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THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926
VOLUME 56 ISSUE 13 NOVEMBER 18, 2015
K-W RESPONDS TO TRAGEDY Laurier and K-W community host vigils, page 6 Global tragedies a concern for everyone, page 12 Savagery in Paris, page 14
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2 •
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
“I don’t really know what that is.” –Amanda McKlevy, second-year film & political science
“I go to Shawarma Plus.” –Abdullah Mughal, firstyear business JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
Many students at Wilfrid Laurier University joined in the Quad for a vigil Monday night to remember those who lost their lives in the events last week.
Bag O’ Crime “I’ve heard the place beside Smokes is good.” –Brynn Mongeon, firstyear global studies
“The only place I’ve been is Mozy’s Shawarma.” –Ross Keiller, fourth-year geography
“I go to either Mozy’s or Shawarma Plus, it depends on the day.” –Braeden Suggitt, secondyear history Compiled by Maddy Cutts Photos by Jessica Dik NEXT ISSUE: NOVEMBER 25, 2015
CORD STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Shelby Blackley sblackley@thecord.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lena Yang lyang@thecord.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR Joshua Awolade jawolade@thecord.ca MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR Mynt Marsellus mmarsellus@thecord.ca
Location: 232 King St. N., Waterloo Reported: Monday, November 9, 2015 at 12:13 a.m. SCS observed two males urinating in the rear parking lot of 232 King St. N., Waterloo, Ontario. Both males, who had been consuming alcohol, exited the Phil’s Night Club line to urinate. PONs were issued to the males for violating the City of Waterloo’s Public Nuisance Bylaw, Bodily Emission in Public Place. Location: 50 University Ave., Waterloo Reported: Monday, November 9, 2015 at 2:00 a.m. SCS investigated the break and enter of a student’s apartment at 50 University Ave., Waterloo. Unknown persons accessed the apartment through an insecure door between the hours of 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. on November 9. A laptop computer was stolen. SCS and WRPS are investigating. Stolen Property: Make: ‘Apple’, Model: MacBook Air, silver in color, Ser. #C02PV6PWG941, value @ $1500.00 Location: Library Reported: Monday, November 9, 2015 at 10:52 p.m. SCS investigated the reported theft of a student’s laptop from the 6th floor of the library sometime between 10:19 p.m. – 10:47 p.m. The laptop was stolen after being left unattended by the owner. SCS is investigating.
CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR Kaitlyn Severin kseverin@thecord.ca
GRAPHICS EDITOR Vacant
LOCAL NEWS EDITOR Erika Ymana eymana@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Andreas Patsiaouros apatsiaouros@thecord. ca
FEATURES EDITOR Bethany Bowles bbowles@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Will Huang whuang@thecord.ca
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Zach Guitor zguitor@thecord.ca
VIDEO EDITOR Brian Phillips bphillips@thecord.ca
OPINION EDITOR Mitchell Consky mconsky@thecord.ca
LEAD REPORTER Maddy Cutts mcutts@thecord.ca
SPORTS EDITOR Drew Yates dyates@thecord.ca
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Jessica Dik jdik@thecord.ca
Stolen Property: Make: ‘Apple’, Model: MacBook Air, 13”, silver in color, Ser. #C02PQSLHG941, valued @ $2000.00 Location: Library Reported: Thursday, November 12, 2015 @ 9:28 p.m. SCS received a report of a theft of a laptop that occurred in the University Library between 9:15 p.m. – 9:25 p.m. SCS officers reviewed CCTV cameras and located two suspects on camera that match the description given by a witness. The suspects are observed walking every floor and looking into study cubicles. Images were distributed to WRPS in an attempt to identify the males. Suspect Descriptors: Male, mid to late twenties, black, 6’, 220 lbs. short black hair, wearing a black waist length jacket, dark pants and black shoes leaving the building with a brown shoulder bag. Male, Middle East ethnicity, mid to late twenties, full beard, short hair, 6’, 170 lbs. wearing a black baseball cap on backwards, wearing black jacket, black t-shirt, black pants and black shoes. Stolen Property: ‘Apple’ silver colored laptop, MacBook, Ser. #C02KX1PSSLCG in a brown shoulder bag. Location: Leupold Residence Reported: Saturday, November 14, 2015 @ 7:45 p.m. SCS officers attended to the student
SENIOR COPY EDITOR Caitlyn Sageman csageman@thecord.ca SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Kira Gelbard kgelbard@thecord.ca
CONTRIBUTORS Kamil Ahmed Debra Boulay Kanwar Brar Mira Busscher Samantha Chow Ryan Culley Emilia Curcic Christopher Donald Serena Gill Fani Hsieh Faraz Iftekharuddin Heather McLeod Nabiha Noorani
Chrsitian Paron Josh Peters Tristan Renaud Aliaa Sidawi Fatima Soomro Jordan Soufian Caroline Spicer Jessi Wood Elizabeth Zmijak
EDITOR’S CHOICE: “The impact of extreme student activism” by Kaitlyn Severin
EDITOR’S CHOICE ONLINE: “Remembrance Day” by Kamil Ahmed
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residence in response to a complaint of what appeared to be the barrel of a gun sticking out of a ground floor window. The attending officers spoke with two male Laurier students that were in possession of a plastic long barrel gun (toy replica and Halloween prop). It was seized by SCS. Residence Life was made aware and documented the incident. Location: Library Reported: Saturday, November 14, 2015 @ 8:01 p.m. SCS is investigating the theft of a laptop computer from the 5th floor. The item had been left unattended from 7:40 p.m. – 7:50 p.m. and upon returning the female Laurier student discovered it was missing. CCTV cameras were searched and three suspects were located in the nearby vicinity. Suspect Descriptors: 1. Male, Middle Eastern ethnicity, mid 20’s, 5’ 10”, 200 lbs. medium build, full beard, short black hair, wearing a black long sleeve sweater, dark green pants, black bb hat worn backwards, black shoes with white soles. 2. Male, black, 6’1”, 230 lbs. late 20s, short, black hair wearing a black sweater with zipper, white t-shirt worn underneath, blue jeans and white runners. 3. Male, black, 6’ 250 lbs. late 20s, short, black hair, glasses, wearing a green jacket with white t-shirt underneath, blue jeans, grey runners, light 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 6,000 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.
brown bag with a flap and long strap over the shoulder. Stolen Property: MacBook Air, silver colored laptop computer with blue cover, Ser. #C02K71P1DRVC Model #A1466 Location: John Aird Building Reported: Saturday, November 14, 2015 @ 10:50 p.m. SCS and members from the Waterloo Fire Rescue attended to the building in response to an activated fire alarm. It was determined a fire alarm pull station had been purposely pulled on the 1st floor. There was no fire or smoke. Two female suspects were located on CCTV cameras. Attempts are being made to have them identified. Both appeared to be under the influence of alcohol/ drugs. Suspect Descriptors 1. Female, White, 5’ 7”, 140 lbs, 19 yrs, long, blonde hair, wearing a white hair band, green jacket, black boots (over the knees) 2. Female, White, 5’8”, 140 lbs, 19 yrs, dark brown long hair, wearing a dark coat with fur trim, white sweater, grey mini skirt, black shoes. Anyone with information is asked to call either The Special Constable Service at 519-885-3333, Waterloo Regional Police Service at 519-653-7700 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222TIPS. You can also use the SAFEHawk application.
PREAMBLE The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy. The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff. The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate. The Cord has an obligation to foster
freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body. The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper.
Quote of the week: “And you know what happens when Andy tries to think.” - Photo Editor Will Huang about Photo Editor Andreas Patsiaouros. They’re friends (we think).
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Campus
• 3 CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN kseverin@thecord.ca
IN DEPTH
The impact of extreme student activism
With protests at several schools in the United States, is extreme activism a concern at Laurier?
KAITLYN SEVERIN CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
“They hear what they want to hear and they refuse to let anything outside what they want to hear in the proverbial bubble.”
“At the table rather than banging at the door.” This quote, first used by David McMurray, Wilfrid Laurier University’s vice-president of student affairs, and now used by Students’ Union president Olivia Matthews, can be viewed as the best way to describe “exemplary student activism.” With extreme student activism now a spotlight in the media, such as the protests happening at the University of Missouri and Yale University, it is difficult to not find debates about hot topic issues happening on college and university campuses across the United States and Canada.
-Phil Champagne, executive director and COO of the Students’ Union
“A lot of people are angry over the statue project, but it just means students aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in.” -Lindsay Griffiths, fourth-year biology student
Protests from students and staff at the University of Missouri called for their president, Timothy Wolfe, to resign after a lack of concern for racial discriminations happening on campus. At Yale, students campaigned to have professor Erika Christakis and her husband removed from campus after Christakis wrote an email about Halloween costumes. Laurier students are not unfamiliar with the idea of student activism on campus. Since the summer, students, staff and faculty have been arguing over the state of the prime minister statue project. An activist group called ‘Students Against the Statue Project’ is committed to abolishing the project for “not accurately reflecting the diversity of the Laurier community.” “Personally, I don’t believe students are too extreme here,” said Lindsay Griffiths, a fourth-year biology student. “A lot of people are angry over the statues project, but it just means students aren’t afraid to speak up for what they believe in.” Although the statue project is not considered as extreme as the protests happening in Missouri or Yale, Matthews believes the problem stems from when students do not know where to address their issues or concerns. “The problem [arises] when students don’t know who to go to and then it’s built and built and built to a point where they feel they need to
JESSI WOOD/GRAPHIC ARTIST
advocate so heavily that it becomes whether it’s a protest or something of that sort,” said Matthews. Not knowing where to turn is one issue. Another can be when students forget to take advantage of opportunities to talk to a representative of Laurier’s administration team or the Students’ Union. Phil Champagne, Students’ Union executive director and COO, said the biggest complaint is almost always rooted in communication from both sides of administration and students. “If there is any frustration from the administration side, and we all know that there’s definitely frustration on the students side, it’s usually around not necessarily the lack of communication but poor networking of that communication,” Champagne explained. In March, Laurier announced the cut of 22 staff positions. Students and
faculty alike were enraged. Students performed a “sit in” at the Students’ Union office later that day. Champagne and then president-elect Matthews were in attendance when members of the Students’ Union tried to compromise with students in a fair way to communicate their concerns. From his experience then, Champagne believes students get caught up in the bureaucracy of the university. The Students’ Union tries to answer issues students may have about the university, particularly concerning the statue project. “[The Students’ Union] tries to mitigate those communication risks, and I think that with [statues project] in particular, the frustrations mount and mount and mount because of the nature of how it got pushed through.” As a student activist, Matthews
holds the belief that with activism comes the misinformation that follows. Students don’t know who to talk to, what is going on and what they’re fighting for, which can be “extremely frustrating” on their end. “That same misinformation can also lead you into head space of not necessarily knowing what to actually believe,” echoed Champagne. Along with the problem of misinformation, Champagne agreed it’s hard for individuals to view an issue from a different perspective or to acknowledge it’s there. “They hear what they want to hear and they refuse to let anything outside what they want to hear in the proverbial bubble.” This “extreme” activism that includes large demonstrations, public outreach and protests also have the benefit of being noticed by a large group of people.
“[Frustration is] usually around not necessarily the lack of communication but poor networking of that communication.” -Phil Champagne, executive director and COO of the Students’ Union
“That activism looks better because it’s loud and it’s attractive and it may gardener more attention, but I think you get a lot more done when you’re actually in a conversation with someone,” Matthews said. McMurray and Leanne Holland Brown, the dean of students, both experience positive and negative student activism on a regular basis. Holland Brown recalled an example of student activism with Laurier’s Mental Health Education Group that has become positive for the university. “[The group] initiated the Walk for Mental Health and other events like scrawl on the wall that we’ve seen in the last two years that have made for a much more robust discourse about mental health that wouldn’t have existed without their involvement,” she explained. Along with the Students’ Union, the student affairs office often recommends students to broaden their horizons when dealing with an issue or conflict. McMurray said students are often asked to think about “widening the walls and expanding their horizons” and “opening their minds to different views.” “Many do in that process and begin to really shape what they really believe in,” said McMurray. Although some students may feel like they have nothing to contribute on topics overrun with student activists, McMurray believes universities are built for the freedom of expression. “Universities in society I think are built for that opportunity hopefully students will be encouraged to advocate for things that they really feel passionate about.” Although extreme student activism may occur, whether that’s in the United States or on Laurier’s own campus, McMurray and Holland Brown believe students have a role in shaping the outcome of Laurier’s future. “There’s a sincere interest in inviting students, faculty and staff to be part of the conversation. I really believe that there’s an interest in cocreating what our community looks like and so we all can have a role to play in that,” said Holland Brown.
“Hopefully students will be encouraged to advocate for things that they really feel passionate about.”
JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
In both the United States and Canada, student activists have protested over issues on their school campuses.
-David McMurray, vice-president of student affairs
4 • CAMPUS NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
MILTON
Another chance for expansion
ACTIVISM
After their proposal for a Milton campus was rejected in May, Wilfrid Laurier University is making another bid MADDY CUTTS LEAD REPORTER
A bid is being made once again by Wilfrid Laurier University to move forward with the creation of a satellite campus in the town of Milton. Laurier has been in talks with Milton about potentially bringing a campus to the area since 2007. A Memorandum of Understanding agreement was signed in March 2008 commencing official exploration of the idea. In demonstration of their desire for the expansion of the university, the Town of Milton donated 60 hectares of land, a gift which was contingent on the project receiving government funding. The potential campus is seen by the school as an opportunity to spread Laurier’s unique blend of academics and student life to the Greater Toronto Area. However in May, Laurier’s proposal was declined by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. “We feel that we provide one of the
”To expand to Milton makes good sense to offer outstanding education to students.”
-Max Blouw, president and vicechancellor of Laurier
best educational opportunities in the province, and one of the best student experiences,” said Max Blouw, president and vice-chancellor of Laurier. “To expand to Milton makes good sense to offer outstanding education to students.” The addition of another satellite campus would, according to university administration, allow for Laurier to expand itself without compromising the community which it has cultivated thus far. “The size of our Waterloo campus is getting fairly large, and there’s been concerns expressed about getting too big and actually impacting that outstanding student experience negatively by growing too large,” said Blouw. “We’ve adopted a multicommunity, multi-campus approach to enable to slow growth where our Waterloo campus is now reaching a size where I think is pretty much optimal for us.” After years of preparation, the university submitted their plans for the new campus to a call for proposals by the province, but learnt this past summer that the project was passed on in favour of another submitted by York University and Seneca College to create a campus in Markham. Despite this initial setback, there is set to be another call for proposals in the spring of 2016 for the Halton and Peel region, giving Laurier the opportunity to try once more. The results of this call are expected by spring 2017, but a timeline for the campus will not be foreseeable without knowing the potential guidelines
“It will be very much up to [the] government to determine the time course of its expansion if we do get approval.” -Max Blouw, president and vicechancellor of Laurier
included in the province’s approval. “Of course it would depend on what kind of decision [the] government actually makes, so government might decide to say yes go ahead, go ahead right away, or they might say go ahead but defer for a couple of years,” said Blouw. “It will be very much up to [the] government to determine the time course of its expansion if we do get approval.” In the meantime, the university has hired public affairs strategist Deborah Dubenofsky as the executive director and senior project lead, as they work towards preparing for the call next year. “I expect we will be doing a great deal of work to prepare for the [request for proposals], then once the RFP is issued, we’ll be doing a lot more work, knowing then exactly what’s required to meet those requirements,” said Blouw. “[This is] so that when we submit a proposal it will be the strongest possible proposal that we could produce.”
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Students had the opportunity to show their support for Missouri Thursday.
Fighting the racial tensions ABS video to share experiences of being a black student at Laurier KAITLYN SEVERIN CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
On Thursday, November 12, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Association of Black Students came together in the Concourse to film their responses to the issues of racial discrimination at the University of Missouri. Holding white signs with the sentence, ‘#IStandWithMizzou,’ members of ABS shared their experiences of what it means to be a black student on campus. “With everything that’s been going on with the racial tensions in Missouri, we just felt as an executive team that we needed to do something,” said Janaya Thomas, ABS president and fourth-year communications studies student. Since September, staff and student protestors at the University of Missouri called for college president Tim Wolfe and chancellor R. Bown Loftin to resign, both of whom did not respond to incidents of racial prejudice on the school’s campus. In 2010, two white students were charged and arrested for dropping cotton balls in front of Missouri’s Oldham Black Centre. A year later, a student was given probation for racially-charged graffiti in a dormitory. The act of protest included one graduate student, Jonathan Butler, who went on a hunger strike and the university’s football team who refused to play until Wolfe’s resignation. Wolfe officially resigned on November 9. After it’s released, Thomas hopes the video will generate discussion about what security looks like at Laurier and what the protocols are
“We just felt as an executive team that we needed to do something”.
-Janaya Thomas, president of ABS
would be diverse students were targeted. “This is kind of like a small discussion that we’re bringing to the university at large and letting the students know in Missouri that we’re here standing in solidarity to support them.” Along with other associations at the Diversity and Equity Office, ABS partnered with other student groups at McMaster University, the University of Guelph and Ryerson University in creating the video. Thomas wants Laurier students to know that although the video was a call for specifically black students, anyone is encouraged to get involved with ABS. “I think that was just important because of the severity of the event so this right now is kind of a healing process and an outlet for black students to talk about what’s happening,” she said. “We definitely want to continue the conversation and we want to invite other students and our allies to come out and talk about what injustice looks like and what prejudice looks like.” The video will be released on Wednesday through ABS’s Facebook page.
CAMPUS NEWS • 5
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 VENTURE
LAURIER IN BRIEF
BykMe rides to success
HonkMobile coming to Wilfrid Laurier Wilfrid Laurier University has recently entered into an agreement with parking app, HonkMobile. The app allows motorists to skip the parking meter and gives them the opportunity to search and pay for parking on their phone. Users who download the app can also receive alerts about expired parking sessions and gives them the chance to pay for additional time. The app will streamline parking for the students and visitors to Laurier’s Waterloo campus.
Laurier student creates bike sharing system for students in Waterloo MADDY CUTTS LEAD REPORTER
A Wilfrid Laurier University student has begun BykMe, an online peer-topeer bike sharing system located in the Waterloo region. During his co-op term, Giorgio Delgado, a fourth-year economics student, developed an interest in the bike sharing service in Toronto facilitated by self-serve stations positioned around downtown. After investigating the service and discovering that the flawed system had led its creators into bankruptcy, Delgado set about finding a way to create a bike sharing system without the need for costly storage stations around the area. “I started thinking about you know, especially in a city like Toronto, and hopefully soon in Kitchener, that there’s so many people that bike already, but they’re not always using the bicycles,” said Delgado. “You have this sort of idle inventory that kind of sits there, so why not monetize [it]?” This led to the launch of Bykme in April through the website ShareTribe, which allowed for a rudimentary version of his venture to be available to the public. Delgado’s venture differed from traditional bike share services in that
“I wasn’t looking to get money, I was looking to get feedback”
-Giorgio Delgado, developer of Bykme
rather than invest high capital into a stationary stock, Bykme allows for everyday bike owners to list themselves on the site at personally set rental prices. Over the course of its launch from April to October Bykme had nine listed renters, a number which may appear low to some but is just fine with its founder. “At the end of the day that was ok, because I wasn’t looking to get money, I was looking to get feedback,” said Delgado. The largest hurdle for BykMe was a lack of security. The service as of yet provides no method of ensuring bikes will not be damaged or stolen while rented. Aware of this flaw, Delgado has been in contact with another local start-up company; a smart-lock company from the University of
FANI HSIEH/GRAPHIC ARTIST
Waterloo, which would allow owners control over use of their bikes even after it has been ridden away. “Maybe next year a bicycle owner will be able to have metrics on the status of their bikes on their phone, via the smart bicycle lock, and then also grant access and remove access to the bike,” said Delgado. “Ideally we’d want to create some sort of synergy between all these different businesses.” Despite its slow start, Bykme managed to attract the attention of what it believes to be its target market -international students with short terms in Canada. “As a student from Denmark, everyone owns a bike,” said Lasse Sloth Larsen, a Danish exchange student at Laurier.
“It would be nice to have the chance to have a bike while the weather is good.” “But since we are paying for our OneCard and can ride busses for free, it makes it difficult to pay for a bike instead of just going with the bus.” No matter the challenges ahead, Delgado has opted to refrain from enlisting in any courses for the coming winter term. Instead, Delgado chose to invest his time into pushing Bykme into its next step. “We would want to develop something really basic, just to get the feedback that we received over the summer and implement those sorts of features into this new second version of Bykme.”
Laurier alumni creates hockey pants for player safety A Wilfrid Laurier University alumni has designed hockey pants to enhance player safety while on the ice. Laurier grad Emily Rudow thought of the idea when she was part of a venture creation class project four years ago at the university. The pants include protective foam for the back of the legs and built-in shin pad pockets. The first shipment of 1,000 pants is being sent from the manufacturers late this month. Rudow has also been accepted into Laurier’s Launchpad.
6 •
Local
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 LOCAL NEWS EDITOR ERIKA YMANA eymana@thecord.ca
TRAGEDY
KITCHENER– WATERLOO
LAURIER On November 16, Wilfrid Laurier University held a candlelight vigil at the quad to honour the lives lost in recent attacks and acts of warfare in Paris, Baghdad and Beirut. President of Laurier Max Blouw, Students’ Union president Olivia Matthews, the president of the Graduate Students’ Association, Ian Muller, other members of administration and exchange students from France spoke and offered spiritual reflections at the vigil. One of the exchange students said: “We are not afraid. We are Paris. We are one.” While another teary-eyed student added: “Tonight we are Paris. But we are also Baghdad, Beirut, Iraq.” Blouw and Matthews echoed the same statement, indicating that the institution is available for support in this time of need. Laurier is currently hosting over 42 exchange students from France while 42 Laurier students are studying at corresponding partner institutions.
The cities of Kitchener and Waterloo joined together on November 14 at Kitchener City Hall and hosted a candlelight vigil in light of recent attacks around the world. Political figures and city officials including both cities’ mayors, Bardish Chagger and Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin were in attendance.
“We push back on fear...”
“We are not afraid. We are Paris. We are one.” “It’s difficult to understand how we can live in a world that has so much compassion and humanity, but that also has so much hate and misunderstanding. We are hoping that in this time of tragedy that we can lean on one another and that it brings us closer together; both in terms of our countries but of course in terms of our campus,” said Matthews in the Students’ Union’s statement.
WORDS BY ERIKA YMANA/LOCAL NEWS EDITOR, PHOTOS BY JESSICA DIK/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER, ZACH GUITOR/ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Reflections were made by Zainab Ramahi, co-ordinator of Muslim social services, and Reverend Canon Christoper Pratt. Ramahi underlined the importance of inclusion in her speech, saying similar tragedies in all over the globe should not be overlooked and all tragedies in which lives were lost are equally as important. Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky said the region stands “united as a brave community.” “We push back on fear. By pushing back on fear, we push back on the attackers,” said Jaworsky. Police Chief Larkin says that there is power in diversity. Referring to the attack on a Mosque in Peterborough, he states it is important to recognize that “we must continue to practice inclusion.” After a moment of silence, the vigil concluded with the crowd singing “Imagine” by John Lennon. In addition to the candlelight vigil, flags at Kitchener City Hall were lowered to commemorate this past week’s tragic deaths.
EMPLOYMENT
Living wage rate increase Necessary change made to accommodate cost of living ERIKA YMANA LOCAL NEWS EDITOR
The living wage rate, implemented a year ago, announced that it will increase from its current wage of $16 per hour to $16.05 in 2016. The slight increase was announced on November 5 at their Employer Recognition event in Cambridge. The recalculation is based on the cost of living for a family of two adults and two young children, with the assumption that both parents are working full-time all year. The living wage rate includes basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing and transportation. It considers how much money needs to be earned for a modest vacation each year, the chance to go out for a meal once a month and other activities. Tax payments and credits are also taken into account. This information is used to generate the hourly rate each family would need to earn to afford their cost of living. The premise of the living wage rate comes from the idea that paid work is supposed to be a pathway out of poverty. Greg DeGroot-Maggetti, program manager at Living Wage Waterloo Region, said this means calculating the proper wage rate that meets basic expenses and allows for active participation in life and in the community.
With this in mind, the overall goal of the program is to improve jobs. “The ultimate goal really is to improve jobs, and make sure more and more people who are working can actually earn enough and make ends meet,” said DeGroot-Maggetti. Upon implementing a higher rate, another important aspect to the program is enrolling employers who are willing to implement the $16.05 per hour wage.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean fewer jobs.”
-Greg DeGroot-Maggetti, program manager
The program had the initial shortterm goal of enrolling at least 10 employers in its first year, but ended up with 20 at the end of the year. It started with a number of organizations including Mennonite Savings and Credit Union, Mennonite Central Committee, United Way, House of Friendship and two social planning councils in the region. Once the program went public, employers were immediately in contact.
Living Wage Rate Waterloo Region is open to all types of employers, such as for-profit businesses, nonfor-profit organizations and pubic sector employers. “As the program developed, what I’ve seen is that it seems to be a peer-to-peer thing,” said DeGrooteMaggetti. “One employer will talk to somebody else and share the living wage program. That seemed to be the way that new employers have sought us out.” As one of its long-term goals, Living Wage Rate Waterloo Region is working with other communities across Ontario and Canada to help grow its network and bring together others who are interested in the living wage. In addition, the program is connecting with other living wage communities to develop a living wage employer recognition program. DeGroote-Maggetti wants to reaffirm that a higher wage does not mean that less people are being hired. Based on an updated survey of the initial 10 employers who have increased their workers’ wage, the overall employment at these organizations increased for the year. “It doesn’t necessarily mean fewer jobs. There’s actually more jobs at their spaces with those employers that are already implementing the living wage,” he said.
SAMANTHA CHOW/GRAPHIC ARTIST
LOCAL • 7
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 COMMUNITY
The benefits of volunteering
DEVELOPMENT
Laurier and Kitchener-Waterloo communities discuss the impact of giving up free time to those in need EMILIA CURCIC STAFF WRITER
Giving up your time for free is not a new idea. Volunteering has made the key difference in countless organizations. Wilfrid Laurier University’s student population already sees an immense amount of volunteer involvement on campus, however the impact students have on the community around us is often overlooked. Community members in the Kitchener-Waterloo area have access to a variety of organizations that they can get involved with.
Ray of Hope One such example is Ray of Hope. An organization that has been providing care for those struggling with crime, addiction or homelessness. Ray of Hope offers hot meals to hungry people everyday of the year. With an average of 250 people showing up for meals every day and a yearly volunteer count of around 2500, volunteering makes a huge impact. “It helps them to look at the lives of people who they may not even notice and may not even know are in their same community and realize that the things that we take for granted, in our day to day life, a lot of people don’t necessarily have those things,” said Ken Wideman, manager of volunteer services at Ray of Hope. Applying to be a volunteer consists of an online application, after which you are contacted for a follow up. Commitments from volunteers start from a minimum of completing 40 hours and would amount to about three to three and half hours per week.
The Alzheimer’s Society Waterloo Wellington Another prominent organization in the K-W area is the Alzheimer’s Society. The Alzheimer’s Society Waterloo Wellington serves over 11,000 people living in the community with Alzheimer’s. The society focuses on accommodating the needs of volunteers and the needs of those who benefit from their services, whether you are looking to get involved on an ongoing
“We as an organization could not do what we do without the support of our volunteers.”
-Barbara Eastman-Lewin, volunteer coordinator
basis or just for a one-time event. One of the main volunteer programs offered by the Alzheimer’s society is the visiting companions program. With a time commitment of two hours per week for a minimum of six months, this falls more towards the intensive side of the involvement scale. However volunteers find this work to be especially rewarding. According to Barbara Eastman-
Lewin, volunteer coordinator at the Alzheimer’s Society Waterloo Wellington, students make up roughly 60 per cent of the volunteer roster in the area. Having lost her own father to Alzheimer’s, she feels a personal connection to the cause. “It’s a very personal experience for me, having gone through the journey. I know so much about what a difference a volunteer can make, not only to the person with Alzheimer’s, but their family as well. We as an organization could not do what we
“I think the importance of volunteering in the local community is that it gets you out of the Laurier bubble.” -Olivia Matthews, Students’ Union president
do without the support of our volunteers,” said Eastman-Lewin.
Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union At the heart of Laurier’s connection with the community is the Students’ Union. Students on the Laurier campus have access to a variety of opportunities and resources that allow for them to make a difference in the K-W community. “I think the importance of volunteering in the local community is that it gets you out of the Laurier bubble,” said Students’ Union president and CEO Olivia Matthews. “Getting outside of a campus realm is very important to understanding what a community needs, because you’re soon not just going to be a part of a campus community.” There are many clubs on campus that work directly with organizations in the K-W community. Laurier University Charity Kouncil, for example, chooses three charities from within the community every year to work with.
Volunteering as activism Laurier’s learning environment also plays a huge role in encouraging activism. “While we are here to get our degrees, there’s a lot of experiential learning that we are offered outside of the classroom. There’s a lot that students learn a lot of skills that make them good members of society afterwards that they get from participating in things outside of their traditional classroom sense,” said Kaipa Bharucha, vice-president of programming and services. Matthews spoke about an event she attended in May called the Laurier Society Celebration. “One of the alumni that was getting honoured graduated in the ‘60s. One of the things he brought up in his speech to the community and all these donors was, ‘the reason that I’ve been so successful in my life is that I learned charity early, through Shinerama,’ ” Matthews shared. There is no shortage of opportunities to get involved in off-campus in the Kitchener-Waterloo community — it’s just a matter of finding what fits.
TRISTAN RENAUD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The revitalization of Northdale is underway and will reveal plans at a public information centre on December 1.
Northdale on track ERIKA YMANA LOCAL NEWS EDITOR
The development of Northdale, which includes Phillip Street, Columbia Street West, King Street North and University Avenue West, is in the midst of conducting a streetscape design and reconstruction study that will help to prepare the first phase of revitalization. The ongoing study indicates that phase one entails data collection and analysis for all the infrastructure in the area. The initial findings and results from the study will be revealed on December 1 at a public information centre, which will be held at St. Michael’s Church. As the study continues, IBI Group of Waterloo will be the consultant for the master plan and will be in charge of construction, administration and other components. Mike Lupsa, senior project engineer, said the first set of roads will be reconstructed in 2017. He hopes to finish phase one in mid-July of 2016 and based on the recommendations on the master plan, the city can begin designing the roads. After designing, he hopes to hire a contractor in April or May of 2017 to begin
“This is the plan. This is the long-term plan for the next three years.”
-Mike Lupsa, senior project engineer
building the first set of roads. “This is the plan. This is the longterm plan for the next three years,” he said. Lupsa said an overall cost can’t be foreseen in the meantime, as decisions including financial costs will depend on the recommendations provided in the master plan. However the council has approved $800,000 for the consultant. He also adds that $2 million is budgeted for the construction of two streets – Spruce Street and Hickory Street, all depending on the master plan. “We’ll see what the recommendations from the master plan is going to be. Most likely, Spruce Street is going to stay, but Hickory is not a done deal.”
Designing a user-friendly neighbourhood is imperative for the revitalization of Northdale. Lupsa said this vision includes a bicycle-friendly neighbourhood, shopping opportunities, academic spaces for students, amongst others. “We’d like to have a more livable neighbourhood, basically. Not ‘ghetto-style’ like it used to be,” Lupsa said. The time span for the entire project is currently unknown, as it depends on the funding provided by the council. Until all recommendations have been made, there is currently funding only for the master plan as well as the reconstruction of the first two streets. Whether a full or partial amount is given, it could take up to 10 years to finalize all streets. In its first stage, Lupsa hopes that homeowners and students will be satisfied with the revitalization. “We’re trying our best to do a good job. It’s all for the best for everybody in the end. I think we’d like to move ahead with this project and it is an opportunity for us to do a good job. So I hope it’ll end up well for everybody.”
8 •
Features
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 FEATURES EDITOR BETHANY BOWLES bbowles@thecord.ca
pinching pennies before the holidays Features Editor Bethany Bowles offers some advice on how to avoid overspending this holiday season
Near the end of first semester, all students are virtually in the same boat. OSAP is running out, we cut back hours at our part-time jobs because of the unmanageable amount of school work and as a result, our wallets become a barren desert. With the holidays fast approaching, it would be wise to pinch a few pennies. Being away from home and far from the support of your parents or guardians can make this seem nearly impossible, but there are several quick fixes and do it yourself projects that can keep those dollar bills safe in your wallet.
Beware of the drunk munchies We’ve all had those nights where we go to a bar and spend way more money than we intended. My friends and I generally end up at McDonald’s or Gino’s Pizza after a night at Phil’s. Next time you go out, plan ahead and grab some pizza pockets for the freezer. Instead of spending $5 or $10 on pizza or burgers after the bar, you have a tasty snack already at home.
Repurpose old candle jars If you’re a candle junkie, save the jars and repurpose them after your candle has burnt out. The best way to do this is to pop the burnt out candle jar in the freezer to let any remnants of wax freeze. Freezing the wax makes it much easier to chip out with a knife or a spoon. Once the wax has been chipped out, you can simply wash the jar and use it for whatever you want. I’ve used the empty jars for q-tips, makeup and hair accessories. You can even use them in the kitchen to hold and organize tea, spices or baking ingredients.
Make your own bulky infInity scarf
Bulky wool scarves are not only stylish, but they’re also very practical for those cold winter mornings when you’re walking to school. Last year I found a YouTube tutorial on how to knit your own infinity scarf using your arms as the knitting needles. It was crazy easy and made a beautiful scarf for much cheaper than if I were to buy a new one. All you need to buy is the yarn. These scarves also make great cheap holiday gifts.
Make your own candles
luscious beard seems unattainable. Below is a simple and cheap recipe for a smooth beard. Melt coconut oil and essential oils. Essential oils can include tea tree oil, bergamot and frankincense. Once they have melted together, put them in a jar and wait for it to solidify. Then you’re left with a solid beard balm that will make your beard baby soft.
Mimic processed snacks We all have those people that are impossible to buy gifts for at this time of the year. I like buying people candles as they tend to be a crowd pleaser, but candles are so expensive these days. If you buy your own soy wax on amazon.ca, making a bulk amount of candles is actually fairly inexpensive. All you need is soy wax, wicks and scented oils for the perfect candle recipe. You can repurpose old jam jars, beer bottles or cheap dollar store wine glasses to set the wax in.
I love bringing prepackaged snacks like granola bars with me to school. They’re easy to bring and easy to eat on the go. If you think about it though, a package of granola bars generally costs between $3-4, for approximately six bars. There are tons of granola bar recipes out there that make way more than six bars, for a fraction of the cost. Also when you make your own, you’re more aware of how much sugar you’re adding, giving you the ability to make them healthier.
Stop buying coffee Make your own bath bombs During exam season, bubble baths, whether you want to admit it or not, are a must. Many people are familiar with the store Lush and their amazing bath bombs, but not everyone can afford such a luxury. Turns out they’re fairly easy to make on your own. These make great gifts, too. All you need is: • 1 cup baking soda • 1/2 cup citric acid • 1/2 cup Epsom salts • 1 tsp. water • 2 tsp. essential oil • 3 tsp. olive oil • Food colouring
I love my Starbucks, but no one can afford a luxury coffee that often. Let me put this into perspective for you: at Walmart, you can invest in the most basic Keurig for $88. That’s roughly the same price of 15 grande Starbucks lattes. If you really love flavoured coffee, there are so many different kinds of K-Cups these days that I’m sure you can find something for your sweet tooth. Try your hardest to bring a travel mug instead and it’s guaranteed to save you money.
Leave your credit card at home
Make use of old liquor bottles Most of us just toss them when they’re empty, but there are tons of things you can do with old liquor bottles. I always see expensive novelty items using liquor bottles in stores. Considering this is something most of us throw away without a second thought, a neat idea for an empty Jack Daniels bottle is to turn it into a soap dispenser. The pump off of an empty soap dispenser fits nicely on top of the empty JD bottle. This could make a cool holiday gift for that liquor enthusiast we all know and love.
Make your own beard balm Beard oils have been all the rage lately, but with high-end oils and balms being well over $30, having a
When your credit card is sitting in your wallet, you’re much more likely to spend money on things you think you need. I like to try my hardest to only use cash. Cash is something physical you can hold in your hand, making it easier to keep track of your spending.
Get all the points cards I love points cards. Around the holidays, when you’re shopping more than you should, sign up for points cards. I’ve saved money countless times with my Plum Rewards card at
Chapters, my Optimum card at Shoppers, my Pure card at HMV and my Smiles card at Menchies. If a store has a card that requires a minimal to no membership fee, sign up!
Stop paying people for services you can do yourself Paint your own nails, pluck your own eyebrows, trim your own bangs or buy your own electric buzzer. Any competent person can do these things if they’re desperate enough.
Go to closer bars As much as going to the same bar every weekend can be boring, when you travel to downtown Kitchener or even uptown Waterloo, most people end up forking out money for a taxi or an Uber after the bar. If you stay closer to your house, you can use the cheapest mode of transportation: your own two feet.
Look for products online
Sometimes online shopping can be cheaper than mall shopping. There are brands that aren’t easily found in stores, like the cosmetic company NYX, that are significantly cheaper than in-store products. I also like checking amazon.ca for a product before I buy it from a store. Shipping, however, can sometimes make this more expensive, so be wary.
Shop second hand Value Village has always been given a bad reputation, but if you have the time to dig, you can find some really good stuff. Vintage is making a comeback and shopping at Value Village or Goodwill can be dramatically cheaper and more ecofriendly than buying new clothes. If you wash them before you wear them, there’s almost no way to tell that someone else wore the item before you. Also consider looking into places like Plato’s Closet that will buy your used clothes so you can get some extra cash.
GRAPHICS BY LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
• 9
Arts & Life FOOD
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ZACH GUITOR zguitor@thecord.ca
, Laurier s Best
Jordan Soufian
Christopher Donald
Shawarma according to these guys
LOCK
EB NEW KID ON TH
iShawarma
Immaculate sauce. Mouth-watering sauce. Fresh sauce. I want to keep speaking its praises, but I should give you some substance, just like this shawarma gave me. The meat resembled that of pulled chicken and was mixed with a delectable sauce which created the perfect coupling. Granted, this wrap was by far the dampest, but the pita managed to withstand the entrancing dressing. -Jordan
Easily the best shawarma of the bunch, with succulent sauce and a hearty amount of perfectly soft-yetcrispy chicken with just the right amount of pleasing spice. The vegetables held up after the sauce had taken its toll and made them soggy. That being said, it has the best flavour and should definitely be your first choice provided Bridgeport Plaza is not too out of the way for you. -Christopher
IC
NT E H T U A E U THE TR
shawerma plus
This joint was very generous with its meat-to-sauce ratio of 2:3 which I enjoyed, despite the mess it made. With a perfect blend of spice and zest, the sauce made a major contribution to the quality of the shawarma. In terms of balance, Shawerma Plus was conscious in their effort to mix the meat with the veggies so that no bite ever like a veggie wrap. -Jordan
This one is a little tricky for me. Though the chicken had a distinctly robust spice, I cannot necessarily say it was one I liked. The vegetables were on par with Mozy’s and Village — but the chicken was something I ever-soslightly dreaded putting in my mouth. However it was one of the most authentic shawarmas in this analysis and you may like it very much. -Christopher
,’ Mozy s Located right at the corner of King and University, Mozy’s seemed to have the most traffic with three spits running at once. Mozy’s delivered excellent chicken and decent sauce, but it sort of felt as though it was included merely to dampen the wrap. Coming in as the most expensive wrap, the size ran analogous, as it was noticeably the largest one. -Jordan
ITA
GP THE POLARIZIN
The shawarma served here was on the brink of being a chicken salad, which doesn’t come as a surprise given that none of the components were specific to that of a traditional shawarma. Any potential in the chicken was concealed by the thick and non-traditional pita used. Further, the tzatziki sauce was very underwhelming and was overpowered by the chicken salad flavour. -Jordan
Phat Hat While not objectively the best shawarma, per se, this mellow dish surprised me by being pretty good across the board, with decent, distinguishable chicken and nice vegetables in a fine tzatziki sauce. It lacks the traditional shawarma seasoning and aroma, but for around five dollars it is rather inexpensive and worth it if you want a nice, unthreatening chicken pita. -Christopher
THE CAMP
US CLASS
IC
While the vegetables were crisp and fresh, Mozy’s shawarma has an issue with sauce seeping to the bottom, as Jordan got much more of it. The chicken was perfectly acceptable but unremarkable on its own and it lacked the power to contest with the tomato and especially the pickle. Certainly not unpleasant to eat but get a vegetable-only wrap if possible. -Christopher
SLOPPY SERV
ICE
Village Shawarma Inattentive service + sloppy wrap structure = disappointing shawarma. Obviously service is irrelevant to the wrap, but it made me less eager to taste the passable pita and incredibly average meat wetted with watereddown sauce. Harsh? Maybe. Underwhelming? Yes. -Jordan
It was the weakest shawarma we tried. When eaten on its own, the chicken had a very faint, mildly fatty quality and it failed to stand out against the overpowering vegetables. The sauce was bland and made the dish feel more like a chicken salad wrap than a full-fledged shawarma. -Christopher
PHOTOS BY ZACH GUITOR/ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
10 • ARTS & LIFE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
REVIEW
ARTS BITES Justin Bieber releases new album, Purpose The young Canadian singer released his third studio album on November 13 and it has people talking. Many of Bieber’s initial detractors have flipped sides, indicating this release to be a pleasantly accessible pop record.
The Sourkeys reunite at Starlight CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The comedic web series features many artists from the Kitchener-Waterloo region, including members of the band The Short Films as pictured above.
Web series ultimately harmless Kitchener Sync is amateur, but offers a substantial platform for local artists
CHRISTOPHER DONALD STAFF WRITER
I can’t hate this. The critic in me tells me that I probably should, but no fiber of my rational being says this is where I should focus my energy. The second episode of the webseries Kitchener Sync, which premiered at the Apollo Cinema in Kitchener on November 13, is wholly representative of the type of work inexperienced filmmakers put out every day. It ranges from the bad — where threatening inflections read false and actors cannot stop smiling during the shtick — to the passable — in that it is about on par with most YouTube video acting. Performances were hollow, soulless and supported
by trying-too-hard-to-be-funny writing, in which a nerdy character refers to a barn as a “horse temple” and the protagonist arm-wrestles with an old man in order to get her intellectual property back from Google. It consists entirely of subplots, and although the two main ones have some sense of cohesion (as they are both about the retrieval of what belongs to their respective characters) there is a completely asinine third about the scintillating photography of semi-shirtless men in cowboy getups. It goes nowhere and does not fit in with the focus of the series, which is the struggle of the creative young person in a corporatized and industrialized world. There’s nothing in the short that stands out as interesting or exceptional, as even the competent production values are used to no visceral or intellectual effect, but I don’t regret going to this event. And that is because of The Short Films. That is the band who composed
the music to the series and although I remember none of it, they stick out to me as a group worth talking about. After the screening they came up and performed a set of songs and immediately this reviewer took notice. On the surface they seem indistinguishable from the hundreds of indie bands out there, but they mold and morph their genre into something arrestingly affecting. They turn the typically angst-ridden “white woman with piano” subgenre and breathe life into it with drums and bass punctuating the featured keyboard. The singer, typically a teenager in adult clothing, sounds experienced instead of sophomoric, damaged instead of hurt, mature instead of posturing as such. Their song “Naked People” stands out as a heartwrenching look at the vulnerable position people place themselves in love and how much it means to the other person to be willing to do that. Some of the members starred in
the short and while The Short Films represent professionalism, honesty and sincerity in independent art, Kitchener Sync needs to expand in these areas in order to become something worthwhile. After walking out of the show, I bought a download card for one of The Short Films’ albums. I hope Kitchener Sync does well in its hometown and elsewhere, simply so I can see more of what this band has to offer. So while the short is lacking in much of anything to recommend, it has shed light on a music group that would never have come to my attention otherwise and that is part of why I can’t hate it. It is a minor work of amateur art made by a community looking to establish themselves — especially in the case of The Short Films. I hope that such a desire comes to fruition. The next episode of Kitchener Sync will premiere at the Apollo Cinema on December 11.
After nearly a decade out of the spotlight, Waterloo-based punk band The Sourkeys reunited on November 12 to an ecstatic crowd. Supported by Kitchener’s Teen Violence, The Sourkeys’ performance marked a welcome return.
Reputed merch manager killed in Paris attacks Among those killed at The Bataclan venue in Paris during the Eagles of Death Metal concert was their merch manager Nick Alexander. Having worked merch tables for other bands like The Black Keys and Alice in Chains, Alexander will be greatly missed by the music community.
Oscars Governor’s Awards Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee, director of Do The Right Thing was given an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievements in filmmaking. Previous recipients include James Earl Jones and Steve Martin.
CONCERT
The rockin’ Sons The Glorious Sons delivered a great set at Maxwell’s this past Wednesday BETHANY BOWLES FEATURES EDITOR
Last Wednesday night, Kingstonbased band The Glorious Sons took the stage at Maxwell’s Concert and Events. The band has been around since 2011 and is led by brothers Jay and Brett Emmons. “Initially, I was going to go out to Halifax and start a band with Brett out there because he was going to school,” guitarist Jay Emmons explained. “And then I moved out there for a month and decided it wasn’t for me, [so I] came back and started this band … Brett came back and caught a couple [shows] and he was like, “shit.” So he quit school and came back to Kingston to join the band.” To drop out of school to join a rock band only to have it work out like the Emmons brothers seems highly unattainable these days — but the boys did it. Since the release of their first studio length album The Union in September 2014, The Glorious Sons are making a name for themselves in the Canadian rock music industry. “The response has been everything we could have wished for, really,” Emmons continued. “All the singles that we have released have charted top five. Everyone has positive feedback.”
The combo of great musicianship and remarkable stage presence is the recipe for a fantastic rock show. And that’s exactly what happened last Wednesday at Maxwell’s. In person, lead singer Brett Emmons is quiet and chill, but on stage, he’s a bull in a China shop. At one point, I lost sight of him, only to realize he had jumped off the stage into the crowd. He interacted with the crowd, yelling, “I can’t hear you, motherfuckers!” on more than one occasion. His energy was unmatchable. There were also times when he slowed right down. He performed “Gordie” with just an acoustic guitar and the audience sang along. He encouraged audience participation, enforcing the community that’s created by a mutual love of music. The highlight of the show, however, was the encore. The band came back out to sing one of the best tracks off the album “White Noise.” The combination of the use of stage lighting, the onstage energy and the crowd’s response was electric. Although there are no set plans for a new album as of yet, The Glorious Sons have just released their new single “Sometimes On A Sunday” to bridge the gap between The Union and whatever lies in store for the future of the band.
GAMES • 11
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Dear Life Dear Life is your opportunity to write a letter to your life, allowing you to vent your anger with life’s little frustrations in a completely public forum. All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week. Dear Life, I like your gameplay video. Thanks FIFA 16 Coins XBOX 360 https:// www.liketly.com/blog/192204/ fifa-16-gk-traps-the-ball/?utm_ source=email&utm_medium=email Sincerely, FIFA 16 Coins XBOX 360 Dear The Cord, You publish song lyrics a lot. Sincerely, Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Dear Life, I was wondering If after all these years you’d like to meet to go over everything They say that time’s supposed to heal, yeah But I ain’t done much healing. Sincerely, Hello, it’s me Dear Life, Does anyone actually have their shit together because I feel like we’re all just faking it. Sincerely,
What am I doing? Dear Life, So peer connect’s “board game” nights are turning into “peer connect members talking with other peer connect members” nights. Sincerely, Only Social Interaction Now Gone Dear Life, bout time this campus got some more bronze, chiseled men scattered all around campus. Sincerely, #thirsty #4dastatues Dear baristas, Thank you all for being the real MVPs and working hard to deliver caffeine to all of us sleep deprived students. Sincerely, It doesn’t matter what the cup looks like, its what’s on the inside that counts Dear The Cord, As a queer student at Laurier, last week’s Vocal Cords was painful to read. What stereotypes are associated with gay bars? Really? Who thought that was an okay question to ask? Asking those kinds of questions and not allowing for any kind of constructive or further conversation is just perpetuating the stereotypes! Sincerely, Someone who is sick of stereotypes Dear Someone who is sick of stereotypes, Did you even read the rest of the paper? Sincerely, Cord editor who went to the gay bar Dear Life, Moustache Day 18: The Moustache has taken over upper lip. Slim hope of seeing skin for
JESSI WOOD/GRAPHIC ARTIST
another 12 days. Might have made a first year cry the other day. Girlfriend dumped me. Mom won’t let me in house. Please send help. Sincerely, I hope my younger brother’s school allows me to pick him up on Thursday Dear Life, stop kissing the hawk Sincerely, there’s enough ways to get mono around here already Dear Sperrys, You’re so comfy but you make my feet smell Sincerely, Still h8 sox
Dear breakfast buttertart muffins, You’re the reason breakfast is the best. Sincerely, You cause my muffintop
for intimidating people to the point that they don’t want to rely on you to protect and serve. Sincerely, #disrespected
Dear Hedgehogs, Maybe you all need to learn to be a little more social, huh? People just want to be friends with you. GOSH. Sincerely, Hurt and confused
Deer Life, I would love to graze on sweet grass in the meadow just like you. You are beautiful with your brown fur, so shiny and soft. Sincerely, animal lover
Dear police officers, I get your job can be rough but don’t act like a dick when it is completely unnecessary because you have “authority”. You are here to make people feel safe and have a certain level respect. If you can’t handle that then you’re under arrest on probable grounds that you’re a shitty person
Dear Life, If we’re getting these statues of Prime Ministers, can we skip ahead and Trudeau’s right away? Sincerely, #DILF
Sudoku
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You don’t have to sit in school to stand among greatness. › Thomas Edison: Relentless Inventiveness Failure is no biggie. Just ask Edison. If he stopped at failure, he would never have moved on to invent a little thing called the light bulb. So if you’ve failed a class somewhere else, or have a scheduling conflict, come on over. You can catch up with our world-recognized online courses, then move on to bigger successes. Talk about a light bulb moment.
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12 •
Editorial
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca
Global tragedies are a concern for everyone everywhere With the terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, the natural disasters in Japan and Mexico and the rising chaos worldwide, life has become a struggle. We are lost in a nightmare in which there is no awaking; humanity is terrified of our reality. The tragedy of the world is not all on the other side of the planet. If we look around, it’s in our own backyard. Shootings, stabbings, sexual assaults, cyber threats, anti-Semitism and hate crimes are becoming an undeniable reality here in Waterloo. Violence is everywhere. Is anyone really safe? Following Remembrance Day, where many of us joined together to commemorate our fallen soldiers and their sacrifice for peace, it appears that others interpreted the time as an invitation to unleash hatred — the very evil those soldiers sacrificed their lives to defeat. On the night of November 11, some students noticed the flag of Nazi Germany hung on a window near campus. It bared a swastika: the ultimate symbol of oppression and hatred. On November 16, the windows of a Hindu Temple in Kitchener were shattered. This incident followed an attack on a Mosque in Peterborough only days before. A woman in Toronto was attacked, being kicked and punched “all over” in what police are calling a hate crime. On November 17, a friendly between Germany and Holland was cancelled due to suspicious activity, including a truck bomb disguised as an ambulance and a suspicious suitcase. People are vandalizing properties with inappropriate graffiti. Morals are being forgotten. Social media features countless hate messages with people pointing fingers and expressing their concern for our globalizing world. Some are blaming the very refugees who are desperate to escape the same terrors that have been the inception of our fear. Shutting boarders will not pro-
tect our lives, it will only feed the fire. The civilized world is turning against each other. And that is exactly what ISIS and all of those provoking fear and war want. Through this ride of terror, we are lost in a paradox of violence. When tragedy strikes, people are also struck with anger and hunger for revenge. Such anger and hunger can often blind civilians from the true enemy. The blindness causes the angered to target the innocent. Through targeting the innocent, they are conforming to the same problem that influenced them to ignorantly react. In the end, violence only leads to more violence. Such devastation has become normalized within our society. We hear about a new attack every day. Death tolls are continuing to spike. We are rapidly being exposed to the catastrophes of our planet. Our response to disaster typically goes as follows: We express our grief on social media, possibly donate to a few recovery organizations, watch some CNN coverage for a few days and then move on with our lives. It has become our routine of mourning. Have we become desensitized to the threats of our world? Is this routine the only way to continue forward? Is it the only basis of acceptance, of feeling safe when our system of safety is in jeopardy? What hope does humanity have? We are living in times of chaos, but we must not fan the flame. We must not conform to the violence. We must not point fingers and we must not give in to the hatred of our planet. Amongst the grief, there is love in our shadowy reality. That love is the only light at the end of our blackened tunnel. As we continue forward, we can only hope that we don’t blend in with the darkness. We must refuse to take part in the destruction of civilization.
JOSHUA AWOLADE/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Calling the fallacy of ads Planting trees is not as glamorous as people believe
BRIAN PHILLIPS VIDEO EDITOR
These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-inChief and Opinion Editor. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources. The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP.
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Every time I see a McDonald’s Big Mac ad I become a little bit sad. Not because the sandwich will eventually kill me, but because it will never be what I really ordered. The burger pictured in the advertisement with a big puffy bun, juicy patties and perfectly stacked condiments will more likely turn out to be a thin piece of meat on top of flat, soggy bun in the form of a lopsided sandwich. For the last two summers, I have gone further north than most, braving the bugs and the elements to work as a tree planter. Tree planting is by far the hardest job I have ever done and will probably ever do. It is repetitive, boring, painful, exhausting and often unfulfilling. Planting trees is no more glamorous than it sounds. Put your shovel in the ground, dig a hole, plant a tree, close the hole, take two steps, repeat. I very quickly went from burger advertisements to tree planting, so let me explain why. A clothing brand that has recently caught traction and is becoming increasingly popular is a brand called “TenTree.” Their name comes from the fact that for every piece of clothing they sell, they will plant 10 trees. Are they
true environmentalists, or just great marketers? I will let to you decide that for yourself. The point I am going to make about TenTree is that they are doing to tree planting what McDonald’s has done to the Big Mac: the way that they represent it in pictures is very different than it is in real life. This isn’t to say that my job — which I plan on returning to — can’t be fun, but it certainly isn’t how it appears based on TenTree’s social media posts. Allow me to clear up a few misconceptions that may have been drawn about tree planting based on the pretty pictures that have been painted online. Tree planting is not a one-day, Saturday afternoon volunteer job that you do on Earth Day to get your environmentalist fix for the year. It’s a several week — minimum — job that has you up at the early hours of the morning, sometimes when there is still frost on the ground. If it’s raining, you don’t get to take your umbrella. Well, you could, but you’d be unable to plant any trees, and therefore wouldn’t make any money. Four degrees Celsius and pouring rain? That’s Northern Ontario in the spring sometimes, and yes you still have to work. Additionally, at the end of they day you don’t get to go home. You go back to your tent. If you didn’t lay out the cash to get a good tent, it might be soaked from the rain, along with all of your clothes and sleeping gear. Interested in seeing wildlife?
How cute will that black bear be when it completely mauls your tent before the clouds roll over and dump on all your belongings? How about when black flies bite your face until it swells up so much you can’t go to work? How about being kept up all night because animals have invaded your campsite? These are just three examples of things that happened to people I worked with last summer. Yeah, nature is awesome. Lastly, who’s the one paying for all these trees to be planted? I can tell you it’s not David Suzuki. Most planting contracts are logging companies fulfilling their legal requirements to reforest areas they have clear cut to make printer paper and toilet paper. That’s not to say tree huggers don’t exist in a planting camp, but expectations about the motives behind planting need to be realistic. Those two girls smiling in the advertisement about getting involved? They just cleared $500 in a single day — I’d be smiling too. However, it wasn’t easy. They’ve been planting for years, and when they finally got the perfect conditions they worked non-stop for 10 hours, through blood, sweat and tears (literally), and then probably couldn’t move the next day. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, and it’s totally worth it (well, sometimes). Just don’t let advertisements from a brand trying to market their product change your perception of the grittiness of one of the least glamorous jobs on earth.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Opinion
• 13 OPINION EDITOR MITCHELL CONSKY mconsky@thecord.ca
Refugees seek ‘the Canadian dream’ The Liberal’s promise to bring in 250,000 refugees is allowing for greater contribution to Canada
They are simply in the pursuit of the Canadian dream my parents and so many classmates’ parents came looking for.
KANWAR BRAR OPINION COLUMNIST
The world is facing a refugee crisis. There is an influx of people leaving Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and other neighbouring countries, fleeing persecution and death in hopes of a better life. Due to the crisis in the Middle East, Europe is facing an unprecedented inflow of migrants. Many governments don’t know how to deal with the migration and others simply lack the political desire to do anything. With xenophobic sentiment on the rise and even encouraged by politicians in some cases, misconceptions about migrants continue to circulate. They are portrayed as people who will take over our jobs or even worse — as dangerous terrorists who threaten the Western way of life. Divisive politics are at play here as well, as the issue is often framed as “us” vs. “them.” Our newly-elected Liberal government promised to bring 25,000 refugees into Canada during the election campaign, and now details are being worked out to implement the plan. Logistics regarding healthcare, accommodation and welfare have to be finalized so the best available care can be provided once they are here. This announcement has been met with mixed feelings and the Canadian public is not immune to buying into and perpetuating the aforementioned misconceptions. Why not look after our own problems first? Why give healthcare benefits to
ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/PHOTO EDITOR
Countless refugees hope to enter Canada and improve their way of life, opening potential for future opportunities.
new immigrants who haven’t contributed anything? Why spend so much money towards “them” while neglecting our own people? It is important to acknowledge that by investing money towards settling families, not only are we helping them flee tremendous pain and grief, but also contributing towards our own society. To address the first misconception of them taking over our jobs, we need to understand that immigrants come here in the pursuit of a better life. In a way, they are the backbone of our country and economy. These people are not lazy or looking for welfare payouts — certainly not more so than existing Canadians.
To imply they will take away Canadian jobs is misinformed. Instead, they will act as a contributing factor in our economy. There will be cultural differences and barriers, as there is with most immigrants, but this doesn’t make them violent people who hate our “way of life.” After all, if we are accepting of their differences and supporting of their goals for prosperity, what is there to hate? The government will implement screening procedures looking at their health status, background, language proficiency and numerous other factors before allowing them in. To better assess this problem, we need to end the stigma around immigrants first.
We are one of the most diverse countries in the world and we should learn from each other’s differences instead of turning against each other. Our new government is reflective of that positive diversity. Maryam Monsef, who came to Canada as a refugee when she was 11, is now Canada’s new Minister of Democratic Institutions. Wilfrid Laurier University is home to students from all over the world. Some are doing an exchange term from another country, others are offspring of recent immigrants, some are immigrants themselves and many are born here. We are all at this institution to pursue higher education and find a better future for ourselves regardless of wherever we come from.
My family immigrated to Canada when I was 10-years old. Upon coming here, my parents dealt with language and cultural barriers and had to find employment, but they figured it out. They made sacrifices so my brother and I could go to school and grow up to live a better life and not go through the excruciating problems they faced. I’m thankful for the hard work of my parents because they are the reason I’ve been given the opportunity to go to university and be who I am today. Whether this meant my dad driving a taxi until four in the morning so I could have cereal before school or my mom missing her ESL classes because she had to work overtime, they gave up a part of themselves for us. The refugees who are fleeing their countries of origin aren’t any different. They are simply in pursuit of the Canadian dream my parents and so many of my classmates’ parents came looking for. They will make sacrifices, they will work hard, they will go through troubles so their kids can live a better life in this country we call home. It is up to us to assist them in their journey and make the right decision. Let’s be role models for rest of the world.
An enriching education Personal influences help enhance academic experience
LENA YANG CREATIVE DIRECTOR
This semester during my fifth year at Wilfrid Laurier University, I had the privilege of studying a text written by a Chinese author for the first time — not just the first time in university, but the first time ever. As an added bonus, it was Eleanor Ty, a Laurier professor of Asian descent who taught the material. I imagine this cosmic alignment of rare events within Western academia only occurs once every so often. It was the Super Blood Moon of my university career, if you will. The text studied, Fresh Off the Boat, a memoir penned by restaurateur Eddie Huang, details his experiences from childhood to adulthood as one of three sons of Taiwanese immigrants living in America. Over the course of two weeks, class discussions attempted to dissect the ramifications of living as a racial “Other” in America within the
frame of a 276 page book. The history of Asian immigrants, much less Chinese immigrants, are so seldom acknowledged in classrooms that many students lack the foundation to discuss such topics at length. As a result, the history of China and Chinese culture are not common knowledge amongst those who have not sought out the knowledge. My professor had to explain the tradition of feet-binding and aspects of Chinese cuisine to a class of 25 students, of which I was the only Asian. I sat back and basked in the familiarity of it all while whispering to my friend every so often: “This is literally my entire life.” Throughout the lectures, my professor would interject with intimate quips of her experiences and expectations as an Asian Canadian that perhaps revealed more honest truths of the racial “Other” than any long-winded historic breakdowns could have. Never have the dimensions of teaching been spelled out so eloquently. Such intimacy is difficult and rare to come by in an academic environment. Seldom do professors have
Such intimacy is difficult and rare to come by in an academic environment.
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
Efforts from educators are what allow students to engage with material.
the opportunity to interact to such a personal degree with the materials they teach. Like many topics, culture can be studied, learned and taught — often quite competently — by non-participants. However it is considerably different to teach by research than to teach by experience. It is wholly sufficient to teach by facts and numbers. In fact, the majority of my lectures have been taught just so and they have contributed abundantly to my learning. Numerous professors have shared their expertise on African Canadian literature, Indigenous literature and Mexican literature — none of whom are of the respective heritages. And
of course, one does not need to belong to a certain culture to teach the culture in a classroom. If schools were to operate on an extension of that logic, only those who have been alive in the Victorian era would be deemed proficient to teach Victorian literature; only Shakespeare would be able to teach Shakespeare. However culture is a subject that does not solely operate within the confines of facts and numbers. There are nuances that are simply not accessible to those who do not continually participate in that particular culture. So for the two weeks that Fresh of the Boat was taught in lectures,
my professor utilized her heritage to illuminate facets of the text that spoke personally to Asian Canadians and Asian Americans who shared the author’s realities and practices. It was refreshing to learn through one’s unique perceptions rather than broad evidence that attempted to remain factual to all members of a particular community. Although it is simply unreasonable to expect such profound levels of intimacy between all professors and the materials they teach, it is a pleasantly enriching experience when such commonalities do happen to align and I can only hope this will happen more often in Western academia.
14 • OPINION
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Savagery condemned FARAZ IFTEKHARUDDIN OPINION COLUMNIST
ZACH GUITOR/ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Paris has been declared under a state of emergency following the attacks.
Pictures in Paris reveal a war zone. Horror yet again manifested as bodies of victims are being bagged and counted. 132 dead and 352 injured. Families and loved ones are submerged in trauma, while friends make frantic phone calls. The civilized world falls into a state of shock. The world has been turned on its head and will never be the same going forward for many Parisians, who were directly and indirectly affected by the events of Nov. 13. The attacks, including those on a popular concert hall and near the Stade de France, will leave everlasting scars on France, Europe and the world. Given the precise coordination and ruthless execution, it would not have been farfetched to assume the perpetrators responsible for the atrocities are implicated with Islamic State and its other facets. The claim came on Saturday from ISIS, taking responsibility for the heinous acts. President François Hollande labeled this as an “act of war” and with vengeance in his heart, vowed: “We will lead the fight.
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Yet there will be those who call for the doctrine of “enemy within,” the imminent national security threat these refugees cause. Among his election promises, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to allow 25,000 Syrian refugees into Canada. The Immigration Minister may have set the process in motion, but it would be naive to think a stall in the process is not imminent. Best case scenario perhaps, screening and processing will become more rigorous to ensure the security and sovereignty of Canada is intact. The inevitability of the situation is that Syrians will find it even harder to secure asylum abroad. Violence keeps coming back to haunt them, giving no escape. It is sad that the fate of millions is directed by a foul few. As a Muslim journalist at Laurier, I would like to wholeheartedly condemn these and all acts of terrorism. My heart aches for those who are affected by these acts of terrorism in Paris on November 13. My heart also aches for those affected by the 49 killed and hundreds wounded in Beirut on November 12. I feel tremendous grief for the 19 killed by suicide bombers in Baghdad on November 13. The casualty count will keep rising with every innocent life whose chance to escape a threat for their very existence is diminished because of Friday’s savagery.
It’s the end of Christmas The Grinch must work for Starbucks
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And we will be ruthless.” The indirect victims from Friday’s events will be Syrian refugees. For the same threat they flee their country, the borders will be shut in their faces, with more asylum applications rejected and anti-refugee campaigns and rhetoric reignited. It did not take long for the latter to come into fruition. Just hours after what happened in Paris, a fire broke out in a jungle refugee camp near Calais, France. After anti-Muslim and anti-refugee demonstrations took place in the area last week. The fire destroyed 40 shelters and is not a definite result of what happened in Paris, but there is an obvious argument. The incident may just fan the flame for Islamaphobic and antirefugee attacks. France closing their borders to all refugees will have European and global implications. In the midst of the refugee crisis, and with Germany set to host one million or so refugees, domestic pressure to close the border to refugees will turn monumental. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, will surely be tempted to follow Sweden in temporarily closing its borders to absorb political and social pressure. Other right wing politicians such as Ben Carson and Donald Trump call for American borders to close. Perhaps not many people will pay attention to what they say or suggest.
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JOSH PETERS STAFF WRITER
Millions of Americans were left without a feeling of purpose this past week. Holiday cheer in November is down by an estimated 78 per cent nationwide, leaving one soulless coffee chain to blame. Most were forced to put issues such as the Republican debate, the plane crash at Sinai and the diversity rights at Yale University aside, so they could focus on America’s most pressing problem: The plain red holiday cup. Please stop shuddering and read on. Most of the marketing department has reportedly been fired from Starbucks after failing to recognize that a subtle design change would result in immediate outcry and condemnation on social media. If only they had seen this coming. It’s almost as if they expected the consumers to buy their coffee and just drink it without noticing that Starbucks no longer loves Jesus. But this is undoubtedly absurd, as every logical consumer would obviously see the cup and immediately realize its true intentions. Everyone knows that Jesus loved snowflakes and so the removal of them from the cups is a direct attack on Christianity in America. How dare they. Those heartless devils are like drifting dementors, sucking the magic out of the holiday season.
Everyone knows Jesus loved snowflakes and so the removal of them from the cups is a direct attack on Christianity in America.
This is clearly a move by Starbucks to make Americans less happy, which makes sense since their own mission statement goes on and on about quality, but says absolutely nothing about ensuring Christmas cheer in November. Recently, a Starbucks spokesperson has come forward and in a blatant public relations move, released the following statement: “We understand that is our duty as a company to define peoples’ meaning of Christmas by the design on our coffee cups. We will do everything in our power to ensure Christmas cheer is not lost across the nation.” While this statement proves the coffee chain has at least some idea of the detrimental damage that they have caused, they have pretty much crossed the line with no possibility of return. They are trapped in the darkness of their unforgivable sins. They will forever be doomed to the naughty list for their cruel attempt to end the Christmas of 2015 and they have shut down the happiness of children. In other news, in the Land of Whoville, a resident known as Mr. Grinch has ordered a remarkable 150-million shipments of the new red cups, saving Starbucks from bankruptcy.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Sports
• 15 SPORTS EDITOR DREW YATES dyates@thecord.ca
COVERAGE
The OUA ‘fighting a losing war’ League wins television coverage battle by securing a deal and branding with CHCH network JOSH PETERS STAFF WRITER
Ontario University Athletics has won its latest battle with its most elusive enemy — television coverage. A recent deal with television news station CHCH and Zero Networks provided the OUA with playoff coverage for the remainder of this football season, including the OUA semifinals and the Yates Cup. Coverage will begin to leak into other sports, such as basketball and hockey in the near future. Coverage is a good thing for the league. It means more sponsors and money, which they can pump into more marketing efforts. In addition, it allows the primary way of watching important Canadian Interuniversity Sport football to be something other than OUA.tv or CIS-SIC.tv. If we are being honest, nine out of 10 university students do not watch their football team play on Saturday afternoons, at least not while I’ve been a student. I chalk that down to two reasons. People don’t care about Canadian university football. Because of our Americanized football culture, these people are split between people who just don’t care about football in general or people who like the NCAA and NFL so much they cannot bring themselves to notice the other league going on in their own backyard. How could they, with three sets of fantasy line ups, a suicide pool and a Fanduel or DraftKings lineup to make every week? Two, people care about their university’s team, but just not enough to walk to the stadium. With the alternative being sitting at home and watching the game on a somewhat lagging, not extremely reliable service, viewers end up opting out altogether. The OUA.tv medium isn’t necessarily bad. It had its fair share of errors including lag time and less than spectacular commentary — it just felt wrong. The only way to watch your university’s football game shouldn’t be on a 10-inch laptop screen. It was almost as if the streaming service was telling you these games are not that important. OUA.tv is a great product that should be used in accompaniment with a TV deal and that is where the OUA
LENA YANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
The OUA and CHCH network have teamed up to bring university sport coverage across all Ontario to your screen.
But in all honesty, I see the parity continuing to increase as recruits watch blowouts on the CHCH network.
is headed with this deal with CHCH. The network is branding itself with the OUA to increase exposure to university sport. The real question is how the OUA will be able to sustain this deal. Just a short time ago things were looking great with the addition of Sportsnet U, but that deal failed for several reasons, most of which still exist. There is still a lack of parity amongst the teams with regards to talent and money. Even though it is starting to shrink a little, TV deals are not necessarily the best answer to that. Sportsnet still plans on show-
ing the Uteck/Mitchell Bowl and the Vanier Cup even though they pulled out of OUA coverage. But even so, there is not an overwhelming amount of evidence that this deal will have a better fate than the last, unless the OUA’s presence grows dramatically. People have to care and that starts with the student body and alumni. The only way this happens is if football fans at these schools feel as though they will see a high quality football game with two competitive teams. Otherwise they’ll just change the channel to one of the three other football leagues that can provide them with something else. So far, the OUA has provided that sparingly. The quality can only improve if the players get better. The players can only get better if the OUA has national recognition. It’s a vicious cycle. Because I follow the CIS and I enjoy watching my university play a football game, I hope this deal goes well. I was one of those students staring at my computer screen when Eric Morelli threw the interception that essentially eliminated the Wilfrid
Laurier Golden Hawks from the playoffs. I want this deal to turn the league into an eventual powerhouse in the football market. But in all honesty, I see the parity continuing to increase as recruits watch blowouts on the CHCH network. I see the same problems arising as with Sportsnet. I don’t see the quality taking a drastic turn. I don’t see the focus of university football fans shifting anytime soon. The OUA has won this battle but I feel like they are fighting a losing war.
Nine out of 10 university students do not watch their football team play on Saturday afternoons.
16 • SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
SOCCER
PHOTOS BY WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR
The Wilfrid Laurier women’s soccer team went 0-2 against Laval and Cape Breton and finished tied for seventh place during nationals, hosted by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. SHELBY BLACKLEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
VANCOUVER, B.C. — Emily Brown had tears in her eyes before the consolation semifinal Friday morning. The Wilfrid Laurier women’s soccer team was already eliminated from medal contention at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championship and they were without Brown, Nicole Lyon and Maxine Murchie for the game. It was a tough game to play — a team plays for essentially nothing but bragging rights and a fifth-place finish at the national level. In the words of head coach Barry MacLean, it’s a non-game. So the tears from the fifth-year striker before the game could have been pain from the injuries. It could have been pain from being eliminated from the possibility of playing for a medal. Or it could have been that the fifth-year striker, that has an endless resume of accolades and finishes her
career as the top scorer in Laurier and CIS history, couldn’t play in her last game as a Golden Hawk. And that is the biggest disappointment of all. “For me, it’s disappointing for the girls that are graduating that they don’t get another chance at it,” said MacLean after the Hawks dropped the consolation semifinal 2-0 to finish tied for seventh at nationals for the fourth consecutive appearance. Brown and a handful of players played their final game in Vancouver to end off stellar careers, most of which were part of the last Ontario University Athletics championship in 2013. And each of them have a major piece of Laurier’s program, said MacLean. “We’ve got a great group. Emily Brown finishes as the leading scorer in CIS history, Sarah Farano has been an unheralded leader pretty much the whole time she’s been here. Shannon Fraser never gets any credit, but she’s been there every practice for four years, never missed
“Those people, they’re deserving.”
-Barry MacLean, women’s soccer head coach
a practice. Abbey [Zamec] really came into her own this year. Stacey [Simmons] got to play a little bit at the end. Meena [Sharif ] and Shannon have been integral parts of the team without playing many minutes. They’re been great ambassadors for the program,” the bench boss said. “Those people, they’re deserving.” But it was tough to watch. Those graduates leave a program that hasn’t won a game at nationals since 2010 when they made it all the way to the final before losing to the Queen’s Gaels 1-0.
The Hawks have made it to the national stage four of the last five years but find themselves losing out immediately. This year, Laurier was dealt a tough hand when they played the No. 1 nationally-ranked and topseeded Laval Rouge et Or — also the defending champions — who ended up finishing third in the championship. The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds won their record sixth CIS banner in an all-Canada West championship over the Trinity Western Spartans. “I’m not worried about that,” MacLean said. “They’re one-game initiatives, this game for me is a nongame.” “The quarter-final game, if you don’t get past that, the rest of it is nothing.” “You’re not really playing for anything so that first game is critical in who you draw and we’ve had some tough draws,” MacLean continued. Tough draws, indeed. Laurier
played formidable against Laval in the quarter-final, but an unlucky play gave Laval a 1-0 win. In 2013, their last appearance in the CIS championship, Laurier drew the top-seeded and defending champions Trinity Western and fell 3-0. “Each year is a different year. What you get dealt in your first game [says a lot],” MacLean explained. “If you look at what we’ve been dealt with over the last four years, we’ve [drawn the tournament favourites] three out of the last four years in the first game.” But regardless, MacLean and his squad boast good recruitment practices and team tactics that help them find their way to be among the top of the OUA. With a 12-2-2 record this year, the Hawks will be looking to fill the missing pieces come 2016 and find their way back to the national championship, looking for their first gold medal since 1995. “We’ll regroup and find a way back next year,” MacLean said.
AWARDS
Boateng honoured as outstanding lineman
Third-year is the OUA recipient of the J.P. Metras award DREW YATES SPORTS EDITOR
When third-year defensive lineman Kwaku Boateng came to Wilfrid Laurier University, he started building a resume of all the opposing players he ever played against. He created a profile of every player that he would play against in the Ontario University Athletics conference to figure out their weaknesses and exploit them. “You start to kind of build a resume. A biography almost of every player of every team that you have to go up against — the o-line, the halfbacks, the fullbacks, the quarterback,” he said. “Once you start building these biographies and building these little resumes for these individuals, for these profiles for these individuals, you’re able to figure out what their tendencies are.” Not necessarily large in comparison to his offensive line counterparts, the third-year defensive lineman has found success by being tactically prepared for those opponents. “I think that that’s one of the biggest things that as a third-year player that’s developed profiles for a lot of these teams and these players and I’ve been successful thus far.” This became his recipe for suc-
cess, as he won the J.P Metras award, given to the outstanding lineman in the conference. By winning the award, Boateng’s name was put forth as the OUA nominee for the chance to win the same award at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level. Boateng accomplished this in his third year too, which is impressive in itself considering most OUA athletes aren’t recognized until their fourth and final year. According to Boateng, he always sets his goals high, but receiving the award in his third year really shows how strong his coaching staff has been throughout his entire football career. “It’s an honour and I think it goes beyond the greatest defensive lineman in the league, that a lot of people start to forget that it’s the best lineman in the league, both offence and defence,” he said. “It’s the award for the best lineman, and that alone is very powerful and again I’m just honoured that I got the opportunity to put my name on there.” But Kwaku Boateng is not content. The third-year had his eyes set on leading the nation in sacks — a goal he decided on at the beginning of the year. The lineman felt discouraged with the lack of results after a slow start at the beginning of the season.
“I was following the process, but the quarterbacks were just releasing the ball a bit earlier. As soon as I got there the ball was thrown so that was very frustrating but my individual goal was to lead the country in sacks,” he explained. Boateng remained a threat on the gridiron, recording four sacks, one per game in the second half, but fell short of leading the conference. Despite not capturing his goal, his coaches remained positive in Boateng’s potential as a lineman, and helped him realize he is still making an impact on the defensive line. “I realized that I am still making a presence, I am still forcing defensive coordinators to change up the game plan every week because ‘Oh, they are facing Laurier, they are facing Kwaku Boateng,’ ” he said. That, and being the OUA recipient is a stepping stone to something much bigger. “My ultimate goal is to be the best lineman in the country. Getting OUA recognition is great but nothing beats being the best in the country,” he said. “Having the OUA lineman award is great and all but not being named the CIS best lineman award, I see that as a failure.”
WILL HUANG/PHOTO EDITOR
Third-year Kwaku Boateng is the OUA recipient for the J.P. Metras award.