The Cord Nov. 8, 2017

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 58 ISSUE 11 • NOVEMBER 8, 2017

HISTORY REPEATS The football team will compete against Western for the Yates Cup Sports, page 16

TRANS ALLYSHIP

FENTANYL FOLLOW UP

GOODBYE GORD

NO SPACE FOR SPACEY

WBASK STARTS OUT STRONG

Workshop looks to educate and create dialogue

Stressing a preventative approach

Celebrating the life of a true Canadian icon

House of Cards star gets comeuppance

Team racks up back-to-back wins on road

News, page 4

News, page 6

Arts & Life, page 10

Opinion, page 13

Sports, page 15

LAYOUT BY: TANZEEL SAYANI/PHOTO EDITOR PHOTOS BY: TANZEEL SAYANI/PHOTO EDITOR & GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

2 •

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

VOCAL CORD

When is it okay to start playing holiday music?

@cordnews

The Cord

@cordwlusp

CordNews

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“All year round, there is never a wrong time for holiday music.”

–Jared Robinson, thirdyear business administration and computer science

“At the start of December, any time before then is too soon.”

–Logan Wilsenack, fourth-year communications TANZEEL SAYANI/PHOTO EDITOR

The Golden Hawks repeated last year’s exciting victory against McMaster and once again will be headed to a Yates Cup game hosted by Western.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: NOV. 8

“Every day.”

–Jacob Bickle, first-year business administration

Feel more confident behind the lens?

1431: Vlad the Impaler, the real life inspiration for Dracula, is born in Sighișoara, Romania.

thecord.ca/lead-photographer

1975: David Bowie made his US television debut with a performance of the song “Fame.”

“Every day. You should be able to listen to whatever you want.”

1980: KISS kickoff their 11 date Unmasked tour of Australia and New Zealand.

–Arman Sandhu, firstyear business administration

2016: Donald Trump is somehow elected President of The United States of America.

Compiled by Erin Abe Photos by Luke Sarazin NEXT ISSUE NOVEMBER 15, 2017

CORD STAFF

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 Madeline McInnis 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 Tanzeel Sayani 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 editor@thecord.ca

1971: Led Zeppelin release their fourth, unnamed album, generally referred to as Four Symbols.

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Luke Sarazin photos@thecord.ca SENIOR COPY EDITOR Michael Oliveri copyeditor@thecord.ca SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Danielle Deslauriers socialmedia@thecord.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

John McMorran Brittany Tenhage Victoria Berndt Caitlyn Lourenco Sara Burgess Tyler Currie Dotun Jide Sarah Spragg

“Rainbow Centre facilitates Trans Allyship Workshop” by Nathalie Bouchard

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.

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PREAMBLE The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly.

The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy.

The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly.

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Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

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

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: “This prof’s been talking about something I don’t know for the passed 20 minutes.”

- Photo Editor, Tanzeel Sayani on Snapchat “Isn’t that the point of a lecture?”

- News Editor Jake Watts’s response

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

News

• 3

NEWS DIRECTOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR NATHALIE BOUCHARD news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR JAKE WATTS news@thecord.ca

NATIONALISM

Propaganda posters found on high school premises KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Administrators at two high schools in Waterloo were met with signs donning the phrase “It’s okay to be white” when they walked in to school this past Monday.

Students and faculty at both Eastwood Collegiate Institute and Grand River Collegiate Institute were surprised to see the signage promoting white nationalism plastered on the doors of their respective schools.

“Our custodians noticed them when they arrived to school and made sure to begin the process of taking them down right away,” Nick Manning, chief communications officer for the Waterloo Region District School Board said.

“We are obviously disappointed and concerned to see those posters appear at two of our schools on Monday morning.”

This incident follows closely after a similar trend that has been sweeping across North America, According to The Washington Post, who recently reported on the appearance of similar signage across various cities and campuses in Canada and the United States.

The idea to distribute the posters appears to have originated from an anonymous Canadian contributor on 4chan, who encouraged readers to don “silly halloween

We’re the public board of education and that means we are for everybody no matter what your background.

-Nick Manning, chief communications officer for WRDSB

but they have passed the investigation on to the police and are allowing them to decide whether or not charges should be filed at this time.

“We’ve taken immediate action and in some cases we’ve been looking at video to see which students were exposed to those posters,” Manning said.

“We’ve reported both incidents to the police and it will really be for

the police to decide if any criminal activities happened and whether we can identify who put them up.”

“We’ll work with the police on that but our focus is on reassuring our school communities that our schools are safe for everyone that comes to them,” he said.

Manning also expressed concern on the behalf of the school board, noting it’s focus on inclusivity.

“These kinds of things are not appropriate or acceptable on our school properties when we are trying to build safe and inclusive schools for students in the Waterloo region,” he said.

“We’re the public board of education and that means we are for everybody, no matter what your background.”

students with different alternatives other than traditional vegan options.

“Not just bowls of salad, [but introduce other] things that people don’t think of being vegan. Like, jackfruit tacos: jackfruit is when you pull [the fruit] apart and it replicates shredded meat, like a meat alternative,” Nobile said.

Hungry Hippie will be posting menus monthly to keep students

informed of the upcoming meals provided for each week.

“There is a big vegan market but there also is a big health-conscious market too. A lot of people in our generation are really cautious about what they’re eating, working out a lot and being healthy,” Nobile said.

“I think that the market is there and nothing is filling it yet so we’re hoping to be that.”

GARRISON OOSTERHOOF/WEB DIRECTOR

Admin at two high schools in Kitchener-Waterloo discovered white nationalist posters hung on school property.

costume [sic] for anonymity” and print out the previously mentioned posters from their website in order to distribute “on campuses (and elsewhere) across the world on Halloween night.”

The original post on 4chan noted that the “game plan” was to provide “proof of concept” that an otherwise allegedly benign messagewould cause a “media shitstorm [sic].”

Posters with the phrasing have not as of yet appeared on campus at Wilfrid Laurier University.

However they have reportedly been spotted on campuses in Edmonton and Saskatoon as well as the University of Toronto and, according to Global News, the library at Ryerson University.

The WRDSB has taken steps to address the situation with students who were affected by the posters,

FOOD SERVICE

Hungry Hippie vegan food service comes to campus ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER

A new vegan food service called Hungry Hippie is scheduled to launch at Wilfrid Laurier University by the end of February 2018.

Beginning with once a week when launched, the new vegan service will feature fresh vegan food for students.

The products will range from Mexican food and tacos to vegan chili, chickpea curry and more. The food delivery method has yet to be determined.

The meals will be priced at approximately seven dollars and aimed to be kept under 10 dollars.

Students will be required to sign up for meals online prior to the date, monthly subscriptions will also be available.

The idea began with Amanda Nobile and Venessa Richards, two global studies and social entrepreneurship students at Laurier who had to create and launch their own business for class requirements.

“There has been this whole transition to veganism that has

been picking up and I have just noticed it over the last year. I guess we wanted to cater to that in the sense that people are transitioning [to veganism] and we should help them with that,” Richards said.

A big thing [for us] was showing people who aren’t vegan and don’t know much about it that it can be good, and vegans don’t just eat salads.

-Amanda Nobile, Co-Founder of Hungry Hippie

Hungry Hippie is aimed at bringing accessible vegan options to Laurier students while also displaying to students that eating vegan can be budget-friendly and delicious.

“There is really not that much

[vegan food] around here, there is so much fast food right outside of the school but nothing on campus and nothing is vegan and it’s hard for people to find that if you are vegan,” Nobile said.

Hungry Hippie hopes to encourage veganism and show students that there is much more to eating vegan than one might think.

“Breaking the stereotypes around it that it’s expensive, time-consuming or compromising eating good food so that you can stay away from those products. So we wanted to cater to those people and show that it’s not as difficult or expensive as you think,” Nobile said.

Before launching in February, Hungry Hippie will hold a taste testing session in the concourse where students can sign up for future meals.

“A big thing [for us] was showing people who aren’t vegan and don’t know much about it that it can be good, and vegans don’t just eat salads,” Nobile said.

Different options for food will be tested each week, to provide

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

INCLUSIVITY

Rainbow Centre facilitates Trans Allyship Workshop NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

On Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. the WLU Rainbow Centre presented the fourth annual Trans Allyship workshop held in the Paul Martin Centre.

The workshop was facilitated by Toby Finlay and Bea Sookpaiboon, both representatives from the Rainbow Centre.

The workshop facilitators described trans allyship as a process that involves understanding how your beliefs have been informed by cisgender privilege and working to unlearn these beliefs in order to challenge everyday institutions that reinforce this privilege.

Originally, the workshop was scheduled for Sept. 27. However, a statement released by the Rainbow Centre on Facebook on Oct. 2 explained the events which lead to the rescheduling of the workshop.

“On Wednesday Sept. 20, the Rainbow Centre was alerted that our posters had been defaced with transphobic hate speech and since then we have been working tirelessly to support our community, respond appropriately, and plan for our safety,” the post said.

“Our campus climate is inhibiting trans students from feeling safe when talking about their needs or occupying space on campus. It is the responsibility of all students, staff, faculty and community members to challenge the man-

ifestations of transphobia in our communities,” the statement read.

“And in particular, it is the responsibility of this university’s administration to address this violence and develop interventions in support of students who are marginalized by this university’s culture,” the statement continued.

Our campus climate is inhibiting trans students from feeling safe when talking about their needs ...

-Statement released to the Rainbow Centre’s Facebook page

An additional statement released by the Diversity and Equity Office (DEO) also expressed disappointment with the actions of those who defaced the posters and noted the importance of trans allyship.

The programming offered by the Rainbow Centre on Nov. 1 is meant to spark open and positive discourse.

The Trans Allyship workshop consisted of an informational pre-

sentation surrounding three main points: why we need trans allyship, who we are in relation to to trans allyship and how we should practice trans allyship.

The workshop also included small group activities throughout the presentation.

For example, one activity consisted of pronoun scenarios where groups would respond using the knowledge they had learned from the presentation.

The facilitators also discussed the importance of community support as a part of trans allyship.

The presentation included conversations on the problematic aspects of navigating gendered spaces, the importance of not policing someone’s gender expression and how to use gender-inclusive language.

“We developed these workshops when we realized that despite the pervasiveness of transphobia on our campus, many members of the university community lacked the knowledge and confidence to support trans students,” the Rainbow Center said in a statement released to The Cord.

“These workshops were developed by trans and non-binary students in The Rainbow Centre who wanted to provide administrators, faculty and students with the skills to support trans people,” the statement read.

The statement also spoke about

how universities should be doing more to address the institutional cis-normativity that occurs on campuses.

“We cannot continue to responsibilize trans students for redressing the harm inflicted by this institution; we need individuals who are prepared to honour trans

people, challenge transphobia, and foster cultures of safety and accountability,” the statement read.

“Programs like Trans Allyship are, therefore, important in sharing these skills, and we hope that those who attend can apply their learning in solidarity with trans people on campus.”

Waterloo campus by security, allegedly hiding out in the university’s student life centre with a large hunting knife. Police also found documents titled “assassination” written in Arabic in his locker.

In 2016, Mohamed was charged with possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace and a concealed weapon, as well as the investigation of five anti-terrorism offenses.

Since his arrest in 2016, Mohamed has a two-and-a-half-year credit for time already served.

According to The Record, Mohamed’s lawyer told the court his client accepted responsibility for his actions and is willing to take part in a de-radicalization program.

“He appears to be a much different person now than when I first met him. He wants to make

it clear to the courts he is not a proponent of radical Islam or violent jihad. He’s had a lot of time to think about what he’s done,” Paul Slasnky, Mohamed’s lawyer, said to The Record.

“I’d just like to say I’m sorry and I recognize what I did is wrong,” Mohamed said to the court.

The Cord reached out to, Paul Slansky, Mohamed’s lawyer but did not receive a comment.

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Toby Finlay and Bea Sookpaiboon facilitated the Trans Allyship workshop.

CRIME

Student is sentenced for terrorism offence ERIN ABE LEAD REPORTER

Kevin Omar Mohamed, a 25-yearold former University of Waterloo engineering student, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison on Tuesday for a terrorism-related offence. Mohamed was arrested in Waterloo in March of 2016 by the RCMP and pleaded guilty in June of 2017 to a terrorism-related charge.

Mohamed has since been sentenced by the Ontario Superior Court for “participating in or contributing to, directly or indirectly, any activity of a terrorist group for the purpose of enhancing the ability of any terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity.”

In 2014 Mohamed flew to Turkey and crossed the border into Syria with the alleged intent of joining Jabhat Al-Nusra.

Jabhat Al-Nusra al-Qaeda in Syria or al-Qaeda in the Levant, is a Salafist jihadist terrorist organization.

After returning to Canada, Mohamed posted incriminating messages on social media promoting terrorist attacks in the West, beginning his investigation.

“We had noticed his activity

online and had a few interactions with him. We attempted to interview him, but we could never line it up,” Lorne Dawson, a University of Waterloo sociology professor said to The Record.

He appears to be a much different person now than when I first met him.

-Paul Slansky, Mohamed’s lawyer, said to The Record

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

“He was a bit of an erratic. The next thing we knew, he’d been arrested.”

“The University of Waterloo rejects violence or the threat of violence in all its forms, and embraces a culture of tolerance and respect,” Matthew Grant, director of media relations for the University of Waterloo said.

Mohamed was found on the

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

A problem deeper than #MeToo News Director Safina Husien explores THEMUSEUM’s dialogue around gender equity

SAFINA HUSIEN/NEWS DIRECTOR

On Nov. 6, 2017 THEMUSEUM hosted a public dialogue surrounding gender equity in the Waterloo Region called #METOOISNTENOUGH: A part of the Model Citizens Dialogues.

The dialogue, moderated by Julie Barker-Merz, board director at THEMUSEUM, was inspired by the #MeToo hashtag which recently surfaced on various social media channels.

“I felt there was an opportunity for us to actually talk about it and identity what those triggers are in our community and how we might need to change and some things that we might need to look at a little bit differently in order to put forth some meaningful change,” Barker-Merz said.

Some main themes that came up during the dialogue included further training and education among children, families and more.

As well, the discussion featured the significance of women supporting other women and identifying an opportunity for women to support one another even more than what is already occurring.

As well as recognizing that the issues being discussed are not just women’s issues; however, it is a community issue.

As both men and women were present at the dialogue, explained Barker-Merz, it opened up the subject surrounding the roles of men and women within this particular issue.

“One comment that I heard from a gentleman that really impressed me … he stood up and said that men have to

change and men have to take ownership and women need to call us out on it,” Barker-Merz said.

“I thought it was such an authentic, genuine callout that he made and it really shifted the dynamic in the room. It was a very courageous thing to say and to do and he did it in a way that was so genuine and so real that it was very powerful.”

Another major topic of discussion surrounding the event was the Miss Oktoberfest contest which takes place in KW annually.

Although the contest provides a positive opportunity for women, allowing them to gain skills while in a leadership role, there are other aspects of the contest which may be outdated or critical questions to impose and think about.

Five present and past Miss Oktoberfest’s were in attendance at the dialogue, as well as Margo Jones, president of K-W Oktoberfest Inc. “It feels like it’s the time to ask some questions if we’re thinking about gender equality. Are we being equitable and do we have the right rules around Oktoberfest … what are some other rules that could be more meaningful that could look and sound different than ‘Miss Oktoberfest,’” Barker-Merz said.

A main topic surrounding the contest which was brought up was regarding the rules that state contestants cannot be married or have children.

“We kind of reflected back and said years ago mother stayed at home with their children … but maybe times have changed. Women know what time they have, how much time they want to be away from their families and,

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While Jones is open to further conversation about changing these rules, she stressed the significance of the opportunity being for young women.

“This opportunity is for young women to give them that upper leg, whether it is networking or whether it’s feeling confident,” Jones said.

“Keeping it to younger women, I think, is where we need that assistance and we give them that skill that they maybe didn’t have before.”

As a whole, Barker-Merz felt that meaningful suggestions were brought forth as a result of the discussion in an individual regard.

For example, some broader discussions included talking about the judicial system and ways in which it could be changed as well as how local police departments can improve in terms of how they make women in the community feel.

On a more personal stance, those in attendance discussed how each person can individually take action in order to make meaningful change.

“People wanted to go deeper on some topics we just didn’t have the time of space to do it. I see us coming up with a series of dialogues and the museum certainly has an appetite to make that happen — we’re going to figure out how to keep the conversation going,” Barker-Merz said.

“I think if one person walked out of there feeling empowered to make change then I think we accomplished our goal.”

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STATISTICS FROM CANADIANWOMEN.ORG LAYOUT BY: MADELINE MCINNIS/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 SAFETY

LABOUR

OPSEU rejects the councils renewed offer

CHAD BUSH/FILE PHOTO

SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

On Nov. 6, 2017, bargaining talks between The Ontario Public Service Union (OPSEU) and the College Employer Council (CEC) broke down.

Both parties had returned to the bargaining table on Nov. 1, almost three weeks since their last talks and when the strike first began on Oct. 16.

The Union represents more than 12,000 faculty members.

An employer vote is never a preferred path, because a settlement should be reached at the bargaining table.

-Sonia Del Missier, chair of the CEC bargaining team, in a statement

According to a statement released by the CEC, the Union refused to accept a renewed offer which, CEC alleges, addressed many of the Unions’ priorities and concerns, including increased pay, enhancing full-time employment for contract faculty, more academic freedom, better job security, amongst other factors.

However, the Union continues to claim that the prevalent issue surrounding precarious work has yet to be addressed to their satisfactory.

The Unions’ refusal to accept the offer stonewalled the bargaining process early Monday afternoon.

“OPSEU’s insistence on continuing the strike is a terrible outcome for students and faculty,” Sonia Del Missier, chair of the CEC bargaining team, said in a statement.

“We addressed all faculty priorities and the offer that is available for faculty right now — on the table — should have ended this strike.”

In a statement sent out by the

Union on Monday, OPSEU called the CEC’s wish to return to the bargaining table a “public stunt.”

The Union claimed that the CEC is forcing a vote upon college faculty despite the fact that they are merely offering the same concessions which they have been for months.

The CEC announced on the same day that they have asked the Ontario Labour Relations Board to schedule a vote based on the college’s latest offer, despite the Union’s recommendation to say no to the deal currently being offered.

“It is nothing short of outrageous that the colleges have refused to continue bargaining and have instead called for a vote on their final offer, which contains serious concessions,” JP Hornick, chair of the faculty bargaining team for OPSEU, said in a statement.

“Until yesterday, we thought we were very close to a deal. Today, it turns out, they’ve pushed us farther apart.”

The Labour Board will determine and announce the date on which college faculty will vote. It will likely take between five and ten days to organize and complete the process.

The college team requested that the strike be suspended during the voting period in order to get students back into classes.

However, OPSEU has opted to continue their strike efforts until after the voting has been completed.

“An employer vote is never a preferred path, because a settlement should be reached at the bargaining table,” Del Missier said in a statement.

“But we have exhausted all efforts at the bargaining table and now our faculty will decide.”

Students at Conestoga College, who have been out of class for over three weeks, will now have an extended semester.

The college confirmed late last week that the fall semester would be extended a full week later as a result of the strike in order for students to fully complete the academic semester and fulfill program requirements.

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

The fentanyl crisis looms Opioid threat is increasingly prevalent in Waterloo Region JAKE WATTS NEWS EDITOR

The threats associated with fentanyl loom as the drug’s prevalence has grown throughout not only Waterloo, but all of Canada.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate typically prescribed by medical doctors to alleviate pain and is usually administered through transdermal patches in small doses.

However, the extremely powerful drug has been increasingly present in the illegal drug trade, sold both on its own and laced in other drugs without the knowledge of the end user.

Overdoses caused by fentanyl only represent a part of the total sum of the increasing number of opioid overdoses in the region.

As a precaution against opioid overdoses, Wilfrid Laurier University has begun to equip and train its Special Constables and Wellness Centre nurses with Naloxone kits, according to 570 News.

In 2015, two years ago, we did 273 opioid overdose calls in that year. This year we’re projecting to be in the 690 to 700 range.

-Robert Crossan, deputy chief of paramedic services in the Waterloo Region

Naloxone is a drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdose and making it available to staff and faculty appears to be a trend that many universities across Canada are following.

The Toronto Star, for example,

reported that the University of King’s College, the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta and MacEwan University have all made the drug available either to staff or directly to students.

The increasing prevalence of opioid overdoses has also been noticed by paramedics in the Waterloo Region.

“In 2015, two years ago, we did 273 opioid overdose calls in that year. This year we’re projecting to be in the 690 to 700 range,” Robert Crossan, deputy chief of paramedic services in the Region of Waterloo, said.

“So that is a significant increase in calls for sure,” However, Crossan iterated that the rise in overdose calls still accounts for a small proportion of their total calls each year.

“To put that in perspective, paramedic services does between 47,000 and 50,000 calls this year. So it’s an alarming increase, and it’s a serious issue, but it comes out to about one-and-a-quarter per cent of our total call volume,” Crossan said.

In addition to being made available by universities, members of the public throughout Ontario can get free Naloxone kits from pharmacies and various community organizations.

When asked about the impact that more widely available Naloxone kits would have on paramedic services, Crossan stressed that, while it is useful, it doesn’t really affect the number of calls they need to respond to.

“There’s no doubt that public Naloxone saves lives and I would never say that it’s a bad thing, but we need to be called every time that that’s given,” Crossan said.

“Maybe it’s not a drug overdose, maybe the Naloxone isn’t enough, whatever, maybe we can get there and talk the patient into coming to

There’s no doubt that public Naloxone saves lives and I would never say that it’s a bad thing, but we need to be called every time ...

-Robert Crossan, deputy chief or paramedic services in the Waterloo Region

the hospital with us and starting some counselling,” Crossan said.

For those who choose to experiment with drugs, the risk of overdose is always present. Especially with powerful drugs like fentanyl, for which a small difference in dose could be the line between life and death.

When asked about the sorts of precautions universities should take against the threat of such outcomes, Crossan stressed that a preventative strategy would be better than a reactive strategy.

“I think what I would like to see the university do — and not just for opiates but all substance use, I mean it’s a big issue in the community, and it’s a big issue in the university community — is more education on party smart, party safe, alcohol and drug use and abuse,” Crossan said.

“I’d like to see them address that issue more across the board with students. So, more of a prevention angle as opposed to reactive,” Crossan said.

“Public Naloxone, Naloxone in the hands of responders is about as reactive as you can get on a policy.

As opposed to being proactive.”

The Cord reached out to Wilfrid Laurier University’s Special Constable Services and Wellness Centre but did not receive a comment at the time of publishing.

NEWS • 7

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 ABORIGINAL STUDENTS

Nine Indigenous grandmas graduate from Laurier SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

Mary Ann Caibaiosai is one of nine Indigenous grandmothers who recently graduated this year from Wilfrid Laurier University, receiving her master’s of social work with an Indigenous Field of Study.

The Aboriginal Field of Study, as part of Laurier’s Masters of Social Work program, has an Indigenous worldview aspect included in the curriculum.

The program also includes the use of Indigenous elders with is a traditional circle process and Indigenous ceremonies.

Caibaiosai is originally from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island.

However, she left her home and partner, both of which now reside just outside of Ottawa, to come to Waterloo to complete her masters degree in social work.

After completing her bachelor degree in First Nations and Aboriginal Counselling, Caibaiosai’s sister encouraged her to continue on with her education with Laurier’s master’s program.

“She just told me how it would fit well with what I was doing in my work and my life and I just decided to go for it. For a time, I wasn’t sure I had the capacity and I realized

DOTUN JIDE/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

that I actually do and I went for it,” Caibaiosai said.

For Caibaiosai and her eight Indigenous peers, the program was challenging and difficult in regards to various different aspects.

“This particular program really involved going into yourself and reflecting on yourself,” said Caibaiosai.

Some prevalent challenges for

Caibaiosai included having few close-family members, living away from her partner as well as using unfamiliar technology when writing papers and doing other school work.

However, the main challenges that she faced were the ones which came from within herself.

“For me, it was challenging because I was part of the residen-

tial school system … I had a lot of issues like not being good enough and not having the smarts to do this type of studies — those are the big challenges for me,” Caibaiosai said.

However, for Caibaiosai, having the support of her Indigenous peers was a huge aspect of encouragement as they worked through the program together.

“It made it really comforting and we could understand each other, we related to each other’s stories when we shared and talked about them … you didn’t feel like you were the only one going through those things,” Caibaiosai said.

Now, having completed the program, Caibaiosai is excited and proud of her accomplishment.

“It makes me feel and realize that there is that capacity and there is that support. There is a lot of help when we need it.”

“It was an uphill struggle and so I feel that I’ve done it and I can help other people coming up … it’s something that they can do too [sic],” Caibaiosai said.

For others in her position who might be considering taking a masters program, Caibaiosai would tell them that anything is possible — no matter that person’s age and previous background.

“There are so many doors that can be opened once you understand and once you have that knowledge. I can just say about this particular course … it really helps you to understand yourself. And when you understand yourself you can do a lot more,” Caibaiosai said.

“When you learn yourself and about who you are, your background and your ancestry it’s huge.”

8 • 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 to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear Life, I dropped my container of glass olive oil on my kitchen floor. It smashed everywhere and now I need to buy new olive oil and im mad. I cut my finger trying to pick up the glass. Im wondering what kind of olive oil I should buy next or even buy olive oil or maybe olive oil with an infusion of garlic. I feel like this will make my dishes better as well. Even though I dropped my olive oil and it hurt me I can now look forward to the new opportunities that my new olive oil can provide me. Sometimes that how you need to look at life. If you drop olive oil and it smashes everywhere you can get another better olive oil.

So if you boyfriend dumps you or

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 you fail a test. You will find someone worthy of you and you will ace that final. Keep pushing. You will find some great olive oil and not drop it on the floor this time.

tion to The Cord. You rock dont ever change!!!

Sincerely, Olive the philosopher

Dear Bento Sushi,

Dear Life, Finally a win! It was cool to see us us win another game outside of regulation. That was a tough roadie for sure. I’m not convinced this is the year, there is still time for the players to bloom. Maybe this year, maybe next year. Whenever it happens, it will be beautiful.

Sincerely, Maple Leafs Dear Gluten, Why are you so delicious? Why are you so fattening? Why do you make me fat? Why cant Papa Johns be healthy?

Sincerely, Bread Head Dear Victoria Berndt, You are such a great copy editor volunteer. You are here week after week and have shown such great dedica-

SUDOKU

Sincerely, Someone who has noticed :)

WHY ARE YOU SO EXPENSIVE BUT SO TASTEY!!!!!! You make great sushi but its hurting my wallet.

Sincerely, sushi lover not a fighter Dear Beth, I am so proud of you for fostering a kitten from the humane society. You write wonderful stories for TCE and create a great paper every month.

You are the definition of cool!!!!

Sincerely, Shrek Dear Life, My last exam isn’t till the 21st, I’m filled with rage, I’m about to burst.

I will have ten days to fill with distraction before I can write that dumb exam about adaption.

I would prefer, if I could differ.

But I bet the school won’t take that action.

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GAMES • 9

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 WORD SEARCH

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10 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD arts@thecord.ca

POP CULTURE

The darndest thing in Stranger Things Bring your bat, Steve Harrigton! Some minor spoilers for the newest season of the show ahead!

MADELINE MCINNIS CREATIVE DIRECTOR

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the second season of Stranger Things came out on Oct. 27, and it seems like everyone spent their Halloween weekend obsessively binge-watching.

The biggest character development, and by far the best part about the season, was of one Steve Harrington.

Now, in season one Steve was a grade-A fuckboy. Everyone was rooting for Jonathan to end up with Nancy, even after he did some pretty shady stuff — don’t take naked pictures of girls without their consent, friends.

Now, Steve has become what the

internet is calling — appropriately — Daddy Steve. He took responsibility and was an actual worthwhile human being.

In the process of the transformation, he became my favourite character and warmed the hearts of thousands of fans.

These are the type of characters I love to see in my fiction. Characters like Steve, with counterparts like Neville Longbottom and Elizabeth Swann, experience growth, learning and complexity beyond a narrative need.

We all need more people like Steve in our lives — both fictional and in reality.

It started off a little sticky for dear Daddy Steve, as Nancy broke his heart and he left her drunk at a party.

Season one Steve would have definitely retaliated. In fact, he did. When he thought Nancy was cheating, he defiled her property and her reputation.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

But Daddy Steve is different. This classic romantic bought her roses, and when she wasn’t home, he formed a relationship with fellow lonely outcast Dustin.

And that was beyond adorable.

From giving advice about girls to sharing hair tips, this unlikely partnership was exactly the love

and support we needed from an otherwise pretty dry and hopeless season.

That scene with Steve dropping Dustin off at the dance? Absolutely priceless.

But not everything was all sunshine and friendship. Steve really had to step up this season.

He could have run away when the shit hit the metaphorical-Upside-Down fan, but instead, he was courageous and self-sacrificing.

In a role that was almost exclusively reserved to Hopper, Joyce and Eleven in season one, Steve had the opportunity to be a selfless hero.

He had the choice to protect the kids and he took it without much hesitation. On top of that, he pushed Max out of the way when they attacked, and he made sure that all of the kids made it out of the tunnel before he got out himself.

And season one Steve definitely never would have stood up for Lucas in Billy’s racist tirade. Steve got the snot beat out of him just to make sure that Lucas was safe.

So who will be the next Daddy Steve? Could Riverdale’s Cheryl Blossom see a turnaround in season two? We’ll have to see — stranger things have happened.

MUSIC

Commemorating a legend KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

When I heard the news that Gord Downie had passed away, I felt feelings of contempt wash over me.

Those feelings were mostly directed inside, I’ll admit, but let me explain.

Growing up in southern Ontario I can confidently say that I had hundreds of opportunities to see The Tragically Hip, some of them even being free concerts.

Money was never an issue when it came to seeing them, it was always time. I was too busy — with school and relationships and whatever else was going on at the time — to think about how much I might value the experience.

Then, out of nowhere, Gord announced his illness and, like an all-too-perfectly-timed marketing ploy, ticket prices began to skyrocket.

My cynical self questioned the motivations behind this historical concert series. Looking back on it now, I was mostly just disappointed in myself for missing out on all of the opportunities I had to see them play in all of their glory.

It feels weird to say it now, but The Tragically Hip is one of those bands that you just assumed would always be around.

Growing up in Canada, their music is ubiquitous, and it was

only based on a related ignorance — an assumption that Gord would somehow miraculously pull through and that we would all remember this as the first of many farewells — that I decided seeing them live was something that could wait until later.

I’m ashamed to admit it now but, because of that feeling, I couldn’t accurately react to his death on a personal level. The news washed over me and drifted out of my mind so quickly.

It was only after a few weeks of seeing his face on the Apple Music home page every single day that I began to process what his loss meant to me — what his loss meant to my fellow Canadians.

When I describe the importance of The Tragically Hip to someone it feels like I am describing maple syrup or poutine. Navigating through life as a kid growing up in Canada meant that I would be confronted with at least one of their songs or stories on a weekly, if not, daily basis.

Learning about a real-life prison escape that happened in Kingston via “38 Years Old” or Steven Truscott’s controversial case as described in “Wheat Kings” always felt surreal to me. It made me feel like I was a part of this ever-evolving and infinitely fascinating portion of history.

Listening to songs like “Locked in the Trunk of a Car” taught me that Canadian history, rich as it may be, is also full of interesting and shocking stories. Listening to songs like “Fifty Mission Cap” reminded me that no matter what

anyone says, the Toronto Maple Leafs will always hold an important place in Canadian history.

Songwriter, poet, artist, storyteller, if you ask me you might as well just add “Canadian historian” to the list.

And of course, after spending years exposing the beauty of Canada’s underbelly, Gord would use his massive reach to draw attention to some less-proud moments in Canadian history.

His second-last solo effort, “Secret Path” — which was accompanied by graphic novel and film components — was a concept album that told the story of Chanie Wenjack, a young Anishinaabe boy who died of exposure after escaping from a residential school.

While it’s not the be-all, end-all for reconciliation, it’s an incredibly selfless gesture and one that came at a time where you’d expect almost the complete opposite from someone.

For that reason alone, I feel that Gord Downie deserves all the praise and recognition. But I’d also like to thank him personally, because he made me feel like it was cool to be Canadian.

Every time I pass Fiddler’s Green — or see Bobcaygeon on the map — I feel like I am retracing the steps of a legend. Not all that different from thinking “my back still aches” every time I hear the word Tillsonburg.

Gord Downie was our generation’s Stompin’ Tom Connors, and I guess I’m mostly scared because now I’m not sure if anyone will ever be capable of filling his shoes.

ARTS & LIFE • 11

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 LITERATURE

The inside scoop on Outside People QIAO LIU/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

SARAH SPRAGG CORD ARTS

On Friday, Nov. 3 in the Veritas Café, I had the opportunity to attend the launch party of associate English professor, Mariam Pirbhai’s debut collection of short stories entitled Outside People and Other Stories.

In her collection of short stories, Pirbhai highlights the experiences of minority groups in Canada who often times are placed at the margins of literature and society.

The party began with a book signing and excerpts from works written by students Jenna Hazzard and Kyleen Mcgrawe.

From the start, I felt immersed in the intimate atmosphere of the writers, their work and the people in attendance.

In the interview that I later had with Pirbhai, she described the importance of student writers performing their work and feeling the immediate response.

“I want our students to have the experience that creative writing is

not just a deeply private and isolated process.”

“There is another aspect to creative writing that is to share your work.”

I want our students to have the experience that creative writing is not just a deeply private and isolated process...

-Mariam Pirbhai, author of Outside People and Other Stories

During Pirbhai’s readings, she focused on four stories from her collection, which were enlightening, comical at times and to my own surprise, relatable to my experience growing up in a rural farming community in Ontario

— something I did not anticipate until she started the story Chicken Catchers.

Chicken Catchers explains the life of a Jamaican migrant worker on a poultry farm in Ontario who comes to the aid of a fellow migrant worker.

As I listened attentively to the reading, I was reminded of a family friend’s farm that I used to visit during the summer.

Although, unlike the character in Pirbhai’s short story, I fortunately never had to undergo the mission of catching chickens.

“In every way these stories were the Canada that he knew, the Canada that he’s born into, and the Canada that he’s so familiar with — the only difference is that it’s being seen from a whole new set of eyes,” Pirbhai said, when referring to the reflections of a fellow colleague.

I felt that the Canadian landscape that I knew, similarly to her colleague, was not separate from that of her characters.

Later when I discussed with Pirbhai about what it means to be

a minority and her experiences emigrating from Pakistan, she explained that: “I try to approach what it means to be a minority in more complex terms, and how sometimes, yes, it can be a very alienating and disconcerting experience to find yourself a minority.”

In the society that Canadians live in today, it’s important to be considerate of the diverse belief systems, cultures and religions that exist in our communities.

Nevertheless, those differences can be unifying and celebrated, as professor Pirbhai illuminates within her short stories.

At the end of our interview, I asked Pirbhai what students at Laurier could take away from Outside People.

“We are an increasingly more diverse group at Laurier.”

“I hope that the stories aren’t seen as somebody else’s stories, but rather are a reflection of that very diversity, and speak to students on those levels, because this is their community and collective.”

I hope that the stories that aren’t seen as somebody else’s...

-Mariam Pirbhai, author of Outside People and Other Stories

I could not have been happier that I went to the event because I not only got to learn more about Outside Stories, but also what it means to be Canadian today.

After the event and speaking with professor Pirbhai, I realized the importance of breaking down barriers and joining together in a collective identity.

Especially in the Laurier community, we need to be making sure that we’re letting the Outside People in.

FOOD

Breakfast of champions the items being pre-cooked and kept in a warmer. However, the taste is on the lower end of the scale.

BRITTANY TENHAGE STAFF WRITER

One of my favourite ways to start the day is with a breakfast sandwich. It’s quick, easy and relatively healthy.

However, with so many various places to buy one, it can be hard to decide which you want.

To make sure you can avoid the trouble, I have taste-tested five different sausage and egg breakfast sandwiches for you!

Tim Hortons Timmies’ sausage and egg breakfast sandwich is a good option.

For $3.29 plus tax, you can choose between a biscuit or English muffin to have your sandwich on.

It is one of the cheaper sandwiches and has the benefit of all

Starbucks The Starbucks sausage and egg breakfast sandwich is high in taste, but also high in cost.

At $4.25 plus tax for the sandwich, it is the most expensive sandwich on this list. It has the disadvantage of being pre-cooked, kept in a fridge and microwaved upon ordering as well, which means that your favourite kind can be sold out before you arrive.

It also means that your cheese isn’t melted from the heat of the other items, and instead, from the microwave.

Also, because they are pre-made you don’t get to choose which bun, meat, egg, or cheese comes on your sandwich. The sausage is okay in flavour, but could be better.

McDonald’s Like Timmies’, the items are pre-made, kept in a warmer, and

assembled upon ordering. It is $3.59 plus tax for the sandwich and isn’t as substantial as the Tim Hortons sandwich.

I also frequently find that the English muffin they come on is burnt, which isn’t nice.

To avoid that, you can simply order your sandwich on an untoasted English muffin.

The sausage on the McDonald’s sandwich is the most flavourful out of them all.

A&W The A&W breakfast sandwich has one bonus the other sandwiches do not: you can order it on a burger bun.

It is larger than the McDonald’s sandwich and costs $3.50 plus tax.

A&W cook and assemble everything upon ordering.

Which means it might take a few extra minutes, but you also have the added benefit of knowing that it is freshly cooked.

The sausage on A&W’s breakfast sandwich is similar to McDonald’s in flavour. But, let’s be real, just not quite as tasty.

DIY! Last but not least, the DIY sandwich. It involves more work and time, but has so many benefits.

Buying everything in bulk means you get more bang for your buck and you know exactly which ingredients are going in your breakfast.

Zehrs click and collect prices for the ingredients — as of Nov. 6, 2017 — are as follows: $5.49 for six sausage rounds, $2.99 for six English muffins, $2.99 for 12 cheese slices, and $5.49 for 18 eggs. That

FANI HSEIH/CORD ALUM

equals about $1.98 per breakfast sandwich.

The DIY sandwich is a much cheaper option than all the others, plus you have the added bonus of being able to make six sandwiches from one shopping trip.

However, the fast food options are endless and flavourful.

When in a rush, any of the above sandwiches are good options, depending on what you want in a breakfast, however my favourite remains A&W. It’s a bit further from the campus, but worth it to me.

12 •

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Note: On setting differences aside of battles that aren’t even worth entering into.

With that being said, there is a time and a place to defend people, and these circumstances often make themselves evident.

In the event that people are being oppresive or sharing negative opinions there needs to be space to let personal growth take place. Dismissing someone immediately and completely based upon a problematic or disagreeable opinion can at times be almost as problematic as the opinion itself. Of course, there will always be opinions that don’t sit well with us, and that is just a fact of life.

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

There’s a certain point that I feel most people reach where they realize what truly matters to them and, more importantly, what doesn’t.

Coming to this conclusion is a long and frustrating journey; one that is not complete without hard fought arguments over nothing in particular.

That certain point in time often comes in the form of a realization, a light bulb moment if you will.

You move leaps and bounds forward as soon as you realize the fact that you have to pick your battles sometimes.

Most people already stretch themselves too thin if you ask me, but that problem only gets worse if you are always going down kicking and screaming.

And believe me, I know how it feels; as an adolescent I would argue about the colour of the sky if it meant I could prove someone wrong — or maybe I just really liked the sound of my voice, but either way.

My attitude never afforded me any positive benefits to reap. In fact, it almost always got me quite the opposite.

Setting my own differences aside was something that allowed me to empathize with other people more openly and effectively.

From that point on I realized the value in giving people the space to be right and the space to be wrong — and to learn from both possible outcomes.

Letting people figure things out on their own can result in a truly fascinating journey, and self-discovery is one of the best ways to learn something.

I think coming to my own conclusions has helped me be more confident in my writing and argumentative skills, but it has also taught me that there are a lot

Setting my own differences aside was something that allowed me to empathize with other people more openly and effectively.

We all have unique lived experiences that allow us to bring diverse and varying opinions to the table, but shutting every one of them down has the potential to create a toxic environment, which is far less conducive to growth than an open and inclusive environment.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t care, that you need to develop a thicker skin, or that complete apathy is the answer.

I’m just saying that there is a time and a place for everything.

We need to pick our battles and choose our opponents even more carefully.

In a university setting, I personally feel that there is so much space for growth and development.

In the span of four years I learned so much about so many people, and the journey started when I shut my mouth and opened up my ears.

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Straight out of the closet MADELINE MCINNIS CREATIVE DIRECTOR

My boyfriend and I like to joke that he assumes everyone is straight and I assume everyone is gay.

It’s a joke, of course, but it also shows a lot about our respective cultures and spheres related to our sexual orientations because there is some truth in it.

It’s undeniable that we live in a hetero-centric culture. Typically, we assume everyone is straight until we learn otherwise.

To an extent, I can understand that way of thinking. Orientation is something that is invisible and to be straight seems to be more common than it is to be on the queer spectrum.

However, in a society that is growing more and more tolerant and is becoming more accepting of gay people, it still surprises me a little that this is an assumption.

Those of us in the community probably see it more because it affects our daily lives and how people view us. And that’s what brings me back to my point about my boyfriend.

He and I have been together for

a while now. Some of our good friends have never known us apart.

A lot of that means that I have to repeatedly come out of the closet because, with heterosexual culture, it’s assumed that because I’m in a relationship with a man, I’m straight. That’s fine and dandy and an easy deduction to make.

But it’s not who I am as a person either. I am not defined by the gender of my partner, no matter how long we’ve been together. Being in a relationship with a man doesn’t make me straight in the same way as him being in a relationship with me doesn’t suddenly make him queer. It just doesn’t make any sense.

My passing privilege is something that I didn’t really anticipate heading into the relationship.

In high school, my girlfriend and I were the only openly “out” samesex couple at our Catholic school.

We were subject to rumours, teasing and general teen gossip.

Then, I was out. However, due to the reaction, I was ashamed and I didn’t put everything I wanted to into the relationship.

In a lot of ways, especially with social media culture normalizing same-sex relationships in high school aged people, I wish that I had gone into high school just a few years later.

No matter what I wish or what I thought of myself, everyone knew

that I wasn’t straight and that just seemed to be a commonly accepted fact, even if I felt ashamed of it or put down at the time.

It seems like the roles are reversed now — I’m consistently having to come out and I want to be proud of my orientation, now that I know that it’s more than okay, but it’s hard when it’s invisible and I always have to explain it.

Orientation is something that is invisible and to be straight seems to be more common than it is to be on the queer spectrum.

I’ve come to a time in my life where I want to be proud of everything that I am. But that line isn’t so black and white for me. It’s blurred and mixed to a point where I have to explain myself.

We’re developing, but we’re also still in need of progress. I shouldn’t have to justify why I love anyone that I do, no matter the gender.

• 13

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Opinion

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Women at work MADELINE MCINNIS CREATIVE DIRECTOR

When I was in grade 11, I changed my mind about what I wanted to do in my academics.

In grade 10, I had taken grade 11 functions and physics in the same semester. I was good at math, and physics came naturally to me.

But after this escapade into grade levels beyond my own, I traded my calculator for a world map and a novel.

I was the only one in my friend group that was planning to go into the social sciences and humanities, but the discontent over my decision went beyond fellow scared and nerdy high-school students.

My teachers were floored.

“Why aren’t you continuing with math? There aren’t enough women in STEM!” I held onto the guilt that they placed on me right up until this week.

I was a woman that could probably do well in a STEM career and probably would have had no problem getting into whatever program I wanted to for university.

It felt like I was just doing what society expected of me as a woman — an arts degree.

Did you know that women were not widely accepted historians in the 20th century? There was such a small number of female historians that it made my HI398 class members’ heads spin.

Mine too.

And I realized that I didn’t make a choice for the system — in choosing education, and in choosing to be successful in that education, I made a choice against the system entirely.

But after this escapade into grade levels beyond my own, I traded my calculator for a world map and a novel.

The truth is that women are lacking everywhere. It’s not just STEM that needs female representation, it’s every aspect of our lives.

The trades are lacking in females and still hiring faster than schools can keep up.

It doesn’t take long watching CNBC to see that the number of men on the trading floor far outnumber the women.

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

I could write a feature length article, and beyond just on examples off of the top of my head, and that’s entirely my point.

Women are interested in all different kinds of things, so we should see representation in all of those fields.

And, by all means — contrary to common stereotypes — you are allowed to be good at more than one thing.

One of my favourite professors double majored in physics and film studies in her undergrad.

Diversifying your skill set is never going to be a weakness.

The only way we’re going to have strong representation in the workforce is if we are encouraging women to do whatever they want

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Netflix gives the boot to Spacey SHYENNE MACDONALD ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

On Oct. 29, Anthony Rapp flooded Twitter with accusations of assault directed toward actor Kevin Spacey.

Later the same day, Spacey released a statement neither confirming nor denying the accusa-

tion, but instead revealing to the world that he was a gay man.

The timing, which reads as “now’s as good as time as any,” leaves something to be desired.

By now, everyone has heard the discussion surrounding this controversy.

Spacey coming out at the same time answering accusations of assaulting a teenage boy has everyone rightfully upset.

Netflix, which plays home to the show House of Cards, has stepped in, suspending the show which Spacey is the star of.

This seems like a positive step, and I certainly view it that way — allegations of him harassing and assaulting others involved in the production have also been flooding in — and this seems like a great way help protect those whom he might have harmed.

It seems positive, until you go into Netflix’s documentaries.

This is going to take a while, so narrow your search for one Chris Brown.

Eight years ago, Brown made headlines for the physical abuse his then girlfriend, Rihanna,

to do.

If we have strong, empowered young women who love what they do, they will thrive in whatever discipline they choose.

Girl, be a CEO. Go be Prime Minister. Or go be a stay-at-home parent.

Each of us deserves to be happy, regardless of what people think we should or shouldn’t be doing with our lives.

If you’re not enjoying physics as much as English in high school, you’re probably not going to magically flip a switch when you get to the working world.

If you’re getting way higher grades in business than you are in computer science, you may just be more suited to that.

We will create a society around successful women once we allow women their own choices to be successful and give them room to grow.

With all that’s coming out in the last few weeks, maybe, just maybe, we’re entering a renaissance of empowerment: an age where women can be recognized for their ambitions and their abilities.

I can’t wait for the day where seeing a woman in physics is no less surprising than seeing women studying English or choosing to be stay-at-home parents.

We need women everywhere, but first we need to stop this idea of “filling the gaps.”

I guarantee that women will fill them organically given the chance.

suffered one night after an award ceremony.

In the car, Rihanna was beaten and the fallout afterward was heavily publicized.

Now, in 2017, Brown has released a documentary titled Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life.

Besides the fact that it sounds like an Avril Lavigne song circa 2004, the documentary also holds a featured spot on Netflix.

So, here’s the problem I draw with this, Netflix.

You’re taking away the platform of one famous person who’s been in the media for the many allegations of sexual assault/harassment, but you’re openly giving a platform to another famous person who publicly battered his girlfriend and then made a documentary about it?

In all fairness, Brown does speak to that night.

In his recall, Rihanna and him had both grown violent, but he was the one who took it too far and he was the one who had the final blow.

But now Brown is regretful — just as I’m sure Spacey is — so, naturally, Netflix gave him a chance to tell his side.

I wonder if, in eight years, Spacey is going to have his own documentary too.

Maybe it’ll be titled Kevin Spacey: a journey through my life.

Obviously, as I mentioned, Netflix did have valid concerns with continuing House of Cards.

But, it also seems obvious that it was a publicity move. House of Cards ratings were already dropping, so Netflix swooping in and acting like one great big ally/hero doesn’t fully compute.

On the surface it seems like Netflix took one great big progressive step, until you pull back the curtain.

On the surface, it seems like Netflix took one great big progressive step until you pull back the curtain.

Is Netflix going to take out the movies made by the Weinstein Company?

Are they going to keep in Breakfast at Tiffany’s?

I’m not finding fault with the fact that Netflix has suspended House of Cards, I find fault with the fact that Chris Brown’s documentary hasn’t also made the chopping block.

Where do they draw the line?

Right now, they’ve drawn so tentatively in the sand, and it won’t be long until that’s blown over.

14 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017 Even though I would look in the mirror and find criticisms with nearly everything I saw, I would be comforted by the fact that some stranger would pass me a compliment about my hair.

It was unhealthy and a strange way to look at myself, but it framed my mindset well into my teenage years.

Eventually, though, I came to hate it. I didn’t want it to be the only thing that I liked about myself and I didn’t want to continue to let my damn hair define me.

MADELINE MCINNIS /CREATIVE DIRECTOR

The hair that makes the cut EMILY WAITSON OPINION EDITOR

Ever since I was very young people have always commented on my hair.

I sported a mop of ginger curls that eventually grew down the length of my back and became my signature physical focal point for most of my life.

As odd as it may seem, I connected a large amount of my overall self-worth to my hair.

As someone who has struggled with a considerable amount of self-image issues — and still does to this day — my hair became the only thing that I thought was worthwhile about my appearance.

I realize that it’s a pretty vain concept to place so much unnecessary significance on a relatively arbitrary aspect of who I am, but it’s been a constant thought that’s followed me since I was in elementary school.

I’m the kind of person who would rather blend in than stand out, I’ve never been the type who wanted to be noticed for anything in particular.

Too much attention stresses me out, but I always took solace in the

fact that people seemed to like my long, red hair.

I was a persistently awkward, somewhat gawky adolescent and puberty didn’t work wonders for me like all of my Judy Bloom books and the pristine characters on Glee convinced me it might.

Glasses, braces and hormonal acne plagued me like an inescapable destiny that my dramatic mind convinced me I would never be free from.

My fluctuating weight gain was another factor that dragged down my resolve over my physical appearance and as foolish as it is to think about, my hair was the only constant that didn’t seem to betray me.

It was an unhealthy and strange way to look at myself, but it framed my mindset well into my teenage years.

So three years ago I made the boldest decision I have currently made in my 22 years of relatively uneventful existence: I cut off all of my hair.

I don’t know what really pushed me to do it, but I wanted to be spontaneous and original on my own terms for the first time.

I was determined to not let my bizarre attachment to the hair on my head hold me back from not giving a shit about what people may think.

My resolve over things can be pretty flimsy, especially when every hair stylist I had ever sat down

in front of had always convinced me to keep my length and original colour, calling it beautiful, “virgin” hair that shouldn’t be changed.

Telling my new, heavily tattooed, buzz-cut sporting hairdresser that I wanted to completely change it affirmed my decision.

She merely grinned at me, completely giddy with the opportunity and went to work without question.

Cutting off over 20 inches of hair and dying it bright purple felt like I had shed an essential part of who I was.

It was liberating and exciting, but it was a conflicting experience to look completely different from what I was used to.

After many break downs, especially during the stage where it looked like I was sporting a mullet and was a member of Duran Duran, I grew to accept it, no matter what it looked like.

My hair is now grown out and back to its original red, but I feel more confident about it now than I did before.

I know it’s not my only saving grace and if I want to get it cut or dye it just for the hell of it, I should.

I’m no longer held back by the suffocating notion that I can’t change it, for fear that people will no longer look at me the same way.

I now associate various shades of red with my comfort zone, but if I ever spontaneously decide to dye it purple again, or any other colour of the rainbow for that matter, I’ll go for it.

I still may not be the most confident person about my appearance, but I’m slowly learning to take pride in what I do have and be okay with changing it if I want to; not for anyone else, but for me and me alone.

Racism isn’t a joke, but David Cross treats it like one By and large comedians should understand an apology meant to be taken seriously cannot be undercut by excuses...

CHRIS LUCIANTONIO STAFF WRITER

Last month, comedian-actress-poet Charlyne Yi relayed the first time she met fellow comedian David Cross a decade ago on Twitter and the account painted a disturbing picture.

The then 40-year-old Cross began by insulting the clothes that 20-year-old Yi was wearing.

When left speechless by his decorum, Cross continued by saying “what’s a matter? You don’t speak English? Ching-chong-chingchong.”

Yi, a woman of Philippine descent, held onto this story for ten years, knowing that one of the most powerful and recognizable alternative comedians was personally racist towards her — for seemingly no reason.

Cross responded almost instantly and both of his official statements point to a problem that comedians have when they’re apologizing.

While his first issued apology suggesting Yi possibly misremembered the exchange was a textbook example of gas-lighting — and had

SERENA TRUONG/GRAPHIC ARTIST

added additional insult to injury by invoking the classic Japanese film Rashoman in further poor racial optics — his second apology was more telling, believable and inherently problematic.

This time around, Cross suggested he was doing a “bit in his ‘Southern Hick’ character.”

In between the nice words and putting things into the past, the implication remained that the thing he said was never meant to be taken as seriously as Yi and the rest of the internet is taking it now.

The “I was just joking” method of making amends for what

you said is not — and never has been — an actual sincere form of apology.

In reality, it is a deflection of blame onto the offended party where it is insinuated that, by not getting the joke, they are responsible for the hurt they feel.

It has the simultaneous effect of not only confirming how little the comedian in question understands how they are in the wrong, but also suggests that, if given time to workshop it, the “joke” could have worked.

As if in Cross’s case there is some parallel universe wherein he

and Charlyne are sharing a hearty chuckle over him asking her if she didn’t speak English all those years ago.

By and large comedians should understand an apology meant to be taken seriously cannot be undercut by excuses designed to shirk ownership of their mistakes.

They aren’t above apologizing — as the likes of Bill Burr would have you believe — and their status as stand-ups doesn’t exempt them from criticism.

Humour is most definitely subjective and shock value is a style which allows for a lot of leeway vis

a vis the proverbial line and when one crosses it.

But with the Cross incident— where his intent was to show how he regretted his words and wanted earnestly to make amends to Yi — the “it’s just a joke” explanation does neither of those things.

As a follower of his career, I like to give Cross the benefit of the doubt. I think he did indeed want to make amends.

But when a joke goes so far south that the only course back to laughter is to admit racism is funny, then it’s time to stop arguing what your intent was.

An apology needs an admission of guilt first and foremost, and being a comedian doesn’t allot special exemption from the real damage words can cause.

• 15

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Laurier begins season on a strong note

ALEX TRKULJA/FILE PHOTO

JOHN MCMORRAN CORD SPORTS

This past weekend the Wilfrid Laurier University women’s basketball team travelled north to face the Nipissing Lakers and the Laurentian Voyageurs on consecutive nights.

On Friday evening the Golden Hawks ruled both ends of the floor, holding the Lakers to 40 points while totaling 83 of their own.

Fifth-year guard Nicole Morrison led the Hawks offensively, pouring in 21 points over the course of the contest, while second-year guard Brianna Iannazzo added 19 points,

12 of them coming from three pointers.

“We had a solid all-around game against Nipissing on Friday night and we improved our defense from last week,” head coach, Paul Falco said.

The defensive struggle he referred to was apparent in Laurier’s second contest.

The Hawks faced off against a Laker’s offense that, in three of its four previous contests, was unable to score more than 50 points.

Against Laurier, Laurentian amassed 75 points and held a 10-point lead until late in the fourth quarter.

However, Laurier’s signature grit came through when the team needed it most and the team ripped off a 24-8 scoring run late in the fourth, snatching victory away from the Voyageurs and finishing with a score of 81-75.

Falco commented on the late surge noting that “there were a couple of factors” that led to the comeback.

“I think our pace started to tire Laurentian out and our rebounding improved. Also, we had some sparks coming off the bench,” Falco said.

The “sparks” he referred to were Rachel Woodburn, who recorded

13 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter and Lauren Jamieson, who added 12 points and seven rebounds of her own.

Another boost, in addition to these clutch fourth-quarter performances, came from Nicole Morrison.

Her consistent offensive efforts resulted in 25 points; an impressive total that matched her career-high and led the Hawks in scoring for the third regular-season game in a row.

The fourth quarter demonstrated what the team is capable of when they are performing optimally and they will need to carry that momentum into this weekend, with both Ottawa and Carleton coming to town.

Of next week’s opponents head coach Paul Falco said, “It’ll be a tough week, Ottawa is always a challenge … we will need to defend well and rebound well because both Ottawa and Carleton are very good defensively … we will need to get out and run and score in transition.”

The Ottawa Gee-Gees will be hungry for a second win after losing to Guelph on Saturday — which dropped them to one and one.

Carleton is two and 0, currently ranked as the fourth-best team in the country and eager for another

run at a national championship.

Neither opponent will afford Laurier an easy win, but Laurier doesn’t need one.

Against the Voyageurs the Golden Hawks were the away team, they trailed by 10 late in the fourth quarter and they weren’t even playing at the level they are accustomed to.

from what I’ve seen. I don’t think we’ve played our best rugby yet as a team. This group of individuals we have are capable of playing better than we have and that’s exciting for the future,” he continued.

“Some of the young guys coming up will be that much stronger, that much bigger and be able to help us that much more,” he said. “It’s been a decent year but I’m not going to let the guys off the hook.”

With the amount of young talent on the roster, the future is bright for the Golden Hawks.

The semi-final appearance and a possible bronze medal feels like

the start of something special.

“The goal for this program going forward should be a final four finish each year,” McLeod said.

“There’s no reason down the road [that] we shouldn’t be in a gold medal game and win a gold medal game,” he continued.

“They want to be the team to beat going forward and they certainly can be. That’s the exciting part for me and if we can top off this year with a bronze medal, that would be a positive step forward in making the guys realize that we’re making that progress and hopefully we’ll get there sooner than later.”

I think our pace started to tire Laurentian out and our rebounding improved. Also, we had some sparks coming off the bench.

-Paul Falco, Laurier women’s basketball head coach

It takes mental fortitude to charge back into the game as they did and it also takes the ability — as Falco puts it — “to battle every night and compete at a high-level.”

That mental toughness — merged with skill and coaching — is a recipe for success, no matter who the Golden Hawks are facing up against.

MEN’S RUGBY

Difficult end to a historic run PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

A historic playoff run came to a difficult end for the Wilfrid Laurier University men’s rugby team as the Golden Hawks suffered a 54-7 defeat to the Queen’s Gaels in the OUA semi-finals this past Saturday.

Although the loss is disappointing for the Hawks, it is an understandable one as they lost to a juggernaut in university rugby.

The Gaels were undefeated going into the game and are widely regarded as the best rugby team in the OUA league.

Queen’s took an early lead and kept building on it throughout the day.

Laurier’s defense kept conceding and in the end, the gap was simply too much to overcome.

“I think the guys realize that we sort of made our own bed against Queen’s [and] the score doesn’t necessarily reflect that. We had discipline issues and we had execution issues,” head coach, Ian McLeod said.

“When you have that against a good team like Queen’s you’re going to be in trouble.”

The season, however, doesn’t end here for the Hawks.

They will now face McMaster

on Saturday, Nov. 11, for the OUA bronze medal.

“A bronze medal will be pretty good for this program going forward. We would take a great deal of pride in that. The boys will show up and it’ll be a contest because the last game against Mac, there was a point difference,” McLeod said.

There’s no reason down the road [that] we shouldn’t be in a gold medal game and win a gold medal game.

-Ian McLeod, Laurier men’s rugby head coach

“That game could’ve gone either way. We know it’s going to be a battle and now we got to go there and play. I think we’re ready and I think it’ll be a good game.”

The Hawks played the Marauders at home in the regular season on Oct. 1, a game that ended with a final score of 34-33, with Laurier

coming out on top.

The regular season victory should help with the Hawks’ preparation, but it will be a much tougher test this time around as the game will be played in Hamilton.

“We need to better defensively,” McLeod said. “We won the game but we still gave up 33 points. If we give up 33 points again, I have a bad feeling we’ll be on the wrong side of the outcome.”

“We just have to make sure that we’re executing to the best of our abilities. It’s not that much different from playing Queen’s.

You make mistakes, and the better teams in this league will take advantage of those mistakes.”

No matter what happens in the bronze medal game, this season has been immensely successful for Laurier.

It’s the farthest the Hawks have gotten in the playoffs since 1999 and that is a testament to the tremendous amount of hard work that’s been done by the coaching staff and the players.

“It’s been a successful season if you look at the numbers. The regular season record and winning that playoff game against Western, those are all positive steps for the program,” McLeod explained.

“I think it can only get better

TANZEEL SAYANI/FILE PHOTO

16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

FOOTBALL

Hawks set to defend Yates Cup

GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER

History has managed to repeat itself as Wilfrid Laurier University’s men’s football team finished second in the OUA, earned a first-round bye and beat McMaster at home in a semi-final game to decide who would play for the Yates Cup. This game would be far different than the last meeting; however, this was cold weather, playoff football at its finest.

The game had everything from strong defense to a bigger emphasis on the run game.

“You know playoff football is going to be like that. Playoff football, we said we got to win the turnover battle, we got to try to run the foot-

ball and it’s not going to be pretty.”

McMaster would start the opening drive with a 13-yard run

by Jordan Lyons that seemed like it set the tone, but Laurier would force a two-and-out to shut that drive down.

The Golden Hawks would come out on offense looking to show their opponents how to really open a game. They marched down the field for an eight play, 71-yard drive, capped off with a four-yard touchdown by Levondre Gordon, making it 7-0 early.

From there, it would be a deadlock, as both defenses came to make a statement.

With the exception of a 51-yard missed field goal by Laurier’s Nathan Mesher, neither side came close to scoring for much of the first half.

That all changed with a McMaster drive at the 5:29 mark, leading to a 50-yard drive that allowed a 23-yard field goal by Adam Preocanin with 2:08 left in the first half.

Going into halftime, the score was 7-3 Laurier.

“I thought we played really well, I mean, obviously the highs and the lows; you’re going to have them throughout a game, but the defense did a really good job of picking us up when we kind of sputtered a little bit,” quarterback Tristan Arndt said.

The second half began with a bang, as Laurier would impose their will.

Starting out at their 46-yard line, Levondre Gordon went on a 14-yard run, followed up by a big catch for 32 yards by Kurleigh Gittens Jr.

A seven play, 63-yard drive to start the half sounds great. The plot twist? McMaster would make a huge defensive stand, forcing a turnover on downs and stopping Levondre Gordon on two straight runs inside their five.

From there, the only score of the quarter would be a 27-yard field goal by Nathan Mesher, with that drive only having been kept alive off a huge 32-yard catch by Daniel Bennett on two and 10.

The game got even more interesting in the fourth quarter as that late-game urgency would kick in.

After a bad punt by Nathan Mesher, the Marauders would start in Laurier’s zone at the 43-yard line and would go on to get a field goal from 16 yards out.

From there, Laurier would answer using the run game, starring Gordon, who went on to get a field goal.

Following a forced two-and-out by the defense, Laurier would go on another scoring drive and hit three more points to make it 16-6.

“Huge response,” head coach, Michael Faulds said. “Obviously up front, we did a good job, Levondre broke a couple big runs in the fourth and what can you say about Kurleigh Gittens? Some outstanding catches, one in the third, one in the fourth. Big plays that are really jump ball scenarios.”

“And then Daniel Bennett is another guy. [He] made two outstanding second down conversion catches,” Faulds said.

Eating up the clock with the run game — and solid play from Tristan Arndt making his first playoff start and playing strong defense — the Hawks would hold off McMaster and hit another field goal with 57 seconds left in the game, which would make the final score 19-6.

“The defense definitely kept us in the game today. They let up no touchdowns at all for a whole four quarters, which is hard to do against a top-tier team in Canada like McMaster,” running back, Levondre Gordon said.

“So kudos goes out to them for

I’m proud of our guys, they’ve done everything up until now and now we’ve got to go out and beat a tough football team.

-Michael Faulds, Laurier men’s football head coach

doing what they did today.”

Next up for the Golden Hawks is a date with the Western Mustangs in London for a second consecutive year, as they will look to repeat their success as Yates Cup champions.

“When we lost the homecoming game against Western here this year, we thought, ‘okay, we’re going to see that team again,’” Faulds said.

“Obviously, we had a feeling it would be in the Yates Cup.” “There are a lot of games between then and now and we are in that position. So, you can’t win a Vanier Cup unless you get back to the Yates. You can’t win a Yates Cup unless you get back to it,” he said.

“I’m proud of our guys, they’ve done everything up until now and now we’ve got to go out and beat a tough football team.”

MEN’S HOCKEY

A song of fire on ice GARRISON OOSTERHOF WEB DIRECTOR

The Wilfird Laurier University’s men’s hockey team is off to a strong start this season with a big win last Thursday against the York Lions.

The 6-2 win over the Lions is an example of the team’s offensive strength.

Defensively, goaltender Colin Furlong stood on his head to keep the Golden Hawks ahead despite being outshot 33 to 24.

York came out strong in the first period and never took their foot off the gas, winning the first period 1-0.

However, Laurier responded to the pressure with three unanswered goals to take the second period 3-1.

“I didn’t think we had a very good first period, [but we had] a better second period tonight,” head coach, Greg Puhalski said during the second intermission.

“It’s going to be a close game all the way down here. York is in first place for a reason; they are a good hockey club, they play well together,” he continued.

“We have to be sure we do the right things with the puck, put the

puck in the right places, eliminate our turnovers and just keep working, keep fore-checking.”

His prediction was right, the Lions didn’t roll over in the third period, keeping Laurier on their toes with a goal halfway through.

I think it’s about us playing our game and controlling what we do, regardless of who the opponent is. That’s always an emphasis for us...

-Greg Puhalski, Laurier men’s hockey head coach

Ultimately, Laurier put the finishing touches on the night, burying the Lions with two goals in three minutes.

Hawks rookies, Anthony Sorrentino and Kyle Jenkins, both played an important role in taking down the Lions, with Sorrentino breaking the ice with Laurier’s first goal of

GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

the game, and Jenkins finishing the scoring with a goal in the closing minutes.

“Just don’t play timid,” Puhalski said.

“Don’t play safe, you have to play aggressive. Wherever you are, in your own zone, in the offensive zone, the neutral zone, you have to be sure you are on them and not giving them any time to make a play.”

The Hawks have been much

more disciplined in the regular season after showing signs of trouble in the pre-season, where they only earned one win compared to six losses.

“I think it’s about us playing our game and controlling what we do, regardless of who the opponent is.

That’s always an emphasis for us.

We can only control ourselves and influence what other teams do but not to be too concerned with the other team,” Coach Puhalski said.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as well in their Saturday matchup against the Western Mustangs; the Hawks gave up three straight goals in a 3-1 defeat.

Every game counts as Laurier tries to stay ahead of Ryerson in the standings.

Catch them this week when they play at the Sun Life Financial Arena in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday as they take on Brock and Windsor.