DINING HALL IN QUESTION
PROVIDING SUPPORT
LIL DEBBIE AT STARLIGHT
COMING TO TERMS
LOSING GRASP OF GOLD
Posts of bugs in food spark concern
How to respond to survivors of sexual violence
Mesh shirts, marijuana and beats
A close look at living with an eating disorder
Men’s curling out of U Sports Championships
News, page 6
Features, page 8
Arts & Life, page 10
Opinion, page 14
Sports, page 20 PAIGE BUSH/PHOTO EDITOR
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
VOCAL CORD
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
“Cross something off my bucket list.” –Leja Franjic, second-year sociology
“To get an International Internship with the United Nations.” – Fitesa Osdautaj, fourth-year criminology
PAIGE BUSH/PHOTO EDITOR
Approximately 12,000 people gathered on Ezra Avenue to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Friday. 208 charges were laid by police, 11 were criminal offences.
Dear Life “For my favourite prof Robert McLeman to came back from Ireland by the end of the year.” -Niki Samya, fourthyear environmental science
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 Roommate’s boyfriend, Can you please explain to me why it’s funny to leave an ISIS joke on our whiteboard when you leave for the weekend? I sincerely don’t understand the humour. Sincerely, Terrorists are hilarious, apparently
“To pass all my classes.” Jane Kwan, second-year business administration Compiled by Nathalie Bouchard Photos by Marco Pedri
NEXT ISSUE MARCH 29, 2017
CORD STAFF
Dear Life, My mental illness prevents me from feeling accomplished at anything. No matter what, I’ll never be good enough for my own mind. That’s not something everyone experiences and I hate being reduced to that. Wanting to die because I got an 85% instead
FEATURES EDITOR Mitchell Consky features@thecord.ca
LEAD REPORTER Nathalie Bouchard news@thecord.ca
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Manjot Bhullar arts@thecord.ca
LEAD SPORTS REPORTER Pranav Desai sports@thecord.ca
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bethany Bowles editor@thecord.ca
OPINION EDITOR Madeline McInnis opinion@thecord.ca
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Will Huang creative@thecord.ca
SPORTS EDITOR Rob Fifield sports@thecord.ca
WEB DIRECTOR Brian Phillips online@thecord.ca
GRAPHICS EDITOR Fani Hsieh graphics@thecord.ca
SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Kaitlyn Severin news@thecord.ca
PHOTO EDITOR Paige Bush photos@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR Safina Husein news@thecord.ca
ONLINE EDITOR Andreas Patsiaouros online@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR Shyenne MacDonald news@thecord.ca
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LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Marco Pedri photos@thecord.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Emi Zibaei photos@thecord.ca SENIOR COPY EDITOR Christian Paron copyeditor@thecord.ca SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Brittany Ditizio socialmedia@thecord.ca
of a 90% isn’t healthy. What’s even more unhealthy is other people belittling my experiences because I got an 85%. Yes, it’s a great mark, I know that. It’s not good enough, and you’re making me feel worse. You’re not helping. Sincerely, Drained Dear Life, Is it too late to drop out and be a professional horse archer? Sincerely, Seriously considering Dear Life, It just hit me that I’m going to have to deal with my feelings over the summer instead of just writing Dear Lifes about them. That’s a scary thought. Sincerely, Keep publishing and validating me please Dear David Millard Haskell, prof at Laurier Brantford, What a pompus ass hat you are sir. What a disservice it is to know you exist. I loved the part in your article where you imply that all these students are children. When you
CONTRIBUTORS
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Victoria Panacci Qaio Liu Luke Sarazin Karlis Wilde Philip Su Simran Dhaliwal Alan Li Chris Luciantonio Diane Taylor Carter McAuley Selena Piro Chrissy DiBiasio Alexandra Juraschka Ayesha Ferdaous
“Eating disorder in a calorie counting age” by Shyenne MacDonald “Kevin O’Leary visits WLU” by Karlis Wilde
in fact, are acting like a bitter old man. Then again looking at your academic interest and focus on religion, I am not surprised. You also seemed to gloss over the fact that the speech was set for International Women’s Day, making the speaker a very poor choice. I’m sure you just managed to forget this. Yeah, oops. How you managed to become a prof at a Laurier campus will forever astound me now. Sincerely, I’m very glad you dont teach in Waterloo Dear Life, Do yourself a favour and date a feminist. Sincerely, The lucky one Dear Life, The light of my soul, the glow of my face. The joy of my life, the essence of my grace. The peace of my mind, the cheer in my heart. The one without which, I cannot stand to part. The person whom with my heart does lay,
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PREAMBLE The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy. The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to
I am grateful for you beyond what words can say. Thank you for blessing me with the people I am fortunate enough to call family. Sincerely, The Luckiest Girl in the World Dear The Cord, When did you guys become more concerned about appeasing every single group on campus and less about pushing out hard-hitting, investigative articles? I miss the days when The Cord would challenge, disrupt and push back against the popular opinion. Instead, I read article after article that are CLEARLY afraid to piss off the wrong people. That’s not journalism, guys. That’s not even media... it’s just blogging. Sincerely, My tuition pays for your shitty publication. Dear “My Tuition Pays For Your Shitty Publication” Thanks for holding us accountable. I promise you, people are pissed off. Sincerely, Ugh.
reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff. The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate. The Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the student body. The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper.
Quote of the week: “What else would you call someone wearing multiple watches?” - Arts & Life Editor Manjot Bhullar RE: calling people “drug dealers”
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
News
• 3 SENIOR NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR SAFINA HUSEIN news@thecord.ca
NEWS EDITOR SHYENNE MACDONALD news@thecord.ca
events
St. Patrick’s Day brings thousands to Waterloo Over 12,000 students came out to Ezra Street to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day festivities NATHALIE BOUCHARD LEAD REPORTER
This year’s St. Patrick’s Day had crowds ranging from 12,000-15,000 people throughout the day. The surrounding corridors of Ezra Avenue, Bricker Avenue, Clayfield Avenue and Albert Street had the most traffic. The St. Patrick’s Day events that take place within the Wilfrid Laurier University community are notorious for their outlandish festivities and this year was no different. The events that took place on Ezra this year involved months of planning from the Waterloo Regional Police Service and community stake holders. “It was a very busy day in the sense of there’s a lot of planning and operational planning and coordinated resources over the course of the day. The operations started at about 8:00 in the morning and really last up until 3:00-3:30 in the morning the next day,” WRPS police chief, Bryan Larkin, said. According to Larkin, there were 208 charges pressed in total — 11 of those being criminal offences. “We laid about 208 charges, 11 of those are criminal and a balance of those are provincial offences and the majority of 197 were really related to liquor violations,” Larkin said. “With the majority [of the
PAIGE BUSH/PHOTO EDITOR
According to WRPS, in total, 208 charges were pressed on St. Patrick’s Day, 11 of those being criminal offences.
charges] being consuming alcohol in a public place as well as several public intoxication tickets and then some bylaw offences, public fouling and a couple of traffic offences, a couple of minor trespassing on private property charges,” Larkin concluded. Although St. Patrick’s Day is famous for the sea of green that takes over Ezra Street, Larkin believed that although there were arrests, the day could have went a lot worse. “In and around the university
district we had four arrests, which when you put it [into] perspective [are] fairly relatively acceptable numbers. Our goal is not to have to arrest anyone and that people would be respectful, but for the most part I think we accomplished what we set out to do,” Larkin said. “What’s concerning is the amount of injuries and medical related calls that the paramedics had to address and deal with the impact of our local emergency rooms and hospitals are affected, but again, you bring that many
people together there are challenges and issues,” Larkin said. In addition to the criminal charges, as reported by CTV Kitchener, there were three charges of assault, two charges of an offensive weapon, two charges of drug possession and one charge of impaired driving. According to Larkin, there was one reported complaint of sexual assault the WRPS are investigating. “What worries me is the amount of drinking that goes on and people make decisions that are not
necessarily appropriate … people prey on the vulnerable. They see someone that appears intoxicated or inebriated and people get taken advantage of,” Larkin explained. Larkin also explained that alcohol consumption is at the forefront of major issues during the St. Patrick’s Day festivities, as well as it is a major issue for the university culture in general. “I’m still very concerned about the binge drinking that occurs during this event. It’s worrisome and I think that moving forward from a public health and public education perspective, we can ensure that the festival goers are healthy because it’s an unhealthy approach [to binge drink],” Larkin said. “We [as a community] have to recognize that [in] a democratic society, these events happen and people gather and people congregate and I think one of our roles as a police service is to ensure and control crowd management and make sure things our contained.” Tyler Van Herzele, president of the Wilfrid Laurier Students’ Union, offered the following written statement: “As students of Laurier, it is our responsibility to treat our neighbourhoods and each other with respect and this includes the guests we bring onto campus. There will be a lot to debrief with our university and city partners about the successes and problems with what happened.”
CULTURE
Sikh Student Association hosts Turban Up event SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS EDITOR
Turban Up, an event held by Wilfrid Laurier University’s Sikh Student Association (SSA), took place in the Concourse this past Monday. The event, which has been held at Laurier for the past two years, encourages staff, faculty and students to learn more about Sikh culture and why Sikh individuals wear turbans. In order to do so, individuals were able to come to the event and not only ask members of SSA questions about Sikhism and the significance of the turban, but also get the opportunity to wear a turban for the day. “Even out in public, in class, anywhere you go — you might see someone with a turban but you might be hesitant to go and ask them why they tie a turban. You want to avoid that awkward
situation or you don’t want the other person to be offended,” said Jaskeerat Singh Gill, president of Laurier’s SSA. “It’s an open environment; anyone can come and ask questions about the turban and significance about what Sikhism is.” Turban Up was created in 2012 by a student at University of Waterloo, Sehaj Singh, who had reportedly experienced acts of racism simply because he wore a turban. “He was actually at McDonalds. Somebody threw a McDonalds cup at him and said some racial slurs at him about his turban and he was shook about why someone was saying this to him [sic],” Gill said. The incident forced Singh to think about why some individuals feel hatred or are ignorant towards Sikhs who wear turbans. Singh created the Turban Up event in order to focus on the stigma surrounding Sikhism and start important con-
versations. The Turban Up event is now held at universities across Ontario every March, including their largest event held in Toronto’s Dundas Square. Turban Up also leads into various other related events that are held during Sikh Heritage month in April. Gill explained that Laurier students come from numerous backgrounds, but he noticed in first-year that many of his peers did not know about Sikh culture or why he wore a turban. “We started that conversation and that was the first time they had heard the word Sikh; they learned a lot about me just in that one conversation. I also started thinking that it’s crazy how many people have never seen or interacted with a Sikh, so it’s really important for us to create these events,” he said. As well, the event provided
MADELINE MCINNIS/OPINION EDITOR
The annual event encourages individuals to learn more about Sikh culture.
a positive way to bring forward cultural awareness and diversity on campus. Gill explained that the event is a way to combat or eliminate ignorance and hate through starting conversation. “We’re here at a university to learn and expand our knowledge and expand our minds and cultural awareness endeavours
are so important — especially in such a diverse nation like Canada. Right now, it’s really important,” Gill said. “Sometimes people are afraid that if you put on an event like this you might fight some resistance or you might get some haters, but we’ve been getting nothing but love.”
4 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
CHARITY
CATWALKING FOR CANCER VICTORIA PANACCI/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
NATHALIE BOUCHARD LEAD REPORTER
On March 19, the Wilfrid Laurier University Fashion and Lifestyle Society hosted its seventh annual Answer to Cancer Fashion Show in support of The Canadian Cancer Society. The Turret was transformed into a runway show with tickets available for purchase, catering was provided, as well as a silent auction with thousands of dollars in potential prizes. Community partners donated clothing for the runway show and silent auction prizes. Meg Kay, president of WLUFLS, explained how this annual show brings the community together for a good cause. “We’ve always been a fashion club and every year since the be-
ginning we’ve been doing a fashion show to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society,” Kay said. “[The fashion show is] a new fun thing that no one really does. It’s not just another bake sale in the Concourse — it’s something innovative and different.” The aim of the event is to get venders to contribute clothing for the models to showcase. This allows for additional community engagement and free publicity of their businesses. “We get a lot of local businesses involved and they’re featured in our show, which they donate so generously,” Kay said. “A lot of local businesses have a connection to cancer, so they’re willing to help and we couldn’t do it all by ourselves.” “The biggest thing we do is use all local conveners and we really
It’s not just another bake sale in the Concourse — it’s something innovative and different.
-Meg Kay, president of WLUFLS
depend on the student body. All of the models featured in our show are Laurier students [and] we’re really dependent on them and without them this show wouldn’t happen,” she explained. This community effort has allowed for a lot of growth over the
years, one of the major changes that WLUFLS implemented this year was having the event on campus in the Turret. In previous years, the event was held at Beta Nightclub. However, the venue closed earlier this year. In the end, having the event at Turret was more beneficial for the club in the long-run because of the additional funds that were saved by switching to the campus venue. “Before it used to be $2,400 to rent out Beta and it’s $700 for Turret. We can grow more, we can have better decorations, we can have better promo and we’ve started printing posters,” Kay said. In addition to their financial success, WLUFLS has also added an additional event that they hosted for the Laurier community Industry Night. Industry Night was
hosted by WLUFLS to have a meetand-greet with fashion bloggers, boutique owners and models. “We’ve received special funding from the Students’ Union to pay for Industry Night and because it’s a new event and went so successfully — 40-50 people showed up, which is a lot higher than expected.” “We’d like to continue Industry Night moving forward.” Kay also explained that although the club’s membership changes yearly, there is a culture with WLUFLS that keeps members wanting to get more involved. “[WLUFLS] have had basically all new models this year because many people graduated. Last year and a lot of members from previous years are now president and other executives. Membership is a big thing that has changed this year and continues to change yearly.”
ACADEMICS
More science in the summer SHYENNE MACDONALD NEWS EDITOR
FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR
A new course is being offered this summer at Wilfrid Laurier University. The course, named physics for medicine and biology, will be held by the department of physics and computer science and will be taught by Ioannis Haranas, adjunct assistant professor. This is the first time the course is being offered and will act as a test-run for a permanent addition to Laurier’s curriculum. “The course is in physics and how it applies to biology and medicine. Of course, this is a very wide field of application for physics … we’ll try to cover as much as possible,” Haranas said. “Though because this is only for two months, there’ll be only a few texts.” He continued to explain what students can expect from a course that intersects three fields of study. “When you examine fluid, and how they can be used to stimulate the circulatory system, that’s fluid dynamics.” “Fluid dynamics in relation to heart circulation. Then, when you
talk about neurons or cells or the membrane cells, that is more biology but with physics included.” Under the course’s description, which is available online or can be found around the school, information can be found which tells students in greater detail what they will be studying. “We will study the basic physics pertaining to medicine and biology. In particular, with reference to mechanics the transitional and rotational equilibrium will be introduced, with the forces of the heel and hip joint as clinical examples.” This is only a small portion of what students will be looking at. At the end of the study, students will focus their attention on x-rays and nuclear medicine, as well as their principals in biology and medicine. “The idea is to relate the physics programme, with more “catchy” courses.” “Therefore we decided to make this not only a course for physics students. There’s a big health science department here, we hope probably we’ll attract students from there,” he said. Haranas, along with the assis-
tance of professor and chair of physics and computer science, Chinh Hoang, has been working to get this class off the ground for some time. “Students, they want classes like this. They need the options,” Haranas said. Since the class is still in its infancy, there is room for it to grow. “If we’re successful [this summer], then maybe later we can have labs, or perhaps study at hospitals,” Haranas said, he expressed that with such an intersectional study, the possibilities were endless. The course does have a few class perquisites, students will have had to have taken PC 131 or 141. However, not 151 or 132, which is the classes listed on the course description flyers displayed around the school. “It will have departments it relates to later,” Haranas said, as he discussed the future for the class. “I expect many students from different science departments to come and take this course.” Although the future of the course is not concrete, Haranas claimed to be confident in its success. “If people learn, I’ll be happy.”
NEWS • 5
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017 POLITICS
Kevin O’Leary visits WLU KARLIS WILDE STAFF WRITER
On Monday afternoon, the Wilfrid Laurier University Conservatives, in conjunction with the University of Waterloo Conservatives, hosted a talk by Conservative leadership candidate, Kevin O’Leary. While it may have been due to a reinvigoration of young political involvement, or maybe to his intriguing celebrity status, the event was the biggest in the club’s history — their 830 registrations greatly exceeded the room’s capacity of roughly 300 people.
We will tolerate all ... because that’s who we are as a party, and that’s what Canada is, frankly.
-Kevin O’Leary, Conservative leadership candidate
“I feel like a Kevin O’Leary event just self-promotes,” said Charlie Beldman, president of the Lau-rier Conservatives. “It gets shared and shared.” The event began with a video onscreen, asking a deceptively complex question: Who is Kevin O’Leary? Currently, O’Leary is a candidate for leadership in the Conservative Party — although his views are rather atypical for the role. They’re based less on traditional conservative values and more on building an effective opposition to
the Trudeau government. O’Leary sees a need for innovation and, upon election of a populist figure like Donald Trump, he sees a governmental necessity to adapt. “That would have been an opportunity for a good manager, realizing the world had just changed under their feet, to pivot... Trudeau kept swimming like a lost salmon up the stream. More personal taxes, more corporate taxes, brand-new carbon tax, when it’s all going to the other direction south of the border,” O’Leary said in his speech. In this, O’Leary hinted at his own economic vision, by recognizing the need to accommodate a Trump presidency. However, he chooses to reject the oft-quoted, superficial idea of himself being ‘Canada’s Trump.’ “[W]e’ve both got notoriety and a big social media following with reality business television — I, in the case of Shark Tank, he in The Apprentice — but that’s where the similarities end. I’m half-Lebanese, half-Irish. If we had a wall around this country, I wouldn’t exist,” he said. Immigration was a topic that O’Leary spoke on at length, especially as a way to differentiate Canada from the U.S. He believes that less cumbersome, erratic policies in Canada will attract better specialized labour — especially in technology. “Coders, engineers from Iraq, Iran, Syria and many of the Middle-Eastern countries are legendary. Persian mathematicians created math thousands of years ago, and they still remain to this day some of the best engineers in artificial intelligence, robotics … all kinds of different disciplines.” “They’re going to go where
there’s a path of least resistance,” O’Leary said in his speech. There have often been qualms with O’Leary’s brash television personality — the boorish, money-hoarding ‘Kevin the Dragon’ he claimed to have retired upon entering the leadership race. “Canadians aren’t stupid; they know the difference between reali-
I’m half-Lebanese, half-Irish. If we had a wall around this country, I woudn’t exist.
-Kevin O’Leary, Conservative leadership candidate
ty television and policy.” “I mean, I know the Liberals are dragging out all the old clips, but it’s irrelevant …” Taking individual approaches on value-related issues, O’Leary noted that he sets himself apart by being a Conservative who isn’t especially socially conservative. “The party will not dictate morality…” he said. “I call myself a conservative expansionist. What’s going to happen here is we will tolerate all races, all religions, all cultures, all moral compasses, all beliefs — because that’s who we are as a party, and that’s what Canada is, frankly.” The culmination of his vision edged toward a conclusive, simple result, answering why a student of any political affiliation should support him and his movement.
GARRISON OOSTERHOF/VIDEO EDITOR
“To get a job. That’s basically it. The liberals have failed at growing the economy. Trudeau’s policies are punitive for job growth — it’s a huge issue — everybody should be given a fair chance, but Trudeau has failed on his mandate and everyone who’s graduated is figuring that out.” Continuously, to rousing applause, he bilingually iterated his perceived destiny, almost as a rallying cry: “Je suis le seul qui peut bat-
tre Justin Trudeau.” — “I am the only one who can defeat Justin Trudeau.” “I’m going help him find his true calling in life … it’s not running Canada.” To the many who were unable to get into the event, there are preliminary plans to bring O’Leary back. “If Kevin O’Leary is to win the leadership, we will likely have him again next year. We will sort that out with, hopefully, the Lazaridis School,” said Beldman.
SOCIAL INNOVATION
E(RACE)r work is reviewed after a year of action SHYENNE MACDONALD POSITION
“Until the philosophy that holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war.” These are the words that framed the e(RACE)r summit on race and racism on Canadian university campuses post-summit report. Above, Laura Mae Lindo, director of the Diversity and Equity Office, quoted the words of civil rights activist Bob Marley in a speech made at City Hall just weeks before. The summit was held at the Paul Martin Centre on Wilfrid Laurier University campus on Tuesday, one year after the e(RACE)r summit which was held on March 21, 2016. The post-Summit report had three speakers; Laura Mae Lindo, incoming president Deborah MacLatchy and Aboriginal Initiatives senior advisor, Jean Becker. As well in attendance was the office of
MPP, Catherine Fife. The post-summit report revisited the calls to action laid out in the previous year’s summit. “I think it’s really important that we keep this conversation going on and we reach a point where we have policies [at universities] that tell us this is not okay and racist behaviour is not okay,” Becker said. “We have to examine how this works and what is really going on, including looking at the power imbalance that allows racism to occur.” The post-summit report also initiated a sector-wide timeline to operationalize the calls to action. The work plan began on March 21 and won’t end until 2018 of the same day. The university also released a news statement at the event: “Laurier, through the Diversity and Equity Office, will focus this year on implementing a sector-wide anti-racism policy, as well as developing and delivering sector-wide, annual anti-racism training for senior administration
and faculty. “The university aims to launch a call for a sector-wide anti-racism task force at the e(RACE)r Summit being planned for 2018.” The news release also included the post-summit reports five calls to action. “The first step is establishing a sector-wide anti-racism task force to compile and analyze past and current reports on racism in post-secondary education,” read the statement. “The second call to action is developing and delivering sector-wide anti-racism training for senior administration on an annual basis.” “The third step will be developing and delivering sector-wide anti-racism training for faculty on an annual basis.” “The fourth step is building a sector-wide community of practice through an online portal that provides the post-secondary sector with anti-racism resource sharing, monthly updates on the status of race and racism on North Ameri-
can campuses and the promotion of promising practices in anti-racism education.” “The final step will be implementing a sector-wide anti-racism policy outlining accountability measures that ensure the sustainability of racial justice work in the post-secondary sector and the elimination of racism across all university and college campuses.” “I think that it was another strong sign of collaboration, inner-collaboration within the institution, but also partnerships outside,” Lindo said. Representatives of the Waterloo Regional Police Department were also in attendance at the post-Summit report. “Often, when we hear about instances of racism, they aren’t specific to just Laurier. They’re imbedded in the community of which Laurier students are apart of, so we’re hoping to work closely with our community partners,” Humera Javed, education and inclusions coordinator, said. “There has to be sector wide and
community wide support to do the work. Because racism is systemic nature, one of the ways we are trying to do our work creatively and differently is also engaging people who are doing the work outside the school and in the community.” There are a total of 19 universities that took part in the inaugural summit. They last met in 2016 to speak about the nature of racism in the post-secondary sector and to grapple with both its root causes and potential approaches to racial justice work. The post-summit report served as an opportunity to provide an overview of the conversations that led to the five calls to action. As well, a reminder that there was still a lot of work to be done. “It’s an important point in the development of real work being done to counter racism on university campuses … In the way the summit was approached, involving 19 other institutions, was quite a ground-breaking event,” Becker said.
6 • NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
HEALTH
RECOGNITION
Investigating food services Students voice concerns over meals served in Dining Hall SAFINA HUSEIN NEWS EDITOR
Various pictures posted on social media platforms have surfaced in the past months, portraying items including various insects, allegedly found in food from Wilfrid Laurier University’s Fresh Food Co. Dining Hall. Specifically, numerous pictures were anonymously posted on Spotted at Laurier’s Twitter account. The posts portrayed bugs that were supposedly found by students in food bought at the Dining Hall. According to the Region of Waterloo website, a health inspection took place at Laurier’s Fresh Food Co. Dining Hall this past March 17. As per the inspection, the dining hall was found satisfactory. The online inspection detailed one critical infraction and two non-critical infractions. The critical infraction was found under “food protected from potential contamination and adulteration.” The infraction stated that “displayed food must be enclosed in a manner to prevent contamination.” The critical in-
fraction was reported to have been corrected during the inspection. Non-critical infractions included ensuring that “all surfaces are clean and maintained in good repair” and ensuring that “food contact surfaces are washed/ rinsed/sanitized after each use and following any operations when contamination may have occurred.” Both non-critical infractions were also stated to have been corrected during inspection. Laurier Food Service released the following statement to The Cord in regards to the numerous student complaints on social media: “Serving safe, nutritious and quality food is our top priority as we work to deliver great experiences for our customers. If our guests have an experience that does not meet their expectations, we encourage them to speak immediately to our management team to address their concerns. While feedback may be received from anonymous sources, we encourage customers to contact us directly so we can quickly address concerns
and provide a resolution. If we do not hear directly from the customer, we are unable to adequately validate or address the feedback,” it read. “Please note that internal investigations are completed to review and assess our current operations to ensure a safe and satisfying dining experience. Our investigations begin with the immediate inspection of our products and processes with immediate corrective action taken if necessary. Our next step is to reach out to the Region of Waterloo Public Health to conduct an external investigation to ensure transparency. The Region of Waterloo Public Health was on campus on March 17 and the food safety inspection was satisfactory.” “We also notify our food suppliers of any concerns to ensure the safety and quality of our products. We value our customers’ feedback and utilize customer comments and suggestions to further enhance our services on campus. In addition to speaking to our team, guests can also provide feedback by visiting yourdiningvoice.com.”
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QAIO LIU/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Faculty recognized with CMW award KAITLYN SEVERIN SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
The Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener-Waterloo, a local organization which aims to enhance communication and understanding between Muslim and other communities through work-shops and interactive community forums, recognized two Wilfrid Laurier University faculty members with the Women Who Inspire Awards. One of the recipients of this award is Hind Al-Abadleh, an associate professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry. The second recipient is Selda Sezen, an adjunct faculty at the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and a PhD candidate at the university. Originally from Turkey, Sezen was awarded and honoured with an inspiring leadership award from the organization. Sezen has worked at Algonquin College as an educator and acted as a director of a community learning centre. She helped to establish children and youth programs and spiritual spaces for women and organized inter-faith and inter-cultural events during her time in Ottawa. Sezen now works at the Delton Glebe Counselling Centre, as well as a spiritual care provider and chaplain at the Grand Valley Institution for Women. She is also the president of the Canadian Muslim Research and Resource Centre and an outreach coordinator for the Intercultural Dialogue Institute, Kitchener-Waterloo chapter. “I am deeply honoured with an Inspiring Leadership Award and grateful to be recognized with my contribution to the well-being of the K-W community,” Sezen said in an email statement. “I have been engaged and active in the Muslim and larger communities of Kitchener-Waterloo since 2012 as a researcher and teacher at Laurier and spiritual care provider and psychotherapist in several institutions of the Waterloo Region. I express my sincerest thanks to my community for their support and to Coalition of Muslim Women K-W committee for their recognition while accepting this award for all women who inspire and nurture many lives without expecting any recognition.” Al-Abadleh was recognized for her professional excellence both at Laurier and in the K-W region. As an active member of the
community, Al-Abadleh engages in inter-faith panels aimed at increasing awareness of the science behind climate and environmental problems, as well as how the role of faith formulates a values-based response to this crisis. She works with senior groups, youth groups and churches in K-W and the GTA. Al-Abadleh also noted how educating students, as well as the general public, about environmental issues is significant to how we can begin to solve these problems for future generations. As a participant in environmental research, Al-Abadleh felt it was her responsibility to make sure that accurate scientific information is made public through community engagement. “I feel we have this new generation, the millennial generation, who came into this world … not experiencing the ozone loss and for them to actually be aware that you know that we actually experience environmental crisis in the past and we were able to solve them when communities came together and understood that science can help solve the problem.” Al-Abadleh also uses her teachings of climate change and environmental issues in relation to faith and religion. Al-Abadleh believes that faith used as a tool can make individuals accountable for their actions. “Accountability comes easy to people of faith because they have been raised with the fact that they are accountable to some higher power,” Al-Abadleh explained. The awards were held at the CMA’s recognition dinner last Saturday at The Family Centre. The recognition dinner paid tribute to Muslim women in the K-W region who have made outstanding contributions to the community. The Honourable Maryam Monsef, MP for Peterborough-Kawartha and the minister of Status of Women, delivered a keynote speech to the audience. Guests included minister of Small Business and Tourism and Waterloo MP, Bardish Chagger, mayor for the City of Kitchener, Berry Vrbanovic, as well as several MP’s and politicians from across the province. “It was a beautiful community gathering not only [for] Muslims but [for] everybody who supports this community, who loves this community and wants to see this community thrive and flourish,” Al-Abadleh said.
GAMES • 7
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017 SUDOKU
WORD SEARCH
BLEM
GLOW
PASSIONFRUIT
DRAKE
GYALCHESTER
SACRIFICES
FAKE LOVE
LOSE YOU
FREE SMOKE
MORE LIFE
SPOT THE ANDY
WE ONLY HAVE ONE ISSUE LEFT. CUE PANIC. THECORD.CA
8 •
FEATU
FEATURES EDITOR/MITCHELL CONSKY/FEATURES@THECORD.CA
P
icture someone you love. It could be anyone — a friend, a family member, a co-worker. Now picture that person telling you that they’ve been sexually assaulted. How would you react? You may think you have a very clear picture in your head of how you would react to a loved one disclosing to you that they’ve experienced sexual violence, but the truth is, no matter how much you may know yourself, you can’t really predict what you would do when emotions and instincts take over. You also can’t predict what that person may need from you in that very moment. What you may find to be an ideal response could actually instigate more harm to a survivor. According to recent reporting by The Globe and Mail, 90 per cent of survivors of sexual assault don’t report their assault to the police. But does that mean that those 90 per cent aren’t speaking about it at all? We can assume that the answer is no. Many survivors confide in or seek advice from people close to them, people they can trust, people they love.
But for those people who are on the listening end, there is no textbook definition for how to help someone who has gone through a significant traumatic event. And with every act of sexual violence being so different and circumstantial, there is no correct clear-cut answer for how to be there for someone, only mere suggestions. Last year, the Assessment Working Group of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Gendered Violence Task Force conducted the 2016 Campus Safety Survey: perceptions and experiences with gendered and sexual violence to collect data about Laurier students and their experiences with sexual and gendered violence. The survey reached 2,899 Laurier students from the Waterloo, Kitchener and Brantford campuses. Of those surveyed, 91 per cent were undergraduate students and 73 per cent were female. Of the 2,899 students, 323 said they had experienced sexual violence and furthermore, 300 of those 323 provided more information about their experience with sexual violence. 66 per cent
said they had told friends or peers, 19 per cent told romantic partners, 11 per cent told family members and 26 per cent told no one. Only two per cent (seven students) reported the incident using the university procedures that were in place prior to the sexual violence policy and procedure that was implemented in December 2016. The top five reasons for not reporting were: not thinking it was serious enough, it wasn’t clear whether or not the offender intended to harm, the survivor wanted to forget that it happened, the survivor felt that there was lack of proof that it happened or they felt ashamed or embarrassed. According to the data, students are more likely to disclose sexual assault to someone close to them, rather than someone in an authoritative role. When someone discloses to you, they are trusting you and while support may seem like an easy and natural concept, there are approaches that you can take when offering support which may be more comforting or healing than others.
URES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017 • 9
Listen and Validate “How you respond to a survivor has an impact on how they feel about their experience and on their healing journey or path,” said Lynn Kane, manager of gendered violence prevention and support at Laurier. “I think the most important thing to do when someone discloses [to you that they have experienced sexual violence] is to first and foremost listen. And then the second piece is then to validate, so tell them you believe them and to tell them that it’s not their fault.” While it may feel natural to bombard your loved one with questions, try not to push them to tell more than they feel comfortable telling. Listen to the words they are saying, as opposed to asking or suggesting. Your response should be that you believe them and that their trauma is valid. “We know that one of the top reasons people don’t come forward is because they didn’t think it was serious enough or that they didn’t think there was proof, so I think part of that comes with a sense of shame and stigma. So, letting someone know that it wasn’t their fault, that they’re not to blame, is a really important way to counter that feeling,” Kane said.
“Why” questions “Why” questions can look like this: Why did you drink so much? Why were you alone with him? Why did you walk home by yourself? “Why” questions can imply that they could have done something to stop the violence. “And “why” questions might come from a place of reflecting on what you might have done in that experience so you might ask someone why they didn’t do what you think you would have done. But, in reality, the truth is no one knows what they would have done in this scenario and that regardless of the answer to any particular “why” question, it makes no difference because it’s not [the survivor’s] fault,” Kane said. “No “why” question is going to make it clear why someone would assault someone else and all it’s going to do is imply that they could have done something that could have prevented that assault.” Asking “why” questions can seem natural. You want to be able to place yourself in your friend’s shoes; you want to understand — so, in efforts to understand, we ask “why?” In these particular situations, these types of questions can be more harmful than supportive.
Putting yourself in their shoes We’ve all heard these ones: “If I were raped, I’d fight back, I’d scream, I’d run.” These hypothetical reactions uphold the idea of the “model survivor.” This person is someone who’s experienced sexual violence who fought their perpetrator. They put their perpetrator behind bars. They speak out against gendered violence. We put this kind of survivor on a pedestal for being brave. But, in reality, a lot of people don’t respond this way. When faced with trauma, human beings respond with fight, flight or freeze. And freezing is a natural and common reaction.
“There’s a lot of assumptions, and I would call these assumptions myths, about how people would respond if they experienced sexual violence. And I think one of the most prominent myths is that someone would scream, shout, push someone off of them and say “no” really loudly,” Kane said. “Your neurobiology takes over and that’s the first reaction. It can seem counterintuitive, but a lot of times a freeze reaction is a reaction that keeps people safe. It means that you’re not aggravating the person that’s assaulting you. It’s automatic and it’s adaptive and there should be no shame in not doing the things that people think they would do in that situation.” It’s so important to realize that it’s okay to freeze. It’s okay for survivors to not want to be a spokesperson for gendered violence. It’s okay to not be the “model survivor.” If someone you love discloses to you that they’ve experienced sexual violence, but did not fight back in the traditional sense, they are still surviving, they are still brave. Validate the fact that they froze, because until it happens to you, you have no idea if you would fight, flight or freeze.
Encouraging police reports Since we were little, our parents have told us that if someone hurts you, you should tell a police officer. Even in school, we’re told we can trust the police and to have faith in the judicial system. That’s why, when a loved one tells you that they’ve experienced sexual violence, the right thing to do seems to be to tell them to go to the police. You may offer your assistance. You may tell them to put their coat on right then and there, get into my car, we’re going today. But, this can actually just add stress to the situation. “Sexual violence is an experience where someone’s choice and power has been taken away from them and so in providing a supportive response, you want to make sure that you’re empowering people with choice again and making them in control of their own experience,” Kane said. “Any kind of pushing someone toward a particular course of action further disempowers them and can leave them vulnerable.” Kane explained that there are several reasons why someone wouldn’t go to the police. Maybe they’ve had past experiences with police that have been negative. Maybe they’ve reported sexual violence before and don’t want to do it again. Also, the average person doesn’t know everything about the judicial system. You could be pushing your friend to report their assault without being aware of the process or the emotional consequences that may have. Pushing someone doesn’t acknowledge their agency or control — something they may feel like they don’t have a lot of. The truth is, you can’t make that decision for someone else — but you can help them weigh their options.
Overpromising When someone you love is hurting, it’s instinct to want to be a superhero for them. You want to make their pain go away and you want to be there for them. But, as much as you can offer your support, you’re never going to be able to change what happened. You can be beside them during their
healing process, but you can’t heal them yourself. “You want to make it all better,” Kane said. “So when you’re holding all that information and you’re not able to make it all better and you’re not able to even tell them that you’re able to make it all better, you’re carrying a heavy heavy weight and you need support for that too.” That’s when the double-ended dagger comes in to play. You feel the initial pain of being told that something horrible happened to someone you care about and then you feel a second stab of guilt for feeling upset. You want to be a rock for your friend, but you’re only human, too. You’re not being selfish. You’re not making it all about you. You’re allowed to feel pain because someone you love is in pain. That’s called empathy.
Self-care If the double-ended dagger hits, you may need to seek support as a loved one. Resources for those who have experienced sexual violence aren’t reserved just for survivors. There are places you can go, both on campus and in the community, to seek support about how to help loved ones who have disclosed to you that they have experienced sexual violence. “It’s important for people to know that receiving a disclosure and providing support can be really hard,” Kane said. “You can have experiences of vicarious trauma when you hear someone disclose to you an experience of their violence and it doesn’t detract from any of those services when someone who’s providing that help needs help themselves.” Laurier has a sexual violence support advocate on staff. Her name is Sarah Scanlon and her job is to create a space where survivors of sexual violence can be heard, believed and validated. All meetings with Scanlon are confidential. “What it does say in our policy and some of the language that I’d like people to know is that no evidence is needed in order to receive supports or accommodations,” Kane said. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you know or think the violence that you experienced was intentional and that there’s absolutely no time limit for seeking supports.” Seeking support isn’t the same as reporting it to the police. And while talking to a stranger about your own traumatic experience can be difficult, people in positions like Scanlon are trained and experienced with talking to survivors about their experiences. They’re on your team; they’re there to help you.
We’re taught when we’re little what to do if someone hurts us, but we’re not taught how to help someone we love when someone hurts them. We’re told that the judicial system is there to protect us, but then we hear in the Globe and Mail that almost one in five sexual assault complaints are dismissed by police forces across Canada. There is no textbook definition about how to react when someone you love tells you that they’ve experienced sexual violence, no script that you can read to make their pain go away. Supporting someone isn’t always easy and it’s okay to not know what to say — because sometimes, your friend just needs you to listen.
WILL HUANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
10 •
Arts & Life
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR MANJOT BHULLAR arts@thecord.ca
CONCERT
A bizarre night of beats, bars and blunts MANJOT BHULLAR ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
I, for some reason, cannot fully indulge in the experiences shared by white rappers in their music. Something about the music is a little too fabricated and gimmicky — regardless of their personal experiences being undoubtedly valid. And it was apparent that this past Monday night at Starlight was going to consist of predominately white hip hop artists. However, I still wanted to experience this side of the rap game. I wanted to at least give them a chance. And apparently so did the crowd of moms in the VIP area. Beginning the night, was Guelph rapper Robbie G, who despite his personal story about his struggle with the law, could be seen to have taken a couple pages out of the only white rapper to have really gotten the respect of the community, Eminem. “You get a little more nervous than you were if the shows already cookin’ — you have to be the one to start the party,” said Robbie G. The one song of his set that stood out the most was perhaps “Rock that Bitch,” which began sounding a bit like a demo of one headliner, Lil Debbie’s songs, but soon picked up pace and became a nice bop. Next up was Dog Bus, a party band from Waterloo that turned it all the way up. It was evident that the band drew out a large crowd
and made great use of the room. By mid-set, I punch-a-wall amped up on their heavy bass and instrumentals and not because I couldn’t understand a single lyric. Maybe it was the tightening of the crowd towards the stage, but during Dog Bus’ set, there were unique-looking fans rocking the latest ‘hype beat’ fashion which included numerous watches on their wrist. All I needed now was a fast-paced Azealia Banks rap on top of their beats and they would have won the night. Despite being a hard act to follow, Blaze 1 did try his best to engage the crowd, bringing onstage a hoard of girls who were eager to show off their mesh outfits. Nevertheless, that night they clearly made it. The group of girls stayed on stage when Demrick, the next artist, came out for his on this never-ending setlist. The show addressed marijuana culture several times and despite its illegality, multiple joints were being passed around the crowd from the artists which one concert go-er exclaimed tasted like cat shit. When the stage crew began to inflate a seven-foot tall Crown Royal bottle, I knew the next act was going to be lit. On came 1 TON from the group Potluck, and from their visuals, I instantly knew this set was going to be a trip. “I don’t come to Toronto to perform for you. I come to party with you,” he exclaimed to the crowd.
QIAO LIU/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Syrup being poured over pancakes, chickens running on a farm and hallucinogenic visuals made for a great supplement to songs such as “Hashtag,” which was an over-the-top, ridiculous exposé on
social media’s power over society. “You’ve got a fat black guy and Mexican DJ and a white lady headlining. That’s what hip hop’s all about,” said 1 TON. After nearly three hours of
openers, Lil Debbie finally took the stage and I wasn’t sure if my sore feet would still be able to enjoy the set — all I wanted to do was to go get a bacon cheeseburger poutine. I soon forgot about that when someone from the crowd tossed a lit joint at the five-foot-three rapper. Although a little gimmicky, her songs were still a good bop, getting me to finally shuffle from the outskirts of the concert room closer to the stage. Truth be told, I didn’t know every word to every song, but it didn’t matter — everyone was transported to a nightclub party as it seemed, as little dance circles formed and new love was sprouting from the seams of drunk twenty-somethings grinding to Debbie’s fun lyrics. Out of all the songs, the crowd’s reactions to her first release Queen D EP was undeniable. Even for a newer fan, such as myself, I was surprised at the current sound of the EP despite being released over three years ago. “Ya I love you guys, I do. With that being said, we got two more songs — let’s bang this shit out,” she yelled. I was, however, let down by the fact that she was only able to perform about the same number of songs as the openers for the night. But all in all, for what it was, I enjoyed myself in a line-up of predominately white hip hop artists. I left Starlight with the knowledge that I could get down to and support the music regardless of race.
WRITING
LAURIER WRITING TAKES FLIGHT
FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR
DIANE OLIVIA TAYLOR CORD ARTS
Taking Flight Night is the first annual reading night for the English Students Association where winners of a writing contest got the opportunity to read their work aloud. “At one time, it was just an
English club run solely by one individual until the [undergraduate] arts society decided to make it run more efficiently by adding a marketing, events and finance teams,” said Manreet Lachhar, covice president of the ESA. The event featured the Edna Staebler Writer in Residence Ashley Little as the master of cere-
monies for the evening along with English professor Jenny Keber and Lachhar. “A Writer in Residence or a WIR is a published author who moves onto campus by an application process,” said Lachhar. Little was the first to read her newest short story The Plaza. She is a Canadian author of both adult
and youth fiction, born in Calgary, attending the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia. Taking Flight Night is important to give students a break from all the academic writing they do for school and work on their craft, have fun, mingle and make connections while destressing with fellow writers. A small corner stage with a microphone for everyone to use, sat in front a lounge area equipped with couches and coffee tables. Soft jazz music played in the background, setting the tone for the relaxed evening. Quite a few professors also came to show their support to the writers’ readings. On Thursday nights, the café serves tall cans of beer for only $3.50, so as you can imagine it was quite a busy at the start of the event. Behind the corner stage was a lovely complimentary food spread on a tall bar table with free coffee and tea for all who attended the event. Along with the prizes for the contest winners, the ESA also gave away door prizes. After the contest winner read their work and a quick intermission, anyone attending who wanted to read could get up on
stage in random order. There were many different styles, from prose to slam poetry. “It always makes me super happy when I see [the talent that is in Laurier for creative writing] thriving and getting the recognition it deserves,” said Lachhar.
It always makes me super happy when I see [the talent that is in Laurier for creative writing] thriving and getting the recognition it deserves. -Manreet Lachhar, co-vice president of ESA
The only drawback to that night is that it only happens once a year. I hope to see a monthly event doing readings in the café. For my first time at Veritas, it was clear that there was something in the air that fostered a calm yet spirited atmosphere and great hot and frothy lattes or a cool craft beer.
ARTS & LIFE • 11
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017 PHOTOGRAPHY
EMI ZIBAEI/FILE PHOTO
Feel the flash on your skin EMI ZIBAEI LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
Nude photography is one of the most beautiful and expressive forms of visual media — when done tastefully. My journey with
shooting nudes began over three years ago. I started small with a friend who wanted to gift her boyfriend with a scandy calendar. We rented out a hotel room for four hours and went to town. From there, I’ve mostly photographed friends who have wanted boudoir/nude photos for their social media platforms, model portfolio’s or for personal use, and it has become my favourite medium of photography. I’m constantly
approached about how to successfully take nude photographs so here’s a little guide for both models and photographers who want to explore doing so. TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS When photographing someone in the nude or semi-nude, it’s important to keep in mind that people look at themselves differently than how you look at them.
Have a conversation beforehand and try to understand what they’re most confident or proud of when it comes to their body. Use that to your advantage and let it guide your protrayal of them. On the same note, know what you want to shoot before it happens. Let your model know what your goals are so that you’re on the same page and the result is something you’re both proud of. If using a public space, always have a piece of clothing that is easy to take on and off. If people see you, it might be awkward if your model is standing there, ass out. Don’t be like me the time that I chose a family-friendly park to photograph a fully nude series — results were lit, though. Use a long focal length. Not only will this give the model some personal space, but you can capture some great close-ups with an 85 mm or 70-200 mm lens, for example. Lighting is everything. Since the nature of nude photography with both men and women is to portray a sensual mood, the lighting should reflect that. Not only is it easier to shoot with natural lighting but you can also manipulate the lighting in your shot with your camera settings. Shooting in manual on a DSLR will help you learn how to properly navigate a camera and you can adjust your shutter speed and aperture to achieve your lighting goals. Regardless of familiarity or comfort, if you need to make an adjustment with poses or positions, or even moving a strand of hair, give the model direction to do it and avoid physically touching them. Some people don’t like being touched, even if you’re taking nude photographs of them. Don’t over direct. Let it happen naturally. The best
photos happen by accident so don’t force a pose or concept if it’s not organic. TIPS FOR MODELS Work with somebody you can trust. Whether you’ve never taken your clothes off in front of somebody else, or you feel self-conscious, the photographer is not just there to photograph you; they should make you feel empowered, beautiful and comfortable. Also, the last thing you want is to be faced with your nude self the next time you scroll through, Instagram feed without giving consent. It’s best to start with a friend or an already established photographer who uses consent and privacy agreement forms. These should be signed prior to the nip slips. Get undressed quickly and slip into a robe. Walk around naked, even. It gives time for the skin to soften up and lose any indentations caused my belts, bras, tight clothing, etc. Don’t be afraid to say no. You can say no to anything that makes you uncomfortable and stop the shoot at any time — it’s your body, after all. A good photographer will remain professional and will never ask you to do something you’re not cool with. Don’t be hard on yourself. We’re students and more importantly, human beings. Many of us have experienced the “Freshman 15” and there’s no shame in that. It’s natural — and beautiful — to bear stretch marks, cellulite and/or stomach rolls. Own your shape and the journey your body has gone through. Embrace it. Be yourself. Don’t hesitate to bring in props or explore abstract ideas. The whole point of a photoshoot is to have fun, try something new and create something that hasn’t been produced before.
FILM
From the rubble, Black and Chrome emerges CHRIS LUCIANTONIO STAFF WRITER
Imagine my surprise when among the new releases coming to the local Apollo Cinema they were advertising a screening of 2015’s film that redefined high octane, Mad Max: Fury Road. Now carrying the moniker of “Black and Chrome,” I was intrigued and read up on this rereleased version and was stunned to learn of its existence. Here was an edition of 2015’s most visually striking film, an edition curated and conceived by director George Miller, no less, that robbed the original of all its gloriously dynamic colour palette. I was certain this was a gimmick to get the film back into theatres and extort the baying public who have been starved for something similar to Fury Road after raising
the bar of quality so unreachably high. It seems commonplace nowadays for films to be released in two tiers of shifting quality — one theatrical cut meant for the masses and approved by the studios and one supposed “director’s cut” that is to be taken as the real version. I have often wondered why we are so accepting of this new form of cultural practice where art remains in this malleable state, ready to be remixed and experimented with for evaluation and commerce. Can a film not stand on its own merits the first time around? And how strong was the original if it was necessary to “correct it” with a subsequent release? Shouldn’t art exist in the state it was presented in. The Star Wars special editions unfortunately come to mind. Even with this in mind, I can certainly say that the black and white version of Fury Road was not a gimmick aimed purely at extra revenue. Outside of the colour, surprisingly nothing is changed and it remains the same exhilarating blitz into the hazardous waste you
LUKE SARAZIN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
remember from two years ago. This is still the Miller film I saw and loved, but with a new bold perspective that enhances the visuals on a visceral level. While I adore the striking oranges and blues that popped off the screen in the original cut, rendering it all in vibrant grey gives it a texture and definition the original didn’t lack, but I never noticed.
The minute details of dust and grime stand out on characters, the makeup on the War Boys is more conspicuous against the greys of the sandy flatlands and the lighting becomes more dynamic in the shocking contrast it creates. And the Black and Chrome was the right title for this edition because what the monochrome does to the actual chrome frankly
justifies the whole endeavor of this cut. The war rigs and elaborate vehicular death machines created for the film gleam much more than in the original cut. It was this detail that showed me what Miller was going for with his colourless experiment. More than a stunt, Black and Chrome is an eye opening lesson in style that was only possible with this film. This is the perfect example of the potential that exists with colour correction, being able to transform the audacious Fury Road into something more captivating. We are living in the era of cultural remix where nearly any artwork is subject to change, be it by the director themselves or by fans. Black and Chrome is one of the first legitimate experiments in this vain to be from a position of mass appealing entertainment. The changes made to the original were done solely for the audience to see something we didn’t see in the first place, “witness it,” if you will. On all fronts, this was a success.
12 •
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
Editorial
OPINION EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS opinion@thecord.ca
Do the St. Patrick’s day excitements outweigh the costs? Needless to say, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t like all of the other holidays throughout the year for Laurier students. It’s not like any other party day, either. St. Patrick’s Day is unique in its ability to cause mayhem and push boundaries of good decisions — but why? A lot of it comes down to social psychology; it’s a crowd mentality of wanting to have the experience. There’s an annual FOMO that comes from St. Patrick’s Day. Even people who don’t often drink can feel they have to buy into the Ezra experience because it’s a cultural discourse in Laurier society. St. Patrick’s Day on Ezra seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s an opportunity to let loose and grasp at the last bits of adolescent freedom we have. Especially for those in their final year, the future is uncertain. There is no guarantee that we’ll ever have any opportunity to go ham like we do on March 17 ever again. It’s worth noting that a lot of the people sharing the statistics on Ezra for this year are alumni, looking back and wishing that they were there. Ezra must seem like nostalgia and, if it’s getting bigger every year, that you’re going to miss the best party yet if you’re not there. However, is quantity really better than quality? For those who did go to Ezra, it was difficult to move. A lot of people seemed to be having a lot of fun, but a lot of people were badly injured. It’s terrifying that we were expecting to have to report on someone’s death due to St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans. Is the day worth it for some laughs and memories with your friends and a fear of missing out? As a sober person, it’s almost cringe-worthy to watch some of the decisions people make. Whether it’s because of the crowd, the alcohol or some combi-
nation of the two, we feel invincible when we don our cheeky green shirts and step out onto Ezra. There are videos of people jumping off of roofs. People are sitting on balconies just to take selfies. That’s not even touching on the people who overextend their alcohol limits. For what? A thrill? To fit in? A large number of people who partied on Ezra this year didn’t even go to Laurier or the University of Waterloo. There was an interesting video released by Western TV in which Western students paraded around Ezra asking questions — and they were hard pressed to find any Laurier students at all. It’s great that all of the partying happens in one area. The police are able to survey one massive party better than hundreds of small parties. But the hype around Ezra has now invited outsiders into our university bubble. Though there is nothing wrong with visitors, the lure of naive and vulnerable young adults seems to draw in some of the wrong kinds of people. Reports of sexual assaults spike dramatically after St. Patrick’s day, every year. It seems that everyone knows someone who was robbed. There were even people robbed at gunpoint this St. Patrick’s Day. Fuck. This isn’t some Laurier cultural event any more — it’s everyone from everywhere who knows this is a wild time. That changes the dynamic of the whole city, too. Getting into the bars on Friday was next to impossible because there were more people than Waterloo’s local economy could handle. It used to be an embarrassment for administration, a poor representation of the Golden Hawks, but now it’s not even Laurier we’re worrying about: it’s all the people we’re inviting in.
These unsigned editorials are based off informal discussions 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.
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FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR
Keynotes aren’t dialogue BETHANY BOWLES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Controversy has been breaking out as of late at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus in light of the Criminology Students’ Association’s plan to have Danielle Robitaille, Jian Ghomeshi’s defence lawyer, as a keynote speaker at their annual conference on International Women’s Day. In last week’s issue of The Cord, Lauren Eisler, dean of the faculty of human and social sciences, said that she believed Robitaille would be discussing gender differences and issues within the legal system as a female lawyer. This created a tonne of backlash from a student collective called ASCC (Advocates for a Student Culture of Consent), as they found the event “actively challenges the trajectory that Laurier has been creating around Gendered Violence,” as per written on a Facebook page they created to discuss the problems surrounding this event. As a result, Robitaille cancelled her keynote and the topic of free speech is now all that seems to be talked about on Laurier Brantford’s campus. Several faculty members have spoken out on social media or to media outlets that this was a
missed opportunity for students to have “tough conversations” or an “intellectual dialogue.” While a lot can be said about free speech and safe spaces, that isn’t the piece I want to focus on. I want to focus on that so-called missed opportunity for intellectual dialogues about women in the legal system that apparently all the criminology students won’t be able to partake in. I’ve been to several keynote presentations, in both the academic and journalism worlds, and they always go the same way. The speaker speaks at an audience for a period of time and then they open up the floor for a specific amount of questions afterwards. A keynote presentation is not an opportunity for an intellectual dialogue between the audience and the speaker. It is an opportunity to be talked at and then the lucky few who make the cut can ask questions at the end. Sure, after the audience clears out, people will talk to their friends or colleagues about what they just saw, but is that the meaningful discourse that everyone’s talking about, here? So, with that said, why didn’t the CSA plan for a “Women in Law” panel, opposed to highlighting one female lawyer, who really doesn’t represent every single woman who works in the legal system? Find different female lawyers, maybe a prosecutor, a family lawyer, a lawyer who does pro bono work and sit them at a table with Robitaille. Let the audience
observe the dialogue that occurs between them. No scripts, no chances to plan ahead of time because there are several voices controlling the conversation. Last year, at a post-secondary journalism conference in Toronto, I saw a panel of female journalists that I still remember today. There was a female sports journalist, a news anchor and a long-form journalist. They all had very different perspectives to share about their diverse experiences and watching them swap stories, agree and disagree, was so intellectually challenging. I also got to see different versions of female role models in the job that I want for myself. So to say that Brantford missed out on an intellectual debate or discourse because one woman couldn’t come share her story is a stretch. And by only focusing on her, and by giving her ultimate power — yes — you are sensationalizing the Jian Ghomeshi case, a dark piece of Canadian history that has undoubtedly had an impact on whether or not survivors of sexual assault file reports in Canada. Had there been more thought put in about how to showcase the experiences of women who work in law on International Women’s Day, perhaps this event could have actually happened in a way that encouraged intellectual discourse without making those in the Laurier community who have experienced sexual violence feel like Laurier doesn’t care about them.
• 13
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
Opinion
OPINION EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS opinion@thecord.ca
Eating disorder in a calorie-counting age SHYENNE MACDONALD NEWS EDITOR
No one will love you if you don’t love yourself. These are the words that loop in my head as I stand in my kitchen. The words aren’t a reminder for me to celebrate myself, it just tells me that no one can love me. I’ve eaten once over the span of two days and the thought of eating churns my stomach until I feel sick. Like most nights, I settle for tea. One look at me and no one would suspect I have an eating disorder — which is the painful truth. All the counting, all the restrictions I put up, all the purging makes no difference. But, at least this way, when I finally do sit and eat, I’ll feel like I’ve earned it. In a perverse way, it makes me proud. My willingness to go so long without food is a demonstration of my endurance and will. I can remember every time someone has called me fat. I wish it could just roll off me, but I’ve allowed their words to become a poison in my mind where my physicality is a weapon against me. It’s no secret that I have, what
my family likes to call, “weird eating patterns.” And, obviously, it’s not that serious, right? I’m not about to keel over from malnourishment. My bones don’t stick out, my hair hasn’t thinned, my skin isn’t sallow. I know the secrets to starving yourself. The ins and outs. Always make sure you’re in a conversation at dinner and never be the only one eating.
But, on this occasion, I was so furious at myself. I had put myself through this, starved myself for two days, because I wanted to look pretty for a boy.
Pretend you’re a bad liar so they can never catch you when you tell them you’ve had a big breakfast, or you’re just so busy you forgot. So why out myself now? After 13 years of hating myself and abusing myself in hopes that someone will love me, why would I acknowledge what’s easier left unsaid?
Partially because Ontario’s government decided to enact a legislation that restaurants must put a calorie count beside their food. Counting calories is not a viable way to lose weight, in case you were wondering, and the number of calories in food rarely relates to the nutrients you would be consuming. So, this just seems to be a ploy to shame people into eating healthier — which ignores the fact that unhealthy “junk” food is more accessible than healthy and organic food. A lot of these issues with the calorie count have been discussed in a previous article in The Cord. The other reason for my sudden reckoning on my eating disorder, though, is that a few weeks back, I had plans to go on a date. When it came time to get ready and go, I was so dizzy I could barely stand. That isn’t a new occurrence. There are a lot of days that I don’t go to class because I feel too weak. But, on this occasion, I was so furious at myself. I had put myself through this, starved myself for two days, because I wanted to look pretty for a boy. Retrospectively, a lot of what I do is in hopes that I would be more than I am. I’ve always wanted to be smarter than I am, prettier, funnier. Never is there a day where I consider myself
SIMRAN DHALIWAL/GRAPHIC ARTIST
The pride found in ambition Being a Slytherin doesn’t necessarily make you evil or bad
EMILY WAITSON STAFF WRITER
There are some people who take their horoscopes incredibly seriously, believing their own star sign to be the end-all of believability and faithfulness to their entire being. Others rely on the outcomes of Buzzfeed personality quizzes to validate the aspects of themselves
they want to see or have guessed by a random selection of questions and answers about food. Then there’s me. I have always treasured my Hogwarts house more intensely than I probably should. I’ve been a dedicated fan of the Harry Potter series since I was nine years old. Since then, it has been a developed necessity of mine to figure out which of the four houses I would belong in. Slytherin was always the house that I resonated with the most. I love all of the Hogwarts houses for their different, wonderful traits,
but it always irrationally bothered me how poorly my preferred choice was portrayed. These stories are told from the point of view of the least objective and most biased character. Harry’s hatred for Slytherin ran off (somewhat understandably) into the minds of many fans of the series as well. Like what you want, that’s cool, but don’t you sit there and say that just because Voldemort was a Slytherin and Snape was a grade A douchebag who treated the students in his house like royalty, that somehow, every unfortunate soul who got sorted into it was also a
EMI ZIBAEI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
good enough to be loved, liked or even tolerated. I know this isn’t healthy. So badly do I want to get better, not to have to look at a meal and only see reasons why I’ll never be accepted. But just because we will it, doesn’t make it true. Writing this article is a facile acceptance. Because, for all my self-awareness, I have no idea what to do to help myself. I’m exhausted of this all-consuming obsession of my weight.
I wish that I had a semblance of a solution or that anyone reading this article and relates could be aided by this. But the best I can offer you, if you do understand these feelings and fears that I’ve laid bare, is the knowledge that you’re not alone. Eating disorders are dangerous and damaging illnesses. It goes unacknowledged too often, so if you have an eating disorder or feel like you may, find someone to listen.
manipulative, prejudiced asshole. Whenever I would tell people that I felt like I was a Slytherin, they would argue with me. I was told I was too nice, caring and sweet to possibly be lumped in with a bunch of dungeon dwelling conspirators who were only out to get the little man and there to run away like cowards at the first sign of true conflict. This personally offends me. After I took the Pottermore sorting quiz more than three separate times and received my expected answer of Slytherin for each one, I’m happily convinced that’s where I would fictionally belong. Let me tell anyone who has their doubts about this terribly underrated house that I wouldn’t be put there to take over the world and make it my mission to prey on the blood of the innocent. For one, they have the best house colours that would suit me. Green goes well with my red hair and I like snakes. They’re intimidating and cool as hell. Secondly, Slytherins are defined as ambitious, cunning, achievement-oriented leaders. These are all admirable things that I believe I possess. Maybe my ambition doesn’t have to be getting Hagrid (bless his beautiful soul) sacked, simply for being a half-giant groundskeeper. Perhaps my ambition lies in my ability to finish a whole pizza in one sitting or take three naps in
one day. People tell me I can’t own seven dogs? Well I’ll be here just to prove them wrong. I’ve also seen Slytherin women labelled as “bitchy,” likely because of their acute shrewdness, so if that’s what I am then I’ll take that as a damn compliment. I have ambition for my own greatness and I know what I want, which is why Slytherin is so perfect for me.
Perhaps my ambition lies in my ability to finish a whole pizza in one sitting or take three naps in one day. People tell me I can’t own seven dogs? Well, I’ll be here just to prove them wrong.
Regardless of what your Hogwarts house is, just like being an overlooked Hufflepuff (which is my second favourite, by the way), there is absolutely no shame in identifying with something that you feel reflects your best traits. That’s one of the things I love most about Harry Potter, it gives you a place where you feel like you truly belong.
14 • OPINION
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
Sorting out our priorities Accomplishments don’t depend on the time we have
MADELINE MCINNIS OPINION EDITOR
By far, the compliment I most frequently receive is about how many things I do and how I manage to balance them without letting anything else fail. That, for me, is just my life. I balance a ton of extracurriculars, place a huge emphasis on school and still try to make the people in my life that I love know that I love them. On top of that, throughout my nearly five complete semesters of my undergrad, I have never missed a single class. How do I manage to do it all? I have my priorities in order. As much as it’s a compliment, it’s a fact. And how do I do it? I avoid one simple phrase. “I can’t. I don’t have time.” Here’s a secret. None of us have time. Not a single person has enough time to do anything. But we do it anyway. We don’t have time — we make time. What gets done for each person all comes down to our priorities. If I make a commitment, I’m going to stick to it, no matter how busy my schedule becomes. That’s
the thing about being reliable: you have to do it even when it’s not convenient for you. It’s frustrating when people feel differently. When someone makes a commitment to me, whether that be social outings, part of a group project or any other plans we may have, then drops it at the last minute, it becomes clear to me that our plans together were not a priority to them.
That’s the thing about being reliable: you have to do it even when it’s not convenient for you. It’s frustrating when people feel differently.
That’s fine. But if I’m not a priority to you, you won’t be a priority to me. Eventually, we’ll all have to face up to the choices we make to our commitments. Hitting the clubs the night before a midterm? Hope your memories were worth it. Cancelling plans with friends to study? I hope that’s
worth it to you, too. Even when you’re sick, whether mentally or physically, what you do comes down to your priorities. Understandably, your first priority should be your health and that’s why we can justify taking sick days. Faking sick? That’s a priority too. It shows you’d rather be in bed than going to class or to work. Our choices will slowly shape our lives. I hope to make the choices that will lead to my goals, not to instant satisfaction. I know a lot of people don’t feel the same way. That’s fine, too. No matter what, something will have to be at the bottom of our line of priorities. I often don’t place a strong enough emphasis on having fun. Everything has to be contributing to something else and I don’t take enough time just to relax and have a laugh. I’ve accepted that “fun” is at the bottom of my list. That works for me and it’s what I’m comfortable with. I just don’t make time for it. Maybe for others that’s class, extracurriculars or even friends and family. To each their own. However, if you don’t have time for me, I’m not going to make time for you. We all have busy schedules. We all have too many things going on. But if we really care, we’ll put our commitments and the things and people we love at the very top.
ALAN LI/GRAPHIC ARTIST
Paying attention to changing workers’ rights To ensure that students are represented in the final product, we must continue the dialogue ourselves in the hopes that it will grace the ears of our policy makers.
GIOVANNI GIUGA OPINION COLUMNIST
The provincial government and media work together to ensure that the public is able to engage and join in the greater dialogue before and during the enacting of legislation. The release of The Changing Workplaces Review has laid out some of the potentially greatest reforms to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act. Ontario Federation of Labour president Chris Buckley stated that this is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.” Why is it, then, that the discussion seems to have flat-lined in the conventional media circles? Recommendations from the report were released at the end of February, prior to the upcoming finalized report. Although there was media attention, it was only prevalent for a very limited period of time. The final report has yet to be finalized and it is unrealistic to assume all of these recommendations will translate into government legislation. This raises a dilemma, however: how are we, as students, able to ensure that the policy relevant to our daily lives has the highest chance
CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
of making it into law? We need to be able to participate in the larger dialogue surrounding these recommendations. However, the open dialogue surrounding these policy recommendations has been throttled. To ensure that students are represented in the final product, we must continue the dialogue ourselves in the hopes that it will grace the ears of our policy makers. There are three recommendations that came out of this report that I think would benefit students that young people may not know about. Firstly, that employers must post
their employee’s work schedules in advance. I’ve been there. I used to get my schedule on Thursday if I was lucky, but often as late as Sunday for shifts starting on the following day whilst working in the customer service industry. It was difficult to plan a social life and time for school work and that was for me in high school. I can’t imagine how difficult it can be for some university students to balance their studies and work when put in a stressful and precarious state. The second recommendation was to eliminate the lower wage for
servers. The change that this will have to the hospitality industry (and for the many students working in this industry) will be significant. It will ensure that everyone is being paid at least the minimum wage during their shifts, thus increasing their base wage and making it less situation based on their ability to garner gratuities. This is especially important when 20 per cent of servers report they do not make the minimum wage, even with tips. The last recommendation was to pay the same wage for the same work, regardless of whether the
individual works part-time or fulltime. This is the most important recommendation in this report for graduating students. We live in an evolving workplace landscape, where a growing number of university graduates are often forced to accept part-time positions with lower wages, lack of benefits and opportunities for advancement. This legislation ensures that a group as particularly vulnerable as students are provided a fair wage at the onset of their career and beyond. I truly think that all of these recommendations, among many others laid out in this report, would ensure that students are protected and given an equal opportunity in the modern workplace. We just need to chime into the discussion and have our voices heard.
• 15
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR ROB FIFIELD sports@thecord.ca
WOMEN IN SPORTS
OWL finalists deserve a hoot PRANAV DESAI LEAD SPORTS REPORTER
Every year, Laurier awards the Outstanding Woman of Laurier award to a female athlete based on what they have accomplished in the sport they play, as well as what they have done for the community. This year, the three finalists have exceeded all expectations when it comes to personal achievement. The finalists include third-year soccer player Julie Karn, fifth-year lacrosse player Jessica Lubert and fourth-year hockey player Giuliana Pallotta. “It’s great to see the impact that female athletes can have in the community because I think that sometimes gets forgotten,” said Pallotta. Karn added that female recognition in sports has improved a lot in the past few years. “It’s amazing that Laurier even offers this award. I don’t know of any other university that does this. The fact that it goes towards women’s scholarships definitely helps gain recognition and helps raise funds for female athletes.”
The three women have been great players for their teams, as well as great people in their communities. Lubert has coached lacrosse for four years and has started a lacrosse league for girls in middle school. Pallotta was named the women’s hockey team’s captain this year. She has also volunteered at the Toronto General Hospital. Pallotta was also a big part of Laurier’s Bell Let’s Talk campaign this year. The Beeton native gave all the credit for her success to her coach and her teammates. “Rick Osborne gave me a great opportunity and I was able to build off the way he taught me. I have also had great teammates and I was appointed the captain of the team last year, which was extremely shocking to me. But I had a lot of great role models over the year before and they helped get me into the position that I got into for the past few years,” she said. Karn has also been very involved off the field, as she is currently teaching dance and volunteering
for the Canadian Cancer Society, as well as the Heart and Stroke Foundation. “You want to make a difference off the field as well and influence future athletes as much as possible,” she said. “It’s hard sometimes being so busy with soccer, dance and teaching, but making time for the Canadian Cancer society, the Heart and Stroke foundation and other off the field activities is really important to me.” Even with so many commitments, Karn managed to excel for the women’s soccer team, as she was an integral part of their team. Karn mentioned that goal setting is essential towards achieving personal success and that her role models have played a part in her success. “It’s about having a good support system, managing my time and I’m always involved in things that I’m passionate about,” she said. Pallotta put up great performances throughout the season for the women’s hockey team, although the team had a disap-
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LENA YANG/CORD ALUM (SECOND IN COMMAND)
pointing season. When asked about how she stays motivated, Pallotta indicated that her passion for hockey will never fade away. “I love the game of hockey. I want to do well and I want to see my team do well,” she said. “We’re so privileged to be here being female athletes. The opportunities that we’ve been given are outstanding. You just have to bring yourself back down to earth.” Pallotta has played her last game for Laurier, as she will be graduating this year. She described her experience at Laurier as life changing. “If it wasn’t for Laurier, I don’t think that I would be the person
that I am today. The people that have influenced and inspired me here have changed my life. I am able to carry on into what’s next because of that,” Pallotta concluded. Lubert, Karn and Pallotta are great role models for young female athletes. Not only are they great athletes, they are great people with great character. The winner of the Outstanding Woman of Laurier award will be announced on Thursday night at The 12th Annual Outstanding Women of Laurier Dinner at Bingemans Conference Centre. The Cord reached out to Jessica Lubert for an interview, but she was unavailable at this time.
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16 • SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
MEN’S CURLING
Hawks eliminated from U Sports Championships Laurier men’s curling team suffers a disappointing loss at the U Sports National Championship ROB FIFIELD SPORTS EDITOR
It’s that time of year again and the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s curling team were back at the U Sports National Championships trying to defend their title from a year ago. Unfortunately, the men fell short after a disappointing loss to the Regina Cougars. This year’s edition of the championship was hosted by the Lakehead Thunderwolves in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Laurier won their first draw of the tournament on Saturday evening in a close match against Lakehead. The draw went to the eleventh end before Laurier was able to secure a 7-6 victory. Next up, Laurier had back-toback draws on Sunday afternoon against the Memorial Seahawks and the Dalhousie Tigers. They opened the day with a tough draw against the Seahawks. After going back and forth early on, the Seahawks managed to capitalize on their opportunities and hand the Golden Hawks their first tournament loss since the 2016 nationals. Looking to rebound against Dalhousie, the Hawks and skip Matt Hall had a strong match and took down the Tigers 9-4. Day three was a tough one for Laurier as they couldn’t find their game and were handed back-toback losses from the University of
“You know what? There’s not really one thing that went wrong. We never really got on a roll. You know win, loss, loss — it’s one of those weeks where we fought some things, fought some ice, fought some wait we were just behind the eight ball in a lot of games,” he said.
We were able to bring a banner home which is very important to us, important to the school and important to evertone involved. -Matt Wilkinson, men’s curlinghead coach
BRIAN PHILLIPS/WEB DIRECTOR
The Laurier Golden Hawks lost 10-2 to the Cougars, marking the end of their U Sports National Championship run.
PEI and Queen’s. With a losing record of 2-3, the Hawks knew they had their work cut out for them on day four in order to make the playoff draws which begin today (Wednesday). Laurier began the morning with their best overall game of the tournament and were able to defeat Alberta 6-4 in what was a very close match. “Day three was really tough on us but the game this morning, [I
am] proud of the boys and what they came out and did. That one’s always circled on the calendar with the Alberta-Laurier rivalry and if we could’ve played like that the whole week, we would’ve been untouchable,” head coach Matt Wilkinson said. In their most important draw of the week, the Hawks had themselves a date with the Regina Cougars in hopes of securing a playoff spot.
The Cougars came to play and jumped on the Hawks early and often. Before they knew it, the Purple and Gold found themselves down 7-0 at the break and the bleeding would continue as they lost 10-2 and conceded in the eighth end. Laurier’s record of 3-4 and poor head-to-head scoring eliminated them from playoff contention. Wilkinson couldn’t pinpoint what exactly de-railed the team’s success.
Although this one will hurt for a while, the team still managed to win a banner and bring home the OUA gold. “OUA gold — always big for the program. This is my seventh year coaching varsity curling with three different schools. Personally, my first OUA gold, so that was a nice little personal aspect for me but we are a banner sport and we were able to bring a banner home which is very important to us, important to the school and important to everyone involved.”
FOOTBALL
Boateng, Onyeka and Price compete for CFL draft PRANAV DESAI LEAD REPORTER
It’s that time of the year again. The CFL combine is here and this year three Hawks will be competing to get drafted. Defensive lineman Kwaku Boateng, linebacker Nakas Onyeka and defensive lineman Jalen Price will be representing Laurier at the national event. It’s no surprise to see three Hawks being touted as potential future CFL stars, as Laurier had a phenomenal season which was capped off with a Yates Cup victory over their rival Western Mustangs. Head coach of the Hawks, Michael Faulds, spoke about what makes the Laurier athletes so special. “They are all battle tested and they have all gone through a lot of adversity. In their rookie year, the team went 1-7. Nakas is an undersized linebacker, so his whole life he’s been told he’s too small. Kwaku was a 210 lbs defensive end in 2013. Now he’s 260 lbs with the same speed. Jalen has been told he’s too big his whole life, so he’s
had to lose a lot of weight,” he said. Faulds especially pointed what Onyeka has had to go through to be in this position today. “Nakas wasn’t a highly sought after recruit. The first thing I noticed about him was his tenacity and energy. He brings a lot of excitement to any football team. He’s one of those guys that just want to get after it and compete. He had to work his way into better shape and learn the system. But once he learned the system, there was no turning back,” he added. Boateng, Onyeka and Price defeated adversity, but more importantly, they exceeded all the expectations that were attached to them. Although the combine naturally turns everyone’s attention towards the physical aspect of football, the mental strength of the players is equally important for teams. Faulds mentioned that people often forget about the interviews done during the combine that can also help or hurt a player’s draft value. “There’s one day where they’re just doing interviews with all the
teams. The teams will get a feel for the players mentally and whether they’ll fit the culture of their team. Overall, I think all three guys will excel and all of them have teams that have asked about them and are keen about them.” The combine is important for players and teams. The players need to do their best to impress teams, while the teams need to make sure they know everything there is to know about the players. However, every year there are prospects that put up great combine numbers, but don’t reach their potential on the field. Faulds stated the importance of not putting too much stock into a player’s combine results. “Within every team, there’s certain guys that are better in the weight room, but on the field, it doesn’t translate. Then you have some guys that aren’t necessarily the best in the weight room, but on the field, they are just unstoppable. I think it’s important for the to teams watch the film. We’ve had a handful of CFL scouts at our games this year so our guys have been scouted up close,” he concluded.
WILL HUANG/FILE PHOTO
Wilfrid Laurier linebacker Nakas Onyeka celebrates Yates Cup win last fall.