The Cord October 19, 2016

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 57 ISSUE 8 • OCTOBER 19, 2016

CELEBRATING 90 YEARS Unveiling almost a century of reporting, volunteerism, friendships and controversy Features, page 10

CLOWNS AREN’T FUNNY

UPPING YOUR TINDER GAME

TRUDEAU’S FASHION SENSE

NOT BACKING DOWN

Pranking fad prevalent in K-W

What does your profile say about you?

Our prime minister’s outfits are on point

Men’s football defeats Guelph 27-25

News, page 3

Arts & Life, page 13

Opinion, page 16

Sports, page 19

2 •

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

VOCAL CORD

What makes you swipe left on Tinder?

The Cord

@cordnews

@cordwlusp

Editor’s note: Happy 90th to us!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“When they have a cocky biography.”

BETHANY BOWLES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

–Amanda Triumbari, fourth-year communications and sociology

“When they don’t have a cute dog in their photo.”

–Caleb Crichlow, thirdyear philosophy

“When guys have shirtless pictures not at the beach.”

–Yiling Pang, second-year business administration computer science

“I don’t even have Tinder. ” –Patrick Martin, firstyear music

DYLAN HINES/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

Over reading week, the Laurier Golden Hawks defeated the Guelph Gryphons 27-25, bringing their record up to 6-1.

Bag O’ Crime Location: 50 University Place Reported: Thursday, October 13, 2016 @ 9:26 a.m.

SCS was notified by a student that her parked vehicle, a 2006 VW Jetta had sustained some recent minor damage to the left front fender.

The vehicle had been parked on October 10 at 50 University Ave. E. and had been stationary until she discovered the damage on the reporting date and time. A suspect vehicle is unknown. There is no CCTV video footage available.

She was instructed to file a report with the WRPS Collision Reporting Centre.

Location: Off Campus Reported: Wednesday, October 12, 2016 @ 3:17 a.m.

SCS officers encountered a female on the sidewalk in front of 200 King St. N. pushing two bicycles. It was determined that one bike had been taken near McDonalds (King St. & Columbia St.). She was uncooperative with the officers and left one of the bikes on the front lawn by 200 King St. and disappeared between several houses on Marshall St. She was not located by attending WRPS officers. The abandoned bike was returned from where it had been taken.

Location: University Stadium Reported: Friday, October 14, 2016 @ 2:10 p.m.

SCS encountered a male with a dog within University Stadium during a football game. The dog was not identified as a Service Animal and the male was refusing staff’s direction to leave the area.

SCS assistance was requested. The male eventually complied with the direction to leave the area with the animal.

Location: 69 Lodge St. Reported: Tuesday, October 11, 2016 @ 12:29 p.m.

SCS officers observed some graffiti on the side of the building at 69 Lodge St. that was written in large, bold, black paint bubble lettering.

The word “SMESH” was written on the east side of the building. There are no CCTV cameras in the area and there are no suspects at this time. A work order was submitted for the removal of these markings.

Location: Science Research Reported: Tuesday, October 4, 2016 @ 2:14 p.m.

SCS received a call from a staff member regarding a student that had suffered a burn while completing a lab experiment. The student had ignited a bottle of ethanol accidently which in turn caught his clothing on fire. The flames caused second and third degree burns to the student’s arm and abdomen.

He was assessed by attending EMS and transported to Grand River Hospital for further treatment. The Health and Safety department was notified of this incident for follow up.

Location: Off Campus Reported: Wednesday, October 5, 2016 @ 9:40 a.m.

SCS was notified of some messaging that was written in chalk on the sidewalk by University Ave. that staff members had found offensive. The chalk messaging was referencing anti-abortion slogans.

SCS contacted the city of Waterloo to remove the chalk writings from the sidewalk.

Compiled by Safina Husein Photos by Marco Pedri

NEXT ISSUE: OCTOBER 26, 2016

CordNews

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Maddy Cutts news@thecord.ca

CORD STAFF

FEATURES EDITOR Mitchell Consky features@thecord.ca

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bethany Bowles editor@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Manjot Bhullar arts@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Will Huang creative@thecord.ca

OPINION EDITOR Madeline McInnis opinion@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Brian Phillips online@thecord.ca

SPORTS EDITOR Rob Fifield sports@thecord.ca

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Kaitlyn Severin news@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Fani Hsieh graphics@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR Emilia Curcic news@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Paige Bush photos@thecord.ca

ONLINE EDITOR Andreas Patsiaouros online@thecord.ca VIDEO EDITOR Vacant editor@thecord.ca LEAD REPORTER Safina Husein news@thecord.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Marco Pedri photos@thecord.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Kira Gelbard photos@thecord.ca SENIOR COPY EDITOR Christian Paron copyeditor@thecord.ca SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Brittany Ditizio socialmedia@thecord.ca

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE: COLOPHON

Garrison Oosterhof Nicole Stumpf Nathalie Bouchard Mitchell Kooh Mynt Marsellus Giovanni Guiga Drew Yates Alex Trkulja Jessica Dik Tanzeel Sayani Dylan Hines Serena Gill Emilia Zibaei

”Fear of gay blood” by Madelin McInnis

EDITOR’S CHOICE ONLINE: “The Cord Weekly Update: featuring Marco Pedri” by Garrison Oosterhof

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

The Cord is the official student newspaper of the Wilfrid Laurier University community.

Started in 1926 as the College Cord, The Cord is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors.

Opinions expressed within The Cord are those of the author and do not necessarily refl ect those of the editorial board, The Cord, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Inc. All content appearing in The Cord bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent.

The Cord is created using Macintosh computers running OS X 10.10 using Adobe Creative Cloud. Canon cameras are used for principal photography.

The Cord has been a proud member of the Ontario Press Council since 2006. Any unsatisfied complaints can be sent to the council at info@ontpress.com.

The Cord’s circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 6,000 copies and enjoys a readership of over 10,000. Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada.

The Cord has been a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP) since 2004.

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

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

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

When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible.

Ethical journalism requires

If you follow The Cord on Facebook, chances are you saw our post at the end of September that acknowledged our 90th anniversary as the official student newspaper of Wilfrid Laurier University.

The past month or so, the staff at WLUSP and I have been planning the various ways that we wish to celebrate this huge milestone.

While this issue of The Cord may not line up with the actual first issue of The College Cord, which was published on September 23, 1926, we chose to make this week’s issue a tribute to the past 90 years.

This Friday night at The Turret, “Cordies” from the past and present will be gathering together to celebrate the newspaper we all love, and have loved, so dearly. I couldn’t be more honoured and excited to be part of something so huge.

So many Laurier students have contributed to this newspaper over the past 90 years. So far, this year, we have over 100 volunteers. Those volunteers may only contribute once, or they may contribute once a week, but nonetheless, The Cord means something different to everyone who’s been a part of it.

Maybe The Cord helped you achieve your future career goals, like the numerous “Cordies” who now work at The Globe and Mail.

Maybe The Cord introduced you to your best friend, like the several friendships that have lasted long after graduation.

Maybe The Cord connected you with your significant other.

Seriously, Cord-cest is a very real thing.

The Cord did so much for those who chose to dedicate their time to this newspaper during their studies at Laurier.

I can only hope that it continues to give students a place to call home for another 90 years.

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: “If I want to moan and groan, I can do what I please!”

- Online Editor, Andreas Patsiaouros about life’s struggles.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

News

• 3

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR EMILIA CURCIC news@thecord.ca

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR MADDY CUTTS news@thecord.ca

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

PAIGE BUSH/PHOTO EDITOR

Fall semester reading week at WLU saved The Laurier Senate voted on October 18 to make the reading week a permanent academic date EMILIA CURCIC NEWS EDITOR

In January 2014, the Wilfrid Laurier University Senate approved a three-year pilot project that would test a fall reading week. The week consists of four days off for students after the Thanksgiving weekend in October.

Having completed the pilot period this past reading week, the Senate met again on October 18 to discuss the decision to implement the four-day fall reading week permanently.

The Senate offered two alternative options for the reading week: keeping the four-day break after Thanksgiving weekend in October, or instead implementing a two-day break at the end of October.

Jennifer Casey, assistant vice-president of enrolment services and registrar at Laurier, began the meeting by introducing the findings from an assessment done which covered thoughts from a variety of groups on the success of the fall reading week.

Overall, the consensus seemed to be an agreement in support of the week among student groups including the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union, the Graduate Students’ Association and student senators, among others.

Why should the winter semester get a reading week when the fall term doesn’t?

-Colin Aitchinson, vice-president of university affairs for Students’ Union

Student senator, Kanwar Brar brought forward the motion in favour of the four-day reading week.

During the discussion, several points were brought up in favour of

the four-day option.

The idea was brought up that adding the four days onto the Thanksgiving break eased the financial burden on students who lived far from the university, as they used the time to travel home and would have to spend money to travel twice if the reading week was moved to the end of October.

It was also brought up that students who work as employees on campus appreciate the break, as it allows them to make alternate plans or work additional hours at off-campus jobs.

Ultimately, the motion was passed 42-7 with three who abstained from voting.

Laurier will now permanently have a four-day reading week following Thanksgiving weekend in October.

Dates for the fall term will be adjusted accordingly.

For the September 2017 term, classes will begin September 7. The fall term study break will be from October 10-13, classes will end December 6 and the final date of

exams will be December 22.

The need for the four-day week was reiterated by students across the Waterloo campus.

All the evidence points to that it’s beneficial for students.

-Kanwar Brar, student senator

“It’s something we should have because of academic success, because students really need it and as a don, the feedback I’ve heard is basically that it’s really necessary and it’s had a lot of positive impact.

I was in the Senate meeting in April where we had the presentation

based on all of the surveys and the data and all the evidence points to that it’s beneficial for students. I think that’s a reason that we should move forward keeping it,” said Brar.

The Students’ Union actively promoted the four-day option, as well, through a post they made on their university affairs Facebook page earlier this week.

“The Students’ Union still firmly believes that the four-day break following Thanksgiving is the best option for undergraduate students at Laurier,” read the Facebook post.

“We are definitely in support of the four-day break. Data shown in the April 16 Senate meeting shows that students use it as a time to catchup from school, for their courses do readings and stuff like that,” said Colin Aitchinson, vice-president of university affairs for the Students’ Union.

“At the end of the day I don’t see why the winter semester should be special. Why should the winter semester get a reading week when the fall term doesn’t? Every semester should be about the same.”

SAFETY

Clowns seen around K-W The fad causing hysteria in the states has moved north BETHANY BOWLES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The “creepy clown” fad has moved north from the United States, as sightings of people dressed up as clowns with the purpose to scare have been reported in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Sightings have been reported in Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo.

The reports have described the multiple “clowns” as either standing motionless, or chasing people.

There have been no reports of clowns holding weapons, only plastic guns and swords, as reported in Cambridge.

No one has been reported injured, but these clown pranks have been successfully frightening those who encounter them.

Kitchener resident, Erica O’Donnell, saw a clown last week near a Mac’s Convenience store in the Doon area in Kitchener.

While the clown did nothing criminal, O’Donnell was still surprised and frightened when she saw them.

“I was just walking, on the phone, and there appeared to be a man in a [clown] mask and all black clothing,” she said. “He was just walking.”

While the person dressed as a clown began walking in the same

direction as O’Donnell, the two did not have any sort of confrontation.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” she said.

“It’s a serious matter and it’s a thing that people are concerned about. It’s just stupid.”

While the Waterloo Regional Police was not able to issue a statement to The Cord, Sergeant Michael Haffner told both CBC and The Record that these reports have been a nuisance and these pranksters are draining police resources, which could lead to charges if caught.

Haffner also told The Record that there is concern for the safety of those who are dressing up as clowns. A simple prank could go

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

People dressed as clowns have been spotted throughout North America.

wrong depending on who is being surprised.

“Yes, they’re subject to criminal charges. Yes, they may be causing a nuisance within our region but what we would hate to see is what has been happening throughout the world to people that are dressed up as clowns … some of them are getting beaten up quite a bit,” he told The Record.

The CBC also said that schools in areas where sightings have been reported are sending home notes to parents, assuring them that the school is taking extra caution to keep these “clown pranksters” away from their young kids.

With Halloween less than two weeks away, the hope is that this terrifying fad will die out sooner rather than later.

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

EVENTS

Celebrating 48 years of Oktoberfest Kitchener-Waterloo Region’s Oktoberfest featured beer and an apperance from Justin Trudeau MADDY CUTTS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

But we already have committees in place for the 50th, so I think there will be a lot of work leading up to that.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Region spent this past weekend wrapping up Canada’s Greatest Bavarian Festival,the 48th annual Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest in K-W runs annually beginning the Friday before Thanksgiving and continues for nine days until the following Saturday.

The festival began in 1969 by a small group of dedicated volunteers and has since grown to be the second-largest Oktoberfest in the world with nearly a million annual visitors, topped only by the festival held in Munich.

Originally inspired by a small Oktoberfest celebration at one of the region’s five German clubs, the Concordia Club, it has since grown to include fest-halls run by all clubs, as well as those operated out of existing venues for the length

-Dave MacNeil, exeuctive director of Oktoberfest K-W Inc.

WILL HUANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was invited to ‘tap the keg’ at the Oktoberfest opening ceremonies on October 7.

He’s the first sitting prime minister that ever has been at our opening ‘tap the keg’, so that was quite special for all of us here.

-Dave MacNeil, exeuctive director of Oktoberfest K-W Inc.

of the festival and other traditions such as the festival mascot Onkel Hans and the crowning of Miss Oktoberfest.

“There’s been a strong tie to the German culture and roots here with our five German clubs,” said Dave MacNeil, executive director of Oktoberfest K-W Inc. “Kitchener, at one time, was called Berlin and it did have a lot of migrants from Germany—people that settled here and started their careers and families here, so we

have a rich German heritage here and the German clubs obviously help foster that.”

The festival continues to grow each year, with the addition of a new fest-hall, Berlin Haus, at the Inn at Waterloo, as well as a farm fresh community breakfast on the second weekend.

Certain sites, such as the tent and welcome plaque, had to be relocated due to continued LRT construction, a project which has also caused a rerouting of the

Thanksgiving Day parade for the past two years.

The Thanksgiving Parade is the largest in Canada and is broadcast across the country as well as many north-eastern states.

Arguably the largest draw of the festival was at this year’s opening ceremonies, at which every year a ceremonial keg is tapped to officially kick-off the festival.

This year was a unique tapping, however, in that it was performed by the current prime minister of

Canada, Justin Trudeau.

“He’s the first sitting prime minister that ever has been at our opening ‘tap the keg,’ so that was just quite special for all of us here,” said MacNeil.

“His father had been at the festival 45 years to the day at the Concordia club, so we had a picture that we presented to him.

It was quite a touching moment for him and for us and it just really made that moment truly Canadian— having the prime minister there tapping the keg.”

Though the 2016 Oktoberfest has just barely wrapped-up, K-W is already looking ahead to future festivities, both next year’s and beyond.

“Well next year is our 49th year, so not a whole lot new for next year,” said MacNeil.

“But we already have committees in place for the 50th, so I think there will be a lot of work leading up to that.”

BUILDINGS

New space combines K-W art and startup companies 44 Gaukel Street to provide space for Accelerator Centre SAFINA HUSEIN LEAD REPORTER

A new combined space for the arts and startup communities in Kitchener-Waterloo has been provided by the City of Kitchener, located on the second floor of 44 Gaukel Street.

The building formerly belonged to Everest College, before it went bankrupt, leaving the space vacant since February 2015. Currently the building is 90 per cent occupied, which occurred without any active recruiting, an obvious testament to the high need for this type of space in Kitchener-Waterloo. The Accelerator Centre, in partnership with Arts Build Ontario, will be inhabiting the building and have split the space up 50/50 in terms of square footage. The Accelerator Centre has used the new space to bring in a number of their tech startup clients who need a larger space to grow their businesses. The work being done by the clients is

for hardware purposes.

“Our other facilities don’t currently have the ability to support the manufacturing component of these companies,” said Emily Jackson, director of client experience and special project at the Accelerator Centre. Jackson explained that 44 Gaukel Street is unique to their other buildings as it has concrete floors, lots of power, a loading

I think that these are two really interesting sectors to put together. And so far so good, it’s been really great.

-Emily Jackson, director of client experience and special project at the Accelerator Centre

dock, a freight elevator as well as the ability to ship and receive products—all essentials to their startup clients.

“There isn’t another flexible space where companies can come in and grow, which is very important. We did this out of a need across the region—there really isn’t something else that exists,” said Jackson.

A total of six companies reside in the new building, with a capacity for three to four more. The Accelerator Centre plans to actively recruit in the upcoming months to fill the few vacant spots.

In the other half of the building, Arts Build Ontario has incorporated a number of administrative offices as well as rehearsal spaces for various arts groups. Lindsay Gold, executive director of Arts Build Ontario explained that at the beginning of 2016, Arts Build Ontario began to work on a study which focused on the amount of performing arts spaces in Kitchener.

MARCO PEDRI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

The space at 44 Gaukel Street was provided by the City of Kitchener.

“There was definitely a need for rehearsal space that was expressed and the need for affordable rehearsal space was top of mind when these conversations started,” said Gold. Arts Build Ontario felt they weren’t the only organization lacking in private administrative offices and rehearsal space. When they opened their new building up to other organizations, the response was positive. Both parties feel that bringing the arts community and the tech community

together into a combined working space will present a unique atmosphere.

“We think there will be some potential overlap in terms of the startups looking for arts organizations, but also for our arts organizations looking to the startups to see what synergies there might be,” said Gold.

“I think that these are two really interesting sectors to put together.

And so far, so good, it’s been really great,” Jackson said.

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016 CULTURE

MARCO PEDRI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

The opening of the Robert Langen Art Gallery on October 5 in the Laurier Library featured a musical perfomance by pianist, Eve Egoyan and visuals by installation artist, David Rokeby.

Robert Langen Art Gallery opens in the library KAITLYN SEVERIN SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

After moving from Wilfrid Laurier University’s John Aird Centre, the Robert Langen Art Gallery opened at the university’s library to a crowd of students, staff, faculty and community members on October 5.

The gallery, located on the southeast corner of the main floor of the library, features a multi-dimensional, functional space where artists can spotlight various forms of art. The space is also available as an events hub and will include artists from the Laurier and Kitchener-Waterloo communities.

The gallery’s move to the library reinforces the university’s plan to evolve the library into a cultural learning commons.

Suzanne Luke, curator of the Robert Langen Art Gallery, believes it was a great idea to move the gallery into the library. “[The gallery is] really accessible to students, staff and faculty, so for optics sake, it’s in a great building—it’s in a great space,” she said.

Gohar Ashoughian, university librarian, and Nick Dinka, director of communications and cultural programming, previously talked about ideas to bring culture into the library before the opening of the gallery. According to Ashoughian and Dinka, part of their vision was to make the library a place where people could access and interact with information through different technological mediums.

“Now that technology is changing the way we use information, there’s opportunity to use this place in all kinds of interesting, exciting, different ways to access and use and create information, content, [and] stories,” said Dinka.

“Information is captured in other elements of life. Music is information, so if you think about it, music is information, visual arts is information, it’s just delivered in a different way,” said Ashoughian.

“So if we are talking about a holistic way to interact with information, we are creating that place to enable that.”

On opening night, guests were invited to experience a musical piece by pianist Eve Egoyan and installation artist David Rokeby, called “Surface Tension”, which

was performed in the gallery. Luke said she chose to use their work because it was interdisciplinary.

The performance featured Egoyan playing the piano while Rokeby created visualizations of the music.

“Eve and David are acclaimed international artists so I thought that was a nice way to start the opening of the space and what we’ll be doing in the future,” said Luke.

According to Luke, the gallery space was also interactive at the opening, as guests were invited to come into the space and perform their own music and see their sound as visuals.

“I think if there’s exhibition that viewers can engage in, they take away a little bit more in the visit.”

Dinka noted how the interactivity of the space fits in with their vision of the library, as they hope to get more people engaged with the gallery.

“We want students to come in and create art in the spaces so it’s not just about an artist up on a pedestal that we’re worshipping from afar; it’s about we’re trying to create that community here,” he said.

[The gallery is] really accessible to students, staff and faculty, so for optics sake, it’s in a great building—it’s in a great place.

-Suzanne Luke, curator of the Robert Langen Art Gallery

The library is hoping to connect with members of the larger K-W community.

According to Ashoughian, tickets for the opening night of the gallery were sold out 48 hours after emails were sent out.

“I think that connection [between the Laurier Library and the K-W Region] is a very important element of what we are within the community and this is one way we can contribute to that connection,” Ashoughian continued. “I think

that in itself has been such a fantastic evidence of the fact that we have done something right, people want to come.”

Since the opening, several events are already booked in the gallery. The opening of the LIFT series, which features local artists,

is happening on October 20. The gallery will also hold other events such as Music in the Library and the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction, 2016 Award presentation.

“This was all a vision, but when you have something like what we

have right now, the new Robert Langen Art Gallery in the library building, that is the manifestation of that vision. It has become a reality. It didn’t stay somewhere on the shelf, we saw it and it happened I think that’s the most exciting thing about it,” said Ashoughian.

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

EQUALITY

Encouraging career growth for women President and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina, Vianne Timmons, talks of leadership SAFINA HUSEIN LEAD REPORTER

in universities to encourage and support other women, as well as to openly talk to and educate others about this prevalent issue.

Although 60 per cent of students on Canadian university campus-

Vianne Timmons, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina, came to Wilfrid Laurier University last Tuesday, October 11, to speak to students, faculty, staff and members of the community.

Her talk, “Women’s Leadership in Academia: Everyone’s Challenge,” presented the concerning statistics regarding women in leadership roles, specifically those in academia.

“There is a real issue that we need to unpack. When you look at the number of women presidents, vice-presidents of academic, vice-presidents of research, etc. we’re still only in the 20 per cent range,” said Timmons.

A point that she was trying to make was that this is not an issue just for women.

It’s everybody’s challenge to find ways to address this.

-Deborah MacLatchy, Laurier’s provost and vice-president: academic

Timmons spoke about the multitude of reasons that she feels might explain why women have not been

There obviously is marginalization of women in leadership ranks in universities.

And of all the places, it should not happen within a university.

-Vianne Timmons, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Regina

equity in society is in universities. And we’re not leading, we’re lagging.”

MacLatchy explained that hosting a talk such as this one is important to the Laurier community, as this subject has been a large topic of conversation.

“We’ve been talking more and more about diversity and ensuring that the Laurier community better reflects the community at large. We certainly want gender equality.”

Timmons believes it is the responsibility of women leaders

es are female, the percentage of female research chairs or senior women on campus is approximately 20 per cent.

“There obviously is marginalization of women in leadership ranks in universities. And of all the places, it should not happen within a university,” said Timmons.

As the first female university president in Saskatchewan, Timmons was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

As an advocate for the growth of women in leadership roles, Timmons is also well known as a national and international expert in literacy research and inclusive education.

“Students that live off-campus must ensure that they have working smoke alarms on every level of their home and that they know at least two ways out in case of a fire.”

Waterloo Fire Rescue has

previously played an active role in demonstrating safety to Laurier students with events such as the burn room presemtation during orientation week this past September.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

promoted or encouraged to step into higher leadership roles.

“A point that she was trying to make was that this is not an issue just for women. It’s everybody’s challenge to find ways to address this,” said Deborah MacLatchy, Laurier’s provost and vice-president: academic.

As an individual who has moved up from being a faculty member, to being in administration, to eventually being president of the university, Timmons was able to express some of the challenges she

has faced from being a women in the academic world.

“When I was a young woman, I knew that it was harder to get ahead. Our mothers and grandmothers fought for the right. But I would have thought by today that my daughters wouldn’t have that same experience,” said Timmons.

Timmons also explained that the statistics of women in leadership roles in universities are specifically troublesome.

“Of all places where we should be leading in terms of equality and

FIRE SAFETY

It’s getting hot in here Waterloo Fire Rescue hosts annual prevention week NATHALIE BOUCHARD CORD NEWS

Fire Prevention Week is designed to create awareness about various fire safety practices across North America.

The primary focus of Fire Prevention Week is to change the behaviors around fire safety by creating a discussion around the topic of fire safety.

This year’s campaign, “Don’t wait check the date! Replace smoke alarms every 10 years,” highlights the importance of knowing fire prevention techniques in your home.

Fire Safety Prevention Week, in partnership with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), was held from October 9-15 with a kickoff event at Conestoga Mall.

Waterloo Fire Rescue’s public education officer, John Percy, explained why it is important to learn about fire safety and prevention.

As the public safety officer during Fire Prevention Week, Percy’s duties were to educate as

many people as possible about fire safety tips and how to react if a fire does occurs.

“It is important because annually, approximately 100 people die in the province due to home fire and many, many more are injured,” said Percy via email.

It is important because annually, approximately 100 people die in the province due to home fire and many, many more are injured.

-John Percy, Waterloo Fire Rescue’s public education officer

Percy also explained in the press release regarding Fire Prevention Week that smoke alarms save lives time and time again, and that trag-

edies do occur when smoke alarms are not working properly.

“The leading cause of injuries due to fires in Waterloo and in the province is unattended cooking.

It is important that students stay in the kitchen when they cook. If a pot on the stove catches fire, they should use a lid and slide it over the pot to put out the fire by wearing an oven mitt. They should never pour water in a pot that contains oil or grease as it will explode and their skin can be severely burned,” said Percy.

Percy also shared more information on ways students can prevent fires in their homes and residences and how to exit a residence safely if a fire occurs.

“It is also very important that first-year students know the emergency procedures in their residential buildings and always follow directions provided by dons on their floors. Students must be very careful when using open flames in classrooms such as in labs or when using candles or matches,” said Percy.

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Welcome to the Quantum Revolution

8 • GAMES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

WORD SEARCH

ACE BARNEY BASEBALL BAUTISTA DONALDSON ENCARNACION MARTIN OSUNA PILLAR SANCHEZ STROMAN TORONTO TULOWITZKI

GAMES • 9

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

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

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

Dear Life, Coming back from reading week more exhausted than when I left.

Maybe it’s time to cut back and take a real mental health break.

Sincerely, No, I’m not okay Dear Life, xx Sincerely, xx Dear Life, Thank you for making my friend very attractive, it’s the only reason girls talk to me.

Sincerely, Best wingman Dear Life, WE WERE ON A BREAK! Sincerely, More Behind (and not just because of the turkey)

Dear Life, Please stop joking about rape. No, you didn’t get raped by your exam.

I would know, I got raped after a first date last year in residence. I’ve since dropped out of school, and I still can’t have sex without crying.

Sincerely, It’s Not A Joke Dear whoever wrote the last “Dear Life,” Thank you for that. So many people use language so thoughtlessly without thinking about how it can affect other people.

I hope you’re okay, but above all, I hope you know that you don’t have to go through what you’re going through alone. Earlier this year someone close to me was sexually assaulted and it took her a while, but eventually she reached out to a women’s centre in the community that offered free counselling.

It really helped her, to know that someone would listen and also give advice. You’re important, your experiences are important, and your pain is valid. We hear you and we care about you.

Sincerely, A concered staff member at The Cord Dear comments section, Can’t we all just get along?

Sincerely, A social justice warrior, apparently Dear Life, My life has fallen apart the world is on its head

Roberto Osuna can’t save us now I Guess it’s on to Auston Matthews instead Sincerely, J8ker Dear author, Thumbs down to the excessive judgement on millennials article.

Stop trying to justify your need to continue sucking on your mother’s teet. Being young and independent IS something to be proud of. Grow up, seriously!

Sincerely, An adult Dear Life, Why the fuck do people spoil movies in Film Studies presentations?

Its frustrating and now The Girl on the Train is forever ruined.

Sincerely, Dont ruin the fun Dear Life, Roses are red Tulips are greener When I think of harambe I pull out my weiner Sincerely, A boy that misses his ape Dear Life, Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman, them boys up to something They just spent like two or three weeks out the country Them boys up to something they just not just bluffing You don’t have to call I hit my dance like Usher I just found my tempo like I’m DJ

mustard I hit the Ginobili with my left hand up like woo Lobster and celine for all my babies that I miss Chicken fingers, french fries for them hoes that wanna diss Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman, them boys up to something Uh uh, uh uh, think I need some Robitussin Way too many questions you must think I trust you You searching for answers I do not know nothing (Woo!) I see em tweaking they know something coming (Woo!) Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman, them boys up to something (Woo!) Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman, fuck was you expecting? (Woo!) Chi-town chi-town Michael Jordan just said text me (Woo!) Sincerely, 6 Dear Life, If I wanted my life to have as many ups and downs as a roller coaster, I would just go to Canada’s wonderland Sincerely, Someone who hates roller coasters Dear Life, Finally managed to get a competent group for a project. Some people are actually Golden.

Sincerely, Hopeful Hawk Dear Life, The cute boy at Campus Pizza... My

biggest regret is not getting your number.

Sincerely, Still love your Git Shit Done shirt though Dear Life, Roses are red Violets are blue I wanna go to bed For I have the flu Sincerely, Lil homie G from the street Dear Life, It’s always strange having to come our of the closet to new people.

Sincerely, Out. Seriously. I promise. It’s not a secret.

Dear Life, When I said I wanted to be in a movie, I didn’t mean Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.

Sincerely, Crows are my alarm clock now Dear Life, Tinder for cuddling. Somebody please do this for their new venture.

Sincerely, Snuggles over Sex Dear The Cord, Happy motherfucking birthday.

You don’t look a day over 85, seriously. Not a single grey hair. What kind of night cream do you use?

Sincerely, Shopping for night cream

10 •

FEATURES EDITOR/MITCHELL CONSKY/FEATURES@THECORD.CA

When I was first hired as Editor-in-Chief of The Cord in March of this year, I thought I understood the legacy this newspaper had. “Thought” being the key word.

The Cord was first published in 1926, under the name “The College Cord.” I trust that you can do the math, but to put it further into perspective, that was 90 years ago. For 90 years, students of Wilfrid Laurier University have been coming together to make the same product. While this product has changed in style several times, the goal has always remained the same: to provide a news source for the students at Laurier, but also to provide journalistic opportunities for students wishing to learn and gain experience. For 90 years, that’s why we operate.

Of course I understood all this when I was hired. Of course I knew our purpose and of course I loved our purpose, but it wasn’t until one day when I was working a shift at my part-time job in Conestoga Mall, that I realized the magnitude of our purpose.

I was at the cash register, ringing through a customer. He was middle-aged and wearing a Laurier letter jacket. I hadn’t started my job as Editor-in-Chief just yet, but I always took every opportunity I could to talk to strangers about the school I loved most.

“Do you work at Laurier?” I asked him.

“Alumni, actually,” he said, “but I still live in the area. Do you go there?”

“I do. Just finishing up my degree,” I responded. “I actually was just hired as the Editor-in-Chief of The Cord, the student newspaper. I don’t know if you know it.”

That caught his attention. He smiled and said, “no kidding, eh? I was the Sports Editor in ‘91.”

His name was Brock Greenhalgh and he had been on The Cord’s Editorial Board before I was even born. We talked for a long time — long enough for my boss to give me an angry look. He mentioned that ‘91 was a crazy year for The Cord, because that was the year they were shut down.

Now he had my attention.

I asked why and he said that in 1991, The Cord ran an article about safe sex in the gay community that had been highly controversial. The school didn’t like it and The Cord staff were locked out of their office for almost a week. We didn’t have the time to talk about it in full detail as I was supposed to be assisting other customers, but I thanked him for the chat.

Greenhalgh and I touched base a couple months later and I was still thinking about what happened in 1991. I wanted to know more.

He gave me the name of the Editor-in-Chief of 1991, Tony Burke. He didn’t have his contact info, but who needs that when there’s Facebook? Sure enough, Burke was easy enough to find, thanks to Mark Zuckerberg.

Before setting up a meeting with Burke, who now teaches biblical studies at York University, I wanted to read the issues from 1991 for myself. I wanted to see what the big controversy was.

Because the Laurier Library archives all The Cord’s issues online, this was very easy. With the help of my coworkers, I found two issues: the one that caused the shutdown, which was published on February 28,

FEATU

1991 and the first issue back on stands, which was published on March 14, 1991.

The February 28 issue talked about homophobia in more than just one article. It’s hard for students these days, including myself, to picture social issues before we were born. What we do know, however, is that the LGBTQ community is still fighting oppression today, in a world where same sex marriage is becoming widely legalized and universities have support systems, like our very own Diversity and Equity Office and Rainbow Centre.

In 1991, those factors weren’t so prevalent. According to Burke, Laurier was a very conservative school in the early ‘90s.

The Cord, however, was talking about these issues. Maybe not in the same way we’d talk about them today, as language is always evolving, but they were openly talking about the LGBTQ community and issues they faced. In 1991, a column called “The Pink Ink” ran every issue.

This column was written by a gay student, who was not openly gay, but wanted to write under a pseudonym about LGBTQ issues at Laurier. This column ran all year.

Burke explained that The Cord also had We were all qu some troubles in 1990. There was an offensive article printed and a libelous lawsuit our misery, or under their belt before Burke took the job resolution [sic as Editor-in-Chief. He knew he was already under the magnifying glass. three issues, w The article in question that Burke wrote in 1991 was called, “Another student paper “anarchy,” sho trounced for printing questionale materiall united … if w al: Eroticized safe sex article blitzed.” The article was about another article that was tight knit befo featured in Memorial University’s student paper, The Muse. certainly tight The article that was featured in The Muse was attempting to eroticise gay sex.

They did this because at the time, AIDS -Tony Burke, was directly associated with promiscuity in the gay community. The Muse wanted Editor-in-Ch to debunk this by saying gay men can have multiple partners. Having a lot of safe sex doesn’t put you at risk of AIDS, but having unprotected sex, just one time, can put anyone at risk.

The article in The Muse was erotic fiction, published for the sole purpose to prove that we should be able to talk about two men having sex in realistic ways, all the while trying to abolish the idea of irresponsible promiscuity. The two men featured in this snippet (it’s maybe 100 words) are engaging in protected sex, but it’s still erotic.

Ultimately, this point was lost due to the erotic content. It was too shocking for 1991. Hell, some might even find it shocking now.

But, The Cord reprinted it to correspond with an article Burke wrote about the punishments The Muse faced. He interviewed Padraic Brake, one of the original authors of the story and talked about how Memorial University responded. The president of Memorial University said their reputation had been tarnished by this piece of erotic fiction.

Burke’s story was a news story. He reprinted the original story for context. And as a result, The Cord was locked out of their office and pulled off stands for a little less than one week.

“You do this thing because you think it’s the right thing to do.

It’s the right position, yet, it has all these ramifications.

Everyone’s lives get affected in various ways as a result, including mine,” Burke said.

After the February 28 issue was put on stands, and then immediately

“

URES

pulled off, the doors to The Cord’s office, which at the time was in the Students’ Union building, were locked. Their accounts, including Burke’s salary, were frozen.

In 1991, The Cord and all of Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications were funded through the Students’ Union, unlike today as we now operate as a registered not-for-profit organization, autonomous from the school.

“The main issue,” Burke said, “wasn’t with the message of the article.”

They had been talking about LGBTQ issues long before this piece with “The Pink Ink.” “The issue was that the information was presented inappropriately.”

I can’t make assumptions about 1991. I wasn’t there. But, Burke and I discussed, hypothetically, how this short piece of erotic fiction would have gone over if the sex was shared between a heterosexual couple.

Being openly homophobic in 1991 wasn’t as frowned upon then as it is now.

During the lockout, Burke said he mainly made phone calls to narrow down where they stood, legally. He and the president uite united in of Student Publications figured out what their rights were. They started a petition to in our re-open, where fellow students could show c]. The next their support.

Within less than a week, their office was where we went opened to them and they were allowed to ows that we’re continue on with production.

“It felt like being pulled into the princiwe weren’t pal’s office. [It was] somewhat patronizing,” Burke said. “Basically they said, you can ore, we were open, but there has to be some oversight.

So I wasn’t considered a responsible t knit after. enough person to be EIC anymore, in a sense.”

Burke, however, had no regrets at the , former time for running the piece and he still now. hief of The Cord doesn’t “One of the lessons that came out of it was that you really have to think further ahead and think about what the implications are and I don’t know if I would do anything differently, but I really didn’t think it would cause as much of a sensation, or a controversy, as it did.

Because to me, it just seemed like a clear injustice and I didn’t see anything wrong with [the original article printed by The Muse]. It was a good thing to have out there in the community.”

The next issue following the one that had been pulled off stands, definitely stood out. The name was changed from The Cord to “the cord” (with quotation marks) because the team felt it just wasn’t the same anymore. They felt as if their agency was lost. The cover featured a collage of all the hateful emails Burke and the team received about the article, with the Fundamental Freedoms printed on top.

The issue featured articles about how The Cord was shut down, as well as a couple pieces discussing homophobia at Laurier — along with a strongly worded letter written by Burke, himself.

My favourite part, though, was the “Heterosexuality Quiz” on page 14. This quiz, which was purely satire, featured questions like, “What do you think caused your heterosexuality?” “When and how did you first decide you were heterosexual?” and “Why do heterosexuals feel compelled to seduce others into your lifestyle?”

“I suspect people thought we were a little bit full of ourselves,” Burke said.

Ultimately, the decision to run this piece turned out to be a domino effect that none of the 1991 Editorial Board ever expected and I think that’s why I’m so fascinated by this story. I’ve been with The Cord for four years and we have written about LGBTQ issues numerous times.

The fact of the matter is that those issues do affect a large population of

”

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016 • 11

students at Laurier.

But still, I, myself, was torn with whether or not to include the snippet from The Muse in this piece for context, just as Burke had 25 years ago. In all honesty, because of its history, I couldn’t do it.

Burke said that this controversy caused him to branch away from journalism. He also said that members of the Editorial Board, who had nothing to do with the reprint, were asked about the controversy in job interviews, or post-graduate program interviews. Cord staff members who had nothing to do with “Another student paper trounced for printing questionable material: Eroticized safe sex article blitzed,” such as Sports Editor, Greenhalgh, were associated with this issue well after the fact.

“It’s a university. It’s all adults. This is not a high school publication … and we can’t all be adults and see a disclaimer [at the beginning of an article] and think, okay, well maybe I shouldn’t read that. It came across as a juvenile response to adult material,” said Burke.

After talking with Burke, I thought again about what our purpose is.

Why does The Cord even exist? Like I said before: to provide a news source for the students at Laurier, but also to provide journalistic opportunities for students wishing to learn and gain experience.

Did this instance, in 1991, fail that purpose?

“It was certainly a big lesson for everyone and it certainly models the real world because if the Students’ Union is our government, or the university [administration] is our government, we’re supposed to write in criticism of those things,” said Burke.

That ideology hasn’t changed. We are still here to offer the students, staff and surrounding community an objective, critical viewpoint of those who govern our school. We’re lucky now that that relationship is undoubtedly more respectful than the one in 1991.

Burke also remarked on what this situation did for LGBTQ rights, at the time. “I think it brought [LGBTQ] rights and experiences to the Laurier community, which was very conservative [in 1991],” he said.

This piece sure did get people talking. No question about that.

I kept thinking, however, of the students who run The Cord now.

My coworkers. My friends. My family. How would we survive seeing something we love so much being taken away? What would we do?

How would I react, as a leader?

As much as we take ourselves seriously as a campus newspaper, being a member of The Cord’s management team, Editorial Board or senior staff is an extracurricular. We do it to gain experience and to resume build, but we also do it because we love the paper and we love each other.

So, I asked Burke what happened to his team.

“We were all quite united in our misery, or in our resolution [sic],” he said. “The next three issues, where we went “anarchy,” shows that we’re all united … if we weren’t tight knit before, we were certainly tight knit after.”

In my four years with The Cord, I’ve met “Cordies” from five years ago, ten years ago and now 25 years ago. The funny thing is that their experiences all seem so removed, so far away. But after talking to them for five minutes, we really aren’t that different.

We’ve all experienced the same stresses, the same passion, the same level of friendship, the same dedication, just at different periods of time.

While I hope The Cord never repeats 1991 — we very much enjoy staying on stands — hearing this story and hearing about a passionate group of young journalists 25 years ago who fought for what they thought was right, doesn’t deserve to be buried as a piece of dark history.

So here’s to 90 years of volunteerism, friendships, creating, experience, agency and the occasional controversy.

Happy birthday, buddy. Here’s to another 90 years of providing a news source for the students at Laurier and also giving student journalists a place to call home.

WILL HUANG/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

12 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR MANJOT BHULLAR arts@thecord.ca

POETRY

K-W team hopes to score a slam dunk The K-W poetry slam team roster hosts two Laurier students looking to make a statement in Winnipeg, MB BRITTANY DITIZIO SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

The Canadian Festival of Spoken Word is set to run from October 2330 in Winnipeg this year. Promising teams from around the country will compete in this week-long tournament featuring workshops, parties and some serious talent showcases.

The event will host 22 teams who will each voice their thoughts through a raw technique called slam poetry.

This concept involves not only poetic words, but also a gripping performance that never fails to captivate an audience.

This year, Kitchener-Waterloo will be represented in Winnipeg as its poetry slam team has qualified for nationals.

Ossian MacEachern is one of two Wilfrid Laurier students and members of the Kitchener-Waterloo Poetry Slam (KWPS) team who will be making their way to Winnipeg in less than a week to show off their talents.

“I personally started doing spoken word poetry about two and a half to three years ago,” said MacEachern.

“I had been writing poetry forever, but didn’t start performing until then. I met someone who introduced me to the monthly slam in Kitchener. The very first time I competed I came third and was sold on it.”

Anyone around the city is able to compete in tournaments within

Kitchener-Waterloo, where they can then make the KWPS team by doing well in their performance.

Teams that are built are then able

The reason I go every month is because it’s a chance for me to express my story and my truths in a public context.

-Ossian MacEarchern, KWPS team

to attend events like the CFSW next week.

“Cities will have regularly scheduled slam events and those events can register with Spoken Word Canada, which then will send teams to the event,” said MacEachern.

Another member of the KWPS team is Kitchener native, Taylor Heywood.

Taylor attended the event with K-W’s team last year and gave some insight on what the competition entails.

“The competition has teams of four or five people. There are multiple competitions that make up the festival, so at the beginning every team is paired up and there is a round of four different teams,”

Heywood said.

Teams will send their best poets to compete in two rounds where they are scored by judges —the top and lowest score being voided.

Each person’s score on each team is added together and compared to the other teams to decide who will move on to the semi-finals.

Further rounds are completed after this to decide who will move on to the finals and eventually win the competition.

Slam poetry is a type of performance that is empowering to witness and even more so for the performer.

When asked about what is intriguing about the concept, MacEachern and Heywood had many positive explanations.

“The reason I go every month is because it’s a chance for me to express my story and my truths in a public context and supportive atmosphere, as opposed to a therapist where I’m being questioned,” said MacEachern.

“Sometimes you hear the one line of poetry that clicks seven things together in your brain and that moment is something I wouldn’t pass up for anything.”

As any form of art, writing is a very intimate process. “People are so honest; I’ve seen the most honesty out of poets more than anyone I’ve met in my life,” said Taylor.

“People are willing to say things on stage that maybe they’re too afraid to say in person, but because its been translated to art, it’s a

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHIC EDITOR

People are willing to say things on stage that maybe they’re too afraid to say in person, but because its translated to art, it’s a lot easier.

-Taylor Heywood, KWPS team

lot easier to bear their soul and I really respect that of people,” said Heywood.

Heywood added that anyone in the K-W area is able to try out for the team next year, as it is a very

open concept.

It is required to compete in two poetry slams throughout the year to make the finals, in which the top four participants will qualify to represent K-W as a team.

Next year’s Canadian Festival of Spoken Word will take place in Peterborough, Ontario.

“This festival has really helped the K-W art community in the past few years, because the connections that people make there are important,” said Heywood.

“I’ve met some of the most fantastic artists I’ve ever seen in my life at this festival.”

The K-W team has slams every first Saturday of the month at 7 p.m., hosted at Cafe Pyrus for those interested in experiencing slam poetry.

PARENTS PRESSURING YOU TO FIND AN EXTRACURRICULAR? WHY NOT VOLUNTEER FOR THE CORD? MAKE MOM AND DAD PROUD. THECORD.CA/VOLUNTEER

ARTS & LIFE • 13

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016 BOOKS

A memoir worth the history of three cities NICOLE STUMPF STAFF WRITER

Architecture is often synonymous with far away places with large monuments.

For older and more historic buildings, images of Rome and Paris come to mind.

For more modern architecture, images of Tokyo and New York City may appear.

What about Waterloo, Ontario?

Our own backyard can provide interesting ideas and stories through the buildings that are found here.

Philippe Elsworthy recently published Evolving Urban Landscapes: A Photograph Memoir. In this memoir, the buildings and streetscapes of the Kitchener-Waterloo area are the subjects of the book. The book was launched on October 16.

Before the launch, Elsworthy discussed the memoir and shared his inspiration for the book, what he hopes the impact of the book will be and what he hoped the book launch would achieve. “[The book is called] a photographic memoir, because it really is

my own reflections on what I think is important in the region,” said Elsworthy.

Elsworthy’s interest in urban landscapes began as a photographer at University of Waterloo’s newspaper called the Chevron—now known as Imprint. The Chevron, as Elsworthy said, was what helped him get started with photography.

While working on a story, Elsworthy noticed there was a relationship between housing and industry within the area.

“I wanted to show that housing and industry was pretty much intermingled,” Elsworthy said.

As he noted throughout his book, many housing developments in Waterloo were situated near factories and industrial plants.

After university, Elsworthy continued to study product photography to help photograph the products from his cabinetmaking business.

Years later, Elsworthy said that he was asked to be a part of the Building Waterloo Region Festival of Architecture and Design by former champion of the Joseph Schneider Haus, Susan Burke. His

DATING

Tinder profiles need some TLC MANJOT BHULLAR ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Yell Tinder, because it’s going down. It’s about time there’s a fair tearing-into for both guys and girls on how weak your Tinder game really is. Your profile was cute for university but you have a LinkedIn now, so its time to up your Tinder profile as well.

Cars Fellas, I reciprocate how much you enjoy ‘your’ cars—aka random cars you stand in front of in a parking lot, or have rented for your best friend’s wedding. But I doubt it sparks the same interest amongst a potential match. If you are going to include a photo, limit it to just one.

Fish Gripping a dead fish in your hands … really? What could possibly draw someone in—unless they have a hidden fetish for animal necrophilia in which case, ingenious. Go on a hike, camping, anything but a dead fish.

Clubs I doubt your potential matches want to see you arms full with your probable one-night stands and a drink spilled down your thigh.

Keep it tasteful, lads. However if this has been proven to create a jealous, sexual tension please do share your findings with the rest of us.

Half-nude pics Ladies, unless you share the unapologetic attitude of Cardi B from which no one can tell you otherwise, consider proportions.

Seriously. If you’re serious about finding your soul mate, you definitely don’t want to start off on the wrong foot. And guys, if you have washboard abs, a picture of it on your profile isn’t necessary. Try to leave something up to the imagination. Unless you’re specifically looking for sex, half-nude pics might not be taken seriously.

Group This applies to both guys and girls and although it may seem to be common knowledge, some of us still commit this sin. It’s tough on anyone viewing your profile to figure out which one you are, especially if it’s set as your main picture. And I guarantee that you don’t need to prove you have a large social circle.

Quotes You’ve watched one classic rom-com and all of the sudden feel inclined to have yourself summarized by a singular quote in your bio. It may be a pessimistic foot to lead with, but I highly doubt this is a quote that’ll stick—similar to a poor tattoo, no matter how many ways you force it to be relevant.

Guns Apparently there is a new craze of pictures of folks shooting guns, whether it’s hunting or at a shooting range. But, there is something very strange about using weapons as a way to get people to want to date you.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Avaialble at Woodworth books, a showcase of the history of the tri-cities.

contribution to the festival was an exhibit dedicated to showing the region’s architecture.

During the course of the exhibit, which ran from May to September 2014, many people had stories about the local architecture in the area.

Elsworthy even admitted that

people knew stories about the buildings that he did not even know.

He was looking forward to meeting people and hearing their stories about the buildings.

When asked about what he hoped would happen at book launch, Elsworthy responded jok-

ingly, “Obviously, I hope they buy the book.”

On a more serious note Elsworthy said, “[I hope] they appreciate the unique nature of the communities in the Region of Waterloo and the unique history, because it does have a unique history from other parts of Ontario.”

It is appropriate that the launch for the book was held at the Joseph Schneider Haus, as it is an important landmark and the oldest building in the Kitchener area, corresponding with Elsworthy’s goal.

At the event, Elsworthy gave a presentation about notable photographs from his memoir and served as an introduction for what can be expected from the book.

While Elsworthy presented his photographs, the room, despite being filled, was near silent.

After the short presentation, the memoir was being sold and signed by the author.

Plenty of the spectators lined up in a cluster to eagerly grab a copy of book.

“I hope people understand that there is a lot of history that remains to be seen if you only look for it,” he said.

14 •

ARTS & LIFE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

COOKING

Gobble up these Thanksgiving Recipes Leftover Grilled Cheese Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 slices of bread ½ pound of thanksgiving leftovers (turkey, stuffing, vegetables) 2 slices of favorite cheese (cheddar, swiss, Monterey jack, etc) ¼ cup leftover gravy Directions: 1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan until it is melted 2. Add slice of bread to frying pan and swirl until coated in butter 3. Leave slice of bead to toast until one side is golden brown 4. Top thanksgiving leftovers on bread as desired, and place non-toasted slice of bread on top 5. Lift sandwich off frying pan with a spatula and melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter 6. Flip sandwich and toast the other side on medium heat until deep golden brown or cheese is melted 7. Serve hot with gravy

Turkey Cranberry Quesadilla’s

Stuffing Waffles

Ingredients: 2 flour tortillas ½ - 1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese (any cheese works) ½ cup shredded turkey ¼ cup cranberry sauce 1 tablespoon of butter Chopped parsley to garnish Gravy

Ingredients: 4 cups leftover stuffing Chicken broth/stock, as needed 2 eggs Leftover cranberries Gravy

Directions: 1. On one side of a flour tortilla, sprinkle one third of the shredded cheese 2. Add shredded turkey on top of cheese 3. Add a second layer of shredded cheese by sprinkling on top of the turkey 4. Spread cranberry sauce on top 5. Sprinkle another layer of shredded cheese on top of cranberry sauce 6. Place second tortilla on top 7. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on skillet over medium heat 8. Once butter is melted, place quesadilla in skillet and cover with a lid. Allow to fry until one side is golden brown. Flip and allow other side to cook until golden brown as well 9. Remove quesadilla and place on cutting board to cool for 2 minutes and cut into wedges using pizza slicer 10. Garnish with parsley and use gravy to dip

Directions: 1. Preheat waffle iron 2. In a large bowl, mix together 4 cups of leftover stuffing and 2 eggs 3. Add ¼ of a cup of chicken stock and mix.

Keep adding chicken stock as needed until the mixture is moistened, but not runny 4. Grease waffle iron with cooking spray 5. Scoop out one half of the stuffing mixture onto the waffle iron and spread evenly with a fork. The stuffing does not expand like normal waffle mix, so be sure to spread the mixture carefully and evenly 6. Cook for five minutes until egg is cooked throughout and waffle is golden brown and crispy 7. Remove waffle from iron and transfer onto a plate and repeat process with the rest of the stuffing 8. Enjoy stuffing waffles with gravy and cranberries on top.

Compiled by: Liz Zmijak

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE GRAPHICS BY: ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS/ONLINE EDITOR

GAMING

Grad student improves grade school E-ducation Laurier’s Thomas Brenner is using his undergrad knowledge to help faciliate elementary learning MANJOT BHULLAR ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Study tips are plentiful and everyone seems to have cracked the code to aceing any course.

However, many students like to CTRL+ALT+DEL all the knowledge soon after the final exam, or test.

Thomas Brenner, a master’s student at Wilfrid Laurier University, chose to do something more with his study methods than simply toss them in a bonfire.

I thought the best place for educational gaming, at least to start, would be in grades five to eight.

-Thomas Brenner, master’s student at Laurier

“It had always been a hobby of mine to draw different pictures depending on the courses I was in to help me remember different cells

and things,” said Brenner.

After taking an immunology course, Brenner became inspired to create a script for a possible game from his study drawings.

Soon after, this became a full on application available through Google Play named, ‘Sick Trip.’

“I started looking online, how to do some game programming … it was a massive learning curve,” said Brenner.

In addition to this, Brenner entered the Laurier LaunchPad program in order to learn how to execute his ideas effectively, where they helped him learn how to conduct proper market research.

Undergraduate studies, let alone master’s, can be all consuming for students, so Brenner decided to start a gaming company called Virion Games, which was a big responsibility. In order to do both at the same time, Brenner is currently focusing on gathering all the data and feedback from elementary school teachers to set his upcoming application launch for success.

“I thought the best place for educational gaming, at least to start, would be in grades five to eight,” said Brenner.

This decision is only further enabled by the Waterloo Regional District School Board, as they

provided free Chromebooks to students to support better education. Once released, the games will be available to use in schools on Chromebooks and iPads.

Teachers are always searching for tools that could help their students.

-Thomas Brenner, master’s student at Laurier

SERENA GILL/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

Brenner’s first educational game centers around the importance of biodiversity. It follows a polar bear that travels from the north to different cities searching for the reason why the environment is doing so poorly. As he continues through, he encounters situations that touch on other points from the curriculum.

“Teachers are always searching for tools that could help their students. Gaming is a great one

Brenner is currently in the development process of his educational games

because it gets them excited about the material,” Brenner said.

As the education system catches up to students through the increase in technology use in the classroom, it’s hoped this will create a domino effect to result in improved test scores.

As with any large organization, implementing anything into a school board is a lengthy and slow process. While waiting for further

approval, Brenner is in production of the artwork and storyline.

Now, Brenner’s sister is helping increase the artistry behind the app and Brenner hopes that through the creative, tech-driven Waterloo scene will have more talent to take this project to the next level. By meshing together a few of his interests, Brenner embodies how great it really is to be a Golden Hawk.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

• 15

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS editor@thecord.ca

Creative writing is a pathway to success for students you can be proud of when it’s finished.

It can also be a very enjoyable activity when you have choices and control over the content. It can be especially cathartic. It’s more genuine when you are writing for yourself.

Writing, like any art, gives you an outlet beyond yourself. It’s bigger than putting words on a page because those words have meaning to you, especially when you’re making your writing choices for yourself. Every big idea starts out on a written page. It allows you to develop your imagination and to build on ideas that are already in place. It can give you perspective that you wouldn’t get otherwise.

Writing is both an art and a talent. Like drawing, photography, or dramatic performance—having the ability to express your thoughts and feelings is invaluable.

Creative writing has many benefits for the average student. Whether expressing your opinions or using writing as an outlet, personal writing has a positive impact on your everyday life. Writing outside of the classroom can also be essential to getting a job after university. Essays are great in a certain context, but the real world is much less formal.

Chances are, we’re never going to use MLA citations ever again, but knowing how to write in order to express yourself is an invaluable skill.

The more you write, the more proficient you become. When you write more, you find inspiration from the most unlikely of places. Thinking more critically and creatively can do nothing but help you. That can give you confidence in your academic writing as well.

It’s a tangible piece of work that

Football team brings out the best of Golden Hawk pride Parents are asking about our team.

Students are streaming the games.

Even if you aren’t interested in football, you likely have an interest in the winning streak.

So are we jumping on the bandwagon? Or are we finally taking pride in our team? We think it’s both.

Whether it’s true or not, our football team is seen as the underdogs and everyone loves a good underdog story.

This is the longest winning streak we’ve had since 2009 and it’s understandable that people are excited.

On a more critical note, we pay for the football team throughout the university career. Seeing them succeed is like making a good investment: rewarding and comforting when it pays off.

At our school, the vast majority of students have enormous school pride. We bleed purple and gold.

Of course we’ll be excited when we’re winning. The Golden Hawk pride is being put to great use.

Hating the Hawks right now is like living in Toronto and hating the Jays. It’s all fun and games when they’re losing, but when the pride is running high from a winning streak, you’d never be caught dead saying that you didn’t like the team.

Even the least sporty Golden Hawk can get excited about our school being shown in a positive light.

It’s really hard to place hate on a group that’s currently doing so well. We’re hopeful for the future of the team and we can’t wait to see the upcoming games.

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.

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

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

DIRECTOR Matt Burley

CHAIR Meghan Roach

TREASURER John Pehar

VICE-CHAIR Abdiasis Issa DIRECTOR Maddy Cutts DIRECTOR Mynt Marsellus

PRESIDENT Meghan Roach president@wlusp.com FINANCE MANAGER Randy Moore randy@rcmbrooks. com ADVERTISING MANAGER Caroline Schummer care.schummer@ wlusp.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp. com HR MANAGER/CORPORATE SECRETARY Taylor Berzins hr@wlusp.com

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Servers are not servants PAIGE BUSH PHOTO EDITOR

The customer is not always right.

Even in our capitalistic world, I’m not sure which societies truly believe the customer is always right, let alone established businesses adhering by the phrase “the customer is always right.”

Sure, in some cases the customer is right.

However, in my personal experience within the food service industry, the customer is usually wrong. The customer is an arrogant asshole who reeks of entitlement.

It’s hard to contribute new insight to the discourse surrounding the food service industry.

There are so many thoughts on the restaurant industry already publically shared within essays or in list form available online, such as pieces that start with “dear rude customer” and end with “sincerely, a stressed out server.” Let’s not forget fan favourites like, “10 things all servers can relate to.”

People have their individual opinions about their experiences at restaurants that they discuss amongst friends and family, both good and bad.

It is extremely important to understand that it is difficult to get good service when you’re a shitty

customer. When you are rude to your server, it speaks volumes about your character. When you yell at your server for things beyond their control, it is embarrassing for both parties.

It seems as though customers blame the server for just about everything beyond their control, such as the temperature of their water—yes, I recently received a complaint that a customer’s water was not room temperature.

Another absurd complaint from customers is about wait times for food on a Friday night—as if it’s a surprise the restaurant is at maximum capacity at the end of the work week and the kitchen is overwhelmed with orders.

It’s funny how those who have never worked a day in their life at a restaurant think they know how a restaurant should be run; they are suddenly smarter than the server and manager combined and they are an expert on customer service.

There’s a routine when going out to eat: you arrive, wait to be seated (unless told otherwise) you order drinks, your server brings your drinks then takes your food order, brings your food, then quality checks your food, drinks and over all experience.

Your server will remove dishes, and then ask if they can get you anything else, like dessert. If not, the bill will be brought over and the server will take payment.

It is fine when customers deviate from this routine.

If more people show up for a

reservation than originally stated, it can be dealt with. If you decide to order more food after your server has put your order through, you better be prepared to wait longer.

What is not okay is the adult version of a temper-tantrum in a restaurant because you can’t add two extra chairs to your table that you reserved for ten, not twelve.

When you are rude to your server, it speaks volumes about your character.

There is a sense of entitlement I constantly see within restaurant patrons and it’s alarming how I’ve grown accustomed to it.

Serving isn’t easy and for a restaurant to operate smoothly and successfully, servers need to be good at their jobs.

Next time you’re out at a restaurant and having a bad experience, really think about whether the issue is the server’s fault.

Don’t give your server a hard time and write a bad review online just because you’re hangry.

16 •

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016 OPINION EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS opinion@thecord.ca

Volunteering should be made compulsory Mandatory community service could be beneficial to graduates and to our greater communities

MYNT MARSELLUS STAFF WRITER

Who remembers their mandatory volunteer hours from high school?

I have vague recollections of volunteering at a soup kitchen a couple times and working at my church, but for 40 hours of my life, I can’t say they had any lasting impact on me.

According to the Government of Ontario, the purpose of these 40 hours are to “encourage students to develop awareness and understanding of civic responsibility and of the role they can play in supporting and strengthening their communities.”

I know a few people from high school who really did develop that knowledge, but the majority seemed to see it as a question of, “what is the least I can do to jump over this hurdle.”

Laurier, on the other hand, does a pretty phenomenal job of encouraging the spirit of volunteerism and community action.

Occasionally, I worry that it is more the filling of resumes than actual devotion to community service, but my experience with volunteers on this campus shows that we actually care about this school and we work to make it better.

How do we transfer that up to the province and the country? How do we encourage devotion to the improvement of our communities and our governments among those that are already least likely to vote?

I have a suggestion.

What would you do if the government offered you a chance to eliminate your student debt if you worked for one year in the civil service? It could be in a variety of different work environments, though you wouldn’t necessarily get to choose which type of work you get.

If you work full-time for the government for one year, you get free post-secondary education.

Would you take the government up

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

on their offer?

I’ll admit, this does leave a problem. Rich kids whose parents pay for their education wouldn’t have any need to do this so it really just becomes a way to make poor kids pay for their education with work instead of cash.

So maybe we go a little further.

How about everyone, rich and

poor, has to do some kind of civil service in the year following their graduation from high school? Mix conscription with a kind of new GI Bill and you have a recipe for developing the most engaged citizenry since World War Two. Instead of 40 measly volunteer hours that people have to get to graduate high school, how about

we make everyone dedicate a year of their lives to their communities and their country. Instead of “giving back” by going to a country half way across the world and building a school to help “people who have less than we do,” how about we build up the struggling communities here? How much could we do if the people most capable of giving back, actually did?

Would it be expensive? Yeah, it would. But the money being spent would be going right back into the communities that most need it. It’s a radical re-imagining of public service, so that no one goes into the private sector without knowing how important the public sector is.

It’s a Canada where every Canadian votes because they know the scale on which politics affects the communities they used to work in.

It’s a Canada where we don’t have to ask, “but who’s going to do the work that so needs to be done?” It’s a Canada where everyone understands that they aren’t a lone wolf fighting for survival, but one piece of a vibrant community looking to make the world a better place.

Trudeau’s celebrity status is beneficial for Canadians BRITTANY DITIZIO SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

With today’s era of extensive media coverage of politics all over the world, there are added pressures and judgments put on large political figures.

2015 was the year that the spotlight was put on Canada, when Justin Trudeau was elected as the country’s prime minister.

Not only is Justin Trudeau known for shadowing his father, but he has also become a political fashion icon known throughout the world. Prior to Trudeau being elected, many thought this politician would not be experienced enough to run an entire country. Opposition even coined the phrase, “he’s just not ready.”

While Canada is still experiencing the beginning of the political ideas Trudeau is establishing, there is one thing that the country is sure of: he has great hair.

However, the question becomes whether or not his hip, new influence on Canada makes the country look vulnerable.

It’s not a secret that most young Canadians don’t care about politics, but since young people will become the future of this country, it is up to them to become

proactive in political views and understanding Canada’s outlook.

Teaching politics in elementary and high school has always been done, but does it really get kids interested in politics?

Probably not.

While young Canadians are active on social media, politics seem to have become more interesting, especially with a prime minister like Trudeau. With unending memes and frequent stylish appearances in the ever so happening navy blue fitted suit and tan dress shoes, Trudeau is a fresh take on Canada.

It is this connection to modern society that makes Trudeau one of the most appealing prime ministers to ever influence Canada’s youth.

Gone are the days of tailored black suits and shoes to match, as Trudeau proves that jeans and colourful socks are fitted for anyone, even the prime minister.

Not only are the young people of Canada accepting Trudeau as a fashion icon, the rest of the world is able to see Canada as a diversified country. People are able to see that, through Trudeau, powerful individuals in the world do not need to follow a set of rules, especially regarding appearance when they are playing a significant part to make change.

In no way does it make Canada seem trivial for having a leader with fashion sense—it actually makes Canada look cooler than it

already was.

With an intelligent head on his shoulders and a compassionate personality to boot, of course his fashionable take on the traditional political figure is nothing but positive for Canada in the public eye.

Perhaps Trudeau’s style makes his motivated attitude even more apparent than it already is and this is a good thing for our country. Realistically, when was the last time you’ve seen a prime minister wear striped socks on television?

It is this connection to modern society that makes Trudeau one of the most appealing prime ministers to ever influence Canada’s youth.

If you’re not ready for the change that comes with having someone like Justin Trudeau guide our country, then you’re probably not ready to progress.

Whether it is marching in the Pride Parade or cuddling newborn pandas, we are sure to see Trudeau in the perfect outfit for the occasion.

OPINION • 17

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Supporting CAS Students can make a difference in the contract negotiations of professors

GIOVANNI GUIGA OPINION COLUMNIST

Students attending Laurier will almost certainly be taught, at some point, by a part-time or contract faculty professor.

I bet this number has dropped now that their collective agreement with Laurier has ended on August 31, 2016. As a result, there have been ongoing discussions between Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) and Laurier’s senior administration for the last four months.

The outcome of these negotiations will have an effect on us as Laurier students and for the livelihoods of the Contract Academic Staff (CAS). It is important that we, the students, must become engaged in these discussions.

If we are engaged, we can provide a sense of accountability.

This ensures a better scrutiny of WLUFA. WLUFA represents all faculty at Laurier, thus it includes both full-time and contract faculty. This is problematic, predominantly because a union has an inherent problem. The interests of one group, in this case the full-time faculty, benefit directly from ensuring part-time faculty get a smaller slice of the pie.

This is not to say that WLUFA is actively trying to ensure negotiations are not fruitful, but rather to highlight potential conflicts that arise within the union. I think this conflict further arises from finite number of allocated dollars for salaries and benefits for all professors on campus with one group (full-time) benefitting substantially more than the other (CAS).

This predisposition could manifest in discrete ways during the negotiations. If WLUFA must make a decision of which group needs

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

are to be prioritized, full-time or part-time, they are going to choose full-time, especially when their negotiations are set to occur next.

This internal difficulty is where students must take action. We can hold WLUFA accountable, ensuring the demands of contract faculty are being fought for during the negotiations, thus providing support to a consistently undervalued part of Laurier.

Many of you will have seen the contract academic staff office

posters around campus. This poster campaign was to highlight “the lack of typical and appropriate office space for contract faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University,” said WLUFA’s Facebook page.

This campaign is important because it showcases the negative effect a lack of resources can have for contract staff and our student experience. We, as students, should be concerned with ensuring contract faculty have more resources, such as consistent office

that respect and inclusivity are great ideals—just not when dealing with conservative Christians, apparently.

To illustrate this hypocrisy, I could analyze any number of slanders levied against Christianity.

Perhaps the most enduring progressive myth directed against Christians is that they are irrational.

Dismissing out of hand the monumental genius of figures such as St. Augustine, St. Anselm, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John Paul II and Blessed John Henry Newman, anti-theists from Freud to Feuerbach have argued against the rationality of religion.

God, they say, is merely an idealized projection of the ego, an opiate-dispensing sky-fairy

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Type-casting Christians MITCHELL KOOH OPINION COLUMNIST

Vegetarianism is for evil people – or at least stupid ones. It’s a violent ideology that perpetuates hatred and intolerance across the globe.

Vegetarianism is for the immoral and the uneducated.

Really, it’s not vegetarians’ fault.

They’ve just been indoctrinated by insidious agents—the school system, the media, the usual boogeymen.

Regardless, these sad, deluded, ignorant nut-jobs need to be put in their place. Off in a padded room, ideally.

Everything I’ve said so far, of course, is absurd.

So why is it acceptable to say the same things about conservative Christians?

If you don’t believe me, just look at the statistics.

According to a study conducted earlier this year by the evangelical polling firm Barna Group, most atheists view religious people, Christians in particular, as extremist. A 2007 Barna poll suggested more of the same: Christians are increasingly seen as fanatical, violent, homophobic, irrational and

hypocritical.

These stats shouldn’t surprise anyone. They’re borne out of everyday experience, especially on university campuses.

In the first few weeks of school, I’ve already heard God referred to as an imaginary friend, the crusades as a barbaric genocide and the papacy as a corrupt invention.

The rejection of Christian doctrine is sexy at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying Christians need safe spaces or trigger warnings to protect their feelings.

That being said, the progressive attitudes that are so popular among university students claim

Meaningful dialogue is the hallmark of a quality education, but opinions need to be supported by reason.

designed to placate our fears and validate our ignorance.

Like all myths, these accusations are grounded in a kernel of truth.

The authors of a 2013 social study observed an inverse relationship between religiosity and intelligence, but the vast majority of people don’t seriously believe certain races are inherently ‘smarter’ than others. Obviously, that would be dangerously naïve. Why, then, do certain groups perform worse on traditional indicators of

space, because this directly affects their ability to maintain contact and assist with students in their courses.

If I want a more private or a more professional setting to speak with my professor over academic matters, I cannot effectively do this in a room that may have multiple other people.

Students also need to stand with contract faculty in the push for one-year contracts. While contract faculty are hired on a per-course basis, this precarious situation hurts students.

Professors that are able to have a sense of better job security are not only going to be happier instructors, they can also begin thinking long-term, to the benefit of their students. If a contract professor teaches the same course, they are able to make more modifications and improvements over time without having to worry about whether they are even going to be teaching the same course in terms to come.

These contract negotiations give our student voice a chance to take charge of our education and ensure the livelihood of some great professors.

This can all be done by ensuring that WLUFA enters these negotiations with a renewed resolve; a strong show of support by students would help in some part to achieve this.

intelligence?

The answer lies in stereotyping and bias. A 2015 study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science Journal demonstrated that negative stereotypes associated with religion resulted in sub-par Christian enrollment and marks in the sciences. The authors then concluded that differences between the performance of Christian and non-Christian students disappeared.

Claude Steele, the social psychologist, has described this phenomenon as ‘stereotype threat.’

In his own work, Steele argues that stereotype threat explains the scarcity of women in mathematics and the underperformance of minority students in general.

Meaningful dialogue is the hallmark of a quality education, but opinions need to be supported by reason. For example, some people may challenge the assertion that discrimination based on religion is objectively wrong. That’s fine, but show me why.

Some people may question the methodologies of the various studies mentioned above or criticize my interpretations of those studies.

That’s fine, but show me where I went wrong.

Some people may think orthodox Christianity discourages intelligent thought, while others may argue that I wrongly conflated progressivism with secularism or Christianity with conservatism.

That’s fine, but show me why that’s the case.

There are lots of nasty people in the world who simply hate religion.

That’s ok. Fanatics exist in every generation.

What really defies reason is the hypocrisy of aggressive secularism and the condescending progressive anti-theists who seem to think that their crap doesn’t stink. And boy have they been dumping on Christians.

18 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

FEAR OF GAY BLOOD The discrimination in Canadian blood services shows deeper problems CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

Recently, the Canadian government dropped the amount of time a gay man (to use the blanket term) has to be chaste from five years to one in order to donate their blood.

MADELINE MCINNIS OPINION EDITOR

While I was home for reading week, I was treated to a news story about my local hospital being the most generous in terms of blood donation.

That’s heartwarming. Their slogan is “it’s in you to give,” after all.

I’d finish that slogan as “it’s in you to give—as long as you’re not a man who’s had sex with another man.”

In that case, they don’t want your blood. They don’t want to see you as the heroes they advertise.

They don’t want you to save lives.

That, quite frankly, is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard.

In Canada, if a male has had sex with another male, he cannot give blood.

Even if an individual, male or female, has had sex with a man who has had sex with a man, they can’t give blood, either.

Confusing? Don’t get it? Yeah, me neither.

LIKE US ON

It’s a culture that doesn’t accept men who love other men.

It’s vicious. It’s unnecessary. It needs to be stopped.

Though this is an improvement, I still think this is an unacceptable amount of time to wait.

The logic behind this ban is that HIV/AIDS travels faster in the gay community, due to the HIV scare of the late 20th century.

Though it’s true gay men statistically have higher rates of HIV, everyone is asked whether or not they may have come in contact with someone who has HIV when they’re about to give blood.

Anyone can transmit HIV through unprotected sex. Anyone could transmit it through any transmutation of bodily fluids, actually.

So why on earth do we care who anyone has had sex with, as long as it’s protected and consensual?

Do their genders really matter if they’re being safe?

An even better question would be why do we discriminate against gay men instead of scanning for HIV in everyone who wants to give blood?

I don’t know about you, but I’ll take safe gay blood over HIV-positive heterosexual blood. It’s absurd to say otherwise. However, we’re continuing to screen for sexuality instead of common sense.

I think it buys into the culture that’s stacked against gay men.

There’s this fear that they’re somehow unclean or unsanitary, stemming from the fear of the HIV crisis in the past decades.

A perfect example of this can be found in this week’s feature—even The Cord was subjected to backlash from this fear of gay men.

I can only imagine what that feels like first hand and I am so sorry if you have ever experienced the discrimination that comes with your sexuality.

Though this is different when speaking to a doctor about their own health, the blood donation system is much less welcoming to these men.

This entire process can be difficult for a person to partake in, especially when the act of giving blood should have nothing to do with their sexuality.

More drastically, this chastity rule feeds into the culture where men feel they have to hide their sexuality and buy into heteronormativity.

Where love and attraction should be embraced, the last thing we need is another reason for people to hide who they are.

This should be obvious. It shouldn’t be a question.

It’s a culture that doesn’t accept men who love other men. It’s vicious. It’s unnecessary. It needs to be stopped.

Until this wait time is repealed for gay men, I’ll stand with my brothers in the LGBTQ community. I will not give blood until they have their bodies treated equally as everyone else’s are.

Safe blood doesn’t become unsafe blood because of the gender you are attracted to. Love, like blood, is “in you to give.” Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

These fears are completely irrational.

It comes from a deep ignorance, one that I really hope we can defeat someday. For now, we’re stuck with a discriminatory rule that has no purpose in our current society.

The healthcare system is supposed to protect us and keep us safe. It is failing our men. It is failing to acknowledge the rights that the gay community has to their bodily autonomy and it’s not trusting them to make sound choices.

There’s this fear that they’re somehow clean or unsanitary, stemming from of the HIV crisis in the past decades.

However confidential it is to admit a man has slept with another man, it’s also forcing men to “out” themselves to a stranger.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Sports

• 19 SPORTS EDITOR ROB FIFIELD sports@thecord.ca

FOOTBALL

Golden Hawks hold off the Gryphons

TANZEEL SAYANI/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

DREW YATES CORD ALUM

Nakas Onyeka of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks was here through the worst of Laurier Football.

In his rookie year, the linebacker played for the Hawks in head coach Michael Faulds’ first year as Laurier's coach, where they finished the season with a handful of close games and a 1-7 record.

Flash forward three years and the roles are reversed—the Hawks are now one win away from beating the most amount of wins they've had in a season since 2009, after defeating the Guelph Gryphons 27-25 last Friday afternoon.

"We said to the guys this week, [Guelph's] not a 2 and 4 football team and they showed that today.

They took us right down to the wire but I'm proud of how our guys battled," Faulds said. "24-6 you'd like to put them away. We let them hang around just long enough, but

in the end we made enough plays to get the win."

The defence came in strong in the final minute, shutting down Guelph's attempt at a late rally and stopping their two-point conversion that could tie the game. In a last ditch effort to keep their playoff dreams alive, Guelph attempted an onside kick, only to be recovered by the Hawks.

The Golden Hawks are now 6-1.

"If I remember correctly, the ball got tipped, I'm not sure I couldn't tell you, and then Johnny Augustine recovered it, Brandon Calver put a hit on him and he lateraled the ball to James [Robert] and I just saw it and tried to react," Onyeka said, recounting the final few plays of the game.

"Fortunately we got ahead on them ... when you see a tip ball, a catch, a lateral, thank God it turned out the way it turned out."

All year, the defence has come through, whether it was Onyeka,

MEN’S HOCKEY

who recorded 12 tackles last game, bringing his career total tackles to 146, fourth-year defensive back Kwaku Boateng finding holes in the offensive line and sacking the quarterback, or second-year defensive back Malcolm Thompson picking off his opponent, including a one-handed catch last game that brought his interception count this year to five—fifth-best in a single season in school history. The defence works as a unit and they have been through it all with this team.

Even though Onyeka feels that the defence took a step back against Guelph, he has seen the progression the defence has made over the time he's been at Laurier.

"I remember vividly in my second year, Western put up 63, or 67 points and it comes down to our work ethic. Our coordinators, coach [VanMoerkerke], coach [Cameron], they work us and we feel like it's been paying off and if not this year, then what," Onyeka

said.

"And that's the mentality we come through every single game."

Faulds said that Onyeka continually impresses him with the way he raises his game and the way he raises the game of all the players around him.

"Nakas is truly our emotional leader out there. He gets our guys going on both sides of the football and he backs it up with his play," Faulds said. "He's our biggest talker, but he backs it up and that's why we love him."

And now, with a chance to close out the season and secure a first round bye, the Hawks must do what they haven't done before in Faulds' tenure—beat the Windsor Lancers.

Last year, the Lancers spoiled Laurier's Homecoming, defeating the Hawks 22-18. The year before that, after leading 33-16 coming into the fourth quarter, the Hawks dropped a 39-34 decision to the

Lancers.

Currently, Windsor is tied for seventh place, two points behind the Queen's Gaels.

A win could place them in a two-way tie for sixth and a chance to come out on top in a tiebreaker scenario.

Head coach Faulds knows that desperation will be a key factor in Windsor's game-plan, as they also face elimination from playoff contention.

"We have yet to beat Windsor in my time here and they're a desperate football team too, fighting for a final playoff spot," he said. "They're in a similar situation to what Guelph was in today, so you know we're going to get their best effort and them being the home team it makes it even tougher."

The Hawks will wrap up the regular season with their season finale on Saturday, October 22, in Windsor. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Alumni Field.

Looking for revenge ROB FIFIELD SPORTS EDITOR

JESS DIK/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

The Laurier men’s hockey team is looking to make some noise this year in the OUA standings.

After finishing up last season with a playoff loss to the Western Mustangs, the coaching staff and players are hungry for more this season.

“The goal is simple, to win an OUA championship,” Said head coach, Greg Puhalski.

This year’s roster is bolstered with many new recruits from all across Canada that the Golden Hawks are hoping will result in immediate success for the hockey club, starting this season.

“Our first-year guys have played generally well as a group, some a little better than others, but as a whole they’ve done a good job for us and have helped contribute,” said Greg Puhalski.

The OUA Season kicked off for men’s hockey Thursday, October 6, where they dropped their season opener 6-3 to the Ryerson Rams at Mattamy Athletic centre.

Since then, the Golden Hawks have played the York Lions twice,

defeating them by a score of 4-3 in their first matchup, but then losing the second game by a goal. The Lions were able to come back after being down 3-0.

The goal is simple, to win an OUA Championship

-Greg Puhalski, head coach

The Golden Hawks also managed to defeat the number 7 ranked Guelph Gryphons 5-1, where Schoenmakers picked up a pair of goals.

This currently has the team at a 2-2 record and in a four way tie for third place in the OUA west division.

“We’re not satisfied with our

record so far. We need to put together a couple of wins in a row and get a winning streak going to get some momentum as a team,” Puhalski said.

Early on, the team has seen production from some of it’s veteran players, with Derek Schoenmakers and Matt Franczyk leading the way with four points each.

The most notable part of the Golden Hawks play as of late is their ability to defend on the penalty kill.

Through the first four games, the Golden Hawks are 100 percent on the penalty kill, killing off all 11 power plays they have been faced with.

Puhalski’s message for the upcoming game at Western and ultimately the remainder of the season was simple.

“We need to treat every game like it’s our last and have the same high intensity from the start of the game right until the end.”

The Golden Hawks will look to avenge their playoff losses when they face off against the Western Mustangs this Friday at Thompson Recreation and Athletic centre.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

20 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

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MIDTERM GRADES FOR THE GOLDEN HAWKS

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Sports editor, Rob Fifield, takes a look back on how the Laurier teams have faired this season

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WOMEN’S SOCCER Coming off of a strong 2015 season, the women’s soccer team was coming into this season looking to build off of last years’ success with a new roster. Last season’s success has not yet translated much into this season, as they are currently 4-4-6 and sit in 6th place in the OUA west division. Despite this, Jacky Normandeau has managed 8 goals and one assist, which was good for nine points. This puts Normandeau in a tie for tenth place in league points.

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MEN’S RUGBY After starting the season 2-0, the Golden Hawks currently sit at a record of 2-5, which is good enough for 8th place in the conference. The Golden Hawks season has gone into a downward spiral as they’ve had trouble keeping the opponent off the scoreboard, giving up 120 combined points against Guelph and Western. They also have yet to win a home game this season. The Golden Hawks will wrap up their regular season on October 22 as they battle Trent on the road.

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FOOTBALL The men’s football team has had quite the season as they stand 6-1 and are looking to finish the season off on a positive note this weekend as they face Windsor.

The Golden Hawks have been lead by their defence this season, which features stars such as Boateng, Price and Onyeka. On the offensive side of the ball, the Hawks have been lead by quarterback Knevel and running back Guiltinan.

Guiltinan has had a very impressive season with 701 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

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BASEBALL The men’s baseball team had a fantastic regular season, finishing first place in the OUA with an impressive record of 15-3. The team had great pitching and defence throughout the season, giving up a league low of only 62 runs through 18 games played.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Golden Hawks were supported by the bat of Jonathan Brouse, who won the 2016 OUA Men’s Baseball Top Hitter and 2016 OUA Men’s Baseball first team All-Star awards this season. The Golden Hawks’ season came to an end at the OUA Championships when they were unable to defend their regular season first place finish.

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MEN’S SOCCER The men’s soccer team is currently 8-5-1 and in third place in the OUA western conference. The men’s soccer team has had a much better season than last year by already doubling their win total from a year ago. Led by OUA leading goal scorer Niklas Bauer, the Golden Hawks look poised and ready to return to the OUA playoffs.

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GOLF The men’s and women’s golf teams both had strong seasons with both the men and women having medal finishes this year. The women picked up a silver medal at the McMaster invitational and a bronze medal at the Western invitational.

The men captured their first team title since 2008, when they won the Guelph Invitational. Eric Flockhart has also had a strong season, tying for first at the Waterloo, Guelph and Toronto invitationals and also winning the OUA Peak Performer award. Most notably, Austin Ryan finished in first place at the OUA Golf Championships, shooting an impressive combined score of four under par over the course of the tournament.

WOMEN’S RUGBY The women’s rugby team already finished up their season going 1-4 with their only win coming against Trent, who finished 0-5 and last place in the Russell division. The Golden Hawks finished last place in the Shiels division and were unable to reach the playoffs. The team had struggled on both sides of the ball as they gave up a combined 296 points this season and only managed to score 44 themselves.

FILE PHOTOS BY PAIGE BUSH/PHOTO EDITOR, MARCO PEDRI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER, TANZEEL SAYANI/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, JESSICA DIK/CORD ALUMN, ALEX TRKULJA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER