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About a month and a half ago, drunk as a loon and exuding a newfound, wholly unwarranted (yet very real) confidence in myself as the type of writer who people might actually enjoy reading on a quasi-frequent basis, I made a proposition to a man who bears a striking resemblance to one Hank Scorpio that, lucky for me, he apparently did not have the good sense to refuse.
The idea, hatched at a birthday/going away party in my honour after the better part of a bottle of Wild Turkey and shoved unexpectedly on the editor-in-chief of the Gazette, Ryan Hendrick, in front of thirty or so party guests, was to write a bi-monthly column as the paper’s first ever online Foreign Correspondent on my experiences teaching English in South Korea. Through the dense, bourbon-induced fog I thought to myself “hell, everyone has either done it before, has thought about doing it or knows someone who does it. It’s the natural next step after university for future educators, wonderlust kings, those who owe the next half decade of their lives to the educational-financial complex and that special breed of crazy bastard with no idea what to do with their life. Why wouldn’t people want to read about that? And who better to do it than the guy who showed up at the end of his last semester of university, wrote four articles and somehow managed to worm his way into the hearts and minds of the editorial staff?”
Of course, like a good editor, Ryan calmly put down his beer, looked me right in the eye and said something to the effect of “that’s not a bad idea. How about you think about it a little more sometime when you can stand under your own power, come up with a real plan and then put on a suit and tie and do a little song-and-dance for me?”
And so I did.
While the dream of a bi-monthly column in the print edition unfortunately died on the grapevine (and, with it, my dreams of a picture, byline, and “Honourary Editor” title), a new opportunity to reach all of you with my crazy stories, random obsevations about life and hilarious sayings from Korean t-shirts and signs once a week has manifested itself on the Gazette’s beautiful new website in the form of this little photo blog.
I’ve sat down to write this first post about a half-dozen times over the last week, but, as usual, I find myself working furiously to complete it about four hours after it was due. The usual culprit, a passive-aggressive propensity for procrastination which I can only assume will send me to an early, high blood pressure induced grave, is only partially to blame. The real problem has been trying to find the kind of peace, solitude and emotional stability needed to give my thoughts the proper kind of restrospection they need to keep this blog from becoming an angry, reactionary vent for everything that I don’t understand about this country.
To say that the experience thus far has been a roller coaster is the kind of utterance that might take home the prize for understatement of the year. While the first week was a relative vacation, an orientation/quarantine for H1N1 in the countryside full of seventy new friends and half-remembered nights, soju bombs and noraebong nights and toasts to the greatest job ever, the next was full of shit-hole apartments in new cities with no A/C, leaking ceilings and no hot water, cab rides in the wrong direction, failed bus trips and several near emotional breakdowns. And THEN I started teaching…
…but I think I’ll save that for next week. The kind of glowing review I’d love to give my first week on the job teaching middle school in Suncheon (replete with five hundred hi-fives a day, constant calls of “Alex-eu” and “handsome boy” and several proposals by thirteen-year old girls) will undoubtedly be tempered by next week when they, you know…start acting like teenagers. Ah, well. Until that time I remain, yours in relatively high spirits but weary of dong chim,
Alex
T-shirt of the week:
Front: You know what?
Back: Crack kills money and people.
It took more than four months of designing, back-end finagling and a whole lot of coffee to bring you this revamped web presence.
Well, here it is! What do you think?
More than a new look, the westerngazette.ca offers you more interactivity than our old site. A robust commenting system (just look to your right…) lets readers speak their minds about stories and issues, engage in dialogue and build an active readership.
You’ll also notice two brand new ventures for the Gazette: blogs and video. Our blogs will be fun and interesting perspectives on whatever our writers feel like talking about. Coming soon are fashion blogs, music blogs and sports blogs, so check back often. Perhaps the most interesting piece of our new online presence will be videos! Everything from interviews with important folks to concert footage will be fair game. We also promise to make them short and infotaining (entertaining + informative!).
The Gazette is also making its first foray into the social media world, with three (count ‘em, three) Twitter accounts (for A&E, Sports and plain old News) and a new Facebook page. This should give you more avenues to find information relevant to your life as a Western student and London resident. Sound like fun?
This also offers a lot of opportunity to work at the Gazette. Anyone interested in making videos, designing graphics, writing stories or blogging should come up to room 263 of the UCC and say hello. We’re very nice. You also get to work on whatever interests you whenever you want. It’s really a lot of fun.
Toronto indie folk outfit the Wooden Sky recently toured through London during their Bedrooms and Backstreets tour, which opened up rooftops, houses and backyards for their unique sound. This video is presented in association with the Open House Arts Collective.
London’s annual Home County Folk Festival brings in vendors from around Canada and abroad to sell their wares to interested festival-goers. This year was no exception as hundreds flocked to Victoria park to enjoy folk standards and purchase glass cats, Debby’s dips, or “garden-variety” folk art.
I’ve switched majors so many times it was necessary for me to take a course this summer to catch up. Since Western’s distance courses didn’t fit my schedule, I opted to study as a visiting student at the University of Toronto.
While hesitant at first, I ended the summer pleased with my course and my experience, despite the pain of studying in the summer.
Initially I was most concerned my international relations class at U of T would involve more course work than a typical course at Western. Many friends had told me I would feel overwhelmed. They were wrong.
I was pleasantly surprised I succeeded in doing a year’s worth of readings in three months.
In fact, it was an added plus using school as an excuse to avoid the errands of nagging parents. Another bonus was my professor, who constantly shared entertaining anecdotes.
Of course, required reading during summer holiday, when you are in a mindset of rest and relaxation, is hardly appealing. Neither is telling your friends you can’t go to the cottage on the weekend because you have to study for an exam.
It was also difficult not knowing where to go or who to talk to when scheduling the class, buying books, or requesting transcripts. In fact, after a summer at U of T, I still don’t know where to retrieve my transcript.
Luckily, I made friends quickly and somewhat oriented myself. I discovered new and interesting places within U of T’s campus – some good and some bad.
Did you know U of T has a building dedicated solely for exam writing? It has no classes during the year. Scary.
I found U of T’s libraries to be the most interesting; though the main library looks like a standard university building, some of the older libraries — Hart House, for example ¬— look like they belong in a scene from Clue — stained-glass windows, fireplaces, large leather armchairs, old table lamps and aging books.
Despite the cozy atmosphere, U of T had its negatives as well, such as the necessary marathon walk between tutorials and class. The campus is spread across Toronto and making it to class meant sprinting from one end of the city to another in ten minutes. I’d rather stick to the five minute walk between the Social Science Centre and anywhere else on Western’s campus.
As much as Western students complain about transit in London, the reality is we do have it better — and cheaper — than other students. In London I live a foot away from the bus stop, which takes me right to the door of my class in less than ten minutes. We also have the luxury of having bus fare included in our tuition. U of T has no transit deal, meaning frequent student-users have to pay about $90 a month to get to and from classes.
Overall, though studying for exams in the summer was a drag, it feels good having a full credit completed and a lightened load ahead.
Doing a course at a different university also makes it feel a little more like you do have a summer break, since the experience of being a visiting student divides the continuous feeling one might have if they stayed on their original campus.
In the end, I would definitely recommend the experience — just remember to pick up your transcript at the end of the summer, or it will have all been for nothing.
Derek Miller, a Juno award-winning Aboriginal Canadian singer and songwriter, returned to London Friday Aug 28.
Miller is a multifaceted artist who has expanded his skills well past his successful music career. He has pursued acting, producing and even his own entertainment company. Although his schedule is demanding, he still makes music one of his main priorities.
Miller became heavily involved in music in his early teen years. His sound is often described as being a mixture of rock and blues. “Some of my influences include Link Ray and Howling Wolf, but the list is endless really,” Miller says.
Like many musicians, Miller faced some bumps in the road. He struggled with alcohol and drug addictions after the success of his first album. Music is the Medicine, released in 2002.
“It gave me a chance to evolve as a person and to help me figure out why I was doing what I was doing, but musically it really hasn’t changed anything,” he says of his addictions.
It didn’t take him long to seek help and get his life back on track.
There are no signs of slowing down for Miller. He just wrapped up his third album, which he worked on with Austin, Texas band Double Trouble. Miller says he also wants to “expand [his] shows by performing at larger venues with better sound systems.”
What will be Derek Miller’s musical direction in the future? “Whichever way it takes me,” he says.
With every September at Western comes a tumultuous time of good-byes and hellos, merriment and mistakes, first times and last times. Here’s why the Gazette is (and is not) looking forward to September.
There’s the old favourites (and not so favourites) such as poster sales, clubs week, skyrocketing textbook prices and student politics. We’re even anticipating the renewal of our hate/love relationship with the campus uniform — Ugg boots, Lululemons, popped collars and over-sized sunglasses.
This upcoming year at university will be a first for many, including Amit Chakma, Western’s new president and vice-chancellor. The Gazette is excited to deal with a president who is actually willing to speak with the media directly, but our anticipation is blotted by the fear of hearing the dreaded utterance: “The best student experience at a research intensive university.”
Of course, we can’t help but note that with the fall comes O-Week, and with O-Week come the overly enthusiastic, happy-go-lucky, obnoxiously excitable sophs. While O-Week brings its fair share of joys to Western, the Sophs who love screaming cheers and stopping traffic are hardly favourites on campus.
On the plus side, O-Week brings frosh — those adorably wide-eyed, bushy tailed first-years with whom we can all relate. The Gazette, along with the rest of campus, whole-heartedly welcomes all first years, along with their hilarious expressions of confusion and hopelessness at finding their way through campus on those first few days of class.
Unfortunately, frosh week also means a dry campus — which is a huge bummer for any upper year student seeking refreshments after their first day of classes. At least the campus eateries will be open once again, albeit dry.
We can’t forget Wednesdays, which are never the same once the school year begins. There’s no better justification for high consumption of beverages than Rick McGhie’s mid-week sing along at The Spoke. We’ll see you there … if our vision isn’t too blurred.
The start of the school year also brings shoddy, overloaded wireless networks and an email system that will only shut down once on a good day.
With September comes people, and with people come lines. While we’re excited to see the campus populated and busy once again, we are not looking forward to waiting in line. Soon, everyday life will once again consist of hours wasted in lines — from Tim Horton’s to The Ceeps.
Speaking of wasting hours, hopefully you don’t have a car, because once school starts up, finding a parking spot will be about as likely as finding a modest Ivey student. But never fear, the buses will be running (relatively) regularly and frequently once September rolls around.
Above all, the Gazette loves September, because it means publishing daily, and hearing from you — our readers.
As Boris Yellnikoff (David) tells his audience right from the start, Whatever Works “isn’t the feel-good movie of the year,” but it does come very close. Allen directs his 40th film and brings with him the kind of comedic genius we haven’t seen since the Oscar-winning Annie Hall.
The story follows Yellnikoff, a cynical New Yorker, and his transformation from an esteemed physicist to a miserable nonconformist that has something to say about nothing.
The film starts in the streets of New York City — typical of an Allen flick — where Yellnikoff sits with friends and numbs their minds with his bohemian babble. In an attempt to divert his attention, Yellnikoff’s friends convince him to tell his story to the audience, an audience Yellnikoff claims has paid money just so some guy in Hollywood can get a bigger pool.
In the classic Woody Allen style, the audience is engaged via direct address monologue that sets up this unusual and offbeat romantic comedy involving a twenty-one year old runaway (Wood) and two botched suicide attempts.
Having made a film almost every year for the past three decades (more than a dozen of which have been nominated for an Academy Award), Allen is constantly subjected to oftentimes harsh criticism regarding his work. The issue that many critics have with Allen’s work is his inability to successfully mix dramatic and comedic forms.
Whatever Works is no exception to this rule, yet it has fun complying with it. The film provides non-stop laughs from beginning to end. The dark humour of Yellnikoff was perfected by the dry comedic delivery of David, who many know as the co-creator and writer of Seinfeld and creator and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Wood, however, was not to be outdone. The young star, more commonly known for her dark roles in Thirteen and The Wrestler, was untried at the naïve, happy-go-lucky, bubble gum character that is Melody St. Ann Celestine — a character unable to pick up on Yellnikoff’s sarcasm and actually believes he was a pro baseball player. She pulled the role off effortlessly, with a “Smile” embroidered wardrobe.
Ultimately, Whatever Works tells the story of confused souls looking to escape the path laid out for them. It discourages conforming and encourages the unveiling of one’s true self, no matter how eccentric that self may be. In the end, it teaches people to go with “Whatever Works.”
Whatever Works has finished its run at Hyland Cinema, located at 240 Wharncliffe Rd. South. Check hylandcinema.com to see what is currently playing.
Sometimes when starting something new, it’s tough to know what lies ahead. In this respect, the characters in No Exit parallel Erika Shaw and Valerie Cotic, the founders and creative force behind the brand new Arcana Theatre.
“This is our attempt to make a name for ourselves and break into the scene,” said Shaw, King’s University College student and play director, before the show.
At the Arts Project on Wednesday, Aug. 19, the brand new theatre group put on its debut performance.
Kudos to Cotic and Shaw for choosing No Exit, definitely an appropriate pick for their first ever production. The French existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre penned the play, a modern classic about three people trapped in hell.
Unlike classic representations of hell, there is no horned devil, leather whips or fiery pits. Instead, the torture of hell comes from its inhabitants. Hence the famous line from the play, “Hell is other people.”
The three main characters and their reasons for being condemned to hell comprise the vast majority of the play. Joseph Garcin (Chris McAuley) treated his wife terribly and hid behind a pacifist newspaper to hide his cowardice. Inez Serrano (Lynda Martens) was responsible for a love triangle that resulted in a murder suicide. Estelle Regault (Cotic) killed her own child because of its illegitimacy. No wonder these three found a way to torture one another.
The one act play takes place in what appears to be a hotel room, decorated in Second Empire furniture. The set is never rearranged and the four characters remain in the same costumes throughout. The minimal set — consisting of three couches, a red door and a mantle — places emphasis on the dialogue. This proved a risky approach for Arcana Theatre’s first production and the results were mixed.
With the focus firmly on the main three actors, the varying degrees of their skill level proved all the more evident. Martens in the role of Inez was absolutely stellar. Her technique was flawless as she played the hard-headed seductress who breaks down into infantile fits. She displayed a vast range of emotions while remaining sincere due to her sharp behavioural transitions. Martens performance of the tortured soul, capable of torturing others seeped genuine horror – perfect for a play set in hell’s hotel.
While McAuley and Cotic attempted to feed off of Martens’ emotional performance, neither had quite the same acting technique or polish. Cotic was especially miscast as the role of Estelle and consequently the supposed sexual tension between herself and Garcin was never felt. Despite the disparities of acting skill, they all hit their lines and since No Exit is a modern classic, any rough spots are easily forgiven.
The extremely dark humour still came through, as did the penetrating feeling of existential angst. Possibly no scene could better represent the hellish existential dilemma better than when the red door to their hotel room finally opens, allowing them to escape, yet they find themselves unable to leave, even though it is torture to remain inside.
Aracana Theatre’s production of No Exit effectively constructed a theatrical universe where nihilism is not liberating but restricting, time and space are endless and sexual desire remains repressed – even in hell. While the acting may have been stronger in some parts than others, Sartre’s philosophical message was effectively communicated. For brand new Arcana Theatre, No Exit is a sign of good things to come.
Recent worries over Canada’s international role in education have started discussion over post-secondary reform among the presidents of Canadian universities.
Some fear Canada is perceived as a second-rate place in the world for professors, research faculty and students.
In a recent Maclean’s article, Canada’s major five schools — the universities of Montreal, Toronto, Alberta, British Columbia and McGill — suggested every university should focus on unique and differentiated missions and research and graduate education should be the primary focus of their larger institutions while undergraduate education should be the focus of smaller and medium size schools.
In response, smaller universities assented that while each university should have a unique focus, research shouldn’t solely be designated to the big five.
“Occasionally we’ll be able to achieve excellence in select areas through sheer luck or through generous philanthropic contributions, but we’ll not have a systemic capacity to support excellence,” said Amit Chakma, Western’s president and vice-chancellor.
“We have a number of very good programs … but we also have major gaps,” he added
Gerald Kidder, Western’s associate vice-president research, does not believe Canada is seen as a second-rate destination. “We’re doing better in the past decade because of programs like the Canada Foundation for Innovation,” he said.
However, he explained funding is often the most important factor.
“In research, it’s often about money. To be really competitive you have to establish the infrastructure that will attract the top researchers in the world … [and] we also need to increase funding to the granting councils in Canada,” he said.
“We’re not as competitive as the States. The government recently cut the budget for the granting councils, which was absolutely the wrong thing to do. You can’t have funding for research infrastructure alone and not for operating the research,” he added.
Chakma agreed the largest gap Canada has is in the funding of its universities.
“It is manifested in our very high student to faculty ratios. Such ratios for U.S. private and publicly funded schools would be around 4:1 and 14:1, respectively. In Canada this ratio is about 22:1,” he said.
As for the “big five”, Kidder said those universities already receive the biggest share of research funding, even though they aren’t necessarily the best.
“There are other universities outside the five that have excellent research programs that the big five don’t cover,” he said.
“The debate should be whether Canada needs to do more to support excellence in its universities, not whether certain universities should be designated as research universities,” Chakma said.
“[Western] has become the number one destination for undergraduate students in this country and at the same time is a research intensive institution that is placing a very high priority on graduate programming,” said Alan Weedon, vice-provost academic planning, policy and faculty.
There is also concern that designating research to specific schools will create a perception of a two-tiered education system, where the research institutions may be viewed as superior to others. Furthermore, this may attract fewer professors to the institution.
“Research and teaching go hand in hand,” Kidder added. “You can’t separate them. Professors who are active in research are the best to teach those subjects because they have the most up-to-date knowledge in those courses.”
Weedon explained Western’s own efforts to enhance its quality of education. In the last eight years, Western has hired over 500 probationary and tenured professors who are at the forefront of their fields both as teacher and researchers, he said
“We need to have active researchers teaching undergraduates and involving them in their research, so as an undergraduate you don’t just learn about topics but you learn about how to create new knowledge in the field,” Kidder said.
Mark Blagrave was welcomed this summer as the new dean of the faculty of arts and social sciences at Huron University College.
“We are thrilled to have him join our faculty and our administrative leadership,” said Ramona Lumpkin, Huron’s principal. “He has a very strong background in the liberal arts, which is our focus here at Huron.”
Blagrave, an Oakville native, comes from Mount Allison University where he served in a variety of roles including head of the English department and director of drama.
Short-listed for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book, Blagrave’s recent novel — Silver Salts — is the first literary work of its kind to be set in twentieth century Saint John, New Brunswick.
At MTA he placed emphasis on a student-centred educational environment through his efforts of reforming curricula. Moreover, Blagrave chaired the Working Group on
Outcomes and Literacies, which is responsible for consulting with MTA’s administration to set specific student learning outcomes. He also chaired the vice-president’s Advisory Committee on the First-Year Experience.
“He is very much interested in [the] student experience,” added Lumpkin. “We feel his leadership will work tremendously well [at Huron]”
Western opens one-stop shop
With a price tag of $21 million, Western’s new Student Services Building is scheduled to be open for student usage this fall.
Located between Weldon Library and the University Community Centre, the structure will bring a one-stop convenience to Western students, according to the SSB website.
Krys Chekchowski, director of Student Information Services, explained how the extra space would help the university better serve both students and staff.
“It should provide more space not only to staff and administration, but also to students. More space allows us to do more of the things we want to do for students,” she said.
SSB will house a number of important student services including Financial Aid, Student Development Services, the Registrar’s Office, and Student Information Services.
Western’s plans for the building also include improving the university’s indigenous services.
“The amount of space indigenous services has now is double what they had in the UCC. There will be more room for help in academic pursuits, for tutoring and other services offered to indigenous students,” Chekchowski said.
Another addition includes the David S. Chu International Student Centre, made possible by a $1 million donation from the Chu families. Located on the second floor, the centre is meant to further enhance international student services.
Featuring a large space on the ground floor dubbed “Student Central”, the four-storey structure will also function as a welcoming environment for prospective students and visitors to campus, according to Checkchowski.
Students may soon be facing larger class-sizes and fewer on-campus jobs, the brunt of many universities’ decisions to cut staff members.
The post-secondary budget crunch caused by falling investment income and rising costs has forced some universities to reduce staff on campus.
“Staff reduction is going to mean fewer courses and bigger classes for students. It is going to threaten the quality of education offered by universities,” said James Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers.
Tom Herman, vice-president academic at Acadia University emphasized the importance of smaller classes: “Personalized education is only possible when you have an intimate association between students and faculty, which develops in small classrooms,” he said.
Starting May 2009, Western implemented reductions, which resulted in a layoff of 53 staff.
However, the decline in staff will only affect Western students on a minimal basis, according to Jane O’Brien, associate vice-president human resources.
“These were not frontline positions that really affect students … such as academic counsellors and professors,” she said.
O’Brien also said the cutbacks will not lead to larger classes or decreased quality of education.
While some universities opted to reduce staff through layoffs, others resorted to offering buyout packages or cancelling teaching contracts.
Chuck Cunningham, a spokesperson for the University of Guelph, said they are trying to avoid such reductions and are limiting the impact budget cuts have made on staff and students.
“Over the course of last year, we’ve put in place retirement incentives and 145 staff have taken that early […] package,” Cunningham added.
The University of Calgary has set a goal to reduce its staff by approximately 200 through the fall, according to Colleen Turner, vice-president external relations at the U of C.
“We are cutting down on areas that don’t touch point with students … areas like human resources, support services and supply and management,” Turner said.
Among other cost-saving measures, Wilfred Laurier University will be reducing some student staffing positions.
“We are really struggling with financial issues … there are some student jobs that we won’t be filling this year,” said Kevin Crowley, a spokesperson for Laurier.
Likewise, O’Brien noted the budget-crunch would have a small impact on the availability of student jobs at Western.
“However, a vast number of students are still hired in required areas such as the residence system,” she added.
While universities contend the cuts are necessary, Turk noted some of the claims are legitimate but others are not.
“It is really important that universities be open and transparent with their books for people to see if there is a problem or not. Most have been unwilling to do that,” he said.
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