The Cord January 17, 2018

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 58 ISSUE 17 • JANUARY 17, 2018

DOORS OPEN

Local church pairs with House of Friendship to provide alternative flexible space News, page 3

CANDIDATES MEETING

LEARNING ONLINE

PINBALL IS BACK

“F*CK XANAX 2018”

REPRESENTING GOLDEN HAWKS

SU elections are on the horizon

The changing landscape of education

Reviewing the new Pin Up! Arcade

Movement in hip-hop misses the mark

Onyeka headed to E-Camp in March

News, page 3

Features, page 10

Arts & Life, page 13

Opinion, page 17

Sports, page 19 GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

2 •

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2017

VOCAL CORD

What’s the most expensive textbook you’ve bought?

The Cord

@cordnews

@cordwlusp

CordNews

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

““Politics statistics for $120.”

–Cassidy Cameron, second-year political science and North American studies.

“Linear algebra for $172.”

–Amber Dasilva, firstyear computer science.

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Second-year swimmer, Jasmine Raines, has set a strong tone for Laurier’s swim team over the past two seasons with her determination and dedication.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 17

“Psychology for $100.”

–Jamie Wilkinson, firstyear sociology.

Fancy yourself a skilled photographer?

1820: Anne Bronte, the youngest of the Bronte children, is born in Yorkshire, England.

More comfortable behind the lens?

1919: PGA is formed at the Taplow Club in New York City.

Free time between classes?

“Physics for almost $200.”

–Lacie Marcus, first-year biology and chemistry.

Empty portfolio?

1945: Soviet’s liberate the city of Warsaw from German occupation.

We need you.

You need us.

1961: Dwight D. Eisenhower ends term, prophetically warns Americans of “military industrial complex.”

thecord.ca/volunteer thecord.ca/lead-photographer

Compiled by Erin Abe Photos by Luke Sarazin NEXT ISSUE JANUARY 24, 2017

CORD STAFF

FEATURES EDITOR Karlis Wilde features@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Erin Abe news@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Shyenne MacDonald arts@thecord.ca

LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Abdulhamid Ibrahim sports@thecord.ca

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

OPINION EDITOR Emily Waitson opinion@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tanzeel Sayani creative@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Pranav Desai sports@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Garrison Oosterhof online@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Alan Li graphics@thecord.ca

NEWS DIRECTOR Safina Husein news@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Luke Sarazin photos@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Jake Watts news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Sarah Tyler video@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Nathalie Bouchard news@thecord.ca

WEB ASSISTANT Kate Weber online@thecord.ca

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

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Sara Burgess Tyler Currie Victoria Berndt Megan Pitt John McMorran Joseph DeFilippis Stephanie Saunders Madeline McInnis Chris Luciantonio Jessi Wood Josh Goeree Bobby Plax

“Policy paper on mental health” by Jake Watts

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Care Lucas at care.lucas@wlusp.com or 519-884-0710 ext. 3560.

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

Started in 1926 as the College Cord, The Cord is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors.

Opinions expressed within The Cord are those of the author and do not necessarily refl ect those of the editorial board, The Cord, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Inc. All content appearing in The Cord bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent.

The Cord is created using Macintosh computers running OS X 10.10 using Adobe Creative Cloud. Canon cameras are used

for principal photography.

The Cord has been a proud member of the Ontario Press Council since 2006. Any unsatisfied complaints can be sent to the council at info@ontpress.com.

The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 4,500 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000. Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada.

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

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

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

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

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

1999: Cindy Lauper appears as a guest voice on The Simpsons.

reply at the earliest time possible.

Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

The Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body.

The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper.

Quote of the week: “Just watch Dispicable Me every single day!”

- Karlis Wilde, Features Editor, enlighteneing News Editor, Jake Watts, on how to cope with his social media cleanse.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018

News

• 3 NEWS DIRECTOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR NATHALIE BOUCHARD news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR JAKE WATTS news@thecord.ca

LAURIER VOTES

Election season kicks off at candidates meeting SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

On Monday Jan. 15, 2017, the All-Candidates meeting took place on both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses.

Candidates running for Students’ Union President and CEO, board of directors, senate and board of governors were present at the meeting.

Campaigning for all positions officially began 30 minutes after the completion of the meeting.

This year, there are four presidential candidates. Two of whom went to school at the Branford campus.

The presidential candidates are Tarique Plummer, Idris Omar Hassan, Riley Fletcher and Ali Saghari.

Fletcher, as a candidate from Brantford, said he hopes students will recognize that he is a candidate representing all students — not just those from Brantford.

“A candidate for the Students’ Union elections is a representative of all students … I think to me it’s important to remember that I’m a Laurier student who went to school in Brantford rather than a candidate that’s running from Brantford,” Fletcher said.

In addition, there are only two candidates running for board of di-

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

rectors that are from the Brantford campus.

There is also one Brantford candidate running for senate and no Brantford candidates running for board of governors.

This year, there are also fewer females running. Only two women are running for board of directors.

With four candidates for president in the running this year, in comparison to only one sole candidate who ran last year, all four individuals are hopeful that this will increase voter turnout.

Last year, 22 per cent of the Laurier student body voted during the election season.

“Due to the number of candidates running for president, I feel like we will have more voters. Each candidate and his team would be reaching out more students and promoting their campaign, and I believe this competition would bring more student's attention to vote and take part in this years' election,” Hassan said.

In addition, all four candidates bring a diverse background from

Laurier. For example, Fletcher and Hassan are from the Brantford campus, Saghari is currently president of the Arts Undergraduate Society and Plummer is currently a member of the board as Chair and CGO. “I think this year the candidates are way more diverse in the disciplines they are … we all have different groups that are hopefully going to attract to vote and engage, so hopefully a little more,” Saghari said.

For Plummer, he feels confident

going into the campaign season since the board has addressed and dealt with the many concerns brought forth regarding the chair of the board seeking the position of president.

“We have achieved that separation of chair and elections portfolio, so there’s no integrity related issues that we’re having, and for that I'm truly grateful,” Plummer said.

“I’ve completely divested myself off that portfolio and the board fully understands that and we have that clear expectation of how I'm going to proceed.”

As chair of the board, however, Plummer said he intends on being cautious about what he addresses and talks about throughout the campaign period.

“I'm still cognizant of my responsibility as chair and I'm going to be very cautious about the things I do address and do state.

I am going to be very transparent about that,” Plummer said.

Campaigning will take place over the next few weeks and will end at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, 30 minutes prior to when the voting polls open.

Voting will then take place on Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. The results will be announced at Wilf’s on the night of Feb. 1.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Cold weather opens up doors ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER

St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church introduces new flexible space to KW region.

On Jan. 9, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo approved a temporary overnight flexible space for emergency shelter overflow at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Kitchener.

Operated nightly by the House of Friendship, the church will be providing overflow flexible space beginning around the end of the month until April 30, 2018.

St. Matthew’s Church will be able to accommodate up to 70 adults nightly and will run from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.

“We’re opening the space and allowing House of Friendship to run this warming centre program,” Pastor Sebastian Meadows-Helmer from St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church said.

“We’re opening our doors.”

The recent overflow of Waterloo shelters has been a result of the cold weather temperatures in Southern Ontario dropping dangerously low this winter season.

Shelters have repeatedly reached maximum capacity over the past few months and have redirected overflow into motel rooms.

The average cost for a motel bed is approximately 43 dollars and is manageable when the motel option does not have to be used on a regular basis.

However, according to the Region of Waterloo report, this option becomes costly and unsustainable when numbers are regularly over capacity for several months of the winter.

St. Matthew’s Church and the House of Friendship have provided an alternative flexible space for those in need, which will be funded by the Region of Waterloo to accommodate the overflow in the coming winter months.

The St. Matthew’s space will be cost-effective at 85,800 dollars as opposed to motel rooms which could cost up to 290,000 dollars according to the region’s recent report.

“It’s really a creative idea that’s not necessarily about shelter, it’s about trying to offer support overnight and after hours that is open to come and go as you please,” Terry Nease, housing support worker and supervisor, said.

A focus of the church space will be to provide services needed for the homeless, though services provided have yet to be determined.

Accommodations at St. Mat-

thew’s will feature a flexible dropin option which allows people to sleep, stay awake, or come and go without a curfew.

The church is in proximity to existing emergency shelters and other community services making transportation more manageable.

“It helps to have one stable facility people can access every night [so] there is no confusion around ‘where can I go tonight?’”

Nease said.

In addition, the St. Matthew’s space will be operated by an experienced emergency shelter and trained staff for services to support the population.

“It’s a short-term aid for people in the street who need to stay warm, the bigger problem is getting a long-term plan and funding for more shelters and supportive housing,” Meadows-Helmer said.

This partnership hopes to benefit the population with a warm indoor space and services for those in need, in a new and creative way for the KW Region.

“One of the most important parts of this project, really, is the community effort,” Nease said. “[Everybody] coming together with ideas, I think that is what you want in a community especially when you’re trying to provide services. It’s been eye-opening.”

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Until 2014, many churches in the KW area hosted an Out of the Cold (OOTC) program until the region streamlined the shelter services available and the OOTC program closed.

The region’s report states that this flexible space is not reviving the previous OOTC model but is instead a temporary seasonal option to manage overflow when emergency shelters reach capacity and an alternative to motel rooms.

“We have a space that has been used as an overnight shelter so we figured this is a good partnership opportunity,” Meadows-Helmer said.

“We worked with House of

Friendship before and have a lot of respect for their abilities working with [those in need] in the KW community.”

The flexible space at St. Matthew’s will be an option for those in need and an opportunity for services to understand what the population needs after hours and how that can be provided.

“I think that partnerships are the way of the future for helping people in need,” Meadows-Helmer said.

“None of us can often do it on our own but working together with others who have different resources, it is possible to put something together.”

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018

MONEY

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

#textbookbroke campaign targets steep costs of textbooks ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER

Jan. 15 marked the first day of this year’s local advocacy week for the #textbookbroke campaign which will conclude this Friday.

To find a solution to mitigate the large sum of money students spend every year on textbooks, the Ontario Undergraduate Students Alliance (OUSA) and students at Laurier have joined the #textbookbroke campaign.

“We know textbooks are very expensive and students can’t afford to pay for textbooks especially when they have to pay for their own rent or groceries,” Stephanie Bellotto, vice-president of university affairs, said.

The #textbookbroke campaign is collecting students’ receipts online to see how much money students are spending on textbooks at Laurier this semester.

Students can tweet with the #textbookbroke to share their

spending.

“So far we have seen a lot of students who would rather spend [their money] on rent or groceries and tuition,” Bellotto said.

The solution to highly priced textbooks so far has been the development of Open Educational Resources (OERs). OERs are free to the public through the eCampus Ontario website and contain educational resources that are hoping to replace textbooks.

“It’s more about teaching faculty

what it is and how to create them, but most primarily we need funding for it,” Bellotto said.

Announced last summer the opening of eCampus Ontario funded by the government to provide students with access to free educational resources such as textbooks and other course materials.

“Since the government put $1 million towards OERs in Ontario for eCampus, students have already saved about $200,000 with professors that use them,” Bellotto said. “Because of that, we’re trying to push [that] every school should be using these.”

There are currently about 400 OERs available, ranging from Indigenous to French materials and more. Although the campaign is working to advocate in order to gain more funding and make these resources applicable to different fields.

All of the universities that are a part of the OUSA are running the #textbookbroke campaign at this time to advocate for more public and free resources, including Western, Brock, Waterloo, Queens, Trent, McMaster and Laurentian.

“What we’re doing here on my end at the University Affairs department is hosting a local advocacy week where local representatives are coming here to connect with students,” Bellotto said. “[Students] get to advocate now to politicians on the work they are doing.”

Currently, there are no classes at Laurier that use OERs for course

material, although this campaign hopes to teach Laurier what OERs are and how to create more educational resources.

OERs are a new concept and differ from the traditional online resources provided by Laurier because they are publicly accessible.

“It is open to everybody,” Bellotto said.

So far we have seen a lot of students who would rather spend [their money] on rent or groceries and tuition.

-Stephanie Bellotto, vice-president of university affairs

“Say Western starts creating an OER and they put it on the [eCampus] library, someone from Laurier can also access it as well.”

The future of eCampus and OERs have yet to be determined and will be affected by the upcoming provincial election in June.

All students are invited to also advocate for the #textbookbroke campaign.

“The best thing to do it tweet us a receipt at the Students’ Union and #textbookbroke, or talk to [your] faculty about OERs,” Bellotto said.

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 REPORT

Policy paper on mental health CASA lists recommendations for the federal government

TANZEEL SAYANI/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

JAKE WATTS NEWS EDITOR

On Jan. 9, 2018, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) published a policy paper on mental health.

The paper lists a series of recommendations to the federal government to improve post-secondary students’ mental health across

Canada.

“CASA’s membership, from across the country, are student leaders representing their own institutions,” Michael McDonald, executive director of CASA, said.

“Many have identified mental health concerns as a pressing need across the country, and they asked CASA to be able to spell out some better policies, especially at the

federal government level,” McDonald said.

The policy paper begins with an overview of recent data on post-secondary students’ mental health which points to the conclusion that, as time goes on, mental health has been getting progressively worse.

Drawing on data collected in a 2016 survey from the National Col-

lege Health Association, the policy paper points out that of those who responded to the survey, 44 per cent identified themselves as being “so depressed it was difficult to function.”

The increasing rates of mental health issues on post-secondary campuses can put a strain on the services already in place to accommodate students seeking help.

Wilfrid Laurier University’s own Wellness Centre has recently faced its own share of criticism from students who reported on social media that they were, allegedly, being turned away from accessing services due to a lack of immediacy or emergency.

McDonald recognizes this trend in post-secondary institutions across Canada.

“We’ve now seen many who identify as potentially having an issue, try to turn to services and encounter the fact that there just aren’t services there,” McDonald said.

“Or there just is a waiting line that is exceptionally long, or the diagnostic processes are taking an exceedingly long time, often so long it would put a student’s semester in jeopardy if they were to pursue it.”

The policy paper’s recommendations to the federal government are divided in the paper between three categories: “Academic Accommodations,” “Stigma Reduction & Mental Health Care Support Services” and “Financial Accessibility.”

“Depending on the situation,

depending on the mental health concern that’s being identified, a variety of different services within the institution need to get better at providing support to students,” McDonald said.

With respect to academic accommodations, the policy paper’s asks include reducing the burden of proof on students to show that they do, in fact, have mental health problems.

“That includes accessibility offices being less restrictive with the information that they need to be provided in order to provide accessibility services to students who really do need it,” McDonald said.

The paper also asks for the federal funding of de-stigmatization campaigns to reduce stigma and prejudicial attitudes throughout post-secondary institutions, which the paper alleges is present among professors and even the staff working in accessibility offices.

“That includes professors being more willing and understanding about mental health concerns in general,” McDonald said.

McDonald outlined CASA’s next steps on the issue.

“We are going to be looking to the budget this year to see if we have been able to have any successes around some of our asks,” McDonald said.

“It’s something our members are going to continue to focus on. Each year, our membership decides the priorities of the organization ... they will build on this paper to see what other opportunities exist next year as well.”

TRANSIT

Region’s first ION rail car sent back to Bombardier JAKE WATTS NEWS EDITOR

Earlier this month, the first ION light rail car to arrive in the Waterloo Region, vehicle 501, was shipped back to Bombardier, its manufacturer in Kingston, for completion.

Tom Galloway, counsellor in Waterloo, noted that when the vehicle was sent to Waterloo Region last year, it was known that it was in an incomplete state.

“We needed that vehicle in the form that it was, we knew it wasn’t operational,” Galloway said.

“We needed it to test the maintenance facility, to make sure that the maintenance facility had been properly built and all of the clearances and tolerances were being met for the vehicle,” Galloway said.

Given that all of the light rail cars are still owned by Bombardier, however, it was up in the air whether vehicle 501 would be completed here in Waterloo Region or over in Kingston.

“All the vehicles are still owned

by Bombardier and it’s up to them to decide how they’re going to bring them up to speed, whether or not they were going to bring staff here and do the upgrades here or take it back to Kingston,” Galloway said.

Galloway noted that they were happy with Bombardier’s decision to take the vehicle back to Kingston.

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

“We’re quite pleased in fact that they’ve taken it back to Kingston because they can do it much quicker and better in Kingston than trying to do it here,” Galloway said.

Besides using vehicle 501 to test the maintenance facility and various clearances and tolerances, the vehicle was also used to train emergency services ahead of the project’s projected completion

later this year.

“EMS, fire and police used it on a few occasions too — if there was an accident or some kind of emergency on a vehicle — they did some training on the vehicle,” Galloway.

As for the project’s current status, Galloway noted that were still testing different structures to ensure that they have been properly built, but that they will

soon move on to testing the system under power.

“Right now they’re doing the tow-along testing to make sure that all the signs and lamp posts and platforms are properly built,” Galloway said.

“And then the power testing will start, possibly later this month, primarily on the test track, which goes from Northfield Drive down to Erb and Caroline. And eventually,

they’ll be taking live testing all the way down to Fairview Park Mall as well,” Galloway said.

Galloway also acknowledged the importance of having at least three vehicles in the Region for testing.

“We have three operational vehicles now, and that’s how many vehicles are required to do proper testing.”

“Because you need more than one to mimic all the various circumstances that are going to take place, with vehicles going in opposite directions and so on,” Galloway said.

He also noted that the current priority in the project is not on the vehicles, but on the track system itself.

“So we have those three vehicles.

You can now test the system. It’s not so much right now about the vehicles as it is the system that’s been built,” Galloway said.

“To make sure that the gates and the lights, and all the switching works properly that’s been installed over the last couple of years.

And that’s what’s being testing now is the actual track system.”

Beyond the details of testing, Galloway affirmed that they were still on track for a Spring 2018 start.

“If all goes well, we can make that date, but there really is no wiggle room, and anything that might go wrong with the vehicles or with the track system itself has the potential of pushing back the start date again.”

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018

CONTROVERSY

EVENTS

Lindsay Shepherd tweets about land acknowledgments NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

On Dec. 24, 2017, Lindsay Shepherd tweeted a photo of a syllabus from CS101B: Canadian Communication in Context taught by Judith Nicholson.

Nicholson allegedly confronted Shepherd citing she breached intellectual property.

Shepherd got Twitter shortly after the initial controversy began and since, she has accumulated almost 40,000 followers.

Shepherd sent a tweet from her twitter account @NewWorldHominin which read: “I wonder how indigenous people feel about the holier-than-thou “SJWs” who use land acknowledgments to virtue signal. This land acknowledgment is on a course syllabus. I see them in email signatures too. (If you don’t know what these are, look here.”

The photo contains the title of the course, semester and year, land acknowledgment as well as the Wilfrid Laurier University header.

In a statement which Shepherd provided The Cord, she explained that Nicholson confronted her asking her to take the tweet down.

“In a meeting with my fellow six TA’s on Jan. 9, Dr. Nicholson said something along the lines of: ‘Lindsay, I don’t do the whole social media thing, but I heard you posted my syllabus on your Twitter,’” Shepherd said in an email.

“She ordered me to delete it because it is her intellectual property and in violation of the non-academic code of conduct.”

“I, politely, objected to this suggestion.”

“She then said I will get a note of breach of non-academic code of conduct on my file, and the dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies would be notified,” the statement read.

On Jan. 9, 2018 Shepherd sent out a series of tweets on her account claiming that she was confronted by the communications faculty and ultimately asked to take

She then said I will get a note of breach of non-academic code of conduct on my file ....

-Lindsay Shepherd, teaching assistant, in an email statement

the tweet down.

Shepherd tweeted: “I was just told that this tweet breaches WLU non-academic code of conduct becuz I took a cut-out of a course syllabus, which apparently constitutes intellectual property. I was told to delete it, and if I don’t, I will

As someone commented on my Twitter, if I were praising land acknowledgements they likely wouldn’t care ...

-Lindsay Shepherd, teaching assistant, in an email statement

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

get a note of breach on my file & Dean will be notified.”

In a later tweet, Shepherd explained that an unspecified dean allegedly told her that the photo she posted of the syllabus is not actually violating any rules or regulations in question.

Shepherd tweeted: Just received an email from the Dean that the cut-out from the syllabus is NOT the intellectual property of the instructor, and there is NO breach in copyright or non-academic code of conduct. Communication Studies faculty keeps making up their own rules! Hilarious!

Shepherd did not reveal the name of the individual who confronted her until an unidentified Twitter user challenged her to name the individual involved.

BrittainyB123 tweeted on Jan. 10: “anyone else out there think there is a good possibility that @ NewWorldHominin faked the “someone told me” to hold on to her 15min of fame? it isn’t like her not to name her “oppressors” ... #LindsayShepherd #Delusions #FreeSpeech” On Jan. 11 Shepherd revealed that the person who confronted her was allegedly Dr. Judith Nicholson.

Shepherd tweeted in response to this: Dr. Judith Nicholson In a statement Shepherd gave The Cord, she claimed that, via the aforementioned incident, the Communication Studies department is allegedly pushing their agenda by misusing policies.

“Although this was just a small kerfuffle, it shows that Communication Studies faculty are still misinterpreting and misapplying policy in order to push their agenda,” Shepherd said in the email.

“It was just a ridiculous accusation to suggest a land acknowledgment statement used university-wide would be Dr. Nicholson’s intellectual property, and I would be ordered to delete the tweet critiquing these land acknowledgments,” Shepherd’s statement read.

“As someone commented on my Twitter, if I were praising the land acknowledgments, however, because I critiqued them, the faculty wants the tweet gone, citing ‘code of conduct.’”

The Cord has requested a comment from both Dr. Judith Nicholson and Wilfrid Laurier University but did not receive response at the time of publishing.

Students participate at another successful Winter Carnival NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

Winter Carnival has been a Wilfrid Laurier University tradition since 1960.

The program has changed in order to adapt to the changing campus climate.

Winter Carnival this year had 16 teams, with approximately 500 participants registered for the program. This year Winter Carnival took place from Jan. 7-13 in and around the Laurier campus.

“Essentially, it’s a week long spirit week where anyone can come out and create a team of 20-40 people,” Victoria Arvanitis, Winter Carnival Coordinator, said.

“It can be any year; it can be anyone. They just have to be a student and we [Winter Carnival Executives] plan events for them and they come out [to events].”

The carnival is broken down into ceremony events, activity events and spirit events. The object of Winter Carnival is for each team to collect points in order to win the massive trophy.

“DubC really puts the pressure on teams to work together. Many of the events require different people doing things in different places, and quick and efficient communications is necessary for success,” Graham Estey, fourth-year business administration student and team member of Gaelics, said.

“DubC also encourages enthusiasm and team spirit, by awarding the Spirit Cup.” The carnival is also based on a theme each year which is adapted to the programing as well as the team’s t-shirts and performances, this year it was Teletoon Retro.

The event has been under scrutiny for the past few years because of the drinking, drug use, skipped classes and general campus disruption associated with the Carnival in years past.

This year Winter Carnival executives and the Students’ Union have been actively trying to reduce the negative connotations previously associated with the Carnival.

One of the main things which has been implemented is the talk

on registration day where students are given information on safe drinking, consent and the non-academic student code of conduct.

“We did do a presentation on registration day which just outlines a lot of really important topics alcohol related, non academic student code of conduct, the gender and sexual violence policy, which [covered] a lot of those topics,” Anthony Tomizza, vice president of programming and services for the Waterloo campus, said.

It’s just a really good week with a lot of positive vibes and energy for everyone.

-Jennifer Miner, fourth-year communication studies student

“Just putting the information out there and hoping we wouldn’t have to revisit it we did it throughout the week, our participants really awesome with everything we really set out as guidelines.”

Two fourth year students who have been involved in winter carnival for numerous years found the presentation informative and refreshing.

“Before DubC officially started, Anthony Tomizza and Kelsey Richard provided a 20-minute presentation on safety and academics during the week. It was a good reminder about [how] we are all at school for, and to look out for each other throughout the week,” Etsey said.

“I think it’s a good sort of refresher of what I have heard before but it’s good going into the week to make sure that it is stated and [we are] clear about what is expected of us students or anyone in general [on how] to behave and act in certain situations,” Jennifer Miner, fourth-year communication

studies student, said.

Another change which Tomizza noted was the change from Mystery Bar night to Mystery Event night, this was said to encourage other activities other than consuming alcohol.

“The programming that we put out has just encourage students to kind of want to team build get together in the activities, this is the second year we moved to a Mystery Event night rather than a Mystery Bar night which it has been in the past, while bars are still open in those environments, everyone [instead] just seemed to have a lot of good ol’ fun.”

Team building is a major focus for Winter Carnival related events in order to remain spirit oriented, however drinking can also be involved, according to some participants.

“My team was pretty low key. I was on Croc Bottom, so we didn’t do too much of that [drinking] … we did the odd time, it was more focused on team building,” Christian Stevenson, second-year business administration, Croc Bottom team member, said.

“Some of the other teams were a bit more drinking-focused I guess, [our] team was more focused on becoming friends.”

“It [drinking] can be an aspect if you choose to partake, no one forces you into anything you don’t want to do, its always your own decision, if you choose to [drink] that’s totally okay there’s definitely opportunities but by no means do you have to partake in those activities,” Miner said.

Participants have also noticed positive aspects of programming changes for Winter Carnival.

“It was really fun. It was so fun to hangout with all the people I knew from previous years as well as get to know all the new people on our team,” Miner said.

“It’s just a really good week with a lot of positive vibes and energy for everyone.”

“I found that many participants often skipped events to go to class.

It seems that before the week starts, the overall attitude is “class first, events second,” Estey said.

NEWS • 7

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 RECOGNITION

BREAKING NEWS

When I first found out I was named TED Senior Fellow I was thrilled.

Professor scorns student SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

-Shohini Ghose, 2018 TED Senior Fellow

TANZEEL SAYANI/FILE PHOTO

Professor named TED Fellow STEPHANIE SAUNDERS STAFF WRITER

The TED Fellows program recently announced the new group of TED 2018 Senior Fellows and Wilfrid Laurier University’s Professor Shohini Ghose has been selected as one of the ten remarkable individuals.

TED is a non-profit organization committed to spreading ideas that change attitudes and lives, usually in the form of short, powerful talks that are 18 minutes or less.

Ghose was initially selected for the TED Fellows program back in 2014. The program chooses individuals based on exceptional achievement, strength of character and their innovative approach to working on world-changing projects.

The TED Fellows program creates a community that enables individuals to connect with global

leaders, creating a diverse network of artists, scientists, doctors, activists, entrepreneurs and more, who are devoted to making a difference in the world.

Along with Ghose, this year’s senior fellows includes: an activist committed to freedom of speech and training young journalists to cover politics and investigate corruption, an astronomer who uses machine learning to discover and study near-Earth asteroids and a research scientist who uses new healthcare technologies to cure and fight disease in Africa.

“One thing that brings us all together is the fact that we are all engaged in trying to make the world a better place. It feels like being part of a movement that really can make a change. It is a wonderfully energizing group to be a part of,” Ghose said.

Achieving the title TED Senior Fellow assures Ghose an additional two years to engage with the TED

Fellows program. Furthermore, it entails participation in four TED events and the opportunity to deliver a talk from the main TED stage.

“When I first found out I was named Ted Senior Fellow I was thrilled,” Ghose said.

“This means that over the next two years I will have even more opportunities to collaborate with other TED Fellows and really contribute to the program through my own work as a physicist, but also as an advocate for creating a more diverse and inclusive community in science.”

Ghose currently teaches physics and computer science at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her area of expertise lies in the field of quantum information science – the study of how the laws of quantum physics can be harnessed to transform computation and communication, and to develop novel tasks such as teleportation.

Ghose and her research collaborators made the first-ever movies that directly show atoms “tunnelling” through an impenetrable barrier and also made the first observations of how chaotic behaviour affects quantum entanglement.

“One of my greatest passions is what I currently do with work,” Ghose said. “I have always been driven to try to unravel the mysteries of how the universe works.”

Additionally, Ghose is the founding director of Laurier’s Centre for Women in Science.

The centre works to advocate and research topics surrounding gender equity and diversity in science.

It also commemorates and acknowledges contributions of female scientists and supports initiatives that address challenges faced by women in science.

In addition to being named a fellow, Ghose has received numerous awards for her accomplishments and contributions to science, research and education.

From making the W Network’s list of “15-awe inspiring Canadian women you need to know” and being named “Rogers Woman of the Year” in 2016, Ghose continues to be a forward-thinking leader, making a transformative impact on society.

A professor at the University of Guelph, Edward Hedican, will be investigated after allegedly using inappropriate remarks towards a student in his anthropology lecture who has severe anxiety.

According to CBC, the professor is being accused of calling the student’s aid worker his “handler.”

Other students in the lecture also said that the professor allegedly told the aid to “control” his student in class. The situation became public shortly after the class when details were posted to an unofficial University of Guelph group called Overheard at Guelph.

Allegedly, Hedican ridiculed the student by questioning whether he was enrolled in the course and apparently called the student “annoying” when he took part in the class discussion. The student and his aid left the class early as a result.

Courtney Orser told CBC, who is a third-year student also in the class, that other students were clearly upset by the altercation.

She said one student walked out of the class in tears.

Orser also said that she also felt the need to leave the class early.

Before she left, however, she said she stood up to Hedican, stating that he was being disrespectful. To this, other students in the class are heard clapping for Orser’s words, as seen in a short clip which was released of the lecture in question.

Hedican has been placed on a leave of absence until further investigation can be complete.

CONSTRUCTION

Gymnasium and parking lot closures on campus SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

The Athletic Complex (AC) gymnasium on Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus will be closed for approximately four weeks until further notice.

The closure stems from a water leak that came from the roof of the gymnasium. The roof, which has been under construction since November for repairs and the installation of solar panels, began leaking water last Wednesday.

“What ended up happening was the amount of snow and the weather change basically led to water pooling up there and leaking into the building,” Jamie Howieson, communications director for Laurier Athletics and Recreation, said.

The water leak has caused significant damage to the floor of the gymnasium.

Crews assembled at the gymnasium throughout the past weekend to assess the damage. Repairs of both the roof and floor has begun.

Peter Baxter, director of Laurier

Athletics and Recreation, said the process of repairs will take a minimum of four weeks in order to full dry the hardwood floor and make the necessary repairs and replacements to some sections of the floor.

Baxter said some damaged sections will also need a repaint and then curing time for the floor sealant to harden.

“We are finalizing the logistics and timing with the University of Waterloo … [to] ensure we can have our Men’s and Women’s Basketball home games at the UW PAC this coming Friday and Saturday,” Baxter said in an email on Monday.

“Laurier Recreation staff is working to accommodate intramurals, club and Kin activity classes on the one East court which is operational. Varsity men and woman’s basketball can practice also on the East court.”

Various other construction projects will also be taking place on Laurier’s Waterloo campus over the winter term.

Rob McCallum, project manager: ESCO, informed all students on Monday Jan. 15 that Parking

Lot 20 Pay and Display Lot, which is located between Clara Conrad Residence and John Aird Building will be closed for one week.

After a full week of closure, approximately one-third of the lot will be open again to the public.

“I think there will definitely be an impact to students. There are alternative lot locations so I think more or less it’ll be an inconvenience,” McCallum said.

In addition to Lot 20, there are three other park and display lots available to students and the public.

The parking lot will be closed in order for energy storage batteries and solar panels to be installed.

“We’ll be able to capture that energy and we’ll be able to store and discharge energy based on opportune times to do so,” McCallum said.

“For example, energy is very expensive during the day or peak periods so we could discharge from the battery at that point and we can recharge the battery when the sun is shining or when the cost of energy makes the most sense to

HEATHER DAVIDSON/FILE PHOTO

do so.”

The solar installations will be situated on Clara Conrad, the Peter’s Building, Library, Science Building, Athletic Complex as well as Grand River Hall in Brantford.

The solar installation project is scheduled to be completed by

Spring.

McCallum is confident that students will not experience the affects of the installations aside from the parking lot closure.

Some information in this story was first published by The Cord online on Friday Jan. 12, 2018.

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY

WATERLOO | BRANTFORD | Kitchener | Toronto

Indigenous Student Centre

Come visit us at the Indigenous Student Centre and experience the wide range of culturally relevant, wholistic support services and programs that are available to you.

WE PROVIDE ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL COUNSELLING SCHOLARSHIP AND BURSARY ASSISTANCE ACCESS TO SMUDGING AND OTHER TRADITIONAL MEDICINES RESOURCE LIBRARY ADMISSIONS ASSISTANCE ADVOCACY AND REFERRALS REGULAR GATHERINGS AND FEASTS AND MUCH MORE! wlu.indigenous.waterloo wlu.indigenous.brantford wluindigenous.tumblr.com

WLUIndigenous youtube.com/LaurierVideo

wlu.ca/indigenous

How do I self-identify?

You can declare you have an Indigenous background, heritage or ancestry – First Nations (status or non-status), Inuit or Métis by completing the Voluntary Self-ID section on your LORIS account.

We are located at: 187 Albert Street, Waterloo Ü 111 Darling Street, Brantford

Questions? Email us at indigenous@wlu.ca

ABOR-968-JUL17

Are you a self-identified Indigenous Laurier student?

GAMES • 9

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018

Dear Life Dear Life is your opportunity to write a letter to your life, allowing you to vent your anger with life’s little frustrations in a completely public forum.

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

Unbelievable! You dropped another game and I am mad. When was the last time we got at least 5 points in 10 games?? Like a month ago ...November even?? Looks like some of those die hards out there were right, our shooting percentage was an anomaly and couldn’t be maintained (Don’t believe what they tell you about Mathews and his points trajectory because he ain’t gonna make it) Please! Take the season I have low expectations for it anyway. Just don’t bring this back next season, this amateur mental toughness needs to end Sincerely, Maple Leaf

Dear Life, My former employer unfollowed me on Instagram. Yup, I noticed. Not even mad because I aspire to be that petty.

Sincerely, I’m going to hang around just to be annoying at this point Dear Boyfriend, Your jokes are awful but they always make me laugh.

Sincerely, Daddy Irons Dear Life, Snakes are respectable and majestic animals.

Dear Life, Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb In the shape of an “L” on her forehead Well the years start coming and they don’t stop coming Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running Didn’t make sense not to live for fun Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb So much to do, so much to see So what’s wrong with taking the back streets?

You’ll never know if you don’t go

You’ll never shine if you don’t glow Hey now, you’re an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey now, you’re a rock star, get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold It’s a cool place and they say it gets colder You’re bundled up now, wait till you get older But the meteor men beg to differ Judging by the hole in the satellite picture The ice we skate is getting pretty thin The water’s getting warm so you might as well swim My world’s on fire, how about yours?

That’s the way I like it and I never get bored Hey now, you’re an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey now, you’re a rock star, get the show on, get paid All that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold Hey now, you’re an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey now, you’re a rock star, get the show, on get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas?

I need to get myself away from this place I said yep what a concept I could use a little fuel myself And we could all use a little change Well, the years start coming and they

don’t stop coming Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running Didn’t make sense not to live for fun Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb

So much to do, so much to see So what’s wrong with taking the back streets?

You’ll never know if you don’t go (go!)

You’ll never shine if you don’t glow

SUDOKU

Sincerely, Blake the snake Dear 2018, You had such potential, and you’re letting me down all over again.

Sincerely, reminiscing 2017 Dear Tarique, I fuck with the white glove.

Sincerely, Probably shouldn’t say Dear Life, Who touched my spaghet?!

Sincerely, Enough already Dear &%*$# Leafs!

fill a gap in your program Athabasca University has over 850 courses for you to choose from to meet your needs. Monthly start dates of undergraduate courses fit into your schedule so that you can work at your own pace.

Fill the gap and save a semester.

go.athabascau.ca/online-courses open. online. everywhere.

10 •

FEATURES EDITOR/KARLIS WILDE/FEATURES@THECORD.CA

FEATU

Features Editor, Karlis Wilde, takes an in-depth look at online learning and some of the concerns for the future.

Your professor is linked to a circuitboard. Your professor no longer dresses up in a gaudy shirt and tie, because your professor doesn’t dress up at all. Your professor sits comfortably in the central stream of a database, overflowing with data, ready to project quantifiable trends and employ algorithms that can accurately determine the quality of your work.

This is the fear for the future. And with the advent of new technologies and new artificial intelligences popping up at blistering rates, it doesn’t seem too far removed from the reality we now inhabit.

The world of online learning has grown enormously over recent years and — trends suggest — will likely continue to do so. As the information attached shows, the year over year growth of online en-rolments has followed an upward trend every single year over the past decade, with an enormous recent hike for the 2016-17 year.

Why is online learning so popular? As Religion and Culture professor Alex Damm sees it, there are several reasons.

For the institution, it allows a low cost opportunity to continue dispensing education: standard rates for professors don’t need to be as high, TAs don’t need to be employed and there’s no necessity of booking a space. All of these culminate to make it an easier way to market as well as administer an education.

But Damm also recognizes a very real value in online learning courses for both students and for faculty: the remote flexibility. People who have other time commitments — family, work — are still given the opportunity to learn or to teach.

Where it becomes problematic is when we consider the inherent problems in trying to reconcile two entirely different modes. A classroom can’t be perfectly ported online. Or can it?

Grades in general — probably the most obvious metric by which to determine educational success — tend not to vary much between online and in-class learning. But Damm, in running RE321 as both an in-class and an online course, has noticed a few less clear discrepancies between the models.

“On average, in a class of between 40 and 80 students, ten to 12 students plagiarize the first assignment in the online course,” Damm said. “It’s almost a given.”

For whatever reason, despite having the same assignments and the same requirements in the classroom as in the online version of the same course — and it should be noted that this is not a documented trend outside of Damm’s attestation — the plagiarism issue tends to be far more prevalent online. In fact, Damm claims that it almost never happens within the classroom.

Without broader trends to analyze this by, it is difficult to accurately assess the meaning behind it. But Damm suggests that it could be seen as a symptom of the online environment. People steal “On average, in a class of between movies online and people form hate groups online because of 40 and 80 students, ten to 12 stuthe anonymity that the medium dents plagiarize the first assignimplies. He believes that it might be the perceived lack of accountment in the online course ... it’s ability that comes with the interalmost a given.” net that makes people feel less of a personal connection with their class and with their work.

So, if they get caught, who -Alex Damm, cares? That failing reflects on Religion and Culture professor at Laurier their online avatars, not on themselves as people.

It is when examining the

anecdotal that it gets difficult. While chock full of enormous benefits, online learning doesn’t yet seem to be a perfect system. And that can be somewhat scary when considering the future of education.

On this week’s episode of The CordCast, discussing our own experiences with online learning, members of our panel noted less quantifiable metrics about their course satisfaction: our creative director, Tanzeel Sayani, claimed that he found online courses to be easier, and that the marks that he received in them were almost always higher than his in-class grades.

But even this purports to be different when we look at the data: final grades within online learning courses, according to both Damm and Joseph Beer, the director of teaching, learning and development at the university, tend to be more or less the same as in face to face classes. In addition to this, according to surveys Beer has been involved with, many students even find online learning to be more difficult because of the extra self-motivation required to do well in classes.

That’s where it becomes a bit muddled, because the personal attestations don’t tend to perfectly match the data. It is only the quantifiable metrics that determine the success of a class — whether online or in person — that can be directly ported over.

The marks, the assessments and thereby the learning are considered comparatively, and without enormous discrepancy between the results, there seems little reason to consider any dangers within online learning.

But what tends to be true is that the human matters, the human range, is lost in pushing toward the online elements. And, as we push away from that, as we determine more algorithmic ways to push the boundaries of learning into non-mediated environments, the priorities of that learning seem more and more evident.

One of these non-mediated learning systems was reported on in detail in our

URES

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 • 11

“All the work in online learning and development is really about student experience ... So that they have an experience that tries to replicate the level of engagement that one can pull off in a face to face classroom...”

last issue — a website called Lynda.com, a resource packed full with training and learning videos. Lynda.com is a system with an enormous breadth of information taught through pre-existing video courses that is now avail-able to students and staff at Laurier. But this simplified port of knowledge, distilling an education down to a series of video clips, brings with it an urgent question: is this the future of education?

Beer sees Lynda.com and other systems like it as supplemental. He sees them as a resource to create a more experiential learning model, more analogous to a textbook. This is fortunate, because at least that priority addresses one of the greatest fears about online learning: that it could devolve into a series of less human processes.

Beer sees the online learning model as an extension, and recognizes the benefits of in-class learning. In many ways, the mandate of online learning development is built around the need not to lose those human connections that help to solidify an education.

“All the work in online learning and development is really about student experience,” Beer said.

“So that they have an experience that tries to replicate the level of engagement that one can pull off in a face to face classroom a lot easier — because you’re there, right?”

While this is true, there’s a great many less than obvious reasons why the classroom setting is so effective: obviously there’s the very real, human connection inherent in embodying the same space, but there is also the speed and nuance of communication.

In real life, a conversation can be fast and direct. Exchanges unfold in real time, where thoughts and ideas are more honestly and viscerally expressed. By contrast, online conversation can falter, break down and extend over unideal windows of time, because that momentary pressure is eliminated.

“As an instructor I’m trying to teach to the whole person,” Damm said.

“Which is to say, because you’re there in person, all of the nuance in communication, the inflection, the anecdote, the instanta-Joseph Beer, director of teaching, learning and development at Laurier neous and unpredictable discussions, the emphasis is all there in the classroom. But that holistic and full range of communication is lost online.”

Luckily, this at least appears to be a priority to the development of online learning at Laurier.

While courses have to be more purposefully cultivated and crafted for the online environment, a great deal of the effort expended into making these courses is intentionally dedicated to creating a seamless experience. What works online is implemented within in-class courses, and what works in-class is replicated online.

“There’s a lot more oversight in an online learning course,” Beer said, reflecting on how faculty has to be brought in to advise and properly develop programs for the online medium.

“Because there’s a lot more sets of eyes on online courses prior to them going up online, the quality of them are at least as strong as a face to face course.”

The thought of one day having education overhauled into lines of code is a terrifying one and, luckily, one that is — for now — entirely imaginary. There are human elements of learning that are important on an individual and a worldwide level: educators and administrators are people spreading human knowledge, and ensuring that it works and it sticks is absolutely a priority.

Luckily, this priority also seems to apply to the ethos of online learning — at least for now.

The future is a terrifying place, with a thousand different ideas and purposes that have yet to be determined.

There are things to be aware of as a culture and individuals as we move forward with more and more online learning, but perhaps the most important is that we never lose sight of our humanity.

Online learning growth at Laurier (2005-17)

12 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD arts@thecord.ca

PROSPECTS

Two roads divereged in a yellow wood TYLER CURRIE STAFF WRITER

When we were young, we thought monsters were scary.

We worried about imaginary creatures hiding in our closets or creeping under our beds with the one sole purpose of getting us.

I miss those days. Today, monsters are nothing compared to the existential concern of wasting years of my finite existence doing a job that I dread.

Being stuck in a job due to bills, mortgages, debts, taxes and future children for whom I’d be responsible for.

One of the biggest choices a lot of us have the privilege to make at a young age comes when we are trying to decide our career path.

It’s a tough decision that’s difficult to make before we even discover who we are and what makes us tick.

Some prioritize spending their days at a job they find personally fulfilling.

Whereas others prefer a high paying, stable career path that may lack excitement, but eliminates most financial stresses that come with ‘exciting’ or ‘creative’ positions.

I discovered the way I was wired while taking a year off from university to work full time and save

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

money for school.

I worked 12-hour factory shifts and nine to five desk jobs over the course of my gap year.

The work was hard, honest and sharpened my work ethic immensely.

But they weren’t positions I could see myself continuing after graduation.

Many people enjoy the physical aspects of a job on their feet, and many prefer the relaxed atmosphere of certain desk jobs and the stability of the work that comes with the territory.

However, they aren’t the only options for those who find

themselves desiring an alternative career path.

“It is more important in my mind to enjoy what you do than to become rich at what you do,” suggests Wendy Donnan, a film professor at Wilfrid Laurier University who has accumulated over 30 years of experience within the media industry throughout her career.

“I believe that if your job is secure and high paying, and you don’t like it or aren’t suited to it, your walls will probably come crumbling down around you, so to speak.”

Donnan has worked in a wide variety of positions within the

media industry; from scheduling to executive producer on various projects. She is currently the executive director and programmer for Oakville Festivals of Film and Art. As media is one of the most competitive and exciting industries in the world, Donnan believes that the best way to get a foot in the door is to gain connections.

“In my industry, once you are established and know how to network, it is much easier to be continually working than it is before you have established yourself.”

“I highly recommend to anyone starting out in this industry that they learn to network with others.”

Donnan doesn’t accept that one is forced to choose between financial stability or personal fulfillment.

“I have worked in the industry in several jobs: some that are high paying and fulfilling (as vice president Programming and Marketing at OUTtv).”

“Or as an indie producer which is very fulfilling, but much more difficult to achieve financial stability.”

The pressure of choosing a career of either fulfillment or finance is eased when witnessing a career path such as Donnan’s.

Her industry experience proves that careers can be winding; one isn’t committed to a single area within an industry, but will rather take on a variety of different responsibilities in varying amounts of financial gain or personal fulfillment.

There’s plenty of time to figure out how you’re wired as you build your career.

You may find yourself prioritizing finance over passion as you grow older.

In reverse, you may regret not pursuing a career that you’ve always desired and alter your priorities in a decade or two.

You are constantly steering the ship of your career, and you are never forced to use its anchor.

SELF-CARE

Drawing the line with social media MADELINE MCINNIS STAFF WRITER

A little over a year and a half ago, I signed off of Tumblr and never signed back on.

I wasn’t Tumblr famous or anything, but I did have several posts with thousands of reblogs.

Deactivating my account was hard, but it was worth it for my mental health.

This sounds pretty counterintuitive on the surface. Tumblr seems to be one of the only social media platforms where conversations about mental health are embraced.

It’s not as much of a show as it is on Facebook and it’s not taken as a joke like on Twitter, for example.

However, I found that Tumblr was romanticizing what I was feeling and that was hurting me.

So many people had mental illnesses on the site that it began to seem cool to be depressed. It was hip to have anxiety. We were a

community and everyone wanted to fit in.

When I was lowest in my life, I didn’t need someone to tell me that everything was going to be okay and tell me to take a day where I listened to Coldplay and have a nap. That’s what I found was coming out of my time on Tumblr.

I needed someone to tell me to get my shit together and stop throwing my energy into aesthetic posts about Harry Potter characters to validate myself to strangers.

A quick Google search shows that I’m not alone in my feelings towards the website.

An article published by Babe also points out that some mental illnesses are “trendy” on Tumblr.

Depression and anxiety can be seen as “cute” and people found solace in their rain-on-windowpane aesthetics and Mark Twain quotes about being sad.

The article also points out that personality disorders, for example, are barely mentioned at all. Add eating disorders, OCD, learning disabilities, etc. to that list and the “community” that purports to be so accepting starts to fall a little thin.

And then comes the comparing

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

of mental illnesses. For high school me, seeing people take “self-care” days that involved cocoa and a comfy blanket made me think that I was doing my own self-care wrong when it was a struggle to make myself eat some days.

According to the Mental Health Association, there are many ways to help deal with mental illness. In their top ten tips, they recommend eating healthy, keeping active and taking a break.

A lot of their other tips seem to fit the Tumblr community, but these three, in particular, are things

I always saw joked about on the website — usually in a “cutesy” way.

It’s funny to joke about how you got two hours of sleep, have eaten nothing but a slice of pizza for the last few days and don’t remember the last time you left your room, right? Because you’ve been on Tumblr for days!

“Consuming” is the best word I can think of to describe it. It can be hard not to become completely surrounded by mental illness when you put so much time into it.

If you’re not being authentic

with how your illness actually is and you’re just trying to keep up with the trends on the website, the community is doing more harm than good.

Furthermore, a study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine proved that there is a strong correlation between social media use and perceived social isolation in teens and young adults.

The more time they spent on social media, the worse it got.

Between coding, reblogging, scrolling through your feed and actually making posts, Tumblr is one of the most time-consuming social media platforms I can think of.

The last thing that teens and young adults with mental illnesses need is more perceived isolation.

Tumblr did a lot for me; I learned Photoshop, coding and really picked up photography because of the website. But there are plenty of other more useful places to use those skills.

If Tumblr helps you with your mental health, really and truly, I’m happy that you’ve found a community. But don’t trick yourself thinking that acknowledgment is the same thing as support like I did for so long.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, there are plenty of resources to help you that don’t include you staring at a screen for hours, waiting for your post about your beating heart to get a reblog.

ARTS & LIFE • 13

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 LOCAL

New Bar New Games New Hotspot LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

Laurier alumni opens new business at King and University plaza that offers more entertainment SARAH SPRAGG STAFF WRITER

The coolest new spot has opened up on King and University.

It’s a venue that, not only speaks to the likes of those who seek a great drink any night of the week, but also features something that brings out both the nostalgia in an older generation and excitement for the younger.

The Pin Up! Arcade Bar blends a bar with an arcade.

Reaching a level of awesome that only a nerd like myself can attempt to fathom and put into words.

A few days ago, I caught up with the owner and Laurier Alumni, Che Curnew, to talk a little bit about the bar and get a tour of the establishment before it opened for the night.

Curnew, a pinball connoisseur and avid collector, gave me a brief history of the pinball machine through the ones that he had restored and purchased. While simultaneously showing me the dozen other arcade machines that are showcased in his bar.

“There is a lot of people who come in here and this is the first pinball machine that they had ever seen, and I want them to see a pinball machine ... and see how

great it really is.”

Curnew explained when and why he combined the two types of entertainment.

From a classic 70s “Pin Up” pin ball machine to a brand new Guardians of the Galaxy themed edition.

Curnew passionately explained how the technology had moved drastically from the 70s until today.

It’s clear that Curnew wants to give new life to arcade gaming, which brought him so much joy when he was a kid.

Growing up in Belleville, Ontario, Curnew anticipated the chance to go to his local arcade.

When asked if owning his own was a childhood aspiration, he said said the following: “It was everyone’s childhood dream that was my age, arcades were a big thing when I was growing up.”

siasts to participate in pinball competitions. It’s fascinating to hear how this type of niche gaming still lives on.

But also, in a way, I wish that more people appreciated location gaming today. Good news for me, however, as the Pin up! Arcade Bar — much like other similar concepts that are appearing — are

altering the perception that surrounds this older form of entertainment.

“The concept [of the arcade bar] is gaining popularity because these machines appeal to guys that are a little older — a bar/restaurant going crowd.”

“They’re looking for places that are themed around things that they

care about and like.”

“It’s also a way to keep this kind of stuff relevant to people your age.”

The idea of returning to the arcade bar on a Friday night with some friends made me even more psyched about the business opening, and I hope that other Laurier students share in my sentiments.

It was everyone’s childhood dream that was my age, arcades were a big thing when I was growing up.

-Che Curnew, owner of Pin Up! Arcade Bar

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

“I kind of jokingly say that this is me trying to recoup my allowance money — because that’s where every kid spent his Saturday.”

As an adult, Curnew has created the ideal place to continue a legacy of the classic arcade style.

Which convienently also works well alongside the bar scene in Waterloo. The arcade brings together kids, students and adults alike, connecting multiple generations of players who enjoy the draw of location gaming.

Curnew went on to express that the business caters to a larger pinball community in the tri-cities’ area as well. In fact, Curnew surprised me by saying that there are pinball collector leagues in almost every major city, and that many collectors open their homes to players.

One collector in particular that he mentioned, has over fifty machines in the basement of his home, welcoming fellow enthu-

ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE VIA TICKETWEB.CA

14 • ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018

SOCIAL

The woes of Wiseau CHRIS LUCIANTONIO STAFF WRITER

The Golden Globes took place this past week and among the most memorable moments — such as Oprah’s address about the #MeToo movement and Natalie Portman eviscerating the Globes sexist director nomination practice with a single sentence — there was a small, comparatively insignificant moment which grabbed my attention.

James Franco won the Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy for his transformative turn as Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist, the story about how the disparate actor-director made one of the worst films of all time and brought the inspiration for the film onto the stage as he accepted.

As you may have seen in gifs across social media, Wiseau made a desperate play for the mic and Franco physically held him back while he thanked his collaborators and did his Tommy impression before shuffling off the stage again.

Perhaps this was a planned spot for laughs. But knowing how difficult a “performer” Wiseau is, this looked like Franco hypocritically denying the man, of whom he based an award winning film, a chance to talk.

In an interview with Vox, Franco commented that the story of Tommy Wiseau was a story he “was born to tell”.

The Disaster Artist as it came to be is indebted to the eccentric director because “it’s his bizarre

story and his behaviour and his uniqueness that fueled the whole thing.”

He attempts to sell you of his earnestness in wanting to bring Tommy’s secret success story to the masses, a story about “having a vision that nobody believed in and pushing that vision out into the world.”

Tommy represented the voiceless in Hollywood; an immigrant and self-made businessman who despite having no qualities of a star, threw himself and his extensive finances into movie making without a second thought.

...Franco used his power to silence someone when not even a week later his sexual misconduct allegations would be published...

If Franco had this burning desire to tell the world the “Tommy Wiseau Story” and owed so much to his egotistical struggle, then why, I ask, did he not let the man say a word or two?

Was there a more definitive way for him to tell Wiseau that the no one in Hollywood actually cared about his story than to do an impression of his accent, which Wiseau is famously self-conscious of, while not giving him a second of his award speech?

I try not to sympathize with

Wiseau. The accounts from the production of The Room paint him as an abusive autocratic director who insulated himself from criticism through his ego and wealth.

Yet one can’t not feel something for the man; knowing the most exposure he is ever going to get is because the type of person who kept him out of Hollywood — Franco — is retelling his life story for laughs. Franco’s silencing of Tommy at the absolute height of the odd celebrity’s relevance is the classical Hollywood gatekeeping The Disaster Artist tried to rally you against with its uplifting tribute to the weird dreamers the movie business attracts.

This is a man who sunk millions of dollars into a god awful film inspiring people the world over, and in reality, all that actually means is someone other than you gets the adulation.

It’s almost poetic that at the #TimesUp Golden Globes Franco used his power to silence someone when not even a week later his sexual misconduct allegations would be published, but I digress.

Part of telling someone’s story is preserving their unique voice and sharing it while knowing to step down when necessary, and Franco did not do that.

I read a lot into this minor action because — given how long The Room has been shunned from mainstream attention — for the one guy who “got” Tommy’s story enough to retell it, the simple action of hogging the mic spoke volumes.

In that same Vox interview, Franco says “The Disaster Artist is my story and my life” and frankly that’s disrespectful to the man whose life you are getting laughs out of.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGES

MUSIC

Down with Webster!

ute to recall how horrifying it was.

The year was a seemingly endless series of questionable decisions and events that, no doubt, we’re going to see the consequences of for years to come.

Honors took all that shit from last year and came out with a song that makes you think: maybe things won’t be okay, but we are still going to make it.

Bring on Honor!

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

SHYENNE MACDONALD ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Remember when Down With Webster went on hiatus?

If you don’t that’s fine, I admittedly didn’t notice. But did anyone

notice when they formed a new band?

Patrick Gillet, Cameron Hunter, Tyler Armes and Andrew Martino — while on hiatus — formed a new band called Honors.

Before we continue, I’ve noted and deducted imaginary and insignificant points from the band for not spelling Honors the proper English way — with a ‘u’.

I won’t lie, I didn’t care too much about Down With Webster,

yet somehow I ended up at a few of their concerts. I do however — my opinion is entirely based on the one song by them I’ve listened to – like Honors.

The song I’ve been looking into is Valleys, which was released on Dec. 15, 2017. Despite being a month old, it’s still worth talking about.

If you haven’t yet wiped the dumpster-fire of a year that was 2017 from your mind, take a min-

...isn’t that a sentiment we all need when entering 2018?

No matter what, we’ll make it.

The song, inspired by a childhood nightmare, has themes of vulnerability and isolation and, at the same time, resilience to get through whatever storm you’re

going through. And isn’t that a sentiment we all need when entering 2018? No matter what, we’ll make it.

The song opens with a piercing guitar that draws you in. Then drops to a smooth but haunting melody in a way I only really associate another Canadian band Timber Timbre.

It’s darker than anything you would have heard from DWW, but at the end of the day I guess that’s the point.

The only problem I have with the song are the lyrics.

I can’t decide if the repetition was genius or lazy. Probably a bit of both, right?

The song could have easily been a minute shorter but the chorus gets repeated enough times that it pushes it to four minutes.

At the same time, you can notice subtle changes in the song that could mark the shift in themes. I won’t lie though, Valleys is quickly becoming my favourite song for the week.

Overall it’s an easy song to listen to, whether you want it in the background or you’re trying to find deeper meaning. The song delivers on both ends.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018

• 15

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Note: tune in for elections appreciate good, consistent marketing and branding; I have been watching all of the candidates fairly closely and assessing the accessibility of their platforms and various materials online. I just feel like this election process and election processes more generally, are skewed by the perceived surface narratives of all parties involved. I’m not trying to tell you something like “don’t trust politicians,” I just hope that voters think carefully about who they chose to give power.

Fortunately, via student publications, we are able to hold candidates accountable and — via the open forum in Brantford on Jan. 18, and the open forum in Waterloo on Jan. 24 — there will certainly be more than one opportunity to ask candidates the questions that you feel are most important.

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

For those with noses tucked firmly into their textbooks, I would advise you look up at some point over the next few weeks, at least long enough to read platforms and cast ballots for the upcoming set of student elections at Wilfrid Laurier University.

I implore you, not as a proud member of student publications, but as a proud Laurier alum, to take pride in your political involvement and participation on campus.

By the time this issue of The Cord reaches stands, nominees for Students’ Union president, board of directors and board of governors, as well as candidates for WLUSP elections, will have had their platforms published online at thecord.ca.

Similarly, platforms will also be published in full in our upcoming elections issue, due out next Wednesday, Jan. 24.

Along with the campaign period on campus comes the coverage by our team of dedicated student journalists, who — not unlike the ideal presidential candidate — are here to serve the best interest of the student body.

Election coverage ends up being one of the busiest times of the year for many of us and, as such, an endless amount of hours are put in to ensure that you, the members of the student body, are informed and educated enough on the process to cast a meaningful ballot on Jan. 31 or Feb. 1 when voting will take place.

Over the next two weeks, many of you will be exposed to various campaign tactics and efforts to secure your attention and in turn your vote. It is important that you approach these circumstances with caution and be weary of shallow efforts to grab votes.

This is not to say that I don’t

... An endless amount of hours are put in to ensure that you, the members of the student body, are informed and educated enough on the process to cast a [meaningful] ballot on Jan. 31 or Feb. 1 ...

But what can you do for yourself, in the mean time, to make sure you stay in the loop?

Read everyone’s platforms. Ask yourself the important questions.

Are these the efforts of someone who has the best interest of Laurier students in mind? Does this candidate provide tangible examples of their experience? Does this candidate have realistic — but still ambitious — ideas that would benefit students? Are they discussing the long term aspects of their position as well as the short term?

You will find that the answers to these questions present themselves rather quickly, even upon a short glance over one’s platform.

THE CORD IS PUBLISHED BY WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY STUDENT PUBLICATIONS 205 REGINA ST. N., WATERLOO

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR Andreas Patsiaouros VICE-CHAIR Lisa Irimescu DIRECTOR Alan Li DIRECTOR Benjamin Cooke

DIRECTOR/CORPORATE SECRETARY Noa Salamon

PRESIDENT Andreas Patsiaouros president@wlusp.com

DIRECTOR Hayley H.G. Watson

FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com

DIRECTOR Rosalind Horne TREASURER John Pehar

ADVERTISING MANAGER Caroline Lucas care.lucas@wlusp. com

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

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Bringing more than nostalgia SHYENNE MACDONALD ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

For the first time in 20 years Cardcaptor Sakura began a new season. The show, which first ran at the very beginning of a long list of “magical girl” animes, is hands down the best thing to air on television.

Not only does it have LGBT representation with characters that are three-dimensional (which for the 90’s, and even now, that’s surprising). But it is also hands down the purest show in the world.

The villains aren’t even really villains. They just made some bad choices with good intentions, then everyone comes together to help.

The entire fictional town is just so supportive of each other and wants to get along.

Obviously I’m really excited about the show’s return, but it’s not childhood nostalgia. I first watched Cardcaptor Sakura a few summers ago when a friend — who was already well versed with my love for Sailor Moon — was scandalized when she found out I had never even heard of the show. Cardcap-

tor Sakura and shows to its likeness bring something that I’ve found is seriously lacking in the world — which is female empowerment without trauma.

By that I mean that Sakura never had to be degraded or abused for her to rise up and become empowered. There isn’t a part of her that’s sacrificed for this to happen, and never in the show is she put through anything that’s extremely traumatic.

She goes through hardships, of course, because we all do. For example, there are episodes where it’s fear that gets the best of her and she needs a little more support.

Other episodes she struggles with asking for help because she doesn’t want to endanger her friends.

But never does anyone take anything from her; and that’s so imperative to the message of the show. You don’t have to go through a traumatic experience to be strong. She’s strong not because she has to be, but because she wants to be. Nobody forced her into the role she plays as the heroine.

At this point I want to digress, because I don’t want to be misinterpreted. I do think characters that have been abused or have gone through trauma are important. Their presence in shows or

books reminds us that we’re not alone and that we can also come

By that I mean that Sakura never had to be degraded or abused for her to rise up and become empowered.

back from a traumatic event.

However, I do think it’s just as vital for people — kids especially because, truthfully, this is a show geared toward children — to know that they don’t have to wait to be strong. It’s a hard lesson to learn, that you don’t need to wait for to be knocked down to rise up.

I always get concerned at this point, worried I’ve read too much into a show and found something that wasn’t actually there. But not this time, I’m certain I’m right when I say there is something vital in demonstrating to girls and women especially that they can be strong without loss.

16 •

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Logan Paul’s latest viral video goes too far YouTube has created a platform for several video stars who film and post questionable content

EMILY WAITSON OPINION EDITOR

Adding to the list of douchebags who made news headlines for their shitty behaviour, Logan Paul has become a newly acclaimed member of the “I fucked up big time” squad just in time to ring in the New Year.

Paul got his claim to fame through the once popular video sharing site Vine, something that many young twenty-somethings have seemingly gained recognition for, especially if they now have a sizeable social media following because of it.

He is certainly no exception, with two YouTube channels that have amassed over 15 million subscribers and a Twitter account that currently has 4.13 million followers.

His self-proclaimed “goofy” antics are what he showcases in his YouTube videos.

He can be seen screwing around with his equally antagonistic friends, all for the sake of views and so-called entertainment.

Though he is not someone I would have ever pegged as a standup individual, or admirable role model for the throngs of preteens that watch his every move, he recently outdid himself by acting

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

like the most insensitive tool imaginable.

Filming a dead body hanging from a tree in Japan’s Aokigahara forest and laughing about it like he stumbled upon something hilarious, Paul effectively defined himself as a piece of trash by posting it to his YouTube channel as though it were like any of his other jokey videos.

The backlash he’s received, regardless of his shoddily executed apologies, is justified for obvious reasons. What remains questionable, is the actual consequences he will face long-term.

Paul is a poster boy for entitlement and privilege, allowing his inflated ego to dictate how he behaves on camera, setting quite a

shitty example for the kind of videos that garner the most views.

Even before he capped off his visit to Japan with a horrifically insensitive lapse of judgement, he paraded around with his lemming-like friends acting like obnoxious, embarrassing children.

He’s a 22-year-old adult and his success is marked by his ability to behave like an overgrown manchild.

Blatantly disrespecting a country’s culture and people for the sake of his own laughs and being able to yell “it’s just a prank bro” don’t really constitute someone who has talent.

Criticism will always exist for popular content creators in the YouTube community. It’s a simple

inevitability that the time we live in attracts negativity from every corner of the social media universe, no matter what it is they’re finding fault with.

But when you have someone like Logan Paul — or his brother Jake, who is also a notable dickhead and high school bully turned shiny video star — taking over the attention of a vast majority of YouTube audiences, it seems like no matter what they do, they’ll be able to get away with it.

Although YouTube has released a second, slightly more harsh public statement than their first and have cut certain advertisement agreements with Paul, the fact remains that he will eventually be able to go back to doing what

he did before as though it never happened.

If anything, all of this attention is exactly what Paul wanted, even if a large portion of it is negative.

Any human being with a functioning brain would expect the kind of outcry he received for posting something so tactless and graphic.

For those who have risen to the defence of this blonde haired muppet — stating that he was in a state of “shock” when they just happened to stumble upon a suicide victim — remember that editing is something that exists.

He wasn’t filming it live and he has no reason to showcase a deceased human being like they were a prop in a comedy sketch.

To add on to this, his apology video, of all things, was monetized.

Doing so means that he tried to make money “apologizing” for the senseless actions he was so guiltily excusing and trying to earn forgiveness for.

At the end of the day, he’s another smarmy idiot who will walk away from this underhandedly calculated media stunt relatively unscathed.

He’ll be able to continue wearing that stupid alien hat and loudly making it known that he is, indeed, a moron.

If he thinks he’s somehow on the same level as the guys from Jackass, then that’s where he’s sorely mistaken.

At least they had the decency to call themselves what they really are.

Don’t dive right into resolutions JOSH GOEREE STAFF WRITER

Last Monday, I foolishly left my warm house and walked down to the gym in Antarctica-like weather, for a quick workout.

I say “foolishly” not because working out is stupid, but because it’s January and all the people who have the “New Year, New Me” mentality are all there.

These are the people who, at the beginning of a new year, all flock to the gym to “start their year off right” by working out for the first two to three weeks of January and quickly give up altogether.

Not only could I not get my workout done, I couldn’t even find a single locker to keep my stuff in.

What made this even worse was that there were plenty of occupied lockers that didn’t even have locks.

I can’t help but ask myself: how can someone plan to consistently keep up a gym regime when they don’t have the foresight to invest in a lock?

So, to all the “New Year, New Me” people who think that this year is different and you will actually stick to your plan: many of you won’t.

Some of you will fail. This week, at least half of those with new year’s resolutions will give up on their plans and go back to eating BBQ chips and watching reruns of The Office.

I may sound like a cynic, but research from the University of Scranton agrees with me. Only 9.2% of people who make resolutions will actually succeed.

One main reason that people fail at this is because they go gung-ho with no mental training and crash within the first three weeks.

The key to successfully completing a New Year’s resolution is to take it slow and work your way up to it. Resolutions are like training any new habit; you need to take it slow and get used to it to get better at it. And it’s important to remember that you are expected to fail at the beginning of trying something new.

For example, I have a few resolutions myself. One is to workout more at the gym and the other is to not sleep in until 1 p.m. in the afternoon every day.

Have I been going to the gym every day and getting up at 6 a.m.?

Hell no! Up to the date of this article I have been to the gym five times this year and have slept in until 1 p.m. admittedly more times than I should have.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing resolutions is to pick something simple.

For example, going to the gym and getting up earlier are simple things someone can do to improve themselves.

But picking something like “I’m going to read a book every day” when you can’t even do your course readings might be a little out of your reach.

The idea behind New Year’s resolutions is to improve something about yourself that you find inadequate. When people go all in and use all their energy at the start, they quit easily and fall reluctantly back into their old habits.

What’s more exhausting than trying a new resolution? Hearing people complain about how they failed on theirs.

If more people just chose something simple to work on slowly, one day at a time, a lot less people would be complaining about failing come February.

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

OPINION • 17

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018

JESSI WOOD/GRAPHIC ARTIST

Being divided by politics BOBBY PLAX OPINION COLUMNIST

A few days ago I had the pleasure of engaging in a political debate, fueled by opinion, dogma and pure partisan ideology.

An argument that is essentially endless, because arguing with an

opinion is like trying to catch a rabbit on crack; as it takes no specific direction and things change real quick.

Now, I’m all for the debate, in truth I live for it. However, today I find that, regardless of what the theme in question is, your political ideology or perceived political orientation predicts a stalemate of frustration equal to losing in Monopoly.

For instance, within a discussion I was recently engaged in, I was accused of supporting the bombing

of children in the West Bank and Gaza.

Now, to make one thing clear, I do support Israel and I do not support violence aimed at children – or anyone for that matter.

However, the initial premise assumed the bias that as a Jew — even though Canadian — I am to support all actions Israel takes.

As a result, instead of explaining my position on the Arab-Israeli conflict, I was left defending myself in relation to not being considered a child murderer.

This gravely derails any move toward a consensus in either position, because the crux of the argument is neatly avoided by attacking the defendant’s morality as a human being.

In turn, you must either agree or risk being ostracized from the human community.

These discussions as a whole are so valuable for growth, as no one person can know everything.

We grow by conversing with each other and as a result find that some of the beliefs we have about a specific subject are invalid or simply misguided or in the same right present a fault in another’s beliefs.

The opinion is a magnificent gateway into the realm of knowledge, but this entry can only be potentiated by stepping into the other side of awareness.

Yet, today people guard these gates of opinion like the United States guards the Declaration of Independence.

They cling to them like scripture, preach them like a pastor but stand armed in offence at the instance of anything threatening to knock the sanctuary of safe idealism down.

This is where my concern lies, because instead of stating one’s opinion and building it up with fact, the entirety of today’s disputes are built on speculation and solidified by emotion. As a result, they are used to discredit the individual rather than the position. We can all recall the incident that occurred at Laurier just a few months ago, when holding the alternate opinion about gender neutral pronouns, or simply discussing it, was presented as Hitler-esque.

On the contrary, I am arguing that by suppressing people’s freedom to convey their thoughts about an issue — in a respectful

manner — is fascist in nature.

At the end of it all we’re human beings and we all deserve the right to be heard, and if you’re offended, then I commend you because that gives you the drive to communicate why a certain thing is offensive and wrong.

Yet, today people guard these gates of opinion like the United States guards the Declaration of Independence.

It allows the other to acknowledge this wrongful opinion, or maybe present the ability to circumvent yours.

These are the discussions worth having, because they are the only thing that will bring change.

This is what politics has become, but this is not what it should be.

Rather than discussing issues, we discuss why certain people are unsound based on disposition.

This robs us of the one thing we need most, unity.

We speak of peace, yet shoot down ideas we that aren’t reminiscent of ours with bullets of prejudice and so we forget that behind those words are people as real as you and I. So take pride in your opinions, so long as they lead to intellectual pursuit; and that begins with understanding the alternate view.

Deconstructing the anti-Xanax movement in hip-hop KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

2017 was a formative year for hiphop music to say the least.

Artists like Lil Pump, Russ and Lil Uzi Vert made impressions on the music charts in very big ways.

It was a big step forward for the diverse crop of artists generally known as “Soundcloud rappers,” many of whom crossed over to the mainstream in a big way.

While many of these artists made progressive steps to leverage their work as independent musicians into big time contracts, a number of them also displayed admittedly regressive behaviour for a large portion of the year — particularly in reference to drug use.

As someone who appreciates the need to convey real-life experiences artistically, I understand that artists, especially those in the hiphop community, have classically used their work as a means to draw attention to their own situations, and not necessarily as a platform to promote drug use.

But I digress. I would first like to draw attention to the lyrics of some of these “Soundcloud rappers.”

“I’m on the Xan, and my bitch on that coke,” is a line from “Molly”

by Lil Pump.

“Xanny numb the pain yeah / Please, Xanny make it go away,” is a line from one of 2017’s biggest songs, “XO Tour Llif3” by Lil Uzi Vert.

Lil Pump and Lil Uzi Vert were arguably two of the biggest acts in hip-hop to triumph in 2017. Their songs have energetic, youthful vibes, and, at ages 17 and 23 respectively, it’s safe to say that either or could be labeled “the voice of a generation.”

Both artists also spent a good portion of the year advertising for big pharma.

Enter Lil Peep, “emo-rap” trendsetter and openly known drug user.

When Lil Peep died mid-November, the already polarized community of hip-hop commentators and social figures latched onto him as a sort of martyr for the emerging “anti-Xan” movement.

Though his death was a result of tampered Xanax specifically and not an overdose on the actual drug Alprazolam, artists like Lil Pump and Lil Uzi Vert seemed to jump at the opportunity to speak his name to the press and to their followers.

Shortly after Lil Peep’s death, a number of artists began to post with the tag “Fuck Xanax 2018,” particularly Lil Pump, who wrote, “2018 we going even more crazy

love yall (btw I don’t take xanz no more fuck Xanax 2018).”

His response — which followed only months after he had a Xanax cake made to celebrate hitting one million followers — and the response from a number of influential artists in the hip-hop community, have seemingly missed the mark.

Literally one week after tweeting “Fuck Xanax” multiple times, Lil Pump uploaded a video of himself playing “lean pong” — a fresh take on beer pong where the beer is replaced with codeine cough syrup.

I get that it’s fun for a lot of people to talk about these things and I have found myself intrigued by the whole movement on both ends.

But as someone who is influenced by hip-hop music, its culture and many of the artists with stakes in this movement, I feel like the sentiment is basically lost.

I would like to implore fans and followers of these artists to think for themselves. Lil Peep claimed to have used Xanax to treat his anxiety. In reality, it was the presence of fentanyl in some bootleg Xanax pills that lead to his death.

The danger of taking a drug that has been unknowingly laced with a powerful opiate is much higher than the danger that goes along with the use of Xanax and similar anti-anxiety medications.

This is also not to say that street

JESSI WOOD/GRAPHIC ARTIST

drugs are comparable to pharmaceuticals; had Lil Peep been properly diagnosed and prescribed legitimate anti-anxiety medication from a doctor, this circumstance could have been avoided. But for artists like Lil Pump and Lil Uzi

Vert — who were early champions of the “anti-Xanax” movement — to imply that Xanax is the problem and not drug use more generally, is not helping anyone.

Especially when people are starting to play “lean pong.”

18 •

Sports

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca

SWIMMING that [last year’s success] affect what I’m doing.” “[It’s about] just doing everything normally, doing my thing.

I very much want to have a great season again, but I have to work for it; it’s not just going to come because it did last year.”

I very much want to have a great season again, but I have to work for it; it’s not just going to come because it did last year.

-Jasmine Raines, Laurier swimmer

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Tireless Jasmine Raines JOHN MCMORRAN STAFF WRITER

Sometimes in life, the smallest of coincidences can have the largest impact.

Jasmine Raines had one such experience, at an age when she could not have fully realized what the impact of her decision might be.

“I started swimming when I was very young,” she said. “I was about six when I started swimming with the Region of Waterloo swim club … I’ll be honest, when I was little I actually didn’t like swimming and I kept asking my mom [to quit].”

“My mom kept saying ‘I’ve paid for the year, just finish up, then you don’t have to go back.’ At the end of the year, my coach took [our] group to a little meet, and I had so much fun racing that I was like ‘I want to go back, I want to keep doing this!’”

At the time there was no way for Jasmine to know where swimming would take her, but in a stellar sophomore season that builds upon what she did in her rookie year, it is safe to say that Jasmine Raines has arrived.

Last year Jasmine exploded onto the Canadian university swimming scene, winning a gold medal for

Laurier in the 100m breaststroke in the OUA championships, placing sixth in the U-Sport National Championships — tying the best finish for a Golden Hawk in the national championships since 2011 — and being named Laurier’s female athlete of the week twice, on her way to earning the prestigious President’s award.

With so much success there can be pressure, but when asked about this Jasmine explained that her mindset is business-as-usual.

“In my mind, I’m just doing what I’ve always been doing,” she admitted. “I don’t want to let any of

Success this year was by no means guaranteed, but Jasmine has made good on her rookie potential, already having put together a number of impressive performances.

In the Quad Meet held in November, Jasmine won the 200m breaststroke, came second in the 100m breaststroke and third in the 200m individual medley.

Then at the deBray Divisionals, Jasmine swept the breaststroke events, winning the 50m, 100m and 200m and outpacing her competitors by such a large margin that in the 200m she won by nearly nine seconds.

So how does a young girl go from wanting to quit a sport, to becoming a national university compet-

itor in only her second season?

Through competitiveness and hard work.

When asked about what drives her, Jasmine explained as follows: “I just love racing. I love trying to be better than I ever was before, and it’s exciting knowing that there are people around you that you want to beat.”

“Like, what are you going to do to get there? You always have that in your mind at practice. That’s one thing that helps you keep going is, ‘what are the people [I’ll be racing against] doing right now? What can I do to be better than them?’”

The answer most certainly lies in the tireless work ethic that Jasmine applies to her sport.

When interviewed she described her regular week of practice, and the volume and intensity of the workouts are not for the faint of heart.

On average, Jasmine completes eleven workouts from Monday to Saturday, eight of them in the pool — frequently as early as 7 a.m.

— and three of them in the weight room, where she trains for the purpose of power and explosiveness in the water.

Whatever the recipe, Jasmine seems to have dialed in her training to a point that even in her second year of swimming, no competitor should feel safe lining up next to her before a race.

And with 38 days to go until the U-Sport National Championships, it’s a good bet that Jasmine will not be resting. She will be in the pool or in the weight room, grinding away, getting better and preparing for what will likely be another exemplary performance.

CURLING

Laurier grads off to Olympics JOSEPH DEFILLIPIS STAFF WRITER

When the Winter Olympics kick off next month in South Korea, Wilfrid Laurier University will be well represented in Men’s and Mixed Doubles Curling.

Brent Laing and John Morris, who are both Golden Hawk alumni, will be donning the red and white for Canada in February.

Laing, who was a member of Men’s Curling at Laurier from 1997 to 2001, will be representing Canada as part of Team Kevin Koe. Laing and Team Koe will be looking to defend Canada’s gold medal win in Men’s Curling at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

Morris, who curled for Laurier from 1998 to 2001 and competed in Cross Country in 2002, will be partnered with Kaitlyn Lawes for the inaugural Mixed Doubles Curling event.

For Laing, this will be his first chance to represent his country on the highest international stage.

Morris on the other hand, has previously won Gold for Canada during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Both Laing and Morris kick-started their illustrious curling careers at Laurier, as teammates on the collegiate circuit for four seasons...

Both Laing and Morris kick-started their illustrious curling careers at Laurier, as teammates on the collegiate circuit for four seasons, while also participating outside the university in provincial and national competitions.

Laing and Morris competed as teammates in the 1998 Canadian Junior Curling Championships and brought home Gold for Team Ontario.

The pair would continue to curl together after their time at Laurier, until Morris moved to Alberta in 2003. Along with his Olympic Gold in 2010, Morris has gone on to win one world championship along with three Canadian championships.

Meanwhile, Laing currently sits at fifth place all-time in Canadian Brier Appearances and is a three-time world and Canadian champion.

It’ll be exciting to say the least to watch how the two former Hawks fare on arguably the biggest curling stage in the world.

You will be able to see Morris compete when the Mixed Doubles event kicks off on February 8, while the Men’s Curling round robin will begin for Laing on February 14.

Laing and Morris were both contacted for comments, but unfortunately are unable to conduct interviews prior to the start of the games.

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

SPORTS • 19

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 FOOTBALL

Onyeka is ready for the CFL JOHN MCMORRAN STAFF WRITER

From Mar. 22-25 the best CIS prospects in the nation will converge in Winnipeg to take part in the annual CFL evaluation camp.

This evaluation camp (E-Camp) is designed to put players through a rigorous battery of physical tests and football-related drills where scouts and coaches representing all nine CFL teams will be in attendance, scrutinizing prospects’ every move. This year, there might not be a more intriguing prospect than Wilfrid Laurier’s own Godfrey Onyeka.

Standing 6’2” and weighing 200 lbs., Godfrey is already a physical specimen at the cornerback position, but to him this isn’t quite good enough; the first thing he cited when interviewed were ways in which he is trying to improve.

“I’m working on getting faster.

That’s my biggest flaw,” Onyeka said.

“A lot of the time when I have to go against a guy like Kurleigh [Gittens Jr.] — Kurleigh’s obviously faster than me — so to play against Kurleigh I have to overcompensate and not be as patient as I could be playing against another receiver who isn’t as explosive.”

“There’s a big aspect of patience

that comes into football and being fast enough to have the confidence in yourself to just sit there and wait for things to develop is a big part of it.”

“Flaw” may be an overstatement by the exceedingly humble Onyeka, because if his four-year career at Laurier demonstrated anything, it was that he is a dominant force and a player who helped anchor Laurier’s defensive unit.

Godfrey Onyeka was named a First Team All Canadian in 2015, 2016 and 2017, joining Donnie Ruiz (1998, 1999, 2000), Stefan Ptaszek (1992, 1993, 1994) and Alex Troop (1983, 1984, 1985) as only the fourth Golden Hawk in team history to achieve three all Canadian nods during his university career.

When congratulated on this historic feat Onyeka was quick to divert the praise to his coaches.

“This isn’t me trying to sound modest, I was a decent contributor, but the scheme we have, anyone could step in and do it.

Our scheme is so fundamentally sound that the only way you beat us is if we mess up. So it’s a really well-devised and well-coached scheme. Our coaches know what they’re doing.”

Onyeka continued on to detail more ways in which he feels his

game can be improved.

“I have moments where I do really good things [on the football field] and I’m focused, then I have moments where I have lapses in my concentration and judgement ... my footwork isn’t always the best, flexibility and obviously improving on the mental aspect of football,” he said.

“I’m working on quite a few things.”

Onyeka’s tenacity and dedication to self-improvement are traits that no successful player can be without. Furthermore, his amalgamation of these characteristics with a CFL-ready body and exceptional football resume make it obvious as to why coaches are so excited at the prospect of having him join their team.

When asked about which team he would most like to be drafted by Godfrey had this to say: “Honestly I don’t have a first choice. I’ll be getting paid to play football, something I would do for free, so it’s a dream come true for me.”

Currently ranked as the sixthbest prospect — the highest ranking of any prospect who played university football in Canada — it is too early to predict which team Onyeka will land with.

But one thing is certain, whichever team drafts Onyeka will be

FILE PHOTO

lucky to have him. His combination of mental and physical attributes makes him a rare prospect and one that is sure to find a contributing role on a CFL roster.

Consequently, the next few months will be busy for Onyeka as he finishes up his final year at

Laurier, competes at E-Camp and in May takes part in the CFL draft.

Regardless, there is no reason to think that he won’t soon be harassing CFL offenses the same way he did CIS offenses during his four years of wearing the purple and gold.

20 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Golden Hawks find a diamond in a rough season ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER

It has been another tough season for the Laurier Golden Hawks women’s hockey team this year.

Following last year’s 3-21 season, the team has only become younger.

With young teams, struggles are to be expected as they grow together and learn to win.

Having started out the season 0-5, there would come a change in net for the Hawks.

Enter Hannah Miller.

For Hannah, it only took one game in net at a young age for her to fall in love with it. From there on, she has stuck with it, even playing with older girls at certain points of her career.

“I skipped my second bantam year and went to midget a year early,” she said.

“So, I was in grade nine and I was playing against grade 12’s and I think skipping my bantam year really helped me stay patient and calm in this league.”

It doesn’t take much to see the kind of confidence and the level of maturity she possesses for an 18-year-old first-year player.

Normally, first years may not expect to play much.

Newer players often take time to

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

adjust and get to the point where coaches feel they are ready to be thrown into the fire.

Miller is quite different.

There is a higher level of understanding that she possesses of how big of a role she plays and the level to which she is needed.

Seeing herself as the tone-setter of the team, “in a quiet way,” she feels like she has to have a high level of confidence in herself.

“I’m the last one in the net on

the back of the ice, so everyone’s looking at me,” Miller said.

“If I have a bad game everyone’s going to see it, compared to a player.

Miller likes to extend this confidence to her teammates on a consistent basis.

“If my team sees I’m confident, they’re going to be like ‘hey Miller’s confident in the net, I’m going to be confident because she’s confident.’ So, as long as I’m confident, I

know my players can be confident on the ice and we can produce to the best of our abilities.”

Her competitive spirit, in addition to her abilities, is the thing that has allowed Laurier to be more competitive than people would assume considering their 2-13 record.

It’s also evident in her expectations coming into this season.

“Coming into the season, I wanted to be the starter. I expected to be

ALUMNI

Overcoming the biggest of hurdles SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

Working as a woman in a male-dominated industry is a hurdle which Catherine Faas has easily overcome in order to succeed in her career.

Faas has been working as the digital and social media lead for the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) for the past six years. As well, Faas is a Laurier graduate who studied journalism at the Brantford campus.

As the digital and social media lead, Faas oversees all editorials for NHLPA.com, which includes videos, photos and article production. In addition, Faas manages the NHLPA’s social strategy and educates players on how to employ the most effective social media practices.

The NHLPA has approximately 750 players within their membership at any given time. The large quantity of players and frequent games being played, Faas explained, allows for new storylines to arise almost every day.

“I love the challenge of every day being very different from the previous day,” Faas said. “There’s an endless amount of unique challenges and stories that we can tell and that’s my favourite part.”

Faas noted that many of the skills she was taught during her time at Laurier has helped pave the path to working within the media.

“The thing that benefited me the most is the basics of journal-

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

ism … and other skills we learned in terms of interviewing skills, fact checking and making sure that we’re writing in a way that’s consistent. All those things helped make me really great at what I do,” Faas said.

“The advice I would give anyone is to immerse yourself in the industry as much as possible. Attend as many conferences and working events … you might meet one person and get one business card and that’s a step in the right direction,” Faas said.

With news rooms shifting and becoming smaller, Faas said she tried to focus on using technology and different vehicles and platforms with which stories can be told.

“There was a focus on podcasts

and video production and a variety of things we can use to learn a whole bunch of different skill sets in addition to writing,” Faas said.

Prior to the NHLPA, Faas was employed with CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, formerly The Hour. Through this opportunity, she took a took a job within CBC’s sports department.

“I really fell in love with it and from there it just kind of snowballed into wanting to work in [sports] full time,” she said. “I grew up loving and playing hockey but I wouldn’t say I had dreams of getting into sports. It was sort of a happy accident.”

However, working in the male-dominated sports industry has brought forth common obstacles for Faas.

“I think all women in any industry face unique challenges at times.

But in terms of sports, specifically, I think that women often have to prove that they know the game a lot more than men have to do,” Faas said.

Although Faas believes many industries, including sports, have experienced a shift in regards to gender equality and diversity, the work to achieve this is not completely done.

“As a woman, I would say be confident. If you know your stuff it should be easy to be confident.

And be assertive; don’t wait for opportunities and don’t wait for invitations. Be a little more aggressive than you normally would and that’s going to help you in any aspect of your career; not just sports.”

the starter. I knew I’d compete hard for it. I want to try my best to get rookie of the year.” she said.

“Then from there I know it’s going to be hard to make playoffs this year but even next year, taking those personal achievements into next year, just trying to get something going with my team.”

Being third in the OUA in save percentage and sixth in goalsagainst average as a first year could have some on a high but she considers her season’s performance to be “alright,” so far. Her biggest emphasis is on her team’s performance and ability to try to pull out wins so they could compete.

“I feel very good about [my personal stats],” Miller stated.

“I know that my hard work in practice has been paying off to get those results in games but still I’d rather take a win and be last personally in the country and have the team first.”

On a team with no fourth or fifth years and coach Rick Osborne retiring at the end of the season, there seems to be quite the foundation in place — especially with a cornerstone like Hannah Miller — for the team to build upon in the future.

At the very least, the Golden Hawks have definitely managed to find a diamond in a rough season.