THE CORD
THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926
VOLUME 56 ISSUE 15 DECEMBER 2, 2015
Paper Kites gets intimate at Starlight page 10
“It leads to better work, it leads to better understanding different perspectives ...” Diversity at Laurier analyzed page 8
ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR
SEX
“Whereas, our society is very sexual, but women aren’t supposed to be. [Women] are very sexualized, but not supposed to be sexual. That translates into female masturbation.”
Male masturbation seems to be a common practice. But why is female masturbation still commonly misrepresented?
Lazaridis donates to hospital page 5
Arts & Life, page 9
ACADEMICS
Behaviour in question for TAs TA training, professionalism in the spotlight after inappropriate altercation KAITLYN SEVERIN CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
Everyday, hundreds of students at Wilfrid Laurier University communicate with their teaching assistants before, during and after classes. Teaching assistants, also known as TAs, are trained to have a professional relationship with their students, whether the TA considers themselves to be an undergraduate or graduate student. Unfortunately, Andrew Harris, a fourth-year biology student, received an inappropriate response from his TA when Harris asked for their office location. “I emailed him back asking for clarification on what office, specifi-
“Through email you should remain professional, especially if you’re representing a certain position.”
-Andrew Harris, fourth-year biology student
cally where it is and he emailed me back saying, ‘Really? Lol you’re in 4th year. It’s on the third floor. Look for signs,’” Harris explained. “Through email you should remain professional, especially if you’re representing a certain posi-
tion.” Tristan Long, associate professor and a graduate coordinator for the department of biology, said all Laurier TAs receive training through the Graduate Student Association, as well as through different depart-
ments. “TAs are students, just like undergraduate students. They’re governed by Laurier’s policies on student governance and student conduct, and we strive our best to make sure in our training sessions that they know that professionalism is key,” said Long. According to Long, the university’s procedure seems to work between students and TA’s. “Obviously this is a case which seems to fly in the face of that.” In an email with Jane Rutherford, undergraduate academic advisor in the department of biology, Rutherford said biology TAs are graduate students and are subject to all
Campus, page 4
“When selfies are posted on social media, they are presented as a desire for affirmation rather than an expression of pride. The stigma of selfies page 12
A losing end to 2015 page 15
2 •
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
VOCAL CORD
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
“Excessive smiling.” –Victoria Fellner, thirdyear communications
JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
On Monday night, The Paper Kites took the stage at the Starlight Social Club, serenading fans with songs off their latest album and some old favourites.
“The shrugging emoji.” –Heather Jack, fourthyear business
“Pure smite.” –Chris Gonsalves, second-year history
“A photographer.” –Nathan Figueiredo, first-year business
“Sleep deprived university student.” –Adrian De Meo, thirdyear communications Compiled by Maddy Cutts Photos by Jessica Dik NEXT ISSUE: DECEMBER 9, 2015
CORD STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shelby Blackley sblackley@thecord.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lena Yang lyang@thecord.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Joshua Awolade jawolade@thecord.ca MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR Mynt Marsellus mmarsellus@thecord.ca
Bag O’ Crime Location: 232 King St. N. Reported: Tuesday, November 24, 2015 @ 2:16 a.m. SCS issued a Provincial Offence Notice to a non-student found urinating on the exterior of 232 King St. N. (houses the offices of SCS). Location: 50 University Place Reported: Tuesday, November 24, 2015 @ 4:15 a.m SCS investigated a report of two males entering an unlocked apartment at 50 University Place residence. Both suspects fled upon being confronted by a resident of the apartment. The identity of the suspects is under investigation. Location: 50 University Place Reported: Tuesday, November 24, 2015 @ 11:22 p.m. SCS attended to the student residence for a complaint of an altercation that took place between a group of female students and a group of male non-students. There were very minor injuries and the complainants did not wish to pursue any police involvement in this incident. SCS is attempting to identify the males involved to issue them with a Trespass Notice. Location: Fred Nichols Campus Centre Reported: Wednesday, November 25, 2015 @ 2:27 a.m. SCS investigated a reported assault that had occurred during an event at the Turret Night Club. The reported altercation involved a female Laurier student and a female UW student. The physical altercation was deemed consensual and there were no reported/observed injuries. There was insufficient evidence to pursue charges and statements were conflicting.
CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR Kaitlyn Severin kseverin@thecord.ca
GRAPHICS EDITOR Vacant
LOCAL NEWS EDITOR Erika Ymana eymana@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Andreas Patsiaouros apatsiaouros@thecord. ca
FEATURES EDITOR Bethany Bowles bbowles@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Will Huang whuang@thecord.ca
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Zach Guitor zguitor@thecord.ca
VIDEO EDITOR Brian Phillips bphillips@thecord.ca
OPINION EDITOR Mitchell Consky mconsky@thecord.ca
LEAD REPORTER Maddy Cutts mcutts@thecord.ca
SPORTS EDITOR Drew Yates dyates@thecord.ca
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Jessica Dik jdik@thecord.ca
Location: Turret Nightclub Reported: Wednesday, November 25, 2015 @ 1:43 a.m. SCS responded to and investigated a physical altercation between two non-Laurier students at the Turret. The altercation was deemed consensual and both parties were removed from the premises. Location: Library Reported: Thursday, November 26, 2015 @ 1:55 p.m. SCS responded to the Library after receiving complaints of a nonLaurier affiliated male soliciting money from students. The suspect was removed from the property and trespassed. Location: Alumni Hall Reported: Thursday, November 26, 2015 @ 8:36 a.m. SCS received a report from a Laurier staff member regarding a suspected fraudulent transaction made through a Laurier donations website. Between November 24 and 25, the website received 4733 donations of $1.26. The website was shut down and information relating to the transactions has been forwarded to WRPS for investigation. Location: Fred Nichols Campus Centre Reported: Thursday, November 26, 2015 @ 4:25 p.m. SCS investigated a report of a male observed walking through the FNCC with a large amount of blood coming from his face. A premise check was conducted and the subject could not be located by the attending officers. WRPS were notified and provided a description of the male.
SENIOR COPY EDITOR Caitlyn Sageman csageman@thecord.ca SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Kira Gelbard kgelbard@thecord.ca
CONTRIBUTORS Kamil Ahmed Manjot Bhullar Paige Bush Mira Busscher Ryan Culley Killian Cuppage Amy Esplen Nicole Gatchene Bailey Gembom Serena Gill Fani Hsieh Safina Husein Faraz Iftekharuddin
Daniel Johnson Brigitte Kloss Heather McLeod Don Morgenson Christian Paron Josh Peters Aliaa Sidawi Christina Somos Fatima Soomro Caroline Spicer Jessi Wood
EDITOR’S CHOICE: Behaviour in question for TAs by Kaitlyn Severin
EDITOR’S CHOICE ONLINE: The new OUA point structure a positive turn for women’s hockey by Drew Yates
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Care Schummer at care.schummer@wlusp.com or 519-884-0710 ext. 3560.
Locations: 50 University Place & Frank C. Peters Building Reported: Friday, November 27, 2015 @ 10:38 a.m. WRPS and SCS officers attended to the student residence and arrested an 18-year old male Laurier student on one count of break and enter, two counts of attempted break and enter and one count of possession of stolen property under $5000. This was in relation to a joint WRPS/SCS investigation into recent break ins at the student residence (University place). WRPS and SCS officers attended to the academic building and arrested an 18-year old male Laurier student on two counts of break and enter with intent to commit an indictable offence, one count of break and enter and one count of possession of stolen property under $5000. This was in relation to a joint WRPS/SCS investigation into recent break ins at the student residence (University Place). Location: 345 King St. N. Reported: Saturday, November-28, 2015 @ 12:36 a.m. SCS officers attended to the student residence in response to a complaint of property damage on the first floor of the building. They discovered that a portion of the dropped ceiling had been pulled down making the area unsafe. CCTV cameras were reviewed and a male suspect was captured on video causing the damage. He was identified as a Laurier student and will be dealt with by Residence Life for his actions and restitution. Location: Student Services Building Reported: Saturday, November 28, 2015 @ 2:19 p.m. SCS received a complaint from Food Services in the dining hall COLOPHON The Cord is the official student newspaper of the Wilfrid Laurier University community. Started in 1926 as the College Cord, The Cord is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors. Opinions expressed within The Cord are those of the author and do not necessarily refl ect those of the editorial board, The Cord, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Inc. All content appearing in The Cord bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent. The Cord is created using Macintosh computers running OS X 10.10 using Adobe Creative Cloud. Canon cameras are used for principal photography. The Cord has been a proud member of the Ontario Press Council since 2006. Any unsatisfied complaints can be sent to the council at info@ ontpress.com. The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 6,000 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000. Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada. The Cord has been a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP) since 2004.
that a male student had tried to use someone else’s OneCard to make a food purchase. The OneCard holder was contacted and confirmed that he had permission to use her card. It was explained to both parties that this violates their policy and also constitutes a fraud. Both parties were cautioned for the violation. No charges were proceeded with. Location: Quad Reported: Sunday, November 29, 2015 @ 2:18 a.m. A 20-year old male student was issued a Provincial Notice by a SCS officer pursuant to Waterloo’s Nuisance By-law for the offence of ‘Bodily Emission in a Public Place’. He had been spotted by the officer urinating into a recycle bin at the rear of the Veritas Café. He was issued a copy of the PON and sent on his way. Location: Off Campus Reported: Sunday, November 29, 2015 @ 8:09 p.m. SCS received several calls from concerned students regarding laser beams being pointed at them on Spruce St. from an unknown location just south of Columbia St. Calls of concern were re-directed to WRPS due to an off campus location. Location: Fred Nichols Campus Centre Reported: Sunday, November 29, 2015 @ 8:48 p.m. SCS officers attended Wilf’s Pub in response to a complaint from a staff member regarding a male student patron who had no means to pay for a beverage he had ordered. The outstanding bill was eventually paid. The matter will be dealt with by the Student Conduct Administrator. The male was subsequently barred from both Wilf’s Pub and the Turret Night Club.
PREAMBLE The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy. The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff. The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate. The Cord has an obligation to foster
freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body. The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper.
Quote of the week: “It’s fine if people get offended, they get a snow globe next week.” - Local News Editor Erika Ymana about
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
Campus
• 3 CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN kseverin@thecord.ca
RESOURCES
PAIGE BUSH/PHOTOGRAPHER
Wilfrid Laurier’s on-campus resources, such as the Student Wellness Centre and Peer Connect, are committed to helping students with issues of stress and depression during the exam period.
A campus guide to de-stressing Peer Connect and Student Wellness Centre see high demand of students during exam periods NICOLE GATCHENE STAFF WRITER
Exams are looming at Wilfrid Laurier University, but on-campus services, such as the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union’s Peer Connect service and the Wellness Centre, are ready to help students cope with stress. Peer Connect runs stress-relieving activities such as game nights and has an anonymous phone service to provide students with information and support. The Student Wellness Centre offers counselling to students both physically and mentally through walk-ins or appointments. The Wellness Centre is also committed to teaching students stress
management techniques during exam and midterm periods. As a result of exam and midterm periods at Laurier, both organizations see more students using their services from late October and into December, in addition to attending classes. “We’re always busy, but we do see an increase for walk-in crisis and students who walk in that are just completely distressed [and] unsure what to do,” said Tracey Watson, a counsellor at the Student Wellness Centre. A way to cope with stress is realizing you’re not alone. “Being around other people, I think that makes a big difference … and realizing that yes, you may be stressed but everyone is stressed and
everyone is there to support each other,” said Amanda Widdified, Peer Connect coordinator. While the services provided are ongoing, accommodations are being made to students during the busy time. The Students’ Union has a leave of absence program available for their volunteers who may need a few weeks off to focus on their studies. “Something that we say is you’re a student-volunteer, not a volunteerstudent … you’re here for school, that’s your first and foremost priority and [volunteering] is something to enhance that,” said Kaipa Bharucha, vice-president of programming and services at the Students’ Union. To meet the increased need for services at the Wellness Centre,
if there is a late cancellation or someone does not show up for their appointment within 15 minutes, the time is usually given to a walk-in, as vacancies are uncommon. “We try to see every student that comes through the door … Just trying to be as flexible as possible,” said Watson. Attending fun activities is another way for students to de-stress. “[Peer Connect’s] ongoing thing is getting people okay to talk to each other, we continue to promote that, we want people to build a connection with each other and through our game nights let’s say, it’s an easy resource for them to come to even if they just want to study at the space,” said Widdifield. On December 2 and 3, Peer Con-
nect and Healthy Lifestyles will be hosting “De-stress Your Life” in the Concourse where there will be minigames for students to play. According to Widdifield, the goal of “De-stress Your Life” is to “to take stress away even if it’s just for a small period of time because it makes a huge difference in the long run.” While the students running these activities are busy as well, Bharucha said the programs and services offered by the Students’ Union will continue. “We try to accommodate [stressed student-volunteers] as much as possible, I know with scheduling and shifting hours we just make sure that we have as many volunteers as we can that are able and available to do [programming].”
PROTOCOL
Sexual assault policy under review KAITLYN SEVERIN CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
FANI HSIEH/GRAPHIC ARTIST
A new policy that focusing on supporting victims of sexual harassment was taken off the agenda at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Board of Governors meeting on November 26. The policy was created by Advocates for a Student Culture of Consent along with other university committees. It will need to be reviewed to ensure it will meet the requirements of Bill 132, otherwise known as the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act. It is also known as the “act to amend various statutes with respect to sexual violence, sexual harassment, domestic violence and related matters.” “The policy and protocol working group, in which I’m the chair of … we’ve decided to review and amend our draft policy before bringing it to the board to ensure it meets all the newly proposed legislative requirements,” said Adam Lawrence, Brantford’s dean of students. The policy is described as a “survivor-led document” and was inspired by the Ontario government’s document, “Developing a Response to Sexual Violence: A Resource
Guide for Ontario’s Colleges and Universities.” “It’ll have a lot of corresponding protocols and procedures and that kind of thing that’ll let survivors pick how they go about moving forward with things and their experiences,” said Taylor Berzins, member of ASCC. Bill 132 will require educational institutions to develop sexual violence policies and will be created through consultations with students. Universities will also be required to report information, such as the number of reported incidents of sexual violence, to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The policy originally started as a class project. According to Berzins, the group researched a number of Ontario universities to discover of all the 20 institutions, none in the province defined key words such as rape and consent in their policies. “We kind of realized that something needed to give and something needed to change so we decided to really push for that and I definitely think it’s something Laurier needs,” Berzins explained. According to Lawrence, a number of staff, students and faculty as well as Laurier’s audit and compliance
committee, were involved in the development of the policy on gendered and sexual violence prevention and response. Lawrence confirmed their policy and protocol group will meet on December 11 to work on the protocols of the policy, as well as provide feedback to Bill 132. “We do hope that some other institutions are providing the same level of feedback so that changes can be made and that we can move forward with this bill,” Lawrence said. Two sections of the policy — the commitment to survivors and the idea of promoting a culture of consent — are believed to be the most powerful aspects. “I think there’s been lots of education on campus whether that be to the Students’ Union or the Diversity and Equity office or [Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group] … it promotes that same type of culture and I think this policy really reflects the culture of the Laurier community,” said Lawrence. “We want what is best for the Laurier community and we are determined to make sure our policy demonstrates that,” said Berzins. *Disclaimer: Taylor Berzins is the Brantford Manager of Operations for WLU Student Publications
4 • CAMPUS NEWS
LAURIER IN BRIEF Laurier students win IKEA award Second-year students at Wilfrid Laurier University have won the IKEA Sustainability Challenge, which was held at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics. The team, made up of Olga Dementev, Olivia Gernon, Arthur Kanishov, Krystof Ponce and Jordan Richman, recycled old IKEA furniture using a 3D printer with the hopes their idea would address the issue of furniture waste. The team will have the opportunity to work with IKEA and discuss their idea with senior executives.
University offers new psychology certificate program Laurier’s new Centre for Public Safety and Well-Being is accepting applications for its certificate program, Positive Psychology. The program will give students the chance to learn about positive psychology and how their principles are used to manage emotions as well as promote well-being and life satisfaction. The program also provides students with the skills to reduce the impact of associated workplace stress in both their personal and professional lives. The is believed to be a good fit for those in education, healthcare and social service sectors.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015 FROM COVER
Monitoring Laurier’s TAs After an unprofessional email was sent from a TA, the university is committed to making sure TAs know how to act appropriately with students –cover expectations covered in their orientation training for new graduate students. “Grad students who started their programs in 2015 were required to attend the graduate students orientation (Sept. 8 to 11) sessions, which are designed to help new grad student develop the skills they need to develop to be effective teaching assistants,” Rutherford said in an email. Rutherford explained how in a large enrolment course with a number of lab sections, the lab coordinator is responsible for monitoring the work of the TAs. The lab coordinator will also run bi-weekly or weekly training sessions. In smaller classes, the instructor or professor may be more involved in the teachings. “In these sessions, especially at the beginning of the academic year, not only would aspects of the lab exercises be covered, but also general advice and instruction on how best to interact with students in the courses would also be covered,” Rutherford said. If a student feels they are unhappy with their TAs, whether that be in the classroom or in their office hours, Laurier has an established procedure. The first step is to contact the course coordinator and professor, a step Long feels is strongly encour-
JESSI WOOD/GRAPHIC ARTIST
aged for students. Rutherford mentioned if a student does not make their professor or instructor aware of a problem with a TA, the professor or instructor cannot do anything to address the issue. “From there, if it can’t be resolved, it goes up to myself as the grad coordinator and then if necessary goes up to the chair of the department.” After talking to the chair, Long stressed that the university will communicate with TAs to let them know they must talk to their students in a
professional manner. “Graduate students are under an awful lot of stress, they have to juggle this as their job plus they have to take courses and they also have to conduct research and sometimes it’s hard to juggle all of those, it’s a very tough job being a TA,” he said. Although the vast majority of TAs and students are highly appropriate and professional, Long hopes Laurier students will realize that issues of this sort are taken very seriously by the university.
“It’s a very tough job being a TA.”
-Tristan Long, associate professor and graduate coordinator for biology
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
Local
• 5 LOCAL NEWS EDITOR ERIKA YMANA eymana@thecord.ca
COMMUNITY
Lazaridis gifts $2M to Grand River Hospital The donation will allow for tech-enhanced patient care SAFINA HUSEIN STAFF WRITER
JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
The emergency centre at Grand River Hospital has been renamed in honour of Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis, who gifted the emergency department with a donation of $2 million. The new Lazaridis Family Foundation Emergency Department was officially announced and made public on November 24. Malcolm Maxwell, president and chief executive officer of Grand River Hospital, said the donation from the Lazaridis family will allow the hospital to take crucial steps in a series of initiatives they plan to undertake to provide better care for patients across the Waterloo-Wellington area. Maxwell explained the hospital had the opportunity to discuss the needs of Grand River Hospital and its priorities with the Lazaridis Family Foundation. “They indicated that part of their philanthropy could be directed towards health care and expressed an interest in a couple of initiatives we had here at the hospital,” he said. In a press conference, Mike Lazaridis said he and his wife, Ophelia, were “pleased and honoured to be able to help out.”
“It was very natural for us to further help the great care that’s being done by Grand River Hospital Emergency Department.” -Mike Lazaridis, investor
“It was very natural for us to further help the great care that’s being done by Grand River Hospital Emergency Department,” Lazaridis said in the statement. The Lazaridis donation will be used for two major purposes in the Emergency Centre. The first is to develop a fully automated system that will handle patient information. Through the newly computerized system, orders made by physicians for delivery of medications or for laboratory tests, X-rays and exams, will have the capability to be conducted in a more efficient manner. “That will help with the time it takes to provide care to a patient in the emergency department,” said Maxwell. The new system also provides
safety advantages. It will reduce the risk of errors as information will be passed through fewer hands and fewer people. Secondly, the donation will allow the hospital to provide adequate support to individuals with complicated health histories. “[Some patients] have two or three different illnesses and multiple medications,” said Maxwell. “They may experience some distress ... but not be so ill that they need an immediate admission to a hospital bed.” In this situation, the hospital’s Rapid Access clinic, with the help of the Emergency Centre, will allow these patients to receive assistance at a specialty clinic staffed by an internal medicines specialist. Grand River Hospital will be able to transform their information system and the way work passes through and is handled by physicians, nurses and pharmacists. Maxwell said it will improve the system of handling patient information and ensures safety by eliminating situations where errors can easily occur. “Transcription errors and handoffs between individuals will happen in a clear and well defined electronic environment,” he said.
DEVELOPMENT
Kitchener aims for less tech and start-ups New economic development strategy will focus on including other industries like manufacturing ERIKA YMANA LOCAL NEWS EDITOR
The City of Kitchener will be promoting a new economic development strategy in 2016 that aims to offer unique job opportunities that will complement a satisfying quality of life in the region. The 2011 strategy focused a lot on the innovation industry and start-up economy. Therefore, necessary changes were made to include other industries such as cultural and manufacturing that will encompass a completely integrated community. “If you’re a one-industry town, you’re just never going to reach and have the same success that another community might have where you have economic diversity,” said Janette MacDonald, economic development analyst for the City of Kitchener. Updates on the strategy began last September, and work started with the city’s advisory committees leading to the introduction of the plan to council in February of this year. A symposium of 150 people was held that allowed the community and industry professionals to brainstorm. A second symposium was held to focus the discussion on specific issues that need to be tackled. MacDonald said that even before the plan was brought forward, almost 500 people were involved in the process. An issue that was discussed during this period was transportation. One
“We don’t want to be seen as all about one industry. We want people to hear that we’ve been building a city for everyone.” -Janette MacDonald, economic development analyst
FANI HSIEH/GRAPHIC ARTIST
“It’s fantastic to create a really fun and exciting city but you have to give people career opportunities.” -Janette MacDonald, economic development analyst
of the ideas was to find a way for inbound trains to connect Toronto and Kitchener as employers are providing commuting accommodations to
their employees. There are currently 54 items in the strategy, but MacDonald said some of the larger opportunities relate to the creation of incubators, accelerators and hubs. An example is the $500,000 investment in the Communitech hub, which helped its initial launch. Similarly, the model can be applicable to other industries. Advanced manufacturing, life sciences and cultural industries show promising results in value. The other half of the strategy is building the quality of life in the city. This essentially means making Kitchener a fun and exciting place to
live in, MacDonald explained. There are currently special events in place to create festivals and a variety of experiences. From consultations, there are new ideas that have developed for different types of programming. “But we have always delivered on that type of programming. We just want to make it better,” said MacDonald. The strategy is defined by two long-term goals: job creation and improving the quality of life. MacDonald interviews co-op students and most would say they will head to an area that will provide
them with amazing job opportunities as well as a satisfying quality of life. “It’s fantastic to create a really fun and exciting city but you have to give people career opportunities if you’re going to keep them in your community,” she said. The city’s short-term goals are driven by their campaign, therefore, they want to highlight the “Make it Kitchener” message. This drills in the idea that the city is there for support and residents should feel excited and inspired to be part of this change. According to MacDonald, the reception of this strategy has been positive, thus far. A soft launch came with the approval of council on November 16, but the strategy will be further marketed in the coming year. “We don’t want to be seen as all about one industry. We want people to hear that we’ve been building a city for everyone,” she said. “People are liking the Make it Kitchener message because it’s about building a great city and people can make it whatever they want it to be.”
6 • LOCAL NEWS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
POLITICS
Excitement and hardwork ahead for MP It has been just over a month since being elected and despite the constant travel between Ottawa and her respective riding, Waterloo Member of Parliament Bardish Chagger is excited rather than overwhelmed given the additional national responsibility as Minister of Small Business and Tourism.
Life as MP and Minister What the majority of Canadians don’t know is that the tourism industry is worth $88 billion, according to Chagger. Small and medium businesses employ 90 per cent of the private sector work force and account for about 40 per cent of the GDP. As minister, Chagger said she is committed to helping these enterprises that seek to be more productive and innovative. She refers to her mandate letter, which is now available online, and said it is a “floor, not a ceiling.” In terms of her plans for the Waterloo Region, Chagger is still in the process of waiting to sign a lease on an office space that allows her to work closely with her constituents. Other logistics, like setting up her team, are also a work in progress. “With this added role, there is an added responsibility and that will not change my commitment to this riding,” she said. Chagger said both roles complement each other, as the community has “a lot to offer.” The community includes start ups, two universities and a college; these resources allow for the expansion and advancement of this region.
The hardest parts about each job
PHOTO AND PHOTO MANIPULATION BY WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR
Adapting to both roles have not been easy, as Chagger said there has been a steep learning curve. The main challenge as of now is trying to “take in” as much information as possible. As she is expected to represent and implement change for millions of Canadians, she must bring all important players into the fold. “I look forward to actually reaching out to Canadians and small businesses and people
from the tourism industry that have not had the opportunity to work with the government.” Having a big part to play in the lives of so many Canadians, Chagger’s accountability outweighs the overwhelming nature of being heavily involved. She said an interest needs to be taken to the portfolio she has received and to recognize the value of the benefits these plans bring to the nation. She gave the example of job growth: if businesses are encouraged and helped to be more productive, innovative and expert oriented, the accumulation of all factors will result in growth and change. “I want you to graduate and have a good job within your field … so that when you wake up and you go to work … [it’s so that] you want to go to work. You know? That’s it,” she said.
Refugee crisis: In a local and national scope Chagger believes the recent reveal by the Liberal Party of Canada of a specific timeline for the resettlement of refugees in Canada was in the best interest of the nation. This came from a successful engagement with Canadians. “If that means we need to change the way we do things, to deliver success, we will. We’re not just saying this is what we’re going to do and this is how we’ll do it,”Chagger explained on behalf of her Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. As for local initiatives, she said the Waterloo Region is commendable for its collaboration in planning to provide a well-rounded experience for the refugees who will eventually settle into the Region. Such partners in play are the Immigration Partnership of Waterloo Region, K-W Multicultural Centre, Reception house, YMCA, amongst others. Chagger said the decision was in recognizing the fact that had it been rushed, it would not have been a good experience for many refugees. “So I think that is what’s really exciting to me … [that] it’s not about pride, [but] it’s about doing the right thing.”
ATHLETICS
Fifteen years of purple and gold Ari Grossman named as new director of business operations at UW CHRISTINA SOMOS STAFF WRITER
Ari Grossman, associate director of business operations with Wilfrid Laurier University’s athletic and recreation department, will officially be moving on as University of Waterloo’s director of business operations in their athletics department on December 7. Grossman has been a part of Laurier since his undergraduate degree in political science in 1999 and has been heavily involved on campus, including Residence Life, the Students’ Union, as well as having worked as a teacher’s assistant. He broke the mold when he came on board as the first full-time position as sport information director in the athletics department in 2003 and has been working his way up to his current position of associate director of athletics, which he has held since 2010. Given a plethora of experiences under his belt, the decision to move to UW was motivated by a need for change. “I think it was time to make a change in terms of advocating for yourself,” said Grossman. “I think after doing something for so long and being so passionate for it, change can be good. Both for the institution as well as for myself,” said Grossman.
His next step as associate director of business operations at University of Waterloo involves “a lot of learning” as it will put him in charge of a larger student population and a campus that provides more athletic services. “Seeing as how this role is brand new to the University of Waterloo, I think that my first steps are going to be figuring out where I fit in the department and the new staff team that reports to me and how we’re going to work together.”
“I think it was time to make a change in terms of advocating for yourself.”
-Ari Grossman, associate director of business operations
In terms of implementing change, Grossman plans to focus on examining the entire scope before making any decisions. He said it is important to understand how their system works in terms of policies and processes. There are many perspectives to take into account. “I think from an external perspec-
SERENA GILL/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The new position at UW will allow Grossman to be in charge of a larger service delivery and student expectation.
tive you always want to think that what you’re doing is a lot better, but as soon as you go and sit down and understand the scope … you may find that they’re doing things in different ways.” For Grossman, the biggest difference between UW and Laurier athletics is the size of service delivery and student expectation. “It’s larger from a full scope of service offering. There are more teams involved … Laurier’s a smaller community, where it’s maxed out in resources because the demand is greater,” he said. Jon Kursikowski, coordinator of sponsorship and events for Laurier’s
athletic department, said Grossman’s multiple connections within the Laurier community helped to build different initiatives such as the expansion of football events and the School Day basketball game with the Waterloo Warriors. “He’s somebody who’s known virtually by everybody across campus … He’s been a tremendous part of this community, he’s certainly contributed in a significantly number of ways. He’ll obviously be missed across campus because of the great range of experience that he was involved in,” Kursikowski said. In reference to the School Day basketball game, Grossman said he
hopes to have future conversations with his colleagues at Laurier in order to coordinate more involvement between both schools that will be entertaining to the Kitchener-Waterloo community. When asked what he would miss the most about Laurier, Grossman had no hesitation in naming “the Laurier community and the established relationships I had built on campus.” “It’s all been something that I’ll look back on and I really think that it’s helped shape me into the person I am today.” I look forward to taking that and grow the opportunities elsewhere.”
GAMES • 7
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
Dear Life Dear Life is your opportunity to write a letter to your life, allowing you to vent your anger with life’s little frustrations in a completely public forum. All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week. Dear Life, Apparently an inside joke about playing make-believe Hunger Games is worth 2 pages of a newspaper. Sincerely, Can I get a refund on that student fee? Dear Life, Why don’t you ever take me out for dinner? You know I like to be wined and dined before being fucked! Sincerely, Not Impressed Dear Cord, Sudokus are great, but where are the crosswords? Sincerely, I like UW’s paper better Dear Life, Running for Students’ Union President in February. Campaigning on a platform of drilling Glory Holes into all offices. Rationale? Subjectivity. Sincerely, No Guts all glory Dear Life, You truly don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone. I’m loving my experience abroad and everything but looking at Spotted at Laurier and pictures and posts from friends on campus is making me miss my hawk
CORD TRIVIA Think you have what it takes? Fill out these trivia questions and tweet a photo of your answers to @cordnews for a chance to win free passes to Apollo Cinema or a coupon to Pizza Pizza! 1. Who did The Cord endorse in the 2014 Students’ Union election? _______________________________ 2. What was the article in 1991 about that got The Cord shut down? ________________________________ 3. Who was the president in 2012-13 that was first interviewed about the Students’ Union debt? ________________________________ 4. How many pages are in the annual Orientation Week issue? ________________________________ 5. What is the name of the current president of Student Publications’? ________________________________
fam a lot! Looking forward to coming back in September, but meanwhile, take care my hawks. Sincerely, A Hawk Abroad
THE LAURIER CROSSWORD
How well do you know Laurier? Fill out this crossword to check your knowledge
Dear Life, It’s really cruel that you give me social anxiety and make me fat. Sincerely, The gym is scary Dear fuckboys, Stop making girls fall for you when you have no intention of ever taking things further. Sincerely, Date me Dear Life, So here’s the earth ROUND. Sincerely, End of ze world Dear Life, Here’s a llama, there’s a llama and another little llama. Funny llama, fuzzy llama, llama llama duck. Did you ever see a llama kiss a llama on the llama. Sincerely, Alpaca. Dear Life, We don’t like paintings. Yuk. BUT WE LOVE ROCKS! Sincerely, I just did a whole eight ball Dear Life, I take back all the complaining about how writing essays suck and how university is ~so hard.~ You know what’s hard? EIGHT FUCKING CLASSES AND GROUP ASSIGNMENTS IN ALL OF THEM. Sincerely, I miss being a Golden Hawk
NOTE: 12 down has a space between the words
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8 •
Features
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015 FEATURES EDITOR BETHANY BOWLES bbowles@thecord.ca
The unbalanced scale Lead Reporter Maddy Cutts investigates the current state of diversity amongst Laurier faculty and its growth
As a second-year student in Wilfrid Laurier University’s bachelor of business administration program, I have yet to be at a loss for female faculty members. The professors for my largest first-year business classes were both women and the coordinators of their respective courses. My third freshman business class was taught by a man and my business professors have continued to be relatively evenly split between both male and female as my degree has progressed. I never gave this much thought until a conversation with my roommate revealed that she, a chemistry major, had only had a single course from “But again all this time you have to within her major taught by wait for people to retire, you wait a female professor. The chemistry and biountil you have the budget and then chemistry department at you see turnover, and then you see Laurier is currently staffed by 11 faculty members: diversity.” three females and eight -Debora VanNijnatten, males. chair of the department of political These numbers are a science and North American studies step up for the chemistry department, which for a period of time made due with inviting female faculty from other departments to sit on their committees. “[All] I can tell you is that we’re doing much better; I mean we do have three female faculty members, two are tenured and one is tenure track,” said Ian Hamilton, chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry. “That’s still not even close to being half the department. It’s something that we’re still working on.” This gender inequality isn’t limited to chemistry, but appears to be a widespread issue within the faculty of science with women representing a minority in every department. However, it’s unclear whether the problem lies within the hiring and promotion processes, or exist much more fundamentally, at a supply level. “[The collective agreement’s] definition of a gender imbalance is not targeting 50:50, it’s what is the norm in the pool of PhD graduates,” said Paul Jessop, dean of science at Laurier. “Psychology, which is reasonably close to a gender balance, but not there, is the one science department which is singled out as being problematic if you like, because the pool of applicants is closer to 50:50.” There are however departments elsewhere within the university which fall on the opposite end of the spectrum. The North American studies program is relatively new at Laurier and has a comparatively small faculty. What differentiates it from most areas within the institution is that it holds a majority female faculty, with three of its four members being women. “[Political science] is an old discipline that’s been around for a while; North American studies is new, it’s interdisciplinary, it’s more open,” said Debora VanNijnatten, chair of the department of political science and the North American studies program. “If it’s new and interdisciplinary, it seems to attract a more diverse pool of candidates to be hired.” Political science, though not an example of gender balance, does illustrate the gradual shift Laurier has been undergoing in terms of hiring. Though their current faculty falls at approximately 11 men and six women, a glance at new hires which have taken place since 2000, shows the ratio then adjusts itself to seven men and five women. “I find it becomes more meaningful if you look at it over time, because what you want to see is change, and I would be surprised if you didn’t see change over time in almost all departments here,”
said VanNijnatten. “But again all this time you have to wait for people to retire, you wait until you have the budget and then you see turnover, and then you see diversity.” This observable shift in growing gender balance between men and women is in line with the data observed by Laura Mae Lindo, the director of the Diversity and Equity Office. “When I arrived, I have to say that I just made an assumption that Laurier, like many other universities, is struggling to increase diversity among faculty and staff and the employment equity reports show that that’s the case, but I have to say it’s quite interesting. We’ve done really well with women.” The Diversity and Equity Office employs, as part of their team, an Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities and Employment Equity Officer, who has the responsibility of creating a yearly employment equity report. This is a document which the university has been completing for over a decade. While the data does show improvement in terms of female faculty, it also reflects a severe underperformance with regard to the representation of racial minorities and aboriginals. “The two main groups that are consistently underrepresented, I would say, are Aboriginal Peoples and people of visible minorities, so two areas we need to work on,” said Adria Joel, interim AODA and Employment Equity Officer. “It’s also important to note that the baseline is from 2006 census data and so even though in some areas it might look like we’re doing ok, we have to consider that it might not be as good as it’s indicating. So our baseline is probably not accurate, and so there’s probably more diversity in the market than we think there is.” This diversity mostly likely won’t develop without a conscious push, which happened with regard to hiring women. “There has to be intentionality within faculty in terms of long-term planning, because if within your long-term planning you’re imagining a diverse curriculum because you want to ensure that diverse knowledge and ways of being etc. are integrated “The two main groups that are in the core values of what you do, that makes it consistently underrepresented, I more inviting for faculty would say, are Aboriginal People and to decide to come,” explained Lindo. people of visible minorities, so two In response to this, areas we need to work on.” the Diversity and Equity Office has purchased the -Adria Joel, interim AODA and employment equity officer DEAP tool, or Diversity and Equity Assessment Planning tool, developed at the Queen’s University Equity Office to help individual departments or offices better understand their personal diversity climates. The tool involves 12 sections or questions, which range from staff recruitment, promotion, career development and retention to consultation with the aboriginal community. A representative would be able to walk a faculty through the tool and assess the areas in which they performed the weakest, followed by establishing a long-term plan for the faculty to improve upon in those areas. Despite the work which remains to be done, the importance of establishing and maintaining diversified faculties was undisputed. “Studies show that [diversity] is what works, and I think even diversity of ideas, diversity of backgrounds and opinions, it’s proven to bring richness and innovation,” said Joel. “It leads to better work, it leads to understanding different perspectives, and it creates an overall more inclusive culture.”
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
• 9
Arts & Life
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ZACH GUITOR zguitor@thecord.ca
SEX
Flicking the bean Features Editor Bethany Bowles spoke with Jacki Yovanoff from Planned Parenthood about social stigmas and gender roles in an exploration of female self-pleasure In 1999, Jason Biggs had sex with an apple pie in the teen comedy American Pie. His character wanted to know what sex with a woman felt like and he was told a vagina felt similar to the inside of a warm apple pie. So rationally enough, he tried it out. We’re used to seeing men masturbate as a form of comedy on the big screen. We’re used to hearing slang language like “jacking off.” We’re used to boys just being boys who can’t help but touch themselves. Culturally, male masturbation doesn’t shock us anymore. Men are allowed to touch themselves for pleasure, to watch porn, to have tissues and hand lotion on their bedside tables. They talk about it with each other in the locker room. Fathers teach their teenage sons that it’s normal behaviour. It’s a stress reliever. It helps deal with those urges that men just physically can’t suppress because of their sexual deviancy. Go ahead boys, masturbate all you want. But what about the ladies? I’m sick and tired of it being socially acceptable to talk about male masturbation, while women are still shamed for selfpleasuring. I remember being in high school and seeing Black Swan in theatres. This was the first film I saw female masturbation in the open. Natalie Portman, in a very serious scene, masturbates without knowing her mother is asleep in her room. This scene was horrify-
the ones who are pursuing sex. They’re supposed to be sexual. Whereas, our society is very sexual, but women aren’t supposed to be. [Women] are very sexualized, but not supposed to be sexual. That translates into female masturbation.” Yovanoff explained the media is discussing the topic more than ever. In television shows like Girls and Mad Men, female masturbation is being explored, which is ultimately starting a conversation. Once a conversation begins, Yovanhoff said, we will start feeling more comfortable about the topic. “Whether you have a penis or a vulva, masturbation is good for stress relief. It is good for helping you sleep … and for people who are
“POUND FOR POUND, A PERSON WITH A VULVA HAS AS MUCH ERECTILE TISSUE AS SOMEONE WITH A PENIS...”
“YOU DON’T HEAR, ‘GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS.’ ” ing. This wasn’t American Pie, this was a woman feeling shame and embarrassment for self-pleasuring. When I was 18, my friends and I went into the Stag Shop. Along with buying lottery tickets, entering sex shops is one of the luxuries of turning 18. I remember suppressing giggles as we pointed at the dildos and vibrators, and thinking: “Do women really buy this stuff?” “It comes down to our very gendered society,” said Jacki Yovanoff, education volunteer at Planned Parenthood. “Males are [supposedly] the ones who are always ready for sex and are
menstruating, masturbation can help alleviate cramps,” Yovanoff said. “The only harm that comes from it is what society puts on it.” On top of all the benefits of masturbation, one of the main reasons self-pleasure is so positive is because it helps you understand your own body and your own sexuality. Pleasuring a penis can be fairly straight forward, but a vagina is a little more complex. For several women, achieving orgasm can be tricky, so masturbation can help women figure out their own bodies and lead to a better sex life with a partner. “Our anatomy is not what we originally thought,” Yovanhoff continued. “We talk about the clitoris being one little dot, or button or bean … but it’s actually a whole structure within our bodies. Pound for pound, a person with a vulva has as much erectile
tissue as someone with a penis … which is kind of surprising to a lot of people. When you get to learn your body and understand what it is, and understand that there’s a whole bunch of stuff going on in there, it can take that personal time to a whole new level, too.” Unwillingness to talk about female masturbation begins when we’re children. Little boys grab their penises and people laugh, but heaven forbid a little girl puts her fingers anywhere near her vagina. We teach little kids, especially little girls, that their genitals are dirty. “Even the saying, ‘boys will be boys.’ We hear that all the time. You don’t hear, ‘girls will be girls.’ Even those sayings are very gendered,” Yovanhoff said. “We’re putting people into one of two boxes when we’re doing that.” I’m not claiming to be an expert — only an observer — but perhaps there is something about the externality of male genitals versus the internality of female genitals. There’s something more invasive about female masturbation and maybe that’s a reason why it is stigmatized.
“OUR ANATOMY IS NOT WHAT WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.” Bottom line is it’s your body. Whether you have a penis or vagina, you own that body part. It belongs to you. Touching something that’s yours should never bring shame. Masturbation is a choice. If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine; you should never feel pressured into doing something you don’t feel comfortable with. But real concern arises if a woman doesn’t feel comfortable doing it because she’s been led to believe touching herself is dirty or owning a vibrator is embarrassing. That’s body shaming. That’s failed gender equity. Having ownership over your body is a powerful thing. Talking about your body without feeling embarrassed, whether it’s with a medical professional, your best friend or your sexual partner, proves that ownership. Whether you have a penis or a vagina, don’t ever feel ashamed for familiarizing yourself with your own body. Just make sure you wash your hands before and after. GRAPHIC BY AMY ESPLEN/GRAPHIC ARTIST
10 • ARTS & LIFE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015
CONCERT
Canyon and Kites On November 30, Old Man Canyon delighted fans with cool and collected indie pop alongside The Paper Kites
MANJOT BHULLAR STAFF WRITER
Opening for a sold out show would intimidate any opening band but Old Man Canyon surprised many in attendance with their vocals and unreleased music. The band came out to a warm and welcoming crowd at Starlight Social Club and began their set creating a calming, summer-in-winter atmosphere through their music. During a segue between songs, Old Man Canyon’s front man Jett Pace addressed some technical issues with vocals heralding support from the audience, with some fans reassuring it didn’t hinder the performance, but instead made the band seem more human — and “cute” according to one guest. “Cute? I’m going to make it happen every time now,” laughed Pace. Although they encountered some technical difficulties, the band didn’t lose their cool and continued to grasp the attention of fans, which for an opening band can be very tough. Fans soon realized the music Old Man Canyon was playing was almost entirely new and unreleased content. The choice to play songs never heard before elicited the attention of the audience, bringing them deeper into
the music for the chance to be a part of an exclusive experience. The choice to exclusively sell physical copies of their forthcoming album Delirium at shows until an official release date in January 2016 came as a surprise to many and was reminiscent of the late 90s when the Internet played little part in the music industry. It made the music seem more immersive and meaningful, as it became something tangible. More often than not, opening bands receive a cold welcome of fans eagerly waiting for the main band to play. Perhaps it was the energy of the young crowd, but Old Man Canyon received applause and cheers I’ve rarely witnessed at any show I’ve attended. As they concluded their set, Pace ended by warning the audience that The Paper Kites performance will “melt the shit out of your hearts … you’re going to be weeping, crying and kissing each other. It’s going to be spiritual.” After a quick set change, on came The Paper Kites to an even more enthusiastic crowd who had eagerly waited a year to see the band return to Starlight. With anticipation building behind hearing the new album Twelve Four played live, The Paper Kites began with “Electric Indigo.” “We’re very, very stoked to be back in Waterloo and you guys seem like a friendly bunch of people,” opened Sam Bentley as he went on to recount the last show they played at Starlight where there was a marriage
Old Man Canyon received applause and cheers I’ve rarely witnessed at any show I’ve attended.
proposal. All it took was the first few strums of the guitar to trigger an immediate and collective cheer from the audience as the band began playing their most popular song “Bloom.” Phones began rising as Snapchat stories filled with smooth guitar and airy vocals. A hush moved its way across the audience as couples swayed along and fans were hooked on every word. Throughout the performance fans were very interactive with the band — at one point Dave Powys even took the microphone into the audience to allow fans to whistle along. To end off the night, front man Bentley recounted the back-story of “Paint,” a song from their 2012 release, Young North and said, “Waterloo it’s been great getting to know you over the last few years.” The band ended their set by slowing things down, gently bringing the fans out of the immersive experience and back to reality.
JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
FILM
Mockingjay a strong but flawed finale WEAKNESSES
STRENGTHS ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS PHOTO EDITOR
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 explodes into action and emotional heartbreak just as any war time film should. Deaths are laid out quickly and the characters we have become attached to start to quickly disappear. Each step into the battlefield was suspenseful, as you can feel the tension building right to your bones. It isn’t quite often a movie is emotionally taxing to such a high degree and the fact the filmmakers put so much effort into getting it right clearly paid off. The film puts emphasis on accurately depicting how media coverage of war and political situations is not always accurate. The propaganda and news coverage in the film reinforces that no matter how much effort is put into portraying a situation as accurate as possible, whatever we see through the lens will never be 100 per cent authentic. A major theme within the book and the movie is there is no clear control over war from either side. Those actually doing the fighting are pawns, orchestrated through political control. War in fact can be seen as a political invention of control in itself through the powerful dialogue
and each action that leads towards the climactic moment at the end when President Coin tells Katniss Everdeen, “Let your arrow be as true as your heart is pure.” Through brilliant execution of tempo, sound and visual style, the survivors of Panem and the spectators in the theatre come together as a single audience to witness Everdeen’s climactic decision at the end of the film. The book unfortunately lacks description and clear focus during complicated and fast-paced scenes, which made it difficult to visually grasp while reading. The film on the other hand, did a remarkable job of building the world of Panem and vividly expressing scenes. With each genetically modified creature, the district fighters, the peacekeepers and every inch of the Capitol went into such detail and created a world we can clearly comprehend and follow along. This is also the one time when I would agree with the filmmaker’s choice to split the final book into two films. Although they could have made some better use with the extended time in some situations, especially in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the book was so incredibly fast paced there would have been too much to fit into one movie. Since they could go in depth with some of the more suspenseful and battlefield scenes, they were able to establish a much stronger and emotional impact on the viewers.
LENA YANG CREATIVE DIRECTOR
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
Of all of the young adult book-tomovie adaptations that have popped up in the recent years, The Hunger Games series is arguably the best executed on-screen translation of the crop. The films deviate very little from the novels and the few changes that do take place largely serve to augment the source material. Furthermore, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 has grossed $444 million to date while the films grossed a combined $2.7 billion worldwide. However, financial success is not the guarantee of a flawless movie, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is certainly not without its faults. One of the most prominent aspects of the novels that got lost is the characters’ disabilities, although this is a problem that harkens all the way back to the first film when Katniss’ impaired hearing and Peeta’s amputated leg were conveniently erased from the narrative. Any lasting consequences of posttraumatic stress disorder are also missing save for a meek smattering of scenes in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 of Katniss in distress. When she returns in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part
2 freshly shampooed with full-face makeup leading her band of rebels in a splendid showoff against the Capitol, no signs of psychological trauma mar the perpetually groomed heroine. It is not that physical or psychological trauma should be utilized as a metaphor for how the characters have been “changed” by the Games, but rather those are the most basic manifestations of scarring on someone — a 17-year old girl, no less — who has been forced to murder children in a national spectacle two consecutive years only to be thrust into a war in the aftermath of the annihilation of her district. By presenting Katniss as a cleancut heroine, the influences and aftermath of war are reduced to dazzling special effects explosions that carry no dangerous implications. War, in real life, is not glamourous. Its realities are much worse than the dictates of a PG-13 rating. However it is a Hollywood production that aims to reap revenue, which means it must remain accessible to a wide audience. The downside of aiming to appeal to a specific market — which, in this case, is predominantly adolescent — is the material must be significantly watered-down to remain age appropriate. Yet, an age-appropriate war film of a 17-year old girl groomed for murder simply cannot carry the heaviness that allows the film to convincingly convey the atrocities of Suzanne Collin’s world.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
Editorial
• 11 OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca
Previewing the life of weekly newspaper production Little do people know, newspaper production is not as simple as writing down content on Microsoft Word and then sending it to the printers. The following is a close-up of production for The Cord. Production starts with our weekly meeting. We all crowd around the main level of our dingy office — where we spend the vast majority of our week — and determine the content for the following issue. Section editors, multimedia and videography declare the content they plan on running for the upcoming issue. We then discuss details such as what cover will be, vocal cord, the editorial cartoon and unsigneds. From there, editors break off into their own responsibilities. Section editors spend the prior week collecting content, putting in visual requests and staying in contact with contributors. Photography editors and their volunteers as well as Creative Directors with their graphic artists, spent the weekend fulfilling the visual requests — either taking photos or designing graphics. After meticulous editing from section editors, they then put their edited content in the Dropbox for the Editor-in-Chief to look over again. Hang in there, we’re not done just yet. Good old InDesign is the software we use for assembling pages. Each story, headline, visual and byline has to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. We need to create fitting pieces for it to all come together. Sometimes this takes hours of changing around words, breaking paragraphs, adding pull quotes or inserting supplemen-
tal headlines to fill the page the way it is required. Photographers edit photos and correct all details while considering the quality of how they will print. Our videographer films our weekly update video and puts it together, usually the night before the issue is released. After hours of this, we then send our printed pages upstairs to the mystical world of the copy editors, where several editors sit around with pens and thoroughly edit each detail — sometimes butchering the layout to the point in which those hours of work have to be completely reconsidered. We then insert the copy edits into InDesign, make any necessary changes and then print it off again for our EIC to copy edit it one more time. From there, more changes are made. These changes have to be inserted. We then look it over on screen for the EIC to finally PDF the pages. As you can see, there’s a ton of work put into every issue. We pour blood, sweat and tears into delivering the best paper we can — sometimes causing us to work until 6 a.m. the morning before everything is officially sent to the printers. In the end, no matter how much work we put in, the weekly gratification of producing something we are proud of is all the payment we need. As our readers, please understand we are not perfect, that mistakes may still slip through the cracks, but our efforts always aim for greatness.
Liberating the exploration of natural bodily functions In comedies like American Pie, There’s Something About Mary and Good Luck Chuck (just to name a few), male masturbation is something that is not taboo. It’s something most of us grew up with in our daily media. However, the same cannot be said for female masturbation. For whatever reason, there is a taboo around women being open about masturbation. While men are often very comfortable around expressing “jerking off,” females tend to keep such actions as sexual secrets. Why is this the case? Masturbation is undoubtedly a natural human instinct. There should not be any shame in performing what is fundamentally a human impulse. Regardless of societal norms, no one should supress what our anatomy often demands. In movies and television, it is
far less common to show a female character masturbating (even in a suggestive undertone), than it is to show males who are demonstrated to feel no embarrassment about committing the act. As children, boys are rarely told to stop playing with their penis, but for girls, it’s dirty to touch themselves. These common societal stereotypes make it difficult to see female masturbation — or masturbation in general — as something normal. Bodily experimentation is part of human growth. Without it, we are not able to understand what satisfies us and the basis of our sexual desire. A level of exploration is required to discover levels of stimulation and prepare ourselves, as human beings, for intercourse. No embarrassment is necessary for performing an instinctual function of our anatomy.
These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-inChief and Opinion Editor. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources. The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP.
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JOSHUA AWOLADE/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Anxiety stays in the ring Breaking through the many obstacles of mental illness
SHELBY BLACKLEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Imagine being awake at three in the morning. No, it’s not because you binge-watched so much of the newest show on Netflix or you got too caught up in the most recent release of NHL’s video game series. And no, it’s not because you are heading home after that booty call you didn’t expect. Imagine being awake at three in the morning replaying every moment of your day because you’re afraid you made a life-altering decision. Imagine going over every social interaction because you’re afraid you said something that could ruin a relationship. Imagine wondering what every person in your life is thinking about you because you’re too insecure to be confident in yourself. Generalized anxiety hurts. And it hurts. And it hurts. And it hurts. Every day I go through the same three experiences: I wake up wondering what would have happened if I woke up earlier and got a better start to the day, knowing I’m going to regret it later; I deal with a terrible pain from an ongoing ulcer caused by stress; I lay in bed at some hour of the night questioning every action I made that day. And it never ends. Generalized anxiety disorder, admirably known as GAD, never leaves my side. It’s the boyfriend I
It’s a victory in a long line of ongoing battles, culminating in a war bigger than life.
can’t shake after a bad breakup, or the hangover that didn’t really want to leave after the alcohol is flushed out of my system. I deal with a lot of every day experiences that are intensified because of anxiety. I’m no where near the worst of its victims and I’m grateful for this. But it never ends. In ways, I’m still struggling. I refuse to allow medication be the muse to my pain so I find alternative methods such as exercise, writing and sports, but sometimes the alternatives are not strong enough. Oftentimes I sit wondering why I can’t be better, anxiously pondering what mistake I’ll make next. But then I remember something else: I’m not perfect. Anxiety or not, I’m going to make mistakes and I’m going to have to learn. I’m going to work hard and sometimes it’s not going to be enough. I’m going to fail. I’m going to deal with the troubles an individual without anxiety has and I’m going to deal with things other people have a million times worse every day. The moral of this very depressing anecdote is whenever you feel like
GAD — or whichever mental illness you are unfortunate enough to suffer from — has a stranglehold on your life, there is always something better. There is always a strong, positive way to release endorphins into your life. Some days it’s harder than others — from personal experience, I’ll cry randomly when I don’t know why, or have panic attacks that have no cause. I’ll feel lonely surrounded by family and friends and those who have said directly to my face, “I love you.” But when anxiety has me, none of that matters. But the other days, the ones when I realize how beautiful life can be and how incredible it is to experience what I’ve experienced — and to know there’s so much more — it’s a victory. It’s a victory in a long line of ongoing battles, culminating a in war bigger than life. And I’m only one soldier. Mental illness is a bitch. It hurts me, it hurts my family, it hurts my friends. It hurts people I don’t even know. And someday, we’ll be able to realize the stigma is just that. A small bandage on a problem no one wants to face. A revolt waiting to break through the walls. An upset in the final minutes of the championship game. When I lay down to go to sleep tonight, I’ll probably still wake up at three in the morning questioning all of those things. But when I wake up, I’ll seize the moment I have to take on anxiety and conquer it. And someday, I won’t have to question my life.
12 •
Opinion
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015 OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca
Letter to the Editor An open letter to the board of governors and the Laurier community Last Thursday at the Wilfrid Laurier University board of governors meeting I publicly announced my anger at the way the proceedings were going and stormed out of the meeting. I now regret this. That is, I now regret the manner in which I did it, while leaving no doubt that I was annoyed, I did not convey to ordinary board members the reason why I was so incensed. I say here “ordinary board members” because the chair of the board would have known full well why I was angry. He and the president of the university were colluding to do an end run around the authority of the Senate. They were further managing to subvert the normal course of bicameral governance, while fairly successfully giving the appearance of doing just the opposite. The Prime Ministers Statue Project, which it has been argued by many to be a symbol of a racist past and an insult to Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples, is now in addition to this, fast becoming a symbol of something far more localized: misguided educational priorities and a crisis of university governance here at Laurier. An example of misguided educational priorities is the recent hiring of an expensive lobbyist to convince the government of the need for a new WLU Milton campus instead of perhaps covering the cost of something like 50 course stipends. The administration consistently privileges hiring more highly paid administrators — more of its own — over the other more educational choices faculty would prefer. This is connected to the crisis of governance. The statues project was not on the board agenda for a potential vote to reverse its earlier endorsement of it. Rather it was on the agenda to hear and endorse the president’s plan for what to do about the overwhelming majority (39 to 6) Senate vote to reject the project. The president recommended a new committee to report to both the Senate and board. The board, of course, had the same response as they always do to the president’s plans. They thought it a wonderful idea. The reason for this common response to such is not sycophancy. Rather it is the decisions they are taking and the ideas they are supposed to consider and pronounce upon are often outside their area of expertise and knowledge. There is a reason for bicameral governance and the entrustment of educational decision making to the Senate. The ordinary board members are most frequently completely unaware of faculty and student concerns; the widespread anger of many faculty members completely mystifies them. The new committee, which many on the board thought was such a good way around what the president presented as an impasse between the university’s two governing bodies, had not been received that way by the Senate. Not at all! Rather there was a prolonged discussion on why it was a very bad idea indeed. It was argued to be in violation of, if not the letter, at least the spirit of the Wilfrid Laurier University Act. It was argued to be in effect rendering the Senate as a governing body completely impotent and voiding its entire purpose. It was argued that the Senate,
unlike the board, had not rendered their judgment in ignorance of the educational ramifications and symbolism of the project. It was argued the issue was primarily an educational issue and thus subject to the authority of the Senate. The president argued against this point, asserting it was primarily a matter of a material acquisition over one million dollars in value and therefore a matter subject to the board’s ultimate authority. Against this it was countered by one senator that if perhaps issues fell along a continuum regarding jurisdiction, with for example curriculum being a clearly educational and a matter for the Senate and new toilets being a matter for the board, then obviously the statues had more to do with education. The president disregarded such arguments. He asked for senators to volunteer to be on his new committee. None put themselves forward as it had already been argued that there was no need for such a committee; the Senate had spoken and decided already. This takes us to the board’s discussion of the issue. There was a large gallery presence including myself and other senators. It is the usual convention, for both Senate and board meetings, that when controversial issues are before them, to allow non-members to speak. It is likely that ordinary board members assumed that people such as myself and Jonathan Finn, the author of the Senate motion against the statues project, were there to rehearse the by now familiar arguments concerning Aboriginal Peoples, racist Prime Ministers or perhaps to add some new jokes about statues of Harper. But we were not there for that reason and the board chair knew it. He knew we had come to talk about governance; that we had come to talk about the difference between informed and un-informed decisions. However, he ruled that we could not speak on the grounds that we could speak to the committee that was to be formed! This was the very thing we had come to speak against! Once again the board has made a decision in ignorance. Ignorance can often be innocent. Such was not the case here. It is why the statues so well take on their new symbolic dimension: Senate to Laurier community, we have a problem. We have a governance problem. –Garry Potter, professor in the department of sociology
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JESSI WOOD/GRAPHIC ARTIST
Stop, let me take a selfie The ‘selfie’ generation has been accused of being driven by ego and narcissism, but society demands beauty
LENA YANG CREATIVE DIRECTOR
If you have taken a selfie, you have probably been called a narcissist. This recent phenomenon for “shallow self-gratification” has prompted countless people to lament endlessly about the modern generation’s growing vanity. However what many people seem not to realize, is selfies are not a sudden revolution. People have been taking photos of themselves for over a century. From the first-ever selfie taken in 1839 to Myspace angle photos of the early 2000s, selfies existed long before the introduction of the frontfacing iPhone camera in 2010. But the popularity of the modern selfie did not gain traction until the last two or three years. Since the addition of the word “selfie” to the Oxford online dictionary in 2013, selfies have been the topic of much debate over its resonances, substance and purpose. They have been linked to narcissism and psychopathy. Selfies have also been slammed for self-objectification and for enabling the “Me Generation.” When selfies are posted on social media, they are presented as a desire for affirmation rather than an expression of pride. But to suggest such is to automatically assume girls and women seek to cater to an audience when they are flaunting their appearance. Their bodies are for the consumption of others, not their own, and any attempts to take control of their own image must be for the benefit of an
People have been taking photos of themselves for over a century.
... People don’t seem to like it any more when the aesthetic gaze is not meant for them.
audience and not themselves. It is funny psychology experts are criticizing the selfie for enabling a female’s narcissistic needs when, historically speaking, a woman’s most powerful mode of currency has always been her looks. From magazines to films to television to advertisements, the female body has always been treated as an object to be consumed by the male gaze. This is what has been taught to generations of women — they must always be conscious of their outward appearance. The Victoria Secret Fashion Show, an hour-long program of female models strutting around in lingerie, is watched yearly by tens of millions of viewers. In America alone, cosmetics are a billion-dollar industry. Over centuries, men have groomed girls and women to put their best faces forward. Only the most beautiful girl gets the prince, only the fairest of the land is worth the envy of the queen. We get it: you want us to look good. So here we are, looking our finest in the selfies on our Instagram accounts, yet people don’t seem to like it anymore when the aesthetic gaze is not meant for them. It is somehow unsettling when a female acknowledges her looks. She can’t know she looks good and she can’t take pride in it. It ruins the illusion that female beauty is for men — and only men — to consume. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat work as windows for different types of beauty to be viewed and recognized. Because of this, girls and women are vilified for being the very thing people have groomed them to be. What a backwards world.
ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR
OPINION • 13
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
Too satisfied with being average Once we figure out what we really want in life, being “mediocre” will finally stop being enough
I know success is earned through hard work, perseverence and faith.
FARAZ IFTEKHARUDDIN OPINION COLUMNIST
Too often, many of us work toward mediocrity and we are satisfied with average. Last year, I studied for midterms and wrote essays while telling myself: “All I really need is a 50 and anything more than that is bonus.” With this mentality, I never felt the need to push myself beyond what is required. The reason for this was that I did not have a vision or goal for where I was headed. My abstract goal was to get a degree. This year I realized I want more than just a political science degree with mediocre grades earned. I want to go on to complete a masters in international policy and I want to work for non-governmental organizations. Once we figure out what we really want, we will eventually realize “average” will not be enough. My excuses of being lazy will be deemed insignificant when I graduate from university and find all the doors are closed for me — simply because I never worked hard enough to keep them open. Chances are we will be forced into choosing a path we never wanted, all because we never worked hard enough to give ourselves the power
LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
to control our fate. Perhaps we may not all have set visions and goals we want to reach, but that’s okay. We still need to work hard in order to keep our options open in the future. The better we perform now, the more options we give ourselves in the future. Often we fail to completely appreciate the value of time. We could be anywhere and every-
where, doing anything but nothing to further our goals. And year after year, we make the same promises which are never fulfilled. I know I will have to sacrifice my sleep to study and get that ‘A’ on the midterm, even if it’s only worth 20 per cent of my final grade, because ultimate success is the aggregate of small successes. I know I have to grind at the gym instead of Netflix and chill while
stuffing my face with poutine. If I dream of touring around the world, I know I’ll need to save a certain amount each week. Sacrifices are accountable to aspirations. Many of us also create self-imposed limitations for ourselves and are bound by them, saying things like: “I’m lazy,” “It’s too hard,” “I don’t have the time.” Through all these sayings, we are self-proclaimed procrastinators.
With the creation of limits we excuse our behaviour, but really it allows us to underachieve and aim low enough not to miss. Yet, I see the ones who are successful, they are not bound by their limits. In fact they live to shatter them, create new ones and shatter them too. Sure it’s acceptable to be average. But average will go as far as giving you a decent life and nothing more. Success will never be guaranteed for me. Nor will it be handed to me. I know success is earned through hard work, perseverence and faith. Anyone would be a liar if they said it is easy. But if it were easy, we would all have a bunch of success stories. Nothing worth fighting for is easy. We need to be willing to sacrifice our time to achieve our greatest aspirations. Wilfrid Laurier University’s own slogan is “Inspiring Lives.” How can we profess such a motto if we fail to inspire ourselves?
14 • OPINION
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
No need to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ DON MORGENSON COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR
“Keeping up with the Joneses” — what a supremely evocative saying, suggesting many different meanings. Does the “keeping up” suggest struggling with an equilibrium, such as the status quo? But the status quo continues to advance because those infernal Joneses keep moving up ahead of you and me. The fact we even care about “keeping up” with those Joneses and not “down” with the Joneses, or even with the Joneses, suggests there is at least a ranking with some at the top and some at the bottom. Perhaps the one per cent are at the top and rest of us are at the bottom. This would certainly be a realistic and painful slap at the often-praised “Canadian Mosaic.” The majority, you and I — those anonymous John and Jane Does — have always seemed middle class, middle of the road, middle-management, middle-something, except for those pesky Joneses who always seem to waddle ahead of us … or so we think. Keeping up with “them,” whatever their ethnic origins, names or pedigrees, of course means many different things. We may strive to
match their church attendance or their charitable donations. We might try to equal their standardized IQs or wisdom (two distinctly different categories) or their musical accomplishments or their volunteer commitments. But strangely, none of these things really mean keeping up with the Joneses. For most of us, keeping up with others means staying apace with the things other people can acquire — a sort of acquisition ethic. Keeping up with the Joneses means purchasing what they purchase, or even better, a newer model. It all means matching their things we all compile in our modern “Thingdom.” But here is the rub — while we are struggling to keep up with the Joneses, those Joneses are very busy trying to keep up with us. In some instances, we are those “pesky Joneses” — others are trying to keep up with our conspicuous consumption. In Canada, where competing successfully is one of our core values (excluding those Toronto Maple Leafs), we seem to take great pleasure in “one-up man/womanship,” most often through what sociologists refer to as: “positional goods.” That is, the goods that are “status enhancing” allow us to get the jump on our neighbors. In fact, some of us may purchase some stuff just to show how much we can accumulate. Economic advisors know we are
FANI HSIEH/GRAPHIC ARTIST
often identified by our purchases wand by such, rather clearly distinguished from those Joneses. Keeping up with all others may mean trying to maintain our standard of living, which may also mean increasing the quality of our lives because keeping up in our imageobsessed world means accumulating more and more. Robert Wuthrow (God and Mammon in America) writes: “It is expected that people will consume automobiles, clothing, housing and
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other items at a level consistent with their standing in the community.” Wuthrow claims we don’t think we are living lives of the one per cent because home areas are socially stratified and structured, that we usually live among members close to our own socio economic class. And compared to them our consumption patterns are not so atypical. But in the end we are materialistic, always trying to keep up with others, always sensitive to what things others have acquired.
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Whether we deceive ourselves successfully or not, we are all part of a rather contemptuous, consumption cult. Much evidence now exists, suggesting that it is not things, more money in the bank, or that new inboard power boat; no, what appears to be important is how we tend to nourish our souls. And such spiritual contentment is not measured by things. So just sit back, relax and thumb your nose at those peevish, petulant and irrelevant Joneses who live across the street.
Anyone who considers themselves a coffee lover is probably familiar with Keurig single-serve coffee machines. I am a big fan of them as they are quick, relatively inexpensive and practical for getting a quick on-thego cup of java. Recently, Keurig announced a new product for a different kind of beverage lover: the Keurig Kold. This single-serve Keurig machine is similar to its older brother as it has a water tank and pumps out singleserve drinks — the only difference is that it gives the consumer a soft drink rather than a hot cup of coffee. Keurig is offering various brand name drinks including Coca Cola, Sprite, Root Beer and more. When I first heard about this invention I was quite excited about the prospect of having instant, readyto-go cold drinks. Unfortunately, a few minutes of research about this product left me feeling disappointed and wondering who in their right mind thought this was an acceptable product to send to the shelves. There is literally nothing practical about the execution of this product, how it operates, its cost or any other aspect of the machine. Allow me to educate you on the wonder that is the “Keurig Kold.” This countertop appliance has a bigger ecological footprint than the regular Keurigs and weighs twice as much as the average microwave. This means it is too large to be practical as a machine left on the counter, but far too heavy to be portable. It costs $400 up front in Canada. The price of one or even two good mini fridges would make a smaller dent in your wallet and be more versatile than
this machine, which only accepts brand name Keurig pods to spit out soft drinks. Speaking of the pods, those little bad boys are going to cost you roughly $1.50 a piece. That’s not a typo — they cost literally more than it would cost to buy a can of coke from a vending machine. Which, by the way, gives you a larger serving size of 12 ounces while the Keurig Kold only pumps out a measly eight. A 12-pack of any brand name pop will at most cost you $6 for 12 cans — which is only 50 cents per drink, while also giving you a better bang for your buck since there is 33 per cent more substance than in the Keurig. The fact this product made it past the research and development stage makes me question how Keurig has seen so much success thus far. This product sounds more like the rejected proposal from the starting round of ideas a first-year nonbusiness New Venture group came up with. It is truly astonishing that a well-established company could put out such a useless, wasteful, expensive product and feel alright about it. The only reasonable argument that could possibly be made in favor of this monstrous energy sucking piece of machinery is the convenience it offers. Maybe you’re about to sit down to enjoy your favourite Thursday night sitcom and fizzy chilly beverage only to realize you forgot to replace the cans of Coca Cola in the fridge. In this case you could theoretically quickly “brew” yourself an ice cold drink using the Keurig Kold in a matter of seconds. Personally, I think if you’re in a time crunch, then ice cubes are a better alternative if you need a cool drink on short notice, but that’s just one man’s opinion. To sum things up, I suppose that if you’ve got $400 burning a hole in your pocket, you’re eager to crowd up your countertop and commit to $1.50 pods that kill the environment, then the Keurig Kold is certainly a product that is worth checking out.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
Sports
• 15 SPORTS EDITOR DREW YATES dyates@thecord.ca
BASKETBALL
BASKETBALL
Streak goes cold KILLIAN CUPPAGE STAFF WRITER
ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR
Guard Nicole Morrison battles a Gael defender during Laurier’s 64-61 loss.
Field goal frustrations Hawks fall under .500 with two losses JOSH PETERS STAFF WRITER
If the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks were looking to avenge last year’s quarter-final loss against the Queen’s Gaels on Friday night, it wasn’t meant to be. Last year, the Hawks lost to the Gaels in double overtime, putting a premature end to their playoff run. This year, Laurier suffered another loss to the Gaels when they dropped their first contest 64-61 on home court. Trying to end the 2015 portion of the season on a high note, the Hawks failed to take advantage of a two-game home stand when they lost 77-65 to the lowly York Lions. The two losses drop them to 3-4 on the season heading into the winter break. The Hawks put forth a spirited effort against Queen’s and had the opportunity to grind out the win. “We competed extremely hard and we didn’t have a great shooting night, but we were right there,” said head coach Paul Falco on the game against Queen’s. “We had a couple chances to pull it out and I thought that effort was really good.” However that same intensity did not carry forward into Saturday night’s game. The Hawks were dominated down low by York’s Taylor McAlpine, who had 22 points in the paint. That, combined with a dismal 18-of-76 (23.7 per cent) field goal percentage resulted to a definitive loss at the hands of the worst team in the Ontario University Athletics East division. Falco tried multiple combinations of players to try to spark some offence, but could never find the right mix. “Today we were searching for someone who could knock down some shots, because we really struggled from the field. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen us shoot 23 per cent from the floor. So we were trying to find different people and we never really got into an offensive flow,” he said. Despite York’s place in the stand-
“I think they were a little hungrier than we were to be honest.”
-Paul Falco, women’s basketball head coach
ings, the Lions played with a tenacity that outmatched their opponents and according to Falco, played at a pace the Hawks just could not match. “I think they were a little hungrier than we were to be honest,” he said. “They played a little more up tempo in terms of their explosiveness attacking the basket and their ability to drive and create odd man attack put a lot of pressure on the back side of our defence. I think you have to give them credit for coming out and playing a good basketball game.” Third-year guard Nicole Morrison provided a bright spot for Laurier, as she finished with a team-high 22 points on the night. However starting forward Alex Spadaro went down late in the fourth quarter with an apparent injury and sat out the rest of the game. “She was pretty shaken up,” said Falco. “She’s got a couple weeks now to recover. We have a break now so hopefully she’ll be okay and back at it sooner rather than later.” Falco would like to see his team come back from the winter break with the edge that has made them successful over the last couple of seasons, so they can begin climbing the standings in the second half of the campaign. “We have to find a way to learn from it. Some tough losses can be good if you learn from your mistakes. We have some time to review it and see what we have to do to be better next time out,” he said. The Hawks will be back from the break Wednesday, January 13 for their next regular season game against the Brock Badgers at 6 p.m. at the Athletic Complex.
After a hot start to the season, the Wilfrid Laurier men’s basketball team’s momentum came to a halt as they lost their last two games of the 2015 portion of the season. The losses bring the Hawks to an overall record of 4-3 heading into the break. Head coach Peter Campbell was not pleased with his team’s showing this past weekend. “Very disappointed in our play this weekend,” Campbell said. “We worked hard to get into a good position in our league going into the weekend. [We] didn’t run or shoot well consistently in the two games.” The team’s issues are mostly on the defensive end. The Hawks allowed the Queen’s Gaels to gather 17 offensive rebounds in Friday night’s loss and then blew a lead going into the fourth quarter, giving up 31 points in the final frame to lose to the York Lions Saturday night. “Our interior defence let us down Friday. Our perimeter defence was terrible Saturday,” Campbell said. “The worst part is that we could have won both games, so that is frustrating.” Otherwise, the offence had been stellar when the Hawks played with a high-tempo pace. However that high-paced, run-and-gun offence can only happen if the defence gets stops and closes out possessions with a rebound. The Hawks currently lead Ontario University Athletics in field goal attempts, but are second last in the rebound margin, as their opponents out-rebound Laurier by 5.7 rebounds per game. Coach Campbell hopes a more consistent defensive and rebounding
effort, coupled with the commitment to be a running team on offence can help the team get back on track when they come back from the break. One of the lone bright spots for the Hawks this past weekend was Luke Allin. The second-year forward had his two most impressive scoring outputs of the year, finishing with 20 points against Queen’s and putting 17 points on the board versus York. Allin was on fire from three-point land during the weekend, draining six out of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc, and is shooting a very efficient 51.6 per cent for threepoint attempts this season, good for seventh best in the OUA. With an increased commitment to run on offence, Campbell anticipates this will lead his team to get to the rim more, which he hopes will execute better. “Our players need to continue to improve at playing against the defence and we have to improve at getting to the rim. The offence is working well when we play with pace and commit to it. We need to continue our execution,” he said. The Hawks have a handful of talented players and Campbell’s expectations are that veterans will lead by example and will be ready to contribute on the floor when the season resumes. “The veterans need to lead by example over the next few weeks,” he explained. “Setting a positive example in their commitment to fitness. They need to play well once we start playing.” The Hawks are back in action on January 13 when they host the Brock Badgers at 8 p.m. at the Athletic Complex.
16 • SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
HOCKEY
‘Little things’ cause loss DREW YATES SPORTS EDITOR
It was the little things that beat the Wilfrid Laurier men’s hockey team. The Hawks saw their two-game winning streak come to an end Saturday night after a 2-1 loss to the Windsor Lancers, just a game after a valiant victory over the Ryerson Rams 3-1 last Thursday night in Toronto. The loss drops the Hawks to ninth place with an overall record of 6-8, two points behind their rivals the Waterloo Warriors, Toronto Varsity Blues and Brock Badgers. The Hawks hold two games in hand coming into the end of the first half of the season. “We needed two points today, it’d be huge in the standings and we didn’t get it done,” said captain Greg Cerilli. “We can obviously play better. We didn’t have many scoring chances, that result from not many shots. We had [23] shots, that’s not acceptable at home on our ice.” According to Cerilli, nothing was working in the Hawks’ favour — Laurier didn’t stick to their game plan, the power play wasn’t working and the Hawks didn’t take many shots or create scoring opportunities. Even though Laurier scored early with a goal from Matt Dupont six minutes into the first period, the Lancers responded halfway through the period. “Annoyed. Frustrated. Just not a good effort for our team tonight,” head coach Greg Puhalski said. “We were never able to find any balance
or any rhythm to our game, it was destroyed from the very first drop of the puck.” The score remained tied at 1-1 until the third period when Seguin solved Laurier’s second-year goaltender Colin Furlong and gave the Lancers a 2-1 lead. The Hawks turned on the pressure in the last five minutes, but could not find the equalizer. Furlong ended the night with 24 saves. Puhalski said if the Hawks want to find success, they need to play with desperation all the time. If the Hawks don’t put in the effort, they aren’t going to find success on the ice. “Whenever you play sports if you don’t have your effort, and your intensity’s not there, then you better be really highly skilled, like a Crosby or an Ovechkin,” Puhalski said. “It’s the same lesson for all teams. If you don’t have your intensity, if you don’t have your work ethic, if your effort isn’t a part of your game, however you want to phrase it. If it’s not there, then it’s going to be a disjointed, mumbling, fumbling kind of game like it was for us
tonight.” The Hawks still have two more games to end the first half of the season on a high note. They host the Guelph Gryphons at 11 a.m., on Thursday morning before travelling to play the No. 10 York Lions on Friday night. To Cerilli, this loss isn’t devastating to the Hawks — there’s plenty of hockey left. “It’s not the end of the world. It is another game on the schedule, although it meant a lot to us in the room. It’s over with, we lost,” Cerilli said. “Nice thing is we have a chance on Thursday in front of a packed house to beat Guelph.”
“We can obviously play we better. We didn’t have many scoring chances, that results from not many shots.” -Greg Cerilli, fourth-year left winger
PHOTOS BY WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR
Hawks scoring drought ends DANIEL JOHNSON STAFF WRITER
On the last game before the winter break, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women’s hockey team exploded offensively to break their scoring drought. The Hawks defeated the York Lions 5-1 on Sunday. This gives the Hawks 19 points going into the break and puts
PHOTOS BY WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR
them in seventh place with an overall record of 6-0-4-1. “Really battled hard right from the beginning, which is something that we really wanted to work on this year,” first-year goaltender Lauren Webber said. “Overall as a team we played really well. It was really nice to get that win tonight especially after the last couple games.” With the new Ontario University Athletics system in place this year, head coach Rick Osborne knows the importance of getting the three points in regulation. According to Osborne, it is important to win a series where every point matters. “[The series] was 2-1 so getting the three [points] in regulation gives us the series. The way the OUA is shaping up you want to win every season series you can against teams because it’s going to be bunched up in this league.” The Hawks used a number of tactics to get the win, including running many different line combinations and using these changes to impact the pace of the game. Osborne said the first few lines he used were heavy on speed, while the other two lines focused more on hockey IQ. “That seemed to be a nice formula for not having to short-
en the bench and whatever was working,” he said. “If the speedy players weren’t thinking so well we’d put the thinkers on the ice and we would read [the players].” The game was even keeled within one goal until Erika Kiviaho put the second tally on the board for the Hawks and momentum swung. Osborne said the Hawks really needed to step up their game if they were going to solve the York goaltender. “Their goalie was the OUA player of the week last week and had a couple of big games. We really needed to get her out of her rhythm and I thought that second goal was the catalyst to move us to a win.”
“As a team we played really well. It was really nice to get that win tonight especially after the last couple games.” -Lauren Webber, first-year goaltender
With that in mind, Osborne praised rookie goaltender Webber, who made 26 saves throughout the night. “We didn’t give her any easy saves from the perimeter. She had to be on alert because there were pucks and bodies all over the net more often than we’ve seen in the last few games of play.” But much more needs to be done if the Hawks are going to have a strong second half to the season. Osborne would like to see the Hawks change up their strategy a little bit, even during some “safer” plays. “I thought our second period sagged a little bit even on some kills, some safe plays,” Osborne said. “When you got the long change I would like to see us bank pucks off the boards a little. Rather than try to go up the middle that’s just too high risk minimal gain.” Going into the break, Webber is optimistic the Hawks can carry the momentum through to the second half of the season. “We can battle hard for all three periods. We can for the whole season. And we finally proved that we can tonight,” she said.