THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926
VOLUME 60 ISSUE 10 • OCTOBER 30, 2019
IT WAS A GRAVEYARD SMASH
VICTIMS OF VAPING
RECREATION RENOVATION
SCREAMPARK SPOOKS
THIS IS HALLOWEEN
A JUMP IN THE RANKINGS
The dangers of a popular smoking trend
University Stadium gets an upgrade
Is the popular haunt worth the hype?
The joys of celebrating at WLU
Men’s basketball reaches sixth in the nation
Features, page 10
News, page 3
Arts & Life, page 12
Opinion, page 15
Sports, page 16 PHOTO BY BRIT KOVACS
2 •
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
VOCAL CORD What is the most overrated or underrated Halloween candy?
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CordNews THIS DAY IN HISTORY: OCTOBER 30
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
1866: Jesse James' gang robs bank in Lexington, Missouri ($2000). 1868: John Menard of Louisiana is first African American elected to US Congress. 1873: P. T. Barnum's circus, "Greatest Show on Earth," debuts (New York City).
“The most overrated candy is a Mars Bar.”
1888: John J Loud patents ballpoint pen.
– Vanessa Hen, 4th year Physics
1899: British Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill reaches Capetown. 1938: A radio broadcast of H. G. Wells "The War of the Worlds", narrated by Orson Welles, allegedly causes a mass panic. 1945: Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to a Montreal Royalsv.
“You know those boxes of chocolate you can get from Zehrs with, like, 40 favours? Those are so overrated.”
1952: Clarence Birdseye sells first frozen peas.
– Rebekah Kuschmirez, second-year BBA
SIDNEY MACDONALD/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
1974: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre horror film premieres in Los Angeles. 1974: The "Rumble in the Jungle," saw challenger Muhammad Ali knock out previously undefeated World Heavyweight Champion, George Foreman.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
1985: Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off for its final successful mission.
"The Double Bubble Bubblegum is underrated.”
1987: "Faith" debut album by George Michael is released.
– Erin O'Connor, firstyear kinesiology
1995: Québec votes in a referendum to remain part of Canada. 2003: "Wicked" premieres on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre starring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
"I think the most overrated candy is candy corn.”
2003: American basketball player LeBron James, who was drafted directly out of high school, made his NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
– Carl Ng, fourth-year music Compiled by Sidney MacDonald, Lead Photographer
NEXT ISSUE
FILE PHOTO
Photo from a 1986 issue of The Cord Weekly with the accompanying caption, " Does The Cord raise your blood pressure? ... it was later discovered that record numbers fell asleep ... because copies of The Cord were available."
OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca
SENIOR COPY EDITOR Victoria Marshall copyeditor@thecord.ca
CORD STAFF
SPORTS EDITOR Matt Cascagnette sports@thecord.ca
CORDCAST PRODUCER Jade Hosick cordcast@thecord.ca
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Waitson editor@thecord.ca
GRAPHICS EDITOR Jamie Mere graphics@thecord.ca
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Brit Kovacs creative@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Darien Funk photos@thecord.ca
WEB DIRECTOR Kashyap Patel online@thecord.ca
ONLINE EDITOR Kathleen McCullough online@thecord.ca
NEWS DIRECTOR Hayley McGoldrick news@thecord.ca
VIDEO EDITOR Katherine Fitzpatrick video@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR Sophia Cole news@thecord.ca
LEAD REPORTER VACANT news@thecord.ca
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Alyssa Di Sabatino arts@thecord.ca
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Sidney Macdonald photos@thecord.ca
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
CONTRIBUTORS
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Jackson Carse Amichai Abraham Lauren Rutherford Jana Ibrahim Jennifer Webb Lauren Symbolik Laura Thompson
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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
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PREAMBLE The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy. The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to
2012: Walt Disney purchases Lucasfilm Ltd and its rights for Star Wars and Indiana Jones for $4.05 billion.
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: “Speaking of opinionated freaks ...” - Arts and Life Editor, Alyssa Di Sabatino, talking about someone she almost, literally, ran into.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
News
• 3 NEWS DIRECTOR HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR SOPHIA COLE news@thecord.ca
CAMPUS UPGRADES
SADMAN RAHMAN/FILE PHOTO
University Stadium set to undergo facelift HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR
The city of Waterloo has committed to a $5 million donation to split between both of the universities in the city, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, in order to upgrade their athletic facilities. The University of Waterloo will be putting it’s half of the funding towards enhancing the Columbia Ice Field, a $23 million expansion, while Laurier’s complete reconstruction of the University Stadium will cost the school over $50 million. “We’ve been waiting and preparing for about three years, for a call for infrastructure funding. There’s a current application called Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, it’s put out by the federal and provincial governments and would allow for 40 per cent funding from the federal government, 33.3 per cent from the province and then other which would be other partners, the university, stakeholders in the project,” said Peter Baxter, athletic director for Wilfrid Laurier University. “We’re putting it all together with the advancement office, physical asset management on campus and so forth but we’ve been working on the vision for renewal because it’s a 61-year-old
facility; construction was started in 1957, the first event was in 1958, it’s a fixer upper.” Renovations at Laurier in the department of athletics on the Waterloo campus have already totalled over $10 million including putting new turf on Alumni Field, upgrading the Athletic Complex, renovating the pool and putting new wood into the aging University Stadium. “We’ve consulted with a lot of stakeholders, most importantly the students, in terms of what they need that supports the programs and activities that they have. The field goes to maximum time until the light by-law makes us turn it off at 10:30, the support areas would include a double gym, as our intramurals are at full capacity,” Baxter said. “It would add a lot of programming, the other component is to make it a destination beyond athletics and recreation. The wellness area that allows for promotion is by Veritas; it’s not the greatest space so we would create a wellness area for student leaders in health promotion and also utilize it for an Indigenous space like counselling with the Elders to give them something more private beyond the Lucinda House.” Laurier’s Brantford campus has also seen a multi-million dollar renovation project in the Laurier
Brantford YMCA, which opened in September of 2018. The facility replaced the small Wilkes House Residence Recreation Centre that was previously the centre for student health and wellness. “There’s not enough place to build community there, even in the CA we’ve put furniture to make a student space, we also want in conjunction with a wellness area a sports medicine clinic to serve beyond just the student athletes, we would like it to be able to serve the entire student population,” Baxter said. “An area for technology and training would be multipurpose, training for student leader staff in athletics, we run a lot of education programs, the team can use it for a film room, academic or wellness workshops can take place there, we’re trying to cater to the broad spectrum of students and what they would want.” One of the main projects for the renovations is to put a protective bubble over the field in order to make it a twelve-month facility, not only to be utilized for athletics and recreation but can also be rented out for other community partners. “There’s going to be such a vibrant opportunity for experiential learning that really enhances the student experience here at Laurier, it’s a community outreach school.
It’s part of our DNA, our goal is for us to create something that will enhance that, we currently have 350 students that are involved,” Baxter said. “The field itself will be fresh in order to attract major events it will be FIFA and Rugby Canada approved field so we can host local, national and international events, it will have a huge impact we know for hosting things for teams coming into the area, it will help in off time so that we can generate revenue, there’s an economic impact there.” Laurier’s current field introduced a mobile video board last year. However, the plans for the renovation are to have a permanent board to use for in-game footage and replays as well as for movies or other events in the offseason. “A video board is a big plus, this facility is more of a sport and entertainment sort of thing, we may have concerts but it’s up to the students. The students of 5-10 years ago have different interests and you have to adjust on that front,” Baxter said. “It will provide a tight spectator experience too, which is important for what we have in terms of football, soccer and basketball; we don’t have many washrooms so we want to make sure that is proper, we’ll have more support area for
storage, we need some heated areas, a proper press box which is a great leadership opportunity.” Though on the surface it may seem that a $50 million stadium renovation seeks to support only student-athletes, but hat population is just a mere fraction of who the new centre targets. The vision for the new stadium can be accessible and enticing for every student on the Waterloo campus. “Even from a broadcast component, streaming is important, not only from a revenue side from sponsors but I would like to host national championships where the Golden Hawks are winning USPORTS championships, we did host soccer when the facility was a bit more able, but the requirements for bidding are higher but there’s nothing better than hosting a national championship,” Baxter said. “When you’re creating these types of facilities, it’s not all programmed. Something that gives an experience for them to have is the goal, even those viewing areas can be utilized for whatever the needs and wants of students are, when people look at athletic facilities they think of sports but it needs to be looked at as a student experience facility that encompasses not only recreation but the learning, cultural events and career type events too.”
4 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
BRANTFORD CAMPUS
Brantford takes new approach to social outreach SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR
homeless people want to be homeless and that they’re satisfied with what they’re doing but the reality that we’re encountering is that a lot of the people that the BDOT is working with, they’re unable to get access to housing.” Popham said. “Brantford has a shelter shortage right now, they have limited social housing and the supports just aren’t there to get people indoors so that’s one of the challenges that they’re encountering.” Another common misconception is that the majority of the homeless population struggle with addiction, or that they are homeless due to an addiction. However, the BDOT has found that this to be far from the truth. “From my conversations with the BDOT team, they say that many, if not most, of the people that they work with are not currently in an addicted or dependency sort of situation, they may have been in the past but many of the people are just living their lives,”
The Brantford Downtown Outreach Team, otherwise known as BDOT, is a pilot program implemented in July of 2019 with a focus on reaching out to people struggling with addiction, homelessness and other challenges. The idea for the BDOT was born out of a need for a new approach to working with vulnerable populations, such as the homeless in Brantford, and was modeled after similar programs across the country which have been successful. The BDOT makes an impact on the downtown core of Brantford in a number of ways, including connecting individuals with access to health services, providing food and supplies, giving housing support and helping highlight the needs of street-involved people to the city of Brantford.
One of the challenges to accessing medical services is there is often some pretty significant gatekeepers to getting into the system. -James Popham, evaluation director
“One of the important points of their actions is to connect individuals with medical services. So, one of the challenges to accessing medical services is there is often some pretty significant gatekeepers to getting into the system, for instance not having a fixed address can really limit your access to services,” said James Popham, assistant professor and leader of the BDOT evaluation team. “On top of doing that, it’s been a lot of working with the community so it’s become a visible component of the city and it’s initiatives to try and work with the different com-
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munities within Brantford to try to address the concerns and needs through visable and proactive measures so people can become aware of what’s happening and that the city is making an effort.” The evaluation of the BDOT team is being funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, allowing the BDOT to receive valuable feedback which they may not have otherwise been able to afford. “I’m doing something that would normally be quite expensive,” Popham said. “Working in sort of a consultant position. So I‘m helping agencies who might not have the funds or means by which they could hire an expensive consultant, providing them with that level of expertise which will help them with their program.” At the moment, Popham is the
sole evaluator on the project but he is looking to hire a student to with evaluation experience to assist him in his work. The evaluation will measure a number of different factors, including a look at the influence the BDOT has had on concurrent services, such as the Brantford Police Service and the Grand River Community Health Care Centre. “First we’re going to be looking at, I guess, the nuts and bolts of the program itself, so the number of people served, the types of services they’re receiving, the types of accounts and numbers of supplies being provided from the BDOT to the community, as well as looking at changes in policing; so whether or not there has been a drop in calls for social disturbances or public disorder calls,” Popham said.
People are never actually getting a proper nights rest because they’re constantly worried about people stealing their stuff or assaulting them.
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-James Popham, evaluation director
“We’re also going to be looking at changes in things like emergency calls to the fire department or ambulance just to get a sense of how the presence of the BDOT has affected those.” In addition to measuring the effects of the BDOT team in numeric sense, the evaluation will examine how the BDOT is helping people on an individual level. “A second thing that we’re going to be looking more closely at is the impact; and part of this is going to
be done by working with people who have worked with the BDOT, so street involved or homeless individuals, and hearing their stories and their experiences with the BDOT and hopefully including those in the evaluation to sort of summarize how it impacts individuals,” said Popham. The evaluation of the BDOT team will help fine-tune and streamline their services by pointing out areas which can be improved upon and giving them valuable information about the program. “A third arm is going to be talking to the team, as well as the organizing committee, and getting a sense of what sort of barriers they’ve experienced, successes they’ve enjoyed and how those sorts of things can be used to improve the mandate of the BDOT and streamline its operations,” Popham said. “Evaluation research, particularly when it’s done on behalf of an organization or an academic group, it really helps to empower the organizations that we’re working with. It gives them information that can be used to pursue further funding to ensure that the programs or initiatives they’re piloting can be successful. It also provides a means by which the organizations can improve their services and service delivery so for instance identifying some of the challenges that might not normally come up in day to day conversations” The evaluation will give a more holistic perspective on how the program is working within the greater community to facilitate positive change. The BDOT helps to dispell myths surrounding the homeless populations and highlights the often hidden struggles they experience by listening to the experiences and needs of street-involved individuals and bringing this knowledge to light. “There’s a misconception that
Many, if not most of the people that they work with are not currently in an addicted or dependecy sort of situation. -James Popham, evaluation director
Popham said. “There’s again an assumption that many of the homeless or street-involved individuals who we encounter are there because of drugs or drug dependency and the reality is that many of the people aren’t. And through a number of different social circumstances in the past they’ve come into the situation that they’re in now.” People often fail to emphasize with the homeless population due to a lack of knowledge or experience in what they go through, through their work the BDOT hopes to spread the word on the physical and mental tolls of homelessness. “These people haven’t got the means to take even public transportation between different locations which are spread out across the city, so they’re often walking continuously throughout the day,” said Popham. “At night, they’re physically exhausted and rather than having a comfortable bed to go to they’re living wherever they’re living, so whether it’s in a tent or a place where they feel secure; and even in the evening there is a major security concern. People are never actually getting a proper nights rest because they’re constantly worried about people stealing their stuff or assaulting them.” The BDOT team is always grateful for any form of donation, whether that be financial support or tangible goods such as non-perishable foods or warm clothing, to help them in their endeavors to support the Brantford community.
NEWS • 5
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019 FOOD BANK but we usually have this event on a weekend because that’s when people are home and able to answer the door. It’s a weird mix because we would be picking up on Oct. 26 which would be really close, but we also do a flyer handout a week before, but it was reading week,” said Alison Ko, events executive for Laurier Food Bank.
Halloween is on a Thursday, but we usually have this event on a weekend because thats when people are home and able to answer the door. -Alison Ko, Events Executive
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Halloween for Hunger gets a new rebranding HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR
Laurier Food Bank’s Waterloo campus team is giving a new look to Halloween for Hunger, rebranding the event to later in November.
In previous years, the event has taken place the week of Halloween, but due to scheduling conflicts has been given a new name. Usually, the Laurier Food Bank holds a donation drive for Halloween to collect non-perishable
food items to be put in parcels for students, but to ensure the event has optimal timing and volunteers, they have decided to move the event to Nov. 16 and rebrand as “Let’s Can Hunger”. “Halloween is on a Thursday,
“We only had a small time frame, so since the timing just didn’t match up we decided to rebrand and push it back to November to do it on a weekend instead. It’s a food drive for locals to make donations to students at Laurier, we hand out flyers to let them know we’ll be coming a week after to pick up cans.” For this year’s Halloween event, Laurier Food Bank is holding two different events for students, the first being a parcel building event in the concourse from 11am to 3pm on Oct. 29 where students can build their own customizable food
bags. The second event is a Halloween for Hunger pancake breakfast on Oct. 31. A pancake breakfast is usually held by the group on the last Tuesday of each month. Prior to Let’s Can Hunger, Laurier Food Bank will also be hosting an event titled “Are You a Frequent Flyer”, a preliminary event in which food bank executives and volunteers go door to door handing out flyers about the event, including information on when they will be collecting food donations as well as accepting any monetary donations. “We offer parcel service to all students, we offer three parcels per semester and each one includes foods like canned vegetables and fruits, pasta or even toiletries if they need it,” Ko said. “It can all be done online so there’s no face to face interaction and it stays anonymous, we send them a locker code and they go and pick it up.” Last year, the Halloween for Hunger event collected hundreds of food items from the community for those in need and the Laurier Food Bank’s hope is that with this year’s extended date they will be able to collect even more than they had previously. “The event starts at 9 am to 4pm, we’ll set up a sign-up sheet where we put everyone in different groups or they can sign in groups, we put them in waves and then we go out and pick up cans,” Ko said. The Laurier Food Bank will also be moving their $5 Boar’s Head dinner that usually takes place in November to the winter semester in order to accommodate the rebranding and date change of the event.
MEMORIAL
Remembering Leanne Holland Brown’s legacy at Laurier HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
On Wednesday, Oct. 23 Wilfrid Laurier University held a memorial event in the Turret on the third floor of the Fred Nichols Campus Centre in memory of Leanne Holland Brown, former dean of students who passed away on Apr. 24 of this year in a tragic accident which deeply affected the Laurier community. Holland Brown spent nine years as the dean of students at Laurier, being with the university for almost 15 years. Her husband, Ken Brown, spoke at the tribute to emphasize just how special she was to Laurier, with her commitment to students going above and beyond. Some of the many contributions to the school Holland Brown created were regarding mental health, something many university students struggle with heavily. Programming like SafeTalk and Mental Health First Aid workshops for employee wellness were the brainchild of Holland Brown, as well as the early-alert program to help faculty and staff identify students who struggle academically and the Care Report which can
help escalate concerns about the wellbeing of students. “Leanne exemplified the true Laurier Golden Hawk spirit of life every day in her work as dean of students. Our tribute to her celebrated the many meaningful contributions she gave that enriched the lives of students and us all forever. Thanks to all for coming and sharing these very special moments together,” said David McMurray, vice president of student affairs in an email statement. David and Leanne worked closely at Laurier in the office of student affairs. Steven Page, lead singer of The Barenaked Ladies, was a surprise guest at the tribute and performed two songs for the audience in memory of Holland Brown. Her well known orientation week speech was also read out in a video by many of her colleagues as many students can remember her touching speeches as one of their earliest Laurier experiences. To continue Holland Brown’s legacy of helping students when they need it most, the Student Emergency Bursary Fund is being renamed in her honour, which provides support for students who encounter unforeseen financial
circumstances. Another fund created shortly after Holland Brown’s passing has already surpassed $26,000 raised and is used to provide student support for mental health and wellness programming at Laurier. Holland Brown’s infamous orientation speech was also printed onto a poster for students, faculty, staff and guests to sign and will be hung above the friendship bench outside the Student Wellness centre. A tree is also being planted in her honour, the Eastern Red Bud, which happened to be Holland Brown’s favourite. The tree will be planted between the Dr. Alvin Woods Building and the Arts building, known for sprouting pink blossoms and heart-shaped leaves. Laurier’s continual top ranking in student satisfaction is a direct correlation of the work of Holland Brown and her dedication to students, with a legacy that will never be forgotten at the university. As Laurier president and vice-chancellor said about Holland Brown at her tribute, “This university will be poorer for no longer having her guidance and wisdom, but richer for the example she set for us all to aspire to.”
6 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Laurier teaching assistants work to unionize EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Graduate students at Wilfrid Laurier University have been actively working towards organizing a union for teaching assistants (TAs) to improve their current working conditions — which include better wages and benefits, increased support, transparency with hiring and contracts and addressing ongoing issues with TAs going over hours. This comes as a result of a group of Laurier students who are pursuing unionization while primarily raising awareness for their cause through their Facebook group, “Wilfrid Laurier TAs United,” having just went public with their cause a few days ago. Laurier is one of the few universities to not have a union for their TAs, an issue that has come into question over the years, but has not received enough backing or support to follow through with changing it. Tanya Shoot, a psychology PhD student in her first year at Laurier, is supporting the unionization of TAs, especially after her time at Western University, a postsecond-
ary institution that has a union of its own for their TAs. “I came from Western [University], which is highly unionized, [meaning] that I get most of my benefits covered through a supplementary fund through my union, as well as I get representation and higher wages to it. During my Masters I was paid roughly 45 dollars an hour when I was TA-ing, and here, doing my PhD, I’m making 26 dollars an hour. So, you can imagine, I would expect with another degree under my belt I’d be getting paid more,” Shoot said. The pay discrepancy is one of the central aspects of TA work that Shoot hopes to address with Wilfrid Laurier TAs United, and recognizes that the dedication and passion of Laurier grad students is what will help make this mission a reality for current and future TAs. “When I came here, I found out there was a small but strong cohort of students who did want to unionize. And this is not the first year that it’s been happening: it’s been happening for at least a couple of years now, where they’ve tried to drum up enough support and they’ve been unable to. They’ve al-
ready approached the union PACC. So we would be a branch, if you will, off of them. They represent Western, they represent Queen’s [University], [University of Toronto] — a bunch of different universities in Ontario — so they know the
When I came here, I found out there was a small but strong cohort of students who did want to unionize.
-Tanya Shoot, Laurier psychology PhD student
drill, they know it’s important to students,” Shoot said. Shoot has noticed a pattern that seems to have emerged with TAs who have been experiencing collectively similar issues with their positions, with grad students hav-
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ing little-to-no way of being able to tangibly question or address the problems that they’re facing in their roles. “I think throughout this process we’ve gained a bigger and bigger group of students, saying very similar things, like: I don’t really know what my responsibilities are, professors seem to use me at will and I don’t think that’s fair, I am going over my hours, there’s nothing HR or anyone can do about that,” Shoot said. “And it’s not fair: at the end of the day, we are workers, we have rights and — putting wage aside from things — yes, we should definitely be paid more, we are skilled professionals, but a lot of non-monetary things we’re asking for is clarification of our job, [it’s] having a recourse if we have issues between us and our supervisor.” “I think that we have to be realistic in our goals in that, no, we aren’t going to get everything, but at least if we can have a couple of our promises met, that’s going to give everyone a better chance of a better working relationship and a better experience here at Laurier,” she said. A contention that seems to occur with TAs across different programs is the uncertainty and lack of clarity in regards to their position requirements and specific duties. “So if you talk to someone, let’s say it’s someone that’s in music, they could be conducting a choir, they could be marking, they could be doing more work with instruments; whereas in science you could be running a lab, you could be doing a tutorial [or] you could just be marking. Right now, they give us kind of a rough breakdown, but I’ve had professors tell me, ‘don’t trust this, I’ve given you ballpark numbers, but it’s not necessarily going to be that’,” Shoot said. “There feels like, even from my personal experience, an obligation [on the part] of the TA to do anything the professor says, because it is part of our funding package and there’s a worry that it’s going to come back to us if we don’t do everything that they say.” One of the biggest challenges she claims will likely come with unionizing is the potential for pushback from Laurier. “The university is going to be very against this. What they’re going to do is be on either side of the spectrum, [with] fear mongering on one side and bribing on the other — maybe a mix of both. And I know that to be true because, during bargaining when I was at Western, the university would spout lies all the time about what would happen if we went on strike ... So I know that the university is going to be against this, it’s just really what form it’s going to take. I’m hoping to debunk myths, get the word out, and get the population of students and workers ahead of whatever the university is going to say.” A hope that Wilfrid Laurier TAs United has, and what they want the student body to understand, is that they are pushing for unionization so that TAs are given the support they need and have a reliable resource available to them to go
to and utilize if they run into any issues. The central goal of a union is to offer security and protection for workers — which is what is missing for Laurier TAs currently. “It’s having someone in your corner. So if your supervisor or the admin want to bring you in for disciplinary action, for example, you have someone who’s sitting on your side of the bench who’s arguing for you,” Shoot said. “And a lot of the time, there’s no one else like that on the university: everyone else has a conflict of interest because they’re paid by the university, whereas a union is a total separate organization.” With the misconceptions surrounding unions, and what it would mean to have one for TAs at Laurier, it’s important for students to educate themselves about what this union would mean for grad students and the potential benefits it would offer them in the long run.
There feels like, even from my personal experience, an obligation [on the part] of the TA to do anything the professor says ... -Tanya Shoot, Laurier psychology PhD student
“A lot of people think that the union is going to be organized by someone else. No, the members are students here, so they’re approachable, they understand what everyone is going through. Because they are a student, and they’re elected, if it really matters to you, you can be a part of the process,” Shoot said.” “Because of that, our union can be shaped by what our issues are. A lot of people think that we’re going to strike and that’s going to be a big thing that’s somehow going to happen, but what they don’t understand is that there’s so much negotiating that goes on, and a strike is kind of a last ditch effort.” Shoot also noted that a lack of a union also impacts undergraduate students as well, as the TAs who work with them aren’t necessarily receiving the support they need in order to help their students succeed. “I think a lot of people see those really negative experiences and not realize that those are maybe less than one per cent of all of the experiences that you would have with a union,” Shoot said. “And I think that from the undergraduate’s point of view, unfortunately, a lot of union action affects them and that’s not who we should be affecting, but that’s kind of a collateral that happens when TAs walk out or there are issues.” “I think that it would be great for undergraduates to understand that we’re working, not only for a better life for us, but it’s so that we’re better equipped to help them.”
GAMES • 7
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
Dear Life
SPOOKY SUDOKU
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. Dear Life,
MONSTER MAZE
Help the black cat find his way home!
I was working in the lab, late one night When my eyes beheld an eerie sight For my monster from his slab, began to rise And suddenly to my surprise He did the mash, he did the monster mash The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash He did the mash, it caught on in a flash He did the mash, he did the monster mash From my laboratory in the castle east To the master bedroom where the vampires feast The ghouls all came from their humble abodes To get a jolt from my electrodes They did the mash, they did the monster mash The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash They did the mash, it caught on in a flash They did the mash, they did the monster mash The zombies were having fun, the party had just begun The guests included Wolfman, Dracula, and his son The scene was rockin’, all were digging the sounds Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds The coffin-bangers were about to arrive With their vocal group, ‘The Crypt-Kicker Five’ They played the mash, they played the monster mash The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash They played the mash, it caught on in a flash They played the mash, they played the monster mash Out from his coffin’, Drac’s voice did ring Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist and said “Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist? It’s now the mash, it’s now the monster mash The monster mash, it was graveyard smash It’s now the mash, it caught on in a flash It’s now the mash, it’s now the monster mash Now everything’s cool, Drac’s a part of the band And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land For you, the living this mash was meant too When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you Then you can mash, then you can monster mash The monster mash and do my graveyard smash Then you can mash, you’ll catch on in a flash Then you can mash, then you can monster mash Mash good! Easy, Igor, you impetuous young boy Mash good! Grrr! Sincerely, Best spooky song Dear Life, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes from seasons 2-9 are pieces of art in their own right. Treehouse of Horror V, specifically, “The Shinning,” is arguably a better than the film it was based on and it’s a more believable execution of the Stephen King novel. In this essay I will ... Sincerely, Boo-urns Dear Life, Darkness falls across the land The midnight hour is close at hand Creatures crawl in search of blood To terrorize y’all’s neighborhood And whosoever shall be found Without the soul for getting down Must stand and face the hounds of hell And rot inside a corpse’s shell Sincerely, Killer thriller
Women’s health
“Of pain you could wish only o Nothing in the world was so ba of pain there a - George O
Editor-in-Chief, Emily Waitson, explores the struggles of women and being believed for their pain. When I was in grade ten, I started to experience extreme bouts of pain. My periods became insufferable, and the discomfort and extremely unpleasant symptoms that would accompany it would last for days, and eventually weeks at a time with little to no relief. I was pinballed from specialist to specialist without a clear explanation for my symptoms, and I sat in the waiting areas of emergency rooms over a dozen times throughout and after high school. Each time I went in, I thought that something must have been severely wrong with me if it was causing me so much pain. My mother tirelessly exhausted every possible resource and did everything she could to help me find a solution to fix what was wrong with me. I had to take a leave from school — something that caused my mental health to suffer and deteriorate significantly — and I could never give a clear answer to my friends, my teachers or my professors when they asked what was going on or I had to explain an absence. I didn’t necessarily look sick from the outside, and I hid the reality and the extent of my symptoms whenever someone would come over to visit me. They didn’t see me lying doubled over on my bed, crying with a heating pad pressed against me or sitting wide awake in the middle of the night, not able to sleep, because I felt so violently ill. When I listed off my symptoms to different doctors, each time sounding more and more worn down, like a tape that had been replayed a few too many times, they gave me a variety of “simple” reasons — lack of sleep, stress, possible irritable bowel syndrome — as to why I was feeling so rotten or, more frequently, no definite answer at all. One male gynecologist interrupted me while I was speaking, told me I had a “nervous vagina” and said that I just needed to take different birth control pills — a common prescription for problematic periods, but a suggestion that
turned out to be merely the “no name” brand of the same pill I was already taking. While another gynecologist I saw didn’t physically examine me at all, brushed me off and explained, essentially, that I needed to toughen up and carry on with my life — to not let whatever pain I was dealing with “win.” After over nine years that included visits to countless medical professionals, endless tests and a continuing myriad of symptoms, I finally received a diagnosis from a doctor that seemed to fit what I always had the suspicion of having — endometriosis. While it affects everyone who has it differently, it’s a condition where tissue that’s similar to the lining of the uterus, that’s “endometrium-like,” is found in growing outside of the uterus on other parts of the body. Despite an estimated one in 10 people living with endometriosis across the country, according to the Canadian Society for the Advancement of Gynecologic Excellence, lack of extensive research and medical provider knowledge result in inadequate treatment options and diagnoses that can take up to seven years. My experience is by no means unique, and it speaks to a common thread that ties women’s health struggles, specifically regarding gynecological ailments, together; being disbelieved, invalidated or ignored entirely, with no explicit solution given for months, years or, in some cases, ever. Oscar winner and acclaimed actress Susan Sarandon has said that she suffered with the condition for years, “thinking of myself as someone who was weak and somewhat hysterical.” As Abby Norman highlights in her novel, Ask Me About My Uterus,“The medicalization of female internal sensations, which began as early as the 1800s, paved the way
for the struggles modern women face in having their symptoms taken seriously in a medical setting.” In the early 1900s, my great grandmother, Olive, gave birth to nine children, two of whom died after birth. She had several miscarriages, was extremely ill for the beginning of my grandfather’s life, and died from bleeding complications while she was pregnant with her tenth child. This was during a time where little was understood or known about women’s health, and it certainly wasn’t something that was discussed or addressed openly. As a teenager in the 1970s, my mother had horrendous periods every two to three weeks. Her male doctor told her that there was nothing that could be done to help her. And, after struggling with the same symptoms well into her adult life that caused her to have difficulty getting pregnant with me, she received an endometrial ablation to treat her endometriosis (the eventual diagnosis she received) and was unable to have anymore children because of it. My aunt Judy had only lived with light periods until she suddenly experienced excessive bleeding and pain as a middle-aged adult. After repeated visits to her family physician who reassured her that she only had pre-menopausal symptoms — without ever running any tests to confirm this — she saw her husband’s doctor a year later. She was immediately referred her to a gynecologist and underwent an urgent biopsy where she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Shortly after receiving a hysterectomy, she was in severe pain, and it was found that the cancer had already spread to her tailbone and spine. Judy died a year later, at the age of 52. If the cancer had been caught when her symptoms began, she could have had between a
75-88 per cent chance at surviving, based on the current statistics surrounding endometrial cancer treatment and mortality rates. What Norman describes as “a quest to make doctors believe in women’s pain,” has been an ongoing pursuit, and something that continues to impact women today. Stacey Jacobs, the sexual health education manager at Sexual Health Options, Resources & Education (SHORE Centre) and who teaches in the Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies Program at the University of Waterloo, has endometriosis herself and is well-versed in what it means to live with the disease. “[With] physicians, they’ll usually just put someone on hormonal birth control to try to regulate their cycles. So then someone can be on that hormonal birth control, from puberty until who knows when. It’s not a solution, it’s just kind of like one of those band-aid ideas. But it can help a lot of people with their pain specifically, it can help with heavy bleeding, and you do want to suppress those cycles sometimes, because if you can’t get rid of that tissue, it’s just going to grow and cause more problems,” Jacobs said. “So, as someone with endometriosis, I know that when I go off hormonal birth control, bad things have happened inside my body. The one time I went off birth control, [the tissue] grew into my bladder and I had to have bladder surgery; one time it grew around the ureter, and attached to my kidney … I’ve had about four surgeries now. A lot of people end up having surgeries, which often ends up causing more problems … with all of the scar tissue, and moving things around.” Jacobs is a strong advocate for sexual health education, and believes that part of improving the treatment for it is incorporating more information about potential conditions like endometriosis into the teaching and instruction that SHORE does, especially with youth and teens. “Letting people know, that a lot of us are just told ‘it’s your period, that it’s normal’, and just because something is common, [because it] happens to a lot of people, doesn’t mean that it’s normal and that it should be happening and that we shouldn’t bother to do anything about it,” Jacobs said.
matters, period.
one thing: that it should stop. ad as physical pain. In the face are no heroes.” Orwell, 1984
“There are so many people who are suffering through this, and let’s say they’re 12, 13, 14, 15 [years-old] … why should you have to be taking those days off school because you have your period and you’re in so much pain that you can’t go. And sometimes people don’t believe you — so it’s letting people know that’s not okay.” w Jacobs also believes that acknowledging the variety of ways people experience endometriosis is key in understanding it and being compassionate about it. “There’s so many symptoms that can come with endometriosis, as well. I’ve also learned not to just talk about my symptoms because those may not be the same symptoms that somebody else has. A lot of people have pain with sex [or] pain in different parts of their bodies as well,” Jacobs said. For someone like Lauren Smith*, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, her endometriosis diagnosis proved to be challenging. As a newcomer to Canada, Smith visited a dropin doctor in Toronto, hoping to receive an answer for her symptoms — but was prescribed a birth control pill with no explanation as to why she needed it. “He didn’t mention anything about any possible reason, there was no mention of polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, not a single thing, just the same thing doctors have been saying over
and over again, which is: ‘cramps hurt, some women’s periods are just like that, some people’s are heavier than others’ — there was no real concern that there was anything other than a regular period,” Smith said. To complicate matters further, when Smith went to receive an internal ultrasound in 2016, the technician persistently asked if she was a “virgin.” But she kept going on, and I was not going to tell [her] that I’m a virgin, but I can tell you this: I have never had sex with a man. And she said, legislatively, we can’t do this procedure on you. I didn’t really know what else to say at the time — she was very dismissive. At the time, I was shocked, but a little part of me thought that maybe it was legislation. I don’t know, I’m not a medical professional,” Smith said. “I thought the doctor would tell me otherwise when I went back to see him, but he was not concerned in the slightest, just [mentioned] the external ultrasound … I’m sure everything is fine. Then what is the point of an internal one at all? I don’t know ... He couldn’t have cared less, was not interested, so I left and didn’t do anything about it for another two years, because I couldn’t really find a GP that I liked [and] would listen to me about anything.” After going to the Hassle Free Clinic — a very LGBTQ+-friendly, women’s-only clinic, where the doctors are female — Smith was able to receive a proper diagnosis and clarity about being denied an internal ultrasound. “So when I asked her, she was like ‘absolutely not, no, that is not legislation: anyone can have one. If they want to ask you that question — which I don’t know why they would — but if they want to ask you that question, it’s maybe just to warn you afterwards that it might be painful, and if so, just let [them] know and [they] can stop. That’s the only reason they should be asking.’ “She then explained to me, for the first time, anything about endometriosis and what it means. She almost immediately said that she would suspect that’s what’s going on. But because I don’t want children, she said the main reason people seek for at least a temporary reprieve from endometriosis is to conceive,” Smith said. Smith returned to the same clinic to receive another ultrasound, and was denied, once again, on the pretense
that she was a virgin. “I’ve even been contacting clinics asking them why they’re writing that on their websites: because there’s a lot of clinics that even say on their websites that ‘if you’re a virgin, you can’t have this procedure’. Which, I’m now on this other weird crusade of, why is anyone in the medical profession using that word at all, because I don’t even understand what they think it means? So, someone’s a virgin unless they’ve slept with a man, that is what we’re still thinking, apparently? I just don’t think that word should be used, at all, in medicine … because what is it, about having sex with a man, that would do to my anatomy that you think it’s missing? Because I could be doing all of those things without a man — you do realize that, right?,” Smith said. Smith’s experience is what sparked her inspiration to create “QueerHellth” a website and safe space for people in the LGBTQ+ community to share their healthcare stories. “The idea behind it was twofold: so that people would have a place to tell their story without putting their name to it … that way it can just be completely anonymous; and then I thought it would be helpful if other people could search these stories to then see ‘oh, that’s happening to me right now, and that’s how you dealt with it — maybe that could work for me’ … the other reason, I’m hoping, that if it gains a bit of momentum and we have story after story, healthcare not just in Canada, anywhere really, is going to start seeing that there is a problem, and people are treated differently within their medical system and depending on their situations. Unless it’s written down, somewhere, no one is ever going to know,” Smith said. Prioritizing the plights of women and marginalized communities who seek to find answers to their pain is something that will continue to be relevant until more progress is made towards
accessible treatment, understanding and education. There’s a concept called “spoon theory” that is often used as a metaphor for people with disabilities and chronic pain. Spoons are used as a visual representation in order to quantify how much energy a person has during the day. Each activity requires a given number of spoons, which will only be replaced if a person rests in order to recharge. Someone who runs out of spoons has no choice but to rest until their spoons are replenished.
For some people, all, or most, of those spoons are used before a day is done or even begins. And for those living with the pain related to gynecological related illnesses, our spoons have to be measured carefully in order to get through each day with enough energy and comfort to finish it. And though my journey with this disease remains ongoing, I’m lucky to have finally found someone who was willing to listen to me. As actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg, who was diagnosed with endometriosis over 40 years ago, said at the Endometriosis Foundation’s Blossom Ball in 2009: “Because if you don’t discuss it, many more women are going to find themselves unable to have children, or find themselves close to dying because [the disease has] led to something else.” *This individual’s name has been changed to protect the privacy of parties involved. PHOTO BY BRIT KOVACS AND HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK
The vices with vaping: a dangerous habit that’s taking over teen culture Arts and Life Editor, Alyssa Di Sabatino, takes a look into this popular trend “Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray.” I remember this poster hanging up in my high school health classroom. If you smoke, no one will want to kiss you. Oh, the horror. In reality though, every kid had it drilled into them that smoking cigarettes was more or less like slowly nailing your own coffin closed. Lung cancer, heart disease, brain damage, you name it, cigarettes will do it to you. The harmful effects of cigarette use have been studied for decades, and not a student in sight would fail at naming at least one, even if the effect meant that you simply weren’t kissing anyone: pretty detrimental if you ask me. “A death stick,” some might call it. But while traditional cigarettes have more or less lost their grip on youth today, e-cigarettes have largely upstaged the former. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes for short, are handheld battery-powered vapourizing devices. The vapours or e-liquids, commonly referred to as “juice,” include many chemicals, and are oftentimes flavoured. “With e-cigarettes, there’s over 7800 different flavours, and new flavours are being discovered and created every day. In terms of the vape devices, there’s over 800 different types of vapes that have been created and there’s more, again, being developed all the time,” explained Ruth Cordukes, Public Health Nurse, at the Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services. E-cigarette use is often painted as being a safer, healthier alternative to smoking tobacco. This isn’t necessarily the case though, because e-liquids may include nicotine, the addictive ingredient found in cigarettes. One of the biggest brands of e-cigarettes today is Juul. It is so popular that it’s even become its own verb, i.e. “juuling.” Their sleek USB shape makes them discreet and easy to conceal and when activated, the puffs are barely noticeable. “(Juul) is a company that has a very high amount of nicotine. So, in one of their pods, if a child were to ingest that pod, it would be fatal, if you were actually just to swallow it. It’s got the same amount of nicotine in one pod for Juul as you would have in a pack of cigarettes, so that’s a concern right there,” said Cordukes. “We had a young person call about vaping cessation, and she was vaping four pods a day...one pod is the equivalent of 200 puffs. So, she was vaping the equivalent of four to five packs of cigarettes. That’s a huge amount of nicotine,” Cordukes said. “Prior to may 2018, it was illegal to have nicotine (in e-cigarette products), so there wasn’t a lot of Juul products in the Canadian marketplace, they were there illegally. Once it became legal, suddenly there was a push for Juul and all of the big companies to be selling nicotine.” What’s more, is that e-cigarette use has been linked to an outbreak of lung injuries and pulmonary illnesses, both in Canada and the United States. So, while it’s being advertised as a healthier alternative to smoking or as an alternative form of nicotine replacement therapy, these claims are largely unfounded. “Even in the absence of an outbreak, vaping would not be our number one strategy to quit smoking, it’s actually our last strategy,” said Cordukes. The thing is, many adolescent e-cigarette users have never even picked up a cigarette. “I’ve had youth say to me ‘well, I would never smoke cigarettes, but I’ve tried vaping,’ because when they saw it, it looked really fun... and it smelled so good, so they weren’t getting
the association that they have with cigarettes,” said Cordukes. Essentially, vapes and other e-cigarettes are used to simulate smoking. And while “old-fashioned” smoking is on the decline, e-cigarette use is most certainly on the rise. But why? Juul itself is advertised as an “alternative for adult smokers.” The website even states that adults who have never used nicotine should not be using their product. But according to the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS), 23 per cent of youth aged 15-19, and 13 per cent of adults aged 25 years or older, have tried e-cigarettes. This number has increased since the last survey in 2015. “I think (for) our next study, were going to see quite a substantial increase in the smoking rate,” said Cordukes. “The other thing is that if you use nicotine before the age of 25, the same thing as if you use any drug before the age of 25, the harm to your brain may be permanent because it’s in the process of developing permanent structures,” explained Cordukes. “The harm depends on how often you use, how much you use, and what is the percentage of nicotine that you’re using. So our recommendation for youth, is that if you’re under the age of 25, you should not be vaping, whether you’re a non-smoker or a smoker.” Nicotine is known to harm your memory and your ability to pay attention or concentrate. Withdrawal results in anxiety, and lack of sleep, among other things. These are profound impacts especially on students, explained Cordukes. Ultimately, Cordukes explained that e-cigarette users shouldn’t be blamed for their usage. “We’ve been working on tobacco (cessation) for decades. So I don’t think it’s helpful to blame anyone, certainly not to blame vapers. It’s just that we need to get the information out to the public,” Cordukes said. “Citizens should be able to go out and purchase an item and know exactly what it is they’re putting into their bodies, and what are the risks that are associated with that.” The misinformation and unstudied effects of e-cigarettes is what causes the biggest harm to those who use, but if someone is looking to lower their risk, they may refer to the following advice. Ultimately, make sure that your vape products aren’t modified. By changing the settings or heat levels of the product, you would be increasing the potential release of chemicals. If you choose to purchase e-liquids, ensure that they are coming from a verifiable source, and aren’t homemade, or from illegal or unregulated sources, as this is considered high-risk behaviour. Cordukes also says avoid vaping daily, because this will increase your dependency on the product, and also increases the amount of chemicals you are ingesting. For those looking to quit their e-cigarette usage entirely, Cordukes suggests talking to a healthcare provider that you know who can suggest methods personalized to your needs. “When it comes to reducing your drug use, it’s really about thinking (it) through. ‘Where am I exposed to this drug, how can I reduce my exposure, my visual cues, how can I reduce the chances that someone is going to offer me to use their vape?’” Cordukes said. “How can I structure my life so that I have less temptation? And then the other piece is ‘how can I have a strategy in place for when I am faced with that choice?’”
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12 • ARTS & LIFE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
Arts & Life
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO arts@thecord.ca
HALLOWEEN
Does Bingeman’s Screampark deliver satisfying scares?
went through was the Prisoners Playground, which I was not very impressed by. When you first enter, it becomes hard to tell where to go because of the strobe lights. The house was less scary, in my opinion, because there were less actors and more things placed to distort your vision and reality — I also started to feel very claustrophobic because of how small the spaces you had to maneuver through were. Once we started exiting, one of
my friends felt like she was going to throw up, and I’ve got to say that the feeling was very mutual. After that incident, the girls and I were done with our time at the park, and I can honestly say that I don’t think — even if time permitted it — I would be able to do another house. My thoughts on the experience was that it was a fun time for the most part. The actors were pretty good at knowing when to jump out and who to scare. The chainsaw dude really was the MVP for our experience. I think the only thing that would need to be improved is letting people be more aware of the things they will be going through — not giving away the houses, but making note that if you have epilepsy or extreme claustrophobia that maybe some of the houses are not for you. I just don’t think that having it in fine print on the website is enough. Now the big question: should you go? If you are like me and get scared very easily and do not love tight spaces then maybe this is not something that you should spend your money on. But If you like haunted houses and scary stuff, then yes — you absolutely should go! Maybe have a competition of who gets scared the fastest with your friends.
Re-Animator is a cult classic directed by Stuart Gordon that combines horror, comedy and science fiction all tied together in a very charming B-movie. The story follows Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) who is a medical student dating the dean of his school’s daughter. When a new entrant to the school, Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) moves in with him, Dan is in for a major surprise. After some original difficulties living with his new roommate, Dan is stunned
when Herbert shows him that he’s developed a substance that reanimates the corpses of dead creatures, bringing them back to life. This over the top film borders on campy for much of its run time. It’s very quotable, weird and downright funny in some instances. Its production being low budget contributes to its poor special effects, but ends up adding to the fun and charm of the movie. A great film to just put on, sit back and enjoy, it is also a quintessential Halloween movie. It’s definitely worth a watch.
JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR
On Oct. 25, a few of my friends came up for the weekend, and for some unknown reason, I agreed to go to Bingeman’s Screampark (and I say some unknown reason because I am very scared of a lot of horror-related things). Screampark is an event put on at Bingeman’s in Waterloo each year that resembles something like Halloween Haunt. by Canada’s Wonderland. They have actors dressed in costumes watching you while you are waiting in line and prepping you to be scared. The grounds of Bingeman’s are turned into four separate haunted houses that are included in the initial ticket, that being Carney Carnage, a haunted house focused on clowns, Zombie Wasteland, which dealt with zombies on an abandoned military camp, Prisoners Playground, a hospital and asylum of sorts, and lastly The Darkness, a haunted house that’s completely in the dark. After waiting in line, my friends
FILE PHOTO
and I began our adventure by first being led through the forest to get to two of the houses (Zombie Wasteland and Prisoners Playground). While walking, actors were jumping out at us, and I am going to be completely honest in saying that I was pretty scared. The chainsaw sounds really made it seem real, and the guy who was holding the saw stayed in character — even when we had to ask what direction to walk in since some people were going off the
path. The first house we entered was Zombie Wasteland — this house was well executed. They had people staggered around waiting to pop out and scare us but there was still room to breathe. I think I provided my friends with a moment of comic relief as I screamed at moments I really shouldn’t have been scared (for example. when a piece of caution tape touched me). The second and last house we
FILM
Horror movies worth the fright AMICHAI ABRAHAM STAFF WRITER
Halloween is upon us. That means costumes, trick or treating, carving pumpkins and more. If you’re a film nerd, however, you only have one thing in mind… obsessively annoying people to watch some of your favorite horror flicks. Here are a few scary movies sure to get you in the mood for the spooky season.
The Thing (1982) Directed by John Carpenter Starring: Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David In terms of menacing creatures, not many hold a candle to The Thing from John Carpenter’s 1982 classic. Based on the 1951 original film called The Thing from Another World, an extraterrestrial shape-shifting organism invades an American Antarctic research facility causing chaos to ensue. The alien creature first makes its appearance as an innocent-looking husky dog who is taken in by the Americans. When the alien is put into a kennel with their other dogs, it morphs into a disgusting, bloody, terrifying creature that tries to take control of the other dog’s bodies
before making its escape. The researchers grow very distrustful of one another as any of them could be the alien unknown to all the others. This classic is fantastic top to bottom with wonderful performances, an engaging story, and gruesome practical effects that really make this film stand out among its other horror counterparts.. The Thing itself (aside from being really disgusting) is truly menacing and possibly unstoppable. The only thing that really destroys the creature is fire and any cell of the creature that keeps on living is enough to infect some other unfortunate life form. This is likely my favorite horror film and I’d highly recommend it (as long as you have a strong stomach).
Suspiria (2018) Directed by Luca Guadagnino Starring: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton One of the most underrated movies that came out last year was this fantastic remake of Dario Argento’s great Italian film of the same name from 1977. Just like the original, the plot follows Suzy Bannon, an American who has come to Berlin to dance for a prestigious
dance academy, only to discover that the academy has some mysterious, potentially dangerous force controlling it. It is here where the similarities end. The incredible all-female cast of Suspiria puts on a fantastic performance, especially Tilda Swinton, who pulls off playing three separate roles (one of the characters she plays, Dr. Klemperer, is male as a side note). This film strips the bright vibrant colours from the original, instead going for a bleaker colour palette of greys, tans, and whites. There are some very frightening and hard to watch scenes (there’s one in the beginning in particular). In terms of style and tone, this movie is very different from most other flicks. There are scenes of genuine emotion and artistic choices that are very well done. The look of the film really draws you into watching it. It’s another great horror movie that doesn’t get anywhere near the respect it deserves. This film is great for any time of year, so be sure to go out and see it. (The 1977 original is pretty good as well — it deserves a watch too!)
Re-Animator (1985) Directed by Stuart Gordon Staring: Jeffry Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbra Crampton
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
ARTS & LIFE • 13
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019 HOLIDAY ATTIRE
Halloween costumes to avoid Display your originality by avoiding these overdone outfit options JACKSON CARSE STAFF WRITER
1. The overworn costumes There are countless costumes that have simply been exhausted by the masses, deemed unoriginal, tacky and sad, yet each year these ensembles seem to reappear. For a generation of millennials in need of constant recognition — people dying for attention — I’ve always found it difficult to grasp the completely homogenized, almost uniform costume trends. Your devil costume constructed of a burgundy robe and discount lingerie reflects conjugal foreplay gone wrong more than anything resembling Satan himself. Apart from your denouncement from the Catholic church, your attire shows little deviance and comes off a tad bit conventional. The playboy bunny, although iconic, presents as bland and adverse to your intended aura of sex appeal. Not only does this costume expose you to the cold, it appears physically constraining on your internal organs. So unless you’re looking to invest in a lifetime supply of colostomy bags, it’s best to avoid Hugh’s little rabbits. Corsets were eradicated after the Victorian era for a reason. Avoid the Joker. No one wants
to clean red makeup off their bedspread in the morning and people will take that into account the night before. Don’t go anywhere near a pirate costume unless you can nail the accent and unless you plan on going home and groping your own genitals, don’t even think of dressing up like Trump. Oh, and don’t be a clown. No one wants to touch a clown. Alternatives: Try to stand out. Strive for originality. Dress as a Ritz Cracker, maybe a saltine. Let your eyebrows grow out a little and go as Canadian legend Eugene Levy. Throw on a dunce cap and be a scientologist. 2. Lazy costumes Sure, it was cute when Jim Halpert did it, but your Big Lebowski costume just isn’t cutting it this year. No one’s offering me any candy while I’m nursing my White Russian, hanging brain in my morning robe so why would they do any different for you? There’s nothing lazier than throwing on a jersey and claiming you’re an athlete. Joe Montana’s never taken a Jell-O shot and neither should you. Alternatives: Put some effort into your costume. If you’re going to be a lifeguard, be the best lifeguard possible. Don’t just throw on a
whistle. I expect some Larry the Lifeguard dedication here, sunscreen on the nose and everything. 3. Exposed skin There’s nothing sexy about frostbite. Consider the elements and make sure to bundle up. Avoid costumes with excessive exposed skin. Since when have doctors flashed that much upper thigh? If my gastroenterologist wore something like that, my last colonoscopy would have gone a lot differently. There’s nothing wrong with body positivity, but no one wants to see a guy rocking diamond cutters through the floral sundress he swears he doesn’t enjoy wearing. Alternatives: If promiscuity is your thing, try finding respectable celebrities who don’t need to flaunt their cleavage to invoke arousal. Throw on some scrubs and dance around as Zack Braff for a couple hours. Slip on some Uggs and a little eyeliner and prance about as Tom Brady for the night. It seems to be a popular trend to sexualize historically innocent characters. Poor Piglet never gave Pooh a lap dance and never made off hand sexual advances to Owl. The Grady Twins from The Shining never flaunted their bosoms, never shared a kiss as they exchanged shots of Tanquer-
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
ay while Danny Torance watched from across the hall. By all means, get creative, but try not to ruin anyone’s childhood nostalgia along the way. Try your best to stand out with an innovative, original costume. If blending in and conforming to the crowd is your inclination, do your thing. Be Sandy from Grease for the fifteenth time, bore us to death
with your school girl skirt and your untamable Bob Ross wig. But for those who prefer to emerge from the masses, look for something slightly more unconventional. Everyone loves a good pun and there’s plenty to work with. Don’t be afraid to disregard sex appeal if its constraining a good idea. You think Charlie Brown’s
AUDIO
Petrifying podcasts to get you in gear for the spooky season SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Halloween is just around the corner and with it comes a landslide of spooky content from every direction. Halloween themed movies, shows, books and even music are on the top of everyone’s radars with major platforms like Netflix and Spotify curating spooky movie and music recommendations for every occasion. During this Halloween content overload, podcasts often fly under the radar. Despite being a content medium which has recently gained massive amounts of momentum people often overlook them when trying to get in the mood for this haunted holiday, and for no good reason! There are tons of podcasts chalk full of creepy content which will entertain you, and if you’re in the mood, scare you more than any Halloween movie. My Favorite Murder hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia
Hardstark takes a classic true crime podcast and mixes it with some much-needed comic relief. The name of the podcast is pretty self-explanatory: the hosts pick their favourite murders for brave people to listen to and spook the pants off them. Despite the fact that there isn’t any visual component to the stories, the details themselves will be enough to keep you up at night. The comedic aspect of this podcast helps to balance out the overwhelming gloom of these disturbingly true stories and make them easier to digest. Lore by Aaron Mahnke is a podcast that delves into folklores and spooky historical instances from various cultures. Some of the episodes are based on facts and others are based on myths so listeners get a nice mix of both. Not only is Lore creepy, but it is also informative and you’ll finish each episode feeling like you learned something. Palimpsest brings the gothic genre into Podcast form, which is unique to other spooky podcasts. It’s basically a Shirley Jackson novel in podcast form. There are two seasons so far (with a third in the works) that follow an individual story line each. The stories are haunting and psychologically
driven. This is a great option for people who find true-crime a little too close for comfort but still want to get into the Halloween mood. If you’re someone who believes in the supernatural and you really wants to freak yourself out this Halloween, listen to The Black Tapes. This docudrama follows a reporter working with a paranormal investigator to find the truth behind the mysterious “black tapes,” if you want to find out what exactly those black tapes are you’re going to have to listen to the podcast to find out. All I’m going to say is this – be prepared to be thoroughly freaked out and possibly question your stance on the paranormal. If you’re stuck in the car this Halloween, or racked with work and projects, and don’t have time to take a Netflix break - fear not (or fear a-lot)! You can still indulge your mentally masochistic tendencies and scare yourself half to death by tuning into a spooky podcast. No attention to a screen is required, so this is perfect for getting into the Halloween spirit while multitasking. Just make sure you have your nightlights ready, and maybe a friend to keep you company.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
• 14
Editorial
OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca
Editor’s note: Figuring out friendships EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
At 24 years-old, I feel like I’ve learned a lot from my friendships, and in some ways, more than I have from my romantic relationships. That’s not to say that I haven’t learned anything from my relationships, I certainly have, given that I’ve been with my boyfriend for over five years now. But my friendships have always been incredibly important to me, in a different way, and I value the ones that I’ve formed, past and present, for what they’ve each taught me and how they’ve shaped me into the person I am now. As a relatively introverted person, making friends was never effortless for me, especially in middle school and early high school, and once I formed my closest friendships, I placed them above pretty much everything else in my life. I have always cared a lot (about pretty much everything), to a fault, and more than once it has worked against me and affected me deeply when I had to face a falling out with someone I was once close to. There’s a wealth of information available about how to cope with a relationship break up, but not many people speak to the particular pain and sadness that can go along with a “friend break up.” A once very close friendship that I had throughout most of high school dissolved by the time I graduated, and there was little to no explanation given as to why it ended. It just did. That loss hit me harder than the end of my first “real” relationship – I melodramatically grieved the death of that brief partnership with a lot of tears and the stereotypical “mourning period” that Lorelai insists Rory indulge in on Gilmore
Girls. I felt sorry for myself and ended up moving on after two weeks. With that friendship and others like it, those losses felt longer lasting and more tangible in my day-to-day life. I was more aware of their absence and the fact that they weren’t a fixture in my schedule anymore. Someone I used to talk to every single day, several times a day, was no longer there. And when something you once valued slowly ebs away into irrelevance, it can be extremely hard to know how to deal with it. I learned, especially after entering university, that there are friends who are only meant to last during a certain point or period in your life. Does that mean that they are any less important or meaningful? No. It just builds your perspective as to why they were there and what impact they ended up having on you – good or bad. Even the people I no longer speak to, either because we naturally drifted apart or simply weren’t meant to be friends, I’m thankful they were there and we made memories together. And as fiercely loyal as I consider myself to be in regards to my friends and loved ones, I can fully recognize with some of my past friendships that I was definitely the one who was in the wrong, and I’m continuing to learn how to be a better person from those mistakes. When you enter your twenties, it can be challenging, in some ways, to naturally make friends. I started to really meet people I got along with after I got involved – as annoyingly cheesy as that sounds. Unlike high school where I formed many of those friendships simply to survive, in university I met and bonded with the friends I have now through mutual interests and our undeniably weird humor. And although many of those friend “break-ups” still makes me sad, I’m thankful that they all inadvertently led me to the wonderful people I’m close with now.
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EDITORIAL CARTOON
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Editorial: Finding positive outlets
JAMIE MERE GRAPHICS EDITOR
I can’t speak on behalf of everyone, but for me at least, coming to university was a time for me to figure out who I am and who I want to be. This has always been a struggle of mine. Anxiety is also something that I have to deal with on a daily basis, and being in my final year at Laurier, time is really starting to feel like it is catching up. Everyone is always telling me to figure out a plan for myself and set goals that I can work to achieve in the future. It’s not that I don’t try to do this already, it’s just that this task is honestly daunting and gives me so much stress that it may not seem that this is the case. Not only do I not really know what I want to do with my life, but I really don’t even know who I am yet. Personally, I found that focusing on the current is something that keeps me sane and gives me the ability to have some control and handle on my life. Halloween being this month has made me feel very creative. This feeling has brought me motivation which has actually really helped
me maintain my anxiety; I hope this will not just be a phase and that it will stick with me (as I feel that I tend to have these spirts and then give up). Being the graphics editor for The
Not only do I not really know what I want to do with my life, but I really don’t even know who I am yet.
Cord this year has been a complete saviour to me. I started volunteering last year as something to stay busy and never thought I would have this position now. I would have never went for this opportunity have it not been pushed on me by friends and family, and for the amazing and welcoming Cord team. I am so thankful for this experience so far! Every week I have been making all the graphics in the paper (if anyone is interested in volunteering, please reach out!). This responsibility not only allows me to be creative and express myself the way I know how to best, but also keeps me busy all week as I have to manage meeting dead-
lines, attend meetings, and have a full course load. Maybe it’s because it’s October and it’s the month of Halloween, but my creativity and desire to explore so many makeup looks and costumes has brought me to a self realization; I like being artistic and having fun exploring new looks and experimenting with design, both through graphics and on myself. This sudden shift in wanting to try it all has sparked. Halloween is a great time to get wild with ideas and be whoever you want to be without any judgement whatsoever. Everyone gets to be who they want for a night. This concept has really inspired me this year. Reflecting on how I feel from this experience, I can say that I never really appreciated Halloween until now. Considering all the options out there has given me the mindset that I really have a passion for design and visual art, but more so, it has given me the ability to discover this part of myself that I kept hidden, because that is who I am, but I don’t want to be this person anymore. The feeling of not being good enough is hard to avoid when your anxiety and stress gets to you, but finding outlets where you can be happy is honestly the key to truly discovering who you are. If I can do it, you can too.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
Opinion
15 • OPINION EDITOR JADE HOSICK opinion@thecord.ca
All treats, no tricks: Halloween at Laurier VICTORIA MARSHALL SENIOR COPY EDITOR
I’ve always enjoyed Halloween. As a kid, the best part (other than candy, of course) was planning and sewing my costumes with my mom. Being able to pull things together and head out with my younger brother and neighbourhood friends year after year was definitely a highlight of my childhood. As I grew up, handing out candy to the little princesses, lions, witches and firefighters that knocked on the door always brought a smile to my face. But, having been a university student for the last few years, my experience of Halloween is much different than what it used to be; and as nostalgic as I am about being nagged to brush my teeth while stuffing my face with rockets and peanut M&Ms, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Halloween at university is a really liberating experience. You can go out at whatever time you want, wear whatever you want, and come home at three in the morning
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
without getting hassle from your parents. You can have friends over at any hour to pregame for a house party or a bar night without fear of being told to keep it down. In terms of costumes, students can get away with a lot: since we’re going out when there aren’t kids around, we can go out in cheekier outfits that may not have adhered
to the school dress codes we were subject to in our high school days. You can be scary, funny, clever, cute or all of the above. And if you can’t decide on one costume, the unwritten student rule that “Halloweekend” (in the case of this year, a two-time occurrence) lets you change up your attire every night for a continuous three-day partying streak.
One of the best parts about Halloween at university is that the ladie’s bathrooms at bars, pubs and clubs become some of the most wholesome and uplifting spaces around. I’ve seen girls give each other their last tissues, Band-Aids and bobby pins just to help another with an unpinned wig, a costume mishap or a blister from uncom-
fortable high heels. Plus, the compliments girls liberally deliver to each other while waiting for a stall to empty are some of the best exchanges of the year. If dressing up and going out isn’t for you, Halloween in Waterloo still gives students plenty of opportunities to experience the best parts of the season. Living here in the fall has its perks – Laurier’s close proximity to nearby farms and orchards means that if pumpkin patch and corn maze photo shoots are your cup of tea, you’re in luck. The leaves in Waterloo Park have already turned some beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red, which are even more enjoyable to look at with a hot apple cider in your hand and some friends by your side. Also, clearance chocolate. I don’t think that needs an explanation. It’s this type of unity that students feel on Halloween that define who and what we are as a community. Laurier is undeniably a party school, but in my two (and nearly three) spooky seasons here so far, I’ve learned that Halloween is one of the best times of the year to bump into old friends and make new ones. Really, it’s all treats over tricks. Here’s hoping that this Halloween is no different.
Ladies, it’s time to be one hundred per cent “that” bitch JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR
JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Over Thanksgiving, my dad’s side of the family sat down around the cottage dining room table and we got into a couple heated conversations (actually, it was mainly my dad and I arguing about politics which is always fun). But from this conversation we somehow got to the topic of why a woman who is strong willed is often called a bitch. I guess the best example of this is everyone calling Hillary Clinton a bitch during the 2016 presidential election. Now, I’ve been called a bitch a fair amount of times in my life and my friends and I jokingly call each other bitch on the daily, but the term still has an underlying meaning that is meant to insult. The term “bitch” was originally used as a slang term towards a woman who is seen to be unreasonable, a control freak, aggressive or strong-willed. My guess is that the word was intended to hurt women into being
the ‘perfect female’ which meant that they were submissive. If I was to call any of my male friends a bitch it would be seen as an insult towards them – as traditionally the term used towards men is seen as an insult and is to make them seem subordinate. Although females have tried to reclaim the word, I still think that people will use the term as a way to hurt or somehow shame young females into being compliant. One time in high school, an ex-friend of mine called me a fake bitch when I spoke my mind and it went against her view on something. I was incredibly sad at the time about that situation – but looking back, being called a bitch wasn’t all that bad. In Massachusetts there is an actual bill being presented that wants to ban the word bitch from being used – but that goes against freedom of speech so the bill most likely will not pass. I’m not here to say stop using the word bitch altogether because then my most used word would be gone and I would not be able to sing any Lizzo song ever again, but I think it is time we don’t use the word in a degrading way towards women when they know what they want and speak up about it.
If a girl doesn’t want to hook up with someone and she says no, I don’t think you should call her a “prude bitch” for that. If you don’t know the answer to a question in class but a woman does, she is not being a “know-itall bitch” for doing that. I am honestly so tired of hearing women being called a bitch because she is sure of herself and will stand up for what she believes in, not just idly stand by. What time are we living in? Because I could have sworn we were living in 2019 where women are seen as just as capable of doing anything a man can and should get positive recognition rather than hatred. Also, if a man was to stand up for what he believes in or were to have authority over people, no one would be calling him a “bitch” in that case. I also cannot think of a word with the equivalent meaning to bitch that is normally directed towards a male, but there are a plethora that desribe women. The word “bitch” will be sticking around, but lets just be more aware of the context you use the word “bitch” in. Also I am fully ready for everyone to come out and call me a bitch now! Cause I am one.
16 •
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR MARK CASCAGNETTE sports@thecord.ca
MENS BASKETBALL
Men’s basketball shoots to sixth in the nation near career high, 14 rebounds. Ali Sow also had 20 points and four assists, helping Laurier win decisively. The Golden Hawks have started their season off dominantly on both sides of the ball and were rewarded as being ranked 6th in the country- their highest ranking since 2012. Laurier has a tough challenge
MARK CASCAGNETTE SPORTS EDITOR
After the opening weekend of the OUA basketball season, Laurier’s men’s basketball team has achieved their highest U SPORTS top 10 ranking in over six years. Two decisive wins for Laurier coming against Toronto and Windsor this past week have the Golden Hawks ranked as the sixth best team in the country, which is their highest ranking since being ranked fifth back in 2012. Laurier’s basketball team is coming off of one of their best seasons in team history, as Coach Serresse led the Golden Hawks to first place in the OUA West, with a franchise record 18 wins last year. In addition, the Golden Hawks were third in the league in terms of total points and three pointers per game. The offense in large part, led the Golden Hawks to the semi-finals last year, where their record setting season was put to an end in a loss to Ryerson. Many of the players from that team last year have returned this year, including third-year guard from Ottawa, Ali Sow. Sow was the driving force of the Golden Hawks success last year, as he set a new OUA single-season scoring record, was named to the OUA first team,was a second-team All-Cana-
Toronto is very good offensively....I was definetely happy with our defense today... I thought we executed our game defensively and that was our goal today. FILE PHOTO
dian and was also awarded as the team MVP amongst many weekly accolades. Sow was on fire last year, averaging over 26.0 points per game and added to his experience this past summer as he competed for the Canadian national team at the 2019 Universiade in Italy. Sow was joined by his coach Justin Serresse at the Universiade over the summer, as both Golden Hawks got experience playing for the national team.
Last Wednesday, Sow picked up right where he left off last year, as he scored 34 points while shooting 13 of 20 from the field against Toronto. The first half was all his, as Sow gave the Golden Hawks a sizeable enough lead, hitting a number of critical shots. The defense also held tough for the Hawks, grabbing 38 defensive rebounds and holding the Toronto Varsity Blue’s to 25% shooting in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we executed our game defensively and that was our goal today,” Coach Serresse said after the game. The weekend game on the road against Windsor was similar as the Golden Hawks defensively made it tough for the Lancers and offensively took over late in the third quarter on the production of fifth year forward Kemel Archer. Archer had a double-double scoring 21 points, 11 of which were in the third quarter and grabbing a
-Justin Serresse, Head men’s basketball coach
ahead of them as they head to the Nation’s capital this upcoming weekend to face the third ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday and the defending national champions, the top-ranked Carleton Ravens on Saturday night. Laurier played both the GeeGee’s and Ravens last year, losing a close game against the Ravens, and narrowly defeating the Gee-Gee’s.
SEASON LOSSES
Women’s hockey still looking for their first win
FILE PHOTO
MARK CASCAGNETTE SPORTS EDITOR
Laurier’s women’s hockey team is still in search of their first win of the season after two home losses this weekend. A 5-3 loss against Nipissing on Friday night as well as a 2-0 loss to Laurentian on Saturday afternoon has Coach Patton’s team sitting at the bottom of the OUA with a 0-01-3 record. The first four games of the season have not gone the way the Golden Hawks have expected, in her second season behind the
bench, coach Kelly Patton, took away some positives over this weekend that she believes will guide the team for the remainder of the season. “From an outcome standpoint we are disappointed with the result, but we are looking for growth opportunities and we got better at a lot of moments over the past few games,” Coach Patton said after the loss. Friday night’s game against the Nipissing Lakers was a tale of two periods as the Golden Hawks got out to a great start. Laurier’s girls dominated the opening 20 minutes
of the game, and had a lead early after third year player, Emily Visser batted away at the puck and scored her first goal of the new season. While the Golden Hawks were outshooting the Lakers 8-3 and held a one goal lead after the first period, the second period completely flipped the game around, as Nipissing took control. First year goaltender Victoria Kelaiditis got her first start with the Golden Hawks as they were on the first night of a back to back and struggled in the second, allowing four goals on twelve shots in the period, which decisively gave the
Lakers complete control of the game, to which they didn’t look back. Although captain Jamie Watson scored her first on the year and rookie Kyra Minoletti scored her first as a Hawk, the Lakers went on to win 5-3. Saturday’s game against Laurentian was riddled with penalties and was a physical affair as into the first five minutes of the game, four penalties were given out, including a game misconduct to Laurier defenseman Steph Caleca. The game totaled 52 minutes of penalty time between the two teams. Other than the penalties, that stayed persistent throughout the game, the Voyageurs scored the only two goals of the game with one in the first and another in the second. A great second and third period, capped with a 29-save shutout by Shanna Dolighan helped give Laurentian their first win of the season. With the 52 combined penalty minutes in the game on Saturday, the Golden Hawks now lead all teams with 61 penalty minutes through the first four games. “We cannot let the game be dictated by our emotions,” Coach Patton said to her girls during the first period intermission.
From an outcome standpoint we are disappointed with the result, but we are looking for growth opportunities and we got better at a lot of moments. -Kelly Patton, head womens hockey coach
Coach Patton will try and get her girls to regroup as they sit last in the OUA in many critical categories including; goals, penalties, power-play percentage and save percentage. Amongst that, the Golden Hawks join Windsor and Ontario Tech as the only teams without a win. Coach Patton stated that “the focus moving forward is the production on the offensive side.” With the Golden Hawks only averaging one goal per game, they will have to do more to help their goalie out. The Hawks will hit the road for the first time this upcoming weekend, with games against Queens and Ontario Tech.