The Cord March 7, 2018

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 58 ISSUE 23 • MARCH 7, 2018

FOR THE LOVE OF JUSTICE Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People bring their passionate performance to the Maureen Forrestor Hall Arts & Life, page 11

VP ROLES FILLED

COFFEE CONNECTIONS

EATING IN FOR NUMBER ONE

BOYS AND THEIR BODIES

ALUMNI OLYMPIANS

Students’ Union hires 2018/19 management

The underlying values of a java addiction

The importance of prioritizing your meal plan

Attacking toxic perceptions of masculinity

Former Hawks represent in Pyeongchang

News, page 3

Features, page 8

Arts & Life, page 10

Opinion, page 13

Sports, page 16 SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

2 •

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

VOCAL CORD

How do you take your coffee?

The Cord

@cordnews

@cordwlusp

CordNews

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“I usually take it different every time, French vanilla or iced cap.”

–Eshna Sarwar, firstyear business administration

“With lactose free milk and a blonde roast.”

–Brooke McAdam, fourth-year communication studies

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Ramriddlz gets up close and personal with some Golden Hawks during his recent performance at The Turret, which was presented by A-Team.

From the Archives: March 7, 1990 “One cream and one sugar.”

- Bailey Lorenzo, thirdyear communication studies

“Black.”

- Hope McCleary, fourth-year sociology

Compiled by Erin Abe Photos by Sadman Sakib Rahman NEXT ISSUE MARCH 14, 2018

CORD STAFF

1968: The BBC broadcasts the news for the first time in colour.

Pictured here are Gene Deszca (seated) and Tupper Cawsey, faculty members in the School of Business & Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The late Tupper Cawsey, who passed away on Aug. 15, 2015, became the eighth person added to the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics’ Builders Wall on Oct. 22, 2015.

The Builders Wall, located on the main floor of the Schlegal Centre, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of the school.

Photos and information courtesy of the Laurier Archives, located on the first floor of the Library.

“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

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Shyenne MacDonald arts@thecord.ca

LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Abdulhamid Ibrahim sports@thecord.ca

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

OPINION EDITOR Emily Waitson opinion@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tanzeel Sayani creative@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Pranav Desai sports@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Garrison Oosterhof online@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Alan Li graphics@thecord.ca

NEWS DIRECTOR Safina Husein news@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Luke Sarazin photos@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Jake Watts news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR Sarah Tyler video@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Nathalie Bouchard news@thecord.ca

WEB ASSISTANT Kate Weber online@thecord.ca

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

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: MARCH 7

1981: The first homicide in Disneyland takes place; an 18-year-old is stabbed to death.

1986: Wayne Gretzky breaks his own season record with 136th assist.

1994: The US Navy issues first permanent order assigning women on a combat ship.

2011: Charlie Sheen is fired from Two and a Half Men.

JAMES HERTEL/THE LAURIER ARCHIVES

Gene Deszca (left) poses with esteemed faculty member Tupper Cawsey.

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Caleb Palmer Nicholas Quintyn Joseph DeFillipis Manjot Bhullar Serena Truong Sara Burgess Megan Pitt Tyler Currie Caitlyn Lourenco Victoria Berndt Brittany Tenhage Aaron Hagey

“Unpacking Masculinity: Male Allies workshop series” by Caleb Palmer

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

2015: 54 people are killed & 143 are wounded by suicide bombings in Maiduguri city, Nigeria.

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: “Tug me gently, I’ve been hurt before.”

- Random note left on the window sill in the production.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

News

• 3 NEWS DIRECTOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR NATHALIE BOUCHARD news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR JAKE WATTS news@thecord.ca

HIRING

JAKE WATTS/FILE PHOTO

Students’ Union hires new VPs for 2018/19 year SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

With the winter academic term coming to an end, WIlfrid Laurier University’s Students’ Union has begun hiring and planning for next year.

Tarique Plummer, incoming president and CEO of the Students’ Union, has spent his time since elections conducting a thorough hiring process and has officially hired the new executive team for 2018/19.

The role of the president is to be the chief lobbyist on behalf of students -Tarique Plummer, incoming president and CEO

Those hired for the various vice-president positions include Natalie Rigato, vice-president of programming and services on Laurier’s Brantford campus; Shannon Kelly, vice-president of university affairs; Nikki Corless, vice-president of programming and services

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Darshil Shah, vice-president, finance and administration

on Laurier’s Waterloo campus, Darshil Shah, vice-president of finance amd administration and Sarah Clark; vice-president of clubs and associations.

For Plummer, a large component of his job as Students’ Union president involves working closely with the executive team to fulfill his goals and visions for his tenure.

“The role of president is to be the chief lobbyist on behalf of students — you advocate for the rights of students and you try your best to provide resources for the students,” Plummer said.

“In addition to those, you try your best to utilize the funds and resources you have been given — that you are entrusted with — to give the students the ultimate student experience.”

“How the president does that is a major question,” he added.

Ensuring the executive team’s vision is strong going into the 2018/19 school year will ensure the Students’ Union is providing the undergraduate students with the best possible experience. During his tenure, Plummer intends on placing a large focus on management.

“The primary responsibility is management: the management of the vice-presidential team, the management of full time staff, the management of the AVP’s, the management essentially of the entire organization on a whole,” Plummer said.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Shannon Kelly, vice-president of university affairs

“I will be giving them what I want them to actualize … seeing how best we can complete that overall vision or picture and then working to achieve those particular objectives. My vision for them is a vision that I have in my platform.”

For next year, both respective vice-presidents of programming and services aim to organize all programs and services that the Students’ Union offers.

“I look over basically all the programming and services that the Students’ Union puts on through the 10 different committees … so from the essential services to the programming department,” Corless said. “[The 10 committees are] the Activities Team, Eco-Hawks, Food Bank, Foot Patrol, ERT (the emergency response team), the Orientation Team, Winter Carnival, First Year Project, Peer Connect and SHINE.” For Rigato, she hopes to be able to be the “go-to” contact for undergraduate students on the Brantford campus when Plummer is on the Waterloo campus.

“I’m kind of like the first person that people would come to on the Brantford campus if there were issues and concerns,” Rigato said.

“I am also in charge of running different committees that the president may put me on … at the Brantford campus more specifically than the Waterloo campus.”

Rigato also hopes to place a

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Natalie Rigato, vice-president of programming and services

large focus on recruiting and retaining volunteers on the Brantford campus.

“My vision for volunteering and programming for the Brantford campus is basically … I want to work on retention and retaining volunteers because we have a big issue sometimes with volunteers continuing to do the same positions or new positions,” Rigato said.

“I want to show people how great it is to be a volunteer and what it means to be a volunteer.”

Kelly, incoming vice-president of university affairs, has spent the past year as assistant vice-president of university of affairs.

For Kelly, continuing on advocating for various projects will be an opportunity to see ongoing initiatives be accomplished.

“Advocacy is kind of like a slow moving progress … it is really cool because you build off of other projects. To see things come into fruition is absolutely amazing.”

As for clubs and associations, Clark will be in charge of organizing the large amount of clubs and associations that exist at Laurier.

“Essentially in this role I will be overseeing all of our clubs that we have on both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses,” Clark said.

“Between both campuses we have just over 200 clubs and that includes our faculty association as well as all of our independent Students’ Union clubs.”

Darshil Shah, incoming

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Sara Clark, vice-president of clubs and associations

vice-president of finance and administration detailed some of the responsibilities of his position.

“The main roles will be human resources, operational - there is lots of supervision. I have to deal with hiring some of the HR coordinators, deal with training, conduct issues, disciplinary procedures that arise on the job [and] training procedures,” Shah said.

I want to show people how great it is to be a volunteer and what it means to be a volunteer -Natalie Rigato, incoming vp: programming and services

“Whether its disciplinary issues, conduct issues and of course there is the financial aspect to the job.”

“I will be working the full time staff ... I will be working with long term and short term goals we have for the organization and thats in coordination with the president’s platform,” Shah said.

This article was written with files from Nicholas Quintyn

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Nikki Corless, vice-president of programming and services

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

FEMINISM The workshop is held weekly in an attempt to build a recurring community with those who partake in the events.

“We’re doing four weeks in a row so that it’s more in people’s routine. We wanted to provide a space that allowed us to build a relationship over time,” Fujarczuk said.

...We wanted to provide a space that allowed us to build a relationship over time.

-William Fujarczuk, Male Allies Educator

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

Unpacking Masculinity: Male Allies workshop series CALEB PALMER CORD NEWS

The public education program Male Allies, has partnered with Wilfrid Laurier University to offer their event Unpacking Masculinity throughout the month of March.

Male Allies is a program run by the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASC). “[Male Allies] is about engaging men and boys in the conversa-

tion surrounding gender based violence. Engaging men as active bystanders, and having conversations around enthusiastic consent and healthy masculinity,” William Fujarczuk, Male Allies Educatorsaid.

Unpacking Masculinity is a workshop in which there is an open conversation about gender based violence and what masculinity means in society today.

“Women have been talking

about these issues, talking about systemic violence, for generations.

So, it’s really impertinent for men to finally start having these conversations and understand that we have a really important role if we want to end gender based violence,” Fujarczuk said.

The sessions are held in the Macdonald House lounge on campus at WLU every Tuesday night from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. The final session will be held March 20.

culinity and to build a healthier, personal definition of masculinity.

Fujarczuk states that it is a key part of social violence prevention.

“The strongest men are people who are committed to their families, people who are willing to take sacrifices. Vulnerable, caring, compassionate people,” Fujarczuk said.

“There’s ways to do anything, take part in any activity, dress any way, that can be healthy masculinity. It’s just about being authentic as yourself and not being compliant to the man box.”

Where people are coming from, they are welcome to attend.

We just ask that they come with an open mind ...

“We have a couple of staple activities that we love, that can be done in an hour or two, and those are great, and there’s some good conversations,” Fujarczek added.

“But, when we’re talking about unpacking masculinity, a lot of that is feeling comfortable to be vulnerable, and that’s something that you can’t just do in a one-hour session with strangers. It’s not a comfortable space for that.”

Fujarczuk emphasized the importance of breaking down the social stereotypes built around masculinity and manhood.

“It’s really about breaking free from the man box. We construct a man box and a woman box, and we push each other into these boxes of stereotypes. What happens when you go outside them? What can we do to start breaking them down?”

The focus of Unpacking Masculinity is to have men talk about these stereotypical views of mas-

Each week’s workshop is focused on a different theme.

The next workshop, on March 13, will focus on race, intersectionality and masculinity. The final workshop, on March 20, will focus on supporting survivors of social violence. Previous themes include the understanding of enthusiastic consent and bystander prevention.

“Wherever people are coming from, they are welcome to attend.

We just ask that they come with an open mind and be ready to engage in conversation. No matter where their knowledge is on gender, there is no prerequisite to join. We are all at different spaces and we’re all learning from each other.”

Last chance tourism also provides opportunities for parks to fund for conservation of the space.

“These places are being marketed by the tourism industry as last chance to see, but park agencies are sometimes benefiting from that,” Lemieux said. “They can reinvest it in their parks and conservations.”

This often presents a paradox for researchers and park management

to preserve the natural landscape while also benefiting from the tourist industry economically.

“There is a trade-off, more people are going to the glacier and the greenhouse gas emission is making the glacier shrink, but the park agency is getting more revenue from it they can reinvest in conservation efforts, so there are all these little trade offs that need to be considered.”

-William Fujarczuk, Male Allies Educator

ENVIRONMENT

Jasper National Park Research Laurier Professor explores last chance tourism in Canada ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER

Research at Wilfrid Laurier University predicts that Jasper National Park’s glacier in Alberta will disappear in the next 100 years, and tourists will see a substantial decrease in its quality by 2050 as a result of climate change.

Disappearing tourist destinations as a result of climate change have sparked a new tourism trend, dubbed ‘last chance tourism.’

Last chance tourism is when tourists explicitly seek vanishing landscapes, and/or disappearing natural/social heritage as a result of climate and environmental change. Research at Laurier has focused on how the tourism industry will be influenced by sites in Canada being affected by climate change.

Christopher Lemieux, a professor at Laurier has been studying the impacts of climate change and tourism and has specifically looked at Jasper National Park and the Athabasca Glacier.

Lemieux also works with Mark Groulx, from the University of Northern British Columbia, researching the tourism of Churchill Manitoba, known for its polar bear population.

Lemieux’s research is the first research of its kind to look at last chance tourism in Canada within a protected area as well as the first to predict what the Athabasca Glacier will look like by 2050.

Lemieux’s study focuses on whether tourists will continue to travel to the melting glacier once it reaches a drastically smaller size by the year 2050, considering the accessibility and appeal to tourists.

While there has been a spike in tourism in 2017/18, Lemieux explores if this kind of tourism will persist.

“People are willing to go see these disappearing features within our parks, and people want to see this within their lifetime to go home and share with their friends,” Lemieux said.

Jasper National Park sees roughly 2.5 million visitors every year,

half of which visit the glacier.

Lemieux’s recent study focused on surveying whether the tourism at Jasper National Park will diminish as a result of the melting Glacier.

“The glacier itself has receded approximately 1.5 km and lost about half of its thickness,” Lemieux said.

Findings of studying last chance tourism in Canada suggest that there is a paradox between traveling to these destinations and the vanishing landscapes.

“We’re finding that there is a paradox here that people are essentially harming the very site their visiting through long-distance travel,” Lemieux said.

The phenomenon of “last chance tourism” derives from the industry capitalizing on the landscapes being newly vulnerable and rare destinations.

Tourists are motivated to see these disappearing features and want to observe, photograph and interact with the natural environment in its estimated last years.

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Celebrating Indigeneity NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University and the Office of Indigenous of Initiatives is currently hosting the eighth annual Indigenous Education Week from March 5-12.

The first event of the week was a keynote speech from Kendal Netmaker, who came all the way from Saskatchewan to present a speech on his story.

Netmaker is originally from Sweet Grass First Nation in Saskatchewan and the founder of Neechie Gear, a lifestyle apparel brand which empowers youth through sports, giving a portion of the profits to help underprivileged children access sports programs.

In addition to his clothing line, Netmaker also travels the country delivering speeches to companies, universities, high schools and communities, describing how his story turned him into the success he is today.

“Today, I want to share with you not only my story but I want to share with you the five steps that have helped myself, which I will be teaching in the book that

I’m launching here in the next few months,” Netmaker said.

“And these steps are things that have helped myself and those that I’ve had the chance to mentor.”

Netmaker delivered his insight on facing the adversity of being raised by a single mother on welfare, which did not offer him the ability to be enrolled in an afterschool sports program.

Netmaker’s story of struggle began when his mother left his father.

After moving to Prince Albert, Netmaker’s family was homeless and staying in women’s shelters.

Eventually, Netmaker moved in with his grandmother in Sweet Grass First Nations.

From then on Netmaker had several experiences that brought him to find his passions and develop into a world class entrepreneur.

Mellissa Ireland, manager of Indigenous Student Services explained that Netmaker was an obvious choice because of his ability to connect with people across all ages.

“We were really looking for a non-academic talk that could cross disciplines and ages with the kinds of messaging in this kind of talk, so

we really wanted to find something that was broad and motivational,” Ireland said.

“It doesn’t matter if you were a business student, music student or social work student, this is relatable content for all ages. Some of our students have families and we wanted an event that families could come to, that older people could come to.”

The second event invited students to the Indigenous Student Centre to join in a lunch of soup and fry-bread.

Alanah Jewell, president of the Indigenous Students Association, explained the importance of the Soup and Fry bread event.

“Soup and Fry bread day is a day where the entire community kind of like comes together. It’s super important in Indigenous culture for everyone to come together over something, whether [that] be like a talk or a ceremony, regardless of what it is, it’s nice having that community feeling,” Jewell said.

“At the Indigenous Student Centre [it’s] about fostering that community for everyone, not for just Indigenous people; everyone from all over campus and the KW

LUKE SARAZIN/PHOTO EDITOR

community can come together over a bowl of soup. It’s a way to start discussions and hold a space for students.”

Jewell explained that there is a significance about fry bread in Indigenous culture; fry bread is a staple in many Indigenous cultures and Indigenous Education Week was a great opportunity for that.

“It’s been a tradition every Tuesday for the last five or six years for the Indigenous student’s center.

Every powwow and big gathering, fry bread is typically like the staple,” Jewell said. “[Fry bread] is a way to incorporate an Indigenous food within the [celebration of Indigenous Education Week].”

Powell again emphasized the importance of Indigenous Educa-

tion week for the Laurier Community and hopes that students will be able to hear the voices Indigenous involved on campus and in Canada.

“For a lot of Indigenous students at Laurier, a lot of us are reclaiming our identity, we come to Laurier not knowing who we are and the centre kind of helps us find it and find our inner territory and our ceremonies that are specific to communities,” Jewell said.

“It’s really important that we get to enjoy those things with other people as well. It’s a time for people to come together and work with us.”

“Indigenous people aren’t really heard across campus and in Canada in general and its really nice to have allies stand with us.”

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6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

GOVERNMENT

Federal budget emphasizes spending on science JAKE WATTS NEWS EDITOR

With the Liberal’s new federal budget announcement last week came the news that funding for science research in Canada will be bolstered.

To help spread the word about the new funding, Navdeep Bains, minister of innovation, science and economic development, came to Laurier to speak to students and faculty.

The budget he came to speak about includes over $3 billion in funds over the next five years to support science research across Canada in various ways.

Pleased with the new science funding is Robert Gordon, Wilfrid Laurier University’s vice president: research.

“I’m very positive in terms of what was announced,” Gordon said.

“I think that we’ve had a number of years where we haven’t seen strong federal commitments to grow the amount of support that’s provided to universities for fundamental research, and certainly this latest budget is I think a positive step in the right direction,” Gordon said.

Bardish Chagger, MP for the riding of Waterloo and minister of

small business and tourism, spoke during a meet and greet at Laurier about the government’s motivation behind the new science funding.

“People like the minister of science, the honorable Kirsty Duncan, have been — we put in proposals to the minister of finance, and if you can really back the importance of the reason for that investment, like a historical investment in science, you will see that this government will deliver,” Chagger said.

“And we know that if we really want to grow opportunities and maximize the potential of all people, we have to make substantial, meaningful investments in science so that we can do the research,” Chagger said.

The new funding, which is being doled out to institutions like the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), will in turn be distributed to universities like Laurier.

“So I think the federal funds that are going to be available for the tri-councils ... is nearly $1 billion over the next five years, it’s really I think going to position Laurier for success,” Gordon said.

In addition to this funding is a sum to be allotted to the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), which provides Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research organizations with the tools and equipment they need to conduct research.

“There’s a significant commitment, I think over the next five years, around $763 million is going to go to the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and that’s a major program that supports research infrastructure for universities across the country,” Gordon said.

“We certainly access a lot of our research infrastructure through the CFI program,” Gordon said.

Gordon was sure that Laurier’s recent successes in research, in combination with the Canada Research Chairs program, would bring the university even more of the rewards of the new budget.

“We have a number of Canada Research Chairs here at Laurier, and certainly my understanding is that the federal budget highlighted about $50 million in additional support for CRCs at universities across the country,” Gordon said.

“With our recent research success as a university, I’m fully expecting that we will be the recipient of more Canada Research Chairs,” Gordon said.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Minister Navdeep Bains, pictured at a separate event talking to people.

Gordon also noted that a lot of the funds that universities get for research goes, not to experiments and studies performed by faculty, but instead goes towards training students.

“A significant portion of the research funds that universities get is used to support student training,” Gordon said.

“For example, here at Laurier, a lot of the research funding that we get through the Tri-Councils is primarily used to support undergrad-

uate students as well as graduate students to engage in research,” Gordon said.

“And I think that’s a fantastic investment in terms of supporting aspects of fundamental science,” he added.

“But it also provides a great experience and many opportunities for those students and other high-qualified personnel to get exposure to research and be prepared to provide leadership for many years to come.”

GAMES • 7

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

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

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

Dear Wellness Centre, I need an appointment this month not mid April. I get that you guys work hard to help people but you also have a serious problem that needs to be addressed. How many students are slipping through the cracks because you can’t provide the adequate care expected of you?

Sincerely, Desperate and destitute

sd4l Dear Life, He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

Sincerely, God is dead

drive of an organic being. Above all, a living thing wants to discharge its strength - life itself is will to power -: self-preservation is only one of the indirect and most frequent consequences of this.

Sincerely, Will “to power” Smith

Dat shit got yoot Dear Life, Is your life worth more than your life savings?

I keep to myself That’s the key to my wealth.

Dear Slim,

Sincerely, Pou

where’d the year go?

Dear Pat Earrings,

Sincerely,

In Bape, got Bowie banging in the

Dear Life,

tape, Big brick Nokia and man playing Snake (man playing snake, man playing snake) I see that yellow bone, she got mad yellow cake Says she’s available today for a date Missed call tennis, Now I’m getting jealous Maybe I was overzealous,See, I tend to oversell it But when I first saw her, it was end credits Sincerely, Got the text, dipped on the fellas

On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.

Sincerely, John Doe Dwight, Do you want to be in a secret alliance? Absolutely, you do.

More instructions will follow at Office Trivia @ Chainsaw on March 8 @ 7pm.

Dear Mom & Dad, When my friends meet you, they are always like, “I get it now.”

When my partner met you she was like, “I want to be a part of your family. Y’all made me who I am.

Sincerely,

Sincerely, Cordially, Future Dwight Dear Life,

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8 •

FEATU

FEATURES EDITOR/KARLIS WILDE/FEATURES@THECORD.CA

Getting to the bottom

News Director Safina Husein investigate

Coffee is a staple of my every day routine.

There’s something gratifying about brewing coffee each morning or entering a local coffee shop that’s filled with the aroma of coffee.

However, I’m often left wondering what it is about coffee that is so appealing. Being that coffee has little nutritional value — and I’m sure I’m not alone in experiencing the jitters that drinking a cup too many can bring about — I decided to spend a week with-out drinking coffee to investigate some of the reasons behind why we enjoy coffee so much.

While I experienced the normal, mild withdrawal symptoms many of us do without caf-feine, such as headaches and feeling less alert, I found these symptoms were easy to combat with other caffeinated beverages, like tea and pop.

Although I was still consuming caffeine in some form, I realized I still missed drinking coffee: I missed the bold smells, I missed the bold tastes.

Bruce McKay, associate professor for Wilfrid Laurier University’s faculty of science, ex-plained that when it comes to any drug, despite caffeine being an extremely mild stim-ulant, any associations surrounding the drug will become a part of the addiction or re-ward received.

“Anything that’s pleasant, anything that you enjoy doing that coincides with the deliv-ery of the coffee is going to be a part of the total package of things that you consider to be rewarding or pleasurable,” McKay said.

For example, for me, quitting coffee meant also quitting the things that go along with making and drinking coffee, such as my morning routine.

“Part of the withdrawal then is not just withdrawals from the caffeine,

maybe you’re not going out for coffee with your friends the same way because you’re not drinking coffee so it becomes part of a bigger package,” McKay said.

“If you get someone clean of an opioid for example, but then just reintroducing them to the people that they used to hang out with or various places in the city that they used to do the drugs in, that will powerfully trigger relapse,” McKay said.

In this way, the reward some of us receive from the habit of drinking coffee every day stems from more than the effects of caffeine, such as the ones that make us more alert.

In fact, sometimes the experience of drinking coffee provides more value than the cof-fee itself.

“There’s a lot of people who drink coffee for the caffeine and there’s people who drink it for an enjoyment,” w, said.

“Even how it began and the story of coffee is very rooted in social gatherings … it’s a social norm even to go and share a conversation or a time with a friend over this drink.”

Caroline Valeriote, Laurier’s registered dietitian, said that coffee drink-

URES

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 • 9

m of your cup of joe

es the experience behind drinking coffee.

ing may become a “habit of process” for some.

“It falls along the same lines as some of the other things that we do automatically in our lives like brushing your teeth,” she said.

“As well, the beautiful smell we anticipate, the process of making coffee … the route we take to get coffee, who we meet there — that becomes a part of our daily schedule and that may be something that’s special about that.”

Valeriote noted that, although coffee has little to no nutritional value, drinking coffee could even be classified as a component of self-care.

For students, who are almost always pressured for time, spending a small amount of time each day drinking coffee while giving our minds a rest from our otherwise busy lives allows for the necessary down time that comes with taking care of ourselves.

Valeriote also explained that something as simple as using your favourite mug while drinking coffee makes the experience so much more valuable to us.

“It gives us time for reflection and so in that way, if it’s downtime or reflective time for us, I would say that

habit is worthwhile. We can take some time for ourselves and that seems to be always in short order for most of us,” she said.

For Boehm, her journey and love for coffee began during her time spent in Sweden. There, she learned the term “Fika,” which translates to “coffee breaks.”

“They work to live there; they don’t live to work … it’s that chance to press pause on the work day and enjoy life and enjoy talking to people and about what really life is about,” Boehm said.

“Fika is such an obvious and different aspect to their culture from ours.

We have our coffee breaks so we can fuel ourselves. But they were really taking it to slow down and to enjoy human connection; which is what life is about.”

In addition, Boehm noted that the human connections which drinking coffee offers us stem further than simply drinking the final, brewed cup of coffee.

“I personally see the connection and enjoy drinking coffee because it’s such a long chain of people involved in making coffee,” Boehm said.

From the farmers and producers that grow the coffee, to those who mill and process the coffee beans; the whole process surrounding the creation of coffee is done with great care at each step.

“I’m in charge of the last two things — roasting and brewing. I feel it’s kind of an hon-our to get to do those last two as best as I can [because I’m] connected to all those people beforehand,” Boehm said.

“Drinking a good coffee and noticing those notes and flavours in things and really giv-ing it attention can also honour everyone who’s been a part of the journey.”

TANZEEL SAYANI /CREATIVE DIRECTOR

10 •

Arts & Life

CONCERTS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD arts@thecord.ca

A night with Ramriddlz MANJOT BHULLAR CORD ALUM

Arriving at the Turret for perhaps the second time in five years, it didn’t feel like a venue that would suit what was to transpire in a couple hours.

I felt as if I’d just walked into an all ages night from my first year, with just over forty people scattered across the venue’s lounge areas.

As Zen Woods wrapped up his opening set with aide from a few smooth moving friends, it was nearly 10:30 p.m. and the unamusing flashbacks of Ramriddlz most recent show at Maxwell’s crept into mind.

If it weren’t for being able to wait backstage and catch glimpses of him and his crew prepping I don’t know how much longer I could have stood in anticipation for Ramz; but maybe this is just what to expect from an up-and-coming hip hop artist.

When Ramriddlz and producer Jaegen finally hit the stage, it seemed as if with the snap of a finger the crowd had doubled. I wasn’t sure what level of energy to expect, however, flying out of the Hawk’s Nest dubbed ‘backstage’, Ramriddlz started the show on a great foot.

If the bralettes tossed on stage were any indication, it was a great first flight.

After what previous venue management had dubbed a risky act to book, Ramriddlz put on a show that gave the crowd exactly what they were looking for.

“The thing with universities is, they definitely have a lot more to look forward to, because they’re just coming out of class … and just want to turn the fuck up — it gets pretty lit,” Jaegen said, who, having met Ramz in university has collaborated with the rapper on all of his projects.

Jaegen has now gone on to rack up a multi-platinum producer credit on French Montana’s “Unforgettable”.

Ramriddlz spent half of his set standing atop the barrier which acted as his own personal high beam — giving more weight as to why male gymnasts do not perform on the apparatus in competition.

Out of all the concerts I’ve been to, Ramriddlz does have the most unique form of fan interaction. From being hoisted on fans’ shoulders and maneuvering through the crowd, to backwashing water straight onto adoring fans, it seemed nothing could deter them from getting up close and personal.

A simple look in their direction led some fans to exclaim “He totally loves you!”, who would soon then be showered with a lukewarm mixture of water and saliva. If the sentiment still remained, that can’t

be corroborated.

All the while, Jaegen remained collected and in charge of keeping the flow of the entire set which felt like a perfect teeter between snowballing out of control and coming to a screeching halt.

Ramriddlz, quite ungracefully, glided above fans’ heads using the overhead lighting fixture as monkey bars to the tune of his original “Sweeterman”, which was later co-signed by Drake.

He appeared set to work the security men to the bone, disappearing for seconds within the crowd yet always coming up for air, needing assistance getting back to the stage more times than necessary. But hey, this was his hour.

Without ever knowing what was to come next, Ramriddlz kept the crowd on their toes till the very end of his 45-minute set making sure to play, not so much sing/rap, fan favourites “Habaesha” and “Pop Rocks”, while also teasing some new material.

Narrowly making it back stage, I was optimistic for the opportunity to speak with Ramz before he left for an unofficial after-party at Brixton.

However, the photo ops and one liners with female fans seemed to keep him busy till the time his crew almost got removed for bringing along a hookah set up — of which he wanted no apparent part of and promptly exited the venue.

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

FOOD

Dinner for one doesn’t have to be lonely Learning how to cook for yourself can be a frightening feat, but it’s all a part of being an adult perception: cooking is not a chore.

Say it out loud: Cooking. Is. Not. A. Chore.

KARLIS WILDE FEATURES EDITOR

Student life is busy, and constantly filled to the brim with more and more assignments than most find they can keep up with.

That’s why — as far as I can tell — most folks choose not to cook a great deal. They’ll order in, or they’ll throw a bit of frozen food in the oven.

But everyone has their forms of recreation, and food can be one of them.

Instead of procrastinating from work with a two-hour Netflix binge, that time can be devoted to challenging yourself creatively in the kitchen in crafting unique, exciting dishes.

I know, from your perspective that sounds like work. But it isn’t.

That’s the key to inverting your

Avocado salmon soup? Cheesecake beer brownies? Pizza cronuts? They’re all real, just waiting for you to grow the hell up and make them happen.

That’s the perception that you need to break. Get yourself a bag of flour and some eggs and there’s a whole world of opportunity at your fingertips. Got a favourite thing? A favourite flavour? Cook with it.

Think honey is awesome? Start throwing it in your soups and stews.

Big fan of pumpkin? Toss it in with mac and cheese, or make cookies out of it.

The world of ingredients is big and versatile and so long as you put a bit of yourself into it, you’re going to have a good time.

If you want to start easy and tasty, just remember that Buffalo sauce is just a mixture of half Frank’s Red and half butter.

Slab some chicken in egg, coat it in flour and bread-crumbs and fry it in a bit of oil and suddenly, you’re eating as well at home as you do at any bar.

That’s when you start to realize: this doesn’t have to stop here.

A million years ago, back in the stone ages, people had to venture out to the local bookstore to find and purchase a guidebook that could teach them how to make chicken pot pie from scratch.

But this is the new world, where every desire you could possibly imagine exists as a recipe in some dark corner of the internet.

Think of things you like, slam the words together and Google them.

There’s recipes out there for you.

Avocado salmon soup? Cheesecake beer brownies? Pizza cronuts?

Cooking can be a cool way to impress that somebody special in your life, and it can also be an amazing way to treat yourself...

They’re all real, just waiting for you to grow the hell up and make them happen. All you do in class is watch Tasty videos anyway.

Why not actually try and realize some of those simple snacks? Why not learn the craft and elevate them?

Cooking can be a recreation and

a hobby.

Cooking can be a gateway into incredible flavours and experimentation.

Cooking can be a cool way to impress that somebody special in your life, and it can also be an amazing way to treat yourself after a long, hard week.

So, slap in your earbuds, crank up a fresh podcast and bask in delicious aromas as onions crisp in a small pool of butter on the stove.

When you realize that the joy of cooking is both in the craft of it as well as in the sharing and the love that comes from creating unique, exciting food, you’ll find that you’re able to treat yourself from the comfort of your own home almost every single day.

Some cookbooks you can start with are: Thug Kitchen, if you’re vegan (or even if you’re not). The Joy of Cooking has always been a famous favourite and Cooking with Beer.

Though, truthfully, I mostly use websites and www.seriousseats. com is godsent.

ARTS & LIFE • 11

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018 SOCIAL

Danielle Ponder

and the Tomorrow People NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People hit the stage in an epic performance on Feb. 28 at the Maureen Forrester Hall.

The day long event, which included a speaking engagement and a performance was called For the Love of Justice.

liberation.

These themes were presented throughout the concert as well as a light show, instrumentals and music videos presented on the projector on stage.

Ponder describes her sound as soul music with a twist.

“I would say my sound is, soul music in the simplest way, it’s essentially gospel, funk, jazz; it’s the

she has defended, thus providing an emotional experience for many of her audience members.

“The stage is a sacred place and the stage is for a message to be and I really believe that when I’m on stage their is a story to be told, and the stories of the marginalized all over the world, that’s a very important story for me to tell,” Ponder said during her performance.

formed my lyrics and some of the music that I’ve made,” Ponder said.

“Criminalized” was one of the songs that carried the strongest message about racialized individ-

Danielle Ponder grew up in a neighbourhood where she was exposed to the social injustices of systematic discrimination.

These experiences have allowed

uals; this song also carries a strong connection with Ponders experiences working with clients who were treated poorly by police.

“I was at one point representing a lot of young black kids who are being stopped by the police for small offences and that I wrote “Criminalized”,” Ponder said.

“So it specifically talks about being a young person of colour in the inner city, and what that must feel like to not feel completely safe on your own street in your own home, and to face daily harassment from the people who are supposed to be there to protect you.”

her to reflect on these issues and create music which will allow for the voices of the marginalized populations to be heard.

“I think growing up in the hood — obviously seeing a lot of things around me that I felt were unfair and feeling that personally and I grew up in a neighbourhood that was [filled] with people suffering drug addictions, people in and out of jail — I saw suffering all the time,” Ponder explained.

“I felt the need to create music that empowered those people and also gave a voice to the people in my community.”

I felt the need to create music that empowered those people and also gave a voice to the people in my community.

-Danielle Ponder

This event was created by Karen Stote and Helen Ramirez, two women and gender studies professors.

Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People not only gave a concert that allowed people to truly think about the lyrics and the meanings behind them but they also provided a multimedia experience of music and visual effects.

The concert was based on three main themes: love, justice, and

black music experience when you think of soul music,” Ponder said.

This concert was truly an experience unlike any other.

One of the best parts about this concert was the voice, which carried a powerful social justice-oriented message.

Ponder is not only a singer but a former public defender with a Juris Doctor.

The stories in her songs often reflect the communities and people

Before her performance I was able to catch up with Ponder after her workshop, in which she presented to various students in attendance.

She explained that her experience as a public defender has allowed her to tell the stories of her clients using music.

“Being a public defender really has given me so many stories of people who have been marginalized and oppressed and I guess that those stories have in-

PHOTOS BY: SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

12 •

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Soup and Fry Bread But I quickly realized that it was this problematic, separationist/ colonialist type attitude I had developed that lead to me feeling ‘othered’ when placed inside a setting where others were clearly “more Indigenous than me”.

I am not going to lie; I still feel like it is unfair for me to advertise my status as a Métis person when I have never experienced first-hand the negative effects of colonialism. But it was through accessing resources at the Indigenous Student Centre in Brantford that I came to understand the flaws in my understanding and how they were problematic and, ultimately, selfish.

I had developed this attitude where I told myself that other people just didn’t understand my own experience, regardless of how bad theirs could have been, and for that reason I would always be on the periphery of any actual community.

I realized super quickly that this was wrong for so many reasons.

One visit to the Indigenous Student Centre made it evidently clear to me that this was a place I belonged — regardless of age, race, sex, et cetera.

As Alanah Jewell, president of the Indigenous Students Association, explained to The Cord: “At the Indigenous Student Centre [it’s] about fostering that community for everyone, not for just Indigenous people.”

Jewell went on to emphasize the importance of having allies that will stand with the Indigenous communities in Canada — especially here on campus.

Reading these quotes from Alanah Jewell — check out the full story on page five — reminded me of all the positive experiences I had at the Indigenous Student Centre in Brantford, and how each of them involved learning, whether it be about myself or Indigenous culture more generally.

It reminded me that, regardless of my own identity, I will always choose to identify as an ally, and I will always try to use my privelege to benefit people in marginalized groups when possible.

So if you are looking for a nice hot meal and a welcoming place to spend your lunch on any given Tuesday, drop by the Indigenous Student Centre at 187 Albert St. Maybe I will see you there.

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Yesterday afternoon I went to the Indigenous Student Centre over on Albert St. for the Soup and Fry Bread Lunch, which was a part of the programming for Indigenous Education Week.

Though soup and fry bread are available every Tuesday at the Indigenous Student Centre, the turnout this week was larger — and so was the selection with regards to soups.

The atmosphere and the aroma around the Indigenous Student Centre here in Waterloo took me back to my earliest memories on campus at Laurier Brantford, where the Indigenous Student Centre quickly became a staple in my weekly routine.

As someone with a pittance of Indigenous heritage — my maternal grandmother moved to southern Ontario from a small Métis community in Quebec after meeting my grandfather — I have always struggled to come to terms with what having an Indigenous background means with regards to my own personal experience.

I have always felt uncomfortable exploring my heritage, more or less, especially the non-white aspects of it.

As someone who, for all intents and purposes, has reaped all the benefits of identifying as a white male, I feel like an imposter every time I show people my Certificate of Aboriginal Status (status for those identifying as Métis is a little bit more complicated than it is for those who are recognized in the original in the original ‘Indian Act’ from 1876 — but that’s a whole other story).

During my first visit to the Indigenous Student Centre in Brantford I came to realize that my attitude towards my own heritage and background had completely missed the mark.

Don’t get me wrong, I am still a long way from understanding how my lineage informs my personality or the experiences of my family members — both distant and close.

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

DIRECTOR/CORPORATE SECRETARY Noa Salamon

PRESIDENT Andreas Patsiaouros president@wlusp.com

DIRECTOR Hayley H.G. Watson

FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com

DIRECTOR Rosalind Horne TREASURER John Pehar

ADVERTISING MANAGER Caroline Lucas care.lucas@wlusp. com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp. com HR MANAGER Paige Bush hr@wlusp.com WEB MANAGER Sam Nabi sam.nabi@wlusp.com

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

The positives of Greek Life SARAH TYLER VIDEO EDITOR

At Wilfrid Laurier University, students pride themselves with getting involved.

I decided to rush Greek Life at Laurier and it has honestly changed me for the better.

At first, I questioned why anyone would want to be in a sorority, as I had always seen stereotypical representations of it in the media.

I decided to give it a chance and check out both sisterhoods’ information nights and found one that I individually clicked with most.

Now, being in my fourth year, my love has continuously grown for Alpha Omega Sorority and I am thankful for taking on a commitment that has impacted my life in such a positive way.

Being in Greek Life has helped me become a more efficient worker and manage my time better overall. Of course, there is a commitment. Just like any other group or activity on campus — investing

myself in getting a full sorority experience and going to every activity possible does take up quite a bit of my spare time.

Finishing a paper beforehand or setting specific time blocks to work on assignments so I can fully enjoy a sisterhood retreat really makes all the difference for my marks — and for my enjoyment.

Greek Life has also made me realize my own privilege and potential impact. One of the known, but sometimes less popularized elements of Greek Life, is the philanthropy work. This has helped me personally with goal setting, teamwork and proactive thinking.

Take a look at the Greek Life organizations, even here at Laurier, where we raise thousands of dollars each year in support of organizations such as Anselma House, a local women’s shelter for those dealing with domestic violence.

Whether it’s groups supporting each other or participating in broader charity events in the community, many hours each month are dedicated to giving back.

One of the more simple parts of being in Greek Life is developing a respect for others who have different perspectives, opinions and backgrounds than you do. Each

organization has different values and the members have their own personal beliefs, but at the end of the day everyone becomes united as a whole group. There are so many people I would have never met if I had not rushed.

Finally, and probably most noticeably, my leadership skills have developed through helping fulfill positions such as Pledge Educator, Charity Commissioner, Vice President and President and — next up — Social Chair.

Being in a professional role to meet with venue managers or the Dean of Students to talk about support on campus, execute events of all sizes, managing a team, running election periods and even doing clothing orders: all of these experiences give me so many talking points in job interviews.

It is unbelievable how much effort is put into running an organization. Each experience I have contributes to who I am and how I want to act in my community.

You gather experiences that inform your person in an unlimited amount of ways, but Greek Life has been an opportunity for me to put all my passions into developing my skills through one sisterhood that I care for with all my heart.

• 13

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

Opinion

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Breaking down male perceptions of body image

snide chuckles over their unsuccessful efforts of bullying me into eating more and their thinly-veiled attempts to humiliate me at the dinner table or at large family functions.

There’s really no better motivation to isolate yourself from family and other people than shitty jokes made at your own expense, especially about your appearance.

It became easy to hate how I looked whenever I had to change into gym clothes for sports practice or when I started actively stressing over what girls would think of me.

To add insult to injury, entering the tumultuous and formative

years of teenage-hood, I had to be on steroids because of my early diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease.

They weren’t the vein-popping, Arnold Schwarzenegger kind of ‘roids either.

They were the chubby cheeks and man boobs on a twelve yearold kind — with a side of stunted puberty. I looked like a deflated balloon with twigs for limbs by the time I was fourteen, so my scope for body confidence was pretty limited.

It left me feeling very angry and confused when I was younger, because I just couldn’t figure out who I was supposed to be. I had

preconceived notions of what a man should look like by the people I admired — television, movie and video game characters, other family members — and I just never measured up. I wondered if I never would, or could.

Luckily, my peak in life didn’t happen in high school. I work out now for my own benefit and no one else’s. I’ve learned to not give a fuck about meatheads at the gym who judge me for the amount I can bench, or about how many gains I get from pumping barbells.

I enjoy running more than anything else, and if that makes me a basic “cardio bunny” according to the bodybuilders who only hover possessively over the squat rack, then so be it.

At the end of the day, it really shouldn’t matter what someone looks like. Everyone has their own way of doing things and I’d be the last person to think I’m somehow entitled to judge others for their appearance — I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist. Just stick to what makes you happy and — as long as you’re not hurting anyone else or yourself — do you.

I’m probably never going to look like Captain America’s stand-in or be overly “swole”, no matter how many times my friends drag me to the gym — and that’s okay.

Being confident with yourself shouldn’t be connected to what other people think or expect of you.

Positive body image should start and end with how comfortable you are in your own skin.

important as Gerwig’s.

Peele, for example, is only the fifth black man to be recognized in the Best Original Screenplay category.

Stone has made a film with Woody Allen and played a whitewashed character in a film, so her feminism not being intersectional doesn’t come as a surprise.

The issue with her feminism is that it ignores other oppressed minorities.

Frances McDormand’s acceptance speech can be used to contrast Stone’s brand of feminism.

In her speech, she acknowledged all of her fellow female nominees

in every category at the awards, then called for producers in the audience to back female creators and artists. After this, McDormand left the audience with two words: “Inclusion Rider.”

An inclusion rider is a contract signed by an actor which requires their project to have a certain level of diversity.

The contract can refer to multiple underrepresented minorities, such as women, people of colour, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

McDormand went against Stone’s brand of white feminism, acknowledging the importance of all minorities in the film world,

instead of just white women.

The 2018 Oscars were not as bad as they could have been.

Best Animated feature was won by a film about Mexican culture, best director was a Latino male and best screenplay was won by a black man for the first time.

Feminism needs to be about more than celebrating the achievements of white women.

It should celebrate important achievements of any minority. If your feminism isn’t intersectional, your feminism is exclusionary.

Ensure that your feminism isn’t like Emma Stone’s, but instead like Frances McDormand’s.

AARON HAGEY STAFF WRITER

I firmly stand behind the body positive movement that society has been embracing — especially over the past few years — even if we still have a long way to go in terms of progress.

I believe that people have a fundamental right to feel comfortable with who they are and not be judged for it. I don’t want to detract from that or act as though my issues are more important than the problems that — women specifically — have to endure everyday because of how they look. I’m incredibly lucky that as a man, my physical appearance is not nearly as scrutinized.

That being said, I’ve struggled with body image issues for most of my life because I’m naturally very lanky and I find it hard to put on weight or any substantial muscle. I don’t feel as though body positivity is discussed that often in regards to men and that’s a problem.

If I ever tell people that I was on the football team in high school and was athletic for most of my early years, I’m usually given an odd look. And I get it. I’m built like a cartoon character, not a Hemsworth brother.

I was always teased for not being very bulky or muscular and it’s

SERENA TRUONG/GRAPHIC ARTIST

typically been connected with me being feminine.

When you’re a teenage boy, the go-to insults thrown around in locker rooms always seem to focus on sexuality, lack of manliness and perceived weaknesses.

I’ve grown to realize that the problematic bullshit associated with those “insults” stems from insecurity and — as the information I’ve learned from women and gender classes has revealed — toxic masculinity.

These kind of remarks were said by my own family as well.

Jokes about looking starved and child-like were often paired with

Slip-up at the Oscars BRITTANY TENHAGE STAFF WRITER

Award show season this year have been rife with political messages such as #TimesUp. Female presenters have been standing up for the lack of equal gender representation in the gender neutral categories, such as best director.

At the 2018 Golden Globes, Natalie Portman used her opportunity presenting the best director award to call out the fact that Greta Gerwig wasn’t nominated, despite being deserving.

When announcing the nominees, she said, “and here are the all-male nominees.”

The Golden Globe best director nominees were Christopher Nolan, Guillermo del Toro, Martin McDonagh, Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg, four white men and one Latino man.

Emma Stone tried to do something similar at the Oscars, but instead, her point fell flat.

While presenting the best director nominees, she referred to them as, “four men and Greta Gerwig.”

The Academy Award best director nominees were Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele, Guillermo del Toro, Christopher Nolan and Paul Thomas Anderson. One white woman, one black man, one latinx man and two white men.

Natalie Portman’s statement called out the lack of female representation in the best director category, despite there being deserving female directors.

Emma Stone’s, in contrast, ignored the fact that two men of colour were nominated. White women tend to forget that men of colour are oppressed, just like women are.

If you look at the nominees from the Golden Globes and compare them to the Academy Awards, this becomes obvious.

If one is going to attempt to acknowledge the bias that the film world has against anyone who isn’t a white man, they need to focus on everyone who’s ignored, not just one minority.

For Emma Stone to only say Greta Gerwig’s name, was essentially her ignoring that both Peele and del Toro’s nominations are just as

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

14 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

Hitting your peak with old age TYLER CURRIE STAFF WRITER

MADELINE MCINNIS/GRAPHIC ARTIST

If my life were a couch, even the garbage men would refuse to take it from the curb. If my life were a person, you would take the stairs when you saw him waiting for the elevator.

Don’t feel bad for me, I make my life stink strategically. Let me explain. While everyone is out there enjoying their lives — making friends, going to concerts, taking up hobbies, playing sports and going to movies, I stay at home.

My daily routine consists of getting out of bed, sitting in my chair, occasionally eating a bowl of ramen noodles or pasta, and crossing my arms until I get to go back to sleep.

I intentionally plan my day this way for one crucial reason: I don’t want to peak in my 20s. At some point in life, everyone eventually realizes that their best days are behind them. That time when they were young, maybe had a new car and a significant other and the only

serious worry in life was getting at least a 70 per cent on that school paper.

“Life was beautiful,” one might say as they look back and reflect.

This is what is called a ‘peak’. After that, life seemingly goes downhill.

I want to make sure I don’t peak while I’m young. I actively attempt not to cherish even a moment of my young life. The way I see it, if I enjoy myself now, eventually I’m going to realize these were the best days of my life. I won’t have it.

If I start enjoying my life at, say, 70 years old, I’ll be peaking at an age in which most are on their downslide. If I peak in my old age, I won’t have any peak competition. Whereas right now, if I were to workout, make friends and eat healthy, I’m just one of thousands of healthy 20-somethings gallivanting around with a smile and enjoying myself.

If I’m an old man experiencing his peak, I’ll be the envy of the retirement home. Sure — I’ll still be susceptible to the same inevitable old age problems in life, but it won’t matter. I’ll finally allow myself to peak. I’ll be grey-haired, but I’ll be grey-haired at my first concert. I’ll have a sore back, but I’ll have a sore back on my first roller coaster. I’ll be the oldest person

ever to experience life for the first time, and when I think back to my youth, I’ll laugh at the sorry-sacked miserable kid I evolved from.

Instead of telling my grandkids about my exciting youth, I’ll expe-

After that, life seemingly goes downhill with the accrument of responsibilities, bills and an assortment of everyday drudgery.

rience it with them right in front of their eyes.

Don’t make me peak in retirement alone. The next time your friends ask you to go out to the bar, the next time someone tries to spark a friendship with you or — god forbid — attempts to create a memory with you, REFUSE. We’ll be skipping around the retirement home and taking the town while all the after-peakers reminisce on their long-past prime.

Don’t forget about your passions and hobbies EMILY WAITSON OPINION EDITOR

If someone had told me I’d get to a point in my life where I’d tell myself that I didn’t have the same time or energy that I once did — to read for pleasure, sketch, knit or do any of the other countless time fillers that once took up a great portion of my spare minutes and hours — I’d laugh at them.

As a person who was never overly involved in high school with extracurriculars, I was always able to slot in time to do whatever I wanted.

I was on the swim team for three years with practices and meets, I took lifeguarding courses outside of school and I volunteered on the weekends, but I was mostly a free, gawky teen who could do as she pleased without worrying about a laundry list of stuff I should be doing.

Back in the blissful days of my youthful ignorance — and definite lack of adult responsibility — I could freely commit myself to a variety of mindless hobbies without any worry or concern.

As a teenager, I’d read one or two books a week for enjoyment; I was the epitome of an Arthur character chanting “having fun isn’t hard, if you’ve got a library card!”

I used free periods to read, art classes to create basically whatever the hell I wanted — shout out to my wonderfully hippy, carefree art teacher. I got my needed exercise with gym class and swim meets

SADMAN SAKIB RAHMAN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

and my leftover time at home was spent watching whatever I pleased.

I would spend countless hours downloading music from LimeWire onto my purple iPod Nano and I existed in a safe bubble of contentment.

Obviously, as we age we are faced with the inevitable time commitments associated with adulthood.

Entering university, I was a skittish deer in the woods who

was easily scared away from group oriented activities.

Joining clubs was a daunting task for me and it took a lot of embarrassing mantras repeated to my bathroom reflection to push myself to actually do something outside of my courses.

The unfortunate thing with giving a fuck about resumé builders, grades and having a somewhat respectable social life is that any free time to watch three seasons

of The Simpsons in a row and bake cookies — just because — is somewhat limited.

Managing my time effectively has been an uphill battle — and this is coming from a 22-year-old who has friends the same age that are getting married and having kids.

Taking on more responsibility with extracurriculars — and learning that I have to actually put more effort into my school work than

a shrugged-off, lackadaisical indifference — has shown me more than I originally thought it would.

I tend to be an all or nothing kind of person.

I either overwork myself to the point of not sleeping or eating, or I give up and eat a whole pizza in bed.

Finding balance day-to-day can be a bitch, to say the least.

I’ve allowed my obsessively filled-out planners and highlighted calendar dates to completely consume almost every waking minute that I have.

I recently realized that I have reached the point where I don’t know what to do with myself if I’m not working on an essay, fulfilling a club duty or worrying about an impending test.

My hobbies make up such a large portion of who I am as a person, that going through my routine without them for so long makes me feel a little lost.

Reading books that aren’t part of a class syllabus has become a goal of mine that’s been hard to work towards.

I stared for about ten minutes at a blank sketchbook page the other day not knowing what to do with it.

My attention is so easily pulled away to more “important” tasks, that I don’t feel like I know how to relax and do what I enjoy anymore.

As crucial as it is to prioritize your commitments and plan accordingly in your university career, I believe it’s still fundamental to hold onto the things that you enjoy doing.

The activities that simply give you relaxation and mindless enjoyment exist for a reason, so indulge in them whenever the opportunity presents itself.

• 15

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Kokko and Sow receive All-OUA honours ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER

Similar to the pros, it’s that time of the year — midway through the OUA men’s basketball playoffs — where we get to see some of the very best the OUA has to offer from this season.

Among this exclusive group, Laurier has two representatives this year, the first being rookie Ali Sow. Sow put together the most impressive of seasons amongst all rookies as he not only made the OUA all-rookie team, but also won OUA rookie of the year.

Hailing from Ottawa, having had little interest from schools coming out of high school, he quickly proved that he belonged and other scouts definitely passed over a good one.

With some big time performances this year by way of an arsenal of moves on the offensive end, he showed he could be more than just a role player in the OUA. “It feels like a great accomplishment to me, especially making my family proud and stuff like that,” Sow said.

“Especially knowing that coming in, I wasn’t sure if this year I was going to play basketball because I didn’t have enough recruitment coming my way. Just being able to come here and make an impact, it feels good.”

Coming off the bench but basically playing starters minutes — 25.6/game — he finished 13th in the conference in scoring averaging 16.5 points per game, shooting an efficient 45.9 per cent from the

off win versus McMaster before bowing out to Brock in the second round.

For myself, I don’t have any expectations really, I just expect myself to be a lot better overall, just offensively and defensively.

-Ali Sow, Laurier men’s basketball guard

FILE PHOTO/TANZEEL SAYANI

field and 37.8 per cent from 3-point land.

Asked about what his goals and expectations are for next season, he had this to say: “For myself, I don’t have any expectations really, I just expect myself to be a lot better overall, just offensively and defensively. Just be more available for my teammates and have a better attitude and focus for the game and just help my team win.”

Next up for the Golden Hawks was Tevaun Kokko, who followed

up a stellar rookie season making it as a second-team all-star last year as well as being a part of the OUA all-rookie team with another second-team all-star nod.

“Personal accolades, I think they’re always good to have but I’m focused on more on the team kind of stuff and trying to get better in other aspects like leadership and stuff,” Kokko said.

“I think things like conference all-star and stuff just comes as a reflection of the work we’re putting in with the team and all that stuff.

It’s pretty cool though.”

Averaging 19.3 points per game — and having a more efficient season than last — Kokko showed he was able to add to his already impressive offensive arsenal, taking on the challenge of being the guy on an up and coming Golden Hawks squad that made some noise this year.

Shooting almost 5 per cent better from the field — 45.3 compared to 40.8 last year — he led the new look Hawks to a 12-12 season and an impressive first-round play-

Having put together a good season as a team and an impressive one individually, he knows the expectations will be higher going into his junior year.

“I think yes, there is a little bit of pressure. We did a little better than years previous, so I think it gives you a little bit more pressure. But I think that pressure is a good kind of pressure unless you make it too hard on yourself by overthinking,” Kokko said.

“I think it’s just straight basketball at that point and just continuing to do what you’ve been doing your whole life so I guess the pressure is a good thing for us.”

With these two leading the way for a young Golden Hawks squad on the come up and only going into their sophomore and junior years, there is a lot to look forward to next year with this team — and they know it.

SWIMMING These two top-16 finishes placed Norval amongst the elite male swimmers in Ontario and allowed him to qualify for the U-Sports Championships.

A big [goal] next season would be to make the ‘A’ finals at OUA’s and just make finals in general at U-Sports.

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Norval continues to impress JOSEPH DEFILLIPIS STAFF WRITER

If they haven’t already, Laurier athletics fans should soon get to know Connor Norval as a household name.The first year student at Wilfrid Laurier University capped off an extremely impressive rookie season in late February by

being the only male swimmer to represent Laurier at the U-Sports Championships in Toronto.

At this competition, which featured the top collegiate swimmers in Canada, Norval posted personal best times in all four events that he competed in. These personal best performances were good enough to give Norval two top-30 finish-

es: in the 200m Butterfly and the 1500m Freestyle.

Norval additionally competed in the 100m Butterfly and the 200m Freestyle, where he finished 43rd and 38th respectively. Earlier in 2018, at the OUA Championships at Western University, Norval finished 11th in the 1500m freestyle and 14th in the 200m butterfly.

-Connor Norval, Laurier varsity swimmer

When asked about his late season success, Norval stated that he “changed up [his] technique with about a month left in the season,” which really allowed him to push himself to another level.

These technique changes additionally reaped their benefits during the 4x200m Freestyle Relay final at the OUA Championships,

where Norval swam alongside teammates Tyson MacDonald, Ethan Locis and Matt Kotasinski to an eighth place finish.

“Just being on the team this year was a highlight,” Norval, who picked up two impressive first place finishes during his rookie season, said.

These gold medal finishes both came in the 200m Butterfly: one in October at the Brock University Invitational and the other in late January at the Laurier Invitational.

Norval also picked up two second place finishes and one third place finish, capping off his rookie season with five podium placements. When asked about personal goals for next season, Norval said that “a big [goal] would be to make the ‘A’ finals at OUA’s and just make finals in general at U-Sports.”

In order to achieve these goals, Norval stated that he needs to “incorporate more drylands and gym workouts into the training regime” throughout next season.

With changes like these along with the experience of having one swim season under his belt, it will be very exciting to see how Norval can progress next season.

16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

ALUMNI

Former Golden Hawks soar at the Olympics PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

Competing at the Olympics is every athlete’s dream, and two former Golden Hawks got to live out that dream this past February.

Laurier graduates John Morris and Brent Laing represented Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.

Laing curled for the Canadian men’s team, while Morris took part in the first ever mixed doubles tournament at the Olympics.

While the men’s team came up just short of a medal after finishing in fourth place, John Morris took home the gold medal after winning the mixed doubles trial with teammate Kaitlyn Lawes.

This was Morris’ second time representing Canada at the Winter Olympic games, after being a part of the gold medal-winning Team Martin in 2010.

But the former Hawk pointed out that the challenge wasn’t necessarily easier this time around.

“I don’t think it was easier. It was different and I definitely drew upon my experience from 2010, but just representing Canada at the Olympics is a feat that is very difficult,” Morris said.

“That was just as difficult this time as it was last time. My first

Olympic experience helped, but I wouldn’t say one was easier than the other.”

On the other hand, this was Brent Laing’s first Olympic experience and, while the excitement level was at an all-time high, Laing mentioned that when it got down to business, the curling wasn’t much different.

“Once it was time to play, it didn’t feel a whole lot different than a regular event. Obviously there is a little more pressure. The excitement was more about being a part of Team Canada at the Olympics and being able to call yourself an Olympian. But the curling itself was the [same],” he said.

The connection between Laing and Morris extends much farther than the Olympics.

The two have been long time teammates, as they curled together from 1997-2003, and they still remain friends to this day.

“It was pretty cool [to see John].

Obviously we still remain friends to this day. I’m always happy for him and his success, and he’s had tons of it. For him to win a gold medal was super cool. I was cheering for him and was excited for him,” Laing said.

Laing has now been curling for over 20 years and even though he was unable to make an Olympic

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appearance before 2018, the Meaford native explained that he was always motivated.

“It’s just the love for competition, the game, and the success.

It’s been a crazy ride with lots of ups and downs. I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of some great teams, lots of grand slams, world championships and all those things,” he said.

“More than anything, it’s loving to be a part of a team, trying to get better and doing something that

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not everyone gets the chance to do.”

Part of the motivation for Laing came from his wife, Jennifer Jones, who skipped the Canadian women’s curling team to a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic games.

“Jennifer was a huge inspiration. Watching her and the rest of her teammates winning in Sochi, how they embraced it and how well they played, and specifically how well Jennifer played was very inspiring. It was just extra motivation for me to get to the Olympics,” Laing added.

“Hearing all the stories about the athletes that she met and all the experiences she had was very motivating.”

For Morris, the motivation came from his natural love for curling.

Along with being a professional curler, the Gloucester native also spends time firefighting and being a gourmet chef.

Balancing three different professions doesn’t come easy for anybody, but Morris mentioned that he learned some valuable time management skills during his time at Laurier.

“When I started [curling] at Laurier, I was going to school full-time, I was also competing on the World Curling Tour. That’s when I learned how to manage my time. I’ve never been perfect at it, it’s always a work

in progress. But learning to balance everything at Laurier was valuable because I still use [that experience] to this day,” he said.

“I’m a big advocate of following your passion. That’s why I’ve continued curling. I also love firefighting; I think it’s the best job in the world. And I love to cook. So I just try to make that work,” Morris added.

“It’s not always easy. I had to do some part-time work for a bit so I could follow my Olympic dream, but it’s all about time management, following your passion and putting the work in.”

Not only has Morris followed his passion, he’s excelled at it. A podium finish at the Olympics requires a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication, and it’s easy to see that Morris has definitely put in the work behind the scenes.

“The biggest thing is to never give up on your dream. I know a lot of people might give up because they find school too stressful, too time consuming, and that will make them give up on things they really care about. Find a way to make it all work,” Morris said.

Morris and Laing accomplished their dream after years of hard work, and they will serve as an inspiration, not only for students at Laurier, but for aspiring athletes all over Canada.

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