“I got into loving anime by just finding it on vacation in Jamaica,” said Dejean Douglass, the vice president of the anime club at Fanshawe. “I’ve been watching it ever since.”

Douglass had been in the anime club for two years and has been the vice president starting only this year. He says that compared to last year, the anime club has been much popular.

“There’s more people showing up for events and it seems like everyone want’s to show up for more,” Douglass said. “I’m honestly so happy to see that.”

The growth of the anime club at Fanshawe reflects overall trends in London. According to Rob Chamberlain, owner of the Neo-Tokyo anime store in London, anime is becoming more mainstream.

“Traditionally, we would see someone and they’re like ‘oh I have a niece into that or something like that,” Chamberlain said. “But now it’s more of a ‘oh I saw this, that was really interesting.’ People are much more aware of it than they used to be.

Chamberlain attributes the rising popularity of anime in London due to adaptations of anime shows on live stream services introducing these shows to mainstream audiences.

“The One Piece live action, and other things … have really started to drive people who are not your traditional fans,”said Chamberlain. “It was traditionally more of an underground thing, but it’s become much more mainstream now.” ]]> http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/25/fanshawe-anime-club-continues-to-grow/feed/ 0 http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/24/london-cares-launches-initiative-to-combat-homelessness-misinformation/ http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/24/london-cares-launches-initiative-to-combat-homelessness-misinformation/#respond Thu, 24 Sep 2026 16:08:50 +0000 Ben Andrews 2026-09-24T16:15:00+00:00 https://d173.cms.socastsrm.com/?p=151067 Tents set up by people without a home in downtown London. (Credit: Justin Koehler)

In an official media release, London Cares states that the purpose of this campaign, called Housing First, Hope Always, is to “… strengthen understanding of London Cares’ role, expertise and Housing First approach.”

“It’s hard to find housing these days, especially at an affordable rate,” said Chris Moss, the executive director of London Cares homeless response services.  “Every single month, my team finds between 30 and 50 people who are new to homelessness,”

Homelessness has been rising all across Ontario, with the number of homeless people in the province being estimated to have risen to 80,000 people.

Moss hopes that this campaign will help combat the common myths about homelessness, as well as bringing to attention just how serious the issue has gotten, and what London Cares is trying to do. “It was really noticing the narrative getting off track, and feeling like when we’re out in the community, that people are misunderstanding who we are,” said Moss. “We needed to really get out in front of that message and share as much as we could.”

“Some of the misinformation comes where we hear rumours, like we give out drugs to people, we enable homelessness, we keep them in homelessness, so that we can make a lot of money,” clarified Moss. “As a housing first agency, we actually really want to move people from street to home as fast as possible.”

Moss says that due to budget cuts and lack of spending for the homeless, this campaign is also to remind the public and themselves that they have not lost hope. “The province has not made enough housing, not enough affordable housing, not enough supportive housing, not enough housing that includes treatment beds or other types of things,” said Moss. We really need to call on the province to invest heavily in that.”

“We recently had our funding reduced, eliminated with House of Hope,” Moss added. “We had 45 people housed, and that program was defunded. … This is sort of a little bit of a spinoff from that to saying we’re not losing track of hope.”

“But as a community, I’m pretty sure we could come together and get creative.” ]]> http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/24/london-cares-launches-initiative-to-combat-homelessness-misinformation/feed/ 0 http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/23/151013/ http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/23/151013/#respond Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:26:43 +0000 Curtis Stokman 2026-09-25T00:46:25+00:00 https://d173.cms.socastsrm.com/?p=151013

Journalists at Fanshawe College are concerned and unsure about the future of journalism in politics because of the recent spat between U.S. President Donald Trump and American news media.

The uncertainty comes in the aftermath of President Trump banning CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from the White House, accusing them of being “fake news”. In retaliation, several news outlets have either boycotted the White House’s press releases or have declined to collect audio from Trump as he speaks.

“This has been taken to a whole different level,” said Steve Young, the former news and information director at CTV News London and current program coordinator of Fanshawe’s multimedia journalism program. He also said he was unsurprised that the journalistic community was acting in support of the banned publications.

A collection of logos for London-based news outlets. Journalists in the city believe their profession’s community would support each other if they and politicians became at odds like in the U.S.
Photo by: Curtis Stokman

“It is very important from a journalistic standpoint that we all stand up and say ‘we have a right to be able to hold politicians accountable,'” said Young. “You don’t know if their media organization might be the next one to be banned from the White House.”

The concerns extend to those entering the journalistic community as well. When asked, several students in the multimedia journalism program shared many of the same feelings on the situation between President Trump and U.S. news media.

“I feel like he’s forcing other companies to have one opinion and one opinion only,” said Owen Schuller. “The whole point of a journalist is to be [unopinionated] and to have just the facts right.”

Fellow student Georgia Chambers echoed Schuller’s concerns about President Trump’s relationship with news media, saying she feels he is “a little bit scared of the media” and that she believes it to be the reason for his actions.

Another concern raised was how the situation might change the relationship between politicians and journalists, who are traditionally referred to in politics as the “fourth estate”.

“I do think it’s going to create a big rift in the media and political landscape going forward,” said Ryan Baynton, another student in the journalism program.

The impact of the situation may not be limited to the U.S. Schuller, Chambers, and Baynton each expressed concern that a shift in how journalists deal with politics could affect their careers.

Young also commented on the possibility of politician/journalist relationships in Canada changing because of the situation, saying he hopes they will not. Him and Baynton both believe if it did happen though, the journalistic community would respond the same way it has to President Trump.

“We have to have that ability to be able to [hold politicians accountable] on this side of the border,” said Young.

As for what will happen next, Young believes that journalists will continue to be a part of politics, and that the banned outlets will get access to President Trump by going to other locations or by taking the bans to court to try to have them lifted.

“It will be very interesting to see how this ends,” said Young. “How that will happen is anybody’s guess.”

“There are different versions of the creation story, said Jeanette Ladd, the painter of the mural. “Other people that you know share the same story, but there might be a little bit of a tweak of something added. Our language is spoken not written so things, may have changed along the way.”

Radd was able to create this mural for western through a special program Western was hosting. “It was an open proposal for any artist to apply,” Radd said. “I love the creation story and so I wanted to paint it. You could have chosen like any of the walls within the atrium space you could do anything in the atrium space. I had to do like a timeline of how long it would take, materials that I wanted to use, even the maintenance of the piece if I was the accepted artist.”

Radd hopes that her art brings comfort to Western students, both Indigenous and otherwise. “For the Indigenous students I want them to see a little little piece of home like. For the other students, I’m hoping that they feel a piece of calm when they look at the piece.”

Western’s students seem to really appreciate the new mural, and what it represents. “I think it’s a beautiful piece to add to Western,” said Jacklyn Bagley, a student at Western University. “I’ve honestly never seen anything that represents Indigenous identity and culture at Western, so I think it’s a great staple.” ]]> http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/23/151034/feed/ 0 http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/23/highschool-students-rock-the-stage-and-find-their-voice-at-the-grand-theatre/ http://www.1069thex.com/2026/09/23/highschool-students-rock-the-stage-and-find-their-voice-at-the-grand-theatre/#respond Wed, 23 Sep 2026 21:06:47 +0000 Kelly Nicol 2026-09-23T21:06:47+00:00 https://d173.cms.socastsrm.com/?p=151033 Courtesy of Melissa Mae Shipley, Grand Theatre London London teenagers are set to rock the stage with School of Rock, a musical based on the 2003 blockbuster film of the same name.

“I think we’re all trying to find our voice,” said director Lezlie Wade. “If you see young people brave enough to get on stage and [perform] a play that is written by Julian Fellowes, and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, I think you can sort of appreciate that if they can do it, anyone can.”

The show follows wannabe rockstar Dewey Finn, who pretends to be a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep-school. With his guidance, he turns a group of straight-A students into a rock band.

Wade says that coming from a professional background with limited budgets and crews something like this is a breath of fresh air. “If you get 15 people in a cast, that’s really huge. Here we have 34 young people on stage. I don’t often get to work with 34 people of any age, and this is really exciting and really a thrill to have that opportunity to work with them.”

“I’ve been in many productions, but this is bigger than anything I’ve ever done,” Marian Viancy Mamigo, who plays Summer Hathaway, said. “It makes me feel more professional, being in this area makes me do my best. I’m in an area I can grow and see how far I’ve come from a smaller theatre.”

The production runs until October 3rd. Tickets can be bought online, by phone, or at the box office at 471 Richmond Street.

A student on the Fanshawe College Parents’ Group made a post regarding the struggles they have been facing with landing a job and is in search of help. “Any suggestions/leads for a mature, responsible student to find a part-time job? Applied everywhere with no bites!” said the anonymous participant.

Photo: (Torey Joseph Legarrie)

Randabouz Arifa, who is a student at Fanshawe College, said she has been looking for a job for about two years.

“Probably ignoring,” she said when asked whether employers were responding to their applications.

Arifa said that balancing school, personal life, and employment can be difficult.

Randabouz Arifa, cyber security, year 1, photo: (Torey Joseph Legarrie)

“You need a lifestyle to have a balance between your lifestyle and your study” she said.

Arifa said not finding work has also been frustrating financially.

“I feel mad, I’m going to be honest,” she said.

Rebecca Summerfield, a Fanshawe career services consultant, said finding work that fits around a students school schedule is one of the biggest challenges.

“For the most part, the biggest challenge is finding a flexible employer that will work around a school schedule,” she said.

Summerfield said students who are not hearing back from employers should consider following up professionally after applying.

Rebecca Summerfield, career services Fanshawe, photo: (Career services Fanshawe Facebook)

“I always suggest that students try following up in person, as long as they’re doing it professionally,” she said.

Summerfield recommends that students dress as if they are going to an interview when following up with an employer.

Fanshawe’s Career Opportunities Fair happens on Sept, 30, from 10a.m. to 2p.m. in both J gyms. The event is open to Fanshawe students and Alumini, with employers offering opportunities that include part-time positions.

Summerfield said students should look at social media and job postings.

“I find that Instagram seems to be a good place for students to find part-time jobs a lot of times right now,” she said.

According to Statistics Canada labour force data, London has the third highest unemployment rate for students across the country. Data shows for people aged 15 to 24 in London was 22.2 per cent in May 2026. The overall unemployment rate is seven per cent when the Canadian average is 6.6 per cent.

While some students are struggling to find work, others have been able to secure employment after months of searching through previous experience and personal connections.

Fanshawe student Alexis Moore said it took several months of sending out resumes before finding a job.

“I probably applied to 30 plus” she said.

Alexis Moore, pre-health, year 2, photo: (Torey Joseph Legarrie)

Moore found their current job through Indeed and said previous supervisory experience helped her stand out.

“I think when I had the higher experience, like supervisor, that was what really got me a job quicker than most,” she said.

Moore recommended students include volunteer experience on their resumes when applying for jobs.

Fanshawe Career Services is in room D1063 and provides students with assistance with their employment searches.

Funds raised by the Terry Fox foundation go to a “national pot”, which is then used to help fund different cancer research laboratories. The more money that the Terry Fox foundation raises, the more laboratories can benefit from this funding, including smaller, local laboratories.

“Right now, there’s over 600 projects that are funded by the foundation,” said Ferguson. “In the 46 years that it’s been going on, it’s raised over a billion dollars now.”

Despite the large amount of funds the Terry Fox run is raising, more donations are always welcome, especially since cancer research is very expensive. “ the people that do it have to be paid, that money comes from various sources, including the Terry Fox Foundation,” said Ferguson. “Chemicals, some of the machinery that we use, it has advanced cancer research greatly, but those things are expensive.”

With all these costs associated with cancer research, and with how much the Terry Fox foundation contributes to cancer research, Ferguson thinks that cancer research would be nowhere as advanced as it is now without the foundations help. “Cancer research and a lot of research is notoriously underfunded by the government,” said Ferguson. So other fundraisers have been so important in advancing cancer research, and Terry Fox Foundation is a major part of that.”

“Cancer research would not have advanced as much as it has today without fundraising and charity fundraising and, of course, the contribution of the Terry Fox run.”

The controversial eight-storey student apartment project proposed to be built on Sarnia Road has been turned down by the city of London.

City council held a meeting on Monday, during which they discussed the matter of the project, which has gained major attention recently for its proposed location, size, and cost. After a debate on the floor, the vote on the project failed by a margin of two votes for to 13 against.

The project had previously been approved on Sept. 9 after a review that saw the planned apartment’s height boosted from six storeys to eight. Today represented the vote to re-zone the area where the apartment was set to be built.

The discussion of the project saw spirited debate in favour of and against it. Ward 6 councillor Sam Trosow spoke at length in opposition, objecting to the cost of the apartments (which he cited at being $1,200 per bedroom) among other things, in a speech that received praise from Mayor Josh Morgan. Ward 4 councillor Susan Stevenson also voiced her disapproval for the project, stating that she believed there could’ve been more open discussions on the project.

Conversely, Ward 2 councillor and deputy mayor Shawn Lewis voiced his approval for the apartment project, saying that while “Change is hard” for neighbourhoods such as Sherwood Forest and Orchard Park where the apartment was set to be built, he believed the project needed to move forward. Mayor Morgan also voiced his support for the project.

A row of signs protesting against the Sarnia road student apartment proposal. City council voted down the project on Monday much to the approval of the protestors.
Photo by: Curtis Stokman

The viewing public also made their opinions heard during the debates. Several people in the public viewing gallery brought signs urging councillors to “Vote No” on the project. When the motion failed, many of them applauded, to which Mayor Morgan reminded them that the council chamber is meant to be a neutral place and that expressions such as theirs are not a part of proceedings.

With the vote, where the Sarnia Road project might go from here remains to be seen.

“Just like any wildlife or even plants that we have in nature, they’re all part of a larger ecosystem. You get rid of one, and you have a domino effect,” said Scott Gillingwater, director of the program. Spiny softshell turtles play a critical role in the environment, making their continued presence necessary for a healthy ecosystem. “The turtles themselves, they provide food for many predators. Their eggs are eaten by many predators. Raccoon, skunk, coyote, fox, etcetera. Turtles act as predators as well, so they will take a number of animals as food in the environment, and that keeps the environment healthy.” Gillingwater explained.

“We’ve done everything from surveying natural areas, that means the Thames river, and many other wetlands, woodlands, etcetera,” 

For Gillingwater, the results show what is possible when people come together for the betterment of the environment. “I think a lot of people, when they think of endangered species, they think of pandas or whales, but in our own backyard we have a number of species at risk. In terms of reptiles, some of those include endangered queen snake, we have the spiny softshell turtle, and a number of other species not currently at risk.”

A post in the Fanshawe College Parents Group on Facebook raised concerns about the lack of time off. The parent wrote that her son brought the matter to her attention and questioned how it could be considered a full week, and the shorter week could leave students with less time to study for exams the following week.

Fanshawe’s 2026 fall academic calendar lists the study break as Oct. 8 and 9, followed by Thanksgiving Day on Oct. 12. The college’s academic policy defines a study week as time intended for students to complete coursework and prepare for mid-term examinations.

“I have six courses, so I feel like one week isn’t really enough to prep for tests,” said pre-health student Mariyah Najmi.

Mariyah Najmi, pre-health, year 1, Photo: (Torey Joseph Legarrie),

Fanshawe College is one of two post-secondary schools that don’t have a full study week in the Fall. The reason why, is because Fanshawe wants to keep a “clean calendar” for the academic year.

Photo: (Torey Joseph Legarrie)

Some professors say that students are still taking time to adjust.

“At this point in time, we’re just a few weeks into the school year,” said Steve Young, coordinator and professor for journalism multimedia.

“It obviously will be ramping up as you get closer towards the Christmas break,” he said.

Steve Young, coordinator and professor, journalism – multimedia, Photo: (LinkedIn)

Young said students can use the break to work ahead and prepare for upcoming assignments and tests.

“This is that opportunity to try to look into what is coming down the road and to be prepared for it,” he said.

Some students believe two days is not enough.

“Talking about mental-health, a longer break will definitely help me prepare my assignments and have more time to study”  said computer and analysis student Alejandro Mora.

He says two days is too short to catch up on schoolwork. He said a longer break could give students more time to study and make him feel more calm mentally.

Alejandro Mora, computer and analysis, year 1, Photo: (Torey Joseph Legarrie)

Both students said having additional time away from classes could allow them to focus specifically on studying and completing assignments.

Fanshawe’s fall term began Sept. 8, with fall exams scheduled for Dec. 14 to 21.