Western Alumni Gazette

Winter 2013

Campus Quotes

"We are going to see activism come to the fore because of social media and our communications revolution…You are the generation that can make that happen; www means no borders."

Senator Roméo Dallaire, at the 2012 Claude and Elaine Pensa Lecture in Human Rights in Western Law, Nov. 23.

"We need to respect the difference between an enemy and an adversary. An enemy is someone you want to destroy and an adversary is someone you want to compete with in a fair fight. All democracies have to manage to understand that."

Michael Ignatieff, delivering the Centre for American Studies/Canada-U.S. Institute lecture, Us and Them: Opponents and Enemies in Politics, Nov. 8.

"I think students have to be particularly careful. The more you are informed, once you can identify the problem, then the problem can start to disappear."

Margaret Trudeau, delivering the 2012 Faculty of Health Science Distinguished Lecture, entitled Exploring Mental Health Issues, Nov. 1.

"I believe on a personal level that we are devoting too many resources to the wrong things, and not enough to the right things…The U.S. is becoming the opposite of the principles upon which it was originally founded."

Guest speaker Alec Baldwin, award-winning actor, author and spinal cord research advocate (with Dean Michael Strong) at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Leaders in Innovation Dinner, Nov. 19.

"The challenge with climate change is not how can we afford to reduce emissions, but how can we construct an economy that lives within the confines of nature’s boundaries."

Environmentalist David Suzuki, with economist Jeff Rubin on The End of Growth – How to Achieve A Truly Sustainable Future, cross-Canada book tour, Oct. 18.

"We, as an educational institution, have a responsibility to ensure that Indigenous students, staff and faculty have a voice, but more than that, that all students, staff and faculty understand our shared Canadian history, understand Indigenous knowledge and the contributions it can make to major issues of contemporary society."

Candace Brunette, Western’s new coordinator for Indigenous Services, Nov 29.

"It is an honour to be asked to serve a second term as Western’s president. In my time here, I have been impressed by the passion and commitment of faculty, staff, students and alumni in raising Western’s profile for excellence."

Amit Chakma, President and Vice-Chancellor, on Nov. 23, upon being re-appointed by Western's Board of Governors to a second five-year term, ending on June 30, 2019.

"I believe that the Western mission and mandate, as one of Canada’s great academic institutions, will help us bring about a new and better era for our society, first by having developed you as leaders, as well as through its research efforts."

Alumnus Joseph L. Rotman, BA’57, LLD’09, in his new role as Western’s 21st chancellor at the university’s 300th convocation on Oct. 25.