn Mandryk

OH SO NATURAL. Daphne Marlatt’s poetry from her book Steveston will be featured tonight at Conron Hall in an artistic performance titled “Like Light Off Water”.

Courtesy of Nancy Walker

OUT OF THIS WORLD. The Minden Duo, composed of Robert Minden and Carla Hallett, will provide accompanying music for “Like Light Off Water”.

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arts&entertainment

theGazette • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009

Rah Rah show energy and spunk on stage Strong openers complement Regina-based headliner’s early morning set

CONCERT REVIEW

Performance: Openers: Crowd:

Set List: Worth the $$$:

By Drew Whitson Gazette Staff

The crowd at the Blackshire Pub on Monday night was certainly not disappointed as The Open House Arts Collective (Oh!) of London put on an

impressive live show featuring some of the best-hidden talent in Canada. London’s own Say Domino! opened the evening with a strong pulsing set that relied heavily on a mixture of solid drumming and catchy riffs. Although the threepiece band was visibly ill, they proved to be surprisingly lively and had no trouble engaging with the crowd. Yukon Blonde took the stage next and kept the energy going. The Vancouver-based act seemed to fit right in with the evening while bringing an entirely different 1960s rock atmosphere to the Blackshire.

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Showcasing a surprising balance of well-blended vocals and melodic guitars, Yukon Blonde had a soft and polished sound. Their talent alone would have made the evening worthwhile, and they genuinely seemed excited to play for a smaller crowd. Having just released their first EP, Everything in Everyway, Yukon Blonde was able to showcase a wide variety of songs, including their popular track “Streets,” which they played as a finale. The crowd was visibly receptive and pleased to witness some of the best live music from Canada’s West Coast. The night capped off with the performance of headliner Rah Rah — a band hailing from Regina. The indie group brought an energetic stage performance complete with everything from confetti blasts to pop rocks candy. However, the most impressive part of the eightpiece band was their complete interchangeability on a variety of instruments. During the set they had three different members play the drums,

several switch-ups on keyboard and bass, and the addition of violin and accordion on select songs. The crowd was dancing during Rah Rah’s critically acclaimed single “Tentacles” and didn’t stop until a thunderous encore that nearly brought the house down. The challenge co-ordinating an eight-person rock outfit combined with the positive results of their interchangeability proved to be a testament to the band’s growing success. The complexities in the variety of instruments showed just how important it is to correctly layer your music and certainly showed off the technical talents of such a large band. The Blackshire has been known to start concerts pretty late, and this proved to be the only downfall — the show didn’t get underway until after 10 p.m. and went into early Tuesday morning. However, with little to gripe about, the Blackshire once again proved to be a hidden gem within the London live music scene. The evening proved to be well worth the $5 cover.

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Mo must go: TFC needs new manager Neglecting defence, mental strength root of TFC’s failure

Daniel Da Silva Sports Editor

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What is it about Toronto that causes management to run sports teams into the ground? Maybe it’s the water. After all, the Leafs are off to their worst start ever, the Jays have been awful for years, the Argos are a mess and the Raptors will probably find a new way to disappoint the fans this year. Yet, the 2009 edition of Toronto FC was supposed to be different. TFC were on the cusp of making history with their first playoff berth in their short existence. It was set up beautifully for them. Toronto just needed to win against the worst team in the league and they were in. Instead, they came out and laid an egg, losing to the New York Red Bulls 5-0. Maybe Toronto sports fans should just stop believing in anything. After the fact, rookie midfielder Sam Cronin commented on the team’s morale. “More so than anything we need to change the culture here, make it a winning, passionate group next season. I think it starts with a mentality and a kind of psychology of the team,” he told GOL TV after the team’s disappointing loss to New York. That quotation says a lot. First, the fact a rookie had to come out and tell the media there isn’t a lot of leadership on this team speaks volumes of the player chemistry. It says that maybe captain Jim Brennan is past his prime and isn’t the fiery leader this group needs. More importantly, it also tells me the players brought in don’t fit together. And that falls squarely on the shoulders of general manager Maurice Johnston. You could argue this failure is head coach Chris Cummins’ fault, which a lot of people are doing. After all, he just got fired while Johnston received a vote of confidence from the owners. But a coach is always handcuffed when he doesn’t have players that fit into his system. This season, Johnston brought in several players he insisted would solve the team’s problems. Despite that, all season, he failed to get a consistent striker, a decent central defender and a winger who can cross the ball. Yet the team has several legitimate central midfielders. That’s great, because they are all talented players. But you can’t play De Rosario, Julian De Guzman, Carl Robinson, Cronin, Amado Guevara and Pablo Vitti at the same time, so why bother having them all on the same team? With all due respect to Cronin, who had an excellent rookie campaign, why didn’t Johnston draft talented central defender Omar Gonzalez instead? It’s always been a need, and Toronto already had Robinson, who plays the

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same position as Cronin. Let’s also remember the fact that Johnston spent a ridiculous amount of money to bring in some of these players. The team is currently facing salary cap issues because of it. The worst signings were those of Ali Gerba, Vitti and Barrett, all of which were brought in to score goals, despite the fact that Gerba never played and Vitti and Barrett couldn’t score on an open net. But didn’t Johnston insist these guys would solve all of TFC’s goal scoring problems? It gave us a warm fuzzy feeling at the time, but it was entirely unfounded. I hope he was lying to everyone to get people off his back, because if he truly believed what he was telling us, TFC is sunk. Looking at next season, Toronto still has the same needs. But now, they also need a quality coach and must function better as a unit. To do that, TFC needs a general manager who knows the league, can properly identify the team’s needs and has an eye for talent. Plus, it would help if he could collaborate with the coach before actually signing anybody. In three years, Johnston has proven that he can’t successfully do any of those things. So while the team will be competing next year, hopefully Johnston won’t be in charge.

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P8 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2009

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Football quarter-finals preview... Friday

MUSTANG ROWERS WIN OUA GOLD

Courtesy of Valker Nolte

Rowers grind out the double-double By Grace Davis Gazette Staff

Nothing is sweeter than redemption. After an unexpected upset to Queen’s last season, Western’s men’s and women’s rowing teams trained intensively for a year and fought to regain the Ontario University Athletics Championships title. “This year we had huge turnover. A lot of members graduated so we had a lot of rookies come in. It is a different dynamic, but it has worked out well so far,” heavyweight double-gold medalist Sarah Black said. This year, the OUA championships were hosted by Brock University at the Henley Island course on Oct. 24. The Mustangs returned home from St. Catharines with gold medals and championship banners in hand. Western’s rowing program added to its impressive record, winning four OUA banners in the past five years. “It was nice for everyone to step up and maintain Western’s winning reputation,” president of the Western rowing student athlete executive and men’s lightweight contender Tim Myers said. “It was by far our best performance of the year.” All season there has been stiff competition between Western, Brock and Queen’s. “For the men, we consider Brock to be our main competition. We’re a very young boat whereas Brock has had a lot of experience and a lot of time together,” men’s heavy-

weight Sean Addison said before the regatta. In the men’s category, Western finished first with 80 points, Brock came in second with 78 points, and Queen’s followed in third place with 73 points. On the women’s side, Western won the gold with 98 points. Brock and Queen’s also made the podium with 93 and 63 points respectively. “It was a complete team performance,” Myers noted. “With the points working the way they do, you need the entire team to do well and not just a couple of standouts because there are so many events and so many other strong schools.” In a surprising result, Paul Hammond finished second in the heavyweight men’s single competition. Hammond was slated to finish lower in his race, but managed to earn his team some crucial extra points. “Some individuals that we wouldn’t really have expected to perform stepped up this weekend,” Myers said. For the men it came down to the last race of the day — the men’s heavyweight eight. “Where you watch from you can only see the middle section of the race so you’re not really too sure how it’s going to finish. They were leading Brock by about half a boat at that point, and it’s the first time they had been leading them all year,” Myers explained. After the points were tallied, Western edged out Brock, securing the gold by a margin of two points. The women’s team also performed well, improving building on

their impressive showings at regattas from earlier in the season. “The lightweight women did a lot better than they did a couple of weeks ago. The heavyweight women are a bit of an exception because they’ve dominated the entire season, and they kept doing it this weekend,” Myers said. A key performer for the women was Lauren Wells. She won both the heavyweight and lightweight singles events, beating national squad teammate Katya Huurman. In the week before the championships, Black discussed how the team was preparing for the regatta. “We ramp up training right before the race, and then we start to taper off two or three days before to make sure that we peak at the right time,” she said. With the goal of winning the OUA banner from the beginning, the Mustangs focused on training hard all season and not just the few weeks before the OUA finals. “Our season accumulates from unimportant regattas to very important regattas. It’s all about the one race at the end,” Addison said before the regatta. “[For us], it’s as much about the training and showing up to practice as it is about the races during the season.” The team is practicing every day, twice a day this week in preparation of keeping their winning streak alive at the Canadian University Rowing Championships this weekend in Montreal. “We’ve won every race in Canada that we have done, so we know we are on the right path,” Black said.

“It was nice for everyone to step up and maintain Western’s winning reputation. It was by far our best performance all year.” —Tim Myers

— Men’s lightweight rower

GOLD MEDAL BOATS Men’s heavyweight eights 5:47.2 Genna Wood (coxswain), Dave Lariviere, William Matthews, Jason Kirkey, Sean Addison, Nick Chisholm, Mark Dawidek, Nicholas Schudlo, Michael Huurman Women’s lightweight single 7:37.5 Lauren Wells Women’s heavyweight single 7:41.0 Lauren Wells Women’s heavyweight coxed fours 6:58.3 Kris Rogalsky (coxswain), Lindsay Sferrazza, Sarah Black, Jen Martins Andrea Ernesaks Women’s heavyweight eights 6:28.7 Paige Sain (coxswain), Lindsay Sferrazza, Sarah Black, Jen Martins, Andrea Ernesaks, Alex Shishkov, Athena de Brouwer, Lia Renaud, Adelyn Barr