March 20, 2013

Turret goes country

THE

Arts, page 14

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926 Volume 53, Issue 26

thecord.ca

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Subway coming to WLU

A sea of green

Sandwich shop to open in Bricker Academic building

Over 5,000 flood Ezra Ave. for St. Patrick’s Day festivities News, page 3

Firehall loses licence Waterloo bar has liquor licence suspended

ELIZABETH DICESARE LINDSAY PURCHASE

CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

LOCAL AND NATIONAL EDITOR

Students at Wilfrid Laurier University will soon have a new option for eating on campus. In late April, the Bricker Academic building will welcome the addition of a Subway outlet, marking the first food location in the building.

Dan Dawson, assistant vice-president of student services, explained that the idea of opening a Subway at Laurier has been in consideration for at least the past two years.

“There was some discussion about converting the Mr. Sub in the Terrace to a Subway two years ago, and there was very strong, positive response from students for that brand,” he said. “As it turned out, that didn’t change, but it was always something that was in the back of our mind. Now that some people are kind of becoming aware that it is coming, there seems to be a positive buzz around the fact that Subway will be available.”

The opening of Subway will help students combat two main issues stemming from food services on campus: having more diverse eating choices and having a location to eat on the south-side of campus.

“The Science [Building] Tim Horton’s is by far our craziest line-up that we have. We’ve been trying to figure out ways to manage that,” explained Dawson. “We feel that by News, page 3

Online: Video and photos from St. Paddy’s on Ezra SHELBY BLACKLEY SPORTS EDITOR

Despite the estimated crowd of 5,000-plus on Ezra Avenue, police had no serious incidents to report.

FnM ‘ignites’ passion Dance/fashion show raises money for SickKids Hospital CRISTINA ALMUDEVAR ARTS EDITOR

With every passing year at Laurier, Fashion ‘n’ Motion (FnM) proves that it’s not about the quality of the performance, it’s about igniting the passion behind it.

Not to say that FnM’s shows, on Friday March 15 and Saturday March 16, fell short in any way.

While the technicality of the dances was at times lacking, the audience could tell that the dancers were enjoying themselves too much to focus on getting every single move perfect.

This was much more important than anything: FnM is not about putting on the most technical show, it’s about leaving an impact with the chosen charity and gaining lasting memories.

As per FnM tradition, all the proceeds from the ticket sales as well as anything they have earned from the past year will be going to the SickKids Foundation. The final total will not be calculated until early April, but it is estimated that a sizable amount will be donated.

This was the first year that an FnM exec team went to SickKids

JODY WAARDENBURG STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

One of the performances at this past weekend’s FnM show.

Hospital in Downtown Toronto.

“I believe that my exec team became much more passionate about this cause because we got to see firsthand what it was like there,” reminiscenced Noelle Antkowiak, current president of FnM. “We were able to make a documentary and brought our experience

back to the cast to inspire them further.”

With their 20th year at Laurier, and its second as a campus club, Antkowiak wanted to do something different and memorable.

She decided to reach out to Arts, page 14

Bar-goers looking to drink this past weekend at Campus Court Plaza club, The Firehall, were greeted with something unusual at the door — a notice indicating that establishment’s liquor license was suspended.

On Saturday, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) issued an interim suspension of The Firehall’s liquor license and a notice of proposal to revoke the license indefinitely.

“The AGCO believes that the safety of the patrons and the general public is called into question and so the AGCO is proposing to revoke the license,” said Lisa Murray, a spokesperson for the AGCO. The majority of the allegations stemmed from overcrowding.

The initial infractions date back to September 2012, with six reported incidents of the venue exceeding its capacity since Jan. 20 of this year.

The main room of The Firehall has a legal capacity of 240 persons. According to Murray, in one instance, there were 436 people in attendance.

Incidences of serving alcohol to minors and over-serving patrons were also observed.

Murray explained, “Essentially, patrons were pouring drinks out Local, page 7

Inside Where your money goes

All hail, ‘king’ of the nerds

Student Life Levy fund hands out $577,919 to 18 approved projects; AC expansion gets $461,595

Waterloo student wins $100,000 on reality T.V. show The King of the Nerds

Campus, page 4

Local, page 7

Little farm in the city

OCD no joking matter

CCE Editor-in-Chief HG Watson goes in search of Waterloo’s urban agriculture

Going beyond the stereotypes and common misconceptions around Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

In Depth, page 10

Life, page 13

WLU’s outstanding women Carmen Baker, Doreen Bonsu and Fiona Lester nominated for Outstanding Women of Laurier Award Sports, page 20

2 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MArCh 20, 2013

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

Editor’s note:

Exciting times for the CCE

Editor’s choice ‘Nerd girl’ takes reality show title

Editor’s choice online St. Patrick’s day video

Local, page 7

thecord.ca

Photo of the week

Vocal Cord presented by

What was the craziest thing you saw on St. Paddy’s Day?

“That guy getting hit by the horse.”

–Isaiah Aldrisch third-year, economics

hg watson CCE EDITOr-IN-ChIEF

As an editor, you spend more time than you like glued to your computer, reading about all the other cool things everyone else is doing.

But every once in a while, you get a chance to be behind the cool event.

Such is the case with two new Cord Community initiatives.

The Cord Community Edition and Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications is proud to announce that it will be organizing this year’s Steel rail Sessions.

Steel rail Sessions is best described as Nuit Blanche on a train.

People hop aboard the train to St. Jacobs to enjoy art, music, food and drink while hanging out with 250 of their closest friends.

We’re pumped to be partnering with Waterloo Central railway on this event. Past organizers hilary Abel and Paul McGough will also be sticking around to help us out.

They’re also excited to finally get to enjoy the event as guests!

More information, including date, tickets and performers can be found on our website. We’re looking for volunteers and performers, so get in touch if you’re ready to get involved with some great art.

Project number two comes in the form of an idea. Ten ideas, in point of fact. We’re looking for ten ideas that have the potential to shape Waterloo in the years to come. We know this region is a hub for innovation — now we want to know what innovation you’re working on to make this community bigger and better than it’s ever been.

There are no limits to what kind of projects can enter, except that they must somehow benefit Waterloo region. Submissions are due April 5; the complete rules and regulations can be found online. The Ten ideas will be judged by a panel of distinguished region residents as well as online voting.

The ideas selected will be revealed in the CCE hitting newsstands May 10.

For all the information on Steel rail Sessions 2013 and Ten Ideas to Change Waterloo, visit community. thecord.ca or get in touch at communityeditor@thecord.ca.

The tie that binds Wilfrid Laurier University since 1926

shelby blackley SPOrTS EDITOr

Some people saw St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to make a few dollars off the drunken masses.

On the web: St. Paddy’s

All advertising inquiries should be directed to Angela Endicott at 519-884-0710 x3560 angela.taylor@wlusp.com In 2011 the Canadian Community Newspaper Association awarded The Cord second place in the CANADIAN campus community newspaper COMMUNITY category.

NEWSPAPER AWARD 2011

“The guy that got trampled by the horse.”

–Ashley Byun third-year, geography

Photo gallery: Check out the moments you’ve probably forgotten

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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

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Life ……………………… 12 Arts ……………………… 14 Editorial ……………… 16 Opinion ……………… 17 Sports ………………… 21

“I think ‘I don’t remember’ is probably the best response.”

–Greg Nosal fourth-year, business

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

MArCh 20, 2013 Volume 53, Issue 26 Next issue: March 27, 2013

News ………………………3 Campus ……………… 4 Local ………………… 6 National ……………… 8 Classifieds …………… 9 In Depth ……………… 10

Video: relive the party on Ezra through our video team’s lens

News Director............................... Justin Smirlies

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Inside

“In res, someone set off the fire extinguisher in the elevator.”

–Katie Martin fourth-year, psychology

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 Art 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.

Kaylee Grootjen Mike hajmasy ryan hueglin Samantha Kellerman Beth Meunier Adele Palmquist Julia Pollock James Popkie Eric Thompson Dani Saad

Andrew Savory Jordan Smith Janelle Scheifele Jody Waardenburg Jessi Wood

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

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 Taylor Brown Laura Buck Kelly Burwash heather Davidson Spencer Dunn Dana Francoeur Avery Gales Scott Glaysher henry Goddard Daina Goldfinger

Preamble to The Cord constitution

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: “I’d end up in prison by the end of the night.”

–Photo Manager Nick Lachance on the prospect of hosting VAs.

• 3

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

News

News Director Justin Smirlies jsmirlies@thecord.ca

Protesters shut down local MP lindSay purchaSe loCAl AND NAtioNAl EDitoR

Shelby blackley SpoRtS EDitoR

Ezra Avenue was flooded with almost 5,000 students Sunday afternoon. No serious incidents reported.

Keeping the peace No major incidents reported at Ezra St. patrick’s Day party alanna Fairey lEAD REpoRtER

Despite Ezra Street accumulating approximately 5,000 green clad students who came to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday, Waterloo Regional Police Servicse (WRPS) dealt with a generally peaceful crowd.

This was a slight increase of over the figure in comparison to last year.

Public affairs coordinator for WRPS Olaf Heinzel claimed that police took precautions in anticipation for the day.

“There was an extensive police presence throughout the day. Police are there to enforce the law and to assist people in the event that they need assistance in a number of different ways,” Heinzel said.

“They are there to protect all citizens of the community with our laws.”

Heinzel shared that the WRPS advertised their plans for St. Patrick’s Day in the weeks before through the media and social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter in order to ensure a good connection between police and students.

Though the police made their

presence known, the crowd remained peaceful and cooperative with the police force. Wilfrid Laurier University student Lena Reese took her past experiences from St. Patrick’s Day into account when she and her roommates arrived on Ezra Ave. “Last year I got a ticket for having an open bottle of alcohol in the streets and it cost me a few hundred dollars,” Reese said.

“I definitely didn’t want to get another ticket this year, so I made sure that my roommates and I did all of our drinking in our house before going out. We still had a good time, which is super important.”

Open liquor in the streets is an offense that comes with a fine of approximately $125. With this in mind, students were mindful of drinking their booze on the lawns of their property.

York University student Thomas Jarvie made sure that he was mindful of the laws. “I made sure that if I was going to drink outside, I wasn’t going to go past my buddy’s sidewalk,” Jarvie explained.

“The sidewalk is public property, so I made sure I avoided that no

matter how drunk I got.”

There were a few isolated incidents where students received a ticket from the police, however.

“The students were well-behaved, though there are exceptions to every case,” Heinzel said.

“However, considering the size of the number of people who were in that one particular area, things went quite smoothly.”

With this year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration behind them, the WRPS are already looking ahead for the upcoming year, with alcohol education being an ongoing lesson for university students.

Heinzel added that the public reception that the WRPS received via social media in regard to how St. Patrick’s Day was dealt with, among students and the Waterloo community, was generally positive.

“We appreciate for the most part that everyone was well behaved.

It’s a party day, and we understand that,” Heinzel concluded.

“Also, we appreciate that people were generally cooperative and that the feedback that we were receiving from the students and community has been very positive.”

Pro-life and pro-choice advocates clashed last week when protesters disrupted a talk by KitchenerCentre MP Stephen Woodworth at the University of Waterloo last Wednesday.

Woodworth was giving a speech to students on his initiative, Motion 312, which aims to have a review of the Criminal Code of Canada distinction of when life begins. The campus pro-life group UW Students for Life arranged the event.

“I was there to speak about democratic values as they relate to Motion 312, in particular my idea that the state ought not to have power to designate anyone as non-human without regard to their actual or true nature as a human being,” he explained.

Woodworth and counter-protestor Ethan Jackson, who was dressed in a vagina costume, gave varying accounts of the series of events that led up to the early conclusion to the event.

Jackson, a third-year arts student at Wilfrid Laurier University, said that the counter-protest group listened to Woodworth speak for 34 minutes before becoming verbal about their views. When they began protesting, according to Jackson, “the lecture was not going because he called a 15 minute break.”

The protestors were a mix of students from both universities, as well as community members.

“I was attempting to continue when they began their operation,” Woodworth countered, saying that he had only been talking for 15-20 minutes and was responding to a question at the time.

“It didn’t seem possible to stop them, so it just seemed reasonable to terminate the event. Once they

left, there were still a few people who had remained behind and we had a nice discussion.”

The video of the disagreement was later posted to YouTube. Some of the protesters carried signs, included one which said “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries.”

The protestors came up to the front of the room into the area where Woodworth was giving his lecture.

While the protesters were in opposition to Woodworth’s motion and identified as pro-choice, Jackson clarified that that did not mean they were pro-abortion.

“We want the choice for access to safe and accessible health care.

What motion 312 is doing is ignoring the entire medical structure and the procedures in place around abortion,” Jackson said.

Woodworth felt that the actions of the group demonstrated disregard for democratic values.

“This is not conducive to free speech or democracy, to suppress the views of those who do not agree with you is the very embodiment of anti-democratic behaviour,” he said.

“But it is a symptom of abortionism to want to set abortion above every democratic value.”

However, according to Jackson, “What was happening at the podium and my talk with him is not an infringement of freedom of speech; because there was no lecture going on.”

The counter-protesters left voluntarily, Woodworth clarified.

When asked by The Cord whether he would return to UW to speak on that topic, Woodworth responded, “I would not refuse an invitation to come back just because of antidemocratic extremists. If we do that, if we start allowing such people to suppress views they don’t agree with, all hope is lost.”

CouRtESY of iMpRiNt publiCAtioNS

Protesters gathered to shut down Woodworth’s talk at UW.

Subway brought in to increase food options —cover

criStina rucchetta lEAD pHotogRApHER

Subway will open in late April in the Bricker Academic building.

putting the Subway in the Bricker Academic Building, that will divert some of the food traffic and hopefully try to stabilize things. It’s an under serviced area of the campus, and probably one of the highest volume buildings as far as classroom instruction.”

Chris Walker, vice-president of university affairs at the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, echoed Dawson’s comments and further explained how placing a food outlet in the Bricker building will help with congestion issues. For him, having a location away from the central hub of campus — which houses both the dining hall and the Terrace — was an important decision that will hopefully benefit students.

“Right now we’ve got a Tim Horton’s available in other locations,

but nothing really of substance. Tim Horton’s is more of a snack or a coffee, but bringing in a Subway in the Bricker Building will allow us to spread out the need,” he said.

Dawson also explained that the kiosk — which will be located in the main foyer of Bricker Academic — will hopefully alleviate the long wait times that student experience while getting food, especially during the busy lunch hours.

“We’ve known for some time that lunch is the busiest period, that’s where all our congestion is. We had recently done, in the fall, the diningstyle survey through Aramark, and the results came back very strongly that students find a lot of congestion in that time frame,” Dawson continued.

This location, according to Walker, will not only benefit students who have class in the Bricker building, but also those that live close by,

either in residence or in off-campus housing.

“Part of it is space,” he said.

“We’ve identified a space in Bricker Academic that will work well for this. The other part is that Bricker Academic is close access not only to students in Science, but also a lot of off-campus students in that area, so it’s in a high-traffic area.”

Many students have already expressed excitement upon hearing that a Subway will be opening on campus.

When asked about his thoughts regarding the new location, Daniel Graziotto, a third-year student, said to The Cord: “Really? That’s crazy, and awesome.”

Graziotto also expressed that the new addition will greatly benefit students who have the majority of classes in the Bricker and Science buildings, as it can be bothersome to walk across campus to get lunch.

4 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

Campus New projects approved for SLL funding Campus News Editor Elizabeth DiCesare edicesare@thecord.ca

the Student life levy Committee has given the go-ahead on proposals to enhance student life on campus elizabeth dicesare CAMpuS NEWS EDitoR

Last month, the Student Life Levvy (SLL) Committee approved 18 of the 33 projects that were proposed to enhance student life on the Wilfrid Laurier University campus.

The SLL is a pool of money that all undergraduates pay into in order to support these projects, which are chosen each year. The goals of these projects are to enhance campus life for students, as well as their overall experiences while studying.

The cost for the 2012 to 2013 year was $32.80 for each student per semester, which accumulated a grand total of $1, 039,515.49. Of this amount, $577,919.71 was given to the 18 approved projects, with another $461,595.78 allocated towards the Athletic Complex expansion.

Of the 18 projects that were approved for the Waterloo campus for the 2012 to the 2013 year, the majority were with regards to renovating current study space, such as adding more outlets to the library, and aiding enhancing mental and physical health, which includes new yogi yoga classes.

“It’s pretty straight-forward,” said Jon Pryce, chair of the board of directors and chief governance officer.

“And it’s actually Waterloo-student based.”

Waterloo students pay into the SLL each semester that they are enrolled. The cost, according to Appendix A of the SLL agreement states that the index price rises 2.5 per cent annually.

While reviewing the proposed projects, the committee must analyze how they fit into specific guidelines to ensure that they will, in fact, benefit students.

“We have to make sure that the projects that come to us increase

opportunities for students,” explained Pryce. “They’re pretty selfexplanatory: improve personal health and fitness, increase opportunity for students to engage with each other, culture and learning outside of classroom space, so very strict criteria.”

“And then obviously the committee can determine something else that is kind of along the lines but not exact,” he continued.

There can, however, be some flexibility within these guidelines if a project has the potential to benefit students in alternative ways.

“If we find that there are other needs that students have, as determined by the committee, we will say ‘okay, this is what will enhance student life,’” said Pryce.

The ones that were declined, which Pryce said he was not at liberty to discuss, were because they did not fit any of the guidelines or provide enough justification to fit.

While these projects are limited to the Waterloo campus as of now, Brantford students did vote to create a SLL for their campus in 2011, but it was denied.

“They just didn’t see a value in it,” commented Pryce.

However, any Laurier student can make a proposal for an SLL project.

If a member of the voting committee approves the project on the first level, it is then taken to their annual meeting to be discussed and then either officially passed or declined.

“It’s one of those situations where we all [want to] achieve the same thing and enhance student life,” concluded Pryce.

“That’s what I really like about this committee, [and] you see the university’s angle and you see the Student’s Union angle, and we compromise, and we come up with a collective solution.”

Combating procrastination Writing Centre hosts all-night event marissa evans lEAD REpoRtER

At the beginning of the second term students vow to start all their assignments early and to stop procrastinating, but with the end of term only a few weeks away and a mountain of due dates looming, some were in need of some serious procrastination rehabilitation.

Last Thursday, the Writing Centre hosted The Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP), an event which tried to help students pervent procrastinating.

The Writing Centre opened its doors to students from 8:00 p.m. on Thursday until 8:00 a.m. Friday, and invited students to work on their assignments in a quiet environment with access to help from tutors throughout the night.

While this was Wilfrid Laurier University’s first LNAP, the event has been running internationally at university writing centres since 2010. Laurier was the second university in Canada to host a LNAP. “We’re always looking at providing writing support in ways that students actually want it,” Boba Samuels, a writing consultant at the Writing Centre, explained. “So recognizing that sometimes students may be writing late at night.”

She acknowledged that the

Writing Centre tends to get busy near the end of term and so students may have difficulties booking an appointment. The event provided students with the opportunity to get help at a time that is normally not available to them and is perhaps more convenient.

“Students don’t always keep business hours,” explained Matthew Grant, a tutor who helped at the event. “That’s hard to reconcile sometimes, but this is one way that we’re trying.”

Grant was one of five tutors who were at the event for the full twelve hours, while four other tutors took shifts throughout the night.

Erika Bauder, a first-year sociology student who attended the LNAP, noted the unique experience it provided students with to get feedback from tutors throughout their writing process.

Grant agreed, saying, “It can be pretty invaluable to have that instant feedback.”

Additional support took the form of small writing workshops which tutors ran periodically throughout the night.

One of the major goals of the event which Samuels highlighted was to promote the Writing Centre services so that students use them at others times of the year as well.

“The other goal is to really think

jody waardenburg StAff pHotogRApHER

Students were able to stay up for 12 hours and receive help on assignments from tutors.

about community,” she said. “To make people recognize that this is a support that we offer and you can be part of a writing community.”

Samuels went on to explain that they are trying to build a community where people will feel comfortable enough to share their writing.

For Connor Miller, a first-year history student, the event was the

first encounter he’d had with the Writing Centre, introducing him to the services they offer. He found the LNAP to be enjoyable and helpful.

“It’s been a good opportunity to have somewhere quiet to sit without worrying about getting kicked out at some point in time like at the library,” Miller continued.

He and Bauder commented they’d

like to see the event run at least once per term. Samuels explained that there will be another event next year, and there is a possibility of organizing one for the fall term as well.

“It’s a nice way of collaborating with other people,” she said. “You get the sense that if you’re struggling with a paper you’re not the only one.”

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

CAMPUS

• 5

Incident sparks safety reminder TAYLOR BROWN CORD NEWS

NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Students came together last Thursday to raise awareness for mental health on the Laurier campus.

A walk for mental health JUSTIN SMIRLIES NEWS DIRECTOR

The Mental Health Education Group (MHEG) at Wilfrid Laurier University held an event last Thursday to get students talking — and walking — for mental health awareness.

The event, Love My Life: A Walk for Mental Health, featured a 12hour long walk, a free Zumba class and a featured speaker. Drew Dudley, the founder of Nuance Leadership Development Services and motivational speaker, talked about his experiences with living with a mental illness.

“The most powerful thing that a speaker can do is to get people to say, ‘Oh, I thought I was the only one,’” Dudley told The Cord following his speech. “When I finally heard someone talk about this, it gave me permission, to myself, to talk about it too. And I never try and pass up the opportunity to maybe offer that same opportunity for someone.”

Dudley has been living with hypomania bipolar disorder and has used his experiences to help bring down the stigma revolving around mental health and mental illness on university campuses.

His points really resonated with one of the event coordinators and Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union president and CEO, Michael

Onabolu. Onabolu, who has shared some of his issues with mental illness openly in the past, has been heavily involved with the development of MHEG. “It was huge for me, especially a lot of the things that he said I could identify with,” Onabolu said about meeting Dudley.

Onabolu said he formed the group with Adrienne Luft, the mental health student support team leader at Laurier, to find an avenue to increase the discussion about mental well-being on campus. The group was formed back in the fall.

“Coming into this [position as WLUSU president], I campaigned on mental health awareness and kind of raising that bar and trying to reduce that stigma. Getting the role, I felt like I had a lot of accumulated interest, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to spend it or do with it,” explained Onabolu.

He explained how there were two sides of the group – the education side and the advisory side.

“There was the education side, so I really wanted to raise the awareness ... but there was also the advisory side we just wanted to talk a bit more about the systemic issues and some of the things we can get more information on to make recommendations to the university and some of the groups on campus,” he said,

adding that MHEG has been reaching out to the community to increase their partnerships.

Luft said that the challenge with the event was the temperature, but felt the event was a success. Next year she hopes to “draw bigger crowds.”

Donations were also collected at the event for Beautiful Minds, a group associated with the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

“This has been a very developmental year. This is the first year the group has actually existed. We’re going to be engaging in some planning discussions to figure out ... where we want to head as a group,” Luft said about future plans.

However, Luft noted that there are still come challenges when it comes to talking about mental illness and hopes to receive some feedback from the students in the near future about how they can open up that discussion.

The first challenge is to the change the culture of thinking around mental illness and mental health.

“They’re the person first, not their illness,” she said. “I think that when we’re looking at changing and shifting how we look at those things we need to address people, not just illness and symptoms.”

The Wilfrid Laurier University Library is not a place where we would expect to be overly active. It’s associated with long, tiring nights and textbooks, but on March 12 something a little more interesting happened.

Two Special Constables walked through the library looking for someone who didn’t belong on campus.

A man, who was not associated with Laurier, left a bundle of clothes and personal items in the library, which was given to the library’s lost and found. The man returned looking for his bundle and was directed to the Special Constables Service (SCS) where his items were returned to him.

“We were just in the library making sure that he wasn’t back in the library,” Chris Hancocks, operations manager for Special Constables, told The Cord.

However, it’s somewhat troubling for students when they realize that campus is not always their own.

Nicholas Dinka, a library communications officer, explained that Laurier is a public space.

“We get members of the general community, we have external researchers come in, there are people who have courses cross-listed with University of Waterloo who will sometimes come in,” he said.

“They might not be Laurier students but they’re members of the general community and the policy is that it’s an open space.”

According to Dinka however, the Special Constables are quick to respond whenever an issue faces arises.

“We’ve been really fortunate here over the years, in terms of security in the library,” explained Dinka. “It’s been a very safe environment but we also recognize you always need to be vigilant.”

“We were just in the library making sure that he wasn’t back in the library.”

—Chris Hancocks, operations manager for Special Constables Services Jen Blackwell, a second-year Kinesiology student, shared that she is glad that Special Constables are around because she frequently finds herself on campus at night.

“I’m a commuter so I usually need to make it worth my while to come on campus to use the library,” she said.

“I usually come after the public libraries are closed and stay as late as possible. It’s important that I feel safe on campus because I have a million other things I could devote my attention to.”

Unfortunately, crime can be common on university campuses, but Hancocks said that Laurier’s problems are “the same as everywhere.”

“We get calls for everything; property damage, we get called for assault, we get called for liquor infractions, drugs,” he continued.

Despite this, student safety is their main concern.

Hancocks explained that Special Constable Services and programs like Foot Patrol can further ease peoples’ minds when they find themselves on campus late at night.

“They can call us at any time.

We’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we’ll respond appropriately and we’re always here for the staff, students and faculty,” he concluded.

‘5 Days’ receives donation after theft JUSTIN SMIRLIES NEWS DIRECTOR

To increase their donation count after the campaign was completed, the 5 Days for the Homeless team at Wilfrid Laurier University decided to host a barbecue on Ezra Avenue on St. Patrick’s Day – where nearly 6 ,000 students celebrating the annual event.

However, around $600 of their proceeds — which were held in a donation box at their booth on Ezra — was stolen.

“We had the cash box out there right there in front of me, and it just got stolen. I realized it a second too

late and couldn’t grab the guy. [It] had at least $600 in there,” explained Laiya Carayannopoulos, the campaign director for 5 Days.

“We contacted the police immediately but there is nothing they could do. They filed report, but there was 6 ,000 people there, there’s no chance that they’re going to find them.”

Carayannopoulos noted that news of this theft had spread shortly after it occurred.

“A lot of people have been talking about it, a lot of people know about through word of mouth and it has spread. A lot of people are really upset about it — so outraged by it,” she

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explained.

As a result of the theft, the Loyal Order of the Waterbuffalos — a campus club that hosts social gatherings for various charities — donated $500 in compensation.

The Waterbuffs, as they are called, hosted an event on St. Patrick’s Day that generated donations, and they decided to share some of their proceeds.

“After hearing what happened to 5 Days for the Homeless, it was such a terrible thing from such a great day.

St. Patrick’s Day has always been a great fundraising opportunity for the Royal Order of the Waterbuffs as well as the Laurier community,”

explained Duncan McConey, a Laurier student and Waterbuffs executive. “So we wanted to give back to the 5 Days for the Homeless and help out with the losses.”

“We have this money and we look for opportunities like this where we can give back to the Laurier students who are involved,” he added.

In total, the 5 Days campaign raised approximately $10,000 for Reaching Our Outdoor Friends (ROOF) and Argus Residence, two youth shelters in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

Carayannopulos noted that the figure last year was similar.

“It’s a huge thing to accomplish

in 5 days,” added Carayannopulos.

“The response outside of the money has been really amazing too. It was around $10,000 but the money came from different places.”

She added that she hopes that the support she saw on campus during the campaign continues and that students lend a helping hand to those in need.

“I really want people to carry that forward and to understand the stigma surrounding homelessness isn’t correct a lot of the time. If you were willing to show that kindness to someone on your campus, the next time you [see] someone out in the cold, just reach out,” she said.

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6 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

LocaL Public explores GRT service, rate changes Local Editor Lindsay Purchase lpurchase@thecord.ca

laura buck StAff WRitER

Grand River Transit (GRT) will be undergoing significant service changes in the upcoming year. In light of these developments, the transit system has welcomed the voice of members of Waterloo Region, giving them an opportunity to share their concerns and questions over the proposed 2013 Transit Service Improvement Plan.

On March 18, GRT held the first in a series of public consultations at the University of Waterloo. The aim of the consultations is to provide the public with details concerning the proposed 2013 Transit Improvement Plan. Students and locals alike gathered around a circuit of display boards, speaking with representatives of GRT who were eager to answer any questions and address concerns.

“I’m just curious about the bus routes,” said Fred Yuan, a student at UW.” I find some of the routes here redundant. Some of them are overlapping, like the 201 iXpress overlaps with the 7 and 8 and I didn’t know why it was needed.”

The proposed service improvements include a variety of modifications to existing routes, including increased and extended hours of service. An extension to the existing 201 iXpress route, the

heather davidson StAff PHotogRAPHER

GRT representatives were at UW on Monday to answer questions about the 2013 Transit Plan.

implementation of a new University iXpress route between The Boardwalk at Ira Needles Boulevard and Conestoga Mall, as well as various improvements to the service on routes 5 Erb West, 6 Bridgeport and 12 Conestoga Mall, are among the key amendments.

Erica Springate, principal planner at GRT spoke to The Cord about some of the upcoming services offered.

“Our iXpress routes have been really successful. We have a network of 7 iXpress routes planned and they’re designed to provide travel across cities, to bring people from the outer neighbourhoods into the planned rapid transit stations,” she explained. “This[new] university iXpress will serve the Eastbridge neighbourhood and then out to RIM Park. It will also serve UW, Laurier and Conestoga College.”

Reid Fulton, a transit planner at GRT was enthusiastic at the prospect of the new University iXpress.

“It will provide an opportunity for more direct travel options.It will be a faster, more convenient option compared to some of the options that are out there, because it will be more direct,” he said.

Springate also explained that there would be an across-the-board increase to the current bus fare,

which will be effective as of July 2013. “A 7 per cent increase was approved this year. It’s possible that we’ll see that similar increase likely every year for the next little while, to help balance the cost of doing these service improvements.”

Chantal de Sereville, a fourthyear English major at UW and frequent rider of GRT, was pleased by the efforts of the transit system to involve the community in their development process.

“I think it’s great that they’re doing this,” she commented. It really shows that they do have an interest in the opinions and concerns of their transit users, and that’s really comforting.”

In addition to new iXpress route and various route service developments, GRT has also introduced the Rapid Transit (RT) service which Fulton explained will be adopted in the central north-south corridor along with Light Rail Transit (LRT), which is scheduled to begin operations by 2017.

There will be three additional public consultations this week and next at various locations in Kitchener and Waterloo. Students and members of the community are encouraged to attend the consultations to review and provide feedback on the proposed 2013 Fare Options.

More information can be found at grt.ca.

New restaurants near university to open soon daina goldfinger CoRD NEWS

heather davidson StAff PHotogRAPHER

Ye’s Sushi and Shoeless Joe’s will soon open beside Gino’s Pizza.

For the last couple of years, students have passed by King Street and University Avenue wondering exactly when and what is opening beside the Starbucks plaza. Finally, the building is up and businesses are starting to open.

Last Friday, Gino’s Pizza had its grand opening, the first of the three businesses to open at the 253 King St. N. location. Ye’s Sushi and Shoeless Joe’s will also be operating out of that location.

“There used to be a Gino’s here ten years ago and they have always wanted one in Waterloo,” explained Rajid, a current employee of Gino’s Pizza.

He claimed that Gino’s will be able to differentiate itself from the many pizza joints in the area because “it has an authentic Italian taste to it and is different from other pizza places.”

Gino’s is open until 2 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, 3 a.m.

Thursday and 5 a.m. over the weekend.

As for the Ye’s Sushi and Shoeless Joe’s openings, students will have to wait a little bit longer. According Alison Krokoszynski, beverage and marketing manager of Shoeless Joe’s, the restaurant is scheduled to open up April 4.

“We really want to be involved and give back to the community, and create an environment of team spirit,” said Krokoszynski. “We are not sure if we are going to get involved with the student card, SPC card, or maybe even house our own student discounts. All of those ideas are still up in the air.”

Krokoszynski commented that she loves how Shoeless Joe’s is at the heart of the Kitchener-Waterloo area and that they are in such close proximity to both universities and also to so many different businesses, which will contribute to a lot of customer traffic.

“A home-team advantage program will be offered to all kinds of athletic teams, social groups,

fraternities and sororities,” explained Krokoszynski.

“We will keep track of all of the food purchases of that group and we will give back 15 per cent to them, so they can do events here or even get catering.”

Shoeless Joe’s will also incorporate a rooftop patio and bar into its restaurant.

Regarding Ye’s Sushi, little information is yet to be released. However, Dan Dawson, assistant VP of student affairs, was able to shed some light.

“We haven’t heard anything official, but I understand it is to open this summer some time, at the earliest spring,” said Dawson. “Whenever there is new locations, it gives the students more choice and flexibility, but also causes the businesses to focus on creative marketing and good customer service.”

According to Dawson, the new businesses will have to earn the success they deserve in order to keep up with constant evolution and change in the hospitality industry.

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

LocaL

‘Nerd girl’ takes reality show title

Safety a concern —cover

UW student Celeste Anderson wins $100,000 on King of the Nerds katelyn cullum lEAD REpoRtER

“To me, a nerd is someone who is extremely passionate about a specific thing, or has many interests and tries to obtain knowledge about it and develops an extreme passion for it.”

Celeste Anderson, a first-year computer science student at the University of Waterloo (UW) expressed her definition of a nerd with valuable insight. Anderson recently starred on King Of The Nerds, a reality TV show that filmed in the summer of 2012. In the season finale, which recently aired, Anderson was crowned King and claimed a $100,000 prize.

Along with beating out ten other contestants that possessed specific “nerd” qualities, such as a planetary protection engineer at NASA, a fantasy writer and an live-action role player.

“It looks like it’s going mostly to my university education,” Anderson said, explaining that her initial plan was to not use it towards school.

“I’m probably going to save the rest and invest it.”

She explained that she is aiming to work for a reputable game company or make her own video games after finishing her degree.

Anderson was the only Canadian contestant on the show and out-skilled the others in various games, including building a giant Rubik’s Cube and participating in a nerd dancing contest, where her team had 24 hours to write and choreograph a nerd song and perform

it in front of three judges and a live audience.

Challenges like this tested Anderson’s past fear of participating in social situations. She explained when she was really young she “was really socially awkward and couldn’t talk to people.”

“I had trouble going up to a cashier and paying for something,” she added.”

After graduating high school, Anderson, a speedcuber and professional gamer, focused on competitions as well as her job at EB Games for a few years. “[Video games] have always been a part of my life,” she explained. “I grew up with my boy cousins so I always thought it was very natural for all of us to have video games.”

After receiving an e-mail from a man she had met in 2007 while on a video game tour across Canada, she was given the opportunity to put together an audition video and was later flown out to California for an interview. Filming began two days later.

Her success remained a secret until last week when the finale aired.

Anderson found it difficult to keep it a secret, although she was able to tell her parents. As a teenager, Anderson said her parents thought her heavy gaming “was really weird and actually tried to push me to stop it.”

However, her parents are proud of her achievement in the reality show and are especially content with her return to school.

“I’m trying to represent females in computer science because there are not a lot of females in this program,”

• 7

nick lachance pHotogRApHY MANAgER

celeste anderson grew up playing video games with her cousins.

Anderson said.

Sher DiCiccio, the school administrative officer for the Cheriton School of Computer Science at UW, explained that typically female students make up 14 per cent of their entering class.

“We appreciate the focus on a first-year female computer science student because we would like to encourage females to enroll in our program,” DiCiccio explained.

However, DiCiccio emphasized that the type of computer science represented on the show is not

entirely academic.

“I guess what we are trying to say is that computer science is a lot more of a diverse area of study than just the area of creating computer games,” she said. “That’s a very small focus.”

Regardless, Anderson is proud and humble of her accomplishments. “It was probably the craziest experience I’ve ever been through,” Anderson expressed. “[Gaming] is the only thing that seems to make me happy.”

of bottles directly into each other’s mouths and some of this involved minors as well.”

The Firehall opened at the 140 University Ave West location in September 2012.

According to Murray, adequate notice of infractions was given. A meeting was held by the AGCO with Firehall representatives on March 7, which was followed up by a letter on March 11 to go over the alleged problems. The establishment was also notified when each incident occurred .

“They always know. It never just sort of shows up later,” said Murray. “The inspector at the time will speak to whoever is in charge … and advise them that there has been a breach and that they will be submitting a report on this incident.”

The suspension occurred after “the licensee disregarded the safety of its staff and patrons again on March 16 by again exceeding its legal capacity and permitting these minors to consume alcohol,” said Murray.

The Firehall has 15 days to request a hearing with the AGCO license appeal tribunal.

“The licensee would give evidence why the interim suspension should be lifted and why the licence should not be revoked,” Murray said, on what would occur at an appeal. “The AGCO would provide evidence on why the interim suspension should stay in place until a determination as to whether the license should be revoked has been completed and I’m sure would argue that the licence should be revoked and give examples of why.”

Firehall management declined to comment, indicating that they are waiting for a appeal with the AGCO.

8 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

NATIONAL

National Editor Lindsay Purchase lpurchase@thecord.ca

Program a debt factor University of Guelph study reveals field of study has more impact on debt default levels than post-graduate salaries

12-13% $19,212 9.41% Amount of university and college graduates who had more than $5,000 in non-governmental loans

LINDSAY PURCHASE LOCAL AND NATIONAL EDITOR STEPHANIE TRUONG GRAPHICS EDITOR

Senate under fire JORDAN SMITH CORD NEWS

There has been considerable news coverage on the performance and credibility of Canadian Senators as of late.

Senator Patrick Brazeau recently came under fire for legal indiscretions, while Senator Mike Duffy was found to be claiming a residence allowance for a province he wasn’t living in. Criticism of the Upper Chamber and its members is mounting, leading to questions about whether changes might be needed or if the Senate should exist at all.

Barry Kay, a political analyst and political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, explained that “for the most part, the majority of them are seen, barely or not, as … political hacks that are getting rewarded for having assisted the party in one way or another.”

To address the issues of reforming the Senate, the Conservative government tabled Bill C-7, the Senate Reform Act, in June 2011.

Among the main tenets of the Act is to implement an election process in determining Senate members, which are currently appointed positions.

“It’s important for Canadians to have a say in who represents them in the Senate and that’s why we are looking to create a democratic process for the selection of Senators from Bill C-7,” said Kitchener-Waterloo centre Conservative MP Peter Braid.

Kay speculated, “My guess is we’re not going to even get to that

stage.”

However distant, these potential changes to the Senate do raise questions. If the Senate members were to be elected, what would that mean for those who sit in the House of Commons?

“It is not the intention to have a democratically elected Senate trump a democratically elected House of Commons,”Braid clarified.

He also pointed out that “the framework [for democratic elections for Senators] already exists,” drawing on Alberta as an example. Since its 1989 Senatorial Act, Alberta has used a democratic process to choose senators, who were then appointed by the Prime Minister.

The NDP has also been vocal lately about its opposition to the Senate and is seeking its complete abolition.

“Frankly, it’s not going to happen, “said Kay. “Contrary to the … view of the NDP you cannot simply wave a magic wand to abolish the Senate,” Braid added.

“It is our understanding that at a minimum abolition of the senate would require the consent of at least seven provinces representing 50 per cent of the population.”

The NDP have pledged to work with the population and opposition in this process.

Even if the NDP were to be elected to a majority government it is unlikely that they would be able to enact the abolition of the Senate.

“Unless the provinces are in line, it’s probably not going to happen,” said Kay.

It’s a well-established fact that students are emerging from post-secondary education with more debt than ever before. Given increased competition over fewer jobs, combined with the rising cost of higher education, it’s hardly surprising that many students are defaulting on their loans post-graduation.

However, according to a recent study, increased probability of defaulting on government loans may have more to do with field of study than income.

“Liberal arts graduates were much more likely to default than graduates of engineering and applied programs such as business and computer science. But even when we controlled for earnings those differences still remained,” said David Walters, a professor at the University of Guelph and one of three coauthors on the study.

“So, in other words, the default levels are less to do with earnings and something to do specifically with the characteristics of the programs.”

The research was done in conjunction with Laura Wright, currently a PhD candidate at Western University, and Nippissing University professor David Zarifa.

The study made use of information from the Statistics Canada National Graduates Survey, which polls a body of approximately 40, 000 graduates every two years. Only information from university undergraduates and college undergraduates was used.

Walters clarified that “both level and field matter” in terms of debt defaulting, meaning that programs and type of post-secondary education have an impact.

Although the study was not able to isolate particular reasoning for why liberal arts graduates tend to default at higher rates both at the

Average amount of student loans for university undergraduate in 2005

College graduates that defaulted on student loans within two years of graduating

college and university level, Walters has some theories.

“We think it has to do with skills they’re obtaining in their programs.

So, for example, graduates of business programs in particular, they’re more likely to take courses involving numeracy or courses where they deal with finances,” he speculated.

“They’ve learned skills in school that could help them navigate through their own debt.”

Inexperience in dealing with personal finances may also be contributing to the problem.

“Most of these students, you know, when they come to university, they haven’t even had a credit card.

So the concept of debt and debt management is completely foreign to them,” said Walters.

discrepancies between college and university default statistics.

“Colleges draw a higher proportion of lower income students who lack family financial support. Having the same starting salary in these cases does not mean having the same ability to pay off debt,” she explained.

“This kind of family support could easily … have skewed the study’s statistics by showing a lower rate of default that has nothing to do with universities versus college, nothing to do with choice of program or student characteristics.”

Walters and co-researchers found that the amount of students defaulting on their loans was far fewer than the figures found in the media, with their numbers suggesting between two and ten per cent default rates.

After careful consideration, the discrepancy was found to be the result of including or excluding drop-outs in calculations of loan defaults.

“Those results in comparison show that at least getting your credential, your degree or diploma, does wonders in terms of your ability to not default,” Walter said.

The implications of student loan defaults should not be underestimated, according to Walter.

“Defaulting on your student loan can have serious implications in terms of your credit rating,” he said.

“Many of them [students] are aware of it, but it’s a backseat issue in their minds.”

Mitchell added, “They don’t really understand how harshly the government will claw back dollars from them … It leads to nightmares of collection agents and legal hassles, just very stressful.”

Walter expressed that universities and student loan centers need to do more to help educate students on dealing with debt, as well as increasing awareness of the services that are available to assist with debt repayment after graduation.

“Most of these students ... when they come to university, they haven’t even had a credit card.”

—David Walters, professor at the University of Guelph

Jeannine Mitchell is a financial writer and founder of the Student Finance 101 website and society, which offers resources to aid student financial literacy. She believes that there are socioeconomic issues the study has neglected to reflect in its theories.

“It looks at the income of the students, but it doesn’t look at family income and this is a huge issue,” she asserted. Mitchell also acknowledged that this could impact

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• 9

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

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.

Dear Life, I think the people at The Cord need to stop being so ignorant and biased and stop hating on the Students’ Union. Cord, I challenge you to actually post this.

Sincerely, WLUSU Dear Life, Why do roommates have to be such bitches when you move in during the last year of school? You could at least say “hi” when you see me in the kitchen. … I’ve tried talking and inviting you guys out. No wonder I’m never home. Fuck you.

Sincerely, Roommate you ignore for no reason Dear Life, For whoever it was that recently published a Dear Life segment about cutting ERT, if you want them at emergencies…call them. You can’t expect EMS to telepathically know to show up, so it is beyond unreasonable to expect that a bunch of devoted students who volunteer their free time to keep their campus safe will be able to do that. Think next time before you offend a group of people that volunteer for the sole purpose of helping you. ERT runs 3 p.m.-3 a.m. weekdays, and 24 hours starting at 3 p.m. Friday and going until 3 a.m. Sunday. Call them (ext: 3333), they are here to help, and better yet they genuinely want to.

Sincerely, ERT rocks my socks Dear Life, The table in the Business Atrium that I am writing this on is so wobbly that I might not be able to finish this message. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But it did spill my coffee.

Sincerely, My science roommate doesn’t even let me call it an ‘atrium’ Dear Life, I think the president-elect is really pretty.

Sincerely, Crushin’ on Constantinescu Dear Life, Would people please move to the back of the bus instead of acting like squished sardines in only half of the

can!

Sincerely, Stop crowding the door and learn to push your way there Dear Life, Health magazines are not lying about this generation’s problem with obesity when an entire elevator full of people get off at the second floor in the DAWB. Sincerely, Stop being fat asses and walk up one flight of stairs for God’s sake Dear Life, I know I’m about six months late with this complaint (and I really don’t want to be a negative Nancy) but why does the Dining Hall have to suck so f*cking much?? All in to tear down that stupid wall and return the set-up to what it was last year?! I think yes…

Sincerely, Tim Horton’s no. 1 customer Dear Life, WHY ARE YOU YELLING “SEND IT” IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIFTH FLOOR OF THE LIBRARY? NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR THAT YOU HAVE FOOTBALL PRACTICE. Sincerely, I CAN YELL TOO Dear Life, An Ode to St. Party’s Day, chug it, slurp it, lick it good green this, green that MORNING WOOD cheers it, beers it, clears your cup leggo bitch lets get fucked up loose it, puke it, dude wheres your drink? mann I dunnoo… I was puking in a sink…

Sincerely, St. Patt’s Fucked me this weekend… and I took it like a champ Dear Life, I think I’d like Dance A$$ better if William Shatner covered it.

Sincerely, Ass. Ass. Ass. Ass. Ass. Ass. Ass. Ass Dear Life, I’m diving into the mysterious world of M2M technology.

I would rather be eating M&Ms. Sincerely, Third-year BBA Student Battling ICE Week Dear Life, ”(I write this reeling, Having got drunk exceedingly today, So that I seem to stand upon the ceiling) I say — the future is a serious matter — And so — for God’s sake — hock and soda water!”

Sincerely, Byron, after St. Pat’s

Dear Life, Thank you SO much for placing me at KSR North. I can hear the sound of the violin every day and it makes me extremely happy. Violin guy in my building, I LOVE YOU. Sincerely, In love

Sudoku (answers in next week’s paper)

Dear Life, To the drunk men on the bus: Thank you for affirming the fact that my short hair enables me to identify unintelligent, undiscerning, inconsiderate men whose testicles are larger than their brains. If you have such a hard time determining gender, I wish you all the best in life.

Sincerely, It isn’t that hard Dear Life, Do you ever find yourself listing off the residences: MacDonald House, Bricker, Euler… Euler? Anyone?

Euler…?

Sincerely, Save Ferris

Look for more Dear Life on

thecord.ca

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10 •

In Depth Editor

•

Vacant

•

IN DE

editor@thecord.ca

Bringing the farm into the city As community gardens and urban farms become more and more popular in Waterloo Region, Cord Community Edition Editor-in-Chief HG Watson explores some local urban agriculture

Container Gardening: A How To This guide will help you build a self-watering water bottle container to grow herbs in. You need: • • • •

•

a bottle with a spout soil some rocks a piece of cotton or water absorbent fabric (it needs to plug the hole of the spout) seeds, or an herb starter

Step 1) Cut the water bottle about ¼ from the bottom so that the planting area is larger than the water reservoir Step 2) Place your fabric through the spout and tie a knot in the side that will make up the planting area. This is so soil doesn’t breach through.

Step 3) Put some drainage rocks in the bottle all around the fabric — this provides drainage and stops the soil for mixing with the water.

Step 4) Add soil and seeds. The seeds should be planted just a fingernail length in the soil. Add some water into the reservoir area. You can also buy a plant starter — this plant is already alive and growing, you just have to keep it healthy.

Step 5) Once all these steps are complete, water the plant once from the top — after that, the plant will get all the water it needs from the water reservoir.

M

arch has begun, yet on a Wednesday in Kitchener, the ground is still covered in two feet of snow and there’s a distinct chill in the air. It’s hard to believe spring is just around the corner.

Inside the GROW Greenhouse and Garden, it’s another story. The small shed is awash in green thanks to a recent planting of microgreens and other produce that the market garden — funded and owned by The Working Centre — has been cultivating throughout the winter. In here, it seems we’ve been transported about a month into spring.

Adam Kramer and Michele Sip are showing me around their little piece of bio-heaven. Both of them have worked here throughout the winter season. Kramer is the full-time staff person for GROW, as well as The Working Centre’s other agriculture project, Hacienda Sarria Market Garden, while Sip will return to Rockaway Gardens in the spring.

They point out a tub where fish will soon be living, and the flat full of pots of basil seeds waiting to sprout up. “Here,” says Kramer, passing me a handful of little plants he plucks straight out of a tray, “Try these radish sprouts.” The leafy greens with long red stems don’t look much like radishes.

I pop the plants into my mouth and suddenly my taste buds are overwhelmed and I get the feeling that my sinuses may spring out of my skull. These are some high quality microgreens, grown not far away from where people go to work every day.

It might be hard for some people to conceive of vegetable gardening as a trendy thing to do. But several generations are becoming more and more interested in what we eat and where it’s come from. Movements like Slow Food encourage people to eat only what’s local, and it’s not entirely uncommon to walk into a downtown apartment and find pots full of cooking herbs lining the window sill.

Kramer has definitely noticed the upsurge in gardening culture in K-W. “Even two years ago there were people doing great stuff,” he says. But in the last year, he points out that several new community gardens and farms have sprung up.

For some, the prospect of growing all the food that will end up on your table might seem a little daunting. But it’s not the challenge you might think.

Greg Roberts and his partner, Karin, are the coowners of Little City Farm, an urban homestead in the heart of downtown Kitchener. “We always thought we would move to the country and live our homestead dream,” he says. “But we never found property that suited us.” They realized that the

property the support sma to the cultur be near.

Little City also a bed an can learn th dent grower workshops i become self and cheese m For them eryone beco idea of culti making othe it by creatin or growing s achievable.”

The probl isn’t that the finding spac Some garde long waiting nity Garden St. in Kitche Working Ce While the side of the d the ability to and fruits ar of gardens a in downtow Accessibi mobility iss raised beds dens that ca abilities is s However, gins to see t Popovic is a Waterloo Pu community in some cas their own. “ and that’s ex wants to pas Recent Ci that commu dential or bu exists to sup private land groups thro organization to provide th Popovic.

EPTH

ey owned was already big enough to all-scale agriculture. Plus it was close re and community that they wanted to

y Farm goes beyond just farming. It’s nd breakfast and a place where people he tips and tricks to become indepenrs themselves. Greg and Karin offer in everything you’d need to know to f-sufficient, from seed starting, to soap making. it’s not necessarily about making evome an urban homesteader. “I like the ivating ideas,” says Roberts. “It’s simply ers realize they can do it and are doing ng a few window boxes on their patio sprouts in the winter. It’s meant to be ” lem with people wanting to garden ere are too few; there are now so many, ce to plant has become a challenge. ens run by the municipalities have g lists. The Queens Greens Commun, at the corner of Mill St. and Queen ener — which is also affiliated with the entre — also has a long wait. ere’s more space the further you go outdowntown core, for many the appeal is o walk to where their own vegetables re growing. Unfortunately the number actually run by the municipalities is low wn areas. ility is also a challenge for people with sues. Some gardens have implemented to address this, but the number of garan be used by people with physical disstill limited. , the tide is changing as the Region bethe value of urban agriculture. Carol a Public Health nurse at the Region of ublic Health. When people can’t find a y garden to join, she looks for them or ses, gets them on the right track to start “Younger people are getting involved xciting,” she says. “The older guard ss the tricks of the trade down.” ity of Waterloo bylaw changes mean unity gardens can be put up in any resiusiness zone. In Kitchener, funding pport gardens that are built on city or d. This has been good news for a lot of oughout the region. “Many of the faith ns have gardens and the city is willing hem with some start-up funds,” says

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20,2013 • 11

ALL PHOTOS BY HG WATSON

While it may be difficult to find plots run by the cities, there are gardens run by organizations including Urban Harvester, University of Waterloo and the Multicultural Centre. Services like a yard share also allow gardeners to borrow land from homeowners who may not be using their own backyards.

The Region is taking community gardening seriously as a viable way of keeping people healthy.

“We’re not consuming the recommended level of vegetables and fruits that gives us the protective factor against cardiovascular disease,” says Popovic. “Anything that will provide a support to the community and encourage [people] to eat more of those foods that will prevent chronic disease, the better.”

Of course, there are other ways to eat local and healthy other than growing food yourself. At the Kitchener Market, local vendors can be found year round.

“We have a couple [local community producers], and that’s just started in the last few years,” says Kim Feere, the interim manager of the Kitchener Market, who estimates they add about one or two new vendors from within the city each year.

Another option is buying into a CSA, short for Community Supported Agriculture. For your share, you get a box of veggies and fruits each week (the content will depend on what was ready to pick at the farm). Hacienda Sarria Market Garden is offering a CSA this year, a prospect Kramer is very excited about. It’s in keeping with the community centered philosophy that is behind both the GROW greenhouse and Hacienda. “It’s showing that you can live well with less,” says Kramer.

GROW and Hacienda represent another opportunity for K-W residents to literally get their hands dirty; both market gardens are always looking for volunteers.

In the end, what is it that drives the popularity of community gardening? Is it the chance to get healthy? Or a way of feeling connected to how our food grows?

Roberts thinks that the truth lies in the “community” part of community garden. “It’s something other than e-mail or smartphones,” he says, adding that he sees the social aspect come out in workshops at the Little City Farm. “It’s a place people want to connect with others.” It’s why gardens have always been attractive to people in the first place.

This article originally appeared in the March 15 edition of The Cord Community Edition.

How to start your community garden Step 1: Find some friends willing to literally get their hands dirty Step 2: Find some land – make sure you can use it for a community garden!

Step 3: Go out and get some partners and funding!

Step 4: Get your resources, including seeds, compost and gardening equipment Step 5: Start growing and having fun!

This is a simplified form of the “Starting a Community Garden in Waterloo Region 2007” from the Community Garden Council of Waterloo Region.

12 •

LIFE

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013 Life Editor Carly Basch cbasch@thecord.ca

The facts about fellatio Sex columnist The Naughty Prude offers her insight on oral

STEPH TRUONG GRAPHICS EDITOR

The school term is coming to an end and I am sure many of you have indulged in numerous types of pleasure. While the topics of threesomes and sexscapades have been known topics explored, I have not yet focused on a very equally important and well-known topic: fellatio.

Besides the obvious reason of

sheer pleasure, the emotional aspects signify the importance of fellatio within a relationship. Fellatio is one of the biggest acts of love and admiration with a partner. We must also remember foreplay is a quintessential element in sex and in a relationship.

If you have ever found yourself questioning the significance of fellatio, and deeming oral sex superfluous amongst your sexual routine, look no further. Below are some crucial tips for you to consider to maximize your experience.

physically and emotionally.

Surrendering yourself completely to your partner: This submission applies for both the giver and receiver of fellatio. The receiver has to allow himself to be completely vulnerable. This is essential in a relationship because it produces trust, which leads into the next factor.

Allowing yourself to be selfish: The receiver of fellatio is allowed to be completely selfish, which heightens their sexual pleasure. By no means am I endorsing hedonism, although the majority of us desire sexual satisfaction.

Being sexually selfish, allows for a completely selfish orgasm. Allow yourself to be sexually liberated.

You and your partner deserve to have mutually satisfying sex lives.

Sex keeps the body happy and healthy, especially when it is with someone that you care for.

Fellatio within a relationship, though important, is not demanded.

If you do not feel comfortable do not do it. As I have stated time and time again, your partner should always respect you and your needs.

Connection: The vulnerability attached to the art of fellatio produces a strong sense of connection between both partners.

A solid physical connection to your partner fundamentally strengthens your relationship.

Admiration: By giving you express the respect and love you have for your partner

The aim to please: Some individuals harbor trepidation before fellatio, or just deny the idea completely, which is fine. Everybody’s moral boundaries should be respected and abided by.

If the partner is understanding and welcoming to the significance of fellatio, both partners’ sexual energies connect and peak, igniting the intense need to please. The giver will gain satisfaction through the receiver’s pleasure and appreciation.

SAMANTHA KELLERMAN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Students make their way to the library to get started on their work

Staying motivated It’s normal for students to lose the need to stay on top, but the end is almost near MIKE HAJMASY CORD LIFE

Academic motivation reaches an all-time low during the last two months of the semester. The clocks move forward, the weather starts to warm up and thoughts of soon-tobe-summer flood your head.

That mischievous little voice inside your head whispers “freedom is near.” Amid it becomes easy to let school priorities sit on the back burner.

But lets face it, those due dates are coming whether you like it or not and they are the only thing between you and summer vacation.

I’m no expert, but as a fourth-year student en route to graduation I’ve felt that uninspired feeling many times and have come up with a few tips to help stay focused and motivated in the last few weeks of the school year.

1. Keep your eye on the prize What good is working yourself all term long only to throw it away because you’re distracted by the weather?

Remember that in the grand scheme of things, you only have a short window of time to write the papers you need to write and to get the grades you want. Nice weather lasts for months.

2. Eating healthy and keeping a workout routine

Taking the time to exercise is the perfect tool to help keep you naturally energized and feeling good.

When your body is healthy, your mind is healthy.

3. Allow some down time

Locking yourself in your bedroom surrounded by scrap paper, dirty dishes and countless Tim Horton’s cups isn’t helping anyone. Work a little, play a little. It’s the best way to keep your brain from overloading. Disclaimer: you have to actually work a little to play a little.

4. Plan ahead

You know what’s due and you know how much time you have to do it, so plan accordingly. Allowing yourself enough time to complete every task on your list makes the whole experience much more enjoyable. Writing a 12-page paper is bad enough, don’t try to do it in one night.

5. A break is best enjoyed when deserved

From my experience, even something as simple as going out for drinks is only fully enjoyed if I know I’ve accomplished something that I needed to finish that day.

Otherwise, I just spend the majority of my time thinking about my ‘to do’ list while everyone else attempts to have a good time. Don’t put a damper on your summer vacation by dwelling on what you could have done differently.

As the summer months approach, it’s easy to allow excitement and impatience to take priority over the last assignments we have to submit.

As someone who’s experienced this a few times, I encourage everyone to pave the way for a satisfying summer by finishing out the term strong.

For those of you who are in summer courses like myself, re-read this article again at the end of July.

Visit thecord.ca to read staff writer Erin Sheehan’s piece on “Dating patterns”

Follow us @cordarts WADE THOMPSON VISUAL DIRECTOR

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

LIFE

• 13

WADE THOMPSON VISUALS DIRECTOR

OCD is more than a control issue AUTUMN SMITH STAFF WRITER

Misconceptions are everywhere. Every day we are interacting and engaging with things we, admittedly or not, know nothing about.

A case where this happens too often is with the mental illness, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Not everyone who suffers from a mental health issue is the “crazed lunatic” from Rain Man and OCD is not a nonchalant condition to joke about.

While it is unclear where these misconceptions emerge from, one thing is: it has gone too far. A simple comment like “oh, my god, you’re so OCD” is commonplace and is not something to be joked about.

WLU counsellor Tracey Watson agrees. She says there are many stigmas and misunderstandings surrounding the disorder.

“If you enjoy cleaning, organizing, or scheduling, you must have OCD,” Watson pointed out.

But this could not be further from the truth. OCD is an incredibly serious illness, which sufferers often hide or go untreated due to shame or embarrassment, as Watson described. She states that people with OCD cannot simply “snap out of it” or take a pill.

Treatment for OCD is a very long process and the proper health care professionals are not easy to find.

This treatment, according to Watson, most often includes cognitive behavioural therapy.

While many people who suffer from the condition are aware of the illness, they have a hard time accepting it and feel helpless, not knowing where to turn.

The truth about OCD is that it is an incredibly serious and often severe condition that can negatively affect an individual’s daily life. The simple everyday tasks that we take for granted are transformed into a drastic internal struggle for someone suffering from OCD. The effects of OCD can range

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

from minimal to overwhelming as their ability to hold a balanced life is highly impaired and relationships suffer. The condition causes severe isolation on the part of the individual as they are embarrassed about their thoughts and feelings.

According to Owen Kelly, Ph.D., writing for About.com, those suffering from OCD can experience a variety of cognitive disorders including over-importance of thoughts, overestimation of danger, inflation of responsibility and the need for certainty and intolerance of emotional discomfort.

William Cranor, executive producer for Cartilage Inc, saw his father suffer through this condition for years. Cranor explained situations of overestimation of danger from germs where his father was unable to remove a glove from his hand for an hour because it had touched garbage.

The need for certainty occurred when he was not able to decide on a purchase at the hardware store for

“Mental health is as important and serious as our physical health.”

— Dr. Danielle Marchildon, N.D.

two hours until his family came to find him.

Cranor remembered when his father could not leave the house without checking the stove, the door and the outdoor outlets over and over until he was forced to get into the car, experiencing inflation of responsibility.

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Danielle Marchildon, N.D. explains that as OCD can largely manifest itself through thought patterns alone, it is not always visible to the naked eye. Therefore it is important that we break down misconceptions so those who suffer no longer feel shameful.

“Mental health is as important and serious as our physical health.

It is not a laughing matter, nor is it something sufferers choose to deal with.” Dr. Marchildon stressed.

“Talking with someone whom you suspect may suffer from OCD and opening the door for non-judgmental, empathic discussion is really all we can do.”

Suffering with this condition for years, Cranor’s father sought psychological therapy and is able to maintain an easier lifestyle.

When asked how his father feels about his condition, Cranor explained, “My father has said countless times that without his wife and his therapist he’d be dead by now.

Literally.”

14 •

Arts

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013 Arts Editor Cristina Almudevar calmudevar@thecord.ca

FnM looks back to move forward —cover

jody waardenburg staff photographer

Hockey, to headliner Chad Brownlee played to sold out show at the Turret Thursday to an eager crowd of screaming country fans in cowboy boots Brownlee recalled experiences with romance through such hit singles as “Smoke in the Rain” and “Love Me or Leave Me,” the title track of his most recent album which is in the running for country album of the year at the 2013 Juno Awards.

His personal favourite, however, was a song in his set called “On His Own Terms” which he wrote for his grandfather who passed away last year from lung cancer.

“He was the kind of guy who fits into the country world, you know.

Wore cowboy boots every day of his life … you couldn’t tell him how to live his life or what to do,” Brownlee shared. “But he was still a great grandfather and so that song is definitely close to my heart.”

Brownlee, a native of Kelowna, B.C., admitted to not having been much of a country boy himself but that his writing and sound fit well into the genre and it had always been a type of music that had an effect on him.

“Garth Brooks was probably the first one who got me into it and I was hooked ever since. I never looked back really,” he said.

Thursday’s opening act, Hayley McLean was also a former athlete, as she sailed for the Canadian

colleen connolly features editor

The first time Chad Brownlee performed for a university crowd was when Tim Mahoney played at a pub near Minnesota State during the country singer’s student years. A few of the guys on his hockey team put out a request and Mahoney had Brownlee up to awkwardly strum out a Good Charlotte song on the electric guitar.

“It probably sounded awful,” laughed Brownlee. “I was strumming on an electric like an acoustic.

But it didn’t matter, the guys on the team were pretty supportive, they were singing and dancing along.”

As the headliner of a sold-out show on Thursday March 14, that the A-Team arranged in the Turret, Brownlee, a Canadian country star and former draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks, had a lot of people singing and dancing along, but this time to his own tunes and lyrics.

“I really love the writing process, it’s so rewarding to me ... I get to express myself in a different way and it’s also fun when I hear people singing the songs back,” said Brownlee.

“When I write something it’s not just my song, I want to make it everybody’s song.”

National Sailing Team prior to her breakthrough into the music industry when a YouTube video of her guitar skills went viral in her second year of university.

“I knew I always wanted to do music. It was never really a question of if, it was a question of when,” she told The Cord. “I knew I needed to do school and have that experience and give that a try, because being in first year when you’re 25 is a lot different from being in first year when you’re 18.”

After being contacted by her management team, however, she dropped out of the University of Victoria, retired her sails and made music her full time job.

In no time she began playing lead guitar for Brownlee and within three years was back at her old school to play her first solo show as an official singer-songwriter.

“What I love about country is that it’s like plain speech, if you were writing something to someone you could write it in a country song,” she said.

McLean will be releasing her first single next month titled “Sounds like a Love Song” and her album will be out this June. Brownlee has also started work on his third album and hopes to have it finished for the fall.

previous presidents of FnM through Facebook to remind the dancers and the exec team that they are part of something bigger than themselves and to always remember that.

“I started a Facebook group to get each president to add the president before me. I was trying to meet the person who started [Fashion ‘n’ Motion] … one day I was just thinking and realized the person who started FnM must be 40 years old,” said Antkowiak.

“I wanted to invite all the presidents to the Saturday show so we could do a tribute.”

At her last count, Antkowiak had made it back ten years; it was a humbling experience to look at all those who came before her.

This year’s theme, “Ignite,” isn’t just for FnM — it’s relatable for all of Laurier. Antkowiak described it as that inner fire that everybody has, which really applies to this year’s passionate cast.

However the show was not all about the dancing. FnM also featured three modeling scenes, sponsored by local shops Gloss, Delirium and Colour. Laurier’s Next Top Model winners Alisha Suggit and Adrian Cattrysse, both dancers in the show, were the first to talk down the catwalk wearing clothes donated by the three stores.

Working with a cast of over 100 dancers and ten execs can be stressful but ultimately FnM pulled together a great and inspiring twonight show.

Despite the feel-good attitude of the night, there were still a few issues. During the opening scene, there were long pauses of silence as the dancers ran backstage to do “quick changes”— when dancers run backstage to quickly change for the next scene.

Overall there were many notable numbers that stood out. Maddy Blais’ jazz choreography was cheeky and clever, incorporating a spoken word number by Drake to break up the vast differences between “Sail”

by Awolnation and “Want You Back”

by Cher Lloyd.

Ian Watson’s transition set to “Toxic” by District 78 was unnerving and haunting. It could have easily been expanded into its own scene instead of a short transition.

Lauryn Lovie’s all cast performance before the intermission paid tribute to SickKids —she began with “How to Save a Life” by the Fray and set the scene in a hospital waiting room, giving a jarring reminder of the reason why everyone was truly at the show.

It wasn’t for the dancing, for the fashion or for the friendships created over the past year. It was for the children.

jody waardenburg staff photographer

Bieber experience hits downtown Kitchener spencer dunn staff writer

Everyone knows it was Justin Bieber’s birthday on March 1. Girls across the world flocked to their Twitter accounts to wish the teen pop sensation a “Happy Birthday.”

Despite Bieber stating that this was his “worst birthday ever,”he certainly will be happy when he makes a stop at THEMUSEUM in Kitchener.

THEMUSUEUM recently hosted

The Justin Bieber Experience, which feature three display cases, appealing to the inner fan girl in all of us.

THEMUSEUM was where Bieber’s birthday gift from his father was displayed — a Batmobilethemed motorcycle. The motorcycle is a 2013 MV Augusta F3, personalized specifically for Bieber by Lucent AC. The bike came with a jacket and helmet, which are also on display.

The exhibit also sports a signed pair of Nike shoes, a magazine signed by J-Biebs and his Christmas present

from last year, a Batman-themed skateboard.

On top of these artifacts, some of which date back to the year 2004, THEMUSEUM allows guests to enter a contest to win two VIP tickets to a Bieber concert, a ‘swag bag’ and the signed Nike shoes mentioned earlier.

The Bieber Experience is stationed next to a Bob Marley exhibit, which displays some iconic memorabilia of the famous reggae singer.

A voice of the Bieber generation had the chance to see this exhibit,

and in her words is a 15 on a one to ten scale of Bieber fandom. 17 -year-old Stacy Hughes said that she “loves” the Baby,”singer and that she “doesn’t want him riding the motorcycle” because he might hurt himself.

“I like it, but I don’t think he needs it,” continued Hughes.

With the Never Say Never DVD playing in the background, Hughes stated that she “hates Selena Gomez” and can never forgive her for dating her man. She wants to make sure she also writes on the ‘Happy

Birthday Justin’ wall that THEMUSEUM has set up for people of all ages to write birthday messages to Justin Bieber.

The exhibit closed on St. Patrick’s Day. Bieber never did stop in Kitchener at THEMUSEUM, which seemed like a perfect location for the exhibition, although it is not actually in the hometown of the Canadian pop idol, the Kitchener Museum is only a 40-minute drive from the Stratford native’s house. The curator of the show only hoped that Bieber would tweet about the event.

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

Arts

• 15

In case you’ve missed out

Essays taking up your time? Too stressed to leave the library? Cord Arts reviewed what’s new so you don’t have to Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience

The Strokes Comedown Machine

scott glaysher

carly Basch

StAff WRitER

LifE EDitoR

avery gales StAff pHotogRApHER

A cacophony of sounds Seven years after taking us on an innovative-pop journey with his ground-breaking album FutureSex/ LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake made his return this week with the release of his third solo album, The 20/20 Experience. Linking up once again with his long-time collaborator Timbaland, the former boy band heart throb has delivered another ensemble of mid-tempo tunes for his 2013 comeback.

In a lot of ways, this new album is somewhat of a continuation of his 2006 record, which relies on the same horn-heavy loops and that classic JT beatboxing that we first heard nearly a decade ago.

While Timberlake did manage to get listeners briefly pumped for lead single the “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z and the Latin-infused “Let the Groove Get In,” the album has a more start to finish sound, as opposed to the more hit-heavy and single-charged style of his last two records.

This“album only”vibe helps but also hinders. The cohesiveness of the ten songs gives it a defined flow that keeps consistent with the album’s theme of sexiness with substance. However, the songs almost sound too similar at some points which makes the 70-minute neo soul L.P. feel like dragged out elevator music.

If anything, The 20/20 Experience shows that pop albums aren’t dead.

Timberlake shows that it can be a popular commercial medium yet creative and ambitious.

For some, this album may be difficult to digest, but Timberlake’s aim and vision really can’t be denied. The 20/20 Experience will undoubtedly appeal to teenage girls, but woo the “musos”as well.

Eager and devoted fans have waited patiently for the beloved band, The Strokes, to re-enter the music scene since their 2011 release, Angles.

Only having released four albums in the past decade, The Strokes have experimented with their sound, stretching and challenging their music abilities from one album to the next as if their music is more like an epic saga than merely a band making music to stay a part of the musical trend.

Comedown Machine carries a sense of nostalgia throughout the tracklist.

80s inspired hooks found on “One Way Trigger,” “80s Comedown Machine” and “Chances” present lead singer Julian Casablanca’s to demonstrate his impressive falsettos.

Yet the familiarity of the guitar riffs and rhythms that won fans hearts during Is This It? and Room On Fire are still present demonstrating another nostalgic feel for listeners.

The feel-good rock out melodies in “Tap Out,” “All The Time” and “Slow Animals” remind us of the distinct rhythm guitar riffs and solos that Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Vilensi have established as their signature playing style.

The Strokes have never lost their voice nor sound with the growth of their music throughout their 13-year career.

The album demonstrates the ability for the The Strokes to add to their catalogue without startling listeners or feeling as if they have lost their original sound.

Comedown Machine proves that they are still sophisticated musicians, pushing boundaries and sounds by reminding listeners that every song is indeed, a “Strokes” song. Comedown Machine comes out March 26th.

The Following - Mondays, CTV at 9 p.m. mike hajmasy StAff WRitER

Basic cable is anything but unfamiliar with television series categorized as ‘crime dramas’. CSI, Law & Order and Criminal Minds are just a few amongst a long list of television shows that fit into the ‘police procedural’ subgenre.

At first glance it seems The Following is just another title to add to this list with generic conventions and a predictable plotline to boot.

The opening moments of the pilot episode encourage this feeling of doubt when we are introduced to Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon), a washed up federal agent who has befriended the bottle. As he stumbles out of bed on a desperate mission for a glass of water the word “cliché” comes to mind.

But don’t give up on Bacon yet.

I mean, come on, it’s Kevin Bacon.

After watching the first few episodes consecutively, I found myself hooked.

The series follows Hardy who is brought in as a consultant for the

FBI when Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), a serial killer who he previously apprehended, escapes from prison.

Carroll, reminiscent of Law Abiding Citizen, uses his time in prison to meticulously develop a strategic plan of revenge against the man who put him away.

Taking advantage of his incarcerated Internet access, Carroll forms a cult-like collection of people who are willing to abduct, murder and even sacrifice their own lives in order to fulfill the plan set out by their influential leader.

To say this show is revolutionary would be a stretch, but it has certainly added some spice to the often dull content shown on basic cable.

andrew savory StAff WRitER

Ville “Darude” Virtanen had only been to Beta once before, but he remembered it fondly. “The place was bangin’, and the crowd really got me going and I enjoyed getting them going,” the Finnish DJ said.

On March 16, Darude returned to the Uptown Waterloo bar, looking to relive the raving memories that he had last time around.

First known for his smash-hit “Sandstorm,” which flew up the charts worldwide in 1999 with its uplifting and fast-paced vibes. Darude has been working ever since to demonstrate his versatility as an artist by making music that is not only unique, but also reflects his personality.

“It’s always been the same for me with my music,” Darude told The Cord.

“I just want to give the crowd the best time possible with music that not only they can enjoy, but also with music that I can enjoy.”

Amidst all the fame Darude has

accumulated the past 14 years since his debut album Before the Storm was released, he still remains humble, remembering where he began and how lucky he is to be in the position that he is in today.

“Finland is a small country, we only had one or two dance music shows and a couple DJs working with that sound, so they were my inspiration,” said Darude.

As a result of Finland having a relatively small dance music industry at the time, Darude has worked hard in order to pay respect to his heritage by playing tracks made by fellow Finnish DJs and other early influential DJs throughout his career.

He paid tribute to another electronic DJ pioneer, Tiësto, by playing the symphonic “Adagio for Strings” for the Beta crowd, which turned out to be one of the night’s most spectacular tracks.

Darude went out clubbing when he was younger, not to party, but to immerse himself in the world that he loved when he was a student of music and wanted to be a part of.

“I was going to these clubs three to four times a week,” he said. “And right after I’d go home and try and recreate the music that I had heard.”

It is through his dedication to music that Darude has made his sound authentic, which is certainly something that he showed in his performance on Saturday night.

Over the course of his set, Darude blasted a variety of sounds, which left the crowd with no other choice but to keep their hands up high all night long.

At the start of the show, Darude gave the crowd a very trance-sounding introduction, this established the tone for a hypnotic evening. He didn’t disappoint. By playing trance at the beginning, Darude set the stage for a harder tempo and rhythmic bass.

As the neon lights bounced across the room the crowd roared over the course of the two-hour performance and Darude kept the energy going by interacting with the audience, frequently shaking hands with members of the crowd and filming GoPro videos with them.

16 •

Editorial

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013 Opinion Editor Devon Butler dbutler@thecord.ca

Everyone is entitled to express their opinion When Kitchener-Centre Member of Parliament (MP) Stephen Woodworth gave a speech last week at the University of Waterloo (UW) he was disrupted by prochoice protesters that were awaiting him.

Woodworth, who was invited to speak at UW by an on-campus pro-life group was 30 minutes in to his lecture before he was bombarded by verbal attacks.

The protesters, who were a mix of community members and students from UW and Wilfrid Laurier University, were objecting to Woodworth’s Motion 312, which seeks to re-evaluate when a life begins.

Naturally, the prospect of a politician with the power to alter a woman’s basic right to choose is an issue that will generate a high level of debate.

Woodworth was forced to cut his speech short as the vocal protesters overtook the lecture. While women’s rights certainly need to be protected, especially in the face of stark Conservative political leaders who seek to compromise women’s choices, it should not occur through a disregard for democracy.

The reality is that whether we like it or not, everybody is entitled to their individual opinion. Religious and conservative groups structured around these types of traditional values are not all harmful or threatening.

They are equally allowed to express their opinions as liberal-thinking university students.

Can it easily be argued that Woodworth’s views are behind the times? Yes. Did the protestors have every right to express their disagreement? Of course.

But dressing up in a vagina costume is not an effective way to demonstrate your solidarity.

Demonstrations like this seek to overshadow the original debate and it becomes more about a spectacle than discussing real issues.

Woodworth should not necessarily be defended for his motion. But the fact is that our democratic society gives everyone the opportunity to protest.

It also gives everyone the right to express their opinions, and it is very rare that someone deserves to have their opinion completely stifled.

—The Cord Editorial Board STEPHANIE TRUONG GRAPHICS EDITOR

Students should be involved in levy project Most university students gripe that they have no idea where their money goes.

A prime example is the $32 students pay per semester to the Student Life Levy (SLL) projects.

The SLL projects are determined by a committee made up of representatives from the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union and members of the Laurier administration, but little to no information is available to who these individuals are and how they were selected to make such crucial decisions.

Surely more students should have some say in what projects are funded with their own money.

This is not to say that SLL funds irrelevant projects, as many of the approved projects have an important value in enhancing student life and academic experience.

The 2012/13 year approved projects include valuable things like an Anti-Stigma video, Peace and Justice student conference and study space improvements.

Some will argue that a number of the projects that received funding either received too much or didn’t deserve any funding at all. However, this is not the principal issue.

The primary concern extends beyond the actual projects that have been approved but the problematic issue that these projects have already been approved with minimal student input.

While funding student life projects is an essential part of campus life, it is also important that students get the opportunity to contribute to discussions, committee meetings and ideas that ultimately impact them.

Yes, it’s likely that the opportunity to give feedback is an opportunity few students would take advantage of.

But that doesn’t mean the process shouldn’t be more open.

—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

The future of the Star Wars franchise rests on Disney

PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Sadly, one of the greatest weaknesses with Star Wars has always been George Lucas.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I almost stopped giving a shit about Star Wars. Almost.

Then they announced there was going to be another trilogy, and after 31 years (yes since birth, I Force Pushed my way out of the womb) of devoted fandom I still had to pay attention.

However if I can’t give up on Star Wars entirely I can sure as hell be critical of it.

After hundreds of hours watching movies, reading books, playing games and getting tattoos I think I’ve earned my say.

The idea of making Star Wars films beyond the original trilogy has always been something that’s filled me with a mixture of excitement and dread, even before the decade-long disaster of prequels began to accost me and millions of other fans world wide.

These mixed feeling are the results of long hours spent reading dozens of post Return of the Jedi books and comics, the only window into the Star Wars galaxy after the death of Emperor Palpatine until the prequel trilogy.

The expanded universe, as it is now, is more influential to some fans—myself included—than the original films.

It is where stories, characters and the universe and have been allowed to develop largely unhindered by any external influences, even that of George Lucas.

The possibility of a new trilogy extending into the era of the New Republic has always been a hotly contested topic

among hardcore fans.

Where would they start? Would it feature the original characters?

And most importantly would they stay true to the extended universe timeline?

While there are still a lot of unknowns about the future of the galaxy’s next appearance on the big screen, there are some things that make me hopeful.

Sadly, one of the greatest weaknesses with Star Wars has always been George Lucas.

His departure from ownership and control of the films should be seen as a positive step forward for the franchise’s development.

A fantastic visionary and film innovator, Lucas deserves credit for how he has advanced filmmaking over the past 30 years.

But even in the original series it was clear he wasn’t the right person for the

NICK LACHANCE

directing chair. His exit and the announcement of new films together bring a new hope moving forward.

Surprisingly Disney is not a terrible company to take over ownership of the Star Wars brand.

Acquiring Marvel comics in 2009 Disney has not fundamentally changed or corrupted the characters and their universe.

When it comes to films, they have also stayed true to Marvel’s comic roots.

With Star Wars being such a large and internationally admired product, it is difficult to imagine Disney doing anything to disrupt the seemingly endless stream of revenue it must generate.

If anything, Disney’s resources should let it grow.

Most importantly however, is the announcement of J.J. Abrams as director for Star Wars 7.

After the huge success of his Star Trek revitalization, Abrams is an excellent choice to bring a new voice, vision and focus to the tarnished reputation of Star Wars films.

Though not as prolific a director as others, he has a long list of successful films and television shows he has written and produced, demonstrating his ability and experience to envision what fans desire from stories they feel connected to.

Star Wars has reached new creative hands, something fans have been after for a long time.

While I’m not excited for the next trilogy I’m also not terrified. I am however, powerfully trepidatious, which I feel is an appropriate stance to hold after the horrors of the prequels.

Star Wars 7 will set the tone for the remainder of the new trilogy; it is our only hope, but could become our phantom menace very easily. letters@thecord.ca

• 17

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

OPINION

Opinion Editor Devon Butler dbutler@thecord.ca

Waterloo neighbourhoods divided University neighbourhood bylaws need major alterations in order to avoid becoming total student ghettos

JAMES POPKIE OPINION COLUMNIST

In the case of the day-to-day conflicts of living in student neighbourhoods, where students and nonstudents both live and interact on a daily basis, I would fundamentally agree with the fact that these living situations are not always ideal.

Families and other non-students need to accept that in student neighbourhoods there will be a greater degree of noise, rowdiness and allnight revelry than in a calm family neighbourhood.

Zoning laws need to be redefined to prevent the continued encroachment of rowdy, loud student homes into family neighbourhoods.

This influx has redefined the character of previously quiet and idyllic neighbourhoods where it was once possible to maintain a normal family existence without witnessing routine instances of drunken partying and late night loudness in your midst.

The city needs to clearly define the boundaries of the “student ghetto” and needs to prevent the increasing prevalence of rented homes for students outside this zone to the point where the character of previously family-oriented neighbourhoods are becoming fundamentally changed.

The idea of “mixed-use neighbourhoods” with roughly equal numbers of students and non-students is a foolishly idealistic notion based in naiveté, and is a fundamental denial of basic reality and social conditions.

The fact is, students will always keep partying at absurdly late hours

HEAtHEr dAvIdSOn STAff PHOTOgRAPHER

Tensions between students and permanent residents have been a well documented issue.

of the night, and will always make tons of noise while doing so, regardless of how many bylaw violation fines they receive.

A better solution would be to clearly designate where the student neighbourhoods are, and to allow for a more lax bylaw code within those designated student areas, for matters such as noise and drinking.

Simultaneously, the bylaws could be enforced even more strictly than they currently are, outside these defined areas.

Much like the concept of a “red light district,” this system of two

different sets of bylaws by neighbourhood would allow both parties to win. The only people who would be hurt by this arrangement would be non-students living within clearly defined student neighbourhoods.

Density in student neighbourhoods should also be increased, rather than simply expanding the “student ghetto” indefinitely as numbers grow.

Neighbourhoods that still have a chance of remaining livable family neighbourhoods, such as the area north of Columbia Street, between

Albert and King Street, should not be designated as student areas, and should have strict bylaw enforcement.

Non-student designated neighbourhoods would not necessarily have to be forbidden to student rentals per se, but would be subject to the more strict imposition of bylaws.

There could also potentially be a specific section of the student area in which bylaws are more strongly enforced, just like the non-student designated parts of Waterloo, geared toward those students who

do not abide by a party lifestyle or who do not wish to live surrounded by one.

On the flipside, of course nonstudents wouldn’t be banned from living in designated student neighbourhoods, but they would have to accept the different social reality they are experiencing by living there.

This way, we can avoid situations like in the neighbourhood south of Columbia, between Albert and King Streets, which is essentially a war-zone between students and non-students.

In this neighbourhood, a constant war of attrition occurs with the students invading more and more, and conquering increased territory until they will gradually convert the entire neighbourhood into a student ghetto.

When I look at the houses, it is clear to me that this was a neighbourhood designed for families, not drunken people vomiting on sidewalks at 3 a.m.

Frankly put, the disruption of family life here makes me incredibly sad.

It is also saddening that students in clearly student-oriented neighbourhoods are forced to abide by overly strict noise bylaws to accommodate the select few nonstudent households in a sea of students.

It is unfair that students should be subject to the whims of stubborn households who astutely try to maintain an unrealistically quiet existence in a neighbourhood that is clearly dominated by students.

As nice as the idea of “mixed-use neighbourhoods” may sound, students and families simply cannot coexist in large numbers.

The lifestyles are too different.

Thus, the laws should be changed to reflect this paradigm and to better accommodate people on both sides of the issue. letters@thecord.ca

Iranian-American tensions need solution dAnI SAAd OPINION COLUMNIST

The United States, as of late, has experienced perpetual difficulties maintaining relations with other governments who are unwilling or unable to cooperate with their demands.

Leaders of “rogue nations” like Iran have expressed no desire to comply with the States and in turn, the U.S has been unable to accomplish anything of substance in the region.

With an economy fuelled by oil, a young and highly engaged population and a huge stake in virtually all Middle Eastern affairs, Iran directly factors into American foreign policy decisions. To take steps towards finding a progressive solution to Iran, the U.S has to come to terms with three basic concepts.

First, the United Nations imposed sanctions are not hurting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s regime but bolstering it. For instance, as sanctions increase, oil exports are increasing as well.

Second, soft power is more effective than hard power in a 21st century a conflict, especially considering that going to war with Iran is not

an option.

Finally, the United States must realize that strong relations with Iran represent more than just diplomatic relations but could shift the outlook of the entire Islamic Middle East.

This point is particularly relevant in light of the civil war in Syria.

Sanctions imposed by the UN with strong American backing are intended to stifle economic growth and create hostility between Iranians and Ahmadinejad’s regime.

However, a reverse effect is occurring as the sanctions are not hurting the country as a whole, but rather, hurting the largely conservative rural groups and the working middle class.

In turn, the struggling middle class can be blamed on external factors, and provides a viable scapegoat for the government. By standing up to the U.S. and the international community, that is imposing these sanctions, support for Ahmaninejad only grow at home.

Furthermore, the American government

continues to ignore that clearly, Iran does not need them to survive. The U.S. needs to realize that Iran has other allegiances and trade relationships that can sustain its economy.

Had the sanctions not been imposed, Ahmadinejad’s incompetence would have been undeniable due to his own decisions and policies. Instead, he maintains support in a country desperate for

change. Until the sanctions are retooled, Iran will continue to make friends with American enemies while the current regime remains in power.

Ahmadinejad is no Saddam Hussein. To be sure, the Iranian regime violates human rights, stifles the opposition, and has been linked to funding terrorist organizations.

However, despite the best efforts of the U.S to make him out as a ruthless dictator, that is not the case. Hidden among many controversial sound bites, he brings up valid points that question America’s motives in the region. More importantly, these grievances are shared by the majority of the region’s people.

Why can other countries pursue nuclear technology in secret or ambiguity while Iran is persecuted for doing so in a transparent manner?

Why does Iran, who claims to be pursuing nuclear technology for energy and is decades away StEPHAnIE truOng from a nuclear weapon, gRAPHICS EDITOR get more attention than an already nuclear North Korea? By ignoring these questions, the U.S is not

doing itself any favours.

In 1961, Henry Kissenger’s advocacy for U.S. talks with the Soviet Union led to intense diplomacy. His idea influenced future high-level diplomacy and was officially termed “strategic dialogue.” Essentially, the theory behind “strategic dialogue” is that governments sometimes need to put differences aside and initiate dialogue that is beneficial for both parties.

The U.S and Iran both know there is an upside to better relations, but strategic dialogue needs to take place in order for that upside to be realized.

This is not idealistic but is grounded in the harsh realities of today. The current policy is not working, so why not fix what is broken? Iranian perceptions of the U.S. were once extremely high. The Islamic revolution, which marked the beginnings of staunch anti-Americanism, only happened because of covert CIA meddling in the 1950s that put the oppressive Shah back in power.

A return to diplomacy and an end to heavy-handed involvement will make the Iranian regime accountable to its people for its actions.

Having a genuine two-way allegiance in the Islamic Middle East can only improve American national security.

18 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

opinion

Talking Mental Health: Keeping

friendships healthy HEATHER LANDELLS COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR

There is an old Chinese proverb that says “at home one relies on parents; away from home one relies on friends.” For many of us, friendships are among the most valued aspects of our lives.

Friends are an important source for fun, emotional support and companionship. This is especially true for university students, whose primary social relationships are often their friends.

The years you spend in university are also a time of many transitions, and your friendships may often change.

You will experience the challenge of maintaining long-distance relationships and might even outgrow some of your old friends. You will probably also strive to make new friends, and some people may struggle with that.

There are lots of ways to meet new friends in university; talk to your neighbours in class, join clubs or find a volunteer opportunity. You will also meet lots of people in residence, if you go out for sports or at your part-time job.

Also remember that not everyone you meet is going to become your best friend. People often expect their roommates to become their friends, but this doesn’t always work out.

Sometimes friends who live together can discover things about each other that can ruin their relationship.

It is okay to have a friendly, respectful relationship with the people you live with and not be close.

To maintain your friendships,

Letters to the Editor

both new ones and the long-distance ones from home, you need to set time aside to devote to your friends by chatting with them on the phone or on Skype.

Be a good friend by listening and not monopolizing conversations or only talking about yourself.

Remember what your friends tell you and respect their privacy and confidence. It is also important not to hold a grudge and to make sure you express your feelings if you are upset with a friend.

Talk directly to the person you are upset with rather than everyone else. It is normal for friendships to change and sometimes to end. This is difficult and painful, but it’s a natural part of life. Sometimes certain friendships can be close again in the future, and sometimes they are over for good.

Figure out what you want in a friendship now. Ask yourself ‘am I enjoying spending time with my friend or does this friendship feel like too much work on my part?’

Or, ‘am I always initiating times together with this friend? If so, is the friendship worth the work?’Maybe you just need to talk to your friend and make changes so that the friendship can progress.

Sadly, sometimes friends can turn into bullies. Then you must ask yourself whether you want to keep a friend in your life when they are being disrespectful to you and constantly putting you down.

If you still care about the person despite their behaviour, I know of some great counsellors at Counselling Services who can help you to gain more self-confidence and learn to expect respect.

Heather Landells is a counselor with WLU counselling services letters@thecord.ca

Hunting for full time employment is a terrifying experience

JESSI wooD OPINION COlUMNIST

Just in case you’ve been glued to your computer screen like me since the “Winter Wonderland” hit, let me blow your mind: it’s March. Shocking, I know, but not as shocking as the realization that spring is just around the corner.

As a currently unemployed, fulltime student without the privilege of spring or summer semester classes ahead, this is the most terrifying time of year.

Finding a summer job is extremely hard. Not from the experience of having to work full time, but in a desperate “your experience isn’t relevant to the position” kind of way. It’s the feeling of not mattering in a very fundamental way, along with being broke.

I get no sympathy for this position and instead I’m told to just live at home with my parents. As much as not worrying about rent or food costs is nice, it’s at the cost of perpetual unemployment: small towns do not make a good job market.

I don’t quite feel desperate enough yet to resign myself as a well-fed, bored-stiff broke dependant. I’ve already been in high school and I don’t intend on returning to that state of being. The fundamental problem is that as wonderful as OSAP is, it’s something you don’t have access to when not taking classes.

I feel no shame in doing the fulltime school tango, as I know plenty of people that don’t work during the school year for the same reason I don’t.

I’d rather be a slacker for four years and be handed a degree than be a very tired, overworked drop-out.

Some people can pull off having a job while attending school, but I’m not among them. Considering all of the above, I feel I’m in the same

place as last year—in Waterloo, battling final papers, telling myself to suck it up and try harder.

If I’ve deemed out all other options, then I guess I’m left with just doing what’s hard. Pushing through online applications, actually putting on pants and dragging myself to mall kiosks with a stack of resumes, it sucks, but it must be done.

But, I think I’m okay with that.

First and foremost I’m here to get a degree, but I’m also here to learn.

Learning how to properly shake someone’s hand and convince them you’re useful is just another life skill that I suppose we all must learn.

If we want to hop into the big world of jobs and money when this four-year academic rollercoaster ejects us, it’s an essential skill.

That said (and I know I’m not alone on this) acknowledging this doesn’t make finding a job any less grueling and demeaning.

While I’ve got them in the past, I’ll enjoy two more blissful months pretending I’m a scholar before I’m likely a fast-food fry cook. letters@thecord.ca

Arts education gives students critical and transferable skills relevant to the workplace

Dear Editor,

Letter policy Letters must not exceed 250 words. Include your full name and telephone number. Letters must be received by 12:00 p.m. noon Monday via e-mail to letters@ thecord.ca. The Cord reserves the right to edit for length and clarity or to reject any letter.

The summer job blues

Plenty of value in an arts degree

Re: “Hollywood unfairly represents Canada”

In response to Alanna Fairey’s article regarding Argo’s unfair representation of Canadians, allow me to point her towards another group of people that have more serious grounds for outrage regarding their depiction: Iranians.

Iranian authorities have begun legal action against Hollywood for their demonizing portrayal as over emotional, unintelligent sub-humans.

Personally, I will keep my salt by my TV as always and likely watch Argo many more times.

This isn’t a movie about a CIA or Hollywood hero; it’s a movie about one man on a mission to save people and requires suspension of disbelief from the start.

–Graeme Falco

SAMANTHA kELLERMAN FIlE PHOTO ToNy HAwk ASSHOlE/lEgENDARY SKATEBOARDER

MIcHAEL cARRoLL DEAN OF ARTS

Last week Cristina Almudevar’s editorial levels some harsh criticism at the courses taught in the faculty of arts and at its professors.

Among other things, she suggests that the material taught is useless for job interviews since “my interviewer will not care that I can deduce the role of a female character by the colour of her dress” (take that English!).

She also concludes that professors go off topic to talk about their personal lives or go “rambling on about a poet’s sex life” (is that another poke at English?) and one professor even admitted “they hated the subject matter they were teaching” (sad).”

She even states that most professors have been teaching for 30 years (incidentally, not true); and the faculty is out of touch with the pedagogy that is most appealing to today’s students. Ouch.

So where to start? We might start with the role of an arts education in promoting an educated citizenry willing to challenge authority. This is something that many believe

is a necessary precondition for democracy.

An arts education can also lead us to become engaged in finding solutions to the pressing problems of our time, like the growing inequality between the rich and the poor; environmental degradation etc.

Certainly arts graduates have taken, and will continue to take, the lead in confronting such problems throughout the world.

But since I see no rewference to these issues, pro or con, in Ms. Almudevar’s article let’s start with something she does mention: job interviews.

No one in this faculty, that I’m aware of, has ever argued that the content taught in our courses (whether it involves colour symbolism in Shakespeare; the tactics associated with tank battles in WWII; the implicit gendering of scientific activity etc.) will be critical in job interviews.

What will be critical are the core transferable skills—like the ability to communicate clearly; to think analytically; adaptability and the ability to work cooperatively in groups.

These are staples that have always been conveyed by an arts education.

How do we know that these things will be critical in job interviews?

Employers tell us so.

For example: in a recent survey, 450 Canadian Employers indicated that what they valued most were communication, analytic ability, a

The arts faculty of course have always taken pedagogy seriously.

strong work ethic, teamwork and problem solving and co-curricular involvement.

But does an arts education really convey these core skills? Good question, and one that has been raised often.

Academically Adrift (2010), for example, analyzed American data that compared test scores on analytic ability at the beginning of the first year in university and at the end of the second year.

The finding that got most play in the press was that a substantial number of students showed no improvement, and that is obviously problematic.

But another finding was that the students who did show improvement were more likely to be in arts rather than in business, social work or education. A part of Ms.

Almudevar’s article that—undeniably—merits serious consideration has to do with pedagogy.

There has been much discussion of late about the flaws associated with the sage on the stage model of lecturing and with the need to engage students more effectively with active learning pedagogies.

This discussion seems to resonate with Ms. Almudevar’s concerns. The arts faculty of course have always taken pedagogy seriously. The next time you’re in the Bricker Academic Building look up at the pictures on the wall of Laurier’s outstanding teachers and take note of how many are from arts. But we know we can do better still.

This is why the faculty of arts is engaged in a number of initiatives aimed at pedagogical reform. Some that include: the construction last year of an active learning classroom (one of the few in Canada), our first year seminars (established two years ago), residential learning communities, and classes that use teleconferencing to link Canadian students with students elsewhere.

We’ve also begun plans for student participation in the Inside/ Out program which plans to start next year in which arts students will share a class with students from a women’s prison.

All of these reflect that goal, and there are more projects under development. letters@thecord.ca

• 19

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MArch 20, 2013

SportS

Sports Editor Shelby Blackley sblackley@thecord.ca

HEATHER DAVIDSON STAFF PhOTOGrAPhEr

Fourth-year football veterans Isaac Dell (left) and Alex Anthony (right) will participate in the CFL combine later this week, which is an evaluation camp for CFL draft prospects.

Hawks prepare for CFL combine ERIC THOMPSON STAFF WrITEr

Wilfrid Laurier will be sending two players to the annual CFL Combine in Toronto this weekend.

Fourth-year receiver Alex Anthony and fourth-year fullback Isaac Dell will be among the 50 players in attendance trying to boost their stock before the CFL Draft, which takes place on May 6.

“Combine training involves different aspects and different regiments compared to regular offseason training and preparation,” Anthony said. “I always give 100 per cent when it comes to training,

however, since I am preparing for the combine, which is a closer date than Laurier’s training camp in August, it is easier to remain motivated to train.”

“Not only was there a strict schedule,” added Dell, “But eating healthy and getting enough sleep were also extremely important. This is why my social life needed an alteration, no consumption of alcohol and partying during the training schedule… it definitely involves a higher level of commitment and sacrifice than usual. The last three months my main priorities have been training and academics.”

The training focuses on

improving skills that will be measured at the combine, such as broad jump, vertical jump, the 40-yard dash and the bench press.

For their training, Anthony said the pair has been doing bench reps with more than the required 225 lbs, so that it will feel lighter when benching at the combine.

Typically, great results for these drills include benching over 25 reps, a broad jump of over ten feet, and a 40-yard dash time of around 4.5 seconds.

Through this preparation period, Anthony and Dell have not only had support of coaches, family and friends, but have also been

getting advice about what to expect from former Golden Hawks receiver Shamawd Chambers.

Chambers dazzled scouts at last year’s combine en route to being drafted sixth overall. He also recorded an impressive 40-yard dash time at 4.42 seconds, which led all participants. It was also the fourth fastest time ever recorded at the camp.

“He has told me to be confident,” said Dell. “Truthful during the interview process, not to make excuses, pay attention to fine details during the contact drills and one-on-ones and to not be discouraged if a test doesn’t go as well as I had hoped. He

has been someone I can message at any point if I have questions or concerns and I am thankful for his help.”

Heading into the combine, Stephen Alli from the University of Florida is the top-ranked receiver, while Stephen Lumbala from University of Calgary is the top-ranked running back.

The duo have no preference on where or what team they may be drafted to, simply agreeing they would relish the opportunity to play professional football. However, if it doesn’t work out this off-season, both will be back next year to play out their final year of eligibility at Laurier.

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20 •

THE CORD • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

SPORTS

Female athletes recognized at WLU SHELBY BLACKLEY SPORTS EDITOR

All three athletes couldn’t believe it when they got the call last week saying that they were finalists for the Outstanding Women of Laurier (OWL) Award.

Carmen Baker from the women’s rugby team, Doreen Bonsu from women’s basketball and Fiona Lester from women’s hockey were announced finalists for OWL, with the winner to be announced March 21 at a luncheon at the Waterloo Inn Conference Hotel, which will feature keynote speaker Kelly Vanderbeek, a three-time World Cup downhill skiing medalist.

“It’s really an honour because I’m aware of all of the outstanding female athletes we have here at Laurier,” said third-year Bonsu. “And to be one of the finalists among them, it’s a mind-blowing, humbling experience.”

“The word that keeps coming up is surreal,” fourth-year Baker said.

“I look at the other two finalists and I say, ‘am I really in a league with these girls?’ And I guess I can say ‘yeah, I am.’”

“It’s exciting and a great honour to be in a pool with the other nominees as well as all of the other people who have won or have been nominated in the past,” fourth-year Lester said.

“I remember when I was in first year and my goalie at the time, Liz Knox was nominated and ended up winning and I was like, ‘oh, that’s so cool.’ It’s really awesome to be nominated for something like that now.”

The OWL Award recognizes a female Laurier student who combines athletic achievement with active leadership and commitment to the development of young athletes in the community.

Baker, a kinesiology student, is the captain of the women’s rugby team and has played every year except her first, where she sat out due to injury. She was a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Academic All-Canadian in 2011 and is a student coordinator in the aquatics department. Baker also participated in PowderPuff and intramurals and currently is a Special Olympics swim coach in Kitchener-Waterloo. “[What it means] is a scary question that people keep asking me,” Baker said. “It obviously means a lot

KATE TURNER PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Carmen Baker (left), Doreen Bonsu (centre) and Fiona Lester (right) all couldn’t believe that they were named as finalists for OWL.

coming from rugby, and being captain and everything. It’s crazy.”

Bonsu, a history and English major, is a forward on the women’s basketball team and has earned Laurier’s Female Athlete of the Week twice. She has finished in the top ten in the country for offensive rebounding in the last two seasons.

She is involved with numerous basketball camps while being a part of Laurier’s Students for Learning, focusing on children’s literacy throughout K-W. “It helps with self-esteem and confidence as well,” Bonsu said.

“Giving back makes me happy and you can see it in the kids’ smiles.

All of that, outside of basketball, that builds my self-esteem as well.

Concussion 2011-12

It’s so cool to see how it all comes together.”

Lester served as the captain of the women’s hockey team the past year. She has been named an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) first-team all-star twice during her tenure and a CIS Academic All-Canadian three times, while also being one of two Canadian athletes named to the Capital One Academic AllAmerica College Division first team and winning the Luke Fusco Academic Athletic Achievement Award in 2012. She works for the Laurier girls hockey camp as a counsellor and instructor in the summer and is a supervisor with the Ontario Ranger Program.

“I think OWL is just a great thing

we have at Laurier, that it’s able to recognize female athletes as well as give back to female athletes,” Lester said. “We as student athletes at Laurier still love to play hockey and it’s still a huge part of our lives and makes our university experience so great.”

While all three athletes have excelled during their tenure at WLU, they emphasized how much of an honour it would be to win the award.

All three said they couldn’t picture winning the award.

“It’s hard to say because I can’t even picture it,” Baker said. “I think just being a finalist has done amazing things for me. I can’t even imagine being elite with the other two finalists. These are awesome,

amazing women that I’m now comparable to.”

“I’d be speechless,” Bonsu said, laughing. “I don’t even know what to say, I’d be like this. Just being nominated in itself is insane. I don’t know. I don’t know. The girls I’m going up against are top calibre. So if I win, we all win. If I win, I represent all of them.”

“I never really thought of that,” Lester said. “It would be really exciting and obviously be a big honour and further back up my continued goal to promote women in athletes and promote what a great experience it has been in my life and it’d be another reason to be a role model to younger athletes, which would be awesome to continue.”

Hillis beats the odds Fifth-year guard overcomes injury to win Tracy MacLeod Award

Torn disc 2010-11

Separated shoulder 2010

Five years of injuries with Amber Hillis

Sprain 2009-10

Minor sprain 2011-12

NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

SHELBY BLACKLEY SPORTS EDITOR

Amber Hillis’s tenure as a Wilfrid Laurier women’s basketball player was anything but easy.

In five years, the 5’3 point guard sustained numerous injuries, including a torn disc in her back that stopped her from playing the majority of her third year.

So when Hillis was honoured as not only the Ontario University Athletics’ (OUA) recipient, but also the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) recipient of the Tracy MacLeod Award, it made the last five years of pain worth it.

“I went through so much with injuries, to finally kind of be recognized for it and people get an idea what it was like for me going through it, it feels like a good accomplishment,” Hillis said.

The Tracy MacLeod award is given to a female basketball athlete that portrays endless determination and perseverance. Throughout her time as an athlete at Laurier, Hillis has continuously been plagued by multiple injuries.

She also becomes the first Laurier player to win the award since it was introduced in the 1996-97 season.

Beginning in her second year on the Hawks, the five-year starter sprained her ankle and was on crutches for a week. However, Hillis said she didn’t miss any games, just a week of practices.

The following summer, going into her third year, Hillis separated her shoulder playing Ultimate Frisbee.

The worst injury of Hillis’s career came within her third year at Laurier, when she was hospitalized with a serious back injury. It was found that she tore a disc in her back, forcing her to miss the majority of her third year. After some therapy and rehabilitation, she returned for Laurier’s 2010-11 playoff run, where the basketball team had their best-ever finish. The pain in her back, however, came back and forced her to miss a few games in her fourth year.

After she went through therapy and strengthening, Hillis sustained another minor ankle sprain before getting concussed at the end of the 2011-12 season.

“I came off a screen,” she explained. “I didn’t hear the screen being called and I hit my head really hard. I had whiplash, too.”

The concussion was so severe that Hillis was forced to miss out on the Hawks’ 2011-12 playoff campaign,

where the team made it to the OUA West semifinals. They defeated the Guelph Gryphons in the quarterfinal at home before traveling to Brock, falling 72-53.

While she was in the stands for the semifinal, Hillis was unable to watch the quarterfinal from the bench.

“I couldn’t sit in the gym,” she said. “For the quarterfinals, I had to sit in the Hawk Lounge because it was too loud for me.”

Hillis finished her tenure at WLU this season by playing in all 21 games, contributing 7.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. This ranked her ninth in alltime scoring, third in all-time steals and assists and fourth in minutes played.

Despite the excessive injuries, Hillis said that a lot of the motivation to stay positive came from her team.

“I think that was a really big motivation for it, to do it for my team,” she said. “It’s not just about yourself, it’s about playing and getting through things for your team.

There’s not just one of you, there’s 14 of us. They were all really positive and really helped and the coaches and staff [as well].”