March 16, 2016

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 56 ISSUE 26 • MARCH 16, 2016

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

Exploring how to break into a consistent healthy routine in university Features, pages 8-9

ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

ADVOCACY AND LRT

AN UNEVEN SCALE

GRAD EXPECTATIONS

CLASS ACT OF CLASSISM

SWIMMING TO RIO

Seagram stop creates tension for students

A lack of parity in the university setting

What does it mean to be a grad student?

A form of prejudice hiding in our society

Vanderbeek heads to Olympic qualifiers

News, page 3

News, page 4

News, page 5

Opinion, page 13

Sports, page 16

to turn down Kendrick Lamar, dad tells you to shut off the EDM — or in my case “that hipster bullshit” — an individual’s concept of “good music” is contingent on their intuition, external environment and birth cohort. Music must be contextualized to be fully appreciated.

So I went to a punk show.

The venue? “Ask a punk,” read the Facebook event.

Luckily, it was easy enough to reach the organizer, Kyle O’Meara, a second-year psychology student at Wilfrid Laurier University.

O’Meara is also the lead vocalist of local hardcore band Bricker and the co-founder of Solace Music TV, a Brampton-based media organization devoted to spotlighting Canadian bands.

Rather than Starlight or Maxwell’s, O’Meara sent me an address deep within the student ghettos of Waterloo — the practice space for Bricker and the leased house of his bandmates.

“It’s very limited capacity, so show up before seven,” he said.

COMMUNITY OF PUNKS Venturing into the depths of Waterloo’s loudest music scene

ZACH GUITOR ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

I’ve never been into “heavy” music.

The devilish chug of distorted guitar and the aching screamed vocals meld into a trope that seems to repeat itself throughout catalogues and between bands.

That’s not to say this type of music is bad; I’m just not accustomed to genres like metal, hardcore, punk and the sub- genres in between.

In the same way mom tells you

Arts & Life, page 11

2 •

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

VOCAL CORD

@cordnews

The Cord

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Bag O’ Crime

How many jobs have you applied to so far for the summer?

“58.”

–Salman-Hussein Hashan, second-year economics and finance

CordNews

@cordwlusp

ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

Turban Day occurred in the Concourse at Laurier, where students could have a turban put on their head by a Sikh.

Location: Science Research Building Reported: Monday, March 07, 2016 @ 7:03 p.m.

SCS was notified about the suspicious actions of a male with a cell phone filming a computer monitor within a room on the first floor of the building. When questioned by a male as to his intentions he ran away out of the building.

Suspect Descriptors: Male, Caucasian, late teens, 5’ 10”, medium build, clean shaven, wearing a waist length brown jacket, dark baseball cap, dark pants and black shoes.

Location: 200 King St. N. Reported: Tuesday, March 08, 2016 @ 3:47 p.m.

A SCS officer on mobile patrol discovered an unreported graffiti ‘tag’ in the stairwell on the north east corner of the building. It was written with a black marker and undecipherable. Physical Resources was notified for removal.

“I think it’s about 15.”

–Allison Russell, third-year business

Location: Quad Reported: Wednesday, March 09, 2016 @ 2:20 a.m.

SCS officers were called to the Quad and Mid Campus Drive in relation to approx. 200 people that had gathered in the area milling around after leaving the Turret Nightclub and being involved in several physical and verbal altercations with each other. The crowd was dispersed and left the area.

They were not identified and no complaints have been forthcoming from anyone of them to SCS.

“Five, but I haven’t gotten any of them.”

–Eli Hembruff, first-year film studies

Location: Waterloo College Hall Reported: Wednesday, March 09, 2016 @ 4:51 a.m.

A female student contacted SCS after waking up in her room and finding a strange man sitting on her bed staring at her with his pants pulled down to his knees.

Her door had been left unlocked.

During this brief encounter she was not molested or improperly touched. The male left the room when the police were called. The duty Don was notified and SCS officers attended. The male was gone upon the arrival of the attending officers. The investigation was turned over to attending WRPS officers and will be assisted by SCS. Suspect Descriptors: Male, East Indian, 18-19 yrs. 5’5” -5’9”, short black hair, unshaven, wearing a white t-shirt, grey or black pants (tucked into socks), black underwear and grey checkered socks and no shoes.

“Five.”

–Robert Jardine, first-year business

“Two.” –Joey Frosst, third-year business Compiled by Maddy Cutts Photos by Jessica Dik NEXT ISSUE: MARCH 23, 2016

CORD STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shelby Blackley sblackley@thecord.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lena Yang lyang@thecord.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Joshua Awolade jawolade@thecord.ca MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR Mynt Marsellus mmarsellus@thecord.ca NEWS EDITOR Kaitlyn Severin kseverin@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Erika Ymana eymana@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Will Huang whuang@thecord.ca

FEATURES EDITOR Bethany Bowles bbowles@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Brian Phillips bphillips@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Zach Guitor zguitor@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Maddy Cutts mcutts@thecord.ca

OPINION EDITOR Mitchell Consky mconsky@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Jessica Dik jdik@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Drew Yates dyates@thecord.ca

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Caitlyn Sageman csageman@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Fani Hsieh fhsieh@thecord.ca

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Kira Gelbard kgelbard@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Andreas Patsiaouros apatsiaouros@thecord.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE:

Arman Aryapour Manjot Bhullar Paige Bush Mira Busscher Hayley Colussi Alex Dulanovic Justine Falconi Faraz Iftekharuddin Daniel Johnson Alexandra Juraschka Brigitte Kloss Heather McLeod Christian Paron Tarique Plummer Aliaa Sidawi Fatima Soomro Philip Su

“Questions raised regarding LRT” by Maddy Cutts

EDITOR’S CHOICE ONLINE: “Hidden punks of Waterloo” by Zach Guitor

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

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

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

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

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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 reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University.

Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

The Cord has an obligation to foster

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

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

Quote of the week: “It’s the same trimmer I use on my pubes.”

-Arts & Life Editor Zach Guitor on his new haircut

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

News

• 3 NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN kseverin@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR ERIKA YMANA eymana@thecord.ca

CONSTRUCTION

Questions raised regarding LRT Students’ Union has been advocating to increase accessibility to Seagram Drive for students

PAIGE BUSH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The proposed project, ION, is set to connect Conestoga Mall to the Fairview Park Mall followed by a bus transit route connecting the Fairview Park Mall with Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge.

MADDY CUTTS LEAD REPORTER

Questions have been raised by the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union regarding the accessibility of Grand River Transit’s planned Waterloo ParkLaurier light rail transit stop.

The LRT is part of a project initially proposed in 2003 as a solution to the Waterloo Region’s inability to handle the growing amount of motor vehicle traffic around the area.

The proposed project, ION, is set to connect the three major cities which comprise the Region, with the LRT to connect Conestoga Mall in Waterloo with the Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener, followed by a bus rapid transit route connecting the Fairview Park Mall with Cam-

bridge’s Ainslie Street Terminal.

The LRT track is scheduled to serve the Laurier community through its Waterloo Park-Laurier stop on Seagram Drive.

“It’s only about 500 metres from campus, but that is like the edge of campus that we’re talking about, so right where the Library sits,” said Matt McLean, assistant vicepresident of university affairs.

“Not a central sub and not a destination for students coming on or off that stop either. Students are going to be heading to the stop, or heading home from the stop, and in some cases if a student lived up near Columbia [Street] and King [Street], that’s about a two kilometre walk from their nearest LRT stop on Seagram Drive.”

Kimberly Moser, manager of community relations for ION

“[The LRT is] definitely becoming more and more prevalent as the construction gets more and more aggressive.”

-Matt McLean, assistant vice-president of university affairs

rapid transit, said in an email that, “the location of all of the ION stops were determined years ago, including engagement with the community and stakeholders along the corridor (this includes both universities in the town).”

This statement, however, does not align with statements made by the Students’ Union.

McLean said that there was a lack of consultation with Laurier.

“Waterloo was thoroughly consulted because the track runs right through their campus. Laurier was not consulted as heavily with regards to that process.”

As a result of the location of the stop, the Students’ Union has been heavily involved with advocacy work through the Region in an attempt to increase accessibility to the stop for Laurier students.

As well as being a large part of the Students’ Union’s local advocacy week in January, representatives have spoken with the mayors of both Kitchener and Waterloo, the Waterloo regional chair, two regional councillors and the GRT itself.

The main solutions proposed by the Student’s Union have been

for improvements to the walkways and lighting along Seagram, as well as for the possibility of a bus or shuttle to serve students between the university and the LRT stop.

Though the mayor of Waterloo, Dave Jaworsky, has expressed support for improvements to Seagram, there are not yet any definitive plans to implement either solution. “[The LRT is] definitely becoming more and more prevalent as the construction gets more and more aggressive. Our students are wondering what’s going on and how this is going to benefit them,” said McLean.

“Of course students are going to put up with the construction, but we just want to make sure that the end product is something they can use.”

CELEBRATION

Bridging cultural gaps ZACH GUITOR ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Members of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Sikh Student Association are tying the community together, one turban at a time.

In celebration of Sikh Awareness Day, the Sikh Student Association organized the second annual TURBAN UP! event on March 15.

People of all races and ethnicities, sexual orientation, gender and religious backgrounds were invited to have their own turban tied on their head for free while learning about Sikh culture and tradition.

Occupying a marginal space of the Concourse, various members of the Laurier SSA assisted in the event to ensure all participants had the chance to experience the culture.

“It’s one thing to talk about turbans, but it’s another thing to actually experience it,” said Imanjit Singh, a fourth-year business student and head coordinator for the event. “The way that we believe it’s best to experience education is actually through experience.”

While Imanjit Singh noted the event would “bridge cultural gaps in the Laurier community,” he also emphasized its capacity to dispel misplaced fear, hatred and confusion.

“If there’s anyone that might not

be comfortable with a turban or the way that we look because we have beards, this event is there to eliminate that,” he said. “We want people to be comfortable with who we are.”

Jaskeerat Singh, a member of Laurier SSA, noted the openminded attitude among many participants contributed to the event’s success.

“It’s been a really great response from Laurier,” said Jaskeerat Singh.

“A lot of people loved it. And even some people are like ‘you know what, maybe I won’t get a turban tied, maybe it’s not for me,’ but they just love learning something new.”

Sikh student associations in eastern Canada are united by the Sikh Youth Federation, the overarching coordinating body. In and around Sikh Awareness Day, multiple post-secondary institutions, including York University and the University of Waterloo, will be hosting similar events on their campuses — making TURBAN UP! a national affair.

“University is a great place to learn so why not learn about different cultures,” said Imanjit Singh.

While the turban stands as a significant symbol for holiness and spirituality, Singh also shared that it plays a significant role in public settings, as it allows Sikhs to be

easily identified. From a young age, Sikhs are taught to be compassionate and considerate, and must act when help is needed.

“In this world, there’s a lot of grey men and what that means is that people don’t step up when people are being oppressed,” said Imanjit Singh.

“It’s very similar to how a police officer has his uniform, we have our uniform, so if you need help, if you need protection, whatever you need, a Sikh person can help you.”

From an outsider’s perspective, the turban may appear to be a gendered article, but Singh asserted that women can and do wear them, although many women choose not to. Notwithstanding, Singh shared that most Sikh women cover their heads, whether with a bandana or scarf.

“It’s a sign of modesty that they cover their head and it also pays respect to hair, because hair is such a valuable part of a Sikh person,” said Imanjit Singh.

Despite only being the second iteration of the event, Jaskeerat Singh noted the event has already developed a fan base.

“I love the fact that we’ve got people coming [back] each year now because they love the event so much,” said Jaskeerat Singh.

“The best part was that they remembered.”

ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

The annual TURBAN UP! event came in celebration of Sikh Awareness Day.

4 • NEWS HOUSING

Safety questioned

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016 INITIATIVE

KAITLYN SEVERIN NEWS EDITOR

Last week, a Reddit post was created from a user with concerns about the MARQ, a student housing centre on 167 Bricker Avenue.

The concern said the building does not provide any emergency contact numbers to their tenants.

The original poster, Andrew, who requested his last name be withheld, told users if anyone broke into the apartments, the police couldn’t do much to kick them out.

According to Andrew, the building management never act on breakins and only kick people out the day afterwards.

“The rooms were just a total mess, they were just trashing the living room and you name it, they ate my food all the time, they were just loud all the time,” Andrew told The Cord.

A MARQ resident himself, Andrew said non-resident individuals, also known as “squatters,” have broken into his apartment even after he locked his windows and doors. The squatters usually hang out in his living room and sleep in the unoccupied bedrooms.

“A lot of those people don’t stay there because of the two rooms that weren’t occupied, so over the span of two months I’ve seen at least eight people use that room,” he said.

“From what I understand according to the lease agreement it says that no one’s supposed to stay in that place over night, yet I see like four or five people staying in the living room and at least two or three people staying in those unoccupied rooms.”

According to Andrew, one night when the squatters were knocking on his door and window, he called the police. When the police arrived, Andrew explained they couldn’t do much because the building management wasn’t available.

“The cops said he couldn’t really do anything about it, a part of the reason was because he couldn’t talk to the building’s side.”

While there are security cameras surrounding the building, Andrew said their management doesn’t pay attention to them.

“If they did pay any attention they would’ve acted on the fact that they see these people coming through the window every othernight and they don’t do anything about it.”

Andrew claims he has talked to the building management about his concerns, but said they haven’t made much change. Andrew said the first time he reported to the building management about his concerns was in the middle of February, but they haven’t changed anything.

“Up until now they haven’t really changed anything, they told me that they do go in the next day and kick people out but really, what’sthe point of that, they haven’t fixed the problem.”

According to Andrew, the building has been contacting him after he published the Reddit thread.

“They still haven’t own up to their responsibilities, they’re supposed to provide me with a safe place while all of this is happening and they haven’t done any of that.”

The Cord reached out to MARQ, but has yet to receive a statement.

“I just thought it may be a good idea to see what others have to say about it.” More to come.

PAIGE BUSH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Co-Founders Tim Decker and Ryan Snelling with Linda, a vending machine that offers 50 health products at WLU.

Easier access to health KAITLYN SEVERIN NEWS EDITOR

If you’re a frequent guest at the Wilfrid Laurier University Science building, you may have bumped into the newly installed touchscreen vending machine, but you can call her Linda.

Linda, formerly named “My Lil’ Healthmart” is Canada’s first touch screen vending machine that sells health and personal care products, created by childhood friends Tim Decker and Ryan Snelling. “[Linda] is here to provide students a really convenient way to get health and personal care products that they would normally need to go to like a Rexall or Shoppers Drug Mart for,” said Decker.

“What we carry is essentially the

top 50 non-pharmaceutical products that you would normally get at one of those stores.”

While students may be afraid of getting ripped off when buying something as simple as toothpaste, the founders want their customers to know their products have been price-matched at stores such as Shoppers Drug Mart.

“We don’t want to overcharge people for their convenience of things, like it’s convenient, it’s going to be cost-effective and it’s just going to make everyone’s life a lot easier,” said Snelling.

My Lil’ Healthmart is also available to students on weekends and after hours when on-campus stores are closed. The two founders are also planning to create an app in the next 6 to twelve months that

allows customers to communicate with the machine, as well as purchases and reward points. Before bringing Linda home to Laurier, Decker and Snelling canvassed to various post-secondary institutions, such as Fanshawe College and the University of Waterloo, to find a home for their new project.

“The moment we met Laurier we just felt that the culture and the values of the campus was in line with exactly what we do, like having things like the Launchpad for entrepreneurs on campus was really big,” said Decker.

Dan Dawson, assistant vicepresident of student affairs, and David Playfair, manager of business operations, were responsible for integrating My Lil’ Healthmart into the Laurier community.

“They were just really in line with what we’re thinking about the brand, about integrating students, integrating social media and everything we had,” said Snelling. “I think after probably more universities see this test case, they’re going to be a lot more open to it but I think Wilfrid Laurier,” said Decker.

With around 100 transactions since its installment, Decker and Snelling have already seen positive feedback from those who have used their machine.

“So far we’re really happy with it and we’re excited to kind of continue to grow it,” said Snelling.

Laurier clubs and associations could also use My Lil’ Healthmart to their advantage by placing virtual advertisements on top of the machine. Both Decker and Snelling are willing to provide the space to student groups as well as integrate themselves with the student body. The pair is also planning on integrating the machine into campus tours and partner with Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.

“We’re all about building a partnership, we don’t want to just be a vendor on campus, we want to be a part of it,” said Decker.

“So far we’re really happy with it and we’re excited to kind of continue to grow it.”

-Ryan Snelling, co-founder of Lil’ Healthmart

ACADEMICS

Imbalance prevalent at Laurier Research project will be conducted this year to investigate the underlying reasons for the lack of interest and participation in economics for women ERIKA YMANA NEWS EDITOR

According to Tammy Schirle, economics professor and director at Wilfrid Laurier University, the growth in the number of women enroled within the economics program has been stagnant.

“Economics is horrible when it comes to gender parity, I hate to say it. We’re not alone in the country, this is fairly normal for economics departments,” Schirle said.

The data has apparently not changed much since the early 1990s, with the number of economics graduates who are women fluctuating around 32 per cent. In 2014, 34.3 per cent of women were economics majors and 35.9 per cent graduated from the program.

The program has changed, but its peak was in 1999 with over 40 per cent female graduates. In recent years, “roughly” a third of undergraduate economics students have been female. According to the five year summary of degrees/diplomas granted compiled by the office of the registrar in 2014, there was a total of 465 women and 284 men who graduated in the science faculty with either a bachelor of arts (general or honours) or a bachelor of science (general or honours).

In the faculty of business and economics, 426 men and 305 women graduated with a degree in the bachelor of business administration program. As for the honours economics program, the dynamic was 57 men to 38 women who received an honours bachelor

PHILIP SU/GRAPHIC ARTIST

of arts in economics with no designation specified. The interest in fields such as economics or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for women is rare, as other programs in the social sciences or humanities are preferably explored.

“Now when you compare that to what’s happening university-wide, you’re looking at roughly 60 per cent of our students being female and that’s been increasing over time right. More and more women are coming to university relative to men, but they’re not coming to economics,” Schirle said.

Schirle added the reason behind this lack of parity may be due to girls adopting gender roles in

which competitiveness with boys is “frowned upon.” Another factor may be the bias of teachers, citing a study that basically unconsciously gave women a lower mark when the teachers knew who they were marking.

“We’ve seen some studies lately where they did an experiment where they were marking math tests … when they’d know that it was a girl, they’d get a lower grade for the same answer than when they didn’t know the gender of the kids.”

Schirle said this may discourage women down the road from taking advanced math classes that would make them qualified to enter fields in science and economics.

The last factor she discussed was the possibility of not knowing the full extent of the options of work available with an economics degree.

Students’ Union president Olivia Matthews views it from a different perspective and said there is a problem with female engagement for extracurricular activities, specifically running for elections. As president and CEO, there are still barriers that must be overcome.

Essentially, the work is not done.

“I’m kind of sick and tired of being in a position of power as a woman and having to say, ‘oh yes, there’s no problem with women in leadership’ because there is,” said Matthews.

“So I think about when I ran for election and the way that I was perceived. What was said about me versus my male counterparts, which was not done to them.”

Due to the many factors “at play,” Schirle said the economics department is working on a small research project that will be insightful in providing strategies to combat this issue.

As a whole, Schirle concluded with the importance of outreach to young women well before high school to continue their interest in economics or the STEM fields.

As an advocate for women’s issues, Matthews said Students’ Union president-elect Tyler Van Herzele is also keen on continuing the work as it is “just as important for him as a man” to be doing the work as well.

“We need more male allies on campus.”

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016 GRADUATE STUDENTS

WLU IN BRIEF

Bumpy road to success MADDY CUTTS LEAD REPORTER

Undergraduate and graduate studies at Wilfrid Laurier University may coexist on the same campus and under the same dean of students, but the lives of their respective students are polar opposites.

Undergraduate programs at Laurier are course based; students fill their schedules with classes which consist of a set of lectures and assignments, learning content identical to their classmates.

While some master’s programs do have classes like an undergraduate degree, graduate studies often immerse students into research or a particular focus for a long period of time.

Laurier’s two largest graduate programs, their masters of social work and MBA programs, are both professional programs designed to integrate students directly into the working world; in contrast the remainder of graduate programs in the fields of arts and sciences are largely research based.

These research-based programs consist of both research and course work, and if a student is lucky, the role of teaching assistant.

“It’s an option, but it’s more of a ‘you must take’ option, it’s part

of your contract,” said Kayleigh Abbott, assistant vice-president of the student experience for the Graduate Students’ Association.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to. You want to, because your TA-ship is part of your funding, so you’d like a TA-ship.”

While graduate students who have an opportunity to be a teaching assistant given that there is an undergraduate discipline which corresponds with their research do receive funding in exchange for their work, the timeline of such a position is often not complementary to student life.

“You have to imagine when midterm essays and like final essays are due are the same time that your midterm essays and final essays are due,” said Mae Enriquez, a student in the masters of arts in cultural analysis and social theory.

“You’re like scrambling to get all this work done, man you do not sleep at all.”

While the courses and time spent as a teaching assistant are important, the vast majority of a graduate student’s time and energy is devoted to their research.

Students must convene a committee of three individuals from inside and outside their departments to approve their research proposal before any work can

Laurier launches campus safety survey On March 15, Wilfrid Laurier University released their campus safety survey, an online survey that will gather students’ experiences and perspectives on sexual and gendered violence on campus.

The survey, which is being supported by the gendered violence task force, will include questions about sexism and violence, as well as students’ attitudes on sexual violence. A link to the survey is included in an email from the office of student affairs.

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

begin, after which the entirety of their time is devoted to conducting research and preparing to defend their work.

“Everything else, honestly, is on the backburner. I know I’ve got two other courses that count for real grades, but research is my priority,” said Enriquez.

“You have to imagine […] that your research is something that you’re interested in, it’s something that you love, I mean presumably, and so you want to cater all this time to it.”

The high emphasis on research is however well deserved, as the final product is largely what will determine a graduate student’s success following the completion of their degree.

“Research is really what kind of drives your schedule and how you go through. It’s the ups and downs of your research that really drive where you stand and when you graduate. Like I said a masters program takes two years, it’s give or take, because it depends on when you get your research out and if you want a publication out of it,” said Abbott.

“It’s all about where you call the line. You can call it a little bit early if you aren’t expecting you’ll get a publication out of it, but generally you want to go all the way through and get a publication and then either continue on, either with your studies or into the office, because in the research world publication is all that matters.”

Graduate students contribute $1.1 million to Laurier Wilfrid Laurier University Graduate’s Students’ Association will be able to see graduate students contribute $1.1 million from the renewal of the graduate enhancement fund.

The GEF supports and enhances the graduate student experience, and projects funded through GEF include renovation to the Student Wellness Centre, support for the Laurier Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement Nest and academic writing workshops, among others.

6 • GAMES

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

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

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

Dear Wilfs Kitchen Staff, Please learn how to properly cook vegetables. The veggies that accompany the buffalo fingers were an assault on my senses. You’re better then this.

Sincerely, This wasn’t the first time.

Dear Laurier, I’m trying to pay you, but I can’t get past the interest. How am I going to be able to graduate on time?

Sincerely, Maybe next generation Dear Shitty Group Members, You show up an hour late to our designated meeting time and then sit on your ass on your phone scrolling through Facebook the entire meeting, refusing to take initiative to help edit anything on the Google Doc. You suck and I want to throttle you to your death.

Sincerely, I also want to stick a pitchfork up your ass

vertise your own self-absorption?

Sincerely, Get over yourselves Dear Life, Life is a bitch!

Then you marry one!

Then you fucking die!

Sincerely, A Realist Dear Life, The unknown is really exciting.

Sincerely, Walking straight and don’t know where I’ll end up.

Dear Life, Will my skin turn green if I drink too much beer on St. Paddy’s Day? Sincerely, Just double checking Dear Life, Current EIC and upcoming EIC were on the Bachelor, waiting to see who gets the final rose, I would rip the rose in half and give it to both of you <3 Sincerely, A Bachelor Dear Life, Dammmmmn Cordies, Back at it again with the news Sincerely, Still relevant Dear Life, Is there ANY chance of a snow day happening this semester? Could use a few freebies...

Sincerely, I’ll never litter again Mother Nature

Dear Students’ Union Management Team, Just realized you guys have your own “Wikipedia” page. I am glad to see that you feel important enough to advertise how special you think you are online. Just one question: which one of you is so bored (I mean I would be pretty bored with all that money I make off of student fees) to take the time and ad-

Have you discovered

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8 •

FEATU

FEATURES EDITOR/BETHANY BOWLES/BBOWLES@THECORD.CA

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR

S S E N T I F

E N I T U O R

Staff Writer Manjot Bhullar discusses the benefits of working out and how to get yourself into a healthy routine

At the mall, have you ever found yourself unable to make a big clothing purchase because you think, “what if I lose weight?” or “what if I gain muscle?”

For years, thoughts about being more active have gone through my head, but I’ve never done anything about it.

This doesn’t put me in much of a position to tell you what to change in your life, but over the past few weeks I have been enlightened.

Speaking with Wilfrid Laurier University students, alumni and trainers, I have looked into how to take fitness more seriously. There are numerous avenues you can use to educate yourself on how to get started in any

lowing come September.

I sought out the help of personal trainer Alex Bartlett of Pure Strength Athletics, to give me some insight.

“The first two to four weeks is a big learning curve for clients, but once they get into the swing of things, their body adapts,“ Bartlett said.

Having grown up as an overweight child, Bartlett mentioned he was able to identify what he wanted to look like and worked his way backwards in setting a clear path to achieve this.

“Once you have a plan that you know to follow, you wake up everyday motivated to know the [little steps] will

“The first two to four weeks is a big learning curve for clients, but once they get into the swing of things, their body adapts.”

-Alex Bartlett, personal trainer of Pure Strength Athletics

type of fitness. There are also many online resources available with diet or workout plans to choose from; it’s all in determining which will work best for you to reach your personal goals.

“The best and worst thing about it is that there’s nothing you can’t find on the Internet,” said Greg Nyhof, a student leader, fit centre coordinator who previously played football at Laurier.

Looking back to when he began working out eight years ago, Nyhof reaffirmed that “everyone makes mistakes and eventually you get pushed into the right direction.” Students have to seek out the right information and find the training methods that best suit their body.

Overcoming a lack of motivation Over the past few summers, I have tried to force myself into a routine of working out. And if any of you know me, you also know that clearly hasn’t worked. As May comes around, I am faced with the ever so daunting realization that beach weather is upon us. I jump headfirst into a strict diet and workout plan, one that I’m rarely still fol-

make a difference.”

Bartlett stressed the importance of the little things, like slowly taking out unhealthy foods and adding nutritious food to be healthier.

Alena Luciani, strength and conditioning coach at Laurier, explained when starting out a new routine, many people find themselves not knowing how often they should be working out if they’re new to fitness regimes.

“I think its important to go at least two to three times [a week]. I say that because if you do something once a week, it’ll take a lot longer to reap the benefits from that,” Luciani said.

You can’t out-train a poor diet There are varying ratios, but it is widely known that your diet plays around 50 per cent, if not more, of a role in the effectiveness of your fitness routine and the ability to reach your goals.

The key is a gradual introduction of healthier options into your everyday life. Bartlett believes that by doing so, “your transition is more manageable.”

URES

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016 • 9

Healthy food is often viewed as tasteless and bland, however there are plenty of tasty options out there to research and try out. When deciding what to eat, fruits, vegetables, protein, whole grains and healthy fats should be the basis of your diet.

“Shopping the perimeter of a grocery store … and eating things that once had a face, flew or grew out of the ground is going to be your best bet,” Bartlett advised.

Luciani explained what exactly you should eat while maintaining a workout routine. She said fueling your body for a workout is like fueling a car.

“If you think about a car. You put fuel in before a workout,” Luciani said. “During the workout you burn through all that, and afterwards you have to put more fuel into your body so you can do it again tomorrow.”

Before working out, Luciani advises consumption of a carbohydrate that is going to sit well in your stomach along with some type of protein.

“Something meant to give you energy whether [it] is oatmeal or quinoa or sweet potato. Those are all really great sources of carbohydrates and complementing that with a little bit of protein, so a banana with peanut butter or almond butter. That has healthy fats and some proteins.”

As for after a workout, the focus changes to protein complimented with carbohydrates. Eating a chicken breast with a sweet potato can be a good meal. Mixing protein into smoothies is also helpful.

“The protein useful to rebuild your muscles and

the time to improve your health and fitness overall, that is what’s important.

Popular media often targets the twenty-something age demographic for short-term fitness plans and products. But for Boateng, active living isn’t just a fad.

“It keeps you healthy and I want to be healthy for as long as I can,” he said.

Personal fitness should be an ongoing journey, something that you are continuously chipping away at to maintain and grow and learn from. Over the years of training, Bartlett has encountered many clients that have been swayed by the eightweek or 12-week programs that promise drastic weight loss, but soon realize that this is not entirely realistic. Taking things in stride and accepting any positive change in your body is something to be celebrated.

Hitting the wall There is no doubt you’ll hit a wall at some point in your workout journey. Your progress will slow down and you may become unmotivated to continue. Have you reached the peak fitness level possible? Have you pushed yourself as far as you can?

Luciani stressed the importance of setting goals and making a concrete plan so that progress doesn’t become stagnant.

“I think having a plan is the best thing to do to prepare for the gym. Finding something online that you’re excited to try, or a personal trainer, or

“There definitely is a fear [for] a female to think if I pick up a weight I’m going to get big or bulky. Our bodies aren’t able to do that because we don’t produce the same hormones as men. Things work differently in our bodies.”

-Alena Luciani, strength and conditioning coach at Laurier

after the workout to help build that lean muscle mass and the carbs are to restore your energy,” Luciani explained.

Leading a healthy lifestyle can mean reducing your consumption of “bad foods,” those that add no health benefit and only hinder any progress you’ve bad. This also means alcohol.

“An active lifestyle means minimum alcohol intake … I never liked alcohol to begin with, but it’s still something I continuously give up to maintain my active lifestyle,” explained Kwaku Boateng, a third-year defensive end for the Laurier football team.

This does not mean you have to forego all of the delicious foods out there that may not be the most nutritious. Nyhof believes that you have to be able to indulge a little bit. He strays from his diet schedule 20 per cent of the time, whether it is in snacks or cheat meals. Then it becomes something you earn and learn to enjoy even more.

Common misconceptions about fitness One of the most common deterrents to pursuing a fit and healthy lifestyle is what the media feeds us: unrealistic expectations, distorted views and results that have been attained through obsessive exercise, which regular people do not have the time for.

Nyhof encourages students to figure out what is attainable for them and to tailor a fitness plan around that goal. Not everyone is at the gym to achieve the same result. There isn’t one singular outcome from exercising at the gym, so a person shouldn’t be deterred from pursuing their goals or assume that their goals aren’t as important as someone else’s.

“I look around and not everyone is training the same way as I am and I’ve learned to be okay with that,” said Nyhof.

Luciani also addressed stigmas surrounding women who actively work out and how these stigmas can keep women from entering the gym.

“There definitely is a fear [for] a female to think if I pick up a weight I’m going to get big or bulky.

Our bodies aren’t able to do that because we don’t produce the same hormones as men. Things work differently in our bodies,” she explained.

“We have so many resources for women and men to use whether it’s some of our classes or we have personal trainers that are super knowledgeable and are making fitness and exercise accessible for students here [at Laurier].”

Nyhof stressed that as long as you’re doing something that makes you happy and are taking

finding a cool workout and trying it out with a few friends is really motivating,” she said.

She even pointed to the Nike training app as a beneficial tool to use when getting started.

“They have videos on there, so you can pause and see how an exercise is done. It’s kind of like having a mini personal trainer. There are workouts that use medicine balls and dumbbells and there’s some you just need a mat. There’s something for everyone.”

Bartlett reassures his clients that hitting a wall is bound to happen. Once your progress begins to slow, it is important to assess how to move forward and how to alter your fitness routine to adjust for this change.

“Nothing great has ever happened overnight,” Nyhof said.

What do students stand to gain from working out?

Taking care of our bodies not only benefits our outer appearance, but it’s just as important for our mental stability and academic success.

“My favourite thing to do when I’m stressed is grab my running shoes and go for a run,” Luciani said. “I’ve done it at all times of day, and even at 10 p.m. at night. Even if I go for 10, 20 minutes, I come back, take a deep breath and go back to tackling assignments. It provides so much clarity.”

In pursuing a healthy lifestyle, a person’s commitment “provides structure and discipline which can be instilled into your everyday life,” according to Bartlett.

“Bodybuilding and fitness is so much more than lifting weights.”

Barlett also highlights the social impacts that living a healthy lifestyle provides. A community of like-minded individuals who each care and push each other to reach their goals is something you may not expect of a facility full of heavy weights, but it is key to staying motivated and happy throughout your transition into a healthy lifestyle.

“Everyone’s your friend,” Bartlett said. “You’re there training. You’re there to help each other if someone needs it.”

You shouldn’t put a time stamp on your fitness.

Your fitness should be a lifelong journey and goal.

Bartlett hopes his clients plan to continue long after they’ve completed his training. Through increased understanding of your body and which foods you should be eating, you can maximize your progress and help you to enjoy the lifestyle.

PHOTOS BY ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

10 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ZACH GUITOR zguitor@thecord.ca

MOVIE REVIEW

Franchise film done right

HIP-HOP

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

10 Cloverfield Lane Directed by Dan Trachtenberg Starring John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher, Jr.

Lately, mainstream Hollywood movies suffer from one of two problems: either they have an interesting set up with no follow through, or they have characters doing ridiculously difficult things without explaining how they got those skills. It’s all too common and particularly annoying when it happens in a movie that otherwise seems so promising.

10 Cloverfield Lane does not suffer from either of these problems. In fact, it could probably be studied in Film Studies 101 for its well-crafted screenplay.

Unfortunately, any discussion of this film must start with a spoiler warning. Beware, you have been warned. As a spiritual successor to the 2008 alien invasion film Cloverfield, we have to acknowledge that

there are aliens in this universe.

In fact, in the first 10 minutes you have to acknowledge that, barring technological anachronisms, this film starts at the same time as Cloverfield, but a few states away.

So when the characters in this film are in the bunker thinking it’s the end of the world, they don’t know the nature of their apocalypse.

This is a brilliant concept for a franchise film because instead of relying on a consistent canon of knowledge by which the characters must abide, they can play with the facts — keeping the audience in the dark about the specifics.

It also allows suspense to be built on the micro level inside the bunker while keeping the audience waiting for the pin to drop outside.

But even if you don’t care about these film-nerd details and just want a solid horror film, 10 Cloverfield Lane delivers. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, a long underutilized actress, gets the chance to kick some ass while also doing some real, first-rate acting. So much of this film is devoted to little mysteries and the clues that unravel them.

Winstead gives every moment

the touch it needs to be really impactful and shows us her growth; we believe the amazing things she can do. John Gallagher Jr. is also really effective by subverting the type he developed in HBO’s The Newsroom. But it’s John Goodman who steals the show.

Goodman has always been a great comedic force (think of him on Roseanne) and can also do intensity really well (think The Big Lebowski), but I can’t remember him in a role like this. He is intense, of course, but it’s creepier here. He’s obviously a conspiracy nut and obsessed with the end of the world, but you learn throughout the film that his past is more complicated.

He has real admirable qualities.

That’s not to say he’s a good guy, but that’s all part of what makes the role so good. You can’t pin him down and that just adds to the suspense of the film in general.

10 Cloverfield Lane is to Cloverfield as Jessica Jones is to The Avengers. It takes a universe, scales it down and makes it personal so that it doesn’t feel like just another franchise movie.

–Mynt Marsellus

JOSHUA AWOLADE/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

River talks race at universities ALEX DULANOVIC STAFF WRITER

In the midst of a Canadian university tour, John River, a rapper from Mississauga, Ont., hosted a #BlackOnCampus discussion on March 8. Despite dropping out of school himself, River listened, understood and gave advice on issues of being black in a predominantly white culture.

How do you achieve the balance of putting out your story as well as speaking out for the population of Canada or Mississauga?

That’s exactly something we work on. I always feel like you tell a story, then you explain how you feel about what happened. Then the third step is to think of how you can reflect that microcosm into the whole world.

Do you think the rappers should be role models? And does that impact your creative process?

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If you make yourself a role model and you only speak from yourself, it just comes out naturally.

In terms of rappers being role models, me personally, I think I should be. I’ve learned over time that I can’t tell people what they should and shouldn’t do, to each his own. Nicki Minaj for instance, if she shakes her ass and makes $10 million and then donates $1 million to an all-girls school, she might be doing more than me …

[I] didn’t technically sell out, but she technically did more than me as I could only give like $50,000 for example. It’s all so relative.

Would you consider yourself a product of the rise of conscious rap?

No, not necessarily. Lupe Fiasco is one of my biggest musical influences, so is Shad. Honestly, I was more a product of a conscious family. CBC Radio 1 was always on at my house, six o’clock news you hear this is going on in Syria and such. It keeps you in touch about life in general. I did Martin Luther King speeches in grade five, Nelson Mandela in grade four, I went to regionals and provincials in French and English. I was always aware of what happened and then rap was just a result of my general thought process.

Do you think lyricism still has power in rap? I noticed your production style places emphasis on your voice.

Yeah, I personally think that there’s a lot of importance in what I’m saying. I want to support that in my sound. About lyricism, yes … if you’re good enough. But you have to be amazing now. Because of Drake’s success, people got really acclimatized to hearing super “slow and understandable the first time” rap. Which makes Kendrick Lamar to the non-listening rap fan almost unreachable. Drake and J. Cole make music that’s a lot easier to digest, but if you’re good enough, lyrics can still be everything.

At the performance: I arrived at River’s show at Maxwell’s around 11 p.m. to see the rapper storming the stage with a bunch of his friends. That echoed a defining feature of his whole set: his unwavering energy despite occasional disconnect from the fans.

Trying to start anti-Western and Guelph chants, sharing personal stories, playing a “guess the song” game and interacting with those in the crowd between every song, River was constantly trying to place himself on the side of the fans. Stripping himself of the glorified position that rappers often assume, it was as if River was saying, “I’m one of you.”

High points of the concert included his performance of “Hope City II,” an acapella rap and the final track “Get Down” in which he brought out a costumed panda and threw balloons in to the crowd.

Yet, the knock on the concert was the breaks between every track. His music is relatable, passionate and honest, yet the lengthy pause between songs interrupted the flow and made the music seem an accessory to his speeches and stories.

Talking to him as well as listening to his mixtape The Storm, it’s not hard to tell that River is an ambitious talent who isn’t scared to weave personal stories and social issues into his bars. Music has the power to be more immersive than any speech.

River is a mature rapper and I’m confident as he continues to grow as a performer, his rapping will do more of the talking.

ARTS & LIFE • 11

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016 FROM COVER

HIDDEN PUNKS OF WATERLOO Arts & Life Editor Zach Guitor explores the city’s growing hardcore scene

CONTRIBUTED IMAGES FROM KISHAN MISTRY

–cover

THE SHOW Anxiety and exhilaration charged my approach to the burgundy bricked home.

In anticipation of a drug-fueled rager, I was surprised by a setting not too dissimilar from the generic university house party.

I had established such a firm stance as an “outsider” from this music scene that my subconscious anticipated an excessively sensationalized, punk-like atmosphere. But entering through the garage, I was met with cozy vinyl couches and a beer pong table — the familiarity was disarming.

Greeted by O’Meara at the entrance, he noted the show would start in an hour.

“Respect the house, have fun and bring earplugs,” O’Meara advised to anyone attending their first house show.

Bricker would open the set, followed

by Hamilton-based pop-punk band, Fighting Season, and then the night would cap-off with a pair of Waterloobased hardcore outfits, The Hollow Sea and Life In Vacuum.

BRICKER Bricker’s performance was loud, abrasive and enthralling.

At the first strum of static-dredged, Drop D tuned guitar, O’Meara commanded the modest living room-turned stage. Sadly, the reverberation of the heavy set began to take its toll — I really should have brought the earplugs.

A subtle ache developed in my ear, but hell, it was all part of the experience.

“A range of heavy music is what I describe our sound as,” said O’Meara.

“We take so much influence from metalcore and like anywhere from death metal to black metal.”

At one point during the set, the bass player’s instrument became unplugged, but thankfully Lukas Foote of Fighting Season leapt into action quickly, plugging and securing the patch cord into the

bass to reinstate the low-end for a strong finish.

Foote’s actions were commendable, but were also wholly representative of the strong sense of camaraderie within the scene.

“It’s much easier with a tight-knit community, everyone in hardcore and punk is always together. We’re basically like a family in hardcore, we all have groups of friends that introduce us to more friends,” said O’Meara.

“I love checking out my friend’s bands … spread the word online, wear their merch, it’s pretty easy. Just pay 10 bucks to go to a show.”

To lighten the mood, Fighting Season took the stage next.

FIGHTING SEASON “Sing along if you know the words,” declared Matt O’Connor, lead singer of Fighting Season.

Ironically, O’Connor’s vocals remained nearly inaudible beneath the thick backing instrumentation of stuttered power chords and a beat-riding snare drum.

Fighting Season’s pop appeal induced a fun, party-like atmosphere. The crowd moshed, swayed and the bong made its rounds. The room’s tobacco-musk strengthened.

As the keg and set neared its end, Foote ventured back into the crowd.

Suspended into a crowd surf as he continued to play guitar, he was lowered in a hasty panic with enough time to refocus and finish the set.

“It takes so much guts to throw a house show, because you don’t want your house getting wrecked,” said Foote, commending O’Meara and Bricker.

THE HOLLOW SEA The installation of angst established

by Fighting Season quickly turned to aggression as The Hollow Sea took the stage.

In the throes of their gut-wrenching set, vocalist Nick Couture’s t-shirt tore

and mangled into an industrial, extradeep v-neck — a belly-button bib.

In conversation with Couture and his brother Daniel, guitarist for the band, they noted the ambiguity of genre within the music scene.

The genre of “post-hardcore” dominated in the early millennium, followed by a surge of “metalcore” in the late 2000s. Now in 2016, many bands fall into a middle-of-the-road sound that takes influence from various genres. “[Now], there’s a stigma associated with calling yourself metalcore or post-hardcore, especially if you don’t fit into traditional hardcore,” said Daniel Couture.

While from an outsider perspective, this necessity of “tradition” to earn a genre label may seem detrimental. But Ryan Couture insisted it works in their favour.

“We prefer living in the ambiguity because we just write what we want … in that case we can hop on a metal show, or a hardcore show or a punk show and we still sort of fit in and we may be a little bit of an oddball, but still aren’t completely outcast,” said Ryan Couture.

Despite the modest size of performance spac, The Hollow Sea still brought their five-foot tall amps, bringing the night to a rumbling peak. Easily the most engaging performance of the night, the band left the crowd in a dizzying exhaustion.

LIFE IN VACUUM Ending off the night, Life in Vacuum took the stage for the tightest and — in my opinion — the best sounding set of the night.

Although sweepingly labeled as “hardcore,” their frenetic vocals and dynamic bass and drum combo placed them somewhere between hardcore and post-punk. Drummer Ross Chornyy was outfitted in METZ merchandise, a Toronto-based band which shares a similar sound aesthetic.

“We’re off to South America in a few days,” declared bassist Dylan Bravener.

“So let’s just have some fun.”

“We’re basically like a family in hardcore, we all have groups of friends that introduce us to more friends ...”

-Kyle O’Meara, vocalist for Bricker Charged with raw enthusiasm and near-perfect timing, Life in Vacuum’s talent distracted from my deafening ear, raising the hairs on my neck and displacing me from the safety of the outlying crowd.

The dark, gloomy and apocalyptic set brought the night to a resounding close, demolishing any preconceived notion that this isn’t a scene worth watching.

REFLECTION Coming away from the show, I wouldn’t consider myself a complete convert, but I certainly hold a much deeper respect for this scene and music communities in general.

They’ve built a small economy by going to each other’s shows and buying each other’s merchandise; a call of duty emerged in times of panic and disdain appeared non-existent in the face of their cohorts’ success.

They’re all trying to make it, but they don’t have to tear each other down in the process.

Although this was his first house show in Waterloo, O’Meara declared if this show was a success, he’d be eager to organize more.

“We’d do another right before their lease expires,” said O’Meara.

“More people, more chaos, we don’t give a fuck.”

12 •

Editorial

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016 OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca

Distinguishing cultural appropriation and appreciation On Tuesday, there was an event called Turban Day where students were introduced to the cultural customs of turban wear and were educated on a part of Wilfrid Laurier University’s multicultural diversity.

On the day of, any curious students were invited to have a turban tied around their heads by the Laurier Sikh Student Association, who also provided information about the religious significance to their custom.

The event was great for informing students about Sikh culture and building a level of appreciation and understanding for Laurier’s diversity. Events like these are essential for students to gain a wider understanding of the different backgrounds both in our university and throughout the world.

The day also brings up an important discussion regarding the difference between cultural appreciation and appropriation. By definition, cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of elements pertaining to a different culture by

members who are not a part of the culture of exploration — and who may not fully understand the implications behind the customs or practices they are engaging with.

This lack of understanding is the fuel that has vilified the word and turned it into a means for societal benefits such as fashion, financial advancements, food chains or any sort of cultural exploitation initiated by people from a different cultural background.

Many conversations have happened on campus, led by the Diversity and Equity Office and Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group, but are often forgotten when the campaigns come to a close.

Turban Day is an example of an initiative aimed at encouraging cultural exploration, but in ways that also encourage educational implementation by broadening the understanding of students who participate.

Enhancing paradigms of diversity is the best way to create a distinction between what we know as appropriation and appreciation.

Living an active lifestyle is essential for student health We understand the public domain of the gym is not for everyone. The environment can be found intimidating and daunting for those less experienced with working out. But finding a physical outlet that’s right for you is the best way to break out of your fears.

This can range from whipping dodge balls at a friend to going for a swim. Finding what works with your schedule is the best way to accomplish your goals.

There’s the other solution: set goals.

Like striving for an A in a course, the only way to get yourself into an active lifestyle is to set physical goals for yourself that will push you forward and take you places that are far less comfortable than your couch.

Discussion in public spaces for working out is important to allow people to feel more comfortable and disarm feelings of being judged.

Whether you’re playing sports, dancing, going on a run or trying weight lifting for the first time, making the effort is the first way to achieve greatness in whatever you set out to accomplish. With all the pressures on the field, a little exercise is the best way to be on top of your game.

The gym can be a crucial necessity for remaining active, relieving stress and maintaining a healthy routine throughout university.

Incorporating fitness into your lifestyle is not only beneficial physically, but mentally as well.

However, many students prefer lying on their couches in food comas to squats and deadlifts. Why is this the case?

The question we ask is the following: if president Barack Obama can maintain a healthy lifestyle, playing basketball and working out every day of the week, why can’t you? You’re not running a country.

You’re not running at all. That’s the problem.

Countless students are lost within the unhealthy vortex of laziness. Working hard in school seems to give them a bypass to staying active. Sitting down each day, burning retinas on computer screens, slouching over textbooks and rapidly consuming 40 chicken McNuggets whenever you’re fresh out of groceries does more than surrender to an inactive routine of muscle atrophy — it slows down your brain as well. Along with your daily customs, your mind can very easily become sluggish.

So here’s the solution: prioritize exercise.

These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-inChief and Opinion Editor. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources.

The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP.

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

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR Bryan Stephens VICE-CHAIR Abdiasis Issa DIRECTOR Rafey Sattar DIRECTOR John Pehar

DIRECTOR Tom Lillo

DIRECTOR Angela Foster DIRECTOR Fred Kuntz DIRECTOR Gary Doyle

PRESIDENT Bryan Stephens president@wlusp. com FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com ADVERTISING MANAGER Caroline Schummer care.schummer@ wlusp.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@ wlusp.com HR MANAGER/ CORPORATE SECRETARY Emily Crump hr@wlusp.com

JOSHUA AWOLADE/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Words are powerful MYNT MARSELLUS MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

Words are powerful.

As much as we may see them as building blocks under our control, the power of words depends on how they shape the way we think about the world and then the world as it continues to unfurl before us.

Because of this, I care a lot about the way we use words.

Our language used to have what is called grammatical gender.

It’s a linguistic feature that categorizes most of the language into male and female.

In English one of the few remnants of this is the words “blonde” and “blond,” where the first is for describing women’s hair and the later for describing men’s hair.

But even that example is starting to disappear — and if you ask me, good riddance.

Studies done have shown how grammatical gender impacts the way people think and the results are rather striking.

Looking at the word “key,” scientists wanted to see how people who spoke German, where it is categorized as male, and Spanish, where it is categorized as female, described a key in adjectives.

Germans described the word as hard, heavy and jagged, while Spanish speakers used ‘golden’ ‘intricate’ and ‘little’. Language affects the way we think, and so does gender.

Last term I wrote at length about part of our language that says something about how we think.

To me, the term ‘man bun’ is more than just a ridiculous, unnecessary addition to our language — it says something important and distressing about our culture.

It speaks to the way that gender impacts how we think about ourselves and others. It speaks to how our culture sees femininity as demeaning to the masculine ideal.

These are not trivial concerns.

The most common response to an argument like the one I just made is that I’m promoting political correctness and because of that, I’ve decided I’m going to stop treating those complaints seriously.

If you have doubts or concerns about political correctness in society, I’m done coddling you.

I’m done justifying myself on your terms, because I’m not being politically correct and I’m not asking anyone else to be politically correct.

If you hear what I’m saying and tell me I’m being politically correct, you are doing exactly what you’re asking me not to do.

When you tell someone to stop complaining because they are being too politically correct, you are actually saying that they’re not being politically correct enough for you.

You are setting the terms of what is appropriate in your political landscape and telling people to shut up because they don’t meet your political standards.

When you say there are bigger issues to care about than language or fashion or movies, all I hear is you telling me what I can and can’t

If you have doubts or concerns about political correctness in society, I’m done coddling you.

say based on your own political feelings.

When you complain about the closing minds of college students who care too much about political correctness, all I hear is that you don’t care enough about the words coming out of your own mouth to think about them before they pass your lips.

When you complain about me advocating for political correctness, I know that you don’t have the intellectual rigor to confront my argument on its own terms.

You hide behind buzzwords either because you don’t respect me enough to treat me seriously, or you are too cowardly to authentically challenge my ideas.

Political correctness is a hilariously ironic term.

It’s only used by people who complain about it and they don’t even realize that their complaining is its own form of political correctness.

So from now on, I’m done arguing about political correctness.

If you want to tell me I’m wrong, create an argument that shows you respect me.

Or I will never take you seriously.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

• 13

Opinion

OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca

Classism as discrimination Societal division threatens equality

TARIQUE PLUMMER OPINION COLUMNIST

I am livid.

I am livid because acts of injustice have been allowed to persist for generations. I am insulted because of how unequally I have seen my fellow brothers and sisters treated.

I am pensive because I wonder how we as a society could embrace inequality and call it our own.

I know you cannot see it, perhaps you cannot smell or even touch it, but somehow, you know it’s there.

Or you pretend not to.

This rationale can be used to validate the existence of a seldom mentioned phenomenon, which has continued to silently but effectively wound our world.

I speak none other than of classism.

Classism is fundamentally another form of prejudice.

One in which your friend, your parents and your sisters are discriminated against, held down or shunned solely because of the way they dress, the amount of money they make or even the kind of school they attend.

This strong social divide births the clashing of the upper and lower class while the middle class

There have been strong arguments around the existence of classism in the Canadian context.

is arguably excluded. This is an old system that’s far from being changed.

The people at the top oppress the ones at the opposing end because they believe the socioeconomic class of an individual comprehensively defines their character, personality, competence and if I must say, their future.

Classism is so alive that it is even being institutionalized.

Tampa, Florida recently started arresting homeless people because they are sleeping on the streets.

Homelessness is not a choice, just as sleeping is not a crime, but because they are in the lower class and have limited power, it is deemed acceptable to discriminate.

Picture yourself as a parent. A school says to you when you try to enrol your child, “I’m surprised that people from your community can afford to go here.”

How would you feel to even construe such an offensive comment?

These things happen so often

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

in our world, but we fail to notice because it can be so discrete we have convinced ourselves it does not exist.

There have been strong arguments around the existence of classism in the Canadian context.

Some social commentators have blatantly denied it lives, while others are unsure. Allow me to shine some light on the reason for the lack of certainty.

In Canada, the middle class is incredibly large, so large that some have been tempted to dub the society a classless one.

The size of this one class has

made it so hard to see the other ends of the spectrum and therefore the class differences are masked.

In developing nations in which the division among the three classes are so distinct and the size of the middle class is comparatively small, this form of discrimination is beyond rampant.

Classism is equivalent in magnitude to racism, sexism and homophobia.

This form of discrimination is also a major player in the strengthening of inequality.

How often do we accept classist myths about other people? “He’s

black so he’s probably a drug dealer. She cannot afford those shoes if she is from that community.

Look at the house he lives in; he definitely won’t go far in life …”

Myths fuel wider attitudes which then fuels decisions, laws and policies made which significantly affect the lives, both socially and economically, of people.

In surmising, oppression and discrimination are not dead, they have just changed forms, just like water when sufficient heat is applied.

But eventually, the pot will boil over.

The safety net of parents and guardians FARAZ IFTEKHARUDDIN OPINION COLUMNIST

There are many days set aside to honour and appreciate special people in our lives like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Family Day and Memorial Day. We realize the significance and ideals that help us appreciate these people.

Yet, there is no ‘Parents Day’— probably because our parents deserve daily and eternal appreciation, honour, love and respect.

Sure, there is Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. But our parents or

All hope is for there to be reciprocity towards our parents

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Parents or guardians should be a positive force for their kids’ development.

guardians are a singular team. One group that deserves celebration.

What is considered “normal” in this part of the world is seen as “abnormal” in many other parts of the world.

Our parents nurture us, love us, guide us and make every decision in our best interests.

Many feel entitled to this, as the norm.

Once we grow up and success is plenty, greatly thanks to our parents, we must not forget to share our joys with them.

In many parts of the world what is “normal” here comes as a shock to them.

Guardians are treated and perceived much differently, with the highest honour, appreciation and respect, which should also reciprocated towards them.

The concept of senior homes is nonexistent because the children will take care of their parents.

It is not seen as a grown son or daughter living with their parents, rather parents living with their children.

There is honour in that.

We should be doing more than showing up with flowers on Mother’s Day or posting collages on Facebook that they sometimes cannot even see.

If love and care were given to us every day of our lives, why do we express our love to them once, twice or even thrice a year? It

Their needs and desires are second to ours.

Sacrifices are made in a heartbeat.

should be constant and it should be unwavering.

Our mothers carry us inside of their wombs for nine months.

The day we are born we instantly become the most important thing to our parents in the whole wide world.

Their needs and desires are second to ours.

Sacrifices are made in a heartbeat.

Many dreams are given up in favour of our wellbeing or best interest.

As always, my thoughts and opinions may not apply to everybody.

Different experiences may have shaped your attitudes accordingly.

You do not have to strongly agree or disagree.

All I hope is for there to be reciprocity towards our parents.

Happy birthday Dad!

14 • AD

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

Sports

• 15 SPORTS EDITOR DREW YATES dyates@thecord.ca

CURLING

AWARDS

Nominees announced Boroumand, Fortier and Normandeau are OWL finalists DANIEL JOHNSON STAFF WRITER

WILL HUANG/FILE PHOTO

Both Hawk curling rinks prepare for nationals in Kelowna on March 20–23.

Preparing for Alberta Laurier curling sets their sights on nationals in Kelowna next weekend DREW YATES SPORTS EDITOR

Glenn Paulley knows there will be no easy games during the 2016 Canadian Interuniversity Sport curling nationals.

Set in Kelowna, B.C., this year, the Wilfrid Laurier men’s and women’s varsity rinks are preparing for the highest pinnacle in university sport. Eight of the top teams in Canada will play for CIS gold. This year’s installment sees some familiar faces, as the Dalhousie Tigers swept both the men’s and women’s events in the Atlantic University Sport conference and the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack almost went undefeated on the women’s side in the Canada West University Athletics Association conference to earn their berth.

But it also means the return of the 2015 CIS champions — the University of Alberta, headed by skips Thomas Scoffin and Kelsey Rocque.

“Out of the seven teams we are facing I would certainly say that our focus is going to be on Alberta,” Paulley said. “We fully expect to see Alberta in the playoffs.”

The men’s rink played a close gold medal match against Scoffin and the University of Alberta in March 2015, earning CIS silver after a shot by Aaron Squires hit Scoffin’s rock an inch off its target.

The Hawks then missed scoring two in the final end for the win.

Alberta got stronger this year with the addition of third Karsten Sturmay, who skipped Team Alberta’s junior championship team. His teammate Tristan Steinke will act as third, with second Jason Ginter and lead Parker Konschuh rounding out the Bears’ roster.

And if Paulley was a betting man, he’d call for a Laurier-Alberta final again.

“There’s going to be a number of good teams out there, but as far as we’re concerned with the seven other teams that are out there, you’d have to think Alberta as the top of those other seven,” he said.

Nationals also hosts some new faces too. On the men’s side, the University of Victoria Vikes and the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat represent the west alongside Alberta, while the St. Mary’s Huskies round out the berths from the AUS. The Water-

“Out of the seven teams we are facing I would certainly say that our focus is going to be on Alberta.”

-Glenn Paulley, curling head coach

loo Warriors and Brock Badgers represent the Ontario University Athletics conference with Laurier.

On the women’s side, the Brandon University Bobcats join Alberta and Thompson Rivers from the west while the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds comes from the east. The Brock Badgers and the Guelph Gryphons join Laurier in representing the OUA. Paulley said a few of the teams he’s watching out for are the Vikes and the Tigers — the Vikes are coached by Canadian champion and Olympian Melissa Soligo, while the Tigers men’s rink swept the AUS championships.

As for the women’s side, Paulley also is being mindful of Thompson Rivers and Corryn Brown, the Tigers and the Badgers.

“There’s lots of good teams and the girls will have to be playing at their best to make playoffs,” he said.

One of the biggest concerns Paulley has is that the CIS has not made a decision on what kinds of brooms are allowed to be used. During the OUA championship, the men’s team used two lightspeed brooms with one hair broom, but with the use of hair brooms not allowed during the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the Tim Hortons Brier this year, there’s a chance the CIS will also impose a ban on hair brooms for the championships.

Needless to say, Paulley said that he still likes his chances for both rinks to make playoffs among the wide pool of talent attending nationals this year.

The first draw is set to kick off at 1 p.m. pacific standard time, 4 p.m. eastern time at the Kelowna Curling Club, on March 20. The Hawks men’s team will face UBC Okanagan while the women’s rink faces Brandon.

Like always, the recipient of the coveted Outstanding Women of Laurier award will certainly be nothing short of outstanding.

Last week, the department of athletics and recreation at Wilfrid Laurier University announced the nominees for the 11th annual OWL award, given based on success on and off the field.

It combines athletic achievement, academic excellence, an active commitment to leadership and the development of young athletes.

This year’s nominees are Evie Fortier, who is on the women’s curling team, Suzanne Boroumand, who plays soccer and Jacky Normandeau, who is a member of both the women’s hockey and soccer teams.

Fortier regards this award as prestigious and has attested that it is the “gold standard” of a Laurier athlete.

As a star athlete herself, she has won three consecutive Ontario University Athletics championships with the curling team.

Fortier also worked to grow the sport by volunteering her time at clinics at the K-W Granite Club, and is involved with Team Up Laurier.

“It feels amazing, it is such an honour to be nominated. And to be among so many amazing women who are on the list and who have been nominated in the past,” said Fortier.

ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR

The OWL award is given based on an athlete’s success on and off the field.

Normandeau is highly involved in giving back to the community, as well as playing two time-consuming sports.

She also runs the athlete study hall, which gets her involved with mentoring younger athletes and first years while also volunteering at Cedarbrae Public School.

“I’m trying to give back to the community and get young children involved in sports,” she said.

Boroumand has also had a stellar career as a Golden Hawk athlete. Some of her highlights include winning an OUA championship, claiming two silver medals and going to nationals three out of the four years that she’s been here. She contributes much of her athletic success to her team.

“Most of my athletic achievements I want to give to my team because they have been there for the big things that I won. So this

is definitely a huge highlight,” she said.

“Those are the ones that you remember because those are the ones that you share with 25 other people and that you worked toward with them.”

The OWL award is not only a formal recognition of a job well done, but it is a fundraising event to support women’s athletics.

Since 2006, the OWL award and ceremony has raised over $300,000 of support for women’s athletics at Laurier. Fortier said this event is vital, not only for women’s athletics, but for Golden Hawk athletics as a whole.

“It shows how much Laurier athletics cares about gender equality and diversity and all those things,” she said. “The fact that Laurier athletics puts in the effort to put on an event like this, it really reflects well on the values that they have.”

Travel Vaccines Including Yellow Fever, Typhoid Meningitis Hepatitis A/B and Malaria Shingles Vaccine also available

16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016

MEN’S BASKETBALL

An unspeakable bond Will Coulthard flourished under Peter Campbell’s wing ARMAN ARYAPOUR STAFF WRITER

WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR

Will Coulthard became the third Hawk in history to eclipse 1,500 points.

Following a close playoff loss to the Brock Badgers, an era came to a close in Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawk men’s basketball history book.

Sure, head coach Peter Campbell leaves the program with an undetermined bench boss. But so too does Laurier say goodbye to an unspeakable bond between Campbell and fifth-year all-star, Will Coulthard.

A systematic coach and player relationship had clearly flourished into a motivational story in itself.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the rookie guard.

The Oakville native came to Laurier in 2011 with high aspirations of achieving an education from a reputable university and being able to play varsity basketball under Campbell.

Coulthard graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School with an A average, plenty of ambition and a goal to be one of the best basketball players Laurier has seen. But following his first year of enrolment as a geography major, Coulthard began to feel the pressures of university in addition to a demanding varsity basketball schedule.

“When I got here, it was a big change, I wasn’t really used to it or ready for it,” said Coulthard.

Falling into academic probation, the status of his academic and athletic integrity were looking

“I’ll commit to stay as long as you stay, or if you think it’ll be better, I’ll go now.”

-Peter Campbell, men’s basketball head coach

unattractive.

“He wasn’t in good shape,” said coach Campbell.

In the 2011-12 season, Coulthard was honoured with a place on the Ontario University Athletics West all-rookie team, but was still experiencing the changes of the university routine. His grades still weren’t great.

“He comes in and he’s even better than you were hoping, in the sense that he’s rookie of the year, and all of a sudden, he might not be back,” Campbell said.

But as proven on the court, Coulthard doesn’t give up. He was able to redeem himself through the spring term after his first season.

Succeeding with his course load, the up-and-coming star was able to use his time better throughout the year with basketball and school.

Coulthard and Campbell developed a relationship that extended past the hardwood. While talks of Campbell retiring and conflicts arised amongst the team, Campbell was uncertain if they would

continue their journey at Laurier.

Providing Coulthard with a few words of encouragement, Campbell was adamant on motivating the Oakville native. “‘I’ll commit to stay as long as you stay, or if you think it’ll be better, I’ll go now,’ ” Campbell would tell Coulthard.

The ambitious rookie ensured coach Campbell that everything would be okay, and the two created a bond that would continue through the next few years of Coulthard’s playing time at Laurier.

While Coulthard’s on-the-court performance has been astonishing enough — the senior finishes his time with 1,594 points, only the third-ever Hawk to achieve this — his academic record improved exponentially.

During the 2013-14 season, Coulthard was awarded the Canadian Interuniversity Sport academic all-Canadian award. The following year, he was awarded the Luke Fusco academic athletic achievement award, which honours the Laurier male and female athletes who best combine academic and athletic achievements.

So as Coulthard finished his final year, so too did Campbell, choosing to retire at the end of this season. And now, the next time these two are in Laurier’s Athletic Complex, it will be remembering the journey they were both on.

“It hasn’t been the easiest five years, but it’s been a good five years, and it’s been great,” Campbell said.

SWIMMING

One final step away from the Olympics

Kate Vanderbeek has a chance to earn a berth into the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro DREW YATES SPORTS EDITOR

When third-year swimmer Kate Vanderbeek first went to the Olympic swimming trials, she was only 15-years old.

And now, eight years later and after a five-year hiatus from swimming, Vanderbeek is returning to the Olympic stage — trying to take the final step towards qualifying for the 2016 summer Olympics, set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“I’m excited to go to Olympic trials, it only happens once every four years and it’s a pretty big deal,” she said.

Vanderbeek qualified for the Olympic trials a month ago during the Ontario University Athletics championship meet, in her specialty stroke, the 100-metre backstroke.

She finished at a time of 1:02.27 — the standard time to qualify for the Olympic trials is 1:02.38.

Vanderbeek said that swimmers can qualify at any point over the season, they just need to finish

“We’ll go until about a week before — we won’t stop swimming. Just practices will be a little bit lighter.”

-Kate Vanderbeek, third-year swimmer

“I’m excited to go to Olympic trials, it only happens once every four years and it’s a pretty big deal.”

-Kate Vanderbeek, third-year swimmer

WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR

Just over two weeks after the CIS championships, Kate Vanderbeek shifts her focus to the Olympic swim trials.

under the standard set time.

She is also only one of three swimmers in Waterloo to have qualified.

“There’s three of us in Waterloo that have made trials, out of an entire city, that’s a pretty big thing,” she said.

“There’s a lot of people that aspire to do it, but not a lot of people get there.”

Vanderbeek said that with the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national meet and Olympic trials only six weeks apart, swimmers normally have to choose between

what events they want to focus on. Some swimmers may focus on preparing for the Olympic trials and treat nationals as just another meet, but for Vanderbeek, it’s the reverse.

“My bigger focus was CI[S]’s. All the preparation going into that and hoping to be at my best for CI[S]’s, and then five or six weeks later when I go to trials it’s just another chance to get up and swim.”

“I still have my separate goals for Olympic trials, but CI[S]’s was I guess the main event for me.”

Vanderbeek’s preparation going

into trials consists of maintaining a heavy workload for another couple weeks. Then, when the event is but a week away, lighten up on the workload a little bit.

Vanderbeek said that she’d lighten up on the workload because her body needs time to recover and rejuvenate to get more energy approaching a big competition.

“We’ll go until about a week before — we won’t stop swimming.

Just practices will be a little bit lighter,” she said.

Vanderbeek now faces off against 50 to 100 swimmers, some

with Olympic experience, others finishing their university degrees, in Toronto from April 5–10. In order to book her slot to Rio, not only must she come first-place, but she must finish with a stellar time of 1:00.25.

But if nobody makes the standard time for the International Swimming Federation, then nobody is sent to compete for the event.

But for Vanderbeek, she’s just focused on making new personal bests and to work her way up the national ranking, with a goal to hopefully make it onto the Olympic stage in the next few years.

“I’m just proud of myself for getting to that stage then, once I’m at that stage, continuing to build and seeing where I am the next year and the next year and working my way up,” she said.

“If I come top 20 now, the goal next year, top 15, top 10, top five, working my way up.”

“Making Olympic trials was my goal this year, so I’m really proud that I accomplished that.”