The Cord Sept. 13, 2017

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 58 ISSUE 4 • SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Golden by Desiign Another O-Week for the books News, page 3

WLU WELCOMES ERIN HODSON

CAN I KISS YOU?

PROBLEMATIC FAVOURITES

NEW COACH ON CAMPUS

First-ever Indigenous Curriculum Specialist

Stressing the importance of consent

Coming to terms with awful celebrities

Women’s rugby welcomes Brian Quistberg

News, page 6

Arts & Life, page 12

Opinion, page 15

Sports, page 20

PHOTO BY: TANZEEL SAYANI/PHOTO EDITOR LAYOUT BY: MADELINE MCINNIS/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

2 •

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

VOCAL CORD

What did you forget to pack for move-in day?

The Cord

@cordnews

@cordwlusp

CordNews

Letter to the Editor: Welcome

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“I forgot to bring enough tea … orange pekoe.”

–Jaaron Pullenayegem, third-year business administration

“My rain jacket. I needed that during O-Week.”

–Jennifer Miner, fourthyear communications studies

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

As part of O-Week, Laurier hosted room buring demonstrations on campus with the help of Waterloo Fire Rescue.

“I forgot my teddy bear.”

–Melissa Marcus, second-year communications studies

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.

It’s going to be great! You’re on your own! YAS Freedom!

Before you get too ahead of yourself, think of this as some guidance from your future (older and more successful self ).

You know how it’s super important to study hard and get good grades? Yes. That matters.

But what you might not know is just how important it is for YOU to foster relationships with people, local businesses, and social profits too.

If you shut yourself into your dorm, campus and micro friend group for the years you spend here you are missing out on so many opportunities!

It’s that social capital that you need to grow and nurture. It will pay off for you, I promise.

Reach out and get to know people. Join something. Volunteer somewhere. Be engaged. Make your voice heard. Stand for something.

When it comes time to graduate and enter the working world you will have the advantage.

You will know who to talk to and you will have the confidence to do so.

The world will give back what you give to it.

Make it count.

–Jennifer M. Lyon, Laurier Alumni

“I forgot to pack last year’s textbooks to sell ... and my rain boots.”

photographers are in demand...

–Hanna Mckinney, second-year communications studies

thecord.ca/volunteer

Compiled by Erin Abe Photos by Luke Sarazin NEXT ISSUE

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 features@thecord.ca

FEATURES EDITOR Karlis Wilde

VIDEO EDITOR Sarah Tyler video@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Shyenne MacDonald arts@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER Erin Abe news@thecord.ca

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

OPINION EDITOR Emily Waitson opinion@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Madeline McInnis creative@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Pranav Desai sports@thecord.ca

LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Abdulhamid Ibrahim sports@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Garrison Oosterhof online@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Alan Li graphics@thecord.ca

NEWS DIRECTOR Safina Husein news@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Tanzeel Sayani photos@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Jake Watts news@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Dylan Hines photos@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Nathalie Bouchard news@thecord.ca

WEB ASSISTANT Vacant editor@thecord.ca

CORD STAFF

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

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Daniel Johnson Dominic Asselin Brittany Tenhage Chris Luciantonio Vidish Parikh Megan McLean

“Indigenous specialist arrives” by Nathalie Bouchard

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Care Lucas at care.lucas@wlusp.com or 519-884-0710 ext. 3560.

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Quote of the week: “They asked you questions, that’s what happens after you do a presentation.”

- News Editor, Nathalie Bouchard, to president Andreas Patsiouros after he returned from an apparently strenuos meeting.

• 3

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

News

NEWS DIRECTOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR NATHALIE BOUCHARD news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR JAKE WATTS news@thecord.ca

Erin Abe, Lead Reporter, summarizes key points of orientation.

Saturday, Sept. 9 was the final day that concluded a successful Orientation Week of 2017 at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Wrapping up with a win from the Golden Hawk football team, the closing ceremonies were especially exciting for new students as they began their first year at Laurier.

This year, 3,277 O-Week tickets were sold to first years who had the opportunity to participate in various events each day scheduled by the Students’ Union.

Although, in order to keep students engaged, many changes were made this year to adopt a program more customized to the incoming students.

“By taking feedback [from past years] and implementing it we have seen some success, and by really focusing on what students are actually interested in rather than what we personally think works well,” Anthony Tomizza, vice-president of Programming and Services for the Students’ Union said.

A focus for this year’s orientation week was to allow students the ability to pick and choose what they wanted to attend.

“I liked how once we moved in we were able to do our own thing, we had the day to do what we wanted and meet people on our floor instead of being with ice breakers the whole time, it was a good balance,” first-year student, Olivia White said.

This year it was important to the Students’ Union not to overwhelm students and volunteers with programming, but instead to create a schedule that had important and engaging events.

“One of my biggest focuses was having qualitative programming over quantitative and that one thing the team worked on, clearing the schedule to make sure students were making use and taking advantage of sessions which were most useful for them,” Kanwar Brar, President and CEO of Students’ Union said.

By providing students with a lighter schedule, they had the option to settle in or remain engaged all day.

It was entirely up to the student.

“We gave students a lot of breathing room in order to make sure that they had some free time to meet new people, explore their resident communities and everything else on campus, while taking advantage of everything we had to offer,” Brar said.

In order to make this change, one of the major events altered was the A-Team concert featuring Desiigner. The concert became the main feature on Thursday night, ensuring all those who wanted to attend were able to.

Desiigner sold out and filled up the WLU Athletic Complex with over 2,200 tickets sold.

“Selling out the AC is a really big accomplishment, sometimes it is even difficult to sell out a Turret concert,” Tomizza said.

The Students’ Union attributes this success to considering the interests of students and changing the date to a night where more engagement was available with upper years.

New events were also implemented for this year’s O-Week, which was a success according to both students and the Students’ Union.

Positive pulse took place on Tuesday in the Athletic Complex gymnasium, which presented a new take on

the mental health programming from previous years.

The focus for this event was on not only mental health but also physical health. The Students’ Union partnered with Athletics and Recreation to demonstrate to students how to maintain a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle with the resources available at Laurier.

Positive Pulse was a three-hour event which gave students the opportunity to participate in yoga and Zumba classes, use a rock-climbing wall, take a tour of the AC, learn about mental health in the concourse and purchase healthy produce from the Food Bank’s Farmers Market.

Students also had the opportunity to speak with the education programming company Disruptt where they could ask questions and text in any fears anonymously they had.

“Changing the perspective from just mental health to wellness as a whole including mental and physical wellbeing is really important, so that is something that will be great to continue for future orientation weeks,” Tomizza said.

The hope for this event was to encourage students to take advantage of all the wellness resources on campus during their time here at Laurier.

“The orientation team and I were able to take some time to float around the events and we were doing Zumba with so many first years in the AC which was incredible because that never really happens,” Tomizza said.

Tuesday also featured the room burning demonstration, put on by a Waterloo Fire Rescue team, Special Constables and SHERM (Safety, Health, Environment and Risk Management) at the Northdale campus.

The Students’ Union improved logistics from last year’s demonstration such as the location and number of people at a time in order to highlight the importance of fire safety on campus.

“The room burn was cool and educational, it made us aware of fire hazards such as decorations on a lamp or bringing candles,” first-year student, Alexa Kichuk said.

The event consisted of a mock dorm room catching on fire and displayed how quickly a fire can escalate if a situation were to occur.

“It has that entertainment aspect as well as that informative aspect, we want to make sure we’re getting some important messages to students throughout the week as well as providing them outlets to be entertained,” Tomizza said.

Creating a schedule that was balanced in order to avoid overwhelming first-years and volunteers was a goal of the Students’ Union for this past O-Week.

“We focused on what students needed and we delivered based on that and that’s something I’m really proud of my team for doing,” Brar said.

Training volunteers was another priority for this year, as training began in the summer months to provide volunteers with the skills they needed to create a great atmosphere for incoming students.

“My biggest goal was satisfaction for both students and volunteers and that volunteers felt happy and were successful in orientation, whether new or not.

Same with students that we fulfilled the goal of orientation week which is to orient students into Laurier and the University culture,” Brar said.

LAYOUT BY: MADELINE MCINNIS/CREATIVE DIRECTOR & KURTIS RIDEOUT/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PHOTOS BY: LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER, TANZEEL SAYANI/PHOTO EDITOR & GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

CONSTRUCTION

Business owners unite

STUDENT LIFE

“Let Uptown Breathe” wants City of Waterloo to listen

MADELINE MCINNIS/FILE PHOTO

SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

On Monday Sept. 12, business owners, city councillors, mayor Dave Jaworsky and many others gathered at the intersection of King Street and Bridgeport Road for an event called “Let Uptown Breathe.”

Melissa Durrell, uptown city councillor and member of the Uptown Business Improvement Association Board, hosted the event and started it off by reading out a statement on behalf of business owners regarding frustration in terms of construction delays.

“We are here because we believe that the construction behind us and the new timelines that have been proposed show an absolute lack of respect for the business men and women and the people of Waterloo — and we have had enough,” read Durrell’s statement.

It was recently announced that some of the construction projects being completed in uptown Waterloo were to be delayed by almost double the time.

“What we’re looking at is an uptown that was ready and okay with construction, but we feel like we’re being taken advantage of now. These kinds of delays, a week

or two we get, but doubling; that’s not fair to us,” Durrell said.

Construction projects throughout uptown Waterloo have left King Street, the main road which provides access to many local businesses, closed to any traffic for the past three summers.

It was made clear at “Let Uptown Breathe” that local business owners have been suffering and are frustrated as a result.

Following the statement read by Durrell, business owners present took turns iterating their struggles or challenges presented to their business as a direct result of construction.

For example, Jennifer Freitas, owner of Truth Beauty Company, stated that she has suffered many losses as a result of the construction.

“I was basically making enough to cover my expenses without a salary for myself, but all of a sudden, I feel like we’ve jumped off this cliff.

I might sell a deodorant in a day, that’s 14 dollars in my register. How do I pay for my staff, how do I pay my landlord … how do I feed my children?” she said.

Freitas explained that not only have her sales declined, she has also faced physical damage to her

store and product as a result of the construction outside her doors.

“Why our councillors and why our region thinks it’s okay to do this to us is beyond me and the effects are not just for me as a business owner, the effects are for my staff who are getting their hours cut, my suppliers who I’m not able to pay or order from because I’m not selling anything,” Freitas said.

What we’re looking at is an uptown that was ready and okay with construction, but we feel like we’re being taken advantage of now.

-Melissa Durrell, uptown city councillor

In the statement, Durrell read three requests for a plan she called “Uptown Always Open.”

The first request included “a commitment from the region to provide new resources and funding so that all uptown customers can get to each and every business.”

The second was a request for a commitment to speed up the projects being worked on and to lengthen the working day and week when construction is being done.

“I think what we’re asking for that this project gets put on the front burner for the region and they start to get moving, and work at night and they work on weekends,” Durrell said.

“We’d like to see an entire moratorium to all construction in 2018 to let our business breathe, to let uptown breathe.”

Awnd lastly, the third request per the plan demanded that all construction projects in uptown be reevaluated by the region.

“The Region of Waterloo needs to hear us and take a step back on construction. We need them to take steps to speed up unnecessary delays. We want to see the Region fighting for us to get this project managed properly, back on track and complete,” read the last part of Durrell’s statement.

New OneCards

TANZEEL SAYANI/PHOTO EDITOR

JAKE WATTS NEWS EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University has begun rolling out new OneCards with increased functionality to all incoming and returning students, as well as staff and faculty.

While new students get the cards automatically, existing students have to go and trade their old ones in.

The new OneCards, which contain “chip” technology similar to that found on debit and credit cards, are intended to make unlocking doors on campus and gaining access to Grand River Transit vehicles easier and more efficient, in addition to performing all of the functions of the old card.

“The new cards have a barcode still for the library, mag-stripe and they have chips embedded in them,” Dan Dawson, assistant vice president, student services, said.

“The new cards are going to allow the university to be able to start converting door access systems over to chip technology instead of fobs,” Dawson said.

The new cards also change the way students will get on GRT vehicles. Whereas before the driver had to make a visual identification, the chip technology will delegate the work to a computer which can determine if someone is eligible to ride.

“Students will be able to either tap or swipe their cards to be able to access transit now and the system will be smart enough to know whether that student has paid their bus pass fee,” Dawson said.

This tap functionality will work just like the GRT’s planned EasyGO fare cards.

However, the whole system has yet to be implemented do to software problems, as reported by CBC News Kitchener-Waterloo.

Regardless, Dawson noted that there is a transition period in effect for all existing students to get their new cards before they can no longer gain access to the bus system with their old ones.

Dawson confirmed that at the present time there is no set end date for the transition period. But after the transition period is over

students who have yet to pick up their replacement card may be denied entry to public transit vehicles.

“They will go to ride the bus at some point in the future and they won’t be able to because they won’t have a mechanism in place to be able to do that,” Dawson said.

Another change with the new OneCards is an increased fee to replace them.

“It was 20 dollars plus tax, it’s now 30 dollars and that increased cost is basically the difference of what it costs us to produce the card,” Dawson said.

Students will be able to either tap or swipe their cards to be able to access transit now.

-Dan Dawson, assistant vice president, student services

The news that there are new OneCards for existing students has gotten around primarily by word of mouth, with no large announcement having come from Laurier.

Dawson commented that this was intentional.

“We wanted to get new cards to first-year incoming students first. That was the highest priority because they needed their cards,” Dawson said.

“We didn’t really want to have fifteen thousand people all lined up on day one,” Dawson explained.

Dawson also revealed plans to help distribute the thousands of student cards to existing students.

“We’re just slowly rolling out the distribution of the senior student cards now,” he said.

“We’re going to set up some satellite tables where people can come and pick up their card so that they don’t have to stand in line with people doing other business at the OneCard office.”

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 HOUSING

Equiping students with a positive rent experience SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

The beginning of each school year brings forth various concerns and questions raised by students moving into their off-campus housing accommodations.

Places4Students.com, Wilfrid Laurier University’s exclusive off-campus housing partner, assists students in finding appropriate housing accommodations while ensuring that students are educated on their rights and responsibilities as renters.

Essentially, Places4Students. com provides an online platform on which landlords and property managers can advertise their rental vacancies and where students can search for accommodations, roommates, co-sublets and more.

Zach Pajtasz, marketing and social media specialist for Places4Students.com, explained that Waterloo’s student housing market is high in demand. That can, therefore, make the process of finding an appropriate off-campus housing accommodation challenging.

“What we typically find is that students usually want to live with other students, so [our website] is centric and focused on that niche,” Pajtasz said.

For example, when students find a property on Places4Students. com, they can be certain that the property is open and willing to rent to students, in contrast to looking at properties that may be targeted

towards a different segment in the market.

“It helps expedite the process for students when they’re searching,” he said.

As well, students looking for accommodations on Places4Students.com are guaranteed that each landlord and listing is reviewed before they are able to post their accommodation on the website for students to see.

If you’re up to date and aware of what your rights and responsibilities are as a renter, you know how to respond in situations.

-Zach Pajtasz, marketing and social media specialist for Places4Students.com

Places4Students.com especially caters to students who may be going through their first renting experience.

For example, a large portion of students in first-year may live in residence, thus, many second-year students will experience living off-campus for the first time.

“We find that students don’t necessarily have that history in renting so they’re not familiar

with procedures and their rights,” Pajtasz said.

“That’s probably why students run into basic issues because they’re not aware of how things work in the rental market and they’re not aware of the rights that are awarded to them.”

In addition to hosting appropriate housing options, Places4Students.com also strives towards educationing students by providing resources that are easily accessible.

For example, Places4Students. com has a published document which essentially breaks down the Residential Tenancies Act so that it is both clear and concise for students to read.

“The Residential Tenancies Act is a fairly lengthy document, it’s difficult to understand as a student, especially if you’ve never read that kind of legal jargon before,” Pajtasz said.

The main purpose behind the condensed version of the Residential Tenancies Act is to ensure that if students to run into challenges or issues with landlords or property managers they will be familiar with their rights and responsibilities.

“If you’re up to date and aware of what your rights and responsibilities are as a renter, you know how to respond in situations,” Pajtasz said.

Additionally, if a landlord using Places4Students.com does violate the Residential Tenancies Act, the website can prevent them from using the service.

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

As well, Places4Students.com places a significance on the feedback they receive from students.

If students do have issues or challenges with a landlord, Places4Students.com has a live customer service line where students can discuss the challenge and receive advice.

“Since we have that formal partnership with the school we take these matters seriously so students are safe and the accommodations on our site are up to par,” Pajtasz

said.

Places4Students.com also publishes resources and essential information on their blog, such as roommate agreements, sub-lease agreements, and more are available for students to use.

“We encourage [students] to have some sort of formal documentation in place [when they sublet], in contrast to just a verbal agreement as, in some cases, a verbal agreement may not necessarily hold up,” Pajtasz said.

“And we have three international working groups. One around agroecology, one around innovative governance and one around sustainable food systems and metrics,” Blay-Palmer said.

“We have people here from all over the world. From New Zealand, from South Africa, from Brazil, from across the northern United States ... and also from many partners in the EU.” Palmer emphasized that collaboration and knowledge sharing is a major function of the meeting.

“We don’t have all the answers for sure, so it’s trying to get people together to talk and learn from each other. That’s really what we try to do,” Blay-Palmer said.

Per the meeting’s program, the weekend saw presentations on topics as diverse as “Yerba mate agroforestry systems” in southern Brazil and “Sustainable Fisheries and Food Systems Governance in the Lake Superior Region.”

The meeting and the work that the FLEdGE partnership does is supported by a grant from a federal research funding agency.

“It’s a multi-year, five year grant that started in 2015. It’s a two-anda-half million dollar grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [SSHRC],” Blay-Palmer said.

When asked why it is important to work on sustainability in food systems, Palmer responded without hesitation.

“Because we have 800 million people in the world who don’t have

enough food.”

Blay-Palmer also noted that some of the impetus to improve sustainability in food systems is driven by the threats associated with climate change.

“If you think about [hurricanes] Irma and Harvey, for example, 40% of our greenhouse gas emissions are related to how we produce food in the industrial food system, Blay-Palmer said.

SUSTAINABLE EATING

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Experts delve into food systems FLEdGE shares discussion about sustainability research JAKE WATTS NEWS EDITOR

From Sept. 7 to Sept. 9, the Food: Locally Embedded, Globally Engaged (FLEdGE) partnership held a meeting at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, bringing in experts from around the globe to discuss sustainable food systems.

The FLEdGE partnership is hosted by Laurier’s Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, a research centre that works to acquire and

disseminate knowledge about sustainability.

“The idea initially was to think through ideas of how we could be integrative across a number of sustainability goals for food systems,” Alison Blay-Palmer, director of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, said.

“So, food that is fair, green, economically localized as much as possible and engaging of citizens,” Blay-Palmer said.

The FLEdGE partnership in

particular brings together thinkers from around the world to share knowledge and learn from each other.

“This is a partnership, so they all do research and collaborate and share findings,” Blay-Palmer said.

“We have seven research nodes across Canada. One in the Northwest Territories, one in the West in Alberta and British Columbia, three in Ontario, one in Quebec and one in Atlantic Canada,” Blay-Palmer said.

The idea initially was to think through ideas of how we could be integrative across a number of sustainability goals for food systems.

-Alison Blay-Palmer, director of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems

“So if we did things more sustainably, we wouldn’t have to be — in the long run, I mean that’s a long term goal — we wouldn’t have to be dealing with those issues in such an urgent and pressing way as we are now,” she said.

“We’re all here to share the research that we’re doing and find ways that we can progress on thinking about and acting on things that will help us have more sustainable food systems everywhere.”

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

ADMINISTRATION

Indigenous specialist arrives NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

On Aug. 1,Wilfrid Laurier University introduced Erin Hodson as the first ever Indigenous Curriculum Specialist at Laurier.

Hodson has obtained a master’s degree in social and cultural contexts of education. The newly created role works collaboratively with Indigenous Initiatives and The Centre for Teaching Innovation and Excellence.

The Indigenous Curriculum Specialist’s role within university is interdisciplinary, all faculty and staff are welcomed to use the resources that the Indigenous curriculum specialist can provide.

“It’s not just about the content that is being delivered but how it is delivered,” Hodson said.

“My job here is to connect with faculty and to help them sort of create spaces within their content for Indigenous information ... it can include Indigenous readings,” “I have been tasked with creating space for Indigenous content

so Indigenous ways of knowing and being into faculty and support staff … anyone standing in front of a classroom. If they are discussing Indigenous stuff they can come to me,” Hodson said.

Indigenous ways of knowing and being is another resource Hodson is working to promote within the University. Indigenous ways of knowing refers to best practice. “‘Indigenous ways of knowing and being’ is a weird term but no one really knows what it means,” Hodson said.

“Basically it [means] best practice. A lot of [instructors] are doing it without even knowing what it is.”

Hodson clarified that you can think of Indigenous ways of knowing and being as they relate to holistic education, for example the Medicine Wheel is an example of an Indigenous way of knowing and being.

“The Medicine Wheel” refers to the entirety of someone’s being.

“When [students]walk in the room they are a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual being and

it’s important in particular with Indigenous students, but also with everyone to be aware when they walk into a room,”Hodson said. “[Students] come with all parts of themselves. Because they all come with many pressures they all need to be taken into account and the best way to do that is to create a learning community in their classroom where they feel like they can speak to you,” Hodson said.

Indigenous peoples in particular are taken into account when implementing Indigenous ways of knowing and being. This is due to struggles their communities face due to colonialism.

“In terms of specific Indigenous students, we come with an entire host of intergenerational issues which need to be taken into account,” Hodson said.

“I think sometimes particularly with Indigenous students who come from reserves and off reserve as well the idea of community needs to be understood in terms of a familial unit,” Hodson said.

When it comes to faculty

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Erin Hodson is the first ever Indigenous Curriculum Specialist at Laurier.

engagement, Hodson has been overwhelmed with all the support she has received thus far including the support of Dana Lavoie from the Employment Equity & AODA Office.

“Hiring an Indigenous Curriculum Specialist is one of the ways Laurier is operationalizing its Strategic Academic Plan,’” Lavoie began.

“It is another thing to actually put resources behind making this happen. I, along with many of my colleagues, [am] excited to learn from and collaborate with Erin,” Lavoie said.

This new position has also creat-

ed a buzz amongst other staff and faculty at Laurier.

“I think that this is really a testament to the work that people who made sure that this position happened, it wasn’t just one person it was across many different places in the university who pushed for this and saw validity in this [position].”

Hodson mentioned that there is one solid way that instructors can begin to incorporate indigenous content into their classrooms.

“If there is one thing that I think all [instructors] can do, [it would be] to put the land acknowledgement in their syllabus,” Hodson said.

STUDENTS’ UNION

Students’ Union board of directors kick off semester SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS DIRECTOR

Over the summer months, the Students’ Union Board of Directors has had several Board of Director’s meetings.

The most recent official Board of Director’s meeting took place on Aug. 12, 2017. The meeting consisted of the board discussing various topics, such as orientation week.

The main topic of the meeting, which lasted approximately five hours, was the conflict of interest announced by Tarique Plummer, chair of the Students’ Union board and chief governance office, as per his intent to run for Students’ Union President this upcoming election season.

At this point in the meeting, Michael Del Bono, vice-chair of the

Board of Directors, headed the discussion on the elections portfolio.

Essentially, the board discussed Plummer’s ability to continue upholding his responsibilities and role as Chair of the Board while running in the presidential election. In the end, the board decided that another director would take over the elections portfolio.

After being unable to come to a conclusion in regards to who will take over the elections portfolio, the board then moved to have an emergency board meeting. At the emergency board meeting, which was held on Aug. 31 at 7 p.m., Plummer first took the time to go over Robert’s Rules of Order in order to reiterate and ensure all board members are educated.

“When we started, not everyone had the knowledge of Robert’s

Rules or a solid knowledge of policies, not everyone had the knowledge of traditions and customs, so as we go from meeting to meeting they’re going to be inefficiencies,” Plummer said.

Before the discussion surrounding the elections portfolio began, Idris Omar Hassan, director of the board, decided to put forth the motion to silence the gallery during the conversation pertaining to the elections portfolio.

Although some directors disagreed with the motion, such as Director Wojtanowski and Director Del Bono, the motion was carried 4-3-1.

“There were a lot of comments that came from the gallery.

Opinions from the gallery impact the conversation which went off track and deviated. So in an

attempt to ensure that the conversation stayed on track and stayed objective in a very timely manner, they put that [motion] forward for that particular conversation [sic],” Plummer said.

Ensuing the motion to silence the gallery, Kanwar Brar, president of Students’ Union, began to voice his concerns towards the decision on Twitter.

Brar stated on the social media platform that he felt the board’s decision to silence the gallery was unfair and unconstitutional. He requested that any students who had questions tweet them to him so that he could voice their concerns to the board. However, when asked to comment further on his decision to be the spokesperson for any students wanting to voice their concerns about the elections

portfolio, Brar decided to decline to the offer.

In contrast, when asked about the decision to silence the gallery, Plummer felt the decision achieved the necessary objective.

“Out of precautionary measures, the board thought it would be best to proceed in that particular sense. It wasn’t unconstitutional,” Plummer said.

Nick DeSumma, former chair of the board and current student at Laurier, stressed the importance of gallery participation at board meetings.

“I think regardless of who’s sitting in the gallery, you shouldn’t motion to silence the gallery because they are the ones who elected to the board to be there, so I don’t agree with that decision,” DeSumma said.

NEWS • 7

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 WELLNESS

GARRISON OOSTERHOF/WEB DIRECTOR

Mysterious Barricades A cross-Canada concert paying tribute to those affected by suicide NATHALIE BOUCHARD NEWS EDITOR

On Sunday, Sept. 10, Mysterious Barricades: A Cross-Canada Concert for Suicide Awareness, Prevention and Hope, was hosted at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Maureen Fraser Concert Hall.

Mysterious Barricades is a cross-Canada concert which pays tribute to those affected by suicide through music. The concert is livestreamed from each location and available online every Sept. 10. The

concert was founded by professional opera singer Beth Turnbull, who lost her husband to suicide in 2015.

Kimberly Barber, associate dean of the external faculty of music, has a special connection to Turnbull and helped plant the seed to create Mysterious Barricades.

“I always wanted to use my music to share a message and then when my friend Beth Turnbull’s husband died of suicide I was devastated … I had no idea he was suffering from depression,” Barber

said.

“She and I spoke on the phone probably a month afterwards and she said, ‘I think I need to do something … I can’t just be living in this sadness, something good has to come out of this.’”

“As we began speaking with our colleges across the country … we just all responded to her and wanted to help her,” Barber said.

The goal of Mysterious Barricades is to “Bring the gift of music to raise awareness of the mysterious barricades between mental

illness and health, darkness and a flicker of hope, life and death,” as per their mission statement.

Barber has also been personally affected by suicide, having lost both her father and grandfather before the age of 14.

“Something like that is a catastrophic event and a traumatic event in a person’s life,” Barber said. “And that was in the 70’s.”

“Growing up, for some reason I just always talked about it, although I think not really on a deep level, but I think it was also music that was my anchor and my rock,” Barber said.

“It’s really important to demonstrate through presenting this concert here that we are listening, we know and we want to be a means of hope or communication and part of the healing.”

The choice to use such a platform and medium as music to communicate about this topic is very much part of a calculated, meaningful effort.

“Music vibrates within us on a cellular level; it can go to places where words can’t and so I feel that it’s also a universal language,” Barber said.

Mysterious Barricades plays host to people with various talents and levels of artistic ability; it is open to the public and free of charge.

Holding it in the Maureen Fraser Music Hall meant that many talents from Laurier’s music department performed.

“We wanted to bring a lot of diverse voices into our concert so that it’s not just the classical music that many of our [music faculty] do.”

Some standout performances of the evening also included those from members of the Indigenous community.

Many Indigenous musical and spoken word performers participated in Mysterious Barricades, sharing their own experiences of mental health struggles and well as struggles within their community.

“What distinguishes suicide rates among Indigenous peoples from other people in Canada is that there is systemic racism and oppression that Indigenous people experience at much higher rates, whether its concerning infrastructure poverty, housing and inadequate education,” Kelly Laurila, member of Mino Ode Kwewak N’gamowak said.

Mino Ode Kwewak N’gamowak, which translates to Good Hearted Women Singers, is the name of a group that performed at the Mysterious Barricades’ Laurier venue.

Sabrina Brown, member of a member of Mino Ode Kwewak N’gamowak, explained the impact of suicide, specifically on Indigenous communities.

“Another reason why it’s very near and dear to our hearts is because our communities have the highest suicide rates in Canada,” Brown said.

8 • GAMES

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 SUDOKU

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

All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submissions can be sent to dearlife@thecord.ca no later than Monday at noon each week.

Dear Nathalie,

Dear Life, Roses are red Violets are blue Harambe says it’s a bad idea to shoot at hurricanes

It’s hard to be the voice for the students when you don’t want to listen.

Shutting out the gallery is juvenile and not what you were elected for.

Thank you to everyone that defended our rights - I know who I’m voting for next term.

Sincerely, A boy who misses his ape Dear Life, Missing class is the literal worst and I don’t know how people can skip.

Sincerely, I love school Dear Life, How do I get more of you? Like, Drake put out an album called More Life and it sounded awesome, but it didn’t come with an instruction manual.

I could try to extend my life and live for a longer period of time. If I did this, the sum total of my life may end up being greater, but the average quality through that duration may end up being lower.

I could also neglect my longevity and try to live as full a life as possible in a limited time period. While this would boost the average quality of my life through its duration, it would probably lower my sum total of life at the end.

I just wish someone would give me Signs.

Sincerely, Confused Dear Life, I am stoked for the regular season to start but exhibition games next week will do. #inbabcockwetrust Sincerely, The Maple Leaf

You are so dedicated and you are doing such a great job. We are so lucky to have you at The Cord - and everyone else is lucky to have you everywhere else!

Sincerely, Positive Vibes Dear Life,

Sincerely, Smarten up, Students’ Union BOD Dear First Years, For the love of GOD, please listen to all the things you’ve been told in the last week. If you don’t get involved, you WILL regret it. Your resume and your mental health are depending on it.

Sincerely, Creative Director, Creative Director (x2), Editor-in-Chief, Art and Photography Manager, Editor, Finance and Administration, Dean’s Honours and loving every second of it.

Dear Life, Im honestly really upset that Chipotle hasn’t come to Waterloo Student district yet. They make a mean taco salad. Honestly Chipotle is best Mexican food and is way better than all the other Mexican joints in Waterloo.

Sincerely, Mexi-can-i Dear Life, There’s a chair in the students union office that needs to be replaced.

Sincerely, Silenced student Dear Life, Why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends?

SAVE YOUR OSAP. USE OUR COUPONS. GET A WLU’er.

thecord.ca

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

GAMES • 9

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12 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD arts@thecord.ca

CONSENT

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Can I kiss you?

SHYENNE MACDONALD ARTS AND LIFE EDITOR

On Sept. 6, in the heart of Orientation Week, Wilfrid Laurier University hosted Mike Domitrz, founder of the Date Safe Project, author of Can I Kiss You and public speaker. Domitrz gave an informative presentation on consent and its concomitants.

Date Safe Project is an organization which has the mission statement to prevent sexual assault and promote healthy intimacy and safe dating.

Universities have always fostered an environment where sexual

assault, harassment and/or abuse can regularly thrive and occur. It’s deplorable, but not unfixable.

During his presentation, Domitrz laid out scenarios — centered around parties and focused on drinking — where first-years could identify the looming danger of an assault. He went on to provide some tips on how to prevent these scenarios as well.

“Offer to help take care of the [inebriated] person and help them get home,” Domitrz said, emphasizing that if someone isn’t of sound mind, then they can’t give consent.

Intervention is a crucial part of

prevention. If it seems like a sober person is taking advantage of someone, don’t stand by and don’t be afraid of conflict.

He then went on to clearly explain what consent was, to avoid any confusion.

“Consent is: ongoing, in the moment, enthusiastic and a mutually wanted agreement between partners who are of legal age and sound mind.”

“In the moment means, if we [had sexual intimacy] on the Wednesday, that doesn’t mean we’re going to do it again. Ongoing means that if we are in the moment and I happen to change my mind and say no, you can’t object,” Domitrz explained.

Domitrz kept the mood lighthearted while speaking on consent. Calling attention to the fact that while engaging in safe and healthy intimacy, consent is always the best route.

“Wouldn’t it feel so much better if you knew that the person liked you?” Domitrz asked as he explained the magnitude of benefits of asking for a kiss rather than simply taking one.

“It takes out the guess work … and it makes it more intimate.”

It’s less fumbling and more engaging if both parties know they’re about to be kissed. Plus, what’s better than knowing that the person you want to kiss wants to kiss you back? Domitrz gave a short

However, the genial tone did come to an end as Domitrz spoke about the difficult truth of sexual assault.

It’s estimated that one in three Canadian women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

As well, with sexual assault cases reported, over 80 per cent are women. These are frightening statistics that don’t seem to be lowering.

No one comes to university with the plan to be assaulted, however it is a scary truth that there’s a possibility of it happening.

This is why Domitrz’s presence during O-Week was so paramount.

Opening a dialogue about assault and consent can provide students with tools to prevent and ideas of how to help. He encouraged students to repeat these words to their loved ones and friends: “‘If anyone ever has or ever does sexually touch you against your will or without your consent, I am always going to be here for you.’

Those words can open the door for survivors to come forward.”

“If they do come forward, listen and don’t say you’re sorry. Instead, say ‘thank you for sharing. Clearly you are strong and courageous.

What can I do to help?’”

There are several resources available for students at Laurier if they need professional support.

There’s Male Allies, which can assist with men who have experienced sexual assault. There’s also the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, which collaborates with Laurier.

There will never be a moment where you owe or are owed sexual intimacy. So, ask the question and respect the answer.

Asking for consent isn’t a scary prospect, it’s what happens when there’s a lack of it that should frighten us.

plosion, allowing each one of the ingredients to shine!

With the other burritos in this list you had to pick and choose what flavours you wanted in each bite as the flavour distributions

weren’t typically even.

Holy Guacamole really delivers, as every bite allows for the full flavour experience.

Four-and-a-half out of five avocados.

demonstration on how to properly ask for a kiss.

“When you’re alone with that person, look them in the eye, but don’t be creepy. Smile, be yourself.

Don’t change your voice, don’t flip your hair a million times, just be yourself.”

And of course, don’t forget the magic words. Can I kiss you?

Consent is: ongoing, in the moment, enthusiastic and a mutally wanted agreement between partners.

-Mike Domitrz, founder of the Date Safe Project, author Can I Kiss You

FOOD

Take a bite at the best burrito DOMINIC ASSELIN CORD ARTS

Ever since arriving at university, I have fallen in love with the epic creation that is the burrito.

So, when my girlfriend — who happens to be an editor at The Cord — suggested I try and find the best one in Waterloo, I didn’t just agree — I enthusiastically took it on as a challenge. To do this, I decided to use the places closest to campus with the exact same type of burrito at each location.

Then I decided to judge these based on price, quality of the ingredients, overall taste and possibly the most important; whether they charge for guacamole.

Out of the five places on my list the most disappointing was Mucho Burrito. After ordering the small chicken I was disappointed with every aspect of this burrito.

At $8.98, it was cheaper compared to the others. However, guacamole was an extra $1 making it the second most expensive on the list.

Yet, it contained the least flavour, which they attempted to make up for simply by drowning it in sauce.

I would give it a rating of one out of five avocados.

The next place I was truly saddened by was Burrito Boyz.

My past favourite didn’t bring its best this time around. Ringing in at $9.23, with the $0.87 charge for Guacamole, all I can say is spice.

To be fair — for every burrito — I got the hottest option available; every single other burrito I got proved itself with an enhanced flavour experience.

Spice is supposed to add to the overall flavour of the ingredients.

With Burrito Boyz, I could only taste the hot sauce, taking away from the other ingredients. Also if you don’t like spicy, this burrito is not for you.

As such, it gets a two out of five avocados. In third place is Freshii.

This burrito is the most expensive at $11.30 with added chicken, however they include avocado in every single one.

The difference between this option and the others on this list however is the criteria for grading.

Freshii is known for healthy eating and nutrition, as such their burritos follow a similar pattern.

They include a heavy focus on vegetables with less sauce and are less grilled than the other restaurants.

After finishing this I didn’t get the “wow I regretted that” feeling you get when getting a 2 a.m. Big

Mac. As such they get a four out of five — gains bro — for health, but three out of five avocados for being a good burrito.

The second best place is Fat Bastard Burritos.

The two downsides about this burrito location are the longer wait times and the fact that the rice tasted like it wasn’t as fresh as it could have been.

Totaling $8.69 it is one of the best prices for quantity options on the list and comes with guacamole.

One positive difference that they have is the fact that there are three different carbs available with the options to get noodles, rice and beans.

This allows for a truly interesting burrito experience.

This, combined with fresh, quality vegetables makes for one nice tasting burrito baby! Four out of five avocados. The best place on this list — which really blew my socks off — was Holy Guacamole.

I didn’t even know about this place until Sept. 1 and I must say I’m terribly sad I didn’t find it sooner. At $8.80 with guacamole it is one of the most affordable places.

Spice-wise, everyone can enjoy this location, as they have varying levels.

The real winner from this burrito is that each bite was a flavour ex-

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

ARTS & LIFE • 13

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 ENTERTAINMENT

Dolls, clowns and darkness at the drive-in KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

We were barely late to Friday night’s double feature at the Mustang drive-in and it was definitely a sign of good things to come.

The night’s bill included the reimagining of Stephen King’s classic It and the prequel to The Conjuring’s spin off, Annabelle: Creation.

The show should have felt like an uninspired exploration of the classic tropes of childhood horror: dolls and clowns cast late into the evening onto the silver screen.

The car was packed with blankets and parked backwards, plenty of snacks and the movie sounded

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

pretty good on channel 104.9.

Needless to say, the allure of the drive-in theatre will probably never be lost on me.

Aside from the fact that I feel the need to consistently speak out loud

throughout the show, I personally feel like the drive-in is the optimal setting for a movie night.

While the movie-going experience has been enhanced at larger cinemas to meet with demand

— including a rising price point to match — it seems like the formulaic drive-in experience has been met with a much different adjustment.

When drive-in cinemas were probably at their peak they were molded around a very unique experience.

You would park, attach the provided radio to your window and hit the snack bar before getting comfy in the backseat.

Likely because of competition, most drive-in theatres have seemingly been forced to reduce operation costs, almost to the point of detriment — not a totally awful thing, but super unfortunate when the fact of the matter is prices continue to soar.

What this means is that while the prices continue to rise at all cinematic venues, a matching rise in the quality of experience has not

been seen at your typical drive-in theatre — and unfortunately this will likely continue to be the case.

The price of going to the drive-in for two people sits around $40 — snacks and ATM fees included.

While this is relative to a night out at the movie theatre, it also afforded a much more intimate setting … and a double feature.

While larger cinemas continuously adapt by trying out new things like VIP movies, adding restaurants in-house and hosting private screenings, it would seem that the singular selling point of an intimate and comfortable setting will always be apparent to drive-in movie goers.

Personally, I will always remember watching the movie It at the drive-in, not because it was a dope movie that did the original a measured amount of justice, but because I saw it at the drive-in.

LITERATURE

The Cord Picks: Books The Nix By: Nathan Hill Picked by: Karlis Wilde/ Features Editor

The Warriors By: Sol Yurick Picked by: Kurtis Rideout/ Editor-in-Chief

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage By: Alfred Lansing Picked by: Jake Watts/News Editor

L’Amour By: Marguerite Duras Picked by: Shyenne MacDonald/Arts & Life Editor

Pillow Thoughts By: Courtney Peppernell Picked by: Safina Husein/ News Director

The Origins of Satan By: Elaine Pagels Picked by: Madeline McInnis/Creative Director

The Nix is worth reading because it’s an uncompromising, strangely focused and yet disparate collage of character studies.

The book opens with the too-familiar ‘writer who can’t write’ trope, but exhibits a series of far more interesting figures that even the author doesn’t seem to fully understand.

The characters are shown through a distant, try-hard empathetic lens as the 700+ pages finally come to a crashing end.

It’s a novel that captures the heart of literature – what it means to be human – while spinning silly yarns of mysticism against the backdrop of hard, brutal reality.

More than the sum of its many pages, the book is more of a series of small, intimate threads woven by a self-consciously self-involved author set against a superficially political backdrop. If you dig characterization-heavy, artistically-intimate works like those of Jonathan Franzen, you’ll dig this.

Sitting at the top of the book pile on my desk is a novel I have been meaning to crack open for years. I’ll take all the hate, but I’m not going to lie, I’m the kind of person who usually sees the movie first. Call me lazy, but I like to know where things are going sometimes.

Whether or not that defeats the purpose of reading is beyond me, but as interested as I am in directorial interpretation, I feel like it’s somewhat justified.

Yurick’s tale reimagines the Greek classic, Anabasis

by Xenophon, in a 1960’s New York setting, where gangs of teens run the streets at night wreaking havoc.

The story, in classic Greek fashion, recounts the journey of the Coney Island Dominators as they make their way home from a large gathering in the Bronx.

Of course, they are the targets of every other gang in the city, making their journey through the depths of New York’s infamous subway stations and back alleys even more exciting.

The Warriors went from being my mom’s favourite movie, to one of my own favourite video games — via the creators of Grand Theft Auto — and so far it’s headed towards being a favourite book too.

At the recent Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, our nation’s two newest astronauts were revealed to be Joshua Kutryk and Jennifer Sidey. Since, I’ve been interested in space exploration and the people involved in it, I took the time to read through interviews with the two new members of the Canadian Space Agency.

In one such interview with Kutryk, a former engineer and test pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he was asked what his favorite book was.

His answer? Endurance

by Alfred Lansing, the true story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew’s against-allodds fight for survival.

I figured that if a survival story was so compelling as to be admired by an astronaut, then it would probably be worth checking out.

The story of Shackleton’s determination through an incredibly stressful situation is nothing short of inspiring.

What makes Endurance fantastic is in how it details the way these men conducted themselves in the face of such perilous circumstances. Endurance puts on display the extremes of human resilience that I tend to admire and shows the reader just what they may too be capable of.

First published in 1971, L’Amour wasn’t translated to English until 2013. It’s a book that will linger on your mind long after you close it and it’s worth every second you spend on it.

Some words that come to mind when I’m asked to describe the story are: awkward, unfamiliar, suffocating and illusory.

While L’Amour isn’t particularly long, it is a story that will challenge you. Duras takes familiar concepts, such as a beach shore, or a town and twists into something surreal.

The constant repetition and agonizingly slow pace makes it feel as if I was in a lucid dream.

The plot is uncanny and barely relevant. The focus is on three strange and fractured characters that seem to haunt each other. While reading L’Amour, there was a consistent diversity between misery, desire, anxiety, wanting and fear.

I only found relief from the tension formed throughout the novel when I reached the end of the book. I realized that the title L’Amour is almost like the punchline to an odd joke.

I personally can’t think of its equivalence, between its language and tone. For me, L’Amour stands alone.

Pillow Thoughts is a short book of prose that is becoming exceedingly popular, I think that Peppernell’s work is unique in comparison to many other short poetry and prose authors today.

Peppernell, an Australian author, also brings a connection to the LGBTQ+ community to her poems.

For me, I think Peppernell’s work is extremely honest.

It is easy to read and her poetry is clear and concise.

The novel provides a large variety of poems in both length and topic.

Peppernell’s novel is divided into numerous clear sections for readers looking to connect with poems catered to a specific emotion or topic.

For example, some sections include “If you miss someone,” “If you are falling in love,” “If you are lonely,” and more.

Some of my favourite poems in the book are about simple moments which Peppernall reflects on after and explains how significant and important the simple things can be.

In fact, many of Peppernall’s poems about simple things and memories, I think, brings a different, unique perspective to her work.

Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s not a novel and the last thing you probably want to read for fun is another non-fiction text. But this one is worth it.

If you have any interest in the occult at all, this book is worth picking up.

It’s also worth picking up if you have any interest in religion, history, cultural studies or even just how our daily representation of Satan came to be.

It’s super informative, eye-opening and unbiased.

Though it delves into Christian subject matter, it’s really just a historiographical account of how and why Satan managed to get such a big role in the New Testament, while “he” took a back seat in the Old Testament.

Best of all, it’s not a difficult read, especially if you already have a background in Christian theology.

The Origins of Satan is a book that I genuinely felt like I learned a lot reading and its satisfying knowing more than the movies like to tell you.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGES LAYOUT BY: MADELINE MCINNIS/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR

14 •

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Note: opportunity like to feel like I am in the loop.

One way to accomplish this would be attending the regular board meetings as a member of the gallery.

There is an opportunity to do this every-other week throughout the year at regular their meetings.

This is your chance to voice any concerns you may as a paying member of the Students’ Union.

The Students’ Union has an obligation to serve you, the student body. Just as well, as a member of the Laurier student body, you have the opportunity to participate.

The next Students’ Union board meeting will take place on Sept. 19 at the Fred Nichols Campus Centre at 7 p.m.

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I didn’t really have too much passion for student politics until I got involved in student publications. Since then I have come to realize how much of my university experience has been shaped and molded by decisions made in the boardroom by the Students’ Union Board of Directors.

While I have never thought of myself as a political person, I still

The Students’ Union silencing the gallery was unjust Problematic choices like this that are executed so early in the year don’t provide a hopeful image for the upcoming months.

The gallery plays an important role in these open meetings. It exists as a means to communicate the thoughts and concerns of those present that are not board members.

It is a necessity to have them present in order to move forward effectively and gain a crucial perspective from the students.

Actively listening to the statements made by the people willing to voice them shouldn’t be a tall order, given the fact that an open meeting would be the appropriate place to do it.

Students have the democratic right to stand up for what they believe in and have their voices listened to through a platform that was designed for it.

It should be the priority of the Students’ Union to have the best interest of the student body in mind when making decisions.

However, this particular decision to prevent the voice of the membersip from being heard may make this priority a difficult one to achieve.

During a Students’ Union meeting recently, there was a vote to pass a motion to silence the gallery for the duration of the meeting that concerned the elections portfolio.

This decision was met with objections from within the board, but ultimately the motion was passed by a majority vote.

However, the divide between board members on whether or not this motion should be passed, brings into question just how effective of a unit the board currently is.

By silencing the gallery, our rights as students who pay tuition fees to attend this school and to have our voices heard in matters that help shape their university experience are thus taken away.

These individuals are in a position where they should be representing the people that elected them, not working to keep discussions strictly within the board.

There may be circumstances which would justify this scenario, however, they would be extreme “what ifs” involving specific behaviour or unresolved barrages of verbal conflict.

These core values that should be tied to the decision making process have been absent at times.

This unsigned editorial is based off an informal discussion and then agreed upon by the majority of The Cord’s editorial board, including the Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor. The arguments made may reference any facts that have been made available through interviews, documents or other sources. The views presented do not necessarily reflect those of The Cord’s volunteers, staff or WLUSP.

THE CORD IS PUBLISHED BY WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY STUDENT PUBLICATIONS 205 REGINA ST. N., WATERLOO

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

DIRECTOR/ CORPORATE SECRETARY Noa Salamon DIRECTOR Rosalind Horne DIRECTOR Hayley H.G. Watson TREASURER John Pehar

PRESIDENT Andreas Patsiaouros president@wlusp.com FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com ADVERTISING MANAGER Caroline Lucas care.lucas@wlusp com

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

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Overcoming social anxiety EMILY WAITSON OPINION EDITOR

The first year I entered university, I was absolutely terrified.

Beyond the general fear that most people have going into a new environment, I was stricken with a constant, all consuming unease that followed me wherever I went.

Walking through large groups of people made me incredibly nervous, going into crowded lecture halls left me hyperventilating in the bathroom and joining clubs seemed completely out of the question for me.

I have severe social anxiety that has unfortunately controlled a significant portion of my everyday life for several years. Panic attacks dictated whether or not I would be able to sit through my discomfort and nagging nervousness, or hurriedly leave in order to protect myself from whatever horrible thing I had told myself was going to happen.

Going through school this way meant that I was incredibly unhappy, isolated and struggling with nearly every element of what

were supposed to be the best years of my life.

For me, my anxiety works like a television that can never be turned off. It’s constantly on, parroting paranoid thoughts about every move I make, the judgments people could be thinking about me and the possibility that I may have to speak in public, always following me like a black cloud.

When I reached my second year, I started to do something I had never allowed myself to even attempt to do before: push past the frightened voices inside my head.

I couldn’t exactly shut out those thoughts, but I chose to ignore them. I was scared shitless, but I shakily sent in two applications for volunteer writing positions.

Self-doubt is just the cherry on the sundae when it comes to my skittishness over social situations, but I somehow managed to give myself a shake and force myself to be around people who — despite my constant inner contradictions — actually turned out to be very nice.

Some of the first baby steps that made me realize what I was capable of included joining clubs that actually aligned with my interests, regardless of how fucked up I considered my own brain to be.

As I’ve moved through the motions of situations that I would

have once found horrific, I’ve realized that even though things haven’t always gone perfectly and my anxiety is still there, I’m enjoying myself a lot more because I’m actually experiencing things.

My solution in the past was to shut myself away like a hermit, thinking it was better for me and everyone else if I saved them the trouble of dealing with my socially awkward babbling and forced silences.

Now, I try to roll with the punches and not let myself be plagued by embarrassment for days on end if something doesn’t go exactly as I planned it would in my head.

As cheesy as this sounds, two years ago I would have never believed that I would be able to have fun and even enjoy having a million things on my to-do list, especially when — at that point — getting out of bed alone was a struggle.

As much as I hate sounding like an after school special, actually listening to the chirpy “get involved” voices around campus helped me in ways that many other tactics to combat my anxiety didn’t.

I may not be an overly confident burst of energy, but I’m certainly no longer afraid to assert myself a little more and believe that I’m capable of doing whatever I set my mind to.

OPINION • 15

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Opinion

OPINION EDITOR EMILY WAITSON opinion@thecord.ca

Where lesbians are lacking BRITTANY TENHAGE STAFF WRITER

ALAN LI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Problematic picks CHRIS LUCIANTONIO STAFF WRITER

Stars have been categorized as “bad people” since we as a population could understand and eventually worship the concept of fame.

Celebrities nowadays seem to be ousted every other week for some form of awful behaviour or discretion which — up to now — they’ve kept hidden from the public and from you, the fan.

And as their fan, what exactly do you do now?

With the fact you’ve been supporting a reprehensible human being — for who knows how long — weighing on your conscience, where do you go from here?

Well, I have some suggestions for you that may help ease the pain of realization.

First of all, it is imperative that you do not — under any circumstance — blame yourself for being a fan. It might seem like this goes without saying but a toll is taken once you come to realize the person you’ve supported for however long was not what who they presented themselves to you through their work.

Your — and by extension, the greater world’s — ignorance of the darker character traits that cameras and recording booths can’t pick up cannot be helped, so it is pointless to drag yourself through the dirt along with them.

No matter the level of your fandom, you were always a fan.

Secondly, it’s a good idea to hold off on immediate fervent defence of their character once the bad press breaks — it’s possible for fan worship to cloud judgment in these situations.

Even if the “claims” made against them are alleged as they so often are, your championing of their innocence leads so easily into a state of hefty, exhausting denial which helps no one and inevitably hurts you.

Even if you are 100 per cent certain, never exert yourself for a famous stranger’s name.

Then comes the question of

continued support and there is no convenient remedy for this.

Say it’s an actor who is morally reprehensible in your eyes after a scandal: do you never see one of their films? Do you, in turn, boycott the directors and actors who collaborate with them?

This is all dependent on what you are comfortable with when dealing with their work as — it needs to be said — you are allowed to fall somewhere in-between 100 per cent support and total protest.

Separating the artist from their art on principle seems fine, but no one should dispute if you judge them by your personal level of offence.

...you should never allow that which fell your favourite celebrity from the public’s grace to ever be forgotten.

Representation is a bit of a buzzword when considering the modern media.

Heterosexual people try their best to include it and everyone else is desperate to see themselves well represented.

Modern media tries to include depictions of same-sex relationships between women.

Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes it fails.

A bad example is The 100’s Lexa.

Her onscreen journey is handled well enough and people watching the show were pleased, but when she was killed off, there was severe backlash.

Sept. 18-22

9-8 9-5

While I can — and will — begrudgingly sit through a film featuring a Casey Affleck performance, it is not my place to tell you that your objection based on the allegations is somehow not also acceptable.

Find what makes you feel comfortable with your decision — whether that is never watching one of his films again, or simply not using your capital to support it.

Finally — and perhaps most importantly — you should never allow that which fell your favourite celebrity from the public’s grace to ever be forgotten.

Our tabloid media culture has rendered a scandal’s lifespan so shockingly short to the point it’s almost guaranteed a comeback is always imminent no matter how heinous the charge might be.

Even if it seems pointless to re-litigate, those shady details must stay in the conversation because that is a part of who that person is and it’s your job to make a point of it.

A more positive example would be Holby City’s Bernie and Serena.

It’s an extremely rare example where the women come out later in their lives. They’re both middle aged, divorced and go on relatable journeys to accept who they are.

Wynonna Earp features gay women who have a very well handled acceptance and dating storyline who also don’t die. They, however, have an unfortunate cheating storyline which is an all-too-common trope on television.

The Bold Type has a Muslim lesbian and a black bisexual woman and the acceptance storyline is handled very well. However, it features a cheating storyline between the two women.

Cheating storylines are often used to create drama between lesbian couples on TV. It’s poor representation, especially when the woman is bisexual, because it perpetrates the stereotype that sapphic women are cheaters.

Doctor Who, a science fiction TV series, portrays gay relationships between women better than many other TV shows.

It has featured a canon lesbian couple from the Victorian era of which one member is a lizard who are happily in love and a canon lesbian whose ending is extremely beautiful and fits her character very well.

This is just a smattering of the sapphic women that TV has portrayed, but it’s important to have a critical view of representation.

Gay women shouldn’t have to compromise and “just be happy with the fact” that they’re seeing themselves on TV. They should have accurate and positive representation that doesn’t involve seeing themselves shot by a stray arrow or cheating on their wives.

Women loving women who stay alive shouldn’t be something revolutionary for a TV show to feature.

16 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Always remember who you really are

So, our personality is essentially what gives us a voice. Just as no two people have the same thumbprint, no two share the same personality.

VIDISH PARIKH STAFF WRITER

I have always enjoyed meeting new people. The chance to interact with those who have a different personality from me, as well as those who share different experiences or hobbies, can be quite exhilarating.

I am an extrovert by nature — that’s just me and it’s always been me.

We each have unique character traits that make up our personalities. These are what define us and, by extension, how the world views us.

So, our personality is essentially what gives us a voice. Just as no two people have the same thumbprint, no two share the same personality. And this is for good reason; imagine if we all acted exactly the same. We would essentially be robots and the world would be quite a monotonous place.

As university students, we have this opportunity to interact with so

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

many different people. It’s a truly rewarding environment, one which will allow us to develop. You will be molded by your experiences here; in many ways this is just inevitable.

After all, that’s why we are all here — to grow.

But remember, it can become easy to lose yourself in the chaos of a busy lifestyle. There will be times when you may feel you don’t fit in.

“I wish I was different,” or “if only I was like that person”, you may think.

Yes, wanting to improve your skills is critical because without a growth mindset, development is difficult. But, we learn by example and sometimes we can all get

carried away.

Don’t spend your life obsessing over how much better you think someone else’s life is. You are unique, so just don’t make unfair comparisons.

Stay true to yourself and don’t forget your roots. We need to embrace our differences and the first step towards doing this is recognizing that we are, in fact, all inherently different.

You know yourself the best — don’t let anyone tell you who you are or who you are not. This means not giving anyone the chance to pressure you into doing something.

Learn to say no. Learn to express your opinion even though you feel

it may be unpopular. These are strengths.

Above all, don’t be worried about a little bit of uncertainty. Uncertainty is present in all our lives.

Whether you are still struggling to figure out what you want to spend the rest of your life doing, or you are having a stressful week, just remember that we have all been there at some point. You will figure it out.

We are a product of our experiences. Therefore, the people you decide to interact with will have an enormous impact on your lifestyle and the way you present yourself to the world.

Pick your friends wisely because

you may pick up a lot of their habits along the way. When it comes to your friends, quality beats quantity.

Someone once told me that if they hadn’t gotten involved through their time here at Laurier they wouldn’t have had the chance to encounter so many different personalities. I think that’s key.

Getting involved gives us all the chance to open up to others and interact with those who may not share the same major as us.

So, get involved, make solid friendships and enjoy the ride, because these are your best years and they only happen once.

Essential Oils: the unexpected life hack MEGAN MCLEAN OPINION COLUMNIST

Do the words “essential oils” make you think of some hippie in the middle of a forest burning incense and chanting? I used to feel that way about them too.

Essential oils are often overlooked and many people would rather reach for a bottle of Tylenol instead of trying a more natural approach. A majority of people admit to not even knowing what essential oils are, often assuming they’re just fragrant oils for women.

Well, they’re not and there’s much more to them.

Essential oils are naturally occurring aromas found in the seeds, stems, leaves and flowers of various plants. Essential oil uses vary depending on the oil, as well as the process of usage.

It is extremely important to choose essential oils that are 100 per cent pure or ‘therapeutic grade’ and do not contain any fillers (e.g. alcohol). This is to ensure that the oils are pure enough to be used topically and safe for consumption.

People ask me whether or not essential oils really work almost every time someone sees me using them. I’ll be honest, when I was first introduced to oils, I laughed.

There was no way I was going to use peppermint oil to treat my headache, instead of popping some Advil. Two weeks later though, my opinion changed and I realized these bad boys actually work. There really is an essential oil

for everything.

After a long day of classes — where just about every person in a lecture is coughing — I will instantly reach for my bottle of On Guard and rub it everywhere. On Guard is a huge front runner for me, especially when that dreaded Laurier bug is going around campus.

On Guard is an essential oil blend of orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary.

It is amazing for immunity and is naturally antibacterial. It also smells like Christmas, which is a huge plus.

Essential oils are often overlooked and many people would rather reach for a bottle of Tylenol instead of a more natural approach.

On Guard can be used topically (one drop rubbed into hands or bottoms of feet), ingested (one drop in water for immunity), or diffused into the air using a diffuser.

Picture this scenario: you’ve been studying science for what feels like a month, you’ve consumed your body weight in coffee and it’s 3 a.m. Try falling asleep, I dare you. That’s where lavender rolls in. Lavender is my all-time favorite oil; it smells incredible and can be used for just about anything. Lavender is most often

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

used for relaxation, inducing sleep and decreasing stress. I use lavender daily, and typically wear it as an all-natural perfume. Along with relaxation, Lavender is great for sunburns, eczema and cuts or scrapes.

Lastly, I don’t know about you, but I cannot and will not focus for more than 5 minutes when it comes to studying. There is a roller

bottle blend sold by Doterra that I absolutely swear by. It’s called Intune and it’s a blend of patchouli, frankincense, lime and sandalwood. When I roll this blend on the bottoms of my feet and the back of my neck, I swear I can study for hours. I find that it keeps me attentive and makes me feel more awake.

There you have it, essential oils

in a nutshell. Those are just my top three and trust me, it was very hard to narrow it down.

Whether are you trying to find a remedy for those headaches that sneak up on you halfway through class, or you are trying to find the proper study aid, there is a high chance that the perfect essential oil for you is out there waiting to be discovered.

OPINION • 17

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

TANZEEL SAYANI/PHOTO EDITOR

Multiple social media successes Using various platforms to follow multiple conversations

KURTIS RIDEOUT EDITOR IN CHIEF

As I type this, I am currently engaged in two separate, on-going conversations with my significant other, several multi-platform conversations with my colleagues and a never ending barrage of meme spamming with my friend Toby.

It’s a lot to think about sometimes.

Which platform should I give priority to? Do text messages trump all other forms of communication? Are emails the only official way to communicate? If it’s worth saying, isn’t worth eye contact, too?

These are all valid, important questions to ask when we are thinking about communication.

We have been bombarded — in the past 20 years or so — with so many different channels and platforms to communicate on that it has become an incredibly confusing landscape to navigate.

A lot of people probably find this phenomenon equal parts over-

whelming and confusing. I get that.

As someone who currently works in communications, I feel like I spend way too much time juggling various conversations across different platforms, which is mostly true.

I have taken it upon myself to create some sort of active game plan to deal with this problem as such and I would definitely encourage other people to do the same.

Getting your professional and social lives all tangled up can be the hugest headache. It’s almost the type of thing you can’t turn back from, so unless you want to

ruin social media for yourself for the rest of your days, I would try and keep the serious shit separate from the light-hearted stuff.

With that being said, if you have something heavy to say to someone, seek them out in a proper way.

While most situations aren’t pressing enough to denote an immediate phone call, it’s never really a good idea to relay important information to someone on social media and expect them to be on top of that sort of thing perpetually.

Maybe you like to live your life on the edge and you don’t care about this kind of thing at all. All I can say in response to that is, fair enough.

I can definitely see where that mindset is coming from. But in that case, I can also probably safely assume that you have never had to use Facebook for anything work related.

Regardless of the reason that you choose to be active on social media, it’s important to remember what these platforms are actually intended for at the end of the day, which is socializing.

If you get stressed out by your notifications, maybe its time to go rogue for a little bit and stay off the grid.

And if you are getting stressed out by notifications even without any obligation attached, it’s safe to say you aren’t well-suited for a career in communications.

At the end of the day though, so

many things revolve around proper communication. If you are ever going to be successful and make a good impression on your superiors, being on top of all communications is one of the best places to start, regardless of your field.

Yeah, ghosting people can feel pretty harmless and like an easy way to deal with things, but it’s a temporary fix — and it’s a hole that only gets deeper with time.

At the end of the day though, so many things revolve around proper communication.

One of the most important things to think about when you are communicating is how your words are perceived; more often than not, silence speaks volumes.

Just remember that memes should stay in the group chat you have with your friends.

Your boss doesn’t need to know how sickening your sense of humour is and — by god — if you are going to leave people on read all the time, prepare to look and feel like an ass.

18 •

Sports

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 SPORTS EDITOR PRANAV DESAI sports@thecord.ca

FOOTBALL

TANZEEL SAYANI/PHOTO EDITOR

Hawks survive hard fought battle, stay perfect DANIEL JOHNSON STAFF WRITER

The Golden Hawk football team improved their record to 2-0 after a 38-35 win against the Carleton Ravens.

The game started off with Laurier taking an early 14-0 lead against Carleton. The Hawks opening drive featured a 73-yard catch and run from Michael Knevel to Daniel Bennett and a Levondre Gordon touchdown run to end the drive.

Following that, Godfrey Onyeka blocked a punt to set up a Knevel touchdown through the air.

Laurier got off to a fast start and head coach, Michael Faulds reflected on that start and its importance.

“Had a great start, got up on them early. Second quarter wasn’t quite as good, had a really good third quarter, then fourth quarter wasn’t good,” Faulds said.

“So kind of the ebbs and flows of a football game like you expect and ultimately [I] just told the guys you won the football game so you got to be happy with that.”

The toughest fought wins can be the most rewarding and Carleton proved to be a worthy opponent.

When a punt is blocked, it steals field position and does well to set up the offence.

Godfrey Onyeka’s punt block did exactly that, which swung the momentum early in favor of the Golden Hawks.

“Godfrey’s got such long arms, he just stuck up his big arm and hand and blocked it and that was a big play because we went down and scored,” Faulds said.

Following the early lead, the game stalled and Carleton took new life. They pushed against the Hawks and managed to narrow the score to 19-14 Laurier, giving the ball to Michael Knevel and the Laurier offence with just over a minute left before half time.

Laurier drove the ball for a Nathan Mesher field goal and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches in traffic to set up a field goal and allow Laurier to take a 22-14 lead before the half.

Faulds regards Gittens Jr. as an

essential part of the offence: “He’s very dynamic, he’s tough.

Obviously, he’s got great speed but he’s very elusive. He’s a top-notch receiver.”

This game was definitely fun, definitely a touch of adversity and it tested what we can do on offense and defense.

-Levondre Gordon, running back

The two teams then went back and forth exchanging scores for much the second half. Featuring another touchdown run by Levondre Gordon, and three field goals

by Nathan Mesher.

All totaling for Laurier to hold on

in what proved to be a hard fought 38-35 win.

Quarterback Micheal Knevel lead the offense, distributing the ball for 373 yards and touchdown.

“He spread the ball down to multiple receivers, Curly, Brentan, Carson, Daniel Bennett. So he did a really good job spreading the ball around, there’s still a couple throws he’d love to have back but I was happy with our balanced attack,” Faulds said.

On the other side of the ball, Isaiah Guzylak-Messam was the beneficiary of Laurier’s only interception. It came at a critical point in the third quarter and lead to a field goal. Guzylak-Messam read the play and made an incredible break on the ball.

“I just said we just got to make a play, somebody’s got to make a play. We didn’t make a play all game, we didn’t get a turnover, not many stops. We just needed to make a play and it happened to go to me,” said Isaiah.

Levondre Gordon kept the offense balanced and lead Laurier’s

rushing attack. His speed and vision helped him rush for 208 yards and two touchdowns on 27 attempts.

One of the most dangerous players in the OUA with the ball in his hand, Gordon displayed his vision to find cutback lanes and his speed to climb into the second level of a defense and take off.

The toughest fought wins can be the most rewarding and Carleton proved to be a worthy opponent.

Not all wins are pretty and for Levondre Gordon, the grind against a strong defense for 60 minutes shows a team what they are good at and more importantly what needs to get better.

“This game was definitely fun, definitely a touch of adversity and it tested what we can do on offense and defense. Showing us where our areas are and where to correct the mistakes. We should be good for next weekend and come back with another win next week,” Gordon said.

The Golden Hawk football team travels to Kingston next Saturday to take on the Queens Golden Gaels.

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SPORTS • 19

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 MEN’S BASKETBALL

Eight fresh faces for the fresh new season PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

The basketball season is just two weeks away and as the date draws closer, Wilfrid Laurier Univeristy’s men’s team looks to finalize their roster for the new season.

The team had an up and down season last year.

Although they had a promising first half of the season, the inconsistencies and growing pains really started to show during the second half.

After losing a few players, the Hawks went out and added eight new faces to the roster.

The recruiting process isn’t easy, as teams have to look out for much more than talent while they are scouting.

Head coach, Justin Serresse outlined the value of intangibles and the off-the-court aspects that the coaching staff look for in new recruits.

“We look at who they are as a person. Are they hard working? Are they nice people? When I talk to the person is it awkward?, he said.

“So we look at intangibles, non-basketball related things. On the court, it really depends on their position and how they are going to fit in our system. I always say when I recruit a player, I want to have a

TANZEEL SAYANI/FILE PHOTO

vision for them. I want to build a project with them.”

“After that, basketball-wise is all the same. That’s the one thing I do differently than everyone else. At the end of the day, I have to spend years with somebody that I like and they have to like me for us to spend hours on the court,” Serresse added.

“It was really just that,” Serresse said, “trying to get a good core at each position, and raise the competition. Three guys at each position means they all have to fight for

minutes.”

Adding eight new players to any team can make it difficult for the coaches and players. There’s a natural adjustment period which can cause chemistry issues, especially in the first few games.

However, Serresse pointed out that the Hawks aren’t just building for this year.

“I’m expecting an adjustment period. If that means a slow start, then yes that may happen. I think it will take a while for us to get where we

BASEBALL

Living up to expectations PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

Following another deep playoff run, the Wilfrid Laurier University men’s baseball team has started their season on fire.

After splitting the opening two games against Queen’s, the Hawks demolished McMaster in their double header on Sunday, winning both games by a combined score of 20-2.

TANZEEL SAYANI/FILE PHOTO

With the amount of talent and experience on this team, there is no reason the Hawks can’t at least go as far as they did last year.

This is coach Scott Ballantyne’s tenth year in charge of the Hawks and he has accomplished as much as one possibly can.

He has had an extremely suc-

cessful career, capped off with an OUA championship in 2013.

The Hawks’ 2016 season ended on a sour note, as they were knocked out by Guelph.

Winning three out of four games to start the season should help the Hawks forget about last season and build for a deeper run this year.

The Hawks have consistently made the playoffs under Ballantyne.

It’s easy to think that motivation is hard to come by for a team that is so successful year after year, but it seems as if this team gets better continously better.

Although it is a cliché, this is a team that takes it one game at a time.

There is a perfect mix of youngsters and veterans and that has been put on display through the opening four games of the season.

With the amount of talent and experience on this team, there is no reason the Hawks can’t at least go as far as they did last year.

It will be interesting to see how they deal with the natural pressure that comes with these high expectations.

The Hawks are back in action on Saturday as they take on the Guelph Gryphons in a double header.

The games should be exciting to say the least, as revenge will definitely be on the cards for the Hawks.

want to be as a team,” Serresse said.

“It’s expected with eight new players and a lot of second-year players getting a lot of minutes.

We’re doing a pretty good job so far. I’m more so excited for the years to come. I know this year is going to be a work in progress.”

Out of the eight new recruits, there are six forwards and two guards. This makes a lot of sense for the Hawks as they had strong guard play throughout the season.

The front court is where the

Hawks were often out-matched and the six new forwards should help the Hawks strengthen that area.

“We try to get the most balanced roster possible. We were trying to get three players at each position.

We basically have that right now.”

“It was really just that,” Serresse said, “trying to get a good core at each position, and raise the competition. Three guys at each position means they all have to fight for minutes.”

This will now be coach Serresse’s second year with the Hawks.

There should be a greater familiarity within the team and as the new recruits get acclimated to the system, the team chemistry will only get better.

Serresse stressed a realistic approach going into his second year.

“I’m never the type of guy to be over confident going into any situation. I just go with hard work. I’m more realistic. I know we’re young.

The expectations have changed, but I’m excited just as much as I was last,” he said.

“It’s a new season, a new challenge. I’m more comfortable with the school and being a head coach.

But there’s still a lot of work to do.

I can’t wait to get started with the games. It’s a lot of practicing, it’s slow. I just can’t wait till the first game of the regular season.”

20 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Golden Hawks sweep series against York Laurier continues to have a very strong start to the season and show strong defense playing Lions ABDULHAMID IBRAHIM LEAD SPORTS REPORTER

Coming off their first win of the season — 1-0 versus York on Sept.

3 — the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks women’s soccer team were looking to complete the sweep this past Friday on home turf at University Stadium.

Laurier started out the game playing with pace, managing to continuously keep the ball in their possession and on the Lions’ side of the field for much of the first half.

Although they had possession for as much as they did, Laurier was incapable of creating much opportunity for themselves to score, with York showing their ability to defend the box and their goal well.

“First half, I think that the other team defended very well, they got a lot of numbers behind the ball and made it compact in front of the goal, so while we got the ball into those areas, they had numbers behind the ball regularly, so it was tough,” Head coach, Barry MacLean said.

York had even less to show for offensively as their time on Laurier’s side of the field was scarce.

They did not show much ability to create any opportunity for themselves to have a chance of scoring.

Both teams playing strong de-

Second half, I thought we had more of a threat when Maxine came on, she gave us a little bit of time and that made the difference...

-Barry MacLean, head coach

LUKE SARAZIN/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

fensively — but not having much to show for on offence — would turn out to be the story of the first half of the game.

“Both teams that were playing today are possession type teams and I thought we controlled the ball coming out of the back very well,” MacLean said.

“But we didn’t really penetrate or hurt them in the first half, although we did have a lot of the

ball.”

The second half would quickly turn out to be a completely different story from the first.

Laurier got to work fast, as they started out the first few minutes creating multiple chances of scoring. Then came minute 52, when the breakthrough finally came.

Pauline McCordic opened up the scoring for Laurier with a header off an assist from Nicole Lyon for

her first goal of the year.

Then would follow Maxine Murchie, who broke away from her defender into the clear to get by York goalie, Tamara Orlando, with ease and score, with the assist from Emily Tamburro, to bring Laurier’s lead to 2-0.

Coming off the bench for Laurier after missing a game, she wasted no time showing off her offensive prowess.

“Second half, I thought we had more of a threat when Maxine came on, she gave us a little bit of time and that made the difference to stretch the game a bit more for us.”

From there on, the Golden Hawks allowed their strong defensive play get them through the rest of the way.

They held York from scoring for the second game in a row.

Asked about his team’s ability to defend in this game, Coach MacLean said the following: “Better than we have [been]. We still have some failings defensively and we’ve got to work on those.

“We’re getting better though, we’re getting a little bit better positionally, we’re getting a little bit better in transition and reacting to that, so yeah, I was happy today.”

WOMEN’S RUGBY

New coach, new swagger Women’s rugby team announces the hiring of head coach PRANAV DESAI SPORTS EDITOR

The women’s rugby team recently announced Brian Quistberg as their new head coach.

Quistberg has tons of experience with rugby as a player and coach and this move shows the ambition of the women’s rugby program at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Quistberg has witnessed a lot of success throughout his career and he will bring a winning mentality to this Hawks team.

He discussed his insight towards rugby in a recent interview.

“The vast majority of coaches that I know were once players. It’s fairly rare that a coach at whatever level hasn’t played themselves.

One of the neat things about rugby is that at a world level, they are not afraid to make changes that make sense,” he said.

Rugby is a game that has evolved quite a bit over the years and Quistberg has been around long enough to see most of these changes. He mentioned that the unity of this team makes it a special group.

“They’re working really hard in practice, and they are a very coachable group of girls. We’re also having a lot of fun. Hopefully that shows on the pitch.”

Quistberg’s debut as the Golden Hawks head coach went very well, as his team was able to pull off a 29-25 victory against the University of Toronto in the season opener.

Every game is important in rugby due to the condensed length of the regular season.

Right now there’s a big growth in women’s rugby at Laurier because our girls are ranked so high nationally.

-Brian Quistberg, head coach

Quistberg stressed the importance of an opening day win.

“It is very important to get that first victory. That game was very strange in that we played well for small periods of time, and then we would make a defensive error and allow U of T to get back into it,” he said.

“We were dominating with the forwards and yet not coming away with the ball. We need to make that adjustment and if we didn’t have that problem we would’ve won more easily,” he said.

It was a good showing from the Hawks in the opener and it looks like the team is taking steps in the right direction after missing out on the playoffs last year.

The team should gain popularity as it continues to improve and rugby as a sport in general is on the rise in Canada.

“Right now, there’s a big growth in women’s rugby at Laurier because our girls are ranked so high nationally,” Quistberg said.

“There’s an opportunity to play in the Olympics, to play at a higher level and that’s attracting more athletes.”

“It is also one of the few sports that girls get to have full contact, so that also helps,” he added.

“I think the girls are very keen.

We have about 32 girls and we would be interested in about five or six more joining the team. There’s a good camaraderie amongst the team.”

Next up, the Hawks will face off against the Brock Badgers, as they look to stay perfect in what looks to be an exciting matchup.

JESS DIK/FILE PHOTO