April 3, 2013 by The Cord

Congress Cong ess b brings ngs top op m minds nds to o K-W

mil. 7,000 7 000 $7m Top academics visiting Laurier and UW

Projected economic boost to the region

Our new O ww website has offi fficially launched. Log on to thecord.ca to check it out. M More details on pg 2.

THE

News, page 3

Scholarly associations coming together

A closer look at B.C.’s C Aboriginal culture

THE E

Volume 53, Issue 2

thecord.ca

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Will he stay or will he go?

Lobby ng Lobbying versus ve sus protest p o es O Ontarians respond to the ongoing Q Quebec student m demonstrations

National, page 8

Dec s on Decision made on Northdale No hda e

Ad dialogue alogue for diversity d vers ty

m Laurier moves to flat-rate copyright m fee system

Vo ume 53 ssue 28

THE

Stumb ng out Stumbling of the gate

NFL contract still possible for N m Laurier star and Edmonton Eskimos m sixth-overall pick Shamawd Chambers m w C m

o W Chambers2012 o-Week 0 win an NFL didn’t contract during his brief stint in through the oPhiladelphia, but helens certainly

sixth overall — the highest a Laurier player has been taken since 2007. “I was a little upset that I was sliding, I think anyone would be, but I wasn’t necessarily nervous,” said Chambers. “It was a good experience, it was exciting, but at the same time I was relieved once it was all over with.” Wednesday, September 12, 2012 The main reason Chambers dropped in the first round of the May 3 draft was the uncertainty surrounding his playing future. A week after the draft, Chambers had a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles, raising questions about whether or not he would be available for the start of the CFL season, which is just a month away.

doesn’t regret the experience. Nor is he giving up on his hopes of playing O-Weekfootball photos, page four-down this fall. 14 “I think it was well worth going down to that tryout to see what the NFL is all about,” he said. “As of right now, the plan is to basically look at any options that come up. Obviously, I’m just trying to work out the situation with Edmonton, work out a contract, but if another option comes up, it comes up.” Even Laurier head coach Gary Jeffries, a staunch supporter of the Canadian game is happy to see his former player getting a crack at the

NFL. Even if it may mean another one of Canada’s brightest young stars heading south. “I’m pulling for him to go as high as he can go and realize his dream. His dream is to get to the NFL, so I’m pulling for that for him,” said Jeffries, who saw Chambers rack up 2,068 receiving yards and catch 18 touchdowns in four years thecord.ca at Laurier. “Sure I’d love to see him play [in Canada] and be able to see him all the time and that may happen yet, but number one: I’d like to see him reach his goal and achieve his dream.”

Inside

shelby blacKley SportS edItor

Two games. Only two touchdowns. No wins. Something is wrong here. The Wilfrid Laurier University men’s football team may need a miracle just to make the playoffs — something that hasn’t been a problem in almost ten years — after losing their first two games of their eight-game season. After being shut out 19-0 by the Toronto Varsity Blues last week, the Hawks came home to host the No. 6 Queen’s Gaels last weekend hoping to improve the faltered offence. But had no luck. Laurier only managed to produce two touchdowns against Queen’s, losing 42-16 and dropping to 0-2 on the season. “It’s honestly something that we should be getting every single drive we’re on the field because that’s what offence is supposed to do,” fourthyear receiver Alex Anthony said after Saturday’s game. “We’re supposed to score and we’ve got two touchdowns the past two weeks, which is not good enough.” The Hawks went six and a half quarters without a touchdown before Anthony found the endzone midway through the third quarter on Saturday, when the Gaels were already leading

29-2. Alex Sanchez scored the second touchdown, but didn’t connect until there was a minute left in the game. The Hawks’ offence just hasn’t Summer music festivals shown up. And in the unpredictable OUA, they know that can be lethal. “We’re still making too many er- Life Editor Carly Basch breaks rors,” head coach Gary Jeffries said. down the music festivities “You can’t win in this league with thehappening across Canada this mistakes that we’re making.” summer It’s not that the Hawks didn’t compete. The defence held Toronto to a Arts, page 11 very low-scoring game, and it took Queen’s until halfway through the second quarter to really break free, aided by some of the mistakes Jeffries mentioned. “It was an even football game until, you know, we turned it over and gave up a big one,” Jeffries said. “And next think you know, it got away from us. “The defence, they play hard. They play hard.” “Defence is playing awesome and offence just has to step it up,” Anthony said. “That’s all it is.” Laurier quarterback Travis Eman only had nine completed passes out of 21 attempts, while his Queen’s counterpart Billy McPhee went 22 of 28 for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Toronto quarterback Richard Quittenton completed 16 of 25 passes against

New global rankings place Canadian post-secondary education amongst the world’s elite

Opinion, page 14

National, page 8

Women’s basketball team loses pair of key contributors for 2012-13 season

Opinion, page 14

Sports, page 19

you can dance if you w want to

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926

LPGA hits Waterloo

Arts, page 16

Some of the top female golfers in Wednesday, the world were September in town over19, the2012 weekend for the Manulife Classic

Volume 53, Issue 6

Star ght Starlight to host benefit

Sports, page 20

Arts, page 17

Local, page 7

neighbours rally to n support victims m of Ish and chips fire lindsay purchase

local and natIonal edItor

out place for the rest of the Laurier community. “There is lots student space for people to hang out, study, meet in teams and in groups and just casually hang out ... [we will] see that theme has been carried out through the whole building, so there is places for undergraduates, for graduate students to work together collaboratively or alone,” continued Nower. McMurray listed various spaces available for studying, including common areas such as the 2-4

A fire that engulfed and destroyed a building in Uptown Waterloo in August containing independent business Ish and Chips, has hit close to home for other local entrepreneurs, who have thrown their support behind a benefit concert organized by neighbouring club Starlight. The idea came about, said Starlight Lounge co-owner Josh Koehler, within a few days of the tragic event. “These people are our neighbours, who we had a relationship with us over the years and so we were trying to think of what we could do that would help them the quickest and in the most practical, immediate way that would make sense for us,” he commented. Koehler claimed that they found immense support for the idea amongst other local businesses, with over 50 now involved through sponsorship or the donation of Features, page 10 prizes. “That’s our lives, we’re there every day. People that are fellow enthecord.ca trepreneurs and that start a business are there every day, so it’s like their home away from home. You see these people every day and most evenings. And so you’re bound to kind of build up a relationship with them,” he said. For Kamil Mytnik, whose parents own Ish and Chips, the support has been overwhelming. “Experiencing

Campus, page 5

Local, page 7

Kate turner photography manager

THE

Ta ng a look Taking oo a at ‘80s 80 and ‘90s 90 WLU

Kitchener-Waterloo goes orange

Laurier Lau e hos hostss inaugural naugu a pride parade p de pa ade

A turbulent relat onsh p relationship

Often lacking proper resources, students O find struggles dealing w with landlords

Pay ng

THE Baseball team looking to appeal suspension e pec SHELBY BLACKLEY SPORTS EDITOR

On Thursday Sept. 20, the Wilfrid Laurier University men’s baseball team was suspended four games following a hazing incident at a rookie party. The team collectively put on a presentation for members of the Laurier community explaining reasons regarding why they should be allowed to continue their season. Three weeks later, after finishing their season, the issue has been raised again — but this time, with an appeal.

Fran Symth, a professor at Seneca College and a mother of one of the WLU baseball players, helped draft a complaint to the university on Tuesday regarding the “procedural and substantive” issues in the process of the suspension in September. “The purpose is to draw attention to the way in which procedures were handled,” she told The Cord. ”And we also want the university to examine how the athletic department conducted itself throughout the entire event and exactly what the athletic director Peter Baxter did.” According to Smyth, the appeal will outline portions of the

procedure the team felt were unfair, as well as issues the team had with Baxter and his alleged treatment toward the members of the baseball team. “We think the university needs to know what he did.” Baxter expressed Wednesday afternoon that the policy and procedure regarding the suspension were followed correctly. “The director, under the policy, has the ability to impose a temporary suspension, which was done,” he said. “In terms of the athletes, they were given the ability to speak to it. They gave a pretty good case to

Ten years of ups and downs

Arts, page 14

Cord columnist Alex Reinhart argues that Canada should take steps towards banning cigarettes

Arts, page 16

itself to be as this kind of close-knit community, and then all of a sudden you set up a system where you While the official opening of Wilstart segregating people and it’s frid Laurier University’s new dinnot a close-knit community at all,” ing hall has shown a large improvestated Eric Reis, a fourth-year WLU ment with the quality of food being student. “I thought it was just an served, as well a large expansion on abomination.” the number of food stations, it has Reis continued and10told The Cord The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926 Features, page left many upper-year students both that his biggest issue with the new upset and angry with the renovasystem was in fact the construction. Volume 53, Issue 9 Thursday, October 11, 2012 thecord.ca tions, specifically with the new rules To him, the wall symbolizes a much put in place surrounding the use of larger issue, where upper-year stuthe space. dents are being denied access to a Concerns over new pricing have space that they should be allowed K-W Byelection, page 8 also come up, as students, staff and to utilize. faculty without a meal plan must “It seems like they have set up pay an entrance fee before even goarbitrary restrictions on people ing into the dining hall. who just want to walk around in The prices change depending on [and use] a place they have been for the time of day, with breakfast costyears, unless they pay,” he contining $8.00, lunch at $12.00 and dinued. “To put up high walls and [in ner for $14.50, which many students doing so] suggest that the students have stated on social media sites is will steal, and then to fence them in Surviving roommates Page on mental health too high of a cost. like that, as if they’re cattle … in a In order for the new dining hall to way you’re de-humanizing them.” properly function within its all-youBrendan O’Driscoll, another Tips and tricks for dealing with the Former Barenaked Lady Steven care-to-eat meal plan system, a new fourth-year student, echoed Reis’s Page provides motivational talk people you live with during your for the semester, wall was erected along the confines an apartment concerns regarding the newMelack of regarding stigma of mental illness JUSTIN university career SMIRLIES graw rarely sees an active presence Campus, page 4 of the space to ensure that students space. NEWS DIRECTOR landlord especially when Life, page 16 Arts, page 20 who don’t pay for the buffet cannot of his “It’s sort — of restricting, especially Dealing helpwe is already needed.pay tuition and extra fees enter.with a landlord is a process that isThis newwall to most students —changed and “I don’t know the landlord as has drastically to use the Laurier campus facilities, it’s not always easy. but I do know he is very dethe physical appearance of the din- much so it’s like you’re paying a second “I think from time-to-time over layed in doing activities that should ing hall: it has gone from an open to the years you could say there has be done frequently,” explained a confined space that only certain been issues associated with more Megraw. Campus, page 4 students are allowed to enter. absentee landlords,” explained Da“Like, we have a big issue with “It goes against what Laurier sells garbage in the apartments, it took vid McMurray, the vice-president of student affairs at Wilfrid Laurier him like a month to take out the garUniversity, who has been heavily in- bage that accumulated over a long volved in the new developments in period of time.” the student-dominated Northdale He added that at one point it had neighbourhood. gotten so bad that the garbage room “[There are the] landlords who in his building was overflowing and may not respond — as a good landthat the stench of unbearable. As lord should — to issues associated well, a semi-glass door in his apartwith your accommodations.” ment was broken, but wasn’t fixed While it may not be the worst for an extended period. form of accommodations, student “It’s a safety concern because living has been a topic of discussion you’re getting glass everywhere and for many developers, the surroundif you’re touching the wrong part ing universities, the city and the stu- you can accidently cut your hand,” dents themselves. Some students, he said. however, many feel issues arise This difficult experience with his from their relationship with their landlord wasn’t particularly new to landlord. Megraw. When he was in second For fourth-year Laurier business NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER student, Mike Megraw, that was exNephenee Rose leads a group down Albert Street during last week’s first-ever Laurier pride parade. actly the case. While only subletting Local, page 7

The Cord sits down with Junonominated artist Craig Cardiff prior to a show at Maxwell’s

Rough offseason

montreal duo takes over Beta m

elizabeth dicesare

Dinner with Cardiff

Time to butt out

Adventure Club hits Waterloo

campuS neWS edItor

Inside

popping popp ng the cork

continue their season. You know the story.” Before Wednesday, Baxter had not heard anything regarding the appeal. The complaint was sent to WLU’s acting dean of students, Adam Lawrence. “We’re waiting for [a hearing] to be scheduled,” Smyth said. In a statement, Smyth added that the purpose of the appeal is not to overturn the four forfeited games. “We can’t get those games back,” the statement read. “But the appeal Sports, page 19

THE THE laurier ‘maxed out’ on study space Laurier Lau e looks ook katelyn cullum

tie that leadThe reporter

binds Wilfrid

Looking around Laurier’s Waterloo Volumeone 53,thing Issueis10 campus, clear: there are students everywhere — and the university is quite aware of this. “We know we are maxed out on space on the Waterloo campus overall,” said David McMurray, vice president of student affairs at Laurier. The more pressing concern is not so much the influx of students, but the availability of study space for these students. While McMurray believes that

Tweets trial on tr a

Website tracks use W m of homophobic language online

Cord Life’s Michael Porfirio makes a desperate plea to humanity to stop using some popular phrases

Annual Oktoberfest celebrations take hold across Kitchener and Waterloo

Life, page 16

News, page 3

the need for study space is a good thing, because students are asking Laurier University since 1926 for more space to study and pursue their academics, it is a priority for the university. Gary Nower, assistant vice president: physical resources, also expressed concerns over the lack of space available. “I think there is shortage of study space on the Waterloo campus,” he stated. Nower also explained student behaviour regarding study space at night. “[Students are] scrambling, trying to find places to work and study,” he

said. “I think a lot of people are really concerned about it and they’re planning to create more study space.” Wednesday, October 17, 2012 One of the plans in motion to solve this issue is the Global Innovation Exchange (GIE), which will house the business, economics and math faculties after its expected completion in 2014. The building is replacing the St. Michael’s campus, which served as additional space for lectures and tutorials, but was demolished last fall. While the GIE features the three listed faculties, it will also serve as a re-vamped study and hang

back back: Pa Part 2

Inside

Since July of this year, a website called nohomophobes.com has been live-tracking the use ofon fourrise homoUniversity costs phobic words and phrases on Twitter. The site counts the number of times “Faggot,” “No homo,” “Dyke” Tuition to skyrocket to and “So gay,” tothree evaluate thethe prevaapproximately times rate of casual homophobia. oflence inflation So far, the word “faggot” has been used the most – over National, page 10 three million times and counting. Professor Kristopher Wells at the University of Alberta Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services has been in charge of the project. “We wanted to find a way to call public attention to the issue of casual homophobia. The idea was to think of innovative ways that we could potentially use social media to help convey this message,” he said. Wells said he was shocked by the numbers of tweets that came in, which number in the thousands each day. “These are real live people out there who are tweeting this all over the English-speaking world, showing that almost every second of every day this kind of language is being used,” he stated. “It’s a call to attention, and hopefully a call to action for a lot of people.” The website has garnered international attention. In addition to the site, there are also posters available to be downloaded and people are encouraged to use #nohomophobes when identifying and interrupting homophobic language use on social media. Jeremy Dias, who is the executive director for Jer’s Vision, which works toward using education and awareness to diminish discrimination in youth communities, said he

Boutique shopping

Hawks trampled tramp ed

Hawks bounce back

Where to pick up the hottest fashions within ten minutes of campus

Football team grabs first win of 2012 with comeback triumph over York Lions

Life, page 14

Sports, page 24

Football team m sees playoff chances improve m despite 56-3 loss to W Western Sports, page 18

KATE TURNER PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

The Hawks’ offence has not scored in their last ten quarters. However, a U of T loss to York means they’ll still likely make the post season.

Localss react to McGu Loca McGuinty nty res resignation gnat on

“All around him it’s a mess. And being premier isn’t fun in that situation.”

—Barry Kay, Laurier professor of politcal science

stating that he had asked party president Yasir Naqvi “to convene a leadership convention at the earliest possible time.” McGuinty’s announcement was followed by addresses from Progressive Conservative and NDP leaders Tim Hudak and Andrea Horwath, respectively. McGuinty said he will continue to act as leader until a leadership convention can be held. The prorogation has drawn criticism from other party representatives, including Hudak, who said in his statement, “Now is not the time to close the doors on parliament and walk away.”

LINDSAY PURCHASE

LOCAL AND NATIONAL EDITOR

JUSTIN SMRILIES

Catherine Fife, the New Democrat MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo, was also critical. “The timing of it was surprising to me in that they had just revealed Ontario’s economic outlook and fiscal review, and there’s a lot of work to be done for the economy in the province of Ontario,” she said. “He shut down Queen’s Park for their own political purposes.” Fife argued that disrupting work on the legislature was not in the interest of Ontarians, stating that provincial representatives “were elected to serve, regardless of leadership

An ns de ook a b a n n u es

NEWS DIRECTOR

Ontario politics took a surprising turn Monday evening with the unexpected announcement by Ontario Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty that he was resigning from his post. He subsequently announced he would ask the lieutenant-governor to prorogue the legislature until the party finds a new leader. With his wife Terri by his side, McGuinty spoke to the caucus about Liberal accomplishments before

News, page 3

Baseball appeal gains ground

Inside

Players reveal support for inquiry request filed last week

Stress busters

Teen pop hate unjust

Life Editor Carly Basch offers tips on surviving the stresses of papers and midterms

Opinion columnist Jessi Wood argues that we should all leave the Justin Bieber’s of the world alone

Life, page 12

Opinion, page 17

the players support the request. “I just checked with [university secretary & general counsel] Shereen Rowe with where we were in getting in touch with the students. That was the piece that was missing,” he said Tuesday. “A number of [players] have said that they do support the notice for appeal Ms. Smyth has submitted.” The request from Smyth included an investigation into the treatment of the players during the temporary suspension given to the team following a rookie party that included drinking and “hazing activities.” According to Crowley, because the request for an appeal has come after the suspension’s process and the end of the team’s season, the university must go back and investigate the initial situation. “We’re looking at the hearing

process under the Student Athlete Code of Conduct; just to see where we are in it because it’s not that straight forward,” he said. “The request is for an appeal, but the process doesn’t provide the opportunity for an appeal until a committee of inquiry has been struck, and that committee’s done its job of reviewing the facts and figures and talking to people. It’s at that point that an appeal can be requested of the decision.” If any player disagrees with what the inquiry finds then an appeal can be made. “Our obligations are to the players,” Crowley said in an interview Monday, emphasizing that the process is “about the players and not the mother.”

Rac st posters sur ace

BOTTOM THROWS -FOOTBALL/SOCCER (WHICHEVER ISN’T USED IN FLAG), PHOTO/CUTOUT -SOMETHING FROM NEWS WITH A GRAPHIC -SOMETHING FROM OPINION WITH A GRAPHIC -IN DEPTH (?)

m m

Arts, page 25

Don’t get caught up

Discussions D scuss ons on

ALL PHOTOS BY KATE TURNER PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

In Depth, page 12

Sports, page 19

Inside

THE

next four years is up to you Features, page 10 Opinion, page 31

Dining hall to offer ‘allStarlight benefit plans you-can-eat’ meal Playoff P ayoff supports o fire victims m Volume 53, Issue 8

Mind games

A fashionable summer

THE

First years will be greeted with new system in September News, page 3

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926

ELIZABETH DICESARE CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

This year Wilfrid Laurier University Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Volume 53, Issue 7

Baseba Baseball team eam cleared c eared

will see a newly renovated dining hall coupled with an entirely new meal plan system for first-year students. The new system will operate on a board meal plan rather than the declining balance system which has, until now, been utilized. Dan Dawson, assistant vice president of student services at Laurier, explained that Aramark, the current operator of food services at WLU, has found that students at other locations in both Canada and the United States tend to focus on eating what they can afford as opposed to what they crave, which results in poor diets. “That kind of mindset shouldn’t even come into a student’s mind [at Laurier] anymore,” said Dawson. “They should be able to choose whatever is there, fill their plate and eat what they feel like eating.”

In order to ensure that Laurier students have diverse food options, “They should be able Aramark, Student Services and the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ thecord.ca to choose whatever is Union have teamed up to revamp the meal plan system and dining there, fill their plate and hall. The new board meal plan, which eat what they feel like allows first years to buy a block of meals, will only be used in the dineating.” ing hall. Flex dollars for alternative on-campus locations will still be included, but convenience dollars for off-campus locations will have to be —Dan Dawson, WLU assistant viceadded separately. president: student services The new board meal plans will be purchased separately each semester. The cheapest option, the “Light Eater,” consists of 230 meals and $950 flex dollars, costs $3,885 per semester. The largest option, the “Freedom,” includes unlimited meals and $300 flex dollars, costs $4,450. “Once a student is in the dining hall, it is ‘all-they-care-to-eat’,” exKATELYN CULLUM plained Dawson. “You can eat all News, page 4 LEAD REPORTER that you want, [but] there will be

Laurier prof Kim Dawson helps Canadian athletes get to the Olympic Games

Dr nk Drink sa ety a safety concern

Back on track

Sports, page 10

Byelection nearly set Hawks w reinstated

following w hazing incident

With only one party left to nominate a candidate, all that’s missing is a date

Lead Reporter Alanna Fairey offers tips on how to beat the heat, while avoiding over exposure

SHELBY BLACKLEY News, page 3 SPORTS EDITOR

Life, page 5

Wilfrid Laurier University’s men’s baseball team was given an ultimatum — present an apology to the school, or face being banned for the entirety of their season. When Sunday night came, 34 players stood in front of athletic director Peter Baxter, interuniversity sport coordinator Wally Gabler and vice president of Student Affairs David McMurray to plead their case. It was announced Monday afternoon that the team would be allowed to continue playing. “For me it’s been tough,” co-captain Ian Fillion said Monday. “I’m obviously regretful for my actions and I apologize for them. Being a co-captain it’s my responsibility to make sure the team operates in a respectful manner and I apologize that that did not happen.” The team was suspended last Thursday following a hazing incident that occurred at a party off campus. The incident included alcohol and “immature acts” and was reported by Residence Life last Tuesday to the department of athletics and recreation. Further details surrounding the incident had not been released. “I think we’ve got to move on from that, with due respect,” Baxter said. “It was just immature behaviour. There was an element of humiliation on the part of people, but realistically it violated the code of conduct.” After a thorough investigation surrounding the baseball team members, it was confirmed that the team would be suspended for their four games scheduled for this past weekend for violating the student athlete code of conduct, which they

Incident at Uptown w bar raises drinkm tampering issues

LINDSAY PURCHASE

LOCAL AND NATIONAL EDITOR

A recent drink-tampering incident at a local nightclub has police reminding students and club employees to be cautious and attentive to the potential dangers of drinking. “What you have is basically a person was observed with their hand over a drink in a local night club and when the patron returned and looked at the drink, they saw something in the drink,” said Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) inspector Kevin Thaler. A 20-year-old Waterloo man was charged in the Sept. 14 incident with administering a noxious substance to a drink. An investigation has been launched to determine whether previous incidences are linked, including one that happened the week prior, in which a woman was taken to hospital “nearly unconscious,” said Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) inspector Kevin Thaler. Toxicology reports have not yet been returned, but the police will continue to look into whether there may be a connection between the occurrences. “We have had incidences in the past when we suspected this sort of thing was occurring,” Thaler confirmed. The WRPS has since been involved in speaking to night clubs to create awareness of the issue and provide information about what employees can look for. “Our core team has basically been going club toLocal, club ….page It’s a6partnership,” Thaler said.

Annual pre-Halloween w m W Zombie Walk hits W Waterloo

Sports, page 22

KATE TURNER PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Ottawa’s Randy Williams is wrapped up by Laurier’s Thomas Majka during the Hawks’ 35-27 win.

Local, page 7

JODY WAARDENBURG STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Football Foo ba Haw Hawks mp into nop a offs limp playoff

World-reknowned DJ plays Sports, Revolution night club after Sept.page 7 20 show postponed

Campus, page 4

Arts, page 14

Life, page 16

Volume 53, Issue 11

Fall Fa break far off

Injuries serious but not life threatening

Laurier unlikely to see first-semester m break next year

LINDSAY PURCHASE

LOCAL AND NATIONAL EDITOR

MARISSA EVANS LEAD REPORTER

Women’s soccer team heads to post-season as OUA West Division’s top seed

He p ng or hurt ng?

he never got. It was from an employeeBLACKLEY at his parents’ restaurant Ish SHELBY and Chips in Uptown Waterloo. SPORTS EDITOR

She told him there was a fire. “I just everything it was With just 14left seconds left onasthe [at the cash] and IField just ran out. It Knight-Newbrough scoretookthe meWilfrid ten seconds to Golden gather my board, Laurier thoughts and fully accept it.game Because Hawks saw their hard-fought I didn’t believe it, I thought — and potentially their seasonit—was a small re in the corner of the fadejust away into fithe horizon. restaurant,” Mytnik, who Guelph kickerexplained Daniel Ferraro wasa taking carefiofeld hisgoal parents’ resmade nine-yard to push father wasSaton vathe taurant visitingwhile teamhis ahead 22-19 cation in Poland. urday afternoon in front of a HomeMytnik to the restaurant coming crowdrushed of 9,231. “We’re extremely disappointed,” head coach Gary Jeffries said. “Our kids played their hearts out and that’s all we ever ask of them. And they certainly did that.” “Like coach Jeff said in the breakdown, ‘we didn’t lose that game, we just ran out of time’,” quarterback Steven Fantham added. “Nothing else you can do about it.” Guelph’s win Saturday was their first regular season victory against Laurier since 2002, when they barely scathed the Hawks, winning 15-14. For a day that Jeffries likens to Christmas, the present was anything but pleasant. “It’s always exciting when Homecoming comes around,” Fantham said. “So it’s always fun to play in

Sports, page 19

CRISTINA RUCCHETTA FILE PHOTO

Laurier defender Kelsey Tikka (3) has been one of many key contributors to the Golden Hawks so far this season. The team awaits their quarter final opponent after earning a first-round bye.

News, page 3

Inside THE TH E

Worst. Costumes. Ever.

Changing face

Cord Life’s Michael Porfirio lists the top five costumes to avoid this Halloween

Looking at the new trends in Waterloo real estate

Life, page 12

In Depth, page 10

While some Ontario colleges and universities had fall reading weeks for students this past month, Wilfrid Laurier University students will have to continue to battle through fall term mid-term stress, as fall reading days may not be an option until at least the 2014-15 academic year. On Oct. 17, the university’s fall study days committee met to continue the discussion surrounding fall study days at WLU. The meeting resulted in some large developments, including a new focus which will lead to an expanded process for looking at fall study days. However, this also means students probably won’t be seeing fall study days during the upcoming 2013-14 year. “Given the broad nature of what we’re reviewing , it will take a long time and the full implications of it probably won’t be in place until 2014-15,” explained Chris Walker, vice president of university affairs for the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union. “We came to the conclusion that we can’t talk about fall study days and the mental health component of that without also looking at the impacts it will have on Orientation Week, as well as the academic transition component of what we’re trying to accomplish out of a strong orientation program.” As a response to this concern, the WLUSU will be working with the university, particularly student affairs, to strike a task force to look at the first year experience as a whole. Last year, it was concerns such as these that halted the debate regarding fall reading days when the issue was brought to the WLU Senate. After the school of business and

Fund ooks o preven v o ence Campus, page 4

JUSTIN SMIRLIES NEWS DIRECTOR

Under control

Hawks honoured

Aside from a few incidents, Homecoming proved to be largely uneventful for authorities

Laurier Athletics inducts latest class of purple and gold greats into Hall of Fame

News, page 3

Sports, page 18

A trip down memory lane

Inside

Fred Penner returns to Waterloo’s Chainsaw Saloon SPENCER DUNN STAFF WRITER

AMY MELISSA GRIEF ARTS EDITOR

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926

Volume 53, Issue 12

Jeffrries’ Jeff es future in u ure na step ahead Soccer Hawks doub doubt

CRISTINA RUCCHETTA LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

35-year tenure at Prosit!

It’s official

Renowned Oktoberfest celebration set to take over SHELBY BLACKLEY Kitchener-Waterloo. SPORTS EDITOR

Justin Trudeau formally announces his bid for Liberal Party leadership.

Local, page 6 men’s football Wilfrid Laurier’s team will likely see a shake up in the coaching staff in the near future, as speculations regarding the state of head coach Gary Jeffries rose quickly Monday afternoon, escalating Tuesday evening when claims were updated on social media. Jeffries, who has been a beloved head coach of the team since 2003, is currently in up north “weighing some options,” according to Laurier’s athletic director Peter Baxter. “Basically there’s a lot of speculation out there, but really coach Jeffries is up in Southampton and he’s weighing what’s best for the program.” Late Tuesday night, CTV Kitchener reported that a source close to the team had confirmed that Jeffries would not be returning to the team.

National, page 8

Thursday evening was a treat for many 20-somethings as they awaited a nostalgic journey back to childhood with Fred Penner as their guide. The Canadian children’s folk entertainer serenaded a packed Wednesday, 31, 2012 house at ChainsawOctober Saloon with some of the crowd’s favourite childhood songs. A popular, and much-anticipated event, Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications (WLUSP) hosted Penner at Chainsaw for the second time, with the last show coming in March of 2011. Waterloo’s own Richard Garvey opened the show with a half an hour set of songs from his recently released CD. His unique ukulele set was upbeat with folksy tones that set the stage for the much-anticipated appearance by Penner. The concert began with the theme song to Penner’s show, Fred Penner’s Place “What a Day”. Paul O’Neill, a long-time cohort of Penner’s, played bass and backup guitar. Penner had a special treat for WLUSP president Emily Frost, a

Features, page 10

thecord.ca

Arts, page 15

NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

A childhood favourite of many, Fred Penner rocked Chainsaw.

NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Rocky season comes to cclose ose m to a close with blow-out loss to Q Hawks’ season comes Queen’s in O OUA quarter-final SHELBY BLACKLEY SPORTS EDITOR

Finally, it has come to an end. In what has been described as one of the worst football seasons in ten years, dating back to 2002 when the team had a record of 1-7, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks saw their time in the Ontario University Athletics’ (OUA) playoffs come to a quick and abrupt finish after being defeated 34-0. A rouge, three seconds in to Saturday’s quarterfinal match between the third-seeded Queen’s Gaels and the sixth-seeded Hawks was as much offence as the Gaels needed to walk away with a ticket into the semifinals. And a somber loss sent the Hawks on a long bus ride back

THE

Sports, page 19

WLU’s new multicampus model

Further ng a to erant WLU

Kitchener will be accountable for the programming that occurs in Brantford. “It’s not based on geography, it’s based on discipline, so wherever the discipline resides … then it’s responsible for its offerings across the university,” explained John Fraser, the associate m secretary for Laurier’s senate and key person involved in the process. “Part of the problem is that we don’t know what these faculties will be.” Fraser noted that if a program originated on a campus, such as criminology at Brantford or business at Waterloo, the faculty dean for that discipline, s

In order to ensure more cohesion between the Waterloo, Brantford and Kitchener campuses at Wilfrid Laurier University, the institution macademic has implemented a new multi-campus governance model that will see some faculties stretch over multiple campuses as opposed to each of them being divided by geography. Approved at the last Laurier senate meeting on Oct. 16, this new model will place one dean responsible for a particular faculty, regardless of where they are positioned. For example, if the social work faculty offers programs at Brantford, but the dean is positioned at the Kitchener faculty, then the dean in

home. “I’m extremely proud of them,” head coach Gary Jeffries said. “They battled and that’s all we can ever ask. They did that all year. This was no exception today.” The blow-out loss capped off a year that included three scoreless games, 18 straight quarters without a touchdown — dating back to the Homecoming game against the Guelph Gryphons — and 11 straight quarters without a point, going back to the first quarter against the Western Mustangs Oct. 13. “I hate to use it as an excuse, but youth and inexperience,” said fourth-year full back Isaac Dell of the team’s disappointing season. “Obviously we didn’t want it to end this way and Queen’s on the defensive side of the ball wasn’t

H w m o

necessarily doing anything that we didn’t expect, we just couldn’t get it “I hate to use it as an rolling.” The Hawks finished the regular excuse, but youth and season with a 3-5 record. The offence generated the fewest points inexperience.” in the OUA. Their total amount of points generated barely passed over 100. “I know on the offensive side of the ball I was the only returning m m starter, so it’s kind of tough to get mwithma young group,” Dell cohesion said. —Isaac Dell, Laurier full back With an uncertain future, the Hawks will need to find some way to get rid of the dark cloud that surfaced moments into the seasonopening 19-0 loss against the Toronto Varsity Blues. The most rushing yards generated were by first-year quarterback

The yea s bes

OUA

Inside Student dies in accident

Ge ng he mos ou o your break

A UW student was killed Thursday after being struck by a vehicle in Uptown Waterloo Local, page 6

Hey Ocean! makes splash B.C. pop-rockers play energetic set at Uptown Waterloo’s Starlight Lounge

Arts, page 14

Women’s soccer off to OUA final four

A g m weekend

One n gh n Je sey

PRM set to take effect

THE

A year in review

Nex up na ona s

Local, page 15

Grow ng h p hop at Laur er Only when I m drunk

and the two tenants who occupied the top half of the building are left trying to figure out their future. “It’s now in the hands of insurance and the property owner,” added Mytnik, noting that one of the tenants was a University of Waterloo student. “We’re living under a question mark with what’s going to happen.” “As of last week, Red Cross was providing temporary accommodations for [the tenants],” said John Percy, public education officer at Waterloo Fire Rescue. “What the building owner will do now through their insurance companies is they’ll make arrangements.”

Sports, page 18

WLU likely over W

thecord.ca

Stabbing S abb ng near campus

A man and woman were victims of a non-fatal stabbing in a disturbance early Tuesday morning in Waterloo. Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) responded to the call around 3:30 a.m. at 90 Marshall Street, an apartment residence near the intersection of Marshall and Weber Street. The suspect, who fled in advance of the arrival of police, also entered a residence at 67 Marshall Street and assaulted a male occupant. According to WRPS, the stabbing victims suffered serious, but nonlife threatening injuries, while the other male victim sustained a minor injury. The male suspect was apprehended by police after fleeing the scene of the second crime, though charges have not yet been laid. He is believed to have been known by the victims. Robyn Willert, a resident of the neighbouring apartment, said that she saw police cars when she got

at 37 King Street North, just at the intersection of Dupont. He arrived to see his parents’ — John and Barbara Mytnik — hard work burn up in flames. The building was barely visible under the wall of thick smoke that engulfed the street. “When I got there I just saw smoke everywhere — the whole building up in smoke — and your heart sinks at that moment,” he shared. “It sinks.” At around 3:15 p.m. on Aug. 23, Waterloo Fire Rescue crews arrived at the scene of blaze that overtook Ish and Chips as well as a vacant variety store to the right of it. Above were two apartments. Everyone escaped safely, but now the Mytnik family, their employees

JUSTIN SMIRLIES NEWS DIRECTOR

Kamil was in the middle of Hawks w Mytnik face tough cashing out at a grocery store when road after loss he received a phone call he wished

Football coach’s

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

thecord.ca Taking a look at Fall sports around Laurier Sports, page 35

Women’s soccer moves to No. 3 in national rankings after weekend wins over Waterloo and UOIT; Hawks still undefeated at 8-0-2. Sports, page 20

Avicii in Waterloo

Rules for Homecoming

Local business owners distraught The Cord Life Staff provide eight over changes to first-year guidelines to help you enjoy this The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926 students’ meal plans weekend’s festivities

Hawks at a glance

hopes Fire claims family business fading ad ng

in n Uptown

Football team claws back to .500 with win over Ottawa

Sports, page 22

Hawks a ear y a na ona s W m

WADE THOMPSON VISUAL DIRECTOR

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Undead

Arts, page 13

Autumn Au umn advice ad Who you want to ce be in the

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926

Psychos on the silver screen

Time for

A um ra ses pr vacy concerns for Laur er WCH h t by thefts m

Life, page 23

K WA cene K-W Arts scene A beginner’s guide to local entertainment around WLU m W

THE THE

National, page 8

B m b h h

THE

Features, page 20

S ng he h Staying healthy Keeping your body and mind m in good shape at university

Onecard issues

Advice that upper-year students wish they knew during first year

Arts, page 6-7

Inside

LOCAL AND NATIONAL EDITOR

In light of last week’s accusations by members of the Wilfrid Laurier men’s baseball community against the university, the school is currently following the procedure for the appeal process to move along with the allegations. As of Monday afternoon, the university had not heard directly from the team’s players or coaches on whether or not they support the request sent in last Tuesday by Fran Smyth, the mother of a player and a professor at Seneca College. However, Kevin Crowley, director of communications and affairs at Laurier, confirmed to The Cord Tuesday that “slightly less than half” of the players had been in contact with the university and a portion of

Tips T p from om e experience pe ence

The Cord reports from m the annual gathering of m music lovers that takes over G Guelph Lake Island every summer mm

LINDSAY PURCHASE

SPORTS EDITOR

K-W celebrates roots

nick lachance photography manager

Canadian dub step group Adventure Club play to a solid crowd at Beta Nightclub this past week in Uptown Waterloo

SHELBY BLACKLEY

Enough is enough

Hangin’ at Hillside Hangin

Features editor colleen connolly explores little-known wine w facts about w WADE THOMPSON VISUAL DIRECTOR

North by Northeast: In review

Students lash out against recentlyimplemented changes to Fresh Food co.

—Fran Smyth, parent of a Laurier baseball player

In Depth, page 10-11

With a unanimous vote, the Waterloo city council approved on Monday the final report for the Northdale Land Use and Community Improvement Plan Study, a monumental decision that should enable more directed action to begin to take place in developing the area. “This has been quite a journey, I think, for all of us. We set out, as a council, with the vision of a diverse, vibrant and sustainable neighbourhood,” recalled ward six councillor Jeff Henry, the ward that encompasses Northdale. “Ultimately what got taken was, in my view, a fair and balanced approach between the various interests that are here.” Major research and discussion has been ongoing since 2010 to develop a comprehensive plan to facilitate change and accommodate growth in the currently studentdominated neighbourhood. Councillors were also able to pass a series of amendments, including the allowance of six storey buildings, as opposed to the initially outlined three, in low density areas. The Zoning By-law Amendment was also included, which put in place adjustments to qualifications such as the proximity of towers to one another on the same lot, among other requirements. The meeting was well-attended, with few vacant seats in the city hall. Community members were extremely vocal, with more than 20 delegations presenting a mixture of praise and concern for the report. Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union vice president of university affairs Chris Walker and University of Waterloo vice president education for the Federation of Features, page 12 Students Adam Garcia were present to advocate on behalf of students. While both indicated that the plan was largely consistent with the needs and values of students, some apprehension about long-term sustainability was expressed. “We have concerns with the longterm sustainability with respect to overdevelopment, which overcompensates for projected enrol ments,” said Walker. “The universities have both indicated that they do not intend to grow at a really substantial rate over the next number of years, whereas the plan supports quite a lot of growth.” Chris Tyrell, MMM Group project member, had earlier indicated that the mixed use intention of the plan would allow for other demographics to situate themselves in the area, while a recommendation was also presented to council for the re-evaluation of student trends every two years in order to maintain the relevance of the plan to any changes in thecord.ca enrolment patterns. The meeting was not without some controversy. Paul Ellingham, a landlord in Waterloo, went so far as to suggest that according to the Ontario Planning and Development Act, passing the vote at the time of the meeting would be illegal due to the fact that

2012 2013

Canada comes third

Web Editor Shaun Fitl discusses the importance of fully examining media reports, particularly those on politcal movements

New d dining n ng ha hall draws criticism

“The purpose is to draw attention to the way in which procedures were handled.”

With an increasingly W multicultural m population, w what efforts are being m made to m make sure students m at feel w welcomed W WLU?

THE

Sports, page 25

Inside

thecord ca

Sports, page 15

Protests misrepresented

thecord.ca

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Changes coming m to ‘student ghetto’

Inside

Football team m starts season 0-2

Campus, page 5

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926 Volume 53, Issue 4

LOCAL AND NATIONAL EDITOR

For some students in Ontario, it looks like they’re going to be paying more for copyright fees this upcoming academic year. At the Wilfrid Laurier University board of governors meeting on June 21, the university approved a motion to move forward in signing onto the new licensing agreement that the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) made with Access Copyright. The new agreement revoked the original $3.38 full-time equivalent (FTE) fee and the $0.10 a page fee for copyrighted materials such as course packs and moved towards charging a $26 FTE fee that is paid up front, effective July 1. The original model, on average, had students paying $15-18 in copyright fees. “The new license agreement is just a straight fulltime equivalent fee, there is no longer any $0.10 cent per page copying fee,” explained Shereen Rowe, the university secretary and general counsel. “The bookstore has estimated that there will be an immediate 30 per cent or more drop in the cost of course pack for students, because there will no longer be that copyright fee added to course packs.” However, if a student doesn’t purchase a single course pack they would still be responsible for that FTE fee. The university, as discussed at the board of governors meeting last week, has agreed to a cost-sharing model in which they will pay 20 percent of the $26 FTE fee. That

News, page 3

Weighed down W w w with student debt

THE

LINDSAY PURCHASE

JUSTIN SMIRLIES MANAGING EDITOR: NEWS

Wednesday Apr 3 2013

MANAGING EDITOR: NEWS

thecord.ca

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

thecord.ca

The t e that b nds W fr d Laur er Un vers ty s nce 1926

JUSTIN SMIRLIES

Despite the fact that talks between the Quebec government and student leaders resumed on May 28, the escalating protests in the province have sparked a dialogue in other provinces — specifically Ontario — about hiking tuition costs and how students should react to it. More recently, various students’ unions under the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) have called on the federation and on students in Ontario to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the provincial government. This has posed the question of whether or not an actual movement, similar to the one in Quebec, could manifest in Ontario. “I think it’s inspiring to see hundreds and thousands of students to take the street, to see students give up their own academic years and put themselves in academic jeopardy for what is really a struggle that will afJUSTIN FAUTEUX fect the future of Quebec,” explained EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nora Loreto, the communications and government relations co-ordiIt was ten minutes before the CFL nator at the Ontario CFS office. draft, but Shamawd Chambers “It also shows how we get to that wasn’tUniversity glued to his TV. The star Laupoint Ontario in allWilfrid the other Laurier Theintie thatand binds since 1926 rier receiver and No. 3-ranked preprovinces,” she continued. draft prospect was somewhere he “The students in Quebec have Volume 53, Issue 5 together and felt much more comfortable; outshown that working side, running routes and catching building a movement from the grass footballs. roots and being deeply democratic When Chambers finally did come can actually build a movement that inside and join his mother to watch can withstand time and that can the draft in their Markham, Ont. withstand attacks and can withhome, he sat and watched as he stand oppressive laws like we saw slipped down, through the first five during the G20.” picks, eventually being taken off the News, page 3 board by the Edmonton Eskimos

Volume 53, Issue 3

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Paying Pay ng up front

Features, page 9

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926

Volume 53, Issue 1

T h e t i e t h a t b i n d s W i l f r i d L a u r i er U n i v er s i t y s i n c e 1 9 2 6

A return to ‘Trudeaumania’? m The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926

THE

K W he K-W heads d to polls o the he po

Campus, page 4

Place your bets

THE

Quest ons rema n at WCH

THE THE

Fighting through

A new shade of purple m

F y ng h gh

M m

THE

sh and Ch ps owners start over

WLUSU s new chief

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Tak ng hea S

Early exit W m

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A gu de to the Oscars

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Dark s de of K-W exposed

Ge n o med Hawk w cap wo

ea on nce 03 04

THE Ch d s p ay

Students Un on cons ders next move

THE

La e grades an annua ssue

PCs ay out PSE p ans

THE

Gearing up

w H w

Mel s comes home

WLUSU debt piling up m

m m

DOWN AND DERBY R o oom

THE

BOD attendance h ts ow po nt W

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Surpr s ng s ar

Tu go oun

THE

Adven u e T me M

THE

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Subway com ng to WLU

A sea of

CBC Board ru ng puts a h tch green n p ans comes to K-W w

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By aw mpac s aud p ocess

F reha oses 2011 cence pro ect W

gets SLL funds

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On ne earn ng takes on g oba approach

2 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, April 3, 2013

Editor-in-Chief Justin Fauteux jfauteux@thecord.ca

Editor’s choice War veteran left a mark on student community

Editor’s choice online Video: Sit down with Mayor Brenda Halloran

Local, page 8

thecord.ca

Inside News ………………………3 Campus ……………… 4 Local ………………… 8 National ……………… 12 In Depth ……………… 14 Life ……………………… 16 Photo Pages ……… 17 Arts ……………………… 19 Editorial ……………… 22 Opinion ……………… 23 Classifieds …………… 24 Sports ………………… 26

On the web Visit thecord.ca to check out our latest.....

The Cord shortlisted for three awards Vocal Cord The Cord made the top three in three categories in the 2013 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards, which featured 2,222 entries from 250 publications across Canada

presented by

What was the best class you took this year?

Congratulations to: Nick Lachance for placing third in the Outstanding Campus photography category for his football photo from our Sept. 12 issue (above), Justin Smirlies for placing third in the Outstanding Campus Feature category for his Sept. 26 article “A work in progress” and to all our staff and volunteers for The Cord placing second overall in the Outstanding Campus Newspaper category.

From the archives 5 years

Photo gallery: This Year Around laurier

This May, The Cord Community Edition is looking for ten great ideas. Be they big or small, we want to know what you’re doing to make Waterloo Region an amazing place.

ENTRIES ARE DUE APRIL 5, 2013 For rules, regulations and submission information visit community.thecord.ca @ CordCommunity

Cord Community Edition

Video: Sitting down with Waterloo mayor Brenda Halloran

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926

75 University Ave. W Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x3564 APRIL 3, 2013 Volume 53, Issue 28 Next issue: May 15, 2013

Advertising All advertising inquiries should be directed to Angela Endicott at 519-884-0710 x3560 angela.taylor@wlusp.com

In 2013, the Canadian Community Newspaper Association awarded The Cord second place in the Outstanding Campus Newspaper category.

@cordnews

New Laurier Milton Campus? Wilfrid Laurier University and the town of Milton, Ontario have signed a letter of intent to pursue the possibility of opening a satellite campus in Canada’s fastest-growing community. While the two parties have agreed to examine the possibility of expanding the university, this does not guarantee that such a move will occur. By building another campus, the university would be able to deal with the space issues that are currently hindering growth in Waterloo. Printed April 2, 2008 Local firm in defence scandal In what must be considered a ground breaking move for the Laurier Athletic Department, Assistant Vice President: Student Services/ Dean of Students David McMurray made plans for restructuring of the Laurier Athletic Department in an exclusive interview Tuesday. McMurray announced the hiring of Peter Baxter, formerly the Director of Athletics and Recreation at the University of Toronto - Erindale Campus, as the new Director of Recreation, Facilities and Business Operations. In addition, Wayne Gowing, who recently completed his 25th season as coach of the Golden Hawk Men’s Hockey team will now assume the position of Manager of Inter-university Athletics and Student Athlete Development. Printed April 1, 1998

Senior Staff

Colophon

Editor-in-Chief. ............................. Justin Fauteux

Lead Reporter ............................... Katelyn Cullum Lead Reporter ..................................Marissa Evans Lead Reporter .................................... Alanna Fairey Lead Videographer ........................... Jeremy Enns Lead Photographer ................. Cristina rucchetta Copy Editing Manager .....................Gillian lopes

The Cord is the official student newspaper of the Wilfrid Laurier University community.

jfauteux@thecord.ca

jsmirlies@thecord.ca

Visual Director ....................... Wade Thompson

wthompson@thecord.ca Campus News Editor............ Elizabeth DiCesare edicesare@thecord.ca Local and National Editor ....... lindsay purchase lpurchase@thecord.ca In Depth Editor. .............................................Vacant editor@thecord.ca Features Editor ........................ Colleen Connolly cconnolly@thecord.ca Life Editor..............................................Carly Basch cbasch@thecord.ca Arts Editors..............................Cristina Almudevar calmudevar@thecord.ca Opinion Editor...................................Devon Butler dbutler@thecord.ca Sports Editor .................................Shelby Blackley sblackley@thecord.ca Graphics Editor ........................Stephanie Truong struong@thecord.ca Photography Manager .................Nick lachance nlachance@thecord.ca Photography Manager ........................ Kate Turner kturner@thecord.ca Web Editor.....................................................Vacant editor@thecord.ca

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.

Mike Hajmasy Ryan Hueglin Shayne McKay Beth Meunier Adele Palmquist Julia Pollock Janelle Scheifele Erin Sheehan Autumn Smith Rebecca Silver

Dana Silvestri Wesley Taylor Eric Thompson Jody Waardenburg Lena Yang Erika Ymana

WLUSP administration President and Publisher.................................................. Emily Frost Executive Director ....................................................Bryn Ossington Advertising Manager .............................................. Angela Endicott Treasurer..................................................................... Tom Paddock Vice-Chair .........................................................................Jon Pryce Director...................................................................... Kayla Darrach Director.................................................... Joseph McNinch-Pazzano Corporate Secretary ...................................................... Allie Hincks Distribution Manager ............................................. Angela Endicott Web Developer ........................................................ Adam Lazzarato

“RE220.” –Ese Mrabure-Ajufo second-year, sociology

“SY409.” –Heather Hartwick fourth-year, sociology

“Religion of the African Diaspora.” –Sarah Konadu-Trance second-year, religion

Preamble to The Cord constitution The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy. The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

Contributors Ara An Heather Barnes Brad Bowen Laura Buck Kelly Burwash Kylie Conner Heather Davidson Ashley Denuzzo Kelly Grootjen Dana Francoeur

“Greek Culture with Nirmal Dass.” –Stefan Matwijiw first-year, history

15 years

Editorial Board News Director............................... Justin Smirlies

“Philosophy of Mind with Rockney Jacobsen.” –Susan Fridyland second-year, business

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 Mac OS X 10.5 using Adobe Creative Suite 4. Canon cameras are used for principal photography. The Cord has been a proud member of the Ontario Press Council since 2006. Any unsatisfi ed complaints can be sent to the council at info@ontpress.com. The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 8,000 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000. Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada. The Cord has been a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP)since 2004. Campus Plus is The Cord’s national advertising agency.

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 KitchenerWaterloo, 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 fulfi lled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body. The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper.

Quote of the week: “He just apologized and ran away.” –Incoming Editor-in-Chief Justin Smirlies re: himself as a Pokemon.

• 3

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

NEWS

News Director Justin Smirlies jsmirlies@thecord.ca

WLUFA inspects CAS pay JUSTIN SMIRLIES INCOMING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

RYAN HUEGLIN INCOMING PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Martha Hall-Findlay, one of the candidates for the federal Liberal leadership, spoke to students at Wilf’s Thursday evening.

Hall-Findlay makes a stop at WLU ERIKA YMANA CORD NEWS

With a very tight-knit set up located in Wilf’s last Thursday night at Wilfrid Laurier University, Martha HallFindlay — one of the Liberal leadership candidates — made a stop on campus to greet a group of students looking to ask some questions. She is the second candidate to visit Wilf’s this month. Beginning her talk, she explained that within the Liberal Party, there has been “no substantive discussion about anything.” A few of her concerns are that people are not aware of what the Liberal Party stands for, and that certain topics, such as the Middle East, have not been touched upon by the Liberal Party. “It’s been a challenge,” she said. According to Hall-Findlay, there were many who asked her why she was running, and she answered simply by saying that she feels strongly about our country, and that the NDP is not the right alternative. “I want a party that understands me,” Hall-Findlay explained.

Other important issues that were touched upon during the panel were supply chain management, foreign policy and the environment.Supply chain management is an issue in which Hall-Findlay feels strongly about and has done a lot of work on. According to her, we have less “leverage” because we constantly choose to protect supply chain management. Hall-Findlay explained that our markets should be open to global opportunities — one of them being the Trans-Pacific Partnership — and that this opportunity will not be seized until we “get rid” of supply chain management. In addition, this system is putting single-parent families and Aboriginal communities at a disadvantage by making them pay high prices for basic necessities such as dairy, poultry and eggs. Nick Gibson, a volunteer for her campaign and Laurier student senator, told The Cord that Hall-Findlay’s wide variety of experience in many fields such as business, law, politics and parenting, allows her to relate to a wide range of people. He also believes that her boldness

and courage is admirable and is an asset in forming evidence-based opinions. In terms of youth involvement, Hall-Findlay attempts to attend to issues that are critical for all age groups. There are certain topics that have become more relevant for students, such as debt, jobs available in the workforce and taxes. She appeals to this generation because she is able to speak through these issues. Being a mother and a teacher, Hall-Findlay claimed to understand the struggle about the importance of education. She believes that the gap between what is needed by employers and the skills that institutions are training students for should be shortened. Her campaign is wrapping up this weekend, and at this point there is not much work left but to ensure each candidate’s pool of voters. It has been a long and trying campaign, but Hall-Findlay has remained excited and hopeful. “It will be fascinating,” she concluded with regards to the nearing end of this election.

“I want a party that understands me.”

—Martha Hall-Findlay, Liberal leadership candidate

Ontario tuition cap down to 3% 4 years The number of years the currrent system will last ALANNA FAIREY INCOMING LIFE EDITOR

The Ontario government has lowered the cap on tuition is to three per cent annually for the next four years, which is a decrease from the previous five per cent standard. The new three per cent cap pertains to undergraduates, while graduate programs face increases of an average of five per cent, which brings them down from eight per cent in the course of seven years. “From an OUSA perspective, we are very pleased that the government hasn’t extended the framework of five per cent,” said Alysha Li, president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). “However, students and OUSA have asked for a freeze for at least one year. Should tuition increase, it should be no more than inflation.” Li mentioned that OUSA is disappointed to see that the government

5% The percentage that the original framework was at

did not take their recommendation of the tuition freeze for at least one year. However, Li acknowledged that OUSA does recognize that this is progress and it will continue to push the government to go towards a more affordable framework for students. Despite this dissatisfaction, Li had pointed out the positives that are to come as a result of the three per cent tuition cap. “Students are going to see a decreased annual percentage of their tuition every year. As well, we are very happy to see that the government had taken up OUSA’s recommendation to look into the impact of deferral fees and flat fees,” Li shared. “We truly believe that those fees target students who are in the most need in affording their education.” Kevin Crowley, director of communications and public affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University, shared

1 year How long OUSA asked for a tuition freeze

that the university is not only dealing with a reduced tuition cap but are also dealing with a provincial cuts to their operating budgets, which presents a big problem to the university. Crowley acknowledged that the four-year time frame comes with benefits to the university. “We’re thankful for the four-year time frame policy, that gives us some stability as we plan our budget for the next few years,” Crowley explained. “We also understand that the province is in a pretty difficult financial situation, so we acknowledge all of that.” With the budget cuts leading to a restriction, Crowley emphasized that the students remain the number one priority for WLU staff and administration. “We are going to put the needs of the students first, we have always done that and our priority is going

to continue to provide high quality learning experiences for our students,” Crowley said. “It’s not great having to restrict our budget even more, but we are doing our best to keep the students first.” For the future, Li shared that OUSA would like to encourage university students to expand their knowledge on what deferral fees and flat fees are and how tuition is changed as a direct result of that. Li promised that OUSA would continue to work to teach students about the fees and encourages public education about the tuition increases. “As for the annual increase, I encourage students to get educated and talk to their student leaders,” Li concluded. “OUSA will continue to push the government on making tuition more affordable for students”

The Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association’s (WLUFA) latest newsletter, to be released on April 4, discovered in a recent study done by accounting professor William Salatka that contract academic staff (CAS) at Wilfrid Laurier University teach about 45 per cent of the courses but only get paid seven per cent of the university’s total salary costs. In comparison to Laurier’s total revenue, that is only about three per cent. According to Salatka, from 2010 to 2012 that equals an average of about $8,988 per course. In 2012, however, that figure was at an average of about $9,888 per course. “Unfortunately, they are not paid very well,” said Salatka, who is also the vice-president of WLUFA. “They comprise a very small part of the compensation and yet they do a lot of work.” This rhetoric, however, is in part due to the CAS negotiations with the university beginning in the summer since the current contract expires in August. The last time the CAS had a strike was in the spring of 2008. From these findings, Salatka believes that the CAS should be compensated more to accommodate for their workload. “I think their compensation should be increased in large part, they make a tremendous contribution to the student experience here at Laurier — student education — and their compensation should reflect that contribution,” he added. Since the WLUFA newsletter, which is titled the WLUFA Advocate, was not released publically as of press time, the university noted that they haven’t had enough time to respond to the assertions made by WLUFA. “We would emphasize that the university believes that CAS members make important contributions to the life of the university and serve our students well. By our analysis, their compensation is competitive with that at other universities for similar positions,” said Kevin Crowley, the director of communications and public affairs at Laurier, who provided a statement to The Cord. “The university and WLUFA are about to commence bargaining for a new CAS agreement and the strong allegations expressed in the newsletter should be interpreted in that light. The university intends, as always, to negotiate in good faith and to strive to reach an agreement that is in the best interests of students and the university,” his statement continued. Herbert Pimlott, a communications professor and general member at WLUFA, noted that these findings are also to raise questions about the university administrations intentions in regards to academics. “Is the administration’s focus really on the academic or educational mission of Laurier? Or is the emphasis elsewhere?” he said. “We have to look at the university’s spending priorities and they clearly do not seem to be their students.” Pimlott added that the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) recently placed Laurier in the top six universities who employ the most contract staff. Laurier replaced Queen’s University on a list that includes the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto.

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THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

CAMPUS Top campus news stories of 2012-13 Campus News Editor Elizabeth DiCesare edicesare@thecord.ca

Campus News Editor, Elizabeth DiCesare, reviewed what stories made the headlines this school year KP322 health risks Dining Hall renovations During the summer of 2012, plans were made to revamp Laurier’s Dining Hall. More food stations were added, the monetary system changed from a declining balance system to a board meal system and a massive wall was erected to enclose the eating area. While the new changes were welcomed by many first-years, the majority of upper-year students, staff and faculty were unhappy with the new ‘all-you-care-to-eat’ dining style; they wanted the old model back. Groups, such as “Mr. Blouw, Tear Down This Wall,” erupted on Facebook, where students expressed their dislike of the changes. Complaints about food costs, segregation and lack of study space were the most popular. However, despite the many complaints from upper-year students and faculty, the dining hall has, and will, remain the same after the changes implemented this past summer. - First reported on August 1, 2012

In early August, students who had previously taken KP322 (Physiology of Physical Activity) had found that they were at risk of transmitting Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV as a result of reusing a blood-sampling device in class that was actually meant as a singleuse tool. According to WLU, only 200 of the 1,189 students who had taken the class were at risk, and were notified by the school. The science department also began working on alternate ways for the course to operate without students volunteering for blood lactate tests. Despite these efforts by the school, and while the risk of infection was quite low, some alumni were extremely upset with the way the school was handling the situation, and requested a formal apology for what had happened. - First reported on August 14, 2012

Little House ‘Movember’ team

IPRM system takes effect During the fall semester, Laurier implemented the Integrated Planning and Resource Management (IPRM) plan in order to ensure that the school’s resources will, in the future, be properly allocated. Committees have been formed, comprised of staff, faculty and students, in order to survey what sectors of the school need more funding, what can stay the same and find areas where cuts can and will be made. After assessing current situations, the school can move forward with its budget. However, many faculty expressed concerns regarding the IPRM system, and were wary of how monetary cutbacks would be determined necessary or not, and what areas would be considered to need additional funds. But four committees were made in order to assess the school’s situation and work forward in ensuring its academic mandates can be kept. - First reported on September 2, 2012

Andrew Myles, a don in Little House and cancer survivor, headed Laurier’s top Movember team this past year. After battling testicular cancer and winning, Myles wanted to raise awareness and funds to ensure that others with cancer would also have a fighting chance. While growing his ‘Mo,’ he led his Movember team by raising roughly $3,515 himself, with his team raising a total of roughly $3,595. They raised the most out of all the Laurier teams participating in Movember, and placed within the top ten in Movember Canada’s ‘Big Moustache on Campus’ category, which included all student teams across Canada. - First reported on November 14, 2012

Racist posters surface

Residence break-ins After Christmas break, some students returning to Waterloo College Hall discovered that some of their personal belongings had been stolen. While Residence Life tried to shed light on the situation, students were not pleased. Although their doors were reportedly locked before leaving and still locked upon returning, items such as laptops and clothing were missing, as well as some couches from their residence lounge. Two months later, in February, another string of break-ins occurred, both on and off campus, where numerous students were affected. This resulted in Special Constables doing sweeps of residences, where they discovered that students were still not taking proper precautions against break-ins, and that many doors were remaining unlocked. However, Residence Life was not reporting any additional safety measures for residences — students were simply reminded to lock their doors. - First reported on January 9, 2013

President-elect hacked

During this year’s WLUSU elections, president-elect, Annie Constantinescu, created a video with her campaign team explaining that her social network accounts, namely her personal email and Facebook, had been compromised. She reported that emails had been sent to her contacts by a hacker who attempted to negatively impact her campaign, and while there was no negative content posted to her Facebook, the passwords had been changed so she couldn’t use it. At the time, she expressed concern for her personal information, but was confident in herself and her campaign team to work through the issue at hand. Constantinescu sought out help from the dean of students’ office and eventually filed a report with Special Constables. There were, however, no immediate effects towards her campaign, and she was able to move forward and eventually win the election. - First reported on February 1, 2013

In October, a Laurier student brought a poster they found on campus showing an image of Trayvon Martin, who was murdered in Feb. 2012, which included text depicting racial stereotypes, to the diversity and equity office. After the poster had been brought forward, the diversity and equity office, along with Special Constables and the Association of Black Students (ABS), began searching campus for any remaining posters. Three more were removed, with no others being found. An investigation also began to search for whoever made the posters, and the diversity and equity office worked with the ABS in order to ensure that anyone affected by the images received appropriate help and support. The next week, a workshop was held by the ABS in order to raise awareness regarding diversity on campus, and also to educate the Laurier community regarding the issue. - First reported on November 14, 2012

WLUSU faces stiff debt In early March, WLUSU’s audit found them to have exceeded their cap of $5 million allowed to them by the university. As of April 30, 2012, WLUSU had incurred a total debt amount of $6,567,498, coming from both the university and external institutions. Of this, $4,250,156 is from loans and lines of credit from the school, with the additional $2,415,051 from external sources, of which the university has signed on to as a guarantor. This debt, according to Michael Onabolu, president and CEO of WLUSU, was due to the amount of capital projects taken on in past years, which included things such as the Terrace expansion, club space and renovations to study space. Some of these projects are from the 2010-11 year, and are still negatively affecting WLUSU’s finances. And despite the $243,104 that the university forgave WLUSU for in 2011, another $2 million loan was taken out for other capital projects. In order to remedy this debt, $88,000 was taken from the 2012-13 Student Life Levy (SLL) fund in order to pay off the 2-4 Lounge renovations from 2011-12. - First reported on February 27, 2013

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

CAMPUS

• 5

Afghan history displayed at WLU LASA hosted event last Thursday MARISSA EVANS INCOMING CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

Last Thursday, students and community members passing through the Wilfrid Laurier University Concourse were invited to learn about the country of Afghanistan at an exhibition organized by the Laurier Afghan Students Association (LASA). This was the club’s first annual event, and was aimed at educating the Laurier community about the three eras of Afghanistan. “Afghanistan came onto the screens of televisions in every house right after 9/11, and it’s still been on the news constantly,” explained Khaled Wahab, president of the LASA. “But people only know what happened to Afghanistan right after the war. They don’t know the way it was before the war and what its state is right now.” Accordingly, the club organized the exhibition by its three eras, the first being the pre-war era of Afghanistan, prior to the Russian and American invasions. By indicating towards the pictures on display of the country during this era, Wahab

explained that many people were surprised at how developed it was. The country had resources, doctors, educated people, a university, hospitals and fashion similar to the West. “If the invasion did not take place, Afghanistan would be a European country today,” said Wahab. “Because of that, it will take Afghanistan a thousand more years to be in the state it was before the war.” The second era exhibited was the war era, wherein, according to Wahab, the infrastructure and Afghan family were destroyed. The third is the reconstruction era, which Afghanistan is currently in. Wahab explained that America, as well as other countries, are helping in this phase of reconstruction in an attempt to move the country back to where it was before the war — a place where people would want to go for a vacation. “Afghanistan does have those beaches, it does have those mountains that people go to Switzerland and parts of Europe to see,” said Wahab. “It has all those and much more, but people are hesitant to visit the country because it’s not safe.”

NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Laurier students were able to write what they learned at the LASA booth while engaging with the club.

Members of LASA were dispersed throughout the exhibition to answer questions and elaborate on the pictures. As well, students were invited to share their experience by writing what they learned on sticky notes. “A lot of people have been coming out,” Wahab said, about halfway through the event. “They’re liking it.”

Rute Gigbo, a fourth-year global studies student, was passing through the Concourse and decided to walk through the exhibition. “I think it’s pretty cool because not many people know about the Afghan culture,” she said. “So it’s good that they want to spread information about it. It’s good to learn

new things.” Though Wahab will be graduating this year, he noted that the club has intentions to continue the exhibition next year and expand it over two or three days. According to him, this year was just the first step in spreading cultural awareness about Afghanistan on Laurier’s campus.

New strategic plan underway MARISSA EVANS INCOMING CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

The Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union’s strategic plan will be coming to an end in May 2014. Set out in 2011, the plan laid out a strategy comprised of goals according to which WLUSU would work to achieve the ends of the organization. These ends are directed at benefiting the owners, namely, the students. The next year will involve an intensive review of the current strategic plan in order to prepare and develop a new one in 2014. Jon Pryce, chair of the board and chief governance officer, spoke to the shortcomings of the current plan: “What happened is that there hasn’t been a clear connect between our strategic plan and our ends.” He explained that the strategy was designed to feed into the ends, but it has been difficult to tell whether this was being accomplished as there was no way to measure its progress. Jordan Epstein, vice-chair for the board of directors, elaborated on this as he explained the difficulty the board has identifying whether or not the goals of the strategic plan are being achieved by the president. “We can sort of ask the president what they’re doing and the direction they’re going, but we can’t tell where we were when we started the strategic plan because there aren’t any metrics,” he said. Pryce explained that the planning process over the next year will involve creating “measurable, tangible goals that feed into [the] ends”. In this way, the progress being made on goals can actually be measured. Epstein is also the chair of the strategic plan review committee, which has been meeting since November to discuss overall structural changes to the plan. From here a sub-committee of the board will be created to develop the more in-depth aspects of the plan. As well, feedback from students will be collected. According to Pryce, one new aspect of the 2014 strategic plan will be an increased focus on

“What happened is that there hasn’t been a clear connect between our strategic plan and our ends.” —Jon Pryce, chair of the board and chief governance officer

multi-campus governance. This past year WLUSU has been taking steps towards multi-campus governance, which was not part of the original 2011-14 plan. Lynne Gulliver, a fourth-year concurrent education student at the Brantford campus, confirmed that she has noticed an increased presence of WLUSU members on campus. “We’ve just woken up and said this needs to be a priority,” explained Pryce. “We need to make sure that all Brantford student needs are mixed together with Waterloo student needs so that we’re providing for a unified Laurier experience.” Gulliver agreed, saying that she sees the need still for improvement. “Until the students that attend Waterloo understand what Laurier Brantford is, it’s not going to happen,” she said. “But I do think there is potential and [WLUSU] is definitely making great steps to having a unified Laurier Brantford and Laurier Waterloo.” Annie Constantinescu, president-elect for WLUSU, highlighted the fact that the strategic plan is “a student focused document.” She explained that with the start of her term they will be sending out surveys to get student feedback to inform the development of the next plan. Her vision is to have the strategic plan be a “living document.” “I love the ideas in it,” Constantinescu continued. “But how do we make it more tangible ... so we can move forward with it.”

STEPHANIE TRUONG GRAPHICS ARTIST

GPA taken into account HEATHER BARNES STAFF WRITER

Starting in the 2013-14 academic year, those holding the position of president for any Wilfrid Laurier University campus club will be required to maintain a 5.0 grade point average (GPA) or a C. Previously, there were no grade requirements placed on the position of president. Other executive positions remain without a formal grade requirement. Maggie Schaefer, vice president of clubs and associations at the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, discussed this new change with The Cord. The goal of this new change, she explained, is to ensure that students who are volunteering on the Laurier campus are still in good standing academically. “We made the changes for all volunteers that we directly hire so we thought it was important ... we want to make sure students that are volunteering [are] doing well academically,” said Schaefer.

This new GPA requirement is meant to give students the opportunity to volunteer, as well as increase incentives to maintain their grades. For now, the GPA requirement only extends to the presidents of campus clubs. “We’re starting off with presidents as it’s a larger role with more time commitment,” Schaefer explained. “We’re going to start off with presidents and see how it goes from there.” This may later be extended to other volunteers who are involved within campus clubs. “As much as we want to provide volunteer opportunities for everyone, we want to make sure their academics don’t suffer,” she continued. This is not only a rule for Campus Clubs presidents, as Schaefer explained, because the GPA requirement was enforced on other types of volunteers that were directly hired by WLUSU. 5.0 is the point where a student is on academic probation, so earlier this year the choice was made by WLUSU to make it mandatory to

have this overall average, Schaefer explained. The current president of the Medieval Students Society, Alex Krawecki sees this as a positive change. “Clubs are a good extracurricular activity, but can’t replace schoolwork,” she said. As president, Krawecki admitted that running a club is a great deal of work. She sees this new rule as beneficial, especially to faculty clubs. “As I’m part of a faculty club, the role of president includes a lot of interaction with professors, and the maintenance of a minimum GPA would help future presidents to be respected by faculty.” Emma Morrison, president of the Harry Potter Alliance at Laurier, sees the change as an extra stressor placed on the president. “I think clubs are something campus club presidents do for fun, something to be relaxing,” she said. For Morrison, she sees her club as one for enjoyment that she and her members use as part of relaxation and distressing.

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THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

campus

WLusu board under review

The Cord evaluates the performance of the 2012-13 WLUSU board of directors and president This year’s Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union board of directors had an interesting year. After extensive training provided to them by Jon Pryce, chair of the board and chief governance officer, the directors were ready to tackle the year ahead of them, but were soon met with numerous issues. At the start of the fall term, they found their primary job of holding the president and CEO accountable difficult because Michael Onabolu was having some struggles transitioning into his role and provided inadequate reports at board meetings. While this made one aspect of their job more difficult, other projects at the start of the year, as well as director attendance and engagement, began well. However, as the year progressed, the performance of the directors slowly began to decline whereas Onabolu’s performance began to improve greatly.

Many were unable to show up due to co-op placements, schoolwork and other commitments, and when meetings were held the discussions were frequently led by the same handful of people, as many directors remained quiet on many issues. This resulted in only a few opinions being heard, so some decisions were made without full debate and consideration. As well, the behaviour of certain directors sunk to a level of unprofessionalism that caused discussions to become unfocused and ineffective. In addition, it was difficult to gauge the transparency of the board when so many meetings were done in camera, including the board self-evaluations. Significant financial matters were also discussed privately. Overall, the WLUSU board of directors, while comprising of experienced and passionate directors, failed to measure up to past boards when it came to overall success.

Kate turner FILE PhoTo

michael Onabolu president & cEO

Kate turner FILE PhoTo

Jon pryce chair & cGO WLUSU veteran Jon Pryce took the ambitious role of the chair and chief governance officer this year, and although there have been some struggles, Pryce has performed rather successfully. Pryce’s biggest challenge, however, was not his ability in leading an effective board, but the board itself. Poor attendance records and a lack of engagement from some of the directors, Pryce’s challenge of getting the board adequately involved with WLUSU affairs has been persistent. At the beginning of the academic year, Pryce appeared to be somewhat parental when it came to board meetings, unconventionally removing himself from the chair position to sit in and vote as a normal director — an inefficient move that Pryce

While Onabolu won last year’s WLUSU’s elections with nearly double the amount of votes as the second place candidate, his term as president has been more challenging than initially expected. Starting off a bit rocky, Onabolu faced many issues throughout his first semester in office, but was able to make a comeback during the second half of his term and strongly advocate for students by completing the majority of points in his platform. The first half of his term could not be described as smooth. He inherited a massive debt, faced complaints about his monitoring reports brought in front of the board meetings, and had some trouble adjusting to the demanding role of president and CEO. However, while Onabolu had areas that needed improvement, his passion for the position drove him to succeed. He

worked closely with his management team, the directors and other WLUSU employees in order to move forward and make the necessary improvements. Throughout his second semester he was able to work towards achieving two important points of his platform: study space for students and awareness for mental health. Onabolu was able to see the solarium completely renovated, as well as the debt for the 2-4 lounge renovations completely paid off. In terms of mental health, which was a massive part of Onabolu’s platform, Laurier was able to hire a new mental health student support team leader, and host a number of events in order to raise awareness, such as the Love My Life: A Walk for Mental Health. Onabolu’s working relationship with the board of directors has also improved overall. As a result of these improvements, Onabolu will be able to end his term on a more positive note.

has not done since the fall. However, Pryce should be applauded for his efforts in training and transition, a process that has never been as intensive as it has been this year. Regardless of whether or not directors caught on, Pryce still tried to make sure that the transition for directors was as smooth as possible. Pryce has set a higher standard for the incoming chair, Jordan Epstein and the chairs to come. He took an extremely professional approach to the role and effectively bridged the gap between the management team and the board. As the chief governance officer as well as the chair, Pryce furthered the role and importance of policy governance at WLUSU, especially in a time where WLUSU is in a tough transition period. * Disclaimer: Jon Pryce sits on the board of directors for WLUSP Kate turner FILE PhoTo

These reviews were written collaboratively by Campus News Editor Elizabeth DiCesare, News Director Justin Smirlies and Editor-in-Chief Justin Fauteux. They are based on observations from board meetings and interviews with the directors, chair and president.

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

campus

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their

alicia appleby

matt casselman

Jazz clement

sebastian Dudek

Jordan Epstein

The stronger of the two directors from Brantford, Appleby has brought a unique voice to the board this year. With a solid attendance record, Appleby has been a strong member on the board who has somewhat taken the role of the Brantford Campus Council, which was dissolved last year. While Appleby did need a better understanding of policy governance, she was still able to perform her duties relatively well, especially through her involvement on the ownership linkage and strategic planning committees. While she was actively committed to giving the Brantford campus a voice on the board, at times she relied too heavily on this perspective to be her sole input during board meetings.

Casselman took his passion for student governance to the board of directors for the first time this year — and did it well. As well as participating with the WLU debate club, food bank and being a full-time student, he was able to successfully balance these activities, along with his classes, while still fulfilling his position as director. With respectable board attendance — missing five meetings for midterms and prior commitments — he is one of the most vocal directors, often voicing opinions in favour of students. He has also been active outside the boardroom, and has participated in the ownership linkage committee, informally with the elections committee and saw both of his referendum questions pass during the WLUSU elections this past February. Casselman would do well to take what he has learned this term and carry it forward next year.

Clement came into the role of director with a lot of potential at the beginning of the year, but with her numerous commitments on campus and outside of it, that potential quickly began to wane. Simply said, Clement took on too many commitments and, as a result, her effectiveness as a director was hurt. While she has been engaged with many board matters, Clement has had numerous opportunities to actively engage in discussion during board meetings. With her background in university affairs and community engagement, as well as being one of the youngest directors on the board, Clement could’ve brought an interesting voice to the board. If she were to run again, it would be recommended that Clement reevaluate her commitments on and off campus before she commits to the role of a director.

Despite a poor attendance record because of his co-op placement, Dudek has excelled as a director outside of the board room. There have been cases where Dudek will miss a meeting but still send in his thoughts to the chair about the particular items discussed on that agenda, and constantly stays updated on what’s been going on. Dudek’s strength though is his understanding of the financial situation at WLUSU and how the organization might remedy it. His strong involvement in the financial policy review committee — which meets outside of the board room on weekends — demonstrates Dudek’s commitment to the role. It’s a shame, however, that he never got to fully exercise that commitment inside the boardroom.

Having attended a year’s worth of board meetings before he was even elected, Epstein was a solid presence on the board from the start of term. Perhaps outside of chair Jon Pryce, Epstein likely has the strongest understanding of policy governance and what the role of the board really is. This showed through in Epstein’s performance as vice-chair, in which he kept track of motions and discussion, and steered things in a more efficient direction. Furthermore, Epstein emerged as a strong leader among his fellow directors, taking on the kind of mentorship role he will need to continue when he takes over as chair and chief governance officer May 1. With a perfect attendance record, Epstein’s strong commitment to his role as a director and vice-chair is obvious. However, he did not simply show up to the meetings, he was often the most prepared, most engaged director at the board table.

Ryan Neufeld

caleb Okwubido

The Cord evaluates how each director measured up to their goals over the past year

Neufeld may have had good intentions at the start of his term as director, but those seemed to have faded by the end of the year, as his attention to detail and engagement in board meetings faltered. While he displayed some investment in the position near the beginning, at later meetings he displayed a lack of both interest and understanding as to what was occurring. At times he appeared too immersed in his laptop or cell phone, rather than the meetings. Although he accepted criticisms from fellow directors, there were no improvements with his performance at meetings. Neufeld has been able to maintain engagement outside of the boardroom, as well as interact with students through a variety of extracurricular activities, although these commitments, at times, resulted in his lack of engagement with the board.

As a first-time director, Okwubido has said he joined the board of directors in order to make all students feel involved within WLUSU. While he did engage various groups and clubs on campus, these voices were not necessarily relayed back to the board. While his passion for the role and responsibilities were evident, his understanding of the issues at hand was not as clear. Okwubido would have benefitted by better preparing himself for meetings by reading the agendas in full and communicating with other directors beforehand. These actions would have allowed him to fully participate in discussions at board meetings, and allow him to make better informed decisions. By communicating more with the board regarding students that he had engaged, his performance could have enhanced.

Board of Directors 2012-13

scott Fleming

Hannah Lee

With this being his second year as a director, it was clear that Fleming had knowledge of the how the board works particularly when it came to financial matters. However, the ways he chose to display that knowledge at board meetings was rarely effective. Fleming was often disrespectful, and even at times disruptive, in the boardroom, rarely contributing to meaningful discussion and frequently derailing it. This was evident at the March 12 meeting, when he was told multiple times to act with more respect towards his fellow directors. While Fleming does deserve some commendation for at times being one of few directors to raise questions when a motion was on the table, far too often he did so in an immature, unprofessional way. * Disclaimer: After multiple requests, Scott Fleming did not come in for an interview with The Cord.

Attendance has been a major concern for Lee. Considering she has missed ten meetings this year, gauging Lee’s performance in the boardroom is incredibly difficult. Even when she was present at meetings, Lee was very quiet and rarely expressed her opinion on matters the board is discussing. While it should be mentioned that some of Lee’s absences were due to admirable causes such as volunteering in Haiti, it is still unfortunate to see that she was unable to commit herself to the position for which she was elected. * Disclaimer: After multiple requests, Hannah Lee did not come in for an interview with The Cord.

Deanna sim

Kate stevenson

Jennifer Taborowski

Jeff Vincent

seth Warren

Although she’s one of the quieter members of the board, Sim was one of the most consistent directors this year in terms of her preparation and commitment. Having only missed four meetings this year, Sim has done well in balancing other extracurriculars such as the Model United Nations, being a research assistant and running a campus club. While she certainly could have been more vocal during board discussions, her involvement in committee work as well as her relationship with her fellow directors outside the boardroom appeared to be effective as she has gained the respect of many other board members.

Out of all the directors returning next year, Stevenson probably has the most potential. This year Stevenson clearly demonstrated her commitment to the role, especially through her work as the chair of the ownership linkage committee and her involvement in the board size commitee. She is dedicated to the role and has a deep understanding of how it can impact students. With one year under her belt, Stevenson can bring a lot of experience to the board next year as vice-chair. However, she still needs to gain a better understanding of policy governance, a concept that she should have no problem completely grasping throughout the summer. In addition, Stevenson, especially conisdering she is going to become the vice-chair, shouldn’t be afraid to be a bit more critical during board meetings and be more open to discussion on pressing matters.

Being one of the two directors from the Brantford campus, Taborowski seemed to have a difficult time advocating for students on the Waterloo campus. While her passion for representing Brantford students was at times needed and displayed in a productive manner it was, at other times, the only issue that she voiced opinions and concerns for. Although some efforts were made towards advocating for all students, this was a fault that could have been continually improved upon. While she did display an adequate understanding of the discussions in the boardroom, her knowledge regarding WLUSU’s finances could have been improved upon a bit more, and she could also have spoken up during board meetings more frequently.

Although Vincent is one of the quiet directors on the board, that does not mean he is not prepared for the discussions that take place. While he displays a thorough understanding of policies and governance, he only voices concerns when he deems them necessary. Although this at times gives the impression that he is not engaged, he, unlike other directors, had an impressive attendance record — which he attributed to being able to work his class schedule around his other commitments — and displays his knowledge and experience outside the boardroom by participating in two committees, including the Student Life Levy committee. However, his performance would have benefitted greatly had he spoken up more during meetings, and engaged with the discussions at hand.

Warren returned to the board this year after spending a year as a director in the 2010-11 term and his experience was certainly an asset. Not only was Warren consistently one of the most prepared and engaged directors, but he was also heavily involved in several of the board’s committees. Perhaps Warren’s greatest strength was the financial background he brought to the board, which was key given the inherited debt situation WLUSU was dealing with this year. While a co-op term in the fall did cause Warren to miss four of the semester’s meetings, he was a consistent presence at meetings both in the summer and since the start of the winter semester. He has also had no trouble balancing commitments to both the WLU senate and board of governors. Overall, Warren has become not only a very effective director but also one the rest of the board respects.

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THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

LocaL

Local Editor Lindsay Purchase lpurchase@thecord.ca

K-W: a year in review

Local business goes up in flames

The Mytnik family was shocked when they returned from vacation to be told by their son that their business, Uptown eatery Ish and Chips, had burned down. A fire that started at the back of the 37 King Street North building caused an estimated $500,000 in damage, destroying the restaurant along with an apartment located above it. The cause of the fire has not been released. Community members rallied around the victims of the fire, with a benefit at Starlight Nightclub raising $6,647. Kamil Mytnik, the son of the owners of Ish and Chips, has been working hard to open up a food truck in the meanwhile. –Compiled by Kylie Connor and Lindsay Purchase

First reported on Aug. 23, 2012

Historic result in byelection

For the first time in the history of this region, a NDP candidate took the reigns as Kitchener-Waterloo’s MPP, closing a 22-year-long stint from the Progressive Conservatives. Catherine Fife was elected into office with 18,000 votes in the Sept. 6 byelection after Elizabeth Witmer stepped down. PC candidate Tracey Weiler came in second and Liberal Eric Davis – his second time running for the position – came in third. Since being elected to office, Fife has become the NDP critic for economic development, infrastructure, research and innovation. However, the timing of the election was extremely inconvenient for students since it landed right in the middle of Orientation Week for both Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo. As a result, student involvement in the election was minimal. –Compiled by Justin Smirlies

Reported on Sept.12, 2012

Reported on Feb. 13, 2013

Ruling leads to dispute over city development limits

First reported on Jan. 27, 2013

Waterloo Region faced a setback in its development plans after an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) ruling sided with developers in allowing for the Region to continue its urban sprawl. The ruling allotted for 1,053 hectares of land to be developed, in spite of the fact that the Region was previously considered to have expanded to its development capacity already. This was determined according to the Ontario Places to Grow Act of 2005. After a unanimous vote by regional councillors, the Region requested an appeal from the Divisional Court. –Compiled by Lindsay Purchase

BlackBerry releases new phone

Torso found in Kitchener dumpster

A gruesome discovery of dismembered human remains found in a dumpster behind an apartment building in Kitchener initiated the first homicide investigation of the year on Jan. 26. There was no known connection to the apartment where the body was found and the homicide. The investigation later identified the victim as Kelsey Louise Felker and a 37-year-old Kitchener man, Stephen Roy Johnson, was charged with first-degree-murder and indignity to a human body. Information later emerged identifying Felker as a former sex worker, raising questions about the safety of sex industry workers locally. –Compiled by Lindsay Purchase

2012 wasn’t the kindest year for the smartphone maker, Research in Motion (RIM). After their stock plummeted to about $7 a share in the summer and with numerous delays for the BlackBerry 10 device, RIM faced stiff criticism from the public and fierce competition from their two main competitors, Apple and Samsung. The BlackBerry Z10, however, was finally released in late January. RIM, who changed its name to just “BlackBerry” for convenience sake after the release of the Z10, is still expected to release the Q10, a similar smartphone but with their popular physical QWERTY keypad. With glimmers of hope as of late, RIM’s fate has still yet to be decided. –Compiled by Justin Smirlies

Reported on Feb. 13, 2013

CBC opens local station

A local branch of CBC opened in Kitchener-Waterloo this March to provide local coverage through a morning radio show and additional online content. The Morning Edition radio show is hosted by CBC veteran Craig Norris and content is produced by Andrea Bellemare. The local expansion was long awaited, as the announcement came in Oct. 2011. K-W is one of many areas across the country that are benefitting from CBC regional expansion as part of its five-year plan, titled “Everyone. Everyway.” –Compiled by Lindsay Purchase

First reported on Oct. 5, 2011 First reported in April, 2010

Mel’s rises from the ashes

After a devastating fire, insurance complications and building delays, Mel’s Diner returned to its home at 140 University Avenue West on Feb. 19. The renovated interior was designed to mirror its previous image, before the 2010 fire, and the opening was well-received by customers both old and new. Charges were laid against three people in connection to the blaze, including former Titanium Nightclub owner Brent Campbell. Owner Jerry Smith kept busy in the interim period after the fire, opening another Mel’s location at 645 Westmount Road East in Kitchener, as well as teaming up with Ethel’s Lounge owner Glen Smith and former Ethel’s employee Dan Moran to open Frat Burger. –Compiled by Kylie Connor and Lindsay Purchase

War veteran left a mark on student community alanna fairey INcomINg LIfE EDItoR

When Duncan MacDonald first moved onto Hazel Street in 1950 with his family, the homes were specifically designed for war veterans like himself. After 62 years in Waterloo, MacDonald made his mark as a local icon with the perpetual garage sales he held outside of his house. He passed away over the 2012 holidays. Before living with his wife and two children in Waterloo, MacDonald fought in World War II. He was in Germany when the Allied forces found the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. MacDonald, who was the youngest of twelve children, was colour blind so he was not allowed to fly. He became a fitness instructor and eventually met his wife in England. She came back to Canada with him. Scott MacDonald, Duncan MacDonald’s nephew, recounted his uncle’s history in the war and when the famous garage sales made its way to his house in Waterloo. MacDonald

also explained the origins of the plethora of golf balls that were frequently sold at these garage sales. “He and his wife used to go to Florida all the time and that’s where he got all of the golf balls,” MacDonald said. “The golf balls used to pay for his trip to Florida and then when his wife passed away in 2002 he was a little on the lonely side and needed something to do.” The younger MacDonald shared that when all of the outgoing students would vacate their houses for the summer, they would put all their old furniture at the curb. The elder MacDonald would collect them and bring them back to his home. He would then sell the furniture to the new students moving in. MacDonald had also started collecting all of the beer bottles around the Waterloo area. He used the empty bottles to buy Sick Kids Hospital lottery tickets. During this time, MacDonald formed a companionship with the students who helped to contribute to his collections. “He was always sociable with all the students,” MacDonald added. “A lot of the students would come

over and drop off their beer bottles or leave it on the porch for him.” MacDonald, whose health had been on the decline in recent years, had a blockage in his bowels and he passed away on Christmas Day at the age of 91. The news of his death came as a great loss to those who knew him and his community-oriented garage sales. “He’s been here a long time,” MacDonald shared. “People have stopped by and they miss him around the neighborhood.” Though no plans have been set in motion for the time being, MacDonald’s family had been thinking of turning his old house into student housing. This would be considered in part because students lived in and out of it and had spent many years with him. Scott remembers his uncle as a “cantankerous” man who spoke his mind and enjoyed fishing, travelling and being active. The mark he left on the Waterloo community and its students will never be forgotten. Duncan MacDonald and his garage sales will be missed and remembered.

nick lachance PhotogRAPhY mANAgER

Duncan MacDonald was a long-time resident of 276 Hazel Street.

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

LocaL

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laura buck INcomINg LEAD REPoRtER

TEDx Waterloo showcased local and canadian intellectuals discussing the ideas around the concept of “home.” The event was divided into three different sections.

TEDx explores meaning of ‘home’ ashley denuzzo INcomINg LEAD REPoRtER

laura buck INcomINg LEAD REPoRtER

The auditorium was buzzing with excited energy, a room full of people who were anxiously awaiting the start to a day dedicated to considering, sharing and discussing ideas. On Wednesday, March 27, TEDxWaterloo was hosted at the Centre in the Square Theatre in Kitchener. A variety of speakers, each with very different backgrounds, took to the stage to discuss the theme “chasing home.” The day was divided into three sessions. The first focused on the concept of “homeWITHIN,” the second,“homeTOGETHER” and the third,“homeBEYOND.” TED is a U.S. based not-for-profit group, committed to“ideas worth spreading”from the fields of Technology, Entertainment and Design. TEDxWaterloo was formed in 2009 and since has established itself as a leader in bringing innovative ideas to a local level.

homeWithin

The opening group of speakers

discussed ideas evolving around the topic of “home within.” This included discussions about the intimacy of the human brain and internal organs, ranging to the very personal topics of self-acceptance and identity. The discussion was opened with Holly Painter, a young slam poet who shared her difficult and emotional journey to self-acceptance. Painter struggled with her identity as a gay woman in a small town. She shared her story saying, “For most, first love marks a coming of age. But for me it was an inability to come out and tell anyone her name, so she and I made new homes inside our closets.” Following Painter’s empowering personal story, the discussion moved onto the topic of the brain, which as Chris Eliasmith, a neuroscientist at the University of Waterloo, explained, “Is perhaps our most intimate home.” The first session concluded with the wit and humour of Mag Ruffman, a Canadian actor, author and contractor. Ruffman shared her ideas about the positive effects on the brain of hands-on work for children.

Firehall to re-open katelyn cullum LEAD REPoRtER

The Firehall, a local club in Waterloo, will be reopening its doors on April 25. Firehall was closed for 40 days after violating a report issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). AGCO found that the club had been severely overcrowding. Their normal capacity sits at 240 and on one occasion, the club had 436 patrons. Additionally, Firehall was found to be serving minors and abusing bottle service. After many warnings were issued, on March 16 an ACGO inspector visited the club and found that the practices had continued. The agreement to allow Firehall to reopen was signed on March 26 without a hearing. “AGCO issued a notice of proposal to revoke the license and also put an interim suspension order in place, which means that they [Firehall] were immediately exempt from selling and serving,” Lisa Murray, a spokesperson for the AGCO, explained. Murray also explained that certain conditions are placed on a license once it is revoked. Three security guards must remain at the front of the club, with one concentrating on the patio and the sidewalk adjacent to it. Bottle service is restricted to one area of the establishment and that area has a capacity of 24 patrons. No minors are allowed in the club and security

cameras will be put up and the footage must be available for 30 days. Additionally, Firehall must put in a compliance plan that outlines their solutions to the problems and how they are going to manage the policies that will be put in place. If new management is hired, they are required to submit this information to the AGCO in writing. When asked by The Cord what would happen if Firehall was found to be violating the issues that permitted their license to be revoked, Murray said that “if any establishment were to be found breaching a condition, it is a serious matter.” Since Firehall has been serving minors, bottle service abuse and overcrowding as conditions on their license, if they are discovered repeating these conditions, it will not be taken lightly by AGCO. “If you have had issues with minors and you now have a condition on your license that specifically excludes minors, usually conditions are put on a license because of issues that have happened so it is to prevent that issue from happening again,” said Murray. AGCO inspectors are sent to all establishments in Ontario, but some are visited more frequently due to their reputation. “Inspectors are there to observe and report,” Murray expressed. Their job is to attend an establishment and seek out any kind of breaching of liquor laws, including underage serving and overcrowding. Firehall was unavailable for comment.

Aaron St. John, an audience member, was excited about the energy in the room. “I think the environment is really chaotic,” he said. “Everyone’s very excited; everyone’s so willing to participate with the speakers. There’s a very good sense of unity amongst the crowd.”

homeTOGETHER

The second session of TEDx Waterloo was appropriately named homeTOGETHER, representing the complexities of human relationships and co-existence. This section took on a more sociological theme as speakers directed their talks towards how humans function together. Noel Biderman, CEO of ashley. madison.com, spoke about the psychology behind human infidelity. He explained that unfaithfulness is extremely age-sensitive, and that his website, often criticized for promoting cheating, makes us think about why we have these mid-life revelations and can help society recalibrate how we structure the home. Sudz Sutherland focused on the assimilated home and is currently working with deportees. Noting that

many landed immigrants eventually consider Canada their home, he asserted that we need to “look systematically” and promote citizenship. Failing to do so could lead to deportation and a life sentence to homesickness. Mark Greenburg continued this theme of finding “home” together with his discussion on the difference between curing and healing. He recalled many cases where children may have been “cured” from their disease but ran into many psychological, behavioural and societal issues in the future. Although the impact of an illness can never wholly go away, Greenburg feels that modern medicine needs to focus on the long-term effects — trying to heal the family as well as the patient.

homeBEYOND

TEDx Waterloo takes home beyond the planet itself in the third session, homeBEYOND. During the final segment, speakers of great scientific backgrounds spoke about their contributions to modern science and how their findings will affect us on Earth indefinitely. Alison Lister, a particle physicist, has spent years studying the

molecules that were present moments after the Big Bang. She explained that science is never ending and that society needs more people with a natural curiosity for the subject. Moving forward, Wade Larson introduced his company, UrtheCast, which is putting HD cameras on the International Space Station. Essentially, a visual of Earth will all be accessible to anyone who has an Internet connection. Wade called UrtheCast a mash up of Google Earth and YouTube and hopes it will provide a new perspective of the beauty behind our home planet. Rob Manning, the man behind the missions to Mars, closed off TEDx Waterloo with a different perspective of the home. Manning has developed a deep philosophical view on humanity’s infinite reach for the stars and with a unique twist on the theme, questioned, “Could we one day call Mars our new home?” TEDx Waterloo concentrated on the concept of the “home” and took it beyond the walls of buildings. Ultimately, the speakers gathered under the same conclusion: the individual who lives there determines what is a “home.”

10 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Post Graduate

Small Business Ventures Program

Why the Small Business Ventures Program? We keep it REAL. Courses are taught by experienced, creative and passionate teachers and entrepreneurs. Your learning environment includes the RBC Venture Lab, a state-of-the-art classroom that promotes interaction, and access to global resources. Participants who successfully complete the first 15 weeks of the program will receive $1,000 RBC Venture Award to seed their new venture projects.

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In partnership with RBC

Contact: Barbara Fennessy, PhD Executive Director,

www.conestogac.on.ca

Centre for Entrepreneurship Chair, School of Business bfennessy@conestogac.on.ca

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

LocaL

• 11

Mayor discusses influences on city growth the cord sat down with Waterloo mayor Brenda halloran to talk students, tech and local development lindsay purchase INcomINg SENIoR NEWS EDItoR

“I know people will find this kind of strange, but I knew I was going to win. Even though everybody else doubted me and thought I was crazy,” recalled Waterloo mayor Brenda Halloran. Halloran, now mayor for seven years, didn’t have any political experience when she entered the race for community leadership, but she did have the motivation. She spent years petitioning city hall after discovering her Kitchener townhouse was built on a contaminated landfill site. “That experience profoundly changed me and made me realize that people need to be taken care of by the system, not fought by the system,” she said. In 2006, with the support of her family, Halloran ran for mayor and won. Halloran has had some unique challenges to face since she took office as the mayor of a city with a vastly expanding student population. “The universities are almost like a Vatican in Rome, because the universities are a totally separate world that’s in the centre of our city and we’re all around,” she said. “The excitement of having the students here, the vitality and the economic benefit is astonishing.” At the time she became mayor, Halloran found that there was not a large focus on establishing relationships between students and the city, which is something she’s tried to remedy since. However, she still finds that there is more to be done in ensuring students are engaged in their community. “I think there’s a lot more

nick lachance PhotogRAPhY mANAgER

Brenda Halloran entered political office for the first time in 2006 after being voted as mayor for the city of Waterloo.

students who could be engaged,” she said. “Come out and see the whole community for what it is and help us. Volunteer and be a part of it. There’s a need everywhere.” The development of the Northdale area has been a major focus for the city over the last several years. Immense development has been occurring in the student housing bloc, with old houses being torn down in favour of high-rise apartment buildings. “That area has been a difficult challenge for all of us because of the age of the buildings and … just the infrastructure of the whole community,” Halloran commented. She added, “We have a lot of student housing being built and the positive side is that it’s new, it’s

clean, it’s safe.” However, with the advent of these newer buildings comes greater capacity housing units and the need for more people to fill them. According to Halloran, this is largely out of the city’s control. “We do have some concerns that it’s been overbuilt,” she said. “We voiced those concerns to the developers who wanted to build student housing, saying you know, there’s a lot on the market and the student population isn’t growing as fast as what you’re building.” A lot of the focus now will be on ensuring there are sufficient amenities to support incoming populations. Other major developments during her tenure as mayor have come

through the explosion of Waterloo’s technology sector. “Waterloo is seen globally as one of the most prominent tech sectors in North America and we come by that with a lot of hard work and a lot of innovation and collaboration within the community,” said Halloran. “I travel as a mayor and I’m able to sell us, to talk about Waterloo Region as a tech centre, as an academic centre, as a knowledge economy.” Organizations such as Communitech, The Accelerator Centre and Canada’s Technology Triangle have helped foster tech development. Although the job can be demanding — Halloran hasn’t had a day off in about seven years — she says as long as the voters support her and

her physical health permits, she’ll continue to be mayor of Waterloo. “Some days are just breathtaking, other days are really stressful. And I think, I didn’t know if I want to do this anymore, it’s not as much fun,” Halloran considered. “And then I wake up and it’s a beautiful day to start again. And I feel very privileged that I can do this position.”

check out the video interview with the mayor later this week on thecord.ca

12 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

NatioNal

National Editor Lindsay Purchase lpurchase@thecord.ca

Looking back: major headlines of the last year Teen suicide causes outrage

Quebec student protests continue

When the Quebec student protests escalated in the spring of 2012, many students from Quebec, as well as the Confederation of Students (CFS) in Ontario, urged their Ontario counterparts to protest their tuition costs. Quebec was contesting a broken promise of a tuition freeze and rise in costs, whereas most students in Ontario pay the most in the country for tuition fees. After the election of PQ leader, Pauline Marois, a tuition freeze was given, but the student federations in Quebec became increasingly divided with one another. While the intensity of the students protests have waned, the remnants of the student distress are still evident throughout Quebec. First reported on May 30, 2012. –Compiled by Justin Smirlies

The suicide of B.C. teen Amanda Todd stirred much discussion and debate about the effectiveness of bullying prevention measures. Todd, who was 15 at the time of her suicide, had faced bullying and online harassment from her peers. After a suicide attempt by drinking bleach, Todd posted a video on YouTube of herself using flashcards to tell her story. On Oct. 10 2012, Todd was found hanged in her home. Since her death, the government has invested tremendous amounts of money into combating the issue of bullying through some major departments including the Public Health Agency of Canada, the RCMP and Public Safety Canada. It also sparked movements online about the importance of preventive bullying measures on social media and the internet. Reported Oct.31, 2012 –Compiled by Alanna Fairey

Senate faces calls for accountability

Action called for on Aboriginal issues

Trudeau announces leadership bid

After months of speculation and debates, Justin Trudeau announced his leadership for the Liberal party on Oct. 2. Son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the younger Trudeau’s announcement was made at the William-Hingston Centre in Montreal. Trudeau’s wife and two children stood by as Trudeau announced his candidacy. Despite a lack of political experience, Trudeau had become a fan favourite for the Liberal party, as his charisma and interest in youth involvement has garnered much attention. First reported on Oct. 3, 2012 –Compiled by Alanna Fairey

Federal Budget released

A national campaign under the hashtag #IdleNoMore took hold of the country starting in December 2012. The campaign was a protest against the treatment of Canada’s Aboriginal population by the Canadian government, and particularly reacted against proposed amendments to the Indian Act, the Navigation Protection Act and the Environmental Assessment Act. Theresa Spence, the Chief of Northern Ontario community Attawapiskat, held a hunger strike to attract attention to the issue. Other actions included large-scale protests and highway blockades. Reported Jan. 9, 2013 –Compiled by Lindsay Purchase

McGuinty resigns as Premier

Dalton mcGuinty surprised the nation when he announced that he would be resigning from his post as Ontario Liberal Premier on Oct. 15. McGuinty did not offer reasons for his abrupt decision, though at the time of his resignation, he had been facing a number of litigious political issues such as the ORNGE scandal and the on-going negotiations with the province’s teachers. In 2003 and 2007, he led the Liberal Party to a majority government in the province, but lost ground with a minority victory in 2011. First reported on Oct. 16 –Compiled by Alanna Fairey

2013 has been a rough year so far for Canada’s Senate. Senator Patrick Brazeau was arrested on charges of assault, while Senator Mike Duffy was discovered collecting a housing allowance for a province he was not residing in. Criticisms of ineffectiveness led to calls for reform or abolition of the Senate. The Conservative Party previously proposed implementing elected positions for the Senate when it tabled Bill C-7 in 2011. The NDP has called for the abolition of Senate. Reported March 20, 2013 –Compiled by Lindsay Purchase

The Canadian government released its annual budget, “Jobs, Growth and Economic Prosperity,” to strong opposition from federal parties on March 21. Notable inclusions were funding for market-oriented skills training, intentions to balance the budget by 2015 and plans for job creation measures. Student groups also expressed dissatisfaction, claiming that it was insufficient to address employment concerns. Reported on March 27, 2013 –Compiled by Lindsay Purchase

Student info lost

Wynne elected to lead Ontario Liberals

Ontario Liberals elected a new leader to replace former Premier Dalton McGuinty at a surprise-filled leadership convention held during the last weekend of January. Kathleen Wynne took first place over candidate Sandra Pupatello, becoming Ontario’s first female premier, as well as its first openly gay premier. Wynee was formerly the minister of education for the province and also held the position of parliamentary assistant to the minister of colleges, training and universities. Wynne has faced strong opposition since coming into the position, with challenges posed on issues of the closure of gas plants and the upcoming provincial budget. Reported on Jan.30, 2013 –Compiled by Lindsay Purchase

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) was put into an uncomfortable position after having to admit this past January that it had lost the personal info of 583,000 student loan borrowers. The federal department discovered the problem in early November when an employee found that a hard drive was missing. Students weren’t satisfied with the response of the HRSDC, which began offering free anti-fraud alerts through credit bureau Equifax on Jan. 25. The privacy breach resulted in several class action lawsuits. Investigations by the RCMP and the privacy commissioner are ongoing. Reported Feb.6, 2013 –Compiled by Lindsay Purchase

PCs want overhaul for PSE in Ontario

The Progressive Conservatives released a controversial white paper on the state of post-secondary education in Ontario, calling for student financial aid to linked to academic records and more emphasis placed on college degrees. Rob Leone, the MPP for Cambridge, spearheaded the paper with PC leader Tim Hudak with their plans for PSE if they were to be elected. In addition, the paper claimed that university funding should be determined by how many jobs the particular institution’s graduates get and that the quality of teaching should be drastically improved. Reported on Feb.13, 2013. –Compiled by Justin Smirlies

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

NATIONAL

Budget may limit student priorities

Canada in brief Cancer patients receive diluted drugs

Patients at hospitals in Oshawa, Windsor, Peterborough and London have received a series of chemotherapy cocktails that were found to be water downed. 1,776 patients were given cyclophosphamide, a drug that is administered to cancer patients. The vice president of clinical operations at Cancer Care Ontario, Dr. Carol Sawka, explained that patients received a slightly less than intended dose due to the hospitals’ outsourcing of the chemotherapy drugs to a supplier. The premixed bags were prepared by Marchese Health Care in Hamilton, and are collaborating with their partners to address this issue.

laura buck INcomINg LEAD REPoRtER

If the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) could have it their way, positive change would be in store for the province’s post-secondary students. The advocacy group, which represents the interests of over 150,000 undergraduate students in Ontario, issued a series of policy recommendations to the provincial government last week in the hopes of influencing this month’s upcoming provincial budget. The 2013 budget submission plan put forward by OUSA is titled “Unlocking Student Potential: the Key to Ontario’s Success” and includes six key recommendations to policy aimed at increasing affordability of post-secondary education, improving student health and employment and expanding student mobility across the province. Rylan Kinnon, executive director at OUSA, explained that one of the biggest concerns he has encountered when speaking with Ontario’s undergrads is the issue of tuition affordability. To address this growing concern OUSA has recommended the Ontario government freeze tuition rates for at least one year. “The recommendation is that the government shouldn’t allow for tuition to increase at all for at least one year,” said Kinnon. “And then we’ve recommended that the government increase per-student funding at the rate of inflation to partially compensate.” Kinnon explained to The Cord that it is difficult to know which, if any, of the recommendations will be successful. “Last year one of the things that we called for was a system-wide discussion about improving teaching quality and improving productivity in our post-secondary system. The Minister of Training

• 13

Charges laid for robo-calls

stephanie truong gRAPhIcS EDItoR

Colleges and Universities actually helped a conversation around those topics and many others.” Barry Kay, a political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, was not overly optimistic about the inclusion of OUSA’s policy recommendations into this year’s budget. “I don’t want to suggest when I say that something isn’t going to happen, that it’s not a good idea,” he commented. “The fact is that there are realities out there. In the last provincial election the Liberals made a commitment for more money than I thought was financially prudent given the budgetary situation. They don’t have money for a lot of programs, it’s not

just the students.” The Ontario Liberal government is currently facing a deficit of $11.9 billion, which as Kay suggested makes it difficult to provide additional funding to any group, be it students or not. “At some point, the spreading around of money is zero-sum. Public policy becomes a matter of choices; if you give here you’ve got to take somewhere else,” he said. Kay pointed to a growing concern amongst faculty members in postsecondary institutions, regarding the economic condition of the government. “At the university level, the way it really affects us here, is people

who are in part-time teaching situations,” said Kay. “That’s what is being cut because the university has more discretion in affecting that. “ He continued, “We are already seeing at the university level that when people retire they are not necessarily being replaced. That basically means fewer courses and fewer choices for students at Laurier and everywhere else.” Ontario’s undergrads will find out exactly how the budget will be affecting them in the upcoming weeks. The official date for the release of the budget has not yet been set, but it is expected to be tabled before the end of the month.

Michael Sona, the director of communications on the campaign team for 2011 Conservative election candidate Marty Burke, has been charged for his involvement in the robo-calls scandal. Sona expressed that he does not hold the required technical intelligence to follow through with the fraudulent automated phone calls. The 6,000 robo-calls were created to send non-conservative voters to the incorrect polling station in the Ontario riding Guelph, using a list compiled by the Conservative party. Sona resigned from working for Conservative MP Eve Adams last year after he was initially linked to the suspicions. However, Sona claimed that he resigned due to the overwhelming media attention that hindered his ability to do his job. Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated in 2011 that his conservative team had absolutely no role in any of it. Canada Elections will continue the investigation. –Compiled by Katelyn Cullum

14 •

In Depth Editor

•

Vacant

•

IN DE

editor@thecord.ca

As the year comes to a close, Visual Director Wade Thompson invites you to take a break from thinking about exams and enjoy the upcoming animated blockbuster*, based around your university experience. *Note: This is not an actual film. I didn’t think you were that stupid, but of course there is that odd person who all of a sudden would expect to see this movie in the summer. Everyone knows that one guy. So for the sake of Jeff, or Todd, or whomever you are, this isn’t a real movie.

As children of the post-modern era, born in the late 1980s/early 1990s, we have become the generation influenced more by animated movies than any generation previous to us. While our grandparents probably got to experience the invention of the medium, we have been able to revel in the perfection of it. Living through the rise of Pixar and the second golden age of Disney, seeing the

popularization of anime through Hayao Miyazaki, and being exposed to more animated blockbusters in our lifetime than ever before, we have become an animation generation. It is with this thought then, that the inspiration struck to create a film based on our university experiences. What better way to illustrate that story than through the medium we have all grown up with and cherished

since our childhoods? University: The Animated Movie begins on our first day, arriving at residence, and ends with walking across the stage to grab that piece of paper. Through different styles of animation, seen through a number of iconic industry personalities, this is the tale of our university lives.

Scene: The First D

For the opening scene of ate it with the beginning tor Ub Iwerks made Mic 1920s. They allowed an i nocent, imaginative icon one of these early shorts by a group of overly exci no real authority figures of suspense and some ha before you want it to.

Cast of Characters:

You Voice actor

Voice actor

Scene: The All-Nighter

Style:

While not as well known as a numb Bill Plympton is a pretty significant tion. He creates and animates his o help of no one but himself. Much li depicts independent characters dea decidedly dreamlike state. Coffee a sively fall deeper into a state of unr

James Marsden

The Best Friend Voice actor

Neil Patrick Harris

Anna Kendrick

The Rival Voice actor

The Douche Voice actor

The Prof You Love Voice actor

The Prof You Hate Voice actor

Anna Faris

Paul Rudd

Emma Thompson

Ben Kingsley

Scen Style: Don Bluth e: The Midt (T he Land Befo

While beginning work with Disney, D in the early 80s to begin his own anim Steven Spielberg. Baring a similar st ects often surrounded darker themes ening than would be found in the fair his former employer. This scene suit how the school year deceives you. It for the first portion of the year, but o And everything becomes just a little affinity for bold and over the top villa your exams to that extra level of terri

EPTH

Day

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 • 15

Style: Walt Disney/U

b Iwerks

f your university career, it seems fitting to associg era of animation. Walt Disney and his key animackey Mouse the biggest star in the world in the late international audience to fall in love with their inn. Your first day of university feels much the same as s. You enter campus full of childlike wonder, greeted ited impish figures (breakers, your dons, etc.) while s seem to be anywhere in site. There are small bouts armless shenanigans, before eventually ending well

Scene: The O-Week

Style: Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro)

Miyazaki’s films depict fantasy and reality coinciding right alongside one another. This fits suitably enough with your first week at university. OWeek starts off normal enough. You and the rest of your floor start by contributing to a bunch of welcoming activities and ice breaking events. But by the time that first night hits, the atmosphere has changed, and the second act begins with a strange, unfamiliar territory. Like many of Miyazaki’s films, you are transported to a different world without actually leaving the one you arrived in. Your astonishment and high school innocence is still present, but the people around you start to change. The “school spirit” has started to morph those around you who choose to give in. Whether or not you choose to give in is a week long dilemma featuring colourful, idiotic, over-the-top and long lasting characters, many of which will be present throughout the rest of your time here at school.

Scene: The Campus Maze Style: Tim Burton (Corpse Bride) Finding your way around campus is often a confusing and overly stressful experience. Even on a small campus, the buildings themselves feel complicated and nightmarish. Tim Burton, while known more for his live-action films, is a documented animator, beginning at Disney in the early 80s and progressing to his own projects like Corpse Bride in the modern era. His dark and overt style is recognizable throughout all of his works though, making him an ideal candidate to take on this sequence of your university career. Random buildings rooms pop up as if out of nowhere. Week to week buildings seem to shift places. And let’s not even try to tackle the horror story that is the Peters Building.

ne, Idiots and Angels)

: Bill Plympton (T he Tu

Scene: TheB

ber of other animators mentioned here, t icon in the realm of independent animaown feature length films, often with the ike an all-nighter in university, his work aling with loneliness and hardships in a and cigarettes act as fuel as you progresreality.

terms/Exams ore Time, The Secr et of

ng Scene: The Homecomi (Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly) ter kla Lin ard ch Ri Style: Homecoming is usually a surreal experience. The university fills with alumni, young and old, figures that are nothing but empty faces in a crowd. Yet, you choose to align yourself with them. You choose to unite with them in a drunken stuper. Richard Linklater’s works of animation play well to this existential time in your time at university. The idea of rotoscoping (animating images on top of previously filmed material) allows for a real-life experience altered into the blur that is your homecoming weekend. And as Waking Life so ardently displays, everything feels like a continuing dream — until class starts again on Monday.

Scene: The One

erman) Style: John Kahrs (Pap

This may not apply to every single university student out there, but for a lot of you, university is the place where you find “the one;” that person you long to spend as much time as possible with, if not the rest of your life. This choice was simple. John Kahr’s Oscar winning short Paperman is arguably the best meet-cute Disney has ever produced. It’s half CGI, half hand-drawn paper style makes it immediately iconic and stands out amongst all other love stories like it. And as much as there are other memorable moments across your university career, meeting that special someone tends to rise above the rest.

Style: Ralph

Bakshi (Fritz

the Cat)

It’s hard to narrow it down to one specific instance for a “bar night,” but there cannot be a film about university without it. Ralph Bakshi serves as the best inspiration for this particular scene, as a lot of his work revolved around sex and debauchery. While the man himself was often not pleased with his animated endeavors lacking the social commentary of his comics; they still do the best job parlaying the “adult” animation that is so rarely seen today’s day in age.

Scene: The Graduation

NIMH)

Don Bluth tore out of the mouse house mation company in collaboration with tyle to Walt Disney animation, his projs and featured scenes much more frightry tale-esque films being produced by ts Bluth’s strongest attributes because of might look and feel like a Disney movie once midterms arrive, it takes a turn. bit scarier. This would also suit Bluth’s ains; enter those professors who take ifying.

ar Night

Style: John Lasseter (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life)

Everything culminates to this one moment. That single event that we are all longing to reach and grab that piece of paper. Who better to depict that heart warming happiness than the current king of animation, Pixar? Having head-of-the-studio John Lasseter give life to the ultimate feelgood moment is just the icing on the cake. Leave the theatre with a smile, as the credits role, and then fade to black.

WADE THOMPSON VISUAL DIRECTOR

16 •

Life

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, April 3, 2013 life Editor Carly Basch cbasch@thecord.ca

Spring into fashion: campus style With a new season, incoming Life Editor Alanna Fairey seeked out Laurier’s most stylish students

Name: T.J. Edmondson Major: First-year business Style inspiration: “I like to be trendy and classy.” Where he shops: “I usually shop at a place like Winners or places where I can get top quality stuff for good prices, like online as well.” Fashion philosophy: “Whatever other people look good in, I’ll try to look good in.”

Name: Portia Singh Major: Third-year economics Style inspiration: “I love Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I know it’s really funny but they’re really inspirational in fashion and they have great style. I like comfortable clothing that is really cute.” Where she shops: “I like Zara and Top Shop and I do like Artizia and a little bit of Urban Outfitters.” Fashion philosophy: “Be comfortable and cute.”

Name: Moio Arewa Major: Second-year global studies Style inspiration: “I just pick up a lot of stuff from different places and just mix stuff up. I don’t really have one inspiration, no one really does.” Where he shops:“The mall, just walk around. I don’t shop online because I have trust issues with that. I travel so I just pick stuff up from different malls around Canada and Europe.” Fashion philosophy: “Everything has to fit right. Your jacket, your shirt, your bag and the pant, it has to fit right. If it doesn’t, it shows.”

Name: Danielle Evans Major: Second-year French and German Style Inspiration: “I guess you can say the Olsen Twins. I like how they’re kind of tacky but cool. And just my own, whatever I feel like wearing.” Where she shops: “Thrift stores and Top Shop. Urban Outfitters and American Apparel.” Fashion Philosophy: “Comfort first.”

photoS BY ryan hueglin iNComiNg photogrAphY mANAgEr

‘i’m graduating, now what?’ autumn smith StAff WritEr

ryan hueglin iNComiNg photogrAphY mANAgEr

Off-campus study spaces mike hajmasy StAff WritEr

As the sun begins to shine on the often-ominous winter term, final exams stand as the last hurdles to conquer in the race for summer vacation. Study space becomes a highly sought after necessity, and let’s face it, the options are less than abundant on campus. As a result, the remaining places for students to hunker down, become quickly overcrowded. As a student with four years of experience in searching for the perfect place to study, I’ve come up with a top-five list of off-campus locations that will provide you with the atmosphere necessary to help finish the term strongly. 1. Huether Hotel’s Café 1842 (59 King St. North, Waterloo) Located on the main floor of the Huether Hotel, the quiet café has all of the necessary features to foster productivity. In addition to

calm lighting, comfortable seating, fresh coffee and an all day breakfast menu, Café 1842 has plenty of the necessary electrical outlets to recharge your dying laptops. Open from 7 a.m. - 1 a.m. 2. Waterloo Public Library (35 Albert St., Waterloo) If the hunt for free space in the Laurier library is becoming too much to stand, head over to the Waterloo Public Library. Uncharted territory amongst many students, the public library offers plenty of space and a quiet, distraction-free environment to work. Nighthawks beware: the latest they are open is 9 p.m. 3. Princess Café (46 King St. North, Waterloo) If Café 1842 isn’t for you, just walk across the street to the Princess Café. What this place lacks in size it makes up for in quality. Supplied with big tables, electrical outlets, and delicious Panini sandwiches, the Princess Café is a comfortable place to go if seats are

available. Open until 10:30 p.m. daily. 4. Williams Coffee Pub (170 University Ave, Waterloo) Located in University Plaza, Williams Coffee Pub is a student friendly location with plenty of space, caffeine and satisfying desserts and they are open until 1 a.m. daily. If hours of studying put your brain into overdrive, then treat yourself to a much-deserved beer. They’re called a ‘coffee pub’ for a reason! 5. Your House The distractions of home coupled with annoying roommates can make staying in to study seem like an impossible option. Sometimes, however, the importance of finding the perfect place to study starts to outweigh the importance of actually studying. Give your place a shot. You’ve got electrical outlets, plenty of food, fresh coffee, unlimited hours of operation, and if you don’t want a crowd all you have to do is shut the door.

For many of us, a significant part of our lives have been geared toward the preparation for graduation. University was what you were always reaching for, and once you were here, graduation was the end goal. Well, it’s finally here so now what? The moment we’ve worked towards for so long. So what happens now that we are faced with this moment when a large part of our identity completely changes? We are no longer classified as a student; we no longer need to extensively study to prepare ourselves for the real world. The scary truth is that a sort of identity crisis is on the rise. While many of us are moving along to the workplace or a graduate or masters program, the change is still prevalent. For the many years we’ve been here we have established a life surrounding this school, these friends, and this town. And now it all changes. If you’re like me you’ve had a countdown going since the beginning of the semester, but in reality, the end is bittersweet. You are so ready to leave the books behind, but don’t be so quick to throw it all away, remember all the great things you’ve accomplished here, the people you’ve met and the person Laurier has shaped you into. Before the anxiety sets in, it’s important to look forward to the new beginning. Dwelling on inevitable change is never productive so focus

on the opportunities that await. Even though heading into more schoolwork isn’t exactly riveting, it’s still a new experience to look forward to. So is the relentless search for employment. Whatever it is you decide to do will be your own adventure. The world is your oyster and the possibilities are endless. While it’s hard to remove ourselves from the Laurier bubble, break out and think big; there is more beyond these four corners. My suggestion? Try to stick around for a little longer with your friends. Plan a week after exams for an epic farewell adventure around the town. Do everything you’ll miss one last time before you pack up and move on. Don’t look now, but real life is at your doorstep.

steph truong grAphiCS EDitor

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

YEAR IN PHOTOS

• 17 Photography Managers Nick Lachance and Kate Turner photos@thecord.ca

2012

18 •

YEAR IN PHOTOS

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

2013 Photos by: Kate Turner, Nick Lachance, Cristina Rucchetta, Rosalie Eid, Jody Waardenburg, Avery Gales and Shelby Blackley. For more photos, check out our online gallery on thecord.ca.

• 19

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

Arts

Arts Editor Cristina Almudevar calmudevar@thecord.ca

The fusion of Disney and fashion Arts Editor Cristina Almudevar and Life Editor Carly Basch talk fame, fans and fashion with DisneyBound Leslie Kalbfleisch, creator of popular Tumblr blog DisneyBound, has had an exciting two years since the creation of her blog. From a travel blog to a Disney fashion blog, Kalbfleisch describes the inner workings of running one of Tumblr’s popular blogsites. Cord Arts sat down with Kalbfleisch to discuss the ins and outs of blogging, Disney fashion culture and what it’s been like to become an Internet sensation.

and so I went to their fashion show. I was standing there talking to someone and I get a tap on the shoulder and this young girl who is about 12 said, “Excuse me are you Leslie from DisneyBound?” and I said, “Yes” and she had tears in her eyes. It made me feel like I was Justin Bieber so that was pretty cool to have someone so excited to see me and want to get a picture with me and have their mom be equally excited.

Q: When did you start DisneyBound?

Q: Why do you think people enjoy dressing up as Disney characters?

DisneyBound started as a travel blog. I was going to Disney World with one of my best friends, we had been planning this since we were ten and then we were both in our early 20’s which is why we wanted to go on this trip. So we created this Tumblr out of excitement and that was about two years ago. So I started to do these outfits and after the first five outfits [designed] I noticed 1,000 views. Then I was like “holy crap, 1,000?” and then I kept going on from there. That was within a week of going live I didn’t intentionally mean for it to be a fashion blog, it became one.

I think because we are told that we are supposed to grow up but there’s no point where, bam, you’re an adult. So I think the people who really enjoy Disney and being creative and having a big imagination, they don’t want to let to go of that. So I think they enjoy playing dress up without actually having to [wear a costume]. And I think it helps people with fashion and accessorizing as opposed to looking at a model. It gives them examples to really get into fashion. Looking for inspiration from Disney like Alice in Wonderland is much helpful than looking at a 90 pound model. I think that’s what people have really enjoyed about DisneyBound and dressing up.

Q: So “DisneyBound” comes from the act of you and your friend wanting to travel to Disney?

lena yang INComINg gRAPhICS EDItoR

Q: How do you make it consistent?

It’s evolved a lot because it started as a hobby. From there as it started to get shared across the web I realized that I should make these images look a lot better so I put a lot more effort into laying it out and what pieces to choose.

Q: What’s your routine of putting the blog together in depth? Yes, we were literally ‘Disney bound” and now it’s become a more figurative meaning of being bound to the Disney magic and lifestyle.

Q: You mentioned you got 1,000 views on your first week? What strategies did you use to market your blog in order to get hits and how were you able to track your views?

I was creating the outfits on Polyvore (a collaborative fashion website designed for people to put together outfits) that’s my main resource for when I go and create the outfits for the blog and that gives me a better tracking device. [Polyvore] was able to show me the views and who was clicking on the images. The first day I was sitting at my computer, creating these outfits and I was watching the views go up in front of me.

My weekly schedule is that most weeknights I do about seven outfits. I have a list of requests that people want to see and so I’ll go through the list and pick a character and then I start to think ‘What kind of look do I want to do this time? Do I want it to be formal or casual or athletic?’And then I just start to look for the right pieces, so I start off with the shirt and then the pants, or a dress. Accessories are the main thing that really pull everything together. For example when I put together an outfit for the Mad Hatter (from Alice in Wonderland) there’s a hat I incorporate and accessories like a tea-cup ring. And then on Friday I do about ten outfits and Saturday I do about 15. It’s lots of organization that goes with it or else I completely forget what I’m doing.

Q: What was your reaction to that? I remember going to my mom and saying “Mom, I got 3,000 views this weekend!” and she was like “That’s nuts!”. Since then, 3,000 views is nothing. Polyvore has given me better insight for viewers, Tumblr doesn’t show you page visits.

Q: How many followers do you gain on an average week? I try not to keep track of it too much but the last time I checked I was getting about 50-100 new followers a day and getting close to 10,000 views about every two weeks or so.

Q: How long has it taken you to develop a schedule?

DisneyBound has kind of taken over my life but I make sure that I give myself Sundays off. When I started off my outfit posting would vary, I would post 15 outfits a day, three outfits the next. Then I realized that I had a following with people constantly checking in so I had to find a balance with peak hours of when people were logging on which was mostly in the evenings after people

got out of school. But I also have a social life so it got to the point where it took over and I felt like I couldn’t go out on a Saturday night because I had so much work to do. So I created my own schedule and I’m my own boss where I’m very strict with making sure I post a specific amount of outfits each night. There are some days where I’d very much rather go to the beach but I have to get my 15 outfits done first (laughs).

Q: We notice that you

marketing program so with that I used my knowledge of social media and marketing to market myself which I think has helped me because I knew the basics of how to market myself and connect with the public.

Q: Looking at your inspirations, you mentioned on your blog that your aunt is one of them. How has she channeled that inspiration with DisneyBound? She helped me a lot with fashion. I would always go to her place and sew and she taught me a lot of sewing. She was very creative and she would help me with focusing on anything creative. I never got to tell her about DisneyBound but I think if she were here today, she would be very impressed. I think [DisneyBound] would be something she would’ve really liked.

repost other people’s outfits, do you think that gives a more wholesome view for people to get inspired when searching DisneyBound?

Yes, the whole purpose of DisneyBound is to inspire people to find their own style and create their own ideas. I actually get some people angry with me because I don’t make things that work for them but I can’t make everything based on everyone’s budget and style so the challenge is trying to create an outfit everyone can use. I try to inspire people to do what works for them based on the examples that I give them. You don’t have to go out and splurge money on the shorts that I used for the outfit but you can get an idea and go find something that’s similar and for a cheaper price. I just want them to have fun with it and make it their own.

Q: What knowledge and experience do you use to channel your blog? I have a background in fashion and it was my go-to hobby during high school. I’m really into fashion, designing and sewing and I graduated from Conestoga College in the

Q: What are your immediate go-to places when you design outfits?

There’s a couple ways that I do it. I start with a character and I start with my knowledge in fashion and design and I think of certain aspects and features that are similar to the character. I think of what they would dress like and what pieces would go together and then I go to Polyvore and start designing. I can spend an hour designing an outfit for one character. Either I’m on Polyvore or when I’m shopping online and if I see something, I’ll add it to the design.

Q: Where do you see the future of DisneyBound?

Q: What’s been the most interesting and exciting experience you’ve had with DisneyBound with a fan/ follower?

I had done a series with Bob Mackie because a bunch of people from Mackie’s team had reached out to me asking if I would design some of their Barbie Dolls, so I did that in December and Holly Madison tweeted a couple weeks ago that she liked the series. I’m also a Bob Mackie fan so that was really cool from a Hollywood perspective, especially with a celebrity acknowledging what I’ve been doing. But I did a collaboration with a denim shorts line based in Chicago

Because it never was a goal to get to this level, it has been a really cool ride. I want to put out my own accessory line in the next year or two and to be recognized by Disney fashion. I do talk with some people there but they’re also a very busy company and it’s difficult to find the right person and the right amount of passion of someone who wants to bring me in. So, my overall goal would be to be with Disney at some aspect.

Q: Do you think of moving out there?

Definitely I want to be in Los Angeles eventually and a lot of my followers think I already live there. I want to take the blog to the next level. It’s great that I get to do this from Waterloo but I think there’s something missing with me not being out there and being able to be near the Disney community.

20 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

The Cord reviews G.I. Joe: Retaliation A Cord Arts panel reviewed of recent release G.I.Joe: Retaliation. The final results were not satisfactory The Panel:

CRISTINA ALMUDEVAR ARTS EDITOR

Despite somehow managing to have the second largest grossing Easter opening ever, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the latest installment in the G.I. Joe franchise, was painful to watch. From Channing Tatum being killed to RZA’s terrible accent, there were few positive moments throughout the film. The Cord Arts panel went through and reviewed the good, the bad and the ugly of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Here are the panel’s thoughts on ...

… The opening scene

The general consensus was that the opening scene was extremely weak in terms of setting up the plot and who the characters were. Life Editor Carly Basch said that she “didn’t even think the execution right from the beginning was very good. The opening scene was maybe five minutes long. There was no conflict for them to go through.” Visual Director Wade Thompson echoed this sentiment and added that it was terrible for character

introduction. Instead of allowing the film to naturally set up the characters’ relationships, they defaulted to a cheesy montage of each of character’s picture with a voiceover describing the character’s rank in the army. It was awkward to sit through as it didn’t actually explain all the characters.

… The acting

The acting was one-dimensional and awkward to watch. The movie was filled with embarrassing one-liners like “I guess you never know your neighbours” in relation the scene where Joe (Bruce Willis) showed off his large gun collection. Really, there were only two good scenes in the entire movie. The first was the prison scene because it was simple — just a classic action prison escape. The second was the nation’s summit towards the end with Jonathan Pryce. Pryce was an extremely strong actor in this movie and was able to really show off his full acting range here.

… The plot

The consensus on the plot was mostly negative, but the panel tried to put a positive spin on things. Arts Editor Cristina Almudevar declared that “it wasn’t as terrible as

CARLY BASCH

STEPHANIE TRUONG

WADE THOMPSON

LIFE EDITOR

GRAPHICS EDITOR

VISUAL DIRECTOR

I thought it was going to be. I mean, I didn’t wanna rip out my eyeballs, so that was a big plus.” The movie felt as though they wrote two separate scripts and then decided to combine them by simply writing one joint ending. It was hard to follow the Storm Shadow/Snake Eye plot and the G.I. Joe plot, so to combine the two plots was a terrible idea. However, Thompson managed to find a use for the G.I. Joe franchise: terrible action B-movie double feature.

“Dwayne Johnson is a good action star, he has the personality for it, we’ve seen him in The Rundown. He’s a great person to have in a movie and has shown he can do well. But he was wasted in that they didn’t give him a personality.”

[Flint]. He was nice to look at—that was it! I mean, really, what purpose did he serve?” The only plot point Flint could have had was ignored, Almudevar pointed out. She mentioned that “there was an awkward moment when he and Lady Jaye looked like they were possibly going to have sex but then nothing happened. There’s a plot point for him.” The movie easily could have cut Flint and no one would have noticed anything.

… Duke (Channing Tatum)

Channing Tatum was completely misused. He died 30 minutes after he was prominently shown in the commercials. It was only to draw in audiences and admittedly it worked. Killing Tatum was the worst decision of the movie.

… Roadblock (The Rock)

Despite the rest of the terrible cast, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a shining star in comparison. However, it’s easy to be one of the best actors in the film when your co-star is RZA. Thompson was able to pinpoint the problem with Johnson’s character, however.

… Storm Shadow (Byunghun Lee) and Snake Eyes (Ray Park)

The plot of Storm Shadow versus Snake Eyes was a continuation from the first movie and it continued to be well done. Despite being occasionally confusing at times, it was extremely interesting. While one of the stronger plots, there were still flaws. Almudevar said “They didn’t make it obvious who was on what side; I spent most of the movie trying to figure out who was the bad guy. I also spent the entire movie thinking Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes were the same person.”

… Flint (D.J. Cotrona)

None of the panel understood the purpose of Flint. Graphics Editor Stephanie Truong summed it up nicely when she bluntly stated that he was good looking. Thompson continued on with Truong’s point ranting, “I hated

… Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki)

Lady Jaye had no purpose other than to be attractive. If someone was to only see her in this movie, they would think that Palicki has no real talent other than possessing bedroom eyes. Some character development was given with the subplot of wishing to outrank her father but this was spotty at best.

… Blind Master (RZA)

What is RZA doing with his life recently? His performance was painful to watch as he tried to play the role of the wise kung-fu master. Instead, the audience hysterically laughed every single time he opened his mouth.

Making lovely music with Raydea Laurier students Rachel Bruch and Dylan Daquano team up to form guitar/violin folk duo CRISTINA ALMUDEVAR ARTS EDITOR

NICK LACHANCE PHOTO MANAGER

When Rachel Bruch approached Dylan Daquano in their first year Theory of Music class, neither of them realized that her invitation to play together would really go anywhere. “I had seen him around and based on him wearing a hat, I figured that he plays music that isn’t just classical,” Bruch, one half of Wilfrid Laurier University-based band Raydea, reminiscenced. “Then one day he had his guitar case with stickers on it and I was like ‘okay he definitely plays guitar.’ I missed playing my own music from high school … I asked him if he played and it was meant to be.” The two began by jamming in each other’s dorm rooms. They then began to play the occasional coffee house. It wasn’t until Bruch came back from her semester off that they began to get serious but most importantly find a name. Eventually they settled with Raydea. “It’s the first two letters of [my] name and the first two letters of [Rachel’s] name. It’s pronounced Ray-Dee-A,” said Daquano. “The toughest part is coming up with a name, I think. In high school, I was in a band but we never came up with a name. We were just Rachel and Andrew … I wanted to stick to the theme of having something to do with my actual name,” chimed in Bruch. Despite only being an official band since January, both Bruch and Daquano are already prepared to be in it for the long haul. They’ve begun

planning for the summer: busking in Germany, applying to play at festivals and playing at local venues. They both plan to stay in Waterloo for the summer to fully dedicate themselves to the band. “It’s easy, it’s fun, it’s not stressful, we’re playing more than I’ve played in a long time. In the past month, we’ve played six or seven times [at different venues],” he said. Daquano is a second-year music student, with a focus on teaching music, while Bruch began in music but is now a second-year global studies student who hopes to double major in vocal or music therapy as well. Despite their backgrounds in music, both acknowledge that classical music did not influence them, though Bruch admits that being classically trained as a vocalist and a violinist has given her the confidence to perform. “I do think learning the classical stuff at school really helped me hear out new chords and progressions that I probably could’ve figured out but now I know what’s going on … it definitely helps to have the classical training,” she said. It also helps that both Daquano and Bruch have been in previous bands. “[My previous band] was kind of similar [to this one]. He played with a loop pedal and I didn’t play guitar at this point. It was a less full sound … much more simplistic,” said Bruch about her previous band. Daquano did not actually start out in folk music, but rather metal and punk. “I’ve always liked metal, hardcore

“I had seen him around and based on him wearing a hat, I figured that he plays music that isn’t just classical.” —Rachel Bruch on meeting Dylan Daquano for the first time.

punk and stuff like that. But at the same time, I was listening to Alexisonfire and they had Dallas Green and he was one of the first guys to get me into stuff like that,” he said. In spite of being classified as a “folk” band, neither Bruch nor Daquano really think they fall into that category. “When I tell people we are ‘folky’, I don’t actually think we’re that folky. I mean we’re not singer/songwriters, three chord stuff really … it’s just hard to describe.” “We could be indie, but what does that mean?” philosophized Bruch. To keep updated with Raydea, like their Facebook page at facebook. com/raydeamusic and follow them on Twitter at @raydeamusic.

NICK LACHANCE PHOTO MANAGER

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, April 3, 2013

Arts

• 21

Art doesn’t care about your facts

Summer movie playlist

adele palmquist COrD iNtErN

After exams end, some film recommendations to ‘play you out’

wade thompson ViSUAl DirECtOr

Say you’re out at a club or a gala or, you know, alone dancing in your room on a Friday night. After all the lights have gone out and they’re trying to get you to call it a night; there’s always that one last song to play you out. A few years ago I wrote an article about movies to get you through OWeek. Now, as a suitable companion piece, I thought I’d give you a couple of cinematic suggestions to “play you out” as you wind down your school year. Many of you have to deal with entering the real world after your last exam and that’s kind of depressing. No more drinking with friends. No more staying up all night playing video games. No more Wilf’s trivia. Luckily, there are a few friends you may heed on this downtrodden journey. If you find yourself longing for better university days, grab a copy of Animal House and join John Belushi, Tim Matheson and the rest of the frat brothers for one of the

most hilarious college movies ever created. Then of course there’s this past year’s almost-cult hit, Pitch Perfect, providing the most complete take of the “coming of age” rivalry since Bring It On. It’s a sharp script, hilarious and never once drops its entertaining pace. On that same front, there is also the little seen Take Me Home Tonight from a few years back. A riff on the popular 80s party flick, Topher Grace, Anna Faris and Dan Fogler offer one of, if not the greatest version, of 20-something-hood. It will be a welcome watch for those pondering what to do after they graduate. There is also the perennial “after-grad” movie St. Elmo’s Fire having “The Brat Pack” deal with their quarter-life crises. It really skates the fine line of believability, but is full of retro 80s goodness to make up for that. For those of you not graduating, and are just ready to hit the summer on a high note, you might want to pop in Grease and prepare for all of those great “summer nights” you’ll be having over the next couple months. You might also want to check out Wet Hot American Summer for a hilarious take on summer camps and Paul Rudd providing the most hilarious douche bag to ever grace the silver

screen. I can also recommend a few more “serious” selections. Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me screams friends in the summer, if not a little more darkly than the rest of these suggestions. There is also the entire Friday the 13th series that will provide just enough fright for you to begin the summer with. If you’re not really into the whole slasher thing though, you must grab your copy of Jaws before the summer starts and just bask in the pure Spielbergian awesomeness of it all. Combine that with a screening of Jurassic Park and you might have the best double header you’ll watch all year. Some Like it Hot, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, Modern Times and Seven Samuri should suffice for those wanting to further their film educations and also provide the warmth of what summer is all about. But for the lot of you, who just want to relax in the summer sun and think about nothing but tanning and the beach, maybe you want to skip the whole movie thing. Grab your nearest “summer songs” and just play yourself right into the non-exam, professor-less break that we call summer. Or watch The Princess Bride. Yeah, do that instead.

jon marsellus StAff WritEr

Let’s consider a question shall we? In history, there was a real King Lear, a real Hamlet, a real Macbeth, and a real Julius Caesar. When we study Shakespeare in school, does it matter that ol’ Will made up about 90 per cent of the content of those plays that were “based on history”? Perhaps this is just the opinion of one writer but the answer should clearly be no. Art doesn’t have a responsibility to portray history accurately. That’s not what art is for. Art is for entertainment and the communication of a message, not for the accurate portrayal of history. But it certainly seems as though there are dissenting opinions. Since the fiasco with Ben Affleck and the Best Director category at the Oscars in January, there has been a lot of debate concerning the way that Hollywood portrays Canadians in film. In Argo, many Canadians argue, Ben Affleck undervalued the role of Canadian diplomats in the rescue of the six Americans from Iran. Many of the pieces criticizing Argo also try to promote nationalist pride as a means of selecting the art you choose to experience. And while there is a whole set of problems that go along with that nationalist sentiment, the larger issue is that it presupposes that art has a

responsibility to be accurate. Barring documentaries, no one goes to the movies to be taught about history. We go to the movies to be swept up in the magic of fantastic stories that will tug at our heart strings and maybe just make us think about some of the bigger issues in life. And while there are plenty of potential reasons for this, the most obvious one is that films (and by extension art) will never be wholly accurate. There will always be debate over representation in film. Whether it’s that William Wallace never had the nickname Braveheart in Braveheart, or the degree of Canadian involvement in Argo, people will bicker about the accuracy even though to the average moviegoer, it couldn’t matter less. Stories are entertaining for their heroes and villains, their building suspense and dramatic tension, their complexity and plot twists. Sometimes the real story isn’t as important as making the movie good, and if you have a problem with that, Ar-Go-Fuck-Yourself. It’s not the filmmakers responsibility to satisfy your nit picking, it’s their responsibility to make good movies that we (and perhaps more importantly, they) want to watch. We have documentaries and journalism for the maintenance of historical record, leave fiction alone.

Best of the best: Top ten in arts

Cord Arts compiles the top ten of the school year in film and music. Is your pick on the list? This school year was one of the best for music and movies. It was filled with good songs but even better albums. Here’s a list of the top ten essential movies and music from the year. Remember, if you disagree or passionately feel that we left something out, our Dear Life section is made for just that. So without further ado, here is the ten best movies and music from O-Week until now.

Top Ten Albums

10. Unapologetic – Rihanna. Filled with provocative lyrics and crashing dub step drops, the R&B/ pop princess made noise with her seventh album. There is a little something for everyone on this LP. 9. Night Train – Jason Aldean. With 15 songs of country crossover, the hard-rockin’ Georgia native aims high and wide with tracks ranging from hip-hop tributes to the classic country ballads. Throw on your cowboy boots and enjoy. 8. Long.Live.A$AP – A$AP Rocky. Rap’s young gun displays a series of fuzzed-out bangers that are exceptionally stylish on his major label debut. It builds on the promise that Rocky is here to stay. 7. The 20/20 Experience – Justin Timberlake. N’SYNC’s front man returns to

music with a horn-heavy, neo soul album that delivers some smooth serenades as well as the pop singles that will drive teeny boppers crazy. 6. The Next Day – David Bowie. The classic rock legend gives us a loud, thrilling and confident rock and roll album full of noise, energy and songs that sound like they desperately need to be sung. 5. 18 Months – Calvin Harris. Mixing hurried synth-pop riffs with full on radio friendly singles, this album features a little bit of everything for everyone. 4. Kaleidoscope Dream – Miguel. On his very impressive second album, the L.A.-born R&B crooner offers fresh options for mainstream urban pop. Just press play and let his love “adorn” you. 3. Red – Taylor Swift. Whether she’s plucking her guitar, amplifying catchy arena rock or harmonizing with male counterparts, she sounds her happiest when she’s belting out a good revenge anthem. 2. Babel – Mumford & Sons. The London-based quartet has truly mastered the emotional delivery of quiet and loud dynamics, exploding from low-murmured harmonies into full-fledged freak-outs.

1. good kid, m.A.A.d city – Kendrick Lamar. K Dot unveils a collection of songs that are as strong individually as they are together. Touching everyone from the radio rap fans to the hip-hop hipsters, Compton’s golden child gives us a body of work that is being debated as an instant classic. –Compiled by Scott Glaysher

7. Argo (2012): The movie dramatizes the events of “The Canadian Caper” where Tony Mendez and a team of CIA operatives along with Ken Taylor, the Canadian ambassador to Iran, safely extract six American diplomats. Argo is suspenseful throughout its entirety and demonstrates Ben Affleck as one of America’s best directors.

Top Ten Movies

6. Looper (2012): Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a gun for hire that comes face-to-face with his future self during a scheduled hit. Consequently, his world begins to fall apart and the action is exhilarating, which helps the film really come into its own as the plot thickens. Without a doubt this is a mustsee for science fiction fans.

10. Seven Psychopaths (2013): The movie as a whole feels largely influenced by Tarantino’s style, but not in a negative fashion as the film’s eccentric narrative and gore-filled action maintain the audience’s attention and keep them entertained. 9. Side Effects (2013): In Steven Soderberg’s alleged final feature-film, he delivers probably his most tense and palpable thriller in the past few years. The twists and turns of the story will have viewers glued to the screen, anxiously awaiting the truth to be revealed. 8. Lincoln (2012): Daniel Day-Lewis steals the show and rightly wins his third Oscar for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s biopic of the towering president that guided America through the Civil War.

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012): This coming of age film is an offbeat romance that takes a serious look at insecurity and adolescent social pressures. The movie succeeds thanks to its charming lead, Charlie, who is played by Logan Lerman. Along with solid acting, the film offers a great soundtrack and will remind everyone of their time back in high school. 4. The Master (2012): Paul Thomas Anderson hadn’t made a film since 2007, but he returned

with a bang and he brought Joaquin Phoenix along with him, earning the recluse a much-deserved nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. 3. Zero Dark Thirty (2013): Jessica Chastain delivers a performance worthy of several nominations and director Kathryn Bigelow takes viewers back to the Middle East for her follow-up to her 2008 film, The Hurt Locker. The film runs on for a little longer than it should, but the drama and masterful buildup to the climax make it worth the while. 2. Django Unchained (2012): Quentin Tarantino’s latest creation takes the issues of racism and slavery and paints them across the backdrop of an homage to the spaghetti western. Although hyperviolent at times, the performance of Christoph Waltz carries the film and elevates the acting of his peers around him. 1. Life of Pi (2012): Visually striking and narratively captivating, Life of Pi is Ang Lee’s best directorial effort yet and turns the “un-filmable” book into a visceral journey that viewers can lose themselves in. –Compiled by Andrew Savory

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Editorial

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013 Opinion Editor Devon Butler dbutler@thecord.ca

Canada’s global identity in danger Under the Harper government, Canada’s position on the global stage has changed dramatically. Cuts to foreign aid and a strained relationship with the United Nations (UN)have the international community struggling to understand Canada’s new national identity. The evolution of Canada’s international role was cemented in 2010, when it was rejected in its bid for a seat on the UN Security Council. Instead, Germany and Portugal were awarded seats. For many, the overwhelming loss represented international resentment for Canadian foreign policy. African nations were angered by a reduction of foreign aid in both amount and focus, and Arab and Muslim nations resented Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s staunch support of Israel. Unfortunately for Canada, that resentment was reflected in votes. Recently, Canada withdrew from the United Nations Convention on Desertification due to concerns over how Canadian funds were being used. The withdrawal further legitimizes two dangerous assumptions about the Harper government. First, it looks as though Canada is apathetic about climate change. Second, it appears that Canada is losing interest in helping African nations as the severity of droughts in Africa is devastating. Departmental restructuring is not the only development at CIDA, as international assistance will be cut by well over $377 million by 2014-15. Of this reduction, $314 million will be cut directly from CIDA. The Harper government claims these cuts will increase accountability and efficiency. While this may be true, the move is garnering serious concern from the international community. We have not been a peacekeeping nation for some time, but Canada remained a nation defined by its willingness to help. With Canada seemingly disinterested in multilateralism and focused on reducing its foreign aid budget to under 0.3 percent of the GDP, Canada’s image may have suffered long term damage. As Canadians, many of us see ourselves as the neighbourly patron of the Western world. With so much of the world changing their perception of Canada, the gap is growing between how we see ourselves and how others see us. If we are no longer the peacekeeper, developer or donor, what are we?

Contract Academic staff face unfair conditions Laurier has recently been ranked as one of Canada’s six higher education institutions that employ the largest amount of Contract Academic Staff (CAS) by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). In fact, about 45 per cent of all courses at Laurier are taught by part-time staff on contract. CAS, besides facing pay inequality, is also subject to being criticized for their qualifications, which result in complications when seeking full-time positions or tenure-track opportunities. The negative consequences of having such an extreme amount of CAS include in students not being able to contact their professors or meet at office hours as many live outside the Waterloo Region. Similarly, many lack actual offices, which leads to complications when trying to find a time to meet with them. Despite these issues, the majority of CAS professors at Laurier are good, hardworking university instructors. Considering that many of them are younger academics looking to make a career for themselves, it is difficult not to empathize with the conditions they have to face. Unlike full-time or tenured professors, CAS face little stability, benefits, pay and even lesser respect amongst many of the other, more valued profs. With the 2012 sunshine list—an annual list that reveals the names and salaries of public-sector workers in Ontario who earn more than $100,000—being released, it is evident many full-time professors are receiving a significant amount more than CAS and in many cases, a lot more than they deserve. During previous academic staff labour union strikes and disputes at Laurier, a tactic used to showcase the injustice of professors’ financial situations is to draw attention to the high incomes of Laurier’s administration. While the high salaries of WLU’s administration are certainly a concern, what is rarely questioned is the high-earnings of full-time professors. If anybody has the right to object their compensation it is the Contract Academic Staff (CAS) that makes up a significant portion of Laurier’s teaching staff. —The Cord Editorial Board These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources. The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP. The Cord is published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications. Contact Emily Frost, WLUSP President and Publisher 75 University Ave.W, Waterloo ON N2L 3C5

STEPHANIE TRUONG GRAPHICS EDITOR

WLU probably wasn’t for me Students would benefit by being taught with creativity and individuality

WADE THOMPSON

There is more to life than simply writing essays and reading textbooks.

VISUAL DIRECTOR

When I arrived at Laurier, I thought that this place was the best fit for what I wanted to do with my life. By the time I graduated this past October, I had come to the realization that I should have gone a different route. The way Laurier is run had a huge impact on that realization. As a first year student, I picked up pretty quickly on how the classes were supposed to work at the beginning of university. They are treated like masses, with the professor standing giving a vigil to its congregation, preaching the studies of film and business and science, et al. I was fine with this. That was what I understood first year was supposed to be. But, by the time that I had hit fourth year, this dynamic had not really evolved. Sure, the size of the masses had diminished, but there was still this figure at the head of the class, presiding over the rest of us with a holier-than-thou presence. Even in a class of 40 students, we still couldn’t help but sit quietly and just listen to the “preaching” going on in front of us. This isn’t what I imagined the senior years of my university life to consist of. I was anticipating being challenged with creative thought and original ideas of the areas I was interested in.

I was not expecting to churn out paper after paper, rehashing ideas that have already been published by both more established, and weaker academic minds than my own. Why have the majority of university classes started to concede their original and interesting course outlines to narrow-minded professors more focused on dictating what they know about? It seems that any creativity involved in university classes has been replaced by a gaggle of arrogant academics attempting to control a group of students with more readings and further academia. Now I must clarify that this was absolutely not my experience with every class that I took. There were a number of very intriguing professors that I did enjoy and one or two that were fantastic. It was always so easy to distinguish

the good ones from the bad by the way they went about the material. With the good professors, everything was not dependent on someone else’s theory. They opened the floor for discussion and their opinion was not the only one that mattered. They did not put their own journal articles on the course syllabus. This is what I understand a university education has become: a professor teaching students to become professors. Is that what I dropped $20,000 for? To be trained to become a walking head with an inflated ego? There is more to life than simply writing essays and reading textbooks. A few profs realize that, why not more? I wish that Laurier could understand that there is room for the right-brained here at the school. I can’t speak for business or science students, but as an arts student, the most rewarding assignments that I completed throughout my academic career were projects with a creative element involved; assignments or papers that started anew, from my own original ideas. The marks that I received may not have been the best, but at least I was trying something that no one else around me was doing. And it was also those profs who assigned those projects that I connected with the most. It is pretty easy to lament about four and half year’s worth of disappointment, and for all I know, I’m the only one who feels this way, and everyone else expects this from their university experience. But I still can’t help but feel that I would have gained a lot more from my education if I wasn’t treated as just another member of the congregation. letters@thecord.ca

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THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

OPINION

Opinion Editor Devon Butler dbutler@thecord.ca

Strangers are worth talking to Too often we prevent ourselves from connecting with others and miss out on new experiences

Carly BaSCH LIFE EDITOR

The general social rule to not talk to strangers can be a hard one to follow. Although it is clear to stay away from those who may pose threat or danger to our lives, the act of fully ignoring our neighbours—whether they be the neighbours sitting next to us at a coffee shop or travelling on the bus—should not be a write off. What happened to the good old days when conversing with strangers was a natural and completely normal habit? Whether it was because you need some help or they had a question to ask you. The narrator in Fight Club brought up one of the most uplifting definitions of making friends with a stranger; usually one that you will never see again. They’re “singleserving” friends.

Like a packet of sugar you put into your cup of coffee, they serve the purpose of being useful only once and never being re-used again. A single-serving friend functions in the same way as a sugar packet. You meet them at that one specific spot, converse in something, maybe share a story or two or help them out. You part ways and never see them again. Engaging in this type of relationship may seem pointless to most. Why talk to someone you don’t know when you can bury your face in your phone and shut people out with your headphones. If a stranger dares to speak to you or ask a question, the word “sketchy” or “creep” pops into your head. You instantly shut off your connection with another human being and carry on with your day. And people complain about rudeness, I wonder why. The shift to a digital age filled with technology that becomes more portable and mobile has enabled us to get information quickly, also enabling us to shut ourselves out from real-life interaction. When someone breaks the barrier of causing a stranger to look away

from their phone and talk, it can often lead to the person immersed in their technology to be startled and confused. However, talking to strangers does have its benefits. We humans are made to interact and be social. It’s in our genes, it’s how we communicate and shape our visions of society. We posses specific anecdotes that others may not. And if the timing is right, you may end up getting a reward. The amount of times I have benefitted from taking the time to help someone else on the street has resulted in me moving forward. The best example is when I was at the back of the line at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) waiting to go into the theater. A woman, nervous and a bit confused, came up and asked me a question. Since I had my headphones in, I had the opportunity to just ignore her but I put my iPod on pause and answered her. Five minutes after speaking with her, her spouse called and said that he had gotten to the front of the line and that she should come meet him. She turns to me and goes “Hey,

come join us!” and I ended up skipping 200 people in line and got the seat I had so deeply desired. The same goes with anything if you’re in a public area. If you are nice and more approachable, people will be significantly friendlier and feel inclined to help. This ranges from fruitful conversations, to even snagging a free drink when I didn’t have enough cash on me to pay. While it’s easy to shut ourselves off from everyone else around us, sometimes taking the time to unplug and engage with strangers can have benefits. I guess the saying “respect thy neighbour” really does hold value. letters@thecord. ca

STEpHaNIE TruONG GRAPhICS EDITOR

Poverty present DON MOrGENSON COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR

FlIKr COMMONS

Talking Mental Health: resilience TraCEy WaTSON COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR

In the final stretch of the term it can be difficult to find the motivation and energy to face all the circled items on your calendar. It can seem overwhelming and you may be feeling the cumulative effects of stress. A certain amount of stress can actually be healthy as it motivates us to do well and helps us meet challenges. Stress is, in fact, our body’s natural way of protecting us in response to an external situation. That fight or “flight instinct” is crucial in keeping us safe. However, at this time of year, stress appears to be a chronic state for many students. Even though being stressed may be your norm, how do you know when you are no longer able to cope alone and may need some assistance? There are many cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physical signs that may appear when you are

experiencing the cumulative build up of stress. When repetitively exposed to stressful situations, your memory and focusing can be affected. You may find that you are in a constant state of worry and can only see things from a pessimistic perspective. Being moody, irritable, shorttempered or feeling down can also be signs that are often noticed first by others. Most students accept that changes in eating, sleeping or exercise are tell-tale signs that stress is present. For some, it’s the racing heart, dizziness or upset stomach that are unavoidable clues. It is important to remind yourself that these symptoms can be managed, and that this state is usually temporary. When it feels like these effects are causing a drastic decrease in your productivity, it may be time to incorporate some more effective stress management strategies. We all know people who claim that they work better under pressure. If in fact this is true, what it really means is that they have a high optimal stress point. The point just before productivity starts to drop off due to an increase in stress is one’s optimal stress point. This is different for everyone. Some can handle more stress than

others due to many factors like personality, coping strategies or resilience. Others tend to collapse at the mere thought of being in a stressful situation. If you easily feel the effects of stress, it can be frustrating to be surrounded by those who appear to not be affected. There are, however, a few simple strategies that may be helpful to get you through this academic crunch time. First of all, and most importantly, you need to cut yourself some slack. It is normal to experience the effects of stress during busy times. Recognize that you are not alone and that, although this is an uncomfortable state to be in, it is only temporary. You have likely moved through stressful times in the past and you will get through this one. You cannot completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how you let it affect you. If you haven’t figured it out yet, now is a good time to find what helps you decompress and recharge. Is it time alone in a bubble bath with your favourite music? Or is it laughing and being surrounded by friends and loved ones? Taking time each day to decompress can really help increase your stamina to get through this hectic month. Many students say “I don’t have time.” But can you really afford

not to? If you take a small amount of time now, it will give you the momentum and stamina to get through the long haul. When with friends, try to gear your conversations away from stress. If you and your friends just vent about how much work you have to do, it is not really allowing you a mental escape from this reality. Incorporate some positive self care into your study breaks. Many students get caught up in “time wasters” such as Facebook, TV, etc. Instead, do some relaxation exercises, go for a walk, make a healthy meal, grab your roommates and follow some yoga stretches on YouTube. All of these strategies will not only help you feel refreshed and ready to continue studying, but they will increase your ability to continue working. For further ideas on stress management, check out the Self Help Resources posted on the Counselling Services website, read over the “self care during exams” article posted on thecord.ca, or drop by Counselling Services to see if talking to a counselor may be an option for you. Tracey Watson is a counsellor with WLU counselling services letters@thecord.ca

The New York Foundling Hospital opened in 1869 in response to the alarming infant-mortality rate and is one of the oldest social service agencies in North America. It was designed to address the needs of women in poverty. In 2013, we hope we have a gentler, more caring society. But do we really? Our child poverty statistics continue to be appalling; so tragically, not much has changed. When Lisa Lipkin was asked by the Foundling Hospital to write about its history, she anticipated wading through moldy committee reports, financial statements and yellowing photographs. To her surprise, she also found five leather bound volumes titled “Letters Left on Babies by their Mothers.” In one letter, a physician asks the Sisters of Mercy to care for a newborn baby, of who the mother who was raped and who could not care for her child. In another, a mother with a newborn baby was deserted by her husband and couldn’t manage to raise the child. The sad conclusion is that the more things change in our society, the more they remain the same. On our side of the border, Canada’s poverty rate stands at about 21 per cent. The highest it has been in nearly 15 years, and poverty trends indicate that there are increasingly more young people, under 25 who are at a greater risk of living in poverty. Clearly, poverty has more dire implications for children than for any other segment of our population. It is not an issue that affected our population in the 19th century but something that is ever-present in our modern day. Don Morgenson is a professor of psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University letters@thecord.ca

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THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

CLASSIFIEDS DearLIFE Dear Life is your opportunity to write a letter to your life, allowing you to vent your anger with life’s little frustrations in a completely public forum. All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@ thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Advertising Manager Angela Endicott angela.taylor@wlusp.com

Dear Life, Why do the people with the least commitment levels and who do the least amount of work get the most recognition? Sincerely, I actually did all of that Dear Life, I’m mildly upset that there is no rabbit at Easter dinner this year. Sincerely, Can’t eat the Easter bunny Dear Life, So you are talking in the library, a

library that was virtually silent until you showed up, and you continue to make yourself look even more pathetic while complaining to your friend that you have a 1.0 GPA at Laurier and that you are at risk of being put on probation or getting kicked out. Sincerely, STFU and open a book Dear Life, To the hot girl at Phil’s. The Thursday before Easter weekend, I noticed you playing pool. You’re a brunette. You were wearing this incredibly

dazzling, eye-catching getup with a skirt and some sort of pants or leggings underneath it. I also saw you dancing up on the raised part of the dancefloor. At the back bar, you stood next to me for about twenty seconds while in line to order a drink. I should’ve talked to you, said something, but I never did. I now regret it immensely. Sincerely, I’ll be there again Thursday the 4th and 11th

people wide with your friends while forcing others into the mud (ladies you are the worst at this). It’s so infuritating having to put up with this bullshit every single day when attempting to simply walk to class. I don’t want to bump into you and I don’t want to have to stare you down but use some common courtesy. PS: Fuck those who decide to hold group conversations in narrow hallways. Sincerely, Sidewalk Chicken Champion

Dear Life, I was trying to give her an orgasm Not an asthma attack. Please send a girl my way who won’t die on me. Sincerely, I guess its better than I thought

Dear Life, You know what’s actually fucking b.s.? The Fuckzone. I’m such a nice girl, but when I want to be just friends with a guy, it’s like just being friends is not good enough. It’s as though I have to reward his half of the friendship with sex because if I tell him no, I’m the bad one and he won’t talk to me. I just don’t understand why a guy wouldn’t want to be just friends with a nice girl like me! I’m SOOOOOO nice! Sincerely, Yes, you twits complaining about being “Friendzoned” do look this ridiculous

Dear Life, Something is aFOUL in Bricker Academic. Sincerely, Quack quack Dear Life, I recently overheard a student complaining about a parking ticket they received. While no one likes parking tickets, the guy openly admitted he was parked in the wrong lot but they “won’t get off my back.” Hey, dumbass … why don’t you just park in the right lot and walk a bit. And lay off the parking staff. From experience, they are all very nice people and if it weren’t for them, a lot of campus events would not be possible. Sincerely, Hope you get sent to collections Dear Life, I don’t care how #whitegirlwasted you are, please WASH YOUR FRIGGIN HANDS Sincerely, You took a crap, then proceeded to make out with your BF Dear Life, If you can find 3A02 in the Laurier (Waterloo Campus), knock on the door and claim your prize. Sincerely, Eora the Dxplorer Dear Life, Dressing up in a costume of a vagina and rudely interrupting a speech is childish and immature. The right to free speech goes both ways, and making completely uninformed statements without recognizing all sides of the issue is very narrow minded. Sincerely, Had hoped we’d matured since 1950 Dear Life, Why do people find it so hard to use sidewalks properly like decent human beings? You walk on the right side. You don’t walk two or three

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Dear Life, Out of all the fish in the sea, Autumn will you go to prom with me? Sincerely, Prom King T.P. Dear Life, Why do the public computers default to asking to save my passwords? it’s a public computer dammit! Sincerely, Puzzled Dear Life, Do they put crack in the coffee? Why do people wait 30-45 mins for coffee? Put that Time-Value-Money principle you learned from class to use people! Sincerely, Not waiting in line

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E-mail: editor@thecord.ca

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THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

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THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

SPORTS

Sports Editor Shelby Blackley sblackley@thecord.ca

Winter Hawks in review

The Cord’s Sports staff grades the performances of Laurier’s second semester teams

Women’s curling

It was hard for this year’s squad not to be compared to Laura Crocker and her rink, but Carly Howard skipped Laurier’s team to an impressive transition year. Despite not qualifying for the playoffs at this year’s OUA championship, they finished with a 3-3 record, while winning the UOIT Ridgebacks bonspiel. There were some hiccups along the way; illness at the OUA championship plagued their starting second and missed rocks in a must-win game against the Carleton Ravens cost them a shot at the playoffs. This is the first year in three years that Laurier was not be on the podium. A young team with one year playing together, the Hawks were unable to adapt to the experience of the competing rinks. –Shelby Blackley Grade: B-

Men’s hockey Men’s curling

After a win in their opening game, men’s curling lost three in a row to fall immediately in threat of being eliminated from playoff contention at the OUA championship. Aaron Squires and his rink were faced with a tough final two games, however, managed to win both, missing the playoffs by one position. Laurier finished third in their pool with a 3-3 record. The team won the earlier UOIT Ridgebacks bonspiel, but had trouble at both the Brock and Waterloo bonspiels. It still takes a bit for this team to be considered thoroughly competitive. –Shelby Blackley Grade: B-

Women’s basketball

Men’s basketball

Women’s hockey

Swimming

Laurier’s women’s basketball team saw both highs and lows in 2012-13. Winding down towards the end of their season, the Hawks were able to win three of their final five games, giving them a playoff berth. Overall, Laurier finished their regular season fourth in the OUA West conference with an 11-10 record. However, Laurier’s season ended abruptly in the first round of playoffs with a 54-58 loss to Western who had an identical record. Going beyond their season, the Hawks maintained an impressive lineup with notable performances from their vets. –Ashley Denuzzo Grade: B-

It was a good season for the Laurier women’s hockey team; unfortunately this is a team that is used to having great seasons. The team had its eyes set on a CIS championship, but was shocked to see its season come to a halt in the OUA semi-finals. Laurier clinched the number-one seed in the final game of the season, and only five points separated them and fourth-place Western. In the playoffs, the team ran into trouble from the Mustangs. Western shutout Laurier twice, ending their season with a tragic 1-0 loss in game three. Still, there were a lot of positive moments for the team this year. Candice Styles and Laura Brooker were named second-team OUA all-stars, while captain Fiona Lester was named to the first team. But as long as Rick Osborne is in charge, this team will be held to a much higher standard. To see the team miss out on nationals for the first time in ten years means this season held disappointment. –Eric Thompson Grade: B

Men’s hockey had almost their entire roster returning this year. However a slow start to the season put the team in a hole early. Thanks to a strong second-half run that saw the team go 9-3 after the holidays, the team finished in fifth place with a record of 14-2-2. Ryan Daniels led the team in his final season as a Golden Hawk. However, despite the strong finish to the year, Laurier was bounced from the playoffs in the first round again. After grabbing the series lead against the fourth-seeded Guelph Gryphons, the team lost consecutive close games, including a heartbreaking overtime loss on the road in a decisive game three. With Daniels, Mitchell Good and captain Kyle Van De Bospoort the only players graduating, the season can be seen as a solid building block for a young, talented team. –Eric Thompson Grade: B

Despite losing many veteran players and having a mainly rookie-filled roster, the men’s basketball team managed an 8-13 record, getting leadership and big numbers from Max Allin, who led the team in points, assists and rebounds. The team struggled to find consistency beyond Allin and Will Coulthard, and dealt with a short bench the majority of the year. The team made the playoffs, hosting the first round. The inconsistency hurt them again when they were eliminated by the Brock Badgers. The team keeps their entire roster for next season, providing them with a more experienced squad looking to improve in the upcoming year. –Shayne McKay Grade: B-

Laurier’s swim team decorated their trophy case with achievements such as finishing third at the Brock invitational tournament, sending four swimmers to the CIS finals and boasting a 15th overall ranking in all of Canada. The Hawks managed to put together a strong campaign at the CIS championships. Renee Dijk put the team on her back as she led the Hawks to all 26 points they accumulated, finishing ninth in the 100m backstroke and 11th in the 200m backstroke, respectively. This great output by Dijk lead to Laurier’s respectable 15th place ranking in Canada. On the horizon, Laurier has very promising cast of rookie swimmers on the rise as they had five new additions to the women’s team and eight new additions to the men’s team this year. –Brad Bowen Grade: B+

Photos by Matt Tonkin, Nick Lachance, Rosalie Eid, Kate Turner and Cristina Rucchetta

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

SPORTS

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Next up What’s on tap for WLU sports over the next month Keep up with all of the Laurier updates and stories with online content throughout the summer. Check out thecord.ca and follow @cordsports for updates in the offseason.

Men’s football spring game

Men’s football will be hosting their annual intersquad spring game to conclude spring camp on April 7 at University Stadium at 1 p.m. The game will feature the 2013 Golden Hawks under the reign of new head coach Michael Faulds.

NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Construction at the AC is on track to be completed at its set time, opening to the student public for the new school year.

Athletic complex set for August Facility will close from June to mid-August with accessibility to equipment available WESLEY TAYLOR STAFF WRITER

According to Peter Baxter, Wilfrid Laurier’s director of athletics and recreation, the Athletic Complex fitness centre expansion that began in September is on pace to meet its mid-August completion deadline. Despite minor obstructions, the demand for the expansion has been apparent based on the highest traffic ever recorded at Laurier. “The AC should be available for us to take possession at the beginning of August and will be accessible for students in the fall,” Baxter said. “The main factor was constructing the steel framing and rooftop,” he continued. “Within the next two weeks, the facility will be water tight with glass and that should accelerate the construction schedule.” The fitness center expansion

includes an additional 11,000 square feet to the structure and $400,000 worth of equipment. The two-storey expansion relocates the cardio machinery to the second level and enlarges the current weight rooms on the ground floor. Both a fitness-assessment testing area and wellness-program area will also be unveiled, according to the department of athletics and recreation. Essentially, the fitness centre will be doubled in size. Despite minor issues with leakage and excess water, the AC has experienced its highest traffic ever recorded with 17,000 students per week using its amenities. Students and student-athletes have adapted to the minor interferences as a result of the construction. Overall, the transition has been relatively smooth, according to Baxter. Most recently, the AC experienced

a $4.3-million expansion that tripled its size back in 2005. Due to the rapid growth of Laurier’s Waterloo campus, the size of the current facility has not successfully accommodated the traffic. Particularly at the beginning of each semester, capacity has been reached in the building. Baxter expressed no concerns in terms of high-traffic difficulties during final examinations in April. “We’ve already experienced this in January,” said Baxter. “We don’t plan on relocating entrances to the AC during final exams.” “Originally we’d thought that the entrance would be relocated, but we’ve had good news maintaining the passageway at the main entrance through the expansion process.” Contractors and construction workers made a conscious effort to not obstruct students’ programming

and access to the facilities throughout the expansion process, claimed Baxter. The operational hours have remained consistent throughout the expansion that began in August. From June until mid-August, the fitness centre will be closed to do the interior construction and final procedures. It will remain closed until the athletics department is given possession. Throughout the months leading up to its completion deadline in early August, finishing touches will take place on the AC. However, during that time, part of the facility will remain open to accommodate for the summer students and users. Cardio equipment and weights will still be available in different areas of the building. “I’m pleased with our progress on the expansion,” said Baxter. The fitness centre completion deadline is officially Aug. 15.

Athletic banquet

Laurier’s athletic banquet will take place on April 8 at 6 p.m. at the WLU Athletic Complex. Major overall and team awards will be given to various student-athletes in various sports and contributors to athletics to conclude the year.

CFL draft

Laurier’s Alex Anthony and Isaac Dell are eligible for the CFL draft after participating in the CFL Combine. Both recorded impressive numbers and could be drafted on May 6.

East West bowl

The annual CIS East West Bowl in London, Ont., will feature three Laurier players, offensive linemen Jeremy Deneau and Michael Massel and running back Tyrrel Wilson. All three will take part in an evaluation camp with players from across the country and conclude the week with an all-star game. This is a chance for the players to impress scouts before their fourth year. The game starts at 1 p.m.

Finding your active self ASHLEY DENUZZO INCOMING LEAD REPORTER

10) Dance it out at a music festival

If you’re going to be drinking this summer, why not work off those empty calories with a night of dancing and moving? Instead of sitting in a basement or at a booth in a bar, get your feet moving and work up a sweat. There are tons of music festivals, concerts and events scheduled all across Canada to dance to.

9) Stop judging and actually go to a class

Instead of making fun of those people in fitness studios at your gym, why not join in with the hilarity? Sure, you might not be an expert at first, but no one is. In fact, the only person who knows what they’re doing is the person instructing. Don’t let the fear of looking silly stop you from getting a really, really good work out.

8) Find support in numbers

Find one, two — heck, even ten — people to be your “workout buddy” for the summer. Having a jog date will give you and your friends something else to talk about aside from summer gossip. Also if you’re extremely competitive, that might give you the extra push to run that extra mile.

7) Realize summer is “limited edition”

You only get four full months of absolute freedom, so take advantage of the fact that you’re young, healthy and are able to run outside in shorts. Stop being a generation cliché wasting your summer behind a computer screen.

6) Get active at work

There are many summer jobs that don’t require you to stand still in a mall or office all day. If you like the outdoors vibe, try working in fields such as landscaping, construction, summer camps or even fitness instruction. Working on your feet and with your hands might give you more of a workout than Zumba ever could.

5) Pencil in a workout each day

Now that you’re no longer obliged to go to your 8:30 a.m. class, this is a perfect time slot for you to schedule in some serious sweat sessions. It might feel horrible at first, but your body will eventually become accustomed to exercising at a certain time and eventually start to crave it.

4) Take it outside

Your parents said it to you when you were a kid and we’re telling you now: go outside. Studies are now showing that people who spend more time outdoors have more energy and a willingness to get active. On a beautiful day, why not go for a run, take your dog for a walk or go

on a nature hike? That extra step outside your front door will make use of the nice weather Canada has.

3) Try out a new sport or activity

Activities such as kickboxing and hot yoga are super popular right now and many cities are opening studios with cheap summer packages. Learning something foreign to you will work muscles you never knew you had.

2) Join a summer “beer league”

If you’re one of those people who prefer to get their workout through a sport, then a beer league is your new best friend. There are literally hundreds of community-offered organizations that absolutely love the energy that students bring to the summer. Bonus: cold shots at half time.

1) Set an athletic goal for yourself

We get about four solid months off from school, so why not try and achieve something you had always wanted to but never had the time? Whether it’s shedding a few pounds, building strength or toning up, let this summer be your opportunity to reach new lengths. Four months: what are you going to achieve?

thecord.ca

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THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013

sports

Paying tribute to Laurier’s best The Cord Sports staff votes on the top performances from Golden Hawk athletes over the 2012-13 school year

Player of the Year:

Rookie of the Year:

Most Improved Player:

Fifth-year Player of the Year:

Unsung Hero:

Playoff Performer:

Biggest Upset:

Surprise of the Year:

Max Allin — Men’s basketball Allin is an all-around player with impressive talent and strong leadership. He posted impressive numbers in his fourth year with the men’s basketball team, capturing the CIS scoring title with 23.2 points per game, finishing third in the nation for total points with 441 and eighth with 9.4 rebounds per game. In January, he posted the modernday Laurier record for most points in a game with 43, just days after his father passed away.

Doreen Bonsu — Women’s basketball Not necessarily a quiet character, Bonsu consistently helped her team in every area. An avid rebounder, she helped when the defence was down and big plays were needed. When she suffered a concussion, her team felt her absence, but she was consistently with her team, filled with enthusiasm. A charismatic athlete, Bonsu was a finalist for the Outstanding Women of Laurier award and will continue to be a motivation to her team in her final year.

Team of the Year:

Greg Cerilli — Men’s hockey Cerilli started on the men’s hockey team this year and excelled immediately. The rookie posted 11 goals and nine assists in 27 games, placing him third for both goals scored and points on the team. Cerilli consistently was an asset to Laurier, especially in the second half of the season in their 9-3 run going into the playoffs. In three playoff games, Cerilli recorded two goals and two assists in three games, including the tying goal in a come-from-behind win in game one over the Guelph Gryphons.

Katrina Ward — Women’s soccer The women’s soccer team allowed just five goals in five playoff games in the 2012 campaign. In all five affairs, it was credit to the defence and stellar playing of goalkeeper Ward, who consistently made big stops and plays to keep the Hawks in the game. In the semifinal against Queen’s, Ward was challenged throughout and made a big stop on the third shooter of the shootout to lead Laurier to the win. At nationals, she let only three goals against and kept Laurier in a close game against the Trinity Western Spartans, which they lost by one point.

Women’s soccer It’s hard not to recognize the women’s soccer team, which was the only team, aside from swimming, that qualified for a national championship. The team was supposed to be in a rebuilding year, but finished atop the OUA West again with only two losses and three ties. Laurier made it to the Final Four and in the semifinal defeated the Queen’s Gaels in a shootout. In a close game against the no. 1 Ottawa Gee-Gees, Laurier fell just short of a banner.

Will Coulthard — Men’s basketball In 2011-12, Coulthard was named rookie of the year for the men’s basketball team and posted 7.1 points per game. This year, he exploded on the court, finishing tenth in the country with 19.4 points per game and ninth in the country for total points with 408. Coulthard finished second for WLU for both scoring and assists behind Allin, while finishing first in steals with 34.

Women’s hockey versus Western They knew the OUA was more competitive, but no one saw it coming when the women’s hockey team was ousted in the semifinals. The Hawks defeated the Waterloo Warriors handedly in the first round, but struggled against the Western Mustangs in the second round, losing the series opener and suffering a bad bounce late in the third. For the first time in ten years, Laurier would not be at the CIS championships.

Most Memorable Team:

Women’s hockey Despite their early exit, the women’s hockey team still excelled on a general level. The team had a significant group of experienced players and again clinched the top spot in the OUA. Three members were named to OUA all-star teams. Consistently, the team’s charisma and talent was captivating, and their focus and perseverance in game two of the semifinal series was a reflection of their abilities.

Photos by Kate Turner, Nick Lachance, Cristina Rucchetta, Jody Waardenburg, Ryan Hueglin and Rosalie Eid

Amber Hillis — Women’s basketball After facing countless injuries throughout her career, Hillis came back for her fifth and final season to provide a young women’s basketball team with veteran leadership. She recorded 166 points, more than any of her previous years with Laurier, 60 rebounds and averaged 7.9 points per game. In her final home game, Hillis scored the winning basket in the final 12 seconds of the game. She consistently persevered through injuries and was awarded the CIS Tracy MacLeod for her determination.

Gary Jeffries steps down Men’s football recorded a mere 3-5 record and fell in the quarterfinal to the Queen’s Gaels. After one of the worst seasons in a decade, featuring three games without a point and an entire month without a touchdown, there were speculations surrounding Jeffries leaving, but no one saw it when he resigned not even a week later. Jeffries had been part of the school for nearly 40 years and coached both basketball and football.

Coach of the Year:

Greg Puhalski — Men’s hockey Puhalski took a men’s hockey team that struggled in the beginning, winning only five games before the holiday break, and managed to turn them into a competitive, well-rounded team that went 9-3 in the second half of the season and finished fifth in the OUA West. Puhalski led his team into the playoffs where the Hawks came from behind to win game one in OT, only to lose the series by very close margins. He was named OUA West coach of the year.