How would the students of Fanshawe College feel if the Interrobang was not allowed to use their office space to crank out the awesome weekly newspaper that we all love to read?

It would be an injustice done to the students, the faculty, visitors and others who show interest in the writing talents and opinions of the writers who are employed by the Fanshawe Student Union. Well, this is exactly what the writers at The Gazette, Western University's newspaper, were facing over the past few weeks.

The University Students' Council proposed to evict The Gazette staff from their current office in favour of a multi-faith room to be used for religious practices. The Gazette has currently been in their office on the second floor of the UCC building for over 40 years.

The UWO Gazette has a rich history dating back to 1906 and is the only post-secondary institution sponsored newspaper that publishes issues four times each week. The Gazette is made possible by dozens of writers, staff, volunteers and other hard-working people who dedicate their time and efforts in order to make sure critical news and information gets through to the students and faculty of Western University.

This whole situation has come about because the University Students' Council felt the space belonging to the multi-faith student groups needed to be changed. However, throughout further discussion, student representatives from the various faith groups made it clear that they do not want to infringe on anyone's space and are satisfied with their current space. It is unclear as to the specific reasons why the USC wanted to move the multi-faith groups to the space occupied by The Gazette, as they returned no comment when contacted by phone and email.

When asked what the primary reason behind the breakdown in negotiations between the USC and The Gazette, editor-in- chief Gloria Dickie said, "I don't think negotiations broke down, I think the Student Council was never willing to negotiate with us. When they broke the news that we would be replaced with a multi-faith space, they saw it simply as informing us. Our suggestions for alternatives, for the most part, fell on deaf ears and weren't thoroughly reviewed, in our opinion. Multi-faith was simply deemed a higher priority than The Gazette, so the USC saw no reason to negotiate."

On January 17, there was a meeting that took place between the student representatives of the multi-faith groups, the USC and The Gazette. The feelings after the three-hour meeting were positive on all sides. The issue itself still has not been rectified to the fullest extent, but no shifts in office space are expected to occur.

The incident will make The Gazette staff more cautious moving forward; "I think The Gazette will definitely be looking to strengthen itself in case of other issues in the future. Whether that means reviewing the possibility of going independent, or simply relying on our strategic review committee to advise us for the best, we'll have to see," said Dickie. It is evident this debate has also hurt the editors and the many contributors to The Gazette. Most of them have called their current office home for over three years and take great pride in their work.

The Gazette was not alone in their outrage about the handling of the situation. They have received national news coverage through Maclean's, The National Post, and the Toronto Star. They even managed to garner enough press on Twitter to have #UWOgazette trending across the country.

There has been a lot of debate as to what the ultimate fate of The Gazette will be in their current office. The only thing that matters at this point is ensuring that both sides are treated equally. The Gazette has held this office as their home for over four decades. It would be an emotional blow, not only for the editors, contributors and volunteers, but also to the hundreds of alumni over the years who have dedicated their time to make The Gazette what it is today.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.