The Cord March 21

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 58 ISSUE 25 • MARCH 21, 2018

LAURIER RESPONDS News. page 6

EZRA DRAWS BIG CROWDS

OUT IN BUSINESS

RESPONDING TO CONFLICT

PROBLEMATIC OUTINGS

OWL NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

Largest turn out yet for St. Patty’s Day

Campus group creates space for LGBTQ+

Symposium highlights impacts of war

Celebs should get to come out on their terms

Outstanding Women of Laurier 2018

News. page 3

News, Page 4

Arts & Life, page 9

Opinion, page 14

Sports, page 16 GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

2 •

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

VOCAL CORD

What’s the craziest thing you saw on St. Patty’s Day this year?

@cordnews

The Cord

@cordwlusp

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

CordNews

Letter to the Editor Unpopular Opinions Speaker Series

“I saw people going in the mud, fighting and rolling around.”

Dear Editor,

–Linnea White, fourthyear political science

“I saw at Queens, a guy on a boat surfing the crowd.”

–Erica Mcalister, firstyear economics TANZEEL SAYANI/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Protestors gathered in the Quad yesterday in order to respond to LSOI’s “Unpopular Opinion” speaker series.

From the Archives: March 21, 1973 “I can’t remember anything from St. Patrick’s Day.” –Jessie Doman, firstyear environmental and global studies

“They were lifting a guy in a wheel chair.”

–Athena Rydelwski, second-year general arts

Compiled by Erin Abe Photos by Sadman Sakib Rahman NEXT ISSUE MARCH 21, 2018

CORD STAFF

1973 saw the Canadian progressive rock sensation Chilliwack take the stage at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The band is best known for songs such as “My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)”, “Fly At Night” and “I Believe”.

The 1970’s saw Laurier play host to a number of Canada’s most popular up-and-coming musicians from the time, including Neil Young, whose performance was described by one of The Cord’s arts columnists as, “beyond a shadow of a doubt, the worst concert by a major artist that I have ever seen.”

Sincerely,

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.”

FEATURES EDITOR Karlis Wilde features@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Erin Abe news@thecord.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Shyenne MacDonald arts@thecord.ca

LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Abdulhamid Ibrahim sports@thecord.ca

Victoria Berndt Tyler Currie Sara Burgess Megan Pitt Caitlyn Lourenco Kash Patel Victoria Berndt Tyler Currie Sara Burgess Megan Pitt Caitlyn Lourenco KashWap Patel Evangeline Hunt Eliza Moratz Margeret Russell Jazzmine Gabert

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

OPINION EDITOR Emily Waitson opinion@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tanzeel Sayani creative@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Pranav Desai sports@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Garrison Oosterhof online@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Alan Li graphics@thecord.ca

NEWS DIRECTOR Safina Husein news@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Luke Sarazin photos@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Jake Watts news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Sarah Tyler video@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Nathalie Bouchard news@thecord.ca

WEB ASSISTANT Kate Weber online@thecord.ca

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

As a proud Laurier alum who regularly attends events and gets calls for donations to my favourite purple and gold university, I was deeply saddened to see this tweet online today informing me of the “Unpopular Opinions Speaker Series” being held on campus.

(Link to Tweet: http://bit. ly/2IwgYl8) I sincerely hope something called “Ethnocide: Multiculturalism and the European Canadian Identity” hosted by a former Rebel Media contributor and white nationalist darling (see: https:// twitter.com/FaithGoldy) isn’t being sanctioned or supported in any way by the administration.

It is my firm belief that this meeting of people with so-called “unpopular opinions” is in fact a blatant dog-whistle to the racists and neo-Nazis that are lurking amongst us. Let’s not give them a place where they feel that they can spread their vitriol and hatred in public.

No university or public institution of any kind should give aid and comfort to those that would demean or outright deny the humanity of others.

This hate speech should not be supported in any way.

I join with other members of the WLU community in calling for an end to this “speaker series” and go further to call on all WLU alum to deny the school your hard-earned money.

They will certainly not be getting one red cent from me until they stop harbouring racists.

–Elizabeth Bate Class of 2015

THE LAURIER ARCHIVES

EDITOR’S CHOICE “OUT in Business Club talks about pride” by Margeret Russell

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 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 like eating sweet and spicy chips!”

- Web Director, Garrison Oosterhof on blasting the heat and driving with the windows down in the summer.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

News

• 3 NEWS EDITOR DIRECTOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR NATHALIE BOUCHARD news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR JAKE WATTS news@thecord.ca

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ezra Street Party brings 22,400: 616 charges laid

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The annual street party on Ezra Ave. reached a peak attendance of 22,400 people according to the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) enforcement results report, which was released on Monday.

According to report, early indications show that WRPS “responded to 248 calls for service in the St. Patrick’s Day perimeter, resulting in 619 charges.”

These numbers are a significant increase from last year’s street party, which saw around 15,000 people at peak attendance, and resulted in 208 total charges according to The Cord’s coverage.

A breakdown of the charges laid this weekend is as follows: 62 Highway Traffic Act offences, 435 Liquor Licence Act offences, 18 Criminal Code offences, 45 By-Law offences, 50 charges under the Trespass to Property Act, five charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and four charges under the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act. “Our officers responded to several very dangerous and unsafe incidents throughout the day and into the evening,” Waterloo Region Police Chief Bryan Larkin said in

the report.

“Over the next several months we will be meeting with our community partners to discuss how we move forward in terms of shutting down this unsanctioned, unlawful and unsafe gathering.”

Our officers responded to very dangerous and unsafe incidents throughout the day and into the evening...

-Bryan Larkin, Waterloo Region Police Chief

This year’s gathering was met heavily with increased police presence and by-law provisions.

“It’s been a year of planning with a whole bunch of stakeholders from our perspective,” Executive Officer Insp. Mike Haffner of Waterloo Regional Police told The Cord.

This planning included collaboration with various emergency services in Waterloo, both the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University and their respective student unions, as well as officers from Peel Regional Police Service. The planning aimed to “mitigate the possible risks that

can come along with unsanctioned events.”

“It was to a point where it was beyond capacity for our organization and we had to reach out to Peel Regional Police Service, and we applaud and appreciate them for coming down to assist … from a crowd management perspective,” Haffner said.

The increased turnout led to a more strategic approach from WRPS, who at one point opted to block off Ezra Ave. with dump trucks at Ezra and Albert as well as Ezra and King. The street was blocked off in order to protect the safety of those in attendance.

“This is a significant drain on our resources from a police perspective,” Haffner said. “We [still] have to provide police services to the rest of the region.”

The amount of stress that the gathering puts on local resources is apparent, with the party diverting much of the city’s emergency services towards Ezra Ave. WRPS’s report noted that paramedic crews responded to 70 patients over the weekend, with four designated ambulances being brought in “to manage increased demands.” Waterloo Fire Rescue Services responded to 40 calls during the day, 24 of which were related to medical issues.

The Record also reported that Grand River Hospital saw “52 partygoers at its emergency department,” two of which were admitted.

The increased provisions and police presence didn’t appear to deter many partygoers, a number of who appear to have come from off campus to partake in the celebration.

The lead up to St. Patty’s Day saw local authorities partner with Ontario Provincial Police officers, who intercepted numerous vehicles on their way to Waterloo.

“We are aware that we have had a number of attendees coming from outside our jurisdiction, outside the City of Waterloo,” Haffner said.

“This morning we intercepted a bus from Scarborough, a vehicle from Guelph — all with open liquor, a lot of drugs — all coming to the St. Patrick’s Day party, which is something we want to avoid,” Haffner said.

“Even last night, we stopped a vehicle going 50 kilometers over the speed limit, all with luggage and pillows to come here and party,” he added.

Haffner said that the police want people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day to have a good time, but they also want them to be mindful of their

surroundings, their actions and the consequences they may bring.

“We want people to have fun; at no point, from a police perspective, was this an adversarial event,” Haffner said.

“We understand people want to have fun, but they need to be respectful and, more importantly, they need to be aware of the infractions that come with that.”

Ultimately, Haffner recommended that those seeking a good time should look more towards licensed establishments or private residences, as opposed to convening on Ezra Ave.

We want people to take the proper action to go to a licensed establishment [or] have a private party in your private residence.

-Mike Haffer, Executive Officer Inspector

“We want people to take the proper action to go to a licensed establishment [or] have a private party in your private residence,” Haffner said.

“But more importantly be smart, stay safe, be respectful to those in attendance and to yourself.”

PHOTOS BY GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR & TANZEEL SAYANI/CREATIVE DIRECTOR, LAYOUT BY KURTIS RIDEOUT/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & TANZEEL SAYANI

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

CAMPUS

OUT in Business Club talks about pride OUT in Business speaks out about the first LGBTQ+ club for the Lazaridis Students’ Society MARGARET RUSSELL CORD NEWS

Laurier’s new LGBTQ+ business club is challenging stigmas in the workplace OUT in Business is Wilfrid Laurier University’s business club on campus for the LGBTQ+ community and allies.

The founder of OUT in Business, Colin Puigmarti, explained OUT in Business,their mission at Laurier and how they’re stimulating pride in the business community.

In association with the Lazaridis Students’ Society, OUT in Business is geared towards helping students find corporations that are seeking to increase diversity and culture within the workplace.

“As a gay man, there wasn’t a lot of resources in terms of places I can go,” Colin Puigmarti, fourthyear economics and finance student at Laurier, said.

Early on, Puigmarti recognized that the LGBTQ+ community needed a platform to identify with on campus that will help further career aspirations and provide support.

This observation was the main inspiration and vision for OUT in Business.

After a long two-year process, the club has finally come to fru-

Its really focused on being comfortable with yourself and incorporating that into your personal brand.

-Colin Puigmarti, Founder and President of OUT in business

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

ition. They’ve begun organizing events to support the LGBTQ+ community, and allies with career-related goals, and to encourage students to identify in the workplace with the help of their abundant resources and workshops.

“We have students from all over Laurier,” Puigmarti said.

“The club doesn’t really care about your program, it’s more so about having the passion and the drive to create a better culture on campus … it’s a pretty open space.”

Earlier in March, OUT in Business held a ‘LinkedIn Crash Course’ which offered students valuable information about

creating a professional LinkedIn page and how to approach wanting to identify as LGBTQ+ to your potential employers.

Their flagship event of the year, ‘Breaking OUT in Business’, will be taking place on Fri., March 23, 2018 in Downtown Toronto.

The free event, sponsored by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, will be an afternoon of networking, panel discussions and guest speakers, featuring Brien Convery, RBC’s Director of Early Talent Acquisition.

“It’s really focused on being comfortable with yourself and incorporating that into your personal brand,” Puigmarti said.

OUT in Business will be providing transportation to and from Laurier’s campus for the event and tickets are made available through the event’s Facebook page.

This event will provide students with the opportunity to hear about growing diversity in the workplace and some insight from industry professionals about their own careers and experiences identifying as LGBTQ+ in the workplace.

“People are nervous about coming out in the workplace and feel that maybe they’ll be judged or treated differently… I think that needs to be changed because it’s not right for anyone to feel scared in the place [where] they work.”

OUT in Business and its executive panel of 18 students have received nothing but positive reinforcement from Laurier’s student and faculty body and the Lazaridis Students’ Society.

“Everyone has commented on the club saying how important it is to have on campus,” Puigmarti said.

Puigmarti has high hopes for OUT in Business moving forward.

He hopes that the club will only continue to provide a safe-space and resources for LGBTQ+ and allies in the business community in the future.

“Expanding our network is something I’d really like to see in the future,” Puigmarti said.

idential Tenancies Act (RTA) “does not prohibit a tenant from having a guest or the number of guests.”

“Building safety and tenant safety is important, I want to be safe and I want the place I live to be clean but you have to keep the building safe within the parameters of the RTA,” Emma Chapelle, a third-year WLU student, and resident of The Marq, said. “You can’t use our safety as a way to justify infringing on our rights as tenants.

The first line of our lease is that we follow the RTA.” Chapelle contacted the Waterloo Fire Rescue and learned that all buildings are safely built to hold two people per room. “The bare minimum should be one guest each because that’s the amount of people we could have living with us [in a unit]” Chapelle said.

“I’ve spoken with some tenants and they’re satisfied with the one guest per tenant because all they wanted was the one but other people that I’ve spoken to said they wanted more guest passes,” Kiani said. “We should have the right to bring in however many guests we want regardless of what day it is.”

The Marq owns three buildings at Laurier, two of which are located just off of Ezra Ave. Tenants responded to the alleged fire code issue and overcrowding by questioning why the Marq chose to only implement the policy only on one weekend of the year.

“They’re trying to keep the building secure but if the tenants are responsible for all of their guests then there should be no financial liability on the Marq if anything

happens to the building,” Chapelle said. “The way they went about it, their lack of explanation, their lack of transparency, it’s all really bad.”

Other situations with The Marq building have also arisen this year, including the recent cockroach infestation at 173 King.

“What I have learned from being in this situation is that the students and tenants especially, we have been taken advantage of,” Kiani said. “They think it’s okay because we don’t know much about the law and that we won’t find out about it and stand up for ourselves. I definitely think that student advocacy is very important especially in situations such as these.”

Chapelle filed a T2 application with the LTB and hopes to have a hearing in regards to the situation in a month.

“My hope is that there would be some kind of an injunction that they would give us in writing saying the Marq has no legal authority to intervene with tenants having guests,” Chapelle said. “I would hope that next year they would basically implement a policy like a list, hold people accountable and have security.”

“I would like an apology from The Marq because so many students have gone down there and tried to talk to them to get answers,” Chapelle said. “Just because we’re students doesn’t mean you can take advantage, we do know our rights and we are going to stand up for them.”

The Cord reached out to The Marq but did not receive a statement at the time of publishing.

STUDENT HOUSING

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

Petitioning for tenancy rights ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER

Student tenants living at The Marq, a student housing community operated by Centurion property and houses a large number of Wilfrid Laurier University students, started the petition due to their building implementing a new policy for only 35 guests in each building for St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

Residents were initially told in February that one guest per tenant was permitted, which was changed to a 35 guests policy for the whole building on March 7 to reduce fire code issues and potential overcrowding of the building. Since the

petition and The Marq tenant complaints, the policy was changed back to one guest per tenant on the Thursday before St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

Paris Kiani, a fourth-year WLU student started the petition with the support of other tenants on March 13. The petition has since surpassed 1,000 signatures online.

According to the new guest policy for the weekend, guests were expected to wear wristbands and both guests and tenants had to show ID to permit entry into the buildings. Security had a list at the doors of those who lived in the building that was permitted, although the list did not have names

of tenants who were temporarily subletting which caused problems with entry.

Kiani contacted a lawyer prior to the petition and found out that The Marq was violating Section 22 of the Tenancy Act and the Landlord and Tenant Act of Ontario.

“When I went to go speak to them and told them they were violating the Tenancy Act; they didn’t respond the way I wanted them to.

I wanted to basically spread awareness and get people’s opinions about what they think about this situation,” Kiani said.

An email response from the centre of the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), explains that the Res-

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 RESEARCH

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Voodoo dolls in the workplace

Laurier professor looks at coping and retaliation methods ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER

Recent research at Wilfrid Laurier University has focused on leadership in the workplace and mechanisms of employee retaliation that restore justice.

Lindie Liang, a professor of the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at WLU, has been studying dysfunctional leadership

behaviour and employee retaliation in the workplace.

Liang’s research hopes to provide empirical evidence of previous theories concerning employees that retaliate in the workplace.

Her study uses voodoo dolls as a way to test justice and retaliation in participants.

“Based on my past research of dysfunctional leadership I found that one of the main consequences

COMMUNITY

The pursuit of happy JAZZMINE GABERT CORD NEWS

Since 2012, the UN general assembly has set up an annual day of happiness.

On March 20, the United Nations urges communities to come together to celebrate a new holiday; to remembr what it means to be happy. “[We are trying to] remove barriers so we can unlock happiness inside groups, individuals, inside a collective,” Jennifer Moss, co-founder of plasticity labs and member of the UN global happiness council, said. “[We] look at how we can impact it in a positive way. [We] work with cities, communities, places like Laurier to figure out ways to improve their happiness.”

Plasticity Labs is a communications company that tries to understand and improve well-being, culture and performance. By using scientific data, they are able to navigate emotions and boost morale.

“Happiness needs to be more recognized across the world,” Moss said. “It’s true science based in neuroscience. If we start getting people to think about it more, we can make better communities, countries … and world.”

This year, Plasticity labs have applied to Guiness World Records for the worlds largest Gratitude wall. The Gratitude wall is to celebrate the UN’s International Day of Happiness on March 20. This event is a world record attempt to raise awareness about the importance of happiness in a person’s everyday life.

“Gratitude posting and the gratitude wall is the core of who we

are,” Moss said. “We know there is science behind [it].”

Moss is excited to bring the entire community together with live events such as dancing, food and music. Her company aims to create social interaction, offering activities suited for the whole family.

“Relationships are fundamental, it’s so important to your health to have real-life connections,” Moss said. “We must make a real choice behind what we do.”

“Canada has slipped three spots since report began in 2012. Something is happening, we aren’t as happy,” Moss said.

“We need to educate people that … we cannot forget what made us successful through evolution.

Being connected and not with technology — which is tearing us apart — [but] face-to-face connections with people.”

Events such as Plasticity’s gratitude wall ultimately aim to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma that happiness is a selfish emotion to feel.

“We have to remember it is okay to feel sad and lonely,” Moss said.

“There is too much stigma that happiness is selfish. Everything we go through is not linear.”

Moss encourages everyone to come out to the event. There will be live music from a local radio station, therapy dogs, in addition to treats and food catered by Communitech and Culinary Studios.

“We’re a family up there and everyone’s coming to support and celebrate,” she said.

“We’re going to make it really fun and remind people to be happy. We need to get back to having fun and realizing happiness should be institutionalized in our lives.”

is that employees, when they are being abused by their supervisors in the workplace, they retaliate,” Liang said. “Our research clarifies some empirical evidence of theories that people retaliate because it serves a function, they want justice.”

Liang’s study was conducted online, assigning participants randomly into one of three groups.

The first group was asked to

recall a time when their supervisor abused them in the workplace, as a way to recreate a workplace situation. Participants were then provided with an online voodoo doll for one minute where they were asked to label the doll as their supervisor.

This study tested the participant’s response and assessed their justice perception.

The second group also recalled an abusive workplace situation although were asked to trace the outline of the voodoo doll and label it as nobody. The final group served as a baseline group to assess justice perception.

“The voodoo doll is used simply because it’s a convenient way to manipulate a psychological state of retaliation, so once they stab the doll they feel symbolically retaliated against their supervisor,” Liang said. “We just used it as a way to test retaliation.”

Despite the amount of research that highlights the negatives of workplace retaliation, many employees continue to retaliate after being abused by their supervisor.

“Say your boss said something to you and you’re feeling angry, you retaliate but then that’s bad for your career, you probably won’t get that promotion, but employees do

this all the time,” Liang said.

Liang’s most recent paper looks at mindfulness interventions on how to train employees to be more mindful. Liang’s mindfulness research also used voodoo dolls as a way to measure an employee’s aggression. Participants were asked to insert pins into the online voodoo doll and the number of pins used measured their level of aggression.

Her focus is on management rather than punishing an employee for retaliation against their supervisor, and also looking at supervisor behaviour.

“The goal of my research is to promote more effective leadership behaviours in the workplace,” Liang said.

Liang has been conducting this research since her PhD dissertation in 2013-14 where she studied the notion of employees retaliating against supervisors after they had experienced aggression.

“As researchers, we’re advocating for people to alleviate or mitigate retaliation,” Liang said.

“In this way maybe rather than being abused in the workplace, employees can rather than immediately retaliating against your supervisor keep in mind there are alternatives that are harmless.”

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

LSOI event disrupted by fire alarm Unpopular Opinions Speaker series sparks counter-demonstration

JAKE WATTS/NEWS EDITOR

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus is currently embroiled in another polarizing debate, although this time around it is much less vague with respect to where people stand.

The debate is, again, centred around Lindsay Shepherd and her efforts to promote “open inquiry” on campus at Laurier. She aims to do this by hosting a series of speakers under the premise of “The Unpopular Opinion Speaker Series.”

The first speaker in the series was set to be Faith Goldy.

Goldy—who, back in December, famously cited the 14-word neo-Nazi oath in a podcast—is known for her ties to right-wing and far-right media publications including The Daily Stormer and The Rebel Media.

Leading up to the event, hundreds of counter-protestors set up in the quad, performing songs and giving speeches as Shepherd prepared to host Goldy.

“We’re just a group of concerned students who got together and thought that we can’t just let one side of the message stand,” Ann Marie Beals, a Laurier community psychology graduate student said.

Beals acted as the media liaison for the counter protest.

“We wanted people to know that it’s not as black and white as it seems and there’s another part to this ... there’s another part of the so-called freedom of expression or freedom of speech discourse that actually silences students on this campus.”

Beals said that the event was organized by a collective of various students.

“Honestly, its just a whole bunch

of students from all kinds of different places. We’re not representing one particular group … we’re just students who have had enough of this and wanted to do something proactive and we don’t have a name,” she said.

“We wanted to celebrate our own voices that would be silenced in that event and we just wanted to show solidarity with one another and to lift each other.”

Ruth Cameron, a second-year PhD candidate, was among the performers who demonstrated at the counter-protest.

“I would say that this event is important to me,” she said.

“Students who are marginalized in this institution are put in a really difficult place by the actions taken by the university, to be asked to remain silent in the face of hate speech.”

Cameron spoke to the nature of the LSOI’s event which was set to take place on campus as the same time as the protest.

We are not interested in giving a platform to individuals such as the the two women who are engaged in this action over on the other side of campus,” she said.

“We’re also not interested in acting like nothing is wrong and burying our heads in the sand.”

Back at the Paul Martin Centre the tension began to mount, and as hundreds of people lined up from the entrance to the concourse, it became clear that the event would hit capacity very quickly.

Because of this, those in attendance were asked to sign up as members of LSOI in order to guarantee admittance.

As the room began to fill up, members of the media pooled up in the side aisles and attendants were asked to back up against the wall if they weren’t seated due to

fire safety regulations.

Laurier professor William McNally stood at the front of the room and began his introduction.

“I want to thank our guest speaker, Faith Goldy, and the Laurier Society for Free Inquiry, the university—I want to thank them because they are taking this very seriously…” McNally began.

Just as McNally began to set out “a few ground rules,” the fire alarm was pulled.

Laurier confirmed to The Cord that a precondition of the event meant that a fire alarm would result in evacuation and, for safety reasons, the event would not resume as planned in the designated room. The response in the crowd was mixed, some seemed excited at eliciting response, and others disappointed that the event would not longer commence.

“This is a really juvenile, irresponsible [response],” McNally said.

“Well folks, we’re going to get some fresh air,” he said, as members of LSOI decided to move their talk to Veteran’s Green, an outdoor space directly across the street from Laurier’s campus.

After the room was evacuated, Lindsay Shepherd addressed a mixed crowd of supporters and protestors from the very same spot she spoke at five months ago at a free speech rally—which was also attended by Faith Goldy.

She expressed disappointment to the crowd, but stated that the next time Faith Goldy is invited to speak on campus—in a month or so, she presumes—they will choose a venue with a larger capacity.

“The turnout was amazing but this was super disappointing – so much work goes into this. We were respectful about their counter-demonstration, we attended

Be a Pilot!

and we listened for the time that we could before we had to leave.

We didn’t disrupt, but it’s just their tactics that they disrupt,” Shepherd told The Cord.

“They could have just asked challenging questions at the end, but it’s too bad that that’s how they are going to play it.”

After Shepherd spoke, Goldy allegedly made a joke about land acknowledgements before offering a brief statement.

“Mark my words, I will come back and I will give that presentation,” she said.

The scheduled talk had been met with resistance from throughout the Laurier community and the Kitchener-Waterloo community as well; the official response from the school vaguely supported LSOI’s right to host the event.

Deborah MacLatchy, president and vice-chancellor of Laurier, released a statement addressing the Laurier community on the morning of March 20. In her statement, she spoke to the decision to invite Goldy to campus and the ensuing backlash.

“I want to state very clearly that I personally and absolutely reject the ideas and values attributed to this speaker and that they are in no way aligned with or reflective of the core values of our university,” the letter read.

“It is my sincere hope that the organizers of, and participants in, this event take seriously the responsibilities and accountabilities that accompany free expression and will engage in a civil discourse that is free from hate.”

MacLatchy’s statement also refers back to a notice that was posted by Laurier on Friday. The notice began by stating that: “Some have asked why the university permits controversial speakers on its cam-

puses. Wilfrid Laurier University does not limit the peaceful and lawful expression of ideas.”

Among other things, the notice stated that, although these speakers are exercising their right to freedom of expression, “their presence at the university does not imply that the university, or all members of the university community, endorse the views they are expressing.”

The notice also acknowledged that “the views expressed may be difficult for some to hear,” and, in preparation for this, is directing students with concerns to diversity@wlu.ca and staff/faculty to hr@ wlu.ca.

In contrast to the school’s response, the Graduate Students’ Association and Students’ Union at Laurier have released a joint statement, noting that “Sometimes ‘unpopular’ opinions are simply ignorant and complicit in the spread of hate and bigotry.”

The statement went on to describe the implications that hosting certain speakers on campus might have: “While premised on the notion of free inquiry, there is little doubt that these speakers are increasingly brought to campus in a specific attempt to provoke resistance. They are singularly focused on producing and stoking outrage because it distracts from their otherwise weak and unsubstantiated arguments.”

The statement continued on to note that both the GSA and the Students’ Union “believe this weaponization of free speech ultimately supresses open debate and prevents many in our community from feeling recognized, valued and included.”

The full version is available online at thecord.ca. With files from Nathalie Bouchard.

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NEWS • 7

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 FUNDRAISING

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Raising money for KW Humane Society JAKE WATTS NEWS EDITOR

The Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society is still totalling all of the money they managed to raise from this year’s National Cupcake Day, which took place on Feb. 27.

National Cupcake Day, an annual initiative to bring in money for humane societies across the country, has community members bake homemade cupcakes to sell to friends, family and others at a profit.

Those profits are then donated to help humane societies provide the appropriate care to animals.

Cristina Strub, events coordinator for the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society, remarked on the significance of the annual fundraising event.

“It’s actually extremely important to us,” Strub said.

“It’s one of our biggest fundraising events and we don’t receive any sort of government funding for the animals in our care, so we really rely heavily on the generosity of the community members and every penny that they bring in to us goes straight back to the animals and the care that they receive,” Strub said.

And this year’s fundraising effort, the result of which is not yet fully totalled, is sure to help the KW Humane Society continue to provide care to animals that need it.

“So we actually still have funds that come trickling in even through the month of April,” Strub said.

“As of right now, we have made approximately $27,000 and of course it’s still climbing, so we’re definitely going to be seeing some more money coming in over the next month,” Strub said.

“Probably by about early May we’ll have a final number for everyone,” Strub said.

That money will go towards financing the variety of ways that the KW Humane Society aids the animals in their care.

“It costs approximately $30 a day to care, just basic needs, for an animal in our care. And that includes things like exercise, food, shelter,

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It costs approximately $30 a day to care, just basic need, for an animal in our care.

-Cristina Strub, events coordinator for KW Humane Society

vaccinations and sometimes even microchipping,” Strub said.

But Strub iterated that those basic forms of care don’t always exhaust the services that the KW Humane Society provides to animals in need.

“Of course we have additional costs that could arise. So if an animal comes in and they require emergency surgery, we have an animal hospital on location, and again that’s all funded by donations either from sponsors or yearly donors, or of course these large events that take place annually,” Strub said.

In spite of what might be suggested by its name, National Cupcake Day actually got its start overseas in Australia.

“Australia has been doing it for a number of years now, and they’ve kind of expanded globally and it’s come into Canada, and as you can see, other people have really embraced this idea of baking cupcakes and selling them for a profit or actually just going out and finding their local venues that are doing it so that they can purchase the cupcakes,” Strub said.

Beyond National Cupcake Day, the KW Humane Society has a variety of other events on the horizon.

“We have the Wiggle Waggle Walkathon that we do annually and that’s going to be taking place at the end of May,” Strub said.

“And then we have our annual Surf Dogs that takes place over at Bingeman’s and that always happens in September when they close their pool down,” Strub said.

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8 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD arts@thecord.ca

CLUBS

Bend and snack ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

ELIZA MORATZ STAFF WRITER

The life of a student can be extremely stressful, especially with final exams on the horizon.

The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates that 10-20 per cent of Canadian are affected by a mental illness or disorder.

Statistics Canada states that depression peaks during adolescence and early adulthood and experiencing stress increases the risk of depression and suicidal ideation.

This means that university students are particularly vulnerable.

One only needs to look to our neighbours at the University of Waterloo to realize that mental health is a real concern among university students, as there were recently demonstrations on campus to call for increased access to mental health services on campus.

Finding ways to deal with stress is an important tool in maintaining mental wellness and one club at Laurier had an idea of how to help students relieve some stress.

On March 16, the Anthropology Student Association (ANSA), a club on the Laurier Waterloo campus, ran a ‘Yoga and Froyo’ event.

It included a one-hour yoga class hosted by Queen Street Yoga in Kitchener, followed by frozen yogurt at Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt in Waterloo.

“We’re students, we’re stressed out, we could use a little relaxation,” Alexandrea Badger, President of ANSA said. Badger is a fourth-year student in Anthropology and Sociology. Yoga and Froyo was chosen with the hope that it would give students a chance to relax and socialize.

Five students attended the beginner yoga class at Queen

We’re students, we’re stressed out, we could use a little relaxation.

-Alexandrea Badger, President of ANSA

Street Yoga, led by a licensed yoga instructor.

Participants gathered at the yoga studio, where the event’s small size helped create a cozy atmosphere.

The room was filled with energy and laughter, with many of the limitations of a larger yoga class having disappeared.

Badger deemed the event a success despite the low turnout, as it was still a calming afternoon for those in attendance.

“I had a really great time at yoga, it was very de-stressing and [had] a welcoming atmosphere,” Kirstin Corbett, an anthropology and communications student who attended the event said.

After yoga, students made their way to Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt across from Laurier for a sweet treat, courtesy of ANSA. The event was at no cost to students.

“We’re a club for anthropology students, but we’re not exclusive to anthropology students. It’s any students at Laurier who may have an interest in learning about culture or even just want to make friends and join the club to take part in some of that community,” Badger said.

All students are welcome to at-

tend events run by ANSA, whether they are members or not. Other events run by the club include study groups, documentaries, button making and bowling.

Yoga and Froyo was one of the events that was held in place of a trip to the Royal Ontario Museum that ANSA has held in the past. Following decreased interest in recent years, the club decided to use their resources to fund a series of smaller events throughout the year.

“We’re really interested in running events that students want,” Badger said.

ANSA encourages students to approach them with any ideas of events they would like to see run on campus. The club is hoping that more people come out to the next event in the series. There will be an identical event on April 6. Anyone interested is encouraged to RVSP on the ANSA WLU Facebook page.

has proven to be difficult. This is the third restaurant I’ve seen set up shop in my three years as a Laurier student.

I ordered the lamb souvlaki which came with a Greek salad heavily doused with dressing and parmesan cheese. I had forgotten what fresh vegetable salad tasted like.

The lamb was cooked to perfection and they will ask if you want any of your bovine protein to be cooked to rare, medium or well done — which I haven’t been asked since I got a steak on my last birthday — reminding me that this isn’t your everyday student spot.

Although it says “Mediterranean Grill” on the front of the building, there are lots of options on the menu.

This location seems to try to walk the line of being a hybrid dining location, being both sit down and take out as well as having array of options — i.g. pizza, wings, pitas, wraps and sandwiches, poutine and garlic bread. It’s like a faster version of an upper class dining experience. A full course meal you can have in-restaurant or at home.

It will cost you though: the step up in quality is as noticeable as the upped price.

Probably the most important to note is that a meal here is going to be closer to $20 than $10. I’d recommend this place because, for one, Mediterranean isn’t my thing and I still loved it and two, this is some fresh and fast food. After a night of drinking, this could have you walking home happier than a

greasy alternative.

But the greasy option is here too.

For example, the zucchini spears; like the sibling of pickle spears but without the guilt.

The Tyropitakia is delicious too.

It’s like a bougie mozzarella stick with melted Greek feta cheese.

It was cooked a little bit beyond perfection for my tastes, but the potential was there.

One of the biggest positives is that you will feel full after eating, but not heavy-full.

I definitely recommend giving it a try. Next time one of my parents comes to visit I will take them here because last time I took my Dad to Pizza Maniac and he was less than thrilled It is a difficult position that the restaurant is in because there is not a lot of time to establish their place on the street or their target audience.

The trouble may be that they are under the shadow of King St. residence. As a third-year student, I have had my fill of shawarma and pizza and I am now starting to do some “adulting” and have been looking for food that includes more sections of a balanced diet. Firstyear students may pass right by this place because there are cheaper options only 30 steps further.

Although they have the greasy options, I predict their most consistent demographic will be students that choose to avoid pickle spears in favor of zucchini, ones who will drop the mozza-sticks in an instant just to get an order of that Tyropitakia.

FOOD

WWGRS — what would Gordon Ramsey say?

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

GARRISON OOSTERHOF WEB DIRECTOR

In case you missed the most recent renovation in the little building between Phil’s and the King St. residence, there is a new Greek restaurant, Olive Tree, near campus.

After getting the most conventional Mediterranean dish (lamb souvlaki) I could think of, I am optimistic that this place can do well by having captured a unique approach the other restaurants within walking distance — or the previous stores this place is built on — haven’t done: hybridize.

When I walked in I didn’t know what to expect, I had to ask if I sit down or go to the counter to order because I got mixed vibes, turns out it’s both.

The location is a bit tight, but I

think they had a tricky line to walk with that square footage. Comfortable booths, modern aesthetic, open kitchen — which you just know raises the stakes.

The waitress informed me that they were open late on Wednesday and Sunday till 3 a.m. to cater to the the nightlife crowd.

Smart. If you are going to survive here, you must take advantage of the surge of inebriated consumers that Phil’s regularly churns out.

Survival is the key word here, there is no denying this location

ARTS & LIFE • 9

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 SOCIAL ADVOCACY

Recognizing the impact of war at Wilfrid Laurier EVANGELINE HUNT STAFF WRITER

My Friday mornings are usually spent sleeping in, but last week I made an exception.

International Students Overcoming War (ISOW) held a symposium — Responding to the Human Realities of Conflict — with the department of Global Studies and Religion & Culture.

ISOW describe themselves as a unique student-led humanitarian initiative that brings students, faculty and staff together to realize Laurier’s commitment to inspiring lives of leadership and purpose.

Their mission is to promote student engagement through the study of the human realities of international conflict as well as to provide scholarships to international students affected by conflict.

I was aware of ISOW’s work due a class I took last semester with Laurier professor Gavin Brockett, who often spoke of the work that ISOW did. The group also houses a few of the scholars who I am lucky to call my friends. I was keen to learn a little more about what ISOW does.

The symposium started with a welcome by Richard Nemesvari, the Dean of Arts. He provided an anecdote on his background; his grandfather fled to Germany following World War Two to avoid Soviet aggression. Despite this close connection that Nemesvari has to the refugee experience, he explained that growing up it was simply a story.

“I never really understand what they had gone through,” Nemesvari said.

This anecdote really highlighted the purpose of the symposium, which was to figure out how to turn these stories into productivity, or even just to truly understand the refugee experience.

“Until we can truly understand

NIRUPAM SINGH/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

it,” Nemesvari said. “It’s going to be difficult for us to do anything about it”.

Brockett spoke next, introducing the symposium by highlighting its importance in fulfilling ISOW’s mission.

“How should we, here in Canada at a university, respond to what we have learned about the everyday experiences of people whose realities seem so far removed from our own?” Brockett asked.

Brockett highlighted the difficulty in answering this question.

There is a danger of offending or upsetting the individuals who we strive to help, but at the same time, we feel like we must act in one way or another. ISOW provides a solution to this difficult problem, despite its acknowledgement of the bumpy road ahead.

“One of the most difficult challenges that we face is how to address, or whether to undress the pain and suffering that the war has taken on our scholars,” Brockett said.

“Or on the thousands of Syrians who have moved to Kitchener-Waterloo as refugees in the past two-and-a-half years.” This is a

challenge that I myself faced when interacting with Syrian newcomers through my class with Brockett last semester, yet I am unable to give an answer that can be applied to every individual.

Brockett concluded with a response from a Syrian newcomer in the K-W region who was invited to attend the symposium. Recent bombings in Damascus have left people in the suburb of Ghouta trapped in basements fearing for their lives, including the newcomer’s sister.

“The idea of ‘how can I spend fun time while my sister may face death at the same time?’ The whole idea scares me.” She explained, declining the invitation to speak further.

Although we are aware that we can do little to stop the conflict in Syria, we all can and do contribute in other ways. ISOW’s vice president reminded us that we are all humanitarians, as $4 of our tuition is donated to ISOW for them to fund their scholarship programs. ISOW have supported 13 undergraduate and graduate students from other countries on full scholarships programs in only

two-and-a-half years.

We quickly moved on to the workshop; we were given hypothetical situations that while fictional for us are the reality of many Syrians.

In groups of 10 we formed a Syrian family, all with different opinions of how to respond to the conflict and we had to conclude as to whether to stay in Syria or flee to neighbouring counties.

The workshop made us consider some of the realities that many Syrians face. An ill family member may make fleeing difficult, and children who are committed to their education in Syria may wish to stay.

More than anything, it made us realise that there was no easy option, regardless of our decision, our family still faced hardship.

Death of family members was often a consequence of either circumstance; there was no “better” solution.

ISOW scholar Judy shared her experiences growing up in Syria once the conflict started. I’m unable to translate the delicacy of her words into a quote or two, so I’m not going to try. What I will say is

that the bravery of these scholars and newcomers amazes me, and Brockett could not have been more accurate when he said: “We at Laurier are just as much the beneficiaries of the ISOW scholarship program as are the scholars who receive the financial support.”

The morning ended with a lunch of Syrian cuisine prepared

by Brockett’s wife Meg and her Syrian friends. A favourite class last semester meant that eating Syrian food was a regular occurrence for me and I had missed it greatly. The Syrian food was served to students in the dining hall, which was a great way to allow students to try new cuisines.

While we were eating, a second ISOW scholar spoke. She used the word “privilege” a few times; the privilege of the scholarship to allow her to have an education, the privilege to play soccer, the privilege of being safe. These are things which many us take for granted, and it’s important to remember that for some people, these things are not guaranteed.

Trying to find an answer to the question “how should we respond to the human realities of conflict?” is difficult; there is no black and white answer. While the symposium didn’t necessarily provide an answer, it did help us get a little closer.

There is no right or wrong answer, but rather an understanding that we should be sensitive and thoughtful. Often it is the little things that we are able to do that can impact individuals on a personal level. On a bigger scale, ISOW is a direct response to the human realities of conflict and has had a life-changing impact on thirteen scholars. On top of this, it encourages thoughtful conversation and discussion around the topic, and a greater understanding of the realities that individuals may

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10 • GAMES

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

All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous 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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear Life, Really disappointed with my school these days Sincerely, #NoNazisAtLaurier

and open nation that allows people to have choices many others in the world do not. However, why are we not more willing to draw the line on “free speech” when someone’s opinions are literally invalidating the existence of entire populations of people?! I used to hold a strong sense of pride for the Laurier community.

But now? I’m ashamed to even say that I graduated from here.

Dear Life, Sure, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Yes, Canada is a free

Sincerely, #NoNazisAtLaurier

Dear Life,

Dear Life,

Like pretty much everyone else any sense of empathy, I too and appalled by the fact that a known neo-Nazi is preaching their rhetoric on campus.

I remember when this Lindsay Shepherd bullshit was first going down and at that point of time we were all like “what the fuck, Jordan Peterson sucks” and people were like “but he is a ‘respected’ intellectual that works for a university.” I can understand how people might feel indifferent about the restrictions put on the showing of a TV clip, and understandably my reaction was focused on the problematic teaching methods of Sheperd, not the material per se (Actually I had a teacher show the same clip in class, he just provided better context). But if you told people at the time that this would lead to her inviting a LITERAL neo-Nazi on to campus, I feel like the problem would have been stomped out long ago but I don’t feel like talking anymore so peace out fam.

Are you kidding me!? You blew a 3-0 lead?? You guys had better win the cup soon because emotionally I am finding new meanings to the term “end of my rope.”

Sincerely, It’s great to be a golden hawk lol

Sincerely, Mad Maple Leaf Dear Life, What is blue and round?

Sincerely, A blue ball Dear Life, What is green and alive?

Sincerely, Ezra Dear Life, The sun is gone, but I have a light.

I think I’m dumb.

Maybe just happy.

Sincerely,

Dear Dr. Deb, kurdt Don’t use policy as a way to hide behind your fear of doing what’s right. #NoNazisAtLaurier.

Sincerely, Laurier alum

GAMES • 11

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12 •

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Unpopular Opinion: Laurier students deserve better Faith Goldy, a Canadian woman described as having alt-right leanings and was formerly affiliation with The Rebel Media, was set to be the first speaker for Laurier Students for Open Inquiry’s “Unpopular Opinions” series on March 20.

Goldy gained attention for her coverage of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and has raised a considerable amount of local controversy regarding her presence on Laurier’s campus for her “Ethnocide: Multiculturalism and European Canadian Identity” talk.

With the actual outcome of the event aside, Wilfrid Laurier University’s administration has shown little resistance to her appearance and has made statements removing themselves as an authority and disregarded their own capability of stopping the event from happening. Under the banner of free speech, the school has made it clear that they aren’t willing to stand on a side that shuts down hate speech.

The controversy that occurred with Lindsay Shepherd in November has made it possible for Goldy’s presence to be supported and it has made it possible for her to use Laurier as another place to showcase controversial viewpoints.

Giving a platform to a person who has been accused of promoting hate speech is something that raises the question of where the university will draw the line – or if they will ever draw the line – when it comes to problematic and offensive people speaking at our university.

Laurier seems reluctant to take action — giving the impression that it’s acceptable to hold that kind of opinion in what should be an inclusive and progressive educational setting. This reluctance

makes sense when one factors in the blowback that would incite if they prevented Goldy from speaking on campus.

Allowing Goldy to promote her hateful views on a campus that claims to promote diversity is only going to give more credence to others like her, increasing the amount of unease amongst students who might not feel safe – and rightfully so – with her representing a group that boasts such “unpopular opinions.”

Wider tolerance may not be supported if this is the standard that Laurier is willing to set.

The school needs to take a firmer stance on what constitutes “free speech” and how that differentiates from hate speech.

At the very least, there needs to be an examination of the booking policy that seemingly allowed this event to happen. The discrimination and trivialization of marginalized groups cannot be tolerated or excused.

Students who show their concern and upset over her presence should not be labelled as overly sensitive “snowflakes” — a term often used to devalue the lived experiences of those who are part of marginalized, racialized or oppressed groups.

These student groups — all student groups — have a right to feel outraged over Laurier’s leniency regarding Goldy’s presence on our campus and her ability to stand proudly and express her arguably questionable views.

In this situation, we look to those in positions of power to exercise their power in a means that protects students and preserves the reputation of our school. In this situation, those in positions of power have failed us.

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Laurier parking has to change LUKE SARAZIN PHOTO 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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PRESIDENT Andreas Patsiaouros president@wlusp.com

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FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com

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Parking at Laurier can be, in short, a frustrating experience.

It seems that there is not enough parking on campus for students after they are forced to park further away multiple times, in public parking due to white permit lots being full. When one receives a parking ticket, the feeling of ‘if I’d known I wasn’t allowed to park there, I wouldn’t have’ is all too familiar. It is easy to feel, due to lack of parking and other irritating ergonomic concerns, that the $339.05 one spends for a white permit is poor value. Overall, it would seem that Laurier parking services need to update certain aspects of the lots in response to analysis of ergonomic concerns — an adaptive approach that I feel is not being taken.

This is a very ‘first world’ issue, but nonetheless it is always nice to see the little things being taken care of. Of course, complaints such as “there’s not enough parking on campus” or “I didn’t deserve that ticket” or “Laurier parking services are milking students for cash” are either counterproductive or unfair, despite the catharsis these utter-

ances might bring us. A significantly more constructive approach would be to suggest solutions to frequent issues. Not only is this approach more useful, it creates a more friendly dialogue between students and parking services.

The first issue is that there is not enough parking on campus for an average day’s number of drivers to find spots at peak times. To be fair to parking services, this is a difficult problem to alleviate. No one can create space for parking out of thin air.

However, the responses from parking services on the issue do not assuage frustrations. The current opinion from their administration is that students should park at Northdale campus and accept the walk from that lot.

To be fair once again, Northdale campus always has an abundance of open parking. However, this outlook is ultimately unhelpful due to the presence of public parking that is further from campus than the ideal lots, but closer than Northdale campus.

These public parking spaces are the go-to backups for students, myself included. A possible solution to this problem would be the flexible reassignment of spots in nonwhite permit lots to white permit parking based on analysis of usage.

The underground blue permit lot under King Street Residence, for instance, is never full: there are always many free spots available

at every time of day, implying which leads one to suspect that the number of resident blue permits issued is lower than the number of spots in that lot. In cases where the number of spots in certain color lots exceeds the number of corresponding permits issued, it might be beneficial for parking services to re-mark excess spots as white permit parking.

There are other issues that suggest parking services are not continually observing and updating the lots in response to ergonomic issues. In the lot outside of Willison Hall, one-third of the lot’s parking is gold permit. However, the signs indicating this are placed so low that reverse-parked vans and SUV’s will cover these signs, making it quite easy to believe that the spaces are white permit like the rest of the lot — only to come back to a surprise ticket, as yours truly did. It would be reasonable for parking services to ensure that signs are placed in a manner as to always be visible.

To sum up my thoughts, it would be advisable for Laurier parking services to take a continually proactive and critical approach to the allocation and ergonomic design of the lots, wherein administration constantly seeks out areas of improvement. This would create better faith among students and staff, and serve to alleviate frustrations over the value of one’s parking permit.

• 13

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

Opinion

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Tips and tricks for doing better in school

goes off.

But staying motivated for school doesn’t have to all be based on fear.

There are a lot of other techniques I like to use. One of the most important aspects of school that I’ve always had trouble with has been answering questions in class and speaking up in general.

No one wants to seem like a know-it-all tool who thinks he’s God’s gift to the classroom but being completely silent isn’t the answer either.

While I realize it may be the most uncomfortable thing in the world to do sometimes, especially if you’re not sure of yourself, being

engaged in the class is vital to getting those dreaded participation marks.

Professors recognize when you’re trying and appreciate it.

Even if you aren’t always right, it will get you more comfortable with the idea of using your voice in an academic environment, which is crucial if you want to succeed.

My anxiety related standards have also helped tremendously.

You don’t have to be ridiculously harsh on yourself — that just leads to self-deprecation and isn’t conductive to improvement.

But understanding the kind of student you are, striving to get better and then not allowing

yourself to fall below that level, is the foundation of getting through those especially tough classes.

When all else fails, sometimes you need to suck up a bit of your pride and email your professors when you aren’t fully grasping something or need clarification.

It may sound contrived and overdone, but the perception you’re given of university professors isn’t always accurate. They’re people too, so doing things like adding a little humor to an essay title can go a long way.

At the end of the day, they want you to understand the material that you are paying money to be taught and they want you to be as successful as you can be, because it means they are as equally successful at their job.

It is up to you to make sure you are doing everything to flourish, especially if it makes you nervous.

The unfortunate thing about anxiety and nerves in general, is that a lot of the time they keep you from growing into the best version of yourself.

Sometimes, you can use that fear to propel you forward, but you need to be willing to recognize that ultimately it will hold you back if you don’t try to push past it and get help for it.

It doesn’t have to be grand leaps and bounds if you start out with hops and skips, but you need to make sure you can take the little steps confidently so that other things don’t seem so overwhelming.

over the director’s music videography reveals he has recycled this idea with Bjork (“It’s oh so Quiet” 1995), The Pharcyde (“Drop” 1996), The Chemical Brothers (“Elektrobank” 1997) Sean Lennon (“Home” 1998) and most famously with Fatboy Slim and a jitterbugging Christopher Walken in an empty hotel no less (“Weapon of Choice” 2000).

With all of them following a similar concept, they do fit well with the director’s penchant for DIY quirkiness and lo-fi whimsical surrealism and I don’t mean to minimize the artistry involved in producing these videos. Let’s not pretend, however, that Jonze isn’t above pulling this card out

of a deck whenever it suits him, even doing it again this year for a charming Apple Music ad with FKA Twigs.

It is a common music video trope, but it seems it was just too easy to call Swift a manipulative rip-off artist because it conveniently fits the circulated profile she has cultivated over her decade of playing the victim and shifting blame.

We all remember how she orchestrated the outrage over Kanye West’s “Famous” video by approving it in private, only to trash it once the cameras started rolling.

She got the sympathy she wanted and the methods she utilizes to maintain her star persona privately and publicly border on Machia-

vellian at times, but to think every move she makes as an artist is to be coded sinister seems excessive.

The timing and similarities notwithstanding, it is very likely the videos were a result of parallel thinking where they independently came to a homologous conceptual base without intending to.

What I say won’t stop many of you from thinking the worst of Taylor Swift and I didn’t even intend to come to her defense over one of my favourite film directors of all time.

I’m willing to admit plagiarism exists in this case if that is explicitly what you are looking for, but that’s having the conclusion and working backwards from there.

AARON HAGEY STAFF WRITER

I wish that I was one of those people who had the natural motivation to keep up with my classes, readings and assignments, on top of work, extracurriculars and a thriving social life.

As someone who has always struggled to keep those priorities in focus, it has been one of the hardest things about university that I’ve had to adjust to.

I can picture the encouraging Instagram posts already – if you lack motivation, you need to make up for it with discipline, then you won’t need to worry!

Motivation wanes, but discipline is forever! But that doesn’t exactly help when you don’t possess much of that either.

In my case, my various anxieties have helped propel me through my troubles. Now, I’m all for conquering fears, but in this case, I’ve found a way to use it to my advantage.

Fear is a powerful motivator.

Half of the reason why I miss so few classes is because I’ve developed a paranoia that my professors will take notice and secretly shame me in my absence.

Because I try to make myself known to them as soon as possible

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

in the semester, it sets the precedent in my mind that I’ve already established a reputation with them that I don’t want to ruin.

Furthermore, because attending class is something that is so fundamental for learning, you need to convince yourself — like I have — that missing class is death. Worse than death, it’s like paying back your student loans.

Once you have that in your head, no matter how boring it is, how much you hate the professor or how badly you’d rather have that extra hour of sleep — thank you 8:30 a.m. classes — that fear is often what will shoot me awake in the morning before my alarm even

T-Swift plagiarism?

CHRIS LUCIANTONIO STAFF WRITER

2016 saw unorthodox director Spike Jonze return to filmmaking since his Oscar-winning Her back in 2013 with a perfume ad giddily extolling primal free-spirited silliness.

A tour de force of spatial direction and committed performance, the video for Kenzo World saw actress/model Margaret Qualley bursting with uncontrollable energy as she contorts her body every which way to the tune of a pulverizing dancehall track.

As she convulses her way through the bourgeois stuffiness of a high-end hotel, complete with ostentatious architecture clashing with her maverick dissent, you get how much of a unique treat this video is. So when the equally beloved and derided Taylor Swift does something similar two years later, people are bound to get up in arms over it.

It’s not as if elements from Spike Jonze’s short film cannot be seen

represented in Swift’s “Delicate” video, it is just a matter of how conscious the cribbing was from her side or how much of it was honestto-God parallel thinking.

Yes the concepts are most assuredly cut from a near identical cloth of a solitary free-spirit dancing to the beat of their own soundtrack, happily unconcerned with the pressing matters of reality.

Though not exactly an inspired concept, Swift does little to help her case as she contorts her face and engages in a similar kind of simian-esque dancing as Qualley in an equally posh hotel.

All this circumstantially points to is an open and shut case of plagiarism, if that is what you want it to be classified as, but the truth of the matter is it’s a shaky call at best.

Are we so quick to crucify Ms. Bad Blood that we are just going to overlook how bankrupt of originality this concept really is? In this scenario, Swift as the preeminent persona non grata of the pop world is absolutely a plagiarist for her “Delicate” video, but no one would accuse Jonze of being a hacky self-plagiarist for recreating this video frequently throughout his three decade career.

Yes, the single dancer gimmick is a well-worn concept, but looking

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14 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018 the next person.”

The fact that Hawking believed that talking about his personal challenges, or advocating for people with disabilities, would cause people to stop seeing him as a scientist, or even as a whole person, is a terrible thing.

Viewing disability and achievement, academic or otherwise, as a dichotomy not only perpetuates harmful stereotypes, it silences people like Hawking.

Someone with the power to create meaningful change within the system from speaking out, for fear of being difficult to work with, being viewed as a complainer, etc.

He died at the age of 76, which is quite an achievement for someone who was just given a few months to live at 21.

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Stephen Hawking’s legacy LAUREN SANDERS OPINION COLUMNIST

Stephen Hawking, arguably the greatest — and definitely the most well-known — contemporary

physicist, died on March 14, 2018, at the age of 76, which is quite an achievement for someone who was given just a few months to live at 21.

Stephen Hawking was justifiably famous for two things.

He was a genius physicist and had a motor neuron disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Although he was arguably the most well-known disabled scholar of his time and perhaps ever, Hawking was always hesitant to accept the mantle of a disability activist.

This is because he wanted to be known as “a scientist first, popular science writer second and, in all the ways that matter, a normal human being with the same desires, drives, dreams and ambitions as

He did eventually accept this mantle when he was confined to a wheelchair, which made it impossible for him to enter Cambridge University.

The university briefly refused to provide the funds to build the ramp he would need.

The fact that Cambridge University would refuse to provide an accommodation to one of its most brilliant and well-known minds in order to save on renovation costs, shows how much work has been done.

It also shows how much work still needs to be done with regards to accessibility.

Recent protests and political movements have shown the world that this is not a time for silence.

It is not a time to bow our heads and quietly tolerate injustice.

The turnout at the Women’s

Marches, the success of Black Lives Matter and the ever-expanding Pride Parades prove that we as a people are willing to stand up for those of us who are in marginalized groups.

The one key group, however, that we have left out the discussion thus far are people with disabilities.

According to Stats Canada, more than 30 percent of Canadians are currently living with some form of disability.

That number is projected to rise steadily as the population ages as well.

That is a significant number of people, enough that most should directly know someone with a disability of some sort.

So why, in this era of activism, have these people still been left on the sidelines?

He did eventually accept this mantle when he was confined to a wheelchair, which made it impossible for him to enter Cambridge University.

I believe that the perceived dichotomy of disability and ability is a huge contributing factor to this marginalization.

There is a prevailing and problematic belief in society.

Even today when people pride themselves on tolerance, is that you can either do something well or you can’t do it at all.

Accommodations don’t factor into these conversations because they aren’t cost effective.

Then the question remains, why hire a person who can do the job with aids if you can hire someone who can do the job without them?

Well, would you have hired Stephen Hawking?

The problem with the outing of Lee Pace BRITTANY TENHAGE STAFF WRITER

It’s always very exciting for the LGBTQ+ community when somebody comes out and joins us, especially when it’s someone who lives in the public eye and who we admire.

However, the thing about coming out is that it has to be done on one’s own time. Want to live out and proud? Cool. Want to be private about who you love?

That’s cool too. It needs to be that person’s decision to come out, not someone else’s.

So, while Lee Pace came out about 2 weeks ago, it isn’t as exciting for the LGBTQ+ community.

He was technically outed in 2011,

by Sir Ian McKellen, when he listed fellow actors working on The Hob-

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bit he believed to be openly gay.

However, Pace didn’t address his sexuality until recently, on March 5th. He didn’t come out of his own volition or choice. He was forced out of the closet by a journalist during a phone interview.

In a series of tweets afterwards, he addressed his sexuality by saying he was a member of the queer community and that he owns who he is. This same journalist, Brian Moylan, outed Anderson Cooper in 2012. He has no issue with forcing people out of the closet and claims

that silence about one’s sexuality is problematic due to the struggles that the LGBTQ+ community faces.

However, outing someone is a problematic move.

Some people face danger from family and friends due to their sexual orientations and some would simply rather live their lives privately. To force someone to come out is unethical. Some members of the LGBTQ+ community believe that it’s no longer unethical to out someone when that person is a celebrity. If they live their lives

in the public, then they shouldn’t be afforded privacy that isn’t given to straight celebrities. It is believed that if LGBTQ+ actors are given that privacy, it contributes to the media’s discomfort when dealing with LGBTQ+ individuals.

If actors aren’t out, then the media doesn’t have to talk about LGBTQ+ people. Is this true?

Maybe. However, celebrities appreciate their privacy just as much as regular people, whether they’re part of the LGBTQ+ community or not. Many actors with heterosexual

partners aren’t public about their relationships and many celebrities don’t even have public relationships. Whether or not the media likes to avoid talking about celebrities in gay relationships and people being gay in general, celebrities who are gay should be given the opportunity to come out on their own. Coming out and addressing one’s sexuality should always be a choice, even if people live in the public eye. While it’s always beneficial for people to address homophobia and the struggles that the LGBTQ+ community faces, whoever is addressing it should be ready to do so on their own time.

Nobody deserves to have their life thrust into the spotlight without it being their choice.

Celebrities are normal people, and they should be given the same privacy as we are given in our day to day lives, no matter who they want to spend their time with.

Queer people deserve to be treated with dignity, just like everyone else.

• 15

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21. 2018

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca

ENVIRONMENT

RinkWatch initiative helps measure climate change PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

With climate change becoming a bigger issue every year, it is becoming more important than ever to measure and study its potential long-term impacts.

RinkWatch, an initiative launched at Laurier in 2013, has provided people who enjoy outdoor skating an opportunity to make a change.

Individuals who like to skate outdoors can contribute towards helping scientists measure the impact of climate change by inputting information about the status of outdoor rinks in their community on the RinkWatch website.

Robert McLeman, an associate professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, is a co-founder of RinkWatch and he discussed the motivation behind the launch of this science initiative.

“Canadians love to talk about the weather and they love to talk about hockey and skating. It’s one of these ways that we can connect environmental science to the general public by creating this project,” he said.

“The idea was that people have outdoor skating rinks or rinks in their neighbourhood parks and they could submit data about skating conditions. We can use that as scientists to track the effects of climate change and maybe it starts a better relationship between the public and scientists.”

RinkWatch connects the public with scientists and its tremendous growth over the five years of its existence shows how much the people have appreciated this opportunity.

Since its conception in 2013, RinkWatch has gathered valuable data and information on more than 1400 outdoor rinks.

The challenge for RinkWatch moving forward will be sustaining that consistent growth without seemingly becoming repetitive.

“There’s a few different things we’re working on. Just in the last week, we’ve updated the website.

It just looks and feels newer. We’re going to add new functionality to it; more activities to encourage users to keep coming back,” McLeman said.

“We do a lot more on Facebook now than we ever used to because that’s where people are on a frequent basis. We’ve also got two students working with us who are our ‘social media gurus’ and they’re helping generate interest using our Facebook and Twitter feeds, so there’s a variety of things we’re trying out.”

Not only has RinkWatch generated a lot of interest and awareness amongst people in different communities, it has also managed to attract the attention of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The NHL produced a documentary, interviewing co-founders Robert McLeman and Colin Robertson about the importance and the process behind the foundation

of RinkWatch.

The film can be found on the RinkWatch website.

“The NHL is very interested from a corporate social responsibility approach. They have an office called NHL Green and what they look for ways to make the NHL’s operations more environmentally friendly and lend the NHL’s support to environmental initiatives. They’ve taken an interest in RinkWatch and obviously they care about skating too,” McLeman said.

“You’ll see a really cool video on our website that they made about us. It’s a documentary that is produced by the NHL and so this month the NHL is launching its annual corporate social responsibility report and they’re going to feature RinkWatch in it and they’re going to promote us, so we’re pretty excited about that,” he added.

SHARAN RANA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

It’s one of these ways that we can connect environmental science to the general public by creating this project.

-Robert McLeman, RinkWatch co-founder

McLeman has also started his own podcast called ‘RinkTalk’, which can be listened to on the RinkWatch website. The podcast involves conversations about outdoor rinks and skating, along with discussions about climate change as a whole.

It’s easy to see how and why RinkWatch has had so much success over its first five years.

Behind the scenes, the RinkWatch team is constantly innovating, creating and making sure that the initiative is accessible as possible to everyone.

When asked what the main goal was for RinkWatch going forward, McLeman identified sustained relevance as a key factor.

“The goal is to keep [RinkWatch] going and to keep people interested in it. If you want to talk about climate change, you really do need lots of data over multiple years. We’ve been able to do some interesting research and we’ve published a few journal articles,” he said.

“But to really get a good picture of the long-term climate variability, we want around 10 years of data, so we can tell a better story of what’s going on.”

RinkWatch is a great opportunity for everybody, including non-skaters, to help the fight against the ever-growing problem of climate change.

If the first five years are any indication of what’s to come, RinkWatch is only going to get bigger and better.

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16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

AWARDS

Outstanding Women of Laurier pave the way ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER

The Outstanding Women of Laurier award is one that has recognized well-deserving women that have done a excelled both athletically and academically. For the thirteenth time, one woman will gain that level of recognition.

This past week, the Athletics Department announced its three finalists for this year’s award, which is given to a female Laurier student athlete who best combines athletic and academic achievement with an active commitment to leadership and the development of young athletes.

The three finalists for the award this year are: Emily Ferguson, a third-year kinesiology and physical education major on the lacrosse team; Bridget Ribau, a fourth-year kinesiology and physical education major of the curling team; as well as Jessa Braun, a third-year health administration major on the Laurier Brantford cross country team.

Ferguson, who considered being a nominee “incredible,” finished a formidable season being named as an OUA first-team all-star as her squad made it to the OUA bronze medal game.

Having her parents’ influence to continue being active in different ways, she plans to strive for more when it comes to helping others.

“I’ll continue to be a coach,” Ferguson said. “I coach lacrosse and ringette out in the community already, but my aim is to be a high school Phys. Ed teacher. So, I think being able to be a coach at the high school level, like field hockey, which I played, all those other sports, and then keeping that with

team there, where she also went on to be their top runner.

Outside of her athletics and academics, she has been a soccer coach with Grand River CI and the Kitchener Soccer Club as well as a fitness instructor with Laurier Brantford and the Brantford YMCA.

It feels amazing, especially being from the Brantford campus. I just feel like it’s great that Laurier is recognizing the talent that we have ...

-Jessa Braun, Laurier cross-country runner

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

“I used to coach sports through all of high school. I did a lot of volunteer work too and that’s something I tried to carry on with me to my university life,” she said.

In addition to that, she has volunteered with the I Move My Mood program, spreading information on the connection between physical activity and mental health. She also has done volunteer work with a Parkinson’s exercise program, instructing individuals with movement disorders.

“I just feel like I have an obligation to give back. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities handed to me by people, so I feel like the least I could do is to pass on the knowl-

edge and everything I’ve learned onto the community members,” Ribau said.

Finally, there is Jessa Braun, Laurier Brantford’s first ever nominee for this coveted award.

“It feels amazing, especially being from the Brantford campus. I just feel like it’s great that Laurier’s recognizing the talent that we have and the community service that we give in Brantford. As the first Brantford athlete to be nominated, it feels so good, so good,” she said.

A trailblazer of sorts in her own right, Braun was one of the first Brantford athletes to compete in the purple and gold back in the first season of the cross-country

The most impressive of them must be the website she created shescores.ca that works to empower female athletes, working with partners like the Toronto Furies of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

“I’m hoping that by covering more news that’s going on with those professional leagues, people will be more aware and in tune with what professional women are achieving ,” she said.

“And hopefully little girls will be able to watch these women on TV and have those role models and women’s sports becomes more popular. Hopefully more girls will stay in sports and hopefully it becomes a norm for females to be athletes.”

rier], the team consisted of a lot of rookies. This forced us to really play together and as a team, and that’s something I’m never going to forget. That experience has definitely played a huge role in my success after my graduation.”

Apollon Ladies F.C is Lagonia’s sixth professional soccer team, and her third pro soccer team in Europe. Lagonia began her European playing career when she signed with the Doncaster Rovers in 2012.

Transitioning from playing soccer in Canada to playing soccer

in Europe is a major challenge for anyone, but Lagonia has shown that the higher level of competition is going to slow her down.

“It was obviously difficult at first adapting to the European style of play and culture here, but the beautiful thing about soccer is that it’s a universal sport. At the end of the day, I’m just going out there and doing what I love,” she said.

Lagonia graduated from Laurier with a degree in business administration and she intends to put that degree to use once her playing

career is over.

“I have already applied for the FIFA Sport Management Master’s program. I want to make a change and help promote women’s soccer and the role that women play in the sport so I’m going to make sure that soccer is a part of my life even after I’m done playing,” Lagonia said.

With her brilliant personality and hardworking attitude, you can expect big things from Alyssa Lagonia even after she’s finished doing what she does best.

Emily Ferguson(left), Bridget Ribau(middle), and Jessa Braun(right)

the peer mentoring and tutoring that I’m doing on the side as well.”

Bridget Ribau, a former Academic All-Canadian and a part of the OUA champion Golden Hawks curling team that reclaimed their title this year, found the nomination to be an “honour.”

“I know a lot of really successful women in the community who’ve gone to Laurier for athletics and have been nominated for this award and have won it, so it’s an honour to be put in the same level of those guys,” she said.

Outside of her athletic and academic achievements, she has instructed youth curling camps in Oakville for the past seven years.

ALUMNI

Living up to the hype PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University graduate Alyssa Lagonia has taken her soccer career to another level after graduation.

The former Golden Hawk is currently playing professional soccer overseas for Cyprus club Apollon Ladies F.C., along with playing for the Canadian women’s national soccer team.

It’s been a long journey for Lagonia, as after graduating from Laurier, she has gone on to play for several teams including the Toronto Lady Lynx, the Doncaster Rovers Football Club in England, and FC Neunkirch in Switzerland, where she captained a championship winning team.

For Lagonia, her ambition to play professional soccer was something she already had in mind during her time at Laurier.

“It was definitely my goal [to play professional soccer] when I was competing for Laurier. [Laurier head coach Barry] MacLean has played a big part in me living my dream. He really helped me take

all the necessary steps in the right direction and I’m very thankful for that,” Lagonia said.

Lagonia has succeeded with all of the six professional teams that she has been a part of in her post-Laurier career, and that doesn’t come as a surprise.

The Kitchener native was the recipient of numerous awards during her playing career with the Hawks. In her four years at Laurier, Lagonia won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008, she was named the Laurier Team MVP in 2012 along with being named the OUA West MVP in 2011, and she was also selected as Canada’s Most Outstanding women’s soccer player during her final year at Laurier.

If you add on the multiple all-star and all-Canadian awards along with playing for the Canadian Under-20 World Cup team it’s fair to say that Lagonia’s Laurier soccer career was nothing short of phenomenal.

Lagonia mentioned that her achievements and experience at Laurier have been a big part of her success at the professional level.

“During my first year [at Lau-

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