The Cord February 26, 2020

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 60 ISSUE 19 • FEBRUARY 26, 2020

ICU : RESPONDING TO EXHIBIT

IT HAPPENS HERE

STUDENT STRATEGY

SUMMER SAVINGS

BATTLING BURNOUT

CURLING CHAMPS

New campaign aims to educate KW region

Students’ Union assesses campus needs

Local travel on a student budget

How to push through the rest of the semester

Men’s and women’s teams pull through

News, page 3

News, page 4

Arts & Life, page 10

Opinion, page 13

Sports, page 15

2 •

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

STRIKE A CORD What's your go-to breakfast?

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The Cord

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CordNews THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 26

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

1616: Roman Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo demanding he abandon his belief in heliocentrism, which states the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun. 1797: Bank of England issues first £1 note.

1863: Abraham Lincoln signs National Currency Act, establishes single national US currency.

“Eggs benedict with home fries.”

- Alyssa Di Sabatino, Arts and Life Editor

1916: Mutual signs Charlie Chaplin to a film contract.

1917: First jazz records recorded - "Dixie Jazz Band One Step" and "Livery Stable Blues" by Original Dixieland Jass Band for the Victor Talking Machine Company.

1930: New York City installed traffic lights.

“I love a good shredded potato.”

1935: NY Yankees release Babe Ruth, he signs with Boston Braves.

– Sophia Cole, News Editor DARIEN FUNK/PHOTO EDITOR

1944: First female US navy captain, Sue Dauser of nurse corps, appointed.

1952: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Britain had developed an atomic bomb.

“A peanut butter sandwich and a banana.”

1975: First televised kidney transplant (Today Show).

– Kash Patel, Web Director

1983: Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album goes #1 and stays #1 for 37 weeks.

1987: NBA's Michael Jordan's 58 points in one game is a Chicago Bulls record.

2017: 89th Academy Awards: Best Picture goes to Moonlight after La La Land was mistakenly announced first.

“I look at breakfast like a hobbit does — it's definitely the best meal of the day. Fuck me up with pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast. I want it all."

2009: The Simpsons is set to become longest running US TV show. Fox said that it has renewed The Simpsons for two more years, which confirms that the animated series will become the longest-running prime time TV series.

– Emily Waitson, Editor-inChief "Strike a Cord" is a compilation of staff responses to a groundbreaking question.

NEXT ISSUE

OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Victoria Marshall copyeditor@thecord.ca

CORD STAFF

SPORTS EDITOR Mark Cascagnette sports@thecord.ca

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Waitson editor@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Jamie Mere graphics@thecord.ca

CORDCAST PRODUCERS Jade Hosick, Victoria Marshall cordcast@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Brit Kovacs creative@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Darien Funk photos@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Kashyap Patel online@thecord.ca

ONLINE EDITOR Kathleen McCullough online@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Sophia Cole news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR VACANT video@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Riley Locke news@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER VACANT news@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Alyssa Di Sabatino arts@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER VACANT photos@thecord.ca

MARCH 5, 2020

EVENTS COORIDNATOR

Ranjit Saini

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Hayley McGoldrick Jana Ibrahim Jennifer Webb Laura Thompson Jackson Carse Ian Schakel Kaitlin Mckillop

"Shining a light human trafficking in the Waterloo region " - Sophia Cole

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Kurtis Rideout at kurtis.rideout@wlusp.com or 519-884-0710 ext. 3560.

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.

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for principal photography.

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The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 4,500 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.

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.

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnawbe, and Haudenosaunee peoples.

Quote of the Week "He's an environmental daddy.”

- News Editor, Sophia Cole, while talking about David Sazuki.

• 3

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

News

NEWS EDITOR SOPHIA COLE news@thecord.ca

SAFETY

Shining a light on human trafficking in the Waterloo region SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

It Happens Here, a new campaign surrounding the topic of human trafficking in the Waterloo region, is drawing attention to the disturbing reality that human trafficking isn’t quite as far from home as many people believe.

The project aims to dispel the myth that human trafficking is something that only happens elsewhere, and to provide the community with information and resources to help them protect themselves against human trafficking, specifically vulnerable populations like young women and girls.

Over 90 per cent of human trafficking cases in Canada are domestic cases, meaning they occur entirely within Canadian borders, and 70 per cent of those reported cases occur in Ontario.

And these statistics do not include the cases which go unreported.

The campaign was put together by the Waterloo regions multi-disciplinary response to combat human trafficking committee, drawing

insight from many organizations including the Waterloo Regional Police Service, Victim Services of Waterloo Region, Waterloo Region Sexual Assault/ Domestic Violence Treatment Centre, Ray of Hope, Family and Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region and A Survivor of Human Trafficking.

The project was funded by a $10,000 grant from the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Service, allowing the region to devote the required time and resources into developing a locally-based program rather than relying solely on national programs or programs tailored to other regions.

Prior to this campaign, the research and development team found that there was a lack of formal education in Waterloo on the topic of human trafficking, which could leave the public uninformed and vulnerable.

“So what we found was that, at the time of the needs assessment, no education was being provided in Waterloo region high schools and there was also a high degree of

support from parents and educators,” said Sarah Gilbert, project manager.

“So, for instance, 96 per cent of parents indicated that they definitely would be in support of high school students receiving information on human trafficking awareness and prevention.”

During the development process, looking into previous projects of covering similar subject matter, drawing influence from other projects such as the RCMP’s national “I’m not for sale” campaign and toolkit.

“They had a youth awareness toolkit … this toolkit included posters, a Powerpoint presentation and a booklet. We really liked this format and the RCMP indicated to us that they had success with it so we decided to model our toolkit in the same fashion and we also created a website to act as a hub for information and for accessing the toolkit,” said Gilbert.

On the campaign website, ithappenshere.org, there is a wealth of knowledge surrounding the

Launch your path to success

topic of human trafficking in the Waterloo region, as well as a toolkit which can be used for educational purposes in a variety of settings such as in classrooms or during seminars or presentations.

The toolkit includes a Powerpoint presentation, a booklet and a poster which are available upon request through the website.

“The presentation is designed so that anyone can deliver it, you don’t necessarily need to have knowledge in the subject matter,” Gilbert said.

The toolkit covers everything from the definition of human trafficking to a breakdown of the local statistics on human trafficking in Waterloo. It also provides tips for recognizing luring behaviours and how to protect yourself in a variety of different contexts.

One of the most striking aspects of the campaign is the imagery used in the posters. On one side of the poster is an attractive man with a sinister grin, on the other side is an image of a predatory wolf bearing its teeth, bringing new life

to the age-old trope of the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The committee’s vision for the poster was brought to fruition by local Waterloo graphic designer, Bob Bender.

“They didn’t want to go with something like the usual imagery of girls looking sad, because really that image is sort of after the fact,” said Julia Manuel, Chair of the multidisciplinary response to combat human trafficking committee and Director of the sexual assault and domestic violence treatment centre.

“It begins with a person who presents themselves as something they’re not.”

The simple yet effective concept catches people’s attention and provides viewers with some quick facts on human trafficking and resources they can reach out to for help.

“The most important message that we want to send is that there is help out there for people who are in this lifestyle if they want to get out,” Manuel said.

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4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

CAMPUS

Students’ Union shifts focus to strategic plan SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

With elections coming to an end, the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union has shifted its focus for the remainder of the winter term towards revamping the strategic plan.

The board of directors will dedicate the majority of their efforts for the remainder of the semester towards assessing the needs of the student body and reworking the strategic plan in order to reflect those needs.

“The main goal for myself and for the board for the remaining two months is going to be the strategic plan,” said CEO and Chair of the board of directors, Owen Bourrie.

“Obviously we’re in the process of redoing the strategic plan, it’s not that is necessarily needs to be completely reinvented, but I just want to make sure that it’s still reflective of what the students want and what the students need.”

In order to assess the needs of the student body, surveys were sent out to students to get a grasp on what big picture issues are on their minds.

“The first survey that we sent out that we spend the majority of the night talking about tonight was relatively higher level, so we want to

figure out the main concerns that students have had and are having,” Bourrie said.

“Then come this Friday, when the committee meets up again we’re going to kind of address those key themes and then create targeted surveys to kind of unpack that broader idea a little bit better to really figure out what students want so we can tweak our strategic plan to kind of encompass what the student’s needs are and how we can better address them.”

Through the strategic plan surveys, the students’ union hopes to develop a way which they can catch the attention of students who choose not to engage with extracuricullar engagement on campus, despite being aware of them.

“One big thing that I’ve found that I really want to address is the people who aren’t engaged and know they aren’t engaged, they know how to get engaged but they’re still choosing not to be engaged,” continued Bourrie.

“So, what we want to try to do as an organization from a strategic and operational standpoint is create that link between volunteering, getting that extra experience outside the classroom, and how it’s going to benefit you down the road.”

By conducting more events

DARIEN FUNK/PHTOT EDITOR

which highlight the connection between involvement within the students’ union and the organiza-

tions it emcompasses and professional sucess after graduation, the students’ union hopes to garner more interest.

“I think a lot of people are aware of what the students’ union does but they just don’t really see how it’s going to benefit them, so we just wanna close that gap.”

Another core focus for the remainder of the term will be ownership linkage – how the board of directors and the students’ union as a whole can ensure they are meeting the need of the students as best they can.

“The whole basis of the strategic plan is to engage with the students,” Bourrie said.

“Something that I learned during the elections process and was a

pretty common theme throughout the strategic plan survey result that we just go back [was that] Brantford students were feeling a little bit neglected so we think we’re going to try to do our next ownership linkage event on the Brantford campus.”

“I think a lot of the time the Brantford students don’t feel like they necessarily receive the same amount of attention as the waterloo students and obviously we don’t want that to be the case.”

Owership linkage with the Brantford campus student body in particular will be a priority, with more efforts to provide the them with the same attention and opportunities as the students on the Waterloo campus.

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 PUBLIC HEALTH

Novel coronavirus update: travel ban extended Wilfrid Laurier University has released information surrounding the travel to China during the outbreak SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University has recently extended its travel ban due to the recent progression of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Previously, the travel ban had halted all university-sanctioned travel to China.

However, it has now been extended to all countries that Global Affairs Canada has assessed as “Exercise a High Degree of Caution.”

As of right now, this includes both China and South Korea, but Laurier will continue to monitor the Global Affairs Canada travel advisory and post any updates each day by 12 p.m.

This travel cancelations include any exchanges, research placements, field courses, conferences, university business travel and any other travel which has been authorized by or is affiliated with Laurier.

Students who are overseas and unable to return due to any form of travel restriction are encouraged to

contact their appropriate academic advisors or program coordinators to learn how to proceed.

When it comes to personal travel, Laurier encourages students, staff, faculty and all community members to monitor the Global Affairs Canada travel advisory website and make informed decisions when planning travel.

Despite the mass concern, Ontario is still a low risk area regarding the novel coronavirus and as of right now, there have only been three confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus out of the 593 that have been investigated the province, all of which have been resolved.

The best way for students to continue to mitigate risks is to avoid non-essential travel to countries affected by the coronavirus and to exercise good hygiene practices.

“I think just as a precautionary measure, all good practices [like] handwashing thoroughly with soap and water, using hand sanitizers, sneezing or coughing into your elbow, staying at home or in your

residence room if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms,” said said Tony Araujo, vice-president of finance and administration at Laurier.

“Those are the standard things you want to think about.”

“If they’ve got fever, cough, difficulty breathing they should really report to a medical professional.”

For those who are feeling overwhelmed by massive amounts of information and speculation on the novel coronavirus, or are worried about the health of themselves, their friends or their families who may live in affected areas, there are a variety of places which can provide emotional support and help to ease any anxieties.

The wellness centres on both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses provide a variety of mental health services available by appointment.

The Waterloo campus is also home to the Delton Glebe councilling centre which provides holistic councilling services to members of the Laurier and Waterloo community.

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6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

STAFF

Laurier appoints new vice-president of academics HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK CORD ALUM

Laurier has appointed a new provost and vice-president: academic to succeed Maureen Mancuso who has served as the interim replacement since August of 2019.

Anthony Vannelli, the current provost and vice-president: academic at the University of Saskatchewan, will join Laurier effective Aug. 1, 2020 after serving in his current position since 2017.

Mansuco, who Vannelli will be succeeding, held the position for 11 years at the University of Guelph before joining the team at Laurier.

“Dr. Vannelli is ideally suited to be Laurier’s next provost and vice-president: academic.

He has been a faculty member, departmental chair, a dean and a provost at three excellent institutions [UWaterloo, UGuelph and USaskatchewan],” said Wilfrid Laurier University president and vice-chancellor Deborah MacLatchy in an email statement.

“He’ll be able to transition easily because he knows the Ontario system while also bringing ideas about best practices from another province.”

Vannelli’s hiring is the second replacement of a major senior leadership role at Laurier for the fall of 2020, after the announcement that David McMurray would be retiring as vice-president of student affairs in June. Laurier also hired Heidi Northwood as the SEO of the Brantford campus in the summer of 2019, slowly piecing together a strong executive leadership team.

The previous provost and vice-president: academic was Rob Gordon, who departed in 2019 after he was named president and vice-chancellor of the University of Windsor.

Vannelli has also had tenures at the University of Waterloo as an associate dean of research and external partnerships, as well as serving as the dean of the college of engineering and physical sciences at the University of Guelph.

“He brings a wealth of experience as a student-focused academic leader who has successfully built academic programs, supported research engagement, and worked in a multi-campus university,” MacLatchy continued in an email statement.

“These are all areas critical to

Laurier’s success as we concentrate on a key priority of our strategic vision, a focus on future readiness of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.”

The role of the provost and vice-president: academic is to oversee experiential learning, community engagement and academic integrity, not only of current students but to also prepare the next generation of Golden Hawks for their time at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The responsibility also includes giving strategic direction for shared services and academic programming, budget and academic planning, resource allocation and academic labour relations.

“His collaborative and collegial style is a great fit for our thriving and inclusive community, one in which our goal is that every member feels welcome and contributes,” MacLatchy concluded in an email statement.

Bringing years of experience and knowledge to Laurier, other roles that have prepared Vannelli are his position as the chair of the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Waterloo where he helped advance

Mandela Struggle for Freedom On exhibit February 7 to August 3, 2020

THE EXHIBITION FOR EVERYONE WHO REFUSES TO SEE THE WORLD IN BLACK AND WHIITE.

Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum 10 Huron Road, Kitchener 519-748-1914 Deaf and hard of hearing (TTY): 519-575-4608 www.waterlooregionmuseum.ca Mandela: Struggle for Freedom was developed by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (Winnipeg, Canada), in partnership with the Apartheid Museum (Johannesburg, South Africa). Tour management services provided by Lord Cultural Resources.

Developed by:

DARIEN FUNK/PHOTO EDITOR

women in engineering as well as creating the first nanotechnology program for the school.

Vannelli has also been named a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) university research fellow, a role that he

held at the University of Toronto.

Laurier is rounding out their senior leadership team with the addition of Vannelli before they look to fill a large gap that will be left in McMurray’s role in the following months.

Mandela Talks Apartheid in South Africa, with Dr. Christopher Taylor Sunday, March 8, 1 to 3 p.m.

Join University of Waterloo professor, Dr. Christopher Taylor, as he discusses the topics of racism and apartheid in South Africa. Afterwards, explore the exhibit.

A Conversation on Human Rights in South Africa, with Patrick Case Saturday, April 18, 1 to 2 p.m.

Join us as we host Patrick Case, a renowned researcher on the topic of genocide and international issues. Case will explore human rights issues in Apartheid Africa and Mandela’s work to unite the country. He will speak to his first-hand experience in South Africa during their inaugural democratic election. Afterwards, explore the exhibit.

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Media partners:

GAMES • 7

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8 • PHOTO

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

LAYOUT BY BRIT KOVACS

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY THEMUSEUM

ARTS & LIFE • 9

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

THEMUSEUM PRESENTS:

ALARM

Alyssa Di Sabatino, Arts & Life Editor, discusses the details of the four exhibitions tackling climate change in Waterloo Region

On Jan 24. THEMUSEUM officially launched the ALARM: Responding to Our Climate Emergency exhibit.

ALARM features a total of four exhibits, with the most recent one, SPECTRUM: The Climate Emergency Experience opening this past week at The Shops at Waterloo Town Square.

The other three exhibits are Agents for Change: Facing the Anthropocene, MELTING ICE and EXTINCTION, all of which are being hosted at THEMUSEUM in Kitchener.

“There were just so many points of conversation that we thought, ‘lets do four separate iterations of the overall theme of ALARM.’ The interactive one allows people to see climate change in a very unique way, as does Agents for Change… it just made so much sense that THEMUSEUM would shine a light on that and weigh in on [the] climate,” said David Marskell, CEO of THEMUSEUM. The first exhibit, Agents for Change: Facing the Anthropocene, is co-curated by Nina Czegledy and Jane Tingley and features works from female artists surrounding

the theme of ecological change in relation to science, technology and art.

“Agents for Change: Facing the Anthropocene [is] art and technology at play at a very high level. It’s a wonderful, cool exhibition curated by two women and they have chosen ten women artists from around the world. So it’s a very world-class exhibition, and it’s very cool to see the new media art on display and it’s all talking about climate in a unique way around adaptation and about the future, so that’s kind of the number one exhibit at the museum,” said Marskell.

Despite the finished and fleshed out idea for the exhibit, the idea for ALARM: Responding to Our Climate Emergency, had started at a completely different point, explained Marskell.

“Just over a year ago, we were thinking about doing an exhibit on technology — women and technology — and we thought about doing women artists in tech work … sort of the art technology at play theme, but as we got into the conversation we quickly turned our attention to the importance of how we’re de-

stroying this planet,” Marskell said.

Next is the MELTING ICE exhibit, which features photography from local photographers Ben Eby and Brian Riddell.

It’s very much an education based exhibition which allows our teachers or staff to talk to families, school groups visiting... it aligns with curriculum of the province.

-David Marskell, CEO of THEMUSEUM

“Brian Ridell, he went to the Arctic and captured amazing photography of the icebergs and of the melting ice and so on, in the topic of our planet. And Eby, he went to the Antarctic and similarly took images of melting ice and captured waterways where, the last time he visited, it was sheer ice — it’s the

first-time people have ever seen it melted,” said Marskell.

The third exhibit, EXTINCTION, features 8 live habitats of South American and exotic frogs as well as other amphibians and reptiles.

“It makes you look and see the wonderful things that we have on this planet that are disappearing at an alarming rate,” said Marskell.

“It’s very much an education based exhibition which allows our teachers or staff to talk to families, school groups visiting... it aligns with the curriculum of the province. So that’s pretty cool to see.”

The final exhibit, SPECTRUM: The Climate Emergency Experience is an interactive pop-up that features immersive installations, and is geared towards young adults and social media users.

Most notably, SPECTRUM features an immersive mirror exhibit that displays the words “Save The.” Underneath it, quickly rotating words appear and, upon photographing, one of the 900 words in the database appear.

“You need to stand there and take an image and see what word comes up for you ... so it could

come up saying “Save The Whales.”

It’s kind of cool, it’s yours, it’s very personalized to you as you stand there and take the shot,” said Marskell.

“To me that’s one of the great examples of the interaction and the fun part of it because, you know we need to make change and everything, but it can’t be a dire conversation. We need to be able to experience this in our own ways to help us make change.”

Ultimately, Marskell said the signs that the ecosystem is collapsing are there and need to be addressed.

“If you go through it you will experience climate emergency in a whole different way… and my hope is that they’re talking about it — they’re talking about climate change and what they need to do, and what they need their parents to do, or what they need their teachers to do and that type of thing. But it is being very well received and at THEMUSEUM, we’re getting a real cross section of individuals,” said Marskell.

10 • ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

TRAVEL to have fun and enjoy yourself even when you’re living frugally.

With the combination of reading week and slightly warmer weather (we’re in the positives now), I couldn’t help but think of how the semester is already half way over and summer is basically around the corner. Basically.

Even though you might not be able to afford a two-week tropical vacation, there’s plenty of cheap and local vacation spots that are worth making the trip to this summer.

Start planning your trip now because if you’re interested in satisfying your travel-bug on a budget, this list has got you covered.

Port Dover

DARIEN FUNK/PHOTO EDITOR

Budget-friendly trip ideas for this summer ALYSSA DI SABATINO ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR

If there’s anything I’ve learned as

a student, it’s how to save money where I can.

At the same time though, there’s no reason not to make every effort

A trip from Waterloo to Port Dover clocks in at just under an hour and twenty minute drive and is basically the closest thing you’ll get to a tropical vacation in Ontario.

Port Dover is a community that is known for its cottage culture and beach scene.

The beach has authentic palm trees, cute shops and restaurants and lots of local attractions.

It’s a pretty quaint area, but the beaches see a lot of young adults during the summer months.

This location is perfect for day-tripping, but if you want to

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extend your stay, there are plenty of rentable cottages in the area.

Prince Edward County This is a lengthier trip at just under a three-hour drive, but Prince Edward County is worth the trek.

Prince Edward County has a lot of local history with its 19th century buildings, historic museums and even an Edwardian Opera House.

There’s plenty to do, like going swimming at the provincial park, taking a ferry across the lake, stopping by a lavender farm or visiting some wineries.

While it’s not the cheapest place to visit on this list, it’s definitely worth looking into if you’re looking for a trip that is both scenic and culturally enriched.

Turkey Point This is probably the best budget friendly place to visit, especially if you’re an outdoorsy person.

Located in the Lake Erie area, Turkey Point is only an hour and a half away from Waterloo and is the perfect trip for those who are into hiking, cycling, ziplining and all things active.

Since it’s on a lake there’s lots of swimming opportunities, and when you’re tuckered out from being active all day you can rent

out a campsite, pitch a tent and get cozy — like I said, super budget-friendly.

Wasaga Beach At just about a two hour drive from Waterloo, Wasaga Beach is a good spot to travel to if you’re looking for something fun to do.

Located in Georgian Bay, you can visit the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, check out one of the many canoe routes or get a better view of the Niagara Escarpment.

And obviously, since it’s a beach, you can do some swimming and tanning too.

Peterborough Although unsuspecting, Peterborough makes a pretty good spot to do some local sight-seeing.

Waterloo to Peterborough is just over a 2 hour drive, and features attractions like the Petroglyphs Provincial Park, where you can learn about Indigenous culture and murals, and the Crown Game Reserve where you can see some wildlife that you can’t see in Waterloo.

You can go spelunking and hiking in Peterborough too, or maybe stop by Trent University and check out the campus.

ARTS & LIFE • 11

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 GLOBAL

The repercussions of coronavirus fearmongering way?” Ironstone said.

To me, the answer is no. If we started talking about the coronavirus as the strand of pneumonia that it is, we take the foreignness away from it and it becomes a familiarity.

Maybe then we wouldn’t associate certain groups of people to being infected and contagious and subject them to oppression.

Most importantly, we need to understand the masks. “The masks are symbolic themselves,” Ironstone said.

“There are people who wear masks to try and calm other people down, but the problem is that others are projecting ideas onto that saying they must be sick.”

KATELYN TUFFORD STAFF WRITER

The coronavirus was unprecedented, but so is the racism that has come along with it.

Before we even knew anything about the coronavirus, all of the drugstores in Kitchener-Waterloo were sold out of hand sanitizer.

One month later, supposed discount retailers were marking up packages of non-certified surgical masks for triple the price.

While this was absurd to me, perhaps the most upsetting part is the oppression and racism that continues to be inflicted on certain groups of people.

Risk communication professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, Penelope Ironstone, says that we tend to attach the idea of a disease to particular people.

If we stopped referring to coronavirus as such and started referring to it as ‘viral pneumonia’, would we talk about it the same way?

The biggest epidemic is the hysterical epidemic, and that’s changing lived experiences for people who have no relationship to Wuhan at all.

-Penelope Ironstone, Risk communication professor

“In these instances, when a particular person is coughing, it is the idea that they might be contagious,” Ironstone said.

“You can project particular fears and threads onto that person, and by keeping separate you can sort of use this psychological idea that you can keep yourself immune from an illness.”

-Penelope Ironstone, Risk communication professor

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Although the coronavirus may be new to us, the racism around it is not. Ironstone said that “it happened around swine flu and it happened around SARS.” The ideas that we’re making up in our heads affect our actions towards others. “It gets projected onto particular groups of people.

The racism around this has been shot, it is as though we learned nothing from the SARS experience in 2002-2003,” Ironstone said.

It doesn’t help that there is a major flaw in the communication around public health right now

that is helping build these fears and anxieties instead of calming people down.

“The biggest epidemic is the hysterical epidemic, and that’s changing lived experiences for people who have no relationship to Wuhan at all,” Ironstone said.

The hysteria isn’t the biggest epidemic; it’s massive. It’s the reason why surgical masks are being marked up, why hand sanitizer is backordered on Amazon, and why I’ve seen my peers walking to class in hazmat suits.

It’s also the reason why my Chi-

nese peers (and people who others assume are Chinese) feel isolated from society now more than ever.

It is 2020, a year of apparent tragedy, and we are bullying people into isolation just as we did through SARS 17 years ago.

This leads me to wonder if it is the discourse around the virus that’s causing these fears within people, rather than the actual virus itself.

“If we stopped referring to coronavirus as such and started referring to it as ‘viral pneumonia’, would we talk about it the same

As Canadians, we pride ourselves in multiculturalism and diversity.

Why is it, then, that we are treating our classmates and neighbours differently now that this outbreak has occurred oceans away? Where is the support for those struggling in Wuhan?

If you want to stay protected, the most effective thing you can do is wash your hands often with soap and water. The least effective thing you can do is drive your peers out of class for coughing into their sleeve.

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12 •

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

Editor’s Note: Problems with people-pleasing EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always strived to be a people-pleaser.

It’s an aspect about myself that I’ve accepted without much critical thought or question, even if it means that I expend more mental energy, effort and time than I can realistically deliver in a given day.

I’ve only just started to see how detrimental this quality can be on my mental health and my overall wellbeing, and more often than not, I don’t end up any happier or more fulfilled because of it. It’s usually quite the opposite.

I excessively apologize, even if something isn’t my fault. And if someone is upset, I have adopted the tendency to unnecessarily take on the responsibility of other people’s feelings.

My anxiety, coupled with my crippling fear of people thinking any less of me – or, God forbid, being mad at me – has caused me to be a “yes man” more often than not.

Somewhere along the way, I seemed to blur the meanings of kindness and people-pleasing together, and I’ve absorbed the notion that saying “no” equates meanness and being involved in any kind of confrontation that may arise in my life will automatically label me as an uncaring bitch.

I so desperately want to be seen as a nice person that I’ve had to work incredibly hard at gaining back the baseline of respect from people that I know I deserve.

In my professional and personal relationships, it doesn’t do me any favours to present myself as the ever-agreeable, nonchalant presence who isn’t honest when faced with situations that require criticism

— and could potentially turn into conflict as a result.

I would obsess over sounding just “right” in emails — never wanting to give the impression that I’m being too blunt, direct or unapproachable.

If you want messages littered with exclamation points, “sorry to bother yous” and happy faces, well, I’m your gal.

But I eventually started to realize that this ultimately hurts me more than it makes people like me.

It’s this attitude that contributed to my silence in relationships and friendships where I was unhappy or wanted to voice my concerns about something, but opted to keep my feelings to myself.

I needed to be perceived as easygoing and likeable, and deluded myself into thinking that this was the way to do it.

I’ve finally started to understand the difference between being a genuinely kind human being — which I will always strive to be — and a pushover.

I don’t have to be a doormat to be nice to someone and I don’t have to be an ogre to stand behind my standards or beliefs either.

Putting reasonable boundaries in place, giving myself time to consider a request before automatically saying “yes” to it and recognizing that I can be empathetic and assertive without having to sacrifice one or the other, are techniques that I’m starting to implement.

The leadership roles I’ve been in over the past few years have certainly put this mentality into perspective, and I’m finally beginning to learn how to better adapt to situations where my first impulse is to go along with everyone else just to keep the peace.

I probably won’t ever meet the directional standards of Miranda Priestly, but there’s certainly some merit to her management style and method of direction.

To simplify this into one, succinct message: you can be a nice person who doesn’t take any shit.

THE CORD IS PUBLISHED BY WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY STUDENT PUBLICATIONS 205 REGINA ST. N., WATERLOO

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TREASURER Kashyap Patel

CHAIR Aaron Waitson

PRESIDENT Aaron Waitson president@wlusp.com

VICE-CHAIR Alyssa Di Sabatino DIRECTOR Arshy Mann DIRECTOR Rosalind Horne DIRECTOR Emily Crump

FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com

ADVERTISING MANAGER Kurtis Rideout kurtis.rideout@wlusp. com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp. com HR MANAGER Maneesha Suresh hr@wlusp.com

EDITORIAL CARTOON

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Editorial: Is it too late to talk musical physics?

KASHYAP PATEL WEB DIRECTOR

Damn. No idea what to write about. But this is already super late (hopefully Emily won’t fire me) so it seems as good a time as any to let my mind wander and type whatever I’m thinking.

If I’m lucky, this may turn into a transcript of an interesting internal dialogue or monologue about something. 3 a.m. is a wonderful time for creativity.

So, here I sit listening to “Escape Artist” by Zoe Keating, my mind wandering back to eleven hours ago when I walked into the Long & McQuade on King for my violin lesson with the lovely Mildred Rieder.

Ah, here we go, a thought process: music. The physics of sound?

Maybe a bit too technical for 3 a.m.

It is interesting to note, though, the relationship between two notes an octave apart: on a piano, the frequency of C5 is double the fre-

quency of C4, and the frequency of C4 is double the frequency of C3.

Question is, why do we perceive the distance from C3 to D3 to be the same as the distance from C4 to D4? Mathematically, the differences in frequency aren’t the same.

If we take the frequency of C3 to be F, then the frequency of C4 is 2F (due the relationship described two paragraphs up).

The frequency of C5 is two times the frequency of C4, or 4F. Each octave has 12 half-steps, not necessarily equally distributed along the frequency range of the octave.

However, we can say that the distance from C3 to D3, which is two half-steps, is approximately equal to 2 * (2F - F) / 12, or F / 6.

Similarly, the distance from C4 to D4 is approximately 2 * (4F - 2F) / 12, or F / 3, which is twice the distance from C3 to D3.

So why do we perceive them both as whole steps?

Intriguing stuff.

Also, why is it that certain phrases tend to evoke the same emotions in people, regardless of whether they’ve heard the music before?I’ve heard that music can be interpreted as conversation, with phrases ending in upward

intonation being questions and those ending in downward intonation being answers. Add to that the speed, timbre, overall pitch, and which notes are given emphasis, and you’ve basically invented a language.

But the relationship between music and emotion remains a mystery. I don’t think there’s anyone who would feel anger on hearing, say, “Ode to Joy,” unless they were annoyed by it.

Maybe it’s because certain phrases mimic our own speech tendencies when we feel specific emotion?

I know feeling sad makes me slow down (thus, sad music is often slow) and can increase hopelessness (which could explain why sad music often has deep downward inflections).

But there is also sad music with rich upward inflection; does that reflect states of indecisive or anxious sadness, rather than the certain, hopeless variety?

And if music makes us feel how certain emotions feel, is it possible to write music that makes us feel emotions we’ve never felt before, like inventing a new colour?

I love 3 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Opinion

13 • 13 OPINION EDITOR JADE HOSICK opinion@thecord.ca

Burnout is real: Here’s how students deal with it what to do with themselves.

I know that when my burnout phases hit, I decide that instead of doing something about it, like working on my projects, I’ll sleep for three hours or I will accompany my friend to Michaels craft store.

I guess what I am saying is, is that burnout is unavoidable and also cannot be fixed by grinding at the library for one night.

JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR

I, among probably many other students at this time of year, am completely burned out, to the point where I cannot even fathom being fully on top of things and able to move through life as a functional human being who is not constantly having an existential crisis or stress-induced migraines.

People told me that third year was going to be difficult, and you want to know what I decided to do?

Take a full course load as well as maintain two jobs.

It’s almost as if I enjoy not being able to sleep at night, but getting so stressed during the day that I fall asleep in a library cubicle.

Burnout is described as a state of exhaustion that could be emotional, physical or mental, which is caused by prolonged stress.

It often happens when people feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained and unable to meet the constant demands that are placed on them.

I have read so many articles about the stages of burnout and how to counteract it, but clearly the people who are writing the ones I

Burnout is something that is so difficult to battle, and that doesn’t change based on who you are.

KASHYAP PATEL/WEB DIRECTOR

read are not in university.

These articles often say things like, “take a step back” or “get enough sleep”, but honestly, those two things are not possible for me to do.

The most stressful thing about burnout is that I feel as though I can do nothing about it.

My performance at school does not just impact myself, but also my lovely parents who are paying a portion of my tuition. I do not

just take the hit of deciding to take a reduced course load after the deadline to drop a class, so do my parents.

I also need to work if I want to maintain my current lifestyle. Sure, I work nine to five jobs during the summer and save a lot of money, but that is not enough to live off of during the school year. So, I cannot just stop working if I want to be able to buy my groceries.

Also, I am in university, and in

my final years I want to be able to enjoy myself and see friends and go out but I feel as though I cannot do that.

If I go out instead of doing my assignments or studying for midterms or picking up a shift, I feel guilty.

Burnout is something that is so difficult to battle, and that doesn’t change based on who you are. Everyone has probably experienced a form of burnout and not known

Unfortunately, it is something that everyone needs to fix by taking action in ways that involve going against how the burnout makes you feel.

If that means you must take a night off and just sit in your bed and watch TikToks, then you should be able to do just that without feeling guilty.

Burnout has the power to make you feel guilty for taking care of yourself, but that is a notion that needs to be challenged.

Jake Paul causes controversy with insensitive tweets about anxiety EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Jake Paul, YouTube content creator and certified fuck boy, attempted to claw his way back into relevancy by sharing controversial tweets last week surrounding mental health that have since been deleted.

Paul — not to be confused with his equally problematic brother Logan, who notoriously filmed a dead body in Japan’s “suicide forest” — tweeted “remember anxiety is created by you. Sometimes you gotta let life play out and remind yourself to be happy and that the answers will come.”

He followed up this pointless statement with “Chill your mind out. Go for a walk. Talk to a friend.”

Understandably, Paul’s lessthan-helpful shallow advice was heavily criticised by others on social media.

Amongst the jokes mocking Paul’s sentiment were people pointing out that he was furthuring harmful stereotypes and ideas surrounding anxiety, which is

concerning given that he has millions of YouTube subscribers and Twitter followers, many of whom are young, impressionable viewers.

And because figures like Paul don’t understand the meaning of taking accountability, he merely defended his previous statements by tweeting that he “raised awareness” about anxiety and that he lives with it himself.

Along with being so out of touch with reality and not having a shred of recognition over the complete uselessness of his first tweets, Paul’s voice is one that is still regarded, by millions of people to have merit and validity.

Not realizing or refusing to recognize that his words should probably have a little bit more thought, education and empathy put behind them before he shares things publically is frustrating, but not surprising.

He comes from a place of extreme privilege, which isn’t to say that privileged people are exempt from experiencing hardships and mental illness, but that there should be a certain level of consideration that’s implemented when posting statements of this nature on such prominent public platforms.

Paul can’t seem to grasp that by

saying “go for a walk” and through sharing articles like “11 simple ways to cope with anxiety” as curable methods and stating that anxiety is “created by you” is nothing less than insulting to the people who live with it.

As someone who has generalized anxiety disorder and experiences the effects from it every day, Paul merely makes me roll my eyes. It isn’t that simple, and he should know better than to share such trivial nonsense about a topic that’s unrelated to his routine sponsored YouTube videos.

After embroiling himself in another recent Twitter spat, this time targeting former One Direction member Zayne Malik by attempting to goad him into a viral feud, model and Malik’s girlfriend Gigi Hadid said it best, “Lol cause he doesn’t care to hang w you and your embarrassing crew of YouTube groupies ..? Home alone with his best friends like a respectful king cause he has me, sweetie,” she wrote. “Unbothered by your irrelevant ugly ass. Go to bed …”

Paul and his problematic opinions and actions are irrelevant. It’s just hopeful that his fanbase realizes this and at the very least, doesn’t take his “advice” seriously.

14 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Grieving the deaths of controversial celebrities JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR

In life, we are faced with the challenge of learning to grieve the passing of people in our lives.

These people passing brings up a lot of complex emotions for a variety of people, and how they deal with these emotions are all valid forms of grieving.

This year, there have been two individuals whose passing had created a large stir on social media in the circles that I operate in.

The first individual was Kobe Bryant, a basketball player whose death was very unexpected and caused both people who were fans and those who were not, to grieve together.

The second individual was Caroline Flack, a television presenter from the United Kingdom, known for her work on the UK versions of both The X-Factor and Love Island.

These two individuals had a large impact on people as they were part of a culture that media consumers are exposed to daily.

From elementary school to now, if you were to say anything while trying to throw something into a garbage can, you can bet that it would be “Kobe”.

Caroline Flack was someone

people would see weekly as she was such a prevalent presenter, and even those who are not living in the United Kingdom knew of her.

These two people, while greatly loved by many, also faced some scrutiny within their careers.

In 2011, Flack dated musician Harry Styles, which was a big controversy: she was 32 years old and he was 17 years old fresh off of The X-Factor.

I was shocked that many people were unsympathetic to those who were mourning, constantly reminding people of the mistakes the individuals had made.

A lot of people started to point out after her death that regardless of how concentual the relationship was, it was still inappropriate and her passing should not allow us to forget what she did.

After seeing similar tweets the day she passed away, I was shocked that many people were unsympathetic to those who were mourning, constantly reminding

people of the past mistakes the individuals had made. Especially considering the circumstances surrounding the way that she passed.

A similar situation occurred when Bryant passed away in January.

On social media, the day that he had died people brought up charges that were placed on the basketball player in 2003.

I am not here saying that these charges should not be brought up, but I think it is important to remember that people are people, and in a time where a family was grieving the loss of their father, I was shocked that people were so unsympathetic People make mistakes, and I am not condoning those mistakes in the slightest.

I believe in the time of social media we have become very apathetic to people.

Since our world is so connected, I feel as though we often forget that there are real people behind the screens who see and experience pain through tweets made after their loved ones have passed.

I am definitely not here saying that these mistakes need to be forgotten.

I am saying that because families and loved ones of the individuals have access to Twitter, tweeting hateful things about people are not helping those who are in the process of grieving.

We should take a step back and allow the grieving process to at least begin.

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

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• 15

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR MARK CASCAGNETTE sports@thecord.ca

CURLING CHAMPS

Men secure gold, as women capture bronze Emma McKenzie, lead Kelly Middaugh and alternate Stacy Huras put together an incredible performance in their final provincial game, as they were never really in danger of losing to Guelph.

With complete control of the match, the women’s team received the bronze medal and will join the men’s team in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. It is a return to glory for the men’s program as they had missed the medal round the past two seasons after winning the OUA Championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

2020 is no different for men’s curling as they were able to get back on top and win their fourth provincial championship in the span of six years.

The men will be looking to medal at the national championship for the first time since winning national gold in 2016 against Alberta.

The women’s team having won the provincial championships in four of the past five years, were

unable to win this year but still qualified for nationals for the first time since 2018.

The women’s curling team was able to finish in fifth place at the USPORTS Championships that took place in Alberta back in 2018.

The USPORTS Nationals should feature some advanced competition from other regions of Canada but men’s Head Coach Matt Wilkinson is up for the challenge.

“We are sure to see some stepped up competition when we get to Manitoba, but we hope we are able to continue to stay confident and have a strong showing,” Wilkinson said.

With competition like Alberta, Mount Allison, Regina and other western powerhouses, Laurier will have to be on thier game.

The last national championship for the men’s dates back to 2016 when they beat Alberta, while it has been eight years since the women have won national gold.

In 2012, the Golden Hawks

women’s curling team were able to defeat Brock 9-2 in the gold medal game in Welland.

That year was memorable for the Golden Hawks as they also won an international tournament in Japan.

For the women this year, a rookie skip in Ladouceur along with a veteran lead in Middaugh has the them prepared for the competition in two weeks time.

Both curling teams put together another strong season as they remain to be some one of the must successful sports teams that Laurier has seen in recent years.

With the men’s team winning gold this year, a Laurier curling team, either men or women has now won a medal provincially in eight of the past 10 years.

With national championships in 2011, 2012 and 2016, the Golden Hawks will be looking to bring a varsity national championship to the campus for the first time since the men won in 2016.

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

MARK CASCAGNETTE SPORTS EDITOR

For the fourth time in six years, the Laurier men’s curling team has struck gold at the provincial championships.

A near perfect season which saw Laurier finish 8-2 in conference play, while also winning the McMaster Invitational carried over to the OUA Championships last weekend in Guelph.

Laurier was able to perform well in nearly every competition they competed in this year and their efforts were rewarded a weekend ago with the winning of the gold medal.

Both Golden Hawks varsity curling teams with their performances in Guelph were able to qualify for the USPORTS National Championships taking place in Manitoba.

The men’s team put together another near flawless performance as they won nine of their 10 games over the five-day tournament including the gold medal victory, 7-3 against Brock.

The men’s team suffered their only loss to Carleton and was able to rebound quickly, beating Guelph to qualify for the gold medal game against the Brock Badgers.

Overall at the tournament the men’s team outscored their opponents 77-25 in the 10 games of competition.

“It feels amazing, it’s everything you work for the entire year. All the time training with the team and, you know, playing 10 grueling games out here all week, to come out on top is an amazing feeling,” Skipper Matt Hall said after winning his second OUA Championship with the Hawks.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the rest of my guys for sticking in there in a tough gold medal game against Brock, but being able to come out on top and hoist the trophy once again is only something you can

dream of,” Hall further said.

The rest of the guys, Matt Hall is talking about include Vice John Willsey, second Jordie Lyon-Hatcher, lead Graham Singer and alternate Adam Vincent.

The team was able to take advantage and capture momentum in the tough gold medal game. After Brcok jumped out to a three point lead in the first few ends, Laurier came back, scoring seven of their own all unanswered by Brock.

The run began in the fourh end when skip Matt Hall made an excellent shot to tie the game up at three.

“Laurier curling is about winning championships and we pride ourselves on that. It’s great!” Head Coach Matt Wilkinson said of his team’s performance in Guelph.

Wilkinson also referred to the disappointment last year when Laurier was unable to qualify for the medal round at the OUA Championships.

Vice John Willsey and second Jordie Lyon-Hatcher were honoured after the tournament as they were named OUA All-Stars.

Lyon-Hatcher had won his second provincial championship with Laurier, while Willsey joins the rest of the team in winning their first as a Golden Hawk.

The women’s team led by skip Isabelle Ladouceur also put together a strong performance as she led her team to a bronze medal at the Championships.

Following a tough 4-2 loss to the eventual champion, the McMaster Marauders, the Golden Hawks remained focused heading into the bronze medal game against Guelph.Knowing that a win and ultimately a medal would qualify them for the National Championships later in March, coach John Gabel had his team ready as the women beat Guelph’s team 8-1 in decisive fashion.

Vice Brooklyn Fahl, second

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16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS

Underdog Hawks advance to semifinals once again

FILE PHOTOS

MARK CASCAGNETTE SPORTS EDITOR

Justin Serresse and the Golden Hawks men’s basketball team are back in the semifinals for the second straight year after two big playoff victories this past week.

On the road in Kingston Wednesday night, Laurier was able to defeat Queen’s in the first round of the OUA Wilson Cup Finals.

After beating Queen’s, Laurier made the long travel to Thunder Bay this past Saturday and battled out the eigth ranked Lakehead Thunderwolves, pulling off a fourpoint win.

After a hard-fought regular season with a slew of injuries, the Golden Hawks finished with a .500 record of 11-11; however, turned it on for the playoffs.

After a memorable post season run at home last year, the Golden Hawks were just shy of hosting a home playoff game this year and turned their attention to the road.

“I am glad we have been able to qualify for playoffs every season since I have been here. We were half a win away from hosting again this season, but we are looking forward to the challenge on the road,” Head Coach Justin Serresse said after the final regular season game against Waterloo.

Laurier headed into the playoffs with a fully healthy lineup, much to Serresse’s liking, and were ready for the challenge with a first-round rematch against the Queen’s Gaels.

The Gaels were able to beat Laurier earlier this month in a thrilling 89-87 overtime win in Kingston.

The Golden Hawks were expecting a physical game against the Gaels, and Justin Serresse stressed the importance of team defence.

“We want to make sure that we

match that intensity, especially on the glass and with the 50/50 balls,” Serresse said of Queen’s.

In what was a back and forth game for most of the first half between the two teams, Laurier was able to pull away in the final two quarters.

Queen’s continued to score the ball with ease, matching Laurier’s pace and even making a run of their own to lead the game 47-42 at halftime.

However, with dominant team defence, holding the Gaels to 34 points in the second half and only 8 in the entire third quarter, Laurier had begun to pull ahead.

First year forward Cole Syllas was able to lead the Gaels with 19 points but was shutdown in the second half by Laurier’s swarming defence. Syllas only accounted for 4 points in the entire second half after 15 in the first.

Ali Sow led the way for the Golden Hawks with a game high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists; however, it was the clutch shooting of Adnan Begovic, who drove the Golden Hawks to victory in the final quarter.

Begovic who was held scoreless in the first three quarters of the game, was able to turn red hot, scoring 16 points for the Golden Hawks in the fourth quarter.

Many of these shots were goahead three-point shots and game clinching three-point shots as he was four from five shooting from beyond the arch in the quarter.

The clutch shooting by Begovic and improved team defence by the Golden Hawks had Laurier advancing to the second round of the OUA Playoffs on the strength of a 91-81 road victory.

The Golden Hawks were the only

road team to win the first round of the Wilson Cup Playoffs and Coach Serresse and the players had turned their focus to the eighth ranked Lakehead Thunderwolves.

Far away from home in Thunder Bay, Laurier was facing a daunting task as the Thunderwolves had not lost in their home arena since October 26th of last year.

...It’s one of the hardest tournaments in the country in terms of atmosphere... it’s up to us to step up... i’m looking forawrd to that challenge.

-Justin Serresse, Mens Basketball head coach

The CJ Sanders Fieldhouse in Thunder Bay is also one of the loudest and most intimidating gyms for a road team to play at.

Coach Serresse emphasized this point; “Just going there is so exciting because it’s one of the hardest tournaments in the country in terms of atmosphere. We’ve got Lakehead, we’ve got Laurentian. I don’t know any gyms that get loud like that,” Serresse said.

“It’s up to us to step up to the plate and face the challenge. Not a lot of teams over the years were able to win there, so going there with the confidence and if we come out with a win that would be a historic win, so I’m looking forward to that challenge,” he continued.

On Saturday night, Laurier was

looking to beat Lakehead after losing earlier on in the season 99-77.

The defence continued to swarm Lakehead’s offensive weapons and Ali Sow led the way, while some Hawks stepped up big in the fourth quarter, as Laurier was able to pull off the upset in a similar win to the game before.

As a team, the Golden Hawks held the Thunderwolves to only 25 points in the second half and a combined field goal percentage of 36 per cent.

In a tough fought quarter-final matchup Ali Sow scored 27 points and Matt Minutillo made some big three pointers as Laurier pulled off an upset and advanced to the OUA Semifinals for a second straight year.

Coach Serresse pointed out the defensive efforts of Ntore Habimana, Kemel Archer and Romello Taylor as they were able to hold one of the leading scorers in the country, Isaiah Traylor, to 11 points while only making two shots on a combined twelve shots.

The defence pushed Laurier through to a 68-64 victory, but Ali Sow received honours for his dominant play this past week, as he was named OUA male athlete of the week as well as Laurier’s male athlete of the week.

Sow is in every right deserving as he has led the way the whole season for the Golden Hawks and this past week was no different.

Averaging 26.5 points per game in the two playoff contests, which puts him third in the playoffs thus far.

The Golden Hawks were once again the only road team to win in the second round of the playoffs, having completed the two upsets.

Laurier will now face off against one of their rivals, the Western

Mustangs in the OUA Semifinals.

The Hawks will play the now eigth ranked team in the country, the Western Mustangs, who have beaten the Golden Hawks twice earlier this year and finished the regular season with a stellar record at 16 wins and six losses.

Justin Serresse noted the fact that the Golden Hawks were shorthanded in their earlier two matchups against the Mustangs this season.

The two losses were on back to back games and Laurier was without Ali Sow as well as Ntore Habimana, two key pieces.

“It’ll be interesting to see us play full strength against them. They caught us when we had a bunch of injuries, but we haven’t played them in a long time, so we are going to have to figure out what they’ve done since then,” Coach Serresse said about the Mustangs.

Coach Serresse did however, remind the team to not feel overconfident as the Mustangs have put together a fantastic season.

“As long as we stay committed and execute our game plan, we will be alright,” Serresse said.

Ottawa and Carleton, two of the best teams in the country, will face off in the other semifinals, as Laurier looks for a trip to play one of those teams in the OUA Wilson Cup Finals.

If Laurier is also able to beat Western, they will qualify for the USPORTS National Championships held in Ottawa in two weekends time.

The Golden Hawks are looking for some revenge after their semifinals’ loss to Ryerson last year.

The matchup will take place at Alumni Hall in London, Ontario on Wednesday night with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m.