February 3, 2016

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 56 ISSUE 21 • FEBRUARY 3, 2016

MENTAL HEALTH

Beyond the winter blues A look at seasonal affective disorder and its impact on students

LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

“Everybody came back when the clocks changed.”

MANJOT BHULLAR STAFF WRITER

Have you been feeling increasingly unmotivated recently? Does the weather often have a strong impact on your health? You may not know it, but you may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD. Seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression caused by issues surrounding lack of sunlight and many

Wilfrid Laurier University students may be experiencing a form of SAD ranging from mild to severe.

To understand how this truly affects the Laurier population, Sherrie Steinburg, the mental health/student support coordinator at the Wellness Centre, shared insightful information about the disorder and how to break the surrounding stigmas.

Arts & Life, page 9

THE SCIENCE OF CHANGE

THE CORD’S FOOD FIGHT

WHICH TYLER IS ON TOP

CULTURE VS. RELIGION

ONE TOO MANY HITS

FOSSA to hold election for president

Evaluating culinary tastes of ‘the Tylers’

Presidential and board endorsements

Multiculturalism in a Canadian context

Concussion protocol for Laurier athletes

Campus, page 3

Arts & Life, page 8

Editorial, page 12

Opinion, page 13

Sports, page 16

2 •

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

VOCAL CORD

If you could make your own meal at Wilf’s, what would it be?

@cordnews

The Cord

Bag O’ Crime

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Location: Off Campus Reported: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 @ 9:50 p.m.

SCS received a report from a female Laurier student that she believed she may have been shot at by a BB gun while walking along Fir St, Waterloo near 25 Fir St. The female described hearing a buzzing sound over her head and then something strike the siding of the house at 25 Fir St. The complainant did not hear a gun shot or “pop” noise. Information surrounding the incident and the complainant was compiled and forwarded to WRPS as the incident occurred off Laurier property.

“Sushi pizza.”

–Muzzy Ali, fourth-year economics

“Ribs and sweet tea.”

–Xavier Prosper, thirdyear communications

CordNews

@cordwlusp

ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

THEMUSEUM is captivated as Michael Wekerle gives a talk about breaks in the industry at Startup Laurier’s event.

Location: Science Building Reported: Thursday, January 28, 2016 @ 8:40 a.m.

SCS investigated a report of hate related graffiti in a men’s washroom located in the Science Building. A swastika had been carved into a toilet paper dispenser. It is unknown when the carving was made and by whom. There is no CCTV available in the area for review. The Diversity & Equity Office was notified.

Location: Parking Lot #7 Reported: Friday, January 29, 2016 @ 4:15 a.m.

SCS investigated a report of property damage in parking lot #7.

A plow operator from Snow Tech struck a light standard while clearing the lot. The standard sustained significant damage as a result and was sheared off at the base. The on call engineer responded to assess for hazards.

“Spring rolls. I like Chinese food.”

–Bria Akomah, thirdyear communications

Location: Off Campus Reported: Saturday, January 30, 2016 @ 7:20 p.m.

A SCS officer was flagged down by a female reporting a male with no pants on and talking to himself in the vestibule of the RBC at King St. & University Ave. WRPS was notified. The attending officer recognized the male well known to SCS with mental health issues.

He ran off punching himself in the face and throwing himself into telephone poles and was apprehended by WRPS officers nearby pursuant to the Mental Health Act and transported to GRH.

“Chicken balls.”

–Lilian Yen, second-year general arts

“Jerk chicken.”

–Dhruva Bhatt, fourthyear economics and finance Compiled by Maddy Cutts Photos by Jessica Dik NEXT ISSUE: FEBRUARY 10, 2016

LOCAL NEWS EDITOR Erika Ymana eymana@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Will Huang whuang@thecord.ca

CORD STAFF

FEATURES EDITOR Bethany Bowles bbowles@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Brian Phillips bphillips@thecord.ca

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shelby Blackley sblackley@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Zach Guitor zguitor@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Maddy Cutts mcutts@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lena Yang lyang@thecord.ca

OPINION EDITOR Mitchell Consky mconsky@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Jessica Dik jdik@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Joshua Awolade jawolade@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Drew Yates dyates@thecord.ca

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Caitlyn Sageman csageman@thecord.ca

MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR Mynt Marsellus mmarsellus@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Fani Hsieh fhsieh@thecord.ca

CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR Kaitlyn Severin kseverin@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Andreas Patsiaouros apatsiaouros@thecord.ca

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Kira Gelbard kgelbard@thecord.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE:

Kamil Ahmed Abigail Barrett Manjot Bhullar Lindsay Bindman Mira Busscher Samantha Chow Killian Cuppage Christopher Donald Alex Dulanovic Justine Falconi Josh Hortaleza Daniel Johnson Alexandra Juraschka Brigitte Kloss Heather McLeod Christian Paron Aliaa Sidawi Fatima Soomro Jessi Wood

Beyond the winter blues by Manjot Bhullar

EDITOR’S CHOICE ONLINE: Presidential and director endorsements by Cord Editorial Board

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Care Schummer at care.schummer@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.

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.

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: “He said he wanted to try something different.”

- Photo Editor Will Huang when fixing Photo Editor Andreas Patsiaouros’ photo of the week ‘mishap’

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Campus

• 3 CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN kseverin@thecord.ca

STUDENTS’ UNION

Corporate versus representative KAITLYN SEVERIN CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

It’s the debate that has taken over the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union elections: Is the Students’ Union board of directors a corporate or representative body?

The question has been discussed over the past few weeks as students, candidates and directors have been arguing over what may be the answer.

The question, which came up at the Students’ Union board meeting on January 22, was brought up in accordance to a governance review within the board.

“We have a committee to do that and it came up in the committee discussion saying okay, so a lot of our board members and candidates normally say they want to represent students, they want to advocate on behalf of students, but they don’t know what that actually means,” said Colin Aitchison, chair of the board and chief governance officer.

While Aitchison wanted to hear the opinion of other directors, he described the board as “100 per cent corporate.”

“I understand that we’re a student government first and foremost according to our constitution and stuff, but any board of directors that deal with corporate matters of an organization is a

corporation.”

Current director Kanwar Brar agreed the board should take a more corporate stance.

“Students rely on us that we’ll [voice their issues], but when we’re at the table we’re ensuring that we’re looking at from a corporate side of things and making a decision based on that.”

While his personal opinion is the board should be a corporate body, Brar believed there is no right or wrong answer.

“I know a lot about directors want to hybrid, one wants more than the other, but the reason I say that we need to be corporate is to pursue a corporate way is solely because the nature of the organization.”

Director Derek Worden also feels the board should be defined as a “corporate board.” According to Worden, during board meetings the directors hear updates from guest speakers, as well as the president and CEO among others, to ensure the organization is operating in a sustainable manner.

They also approve policy changes, monitor reports and strike committees to undertake mandates.

“These actions are how we govern and ensure that the president and CEO is acting in the best interest of the organization, as dictated by the policy set in our policy manual and the strategic plan,” Worden said.

KAMIL AHMED/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The question of whether the board is corprorate or representative has been discussed in the student elections.

On the other end of the spectrum, current director and vicechair Nick DeSumma believes he is part of a corporate board whose role is to oversee representative matters.

“The students are the ones who elect us into the board and we’re also students who use these services that the Students’ Union provides to students,” said DeSumma.

“So the unique structure students pay into the Students’ Union, we’re students who are elected by students to govern the Students’ Union, the governing body.”

Matt DeSumma, a current direc-

tor, said the board is “corporate in body and representative in soul.”

The role, mandate and responsibilities of the positions student directors are elected to requires “focus on what’s in the best interest of the organization.”

Matt DeSumma later stressed the need for a clear definition of the board, something the governance process committee is currently working on. According to DeSumma, their definite answer won’t be released until April.

“We’re sort of just talking about something that hasn’t been resolved or there’s nothing to it.”

Matt DeSumma later questioned how and if the board can truly represent students if everyone has a diverse opinion on a matter.

“It’s really hard to say we’re representative because we can’t truly represent everybody, we’re going to have to make cuts, we’re going to have to do all that sort of thing, not everyone’s going to like what we do, so we have to focus on what’s best for the organization,” he said. *Disclaimer: Answers from the directors are purely based on their own opinions rather than the opinion of the board as a whole.

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Science and politics go hand-in-hand Association of science students will now have the chance to vote for the next society president LENA YANG CREATIVE DIRECTOR

For the first time, students in the faculty of science at Wilfrid Laurier University will be able to elect a Faculty of Science Students’ Association president.

FOSSA, a team of executives led by a president, is responsible for providing activities, information and services to all students officially registered in the faculty of science.

Although executive positions in FOSSA will still go through a hiring process, this year an election process for president was established in an attempt to move toward a more democratic system.

For continuity purposes, candidates running for president must already be executives on the

“In order for students to be engaged with the community, they need to have their voice heard.”

-Prem Nichani, president and chair of FOSSA

FOSSA team.

However there are future plans to allow members of clubs under FOSSA to also run for president.

“We want students to have a voice. We want students in the faculty of science to be more engaged with the community,” Prem Nichani, current president and chair of FOSSA.

“In order for students to be engaged with the community they need to have their voice heard.”

Christie MacLeod, a biology and psychology student and current executive vice-president of FOSSA, as well as Tarique Plummer, a biochemistry and biotechnology student and current vice-president of research and development, have stepped up for the presidential race.

Plummer cites his involvement not just within the faculty of science, but also within the Laurier community at large as an asset he will bring to the role.

“I have actually pushed myself to a variety of different disciplines so I have garnered the experience I need and the information I need to understand how the Laurier community works, to be connected

with students on different levels and to see how well I can bring all these different disciplines together to benefit the student body and to bring something different to the student experience,” said Plummer.

Student welfare is also a main concern for MacLeod.

“I want people to be able to come to school and find a place where they can learn and learn from each other and I also want to create a community so people are feeling relaxed as well as engaged in their studies,” she said.

The election process will be similar to that of the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union elections where candidates will be ranked on the ballot.

Nichani explained the process is in place for students to make an

informed decision by eliminating the option to vote for a single candidate.

“If you want to see changes made within the faculty of science and be a part of that change, vote for FOSSA president,” urged Nishani.

“It’s a role of which much of the work is done in the background, but by choosing the person who students believe is most fit, that’s how science will change for the better.

That’s how science will change according to what students and not what ten students from the faculty of science want.”

All students registered in the faculty of science will have the chance to vote on February 3 and 4. *Disclaimer: Tarique Plummer is an opinion columnist for The Cord.

4 • CAMPUS NEWS PROJECT

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 INNOVATION

Moving to a digital format Laurier working to offer evaluation process online

KAMIL AHMED/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Social Innovation and Venture Creation and The Purpose Lab were unveiled at a launch party held on January 27 at Wilfrid Laurier University.

BETHANY BOWLES FEATURES EDITOR

Every student at Wilfrid Laurier University is familiar with the paper scantron course evaluations administered at the end of each semester, with the purpose of students evaluating their professors and the courses.

This process is under re-evaluation as the Laurier educational technologies department has been working on a project to offer these evaluations in digital format.

“Essentially there is a move to move all course evaluations for the institution online,” said Mary Scott, manager of educational technologies.

“Some of that came out of a project that was done by a subcommittee of the Senate committee on university teaching to look at a different instrument, which means different questions and a different way of asking.”

Scott explained how online evaluations will allow for more specific responses from students.

The process will allow department chairs and coordinators to select questions that could be geared towards courses in that area. Faculty can also select questions to add to the evaluations.

“There’s core stuff that everybody gets asked and then specific ones based on department and then based on the instructor. How you administer that on paper, I think it would [take] hundreds of people to put that together,” Scott said.

While this project is still in the testing stages, the tests are currently becoming more widespread across both Waterloo and Brantford campuses.

“We have been slowly progressing through different phases of pilots to test out the technology; we picked the one that we think is the right one, probably 18 months ago at this point.”

Scott explained the first pilot began in the fall of 2014 with only a few classes using online course evaluations.

In winter 2015, a few more courses were added to the project.

As of now, the entire faculty of human and social sciences in Brantford is using online course evaluations.

According to Scott, the reporting back aspect is the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place. Once the educational technologies team hears back from faculty and instructors that the trial went well, the project will hopefully spread university wide.

Altogether, the educational technologies department believes this project will have several benefits for students, faculty and instructors.

“The other part that we’re hoping will be a reality is that instructors will actually get their results earlier than they do with scantron,” Scott said.

“Of course it’s also saving us some trees, which is a nice part of it too.”

SIVC and Purpose Lab unveiled Initiatives formed in response to Laurier’s approach to venture creation MADDY CUTTS LEAD REPORTER

Two brand new initiatives were unveiled at a launch party held at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus on January 27.

Social Innovation and Venture Creation was formed in response to the disjointed approach the university had taken thus far regarding venture creation, with venture creation opportunities in existence all falling within faculty boundaries.

“It’s an institution-wide push to foster social innovation and venture creation as a core value of the institution. So not just on the Waterloo, it’s multi-campus, and across all departments, across all faculties,” said Karli Ferriolo, fifth-year global studies student and a SIVC student facilitator and liaison. “It’s not housed in an academic department, it is placed un-

der the centre for teaching innovation and excellence, so kind of like a neutral body in the university, so it’s able to foster inter-disciplinary collaboration.”

SIVC’s creation was further prompted by Laurier’s reception of $500,000 from the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation, a grant awarded to the university for the purpose of supporting social entrepreneurship and social innovation zones. The core team of SIVC is comprised of faculty, staff and students from across Laurier’s campuses and faculties, each with unique specialisations and connections to social innovation.

Ferrioli, as well as student member Abbas Jeraj, a third-year business student, were chosen last year to attend a conference hosted

by Ashoka University, the postsecondary branch of the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs.

After learning about the social venture opportunities available at other campuses across North America, in particular the presence of innovation zones at various campuses, Ferrioli and Jeraj decided to create the Laurier Purpose Lab. “For us, we have Launchpad and the Accelerator Centre in the Waterloo Region; so the Accelerator Centre is about pushing things through as fast as they can, Launchpad is all about validating ideas and starting incubating these businesses, then we said where do ideas kind of start,” said Jeraj. “We said that’s the kind of gap we have on campus, so let’s create a space.”

Within the past eight months, the Purpose Lab, a room located on the first floor of DAWB, has been transformed from a classroom to Laurier’s very own innovation zone.The space is available for Laurier community members to

book for activities related to social innovation, as well as have office hours held by SIVC student facilitators available to direct students through their network of contacts for help with their prospective projects.

“The student-to-student aspect to things is important. Abbas and I were undergraduate students, we kind of had this crazy idea to say let’s have a physical space on campus, how it happened I have no idea,” said Ferriolo.

“Having SIVC student ambassadors hold office hours on kind of a weekly operational hours basis, we’re able to invite more students in and help them realize their potential to become change makers while they’re still undergraduate students. A lot of the time you go to university, you go to class, you write your exams, you get a diploma, but it’s so much more than that.”

UNION

The best reps for contract staff MADDY CUTTS LEAD REPORTER

An event was hosted last Wednesday, January 27, by the Caucus for a Democratic Union as part of their campaign for the establishment of a new independent union.

The Caucus for a Democratic Union is an initiative begun months ago by a select group of Laurier’s contract academic staff in response to their feelings regarding their current position with the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association. Primary concerns arose from WLUFA’s role as representation for tenured, tenure-track and contract academic staff and the conflict of interest this brings to contract negotiations. There are also feelings of inadequacy.

“When we talk about a democratic union, what we’re talking about is not about me telling you about who you should be and how you should act in the world,” said Helen Ramirez, a contract academic staff member at both the Waterloo and Brantford campus.

“It’s about gathering a kind of collective understanding of what all of our issues are and how best to confront all of those issues.”

The Caucus believe they have found their solution in the form of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the largest union in Canada representing over 57,000 members from within the post-

“It’s about gathering a kind of collective understanding of what all of our issues are and how to best confront those issues.”

-Helen Ramirez, contract academic staff member

secondary education sector.

“We care about those issue because we see students as the benefactors of our work, so that sort of sets the framework of why we’re here,” said Graham Cox, CUPE researcher and post-secondary education sector.

“We’re trying to organize workers and support workers to get good working conditions, because for us good working conditions leads to a good environment for learning and a good environment for research.”

The event was held in conjunction with CUPE, with the organization attending the event to lead a presentation outlining themselves as a union, their history in representing post-secondary workers and the possibilities for future representation for CAS at Laurier.

The event was marketed as an opportunity for CAS to inform themselves on the possibilities of what a separate union could bring

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

in terms of bargaining power and individual input towards the negotiation of a collective agreement.

“What we’re moving toward is to understanding that to find more secure working conditions for contract faculty we need to be a separate union entity and that’s critical; that we will have more strength and more force in our negotiations when we are a separate union entity,” said Ramirez.

“Joining with a social justice union body like CUPE, it means that we will have the support of an organisation that knows how to

fight for what it is that we need.”

The presentation followed an entire day of “boothing” by Caucus members in the Concourse, one component of an initiative which has involved social media campaigning, email blasts as well as inperson marketing. This effort has been part of a lead-up to the end of CAS’s current collective agreement with the university on August 31.

CAS members may utilize the 90 days preceding the contract’s end to vote upon whether to remain with the WLUFA or pursue a new independent union through CUPE.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

AD • 5

6 •

Local

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 LOCAL NEWS EDITOR ERIKA YMANA eymana@thecord.ca

EXPLORE K-W

Words of advice from Waterloo’s Dragon

ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

Michael Wekerle, Canadian investor and dragon on CBC’s ‘Dragon’s Den,’ gave a talk at Startup Laurier’s fifth Entrepreneur’s Exchange at THEMUSEUM, focusing on opportunities in the industry.

ERIKA YMANA LOCAL NEWS EDITOR

According to Michael Wekerle, Canadian investor, dragon on CBC’s Dragon’s Den and former Bay Street trader, there are three aspects to a powerful city — education, awareness and diversity.

These aspects are what drew him into investing in Waterloo Region with its ever-growing tech ecosystem.

These words and other bits of wisdom for young and aspiring entrepreneurs filled THEMUSEUM on January 28. The event, Entrepreneur’s Exchange, had its fifth year run and is Startup Laurier’s flagship event.

Wekerle was invited to address the mix of business owners, workshop leaders and students from Wilfrid Laurier University and the

University of Waterloo. The event had a total turnout of 150 guests.

In his talk, Wekerle took the audience through a tour of his life, including his first job when he got his “break” in the finance industry eventually which inspired him to this point in his journey.

“The only thing in life you can control is your decision … Based on that, you make a decision based on accountability. You can’t pass it off. You take responsibility. That’s a true leader,” he said.

Danielle Wong, a third-year business student and co-president of Startup Laurier, said it took months to prepare the event and some digging to book Wekerle.

They initially got the idea from K-W start-up, MappedIn. “What’s really cool about him [Wekerle] is that he’s a huge investor in the Waterloo Region and he’s

“What’s really cool about him is that he’s a huge investor ... and he’s always supportive of a lot of companies in K-W.” -Danielle Wong, co-president of Startup Laurier

always supportive of a lot of the companies in K-W,” said Wong.

Wekerle first invested in building an initiative titled, “Waterloo Innovation Network,” which was launched in 2014. Now he owns six of Blackberry’s buildings and hopes that its location, situated near the University of Waterloo and the future LRT, will attract tech companies to occupy the space.

Working with THEMUSEUM was also a new experience. Its core downtown Kitchener location was beneficial as it was close to the a number of offices that housed tech start-ups. In addition, no other oncampus clubs have used the space as a venue.

“We looked into a lot of places and we were attracted to THEMUSEUM, especially because it is in Kitchener. We really wanted to show students the space,” she said.

After the keynote, the event proceeded with workshops that showcased specific tools for market validation and software development, amongst others, presented by big names in tech such as Boltmade, Shopify and the Conrad Centre.

For example, Julia Bowen, sales manager at Shopify, hosted a session on working in the Shopify

Sales Lab. Jeremy Liu, second-year double degree student in financial math and business at Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo, said Wayne Chang’s workshop on networking was a highlight.

Chang is a co-op coordinator at University of Waterloo’s Conrad Centre.

“He talked about the importance of networking and how networking is not about just adding them on LinkedIn. It’s about following up, really going out there and making that connection instead of just saying hi,” Liu said.

At the end of his keynote, Wekerle advised students to put themselves into situations where they are lucky. He has continuously invested in the Region as well as supported aspiring students in hopes of one day striking out.

cessible through traditional means as well as earning extra income outside of regular business hours.

The third barrier is stigma.

Seeing a therapist shouldn’t be treated any differently, yet there is still stigma and fear of judgement that surrounds mental health.

TranQool is discrete because therapy sessions can be performed anywhere on an electronic device with access to internet.

In addition to providing accessible and affordable mental health

care that so many Canadians desperately need, TranQool works to increase dialogue and strike down the stigma of mental illnesses with their Twitter Campaign #TorontoSmiles. “[Seeking therapy] has nothing to do with being sick, but it’s about understanding yourself and being able to control your emotions and being able to control your behaviours so that you can perform at the highest level you possibly can,” said Shafii.

MENTAL HEALTH

A healthy online match TranQool pairs therapists with patients on web forum FANI HSIEH GRAPHICS EDITOR

Dubbed as the “Uber for Therapists,” the Toronto-based start-up TranQool aims to redesign how people look after their mental health.

TranQool is an online platform that connects licensed and experienced therapists to users based on the individuals’ needs, preferred language and location. At the moment, TranQool is only operating in Ontario.

Therapy sessions go for $60 per 45-minutes and are conducted through video conference calls through TranQool’s secure website.

Video therapy sessions are not recorded and clients uncomfortable with being on camera have the option to opt out of video conference calls altogether.

Chakameh Shafii, co-founder and chief executive officer of TranQool, began working on the company full-time starting last July. In under a short timeline, TranQool completed their soft launch and

are looking to release their beta test in March 2016.

Shafii personally had anxiety and after finishing therapy, formed the idea.

“Once I finished it, I had the idea of, you know... There has to be a better way of doing this,” she said.

TranQool separates itself from the stereotypical strict clinical atmosphere by branding itself as a balance of “tranquility” and “cool.”

“We want to create a brand that people felt like it’s just an extension of their home, this is an extension of their comfort zone,” Shafii said.

A mood tracking device will be enabled in the beta test in March.

Within the year, TranQool plans to partner with universities by offering subsidized therapy sessions for students and expand operations to Nova Scotia.

TranQool understands and caters to 72 per cent of consumers between the ages of 18 and 44 that prefer using video conferences with a mental health provider, as stated in a health report released

by PwC in 2016.

The therapy-patient platform teaches users the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy to combat various mental issues such as anxiety, stress, sleep and eating disorders, depression and concentration problems.

According to Shafii, TranQool recognizes and solves the three pillars of barriers to mental health treatment.

The first is navigating the system.

Generally, people don’t have a precise diagnosis of their problems and struggle with finding a therapist that can meet their needs.

TranQool allows users to browse therapist profiles and switch between therapists until they find someone they are comfortable with.

The second barrier is affordability. With therapy sessions ranging from $120 to $400, TranQool offers an economical alternative to inperson therapy.

Therapists flock to TranQool because of the option to work in the comfort of their homes, reaching a larger audience and helping people who were originally inac-

WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR

LOCAL • 7

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 STIGMA

GUELPH

From 149 years of print to online-only news No confirmed plans at the moment for Guelph Mercury ERIKA YMANA LOCAL NEWS EDITOR

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Safe spaces for LGBTQ

After 149 years of publication, the Guelph Mercury printed its last issue on January 29.

The publication plans to continue providing news to Guelph residents only through its online website, as its print edition was no longer deemed profitable.

According to Metroland, the paper’s circulation had declined and was fewer than 9,000 delivery subscriptions. It is unclear as to who will be providing the local content as the paper’s editorial team was laid off. The paper’s entire staff was laid off, which comprised of 23 full-time and three part-time positions.

At this point, Unifor87-M, Guelph Mercury’s certified union, is waiting for the decision of Metroland in terms of the paper’s digital product. According to Paul Morse, president of Unifor87-M, nothing is confirmed at the moment of who will be working on the website and how the paper will move forward. He included that more concrete information will be available within the next several weeks regarding the future of the

“We’re doing everything we possibly can to ensure that Guelph continues to be serviced by the reputable news teams and newsrooms ...”

-Paul Morse, president of Unifor87-M

digital product.

“There are a lot of factors that come into play. Some of them are legal, and some of them are what are the best interests of the members who have been laid off. And until that plays itself out, we don’t have a full picture of how things are going to look,” he said.

Morse included that as in all contracts, involuntary layoffs include severance language which will stipulate a certain amount that must be paid to those laid off based on how long they have been working at the institution.

As Unifor87-M represents unions at the Guelph Mercury, they are doing everything they can.

“We’re doing everything we

possible can to ensure that Guelph continues to be serviced by the reputable news teams and newsrooms that existed and that were provided for almost 150 years by the Guelph Mercury. Hopefully we’ll see some form of continuation,” Morse said.

As well as cuts at the Toronto Star and Postmedia earlier in the year, the journalism industry is going through drastic changes due to a revenue crisis. Morse added that although this transition is being made, the ability to provide news to a community should remain strong.

“It might not necessarily be a paper product, it could be a digital product that’s recognized as the brand that the newspaper developed over a century.”

“There are a lot of factors that come into play ... and until that plays itself out, we don’t have a full picture of how things are going to look.”

-Paul Morse, president of Unifor87-M

Breaking the Silence on hate crimes ERIKA YMANA LOCAL NEWS EDITOR

While the number of hate crimes has dropped in the past five to six years, Waterloo Region is still working to educate and lessen unreported crimes.

The Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council believes that violence is the result of an “out of balance” society.

The council aims to restore that balance by working at ensuring that members of the LGBTQ community can live freely without fear and violence.

In a report released in September 2015 by Breaking the Silence, a working group under the Rainbow Community Council, over 150 individuals in Waterloo Region participated in developing the Hate Crime Prevention and Training initiative, which addressed the importance of identifying and responding to hate crimes and hate incidents.

According to Juanita Metzger, community engagement coordinator for the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, there is a difference between a hate crime and a hate incident.

Some issues go unreported when people do not report incidents which could also influence the actual number of hate crimes that happen in the Region.

“The big thing we know is that typically there is usually an under reporting, so even though the numbers that we see over the last five or six years, we know that that’s probably not an accurate picture overall,” she said.

Metzger explained that incidents such as name calling on the street, street harassment, being followed or harassment at a bar or club are usually not reported.

“Those kinds of things could be considered a hate incident. Particularly for individuals who might identify as transgender or trans,” she said.

Despite this issue, the number of police reported hate crimes have continuously decreased since its peak in 2009 of 93 reported

“The big thing we know is that typically there is usually an under reporting.”

RRSPs & TFSAs Helping you save... no matter what position you find yourself in.

-Juanita Metzger, community engagement coordinator for the WRCPC

hate crimes. In 2012, there were 30 crimes reported to the police.

Since the formation of Breaking the Silence a year ago, the group has outlined priority areas that will address the importance of awareness of hate crimes.

Two of these priorities are safe spaces and the Rainbow Community Council.

Safe spaces in public areas and institutions will work to ensure that those who are marginalized will feel safe and comfortable using the space.

“There are people from the LGBTQ community who will tell you there are spaces in the community that they don’t go to because they don’t feel safe there. There is a greater risk of harassment [and] violence, and so they just choose not to go there,” Metzger said.

The Rainbow Community Council, composed of influential groups and organizations in the Region, such as House of Friendship, Waterloo Regional Police Services and Rainbow Coalition among others, work on collaborative initiatives to “relate” to the Rainbow community in the Region.

The council is undertaking the first comprehensive needs assessment of the LGBTQ community across the Region.

This assessment will ask questions relating to safety in communities and experiences of violent harassment.

With the work of Breaking the Silence and the introduction of other initiatives, WRCPC hopes for a safe and welcoming community.

“When everyone is safe, there is a greater inclusion and belonging for everyone.”

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8 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ZACH GUITOR zguitor@thecord.ca

KITCHENER HIP-HOP

Local rapper ready for the next step

Ramsay Almighty is determined to succeed after a life-changing trip to Los Angeles, California ALEX DULANOVIC STAFF WRITER

I’m not one to dive in to the depths of the Internet in hopes of finding underground musicians. It takes me a while to warm up to even the most established artists out there.

Consequently, I always hesitate to be patient with someone that isn’t recommended or critically acclaimed.

With Ramsay Almighty, I was surprised to avoid that issue. His music was warm, inviting and easy to listen to. Greeted by the aesthetic appeal of his recent single’s artwork, I found myself bobbing my head to his newly released singles “Ari Ferrari” and “Kola Champagne.”

Showcasing a sense of sonic atmosphere, his singles contain trickles of laughter, conversation and clinks of drinks that invite hesitant ears. No one likes to walk in to a party where the record scratches and everyone turns their heads. Anthony Ramsay’s sound finds a balance between chill and interesting. It’s rare to be accepting without being boring.

I can say the same thing about Ramsay himself. Living, working and creating in Kitchener-Waterloo, we linked up for a conversation on a snowy day. I met a rapper — scratch that — a musician that understood himself, the current music world and the path he was determined to follow.

So what are the situations you find yourself inspired by?

I like just being risky, just taking slight chances. “Ari Ferrari” is a vibe that I got when I was out in L.A. I made the beat out there too.

So we were just driving around the valley and we kept seeing all these

I was out in L.A. and I just had this moment of realization, “Man I’m out here because of music.”

hot ass cars.

Everyone just seemed to be having fun. I made this side character for myself and I labeled myself “Ari Ferrari.” You know Ari from Entourage? I just felt like Ari and I was just living that. I wanted to translate that mood into a song.

Do you feel like you’ve found your sound yet?

I feel like I’m creating it right now.

This vibe I have right now … I just feel something.

That’s interesting because sitting down with you, I found you’re almost the opposite kind of person as an Ari. When it comes to the music, I really feel like I have two split personalities. There’s one when I’m just talking to people and there’s another that comes out when I’m making music. I really switch when I make music, it’s just a different side of me. Like when I’m on stage I’m a completely different person.

Was music a big part of your family life?

From the very beginning. My father was a DJ, my grandpa was a saxophonist. My dad would play Jamaican music, dancehall and reggae. Even my uncle won a Juno award back in the day, he was a rockstar out here in KitchenerWaterloo. So I had a bunch of musical influences always in my household.

I remember being younger, my brothers were teenagers and their friends would come over and freestyle in the basement. I was curious. What was this, what is this culture? Even the machines, the beat machines, how it looks, the colours on the pads, it all just sucked me in. When I got the chance to get in to it, I never looked back.

Do you think albums still hold value to people?

Damn, I was just talking about this with my brother. I don’t really feel

Are you more focused then you’ve ever been?

Yeah, definitely. Before I came here I was in my boxers just working on music. Sometimes I’ll work from one to five in the morning.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

they still have that much power anymore.

Damn, that makes me a little sad.

I know. Because a full project is such a great thing, because you put so many ideas and thoughts in to it. You build a story.

These days, especially with shorter attentions spans, people don’t want to sit and listen to a full project.

They sit and listen to their one favorite song and then skip to the next one they like. The day I release my album, the one for stores and stuff, I feel it’ll be like nine songs.

Keep it short.

When was the first time you decided this is what you really want to do?

I was performing at the older

location of Maxwell’s. I was feeling nervous, 19-years old, I’m 23 right now. I was on the side-stage right before I was about to go on and I was so nervous. And then I just stopped and decided this is what I wanted to do. Why do I feel nervous about this?

What are you focusing on right now? Is it releasing a project or continuing to find your sound?

Keep pushing the sound, keep evolving with it. I definitely want to perform more in the [United] States. I’ve had some shows in Toronto. I performed at Manifesto, it’s a rap and hip-hop concert at Dundas Square.

That was great. I want to perform in Vancouver. I want to perform in Montreal. I want to get out of this area. Performing locally has become very comfortable to me, it’s getting familiar. I always want to keep reaching out and continue growing.

What were the excuses you found yourself making?

I’m a Canadian artist. I can’t produce. I can’t rap as good as that person.

There are so many rappers out in the world, why should I jump in this pool. Then I just said, “Fuck it.”

Final notes While his art is spreading far beyond southern Ontario, Ramsay Almighty spends a considerable amount of his time invested in the place that raised him. He works at the YMCA on a program in which he assists kids that are new to Canada in getting involved with the community. On top of that, he’ll be working with the Ontario Arts Council next month as a juror to help get funding for artistic projects.

the oozing, cheesy interior. I looked to the sky, and knew. This is the one.

Without a doubt, no contest, the Vanzerotti is the better tasting of the two and is arguably the best thing I’ve had at Wilf’s. It is unapologetically rich, heavy and comforting — the perfect kind of pub grub.

Closing Statements If this was Iron Chef, Van Herzele would take the top prize without a doubt.

Despite my love for the Vanzerotti, I hope this inkling has no bearing on who you will vote for.

Read the platforms, talk to the candidates and get informed. Keep food out of politics.

And before that moment. Did you know that was what you wanted to do?

I always knew, but I was just making excuses before.

ELECTIONS

Presidential food fight rock and roll sauce.

ZACH GUITOR ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

You’ve seen the posters, you’ve seen the platforms — but have you tasted the food?

As part of running for president and chief executive officer of the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, candidates created signature meals to serve at Wilf’s Pub for the duration of the campaign period. This year: the Vanzerotti and the Murdrock & Roll Burger, courtesy of candidates Tyler Van Herzele and Tyler Murdock.

Both dishes offer unique spins on existing menu items.

The Vanzerotti is a classic Wilf’s pizza folded in half and then stuffed with Laurier’s official meme food: spin dip.

The Murdrock & Roll Burger is topped with onion rings, cheese, bacon and Murdock’s favourite:

Presentation Right off the bat, both dishes have immaculate presentation. The Murdrock & Roll is served openface to reveal a healthy stack of onion rings and cheese. With curly fries on the side, this dish recalls the hockey hair days of Murdock’s past.

The Vanzerotti features an elegantly curled seam, bronzed to perfection. In keeping with this hair theme, the Vanzerotti is paired with regular fries reminiscent of Van Herzele’s straight hair.

If you squint a little, you can just make out the candidates’ faces in their respective dishes.

It’s a close call, but the Vanzerotti takes it for presentation with the beautiful seam.

Creativity Judging by creativity, the Vanzerotti should probably be disqualified for its use of spinach dip. As delicious as this cream cheese concoction is, it has been combined time and time again with various Wilf’s dishes. The Murdrock & Roll threw

a curveball with the inclusion of rock and roll sauce, a modestly popular wing sauce.

Murdock takes this round by default with his wing sauce and burger pairing.

Taste This isn’t even fair.

The Murdrock & Roll burger was pretty good, albeit a little dry, but we can’t discredit Tyler Murdock for that.

In concept, this burger should work. Rock and roll sauce is my choice wing sauce, and I’ve always enjoyed the Wilf’s burgers, but sadly this dish failed to leave a mark.

With so many toppings at play, the rock and roll sauce taste faded beneath the beef, cheese and onion rings. I respect the effort, but this recipe could use some tweaking.

The world stood still the moment I took my first bite of the Vanzerotti. Background noise became muffled by a humming, warm buzz in my ear.

The glazed and gleaming crust cracked with a crunch, to reveal

BRIAN PHILLIPS/VIDEO EDITOR

ARTS & LIFE • 9

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 FROM COVER

COPING WITH THE SEASON OF SAD LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

–cover Delving further into the issue, it’s important to consider trends in stress and emotional stability for students over the course of the school year. The feelings students have can change over time.

“At the beginning of term, everyone’s happy, it’s great. Then you settle in, and there’s maybe about a week of ‘things are great!’

Then things start to build up, and your first midterm/big assignment raises your stress. Then it’s high stress for the rest of the year,” Steinburg said.

Right around the time that midterms are building up in the fall term, clocks also move backwards, amplifying the negative effects on sleep, energy levels and appetite for students affected by SAD. There is also less sunlight.

This is just what academic pressure looks like, which induces stress in and of itself.

“Students are among the busiest people I know, and they’re trying to juggle all these competing priorities,” reasoned Steinburg.

At any point you can have spikes in stress levels whether room-

mates, relationships, parents or jobs bring them on.

Kira Charbonneau, a third-year psychology student, experiences anxiety along with changes in her mood due to the weather. Charbonneau believes university is “where most mental health issues start to emerge because of new responsibilities and high stress levels [students] are experiencing for the first time.”

“One of the best decisions I made was going into the Wellness Centre.”

-Kira Charbonneau, third-year psychology major

That, in addition to being sensitive to the weather makes winters depressing and stressful with panic attacks occurring at any point of the day for Charbonneau. Now managing her mental

health effectively, she experiences less problems when sleeping and focusing.

Steinburg also operates her own private practice in St. Agatha, providing counselling services.

As seasonal affective disorder is triggered by seasonal changes, Steinburg explained that during her second year of practice, “everybody came back when the clocks changed.” As daylight savings time sets in, the days get shorter and students may begin to feel symptoms of SAD. Days do not get noticeably longer until well into the winter term.

As students, we may feel a lack of motivation for the large part of our academic year.

It is important to be mindful of our own mental health. Steinburg offers many alternatives to help protect against the severities that may occur in many forms of mental health, including SAD. A popular remedy is light therapy, which uses a type of lamp that mimics natural light and can shift brain chemical levels like serotonin and melatonin, which influence mood and sleep patterns.

“One of the best decisions I made was going into the Wellness Centre. They can provide [effective remedies] to [help] boost my mood,” said Charbonneau.

“Students are among the busiest people I know, and they’re trying to juggle all these competing priorities.”

-Sherrie Steinburg, mental health coordinator at the Wellness Centre

The Wellness Centre, in conjunction with other facilities at Laurier, provides many resources for students to manage their mental health such as pilot projects with the department of athletics and recreation, support and crisis lines, counselling, along with many on campus events.

“Exercise is not going to solely cure depression, but it’s one way to be protective,” said Steinburg.

She continued that exercise

can facilitate socialization, as lack there of can be a catalyst for mental health issues.

Finding her friends to be her main support system, Charbonneau believes “almost anyone can benefit [from socialization], as it doesn’t just help in times of crises, it can lead to a better understanding of yourself.”

Some remedies that Charbonneau uses to stabilize her mood are anti-depressants and vitamin D and C. As a strong believer in exercise, Charbonneau explained “it is very important for my mood stability … so even going for a 20-minute walk in the evening helps.”

Many forms of exercise release endorphins in the brain, which can induce a positive body feeling, similar to the effects of morphine.

Without knowing it, someone close to you may be battling seasonal affective disorder or other mental health issues. As we enter peak midterm season, we all have things to manage and worry about, but do make sure to take some time out for self care and check up on friends.

THEATRE

Grand absurdity at play KW Little Theatre’s latest play is Poona the Fuckdog

CHRISTOPHER DONALD STAFF WRITER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANGE CLAYFIELD

Poona the Fuckdog (And Other Plays for Children), playing at Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theater this weekend, is the kind of show that seems like it was written after ingesting a handful of sleeping pills with a four-pack of Red Bull.

It’s a rambling, borderline inane show where everything gets made fun of — from dying orphans to God itself — but what’s great about it is how it balances the quirkily weird stuff with uncomfortably weird passages and moments.

There’s a dark, twisted undercurrent to every upbeat character and scene, which keeps the show mesmerizing, even if it’s not always side-splittingly funny. It’s worth the ticket price if you are in the mood for a comedy in very bad taste, but it’s even more worth it if you’re looking for something wholly unique and mind-boggling in the best of ways.

I can’t even begin to tell you what Poona the Fuckdog is about.

I could tell you the sequence of events, but my memory would be

hazy from its sheer randomness and it wouldn’t make any sense anyway.

To spoil Poona the Fuckdog is to ruin the joy of discovering Poona the Fuckdog, so I won’t go deep into the details. I’ll just say that every member of the ensemble cast is a lot of fun and their constant child-like demeanours — hence the full title — do a lot to help the show be as delightfully alienating as it is.

There’s a dark, twisted undercurrent to every upbeat character and scene, which keeps the show mesmerizing ...

Everything about them and the show is so broad and over-the-top that it’s difficult not to step back and realize you’re watching a human being dressed as a penis and singing a song about tequila while strumming an acoustic guitar. But I mean that as a compliment.

Playing this show with a straight face would be doing it a disservice

because the whole show would be off-putting, so it’s important to make sure every surface element is as inviting as possible so that the disturbing layer underneath stays close enough to the surface to be noticed but not so close so as to take over the rest of the show.

Even if there are a few groaner jokes — Stephen Harper gets brought up — and some bits overstay their welcome — the “that” exchange could probably have been condensed by a fair bit — this is something that keeps your attention from minute one and never allows it to wander.

The idea of the “cracked fairy tale” is overdone today, but Poona the Fuckdog transcends that parodic sub-genre and becomes downright surreal. Not surreal enough to take itself seriously, but with the right amount of warped reality and humanity to make a joke about all of it.

If you are sensitive to art making light of heavy topics like slurs and terminal diseases, this is probably something you’ll want to avoid but for those with a craving to see something quite funny and nearly unfathomable then you’ll definitely want to check this out.

Just don’t be surprised when the world blows up in a nuclear holocaust. That’s when the intermission starts.

10 • GAMES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

FOLLOW THECORD.CA FOR ALL ELECTION COVERAGE THURSDAY

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Are you looking for a motivating, energizing and rewarding summer job working with children and youth?

We’re looking for 175+ dynamic staff to join our team!

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 are not edited. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear Life, So I guess The Cord is a part of WLUSU (yes, WLUSU, suck it up) again? Following the president around for a day is not journalism, it’s shameless PR and no one gives a fuck except WLUSU. If this is the future of journalism, it’s no wonder the industry is dying.

Sincerely, Try some journalism for a change

www.kitchener.ca/hiringnow or scan to learn about the e xc i t i n g o p p o rt u n i t i e s available and apply online.

Dear Van Herzle, Shout out to already proving your worth/ability to stick by what you say (re: releasing videos). It seems that your opposition can’t even handle releasing one of his bi-weekly videos during the most important time of the year.

Sincerely, #paintitpurple Dear Life, Burger King burgers are the perfect “I hate my life” food.

Sincerely, Clogged arteries are the sign of failure

Dear Wilf’s Takeout Box Complainee, If Wilf’s doesn’t get it for free why would you?

Sincerely, It’s 50 cents

Dear Wilf’s, You may not have Wilf’s Tuesdays anymore, but you better be ready for election night.

Sincerely, Drunk campaign kids up in hurrr

Dear BOD Candidates, You are not running to be a “board of director” nor are you running to be a “director of the board”. The position you have been unwisely nominated to is either “Director of the Students’ Union” or “Member of the Students’ Union Board of Directors”.

Sincerely, You sound like an idiot

Dear Life, The Cord has seven issues left this year. It has gone way too fast.

Sincerely, Not ready to go yet

Dear BOD Candidates, If you think that you’re going to be able to lower tuition from the Students’ Union Board of directors, please take a long walk off a short pier.

Sincerely, I’m embarrassed 50 people signed your nomination forms Dear BOD Candidates, I see those of you who are running because you see it as a stepping stone rather than wanting to do the job itself. You come off as false, untrustworthy, and ethically dubious.

Sincerely, Please drop out of the race Dear WLU Compliments, I’m so happy you’re back!

But please don’t let your page turn into a WLUSU clique. It’s starting to and I want it to remain something genuine and unforced.

Sincerely, Thank you Dear Life, Anthony Zambito should go back to Kindergarten.

Sincerely, Who Even Is This Guy?!

Dear Life, I really wish WLUSU didn’t make my committee sit through 3 hours of bullshit on a Saturday afternoon.

I could have been studying/being productive.

Sincerely, Not really all that impressed by expresident Laura Dear Wilf’s chefs, Why haven’t you been smart enough to make spin dip mozza sticks? Give me my spin dip and give it to me deep fried.

Sincerely, Iron chef golden hawk

VISIT

Dear Murdock’s Campaign Team, At least pretend to give a shit about people. It’s clear that you’re too involved with each other to engage with students and you’re trying to ride the popularity wave until voting day but try to not #paintitred around your campaign booth only.

Sincerely, Sick of campaign season

Dear Presidential Candidates, I see a lot of your teams are applying for VP positions. I sincerely hope that when you hire your VPs that I can’t find pictures of them all wearing your campaign shirts from the campaign.

Sincerely, Bribery, collusion, and corruption

Dear campaign teams, It takes some hella guts to stand up in front of a crowd and say why they are the best candidate.

It takes even more guts to stand up in front of a crowd and recite the reasons they know their shit.

If they answer, you clap. You don’t discriminate based on who’s team you are on, and you shouldn’t just “not listen” when your candidate isn’t on stage.

Sincerely, Laurier prides itself on inclusivity, but I don’t see everyone being included Dear Laurier, Thank you for letting me see the other side of you. We always criticize, but until you’ve witnessed it, you don’t know the truth.

Sincerely, Maybe I turned cynical too soon Dear Life, Want people to take your campaign seriously? Try making pamphlets that don’t look like a child made them.

Sincerely, Get your act together

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Sudoku

T ri - Ci ti e s ’ l a rg e s t s e l e c ti o n o f c o n c e n tra te p ro d u c ts !

We h a v e a g re a t s e l e c ti o n o f p re m i u m E - c i g p ro d u c ts !

GAMES • 11

12 •

Editorial

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca

PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT:

TYLER VAN HERZELE The decision for the Tyler endorsement was no easy call. Both presidential candidates carry almost identical volunteer and work experience, resulting in nearly equal qualification for student advocacy and representation. There are a lot of gaps in consistency from the strides with this year’s Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union president, and buzzwords and slogans continued to be the main focus. But after careful assessment of the pros and cons of both candidates, we have come to the conclusion that Tyler Van Herzele carries a more feasible vision.

Van Herzele’s campaign pillars are mental health, connectivity and awareness/campus safety. Similarly, Murdock’s pillars stand for student wellness, student experience and relationships. They carry nearly identical ideals with a few minor exceptions and very few tangible aspects. Both sets of pillars carry visions to enhance the Laurier experience, but Van Herzele seems to understand what it takes to actually take his vision into action.

Van Herzele put the work into his platform and his well-boasted partnerships through meeting with students, current Students’ Union staff members as well as university representatives for the past six months.

His dedication to the campaign as well as the position is evident and if this continues, can boast a good beginning to his term.

While Murdock impressed with time, during the presidential debate and the open forums Van Herzele seemed to put thought into his answers. Van Herzele spoke about the importance of student advocacy on both campuses and listed measurable steps for accomplishing his goals. Murdock also talked about using his passion to “empower” students, but did not give much basis of how. He discussed plans for “growth” and “change” in the student community, but did not offer calculated steps for implementation.

During Monday’s open forum, Editor-In-Chief Shelby Blackley asked the presidential candidates why The Cord should endorse them. While Murdock explained that it would lead to a positive relationship between him and the Waterloo campus newspaper if elected, Van Herzele said he is ready to tackle whatever comes in the position and that he wants to learn to help students achieve their goals, focusing more on his suspected performance and what he would bring to the table.

WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR

Olivia Matthews stressed that the presidential position entails responding to a never ending flow of student concerns. Both candidates have the approachability necessary in a Students’ Union president, but the connectivity of Van Herzele can work to his advantage.

But Van Herzele has a lot to learn and a lot to work on if he is successful on Thursday. While he has the sociability aspect, it’s important to understand campaigns and campaign platforms should not solely rely on being “nice.” Van Herzele will need to learn the Waterloo operations, rely on a strong vice-president team and learn intently from Matthews during the transition period. Van Herzele will have to find a balance between the advocacy, CEO and management portfolios to be an effective president and avoid burnout early into his term.

It is also important to mention that both platforms may have touched on good ideas, but in terms of tangibles, they both lacked substantially. Furthermore both candidates didn’t really impress us in terms of how they engaged in the presidential debate. The job is complex and complicated and while a platform is really only an outline, it’s imperative each individual is ready with concrete ideas and ready to engage with the issues at hand. This was not evident throughout the last two weeks from either candidate.

It’s important to vote based on what you as students want to see in your president. There’s a lot to the position. Both candidates lack substantial knowledge and experience to make them a clear choice, but Van Herzele’s strengths make him the best candidate out of the two, and the one that should be ranked at the top of this year’s ballot.

Board of directors endorsements Chair: Jonathan Ricci

Vice-chair: Shannon Kelly

Director: Nick DeSumma

Director: Nick Molkoski

Senate:

As one of only three potential returning candidates, the board would benefit from the experience Jonathan Ricci has. In every year on the board, Ricci has been a passionate member. He is a strong director that understands the roles of the board and its place within the Students’ Union organization.

Ricci has consistent contributions to meetings and discussions, is knowledgeable about the position and continues to encourage critical engagement from fellow directors. Ricci’s largest challenge will be dealing with turnover, but must use his experience and passion to his advantage. The chair’s job is to facilitate discussion and Ricci would be a great asset to this.

Ricci’s experience and investment in the board would help him in the role of chair as well as CGO.

While having no tangible experience as a director, Shannon Kelly has been impressive and can continue to be an impressive addition to the board. Kelly has sat as the secretary of the board this year and has knowledge that can make her a critical director and a strong vicechair. She understands the functions of the board, what the board’s role is and can offer a strong voice when making decisions. It must be noted that to jump from secretary to vice-chair is a large leap, and Kelly must be critical and confident in the position. She can be a valuable voice in regards to holding the Students’ Union president, and the chair, accountable.

Nick DeSumma has been a great member of the Students’ Union board for the past two years and with such high turnover inevitable, it’s important DeSumma is elected for a third term. DeSumma brings a wealth of knowledge, good leadership and a vocal presence from the Brantford campus. DeSumma’s passion and dedication is evident, but he needs to be more vocal in his role. Another term can help DeSumma reach his expectations.

Nick Molkoski, while only a firstyear student, has raw knowledge of corporate board workings. He was one of few non-returning candidates to bring up executive limitations and ends while also wanting to keep the president accountable. Molkoski mentioned the current work of the ownership linkage committee and showed confidence in his ability to look critically at what the Union needs.

If elected, Molkoski will bring a strong, positive presence to the board.

After having little to no information or contact with the candidates, The Cord has decided to abstain from making an endorsement on this year’s Senate candidates.

Board of governors: After reading the platforms and watching the candidates at the open forum, The Cord has decided to abstain from making an endorsement on this year’s student governor candidates.

These unsigned endorsements are based on a discussion that followed the Students’ Union campaign. It was agreed upon by the majority (13 in favour, 2 abstentions) of The Cord’s editorial board and senior staff. The arguments made may reference any facts made available through interviews, documents or other sources. The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP. Mynt Marsellus, candidate and Multimedia Director of The Cord, and Jessica Dik, member of Van Herzele’s campaign team and Lead Photographer of The Cord, did not participate or contribute to these endorsements.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Opinion

• 13 OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca

Culture or religion?

Understanding the blurred line within ‘multiculturalism’

ABIGAIL BARRETT OPINION COLUMNIST

It never occurred to me how blurred the lines between culture and religion were until I moved to Canada. The subjects of religion, culture and nationality were explored in all my classes and at the centre of each discussion was what it meant to be a Canadian. The atmosphere was the same for all of my classes. From my observation, the most common answer is often that being Canadian involves “not being American.”

When polled on national identity, Canadians defined themselves by characteristics such as free healthcare (53 per cent) and by being more polite than their southern neighbors (15 per cent).

Canadians, I realized, take much offence to being likened to their neighbours. The biggest reason for this dispute of identity is this: Canadians are not Americans. In fact, when I asked my friends what being a Canadian meant to them, their responses were everything they thought America was not,

making sure to highlight that it was not a matter of being better than Americans, but rather that they shared fundamentally different ideals.

Canada prides itself in being a multicultural society, a society where differences and diversity are not only tolerated, but welcomed.

While many would agree, recently there were a number of minority groups that have had their fair share of intolerance and found themselves at the mercy of the law because of religious orientation and cultural practices.

What has proven to be a dilemma is establishing a boundary for what is religious versus what is cultural, and how to decide which takes precedence. The dictionary definitions for these two words simply do not suffice. History notes — pun intended — that society has long been rigidly divided along religious and cultural lines. What’s more, are the implications that are caused when these lines cross.

Various forms of cultural practices are rooted in religion, including symbols, ceremonies and art, among others.

In 2015, there was a call for a law to ban the wearing of niqabs to the swearing in ceremonies. In Québec, this call is already a reality.

For many, this was a recollection

This is the kind of hypocrisy that continues to plague minority groups.

of the ‘Turban Fury’ in the 1990s where after a long and hard battle Baltej Singh Dhillon, a practicing Sikh, was admitted into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police wearing his turban. When the issue resurfaced last year, Montreal’s mayor Denis Coderre posited that it was clear to him the “niqab is not religious, it’s cultural,” a sentiment that others do share. A public opinion poll ordered by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2015 found overwhelming support among Canadians for the requirement that women remove their niqabs at citizenship ceremonies.

One opinion writer for the Globe and Mail said the niqab “had no place in Canada and that immigrants must be prepared to accommodate themselves to ‘Canadian values.’”

WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR

Distinctions between religion and culture are not always understood.

But what about those who wear the niqab? Who defines what is cultural and not religious and how do we detach the two? Isn’t diversity a proud part of Canada’s multiculturalist values? This is the kind of hypocrisy that continues to plague minority groups. Differences are advertised as welcomed and tolerated, but the polls indicate quite the contrary. It is impossible to exist outside of one’s beliefs and when these cultural and religious

lines cross, it isn’t fair to choose between being Canadian and abiding by one’s faith.

Nevertheless, thanks to those that hold the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms dear to their hearts and regard democracy as a hell of a thing, the future for Muslim women and their niqabs is worth looking forward to, like other minority groups that often suffer because of their religious orientation or cultural practices.

14 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Deconstructing the ‘golden rule’ When does ‘treating others the way you want to be treated’ cross the line of common respect?

Imagine for a moment that we are all the same; with the same emotional needs and preferences.

LINDSAY BINDMAN OPINION COLUMNIST

Do you remember being young and being taught to follow the “golden rule?” The rule that said treat others the way you would like to be treated?

It always seemed simple and lovely enough, so I followed it for most of my life — until recently.

A more critical eye allowed me to apply some skepticism towards this philosophy.

My conclusion is that the golden rule applies to those people you do not know well, such as your accountant or someone you chat with in line ahead of you at a store.

The golden rule functions as an excellent reminder to treat others with the respect and compassion that you yourself would appreciate.

Having said that, as we enter into the realm of close friends, JOSHUA AWOLADE/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

I propose the “platinum rule”: treat others the way they would like to be treated.

family and significant others, I propose the “platinum rule”: treat others the way they would like to be treated.

On many occasions, I have felt compelled to recognize and thank someone I love for their kindness and positive impact on my life.

My family is big on toasts and speeches. On my mom’s birthday this past year, I wrote her a fairly lengthy toast that both thanked

and made fun of her, and I read it in front of our family.

She laughed and loved it, but as I think about some of my more shy and introverted friends, I can say quite confidently they would much prefer a card or more private means of communication. By the same token, it’s important to recognize that not everyone shows love and appreciation in the same way.

Some people express themselves with words. Others let their actions speak for them. My oma is an excellent example of someone that prefers to express herself through acts of love as opposed to words.

Often when we’re ending a phone call, I’ll say, “I love you!” and she will respond, “Bye!” but I would never question her love for one second, because she will spend hours sewing a rip in my

shirt, paint me the most incredible artwork and always have my favourite foods in the house when she’s expecting me.

Like every sunset or every snowflake, we are all different.

We have our own set of likes and dislikes and I believe these preferences should be taken into consideration in order to cultivate the most loving and mutually respectful relationships possible.

Imagine for a moment that we are all the same; with the same emotional needs and preferences.

While it would be considerably easier to determine how our actions and our behaviour would impact one another, there would be no diversity.

I believe it’s our diversity that makes us beautiful, that allows us to fall in love with one another, to collaborate and to see the world through multiple perspectives.

Diversity of personality and preference also means that we have different sets of needs that should be taken into consideration, at least for the people we hold close.

What’s the value of university?

JOSH HORTALEZA OPINION COLUMNIST

“Do what you love and the money will follow.”

“Choose a job you love and you never have to work a day in your life.”

Pop quiz. What do both of the above statements have in common? Any guesses? As a university student, you have definitely heard them before.

Alright, time’s up.

Both of the statements have to do with the job market. The bachelor degree from a university is generally the final stretch of a child’s educational journey.

Finishing an undergraduate degree puts an individual in a cumbersome spot.

Do I go on to graduate school or do I enter the “real world?” Obviously, there are more options than those two, but generally speaking, most university students will end up in that position.

In order to understand the “real world,” one must look at the common events of the people entering it. Long, long ago — 21-22 years most likely — you were born.

Your parents likely had high hopes and aspirations for your future so the obvious choice your parents likely made is to send you to university so you can have a well-paying job, and by extension, a happy life.

You are one person out of hundreds of thousands of people in Canada who are all searching for a finate number of jobs.

At one point in your life, you enter the public school system, which is kindergarten through grade 12 in Ontario.

Dates, semi-formals, dealing with drama, trying new things, experiencing new experiences, going through puberty, climbing the social ladder, going through a “rebellious phase,” the prom and interacting with a plethora of different people are all aspects of this journey. Hopefully, while you are being bombarded with all of these wondrous new things, you find out what you want to do with your life.

Some will say 18 is too early of an age to decide what to do, but nevertheless, it’s a reality.

Maybe you liked photography, English, singing, math, business, engineering or history.

The urging of your parents and your teachers who tell you of the fabled “university experience” as well as your own interests compel you to go to university.

Whether your interests are for money or intellectual passion for the subject you study, you are finally here. The last stretch.

JESSI WOOD/GRAPHIC ARTIST

University.

A keen reader has probably noticed a problem in the generalized scenario I bring forward. While your experiences may vary, this route got you to university.

The problem is this: more and more people are entering university than ever before.

An economically literate individual will tell you that this has severe implications for each person who enters.

While you sit in your lecture, listening to your professor go over some theory or world issue, most, if not all people in that same lecture hall are going to graduate with the exact same credentials as you are.

If you are about the money, it is incredibly likely that others in your lecture hall are for the money as well. Now, there you are, the lecture hall, the university you are in, the universities in Ontario, and the universities all over Canada.

You are one person out of hundreds of thousands of people in Canada who are all searching for a finite number of jobs. The hired will be hired, but where does that leave the rest?

This wouldn’t be a problem if university was free. It would just be four years of learning and enriching the mind, while making long lasting friendships and meeting incredibly smart, talented, and opinionated people.

That would be time well spent, right?

But university isn’t free.

Experiencing all of these things comes with a cost.

Your student invoice does not list “having fun” or “long lasting friendships.”

Those things are merely a byproduct of being with your fellow age group. You are paying for more boring things like credits. Most families cannot finance the cost of an education and as such have to take on debt in order to cover the costs. When those four years of your degree are up, money must be paid.

Debt is the chain that keeps people mediocre. We invest our finite time into monotonous jobs we don’t want to do, but we do them to pay off debt.

Debt has immense power over the actions of an individual who has it.

We are slaves to it.

Not being able to find a job in job market that grows more challenging to venture into each year is not the end of the world, but it can be disastrous. Defaulting on a loan carries massive consequences.

If you are unable to pay your loans, you probably cannot get a mortgage, or a car loan.

Your credit score will plummet.

This severely inhibits your actions and keeps you a slave to the debt.

But was it worth it?

“Do what you want and the money will follow.”

I propose a change to this age old reasoning. “Do what others love and the money will follow.”

That’s a story for another day.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Sports

• 15 SPORTS EDITOR DREW YATES dyates@thecord.ca

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

PAIGE BUSH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Golden Hawks ended the Waterloo Warriors’ four-game winning streak on Saturday Jan. 30, winning 2-1. With the victory, Laurier is tied for fifth place in the OUA conference with 33 points.

An ‘elite team in learning mode’ Smith sparks Hawks to three-game winning streak en route to the final stretch before playoffs DREW YATES SPORTS EDITOR

Two weeks ago, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks women’s hockey team were on the verge of sitting outside of a playoff spot.

They were eighth in the Ontario University Athletics conference.

They struggled with scoring, a change was necessary, a spark.

Enter Amanda Smith.

The third-year netminder stepped between the pipes, and in her last five starts earned a 0.68 goals against average and a 0.968 save percentage.

She gathered two shutouts against the Nipissing Lakers and the UOIT Ridgebacks and limited the streaking Waterloo Warriors to a single goal in a 2-1 victory on

Saturday night.

After being the third goaltender for the Hawks once, Smith has found her comfort back in net. “[Smith’s] energized the team,” said head coach Rick Osborne.

“You can’t underscore her performance in the last few wins.”

In a game where every point matters, in a league that rewards teams that finish their business in 60 minutes, first-year defender Cassandra Calabreese scored the first goal of her university career when her stick found a loose puck in the slot and beat Waterloo netminder Rebecca Bouwhuis.

For a first career goal, it was huge, giving the Hawks a six-point weekend and returning to the heart of the playoff race.

Calabreese was excited to get

“You can’t underscore her performance in the last few wins.”

-Rick Osborne, women’s hockey head coach

the game-winning goal, in a game that’s leading up to the playoffs.

“I’d just get the puck on net and hope for the best,” she said.

“I didn’t expect to score by any means. It was exciting.”

Smith’s return also gave firstyear rookie Lauren Webber time to recover from a torn meniscus

suffered in November against the York Lions and allowed the team to fully focus on the hunt for a solid playoff position.

And with a confident netminder in Smith with the team, it’s going to be a full speed ahead effort from the Hawks.

“I feel good. A little break in the first semester, but it’s really nice to be back with the girls and be doing everything I can to get the points,” Smith said.

“It’s really nice when you see the coaches have confidence in you and have confidence in you too.”

“I just want to do everything I can to help out the team.”

That regulation point put the Hawks in a three-way tie for fifth place in the OUA standings.

And while it seems like mov-

ing up a spot isn’t a lot, the Hawks could be back on track.

Osborne said Webber energized the team really nicely to get the Hawks started on the right foot at the beginning of the season, and believes since her injury, she’s ready to step up and play a game for Laurier next weekend.

And next weekend brings the No. 6 nationally-ranked Western Mustangs and the Windsor Lancers, where the Hawks could need both of their goaltenders to keep momentum going in the final stretch towards the playoffs.

“These nine points that we picked up, at least it gets the adrenaline flowing.” Osborne said.

“We’re still an elite team in learning mode but we’re learning faster now.”

SPORTS IN BRIEF Men’s hockey secures playoff spot For the first time in three years, the men’s hockey team has secured a playoff spot in the OUA conference. The Hawks secured this berth by beating the Brock Badgers 7-4 on Friday night while the Waterloo Warriors beat the Lakehead Thunderwolves 5-4 Saturday.

The win tied the Hawks at sixth place with the Ryerson Rams. Laurier is back in action February 4 when they face off against the UOIT Ridgebacks.

Sheridan wins gold at York Open The middle distance team captured gold in the 3000-metre race at the York Open last weekend. Joe Sheridan beat 10 runners with a time of eight minutes, 49.71 seconds. It was also nearly two seconds faster than second-place. Fifth-year Adam Cornwall also placed in the top 10, clocking in a time of 4:00.21 in the 1500-metre race, placing sixth. With the OUA championship four weekends away, the Hawks continue to prepare as they head to the Windsor Team Challenge. The Hawks race on February 12 and February 13.

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16 •

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

CONCUSSIONS

The implications of head injuries Examining concussion policy and injury protocol at Laurier after men’s rugby player opens up DANIEL JOHNSON STAFF WRITER

It’s late October 2015, about five games into the Wilfrid Laurier men’s rugby season and first-year flank Liam Domenici is sidelined from the action with a concussion sustained after a routine practice drill. It was a mundane error with tremendous consequences for any athlete — especially one with a previous history of concussions.

Domenici got a little too low on one of his teammates and took his knee on a soft spot around Domenici’s temple. He blacked out after.

“I had to take a good amount of time off. I was advised to defer all my midterms, stop going to class and stay in a dark room,” said Domenici. “After the three weeks that I took off and in the dark room with no phone, I had to study and I had to take my midterms because I was afraid for my grades.”

Head coach Ian McLeod implements a strong protocol with head injuries. The players complete baseline concussion tests and on-field protocols at training camp to keep athletes safe. If a concussion is suspected, the athlete is automatically out for two weeks, regardless of the actual diagnosis.

McLeod then personally follows up with the players on a regular basis as well as conduct their baseline tests to monitor progress.

“Because of that baseline test, they would have to go back and have that same score they got in training camp in order to come back and not just a doctor’s note,” McLeod said. “If they are still showing abnormalities in that score, then they are not coming back.”

Jamie Carlson, an athletic

JESSI WOOD/GRAPHIC ARTIST

therapist for Laurier’s department of athletics and recreation, said there’s a list of exercises he goes through to determine whether or not an athlete has a concussion.

According to Carlson, a sport concussion assessment tool protocol has been developed and is currently in its third version.

“We can go through it and there’s a full list of symptoms.

Headache, nausea, blurred vision, sensitivity to light,” he said.

“There’s a long list of them that deals with physical signs and emotional signs.”

Carlson said that once a concussion is sustained, if it is severe enough, he advises athletes to go home to their parents and sit in a dark room away from technology for awhile, especially if their hometown is an hour away, like Oakville.

However strong a program is,

unfortunate realities present themselves and accidents can happen.

In a contact sport, simple mistakes can have high consequences.

For Domenici, some of the worst symptoms manifested themselves.

After a string of previous concussions, the one sustained at Laurier had serious consequences.

“I’ve had issues with mood swings, and I’ve had to follow the patterns that’s been going on with the hockey enforcers,” said Domenici, referring to behaviour enforcers exhibit from fighting. “I don’t like to use the word depression, but after my concussions I would see myself unhappy for no reason or lacking motivation.

Just unhappy for no reason or not [able] to make myself happy when I had no reason to be unhappy.”

For Domenici, his symptoms went away when the fog of his

concussion lifted and he returned to normal. But that isn’t always the case. Players who sustain a concussion can face an uncertain recovery process. Carlson said back when he first started, there were three types of concussions.

A first-degree concussion was when you get “dinged” and the athlete would give their head a shake and go back in. Third-degree concussions meant the athlete was unconscious. While second degree was everything in between. Things have changed since then.

“Now, if you get anything, they shut you down,” Carlson said.

“And that works, especially because if it’s not significant, you can stop it early. Which is good. And then you tend to stay out the week before the next one and you have a chance. Whereas sometimes some athletes will try to play through it — they won’t say anything, then they’ll speak up after the game … By doing that, it escalated the problem exponentially.”

McLeod said he’s known athletes that are fine after two weeks, but that can go up to four to six months of recovery time. McLeod has seen first hand what happens when a player is concussed.

McLeod said he had a player this year get concussed at the Canada U-18 camp and he didn’t realize it or tell anyone, and because it was his second severe concussion, he dropped out of school. He couldn’t study and had to stay in a dark room.

“Horrific story, but that’s the severity scale you go from.

Sometimes a whack on the jaw is a whack on the jaw and sometimes it’s a much more severe concussion,” he said.

McLeod speaks with his players after any sustained concus-

sion about putting the game into perspective and after multiple concussions, priorities have to be made. Especially after the second concussion, it may be time to have a talk about an athlete’s future.

“If it’s really severe I would say it’s worth talking about. Certainly after the second, it’s worth a discussion and if and when they come back and there’s a third one then I think it’s time to shut it down.”

McLeod believes rugby should be second to their academics.

McLeod said at the OUA level, the conversation is about schooling — getting that education and moving on with your life, not worried so much about rugby. But in many contact sports, there’s a mentality to “get back on the horse” and play through the pain. This mindset is shifting and all the tests and protocols are relatively new and still going through their evolution to ensure player safety.

Domenici doesn’t have any regrets or resentment from his journey. He regards his injury as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He recounts a time when he got a concussion while playing hockey and he was hit from behind. He loved the sport more than anything — just like rugby, it was an absolute passion.

Domenici has seen the other side of the process and took a lot from the experience.

“To be happy with where I am and recognize that there isn’t any reason not to be happy. Also recognize that a lack of motivation won’t get me anywhere. No one’s going to feel bad for me,” he said.

“It’s still a competition, you have to get motivated, you can’t let it affect you that much or else you’ll be out of school before you know it.”

-With files from Drew Yates

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Hawks still struggling Men’s basketball drop weekend games, sit 6-7 on year KILLIAN CUPPAGE STAFF WRITER

With consecutive losses against division rivals last week, the Wilfrid Laurier University men’s basketball team sit with a 6-7 record on the season and are tied for second in the Ontario University Athletics West division, just behind the division-leading Windsor Lancers who are 7-6 on the year.

The Hawks suffered a 90-78 loss to the Lancers last Wednesday and head coach Peter Campbell attributes a big part of the loss to his team’s lack of effort from the start, where the Hawks were outscored 26-13 in the opening frame.

“When you’re playing a team as good as that you can’t afford to take a quarter off,” he said.

Laurier’s offensive inefficiencies are evident in their losses — the Hawks have shot under 36 per cent from the field in six of their seven losses this season. An inefficient offence becomes even more problematic because of the team’s weak rebounding.

If rebounding is solid, even when the Hawks’ offence is struggling they can still generate offensive rebounds to get second and third chances to score and

“You can’t run it forever ... there’s a scenario where you can play it for a period of time.”

-Peter Campbell, men’s basketball head coach

extend possessions. But rebounding hasn’t been great. The Hawks are last in the OUA in rebounding margin, sitting at -9. On average, the Hawks are out-rebounded by their opponents by nine rebounds per game. Campbell said that he knew the Hawks would be in for a test given Windsor’s abilities.

“We missed open shots, they out competed us on the boards, which we knew they would do, so we knew we had to get a body on a body all the time and we didn’t stay with that, we weren’t focused on that enough as individuals,” Campbell explained.

In order to spawn more offence, Laurier often turns to a full-court press defence in an attempt to force their opponents to make turnovers, which generates points

off their defence. The Hawks have an advantage with the combination of length and agility of their frontcourt players and how this fits in with their full-court press defensively.

Vlad Matovic, Matt Chesson and Simon Polan-Couillard all average a half a steal per game by using their agility to stay with small, quick players in the press and using their length to disrupt passing lanes, the Hawks have found success.

But the problem with this style of play, according to Campbell, is it is very energy-consuming and opposing teams will eventually get used to it.

“You can’t run it forever,” Campbell said. “There’s a scenario where you can play it for a period of time.”

“We tried a little bit of different stuff there, we ran a different press for a little bit.”

One of the Hawks’ youngest players has found a role contributing in this high-intensity defensive style. First-year guard Sydney Davis was active defensively when the Hawks made a run to try and cut the deficit versus the Lancers.

Davis saw 23 minutes of floor time over the team’s two games this past week and spoke about his duties in

JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Matt Chesson plays the ball against the Windsor Lancers last Wednesday.

the full-court press.

“I feel I contributed well because I came in ready to play. I bring energy, I’m supposed to deny the wing and take away the middle, make it difficult,” Davis said.

“That’s my main job.”

Davis said he is still adjusting to the next level of play, but is happy

with the amount of coaching Campbell has given him, which helped his adjustment period.

The Hawks are back in action on February 5 when they travel to Toronto to take on the 10-1 and No. 1 nationally-ranked Ryerson Rams.

Tip off is at 8 p.m. at Mattamy Athletic Centre.