Western Changes

  As 1000 posts are approached, you may have noticed that many of them mention UWO/Western University and various people who passed through the campus. There is even a post about the pawpaw trees there. That is because, I studied and worked at Western, have a fondness for the place and still live in London.
  What has been written in MM about Western (and everything else) may not have been written well, or well-thought-out, but the words are usually followed by references and sources. That means that if you are confused by a post I have written, the supporting material may be clearer and lead you to information more readily trusted. Most of my stories about Western are backed up by citations that can be checked. Which leads me back to a post I did in August about the loss of libraries on campus.
   In "The Losing of Libraries", I mentioned that there was no longer a Brescia Library. A few years ago, I noted that there was no longer a Brescia University College - "Bad News From Brescia." Before Brescia was shut down, the Brescia Library had been re-named, "The Beryl Ivey Library." All of this is covered in those posts and in the most recent one in August, I indicated that "The Beryl Ivey Library" was now "The Beryl Ivey Pavilion."
  To keep you up-to-date, I will present a source which indicates that the "Pavilion" has been re-purposed. It comes from the Western Gazette, which like the Western News, probably does not get read as much by the locals as it did when it used to be found, in paper, in locations close to campus. Here is a bit from the article, rather than my rendering of it:
  "WesternIC Takes Over Former Brescia Library Space," Cecilia Vong, Western Gazette, Oct. 22, 2026.
   "The space previously occupied by the Beryl Ivey Library has reopened and now serves as the new home for WesternIC.
   The Beryl Ivey Library closed in May 2024, but the space reopened in May 2025 to become home to Western International College, according to Susan Lewis, vice-provost of academic programs.
   In a statement to the Gazette, Western University said “the space has been reconfigured to include classroom space and administrative offices.”
   Located on the former Brescia University College campus, WesternIC, a 10-year partnership between Western and Navitas — a privately-owned education company — opened in September 2026 with the aim of attracting more international students to Western.
   Lewis said the building has been transformed with “academic and student-focused facilities.” The building now contains six renovated classrooms outfitted with new technology, a student advising space, a drop-in space for instructors and administrative offices for college staff, she added.
   “The former Beryl Ivey Library has been transformed into an even more beautiful space; bright, open concept. It’s really the hub for the college."
   Western said that with the library space reopened, Western students are welcome to access common spaces from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m."

   Those of you not at all interested in the loss of libraries, may be interested to learn about the "IC", which is the abbreviation used in the article to refer to the new "Western International College." 

Sources:
  The major one is provided in the article. In addition to the pieces I have written about the campus libraries, see this book for more details: The Libraries at Western, 1970 to 1987 by Margaret A. Banks.
  New names come to the campus and one sees a number of older ones attached to buildings and rooms and even chairs and lectures. Back in 2018, I tried to come up with a glossary for some of them: "Western University Names." In 2025, I compiled some more: "More Western University Names." 
   I noticed recently, the "Chin-Hardie Chair" and two new "Verspeeten Chairs" and that the bookstore is now the "Dellelce Family Bookstore". The stories behind these names are interesting and worth knowing and I suggested a registry would be useful.
  Now, at least, you know there is a Western International University and that there once was a Brescia College.
The Bonus:
  Many of the Western posts are not about boring libraries. Here is one about seduction, the subliminal kind and the UWO prof who was paid to leave campus:
"Subliminal Seduction."
Caveat lector:
Mulcahy's Miscellany is my personal blog. Those at Western University are not responsible for these posts, especially for any errors, nor are they likely even aware of MM.