THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926
VOLUME 60 ISSUE 4 • SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
LAURIER GETS JAZZED Toronto-based rapper, Jazz Cartier, dominates O-Week stage Arts and Life, page 10
STREET PARTY GETS LIT
ARTWORK ADDED
SWEET JESUS THAT’S GOOD
13 REASONS NOT TO WATCH
LAURIER TEAM DISAPPOINTS
Street party incites outcry and action
New mural painted in Peters Building
Popular Instagram spot graces Waterloo
Netflix television series continues with controversy
Golden Hawks lose against Varsity Blues
News, page 4
News, page 6
Arts & Life, page 8
Opinion, page 13
Sports, page 15
2 •
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
VOCAL CORD Have you ever stepped on the Hawk, and if so, how did you feel about it?
The Cord
@cordnews
@thecord.ca
CordNews
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
“At headstart - never again.” –Emma, third-year Music
HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK/NEWS DIRECTOR
“I did at orientation, then realized my mistake.” –Antonia, second-year Archaeology
ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR, ALYSSA DI SABATINO, EMOTIONALLY PREPARING HERSELF FOR THE JAZZ CARTIER CONCERT.
Editor’s note: Grounding yourself in the present thinking of holiday story ideas. I’ll hold this position for a year — less than that now — and before I know it, our last issue will be sitting on stands.
EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
“I did and my friend Varsan kissed it for me.” –Tommy, second-year Communications
“I stepped on the edge and got pushed completely off it.” –Joanna, second-year Health Science Compiled by Victoria Marshall Photos by Jade Hosick NEXT ISSUE
Just a few days ago, I was lamenting to my mom about how tired I was. But as I started to think about it a bit more, I realized that what I really needed to do was breathe and sit back, not close my eyes and hope for it all to be done sooner rather than later so I could catch up on sleep and not need to check my phone every few minutes. As stressful as it felt to make our last issue, the biggest of the year, and how happy I was to have it submitted, part of being finished made me a bit sad. I have already gone through an entire summer and three issues, all of which seem like they passed in a blink, and I haven’t given myself any chance to truly enjoy it and experience it for what it is. We just finished up O-Week coverage, and soon enough, we’ll be
OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick
SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 opinion@thecord.ca
CORD STAFF
SPORTS EDITOR Vacant sports@thecord.ca
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Waitson editor@thecord.ca
GRAPHICS EDITOR Jamie Mere graphics@thecord.ca
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kate Weber creative@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Brit Kovacs photos@thecord.ca
WEB DIRECTOR Kashyap Patel online@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Darien Funk photos@thecord.ca
NEWS DIRECTOR Hayley McGoldrick news@thecord.ca
ONLINE EDITOR Kathleen McCullough online@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR Sophia Cole news@thecord.ca
VIDEO EDITOR Vacant video@thecord.ca
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Alyssa Di Sabatino arts@thecord.ca
LEAD REPORTER Vacant news@thecord.ca
LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Vacant sports@thecord.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Sidney MacDonald photos@thecord.ca SENIOR COPY EDITOR Victoria Marshall copyeditor@thecord.ca
I have already gone through an entire summer and three issues, all of which seem like they passed in a blink ...
Recentering myself means recognizing how lucky I am. That despite the late nights, the lack of sleep and the non-stop chaos that goes along with this job, I will miss this when it’s all done. This year will define a lot for me personally and academically, and it’ll be a transition into an un-
CONTRIBUTORS
Sarah Caley Diana Edworthy Dylan Kavalsky Eliza Moratz Megan Xamin
EDITOR’S CHOICE ”Jazz Cartier concert lights up Laurier’s O-Week”
known future. Instead of finding ways to complain about it and just get through it, I should be enjoying it as much as I can. I constantly say that I never imagined that I would be doing this job — and it’s true — so I might as well do it as much justice as I possibly can while I’m still here. I want to look back on this year with pride and fondness, and be able to confidently say that I not only did my best and worked hard, but I had a damn good time while I was here. I coasted along for the first half of university with mindless direction and not much sense of where I wanted to be. This paper helped me find my ambition again, introduced me to my best friends and gave me a sense of purpose that I didn’t know I needed. And while it’s cheesy to go on about appreciating your university years and making the most out of them while you’re here, that sentiment does hold some pretty valid truth to it.
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Care Schummer at care.schummer@wlusp.com or 519-884-0710 ext. 3560.
COLOPHON The Cord is the official student newspaper of the Wilfrid Laurier University community. Started in 1926 as the College Cord, The Cord is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors. Opinions expressed within The Cord are those of the author and do not necessarily refl ect those of the editorial board, The Cord, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Inc. All content appearing in The Cord bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent. The Cord is created using Macintosh computers running OS X 10.10 using Adobe Creative Cloud. Canon cameras are used
for principal photography. The Cord has been a proud member of the Ontario Press Council since 2006. Any unsatisfied complaints can be sent to the council at info@ontpress.com. The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 4,500 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000. Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada. The Cord has been a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP) since 2004.
PREAMBLE The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy. The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to
For all of the O-Week events I attended this year, every person I saw was grinning from ear to ear, laughing shamelessly and appearing to be genuinely having an amazing time.
Instead of finding ways to complain about it and just get through it, I should be enjoying it as much as I can.
Even after the festivities have passed and it’s midterm season, find joy in the little things that this campus has to offer you, even when it’s tough. Try to freeze frame those happy moments and hold onto them tight. Your future self will thank you.
reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff. The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate. The Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body. The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper.
Quote of the week: “Everyone has assholes.” - Creative Director, Kate Weber, while talking about women’s bathroom habits.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
News
• 3 NEWS DIRECTOR HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR SOPHIA COLE news@thecord.ca
VISITING WRITER
AARON HAGEY/PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
Edna Staebler Writer-inResidence for fall announced DYLAN KAVLASKY STAFF WRITER
There are many talented writers in Canada, and Wilfrid Laurier University likes to recognize them with its three annual writing programs: the Edna Staebler Writer-In-Residence, the Laurier Visiting Writer and the Edna Staebler Creative
Nonfiction Award. This year’s writer-in-residence will be Carrianne Leung, author of That Time That I Loved You. Leung will be coming to Laurier on Jan. 13 for three months. During her stay, she will offer her expertise on writing by visiting classrooms, running workshops and offering private consultations
with students. While new to Laurier’s writer-in-residence position, Leung has previously served as the writer-in-residence at the University of Toronto, on the Scarborough campus. “We were impressed with Carrianne’s work that she has done over the last couple of years, in terms
of her writing, but also in terms of her community work,” said Tanis MacDonald, head of the program’s committee. “She has put together a whole bunch of workshops about how to begin writing from the ground up. She really has that community piece as well. She helps run the writing center at U of T as well and I thought it’d be good to bring together both of those skills of hers in a writer-in-residence position.” Laurier’s writer-in residence program was originally established by the late Edna Staebler to encourage new writers to do their work and form connections in the community. For that reason, she has bequeathed every writer-in-residence $25,000. “Edna was a very generous woman,” MacDonald said. “She knew that maintaining a writing community was very important and she said that ‘when I die, that’s where I want my money to go.” Before Leung arrives, there will be another successful Canadian writer coming to Laurier from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1. Dave Bidini will be the school’s Visiting Writer; he will give public readings, participate in panel discussions and give a lecture about something of interest to him. “The visiting writer is sponsored by the VP academic. The money comes entirely from them, from that office. The visiting writer is
here for only a week, a very intense week and Dave will do less work with students and way more public events. In fact, I’d be very surprised if David has any time to write. So, he’s not in-residence writing. He’s the visiting writer, doing events and [will be] on the Brantford campus as well,” MacDonald said. Dave was chosen for this role by the school’s VP of Academics office for his popular reach; he is the author of Midnight Light: A Personal Journey, a journalist for The West End Phoenix and is part of two Indie rock bands, Rheostatics and Bidiniband. Also announced this month was the shortlist for the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction. This award was originally established by Edna Staebler in 1991 and it is currently administered by Laurier’s Faculty of Arts. “There’s a steering committee of people who look after that bequest outside the university, which means the faculty of arts usually has three professors who agree to sit on the committee, read all of the books, and sometimes, I’ve sat on that committee and sometimes that’s 70 books because it’s open to people’s first or second creative nonfiction book,” MacDonald said. This year, the three books that are finalists for the award are Mad Blood Stirring by Daemon Fairless, Land of Lost Borders by Kate Harris, and Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot.
TRANSIT
GRT changes to impact student transportation VICTORIA MARSHALL SENIOR COPY EDITOR
Students have returned to Waterloo region for the upcoming school year, causing increased use of Grand River Transit services throughout Kitchener-Waterloo. Despite the recent implementation of the LRT , many users of the GRT’s other services are unaware of the changes this caused to bus routes. 32 transit routes or programs were modified as a result of these changes – many of which directly impact the ways that Laurier students will be getting around. The changes to impacted routes became effective on June 24, 2019, when most Laurier students are home for the summer, which has caused confusion among many students looking to utilize the same buses that they did in April 2019. Route 7, which provides service on King Street, is seeing some of the most significant changes: the lettered routes have been replaced by one uniform route for what the GRT states on its website as a more “streamlined” service. The 7 bus now runs on King St. only, meaning it will no longer provide service on University Avenue or Columbia Street as it had previously with route 7D.
Service on Columbia St. will now commence with Route 31, which will end at the University of Waterloo Station. This station, however, has yet to be built.
32 transit routes or programs were modified as a result of these changes — many of which directly impact the ways that Laurier students will be getting around.
YITIAN CAI/FILE PHOTO
This means that in order to get from King St. to Lazaridis Hall and Laurier’s Mid Campus Drive, students will need to transfer at King Street and University Avenue. and take route 8 to get there. Route 8 (Weber) has now changed course slightly as well – it is providing its usual service through Weber to University, but will now become Route 12 between Albert St. and the University of
Waterloo. Route 19 (Hazel) will still service Hazel Street as it has before, but it has been altered to travel to the St. Jacob’s farmers’ market and will become Route 30 at the University of Waterloo Station that is in the works. Along with making moderations to existing routes, the GRT has cancelled a number of routes and special bus programs geared towards high school students in
the region. Both the 91 Late Night Loop and 92 University Loop have been cancelled and will have their previous routes overtaken by the rerouting of other routes under the new plan. Students travelling down the King Street area late at night will now need to rethink their plans to account for these changes and avoid being left without transit as service cease each evening. It is also important to note
that many bus stops have been removed, relocated or renamed in the process of the new system implementation. Neither Apple Maps or Google Maps’ transit planning services have fully accounted for these changes, so the best place to check for updates on the new stops, routes and schedule changes that may impact the ways that students travel around KW is the GRT website.
4 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
UNSANCTIONED PARTIES
Charges laid for Ezra avenue fires, unlawful gathering SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR
On Sept. 2, nearly 1000 people gathered on Ezra Avenue, causing significant community disruption while setting furniture ablaze. Around 10 p.m., members of the Wilfrid Laurier University Special Constables, Waterloo Regional Police Service, Waterloo Fire Department and Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services arrived on scene in response to the unlawful street party, diverting their attention from other matters. This event is the most recent in a string of unsanctioned street parties that take place on the infamous Ezra Avenue, yet often bleed into neighbouring streets such as Clayfield Avenue, Bricker Avenue, Albert Street and King Street North. While the origins of the Ezra street parties are difficult to trace, their increasing size and frequency has become a growing cause for concern among both the Laurier and Waterloo communities. “It is unclear what started the actual party, but it is clear that it has grown substantially over the years,” said Constable André Johnson of the WRPS in an email statement. “The unsanctioned gatherings on Ezra Avenue have reached a capac-
damage and one count of Mischief under $5,000. He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 21, 2019. In addition to disruption of traffic, increased noise level, property damage and other disturbances, the unsanctioned street parties
that take place on Ezra Ave. pose a number of different risks to those in attendance as well as the general public. “The density of the crowd at these unsanctioned street parties has increased significantly over the years,” Johnson said. “With crowds of these sizes, the actions of those in attendance could impact public safety. If one person were to throw a bottle into the crowd — or an issue arises where the crowd moves rapidly — it could cause someone to be seriously hurt, or trampled on.” The parties on Ezra also cause challenges for the emergency services in the Waterloo region and surrounding areas. “There is a significant drain on emergency resources,” Johnson said. “There is also substantial cost and resources that go into implementing a plan to address the unsanctioned gatherings and to ensure public safety.” These risks and disruptions to the everyday working of the region of Waterloo are only expected to increase as the parties on Ezra Ave. continue to grow and steps must be taken in order to maintain control over the growing student community.
the most informed and effective decisions when it comes to new material such as funding proposals and plans. “The aim is just to give students a sense of how to do robust research and what it actually entails when working with communities to raise their awareness of systemic issues and what’s going on in this region, some students do use it as a way of assessing in whether they
want to go into a master’s degree or not, it really gives them a sense of the whole process,” Mendis-Millard said. “We hope that students get something out of it but the main objective is for the community partner to get something out of it, we stress that this research must meet a need in the community and so they have to benefit as well otherwise it’s not successful.”
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
ity that is unlawful and unsafe.” During the street party, a couch and mattress were brought into the street, set on fire and jumped over by multiple party attendees. The fires were extinguished by the Waterloo Fire Department and
there were no reported injuries caused by the fires. On Sept. 9, a 17-year-old male was arrested in connection to the fires set during the street party. He is being charged with one count of Arson, one count of property
RESEARCH
CCRLA partners with Laurier students to make positive impact HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR
Fourth year students in Laurier’s PS 492 class have been making an impact in their community with help from the Centre for Community Research Learning and Action (CCRLA) partnering with community organizations to help not only with students’ research but also furthering the betterment of KW-Cambridge. “11 years ago, this research centre was started by community psychology faculty as an interdisciplinary research centre that would promote social justice, community well-being and social change through community engaged research and community partnerships,” said Sharmalene Mendis-Millard, the associate director for CCRLA. “At CCRLA we have six research groups headed by community psychology faculty and health sciences faculty, but the way that this course started was that it is one major way to train senior level undergrad students to have people actually go through a systematic course over two terms so the students actually get experience in what a community based project looks like.” Students in the class have worked with many organizations to aid the community this year, including recently working with Big Brothers Big Sisters, ACCKWA which is the AIDS Committee of
Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo who are supporting people at risk, living with and affected by HIV in Ontario, as well as the Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener-Waterloo.
11 years ago, this research centre was started ... [to] promote social justice, community well-being and social change ... -Sharmalene Mendis-Millard, associate director, CCRLA
“Students apply to be part of this course, it’s not just a course but it’s also like an internship with CCRLA, so they answer questions, why are they interested, what experience they’ve had in community based research, their interest in social justice, once applications are accepted we interview people before they are actually accepted, so not everyone who applies will get in,” Mendis-Millard said. “Once they’re in, then it depends on us as instructors and mentors, we group people and assign each group to a community partner based on a. few factors; students
fill out a survey to say in order of preference what organizations they want to work with, and they also provide their schedule.” The course is funded in partnership with the Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group (LSPIRG) and Community Service-Learning (CSL) and is used to gain qualitative research for not only academic purposes but also community audiences as well. “This requires a lot of work outside of the actual classroom time to data collection, meet with community partners and do group work, we try to do the best we can to pair people with the partners they are interested in as well as their schedule,” Mendis-Millard said. “A lot of what we do is qualitative work, we train in basic quantitative methods because they might ask a population to fill out a survey and do basic analysis like averages or ranges, but we focus on qualitative research because that gives more in depth data to understand people’s lived experiences and how they’re affected and what really matters to people in the community.” The program may only be open to upper year psychology students, but CCRLA also has opportunities available for others looking to get involved in aiding the community with programming like their program evaluation certificate which is designed to aid professionals in using research methods to make
EMILY WAITSON/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
NEWS • 5
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 , 2019 CAMPUS INTEGRATION
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
New Brantford classrooms open HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR
Laurier’s Brantford campus opened their One Market space for classroom use this fall after renovating the space to use for students as well as centralized services for the integrated campus. “In September of 2014 the City of
Brantford approved the sale of the former Market Square Mall property to Wilfrid Laurier University for $5.8 million. In lieu of a lump sum payment, the university agreed to lease space in the building net rent free to the city for approximately 7.5 years,”said Beth Gurney, associate director of communications & public affairs for the Brantford
campus in an email statement. “At that time the building housed offices for around 220 municipal employees.” “When we had acquired the space a couple of years ago, we had an architecture firm come and support us and we really started to work with students, staff, faculty and community member to
envision what the space could look like,” said Adam Lawrence, the dean of students for the Brantford campus. “Lots of students took part which was a big focus for me because we have so many beautiful buildings in Brantford and students have helped shape those buildings, but we really love to hear the student feedback about a few things, one being the opportunity for food in One Market and also the opportunity to bring a lot of student support services under one roof.” The One Market space is currently used for three classroom spaces as well as a seminar space, and more student services like Service Laurier, the dean of students’ office and the Wellness Centre will be moving into the building in future months as well. “We found out that we were moving forward with the student feedback, myself, David McMurray and a few other proposed the idea of bringing everyone together, now construction has been underway, both Laurier International and our LEAF program have already moved in, they’re on the third floor, we’re hoping to announce a new food option in the coming days,” Lawrence said. “Later in the term, the dean of students office, accessible learning, learning services and development, academic advising, career and co-op and student EDI are all moving into One Market.” Contrary to the Waterloo cam-
pus that is tightly compact on the King and University intersection, the Brantford campus is integrated with Brantford’s downtown strip and many buildings are scattered across town and they purchased the One Market space to try and centralize more of the services for Brantford. “The Brantford campus is growing and we’ve been blessed to have not only a multi-campus relationship with Waterloo, Kitchener and Toronto, but also with the growing programs, a good example is our user experience program, they need new spaces for their innovative programs and teaching, just with growth we thought that we could achieve more by putting people together and having stronger partnerships and better access for students,” Lawrence said. With the expansion of the Brantford campus into One Market, it is only the start of refacing the campus to continue to integrate a downtown campus into more accessible spaces for students as well as more innovate hubs for less traditional programming. “We look forward to proceeding in a very intentional way to make sure that One Market is filled with innovative and highly engaging academic activities from all of our programs. These might be classes, but it will also include experiential learning opportunities. We hope to see it bustling with students at all times,” said Kathryn Carter, acting dean of the faculty of liberal arts in an email statement.
SUSTAINABILITY
Laurier professor named finalist for impact award SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR
Alison Blay-Palmer, Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Laurier and food sustainability researcher, has been named a finalist for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Impact Award for the second time. Blay-Palmer is nominated in the Partnership Category alongside the Food: Locally Embedded, Globally Engaged (FLEdGE) partnership, a project she founded in conjunction with Wilfrid Laurier University. Blay-Palmer and FLEdGE are among the three finalists in their category. The SSHRC Impact award recognizes excellence in Canadian leaders, thinkers and researchers who specialize in the social sciences and humanities fields. The Partnership category specifically honours SSHRC funded formal partnerships which are especially impactful to the world. The FLEdGE partnership was founded in 2015 and received a grant of $2.5 million from the SSHRC. FLEdGE focuses on facilitating research and knowledge sharing surrounding the creation of sustainable food systems. “The work essentially is about creating more sustainable food systems and sustainable food systems are healthy, they’re green and
they’re engaging,” said Blay-Palmer. Blay-Palmer’s inspiration for her work was a drive to make the world a better place and address pressing environment issues such as climate change.
There’s lots of ways that we can use our food system very practically to help make the world better and people can understand that. -Alison Blay-Palmer, food sustainability researcher at WLU
“More recently, addressing climate change and climate emergency is the focus of our work,” said said. “If the food is being grown in a sustainable way it can also help to sequester or sink carbon, it can help depending on the transportation systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If we manage our food waste differently that can also help to offset greenhouse gas emissions. According to the most recent Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) report, the
industrial food system accounts for up to 37 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. “if we can address climate change head on through the food system and because it’s so accessible and something that we can all participate in it’s a great way to deal with climate change and to bring about solutions to the climate emergency,” said Blay-Palmer. The overall accessibility of food to the general population makes FLEdGE something that people can relate to, understand and implement without any technical background knowledge. “Everybody eats so everybody understands food. It’s a way that you can reach people,” said Blay-Palmer. “There’s lots of ways that we can use our food system very practically to help make the world better and people can understand that. It’s a really accessible way to bring about change and [build] community.” Blay-Palmer credits the research community as well as the department of geography and environmental studies at Laurier, her home department, as a major contributor to her projects success. “Laurier is a wonderfully supportive university,” she said. “We have 89 institutional partners and more than 130 individuals who we work with so it’s a really extensive
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
network across Canada and also internationally.” “We can all do something that helps us move the ball forward
and that’s really what people are looking for now, is ways that we can help and food gives us that opportunity.”
6 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
RENOVATIONS
BRINGING THE PETERS BUILDING TO LIFE EMILY WAITSON/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR
The Peters building has freshened up it look with a new mural right beside the welcome centre to
brighten up the newly renovated space. Stephanie Scott, an artist based out of Waterloo region who has painted for various spaces like ApplyBoard, Hustle + Flow, Shopify
and Communitech and combines her education in fine arts and graphic design to create designs that integrate technology with art and was the artist behind the new mural inside the space.
“The idea for the mural has been in people’s mind since the move from all of our student services being across campus to a central location to bring us together, the welcome centre being the natural place for it because it is the most visible lace in the Peters building besides Service Laurier,” said Karli Imhoff Malcher, welcome centre &
The “Stay Golden” part of the mural... it’s sort of an unofficial branding of the institution.
-Karli Imhoff Malcher, events coordinator for Waterloo campus
events coordinator for the Waterloo campus. “We received funding from the Student Life Levy and the amount we received in that funding led us to be able to look at some artists in the area,” Imhoff Malcher said. “It was a joint effort between recruitment and admissions who applied for the levy as well as CPAM to make sure we had all the proper messaging in it.” The Peters building underwent renovations starting in 2017 that ended in 2018, moving many student services into the building like the Welcome Centre and Service Laurier, as well as the Arts Undergraduate Society office among others. “As part of the Student Life Levy we had to solicit student feedback as part of it, so earlier this summer we came up with the “Stay Golden” part of the mural,” Imhoff Malcher said. “It’s sort of an unofficial branding of the institution that people use all the time, taking that idea knowing that we needed students input we surveyed them.” “They came up with this beautiful list of things of what “Stay Golden” meant to them, a lot of those images were incorporated
into the mural, there are a lot of Easter eggs in the mural that came right from the students’ feedback,” Imhoff Malcher said. The modernized building has many modern architectural features, but the white modern walls left the perfect opportunity for a visual representation of how students feel being on campus. “Stephanie went on a tour of the campus with some of our ambassadors ver the summer to egt her immersed in student life at Laurier.” “We had her taken around and she said she was so overwhelmed from the energy and enthusiasm of the people who took her around she able to articulate it in the mural,” Imhoff Malcher said. “The feedback has been so great from the mural that people are saying that it would be great to have one in front of Frank’s or other spaces, I know the blank walls are turning into canvases in front of people’s eyes in the Peters building.”
We were hoping that would be a space to gravitate to when they graduate at convocation to take a picture. -Karli Imhoff Malcher, events coordinator for Waterloo campus
During the first weeks of school many new students will be drawn to the new artwork as they become accustomed to Laurier life and will be making visits to Service Laurier and the Welcome Center. “The welcome center is not just for new and prospective students, we’re here to service everybody, we were hoping that would be a space to gravitate to when they graduate at convocation to take a picture with or who come back for homecoming to take pictures in front of as well,” Imhoff Malcher said.
GAMES • 7
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 SUDOKU
Dear Life Dear Life is your opportunity to write a letter to your life, allowing you to vent your anger with life’s little frustrations in a completely public forum.
Dear Life,
Dear Life,
Sincerely, Done
I am a coffee addict but my addiction is beginning to cause me some unpleasant consequences in the bathroom. I have to go every hour on the hour and I can’t sit comfortably through my classes or sleep through the night! It’s a vicious cycle because I get no sleep than I need more coffee to help me stay awake throughout the day, how do I stop this?!?! Sincerely, Sleepless Pooper Dude, I’m just tired. Sincerely, It’s only first week.
CROSSWORD
One more class without being able to connect to the wifi and I might have to drop out.
Dear Life, Dear Maid Staff at Hotel Arts in Calgary, I am so sorry I shit my pants. I was deathly ill. Forgive me. Sincerely, Poop P Pants Dear Emily, I love you dearly. Thank you for being the best boss ever. Even when I’m highly strung out you reassure me that everything is okay. I couldn’t do this without you. Sincerely, HM
8 • PHOTOS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
O-Week rewind 2019
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
Arts & Life
9 • ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO arts@thecord.ca
FOOD
What’s the scoop on Sweet Jesus? ELIZA MORATZ STAFF WRITER
If there’s one thing that I know, it’s ice cream. So, when a new ice cream shop opened its doors just down the road from Laurier, I knew that I had to try it. Sweet Jesus, a fast-growing brand from Toronto, has a new home in the University Shops Plaza. Since the store’s inception, it has come under fire by religious groups that feel that the name and branding are blasphemous. According to Sweet Jesus, however, the name “was created from the popular phrase that people use as an expression of enjoyment, surprise or disbelief,” and is not meant to offer commentary on anyone’s beliefs. The bright blue of the storefront is difficult to miss. Inside, the bright colours and mouth-watering photos of the ice cream cones create a fun atmosphere. The store is small and quickly filled up with people waiting to order. While there’s no seating inside, there are chairs and tables outside to enjoy your dessert, provided that
the weather is nice. The ice cream shop offers soft-serve in a range of flavours, including chocolate, vanilla and vegan coconut. The brand is known for its Instagram-worthy cones — colourful creations with names like Red Rapture, Krusty the Cone and Bounty Killah. Unfortunately, the Waterloo location doesn’t serve the full menu, so if you’re looking for one of their milkshakes or hot chocolates, you’ll have to go to another location. At $6.75 for their smaller size (and even more if you want the regular size or a waffle cone), the prices are a bit steep. However, their sizes are generous, and their ‘kids’ size was enough ice cream for me. I tasted three of their creations: Bangin’ Brownie, Hella Hazelnut and Cookies Cookies Cookies & Cream. Each one was attractively presented, featuring a base of softserve ice cream with a variety of toppings. Without a doubt, these toppings were the best part of each of the
cones. Brownie bits and caramel sauce, hazelnut-chocolate sauce and toasted pistachios or cookie crumbs and cookie dough chunks livened up the ice cream and made it more than your typical soft-serve cone. Unfortunately, underneath those toppings, which disappeared too quickly, was regular ice cream that left much to be desired. The ice cream was standard soft-serve — good, but it did not compare to some of the other local ice creams that I’ve tried. The cone was similar to what you would get from any fast-food restaurant. Overall, I was satisfied with my order, but I won’t be rushing back anytime soon. Sweet Jesus is a fun and unique alternative to the regular ice cream cones you’re used to, but seems to be overpriced and overhyped. While it’s an enjoyable place to try a combination you haven’t before, or snap a pic to show your friends how amazing your dessert looks, it definitely won’t become my go-to creamery.
BRIT KOVACS/PHOTO EDITOR
10 • ARTS AND LIFE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
LIVE MUSIC
Jazz Cartier concert lights up Laurier’s O-Week ALYSSA DI SABATINO ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
In a video posted to the Student Union’s Instagram story, Jazz Cartier is seen speaking to his virtual audience saying “To all my Golden Hawks at Laurier, we’re doing a welcome back concert Sept. 5. It’s gonna be the craziest concert the school’s ever seen…” This statement was nothing short of the truth. Jazz Cartier, Toronto’s self-proclaimed “Prince of the City,” played at Laurier’s O-Week concert and absolutely blew everyone away in the process. Leading up to his performance, the first person to grace the stage was DJ and Laurier alum, Junaid. Typical for the opening act of a concert, the AC was less than full but Junaid did a good job of warming the crowd up, at one point even engaging the audience in Laurier’s well-known chant, “It’s great to be a Laurier Golden Hawk.” His set was chock-full of Toronto artists, playing songs from fan-favourites such as Killy, PartyNextDoor, Nav and Pressa; it was almost as if I was experiencing Spotify’s Northern Bars playlist in person. Junaid’s audience engagement was impressive and he was able to successfully hype up the crowd for the following acts. Perhaps he hyped up the crowd too well, as a fight apparently broke out in the crowd once his set finished. People were already passing out inside the barricades and it was barely 9:30; Jazz Cartier
HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK/NEWS DIRECTOR
wasn’t set to come out for about another hour. Luckily, rapper/producer duo Just John and Dom Dias soon graced the stage and quelled the impatient crowd. Although I’d never heard of Just John prior to this concert, I got the sense that as an artist he knew himself and his sound very well. Dom Dias’ DJ skills were also noteworthy, using 808s and reverb effects to create a freaky sonic experience onstage. With dance moves that could rival Lil Uzi’s, Just John gave an amazing performance and I would say that the growing crowd of mosher’s would have agreed with this sentiment. His eclectic sound, a mix of rap and grunge/punk, perfectly complemented Jazz Cartier’s upcoming
set. The stage was simply set up for headliner Jazz Cartier, holding only a table for the DJ. Strobe lights were in place for visual effect, but his performances are known to stand on their own; no extra frills necessary. Finally, Cartier was set to perform. The energy in the room shifted as soon as the opening chords to his song “Waste” played, with the crowd going absolutely crazy upon seeing him step foot on the stage. “Waste” bled into “100 Roses,” and Cartier swiftly jumped onto the barricades, a move that had the crowd going insane. I have to admit, I’m a huge fan of Cartier and have been since Hotel Paranoia was released. Being that I was in front of the barricades —
and not in the pit where the most fun seemed to be had — I could do little more than watch in complete awe at his performance. I wasn’t the only one; everyone who bore witness to his performance seemed to be as captivated as I was. At this point the AC was completely full, and he had every audience member chanting the lyrics along with him. The mosh pit — which was insane from the start — only grew in its intensity, responding to and reflecting Cartier’s energy on stage. Laurier’s audience was also treated to some new music, including songs such as “Basement” and “Itchin for a Lick,” both of which Cartier premiered to his fans for the first time that night. His comfort onstage was
mind-blowing. When he played “Gliss” from his latest album Fleurever, he climbed atop the speakers which were several meters in the air and performed from there for a portion of the song. The final third of his performance consisted of his more popular songs, starting with “Red Alert,” during which Cartier took a fan’s phone onstage with him and recorded. For the final song he took off his shirt, which boldly stated “Fuck Off,” signalling the magnitude of what was about to take place. He closed his set with “Dead or Alive,” the most explosive song on the setlist. He climbed up on the barricades once again, hyping up the crowd even more than it seemed possible. Cartier is known for his crazy performances, attempting stunts such as hanging from the rafters or diving into the crowd, and this performance was no exception. During the final song he attempted to walk on the hands of the crowd, but they couldn’t support him and he was pulled back onto the barricade by security. At this point, he decided to run “Dead or Alive” back again, and threw water bottles into the crowd for them to spray when the beat dropped. As a fan, my opinion might be biased —but Jazz Cartier’s comfort with the stage and with his audience is remarkable. The crowd’s energy never faded, and neither did his. After this show, it’s clear to me that Jazz Cartier knows what he’s doing when it comes to performing, and him premiering two new songs that night did little to curb my excitement for whatever he’ll be coming out with next.
ARTS & LIFE • 11
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 COMMUNITY Kitchener Market is also a place to get fresh produce, meat and dairy items, bakery items, gifts and other goods from local vendors. They’re also celebrating their 150th anniversary this year on Oct. 5, and will be commemorating it with the community! The market is also a stop on the ION transit system’s route, so getting there couldn’t be easier. Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
What to sight-see in Waterloo ALYSSA DI SABATINO ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
When I first toured Laurier as an eager high school student, I fell in love with the campus. I loved the
small, tight-knit feeling and I was eager to get as connected with the campus as possible. What I wasn’t expecting though, was how much I’d come to love the entirety of the Waterloo region. I’d consider myself a somewhat well-traveled person, but most of the KW region was unfamiliar to me. Finding out about all the cool, new experiences that Waterloo had to offer was truly eye-opening.
While it’s definitely not expansive, this list covers some of the places that are unique to the region Kitchener Market Pretty much everyone knows about St. Jacobs Farmers Market, but not everyone knows about its counterpart, the Kitchener Market. While they’re technically not associated with each other, the
The KW Symphony is the third-largest orchestra in Ontario and has been a KW cultural staple for over 70 years. They perform over 220 concerts annually, and will be holding multiple events each month this fall. If you’re interested in becoming a subscriber to the Symphony, they’re holding an information session on Sept. 18! Plus, they have a student discount, which is perfect for any Golden Hawks who are keen on refining their musical tastes. Iron Horse Trail The Iron Horse Trail was a former Canadian Pacific Railway link that ran between Waterloo and Kitchener. Now abandoned, it was converted into a 5.5 kilometre multi-use recreational trail in 1997. This trail is a part of the Trans Canada Trail which also connects Waterloo Park with Victoria Park, and an addition to the trail is being
worked on this fall. The Canadian Pacific Railway was a huge innovation during Canada’s confederation, making the history behind this trail so astounding. Brubacher House The Brubacher House is a historic farmhouse that was built and owned by Mennonites in the 1850’s and was purchased and restored by The University of Waterloo in 1965 — with the help of Mennonite farmers — in order to reflect the time period and heritage accurately. Because of this, the house is a symbol of Pennsylvanian-German Mennonite heritage, and the contrast between this house and UW’s contemporary campus is striking. The Brubacher House has free guided tours for anyone interested in learning a little bit more about the house’s rich history. Huether Hotel The Huether Hotel isn’t an actual hotel anymore, although it was at one point. It served as a companion hotel to The Lion Brewery, Waterloo’s first brewery founded in 1842. The hotel is also assumed to have served as a source of alcohol during Canada’s prohibition. Now, the Huether Hotel consists of a brewery/pub, restaurant and cafe. In the core of Uptown Waterloo, the Huether Hotel remains a historical landmark and hangout spot.
TELEVISION
What’s new on Netflix this Fall? SARAH CALEY STAFF WRITER
It’s the beginning of September, and while that means that school is starting once again, it also means that Netflix just announced the release of a lot of new content. So, whether you want to relax after class, have a movie night with your friends or even procrastinate, here are some of the most exciting new arrivals on Netflix this Fall. Dirty Dancing Ready to have the time of your life? As of Sept. 1, you can now rediscover this iconic 1987 romance on Netflix, starring Jennifer Grey as a young woman on a family holiday who falls in love with a dance instructor played by Patrick Swayze. Season 3 of Hip Hop Evolution This Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Canadian series has been exploring the history of hip hop since its first season in 2016. Available on Netflix on Sept. 6, season three takes us into the 1990s, telling the story of greats like Tupac Shakur, Lil’ Kim, and Eminem. Season 3 of This Is Us Looking for something heartwarming to take your mind off of schoolwork? This hit NBC drama follows a family with triplets through all of the joyful and tragic stages in life, jumping between various timeframes portrayed by a large and loveable ensemble cast
including Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and more. You can get caught up with Season three on Sept. 24. The King Based on Shakespeare’s Henriad plays, this Netflix original film stars Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet as a young King Henry V who must take the throne after his father’s death. After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 2, this highly anticipated historical drama will be available to watch on Netflix on Nov. 1. Season three of The Good Place In this witty NBC series, Kristen Bell portrays a conceited woman who accidentally winds up in The Good Place in the afterlife. An amusing comedy that holds your attention with unexpected plot twists and even prompts you to think about your own life, this show is perfect for your next bingewatch. Look forward to season three on Sept. 27. Season 3 of The Crown After a successful two seasons portraying the life of Queen Elizabeth II from 1947 to 1964, The Crown will be returning on Nov. 17 with a new season, a new timeframe, and an entirely new cast. Olivia Colman will be taking over the role of the Queen, with Tobias Menzies as her husband Prince Philip, and Helena Bonham Carter as her sister Princess Margaret, while the third season continues
to interpret the lives of the Royal Family through the 1960s and 1970s. It That’s right, this 2017 film adaptation of the first half of Stephen King’s best-selling novel was added Netflix on Sept. 1, just in time for the theatre release of It Chapter Two. Following a group of kids who must face a shape-shifting clown who visits their town every 27 years, this record-breaking horror movie is also great for Halloween coming up very soon. Season 2 of Explained This docu-series will be returning on Sept. 26, with a new 15-minute episode about a different topic each week. Having tackled topics like the racial and gender pay gaps, astrology, and aliens with celebrity narrators like Samira Wiley, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Nick Kroll in its first season, these new episodes should be more informative and entertaining than ever. Season 2 of Derry Girls This show has been out on Netflix since Aug. 2, but in case you haven’t yet seen it, I had to include it as my final recommendation. Set in 1990s Northern Ireland, this Channel 4 comedy follows a group of friends navigating their teen years at an all-girls Catholic school while their country navigates the Northern Ireland Conflict. Hysterically funny while also surprisingly heartfelt, this unique series is a true must-see.
MEGAN XAMIN/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
12 •
Editorial
OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca
Unsigned: Don’t ruin it for everyone else On September 2, a street party on Ezra Avenue caused a huge disturbance to the Laurier community and the surrounding area as 1,000 participants gathered together. Ezra Avenue has become very notorious as the “street party capital” of Waterloo as the St. Paddys and Homecoming festivities occur there. A couch and a mattress were burned on the street, which is something that caused the police and firefighters to respond to the situation. As of now, a 17-year-old has been arrested in connection to the fire and has been charged with arson, damage to property and one count of mischief under $5,000 This is the first time that the street had a party for Labour Day, and it was undoubtedly one that law enforcement could not be prepared for. This event being so unprecedented and unpredictable means that Laurier did not have a clear idea about how to handle the situation. Many people over the past week have been wondering if the students entering school are getting wilder, or if the student body that has already been established in the Laurier community has become tamer? To answer this question, the group that is entering the school seems to be wilder, but that just might be because of the Ezra rep. Three years ago, Ezra Avenue parties for O-week was not something that ever happened. More and more people are choosing Laurier as their school because it is seen as a party school. This does not necessarily mean that the people are more irresponsible, but the rep that the street has gained in the past few years has affected the people who are coming into Laurier. Also, it is many students’ first
times living away from home, so the idea that they can now do whatever they want is running through their minds. and while you are away from home, there are still rules that must be followed as a responsible citizen. The idea of your school standing out has also grown bigger. It used to just be jokes to sell merch like shot glasses listing each school and their ability to take a shot, or t-shirts that say “wuck festern”. But now with Instagram accounts like 6ixbuzzz and Canadian Party Life being able to say that you go to a school that got on the page is something that everyone is attracted to. Although Laurier could be doing things to help with the craziness, its difficult for them to do so, as Ezra is becoming less and less of a Laurier thing and more of an attraction with its own reputation. The street is known for crazy parties, and the majority of the people who show up on the street for Homecoming or St. Paddy’s are not Laurier students so there are only so many precautions the school can take. The school does own most of the apartment buildings through the Ezra-Bricker apartments, but other than just hiring more private security for the buildings, nothing much can be done at this time. Laurier should be developing a plan for student housing and how to deal with that. We should not be waiting from something even more serious, like hospitalizations or deaths, to re-evaluate the situation. A reminder also, that while the majority of the people who live on Ezra are students, the street and the surrounding neighbourhoods are homes of people who are not apart of the Laurier community and an elementary school is less than half a kilometre down the block.
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 205 REGINA ST. N., WATERLOO
WLUSP ADMINISTRATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DIRECTOR Rosalind Horne
CHAIR Aaron Hagey
DIRECTOR Emily Crump
VICE-CHAIR Alyssa Di Sabatino
TREASURER Kashyap Patel
DIRECTOR Alyssa Di Sabatino DIRECTOR
PRESIDENT Aaron Hagey president@wlusp.com FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com ADVERTISING MANAGER Kurtis Rideout kurtis.rideout@wlusp. com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp. com HR MANAGER Maneesha Suresh hr@wlusp.com
EDITORIAL CARTOON
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Editorial: Choosing who to live with in university is crucial KATHERINE WEBER CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Going home over the summer can be an easy thing to get comfortable with. What can I say — clean laundry, free food and access to a car! However, with this luxury lifestyle there always comes a time when you get to switch your parents as roommates for friends. As a first-time apartment or house renter, knowing who you can and can’t live with can be a difficult situation to understand. I can confidently say there are many friends I would love to live with but our friendship would not be the
same if we decided to do so. The benefits of university are that the roommate process can be trial and error over three years. There is no written rule that you need to stay in the same place every year. The only rule to follow is that you feel comfortable in the space you live in. Further, you don’t need to be best friends with your roommates. I learned this the hard way in my first year of living off campus by living with my small tight knit friend group which never ended well for anyone. After this year, I concluded that living with a small group of girls probably wasn’t the best idea - the peace and quiet was totally worth it but it was difficult to balance a healthy friend/roommate lifestyle. Proceeding into my second year of living off campus, I decided to
rework my living situation and move into a house with four other girls. After this move I realized that an important aspect of you and your roommates is your partying schedule can run similar to each other as well as living with people who put as much work into school as you do. It is super easy to get side tracked from what you are in university to do if you don’t live with like-minded people. I have found that last year and moving into this current year I have felt very comfortable and content with the roommates I have lived with. We set boundaries at the beginning of the year which allowed everyone to get a say in what they wanted out of the house before it was too late. As loud as they are, I love them to death and couldn’t have done a lot without their support.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
Opinion
• 13 OPINION EDITOR JADE HOSICK opinion@thecord.ca
TAKING A CRITICAL LOOK AT 13 REASONS WHY CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR
When I was 14, I read the book 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, which was a book that discussed the issues facing young people today. The story starts with a girl who committed suicide recording tapes that would be sent to the people who were the 13 reasons that caused her to get to the point where she couldn’t see a way for her life to get better. The book was a good read when I was that age and it really made me think about how I should be talking to people, and it also made me aware that I did not know what was going on in other people’s lives. Thus, what the story is trying to get across: people could look like they are fine, but could actually be experiencing something very traumatizing. The Netflix original series for this book came out in 2017. I was 18 years old and leaving high school, but I still remember reading that book, so I wanted to watch the series. I was experiencing many of the same things that Hannah, the protagonist, was experiencing and from what i remembered of the book, it did a good job laying out ways to help people get through difficult times. The series did get some things right in the first season, but the two seasons following it just seemed to have lost what was really getting told here. The series tackles the issues faced by young people by presenting some pretty traumatizing scenes, like Hannah and Jessica’s rape scene, the scene where Hannah committed suicide, as well as the sexual assault of Tyler in Season 2. While Netflix has said that these scenes are good for people to see because they are real and raw, it is hard to not think that the producers are adding these scenes in for the shock factor.
The idea of showing a sexual assault scene to me does not seem to be smart as it could be triggering to the people who are watching. Although Netflix does have trigger warnings at the beginning, by stating there are graphic depitctions of sexual assault, by the time it comes around the warnings are long forgotten.. It does not do a good job at raising awareness, as a lot of people that I know who watched the show, had to skip through those scenes because of how graphic they are. And it took Netflix two whole years to take down Hannah’s suicide scene, which was stated as the most controversial scene in the series, and had been requested to be removed many times since the series beginning. Many mental health professionals believed that having this scene had the potential to provoke young people to engage in certain suicidal behaviours — the copycat effect is a real thing. Another issue that I had with the show’s third season, was the new character Ani and her relationship with Bryce Walker, a serial rapist. Not only is Ani sleeping with someone who has a track record of rape and has not done anything to fix the mistakes he has made at the point where she does hook up with him, but she is also sleeping with the man who has raped one of her best friends. I am all for a redemption arc, but this one makes me feel uncomfortable. The fact that Bryce was made to seem like a redeemable character because of his backstory of everything that he has experienced since the sexual assault trial, the show kind of unintentionally made Bryce seem like a victim following the trial against him. You make a mistake, you must deal with the consequences, you cannot just expect things to get better without any struggle. It does not take a couple months for things to get better, it might take a few years for people to really start believing the change. People might also still be traumatized and not ever be able to forgive you, and you need to live with that. The show also tries to make it
seem as though no one is really able to help you, not your parents, not the school, not anyone. I am not going to sit here and say that everyone in your life is equipped to help you deal with your traumas, but in my case the
majority of the people who I talk to my issues about listen with an open mind and with open arms and help in the ways that they know how. All in all, I don’t think that the series is doing a good job at raising
awareness for mental illnesses or other things of that nature, which they claim to be doing. The shock factor that they rely on might be the thing that is causing the show not to do what it intends to.
SEPT.16 - SEPT.20
CONCOURSE 9AM - 8PM
9AM - 5PM
14 • OPINION
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
The Amazon Rainforest needs attention DIANA EDWORTHY STAFF WRITER
In August of this year, the size and amount of forest fires in the Amazon reached a record high and began to spark international concern. The Amazon rainforest is a crucial part of the global ecosystem as it produces as much as 20 per cent of the world’s oxygen, as well as being a major player in fighting climate change by its ability to remove large amounts of carbon from the air. In 2018, before this spike in fires even began, only 80 per cent of the Amazon rainforest remained since its original state in 1970. Many have blamed the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, for both being supportive of deforestation for the purpose of agriculture and doing very little to stop the fires now that they are out of control. With 74,000 fires being recorded so far this year, the amount of fires have increased by 84 per cent
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
since the same time in 2018. These fires are not natural and are largely attributed to humans starting them in order to deforest the land for
agriculture, with many of the fires getting out of control. Being a right wing leader, Bolsonaro has largely tried to deny
the severity of the fires and has not acknowledged the fact that these fires are a result of deforestation. With the majority (60 per cent)
JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR
Violence without guns? JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
In the 23-season premiere of The View on Sept. 3, Meghan McCain made waves with a controversial statement. The panel of five women were discussing the mass shooting that happened in west Texas when McCain claimed that she would not be living without her guns. Later in the episode, she said that if people are talking about taking people’s guns away from them there is going to be a lot of violence. All I can say to that is this — what about all of the violence that is currently happening because of access to guns? She is sat on a panel discussing a mass shooting that killed people and stated that violence will ensue if people do not have guns. The mass shooting that was being discussed was conducted by a man who purchased his ARstyle rifle through a “loophole”, as Whoopi Goldberg said. The gunman obtained the weapon through a private seller, meaning that he did not go through a federal background check. The shooter had also tried to purchase a gun legally but he was determined to be mentally unfit. The comment made by McCain about taking away guns that will cause violence strikes me as very ignorant. The ladies are discussing a mass shooting that killed seven people and injured 22 more, and McCain is saying that if guns are taken away violence will ensue? I think in this situation, she needs to step back and really think about what she is promoting.
of the Amazon rainforest being located in Brazil, Bolsonaro’s attitude and political stance are very much a threat to the existence and long-term prosperity of the forest referred to as “the lungs of the planet.” One of the largest factors in this deforestation is the demand for beef. Beef cattle require a lot of space and require deforestation to create that space. The consumption of animal products, especially red meat, directly correlates with an increase in carbon emissions as well as the deforestation of the trees we need to absorb that same carbon. Many people who are bothered by what is currently happening to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, believe that one of the most important things you can do is reduce your red meat intake. It is not realistic personally or economically to suggest that everyone quits red meat cold turkey, but reduced consumption worldwide could make a substantial difference. Some European countries have already begun to propose a tax on red meat similar to the tax on tobacco, to resolve these environmental issues.
Violence is already happening every day in the States due to the accessibility of being able to purchase firearms illegally and not having stricter gun obtainment policies in effect. Although I am not pro-gun, I do agree that taking away every person’s gun is very unlikely to happen with the political climate in the States right now. Therefore, I think that Canada has a good approach when it comes to buying guns. In Canada, all people need a license to own or buy a firearm, and to do that they must pass a series of firearm safety tests. Guns are also not allowed to be concealed or openly carried outside of the home. These two factors alone are something that I think helps to control firearm violence in Canada. To make a comment about how violence will come from taking away guns seems to steamroll past the facts. That guns are causing not only violence, but violence on a larger scale than at any other time in history. When the second amendment was drafted, the firearms that were available were not able to shoot multiple people within seconds. The firearms they had during that time would require the user to reload before shooting the next person, potentially limiting the amount of casualties. Everyone easily having access to a gun is what has caused 12 mass shootings in the United States in 2019 alone. Out of these 12 shootings, 200 people were either killed or injured. These numbers are public and are talked about at length on prime-time television and people still make comments saying that guns are the most important thing to them; this is basically saying their right to own a gun is more important than another person’s right to live.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
Sports
• 15 SPORTS EDITOR VACANT sports@thecord.ca
FOOTBALL
HAWKS LOSE 38-34 TO THE VARSITY BLUES AARON HAGEY/PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER
HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s football team fell to 1-2 on the season after a tough loss to the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday, Sept. 7 at University Stadium, the game attended by first years participating in Orientation Week for their closing ceremonies. The game started off with a dominant first quarter by Laurier, with Nathan Mesher kicking off the scoring with a field goal, followed by a fumble recovery from Tanner Nelmes putting the Hawks up 10-0. Connor Carusello would finish off the quarter with 13 seconds to go shooting a 12-yard pass to Brentyn Hall to put the Hawks up 17-0. Toronto wouldn’t go down without a fight and came back in the second quarter with three
unanswered touchdowns, securing a 21-17 lead. Levondre Gordon would put the purple and gold back in the lead with a 12-yard run for a 24-21 lead, and Nathan Mesher would score a rouge point to put the Hawks up by four. Toronto would score one last field goal right at the half to cut the Laurier lead to one point at 25-24 going into the last two quarters. The Varsity Blues would be the first to score in the third quarter, being the only points scored in the third. Laurier came back in the fourth with three field goals in a row, pushing their lead to 34-31. However, the Varsity Blues continued to push and eventually made a scoring drive with 40 seconds left in the game to secure a win, with a final score of 38-34 in favour of Toronto. “Internally, we’re definitely disappointed. No one wanted to
be 1-2 at this point, but it speaks to the parody around the OUA at this point,” said head coach Michael Faulds.
The biggest issue in the first three games has been our discipline, that is something that we hav extreme focus on heading into Ottawa this weekend. -Michael Faulds, head coach
“Toronto is definitely a better team than they have been in the past decade, and to be quite hon-
est we haven’t played up to our full potential. We’ve seen glimpses of it and quarters of it, but we have yet to put together four full quarters of football that we expect.” The Hawks will be travelling to the nation’s capital to face off against the Ottawa Gee-gees before heading into their bye week, which is followed by their homecoming game against Queen’s University. “The biggest issue in the first three games has been our discipline, that is something that we have extreme focus on heading into Ottawa this weekend,” Faulds said. “It’s a good opportunity for us to go up to Ottawa, have team meals and meetings together, there is more of the team comradery standpoint, and everyone’s in it together, there are no distractions, so the 47 guys who get the opportunity to dress will be focused and
it’s a big time meaningful game for us to get to 2-2.” The Golden Hawks will be at the University of Ottawa for the first time in seven years, with their last match-up on the Gee-gees home field ending in a 35-27 win for the purple and gold. “We can’t after games anymore say that we had more first downs, yards, time of possession, winning every statistical category except for the major ones like penalties, and obviously you want to be leading on the scoreboard at the end of the game,” Faulds said. “Do we feel like we’ve been in every game or we can play with any team and beat any team yes, but it’s one thing to say it and this Saturday we have to go out and do it, we have to live by our promise of being a disciplined football team and if we do that we can win any game.”
16 •
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019