The student newspaper at Western University was pulled from the stands a few days after publication of its annual frosh issue.
Western is preparing for the first week of the new academic term and for the influx of freshmen that will soon be flooding their campus. To usher in the newcomers, the Gazette has traditionally released a frosh-specific issue to give freshmen an idea of what to expect during the upcoming year. This year’s issue caused controversy and was pulled after only a few days.
The issue’s stories included an article entitled, “So, you want to date a teaching assistant?” advising students to Facebook stalk their teaching assistants as well as to “be liberal with those top buttons on your blouse.” There was also a piece discussing orientation week drinking games, while another described drugs students might encounter on campus. Backlash, especially over social media, was sudden and fierce.
Though it has since been pulled both from the stands and their website, and a formal apology has been made by the Gazette editorial board, many are still not satisfied.
According to editor-in-chief Iain Boekhoff, the intent of the frosh issue “is to provide a resource for incoming first-year students written by students . . . this is one of the few chances they get to hear from students about the services, events, and opportunities on campus. The frosh issue also provides light-hearted content, which is exemplified by the issue having a theme.”
Done in the style of Game of Thrones, the issue included a section on “the Lords and Ladies of Western,” profiling student executives and administration along with a map of the campus drawn to mimic George R. R. Martin’s fictional land of Westeros.
Janice Deakin, vice-president (academic) and provost, wrote a letter to the Gazette regarding the dating guide. She said graduate teaching assistants have the right to be protected from harassment.
“They deserve to be treated professionally and respectfully,” Deakin said. “The time is long past when these kinds of articles can be defended as being either satire or humorous. It is my hope that The Gazette leadership will learn from the negative reaction to this particular column,” said in the letter.
Though many teaching assistants were offended by the article, Boekhoff’s opinion is shared by some.
A McMaster teaching assistant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “I think that the article was all in good fun and, while hardly surprised by the reaction it has inspired, I think it is unfortunate and overly-sensitive . . . I’m almost flattered.”
“While this is hardly Pulitzer Prize-winning stuff, I think censorship would set an unfortunate precedent for the newspaper,” they said. However, they said they “understand that the provost has a certain responsibility to distance the university itself from this kind of article.”
When asked whether the issue had been supported by the editorial team, Boekhoff said, “All I will say is that the editorial team worked extremely hard on this issue. It was in fact the largest special issue we have done in years and the amount of effort that went into it was incredible . . . I am extremely proud of my team for their hard work.”
Though criticized for defending the Gazette, Boekhoff has stood by his decisions. A review committee has been established to study the newspaper and determine its fate.
“The review process will be conducted by the advisory board, which consists of a team of journalists with decades of experience, a faculty member, and a media lawyer,” Boekhoff said.
