Margaret Munn versus Western University

   Given that my last post was about a professor suing a university in the United States, I will now offer one about a student suing a university in Canada.  
   The student is Margaret Munn and the university is Western (often still referred to as UWO - the University of Western Ontario - in the sources provided below.)
   The major purpose of this post is to provide sources for information related to Munn's experience at Western and the lawsuit which has resulted. The litigation is ongoing. When the case is resolved, and if the result is reported, these background references may be of interest.
     I was unable to find any London reporting about "the Munn Affair", which is not unusual given the state of the local press, and the Western-related publications may be reluctant to approach the subject for other reasons, not-the-least of which is that the case is currently being litigated.
    The sources offered below are the ones that were found after a fair amount of searching. If they appear to be skewed in favour of Munn, that is in fact the case, but they were the only ones found; there were no critical ones to be excluded. Admittedly, less searching was done on social media sites where I did see a few negative comments about Munn and about the quality of the sources I note below. Here is one example from Reddit: "If you believe Jonathan Kay's reporting verbatim you need better critical thinking skills. He is highly ideological and sees himself as an anti-"woke" crusader." 
   I am choosing to say nothing about "the Munn Affair", or the quality of the sources. You can do some searching on your own, or read or listen to the sources provided and decide for yourself.

To Get Started:
       The lawsuit is outlined in this "Statement of Claim" filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Jan. 10, 2025. At the time this is being written, the 22 page document is available to the public and can be accessed by clicking on this link: MARGARET MUNN and THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO. (a summary can be generated.)

Ledrew and Laywer Lisa Bildy (a UWO grad.)

  For a short interview with Munn's lawyer which offers basic background information see: "The Case of Margaret Munn VS University of Western Ontario," Stephen Ledrew, Hosts Lawyer, Lisa Bildy, The News Forum, n.d. The introduction is found by clicking on the link above and lasts 4:50. The rest of the 20 minute interview is found under, "Political Correctness and Censorship at Canadian Institutions," The News Forum. 
  More about Munn, her "offences" at Western and the actions by some in the Faculty of Education and the reaction by the Western Senate, is found in this summary provided by the Free Speech Union of Canada: "Margaret Munn v. University of Western Ontario," May 12, 2025.

  For Additional Background:
   The first article about Munn's experiences at Western is this very long one: "Lessons From a Teacher-College Battle Over Free Speech and 'Decolonization': University of Western Ontario Instructors Spent Months Denouncing an Outspoken Education Student Who'd Asked Awkward Questions About Indigenous Reconciliation - Until a UWO Tribunal Concluded They'd Violated Her Rights," Jonathan Kay, Quillette, Nov. 29, 2024. The entire article is available by clicking on the link above.
   For those who would rather listen than read, the author has more recently offered this account which is 25 minutes long. A link and an indication of the contents are provided here:
"Why This Student Was Punished for Asking the Wrong Questions at University of Western Ontario?" Jonathan Kay, Quillette, May 20, 2025.
   "In a speech at the University of Western Ontario, Quillette editor Jonathan Kay shared insights from his investigation into UWO’s teachers college, focusing on a controversy involving Margaret Munn, who questioned the curriculum's decolonization focus. Munn's inquiries led to a backlash, with UWO's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee pushing for her expulsion. However, UWO's Senate Review Board Academic ultimately vindicated her, emphasizing the need for free speech and academic freedom. Kay highlights systemic pressures and incentives in academia that prioritize ideological conformity over open dialogue, urging reforms to support intellectual diversity."

00:15 The speaker’s legal career struggled due to moral dissonance with clients
01:39 Journalism reveals institutional pressures over personal morality
02:19 Margaret Munn faces challenges as a non-traditional student at UWO
04:40 UWO's decolonising pedagogy course is criticised as overly ideological
08:07 Munn questions decolonisation narratives, disrupting academic orthodoxy
10:24 UWO’s EDI committee seeks to expel Munn for ideological dissent
12:42 Curriculum changes and staffing reflect institutional haste and pressure
18:31 Administrators prioritise ideological trends over academic integrity
22:12 University reform requires changing incentive structures
23:09 Lena Dagnino defends academic freedom and Munn’s rights
23:37 Judgment critiques constraints on Munn’s academic expression
24:21 Panel defends intellectual freedom and academic values
24:49 Call for scholars to uphold academic principles
25:03 Based on a speech promoting liberty and rule of law

   A response to the reporting by Kay about the "Munn Affair" is found here:

"Schooled in DEI: UWO Sued for Ideological Teacher Training," by Jamie Sarkonak, National Post, May 24, 2025. Here are the first three paragraphs:

   "The point of the University of Western Ontario's education program should be to teach its students how to teach - but instead, it seems to be teaching students what to think by sabotaging the success of students who don't agree with decolonization.

   That's at least the impression you get from a lawsuit served upon the university by alumna Margaret Munn. She alleges she was subjected to unfair treatment and ideological pressure during her studies, including harassment-like behaviour from her faculty dean, and is now seeking more than $1 million in damages with the help of the Free Speech Union of Canada and her lawyer, Lisa Bildy. Her allegations are detailed in a statement of claim that has been made public, and have yet to be proven in court. Potentially years of proceedings lie ahead.

  The University of Western Ontario was only recently served and must file a statement of defence; its spokesperson, Stephen Ledgley, told the National Post on Friday that he was unable to comment on ongoing litigation."
   Essentially the same article by Sarkonak is also found under this title: "Education Student Punished For Questioning Decolonization Sues UWO," Postmedia Breaking News, May 26, 2025.

Western Squash- 2024/25

 About a month ago I noted that the Western University Squash Team won the OUA Championship for the 41st time -- in a row. For those of you who don't follow such events on Instagram, X or Facebook, here is what the team has been up to over the past few weeks.

   They left Niagara-on-the-Lake after the OUA event and travelled down to New Haven to play Yale on what was "Senior Day" at that institution. The Bulldogs are very tough this year and they won every match against Western. Yale then went on to the 2025 CSA Men's National CollegiateTeam Championship where they lost to the University of Pennsylvania which won the national title and the Potter Cup for the second straight year.
   Western also was in the U.S., CSA National Team Championship in Philadelphia and they went on to defeat Franklin and Marshall to win the Hoehn Cup. The Hoehn Cup is for the teams ranked from 13th to 20th. Western was ranked at No.13 and they won every match against Franklin and Marshall.
    Just over a year ago, I offered a history of UWO/Western's participation in the U.S. Collegiate Championships and it can be viewed  here.  It is great to read about a Western team that has had such success over such a long period.

   A series of photos are provided below. The first one was found at Franklin and Marshall when they reported about the loss to Western. The others are all found on the website of the College Squash Association. Unfortunately, there were no captions. 
  (I have no connection to the team, but I did play a lot of squash at UWO (the intramural, lower-level kind) and anyone who did will remember fondly Jack Fairs. Congratulations to Coach Chris Hanebury for continuing the tradition.)

The Bonus:
   The Championship was held at the Arlen Spector US Squash Center in Philadelphia, which looks like a fabulous facility. Although Spector was a squash player, you probably recognize his name because he was a Senator from the state across the lake from us.

OH! Canada?

    Of late there has been rather more interest in praising our country, than just simply denigrating it. Only a few months ago I noted that an Angus Reid poll had this title: "From 'eh' to 'meh'? Pride and Attachment to Country in Canada Endure Significant Declines." (See: WOE CANADA.) Attitudes appear to have shifted, perhaps because we fear that we will not even be in the top fifty if we become a state in the United States. If you wish to read about Canada before it goes, you could start with Lament for a Nation right after you read this post.
   Here at Mulcahy's Miscellany it is suggested that the currently popular,"Elbows Up" can refer also to a position taken when holding up a book to read, and if you are looking now for something Canadian here is a suggestion.
   From the New York Times I receive a newsletter with recommendations for reading material.  This week's "Read Like the Wind" contains two books chosen by A.O. Scott (Mar.8, 2025.) The second suggestion is provided below along with the commentary offered by Scott. 
   Although the book is about Canada, admittedly it was written by an American. It is the case, however, that, apart from being an acceptable appraisal of Canada, one can mention that the son of the author is a retired professor who taught for years at UWO/Western and still resides in London. In his latest book he notes that: "I have not regretted moving, permanently, as it turned out, from my native country, the United States, to the former British Dominion of Canada."

Scott's comments:

   Wilson, perhaps the hardest-working American literary critic of the 20th century, had formidable range. He wrote mighty books about Marxism, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the literature of the Civil War, and innumerable collections of essays, reviews, diaries and letters. An avowed anti-specialist, proud of never holding an academic post or a staff job at a magazine, he liked to master a subject by writing about it.
      After a visit to Toronto sometime in the 1950s, Wilson got sufficiently interested in Canada to begin the inquiries that would result in this volume, modestly subtitled “An American’s Notes on Canadian Culture.” I should note that the book was published in 1965 and so does not include most of what those of us down here might regard as Canadian culture. No Neil Young or Joni Mitchell; no Margaret Atwood or Alice Munro (though a little bit of Mavis Gallant); no SCTV or David Cronenberg.
   Still, “O Canada” is an irresistible deep cut for Canadaphiles, a large but fittingly circumspect fandom. Wilson is a crisp, thorough writer, with a knack for making his own fascination with a subject contagious. So you can learn quite a bit of Canadian history here — not a bad thing to be studying just now — without feeling that you’re in school, and you may find yourself eager to hit the library in search of the works of Hugh MacLennan and Marie-Claire Blais.
   Mostly, though, you’re likely to be swept up by Wilson’s sense that Canada, in spite of its reputation south of the border, is an intensely dramatic country. This was partly because of the Quebecois separatist movement that was gaining momentum at the time, but also because nationalism and national identity were pressing questions for an alert and curious reader. As they still are."

Sources:
   Apart from the NYT source noted above, the quotation by Edmund Wilson's son is from: Holding the Road: Away from Edmund Wilson and Mary McCarthy, Reuel K. Wilson, p.230. On p.231, he notes: "My father's book O Canada: An American's Notes on Canadian Culture (1965), which introduced American readers to a select group of contemporary Canadian authors, has been largely forgotten in both countries. Only my mother's novel The Group (1963) still has resonance for readers of a certain age here, where many women saw it as a positive landmark in the struggle for women's liberation." 

Squash News at Western

   The picture above may look familiar since you will have seen variations of it over forty years. It is from Mustang Communications (2/10/25) where you can read this report about the OUA Squash Championship which was held last weekend at Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Western women's team won gold as well, and the details are provided in this article in The Gazette: "Squash Teams Sweep OUA Championship," Maegan White, Feb. 14, 2025. 
  Such attention is well deserved, but there is typically not much of it up on campus. I suppose the more popular sports naturally attract more attention, even when much less successful, and that the resources for Mustang Communications are rather limited. It is also the case that the squash team matches are not played on campus and some important ones soon to be played, will be played on campus courts in the States. 
   Back in early January the U.S. Naval Academy squash team invaded London in an event that was not much noticed, although Ryan Pyette wrote about it in the LFP, Jan.7: "The Western men's squash team beat the United States Navy 8-1 on the weekend at the London Squash and Fitness Club in the first U.S. college match held here since the pandemic."

   Although the Midshipmen lost in London, the event was well-covered in Annapolis as the photo illustrates and these points indicate: "The 16th-ranked Navy squash team (11-3) dropped just its third match of the season, as #14 Western (4-5) dealt the Mids an 8-1 setback at the London Squash Club in London, Ontario, Canada on Saturday." The results:

1 | Dylan Deverill (W) def Matt Wang (N) // 11-8, 11-7, 11-6

2 | Wenqing Tang (N) def Antonio Mendes (W) // 11-9, 11-3, 11-6

3 | Daniel Deverill (W) def Alexander Orr (N) // 14-12, 11-9, 11-4

4 | Amin Khan (W) def Matthew Kang (N) // 11-7, 11-7, 12-10

5 | Josh Kay (W) def Lucas Spiro (N) // 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5

6 | William Znidarec (W) def Tighe Mullarkey (N) // 11-3, 12-10, 11-4

7 | Rio Schafer (W) def Ramsay Killinger (N) // 12-10, 12-10, 11-3

8 | Tyson Schille (W) def Michael Tierney Jr. (N) // 11-9, 711, 11-8, 15-13

9 | Griffin Manley (W) def Sean Wu (N) // 11-2, 11-2, 6-11, 11-7

EXH | Ben Boulanger (W) def Holden Woodward (N) // 11-5, 11-3, 11-2
  The rankings above refer to those of the U.S. College Squash Association where Western currently ranks #13. The University of Western Ontario began playing the U.S. college teams under Coach Jack Fairs. I don't think there is any other example of Canadian universities competing consistently with U.S. universities, and at the highest level. The tradition continues at Western under Coach Chris Hanebury who, I am sure, has much less support than the coaches at, say Penn or Princeton. (Tyler Osborne, the squash coach at the Naval Academy, played for Princeton and is from Kingston, ON.)
For a brief history (mine) of UWO versus the U.S. squash teams see:
UWO SQUASH AND THE U.S. COLLEGIATE SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dr. David Bailey

 On the Shoulders of Giants
  Having just done a post related to people with some association with Western University (the old UWO), I will mention Dr. Bailey again. He was on the faculty at UWO and was also an athlete and sometimes referred to as "Canada's Bannister", having run a mile in less than four minutes. 
  I have mentioned him before because of "The Grapefruit Effect" which he discovered. If you have to take some medicines you will likely have seen something about grapefruit on the labels since it can interfere with the way some drugs work. See my earlier post for details.
  Dr. Bailey is not mentioned in the article I will now call to your attention. It will be of interest to those of you who are on meds and like grapefruit since they may soon be altered in a way that will allow you to have grapefruit juice with your breakfast. See: "On Meds? You May Be Able to Eat Grapefruit Again Someday: Scientists have identified a gene that causes production of a substance in some citrus that interferes with many medications,” Veronique Greenwood,  New York Times,  Jan.10, 2025. 
"You may be among the millions of people who have seen a surprisingly specific warning like this on the labels of drugs you take:
Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medication.
  Such warnings are issued for dozens of substances, including docetaxel, a cancer drug; erythromycin, an antibiotic; and some statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to more than a third of American adults over 40."
  Dr. Bailey may be given credit in the article announcing this breakthrough, which is in the New Phytologist. The title is a bit too intimidating for me, so I didn't go looking: “A 2OGD Multi-gene Cluster Encompasses Functional and Tissue Specificity That Direct Furanocoumarin and Pyranocoumarin Biosyenthesis in Citrus."

More Western University Names

  Just over six years ago, Mulcahy's Miscellany provided a list of "Western University Names." The list was my concoction and it came with the suggestion that an official list of the names encountered on campus and its Internet version would be useful. As far as I can tell, that post has received a lot of 'hits', but who knows why, and I am not sure if any of those responsible for the 'hits' have anything to do with Western. The folks at Research Western celebrate the researchers with Heritage Plaques, but perhaps there are others worth considering for inclusion in what I dubbed the, "Western Biographical Register."
  I am visiting this subject again because I pay some attention to Western and notice names mentioned, but which are generally unknown to me and certainly not known to those in the transient student population. For example, there were recently some Duncanson and Clissold Lectures and I am familiar with The J.J. Talman Lecture Series. In such cases one supposes that the person named is either a sponsor or someone being honoured, but who knows?
  Admittedly such a list could be rather unwieldy and these days many are more concerned about removing names than honouring them. Perhaps it is a bad idea but, if not, see my original post and the long list in it and consider adding these. I will quickly provide some information related to these names, but a more enduring and official list should be considered.
  Here is a place to start for the Duncansons: Robert and Patricia Duncanson Lecture Series. With just a little searching, one learns that there is also a Duncanson Chair in Ethics and Techology. 
  For Clissold: “The Clissold Lecture commemorates the life and work of Edward Clissold (1833-1915), one of London's most important early editors and journalists. Edward retired as editor of the London (Ontario) Advertiser after 33 years on staff. A bequest in 1984 from the estate of Clissold's grandson Robert Blount and his wife, Rose, enabled the Graduate School of Journalism to found this annual lecture series to commemorate Clissold's legacy.”
  Although Ronald D. Schmeichel's name will, I am sure, be visible somewhere on or in the new building named after him, a biographical note could be useful and one could start with this article: "$10M Gift Gives Rise to the Ronald D. Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation," Debora Van Brenk, Western News, May 25, 2022.
  There is also a new, named atrium and it was this recent announcement that led me to consider this subject again. I will declare an interest here, since the next two names are attached to people I know. 
  The Dr. John F. Sangster Atrium honours Dr. Sangster for his "enduring impact on patients, students and family medicine." He was my physician for years and I agree with all the fine things said about him in the article below. As his patient I was surprised to see him one day in the D. B. Weldon Library(another name) where he was studying for another degree. (See: "Significant Gift Extends Dr. John Sangster's Legacy at Western," Keri Ferguson, Western News, Jan. 17, 2025. 
  "Moscovich" is an additional name to consider, for two reasons: it is the name behind the support for many endeavours that will be undertaken at the Don Wright Faculty of Music,(another name) and it also will be found on the recital hall. (See, "Transformational Gift Strikes a Chord for Western's Don Wright Faculty of Music: The Moscovich Fund For Innovation in Music Will Bring Top Artists to Western, Enriching the Student Experience," Cassie Dowse, Western News, Nov. 25, 2024.)
Jim and Barbara Moscovich are to be acknowledged for their generosity and about the latter I have only good things to say. For Jim, however, I only wish I could come up with a good, insulting cryptic remark in Latin to conclude this post. He would appreciate it. We tried to play squash and golf over many years, but were both better at issuing insults than hitting balls. 

Post Script:
  I dedicated a complete and long post to another person whose name is seen often around Western University, on scholarships and a space outside University College, for example. His name: WILLIAM BILL HODGINS. See this post for details: "The Humanities and Universities." 

Note: Mulcahy's Miscellany is my personal blog. Those at Western University are not responsible for this post, especially for any errors, nor are they likely even aware of MM. They are, however, welcome to borrow from any of my Western posts, of which there are now many. There is even one about the pawpaw trees on campus. 

AFAR

 Advanced Facility For Avian Research
   I have been a bit under the weather, but overhead the skies have been clear and the fall weather fine. That combination resulted in a loss in the  production of posts for MM, but I can’t say there has been an increase in the number of complaints from readers. The few who appear to stumble upon something in MM, do so whether I am writing or not and the royalties continue to roll into my offshore accounts.

 

  While high in the clear sky the birds have continued their migration south, there are some birds in London flying continuously, but going nowhere. Their wings are flapping at the Advanced Facility for Avian Research up at Western University. I told you about that place four years ago in “For The Birds” and the information there is still useful. 
    More is provided, and AFAR noticed, in a recent article in the New York Times. It is good that we can read some local news, even if it comes from afar. Online you will find it under, “What Flying in a Wind Tunnel Reveals About Birds,” on Oct 11. It appears in print in the NYT on Oct. 15, with the title, “Some Birds Migrate Thousands of Miles Every Autumn: How Exactly Do They To They Manage It? Scientists Built a Flight Chamber to Find Out.” Emily Anthes is the author. Here is a portion that provides some of the questions for which answers are sought by those up at Western. 

  "It is understandably difficult to monitor the internal workings of a wild bird while it is soaring thousands of feet in the air. So Dr. Guglielmo sends his avian test subjects on simulated journeys. At the Advanced Facility for Avian Research, he and his colleagues use a hypobaric wind tunnel, which functions, in essence, as a treadmill for airborne birds....

   Scientists can send air through the main test chamber at varying speeds, up to about 40 miles per hour. Not all birds take to the tunnel — “about half of them will be good fliers,” Dr. Guglielmo said — but those that do can flap their wings for hours at a time while remaining, conveniently, in one place.

Researchers can adjust not only the wind speed inside the tunnel but also the temperature, humidity and air pressure to simulate different flying conditions and altitudes. They can study the physics of flight, mapping how air flows around the bodies of different birds, or focus on avian physiology: How does a bird’s breathing change at higher altitudes? How does diet affect flight performance?"
For additional information see: AFAR. 

Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory
   The hypobaric wind tunnel at Western is not the only wind tunnel at Western. Back in the mid-1960s, UWO was "considered the birthplace of the modern practice of wind engineering."  For more details see this digital heritage plaque.      

Post Script
   It used to be the case that no one knew where the birds went when the weather turned cold. A clue was finally provided by a stork.
See: "The University of the Unusual (2) - The Mystery of Avian Migration."

Course Catalogues

   Early this morning I had the thought that comparing university course catalogues from various periods would be interesting. My assumption is that a syllabus from, say the "radical sixties" for courses offered from, for example, a Political Science Department, would be less radical and even less 'scientific', than one from this year. It remains unproven.

  I recalled that a few years ago a researcher from a major university in the U.S. showed up at the University of Western Ontario  and wished to be shown UWO catalogues from the 1920s. He was trying to find out if the Business School at Western was one of the first to introduce the "case method" into the classroom. Some were located in storage and I think some have even been digitized. My search now for some of them remains unfinished.
  Too much effort would be required and my assumption remains just a hunch. I wasn't easily able to find the ones on the campus close by and the search for others would be even more effortful. Plus, such searches can quickly go astray. Which is what happened, but what I did find may be of interest.

"BIRD" Courses
   Such courses are not ones the researchers associated with Western's Advanced Facility for Avian Research would be looking for (for more about AFAR see, "For The Birds".) "Bird" courses are easy ones and, like most things, they are easily found by searching (see below.) 
   The website from which the image above was taken is as sophisticated as the image is attractive and the caption says, "use this beautiful resource to help you find out more about fun courses at Western." Additional topics are offered, such as a "Guide to Navigating University," "Medical School Application Guide" and information about various STEM courses.
  The website is called "WebStraw",
"which is a a student run not-for-profit that tries to make learning in the post secondary environment the best it can be. We are an organization that has immense expertise in the field of learning strategies, module design and open-access educational advocacy, and we use these skills to create projects and products that greatly improve the educational environment in universities all over North America."  Some of those involved seem to be here in London, but there is also information about McMaster and Queen's. For more, see webstraw.ca. [see "Sources" below.]
  

Back to the "Birds"
   The Catalogue of "Bird" Courses at Western University" was done in 2021 and is found in the form of a 31 page pdf. Samples of some of the courses are provided above and they include more detail and and there are more of them. The purpose of the catalogue is: 
"to provide you with insight into courses that will enhance your academic experience at Western. These courses, commonly referred to as “Birds”, are highly recommended by other students because they are structured in a manner that guarantees your academic success. Furthermore, these courses are often taken as electives to help lighten your overall workload, as content is easily digestible and evaluations are straightforward. In simple terms, we define a “Bird” as the following: Bird: A course that, by design, enables students to succeed with content that is easy to grasp, requires minimal effort relative to other university courses, and has fair evaluations."
I will not provide the link to the pdf here, but it will be easy to find. 
   My purpose in this post is less clear, but it certainly is not to promote "bird" courses. Apart from the very interesting and professional "WebStraw" endeavour, I also find it interesting that there might not be much known about it at Western. A search of the Western website, the library one and the Western Gazette yielded nothing.

Sources: 
  The website for "WebStraw" was provided and is safe. I did not provide a link to the pdf. [ A reader let me know the link provided above does not work. That is correct and I am unable to provide a stable one. It can be found, however, by googling "Webstraw" which leads to https://webstraw.ca., a site under construction. Under "Western Resources" I was able to find the "Bird Course Catalogue." You should find it there, but if not, do the search. Also try: https://webstraw-bird-course-catalogue.super.site/ (this was found via: https://linktr.ee/WebStraw. "Webstraw" appears to be a website builder.] July 7, 2024.

   The etymology of "bird" in this context seems to have some Canadian roots - e.g. "A university or high school course regarded as requiring little work or intellectual ability. Perhaps with reference to the size of a bird’s brain, suggesting that students of such courses have limited academic ability (cf. bird-brained adj.).OED, 1975.
  A search for "bird courses" will find many, but is not recommended. For more about one of them see: "Site Tempts Birdbrains With Easy University Courses," Kamila Hinkson, Toronto Star, August 16, 2013.    

UWO SQUASH AND THE U.S. COLLEGIATE SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS

  This post is about the University of Western Ontario (now known as "Western University") and squash, the sport not the gourd. It is also a tribute to the coach of the squash teams at that University, Jack Fairs, who passed away in August, 2021. 

   Over the years, the men’s squash teams at UWO/Western were very good and still are. They have won every Ontario University Athletics Men’s Championship over the last forty years. In the recent one in February, they won again without dropping a match. They also play in the “Big Leagues” which is what this post is about. It is a rare thing for any Canadian university to compete against U.S. universities and to do so regularly and at the highest level. That Western has done so and won, is unique. Just how unique the accomplishment is, was noted in a Globe & Mail article back in 1994, where this is found (the source is provided at the end of this post):

“ IMAGINE the hoopla that would surround a Canadian university basketball team if it reached the Final Four of the NCAA championships. Or if a football team crushed all its Canadian opponents consistently for more than a decade and then headed south each year for a bowl game.
Preposterous?
   Perhaps, but the University of Western Ontario's men's squash team has been doing the equivalent of just that and more for the past 20 years. And doing it more quietly and with less recognition than you'd expect from such an accomplishment.”

U.S. Intercollegiate Squash

   The “Ivy League” universities are generally found high in the academic rankings, but typically do not do so well in the athletic ones. That is not the case with squash. Until around the turn of this century, when Trinity College began recruiting aggressively and globally, the Ivies dominated in the collegiate squash rankings. Over many years you will find variations of a statement indicating the supremacy of the Ivies in collegiate squash competitions. In an article in 2011 about the arrival of Trinity, Paul Wachter notes in, “Squashing the Ivies” that, “no school outside the Ivy League had won the Potter Cup, given to the men’s national champion in college squash, since the U.S. Naval Academy’s surprise victory in 1967.” Another Ivy (Penn) just won that national championship in 2024 and this statement was made: “For the first time in program history, the University of Pennsylvania are crowned National Champions (Potter Cup)! There have only been five Potter Cup champions in the CSA, Harvard University, Princeton University, Trinity College, United States Naval Academy and Yale University.”  A similar statement is found on the website of the College Squash Association and it is provided below. Apparently everyone agrees that prior to the arrival of Trinity, the Naval Academy was the only non-Ivy to win the collegiate national title in squash. I disagree. UWO won the title twice. 

Where’s Western/UWO?

  I recall reading the 2011 article by Wachter which appeared in the New York Times Magazine and remember thinking that an egregious error had been made. Two, in fact. Apart from the Naval Academy, the very non-Ivy league University of Western Ontario has won the U.S. national squash title twice - in 1977 and 1980. When I quickly went searching for proof I found that the author, Paul Wachter, likely supported his claim by using the CSA data, where, in fact, UWO is not listed among the national champions. I then went looking for a list which I remembered and which may have been provided by  the National Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association (NISRA) the precursor of the CSA and could not find it and have not found it on the Internet Archive or elsewhere. But, I did finally find UWO somewhere. UWO is listed under "Six-Man Trophy", under "Past Champions" on the website of the College Squash Association. 

   My memory is not good and I will declare an interest in that I knew Jack Fairs and sometimes sold squash rackets out of my office, to help him raise gas money to go play with the Ivies (and Trinity) in New England and elsewhere. I am not incorrect, however, in writing that UWO won two U.S. national titles in squash.

   At first I thought that UWO might have been erased because having another non-Ivy name spoiled the symmetry of the squash rankings. Plus, in a “national” championship, perhaps such an exclusion can be justified because the school is from another nation. Apparently, however, a new distinction developed based on the number of players on the team and one will find UWO listed twice as the winner of the “Six-Man Team Trophy” on the CSA website. I remain confused about the relationship between the size of the teams and the national title, but will provide the information you need to sort it all out. I don't think there were two national champions in 1977 or 1980, based on team size. UWO won the title in both years. 
   After typing all of that I realized that there is a simpler solution which explains why UWO does not appear as the national champion. According to the CSA, prior to 1989, the national champion was the team with the best record, not the winner of the National Team Championship. Simply put, UWO won the National Team Championships in 1977 and 1980, but the national champions were Princeton and Harvard, both of whom were beaten by UWO. 

Sources:

   You were likely not reassured by the last few sentences and are also confused. For those reasons I will follow the usual format of this blog and provide information from those less confused and more knowledgeable. I will begin with the College Squash Association description and their list and a simulated one provided by me, which I think is not totally inaccurate. I then offer original sources in support of the assertion that the University of Western Ontario won two US intercollegiate squash championships, in 1977 and 1980. Additional information about UWO squash and Coach Fairs follows.

                             Potter Cup (A Division/National Championship)

 "The top eight teams in the nation compete in the “A” division of the men’s National Team Championships for the national title and the Potter Cup. The Potter Cup is named for Art Potter, the United States Naval Academy’s longtime coach. Potter, who started coaching at Navy in 1950, coached the midshipmen to national team titles in 1957, 1959, and 1967. Until Trinity won its first title in 1998, Navy was the only non-Ivy League school to win a national nine-player team championship. Potter was inducted into the College Squash Hall of Fame in 1990.
   The records below list the national nine-player team champions. From 1942 to 1988, the title was based on dual-match records, with the team with the best record becoming the national champion. Since 1989, the title has been based on performance in the National Team Championships, with the team winning the “A” division becoming the national champion." [ the information above is from the CSA and a link provided. The table on the right below is my fabrication.]

      NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONS/POTTER CUP WINNERS (COACH): 1967-1997

College Squash Association (CSA) List              Revised List From a Canadian Perspective

1967: United States Naval Academy (Art Potter)  1967: United States Naval Academy (Art Potter)
1968: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby).            1968: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)
1969: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby).            1969: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)
1970: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)             1970: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)
1971: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby).            1971: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)
1972: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby).            1972: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)
1973: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby).            1973: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)
1974: Princeton University (Bill Summers).         1974: Princeton University (Bill Summers)
1975: Princeton University (David Benjamin).     1975: Princeton University (David Benjamin)
1976: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby).            1976: Harvard University (Jack Barnaby)
1977: Princeton University (David Benjamin).     1977: University of Western Ontario (J. Fairs)
1978: Princeton University (David Benjamin).     1978: Princeton University (David Benjamin)
1979: Princeton University (Norm Peck).             1979: Princeton University (Norm Peck)
1980: Harvard University (Dave Fish).                 1980: University of Western Ontario (J. Fairs)
1981: Princeton University (Norm Peck).             1981: Princeton University (Norm Peck)
1982: Princeton University (Bob Callahan).         1982: Princeton University (Bob Callahan)
1983: Harvard University (Dave Fish).                 1983: Harvard University (Dave Fish)
1984: Harvard University (Dave Fish).                 1984: Harvard University (Dave Fish)
1985: Harvard University (Dave Fish).                 1985: Harvard University (Dave Fish)
1986: Harvard University (Dave Fish).                 1986: Harvard University (Dave Fish)
1987: Harvard University (Dave Fish).                 1987: Harvard University (Dave Fish)
1988: Harvard University (Dave Fish).                 1988: Harvard University (Dave Fish)
1989: Yale University (David Talbott).                 1989: Yale University (David Talbott)
1990: Yale University (David Talbott).                 1990: Yale University (David Talbott)  
1991: Harvard University (Steve Piltch).              1991: Harvard University (Steve Piltch) 
1992: Harvard University (Steve Piltch).              1992: Harvard University (Steve Piltch)
1993: Princeton University (Bob Callahan).         1993: Princeton University (Bob Callahan)
1994: Harvard University (Bill Doyle).                1994: Harvard University (Bill Doyle)  
1995: Harvard University (Bill Doyle).                1995: Harvard University (Bill Doyle)
1996: Harvard University (Bill Doyle).                1996: Harvard University (Bill Doyle)
1997: Harvard University (Bill Doyle).                1997: Harvard University (Bill Doyle

                                        1977

1977 - UWO Wins U.S. Intercollegiate Squash Championship

"Squash Team Captures U.S. College Title"

   A screen shot of the article in Western News about UWO's capture of the U.S. Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Championship in 1977 is provided below. Western News has been digitized and the article can be read by clicking on this link: Western News, March 10, 1977, p.2.

"U.S. Collegiate Squash Champs!"

   That is the headline in The Gazette on March 11,1977 (p.16.) A screen shot of the issue is provided below. Unfortunately, The Gazette has not been digitized. The poor picture is from my printed copy of The Gazette. 

    The article is a long one with considerable detail about all of the matches. I will provide here the first three paragraphs and the concluding two:

   "The United States Naval Academy located in historic Annapolis, Maryland was the site of the 1976-77 United States Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Championship. 

   It was the twenty-eighth holding of this peerless display of intercollegiate squash, with the quality of play consistent with the team rosters, which was headed by top United States ranked, Princeton, perennially tough Harvard, powerful University of Pennsylvania, Pacific Coach [sic] champion University of California (Berkley) [sic] and the No. 1 Canadian team -- the University of Western Ontario Mustangs.

   The Intercollegiate team tournament format can be confusing. Essentially there are "A", "B", and "C" classifications, producing, of course, six finalists. Each team is permitted two entries in each of the classifications and scores a point for each victory attained by one of its team members. In addition, all first round losers play in a consolation tournament with each match worth a half-point to victory. The institution winning the most points is declared the Tournament Team Champion and receives the Potter Trophy.

   When the dust was settled, Western was in first place with 25 points. Princeton second with 22, Penn third with 20 and Harvard fourth with 18 1/2. It was the first time that a Canadian university won the Potter Trophy since the 1950 inception of the event....

   [ the conclusion]

   When the hostilities subsided on Sunday, Western had 25 points and the National Intercollegiate Squash Championship. Coach Fairs described the victory as "a total team effort. No one can be singled out for special distinction -- to win everyone had to turn in a creditable performance. It is a victory that all of us will savour forever."

   Although highly regarded, Western was only generally regarded as an outsider to win behind Princeton, Penn and Harvard." (The Gazette, March 11, 1977, p.16.)

"Western Ontario Wins Squash Title" 

  (Special to The Washington Post)

   ANNAPOLIS, March 6 - "Western Ontario University of London, Ontario, won the team championship today at the National Intercollegiate Squash Racquets tournament at the U.S. Naval Academy. Mike DeSaulnier [sic] of Harvard won the individual title, defeating defending champion Phil Mohtadi of Western Ontario, 3-0." (The Washington Post, March 7, 1977.)

   Desaulniers, from Montreal, was an exceptional player. As the article above indicates, however, Mohtadi was the top player in the U.S. in 1976. Here is a portion of an article about Mohtadi's win. UWO finished in third place in 1976.

 "Western Player Wins U.S. College Crown," 

"Phil Mohtadi, 19-year-old University of Western Ontario freshman, won his first U.S. intercollegiate squash-racquets singles title at the Williams College courts yesterday.

  Seeded second, Mohtadi defeated third-ranked Tom Page, a 19-year-old Princeton University freshman from Philadelphia, 15-8, 15-6, 15-8....

   The six-member-team title went to Princeton with 29 points followed by Penn, 27 and Western 25." (The Globe and Mail, March 9, 1976, p. 34.

                                         1980

1980 - UWO Wins U.S. Intercollegiate Squash Championship

“Western Ontario Wins Six-Man Team Title"

Squash News, April, 1980, p.18. The entire article is reproduced below.

     Western Ontario's coach Jack Fairs carried the six-man team trophy for the Intercollegiate Squash Championship north of the border. They ended the host Penn team 30-28. The favored teams, Princeton and Harvard, finished third and fourth with 24 and 22 points respectively. Yale and Navy tied for fifth with 18 ½ points.

Western Ontario also won in 1977. Other than that, the trophy which was started in 1956, has been kept between Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Penn and Williams.

Team totals are compiled by scoring one point for each entrant, one point for each match won, and half a point for each consolation win. If a player draws a bye and wins the next match he gains two points. If he draws a bye and then loses, he gets no points. 

Western Ontario’s strength was that all the entrants reached at least the quarterfinals. Number one, John Lennard, lost in the quarterfinals to Jim Huebner; 

Number two Gajenera Singh, lost in the quarterfinals to Michael Desaulniers; number three, Murray Shaw, won the B tournament; number four, Fred Reid, lost in the B semifinal; number five Dennis Hisey and number six David Cox, both reached the C semifinal.

The runner-up Penn team had number five, Pat Murray, and number six, Eben Hardie, both in the C final, as well as number one, Ned Edwards in the A final.

A record 32 teams participated, which attests to the growth of squash in colleges.

     The intercollegiate association in their annual meeting exclusively endorsed Manta racquets and Manta in return is funding an effort by the intercollegiate association to promote squash in colleges which do not have a team.

Six-Man Team Totals

1. Western Ontario        30
2. Penn                          28
3. Princeton                   24
4. Harvard                      22
5. Yale                           18 1/2
     Navy
7. Stony Brook               17 1/2
8. Washington                16
9. Trinity                         15 1/2
10. Tufts                         15
       California
       Army
13. Dartmouth                13 1/2
14. Williams                    13
15. Fordham                   12 1/2
16 Columbia                    11
17. Franklin & Marshall.  11
18. Wesleyan                  10 1/2
19. Amherst                     10 1/2
20. Toronto                       9 1/2
21. M.I.T.                          9
22. Bowdoin                     8 1/2
      Vassar
       Lehigh
25. Rochester                   8
26. Cornell                        7 1/2
27. Hobart                         7
28. Colgate                       6
      Stevens
30. George Washington.   3
31. Stanford                       2 1/2
32. Michigan                      1 1/2

   The caption of the poor photograph above reads: " The Victorious Six Man Team from the University of Western Ontario: #6 Dave Cox, #5 Dennis Hisey, #4 Fred Reid, #3 Murray Shawl, #2 Gajenera Singh, #1 John Lennard" (left to right.)
   The same issue of Squash News contains, on the cover page, a picture of John Lennard, the winner of the "Skillman Sportsmanship Trophy," Coach Fairs of the winning team and Murray Shaw, the B winner. The title of the article: "Desaulniers Defeats Edward To Take Intercollegiate Crown," (Vol.3, No.1, April, 1980.)

   "Western Squash Team Wins U.S. Crown"

   As you will see from the picture below, that is the title of an article found in The Gazette on March 11,1980. The piece, a long and thorough one, is unsigned. The first two paragraphs and the last one are provided below.

PHILADELPHIA -- A battalion of 185 aspirants from 32 North American universities hustled into Philadelphia, The City of Brotherly Love, to do battle for the six-man team championship of the United States and for the coveted Commander E.M. Potter Trophy that is awarded to the winner of the prestigious event. Playing their best squash of the year the underdog Western Mustangs stunned the packed galleries that thronged the expansive Ringe Squash Complex at the University of Pennsylvania by wrestling from the squash powers of Princeton, Harvard, and Yale, the most aspired-after title in the intercollegiate squash competition. Western's win kept their unbeaten 1979-80 tournament record intact having previously won the Ontario Open Team Championship, the Ontario Open Singles, the OUAA Championship and the Canadian Open Singles. 
   The record of the Mustangs in the U.S. Intercollegiates is an enviable one. In addition to this year's title victory, the Mustangs were second in 1976, champions in 1977 and third in 1978 and 1979. The 1980 Mustang Championship Team was comprised of John Lennard, Gajendra Singh, Murray Shaw, Fred Reid, Dennis Hisey and Dave Cox....

   In an interview with The Gazette, Coach Fairs saw the victory this way: The win was one of the most gratifying of my coaching career. It was an uphill struggle all the way. Our personnel entered the tournament with a high resoluteness which resulted in a very energetic brand of attacking play. This helped to lower the stress that is so prominent in such a national championship. Particularly high demands were made on the two freshman members of the team, Fred Reid and Murray Shaw -- and they more than rose to the occasion. In addition, it was particularly rewarding that John Lennard was the first recipient of the John Skillman Sportsmanship Award. The victory is a major landmark in Western squash history. Traditions live on. The outstanding victory will undoubtedly influence the further course of Western squash in a positive way. 

Post Script:

  Unfortunately things did not develop in a positive way. The squash team did not have courts on campus on which to play and the financial support was limited. In 2002, this letter is found in the London Free Press, June 1, 2002.

“Squash at Western Deserves Better Fate.”

   "In reading the stories on Western’s restructuring of its men’s

And women’s athletic teams, I was shocked to see one item.

  Men’s squash –Category 3, (self-funded, limited services.)

  Category 3 – not even second-class citizens!

   Certainly coach Jack Fairs and the young men who have represented

Western so well, both in Canada and the U.S., deserve a much

better fate. A look at the records would explain why.

   Of the last 32 OUA squash championships, the Mustangs have won

28 of them, including the last 19 in a row.

   The Mustangs have twice won the U.S. intercollegiate squash

championships (1977,1980).

   Two of the Mustangs, Phil Mohtadi in 1976 and Scott Dulmage in 1989, 

were crowned singles champion at the U.S. intercollegiate championships.

   A four-time All-American, Mohtadi was inducted into the U.S. intercollegiate

squash hall of fame in 1999.

   Retired from Western’s faculty of kinesiology in 1989, Fairs has continued as 

the Mustang’s highly successful squash coach. It’s an impressive record, one 

that will be difficult to match and one that should not be ignored." 

Bob Gage  London

(Bob "Scoop" Gage was a London journalist who died in 2009. For a profile, see this Western essay.)

  Even with limited resources, the team plays on and after winning the OUA championship, travelled to the U.S. one in Philadelphia last week. The current coach, Chris Hanebury, was named OUA "Coach of the Year." Congratulations to the coach and the team. 

The 1994 Globe and Mail article is this one: “Western Thrives Without Fanfare: SQUASH DYNASTY / One Canadian University Consistently Succeeds Against the Best U.S. Schools,” Mark Kearney, The Globe and Mail, Dec. 29, 1994, P.C7

Jack Fairs - much has been written about him.

For obituaries see: "Remembering Beloved Coach Jack Fairs," Western Communications, August 20, 2021 and "John Fairs", London Free Press, Sept. 4, 2021.  

"In Memoriam - Jack Fairs," Squash Canada, Sept. 1, 2021.
In it you will find links to the Canadian Squash Hall of Fame and the Ontario Squash Hall of Fame and a few others.

"Legendary Coach Jack Fairs Passes Away at 98," College Squash Association, Aug. 31, 2021.

Bowl Games Primer

   This is another rainy day effort created for those who want an excuse to not go Christmas shopping and who are not interested in watching all of those football games on TV, many of which are played in bowls. Here is a convenient list of them, only in that I have alphabetized it. It may be useful if you want to pretend to know something about what others are watching. It is not so useful if you do want to watch them since (spoiler alert) some of them have already been played. 

   Fifty are listed below, forty-four in the 'major' category and six lesser ones. There are many more. You can easily find information about them, but here are a few remarks for the perplexed. The first two numbered ones are a gas company and an investment firm from Daphne, Alabama. Food is often related and you will notice first the Avocados and then find that you can have Cheez-It with citrus or Chick-Fil-A with peaches, and also enjoy Potatoes and Mayo. Pop-Tarts, perhaps for dessert. The Wasabi one, however, is not about eating. Arranging the bowl names alphabetically leads one to recognize that two have military connections - Lockheed followed by the Military one, which encourages bowling. The Isleta one probably promotes gambling since it is the name of a New Mexico resort and casino.  Since we are nearing year's end, it is useful that two of the bowls are sponsored by companies that will help you with your taxes. Two of the bowls are "Famous." Glancing back up the list I noticed Bad Boy Mowers which allows one to "mow with an attitude." I will put some "local" information at the end, but will note here that London recently lost its "Bad Boy" store, but got its first Chick-Fil-A.

68 VENTURES BOWL 

76 BIRMINGHAM BOWL

ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL

​​AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL  

AVOCADOS FROM MEXICO CURE BOWL

BAD BOY MOWERS PINSTRIPE BOWL 

BARSTOOL SPORTS ARIZONA BOWL 

CAMELLIA BOWL

CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL 

CHEEZ-IT CITRUS BOWL     

CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BY AT&T

CRICKET CELEBRATION BOWL

DIRECTV HOLIDAY BOWL 

DUKE'S MAYO BOWL

EAST-WEST SHRINE BOWL

EASYPOST HAWAI'I BOWL

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL

FAMOUS TOASTERY BOWL

GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL CLASSIC  

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL  ISLETA NEW MEXICO BOWL

LOCKHEED MARTIN ARMED FORCES BOWL MILITARY BOWL PRESENTED BY GOBOWLING.COM MYRTLE BEACH BOWL POP-TARTS BOWL QUICK LANE BOWL RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL RELIAQUEST BOWL ROOFCLAIM.COM BOCA RATON BOWL ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY PRUDENTIAL R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL SCOOTER'S COFFEE FRISCO BOWL SERVPRO FIRST RESPONDER BOWL SRS DISTRIBUTION LAS VEGAS BOWL STARCO BRANDS LA BOWL HOSTED BY GRONK TAXACT TEXAS BOWL

TAXSLAYER GATOR BOWL TONY THE TIGER SUN BOWL TRANSPERFECT MUSIC CITY BOWL UNION HOME MORTGAGE GASPARILLA BOWL VALERO ALAMO BOWL VRBO FIESTA BOW WASABI FENWAY BOWL

OTHER BOWLS

BAHAMAS BOWL

BIRMINGHAM BOWL

THE COUSINS SUBS LAKEFRONT BOWL

FLORIDA BEACH BOWL

HAWAII BOWL

TEXAS BOWL

Canadian Content:

Football is not so popular up here. Western University is a large one with a football stadium that would be considered small by many Texas football high school coaches. Still it is usually less than half full. Or, perhaps half empty.

Simon Fraser University out on the West Coast used to play some football down south in NCAA Division II, but last year it dropped its football program and plays not at all.

Source: The graph is from: "A Perfect Day For Football," Miles Bolton, The Gazette, Sept. 11, 2023.