THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 24 • MARCH 14, 2018
CHECK MATE Laurier hosts simultaneous exhibition with chess master Natalia Khoudgarian Sports, page 18
WATERLOO WALKOUT
THE EVOLUTION OF EZRA
BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES
INDIGENOUS CHILD WELFARE
HAWKS INVITED TO COMBINE
UW students rally for mental health services
The origins of Laurier’s infamous bash
Looking at the tole that street parties take
Project raises awareness with conversation
Players show promise as CFL prospects
News, page 5
Features, page 10
Arts & Life, page 14
Opinion, page
Sports, page 20 LUKE SARAZIN/ PHOTO EDITOR -
2 •
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017
VOCAL CORD
What would it take for you to stay in on St. Patrick’s Day?
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
“If I have an exam.” –Allie Polachelli, firstyear communications studies
“Work.” –Calum Davidson, second-year history.
GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR
Jacob Scott performs with local band Sundiver at underground venue The Snake Pit for Burnaby’s cassingle release party on March 9, 2018.
From the Archives: March 14, 1991 “A rain storm.” –Robin Spanton, fourthyear communications studies.
“A lot of money.”. – Sophie DeWitte, firstyear communication studies.
Compiled by Erin Abe Photos by Sadman Sakib Rahman NEXT ISSUE MARCH 21, 2018
CORD STAFF
On Feb. 28, 1991, The Cord published an article titled “Eroticized safe sex article blitzed” describing a story published in The Muse, Memorial University’s student newspaper. The Cord’s coverage detailed the controversy surrounding the article and contained an excerpt from the original, titled, “A gay man’s guide to erotic safe sex.” The excerpt, according to its writers, “was written to eroticize the act of safe sex in order to show that taking precautions against AIDS does not have to lessen the pleasure involved.” The publication of this exceprt, deemed “morally corrupt” by some, led to a temporary shut down of The Cord by the Wilfird Laurier University Students’ Union, a move that President Stuart Lewis called “the most difficult decision we’ve ever had to make.” The shut down lasted four days, from March 3 to March 6, and led
FEATURES EDITOR Karlis Wilde features@thecord.ca ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Shyenne MacDonald arts@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
ONLINE EDITOR Kate Weber online@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR Nathalie Bouchard news@thecord.ca
VIDEO EDITOR Sarah Tyler video@thecord.ca
LEAD REPORTER Erin Abe news@thecord.ca LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Abdulhamid Ibrahim sports@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
THIS DAY IN HISTORY: MARCH. 14 1879: Albert Einstein is born in Ulm, Germany. 1950: The FBI debuts 10 most wanted list. 1964: A Dallas jury finds Jack Ruby guilty of killing Lee Harvey Oswald, the assumed killer of John F. Kennedy. 1969: The Temptations become the first Motown act to win a Grammy.
THE LAURIER ARCHIVES
to, among various other outcomes, the publication of The Cord’s creed, ethics, policies and guidelines on March 14. The graphic displayed above accompanied an article titled, “Collegiate Cord cut by WLUSU,” published on March 14, 1991.
CONTRIBUTORS
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Dotun Jide Sharan Rana John McMorran Koltyn Wallar Stephanie Saunders Evangeline Hunt Nicholas Quintyn Victoria Berndt Caitlyn Lourenco Tyler Currie Sara Burgess
“UW students fight for better mental health care” by Nathalie Bouchard
1983: Bonnie Tyler scores her biggest hit with ‘Total Eclipse of The Heart’.
To learn more about the history of The Cord, check out Laurier Archives, where digitized versions dating back to 1926 are available. “The Laurier Archives is the Library’s research collection of archival papers, rare books, and historic university records.”
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
1988: Rick Astley began a two week run at No. 1 on the US singles chart with ‘Never Gonna Give You Up... never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never reply at the earliest time possible. gonna tell a lie and hurt you 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: “Can I crash it?” - News Director Safina Husein getting in on Web Director Garrison Oosterhof’s birthday movie date. “As long as you don’t talk to me.” - Garrison’s response.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
News
• 3 NEWS DIRECTOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR NATHALIE BOUCHARD news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR JAKE WATTS news@thecord.ca
STUDENT LIFE
New bylaw gives power to shut down street parties ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER
With St. Patrick’s Day 2018 approaching, the City of Waterloo has revised two bylaws allowing officers more authority to address unsanctioned events. On March 5, 2018, the Waterloo City Council voted to revise the city’s property standards and public nuisance bylaws. New revisions to the public nuisance bylaw allow officers authority to break up gatherings that are unsanctioned. “St. Patrick’s Day would be a good example [of a party] spilled into the street [that gets] in the way of vehicles being able to drive through or people able to use the sidewalk. Changes introduced would allow us to say you can’t block [the street],” Tony Lavarone, director of communications for the City of Waterloo, said. “It gives us another resource in our toolbox to be able to address unsanctioned events that might spill into the street,” Lavarone said. The property standard bylaw concerns maintaining safety and cleanup on all properties, ranging all the way from excessive garbage to anything else that could bring down the quality of the property to public safety.
We would do this regardless whether there was a St. Patrick’s Day event or not.
-Tony Lavarone, director of communications at City of Waterloo
University of Waterloo, Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services, Laurier’s Students’ Union and UW Federation have all been working together to ensure the safety of activities on March 17. “We want people to be safe; that’s really what we’re stressing,” Lavarone said. Revisions to the bylaws are not specifically being implemented for St. Patrick’s Day but will be beneficial for any festivities in Waterloo that may get out of control. “We’re always continually looking at our different bylaws to see how we can make them better and how we can make sure we’re
serving the community in the right way. This has been an ongoing process and the review has been going on for some time,” Lavarone said. “We would do this regardless whether there was a St. Patrick’s Day event or not.” A recent email issued to all Laurier students stated that all doors to academic buildings will be locked and monitored by security, with only the Turret available as a study space for the day. “[We hope] people are smart about anything they do and that they stay safe and respectful,” Lavarone said. “Also … look out for each other … If you see a friend that’s had too much to drink don’t leave them alone and try to stick together.”
other and feel empowered, even with art I feel that people can be connected,” Moyra McKinnon, a Wilfrid Laurier University student said. One of the hopes for the Women 2018 event was to unify the technology, art and community social programs in the KW Region in one event. Women 2018 partnered with Terminal and Smile.io, two local
tech companies. In addition, all proceeds were donated to the Waterloo Region Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centre at St. Mary’s Hospital. “Women who have experienced anything such as sexual assault or harassment, anything, to combine people’s stories to see that you have people there for you. I think that’s huge,” Hope Reichert, a Conestoga College student said.
PAIGE BUSH/FILE PHOTO
“If somebody was doing something that presented a public danger; say they were going on the roof and drinking, [prior to today] there wasn’t anything prohibiting that,” Lavarone said. Violating these bylaws could lead to fines from $300 to $5,000 implemented by the court system. Last year’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Waterloo saw an estimated 15,000 students come to Ezra Avenue, just steps away from the Laurier campus. The gathering cost Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS) $120,000, according to WRPS Chief Bryan Larkin.
With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Saturday this year, the city is expecting the turnout to be a large sized crowd once again. WRPS confirmed they would be bringing in officers for support from Peel Regional Police for this year’s festivities. Ezra Avenue will not be closed down. “We really are encouraging anyone who might want to take part in St. Patrick’s Day activities to either do it in their own home or go to one of the many licensed establishments in Uptown,” Lavarone said. The City of Waterloo, Waterloo Regional Police Service, Laurier,
EQUALITY
International Women’s Day highlights progress of women ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER
March 8, 2018, was International Women’s Day and Women 2018 hosted a successful event in Downtown Kitchener to highlight the progress of women today and movements still to come. The Women 2018 event, which sold out, featured speakers and artists meant to capture the many problems women continue to face in 2018. The event also aimed to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Speakers included Jenn Hind, Lori Campbell, Fauzia Baig and the featured artists were Faith Ashford, Kaylee Lock-O’Connor and Shayla Giroux. “[The turnout] was great, better than I expected. When we first started our goal was just 75 people. Then there was so much interest we bumped it up and we had over 100 people that ended up coming out,” Laura Morrison, organizer of Women 2018, said. “There is so much strength and resilience in women and especially when women come together,” Morrison said. Speakers shared stories with the
audience about women who have inspired them in the past. Jenn Hind focused on the intersection
We’re stronger together and if we recognize and honour our differences then we can step into our commonalities and impact the world. -Jenn Hind, speaker at Women 2018
of oppression and spoke about the marginalized experience of African American women. “It’s really important to talk about the concept of intersectionality because, although the term is 30 years old, people aren’t talking about it. People are talking about the ways to focus on our commonalities,” Hind said. “I think we need to better understand these differences, so we can honour the uniqueness of the diversity of the
human race.” “We’re stronger together and if we recognize and honour our differences then we can step into our commonalities and impact the world,” Hind said. Lori Campbell highlighted the experience of Indigenous people and, in specific, Indigenous women, while also sharing her story of the effects of residential schools as a child. Fauzia Baig’s speech focused on Muslim women in communities and highlighted various struggles that many visible minorities face. “We breathe in discrimination and how that effects you. I think that if we take a step back to realize ‘how has this effected me? How is this smog affecting me? Am I reacting differently to the world?’” Baig said. “If we reflect on that and are conscious of it then I think we can each do better individually and collectively.” International Women’s Day began in 1914 and has since been celebrated on March 8 all over the globe to recognize women’s achievements. “I think it is important to have organizations where women can come together and support each
LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR
4 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
PARTNERSHIPS
CRIME
New BSIA contract KOLTYN WALLAR CORD NEWS
Wilfrid Laurier University has signed a 10-year partnership renewal for the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA), together with the University of Waterloo and the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a policy think-tank. BSIA was first established in 2007. Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of BlackBerry, provided a $33 million donation investment into the school. The main focus of the BSIA is multi-disciplinary research into public policy. “It’s research, but policy-oriented research. The whole intention when Mr. Balsillie gave the money to set up the school was to produce graduates who have an impact on public policy,” John Ravenhill, director of the BSIA, said. The school, situated in Uptown Waterloo, provides space for over 60 affiliated faculty, whose backgrounds range from history to economics to political science. Graduate students in MA or PhD programs at BSIA receive a global education. “When the school was set up, it was deliberately intended to be multi-disciplinary. The idea is that many of the crucial problems that the world faces simply aren’t amenable to being addressed through one discipline. Here you have the opportunity to bring faculty together with different disciplinary backgrounds to work on particular problems together,” Ravenhill said. “We’ve organized ourselves into seven research clusters, which pretty much sum up the main areas of work that the school does. Those seven are global political economy, global security, resources and environment, migration, mobilities and social politics,
multilateral institutions, science and health policy and Indigenous politics, which was just set up last year.” The arrangement between WLU, University of Waterloo and the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is unique in the academic world. “We’re not a university department, and we are not a degree-granting institution. All of our students are either enrolled in Laurier or Waterloo in one of their programs. The school serves, essentially, as the host for these programs,” Ravenhill said. WLU offers three programs at the BSIA: Master of International Public Policy (MIPP), an MBA/ MIPP double degree and a joint PhD in Global Governance with UW. Approximately 80 graduate students study at the BSIA, of which approximately 45 to 50 are affiliated with WLU. “One of the most important things that we do besides the educational programs and that really is one of our core missions, is to organize various events that disseminate the work that’s being done here, and also give the community here an opportunity to hear from people who are doing exciting things elsewhere,” Ravenhill said. BSIA hosts around 120 events a year, with an average of four events per week. Most of these have free admission to the public. The continued cooperation of WLU with the BSIA is a testament to its success in producing quality graduates who have an impact on the world. “Considering that we are a start-up, in many ways, I think that anyone who is completing an undergraduate degree in Canada and wants to do a masters in International Affairs would now seriously consider us as one of the top three places in the country to go to,” Ravenhill said.
SAFINA HUSEIN/NEWS DIRECTOR
WRPS emphasizes safe driving SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR
Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) is putting forth enhanced efforts in order to reinforce distracted driving laws. The new initiatives and efforts to curve distracted driving come in correspondence with Ontario’s provincial distracted driving campaign which is taking place throughout this entire week. With distracted driving becoming an increasingly prevalent issue amongst drivers, traffic officer Sgt. John Nymann, explained that WRPS often works to generate new, unique ways of going about enforcing the law. For example, this past Friday and Monday WRPS had an officer posted inside of a Grand River Transit (GRT) bus. “That officer spots for folks who are committing the violation of distracted driving and then radios to other officers following in unmarked cruisers who then traffic stop and lay the appropriate charges,” Nymann said. Last Friday, officers were posted in the Cambridge area. Within three hours, the officer caught four drivers violating the law. This past Monday, WRPS had
an officer observing in a bus near the Wilfrid Laurier University area, driving along Weber Street and University Avenue. “In a two-hour span, we laid five charges. Four were texting and driving and the other was a license violation,” Nymann said. Currently, the fine for distracted driving is $490 and three demerit points. However, come June, the fine is anticipated to be raised to $1,000 with a three-day license suspension. According to The Record, WRPS gave out 203 distracted driving charges since the start of January 2018. In 2017, a total of 1325 charges were distributed. “We regularly stand at intersections, go in unmarked vehicles to find folks who are using cell phones in an improper manner,” Nymann said. “Even while stopped at a red light, it’s still a violation … you can’t use your phone except for a 911 call.” The success of WRPS’ efforts this past week has caught the attention of other regional police forces who have stated they will be trying similar methods. “The point of charges and the point of fines is to curve behaviour. But as a police service, we don’t
want to just lay charges as the only means by which people curve behaviour,” Nymann said. “Certainly, talking and raising awareness, having media outlets … tell others some of the strategies we’re employing … hopefully that will help. I’m confident that will curve some behaviour at least.” Various other police forces within Ontario have also tried a similar method in order to catch distracted drivers. WRPS’ ultimate goal through these initiatives is to keep the community safe while raising awareness on the severity of some outcomes which stem from distracted driving. “We live in an age where connectivity and accessibility is such a key part of our lives and so for some folks it’s difficult to shut that off when you’re operating a motor vehicle,” Nymann said. “Motor vehicles are large, they go quickly and over the years being a traffic officer I’ve seen how much damage they can do to other cars, to people in vehicles, pedestrians … the combination is potentially a deadly one.” “It’s our job as police and our goal and desire to keep a safe community and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish through this.”
NEWS • 5
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 ADVOCACY
UW students fight for better mental health care NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR
Students at University of Waterloo gathered together in the arts quad on March 8 to protest against the lack of mental health support services on campus. The Waterloo Walkout for mental health was a protest created by students in Discourse of Dissent, a multi-disciplinary course taught by Frankie Condon. The Walkout was in response to the recent suicide of a student at Waterloo which occurred March 5 at 5 a.m. The walkout increased mental health resources, a culture change and additional support from administration and staff in order to improve mental health on campus. “The Waterloo Walkout for us is a way that students are withdrawing our consent and we’re not going [put up with] insufficient counselling services anymore, we’re not going to consent to the culture of competition and isolation at the University of Waterloo,” Kai Butterfield, University of Waterloo student, said. Currently, there are 22 full-time equivalent counselling services staff and two full-time equivalent psychiatrists serving 31,380 undergraduate students and 5,290 graduate students. Students at the university say this is not enough staff to support the students in need of mental health resources. Butterfield explained that the walkout was not only meant to gather the attention of administrative staff, however, students are hoping they can take their concerns to an administrative level. “On the administrative side we are working to get contact with our president. He did offer us an opportunity today but it was during the protest so we decided we would schedule it at a different time,” Butterfield said. “We are opening up those avenues to speak to administration to take some of our concerns there.” This is the tenth suicide since 2012 at the University of Waterloo. Just last January 2017 an 18-yearold student committed suicide. Two months after that another student took their own life at a residence building. A popular topic of discussion at the Walkout was the culture at the University of Waterloo. There was significant emphasis of students feeling stressed rather than supported in both their corporative learning opportunities and academic requirements which create a competitive culture. “There is a massive culture of competition that has just been kind of ingrained into the University at Waterloo that is incredibly unhealthy because you start to think that you need to compete with everyone else around you instead of making friends with them,” Sarah Welton, University of Waterloo student, said. “[University] becomes about outdoing everyone around you, getting that co-op ranking, that grade in the class, going and out doing everyone and being the best rather than trying to be the best person that you yourself can be;
it’s about being better rather than trying to be yourself.” Welton also explained that the University allegedly acts like they are doing a lot to help other students when students are receiving inadequate mental health care and decreased assistance on where to receive help that is better suited for individual needs. “The university has made it a point of pride that everyone who goes to counselling receives an appointment between three to five weeks, it should not be a point of pride that actually it takes that amount of time to get seen if you are struggling,” Welton said. “I know that the university probably tries to [seem] like they have a lot of resources available for students, but I don’t think that that’s the case when all they do is go and put links on learn [Waterloo’s student access portal] or social media and say, ‘oh if your struggling here is resources to get help,’” Welton said. “There are still a lot of students that don’t know where to get help especially in the case of our international students who might not have the ability to go into the community and need to rely on the university services. Just having to wait for an appointment; that’s not okay.” In addition to the comment Welton made about tremendous wait times, Butterfield explained that this is not the right approach to dealing with a student who has mental health concerns. “At the rally we heard again and again the mention of students being turned away, a waiting list that left them for two weeks or for two months – there were even greater waiting times then that,” Butterfield said. “We have students who are on the brink of suicide not getting
There is a massive culture of competition that has just been kind of ingrained into the University of Waterloo ... -Sarah Welton, student at the University of Waterloo
services on campus, not being supported in being referred to another service. That tells us that we need more support in council services and we need them to be equipped through the administration.” In response to the accusations of long waiting lists for mental health resources, Matthew Grant, director of media relations at UW, explained that depending of the service students receive the wait times will vary. “It depends on what resources people are accessing, so there are counselling appointments, medical appointments and depending on a student[s] need is how quickly they are seen, so people who are in crisis are seen within one hour,” Grant said. Crisis situations vary depending
We have students who are on the brink of suicide not getting services on campus, not being supported in being referred to another service. -Kai Butterfield, student at the University of Waterloo
on the student’s emotional state. If a student is not in crisis but feels the need to access mental health resources the wait times would be much different. The university has actually responded to students concerns by prompting a Presidential Advisory committee of various university groups, faculty, staff and professionals. “If someone has classified themselves as urgent but not in crisis, I believe it is in the neighbourhood of an average three to five days, and [for] someone who is nonin crisis it can take up to several weeks,” Grant said. “We always want to do more and we always want to strive to do better, this is one of the main reasons that President Hamdullahpur, started the president’s advisory committee on mental health,” Grant said. The Mental Health Review conducted by the university President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health concluded that university should invest $1.2 million to increase the amount of mental health professionals on campus. In addition to the monetary investment, the review also explains that the University of Waterloo can increase social support on campus by fostering positive interpersonal relationships between peers, staff and faculty. The university responded to the Walkout by explaining that there has been an expressed interest over a number of years to talk about mental health in order to to move past stigma. “For a long time, the university and the president himself have talked about the need to talk about mental health and move past stigma that a lot of people may have not talked about in the past,” Grant said. “I think what students did in voicing their opinions and their concerns was quite notable because this is something that we have to talk about, we must continue to talk about.” The walkout at UW comes at a time where Laurier looks to similarly increase their mental health services on campus in order to meet student demand. In the Wilfrid Laurier University community, Karen Ostander, director of the Wellness Centre, explained the number of staff available for students in the multi-disciplinary Wellness Centre. “We have eight councilors, one mental health nurse, five nurses, one nurse practitioner, for physicians there is about 14 positions but it works out to three and a
NATHALIE BOUCHARD/NEWS EDITOR
half full time equivalents and the psychiatrist, and our psychiatrist is currently bringing in a resident,” Ostander said. Back in 2013 the Wellness Centre conducted a review of their services and evaluated the ways in which to improve their centre for students. “In general, we did a review in 2013 talking to student groups, at that point we removed session limits. What we are is a short-term, goal directed service. We certainly recognize that there are people who have really complex trauma issues that we may need to then refer out,” Ostander said. In order to further improve their services, Leanne Holland-Brown, dean of students at Laurier, explained that the Wellness Centre is looking at getting an online survey together to open up the lines of communication as well as have an in-personal feedback session to address some of the concerns of students. “The introduction of the wellness education strategy where in 2016 a number of universities including Laurier participated in the national college health association survey,” Holland-Brown said. “A lot of data came out of that which really showed the degree of the effect mental health was having on students across the country, so our wellness education strategy was created so we could take the results from that to create a framework.” Holland-Brown also explained
that students have reached out on social media to explain their concerns with the Wellness Centre which has prompted several initiatives to improve the student service. “In recent weeks and months, because our students are champions and because they care so deeply for each other and their experience, there was some feedback on social media relative to the student Wellness Centre,” Holland-Brown said. “Students, very obviously in the absence of a number of mechanisms available to them to provide feedback, posted some things, and it was a really awesome opportunity to say, ‘we need to create more formal opportunities for you to have voice,’” Holland-Brown said. “We are in the process of … [creating] an online student Wellness Centre feedback form for any and all Laurier students to provide feedback on their experience at the student Wellness Centre or to have them explain why they haven’t felt comfortable to access the student Wellness Centre.” In addition to the online survey, there will be an in-person feedback session to address issues in person as well. “There were a number of student groups who felt that they would benefit from the opportunity to sit down in front of someone and actually have a conversation, so we are hosting a number of feedback sessions in person,” Holland-Brown said.
6 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
LITERATURE
Eleanor Ty wins award for new book Asianfail STEPHANIE SAUNDERS CORD NEWS
Eleanor Ty, English and Film Studies professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, has been awarded the 2017-18 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature in the adult non-fiction category. Her book, Asianfail: Narratives of Disenchantment and the Model Minority, was recognized by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), a non-profit organization whose members are devoted to community, diversity and advocacy within the framework of Asian Pacific American librarianship. In summary, Asianfail is a book of literary criticisms that interpret a selection of films, graphic novels and literature that deal with the hardships and failures many Asian Americans and Asian Canadians face, as they are often stereotyped as “model minorities." “This book is comprised of stories about unhappiness and depression and why young adults are having a hard time meeting some of the goals that their parents place on them,” Ty said. The myth about “model minorities” can have major repercussions when young people base their sense of worth and identity on academic and professional success.
“It’s very important for this generation to be aware that there are other people struggling just like them,” Ty said. “A lot of Asians feel like they have to conform to this very rigid expectation of not just getting an A, but getting an A plus in school. There is a stereotype of them that they tend to be really good at math or that they’re computer geeks, engineers and doctors.” Ty also shed light on the fact
A lot of Asians feel like they have to conform to this very rigid expectation of not just getting an A, but getting an A plus ... -Eleanor Ty, English and Film studies professor
that parents of these young adults generally migrated from foreign countries and were unable to attain the dreams and aspirations that they placed on themselves. “A lot of these parents are immigrants who had to work extremely
hard, often times not in the greatest jobs,” she said. “They transfer their dreams to their children and place expectations on them that they will become the things they never were like engineers or doctors. This, in turn, creates a heavy burden on the kids to do what their parents didn’t do.” The award given to Ty acknowledges publications for their literary and artistic merit, in addition to promoting Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage, according to the APALA press release. APALA was first founded in 1980 by mostly first generation Americans of Asian descent who wanted to encourage the work of librarians of Asian Pacific ancestry and promote heterogeneity and varied identities in the community. Ty was thrilled when she first found out she had received the award. “It’s great to be chosen by a group of librarians,” she said. “Since the book has been chosen, it is going to be publicized and might also be recommended to other people. It will get out to the community beyond the university library.” Additionally, Ty has ten other published books that cover a diverse range of topics from gender to new media, life writing and
LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR
parody. Ty was also the 2010 recipient for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Research Grant for “Second Generation
Asian North American Narratives." More recently she was selected as the University Research Professor for 2015-2016 here at Laurier.
VOLUNTEERING
Peer Support program hires new volunteers Accessible Learning Centre gives students an opportunity to get involved and assist their peers MICHAEL OLIVERI SENIOR COPY EDITOR
Wilfrid Laurier University’s Accessible Learning Centre (ALC) is hiring for its Peer Support Volunteer program. The program, which has been running for over eight years, is hiring volunteers to assist with a number of different initiatives for the upcoming school year. “The Peer Support Volunteer program is an opportunity for students to get involved within the ALC in a variety of different … programs and departments and services that we offer within our programming,” Erin Riggin, educational supports and learning strategist at the ALC, said. These areas of the program in which volunteers assist are varied and cover a large amount of ground. “We have note taking coordinators, we have a tutor coordinator, we have an assistive technologist, we have student learning strategist and we also have student supports coordinator and social media volunteer as well,” Riggin said. The importance of these students volunteering within the program is recognized by those who work in the ALC. “Those students are really influential not only [in] giving us student perspective on some of the programs that we provide and how
... there’s no decrease in people wanting to access services but that also makes sense because we’re letting more people in. -Erin Riggin, educational supports and learning strategist
DOTUN JIDE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
students might access them, but also even [in] day to day operation[s],” Riggin said. The involvement of students in the volunteer program, and the ALC as a whole, is crucial to the success of the ALC and the services it provides. However, the benefits of these volunteers are not just for the benefit of the ALC as an organization. Students who use the ALC for services are the ones in mind pri-
marily and their interaction with volunteers can differ depending on the service that is required. “A student assistive technologist and a student learning strategist get to work with students one-onone on skills development, under the vise of a professional,” Riggin said. These direct, one-on-one relationships are critical in assisting students in building different skills for class.
Skills like time management, learning strategies,writing strategies, coping and test taking being some of the most notable. The consistent contributions from volunteers over the years have also been very helpful due to the increase in students requiring services provided by the ALC. “Every year that I’ve been here we grow. So, definitely, there’s no decrease in people wanting to access services but that also makes
sense because we’re letting more people in,” Riggin said. A volunteer like Sabrina Moyer, a student here at Laurier, is an example of a student who has contributed to the administrative side of the program and finds significant value in contributing to the ALC. “I think if you want to help out anywhere within the school … helping your own peers is really important. So it feels like it’s very peer-to-peer,” Moyer said. Ultimately, the Peer Support program is an important opportunity which provides Laurier students access to peers that can help contribute to their success in a number of different roles; luckily these volunteer roles are still available for the upcoming school year. “Students can get involved by applying on our website. It actually is open currently and will be until the end of next week,” Riggin said.
NEWS • 7
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 SOCIAL JUSTICE
LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR
Indigenous Education week NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR
From March 5 to 12, Indigenous Education Week was held at Wilfrid Laurier University on both the Brantford and Waterloo campuses. The week-long celebration of Indigenous culture allowed for students to attend events relating to Indigenous heritage. The various educational events included different variations
of delivery but all focused on ensuring Indigenous heritage was showcased to students. The events included a podcast party, a film screening, a lecture, a booth in the concourse, a drum making workshop and arts and crafts. “All of our lectures, talks, workshops, food and everything that we do this week are coordinated by or have had voices of Indigenous people, which sometimes don’t always have the foreground,” Melissa
Ireland, coordinator of Indigenous Student Support, said. “It’s a way to make sure that the campus community knows who we are where we are and that we have services for students.” These educational events provide students with some knowledge of Indigenous culture by presenting information about Indigenous struggles, accomplishments, culture, tragedy and artistic development.
Ireland explained that this week is meant to bring the campus together for educational activities. “I think it’s a chance for both the Waterloo and Brantford campus communities to come out to events that have Indigenous content … we run things often in our centres in both campus’s but our centres are only so big,” Ireland said. “We try to create events where we move onto campus and leave our centres and invite the public to learn a little bit more about Indigenous culture and people. So we’ve created the week to be free and open to the public.” A major focus of this week is to provide a way for students in the community to connect with the centre and see all the opportunities that the centre has to offer. “For us, it’s a way to have partners within other departments that want to partner with us, maybe connect with students who have not realized that there are Indigenous student services on campus,” Ireland said. “It’s a way to network and be open to activities and events that can be inclusive to everyone.” Some other events which were highlighted this week were the podcast party and the film screening of The Birth of a Family as well as a booth in the concourse with red dresses hanging around to
symbolize missing and murdered Indigenous women. The last event of Indigenous Education Week saw participants create baby moccasins to raise awareness for the Indigenous children in foster care. This event was led by Eric Lickers, masters of social work candidate. “We all made moccasins today so they can go on a campaign to raise awareness for Indigenous children who are in foster care … the object is to create 165,000 pairs of baby Moccasins to represent each [Indigenous] child who is in foster care,” Lickers said. “The aim is to raise awareness about the stats and try and make things better and going forward it starts with raising awareness just so people know what that situation is like.” “Once people realize how bad the situation is for Indigenous kids that’s when it becomes unacceptable and things will start to change which is kind of what we are thinking.” The week was meant to celebrate the importance of Indigenous education awareness of issues surrounding the Indigenous community “We definitely want to celebrate our culture [and our] visibility on campus and we have a campus that allows us and celebrates with us,” Ireland said.
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8 • GAMES SUDOKU
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 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. Dear Life, wabba labba dub dub
Nah but fuck Logan Paul
Sincerely, Friend
Sincerely, and his spaghetti face paper towel friend Nash Grier too
Dear Life, Pennywise can still get it
Dear Life, Sincerely, Report me to HR so we can discuss Claddy together
Fuck ya chicken strips Sincerely, FUCK YA CHICKEN STRIPS
Dear Life, Fun pre game for St. Patrick’s: take a shot every time you see someone you don’t like Sincerely It’s Tuesday and I have alcohol poisoning
Dear Life, COULDA PLAYED FOR THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS BUT THEY FOUND CODiNE IN MY BEER Sincerely, Uncle RiFF
Dear Life,
Sincerely, Me
Dear Hawks, If my dog doesn’t like you, you’re probably just Lord Farquaad in a taller package
Dear Life, Working at thecord is like going to disney land Sincerely, its fun
Sincerely, That’s a sacrifice that I am willing to make Dear Life,
Dear Life,
It is Wednesday my dudes.
420 is what? Sincerely, What is 420?
Sincerely, AhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Dear Life,
Dear Life,
You asked what I am? ...A HOUSEWIFE!!!
Ugly ass noodle head
Sincerely, Izumi
Sincerely, You’re not my dad!
As an alum from Laurier Brantford I feel like I have been isolated from the enigma that is Ezra Ave. When I was in high school a lot of my friends talked about the street party and the drugs that they tried and the drinks that they downed and that never represented what being a Golden Hawk meant to me. Party on, but keep it civil. If you are a student in Waterloo you should be hella grateful of the services that the city provides. To that end, don’t take advantage of it. Be safe, pair up and know your limits. Don’t take drugs from strangers, even friendly ones. And always, always, always remember that the male seahorse carries the eggs until they hatch instead of the female. Sincerely, SD
Dear Life, Dear Life,
Dear Friend, I know you are having a rough semester, but please know I am here for you and I want you so badly to succeed! Keep smiling and success will find you!
What up I’m Jared I’m 19 and I never fuckin learned how to read Sincerely, No I cannot
I’m not like them, but I can pretend my sun is gone, but I have a light the day is done, but I’m having fun I think I’m dumb
Dear Life,
Sincerely, or maybe just happy
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GAMES • 9
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10 •
FEATU
FEATURES EDITOR/KARLIS WILDE/FEATURES@THECORD.CA
Join Features Editor Karlis Wilde as he unearths the history behind Laurier’s most notorious bash “There will be no big street party this year, next year, or any other year, because it will be broken up…” Tricia Siemens, Waterloo councillor, in an interview with The Record, April 19, 1995. In The Cord’s 1995 coverage of the Ezra Street party, Amanda Dowling wrote about “the largest, wildest version of the annual Ezra Street Party.” The event hosted 1,500 students and “resulted in 42 arrests, 9 criminal charges and two life-threatening injuries.” Compared to 2017’s turnout, estimated at between 12,000 to 15,000 attendees, those figures seem like small potatoes. With the intended undergraduate enrolment at only four years, it seems ingrained in the collective memory of the student body that Ezra has been — and always will be — host to an essential party.
But let’s look at how that little circle of debauchery has evolved Surprisingly, it wasn’t until 2010 that the street hosted its first notable Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. The Cord reported that the police responded to only 25 calls regarding noise and nuisance that day, because the parties along the street were spread out and calm enough to keep it safe, contained and out of the national news. THE REBIRTH Following a quieter period of Ezra — a period of around fifteen years — the party as we know it today began with the blossoming of an early spring. “There was this really fabulous St. Patrick’s Day,” Phil Champagne, Executive Director and COO of the Students’ Union said. “One of those rare days in the middle of March where it was abso-
lutely gorgeous outside. And people started to hang out.” “And the next year, much like its cousin 20 years earlier, it started to get a little bit bigger. And then a little bit bigger.” Since those days, St. Patrick’s Day on Ezra has turned into something else. High school students show up; other students from across the province come out; buses come in from the US, bringing an international presence to the biggest party of the year, while Laurier’s student population is left with the brunt of the blame for the violence and destruction that comes part and parcel with a party of that magnitude. But history tends to repeat itself. The Ezra party has waxed and waned over the years, and — due to significant efforts by the city and the regional police — it may once again be coming to an end. THE ORIGINAL PARTY Nearly 30 years ago, St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t nearly as popular as it is today. But Ezra was still a place where people came together for a big, annual celebration. That party was typically held in the spring, and was attended primarily by Laurier students. “There had been some Ezra street parties in the early to mid 90s,” Champagne said. “But those didn’t take place on Saint Patrick’s Day, they usually took place in April.” “It started small and kind of got
bigger with every year… ultimately the city told the university that they had to do something about it and the university came to the Students’ Union and said ‘hey can you help us out with this?’” That final, infamous party in 1995 — the one that ended it all for fifteen years — gained a mythical status, and is sometimes referred to as the Ezra Street Riot. As the party got out of hand, police gathered up publicly intoxicated students and carted them away. In response, students gathered back on porches and roofs of houses down the street — and began to throw beer bottles at the officers. Change, it seemed, had to occur. And turning a party of that size — approximately 1,500 students — into something safe and manageable seemed feasible. In order to facilitate for that, the Students’ Union created a giant, year-end bash. Recognizing the student desire to party and realizing that there was nothing that could really be done to eradicate that entirely, the event aimed to provide a safe, mediated space for students to come out and raucously commemorate the end of exams. The party was organized in a similar fashion to the O-Week celebration in September and, at its best, hosted up to 3,500 students. “It was very successful for a long time,” David McMurray, vice-president of student affairs said. “But then the numbers started to dwindle. Students got less interested in that, they wanted
URES
to go home. They didn’t want to wait until the 24th of April, the exam schedule didn’t really lend itself to having everyone at one particular time.” “And then the Ezra Street gathering just organically started to grow.” THE END? But that sort of unchecked growth, in perpetuity, is untenable. The fundamental concern with the Ezra Street party, just like it was back in the 90s, is ensuring that the students and the attendees remain safe — something that is almost impossible with the kind of numbers that attend. It is important, both to the police and the school, to ensure that property is not damaged or destroyed, and that people aren’t hurt. Even damage to property is more significant than might be immediately apparent: in previous years groups of intoxicated, thoughtless students have swarmed school buildings just to use the washrooms. Damage to school property has followed as a result of this. Whether the actions taken to shut down the party this year are effective remains to be seen. The party has been successfully shut down before, but it has reemerged as a different kind of beast — for better or for worse, it is a unique event that attracts attention across the nation. “I’ve heard the term ‘on the bucket list’, you know?” said David McMurray, “What I’ve seen a lot over the years is the coming and going up and down King and Albert in particular.” “If you watch the sidewalks you can see people, dressed in green, coming and going, having their own house party and saying, ‘hey, we’ve got to go
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 • 11
to Ezra so we can be there.’ And some will stay longer than others. You see a lot of people go in and have a look.” There are numerous reasons why the celebration has increased so drastically in size, but much of those reasons come down to housing. In around 1993, as the university continued to grow, private citizens began to vacate the area. That left a lot of space to be inevitably filled by university students. “Waterloo Collegiate High School population, you can tell, started to decline because families were just moving out,” McMurray said. “And students were just kind of taking over the neighbourhood because of the housing piece.” “Those with means could build a building to hold four or five hundred people … and many did. So the numbers have grown with the enrolment growth of the school.” As super structures were put in place to house more and more students, normal sized homes with normal-sized lawns were being torn down. That has left minimal areas for students to hang out. And fewer lawns and fewer porches have forced the students — along with their open containers — out into the street. With increased plans for police presence and involvement, this year is a pivotal moment in the history of Laurier’s biggest party. Whether or not this is could be the end of Ezra remains to be seen. But the party itself, the event that defines so much of the Laurier experience, will somehow — in one form or another, through adaptation and evolution — find a way to live on.
PAIGE BUSH/FILE PHOTO, LAYOUT BY KURTIS RIDEOUT/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
12 •
Arts & Life
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD arts@thecord.ca
MUSIC
“All the young dudes” are in Burnaby — the band SHYENNE MACDONALD ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
In the ever-growing music scene of Waterloo, a new band has joined the ranks of others such as Death Party Playground, Sundriver and Mumbolayo. Burnaby — we’ll call them local out of loyalty to their KW roots — has just released their first cassingle. I know, cassette release? What year is this? It’s niche, and uniquely KW I like to believe. Dylan Bravener, whom you may recognize as the bass player for DPP, is also the man behind the cassettes with his company 3 Nines Compact Cassettes. “We played a show in January at Night School with Death Party Playground. It was a really great night, it was there we just talked to Dylan and just really connected with him,” Jeff Ringwald, guitarist and vocalist of Burnaby, explained. “Dylan was great, he liked our stuff and said he wanted to release it on cassette. As a band we’ve been around for three or four years now, but we haven’t really released much.” Ringwald went on to explain how such an opportunity could be attributed to the attitude found within Waterloo’s music scene. “That’s what I really like about this community, they’re very involved with local stuff...everyone is just so understanding of everyone else, where they’re coming from,
we decided to add an extra member just to fill up the sound. We want to start gigging out more, so we want a better live sound, more energy. When you’re recording you can layer a bunch of sounds over top but when you’re live you want to nail it.” Ringwald discussed the importance of playing live. “I find the biggest way to make
an impact on someone is by having a sweet live set.” “To me, personally, that’s the way I’ve been hit by bands … you don’t really appreciate them until you listen to them live, and you get that feel for the band,” Ringwald said. “You can invest in the band members as people, and get behind the message of the band.
That’s the approach I want to take with it.” For the most part, the musicians grew up together, meeting in school and performing together from there. “To be honest, we’re just a bunch of really good friends playing together. We’re not necessarily the best musicians but I would rather play and hang out, at this point in our lives we’re part-time musicians,” Ringwald said. Part-time musicians: they titled themselves this while explaining living in separate cities and having day jobs could restrict them but would never stop them. “I get joy out of hanging out with my friends and making music, if other people like it that’s cool. I’d love to make more of a life out of this, to make it more than what it is but it’s a hard industry,” Ringwald said. Burnaby’s cassingle will be released online on Bandcamp on March 16. The release consists of two songs “Sugar Brain” and “Laughing Losers”. You can also check out their stop-motion music video “James Cameron The Song” on YouTube, which artfully features The Dude. To see Burnaby live make sure you go to Harmony Lunch on March 22, otherwise you can buy their EP through 999tapes.bandcamp.com Note: Editor-in-Chief Kurtis Rideout assisted 3 Nines Compact Cassettes with some of the design aspects of Burnaby’s cassingle.
LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR
that revolved around the Salem witch trials and how women were accused of witchcraft for ordinary womanly things. “I wish that when I got my period I didn’t have to go into the woods for five days,” Hutchinson said. The name of the podcast leaves little to the imagination, so I was expecting a lot of conversation about women’s decision to have and discuss sex. Within five minutes, Hutchinson was talking about masturbating and I was shocked at myself when the word almost made me jump. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I still think female masturbation is rarely talked about. Which is strange considering it is assumed that all men do it. I immediately thought she was brave, because not even in the name of comedy would I be sharing my masturbating habits on stage, despite the fact that it is a very normal part of some people’s lives. This was definitely not a politically correct show, but I partly found that quite refreshing given how much stigma there is recently around sensitive issues. But I’m not going to lie; I held my breath at certain moments,
such as when Fisher said how ridiculous it is that there are “sixty-three genders.” Perhaps it’s best that these two presenters stick to self-reflection. It was those moments of self-reflection that were my favourite because they expressed struggles we all face. For example, there was a point when Fisher’s mocking of her own weight gain — “It’s because of all this body positivity bullshit that’s going around.” Considering she claimed she had gained fifteen pounds she looked pretty incredible. I think that it marks a recent change in female body image that moves away from as-skinny-as-possible and more towards all shapes and sizes. Fisher and Hutchinson touched on some important issues, but I think the most important one being that it’s okay for women to talk about having sex. Are we at a stage where it is considered “acceptable” for women to sleep around as much as men? Probably not. But podcasts such as this serves as a reminder for people that half of the time — literally — it is women having sex too, and we don’t have to be ashamed of it anymore.
GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR
their feelings and what they stand for. There’s no judgment here, that’s my favourite part of the scene.” Burnaby consists of four members: Ringwald, TJ Bruyea on bass, Conor Gray on drums and vocals and the newest member Luke King on guitar. “We were always a three-piece until about six months ago when
EVENTS
Guys We F@#ked at Laurier EVANGELINE HUNT STAFF WRITER
My job standing behind the Wilf’s host station means that I spend more time than most looking at the giant advertisement screen in the Fred Nichols building. One advertisement that kept catching my eye was a poster for an evening of comedy with Corinne Fisher & Krystyna Hutchinson, creators of Guys We F@#ked: The
Anti-Slut-Shaming-Podcast. Fisher and Hutchinson’s website describes their work as a weekly self-produced podcast during which the duo interview men they’ve slept with and titans in the comedy and sex industry. I’m a little late to the podcast train as I personally prefer to read in my spare time — books, blogs, The Cord of course — but after doing a little research I was keen to not only give the podcast a listen
but also to attend the live event. This event was free to attend, which was great considering most comedy is rarely free. It was held upstairs in the Turret, and the duo spent the entire night mocking the Turret’s claim as a nightclub. Which I of course found funny considering I work there, it’s getting a makeover this summer, I promise! The duo started with a mini film
ARTS & LIFE • 13
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 SOCIAL
In conversation with: George Elliott Clarke and Mayann Francis Staff writer Nicholas Quintyn discusses social advocacy, black excellence and literature with these influential leaders
In the spirit of Black History Month, last week I had the chance to sit down with George Elliott Clarke who is currently a professor of English at the University of Toronto. He was profiled in a previous article on Feb. 28, however afterward I had the opprotunity to speak with him. Clarke has written extensively on the history of black Canadian communities which he calls Africadia. He previously served as Parliamentary Poet Laureate in which he reflected extensively on the views of Parliamentarians and public policy. In addition to this he has written numerous bestselling works of scholarship which have shaped Black Canadian literature. Clarke holds an honours BA in English from University of Waterloo, an MA in English from Dalhousie University and PHD in English from Queen’s University. In our conversation we discussed the meaning of Black History Month, his collection of work and advice to the next generation of black Canadians. What does Black History Month mean to you? Black History Month is an opportunity for all Canadians to
To commemorate Canadian black excellence in social advocacy I had the chance to sit down with Mayann Francis, who served as The First African Nova Scotian Lieutenant Governor from 20062012. Francis has had a distinguished career in public service in both Canada and The United States. In addition, she currently serving as The First Distinguished Public Service Fellow at Dalhousie University’s School of Public Administration. In the midst of her busy schedule she was pleased to talk with The Cord. What’s your background? I was born in Whitney Pier, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to a Cuban father and Antiguan mother. Whitney Pier was and is an extremely multicultural environment, and it was this upbringing which gave me the foundation for unity and acceptance of others. The parents in Whitney Pier always put an emphasis on education and hard work. It was these basic values which carried I’m on a journey of excellence. I initially started working as a
think about the contributions of Black Canadians in Canada from enslavement to present. How did you become a writer? When I was 15-years-old I decided I wanted to become a songwriter, shortly after I decided I’d rather become a poet. I later enrolled in university to pursue my career ambitions. What has made you such a successful writer? I never doubted mixing literary creativity, social political activism and simple scholarship. Which of your works holds the most sentiment? I like to think all are equally important and valid in their own unique ways. However Odysseys Hall: Mapping African Canadian Literature is particularly important to scholarship. Prior to the publishing of Odysseys Hall very few scholars viewed Black Canadian writing as a unique discipline. What makes Black Canadian writing distinct?
X ray technologist, earned a BA from St. Mary’s University and worked under George McCurdy at The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. I moved to New York and worked as a Paralegal in Wall Street and Midtown Manhattan for 16 years. In addition, completed a masters of Public Administration at New York University. I returned to Canada and worked in The Ontario Public Service before being appointed CEO of The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. What was your highlight as Lieutenant Governor? The pardoning of Viola Desmond. What does Black History month mean to you? Having a focus on black history highlights the significance of what black people have done to build the country — in addition shines light on atrocities of the past. Looks to make society better for everyone. In addition, it highlights and
Black Canadian writers are more elusive, cosmopolitan and playful than African American writers. They are less likely to define specific themes in their works. In addition, African American writers are a core community of Americans partially by choice and racist design. As a result, they will reflect the values and experiences of slavery, segregation and equality. Whereas Black Canadian writers are restricted to specific cities and therefore have less context for chronicles and narratives. This can largely be attributed to the fact that African Americans consist of 35,000,000 people in total. Whereas the Black Canadians consist of 500,000 people of varying immigration experiences and only consider themselves black in a minoritized context. What should the next generation of black Canadians strive for? It’s important to ensure black youth are educated right up to university. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. In addition, it’s important that we don’t downplay social issues in which racial and cultural misunderstanding may have a role.
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
educates everyone, education is important in understanding society. Who was your biggest role model? Family was important! Family emphasized education. Black people seen in the states became role models. In addition, Beverly Mascall was a huge role model. What`s the biggest piece of advice you can give to the up and coming generation of Black Canadians? Never give up hope, always have faith and you are tremendously important. Pay homage to the people who paved the way. Be strategic about your future, map out your future in five year increments. Always be excellent in what your doing, give those behind you a hand up. In addition, Black Lives Matter was not intended to be exclusive, not that nobody else’s life is important, it’s the fact that our lives (Black Canadians) lives matter too.
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
14 • ARTS & LIFE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
LOCAL
Thoughts from the community
ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR
KATE WEBER WEB ASSISTANT
Ahh mid-March! A time when the not-Irish and stressed university students come together to drink belligerently and fill the streets of Ezra.
The pressure of making “Ezra great again” might be high this year due to the fear in some students instilled by Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS). There has been an increase in buzz of stricter regulations this year and to my knowledge WRPS
are seeking help from the Peel region. The divide between what the city wants versus the students is quite unanimous so I thought it would be a good opportunity to go and see what the local businesses thought of the celebrations.
Public Information Centres Planned 2018 Grand River Transit Network
The previous closures in uptown slowed down business for a bit but in reopening has helped pick up the speed again. -Laurie Hannoush, Bare Essentials
Laurier is very well known for their street parties and promotes heaps of students from not only institutions in Waterloo, but all post-secondary institutions. Personally, I believe that it is a day where students should have the freedom to have a responsible fun time after a long stressful year with finals right around the corner. I am worried about the backlash these rules might promote which would ultimately end up in an unsafe environment for the entire community. In order to understand how the celebrations effect local businesses, I spoke with Alexis Faulkner (A) from the Harmony Lunch and Laurie Hannoush (L) from Bare Essentials, both located in Uptown Waterloo.
1.Do you think the St. Patrick’s day celebration is getting out of hand and should there be tighter controls in place? A. This will be my first time in Uptown for St. Patrick’s day. Through my past experience, I don’t believe that it needs to go to the extreme that it usually goes to. L. I feel like it does get out of hand due to the police watching on Ezra. For the most part we do a majority of the people watching and we see it all the time. Oktoberfest gets hectic but St. Patrick’s does have a large stigma directed to it. I hear of stories and sometimes the desire to drink on this holiday is what makes people want to go overboard.
519-585-7555
TTY 519-575-4608
www.grt.ca
2. If you could implement
your own regulations for the day what would they be? A. Even though this is already a law I would say no drinking in public areas and keeping it in a private space. L. No public drinking. As a driver in the area I need to be extra careful of someone who is unaware. [The intersection of ] Albert and King Street is very dangerous for me and the public walking around intoxicated.
3.Does your business reap any benefits or is it bad for business? A. It is beneficial! We are doing a green milkshake deal served with alcohol. Students are able to come here and uptown is always busy. L. We get busy from customers who want to prep for the parties.
4.Would you like to see other celebrations in the city or uptown Waterloo? A. Yes, I want to see more on King Street. My past experience in Paris, Ontario, they would frequently do many street celebrations such as a Santa Claus Parade and I thought it was awesome. L. Events for the community are good in a safe manner. We always see people every month due to the heavy traffic of events in the community. The previous closures in Uptown slowed down business for a bit, but it reopening has helped to pick up speed again. With this in mind we thank the small businesses of Waterloo who tolerate the responsible and not so responsible students. It’s important to be respectful of the community where the university is located while you are visiting. As a final note, I would like to wish you all a very happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day. I would also like to extend the luck of my own Irish background in hopes that you find your own pot of gold this weekend, or at least that you don’t get any tickets.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
• 15
Editorial
OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca
The St. Patrick’s Day party on Ezra Avenue is out of control Last St. Patrick’s Day, the infamous Ezra Avenue party attracted nearly 15,000 attendees, prompting more attempts this year to control the crowds and lessen the damage that’s done from the yearly festivities that take place along the street. Laurier has gained a notorious reputation for partying, often overshadowing the programs that the school should be known for instead. It seems that people who want to go to school for the parties are likely going to consider Laurier because of our reputation. The parties are so well known that high school students talk about wanting to be here for St. Patrick’s Day. Because the Ezra party has grown so much over the years, it puts a huge strain on resources for both the school and the city. The more popular it gets, the more non-Laurier students want to come here to join it and post photos of the infamous St. Patrick’s Day crowd on their Instagram. Guests from other universities aren’t likely to care as much about the damage they do to a campus and city that isn’t their own. Inviting people from all over the place, like the group who came in from New York last year, just increases the potential for more problems to occur. The overwhelming size of the crowd creates the possibility for something to go wrong and not have the proper accessibility for emergency personnel to reach anyone who may be in danger, hurt, or worse. Telling everyone to stay safe may not be enough. Posters, emails and firmly worded warnings are all well and good, but those who are determined to do things their way will probably do them regardless of the consequences. There will be resistance to change no matter how the university and police go about containing the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. The
expectations have already been set for a larger than life celebration that has seemingly defined aspects of our school over the past few years and there’s little that can be done to shake that perception off now. There have been attempts to stand against the day’s proceedings with the bookstore taking away St. Patrick’s Day merchandise, residences not allowing overnight guests and some apartments in the area limiting the number of people that residents can have stay during the weekend. The preparation that goes into St. Patrick’s Day is extensive and it makes it worrisome with the amount of resources that are used as a precaution. It feels like a tragedy needs to occur in order for the scale of the Ezra Avenue party to be reigned in significantly. Without trying to sound preachy and sanctimonious like Principle Skinner from The Simpsons — “Am I so out of touch? No, it’s the children who are wrong” — it’s important to recognize when a problem has gotten out of hand. You can take pride in Laurier and enjoy a fun and positive atmosphere, but that doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be some restrictions. Be respectful to the people and space around you. Broken glass and cheap paraphernalia littering the streets for over a week afterwards is unnecessary. Abiding by the law and treating the day with common sense so that you keep yourself and those around you safe, should be par for the course. Don’t make the day a nightmare for your residence dons and the nameless faces you’ll be bumping into and pushing past in the sea of green this Saturday. Having a good time is expected, but we shouldn’t be losing our common sense in the process. Stay golden, Laurier.
ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Recognizing everyday sexism EMILY WAITSON OPINION EDITOR
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.
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International Women’s Day just passed with a flood of female empowerment related social media posts and appreciation for all of the strong women deserving of recognition. Although we have made considerable progress with women’s rights and the movement overall, there is still a long way to go and it is by no means perfect. I think many — if not most — women can say that they’ve faced some form of discrimination at one point or another because they identify as female and it’s a problem that I continue to see in 2018. Progressiveness is something that many workplaces and educational environments like to loudly proclaim they have, specifically the men that are behind them. Obviously, that’s a good thing, but I’ve often seen it turn out to be disingenuous when they’re faced with putting that attitude into action. It’s one thing to loudly trumpet inclusivity and equal treatment for
all and it’s another to actually practice what you so smugly preach. Labelling myself as a feminist is still a grave-digging act to do in the time we live in, since many people assume I’ll start lighting my bra on fire, screaming at a man for holding a door open for me or brandishing my hairy armpits like threatening weapons of destruction. Before the spittle-infused, exacerbated “but not all men” sympathizers emerge from the shadows of Reddit and 4Chan, let me just say this: My entire life, like many women, has been predominately defined by my sex. How I look, how I act, what I do with my body, how my body naturally functions — it’s just a simple reality of the choices we make. In high school, male teachers would unabashedly usher out their praise with lingering shoulder touches and leery grins to girls. Girls would be yelled at and sent home if — God forbid — someone saw the flash of a bra strap in thirty-degree heat, while guys walked around in tank tops and no one said anything against it. Having to argue with my ninth grade math teacher over him allowing me to go to the bathroom because I was on my period, was
like fighting an unconquerable battle. The mention of menstruation was enough to turn an argument with a male authority figure into a confused, sputtering admonishment-laden mess as though it was something to be ashamed of. Even in university, the land of supposed liberal equality, I constantly see examples of everyday sexism that continues to happen relatively ignored and untouched. My co-workers’ ideas are shot down or they’re interrupted mid-sentence by other power drunk dude-bros, regardless of what they have to say. The value of an opinion can automatically be assigned based on the gender of the person who states it and it’s a tiring reality to witness. Relentlessly ambitious, incredibly talented women who I have the privilege of working alongside are quieted, pushed aside and ignored because they’re strong and independent. Assertiveness does not equate bitchiness and it’s an archaic world we live in where that still needs to said. Change starts with the men and women who allow these toxic mentalities to continue flourishing and calling out the behaviour when you see it happening. We deserve better.
16 •
Opinion
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca
Learning about the history of St. Patrick’s Day ANDREW MCCLELLAN OPINION COLUMNIST
Before you wake up on Saturday and reconsider your recent decisions as you try to keep down the first shot of the day — that you unwisely took before you even ate your green pancakes — we should take a moment to look at the actual reason we’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations began in Ireland around the 1600s and were originally established as a feast to celebrate St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. The legend of St. Patrick follows that St. Patrick chased all the snakes off of the island of Ireland, but this myth has come to replace the actual story. St. Patrick is an important figure in Irish Christianity and is credited with converting the Irish Druids to the Christian religion. The reason drinking and partying became associated with St. Patrick’s Day is actually very simple. The Christian Church allows a break from Lent on St. Patrick’s Day, meaning that Christians could drink alcohol, eat meat and dance for the day. However, the holiday remained fairly small until the 1700s. Various incidents, such as the Irish Famine, created an influx of Irish Immigrants to the America’s. In 1762, the first ever St. Patrick’s
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Day Parade took place in New York City. Over the next 100 years, Irish people would continue to immigrate to the Americas in high numbers, due to a number of different phenomena. This new influx of Irish immigrants created a large
amount of Irish Christian clusters around the America’s, and St. Patrick’s Day allowed the new Americans to appreciate and remember their shared Irish heritage. The Irish enjoyed celebrating their heritage so much, that the
Christian Church actually thought the Irish were “getting out of control” with the celebration of their Patron Saint. But these celebrations helped to boost the morale of Irish Immigrants, and allowed them to embrace their heritage
and feel satisfied that my crumpled bill was put to good use. These stores will always hold a nostalgic place in my heart for the experiences they gave me as a kid and for the endless love they instilled in me of reading, listening to music and watching movies. I realize the market for rental movies — for the most part — has been left in the past and, with the evolution of technology and the way people watch films, it’s not surprising that rental places don’t really exist anymore. But that doesn’t mean the old lady in me doesn’t want to cling onto their remnants for as long as humanly possible. It’s why I’m oddly grateful for the rising movement of hip-
sters and their incessant need to reestablish “vintage” aspects of our quickly aging society and how we consume entertainment. I’d be the last person to complain about the resurgence of record players and vinyl, since I finally have an excuse to start my own collection that could vaguely rival the albums owned by my parents. The kitschy charms that come with Uptown Waterloo and parts of Kitchener are the used book, movie and music stores. There will always be ones that don’t manage to keep up with the times despite their roots in the past, but it seems that when one fails another pops right back up to take its place. Thumbing through the used records in
during some of the hardest times in Irish history. The colour green came into the picture around the 1800s, when green became integrated with Irish culture through the Irish Revolution. The Irish wore the colour green during the revolution to contradict the redcoats of the British. This nationalization of the colour created the tradition of wearing green that we still observe today. St. Patrick’s Day was a relatively small holiday in Ireland until the 1970s; it was actually the Irish-American’s who elevated the tradition into what it is today. There was actually laws that pubs were closed in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day until the mid-1970s. Around the 80s the Irish government began to support the holiday, as it internationally promoted Irish culture.These days, the holiday is widely celebrated by both Irish and non-Irish, but most embrace symbols of Irish culture. It’s hard to draw a connection between the original intentions of the celebration and modern incarnations, but it’s important to at least stop and consider the various aspects of the holiday that bring us together in the first place. So, when you’re trying to hold down the first shot of the day this Saturday, take a second to realize how many symbols of Ireland there are around you. Whether it be the shamrock on your shirt, the sea of green that fills the streets, or your one friend who decided to try Guinness for the first time, enjoy your celebration of Irish culture.
Renting movies EMILY WAITSON OPINION EDITOR
As a kid growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, life was pretty good. Jumbo Video was our local movie rental place of choice and going there was always a treat. My dad would take me into the dimly lit, slightly dusty VHS paradise and I’d be handed a small paper bag of popcorn to snack on while I looked around the store with wonderment.There’s something both overwhelming and amazing to a young kid about being able to choose their own tapes out of a selection of hundreds of movies. My love for films was probably sparked because of our many weekend trips to the cramped movie spot, renting Space Jam for the tenth time in a row with absolutely no shame whatsoever. After Jumbo Video closed for good and Blockbuster went the way of the dinosaurs, my childhood innocence wasn’t put to a
complete halt, since we started going to Steve’s TV instead. I still got handed a little bag of stale popcorn and I was still able to physically choose what I wanted to watch. I could rent PlayStation 2 games after a tactical decision-making process that required a lot of strategical brain power, and then I could watch Gremlins 3 without a worry in the world. I can’t really pinpoint the moment when this stopped being the norm and watching things online became the family habit instead. It was the same for book and music stores as well. Going to HMV after every holiday with my Christmas money and gift cards shoved into my nylon wallet was always a thrilling experience. I got to hear the wonderful click-clack of the CDs as I flicked through them trying to choose the perfect ones so that my money wasn’t wasted, and I always went there to buy new releases that I was excited about. Used bookstores — like Casablanca Bookshop that used to be in Downtown Kitchener — were always a safe bet too. I could walk in with twenty dollars and come back out with a stack of musty smelling books to shove onto my shelves
SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
Orange Monkey Music, finding a unique used novel in Words Worth Books or renting a DVD just because I can from Far Out Flicks (which is a convenient two-minute walk away from me) is something that feels like a privilege these days more than anything else. I’m not going to be one of those insufferably pretentious people that rejects all aspects of the modern day and laments the loss of every establishment since 1950, but I can’t deny the joy I feel when I enter these quirky little establishments and get to relive part of my childhood. Netflix is great, but I’m not handed a snack-sized bag of day-old popcorn when I log onto the site, so it just isn’t the same.
OPINION • 17
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Sibling appreciation AARON HAGEY STAFF WRITER
My relationship with my older sister has never been perfect. It was a
bit of a rollercoaster when we were young, but since I’ve progressed into adulthood, I’ve realized quite a few things about this relationship. We often neglect or ignore sibling relationships when we transition from children into teenagers and then into adults, instead choosing to focus on our own lives. It’s easier to ignore any problems
when you don’t see them every day and aren’t forced to confront any underlying issues. However, my experiences have left me with a newfound perspective on the importance of this type of familial bond. Children of divorced parents are often left without a proper outlet of emotional support and guidance during their formative years. To put it simply, we weren’t blessed with the most stable family environment either. I’m very lucky to have had my sister during this period though, as she took on the role of my guardian and mentor for many years and helped me through a large part of my early education. From elementary school onwards, I was a typical shit disturbing, immature boy who evolved into a moody teenager that hated the world and wasted his potential. My sister was the complete opposite. She was incredibly ambitious, hard-working and excelled in school. In the same way that we look to our parents like they’re superheroes when we’re young, I looked up to her. When she got her driver’s license, she would be the one driving me to doctor’s appointments or a friend’s house. If I ever wanted to play video games with her, she’d always be Player Two. We’d tease each other, but it would be friendly banter, never anything malicious
I’m not sure when the shift between us happened. High school was a dark time and I became more secluded, angry and isolated. I started regarding her with less admiration and more resentment. I felt as though I had to compete with her more than anything. She was, in all respects at that time, far exceeding the expectations of our parents, whereas I was merely coasting along. It didn’t help that we were essentially pitted against each other by them, encouraged to be better than the other constantly. It made for a confusing time: each of us feeling the need to rival each other, without knowing what it was really doing to us. Living in the shadow of an older sibling is something that I think can be common and it felt nearly impossible to measure up to the standards she seemed to set so effortlessly. We used to argue constantly and getting along with or understanding each other as we got older became an increasingly difficult task. It took a lot of self-reflection and effort on my part for me to grow out of the jaded mindset that I used to have and realize that we are much more similar than I ever wanted to admit. It took us both going through our own separate sets of challenges for us to work out our issues like the adults we are and realize that we can be friends — especially now
that we aren’t forced to live under the same roof, where we both felt the same ridiculous expectations were placed upon us.
In the same way that we look to our parents like they’re superheroes when we’re young, I looked up to her.
It’s a relationship that I’ve learned to value more than I ever thought I would and I’m thankful that I’m mature enough now to realize that it’ll always take some work, but that it’s worth it in the long run. We’re both flawed like anyone else, but I’m very proud to be her brother. It’s taken me awhile to realize it, but I probably wouldn’t have survived without her looking out for me when we were younger. I’m happy to have the opportunity to live my life with the family member I have always cared about most. Especially considering how she now plays the more natural role of my sister — and my friend.
Raising Indigenous child welfare awareneness ERIC LICKERS OPINION COLUMNIST
Many people who have had interactions with child welfare agencies are aware that the system is not perfect, less people are aware of how much worse the child welfare system is for Indigenous children and families in Canada. This issue is what the So They Can Go Home Moccasin Project is bringing awareness to. The organizer of this movement, Nancy Rowe from Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, is seeking to collect 165,000 pairs of baby moccasins to represent each Indigenous child in Canada affected by the child welfare system. The movement to raise awareness regarding the state of affairs for Indigenous child welfare has many prominent leaders alongside Nancy Rowe. Cindy Blackstock is the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and is a dedicated advocate for Indigenous children involved with the child welfare system. In 2007 Cindy Blackstock brought the federal government to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on a complaint that the government had systemically discriminated against Indigenous children and families by underfunding child welfare services for this population. In 2015 the Canadian Human
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Rights Tribunal ruled in favour of Cindy Blackstock and found that the government had discriminated against Indigenous people and ordered that they fix the underfunding. In February of 2018 the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued a non-compliance order to the federal government for the fourth time for not following through, since then we have seen some action being taken through budgets that have allocated funds to address the underfunding. Some of the facts and figures that Cindy Blackstock used to support
her complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal are the over-representation of Indigenous children and families involved with child welfare agencies. According to Cindy Blackstock, Indigenous children make up approximately 7 per cent of the population of children under the age of 15, however they make up more than half of the number of children in foster care. Blackstock attributes this over-representation to the underfunding of prevention services for Indigenous families. These figures and claims rep-
resent the current state of affairs, however Indigenous people’s issues with child welfare authorities have not begun recently. The residential school system was a system that forced Indigenous children to be removed from their families, and their communities, to go to boarding schools run by churches. These schools were often fraught with physical, emotional, sexual and spiritual abuse. Children were barred from speaking their language and practicing their culture. Many children were sent to these schools
and never returned home. The last residential school closed in 1996. Aside from residential schools, in the 1960’s Indigenous people in Canada went through what is now known as the ‘Sixties Scoop.’ During this time period Indigenous children were apprehended at significant rates from their families, to be placed with non-Indigenous families outside of their communities. Indigenous families suffered through this because of racist policies and beliefs that were supported by government policy. The hope for the future, and for change to occur from the historical traumas to the current faults in the system, is that these conversations are starting to be had and people are beginning to listen. Movements like the So They Can Go Home moccasin project are raising significant awareness about these issues and taking a stand to say that this is no longer okay. The First Nations Family and Children Caring Society is also supporting various movements that seek to improve Indigenous people’s experiences with systems that have traditionally oppressed them. What you can do to help is have these conversations; become educated about the facts on Indigenous child welfare and educate others. Engage with movements that are supported by Indigenous communities and learn how to be a good ally. These are tough tasks, but if we want to work together to create a better Canada for everyone, this is part of what we must do.
18 •
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca
MEN’S HOCKEY
Anthony Sorrentino is a vital part of the Hawks’ core ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER
“The last three years, I was able to take my game from a level where people kind of passed up on me and I was kind of an afterthought and now I was able to play junior in the Quebec league. Those [experiences] have helped me mature as a person,” he added. Coming into his first season he played all 28 games, finishing with nine goals — tied for the team
lead — seven assists and 16 points, with the Golden Hawks finishing 15-10-3. Individual accolades don’t seem to be emphasized with Sorrentino though. “When it comes to individual goals, I base that off of team success.” “Last year, I came off a championship in Junior A and there’s no
better feeling in the world when it comes to hockey,” he said. “So, I think my goals coming into any season, especially at Laurier and next year and the years moving forward, is to win the championship and participate in the national championship.” “I think next year, we’re really capable of doing that, so I’m really excited and a lot of the guys are excited as well.” While acknowledging the want for a deeper playoff run as well as the fact that it “starts individually with my own play,” there’s more than the want to win that drives him to be the player he wants to be and for his team to have the success he wants them to have. Some athletes have certain things from their past that drive them. Much of the time, they have to do with people who doubted them in the past. All the questioning of how far an athlete can go or being passed up on is something that leads to a chip being on one’s shoulder. That happens to be the case with Sorrentino. “Personally, yeah I do [have a chip on my shoulder.] Obviously back when I was 16 or 17, that chip has grown to the age of 22 and I think that’s what drives me. I get pretty excited when I prove people wrong and that’s what drives me,” he said. With this year’s early playoff exit as motivation and the growing chip on his shoulder to go along with it, there is plenty to expect from Sorrentino and this up-and-coming Golden Hawks squad for next year and the years to come.
time to compete against an expert in the chess. The Centre for Women in Science launched at Laurier in 2012,
aiming to tackle the barriers that women still face today in sciences and social sciences. The main objective of the Centre for WinS today
is to “make the centre redundant”, and events like this simultaneous chess exhibition are only going to help them achieve that goal.
The last couple of years, the Laurier Golden Hawks men’s hockey team has been on a bit of a come up. After missing the playoffs for the previous few years, they have managed to be able to not only make the playoffs but also get home-ice advantage. While they have had early exits, there is hope, especially with new faces. One of them being Anthony Sorrentino. Hailing from Woodbridge, Ontario, the 6’4”, 215 lb centre has had quite the journey leading up to establishing himself on this Golden Hawks squad.
So, I think my goals coming into any season, especially at Laurier ... is to win the championship ...
-Anthony Sorrentino, Wilfird Laurier men’s hockey player
LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR
He spent two years playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he played on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the Halifax Mooseheads. Following that, he played for the Trenton Golden Hawks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League last year, where he excelled and won
the league championship. “Obviously, learning and maturing to be a better hockey player through the ranks there where it’s taken a lot more serious … trying to bring that same mentality to the OUA has been vital to me. I’ve always been a guy who cares a lot about hockey and my passion for the game is really strong,” Sorrentino said.
RECREATION
A chess showdown PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR
On March 13, 2018, the Centre for Women in Science at Wilfrid Laurier University hosted a simultaneous chess exhibition at the Science Building Atrium. Woman International Master Natalia Khoudgarian took on 30 students at the same time, playing chess against each student simultaneously. The 30 chess boards were organized in a rectangle in the Atrium and Khoudgarian moved from one board to the next, making one move at a time. The Centre for Women in Science (WinS) organized this event to celebrate women and with International Women’s Day being celebrated on March 8, it was the perfect time for Laurier to honour a woman chess master. “This event is being hosted to celebrate International Women's Day which was on March 8," Shohini Ghose, director at Centre for
Women in Science, said. "We wanted to organize a fun event that raises the awareness of WinS on campus and showcases women's abilities to excel in any area including chess, which is considered intellectually demanding and typically thought of as an area that men excel in.” Natalia Khoudgarian has won the Canadian Women’s Chess Championship on four different occasions, along with representing Canada twice at the Women’s Chess Olympiads and the Women’s World Chess Championship. With chess being seen as the ultimate test of intelligence, this exhibition was the perfect way to celebrate the intellectual capability of a woman, and to honour the fact that women can be extremely successful across all disciplines. The event not only showcased Khoudgarian’s chess ability, it also raised awareness for the Centre for Women in Science, along with giving students the chance of a life-
DOTUN JIDE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
SPORTS • 19
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 CRICKET great achievement in itself. Kanika Dave, vice-captain of the women’s team, discussed what competing at the tri-series meant to the Golden Hawks.
My teammates and I had really good experiences at the Tri-Series. I feel that it gave us opportunities to learn new things from cricket ... -Rahma Noushin, Wilfrid Laurier women’s cricket player
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Laurier cricket is on the rise PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR
The Wilfrid Laurier University cricket club is on the rise. In the first year of the club’s launch, both the women’s and
men’s cricket teams are exceeding expectations. The women’s team took part in the first ever Women’s Cricket Tri-Series hosted by Canadian College Cricket on March 7. The Hawks advanced to the finals of the tournament after getting
by Ryerson in the semi-final. Unfortunately, Laurier came up just short in the championship round against the University of Toronto, Scarborough (UTSC). However, competing at the Tri-Series and getting to the finals was a
“Cricket is a sport I grew up watching and have always been so fascinated with it,” she said. “Laurier Cricket Club has not only given me the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful team with some of the most amazing girls I’ve met but has helped me build on my leadership skills by electing me as their vice-captain.” “[I am] so proud of the skills and amazing sportsmanship these girls portrayed at the recent Tri-Series game against UTSC and Ryerson,” she added. Reaching the finals of the Tri-Series was a proud accomplishment for the Hawks and it’s going to be interesting to see where
this team goes from here. Rahma Noushin, who was a big part of the Hawks getting to the finals, added that the team hopes to inspire women to continue participating and competing in sports. “My teammates and I had really good experiences at the Tri-Series. I feel that it gave us opportunities to learn new things from cricket, on team-bonding and fulfilling our leadership roles while encouraging more girls and women to play sports,” she said. Building on this impressive feat from the women’s team, the men’s cricket team will compete at the American College Cricket (ACC) Nationals for the first time. The ACC Nationals will take place from March 14 to 18, and Laurier will be one of the three Canadian schools at the tournament. The Hawks will have plenty of momentum going into the tournament after their impressive showing at the 2017 Midwest Regional Championship. Laurier went undefeated in the tournament until they reached the final, where they lost to Wayne State University. After seeing the women’s team’s outstanding performance at the Tri-Series, there should be no shortage of motivation for the Hawks. The ACC Nationals begin on March 14, and every match can be seen through live streaming on the American College Cricket Facebook page.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018
20 • SPORTS FOOTBALL
Golden Hawks ready to take over the CFL combine JOHN MCMORRAN STAFF WRITER
On March 24 and 25, the nation’s top football prospects will gather in Winnipeg to compete in the CFL combine. The combine functions as the most in-depth job interview imaginable, where players’ heights, weights, arm lengths, speed, strength and every other point of measurement are scrupulously examined by CFL coaches and scouts. Then, with athletic testing completed, prospects will engage in a series of drills known only as ‘one-on-ones.’ One defensive player will faceoff against one offensive player, and the two of them will compete
under the eyes of dozens of CFL personnel. A lonely prospect no doubt, but also one that hundreds of U-Sport players across the nation are vying for. However, it should be noted that getting invited to the CFL combine is an accomplishment in and of itself. Ron Kinga, a fourth-year defensive back and communications studies student at Laurier, competed in the Ontario regional combine on March 9, with the hopes of earning an invitation to Winnipeg later this month. When interviewing Ron, he spoke about the intensity of his workouts leading up to the Ontario regional combine. “I never leave [ESP in Brantford] without being drenched in sweat,”
he said. “[Our trainer] over trains us to the point past exhaustion where, when it comes down to performing, we're never going to be as exhausted [as we are in training] when it comes down to the competition. It gets you pushing your limits in a way that you couldn't push them yourself.”
[Our trainer] over trains us to the point where, when it comes down to performing, we’re never going to be as exhausted ... -Ron Kinga, Former Wilfrid Laurier football player
LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR
Ron Kinga, former Golden Hawks defensive back
When speaking with Rashari Henry, a fourth-year defensive lineman and economics student, he expressed many of the same sentiments as Ron in terms of work-ethic in the gym. But football is not played in the gym, and much of the focus for prospects resides in their ability to both critique their own flaws, and then improve them. When asked on which areas he most seeks to improve, Rashari answered without pause. “I've been watching my [game] tape, just to see what has worked in the past and what hasn't, trying to figure out what moves to use against a certain body type or a certain type of blocker,” he said. “[I’m trying] to incorporate more moves and using my hands more, but for the most part I play to my strengths which are my power and my speed.” Both Rashari and Ron have the physical ability to compete at the next level, as well as the technical proficiency. But, however desirable the physical and technical are, they can be entirely undone without adequate mental fortitude. Fortunately, this is where both
Be a Pilot!
LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR
Rashari Henry, former Golden Hawks defensive lineman
Ron and Rashari excel. When asked about the mental preparation they have done in getting ready for their respective combines, both Ron and Rashari provided answers worth listening to. “Visualizing myself [doing] the actual drills is what I've done, which I find helps a lot. [Just] doing the combine in your head, that way, once you get there, you've already done it so many times it's not as big of a deal,” Henry said. When asked the same question, Ron dove right to the heart of the matter. “Your why, the reason you do what you do, it has to come from within. If it's external, then as soon as you hit a wall you won't be able to keep going because your 'why' is
too superficial.” Unfortunately, Ron was not invited to participate in the CFL combine, but his words ring no less true. With Godfrey Onyeka, Isaiah Guzylak-Messam and Rashari Henry set to attend the CFL combine, the purple and gold is well represented. And these three players can look back on all of the early mornings, all of the late nights, all of the suffering they have done for their sport and know that there is only one test left between them and the professional stage. One more workout at the end of so many others. March 24 is steadily approaching, and from the sounds of things, the Golden Hawks are ready.
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