The Cord October 2, 2019

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 60 ISSUE 7 • OCTOBER 2, 2019

STRIKING FOR A FUTURE News, page 4

LET THE MUSIC PLAY

HONORARY DEGREES

TIME IS MONEY

BREAKING IT OFF

HOCO VICTORY

International Day of Music celebrated

Laurier to honour leaders at convocation

Pay by the hour cafe breaks the norm

Why some relationships need to end

Golden Hawks defeat Gael’s, 52-16

News, page 7

News, page 7

Arts & Life, page 9

Opinion, page 14

Sports, page 16

2 •

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

VOCAL CORD How did you celebrate Homecoming this year?

@cordnews

The Cord

@thecord.ca

CordNews THIS DAY IN HISTORY: OCTOBER 2

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

1492: King Henry VII of England invades France.

1789: George Washington transmits the proposed Constitutional amendments to the States for ratification.

1890: Groucho Marx is born.

1937: Warner Bros. released “Love Is on the Air.” Ronald Reagan made his acting debut in the motion picture. He was 26 years-old.

“We have friends over and we made breakfast.

Than we pre’ed I guess and went over to exra to hangout with our lovely golden hawks”

1941: Operation Typhoon is launched 1944: The Warsaw Uprising ends when the few surviving Polish rebels surrender to German forces.

– Ehrin Turkovich, 3rd year Math & Business Double Degree

1950: The comic strip Peanuts,

by Charles M. Schultz, makes its first appearance in newspapers.

AARON WAITSON/PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

“I went to western, hit up Brockdale, went to purple fest, took a nap, went out to the bar you know?”

A sign held up by a protester at the Global Climate Strike at Waterloo Town Square on Sept. 27.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

1958: The Cold War comes to Africa, as Guinea gains its independence.

1959: The groundbreaking TV series The Twilight Zone, hosted by Rod Serling, premiers on CBS. 1964: Scientists announce findings that smoking can cause cancer.

– Max Barltrop, 3rd year BBA

1967: Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice, is sworn in.

1971: Homing pigeon averages a record 133kph in an 1100km race in Australia.

1980: 38 year-old Muhammad Ali comes out of 2 year retirement to challenge undefeated world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

“So I woke up early, went to the street party, went to a concert than rested a bit than had fun at night at the bar.

Then came back to Laurier.”

1991: Toronto Blue Jays clinch AL East title with a 6-5 win v California Angels; become first sport franchise in history to draw 4 million fans in one season.

– Noah Ladak, 3rd year political science Compiled by Sophia Cole Photos by Kashyap Patel NEXT ISSUE

FILE PHOTO

Homecoming football game photo from The Cord archives. Estimated that it’s from the late 1990s-early 2000s.

OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Sydney Macdonald photos@thecord.ca

CORD STAFF

SPORTS EDITOR VACANT sports@thecord.ca

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Victoria Marshall copyeditor@thecord.ca

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Waitson editor@thecord.ca

GRAPHICS EDITOR Jamie Mere graphics@thecord.ca

CORDCAST PRODUCER Jade Hosick cordcast@thecord.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR VACANT creative@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Darien Funk photos@thecord.ca

WEB DIRECTOR Kashyap Patel online@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Brit Kovacs photos@thecord.ca

NEWS DIRECTOR Hayley McGoldrick news@thecord.ca

ONLINE EDITOR Kathleen McCullough online@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR sophia Cole news@thecord.ca

VIDEO EDITOR VACANT video@thecord.ca

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Alyssa Di Sabatino arts@thecord.ca

LEAD REPORTER VACANT news@thecord.ca

OCTOBER 9, 2019

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Diana Edworthy Jackson Carse Ryan Kennedy Lauren Rutherford Joseph DeFilippis Jennifer Webb Jana Ibrahim Laura Thompson

“New safety measures put in place for Homecoming” - Hayley McGoldrick

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES All advertising inquiries can be directed to Kurtis Rideout at kurtis.rideout@wlusp.com or 519-884-0710 ext. 3560.

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

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

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

When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to

2004: In Ontario, Canada, a record 1,446 pound pumpkin was unveiled.

reply at the earliest time possible.

Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, The Cord will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

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Quote of the week: “Fuck minions.”

- News Director, Hayley McGoldrick after being told that she would be the kind of aunt to share minion memes on Facebook.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

News

• 3 NEWS DIRECTOR HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK news@thecord.ca

NEWS EDITOR SOPHIA COLE news@thecord.ca

CAMPUS

NEW SAFETY MEASURES PUT IN PLACE FOR HOMECOMING SIDNEY MACDONALD/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

Laurier’s annual homecoming weekend took place from Friday, Sept. 27 to Sunday, Sept. 29, a weekend created for alumni to come back and celebrate their alma mater but has now also included many current students celebrating their decision to come to Laurier and sport the purple and gold. Many other schools also had their homecomings on the same weekend, with the University of Guelph hosting theirs as well as the University of Western Ontario hosting their “foco” after the school moved their homecoming weekend to mid-October three years ago.

“Traditionally, homecoming has been for alumni to come home and there’s multiple functions happening from Friday night’s athletic hall of fame banquet to Saturday morning’s pancake breakfast, which is for everyone, the alumni association has a general meeting, the hype associated with the football match is always a feature, the pre-game comradery, the end zone tents and reunions, 25 and 50 year ones, the end zone is also licensed for all students,” said David McMurray, vice president of student affairs for the university.

“Declining numbers for the end zone though because students are opting to gather in the street, which is kind of disappointing because the end zone has always been a lot of fun. There’s ton of post-game events at the stadium, in the gym, Wilf’s, the Turret was

going to have an event but they didn’t sell enough tickets, that used to be a huge event with a band, dance party and then Sunday is a service over at Martin Luther University College.”

Homecoming is also for our students that are here now because they look forward to celebrating, I love seeing all the purple and gold ...

-David McMurray, vice president of student affairs

Many precautions are put in place for the unsanctioned street party that takes place the Saturday of homecoming, with safety being the number one concern of staff at the university as they are aware that programming for homecoming is mainly aimed towards alumni rather than current students.

Staff were in contact with the community and the students’ union for options that may deter from the street, however, even if the idea of a pricey concert on Alumni Field took place, the fear is that many would wander back to the street afterwards and may even increase numbers by bringing in a big name.

“Homecoming is also for our students that are here now because

they look forward to celebrating, I love seeing all the purple and gold, it was almost as busy in the bookstore as it was the first week of September. On Saturday, as early as eight o’clock, you can see the students walking to the house parties or functions they’ve planned,” McMurray said.

“There was a difference this year which I was thrilled to see, there were safety measures implemented like pods for supervision, washrooms, garbage collection; the fences that went up in front of properties, Laurier owns twothirds of them, the problem with the rising number of people is the safety and security of buildings and people; the fencing was a huge success as our own students could come and go safely with their guests, it also confined people on Ezra to the street. It moved the numbers more safely than before.”

Other schools have attempted to divert the traffic from main streets like Chancellor’s Way in Guelph or Broughdale Avenue at Western, with Guelph hosting a “Gryphon Park” with less than 100 people showing up, as well as Western’s “Purple Fest”, where the headliner A$AP Rocky did not appear and over 20,000 people still ended up on the street.

“I know there’s been a lot more student interest in that kind of thing. I don’t have direct evidence but my educated guess after being there all Saturday is that students had fun, they were responsible whether they were consuming alcohol or drugs or anything else, the incidents were very minor.

For the most part I saw students enjoying the day and to me that’s what homecoming is all about,” McMurray said.

After an incident at the beginning of September where an unsanctioned street party on Ezra Avenue gathered over 1,000 people and a student was charged on Sept.

9 for arson as furniture was set ablaze on the street, seeing criticism from both staff, faculty and students alike for giving Laurier a bad reputation as students do not want to see even further measures put in place for events like Homecoming or St. Patrick’s day. The young man is no longer a student at the university.

“We’ve talked about moving homecoming, but we’ve intentionally organized the homecomings of the six schools who are concerned with street gatherings, there were six schools; Laurier, Waterloo, Western, Guelph, Queen’s and Brock, because they’re all worried about what to do,” McMurray said.

“The football schedule, we worked with the OUA to ask the six schools when they preferred to have their homecoming. Laurier, Guelph and Waterloo wanted to maintain the tradition. Queen’s and Western preferred to have their homecoming later because the rationale was students will have more work academically, the weather may be cooler.”

Last year’s street party that saw upwards of 14,000 people with over 462 charges laid. This year with added safety measures, aside from tickets given out, only four arrests were made. The city of London has

increased fines up to a maximum of $25,000 for having illegal keg parties on homecoming weekends to deter these events.

There was a difference this year which I was thrilled to see, there were safety measures implemented like pods for supervision, washrooms ...

-David McMurray, vice president of student affairs

“The biggest fear is that safety doesn’t happen, it keeps me up at night worrying about it. I was up at 3am on Saturday worrying, I was at everything all day, we had to do the media scrums in the morning and at 6pm, we walk around with our fingers crossed that there’s nothing serious to have to report an incident,” McMurray said.

“Saturday was a much better reflection of having fun with good judgement with the exception of a handful who will have to go to court, explain to a judge and pay a pretty hefty fine.”

Laurier will continue to look into how they can host events for students while keeping them safe and in good judgement as other holidays such as Halloween and St. Patrick’s day come up, but the main message for students is just to stay golden.

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

JUSTICE

WATERLOO REGION PROTESTS AT GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE

DARIEN FUNK/PHOTO EDITOR

EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AARON WAITSON PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

7 King Street North, Waterloo 5 Manitou Drive, Kitchener 1585 Victoria Street N., Kitchener

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An estimated 2,000 people attended the Global Climate Strike at Waterloo Town Square on Sept. 27 to fight for climate change justice in Waterloo Region.

Attendees ranged in age, with children and teens notably present amongst older generations in the massive crowd.

Many of the people in attendance were holding creatively constructed signs that voiced their outrage and discontent with the current state of the world. After the protest was complete, signs were gathered to use for future strikes so that no materials were wasted.

People began arriving to the protest at 11:30 a.m., mostly by foot or public transportation — as suggested by the Facebook event page — in order to further the sustainable message that was being promoted by organizers.

The turnout was impressive, with large groups crowded in the square and surrounding areas. Students from Wilfrid Laurier University and Waterloo University were present and participated in the march as well.

The #FridaysForFuture movement started with 16 year-old climate change activist Greta Thunburg, who began protesting outside of Swedish Parliament in 2018 and has become known for her impassioned speech that she recently delivered to the United Nations General Assembly.

“Just from assessing the amount of our community that came out, and the energy was there, it was amazing. I think it was incredibly successful. It was absolutely beautiful and profound, and still managed to deal with the seriousness of the issue, the crisis we’re facing, so I think it managed to really balance all of those aspects tremendously

well to really bring [the] community together in dialogue for this,” said Kai Reimer-Watts, a PhD student of community psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Climate Strike WR Organizer of RISE Waterloo Region.

The goal of the protest was to hold political leaders accountable for what scientists are deeming a climate emergency that the world has less than 10 years to solve and to raise awareness for the environmental issues that are currently harming the planet at an alarming rate.

In terms of local action, Reimer-Watts believes that the city of Waterloo should be taking stronger action to combat the effects of climate change in multiple different ways in order to prevent the further destruction of the planet.

“All of the science through the IPCC really points towards the need for significant change over the next ten years. That means specific things like trying to reduce our emissions as quickly as possible, which can only be done if we’re also working to phase out fossil fuels as an energy source in our society,” Reimer-Watts said.

“There are readily available replacements for fossil fuels, our burning of this resource is directly jeopardizing our future, and so the biggest thing that, at the local level and other levels of government as well, is that we need plans to decarbonize our economies as quickly as possible. To move onto clean energy, to move towards more sustainable forms of agriculture, which is relevant in this region as well, animal agriculture has a high carbon footprint and it’s important to emphasize that too.”

The tech community in Kitchener-Waterloo, specifically, has promising potential in making tangible changes and furthering the progress with climate change advocacy efforts and should be working harder to take more tangible action.

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019 MENTAL HEALTH

Bridges of Hope returns for Waterloo Park event SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Bridges of Hope Project will be hosting an event at Waterloo Park in hopes of bringing mental health awareness and support to the forefront of the Waterloo community.

The Bridges of Hope Project was founded by Olivia Miller and Greta Dotzert in 2018, during their final year of high school. It was created with the purpose of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health discourse and making positive changes to the community through attaching uplifting messages on frequently traveled bridges in the Waterloo Region.

“We go to different bridges in the community throughout the year and we attend different conferences to speak about mental health openly, just to provide that positivity to people around us,” said Miller, co-founder and director of the Bridges of Hope Project.

Their inspiration for the project came from Miller and Dotzert’s own experiences with mental health at their high school, where they saw that many of their peers were unhappy and struggling.

“We wanted to create some kind of simple gesture showing them that there is hope and that people are talking about mental health,” said Miller.

The idea to decorate bridges across the region with positive messages came from the story of a student in the UK who had decorated a popular bridge with positive affirmations as a form of suicide prevention.

“We heard about a specific proj-

We wanted to create some kind of simple gesture showing them that there is hope and that people are talking about mental health.

-Olivia Miller, co-founderof The Bridges of Hope Project

ect done by a teenager in Sunderland, UK who had done a similar

thing to a bridge where there had been frequent suicides,” Miller said. “And she saved over 15 lives by doing that.”

The upcoming event will take place at the Waterloo Park bridge and will run from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Those who wish to attend and attach their own personalized message to the bridge are encouraged to register for the event on the Bridges of Hope Project website.

In addition to decorating the bridge with personalized positive messages, the upcoming event at Waterloo Park will include live music, a variety of speakers from across Ontario, interactive engagements for mental health and a mental health market with vendors and services.

The Bridges of Hope Project focuses on showing compassion and understanding to others and encouraging people to speak openly and acceptingly to others on mental health struggles.

“There’s a lot of people who want to make connections with others but just don’t necessarily know how and I think it’s important to break those barriers and provide open communication throughout the community,” said Miller.

BRIT KOVACS/PHOTO EDITOR

In the age of social media, the messages spread by the Bridges of Hope Project are especially important.

“I think that it’s really easy to compare your life to the lives of others and the snapshots of good moments you’re seeing on someone’s social media pages, and I

think we need bring more awareness to the fact that we’re really only seeing what other people want us to see,” said Miller.

“It’s really important to turn that around and be open and honest and just create a platform where it is acceptable to not be okay and to be doing the best that you can.”

AWARDS

Local author nominated for prestigious award SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

Local author Heather Smith has been nominated for the prestigious TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, one of the nation’s top literary prizes, for her most recent verse novel, Ebb & Flow.

I never really thought about writing for another audience, it just felt natural to me to write for young people.

-Heather Smith, author

Smith, originally from Newfoundland, is a Waterloo-based author who writes children’s picture books and young adult literature.

“I had always been a fan of picture books, I have my own little picture book collection at home. I think they’re amazing,” Smith said.

“And I was just drawn to writing picture book stories.”

“I never really thought about writing for another audience, it just felt natural to me to write for young people.”

Smith has previously been a nominee and winner of multiple awards for Ebb & Flow, including

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

the 2018 BMO Winterset Award, 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award and the 2019 USBBY Outstanding International Book Selection.

“This is a big one for me,” said Smith. “I’m well-aware of the significance of this particular award.

In fact, I’ve often gone to these award ceremonies in the past…I’ve been an aspiring writer sitting in

the audience of this very event.

It feels a little bit surreal that this year I’m going to be nominated, that I’m going to be one of the ones that is up for this award.”

The award results will be presented on Oct. 15 at the TD Book Awards.

Ebb & Flow is a free verse picture book which tells the story of a young boy, Jett, who returns to the

coast to visit his grandmother after a difficult year in a new town.

This turns into a period of reflection for Jett, who makes an effort to put his past memories in order in a way which will make sense of his mistakes, like examining pieces of sea glass and how they came to be.

Smith’s inspiration for Ebb & Flow comes from a moment during a visit to Newfoundland in the summer.

“I found a piece of sea glass on the beach in Newfoundland,” said Smith. “It was just so pretty, and smooth and beautiful. It was a gem basically.”

“I’m a very curious person so I started googling sea glass and finding out how it comes about.

And when I found out that it just starts out as a broken bottle, like a beer bottle or any broken bottle, you smash it and you have this sharp shard which is not very nice looking, it would cut you if you held it. It gets thrown in the ocean and spends so much time in there getting churned by the sea that it becomes something smooth and beautiful. It just got me thinking about what a wonderful metaphor that is.”

Smith’s book explores this concept in detail through the main character, telling the story of his own experiences, mistakes, growth and reflection.

“A lot of young children are hard on themselves. They have a hard time getting past the mistakes that

they might make and thats a big scene in the book, the main character Jett has made a terrible mistake and he is finding it very hard to forgive himself,” Smith said.

A lot of young children are hard on themselves. They have a hard time getting past the mistakes that they might make.

-Heather Smith, author

Smith began her writing journey telling stories to her children and exploring local resources in Waterloo, such as the library’s writer in residence program where she was able to have a published author review her manuscript.

“Anybody who’s looking to be a writer, do what I did and look in your community for resources,” Smith said.

“Join a writers group, find other writers, having your work critiqued by your peers is huge in fine-tuning your craft. Be open to the feedback you might get because being open to the feedback will make you a better writer.”

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

WATERLOO CAMPUS

Laurier celebrates international day of music HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

Laurier’s Waterloo campus celebrated International Day of Music with many pop-up performances on campus to raise awareness not only for the faculty of music programs available at the university, but also to fundraise for the expansion Laurier’s Making Space for Music to extend facilities from University Avenue.

The spaces where pop-up performances took place were Veritas Café and the nearby Quad, the concourse, Byte 75 and Alumni Hall. The giving day booth was hosted on the second floor of the John Aird Centre, with donors who pledged to give having their donations matched thank to an anonymous donor who wanted the university to leverage their $50,000 donation.

“It’s recognized and celebrated worldwide, it’s a little hard for us to do anything too out of the ordinary because of our own schedules here, they’re pretty packed with activities and a lot of our students were away Friday for the climate strike, which is great, but we’re always conscious that we don’t want to take too much time from curriculars, but there are popup performances from various students all over campus today,” said Glen Carruthers, dean of the faculty of music.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

“It’s to raise profile not just for music per se, we all know how important music is and wonderful it is, but to remind people of the presence of music on campus and the importance of music in the greater scheme of things.”

The faculty has already expanded programming in the spring with an academic pathway partnership with Randolph College where Laurier music students can add Randolph’s performing arts diploma to their resumé to graduate with both a bachelor’s degree and diploma.

“The day has two purposes: one

is to raise funds, obviously, but the second is to raise awareness. I think we have a tendency to take the faculty of music for granted because it’s been here for a long time and it’s great, but it’s good every now and then to be reminded orally just how high the quality they can make within the faculty is, as well as the diversity of music making that goes on,” Carruthers said.

“It’s different from ten years ago where this was mainly a Western classical traditional school and we still are very much that, but we’ve

increased our breadth and scope to include a lot of different types of music and it’s very good for the campus to be reminded of on days like today.”

Laurier’s proposed expansion to the John Aird building includes not only freshening up the lobby and expanding the building but also enhancing practice rooms for students among other things.

“Part of the rebuild is simply to accommodate increased student numbers; in 2014 we had under 400 students, this year we have close to 580. While the renova-

tions weren’t initially designed to accommodate a larger student body, the fact is we have one. Part of the process now is to have the architects reengaged to rejig the interior design to accommodate,” Carruthers said.

“We actually met on Friday to talk about expanding graduate programming. We have a number of different ideas and one of the things we need to do is decided what the priorities are. One of the challenges in my job is that there are people here every day with great ideas, somehow we have to decide what the highest priorities for the faculty as a whole are but graduate program expansions is one of those for sure,” Carruthers said.

The day of music is just one of many opportunities to see Laurier music students in action on campus, with their goal not only to raise awareness for the proposed new building, but their talent as well.

“As a campus, we are fortunate to have such a substantial and such a fine music program, but I also think we as a music program are fortunate to have a campus that recognizes the importance of the performing arts and music in particular. As we go into this campaign, we have the potential to make a change not just for the faculty but for the campus as a whole,” Carruthers said.

CONVOCATION

Honorary degrees to be given at fall convocation HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

Laurier will be handing out honorary degrees at fall convocation to Ira Gluskin and Judy Da Silva, as well as an Order of Wilfrid Laurier University to the Grand Valley Educational Society who has made an impact from the grassroots level on the Brantford Campus.

Gluskin will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the ceremony on Oct. 26 at 1pm at Lazaridis Hall on Laurier’s Waterloo campus.

“Ira Gluskin is both a leading business leader and philanthropist. He is recognized internationally for co-founding Gluskin Sheff and Associates, which became one of the largest non-bank private client wealth management firms in Canada. He is well-known for his commitment to charity and community involvement and he and his wife have donated more than $50 million over the past 20 years to hospitals; social outreach and religious fellowship; and arts and culture,” said Laurier president and vice-chancellor Deborah MacLatchy in an email statement.

“This includes contributions to the Lazaridis School of Business

and Economics in the Finance area. His business acumen and philanthropy have previously been recognized through awarding of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to his community and to Canada.

It is indeed an honour for Laurier to award him with an honorary degree for his extraordinary accomplishments.”

I am so happy that Laurier has the opportunity to recognize and celebrate these two remarkable leaders of Canadian society.

-Deborah MacLatchy, vice-chancellor

Da Silva will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree at the convocation ceremony on Oct. 25 at 9:30am also at Lazaridis Hall.

“Judy Da Silva is a prolific activist, community leader and catalyst for change. A respected

elder, Judy is an international award-winning advocate for Indigenous rights, environmental justice and women’s and children’s rights. Judy is a shining example of how one person can affect change in the world, and whose lifelong work aligns with Laurier’s values of environmentalsustainability, water protection and human rights,” MacLatchy continued in an email statement.

“As Chair of the Honorary Degree Nomination committee, I am so happy that Laurier has the opportunity to recognize and celebrate these two remarkable leaders of Canadian society.”

The Grand Valley Educational Society’s order from the university will be given on Oct. 29 at 2:30pm in the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts in Brantford.

“It is really a way to recognize outstanding contributions and individual has made both locally, globally, nationally, it’s extraordinary leaders in our community, we do generally look at how the individuals not only exemplify that leadership but how do they align with the values of Laurier,” said Anna Kornobis, university secretary.

“It’s a part of convocation, the

FILE PHOTO

recipient is awarded the degree at convocation and they’re also our guest speaker, so they do an address to convocation, they are honoured and they are part of the ceremony. They became a central part of our ceremony and giving the address is really nice.”

Nominations happen twice a year, with the deadline for spring conovcation being Nov. 15.

“When we look at the recipients, we also look at those who will reflect the full diversity of Canadian society and everything that Laurier exemplifies and the qualities that we stand for, it goes to our committee and they complete a nomination form and the letter has to be signed by two nominators, we have extensive discussion,” Kornobis said.

GAMES • 7

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019 SUDOKU

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

All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life.

Dear life, Hayley, I hope you know how much of a gem you are. You hold down this team and you make Tuesday nights brighter with your self-depricating humour and beautiful spirit. Never, ever change.

Sincerely, Your biggest fan

Dear Life, To my introverted crush: when you want to spend time alone I sometimes take it personally. You’re just so cute and I want to look at you all the time.

Sincerely, Yout Extroverted Crush Dear Life, Why must you throw me 87 curveballs at once. I’ve never even played baseball.

Sincerely, Tired Dear Life,

Dear Life,

COLOURING

My roommate’s dog peed all over my apartment and then peed all over his owner’s shoes.

I can’t sleep. I’m so tired all the time. Send help. All I want is my bed and some Netflix and no more responsibility.

Sincerely, Don’t know what to do

Sincerely, Insomniac

Global Climate Strike September 2019

AARON WAITSON/PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

Arts & Life

• 9 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR ALYSSA DI SABATINO arts@thecord.ca

LOCAL

ANTICAFE PROVIDES NEW STUDY SPACE EMILY WAITSON/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With midterms fast approaching, the Laurier library and nearby cafés will soon be filled with groups of students looking to cram in some extra study time, which means that finding a quiet spot to look over your notes might become a bit more difficult as the semester progresses.

Geo’s Anticafé promises to provide an alternative coworking space for those looking to prep for tests and work on their assignments, which will be ideal for people who can’t focus on schoolwork in their dorms, aren’t able to find the perfect spot in the library or don’t enjoy the ongoing spending involved with long-term café stays.

Located at 42 Bridgeport Road East, the new uptown establishment hopes to set itself apart from other local businesses with its unique European model and nomadic-oriented space.

Geoffrey Gao, the owner of Geo Anticafé, created his business to provide an alternative workplace for Waterloo Region.

“Well, you know, in this day and age everybody gets a thing for everything, right? It’s nice to have a place where you’re not dealing with microtransactions every few minutes. This is a Slavic concept, it’s from Moscow ... We think that concept would be good for a town like this,” Gao said.

Patrons pay by the hour, with the first hour costing $9.45 and the ones following priced at $7.49 where people are charged by the minute. Students and seniors receive a 10 per cent discount, and all coffee and refreshments are “free” — or, more accurately, are included in the hourly base rate.

Despite the unique and intriguing concept of his business, there have been a few challenges that Gao has run into during the process.

“People have an issue here that you don’t have to deal with in Europe. There, people are very curious, they want to experience new things at least once and then they decide for themselves if they want to repeat. Here, nobody wants to be the first one. They feel

like something bad or terrible is going to happen to them. I’ve literally had people ask me, “What’s the catch?” Then there’s always [things] like permit issues, regulation issues, condo board issues,” Gao said.

The café is bright and open, providing a variety of options for each customer depending on the need of their stay.

There are small tables with board games, a soundproof study room equipped with colour-changing lights and an adequate seating selection, foosball and air hockey tables, as well as a counter with coffee, refreshments and a microwave.

For people who are hesitant to experience the café for the first time and see what it’s like, Gao suggests to just try it — there’s a free half hour with your name on it if you do.

“You see hundreds of people passing by that little strip, walking, but not coming in through the doors. And as soon as you approach them, they run. Seldomly, some people come in, they take a tour, they say “oh yeah, we’ll check it out.” You don’t see them again.

But you know, we get two, three customers who actually stay and pay for the time,” Gao said.

Geo’s Anticafé was created with the interests of local university and college students in mind, and to supplement the need for a venue that can provide more than one option for people’s various working and studying needs.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time. I think there is a need. It fits a certain niche, right? Whether it’s nomadic workers, students … because dorms are not the best place and the good spots in the libraries are always taken. Also, you have anxiety in a library, because you feel like you make a noise, everybody’s going to shush you,” Gao said.

Gao’s space is certainly different from other places that claim to offer similar luxuries, and it’s clear from his passion towards his business that he believes in what he has to offer potential customers.

“We provide cheap, comfortable and relaxing workspace to get your best, focused work done. One of

the grad students pointed out that time is money, and more so here than anywhere else, right? So they feel the pressure to get as much work done as possible because they’re literally paying for the

time,” Gao said.

“We offer all sorts of cold and hot drinks as well as snacks, pastries. I think the easiest way to differentiate us and other time cafes and whatnot is we’re a combina-

tion of many different venues, all in one. Versus, I’m sure you can find everything we’ve got here in other venues, but you’re not going to find all these things in one venue for a flat fee.”

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10 • ARTS & LIFE NIGHTLIFE

BRIT KOVACS/PHOTO EDITOR

Erb and Culture, new club hotspot RYAN KENNEDY ARTS & LIFE CONTRIBUTOR

With a new school year comes the return of all the students that keep Waterloo’s nightlife thriving. While Phil’s, The Pub on King, Dallas and other bars and clubs remain enticing places to go on a night out, a new night club, Erb and Culture, is

here to compete with the best spots in Waterloo.

Erb and Culture takes over from the former location of Beta Nightclub on 24 King Street North, which closed its doors in 2017.

With Beta being known as the centre of the KW electronic dance music scene, Erb and Culture aims to bring in a mix of high level and

up-and-coming performers and to play great hip hop and mainstream music. According to owner Tyson May, it would like to extend its appeal beyond just students to become a community staple.

May, a local entrepreneur who is also the director of operations for Meltwich Food Co. and owns two franchises himself, hopes to create

a new type of club in Waterloo that can serve as a space to promote all types of urban art. He sees Erb and Culture as more than just a nightclub.

While speaking with the Waterloo Chronicle in June, May said “I would hope that people would see us as not only the best nightclub, but the coolest place for corporate events, fashion shows, music releases, dance shows. If we had our screen up, this would be Jurassic Park right now.”

Despite Erb and Culture facing a lot of competition in the area, with Chainsaw and Pub on King in especially close proximity, it would possess a unique appeal if it can live up to May’s vision.

He sees Erb and Culture as a night club with a “modern corporate presentation,” and its two-level interior with extravagant chandeliers fits this aesthetic.

Its prime location is close to the central student population and is not too far away from the young professionals in Kitchener, which bodes well for the type of atmosphere May hopes for. Erb and Culture should fit right in with the hip restaurants and stores nearby, giving uptown Waterloo a new and improved nightlife location.

Open Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, each night’s event features a different host with reasonable cover and drink deals. ‘Show Out Fridays’ includes $10 cover and $6 Hennessy shots, while ‘Show Me Sum Saturdays’ boasts no cover for

ladies, $4 tequila shots and $150 Hennessy bottles. If you want to avoid the cover altogether and have $3.50 mixed drinks, go for ‘Uptown Tuesdays’ which promises “Urban Vibes from Local DJs.”

Here’s hoping that Erb and Culture can deliver on its goal to be a topend urban nightlife spot in uptown Waterloo...

You can send Erb and Culture a DM on Facebook or @erbandculture on Instagram to secure guest list and bottle service, but make sure you do so well in advance as it is already in high demand with a limited supply.

The early returns seem promising, with good reviews on Google and a great reputation already among those around Laurier campus. Here’s hoping that Erb and Culture can deliver on its goal to be a top-end urban nightlife spot in uptown Waterloo and to give students, professionals and any other locals a great place to spend a night out.

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ARTS & LIFE • 11

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019 LOCAL

Lumen Festival brightens Uptown Waterloo ALYSSA DI SABATINO ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

On Sept. 28, Uptown Waterloo hosted Lumen, the second annual festival that features interdisciplinary installations of art, technology, and light.

From 6-11 p.m, festival-goers were able to explore Uptown Waterloo and interact with over 27 installations at over 25 locations, spread across Uptown in four “zones.” Several musical acts were also featured at the event throughout the night.

Lumen featured works from local and international artists and installations ranged from hightech to low-tech, with one of the most industrial of installations being a 30’ long and 19’ tall metal fire-breathing dragon, named “Heavy Meta.”

Among the line-up of local artists were muralist and painter, Trisha Abe and photographer, Taylor Jones.

Low-tech, yet nonetheless intriguing, their installation titled “Luminous Living” featured a domestic living room set-up consisting of a couch, carpet, TV and coffee table, all of which were brightly coloured or covered in neon tape.

Black lights were set up to make the space fluorescent and glowing, and created a vibrant and minimalistic living room space.

One of Abe’s murals was hanging

FILE PHOTO

above the couch, with the feminine silhouettes also glowing from the black light.

“We wanted to just kind of both do something different for this exhibit, which is pretty out of both of our comfort zones,” said Abe. “We wanted to make something simple that we could put a fun twist to. We originally were thinking about lighting — using actual lights to light up and do outlines around the couch, but we landed on using bright fluorescent tape...”

Jones said.

Those who visited this installation were able to sit on the couch, read the magazines on the coffee table and interact with it as if it were their own living room.

The small crowd which had formed around the tent was reflective of the popularity of this

installation.

“It’s fun to see people actually taking on the role, people are putting their feet up and reading books and really making themselves at home here,” said Abe. By the time I had reached the installation, the sun had gone down and the bright colours stood out even more in the dark, which made for plenty Instagram-worthy photos and created a fun and lively atmosphere.

“I enjoy seeing the people interacting with it. You can put art out there and put it on the wall, but I think having something that’s interactive gives people a chance to absorb it a little bit more,” said Jones.

This sentiment extended to all the exhibits, as the most popular ones seemed to be the ones where

attendees were able to experience the art first-hand.

Another one of my favourite installations was “Monarch,” a butterfly-shaped physical synth.

Comprised of electronic circuits, oscillators, instrument picks and a reverb string, the butterfly on the screen would react when the instruments were plucked or picked.

When left alone the butterfly would float calmly on the screen, but when the strings and picks were touched, it would change colours, shake, twitch, and transform to the tune of the music being played.

Featured in Zone one along with “Monarch” was “Circuit Makers,” where festival-goers were invited to make potato batteries, reminiscent of a high-school science project.

A light would turn on once the battery was complete, and were then lined up on the ground to represent King St, Waterloo in 1911; the point in history when street lights changed from gas to electric.

This installation couldn’t have been more fitting for the festival.

In a sense, Lumen’s aim to light-up Uptown Waterloo directly coincides with the point in history where Uptown was quite literally lit up for the first time, almost 108 years ago.

In Zone four, another installation titled “Memory Lightbox Sculpture” placed contemporary Uptown Waterloo beside its own history.

Inside the lightbox were archived photos, found images and shared photographs of Waterloo’s community art centre, The Button Factory, throughout its years in honour of its 25th anniversary.

The latter two installations celebrated Uptown Waterloo’s public spaces throughout history, and the animation of these spaces invited attendees to momentarily step back in history and experience Waterloo’s past.

The intersection of both technology and art was really interesting to witness, and it allowed attendees to explore Uptown Waterloo from a new and fluorescent perspective.

Other installations ranged from a sculpture illuminated by human touch, to light-up balloon instruments and more.

Lumen definitely had something for everybody, and showcased a multitude of local and international talent in a fun and refreshing lens. Although Lumen is young, I can see it only growing from here.

AUTUMN

October is the best month LAUREN RUTHERFORD ARTS & LIFE CONTRIBUTOR

I think that if I were to conduct a sample census on campus asking students their favourite month, at least eight out of ten would say October.

October is the usual month depicted in college movies, autumn simply is the setting one pictures when thinking of a university campus. This cannot be by chance; autumn is simply the best time to be a student.

October has the perfect weather — with an average of 14 degrees it gets the distinct stereotype of “sweater weather,” refined for the hoodie, sweats and legging wardrobe staples of Laurier students.

Layering in the fall is easy preparatory work for the cold winter season to come. Autumn has a refreshing thin cold layer to embrace while walking across campus. The falling leaves can bring a nostalgic feeling, a changing scenery that makes students happy to throw on a flannel and get up for their morning class.

With Halloween approaching there seems to be a substantial amount of free candy being given

out in the concourse. Campus is decorated into a “Halloween town.”

Your walk home from campus seems shorter when you are looking at Halloween decorations and porches littered with pumpkins.

The falling leaves can bring a nostalgic feeling, a changing scenery that makes students happy to throw on a flannel and get up for their morning class.

The season grants access to all the “scary when you were a kid” nostalgic Disney movies like Hocus Pocus, Monster House, and older horror movies.

Waterloo holds specific fall based events that will give you ambition to get out into the community. St. Jacobs Market is only a 15 minute bus ride from campus and the perfect place to pick out

pumpkins, apple fritters and some cheap produce. In addition to on-campus Halloween events, the Kitchener-Waterloo area hosts a historic Oktoberfest.

The middle of October holds the well awaited fall reading week, a time to travel home and rest. Reading week is essential to student’s overall health as it allows you to get caught up on your heavy workloads. This break allows students to return to class in positive spirits, leading to Laurier campus having a lifted mood.

October hosts two favoured holidays within the month. After weeks of being broke and eating ramen noodles, nothing is as special as Thanksgiving dinner.

No matter if you embrace your spooky side or not, you can still get dressed up with your friends to go into busy uptown Waterloo for Halloween.

In my personal opinion, I would claim October to be the best month at university due to the food. The combination of baking cookies with my roommates, having easy access to pumpkin spice (don’t sue me) and Thanksgiving weekend all make October the one month at school I am best fed.

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

• 12

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

Editor’s note: Living with an invisible illness EMILY WAITSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As someone who lives with an “invisible illness” — type 1 diabetes — I have gone through a lot of trouble in order to ensure that it is, in fact, invisible to other people.

With the exception of very close family and friends, I purposefully hide the aspects and realities of living with this disease when I’m out in public, in class or at work.

It’s an uncomfortable routine that I’ve adopted — quietly counting carbs using my phone, testing my blood sugar and injecting insulin in private — all things that I choose to do away from other people.

I’ve realized, especially lately, that I not only hinder myself with my (sometimes lengthy) efforts to keep it so secretive and unnoticeable, but I’ve started to feel like it’s a disservice to other people who have to live with invisible illnesses and diabetes themselves.

An invisible illness is basically an umbrella term for a medical condition that isn’t easily visible to others and it can make those who live with it appear “normal” to everyone else. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 13, and it completely changed my life. I had never faced so much scrutiny, ignorance, pity and unkindness up until then, and it caused me to develop a deep sense of shame about something that I have to live with every single day.

I was suddenly thrust into a world where people would constantly ask me questions, make comments about my health, or, more generally, treat me like I wasn’t a person worthy of basic respect or dignity because of my diabetes.

It was suddenly everyone else’s place to chime in about what I should and shouldn’t be doing, how I could “cure” it on my own with diet and exercise, the ways it was probably my fault that I had it and that I would likely have a short lifespan because of it. Understandably, people tend to have a lot of questions when they’re confronted with something they’ve never seen

before and don’t have any knowledge about, especially when the knowledge they do have is merely based off stereotypes and what they’ve seen on television. During the period of highschool when I used an insulin pump, the amount of embarrassment that I had when it would beep in class, leak, or fall off my belt would be enough to ruin an entire day for me.

Injecting insulin and checking my blood sugar around others can open up a whole world of other judgements, and it caused me to develop a significant amount of self-consciousness about a life function that I need to attend to several times a day in order to stay alive. And while I will never enjoy some of the ignorant comments that are thrown my way — like gems such as “you have diabetes? My aunt had to have her leg amputated because of that” — I’ve come to the realization that trying to completely erase it won’t make things much better either.

I can’t expect people to understand or sympathize with my struggles if I constantly go out of my way to pretend like my diabetes doesn’t exist. No, no one can really “get it” unless they have it themselves, but maybe I can start more conversations about it and open up a dialogue that encourages less bias and more acceptance surrounding something that is relatively undiscussed.

I’ve always been so desperate to be treated just like everyone else, to blend in and not have a label attached to me because of something I have no control over, but it doesn’t have to define me — I’m just in the best position to help people become more educated about the disease that I happen to have.

Answering questions that stem from genuine curiosity is something that I will always be receptive to doing, and regardless of some of the negativity that it may generate, I think I owe it, at least to myself, to be more accepting of a disability that shouldn’t cause me shame and self-loathing. As much as it truly sucks sometimes to live with it, and it’s by no means easy, I’m stuck with it, for the time being — unless science truly prevails and pulls through in my lifetime — so I might as well embrace it in the best way that I can.

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JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Editorial: Don’t just share, act SOPHIA COLE NEWS EDITOR

Climate change has been a growing cause for concern for people across the globe for years. We see the effects of climate change everywhere: across the news, on the internet, through social media and, for some of us, even first hand.

However, for those of us who are lucky enough to live in a place that has yet to be noticeably affected by the changing climate, it can be easy to acknowledge what you see and simply move on with your life.

With the rise of social media activism, I am concerned that the number of people who present themselves as activists through their online persona do not actually act in accordance to the beliefs they voice.

And I get it — when you see something horrible about how the Amazon rainforest has been burning for weeks or that a record number of species are on the brink of extinction, it makes you angry and upset.

You want the world to know about these injustices and social media is often seen as the best way

to spread public awareness.

But the sad reality is that once people share a couple posts on Facebook and Instagram, they go back to business as usual. Those few clicks of the share button have made them feel like they have done their part and can move on with their lives until the next big crisis comes to light.

Now don’t get me wrong, social media is a valuable tool to promote awareness and incite change, but in the case of climate change it may be doing us a disservice.

Anyone and everyone with access to a computer or the daily news is aware of climate change and its detrimental effects – at this point you would have to be willfully ignorant not to be. Climate change does not need more awareness through social media; we are all painfully aware of it, now more than ever.

The world does not need thousands of people sharing an image of the melting icebergs or dying coral reefs with half-assed captions about how upset they are – it needs real, tangible change of actions and habits.

Your social media activism won’t help save the planet, your behavioural changes will, but many people choose to ignore this fact.

This may sound harsh, but if you’re someone who preaches to the choir about how ‘the world

needs to collectively change’ on Facebook but maintains the same unproductive habits, you don’t actually care about the climate crisis – you care about people thinking that you do.

One of the best things you, as an individual, can do to fight against climate crisis is vote with your dollar. The large industries and companies which contribute most to climate change are driven by customer demand, so by reducing the demand you can help reduce their environmental impact. By eating less meat, shopping at thrift stores, using public transit and looking into low waste and sustainable product replacements you are making choices which will actually make a difference.

Half of the people I see bombarding their social media pages with messages about saving the planet, I also see eating meat every day, shopping at fast fashion locations and ordering products with copious amounts of packaging.

I understand breaking bad habits can be hard, and creating new ones for yourself can be even harder, but if people truly cared as much as they say they do on social media they would put in the effort.

If your actions don’t reflect your words, no matter where your heart is or what your intentions are, those words are empty. Empty words won’t save our planet.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

Opinion

• 13 OPINION EDITOR Jade Hosick opinion@thecord.ca

She is young, but she is mighty for activism campaign to their local politicians to do more to reduce CO2 levels and overall carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

DIANA EDWORTHY STAFF WRITTER

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR

I love technology, and I am going to admit that I might let it rule my life more than I should — the other day I literally texted my roommate even though we were sitting in the same room.

Of course, technology definitely makes our lives easier, but as a society I think we have gotten to the point where the power technology gives us, harms us more than anything.

Technology also seems to be making people have lowered emotional intelligence, something we so desperately need.

I think that we are in a day and age where communicating over technology allows individuals to be two different people - one online and one in person — even just private messaging and texting allows a someone to do that.

People can be mean or rude to you through a text, but then in person or in front of a group of people act super nice.

I think we are all guilty of not wanting to start a confrontation, so we just send a message instead when we know the content will most likely upset the person on the receiving end.

Everyone now has the power to hide behind a screen or some sort and say whatever they want without facing the consequences of having an actual hard conver-

sation.

People can hide behind fake profile pictures and post hateful, racist or derogatory content and not have to worry about people in their real lives knowing that they comment like that.

It’s a little trickier when the person is not hiding behind a personae, but rather just using their phones as a device to hide who they are.

People need to be able to have difficult conversations in person, not hide behind a screen.

Communication is a key aspect of everyday life and relying on hiding behind texts is not a good idea when entering the real world.

Sometimes hiding behind a screen to get your point across isn’t going to fly, one day your boss might call you into their office and now you can’t hide.

I get it, some conversations are difficult to have in person, and I am guilty of sometimes texting when I should have had an in-person conversation. however, in the long run those conversations are going to make you a better communicator overall.

What I ask of you guys is this; if you have a difficult conversation, have the decency and do it in person.

No more hiding behind a screen so you don’t have to be mean to peoples faces.

Deal with the people and their reactions in person, that is the most effective way to communicate. Do not text and then leave the messages for extended periods of time. Or, at least, try to make faceto-face conversations more real, where you aren’t hiding.

At the young age of 16, Greta Thunberg is quickly becoming a household name as she continues on her pursuit for climate justice.

Going against the stigma commonly attached to people with Asperger’s syndrome, Greta continues to eloquently speak to political leaders and the rest of the world, calling everyone to action in the fight against carbon emissions and irreversible climate damage.

Greta has passionately told the most powerful political leaders that they are not doing enough to help our planet and that they are effectively stealing her future.

They are stealing the future of all young people who will suffer the long-term consequences of climate changes much more than the older generations will.

One of the most compelling things that Greta has done is organize the Global Climate Strikes.

These strikes are where students skip class on Fridays to strike and

They are stealing the future of all young people who will suffer the long term consequences of climate changes

These Global Climate Strikes have been incredibly successful, with an organized rally in Montreal drawing over 500 000 people.

Greta was in Montreal to be part of this strike and the support that she received there and in cities around the world was overwhelming.

It is beginning to become very clear that more and more peo-

ple, especially young people, are getting angry about climate change related policies and want to see their leaders doing much more..

Despite the strikes grand turnout numbers, the climate strikes and Greta’s message in general have not come without criticism.

Many grown adults have directed hateful messages towards Greta and her mission, with many attacking her for her condition of Asperger’s.

Many people think that a 16-year-old has no place at UN meetings and should not be telling leaders what to do.

They think that because she is young that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

Despite these criticisms, Greta’s claims and suggestions are entirely backed by research done by modern climate scientists.

The reality of the situation is that if the world does not begin to make major changes in terms of carbon emissions and greenhouse gas pollution, we will reach the point of irreversible climate damage by 2030.

What this means is that after 2030, a chain reaction of extreme weather, mass extinction, and rising temperatures will be set off and we will be entirely unable to stop it.

Technology is helpful, but also harmful JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

14 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

Sometimes leaving friendships is for the best JACKSON CARSE STAFF WRITER

Losing someone you love and care about is always difficult. We create ties and bonds with people, expressing our joys and heartaches.

We rely on these people in difficult times and they rely on us. But a harmonious friendship of both honest razzing and genuine care is the ideal and that’s not always the reality. Sometimes these friendships we’ve built aren’t the best for us and it’s important to recognize when this is the case.

Some friendships are only meant to last so long. Consider these learning experiences. Sure, that old friend from high school binge drinking Old Viennas in the driver’s seat of his Pontiac Sunfire is fun to screw around with on weekends but do you really want him at your wedding?

You can love these people for what they were to you, what you did for each other, but don’t mistake that for long-term chemistry.

Some of the greatest relationships of my life only ever lasted a few months. It doesn’t always matter how it ends.

What’s really important is how this relationship bettered you, what you took from it. Yes, it might hurt initially, it’s never easy losing a friend, but remember what you learnt and let it influence your future.

A bad friendship can be dangerous for your physical health. Late into my second year of university an old friend moved into the vacant room of my apartment. We hadn’t talked in years and I was oblivious to what I was getting myself into.

I began picking up his unhealthy habits. He was unemployed and

toms, what is right and natural. I acknowledge it isn’t always easy to drop friends you begin to recognize as “toxic”.

At times these people have been in your life for years and you never understand that this is abnormal until exposed to new social circles.

I never noticed this until I started university. It was not only okay but was encouraged for you to be yourself, to never suppress your personality regardless of how odd and different it may be. This was a revolutionary discovery as I slowly met more and more people who didn’t just like me for my geographical convenience but for my whit and character. People that didn’t discourage me from voicing

my opinions and preferences. Old friendships, only having flourished so long due to the location of our parent’s houses, began to take a lot of effort to maintain.

Your opinions and interests are not unjust or inadequate if they don’t match your friend’s. This may seem obvious but to some it’s something they’ve never been told.

It took me far too long to realize this and I was never truly myself until I accepted it. I found myself conforming and suppressing my personality out of fear of judgment and criticism. It hinders on your confidence in a major way when you feel you’re a lesser person for your character.

It’s becoming increasingly

frustrating watching people feel the need to conform to the masses, conform to their peers. Transformed into people they know they are not simply to please the people that don’t care. Individuality is such a unique thing but seems to be becoming a rarity nowadays.

Homogenizing your ideas limits your ability to create, withholding your ability to display your talents.

But I’m a hypocrite. There are times I conform to my friend’s opinions in an attempt to avoid judgment. Sure, I’ll admit that I think Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time when I know Joe Montana is the G.O.A.T. I’ll jam along to Island in the Sun even when at heart I think Weezer is no better than a couple of deaf possums playing around with a bottle of prescription medication.

It’s healthy to have different friend groups. It’s okay to distance yourself from people that hold you back from your best. You don’t necessarily need to exile these people from your life, but if you’re at a point where you know they’re unhealthy for you, feel no guilt in stepping away.

Sometimes you need to remove certain people from your life. It might not be easy breaking off a friendship, especially if you’ve been friends for years, but if they are suppressing your genius or degrading your accomplishments it might be time for them to go.

Don’t be wary of cutting off an unhealthy relationship. A person’s influence on you is just as important as your influence on them.

Know your worth and capitalize on it. Just as you would do with a stack of assignments or a dirty kitchen, don’t hesitate to rid yourself of your stressors, even if some of them are your oldest friends.

or not the same year that has the mass shooting at the Quebec City mosque.

It is important to remember that these stats are also only based on reported incidents, many go unreported for a variety of reasons – lack of trust in the system and being scared are only two of many reasons.

The Quebec Human Rights Commission is recommending that the government needs to acknowledge how horrible this problem is and start to address the discrimination that is happening on a daily basis.

A question that I have about this topic must deal with Quebec recently making a law that prohibits many public workers from wearing religious symbols – do these things correlate?

Is the fact that Quebec is basically trying to hide religion causing people to be more violent towards it?

My belief is that people hate when they do not understand or what they have not been exposed to. The most important thing we could be doing is creating a society where all people can be themselves

without fear of discrimination.

The more often people of other religions, backgrounds, etc. are seen, the more normalized the actions and garb become. The more normalized these things are the more people understand that it is one person’s way of life and it does not really affect them in the grand scheme of things.

I want Canada to be that place that I grew up thinking it was. I want Canada to be this magical place where hate does not exist, but I think it is going to take Canada a lot more time to get there.

JAMIE MERE/GRAPHICS EDITOR

not attending school, me having just finished exams, we began drinking almost daily, sleeping less and eating foods with no nutritional value. I took up my retired, disgusting habit of smoking and I began to notice the quick deterioration of my mental and physical health. This is just an example of how surrounding yourself with the wrong people can seriously harm your body as well as your mind.

Although my friend at the time was no direct harm to me, his habits indirectly began drastically changing how I operated on a daily basis.

They can also take a major toll on your mental health. A toxic relationship has the ability to warp your perception of social cus-

Multiculturalism in Canada ing towards a more common goal of acceptance.

Most people are, but some people are still very focused on hate.

Recently a qualitative report JADE HOSICK OPINION EDITOR

Growing up I was always taught that Canada was a loving and accepting place where every person no matter what they looked like or where they came from. Since hearing that I was always so proud to be a Canadian.

I was so proud to see that the country I was born into was one of acceptance.

Then as I grew older, I realized that it was not always like that.

From the genocide conducted against the Indigenous people when the settlers first arrived to turning away Jewish refugees in 1939, Canada’s history is less than perfect.

But you’d think that as a society we would be focusing on moving passed that, that we would be mov-

My belief is that people hate what they do not understand or what they have not been exposed to.

done by Quebec’s Human Rights Commission was released and it painted a picture of all the reported discrimination of racism and islamophobia that occurred between 2007 and 2017.

According to Statistics Canada, the number of hate crimes increase by 49 per cent in 2017, coincidently

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

• 15

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR VACANT sports@thecord.ca

SOCCER

SIDNEY MACDONALD/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Laurier men’s and women’s teams compete in the Battle of Waterloo HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

Both of the women’s and men’s Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks soccer teams competed in the Battle of Waterloo Sunday afternoon on Sept. 29.

The women secured a point in a 1-1 draw while the men suffered a tough loss of 1-0.

The women kicked off the afternoon with their match, with a scoreless first half thanks to tough play from both sides, resulting in 11 shots from Laurier in the first

half and six from the Warriors, yet none finding the back of the net.

Just over 20 minutes into the second half, Waterloo striker Alaiyah Wilson would score an unassisted goal to give the Warriors the first goal of the game and the lead.

Laurier would not go down without a fight, as less than eight minutes later the purple and gold’s leading scorer and 2018 OUA second-team all-star Gagan Parhar would find the back of the net which would be the final goal in the game, leaving the match a draw.

The men took the field shortly after the end of the women’s match, looking to improve their record to 2-4-2.

The match got off to a quick start as Warriors striker Luka Frankov-

ich found the back of Laurier’s net just four minutes into the match.

Despite efforts from both sides of the field, Laurier could not find a goal of their own even while defending Waterloo’s 14 shots and sending 16 of their own.

The loss puts them at 1-5-2 on the season and let the Warriors even the Battle of Waterloo to 2-2-1.

Both teams will play one more match in the Battle of Waterloo for the season on Friday, Oct. 4, with the women’s team kicking off at 6:00pm and then men’s team starting at 8:15.

With a win from each team, the purple and gold have a chance to get two wins ahead less than a week before the football team’s matchup on Oct. 10.

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16 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2019

FOOTBALL

HAWKS DEFEAT GAELS AT HOMECOMING GAME HAYLEY MCGOLDRICK NEWS DIRECTOR

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s football team got back to their winning ways this afternoon with a homecoming blowout victory over the Queen’s Gaels, 52-16.

The team got off to an 8-point lead with Connor Carusello sending Romy Simpson a touchdown pass with Nathan Mesher adding a rouge point, but Queen’s would cut the deficit to five before the end of the quarter adding a rouge point of their own as well as a safety.

“We knew we were a good football team, we were still the only team to be up 17 points on Toronto, we were the only team to have a 19-point lead against Ottawa, the confidence for how good we could be was there, we obviously had to eliminate the catastrophic plays and be a little bit more disciplined in terms of penalties and we did those two things,” said head football coach Michael Faulds.

“We had the bye week to get a bit healthier and ultimately, it was a super motivated group and we

finally played four good quarters of football. Up until then we had played a quarter really well here, a bad quarter there, a good quarter here, a bad quarter again. The consistency at homecoming was really good to see.”

If we look at the fine details of where we can improve, I think the product we put out there on Saturday isn’t even our best yet.

-Michael Faulds, head football coach

The Golden Hawks would go on a streak to score 24 more unanswered points in the second quarter, with Levondre Gordon, Will Amoah and Osayi Iginuan all adding touchdowns of their own and Mesher adding a field goal to

SADMAN RAHMAN/FILE PHOTO

close out the quarter, but Queen’s would score a 100 yard kickoff return to give themselves a double digit score before the end of the half.

Laurier continued to prove their dominance at the start of the second half again scoring two unanswered touchdowns, with Ente Eguavoen and Jordan French adding seven points each to bring Laurier’s lead to 46-10.

“I think because we’ve had big leads and managed to lose football games that helps us from that standpoint because even at half-time, we had a 22-point lead, but no one was satisfied. We had the memories of the last two games and how they had gone and we realized we weren’t going to let a team come back into the game,” Faulds said.

“I was really proud of our players and coaches, how they responded in the second half and ultimately you breathe a little bit easier when you have a big lead in the fourth quarter. We just want to continue that momentum this weekend in Windsor.”

Queen’s would be last to score in the third, however with a blocked extra point attempt the Gaels would be left with 16 points in the game.

Laurier closed out the game with six final points in the fourth quarter as Mesher would score one last field goal along with a rouge point and the team added a safety to bring the final score to 52-16, Laurier’s biggest win this season and their first homecoming win since 2016.

“Whether you win or you lose you still critique the films, our guys were in early on Sunday to review the film and the emphasis from our coaches was even though we had a big win, there’s still a lot we can correct. We played our best football game of the year but by no means was it a perfect football game,” Faulds said.

“If we look at the fine details of where we can improve, I think the product we put out there on Saturday isn’t even our best yet. We’re looking to climb and improve and Windsor is a great opportunity to do that.”

Laurier’s next two games will be a road game against the University of Windsor Lancers on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1:00pm at Alumni Field in Windsor. Then, Thursday, Oct. 10 is the coveted Battle of Waterloo, hosted at Warrior Field at 7:00pm, where Laurier will look to avenge last year’s loss to the Warriors, the first time it has happened in 16 years, but the team is taking this season one game at a time.

“We won’t even bring up the word ‘Waterloo’ because our sole focus has to be on Windsor. If we go into that Battle of Waterloo game at 2-4, it doesn’t even matter.

We’ve got to beat Windsor and get to 3-3, despite Windsor having the record they have, they are a good football team this year, they’re well coached, we’re going to respect our opponent this week,” Faulds said.

“We’ve got an overnight trip to Windsor; we leave on the Friday and it’s very much a business trip.

We’ve got to play well like we did Saturday at homecoming in all three phases to come away with a win.”

possession, so that is a real positive for us.”

said Quistberg. The loss means that Laurier will finish the regular season in last place in the OUA Russell Conference, giving the team an unfavourable seeding for the upcoming playoffs.

However, coach Quistberg is not too worried about the team entering the post-season as underdogs, and thinks he knows just how to motivate the team to possibly pull off an upset.

“I’ll get them to reflect on the York game, which sounds weird when you get beat like that, but I’ll get them to focus in on how we carried play [during] that game.”

“We have nothing to lose at this point, so it’s kind of a nice way to go into a game, because there’s no expectations on us,” said Quistberg. “There is always the chance for the upset.”

Despite starting the year with a pre-season win over Western, Laurier has largely been in a development mind frame the rest of the way, with the team’s roster boasting a fair amount of rookies.

“It’s a rebuilding season, the girls all figured that out,” mentioned Quistberg, “When you get a season like this, you just work on little goals and try and take it up a couple steps every week.”

It will be exciting to see how the Golden Hawks can fare in the upcoming playoffs, and see if they can surprise any of their opponents with their underdog status.

Even if they can’t, Laurier appears to be in good position for next season to make serious strides, with a full year of experience under many of their new recruits’ belts.

RUGBY

Laurier women’s team suffers defeat Golden Hawks lose against York University in last game of the season JOE DEFILIPPIS STAFF WRITER

After a disappointing first three weeks of the season, that saw the women’s rugby team winless, the Golden Hawks were hoping to turn around their efforts against York University in their final regular season game last week.

Unfortunately, York, who entered the match undefeated on the

year, were too much for Laurier to handle, securing a 78-7 victory.

Despite the lopsided score, Laurier managed to control play for a large portion of the second half and forced York to really dig in to ensure that a win would be had.

“It was probably our best performance [this year],” said head coach Brian Quistberg. “Against a team that is undefeated, we were able to carry the ball and have a lot of

When you get a season like this, you just work on little goals and try and take it up a couple steps every week.

-Brian Quistberg, head women’s rugby coach

“All year, I’ve thought that we have not played as well as we can,”