The Cord June 5, 2019

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 60 ISSUE 1 • JUNE 5, 2019

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP The best local creameries in Kitchener-Waterloo Arts and Life, page 7

INCREASED TRANSPHOBIA

SUMMER INITIATIVES

ROCKETMAN TAKES OFF

COMING OUT ON ARTHUR

ONE FORE LAURIER

Outlook Study reveals high discrimination

Students’ Union plans short-term strategies

Elton John biopic impresses audiences

Cartoon wedding causes controversy

Men’s Golf tees off at National Championships

News, page 3

News, page 6

Arts & Life, page 8

Opinion, page 10

Sports, page 12

2 •

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

VOCAL CORD What is your favorite ice cream combination?

@cordnews

The Cord

@thecord.ca

CordNews THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JUNE 5

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

1661: Isaac Newton admitted as a student to Trinity College, Cambridge.

1794: US Congress passes the Neutrality Act, banning Americans from serving in foreign armed forces.

“Matcha ice cream, with fruit, like strawberries.”

1805: First recorded tornado in “Tornado Alley” (Southern Illinois).

–Boshen Cui, 4th-year Computer Science/BBA

1876: Bananas become popular in US, at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

1888: US Democrats nominate Grover Cleveland for president.

1917: 10 million US men begin registering for draft in World War I.

“Neopolitan ice cream, with caramel sauce.”

–John Labatt, 3rd-year Computer Science/BBA

AARON HAGEY/PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

Karolina Biel, an incoming first-year, holding her emotional support rabbit, Poppy, The Cord’s newest furry friend.

1937: Henry Ford initiates a 32 hour work week.

1944: As part of Operation Tonga, the First British gliders touch down on French soil to prepare for the D-Day invasion.

1947: US Secretary of State George Marshall outlines the “Marshall Plan” to rebuild Western Europe.

1948: Phillies Richie Ashburn sets NL rookie consecutive hitting streak at 23.

“French Vanilla ice cream, with chocolate sauce.”

1950: US Supreme Court undermines legal foundations of segregation.

–Maya Luciani, 5th-year Psychology

1951: Anti-slavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe first published in serial form.

1956: Federal court rules racial segregation on Montgomery buses anti-Constitutional.

1981: AIDS Epidemic officially begins when US Centers for Disease Control reports on pneumonia affecting five homosexual men in Los Angeles.

“Vanilla ice cream, with chocolate peanut sauce.”

–Tera Lee (left), 4th-year Psychology

2013: The first article based on NSA leaked documents by Edward Snowden are published by the Guardian Newspaper in the UK.

Compiled by Aaron Hagey Photos by Aaron Hagey NEXT ISSUE JULY 3, 2019

OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

CORD STAFF

SPORTS EDITOR Vacant sports@thecord.ca

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Waitson editor@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Jamie Mere graphics@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Katherine Weber creative@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Vacant photos@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Kashyap Patel online@thecord.ca

ONLINE EDITOR Kathleen McCullough online@thecord.ca

NEWS DIRECTOR Hayley McGoldrick news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Anne Marie Russel video@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Sophia Cole news@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Vacant news@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Alyssa Di Sabatino arts@thecord.ca

LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Vacant sports@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Vacant photos@thecord.ca SENIOR COPY EDITOR Victoria Marshall copyeditor@thecord.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

Sarah Caley Emma McVicar Omair Ansari

EDITOR’S CHOICE

“Lil Nas X collaboration causes controversy” - Alyssa Di Sabatino

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.

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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.

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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.

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Quote of the week: “Am I having a stroke or does it smell like Hot Pockets in here?”

- President and Publisher, Aaron Hagey when walking into the WLUSP office looking confused, but intrigued

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

News

• 3 NEWS DIRECTOR HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR SOPHIA COLE news@thecord.ca

LGBTQIA+

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Outlook study reveals significant barriers faced by the Waterloo trans population SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

The data gathered by the Outlook Study, conducted by various members of the Kitchener-Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University communities, revealed that the Waterloo trans population still experiences high levels of discrimination and faces significant barriers.

A fact sheet titled “Experience of Trans People in Waterloo Region” outlines the key information the Outlook Study gathered on the trans community. Places of worship, gyms, public restrooms, restaurants and community centres were listed as the top five places where trans people felt unsafe with up to 92 per cent of partici-

pants reported feeling unsafe in one or more of these spaces.

23 per cent of trans people surveyed reported that their primary healthcare providers did not know enough about trans-related care in order to treat them. 13 per cent reported experiencing harmful or insulting language from a healthcare provider regarding their gender identity/experience.

“While the results were not necessarily surprising, they were extremely validating,” said Charlie Davis, co-chair of the Rainbow Community Council and PhD student at Wilfrid Laurier University.

“The data is really backing up the experiences of trans people in the KW community,” Davis said.

Over 70 per cent of trans people surveyed felt unsafe in medical

settings and 76 per cent have had to educate a healthcare provider about gender identity.

These things can go a really long way in ensuring that the community feels inclusive of transgender people.

-Todd Coleman, Wilfrid Laurier assistant professor of health

“Many people don’t have access to trans [medical] services in the

KW region…they would have to go all the way to a larger city to have all their needs met,” said Davis.

The Outlook Study, inspired by a lack of applicable data on the experience of LGBTQ+ people in the Waterloo region, was the first of its kind in the KW community.

526 LGBTQ+ people living or working in Waterloo participated in the survey, with 112 of those participants identifying as trans.

The study was orchestrated by representatives from the Rainbow Community Council, Region of Waterloo Public Health & Emergency Services, the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo & Area, the Waterloo Region Rainbow Coalition, Wilfrid Laurier University and various other organizations and members

of the community.

“The idea was to collect this information so that it can inform programs and services intended to change and help the LGBTQ+ community in the region of Waterloo,” said Todd Coleman, assistant professor of health sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The information gathered by the Outlook Study can be used for further advocacy for the Waterloo LGBTQ+ populations — to aid in creating more inclusive policies, more inclusive healthcare and additional trainings and workshops educated people on different gender identities.

“These things can go a really long way in ensuring that the community feels inclusive of transgender people” said Coleman.

CAREERS

Career workshops teach students SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

On Friday, May 31, the Laurier Career Centre hosted the annual Journeys in Higher Education Panels and Teaching Dossier Workshop designed to assist the Laurier community with career development and furthering their educational pursuits. The event was targeted towards graduate students and post doctoral researchers, with the goal of providing with insight into the pathways to careers in higher education.

The Journeys in Higher Education panel was comprised of both professionals in non-faculty positions as well as faculty members at Laurier.

The panels delved into the topics of exploring work options

in academic settings, transitioning from student to academic professor and demystifying the academic interview process.

“It’s kind of like cracking open the black box” said Brent Wolfe, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

“People think, ‘boy, it’d be great to have an academic position but how do I get there? What’s involved? How do I prepare for that?’”

The Teaching Dossier Workshop set the foundation for individuals to express their teaching philosophies and begin the process of creating a professional teaching dossier.

“I think they were really grateful for the time that they had and getting this very direct and very applicable advice to help shape

and prepare for their careers,” said Wolfe.

The event was planned and orchestrated in conjunction with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

There were 20 people in total registered for attendance of the event, 15 of these being graduate students and five being postdoctoral researchers.

Wolfe described the event as “highly successful and very informative” with a large amount of specific materials covered which may not be readily available to graduate students or postdoctoral researchers otherwise.

“It was really enlightening to participants it shows that there are some really rewarding pathways at universities that are not just faculty member positions.”

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

BRANTFORD

NIRUPAM SINGH/FILE PHOTO

Williams’ Cafe closure on Laurier Campus AARON HAGEY PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

On May 28, 2019, the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union announced that the Williams Cafe in Brantford Market Square will be officially closing its doors on May 31 — an unfortunate, precautionary reaction to changes being made in the federal funding structure for universities.

“In January, when the provincial government announced their changing funding model for how student associations across the province are funded ... [because] our student fees are approximately 40-45 per cent of our revenue … we had to look all our operations to see, well, if some of our fees are going away [and] where else are we potentially challenged,” said Chris Turner, director of finance & administration for the Students’ Union.

Because of this, the Students’ Union was forced to re-evaluate the efficacy and financial impact of all its operations. The Williams franchise in Brantford was one area which they simply could not afford to keep open, given the uncertainty regarding funding. “[Williams was] always one that has struggled financially for us; given the uncertainty in the changes surrounding the funding environment, when we looked across all our models … and we made the unfortunate and tough

decision to have to shut it down last week,” Turner said.

“With the new funding model, we won’t know exactly what’s going to happen until August-September, when we know actually how [students will] opt-out.”

Another important factor when considering shutting down the location was the unique restrictions imposed upon the union by franchise requirements.

“When you run a franchise like Williams, there are franchise requirements requiring you to keep it open year-round. It’s a real struggle in Brantford in the summertime.

There just isn’t the volume of local businesses downtown and students are all gone, and that’s one of the things that [when evaluating] … played into our decision, ultimately,” Turner said.

This is different, however, from the Golden Grounds Coffee House that the Students’ Union also operates on the Brantford campus, as it can be closed and opened as necessary during the summer months, when there are fewer students, and can be re-opened in September when they return.

The Students’ Union expressed its condolences for the loss that the Brantford campus will suffer due to this, especially regarding how it will affect the full and part-time students and staff who worked there.

“People are saddened, people are disappointed, rightfully so … it

was part of the Brantford Laurier culture and community for 12 years. A lot of the staff, a lot of the community members, some of the businesses, have been very loyal,” said Jeyas Balaskanthan, director of hospitality services for the Students’ Union.

“I think the biggest loss is that gathering place, the staff who worked there — student staff who had [part-time] hours and also the full-time staff who worked there, who we aimed to provide a living for … they were part of it, they were part of the community, so those are some of the unfortunate parts of it … we didn’t have any other choices.”

Because of this shift, the Students’ Union has been diverting staff and resources to ease the transition for those who previously worked at the Williams Brantford location. “[Regarding] full-time staff, with the help of Chris [Turner] and Phil [Champagne], [they] have gone above-and-beyond to make sure that we are taking care of them, and the student staff we have communicated that right now they won’t have the jobs when they come back in September,” Balaskanthan said.

The Students’ Union is planning to move a number of full-time staff to the Golden Grounds location, to ensure that their working lives are disrupted as little as possible.

“For the duration that it’s open

in the fall and winter, it does pretty good. So [there will be a] job opportunity with that … [and] potentially some expanded hours,” Balaskanthan said.

Despite the uncertainty in the coming years, the Students’ Union still plans to move forward with their goal of having a student social gathering location for the Laurier Brantford campus, similar to Wilf’s or The Turret on the Laurier Waterloo campus.

“We don’t how that’s going to evolve, because of William’s’ closure, so we’ll look at that to make sure it’s financially sustainable and [make sure] it’s providing to the students. At some point, our hope is that there is something in Brantford — and we don’t know what that is,” Balaskanthan said.

Any future plans will be a collaborative effort between the Students’ Union, the Graduate Student Association and the university. And while the union understands that there needs to be an option for Brantford students on their campus, for the time being, it isn’t possible from a financial perspective.

One of the other major obstacles the Students’ Union will have to deal with, regarding the Brantford campus, will be navigating the two-year non-compete clause they have with Williams, making it unlikely that they will pursue a similar franchise agreement in the future.

“We wouldn’t open anything different until at least two years have passed — and even then we would only open something if we’ve crunched all the numbers and it looked like it would be viable from a financial [perspective],” Turner said.

“Because one of our goals, as a student union, is to provide opportunities, a) for the students there to have a place to eat, but also to give some jobs to the students as well, so if we can make it work, we would definitely look at that.”

“But we’ve got that two-year window that we have to think about. Given what I just explained about Williams itself and how the model works with the franchise, I don’t think we’d ever really look at going back under a franchise model, whether it’s with Williams or another company,” he said.

Regarding what will be done with the Market Square space, because the building is owned and operated by the university, that decision will be under their discretion. But for the time being, the Students’ Union will be focussing their efforts on evacuating and cleaning the space — and planning for the future.

“There’s going to be some sort of a social gathering and student interaction space [in Brantford] … our hope is that, over the next few years, we’ll be able to … provide for the student population there,” Balaskanthan said.

CAPSTONE PROJECT

Students work towards more energy efficient homes HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

Fourth year students in the departments of geography and environmental studies at Laurier have been determining ways to keep homes efficient and keep energy renewable thanks to their capstone project, the Capstone Urban Studies Project course.

The final project of the course is taught around the students acting as consultants for a real proposal from the city of Cambridge, using their urban planning skills learned

in class to assess the situation and give the best feedback, with the winning team being rewarded with $2,000.

“The city of Cambridge gives our students a request proposal on a problem the city wants them to get some research and work done on, so then the through the course of the year the students learn about various professional skills that they need to become good consultants since that’s the role they’re playing in the situation,” said Laine Young, the instructor of the course.

The problem proposed by the

city of Cambridge was how to develop net-zero energy homes into the city’s west-end, however the costs had to be feasible for three different parties; the city, the developer and finally the buyer.

“Based on some of our research, we kind of realized that these houses are too expensive for the average homebuyer, they aren’t willing to spend the extra $5,000 to $10,000 on a new home, but it was feasible for the developer,” said Isaac Francis, one of the members of the winning consulting group Evergreen Consulting.

In the last five years, these students have worked on many different and very real problems for the city such as transforming under-utilized places of worship and updating the city’s heritage properties’ register to preserve historical sites.

“The benefit of these homes is definitely for the environmental benefit, it would help reduce climate change moving so rapidly and all those environmental factors,” Francis said.

Not only is a cash prize up for grabs for the students, but the

proposal is a genuine problem the city of Cambridge is looking into and these ideas given by students are implemented into the city for future years.

As for the students, the first step into the real world of urban planning had helped them solidify their passions for the planet and dedication to helping the environment.

“Don’t be afraid to step out of the box a little and take risks, sometimes those risks can pay off.

If everyone goes with the same idea it doesn’t stand out but when you stand out it can benefit you.”

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 ENVIRONMENT

Climate strikes continue in KW AARON HAGEY PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

KASHYAP PATEL/WEB DIRECTOR

As global protests surrounding the issue of recognizing climate change continue to grow, students and climate change advocates in the Kitchener-Waterloo region arranged their own protest alongside the global “Fridays for Future” climate strike that took place on May 24.

Over a hundred activists collected on the steps of Waterloo City Hall to participate in the conversation that began with the inspirational actions of 16-year-old Swedish student, Greta Thunberg.

For their May 24 protest, along with their usual pattern of marches, striking and songs, the groups also orchestrated a “die-in,” whereby participants laid down on the pavement, following a series of gong rings, were given chalk outlines of their bodies — and laid silent for two minutes.

The meaning behind this act was to emphatically symbolize climate change’s imminent impact on humanity’s future. A number of youth-centered, local groups were responsible for organizing the May 24 protest, including Kitchener-Waterloo Climate Save, the local chapters of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, RISE for Climate Waterloo, 350.org, Extinction Rebellion and Divest Waterloo.

These organizations have been persisting in their efforts to, among other things, have the region declare a climate change emergency, following the success of similar campaigns in cities such as Vancouver, Halifax and Kingston.

Sophia Kudriavtsev, a recent graduate from the University of Waterloo and member of K-W Climate Save, has participated heavily in the “Fridays for Future” protests that have been organized in the region. They note that one important aspect behind the protests — especially in their consistency — is the awareness and participation in the public discourse that the periodic events create.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize that we are facing a climate crisis and that time is very limited.

We need people out, striking and taking action, waking up to the fact that this is our reality — that we probably are not going to have the world that a lot of people can live in, and [that], already, we’re seeing [the] effects of the climate crisis on people’s daily lives,” Kudriavtsev said.

Another important goal for the protests, they note, is to demonstrate their level commitment and demand for change to various levels of government.

“If you have all these kids skipping school on Fridays, the government will [have to] wake up

and [say] ‘there’s a demand here — we have to take action’,” Kudriavtsev said.

“At this point, the government knows what the solutions are; they know there’s a problem — there have been many, many climate scientists who have [discussed] the problems, who have given us [evidence and solutions].”

“So the strikes are about showing the government that you actually need to do this; you can’t just say you’re going to do it, you have to take action — and we’re holding you accountable,” they said.

The groups have another climate protest planned for this Friday, June 7, at 1:00 p.m., in which they will be partnering with the “Power of Many” rally, hosted by the Ontario Federation of Labour.

Similar to their other climate change protests, the event is not youth-exclusive — anyone, of any age, is encouraged to attend. What matters most, Kudriavtsev believes, is taking action.

“It’s incredibly empowering, as an individual, to be able to go out in these times of despair, when you feel like climate change is inevitable and it’s scary and it’s going to have such an impact on our future — to go out there and actually take some action, and feel like you’re part of something bigger, is really worthwhile, so I encourage everyone to attend,” Kudriavtsev said.

LAURIER

Students’ Union plans summer initiatives for students HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

The Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union (WLUSU) has been continuing their efforts to improve the lives of current and future Golden Hawks as new president, Zemar Hakim and new chair of the board of directors, Owen Bourrie, lead their teams through the summer to prepare for the fall semester that includes events such as orientation week and homecoming.

Owen Bourrie, a returning member of the board of directors, aims to implement change in the board as he saw many aspects of last year’s board that were not desirable while residing in the role of vice chair.

“Over the past two months we have run several different training sessions, we’ve gone over the different policies, legislations, constitutions and the training manuals we’ve had five of those sessions and then we’ve also done two mock board meetings,” Bourrie said.

“They have been such a huge help to all, even to returning members. It gets kind of tough, it’s very intimidating to people when they first kind of walk in, but I didn’t want anyone to be deterred from coming to meetings and speaking out because they didn’t feel comfortable, so through this training.”

The WLUSU board of directors, elected by students at the same time as the presidential and faculty

hiring all of the head icebreakers as well as icebreaker teams that welcome freshman students to the school.

“We have our entire O-week team hired, they’ve been talking about things like teams, colour themes, their own partnerships and new campus partners,” Hakim said.

My board is not only engaged but passionate, we have a lot of really smart people on the board so they make doing my job easy.

JAKE WATTS/FILE PHOTO

elections, oversees many different aspects of student life at Laurier regarding operational topics such as the president’s performance, the operational budget, how the students’ union is running as a whole and governance policies among others.

“Our first meeting we had full attendance except for a medical absence, but we had really engaged and interactive people at our first board meeting, so I was really happy with it,” Bourrie said.

“It’s a learning experience for me too, it’s nice to have the support of past chairs, those people have

reached out to me and given me tips and tricks they’ve developed to pass on to me and I think it’s going extremely well.”

“My board is not only engaged but passionate, we have a lot of really smart people on this board, so they make doing my job really easy.”

As for new president Zemar Hakim, he is continuing to work on the platform points and ideas pitched to students when electing him president, some of which have already come to fruition shortly following his arrival.

“There’s currently internal

operation hiring going on and I am on committees for the school for hiring, as far as the platform goes, I am in discussions for the enhancement of services and 24 hour building access right now, plus campus to campus transportation was actually rolled out at Sean Kingston,” Hakim said.

WLUSU not only oversees 300 clubs and volunteer committees at Laurier, but also heads the essential services at the school such as the emergency response team, foot patrol and the food bank.

The Students’ Union also organizes orientation week each year,

-Owen Bourrie, chair of the board of directors

“We’re looking at patterning up with local organizations to help out with O-week which I’m really excited about.”

The Students’ Union is also looking into a more inclusive campus, Hakim says, as they have proposed to use the Student Life Levy to fund inclusive washrooms on campus, an initiative some schools have already rolled out.

“That’s one of my personal commitments that I’m working on right now, that’s a big one,” Hakim said.

6 • GAMES

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, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear Life, Why is it that, when I finally have the time to relax without feeling stressed out and don’t have to put off everything, that I end up stressed out anyways?

Now that I know I can just sit down and not have to rip my hair out, stress eat, stress sleep, and basically stress [insert procrastinating activity here], I feel stressed out anyways, because my brain thinks I need to be doing something regardless?

What’s up with that? It’s really starting to stress me out.

Sincerely, I am God’s mistake

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 SUDOKU

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

• 7

Arts & Life

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO arts@thecord.ca

FOOD

Kitchener Waterloo Four All Ice Cream

ice cream shoppes

Arts and Life Editor Alyssa Di Sabatino spoke with the owners of some of her favourite local ice cream places in the Region — just in time for summer.

Four All Ice Cream is an all-natural and locally sourced ice cream vendor for the KW region.

When they initially launched, they were selling ice cream solely out of their factory location.

But their growth within the last few years has meant that their factory is now just a factory, and their ice cream is being stocked and supplied all over the KW region.

As a licensed dairy facility, Four All Ice Cream is able to make all of their ice cream from scratch as well as create mindful and inclusive flavours including options for plantbased, and non-dairy customers.

“We always make sure that we can make our flavours as inclusive as possible, I think that’s one of the things that makes us special” said Ajoa Mintah, founder and chief ice cream maker.

This summer, Four All Ice Cream is adding another stockist to their already extensive inventory.

“We’re actively looking out for partnerships and opportunities to collaborate with other small businesses in KW,” said Mintah.

Their summer pop up is launching in downtown Kitchener starting on Canada day weekend until Labour day weekend, just in time for the peak of the summer season.

Chances are that no matter where you are in KW, there’s a Four All Ice Cream stockist close by and calling your name.

Scoop Du Jour

One of Waterloo’s most popular ice cream spots serves ice cream out of a truck. Yes, you read that right.

The food truck is located in close proximity to Chainsaw and serves artisan ice cream that they get from eight different suppliers in the area.

Most people associate artisan with expensive, but this isn’t the case at Scoop Du Jour. The flavour of the day is served at less than regular price so that customers can try artisan ice cream affordably, something I’m sure their student customers can appreciate.

The regularly rotating menu is available on their Twitter page, and always offers a variety of options day-to-day, including vegan, lactose free, and even goat’s milk ice cream.

Despite working out of a truck, their menu is moderately sized, as they also serve shakes, floats, and ice cream sandwiches.

Ice Cream Two

Ice Cream 2 is an independent ice cream shop located in Kitchener with an extensive menu.

They serve over 40 ice cream flavours, as well as soft serve yogurt, fritters, funnel cakes, milkshakes, deep fried chocolate and more.

In the ice cream business for almost 20 years, owner Kathy Flanjack said that listening to what the customers want is what sets her business apart.

“I listen to what the customers say for feedback. If our customers tell us they really like something we’ll bring it in. If they don’t like it, we’ll pull it,” Flanjack said.

One of the most popular items that Ice Cream 2 serves is vegan Dole Whip ice cream, something that customers often travel from far and wide to get.

Providing a place where people can enjoy themselves is a priority for Ice Cream 2.

“I thought, you know what? I would like a place like that in the community where families can go for a walk, where friends can get together for an ice cream instead of a drink,” Flanjack said.

MUSIC

Summer playlist CONTRIBUTED IMAGES

“Earfquake” - Tyler, the Creator

“Patience” - Tame Impala

From Tyler, The Creator’s first number one album IGOR, Earfquake explores the topic of heartbreak and guilt while delivering it alongside funky synthesizer compositions, heavily distorted singing, and lighthearted piano tunes. Tyler’s admittedly less-thanperfect singing voice only further captures the feeling of vulnerability. Playboi Carti is featured on the song and his verse serves to bring a playful element into the otherwise downbeat song — lyrically speaking. The song’s message is blissfully pathetic in the best way.

- Alyssa Di Sabatino

The long-awaited return of Tame Impala finally came with the April release of “Patience,” the first of two of their new singles. The song still has the trademark musical elements of the Australian psychedelic rock outfit’s usual sound, but with a twist: solid piano chords throughout set a new tone for the group, giving them a new disco dance floor-type vibe that marks a new season in their musical career.

This exciting new sound for a wellloved band is certainly making their fans impatient for the first album they’ve released since 2014.

- Victoria Marshall

“Edge of Darkness” – Greta Van Fleet Although the rock world saw Greta Van Fleet surge in popularity in late 2018 with the release of their second album, some of the less popular tracks from their 2017 release, From the Fires, have earned a spot on my summer playlist. One of those songs is “Edge of Darkness,” a must-listen for anyone who enjoys the blues side of rock. The hard-hitting drums from Danny Wagner and solid bass from Sam Kiszka really give a different sound from the band’s tendency to emphasize vocals and guitar solos.

- Victoria Marshall

“Sunflower” – Vampire Weekend

“Bad Guy” – Billie Eilish

Vampire Weekend’s long awaited and highly anticipated release of their fourth studio album “Father of the Bride” finally blessed the indie rock scene this year. I’m a big fan of this album, and after waiting nearly six years for these talented bastards to release something new while listening to Contra for the fiftieth time, I’m happy to say I have a new favourite that I can put on repeat. “Sunflower” is simple and full of warmth — radiating feelings of spring and catchy pleasantness that I can’t get enough of. Consider the wait worth it.

- Emily Waitson

I’ve slowly grown to love Billie Eilish. Her unique brand of weird and creepy tracklists have been my obsession, and I’ve been listening to her music on repeat recently. “Bad Guy,” from her delightfully eclectic album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? , is a song that (literally) snaps. It’s inescapably catchy with her signature eerie flair and consistently boppy beat. Her music videos are also pieces of art in their own right, and I personally find her tunes best experienced through her videos, like the one for this song.

- Emily Waitson

• 8 ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

FILM

ELTON JOHN BIOPIC DAZZLES AUDIENCES

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

SARAH CALEY ARTS AND LIFE CONTRIBUTOR

On the surface, Elton John’s 1972 hit “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)” is about an astronaut preparing to go to Mars, with lyrics revealing a life that is adored by the public but is quite lonely and difficult for the individual.

Now, Dexter Fletcher’s musical biopic Rocketman makes it more evident than ever before that these lyrics truly represent the life of a rock star.

Rocketman, in theatres May 31, recounts the story of how a shy British boy named Reginald Dwight transformed into one of the most iconic musicians of our time.

Delivering all of the dazzling illusions one would expect from a movie about Elton John, the film spins the typical biopic formula into a spectacularly fantastical and nonlinear musical, without hiding any of the hardships he experi-

enced.

The film opens with Elton John, played by Taron Egerton, marching into a rehabilitation centre dressed in a bright orange, winged jumpsuit, beginning to unfold his life story in group therapy.

Despite all of the pain Elton goes through when his career takes off, Rocketman is still undoubtedly hopeful.

Clever reimagining’s of his legendary discography also help him narrate his life from boyhood with Elton and his choreographed

neighbours belting “The Bitch Is Back” when his mother comes home, to an intimate “Tiny Dancer” that illustrates Elton’s inner monologue at a party.

For the most part, this biopic does not tell the story of how the songs were written, instead taking them out of chronological order and placing them where their lyrics fit best in Elton’s life.

The decision to do this biopic as a full-fledged musical seems only fitting with the outrageous entertaining style that Elton John has always been known for, but it also emphasizes just how much these songs intertwine with our lives.

Although the titular song only appears once — bringing Elton through a suicide attempt and a hospital, and then landing him right back on stage in his iconic Dodgers costume as he plasters a brilliant fake smile over his exhausted face — its lyrics follow him throughout the film.

While struggling with his iden-

tity as he tries to cover up who he used to be, feeling helpless under the constant pressure of the music industry and developing severe addictions, he ends up blasting off with commercial success, but distanced from the life he thought he knew.

The film’s use of completely fantastical and imaginary scenes also help to depict the otherworldly, fast-paced experience of fame, as Elton’s piano spins through various audiences and outfit changes, or when he and his audience levitate to “Crocodile Rock” during his first American performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Rocketman also doesn’t hesitate to act out situations that are startlingly more real, such as the heartbreaking manipulation Elton endures from his manager and boyfriend John Reid (Richard Madden), or the terribly loveless home he was raised in, and his mother’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) cold refusal to accept his sexuality.

Despite all of the pain Elton goes through when his career takes off, Rocketman is still undoubtedly hopeful. From his sometimes rocky but always supportive friendship with his lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), to the inspirational rekindling of his passion for songwriting, Elton finds a way to love his life again.

By embracing the real and representing it through the fantastic, Rocketman is a colourful, emotional, and ultimately refreshing new take on the biopic genre.

With a surprisingly stunning vocal performance by Egerton, impressive replicas of Elton John’s actual stage costumes of the 1970s, and a screenplay that doesn’t pull any punches, this really is an entertaining movie, regardless of how big of an Elton John fan you are.

Soaring through all of the glitz, glam, and grit with flying colours, “it’s gonna be a long, long time” until Rocketman touches down.

The Cord is hiring staff for the 2019-20 year!

We’re looking for: Sports Editor - Lead Reporter - Events Co-ordinator Photo Editor - Lead Photographers For more info contact: editor@thecord.ca

• 9

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

Editor’s Note: Accepting change EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I don’t like change. I have never enjoyed the uncertainty and newness involved with navigating different situations. I like staying in a routine once I get comfortable with it and being content with what I have.

Taking on this job as Editor-in-Chief of The Cord and moving on from another year of relative comfort into a bunch of new things that get me completely out of my comfort zone has been a challenge — to say the least.

Many of my friends are moving on to bigger and better things, and the person I consider my pal for life — whether she likes it or not — is moving to another city by the end of the summer.

And even though I know we’ll keep talking every day and I’ll still bug her with stupid questions and anecdotes, I feel a bit selfish sometimes, wishing she could stay put so I don’t have to feel the weight of her absence.

As grateful as I am to have this opportunity and to be experiencing what I never thought I’d be capable of doing, a small part of me wishes I could cling on to that familiarity I felt throughout last year.

I had my little tight-knit group of friends, we had a routine that I was used to and I didn’t have to worry about straying too far from what I knew.

And with change comes the lingering doubt that I won’t be able

to fill the shoes of my predecessor and continue making this paper the best it can be.

As reserved and quiet as I may seem now, The Cord has given me more confidence and security than anything else ever has.

It gave me purpose and direction, two things I desperately needed when I started volunteering almost three years ago.

I have an endless passion for the product churned out of the basement of 205 Regina every week, and I love it for all of the weird, wonderful memories its given me.

Taking charge of something that used to terrify and intimidate me is surreal, and I just hope I can give the same sort of experiences that have shaped my time in university back to the wonderful people on my team.

Accepting these changes has meant that I’ve had to force myself with being okay with the reality that things aren’t going to be the exact same as they were last year — and I’m slowly starting to be less anxious about it.

Going into this job I had my doubts (and still do), but I’ve grounded myself and (somewhat successfully) abated my fair share of panic attacks and bouts of imposter syndrome with the knowledge that I’m capable of doing this as long as I dedicate myself to it like I know I can.

I’m so lucky to be surrounded by people who endlessly support and encourage me, and it’s been the driving force of my grudging acceptance of all these changes that have been brought on over these past few months.

And as much as it scares me, I couldn’t be more excited to see what this year brings, even if I don’t know what that is yet.

EDITORIAL CARTOON

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

It’s okay not to be okay sometimes HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources. The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP.

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

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CHAIR Aaron Hagey

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DIRECTOR Alyssa Di Sabatino DIRECTOR Kashyap Patel

PRESIDENT Aaron Hagey president@wlusp.com FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com ADVERTISING MANAGER Care Lucas care.lucas@wlusp. com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp. com HR MANAGER Vacant hr@wlusp.com CORPORATE SECRETARY Maiya Mistry

I’ve never been an outright emotional person. I was never one of those people who cried when they saw a video of a cute puppy and I certainly make it my mission in life to never let myself shed a tear over an adolescent boy who did me wrong.

I understand the ways of the world pretty well and things like losing a friend or even death are imminent, or at least that’s what I’ve always told myself. I wouldn’t necessarily say I have a tough exterior, but rather, I just don’t let my emotions take control over me, especially in situations I cannot control.

However, that all changed this year. On March 18th, one of the worst days of my life happened.

I lost my last living grandparent, my mom’s mother we called Nana.

Although we knew she wasn’t in perfect health, she was nowhere close to death, or at least we

thought.

On March 14, my mom, sister and I went to go visit her in her hospital room in Oshawa. She was her regular, full of life self, cracking jokes and living her life to the fullest. Four days later, she was gone.

I’ve lost three grandparents before her, but this one has made me a disaster. I cry when I see old people.

I cry when I hear people talking about their grandparents. I cry thinking about when she used to pick up the phone and say, “Hi Hayl!”. Now, I’ve realised it’s okay.

Sure, I’ve cried a bit more than I’d have liked in the last two months but it’s healthy.

It’s okay to not always keep your emotions bottled up and hidden from the world because you want to give off a certain persona to those around you.

My life has turned upside down since the loss of my grandmother and people should know that. I’m not okay and I won’t be for a while, eventually I will be though.

This revelation doesn’t just come in the form of sadness though, it’s made me more in touch with all of my emotions.

When someone upsets me, I tell them. When someone says some-

thing that I think is endearing, I’ll let them know just how much it means to me.

If I love someone, I’m not going to wait to say something until it’s too late. There’s a stigma about emotional people that they’re weak or their feelings don’t mean as much because they always cry.

If I’ve learned one thing from my nana, it’s to live life to the fullest.

I truly dance like nobodies watching, sing at the top of my lungs, laugh at things that truly aren’t funny and take chances because the worst thing someone can say is no.

I’ve learned not to be afraid of the unknown and that it’s okay not to be okay. I remember a few days after my nana passed, I asked my mom if I would ever stop crying and she simply said, “One day”.

I truly don’t know if that day will ever come, but even if it doesn’t, I’m okay with it.

Crying won’t bring my nana back, it won’t make life easier, but hiding the emotions won’t either.

Having a healthy relationship with my emotions has helped me cope with this loss better and has helped me drastically improve my mental health, just taking life and its ups and downs day by day.

10 •

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 OPINION EDITOR JADE HOSICK opinion@thecord.ca

discussing the program after, they know children will watch television alone.

By broadcasting an episode that features these types of themes, a parent could feel as though their rights to decide what their children watch is taken away from them.

A parent might find the same-sex marriage episode to not be suitable for their children because of beliefs or their age.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Mr. Ratburn says “I do” to his new aardark husband on Arthur JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR

On May 13, the twenty-second season of the children’s show Arthur premiered with an episode entitled “Mr. Ratburn and the special someone.” This episode was released all throughout the states, except for Alabama.

The episode featured the wedding of Arthur’s teacher, Mr.

Ratburn, who is marrying another man (or should I say aardvark).

The episode does not discuss the teacher’s sexuality in any way nor does it even show the ceremony between the two men. The only way to know that this marriage is a same-sex marriage is when the two walk down the aisle at the closing of the ceremony.

In the episode, the focus is not placed on the sexuality of the

teacher, and none of the children find it odd that their teacher is marrying another man. It was looked at solely as a celebration of love. That’s it.

The programming director of Alabama television came out after the episode aired stating exactly why they did not air the program.

They claim that although they do support parents and children watching TV together and

Now, I’m all for freedom to choose (even if Alabama isn’t), but this is something I can’t really wrap my head around.

Now, I’m all for freedom to choose (even if Alabama isn’t), but this is something that I can’t really wrap my head around.

The reality is, that whether it is on television or not, children are going to be exposed to many different families when they enter school, so pushing away representation might not be the best idea.

We live in a place where even

though loving who you want to love is legal, many family dynamics are underrepresented in the media.

The great thing about being in a world of broadcasting and mass communication, is that it creates a space where people are able to see many different types of families and couples and bring validation to those relationships.

When I was growing up, I got to see myself and my family represented over and over again in television shows and movies, almost to the point of it getting boring.

But, I sometimes think about some of my friends and wonder if they ever had their families represented through media. If they didn’t, did that hurt them in anyway? Did they think that they weren’t normal or they couldn’t be authentically themselves?

The only show that was on when I was a kid that I can remember having someone of the LGBTQ+ community on it was Will and Grace, and even though my mom let me watch it, I was not exposed to the community through television catered to my demographic.

This is why I think this show is so important, and it’s necessary for children to be exposed to such things.

It is so crucial for children to feel as though their feelings and experiences are valid and normal.

Understanding Alabama’s abortion law changes EMMA MCVICAR STAFF WRITER

Recent abortion bill HB314, also known as the “Alabama Human Life Protection Act” forbids women from terminating a pregnancy once a heartbeat can be detected usually between six to eight weeks.

The bill has caused upset for a number of reasons.

Women feel that their bodies are being controlled, that they are being told by old, white men that they are not allowed exercise their reproductive rights and that they are being forced to have children that they don’t want. Pro-choice protests have been seen springing up like wildfire.

Others disagree. Alongside pro-choice protesters, pro-lifers celebrate this bill. They see this as a win, as the right thing to do — that a human life is being protected from murder and that if you don’t want to become pregnant, you should abstain from sex in the first place.

With such an emotionally charged issue, it’s hard not to take an aggressive stance on either side.

However, there are a number of things to consider for the debate to be fully fleshed out.

Women should be protected by the law to command their bodies

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

as they wish. The law should aid each and every individual in the practice of using their rights to their full extent. There should be nothing forbidding a woman from ending a harmful pregnancy.

On the other hand, if we want the law to protect individual rights and aid vulnerable groups, many believe we ought to protect unborn babies just the same as we would any other individual.

Policy aside, so we can focus fully on the grander moral issue, I believe that, especially with something like this where there really

is no right answer (because it is a debate of deeply personal ethics), the best thing to have is a middle ground — a separation of state law and personal ideals.

If you want to have an abortion, it’s your body. You should be able to have one. If you want to protect a life because you believe that an unborn baby is a life, then don’t have an abortion.

Abstain if you wish, use birth control if you want, or don’t, and choose what you want to do for your own reasons.

Do not ask others to have an

abortion. Do not ask others to abstain from one. Listen to their reasons, and reflect on your own.

This is the middle ground that I see. We fall short of a productive discussion on abortion when the goal is to sway someone to another side of the argument.

You are allowed to believe that abortions are morally wrong, because of religious reasons or otherwise. You are also allowed to consider abortions as a form of birth control.

Personally, I have no idea what I would do — since I’ve never been

pregnant, and if I was, I have no idea if I’d choose to get an abortion or not because I’ve never been in that emotional position and do not know what my life would be like at that time.

I do believe it is a woman’s choice because it’s her body.

I do not believe men should be entirely out of the equation because the child is conceived together and should be spoken about together. Husbands, boyfriends or lovers’ opinions on the matter, when faced with the situation, are entirely valid — but only count as much as the woman weighs them to.

A larger consideration is that I do not believe we should be having sex with anyone we would not be able to comfortably have the uncomfortable abortion conversation with.

Our sex partners should be compassionate, opinionated on a matter concerning what is partially their child, but understanding of our choices as potential mothers, even if they are not supportive of them morally, regardless of if we choose to have an abortion or not.

This issue is one of ultimate libertarianism.

I see no solution coming from full legality or illegality, but rather from respecting one another as individuals faced with moral choices and beliefs of right and wrong.

Do what you wish with your pregnancy, and I’ll do what I wish — but do not try to convince me to use my body or beliefs as you think they should be used.

OPINION • 11

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

LIL NAS X COLLABORATION CAUSES CONTROVERSY CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

ALYSSA DI SABATINO ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR

Up-and-coming artist Lil Nas X released his country rap single “Old Town Road” in December 2018.

The song quickly became viral, reaching number one on the Billboard Top 100 where it has remained for the last seven weeks straight.

He recently announced his partnership with Wrangler jeans, and not everyone is happy about it.

On May 20, the denim brand dropped their collection in partnership with Lil Nas X, featuring clothes that incorporate Western-inspired elements and lyrics from his song.

Country fans have declared their

distaste for the collection, saying that it doesn’t stay true to the “cowboy” spirit.

Some have even gone as far as saying that his song is making a mockery of country music and that it’s an example of cultural appropriation.

Obviously this isn’t the case and anyone confusing this for appropriation is misunderstanding the definition.

Cultural appropriation is, by definition, the act of taking elements of a culture without permission from said culture.

But there is no standard of what it means to be a part of cowboy culture.

While most people may envision the typical American cowboy, cowboys can come from all races, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds all across the globe.

Labelling the “cowboy spirit” as the American standard of what a cowboy is or isn’t is just plain restrictive.

I think it’s fair to say that anyone who is upset about Lil Nas X’s Wrangler collaboration is using the clothing launch to thinly-veil their racism.

It’s disappointing to me that the country music community is trying to exclude Lil Nas X, and this isn’t the first time it’s happened either.

With only 3.6 per cent of inductees to the Country Hall of Fame being people of colour, the country music industry is not a very diverse one, to say the least.

But this isn’t because people of

colour aren’t participating in the industry.

It’s that the typically white audiences just aren’t receptive towards racial minorities who produce country music.

It’s disappointing to me that the country music community is trying to exclude Lil Nas X, and this isn’t the first time it’s happened either.

This past March, “Old Town Road” had debuted at 19 on Billboard’s Hot Country charts, and was soon removed from the charts under the guise that it did not “embrace enough elements of today’s country music” to remain on the chart.

But country crossover songs from other artists aren’t normally excluded from the country charts, so this seems like a cop-out to me.

Billy Ray Cyrus, the well-known country singer who is featured on the “Old Town Road” remix extended his support to the musician in a tweet saying, “what’s not country about it?”

“Old Town Road” has put a lot of new listeners on to country music.

If anything, the usual country listeners should be happy that their genre is being recognized in the mainstream charts.

Post Malone, a white rapper in a historically black genre, has been acclaimed for his ability to blend musical genres.

If rap can accept Post Malone, why can’t country accept Lil Nas X? Coincidentally, Post Malone was asked for his opinions on the Lil Nas X controversy by TMZ. He responded to their question by more or less saying that a lot of modern country has hip-hop influence, and that artists should be free to create what they like.

I agree with Post on this one. Polarizing the country music industry does more harm than good, but if country fans are so inclined to hate on Lil Nas X for his genre crossover, they should be imparting that discrimination to all country artists who are doing the same.

Ontario’s sex ed curriculum needs to be improved OMAIR ANSARI STAFF WRITER

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

In 2015, then Premier Kathleen Wynne’s cabinet rolled out an updated sex ed curriculum which was marred with controversy and parental protest. This was to be the first update to the curriculum in 17 years.

Though heralded as a welcome and overdue change by some, some groups in Ontario believed it went too far.

The new curriculum would introduce concepts such as safe use of technology during the formative stages of development.

This was not the main point of contention, however. The parents representing the opposition to this curriculum believe that teaching students about the concepts of gender identity, consent, and non-heteronormative relationships would be damaging to their children.

Roughly three years later, Doug Ford was elected as Premier of Ontario, with a very different agenda pertaining to the curriculum.

Since entering office, Premier Ford has proposed crippling cuts to Ontario’s education system.

These include class size increases,

and a decrease in the number of teachers. Premier Ford’s cabinet unveiled his new education plan, called “Education that Works for You.” Under this plan, a certain number of online courses will become mandatory, and funding will be reduced to grants which provide students with essential supplies.

This is a cabinet which has shown a fundamental disregard for the progress of education, facing large protests by both students and teachers just two months ago.

The rhetoric coming out of the Premier’s office suggests a belief that parents should be teaching their children about topics pertaining to sex ed. The idea that the education of children should be a two-part effort, by both the education system and the parents, in order to provide a holistic approach to learning.

Though this is a wonderful sentiment, it is disingenuous. In reality it is a tactic employed by the Premier’s cabinet to appease its conservative (and perhaps regressive) base — a tactic which sorely lacks tact.

Nobody is arguing against parents teaching their children in conjunction with the public school

system.

However, the truth is that we should be embracing the idea of teaching children to protect themselves from sexually motivated harm.

We should support mental health initiatives baked into the sex-ed curriculum.

Instead, our representatives are considering rolling back the sex-ed curriculum to its 1998 version, a 21- year-old relic.

A curriculum which did not grasp the concept of basic consent, let alone the sweeping changes in society brought by the advent of social media.

Our representatives should not pander to misinformed fundamentalists.

Our representatives, regardless of party, should work for the betterment of our lives.

The greatest way in which this can be accomplished is to have an open dialogue with the rightly concerned parents of children currently in the education system.

The education of children is not something to be brushed aside or compromised on.

It is our duty, and we must look to perform it better whenever we can. We cannot regress.

12 •

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR VACANT sports@thecord.ca

NATIONALS

KASHYAP PATEL/WEB DIRECTOR

Laurier golf team places in top 10 at championship AARON HAGEY PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

Last week, from May 28-31, at the 2019 Canadian University/College Golf Championship, hosted by the Fanshawe College Falcons at the FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ontario, the Laurier Golden Hawk’s

men’s team finished in the top 10, for the third year in a row.

The FireRock GC featured an 18-hole, 72-par course, in which 20 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams from across the country battled for the title and national recognition.

Golf Canada describes the

course as “[a] challenging par-72 championship design (73 from the forward tees) measur[ing] 5,672-yards from the forward White tees, 6,279-yards from the Blues, 6,676-yards from the Gold tees and stretch[ing] back to a very demanding 7,183-yards from the tips.”

Among the leaders in the Men’s Division were the UBC Thunderbirds, who finished -11, the Western Mustangs, who finished -11 and the Victoria Vikes, who finished -5.

The Laurier team, consisting of Andrew Cox, from Kitchener; Ryan Murphy, from Ancaster; Henry Luel, from Oakville; Jaron Brown, from Thornhill; Jonny Cramton, from Toronto, and Samantha Zulian, from Burlington, who competed individually in the women’s portion of the tournament, took home a collective ninth place in the Men’s Division, finishing +31 with a total of 1183 strokes.

“Overall, it was a pretty good week for the program. We started out very well on Day One, in which we were tied for second. Then we kind of struggled down the stretch on Day Two and Three, and then played a lot better Day Four — we were already in contention by Day Four, but the kids stepped up and actually played a little bit better on the last day there,” said Jeff Colley, head golf coach for Laurier Athletics.

“The golf course held up well — it proved to be pretty difficult, there were a couple of tough hole stretches that the players had to endure, but they did their best to try and get through those stages as best as possible.”

Brown, who finished top in the Laurier men’s team, ended the tournament +7. In the Individual Men’s category, he finished T32, scoring 69 in round one, 82 in round two, 72 in round three and 72 in the final round.

“He made a few mistakes each day that kind of cost him a chance to possibly have a shot at the individual championship, [even though] he made 18 Birdies and an

Eagle in the whole tournament,” Colley said.

“If you make 18 Birdies and an Eagle in a four-day tournament, you should have a chance to win.

He had some tough breaks and some tough holes that kind of eliminated him from the individual title for contention there.”

Cramton, Cox, Luel and Murphy finished the competition with final scores of +8, +9, +14 and +23 respectively.

“My captain, Andrew Cox, had a good overall tournament: he played a lot better than his score indicated. He was in control of his golf ball all week, he made lots of Birdies, but he just had a few mental lapses and a few tough holes that brought him out of contention as well,” Colley said.

Zulian was participating in her first-ever national golf championship, finishing with a score of +44. “[The championship] proved as a very good experience for her and we’re looking forward to her being in that championship again, hopefully with our women’s team in the coming years — and I think that this experience will allow her to be successful in future years,” Colley said.

But regardless of the outcome for the Laurier men’s team, the team expressed its gratitude for the opportunities provided to them, recognizing the privilege they were given to be a part of the event.

“We wouldn’t be where we are if we didn’t have the support of Golf North giving our players full access to their facilities — they’re very generous to do that — and the athletic department at Laurier for being so helpful towards our golfers and allowing them to experience this opportunity every single year,” Colley said.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Women’s hockey coach receives OUA award HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

On May 15, 2019, former Laurier women’s hockey coach Rick Osborne was awarded with the OUA’s John McManus award, an honour that recognizes a retired OUA coach who has exemplified sportsmanship and service to the greatest extent during their tenure coaching in university sport.

Osborne took over the women’s hockey team midway through the 2003-2004 season, and in his time as head coach up until 2018, Osborne achieved many highlight reel wins including nine OUA banners and even a national championship in the 2004-2005 season.

Under Osborne’s coaching, three different female hockey players received OUA athlete of the year honours, with 2009-2010 recipient and former goaltender Liz Knox being the only Laurier player to also receive the USPORTS player of the year award.

QIAO LIU/FILE PHOTO

“The accolades go on and on for the talented coach, but with a career regular season win percentage of .774, a career goal-differential of +685, and five OUA Coach of the Year honours, it is clear that Osborne set a lofty bar behind the bench during his time with the Laurier Golden Hawks women’s hockey team,” said the OUA in their

press release on the award.

Though his final season with the team were rebuilding years of the program, Osborne’s final home game as coach of the Golden Hawks still resulted in a win for the team as they took down the Queen’s Gaels 3-2 in a shootout.

Osborne had a total of 265 regular season wins and 57 playoff

wins in his time at Laurier, leading the women’s hockey team to seven straight OUA championships between the years of 2003-2010.

The last time the team won a championship was under Osborne, winning their most recent OUA title in 2013-2014, the same year the team was awarded the Glen Carroll team of the year award from the

school.

47 different athletes coached by Osborne when on to receive provincial all-star recognitions during their time with the Hawks, as well as the all-Canadian honour being received 11 times.

On top of the athletic success, Osborne also coached 37 academic all-Canadians, ensuring these Golden Hawks were just as successful off the ice.

On top of this award that showcases his legacy, Osborne also received the OUA women’s hockey coach of the year award five times during his 15-year tenure with the school, an award that speaks for itself as he sits fourth on the USPORTS all-time wins list for women’s hockey.

With many of his former players going on to continue playing hockey as careers whether it be in the CWHL or the Olympics, the impact that Osborne has had not only on the program but on his players stretches far beyond the ice.