Photo by Angela Mullins/Metro
If you’ve been all wrapped up in the spectacular USC election action lately, you may have missed out on the bout of Trudeaumania that hit the Spoke this past Wednesday. Justin Trudeau, one of nine various candidates running for leadership of the Liberal Party, spoke to students and members of the London community about re-connection, bouncing back from cynicism, and re-engaging themselves in the politics of the true north strong and free. Continue reading
Although “Let the #uscgames begin!” flashed on screen before opening remarks at Tuesday’s VP debate, any spectacle-starved voter would have been disappointed. The usual Twitter feed projection floating above candidates’ heads was put to rest while candidates for the slate-based USC positions of VP External and VP Internal debated key portfolio issues. Aside from moderator Andrew Shaw’s virtually celebrated #sass, a few tense questions from audience members, and one uncomfortable reference to “pulling out or staying in,” the event left sensationalism to the Super Bowl. Continue reading
The UCC is bustling more than usual. You find pamphlets on the floor. Ads play before your YouTube video. It’s written all over the Gazette, Twitter timelines, and washroom walls. It’s election time once again! That is, for upper-year students; first-years like me are still finding their way through this election kerfuffle, and the icing on the cake is that this year the rules of the game have changed. Instead of choosing between a few presidential candidates, for the first time Western students are also able to vote in vice presidential candidates on the same ballot! And last Thursday, for the very first time, the Mustang Lounge got a taste of the election when the three presidential slates of Ashley McGuire, Patrick Whelan, and Vivek Prabhu, duked it out, VPs like pistols at their side. Continue reading
With McGuire’s blue scarves, Whelan’s red pants, and Prabhu’s green balloons visible all over campus, it’s easy to get caught up in the USC presidential race. But don’t forget that FIMS, for the first time in three years, has its own candidates to pick from.
A key aspect of FIMS is critical thinking, so what kind of faculty would we be if we didn’t take a hard look at our candidates’ platforms? So here’s some insight into the platforms of FIMSSC presidential candidates Jordan Pearson and Matt Wright. Continue reading
– This article is a response, written by two TAs, to Molly McCracken’s thought-provoking opinion piece for OPENWIDE, “‘My TA Isn’t From FIMS…’ Wait, what!?”
A Joint Response by Western TAs Siobhan and Atle
Molly McCracken’s provocative opinion piece “‘My MIT TA isn’t from FIMS…’ Wait, what?!” has inspired discussion among and between undergraduates, graduate students and administration, and even outside of FIMS. It is important to address here what is essentially a conflation of issues, which are issues nonetheless. As we often tell our students when it comes to reading texts and events, there’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye, or the ear in this case. Nevertheless, the article is timely and presents an opportunity for TAs to respond, and report particularly on what our union is planning to do to address this shared concern of giving undergraduates a better learning experience. Before addressing the broader criticisms of the article here, we must note MIT 2000 is an isolated case of administrative neglect not directly related to the sort of systemic problems raised by Ms. McCracken. Continue reading
What exactly is the “Best Student Experience” we’ve all heard so much about since we first set foot on Western’s campus?
Perhaps there’s no need to bother with the question, since the university’s administration has defined it for us in a document titled “Institutional Vision, Proposed Mandate Statement and Priority Objectives” – a paper that formally kicked off the process of creating a Strategic Mandate Agreement for the future. Moreover, Western administration took it upon itself to do this with very little student input. The little input they sought amounted to a few meetings with the USC president and vice-president (whose recommendations didn’t come from direct Western student involvement but rather the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance’s discussion paper), and limited interaction with higher-ups in Western’s Senate and Board of Governors. A group of us, Western students all, have decided this doesn’t sit well with us and so we’re doing something about it. Continue reading
The rumours are true: the October issue is Selling Out. But you can get it for free on stands in NCB and the UCC now!
This issue, titled Selling Out: Your Education and the Bottom Line, digs into the commercialization of education, from Western’s recent re-branding campaign to the residence construction boom, and what it means for us.
Read more and check out the issue after the jump. Continue reading
No matter how you take your OJ, pulp Magazine is a refreshing glass filled with the diverse talents of the London arts community. A zine based out of the Visual Arts Department at Western, pulp has earned itself a slot on popular downtown store shelves. With support from the likes of American Apparel and City Lights Book Shop, the ambitious magazine quenches readers’ thirst for local artistic expression.
Jacqueline Mok, a third year visual arts student, pioneered the zine as Editor-in-Chief in September. Known for her whimsical, child-like characters, Mok explores a variety of mediums with her art—from screen-printing to video installations.
After discovering the London beyond Richmond Row, this young artist became eager for a citywide community. “I wanted to encourage students to go out, and create opportunities for them to meet established artists,” says Mok, emphasizing that students are often oblivious to the dynamic arts scene. Continue reading
FIMS courses run the gambit from covering the realities of global communication to the ever-popular Tales of Tinseltown, all offering valuable insights and learning experiences. You voted, FIMS, and here are your favourite courses.
The following courses were voted as the favourite of the year: Continue reading
The mitZine isn’t in Kansas anymore. That’s right, the Zine is now in technicolour – or should I say, technocolour? Inside this month’s issue you’ll find a special article by FIMS’ own upper-year instructor of the year Selma Purac, the mitZine awards, political cartoons (a Zine first), as well as all the social, political, and entertainment commentary we all know and love the Zine for. This issue is a feast for the eyes and the brain that you don’t want to miss out on. Pick it up this week in the UCC and NCB or read it after the jump. Continue reading
