The Cord February 28, 2018

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 58 ISSUE 22 • FEBRUARY 28, 2018

EZRA ON

EMPTY News, page 3

RAINBOW CROSSWALK

TEXTBOOK BROKE? FIX IT!

MARVEL’S BIG SUCCESS

BEYOND CONTROL

10 TIME OUA CHAMPIONS

Adding some colour to KW by summertime

Digital resources reshaping the market

Black Panther smashes barriers

America’s gun problems continue

Another curling victory for Laurier

News, page 3

Features, page 10

Arts & Life, page 13

Opinion, page 16

Sports, page 20 TANZEEL SAYANI/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

2 •

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

VOCAL CORD

What is your next tattoo idea?

The Cord

@cordnews

@cordwlusp

CordNews

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“The Acadian deportation cross.”

–Jared Traplin, second-year history

“Saturn with black dot work around it in a geometric diamond.”͟ –Rachel Thon, masters of cognitive neuroscience

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

Cameron Heights faced a crisis this past week as threats were levelled towards students on social media ensuing Florida’s recent mass shooting.

“A tattoo of a dance pose.”͟ –Gargi Mattoo, first-year business and economics

“I think tattoos are really beautiful as art but I don’t think I could ever get one.”͟ –Midori Marsh, opera diploma student with the voice program Compiled by Erin Abe Photos by Sadman Sakib Rahman NEXT ISSUE MARCH 7, 2018

CORD STAFF

From the Archives: Feb 28, 1969

1861: US congress creates Colorado Territory.

This photo is from Waterloo Lutheran University’s 1969 production of A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum.

The performance took place in the Theatre Auditorium between the dates Feb. 28 and March 1, 1969.

The performance also predates the name change that the school went through in 1973.

The name Wilfrid Laurier University was officially adopted and the school received Royal Assent on Nov. 1, 1973.

Photos and information courtesy of the Laurier Archives, located on the first floor of the Library.

“The Laurier Archives is the Library’s research collection of archival papers, rare books, and historic university records.”

FEATURES EDITOR Karlis Wilde features@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Erin Abe news@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Shyenne MacDonald arts@thecord.ca

LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Abdulhamid Ibrahim sports@thecord.ca

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kurtis Rideout editor@thecord.ca

OPINION EDITOR Emily Waitson opinion@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tanzeel Sayani creative@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Pranav Desai sports@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Garrison Oosterhof online@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Alan Li graphics@thecord.ca

NEWS DIRECTOR Safina Husein news@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Luke Sarazin photos@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Jake Watts news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Sarah Tyler video@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Nathalie Bouchard news@thecord.ca

WEB ASSISTANT Kate Weber online@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Sadman Sakib Rahman photos@thecord.ca SENIOR COPY EDITOR Michael Oliveri copyeditor@thecord.ca SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Danielle Deslauriers socialmedia@thecord.ca

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEB. 28

1940: Racing legend, Mario Andretti is born.

1975: London subway crash kills 43.

1982: The Getty Museum becomes the most richly endowed museum on earth.

1987: Gorbachev calls for a nuclear treaty.

1993: Federal agents raid the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.

1994: First NATO military action.

CONTRIBUTED/THE LAURIER ARCHIVES

Students perform A funny thing happened on the way to the forum at WLU

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Brittany Tenhage Madeline McInnis Simran Dhaliwal Victoria Berndt Sara Burgess Tyler Currie Andrew McClelland Aaron Hagey

“A look at textbook costs in the era of #textbook broke” by Karlis Wilde

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Care Lucas at care.lucas@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 4,500 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000. Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada.

The Cord has been a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP) since 2004.

PREAMBLE The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly.

The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy.

The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly.

When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to

2013: Pope Benedict resigns.

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: “You should always bring a flannel with you, Kurtis.”

- News Director Safina Husein doting wisdom on Editor-In-Chief Kurtis Rideout

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

News

• 3

NEWS DIRECTOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR NATHALIE BOUCHARD news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR JAKE WATTS news@thecord.ca

EQUALITY

Uptown Waterloo will be home to rainbow crosswalk KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Waterloo will soon become the newest addition to the growing list of cities in North America with a rainbow crosswalk.

Mayor of Waterloo, Dave Jaworsky, said that the crosswalk emphasizes the diversity and inclusivity of the Waterloo community.

“Over the past years, we’ve had seen discussions of other cities who are doing this kind of inclusive action in their community,” Jaworsky said.

“We want to join other cities across America and North America who are actually making this dedication to say ‘this is something that’s not one day a year, one month a year, this is a permanent part of our community.’”

The initiative has been discussed over the past few years, but it wasn’t until more recently that the city decided to put the plan in action.

“It was something that our staff were looking at for the past year, trying to figure out how it might work, where it might work. And now that they have better ideas,

we took it to council and decided move forward with this idea.”

The location of the crosswalk is something that is still being discussed and there are several factors that will influence where it is placed within the community.

The rainbow flag has become a symbol of a welcoming community, an inclusive community.

-Dave Jaworsky, Mayor of Waterloo

“We do have some busy roads here that are owned by the region.

So those aren’t actually our roads.

Think of University, King Street, those kinds of roads, the ones that are four lanes and that, those ones are regional roads. Those aren’t our roads,” Jaworsky said.

Jaworsky also said that the city is currently discussing the benefits of putting the crosswalk in the Uptown core.

“In particular we’re looking at putting it right in our Uptown core, somewhere around the … area of city hall, to truly demonstrate that this is something that we believe in,” he said. “I do view it as a bit of place-making as well,” he added.

“It might be a place where people come to, they take pictures — if you look online, you’ll see lots of pictures of rainbow crosswalks.”

The city has currently set aside $4,000 in funding for the project, which is set to be completed by this summer.

“We’re going to fund it and do a proper consultation to make sure we get it right,” Jaworsky said.

Ultimately, Jaworksy noted that the crosswalk highlights the City of Waterloo’s dedication to creating an inclusive community environment.

“The rainbow flag has become a symbol of a welcoming community, an inclusive community,” he said. “And that’s what we want to do.”

“It’s a symbol that the City of

SIMRAN DHALIWAL/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Waterloo is recognizing that we’re a youthful city with our universities here,” he said. “We’re the kind of place where we want people to come here for four years and then

get a job and make their home here, and contribute to the growth of this great urban city.”

This story was written with notes from News Editor, Jake Watts.

STUDENT LIFE

WRPS aims to crack down on St. Patrick’s Day SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

Last week, Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) announced their intent and goal to increase student safety this upcoming St. Patrick’s Day by cracking down on the annual street party which takes place on Ezra Street.

Each year, the street part on Ezra Street continues to grow. Last year, approximately 15,000 students attended the party on St. Patrick’s Day. After this past Homecoming, which saw almost 12,000 students gathered on the streets, WRPS has been vocal in regards to the toll that the parties are taking on their resources. As a result, WRPS has had several meetings since October to discuss the possibility of changing the culture that currently exists surrounding parties and binge drinking on these days.

Last week, Chief Larkin told Kitchener CTV News that WRPS will be actively discouraging any “street assembly” and will be cracking down on the gathering by ensuring people “move along” from Ezra Street.

“We recognize that we may not change this overnight, but now we’re sending a message around ‘This cannot continue,’” Chief Larkin said to Kitchener CTV News.

The university has always actively discouraged it and that’s been communicated ...

-David McMurray, vice-president: student affairs at Laurier

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

In correspondence with WRPS’ public statement, Wilfrid Laurier University has spoken out in support of their goal to end the culture surrounding the Ezra Street party.

“The university has always actively discouraged it and that’s been communicated in pretty thorough communication plan that’s always gone out,” David McMurray, vice-president: student affairs, said.

“In addition to actively discouraging it, we’ve always promoted, as much as possible, student safety in respect to various campaigns the

city has come out with.”

For the first time, WRPS has asked for the help from Peel Regional Police, who will be sending officers on St. Patrick’s day to help enforce the law and encourage safety amongst students.

“I think from the university’s perspective with concern about student safety, we’re knowledgeable about the city’s efforts to try and supervise and manage the numbers as best as they possible,” McMurray said. “But the police tell us that they’re not able to manage a safe situation, so we’re support-

ive of their efforts to change that and to increase the safety of our students.”

In addition to police enforcement, students who violate the law, receive a fine or charges will be facing additional consequences from the university as these violations are seen as breaking the non-academic student code of conduct.

“The university has always said that the non-academic code of conduct is in effect for any students who violate the law, that’s always been a part of the commu-

nication content,” McMurray said.

Consequences distributed by the university may range from discussions, suspensions and potentially expulsion.

In an email sent on Feb. 27 from the Office of Student affairs, Laurier students were given a guideline of reminders for St. Patrick’s Day. “Concern for student safety has become more serious, and as a result, the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) will have an increased police presence this year and will be taking a firm approach to enforcement. You will see more police officers actively working to disperse crowds on the street and issuing tickets for all by-law and provincial violations such as drinking alcohol in public places,” the email read.

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

CRIME

EVENTS

Local high school sees threat ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER

A student under the age of 18 at Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute (CHCI) has been charged with Uttering Threats to Cause Bodily Harm or Death and possession of a dangerous weapon.

On Feb. 21 after nine p.m., police received a report of a live video posted on social media which highlighted the young male making threats that he would cause harm to students and teachers at the secondary school.

A few hours later, Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) was able to arrest the young male.

Possible legal penalty has yet to be determined or disclosed. During the investigation and after the arrest was made, WRPS seized two imitation firearms and ammunition from a residence in Kitchener in relation to the young male.

“The threats were made to the school in general, not aimed at one individual but more the entire school,” Cherri Greeno, media relations coordinator for WRPS, said.

The video, which was seen online by many, displayed the teenage male making threats towards the school. One of the viewers came forward to report the accused to police services.

The threats were made to the school in general, not aimed at one individual but more the entire school.

-Cherri Greeno, media relations coordinator for WRPS

“We want to encourage students if they hear anything on social media or throughout the halls of their school that causes them concern, even if they think it might be a joke, we encourage them to come forward,” Greeno said.

“Come forward to a school

resource officer, staff, principal, teacher or an adult they trust so that an investigation can begin to determine the intentions of what is causing them to be concerned.”

Students of CHCI were sent home with notices to their families regarding the young male and his arrest the following day.

“We take any threat of violence very seriously. Words and acts of violence or intimidation are never appropriate and even when said in jest are never funny. Actions or stunts like this will be met with severe consequences to ensure the safety of our school and our students,” Ray Teed, principal of CHCI, said in the public statement.

Parents of students from the Secondary School voiced concerns and appreciation over social media. Concerned parents took to Facebook to thank WRPS for stopping a situation that could have potentially escalated.

“In this case, somebody did come forward which enabled us to make a quick arrest, so we want to [tell students] if you see something, come forward,” Greeno said.

JAKE WATTS/NEWS EDITOR

Deborah MacLatchy, president of Laurier, speaks at a panel discussion.

Laurier talks about doping in Olympics KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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On Feb. 22, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Science hosted a Reading Week Café in the Paul Martin Centre as a part of their 2017-2022 strategic plan.

The event saw the Faculty of Science present a moderated panel discussion on the issue of doping in the Olympics from various scientific and ethical perspectives.

Frédérique Guinel, biology professor at Laurier and host of the panel discussion, explained to The Cord how the event came together: “It is a result of one of the committees which was put in place for the strategic plan for the science faculty,” she said.

“The committee is known as ‘research and application of new ideas.’ And it is to try to brainstorm, to make people collaborate and communicate better.”

The committee is known as ‘research and application of new ideas.’ And it is to try to brainstorm, to make people collaborate ...

-Frédérique Guinel, biology professor at Laurier

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Through this committee, the Faculty of Science settled on the idea of a science café — open to students, professors and the public — and decided to launch during reading week this year.

“We are going to try to make it a recurrent event every reading

week,” Guinel said.

In preparation for the panel, Guinel created a list of various faculty members from different departments with relevant knowledge and experience.

“We try to check if there was somebody [who] knew about the topic in every department,” she said.

And, not limiting themselves to professors in the faculty of science, they reached out to Gary Foster, professor in the department of philosophy, to speak on the matter from a philosophical perspective.

“We have a person from the faculty of arts, because he is a philosopher. So he is going to bring a different view, which I think is great.”

Once the list was completed

by Guinel it was passed on to the Dean of Science, Dr. Pam Bryden, who narrowed the selection down to four panelists due to the time constraints of the panel.

Panel speakers included the aforementioned Gary Foster, Wilfrid Laurier University president Deborah MacLatchy speaking on the biology of doping, psychology professor Bruce McKay speaking on the psychological effects of using performance-enhancing drugs, and Stephen Wenn, professor and expert on the International Olympic Committee.

Ultimately, the aim of the event was to bring faculty members together for an informative and collaborative event.

Prior to the panel, Guinel noted that the ideal outcome for the event was to see “people coming out of their office. People speaking; people having fun a little bit together.”

“And just to promote conversation because I think this is a thing which is missing at Laurier,” Guinel said.

This story was written with notes from News Editor, Jake Watts.

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 RESEARCH

Professors connect tattoos and impulsivity NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

Two Wilfrid Laurier University professors recently conducted a study which concluded that tattoos are linked to impulsivity.

Dr. Anne Wilson, a psychology professor, and Dr. Bradley Ruffle, an economist, conducted their interdispinary study to find out more about the phenomena of tattoos.

The study began with Ruffle returning from years in Israel and noticing the number of visible tattoos compared to when he left North America.

Ruffle was struck about the change within the social norm and decided to investigate further.

Both professors have backgrounds in body image and appearance research.

“As an economist, Ruffle was interested in the economic consequences of tattoos and, as a social psychologist, I was also interested in things like stereotyping and discrimination,” Wilson said.

The study involved a multi-part online survey which was completed by more than 1,000 Americans registered with Amazon Mechanical Turk, an online marketplace for work that requires human intelligence.

The study involved various tasks

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

where individuals were tested on their ability to think long term.

“At the beginning, the study they went through a series of experiments to test their tendency to think short term about the present and longer term about the future,

and one of the key ways that we did that was giving them decision making tasks that allowed them to get a little bit of money now or [a larger] amount of money in about three weeks,” Wilson said.

In this particular section of

their research, Wilson and Ruffle determined that participants without visible tattoos switched to the larger payment option faster than those who wanted the money right away.

Those with visible tattoos wanted the money immediately versus those with no tattoos who were willing to wait for a larger payment at a later date.

Those with non-visible tattoos were in between both waiting and not waiting for their payments.

“We also asked a bunch of self-report kinds of questions and questions about your tendency to think long term and short term about finances … and physical health and online social behaviours. For example, social media,” Wilson said.

In addition to these questions, the researchers also tested the general nature of impulsivity of the participants using math problems.

After conducting all of their experiments the researchers came up with an general conclusion about impulsivity and tattoos.

“What we found across the board from almost every one of these measures was that people that had visible tattoos tended to be more present-oriented [and] less future-oriented, and another way of saying that is that they’re

more impulsive,” Wilson said.

From an economist perspective, tattoos may impact someone’s ability to get a job because of the stereotypes surrounding tattoos.

“The channel would be through discrimination,” Ruffle said.

“People may make judgements about those with a tattoo and if you have a tattoo and show up to a job interview you may be less likely to get that position than an equally qualified candidate without a tattoo.”

These negative stereotypes within the job market also contributes to the fact that many individuals doing the hiring are within the age range where discrimination against tattoos may be more prevalent.

“What we have seen in recent polls is that a lot of people who are in the 40+ generation, the older people, often people who are the employers or managers or people who are the in the hiring in companies, they still hold pretty negative stereotypes around tattoos,” Wilson said.

“Those people grew up in a time when tattoos were quite uncommon,” Ruffle said. “It was mostly the realm of sailors or people who have done prison time, and that has change of course dramatically in the past 20 or so years, and now tattoos have a very common place.”

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

INNOVATION

GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

Library of Things promotes community sharing KARLIS WILDE FEATURES EDITOR

On Saturday Feb. 24, the KW Library of Things opened its doors to the public for the first time.

Partnered with Extend-a-Family in the Waterloo Region, the library operates out of a small space in Kitchener.

For a $40 annual fee, individuals within the community are given a membership to the program, which will then allow them to borrow important items — generally high-cost, low-use items — that may not be worth the enormous investment.

Each item is borrowed for a week at a time. These can include everything from camping equipment to power tools and even chocolate fountains.

Devon Fernandes, a graduate student at Laurier and co-founder of the library, developed the unique spot as part of his study practicum. What began as a 200hour project quickly exceeded the limit and expanded into a fullblown, full-time project, culminating in a space where community mem-bers are given the opportunity to better share the resources of their community.

“The average person uses a drill for about 11 minutes in its lifetime, so the rest of the time it’s just sitting, collecting dust,” Fernandes said.

“When I tell people that, they

... Why can’t we just share these items communally instead of me just kind of hoarding them to myself?

-Devon Fernandes, Graduate student at Laurier and co-founder of Library of Things

GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

realize, ‘wait, I have tons of stuff in my house that I don’t use all the time. Why can’t we just share these items communally instead of me just kind of hoarding them to myself?’”

This is the ethos of the library: to create a space where resources are utilized to their full potential, allowing a larger group of people to participate in activities — camping, hosting dinner parties, craftsmanship — where the required equipment may be too costly to justify.

The library is user friendly, and attempts to cater to the needs of all kinds of patrons, especially through their website kwlot.ca.

“We have an online inventory similar to any public library where you can view our items, see what’s in stock,” Fernandes said.

“Some of our items actually have videos that go along with them.”

This can obviously get difficult, because use and practice with so many of these items may not be straightforward.

With such a diverse range of products available, a disparate range of resources are required.

Along with the videos and the manuals, knowledge-sharing creates the opportunity to promote the communal aspect.

“We’re really seeing it as a

democratic thing and we’re hoping that members will teach each other,” Eli Winterfeld, a community development connector with Extend-a-Family, said.

The library itself is heavily based around the community: Juanita Metzger, the coordinator for the library, cited how it can help encourage less consumerism.

“I already support sharing of items,” she said. “That’s sort of how people in our neighbourhood operated. We share a lawnmower and gardening equipment … so it’s already something that I do in my life and so it’s something that I would like to see other people

explore.”

Equitability is one of the most fundamental features of the library. For those who cannot afford the $40 yearly cost, subsidized memberships are also available.

“All the proceeds go to support individuals facing barriers to employment while working in the library,” Fernandes said.

Amid the buzz of the library’s small space, packed to the corners with people, they received a fair number of signups — more than 35 — throughout the morning and were presented with a plaque by Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

For those interested, the library is open on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m..

They are always looking for new members or for donations. It is located on 91 Moore Avenue in Kitchener.

NEWS • 7

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 HEALTH CARE

Grand River Hospital applies for safe access zone NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

On Feb. 1, 2018 the Ontario Government implemented the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act. Grand River Hospital’s Freeport campus originally decided not to apply for the safe zone.

The Sexual Health Options Resources and Education (SHORE) centre decided to act, and over a two-week period collected more than 330 messages in support of the safe access zone around the Freeport campus.

SHORE sent the messages to the Board of Directors at Grand River Hospital.

On Feb. 15 Judy Linton, Chief Nursing Executive and Vice President Clinical Services at Grand River hospital, met with Lyndsay Butcher, Executive Director at the SHORE centre, to discuss the importance of a safe access zone around the Freeport campus of Grand River Hospital.

Linton explained that before the meeting with Butcher, Freeport senior staff was unaware that patients were uncomfortable with the protesters and thus did not feel the need to apply for the safe aczone.

“Originally, we did not believe that there was an issue in terms of women coming to the clinic, that they were being harassed,” Linton said.

“We had not had any reports from the senior leadership team about any negative incidences related to the protesters so that that point we did not think it was necessary.”

After receiving feedback from the SHORE centre, Freeport decided to apply for the safe zone in order to continue to provide safe abortion care for women.

“Well we started to get some feedback, primarily from the SHORE centre, who are a partner of ours,” Linton said.

“To be clear we are both trying to do the same thing … which is provide a safe access to abortion services.”

When Linton and Butcher met to the discuss the fact that Freeport was not applying for the Safe Zone, Butcher expressed the challenges which people felt during their experiences at Freeport.

“I think what was important was women that have been to the clinic did not necessarily express any discomfort to the staff at the clinic

ENVIRONMENT

Flooding causes crisis in Brantford SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

Last week, thousands of residents living in Brantford were faced with flooding caused by large amounts of heavy rainfall and ice jams in the Grand River.

As a result, The City of Brantford declared a state of emergency and issued evacuations in numerous parts of the city.

Over 5000 people and 2200 homes were impacted and forced to evacuate temporarily until the flood receded.

The flooding crisis remained volatile for several hours. Some residents were able to return to their homes the next day.

However, many residents in the impacted neighbourhoods remained without electricity and gas until Friday.

Assumption College and Brantford’s Woodman Community Centre provided shelter for evacuees.

Although the evacuation order was lifted by Thursday, Brantford Mayor, Chris Friel, encouraged residents to stay clear of the river due to its swollen state.

The flood is now under control, however, the crisis met with a three-year-old boy being swept downstream after he and his mother were trying to escape their submerged van.

The boy has not yet been found, however search efforts have been employed since he first went missing last Wednesday.

The Province of Ontario also announced today that it will be

employing disaster recovery efforts in areas of Brantford along the Grand River where homes were damaged by the flood.

University staff say no students at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus were affected by the flooding.

As a precautionary method, Laurier Brantford’s library was closed as well as various roads and parking garages on campus that were potentially vulnerable to an impact.

Students were asked by the University to be aware of any updates from the City of Brantford and to email University staff for support if in the affected areas.

“Thus far we have not received contact from any students who were impacted by the flood. We are quite fortunate that the campus is located outside of the flood zone, and thus the university remained open, even though parts of the city were evacuated last week,” Beth Gurney, associate director of communications and public affairs: Brantford Campus, said in an email.

“We are grateful that thus far it appears that none of our students were impacted directly by the flood. If there are Laurier students in Brantford who discover that their off-campus accommodations suffered flood damage, we do want to hear from them to ensure they have the supports and resources they need.”

Some of the information in this story was published online by The Cord on Feb. 22, 2017

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

at the time because obviously [they were] going through the procedure,” Linton said.

“It wasn’t till a couple of days afterwards that they perhaps went to counselling or follow-up at the SHORE centre that they would express that they had felt uncomfortable going past the protesters, we decided that it made sense to apply for the safe zone.”

The Anti-abortion protesters

usually gather to protest against the women’s right to choose very close to the proximity of the Freeport campus, because of the safe zone application protesters will have to move at least 150 meters away from the front entrance of the campus.

“In our experience, the 40 days for life protesters had in the past assembled from the bottom of our driveway at the Freeport campus,

they were very visible to people coming into and out of the hospital,” Linton said.

“The protesters can still protest but they will be a little bit further away, so hopefully when women come to the clinic, [protesters] won’t be right in their face so to speak.”

The SHORE centre expressed in a statement to The Cord that the decision to end a pregnancy should not be influenced by protesters attempts to discourage people from accessing legal and safe health care.

"SHORE Centre is very pleased that Grand River Hospital has decided to apply for a Safe Access Zone of 150 metres around Freeport. As with all healthcare decisions, the choice to end a pregnancy is deeply personal and private,” SHORE said in a statement.

“For the past several years, individuals opposed to abortion have protested across the street from Freeport in an attempt to discourage patients from accessing health services. Thanks to the Safe Access Zone, patients will be able to access the healthcare they have chosen without judgement or shame.”

8 • GAMES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

WORD SEARCH

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GAMES • 9

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 SUDOKU

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 and therefore do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Cord or WLUSP. They should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear Life, Time in University goes by so fast.

Not too long ago I was considering dropping out. I knew something was wrong but couldn’t figure out what, let alone how to fix it. But I kept at it and here I am now! Second year is halfway over and I finally feel like I’ve found myself again. Everything is going to be ok.

Sincerely, Life takes time

Dear Life, I wana testify for the lives that have been deleted

Dear Life, Sincerely, Rob

Garrison, did you just fucking turn off Passionfruit?

Dear Life, Dont pee on elevator buttons kids

Sincerely, stevedave Dear Tanzeel,

Sincerely, Internet

You’re beautiful just the way you are.

Never change.

Dear Arcade Bar, Do you sell coffee at night? I stopped at Starbucks but they don’t brew any blonde roast at night. I am looking for a new place to get my light coffee fix.

Sincerely, Gare bear Dear Life, You know, there’s a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they don’t all bring you lasagna at work. Most of ‘em just cheat on you.

Sincerely, Jim Dear Garrison, To this day when I hear that song I see you standin’ there all night long Discount shades, store bought tan Flip flops and cut-off jeans

smart people are a genetic mutation.

EVERYONE was meant to be stupid.

Dear Life,

Sincerely, YOu already know Dawg

Dear deer Deers are endearing

Sincerely, Clerks Dear Life, My friend here’s trying to convince me that any independent contractors who were working on the uncompleted Death Star were innocent victims when it was destroyed by the Rebels.

Sincerely, Tanzeel

Dear Life,

Sincerely, Dear

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10 •

FEATU

FEATURES EDITOR/KARLIS WILDE/FEATURES@THECORD.CA

1.0

A Look at Textbook Costs in the Era of #textbookbroke Features Editor Karlis Wilde takes a look at course

materials, sales and the digital future of learning resources

The cost of textbooks has been a topic of discussion and debate more or less since they were first invented, but the conversation has taken a significant turn lately as the #textbookbroke hashtag began trending earlier this year.

The textbook industry is a strange one, without many direct comparisons. It is synergistically powered by the education industry to a point where materials are so hyper-focused and produced on such a small scale that the ballooning costs tend to greatly exceed the perceived value of the materials on which they are printed.

That, combined with the digital state of the modern world, creates a unique environment within which we can speculate on the future of textbooks.

Will they still be around in twenty years? Is textbook-sharing hurting the industry?

How is anyone supposed to justify paying over $200 for a thick, glossy ream of paper?

And with all that, another pertinent question arises: are students really in as bad a situation as we think we are?

“I think [textbook prices are] even higher in the US,” Mary Andraza, Laurier Bookstore’s Manager of Academic Materials said. “Several of the larger publishers now do all their distribution out of … the US, so when we’re quoted prices we have to ensure that we’re being quoted the Canadian price. And I don’t know how they arrive at it, but the prices are always less than what the US prices are.”

Mike Zybala, the Associate Director of Retail Services and Systems sat across from her, nodding his head. “I’ve heard stories where some of the books that we have for sale for that $100, $125 are, you know, $250, $300 in the US market,” he said.

“So it’s a much bigger issue in the American market and that’s where we’re starting to see a lot of — and again we go to conferences that cover both the Canadian and American market — we’re seeing a lot of discussion in the US, particularly around the affordability.”

While this helps to situate our relative place in the conversation, it doesn’t change the basic fact that textbook costs are incredibly high.

And, when compared against typically published books for mass audiences — novels, biographies — there’s an enormous disparity in pricing. Why is that?

Figure 1.1

“Even if you look at academic publishers that are doing upper level things and grad studies and stuff, they are very, very expensive,” Zybala.

“And that’s one of the reasons why, just the limited audience for materials.”

“What we are seeing though is some of the alternatives that we’re selling — there’s been a shift to access codes, rental books, those kinds of formats. We’re seeing that demand increase.”

I think textbook prices are even higher in the US... when we’re quoted prices we have to ensure that we’re being quoted the Canadian price. And I don’t know how they arrive at it, but the prices are always less than what the US prices are.

-Mary Andraza, Laurier Bookstore’s Manager of Academic Materials

It has been a slow shift, but a positive one. If you look at the data provided by the bookstore from the past five years, Digital Resources have increased from approximately 2 per cent of sales to 12 per cent. This appears to have directly reduced the cost that the average student pays for course materials by 23 per cent.

David Swail, the Executive Director of the Canadian Publisher’s Council, was able to give a bit more insight on this.

As the former CEO of McGraw-Hill for Canada, Latin America and Australia, he has had several years of experience working within the industry.

“We’re committed to providing whatever form of resource the market — which ultimately is both a combination of the student and the professor — but whatever form our market demands,” he said.

URES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 • 11

Figure 1.2 - the contents of the average student’s pocket after purchasing one semester’s worth of course materials.

This is telling, because it shows an aligning on part of the publishers to reconcile their product with fiscal concerns. People have expected print to die out both in the industry and in the world at large as digital mediums have developed, but that still hasn’t entirely happened. And so it is through smaller, more precipitous changes that the digital conversion of materials has occurred.

The market — and the push to online — has slowly but drastically changed how the textbook market operates, and this generally has been beneficial for students.

One of the many features exclusive to digital content is how it can assist with creating a more directly related resource for the course it is built to service.

“The promise of adaptive learning is the thing that’s really got publishers very excited,” said Swail. “And that’s where a lot of the investment and a lot of the emphasis has gone.”“It sort of completely overturns the old print model where you put something in print, it’s out there for a couple years and then you update it and revise it. You put a new one out and then the old one — people complain, well, the old one’s not as relevant anymore.”

This is where we can highlight a significant concern about textbooks, which comes down to the editions: the reality that a textbook from five years ago becomes unusable in a current classroom because certain information within it has become outdated.

In some situations, with some new editions, this is definitely the case. In others, only very minor information is changed and yet students are still required to buy this

updated material for their course.

To students, this often seems like the publishers are simply releasing a new edition in order to charge more money, as well as to prohibit their options in buying cheaper, used copiesh or reusing a copy borrowed from a friend.

A digital edition here is a double-edged sword: it eliminates this concern entirely.

But in doing so it also eliminates the ability of students to share their textbooks.

The rental and used textbook market can be a bit of a concern, and it’s likely at least one motivator for this kind of textbook production — after all, the textbook publishers are a business, and the fundamental ethos of virtually any business is to generate profit.

“We’d love to capture more of the market that we’re kind of squeezed out of when it comes to used books,” Swail admitted. “But what we’re more interested in is what’s sustainable and more helpful for students and instructors in the long term.”

Approached skeptically, this kind of sentiment could be perceived as insincere. But when we compare it with the trends, even with commercial interests in mind, it is to the benefit of the publisher to produce lower-cost, higher quality materials. That’s how a publisher remains competitive, and it’s also how students are given the best learning experience.

According to Andraza, 64 per cent of students opt out of buying materials for the first day of class. This is a significant number and it suggests something about how students tend to look at textbooks: that they are oversold.

Figure 1.3 - Average digital material sales per full-time student (CAN $) (Stats courtesy of the Laurier Bookstore)

To the average student, it seems that additional components — more product than is truly necessary for the course — are loaded onto the syllabus and that it is worth their while to wait and see what they actually need to purchase. If they aren’t going to be directly tested on a particular work, why would they buy it?

But even that is an unfortunately small look at the story: in theory, materials are added and developed to courses with the intent of being used. While not every component of the syllabus is necessarily tested on, the basis of a university education is supposed to be on the accumulation of a certain kind of knowledge — not just on the final certification.

Regardless, that doesn’t change the fact that some textbooks students are required to buy are under-utilized. This is an issue that digital resources may be able to repair.

“To the degree that we can help by making the resources not just better but less expensive — which they tend to be when they’re digital — then that’s also kind of a win for us, I think,” Swail said. “Because it means that instead of two people or three people sharing one textbook, we’re trying to get to a point where everybody can afford to have that resource themselves.”

If everybody can afford the resource, even if that’s only because they’re sold for a lower cost, that means that more units are moved, which will generally result in higher revenue for the publisher.

Simply, the digital field for learning resources is the new frontier, and it’s the logical step for everyone involved. These resources can be supplied to students while avoiding a great deal of the tertiary costs of manufacturing and storage.

Warehousing, distribution and returns are all eliminated from the equation. There is no waste, there is no adverse affect on the environment.

But what disappears for students? Tangibility and ease of use for one, although the same components are administered through the digital resource. But more obviously, students lose the option of reselling — or retaining — their books.

Yes, textbooks are extremely expensive.

And why? There are a number of reasons, ranging from supply and demand and production costs to the types of information

and studies that need to be performed and gathered in order to produce one.

We don’t resell an education, and the point of attending a post-secondary institution is to have that education administered to us. In the constant, ever-changing, to-theminute world of 2018, that means that our resources absolutely must be current. And with digital content, those resources can be easily produced, easily maintained and sold for a much, much lower cost.

To the degree that we can help by making the resources not just better but less expensive — which they tend to be when they’re digital — then that’s also kind of a win for us, I think,

-David Swail, Executive Director of the Canadian Publisher’s Council

With a subscription to a resource rather than a dated hardcover, students are given a better, more cost-effective learning experience. We need to recognize that options to reduce the costs of learning materials have increased over the years, and we also need to consider the initiatives being taken by the Ontario government to assist in helping to fund students through their education.

An education requires a great amount of time and effort in development and administration, just as it requires a great amount of time and effort from the students themselves.

Textbook costs will unfortunately always be higher than the average student would prefer to pay, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are higher than they should be.

An education is an expensive thing because an education is a valuable thing.

Figure 1.4 - Average print material sales per full-time student (CAN $) (Stats courtesy of the Laurier Bookstore).

LAYOUT BY TANZEEL SAYANI/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

12 •

Arts & Life

PROFILES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD arts@thecord.ca

Recognizing the “Rollcall” Arts & Life editor Shyenne MacDonald reflects on black Canadian artists who have helped shape the contemporary movement of decolonization through art

George Elliott Clarke

Sylvia D. Hamilton

George Elliott Clarke, Canada’s poet laurete from 2016-2017, has proven to be one of the most influential contemporary Canadian writers.

He first came on to the literary scene in 1979 with an honourable mention in the Atlantic Writing Competition, Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia. He then won the competition two years later in 1981.

He later came out with his first poetry book Saltwaters Spirituals and Deeper Blues in 1983.

He earned his BA locally at the University of Waterloo and then went on to Dalhousie university to earn his MA. Afterwards, he completed his formal education at Queen’s University where he earned his PhD. Currently, Clarke is an English professor at the University of Toronto and has received seven honorary doctorates for his

achievements and work.

His writing proves him to be prolific whether it’s essays, poetry, novels or plays.

Themes of his work tend to explore and focus on the experience and history of black Canadian communities of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, which he popularly dubbed “Africadia”.

Clarke is the great-nephew of the late Canadian opera singer Portia White, as well as a direct descendent of the black refugees of the War of 1812.

Among his notable works are Execution Poems: The Black Acadian Tragedy of George and Rue, which he later adapted into a novel titled George and Rue. Other works by Clarke are: Whylah Falls, I & I, The Motorcyclist and Trudeau: Long March, Shining Path and his final poem as the poet laurete “Rollcall”.

Sylvia D. Hamilton is a filmmaker, writer and artist who was raised in Beechville, NS, a rural community founded by black refugees escaping the American south during the War of 1812.

Her work — which often takes the form of documentary films — focuses on African Nova Scotians and explores the lives and experiences of people of African descent.

Through her art, Hamilton uncovers the systemetic racism presently in Canada and the deep roots of it embedded throughout history.

Hamilton is also heavily involved in activism, where she works to provide more educational opportunities to black and indigenous

youth.

Currently, Hamilton is a professor at the University of King’s College’s School of Journalism located in Halifax, NS. Her most notable work is The Little Black Schoolhouse, a documentary film that was written, directed, produced and distributed by Hamilton through her production company Maroon Films Inc. The film explores the often buried history of segregation in Ontarian and Nova Scotian schools.

Other films by Hamilton are, We Are One, Keep On Keepin’ On, Portia White: Think On Me, No More Secrets and Against the Tides: The Jones Family (Hymn to Freedom Series).

ARTS & LIFE • 13

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 Full name Keinan Abdi Warsame, K’naan is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.

K’naan spent his childhood in Beirut, Lebanon until a civil war broke out and he moved to New York with his mother and two siblings to join his father who had already been situated there. It wasn’t even a full year before his family left New York and moved to Ontario where they still reside today.

K’naan’s first notable work was in 1999 where he performed a spoken word piece before the UN criticizing its failed peacekeeping missions in Somalia.

This led to his first album Building Bridges, which led to a world

tour.

He’s won five Juno awards, his first one in 2006 for Rap Recording of the Year for his debut album The Dusty Foot Philosopher.

K’naan is also known for his work in philanthropy, which involves actively promoting the Canadian Bill C-393 to help increase medical assistance in countries in Africa, raising awareness for the Eastern African drought in 2011 and performing several charity concerts with close associate Sol Guy. K’naan rose to international promienence with his single “Wavin’ Flag”, which had been chosen as Coca-Cola’s promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Full name Jullyaan Inderia Gordon, Jully Black has been dubbed “The Canadian Queen of R&B” and a true Canadian icon.

Not only is she a platinum selling recording artist and has been named one of “The 25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever”.

But, Black was also hand selected to sing for Her Majesty the Queen.

She’s shared the stage with other superstars such as Kanye West, the late Etta James, Elton John and even collaborated with Destiny’s Child back in their heyday.

She also performed in the open-

ing ceremonies of the 2010 winter olympics.

Black grew up not too far away in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto.

She is the youngest of seven children and at age 21 was discovered

by Warner/Chappel Publishing where she was immediately signed.

She received her first Juno award in 1997 for “What It Takes”, again in 2005 “Sweat of Your Brow”, 2008 Revival and has been nominated for nearly every year since 1997-2013.

Black currently has three released albums: This is Me, Revival and The Black Book and one official mixtape Dropping W(8).

Author of the book — later adapted into a mini-series in 2015 — The Book of Negroes, Lawerence Hill has received international recognition for the honest representation of colonization and Canadian history.

His works of fiction focus on themes such as identity, belonging and a quest for home.

It was in 1953, during the Jim Crowe legislation, that Hill’s mother — who was white — and father — who was black — immigrated from southern United States to Canada.

Before settling into writing, Hill originally trained as an olympic runner until he came to the harsh realization that he would never be fast enough.

He began to pursue a career in

writing which led to reporting for The Globe and Mail for a time.

Hill is the recipient of five honorary doctorates, as well Governor General’s History Award. He also won the Hamilton Literary Award for non-fiction with his piece Blood: The Stuff of Life.

He has been inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame and was appointed to the Order of Canada.

Among The Book of Negroes, some of Hills other works are Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On being Black and White in Canada, The Illegal and Dear Sir, I Intend to Burn Your Book: An Anatomy of Book Burning.

Currently, Hill lives in Hamilton, ON and Woody Point, NFLD. with his family and is working on a new novel and his first children’s book.

K’naan

Jully Black

Lawerence Hill CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

14 • ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

MOVIES

The impact of Black Panther BRITTANY TENHAGE STAFF WRITER

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has been smashing records worldwide since it opened on Feb. 15.

It grossed $242 million at US box offices during its opening weekend.

It hit $400 million in sales in just 10 days, putting it just under Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World.

It also beat out Deadpool for the biggest February opening of all time. Black Panther was projected to only make $100 million in its opening weekend.

It’s not losing any momentum either. It earned $108 million at US box offices on its second weekend, giving it the highest second weekend of all Marvel comic book films.

It also had the biggest Monday take of any movie ever.

On top of these numbers, it is surpassing the second installment in the new Star Wars trilogy, The Last Jedi, as well as being the most successful film directed by a black person of all time.

People who aren’t even comic book fans are going to see this movie, and people are going to see it more than once.

It’s not just getting lots of money either.

It’s getting incredible reviews from critics all across the board, scoring a whopping 97 per cent

on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best-performing comic book film of all time.

This sounds like it should be surprising, but it isn’t.

Black Panther is the first comic book film led by a person of colour since the Blade films.

Besides Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman, the entire cast of the film is made up of people of colour.

This is something that we almost never see in our modern, white Hollywood.

People from all over the world are flocking to see this film because it’s so refreshing.

I did not realize just how much white culture is shoved down our throats by Hollywood until I saw this film.

Much of Black Panther’s aesthetic and story pulls from African culture and history.

Twitter user @diasporicblues tweeted an entire thread about what the costume designers of the film took from African culture for the film.

Some examples from her thread include Mursi and Surma lip plates, Basotho blankets and agbada robes.

More examples can be found on

her twitter account.

A futuristic aesthetic that isn’t made up entirely of blank spaces, small shapes and pastel colours is so different from what we’ve seen in film. Wakanda is so full of colours, big shapes and brightness, that it is an entirely unique take on what the future might look like.

Black Panther is like a palette cleanse for what we are used to in media.

Entirely unique in the way that people of colour are represented in the story, it opens the door for more stories like this to do well in the world.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

The film is not just a special event for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a milestone in all of film history.

People who see this film are positively affected by the aesthetic, story and characters.

People of all races, sexualities, ages and interests are seeing it and enjoying it.

It’s a beautiful film in every aspect and incredibly enjoyable for anyone who goes to see it.

It’s important to look at the cultural effect that the film has had and will have, but it’s also wonderful to just look at the film itself.

The special effects, costumes and characters are all highlights, as well as the humour and the cinematography.

It is emotional and exciting.

Black Panther is not just a film; it is an experience.

To see oneself represented in media positively is a privilege that many white people take for granted, we are everywhere in media.

For black people to see themselves represented positively on screen after many years of barely seeing themselves at all is something very special.

It’s unfortunate that it took this long for us to see a movie like this. It took 10 years for Marvel’s Cinematic Universe to have a lead of colour.

The film is worth the wait, but we shouldnt have had to wait so long for it.

I can’t wait for the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and Hollywood in general — to tell more beautiful stories about people that aren’t white.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

• 15

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

On the job hunt will set off on the job hunt and many of them will likely head into job markets that are more saturated than they have ever been before.

At this point, you are probably wondering what you can do to set yourself apart.

You might think that LinkedIn is stupid. And maybe you don’t see the value in having an online portfolio or CV. Better yet, maybe your portfolio is empty and you just don’t have anything to add to your LinkedIn page. All I would say to people in these camps is, fair enough. I have never been keen on telling people what to do.

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

You know how everyone says the same thing about learning how to do your taxes in high school?

“Man, I didn’t learn shit in high school! I can’t even do my taxes!

But hey, at least I learned about the Pythagorean theorem, right?”

Well, I hate to break it to you, but there are a lot of life skills that are not going to be on the syllabi for any of your courses in university either. Perhaps the most important of which would be how to land a job when you graduate.

It sounds straight forward enough. There is the career centre; there are resources both on campus and off.

One thing that no one told me during my undergrad was that you really have to market yourself as a valuable commodity to prospective employers, which, again, also sounds straightforward.

Employers aren’t likely to magically fill in the blanks for you or just “give you a shot.”

But the reality is there will be hundreds of others just like you in the mix, and if you don’t find a way to set yourself apart from your peers, you are faced with the unfortunate truth that some people just want it more than you do.

Another important consideration in all of this is that it truly takes time to understand your value as an employee in your field of study.

You need to think critically about your skills and what you bring to the table, and you need to believe in that shit.

I have been personally struggling to define myself as a professional entering the job market, and I am sure that many prospective graduates are finding themselves in the same boat.

As the end of the year looms closer, another group of students

Just trust me when I say that it’s better to get on it sooner than later, while the resources are still at your fingertips.

But do you think they are going to call you, the recent grad with nothing but a costly education and a Twitter feed full of nonsense?

Or are they going to call the person that has 300 connections on LinkedIn and a web domain with their own name in the URL? At the end of the day, there are resources that will help you get good footing when it comes to the job hunt.

But you are going to need something to help you cut through all the noise.

Just trust me when I say that it’s better to get on it sooner than later, while the resources are at your fingertips.

It will probably be a little bit more promising to craft your resume as a student on campus with a career advisor than as an unemployed grad living in your parent’s basement.

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DIRECTOR/CORPORATE SECRETARY Noa Salamon

PRESIDENT Andreas Patsiaouros president@wlusp.com

DIRECTOR Hayley H.G. Watson

FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com

DIRECTOR Rosalind Horne TREASURER John Pehar

ADVERTISING MANAGER Caroline Lucas care.lucas@wlusp. com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp. com HR MANAGER Paige Bush hr@wlusp.com

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Social life without social media JAKE WATTS NEWS EDITOR

Although there are plenty of arguments against social media and smartphones on the basis of their addictiveness, their manipulative nature, their propensity to impair cognitive functioning and so on, I am going to focus this editorial on addressing a common argument in favour of them.

Namely, that you should use them because they are necessary to maintain a social life in the modern world.

After starting to use my smartphone a lot less and getting rid of most social media, I can confidently say that my abstention from them does not preclude having a fulfilling social life.

For one, it has become clear that the constant communication afforded by smartphones belies sincere communication with what, a lot of the time, becomes superficial and silly — sending memes, emojis and grossly unrealistic proclamations of laughter (LMAO HAHAHAHA I’M DYING!!!).

It is through conversation, with

no overt or underlying need to wash everything over with irony and sarcasm, that sincere communication lies.

When you talk to someone faceto-face, or even have an extended email conversation — and the tools of irony and sarcasm are out of reach — you are, unsurprisingly, less likely to fall back on them.

So while you may be spending less time in contact with your friends without social media and instant messaging apps, the time you do spend with them will be genuine and fulfilling.

Many people today also possess the mistaken belief that having a social life consists, in part, of receiving updates about the daily lives of dozens of their friends and acquaintances.

When you’re not subjected to such updates — a regular barrage of tweets, Snapchats, status updates and so forth — you find that your time is much more serene.

You focus more on your own pursuits, and you do so without any background anxiety about what other people are up to.

You might, at this point, raise an objection. “What about organizing social gatherings?” you ask.

“These services are powerful ways to bring people together in person — why would you deliberately cut yourself off from that?”

In response, I would say that this complaint is overstated.

When events or gatherings are coming up, you will still hear about them — albeit maybe not instantaneously.

They will reach you through word of mouth, posters and other means that people employed pre-internet.

You’ll find that you don’t lose much by not being one of the first people to click “going” on an event’s Facebook page anyway.

When you’re the one organizing events, however, using social media seems to become unavoidable, and this is alright.

I have avoided making the strong claim in this editorial that social media and smartphones ought to be abandoned entirely precisely because of use-cases like this one.

The fact is that a lot of people are glued to their screens, constantly scrolling down bottomless timelines to get hits of new information.

Advertising your event there will make it much more likely that people find it.

The goal should ultimately be careful and deliberate use.

For myself — and I would venture, for most people — smartphone use is not only unnecessary to have a fulfilling social life, it gets in the way of one.

16 •

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

American gun laws need to start changing ANDREW MCCLELLAND OPINION COLUMNIST

How are you right now? Are you relaxed? Feel your pulse — as you’re reading this — you’re probably somewhere safe and more likely than not, you’re calm.

You’re most likely reading this at a Canadian university and if you are, you might want to take a second to feel truly grateful to be in the country you are in.

In Canada, we have the privilege of being able to walk to class without the fear of our peers mindlessly firing off their weapon into the lecture hall, killing those you know, without any consideration of the consequences. Sadly, this is not the case for our neighbours to the south.

The Florida shooting that happened on Feb. 14 marks the

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

18th time a weapon has been discharged on a United States school campus since the beginning of 2018. At the time of writing, this year alone there has been 432 children and teenagers injured or killed by firearms in the U.S. This may cause many of us to ask the question, why?

For those who don’t know, the U.S has radically different gun laws than Canada and their right to own firearms was actually embedded into the American Bill of Rights by the American founding fathers.

This has caused trouble for politicians trying to create more gun regulation since it was adopted in 1791.

These days, American politicians

face a different type of obstacle, as pro-gun organizations, such as the NRA, have become integrated into Washington. These organizations provide funding to politicians’ campaigns. This can sway the votes of politicians and cause them to turn a blind eye to gun laws.

Some politicians in America have also decided to perpetually label these shootings as a mental health issue, but the American government continues to cut funding to mental health clinics and organizations.

Trump’s administration wants to cut $1.7 trillion of support from Medicaid over 10 years, a program which spent over $45 billion on mental health support in 2014

alone.

Another interesting fact is that Donald Trump is the first president to address the NRA National Convention in over three decades, showing that the NRA has more influence in Washington than it has had in a very long time.

With the right to bear arms so deeply embedded into American culture and political system, any politician who wishes to impose meaningful gun regulations will have to overcome an immense amount of resistance.

This may leave you questioning what we could do as non-Americans to help enact stricter gun laws. I implore you to continue to advocate for change on social

media and keep the conversation alive. Although we cannot vote for the Americans, we can try to pressure them. Our societies are closely tied and with enough pressure, I believe the American civil society can create a significant change.

Many other countries have been able to enact stricter gun laws immediately after shootings. For example, the U.K, who implemented stricter gun laws in 1996 after a mass shooting that resulted in the death of 16 children. Or even here in Canada, where we enacted stricter gun regulations after the shooting of 15-year-old Jane Creba in front of the Eaton Centre in 2012.

I don’t know what push America will need to enforce stricter gun regulations, because apparently the 432 children and teenagers in 2018 have not been enough.

Maybe it will take a politician’s child to be a victim before they push for change, or maybe, just maybe, other countries can peer pressure America into using common sense.

Oscar predictions KARLIS WILDE FEATURES EDITOR

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On Sunday, March 4th, televisions across the continent will be graced with the brilliant beard of Jimmy Kimmel as we settle in and watch inconclusive history be made with the 90th Academy Awards.

Let’s not kid ourselves; the Oscars are dumb.

History has proven that they always get it wrong.

In 1994, Forrest Gump somehow beat out the immaculate Shawshank Redemption for Best Picture.

In 1998, burning pile of trash Shakespeare in Love somehow took the big prize over Saving Private Ryan.

And yet, Oscar season is so much fun.

The excitement is contagious.

For a few short months around the beginning of the year, the conversation surrounding film shifts from blockbuster franchise flicks to high-quality, artistically crafted pictures.

This is all in fun, but here are a few picks for what I think will take the big awards this year: For best picture, Dunkirk should win this award.

No movie this year embodied this kind of mastery over filmmaking. But it’s not going to and The Shape of Water — an awesomely confusing inter-special romance — is going to take it; bet on it.

With Daniel Day-Lewis retiring after his role in Phantom Thread,

I’m sure the Academy feels tempted to float Best Actor his way.

But Gary Oldman, channeling a totally different and superior Winston Churchill than other excellent recent performances(John Lithgow in The Crown, Brain Cox in Churchill) totally disappears into the role and deserves this assured win.

I’m for Meryl Streep in The Post for Best Actress because… I’m always for Meryl Streep.

But Frances McDormand’s darkly comic performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is an enormous highlight and she will probably leave this year with her second Academy Award.

Sam Rockwell should and will win Best Supporting Actor this year. Three Billboards was a great picture and that’s almost entirely because of Rockwell’s incredible performance.

He’s so, so detestable, and yet so, so charismatic through the whole picture that you can’t help but like him. I’ve never felt so conflicted watching a character onscreen and watching his story develop was one of the highlights of cinema in 2017.

I, Tonya didn’t get a lot of love this year, but if it’s going to win anywhere it’s in Best Supporting Actress.

Laura Metcalfe has a chance here for Lady Bird, but Allison Janney is probably going to slide in and win this one.

Finally, Best Director has too many cool options: Christopher Nolan killed it this year — probably my favourite — but so did everybody else. This is probably going to go to Del Toro and that would be cool. The Shape of Water is such a Del Toro picture and is such a bold, unique fairy-tale cinema experience.

OPINION • 17

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

More unread books, the better Highly Improbable, coined the concept of having a personal library containing these valued, unread books as an antilibrary.

SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

SAFINA HUSEIN/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

As reading week comes to an end, I’m left with a pile of books that I had initially intended on spending the past week reading.

However, I’m sure I’m not alone in admitting that I was far less productive than I had wanted.

Reading a novel from my collection of books outside of school has become a common after-thought for me.

Despite having little time for reading — and in spite of my best efforts to make the time — I’m still inclined to buy new books whenever and wherever I can.

As a result, I’ll admit that my ever-growing personal library contains far more unread books than those I have actually finished.

I recently read an article which afforded me a fresh perspective on why accumulating more books than I have the time to read is actually a good thing.

The article discussed the idea that unread books are more valuable to us than the books we have already read.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, in The Black Swan: The Impact of the

Reading a novel from my collection of books outside of school has become a common after-thought for me.

“Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The library should contain as much of what you do not know,” Taleb wrote.

“You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books.”

Taleb also said that, often, we as humans value what we already know far too much. Thus, we tend to underestimate the true value of everything we don’t yet know.

Maybe the true source of wisdom comes from acknowledging

how little we know and accepting the true grandiosity of all that we could know from reading.

In this way, thinking about all of the unread books that currently sit on my bookshelves means I have a whole world of knowledge right at my fingertips. The concept of the “antilibrary” as Taleb describes it presents a source of comfort in knowing that we have access to more — more characters, more ideas, more learning.

Books open us up to new ideas, thoughts and possibilities.

In a lot of ways, books ultimately provide us the understanding of knowledge we need to go on and generate new ideas and creations.

For me, reading books reminds me of why I love writing so much.

Looking at all of the unread books that currently sit on my bookshelf allows me to think about all I might be prompted to write in the future.

Sometimes, books simply allow us to further understand ourselves, the people around us and the people we have not yet met.

For some, accessing all of the potential knowledge that books have to offer us can provide a sense of belonging.

In the wise words of my favourite author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, “[t]hat is part of the beauty of all literature … you discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone.

You belong.”

The internet takes away the mystery of gaming game, because I don’t want to ruin the experience I once had being so bad at it. In a sense, it was being so naive with video games that gave me such a thrill and it isn’t something I really experience that much anymore.

Now, I don’t know how much the internet did to harm the experience; maybe I’m just reflecting on my own changing experiences.

But with how easy you can access every Easter egg, enemy, level, challenge, or puzzle for a game, it just feels like so much of it has been taken out of our hands — willing though it may be.

I really miss playing games when I was younger, when I was ignorant, bad at them and simply did it for the sake of having fun, not to be the absolute best at them.

AARON HAGEY STAFF WRITER

A few weeks ago, a friend and I checked out the Arcade Bar in Waterloo because we were curious about the idea of a vintage game arcade. As someone who never got the chance to play the original Mortal Kombat, I was thrilled when I spotted the machine and we spent the better part of two hours entranced by it.

It was easily the most fun I’ve had gaming in a very long time, and it got me thinking — why?

It wasn’t because it was a fighting game — I’ve played those before. It wasn’t because it was a co-op game either, as I’ve had my fair share of those as well.

But it was something about that experience which took me back to what got me so enchanted by video games to begin with.

It was something I’ve felt has been lacking in them for a long time. We had so much fun with it because we knew absolutely nothing about the game at all.

We barely knew the controls, let alone all the combinations required for certain moves. The thrill of figuring everything out for ourselves — discovering and sharing it — made me feel like a kid again.

That experience has been so muddled with the popularity of the internet and the ease of access to

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

game guides, video playthroughs, informative articles and everything else that’s designed to give you some kind of insight into making it easier.

It’s taken away a lot of the discovery you normally uncover when you play a game for the first time without any help or knowledge about it. For example, when I first found out that I could use cheats in a game — thank you, The Sims — it was the greatest experience of my gaming life.

I would desperately scour the internet for as many of them that

I could find in other solo player games and I had a lot of fun with it, too.

But that feeling faded over time and I was left dissatisfied with something that was intended to be fun. I bypassed the challenge of the games I played for a momentary feeling of godhood.

Overall, it often left me with a sense of immediate disinterest, feeling as though I had detoured the excitement of figuring out how to play it on my own — without the need for cheating.

Now, with the games that I play,

I almost always know something about it ahead of time.

I’ve browsed a Wikipedia article on it, I’ve watched a YouTube video on it, or I’ve looked up in-depth reviews. I don’t feel the same kind of childlike wonder that I did playing video games as a kid.

For example, Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 was my favourite game growing up and I never even got close to finishing it.

I would always end up restarting halfway through the game when it got tough.

I have never gone back to that

Now, I don’t now how much the internet did to harm the experience; maybe I’m just reflecting on my own changing experiences.

I miss running around the Grand Theft Auto universe — just stealing cars and trying to get as many police stars as I could — not caring about whether it was the right or wrong way to play it.

18 •

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca

WOMEN’S CURLING

Golden Hawks take home tenth OUA title PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

A tenth OUA championship victory was anything but easy for the Wilfrid Laurier women’s curling team.

The Golden Hawks overcame the Queen’s Gaels in the finals by a score of 5-3 to take home their sixth OUA title in the last eight years.

But you can argue that the Hawks’ biggest challenge came before they even got to the final.

Laurier had to beat Laurentian, the defending U-Sports champions who many considered the favourites for the tournament, in the quarterfinals.

“We knew that Laurentian were the favourites. Even outside of university curling, that whole team has been a dominant force in a lot of events that we’ve played them in over the last few years,” Laurier’s skipper, Kaitlin Jewer, said.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE/MEAGHAN KENT

We had this do or die mentality and we seemed to really thrive on it ... it all seemed to come together, which was really nice.

-Kaitlin Jewer, Laurier women’s curling skip

“So I think we knew going into the game it was going to be a difficult game to win. We were going to have to force them to make a lot of

difficult shots to win it.”

Jewer also noted the energy that the team has possessed as they worked their way through the post-season.

“I think we were all just really excited to be in the playoffs and wanted to make sure that we all represented Laurier very well. We had this do or die mentality and we seemed to really thrive on it … it all seemed to come together, which was really nice,” she added.

The quarterfinal matchup against the Voyageurs was a thriller and the Hawks needed every big shot they could get.

With the Hawks down 5-3 in the eighth end, Jewer delivered a runback with her final shot which

tied the score at 5-5 and allowed Laurier to win in the ninth end.

Jewer made clutch shot after clutch shot throughout the tournament and it was no surprise to see her come through when the Hawks needed her the most.

The Ajax native mentioned the importance of her teammates and how they made her job easier.

“The three other athletes on the team all played a really big role,” she said.

“I’ve been the skip pretty much my entire career in curling so I’m used to playing that pressure shot against a couple, or for a couple, and have always thrived under pressure of the clutch moments.

But the girls on the team all held

their own really well in pressure situations as well which made my job easier,” she added.

“As a team, the mentality that we had going into all the games really helped all of us execute well. I was able to play so well because, as a team, I knew that we were right where we wanted to be, where we needed to be.”

Things didn’t get easier for the Hawks after the quarter final, however, as their next challenge was Lakehead, the U-Sports silver medalists from 2017. The Thunderwolves presented as much of a challenge as the Voyageurs, but the Hawks were ready for a battle.

“The semi-final win was one of the biggest wins of the whole week.

We had a really rough game against Lakehead in the round-robin. We knew going into the semifinals we really wanted to prove it to ourselves and prove to everyone there that we were a good team,” Jewer said.

“Both the Laurentian and Lakehead games were well fought and we made a lot of clutch shots … we were able to rally together as a team.”

The momentum gained from the two games prior to the finals gave the Hawks all the confidence they needed to defeat the Gaels and add another OUA championship to their collection.

With a very impressive OUA title run, the expectations for Laurier going forward are only going to be higher.

The U-Sports National Championships begin next month, and if the Hawks want to be successful, they’ll have to find a way to be even better than they were in the OUA championships.

“We just need to not get too caught up in the whole national experience. We want to make sure that we play well and we stick to our game and not get caught up in everything going on around us,” Jewer said.

“We should enjoy the experience but not let it get to our heads too much. If we can do that then we should be able to have a really strong showing.”

On their day, this team can compete with anyone.

If the Hawks stick to their game plan and perform in the clutch like they have been doing this season, then all the fans can expect a successful U-Sports championship campaign in March.

SPORTS • 19

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

A legend in the making PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

FILE PHOTO/TANZEEL SAYANI

Nicole Morrison’s legendary career with the Golden Hawks has come to an end.

The Wilfrid Laurier University women’s basketball team’s season had an unfortunate finish with a loss against the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the OUA playoffs last Wednesday.

The season’s conclusion not only marked the end of the year for the Hawks, but it also meant that a number of players have now played in their final games for Laurier, including the school’s all-time leading scorer Nicole Morrison.

Although the Hawks’ season had an unfortunate conclusion, Morrison’s impact on the Hawks during her time at Laurier cannot be overlooked.

Coming into this season, many expected Morrison to make history as she was on pace to break numerous school records.

She was able to set the all-time scoring record for Laurier against Lakehead on Feb. 17, adding to an already impressive list of accomplishments in her career.

The Hamilton native was also recently named to the OUA Second-Teams All Stars squad, making it her third time being named an OUA All Star.

But perhaps the best achievement of Morrison’s career was her constant improvement and growth on a yearly basis.

“Every single year I looked in retrospect at things I could be

better at. I definitely criticized my own game and I came back every summer and focused on things I need to work on. If you put in the work over the summer, you can get way better,” Morrison said.

Her hard work over the years paid dividends on the court as Morrison was able to improve at least one aspect of her game every year.

The steady increase in Morrison’s points-per-game every season directly correlated with her increased playing time.

Once she became a staple of the Hawks rotation, Morrison transformed into the leader that this team desperately needed.

Losing a player of Morrison’s caliber will be difficult for any team not only on the court, but off the court as well.

Add the fact that the Hawks are also going to lose five others players from this year’s team, next season is going to be a challenge for Laurier, to say the least.

Morrison, however, has the utmost confidence in the players that are returning for the Hawks next year.

“The girls that are coming back next year are capable of filling those shoes. The team really just has to focus on playing team basketball and playing for each other,” she said.

“Teams that are successful are ones that can work together and work as a unit. I think the girls have learned a lot this year and I think they’ll be successful.”

Even though Morrison will not

be playing collegiate basketball anymore, she still plans on staying involved with basketball in some capacity.

When asked about how she is going to include basketball in her life going forward, Morrison brought up the possibility of being a member of the coaching team for the Hawks.

“I think I need to take a step back and look at where I can fit basketball into my life now that I’m not a player. It’s definitely going to be hard for me,” she said.

“If possible, I would like to work with the team in strength and conditioning. I feel like in my entire career, one of my biggest strengths was being physically fit and I feel like that’s something I may be interested in doing for the team later on.”

No matter what Morrison decides to do in the future, she will always look back at her time with the Hawks as beneficial.

“In life, in the workforce, or anywhere in general, you have to work with people,” Morrison said.

“And playing basketball for Laurier, I was able to fill many roles in the five years that I was here and I think that’s definitely something that can help me in the future.

Being a part of a team sport is so beneficial for your life skills and that’s something I definitely took away from my time here.”

Morrison’s historic career has come to an end, and it’s fair to say that she will always be remembered as one of the greatest athletes in Laurier history.

Baseball Association, said his concerns are shared by many other individuals in Waterloo, being that over 1000 residents have signed a petition he created in favour of the diamonds. However, he said he is only one of a few of these individuals who are being vocal about the shared concerns.

“My goal right now is to stand up for the people who aren’t raising their voices,” Hornostaj said.

“We need this facility. Sports in the Waterloo Region is at an alltime high. Last year, we had to turn

down over 100 players in the Waterloo Minor Baseball Association because we didn't have enough baseball fields.”

In addition, Hornostaj has been vocal about the need to not only continue to grow the space for residents to take part in sports, but to also upgrade the current facilities that exist.

“We live in a world class city and we need to provide people with world class facilitates. I’ve travelled all around the world; I've played baseball in over 20 countries and

we have some of the worst baseball fields in the world here in Waterloo.”

Some concerns also stem from the current opioid crisis and the city’s public concerns regarding the annual street party on Ezra Street. From this perspective, adding more festivals such as concerts and parties, Hornostaj said, will only add to existing issues in Waterloo.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to one thing: it comes down to sports versus festivals.”

BASEBALL

Diamonds in danger SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

Aaron Hornostaj, a former professional baseball player and resident of Waterloo, has taken it upon himself to advocate for two baseball diamonds in Waterloo Park.

The two diamonds, which are located along Father David Bauer Drive, have become a controversial topic of discussion in the city of Waterloo, as Waterloo Council has proposed to replace the two diamonds with festival space.

The removal of the diamonds is a core feature of the Waterloo Park Master Plan which was proposed in 2009 and has been revised various times since.

Although no final decision has been made, Waterloo Council has committed a sum of money to upgrading two other diamonds in Waterloo and is considering other ways to increase access to baseball diamonds in other locations, such as RIM Park, to make up for the removal of two of a total of four diamonds in Waterloo Park.

“I think what we’ve found over the last half dozen years of planning … is that residents value a diverse range of recreational opportunities and of cultural events and festivals in our community,”

Councillor Jeff Henry said “It's council’s responsibility in listening to everyone in the community to find appropriate locations and balance all of these interests to try to make sure we achieve the recreational and cultural goals our community has expressed.”

For Council, adding a larger festival space is a way of ensuring a diverse set of needs are met and to allow for a more passive space for residents in Waterloo.

“You shouldn't have to go to Toronto to get those kinds of outdoor experiences. People should be able to have that right in Waterloo,” Henry said.

For the baseball community in Waterloo, however, the removal of the diamonds has brought forth various concerns and judgements. “[Baseball is] important for everybody; for the future of our city and the children and the adults and our businesses,” Hornostaj said. "We’ve been in the park for over 100 years. The earliest records date back to 1889 for baseball and softball. When we talk about going forward and providing services for our community, sports are so important for so many reasons.”

Hornostaj, who is also an executive member of the Waterloo Minor

SAFINA HUSEIN/NEWS DIRECTOR

20 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Hawks get overwhelmed ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER

It’s been a while since the Wilfrid Laurier University’s men’s basketball team has had a home playoff game.

That changed on Feb. 21 and it also came with a huge win over the red hot McMaster Marauders.

This game had a whole different outcome than most expected, with the Hawks winning by 26 points.

The Golden Hawks came out firing after a couple of easy buckets by the McMaster squad. It started out with some offensive rebounds off the hustle of Kemel Archer and it was on from there with the help of a 13-0 run as they went up 10 at one point and finished the quarter up 24-17. “[Our run] was huge and I knew it was going to be starting on defense. Kemel led us right away with some offensive rebounds and all that stuff, so yeah, definitely was

important to get the nerves out, and we did,” head coach, Justin Serresse said. “The first quarter was amazing. We were up 10 at one point, up seven, that was a very good first quarter and it set the tone for the rest of the game.”

The offensive onslaught continued as the Golden Hawks were able to consistently increase their lead through their ability to stick to their game and never breaking under pressure.

With great ball movement — 27 assists to only 11 turnovers — shooting the ball at such a high clip and playing stifling defense, Laurier dominated.

“I thought we had good movement, making sure everyone was involved and it started with Kokko and Ali. When they’re in the right mindset, which means they’re still aggressive to get to the rim on getting their shots but [they] never lose strike of “who’s open” and we did that. Everybody was locked in

and confident,” Serresse said.

Going into the third with a ninepoint lead, which ballooned to 18 at one point, caused McMaster to fell apart more and more as the game continued.

In the fourth, that lead hit 30 at one point and Laurier closed it out by a final score of 102-76.

The match up on Feb. 24 brought a whole new challenge against a familiar foe in the Brock Badgers.

With the game being so close the last time around, there was hope the Hawks could challenge the Badgers once again. That didn’t happen as Brock came up with a big 91-73 win.

The Badgers pressured and flustered the Golden Hawks into a 27-6 quarter having started out the game on a 13-0 run. It only got uglier in the second quarter as the Badgers went into half up 53-14.

The young Golden Hawks played a far better second half being able to put up a respectable 59 points

FILE PHOTO/TANZEEL SAYANI

but Brock didn’t let up as they never allowed their lead to fall below 16 points. In what was a very trying game, the young Hawks’ season came to an abrupt end Saturday.

“I think [it was] the mental aspect of it. Guys weren’t able to settle in and focus on things we were supposed to do, offensively

especially, to get us going,” Serresse stated. With a young team that has shown so much promise in challenging and beating top teams this year, in addition to having a roster loaded with talent, coach Serresse knows the expectations are only going to be higher next year.

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