The Cord September 14

THE CORD THE TIE THAT BINDS WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY SINCE 1926

VOLUME 57 ISSUE 4 • SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Arkells rock O-Week Canadian band performs for Laurier students Arts & Life, page 13

SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH

WHY LADIES SHAVE

SITTING DURING THE ANTHEM

LAURIER MOVES TO SEVENTH

Suicide prevention day at Laurier

Exploring why most women are hairless

Why Kaepernick took a seat for human rights

Men’s football defeats York 74-3

News, page 7

Arts & Life, page 12

Opinion, page 17

Sports, page 18 PAIGE BUSH/PHOTO EDITOR

2 •

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

VOCAL CORD

The Cord

@cordnews

@cordwlusp

CordNews

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

What’s your Laurier pet peeve?

“My biggest pet peeve is the wifi here, it drops all the time.”

–Nicholas Koehler, second year computer science

“My biggest pet peeve is parking.”

–Chris Lo, third-year psychology

“My biggest pet peeve on campus is slow walkers.”

–Vanessa Octave, second year biology

“My biggest pet peeve is the book store line up, I hate how you have to wait so long.”

– Kelsie Reynolds, second-year financial math Compiled by Safina Husein Photos by Kira Gelbard

NEXT ISSUE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

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.caW

NEWS EDITOR Emilia Curcic news@thecord.ca

PHOTO EDITOR Paige Bush photos@thecord.ca

MARCO PEDRI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

A student participating in Orientation Week activities gets lost in the music at the Headphone Disco on Tuesday, September 6.

Bag O’ Crime Location: 168 King St. N. Reported: Monday, September 5, 2016 @ 9:15 a.m.

SCS and Waterloo By-Law officers attended an off campus student residence after several complaints were received regarding offensive signage which had been posted by residents for public viewing.

The students removed the signage when requested and will be forwarded to the Student Conduct Office for a disciplinary hearing.

Location: Off Campus Reported: Wednesday, September 7, 2016 @ 4:40 a.m.

W.R.P.S. investigated an assault that had occurred at University Ave. & Philip St. Waterloo. The victim, a 20-year-old Laurier student, had sustained a head injury.

He had been struck several times in the head by a male wielding a rock. He had been briefly hospitalized and received sutures to close a head wound. A male with no Laurier affiliation was arrested and charged by W.R.P.S. for Assault

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

with a Weapon and Assault Causing Bodily harm. S.C.S. had been notified for information sharing purposes.

Location: Library Reported: Wednesday, September 7, 2016 @ 10:08 a.m.

SCS received a complaint of a dog left unattended tied to a picnic table in the sweltering heat. It was determined that the dog was in the shade and had been provided with a bowl of water. The owner was located and identified as a local student from out of province still looking for local lodging. Periodic checks were made by him for the dog’s wellbeing. No concerns were noted for neglect.

Location: Faculty of Social Work Reported: Thursday, September 8, 2016 @ 12:28 p.m.

SCS attended to the Faculty of Social Work campus in Kitchener for a report of an unwanted male that was causing a disturbance at a campus BBQ. The male was

CONTRIBUTORS

Emilia Zibaei Serena Gill Lena Yang Taylor Donnelly Nicole Stumpf Kamil Ahmed Tarique Plummer Chris Luciantonio Giovanni Giuga Dunia Budawi Drew Yates Owen Martin

spoken to and eventually he left the premises without further issue.

W.R.P.S was notified as the male had a lengthy criminal history. He was verbally trespassed from all Laurier properties.

Location: Off Campus Reported: Friday, September 9, 2016 @ 1:30 a.m.

SCS encountered a female student claiming to have been sexually assaulted by an older male at her off campus residence. WRPS was notified and the matter was turned over to them for investigation.

Location: 187 Albert Street Reported: Friday, September 9, 2016 @ 11:25 a.m.

SCS investigated the theft of signage from the Aboriginal Student Centre located at 187 Albert Street.

The signage had been staked into the ground beside a teepee display on site. Two male suspects were located on CCTV but have not been identified.

Location: 200 King Street Reported: Sunday, September 11, 2016 @ 12:46 a.m.

SCS investigated a report theft of property from the underground

EDITOR’S CHOICE: COLOPHON “Men’s rugby team off to confident start” by Owen Martin

EDITOR’S CHOICE ONLINE: “Move in delays for ICON Waterloo” by Kaitlyn Severin

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Christian Paron copyeditor@thecord.ca

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Brittany Ditizio socialmedia@thecord.ca

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

parking garage at 200 King Street.

Two students had left their backpacks unattended in the north stairwell and upon their return discovered they had been stolen.

At 1:20am, the backpack s were located, having been returned to the place where they had been taken from. The bags appeared to have been rummaged through and several items stolen including cash, gift cards and a bottle opener.

Two male suspects were located on CCTV but have not been identified.

Location: MidCampus Drive Reported: Sunday, September 11, 2016 @ 2:27 a.m.

SCS Communications Operator observed on CCTV, two males stealing a piano from Mid Campus Drive. The piano, which had been placed on display by the Faculty of Music had been secured to a pillar with a chain and plastic zip ties. Both suspects were identified

by SCS and had no affiliation with Laurier. Verbal warnings were issued and the piano was placed in a secured area for holding.

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: “I found this guy and I love him. He might be 18 but that’s okay!”

- Photo Editor, Paige Bush on her experience at the Arkells concert

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

News

SENIOR NEWS EDITOR KAITLYN SEVERIN news@thecord.ca

• 3 NEWS EDITOR EMILIA CURCIC news@thecord.ca

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR MADDY CUTTS news@thecord.ca

STUDENT HOUSING

KIRA GERBARD/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

ICON Waterloo is currently working on their towers to ensure they are safe enough for tenants to move into. While the original move-in date was September 1, some are still not able to move in.

ICON delays move-in dates for students ICON Waterloo buildings are left unfinished after their scheduled move-in date of September 1 KAITLYN SEVERIN SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

While some students at Wilfrid Laurier University have been able to live comfortably since the beginning of classes, a few are still struggling with how and when they can move into their new apartments.

On September 2, ICON Waterloo, two 25 storey high-rises located on Phillip and Columbia, announced in an email to their tenants that their move-in dates would be delayed.

As safety is both the City and ICON’s number one concern, we will be postponing your move in date to occur between September 9-11.

-email sent from ICON

The original move-in date was September 1.

According to their email, ICON’s construction site was affected by the drywall strike, which occurred in Ontario throughout May and June of this year.

As a result, ICON doubled their staff on-site to increase productivity. However, at 5 p.m. that same day, ICON was notified by the City of Waterloo that they would not be granted occupancy permits.

“As safety is both the City and

ICON’s number one concern, we will be postponing your move in date to occur between September 9-11,” read the email.

In their email, ICON offered tenants free rent for the month of September.

Tenants were also directed to hotels in the Waterloo area until the building is ready.

According to an article posted

by CTV Kitchener on September 9, the apartments were not declared safe by the City of Waterloo. At 2:45 p.m., ICON was granted occupancy permit for one of the two building towers.

CTV also said building inspectors approved the first floor, common corridor and floors two through 24 for occupancy.

However, as of September 10, any odd-numbered suites that end in ‘05’ are not ready for tenants. CTV also noted that city officials said the 25th floor is off limits.

Over the weekend, some tenants were able to move into ICON’s south tower.

A Facebook group called “I (got) CON (ned)” was originally a page where tenants could contact one another about the apartments and landlords.

Since the delay was announced, the page now features numerous posts about broken appliances, slow Internet and lack of mattresses.

According to the page, some of the tenants did not receive mattresses, but rather foam pads from ICON. Some tenants have also complained about the dust in their apartments, noting that it can be unsafe for those with allergies.

On Tuesday morning, a user

It’s just really crazy with Labour Day weekend and it was really inconvenient.

-Sammi Marino, second-year health sceince student

posted a video to the Facebook page, which shows water leaking over electrical panels and furniture around the apartment. According to the user, the water continued to leak for up to an hour.

Sammi Marino, second-year health science student at Laurier, is a tenant at ICON. According to Marino, ICON has been poor with communicating with their tenants, such as not specifying what is wrong with the building.

“When [ICON] told us we can’t move in, they said in their contract they were supposed to give us a minimum of ten days notice, but they barely gave people a ten hour notice so it’s just really crazy with Labour Day weekend and it was really inconvenient,” she said.

ICON told their tenants they would receive a follow-up email on September 6 which would include their move in date and time. As of last Thursday, Marino said she did not receive said email.

“We’ve received nothing from ICON.” Because of the delay, Marino has been residing in a hotel until ICON

allows her and her roommates to move in.

“Before I was living off somebody’s couch and now we checked into a hotel, so we’re just trying to play it by ear.”

While some Laurier students continue to struggle over how and when they can move into ICON, unfinished apartment buildings have become a trend in Waterloo since 2014.

In the fall of 2015, the Sage 2 building on Spruce Street was more than a month delayed with their construction deadline, as tenants had to find other places to live while their apartments were being finished.

The Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union’s Student Rights Advisory Committee aims to help university students dealing with landlord tenant issues.

Phil Marfisi, AVP of university affairs, said that students who are having problems with their landlords or rentals are able to contact the committee for assistance in navigating the situation.

While the committee is not an official legal service, Marfisi explained that they train volunteers on how to navigate the Residential Tenancies Act. They also work closely with the Waterloo Region Community Legal Services.

“Sometimes we have questions which are outside our depth because we’re students and we don’t want to pretend to know the answers to anything either,” said Marfisi. “We will do our best to help connect [students to the right resources].”

The committee also helps students navigate their rights and

responsibilities as tenants and as landlords.

According to Marfisi, if a student needs help constructing a letter to their landlord, or they want to contact the Landlord and Tenant Board, the committee can point them to the right resources in the Waterloo Region.

We will do our best to help connect [studensts to the right resources].

-Phil Marfisi, AVP: university affairs

“If they want help just in figuring out how to get in touch with their landlord or how to converse with them about the issue they’re facing, we can help them with that as well,” said Marfisi.

For students who are currently having trouble with their places of residence, Marfisi encourages them to first address the situation with the landlord. He also recommends that students read their lease and talk to the landlord before signing anything.

“Don’t make any quick decisions, get in touch with us and we can help [students] navigate the situation or we can help point them to someone who can navigate the situation.”

4 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

FUNDING

Region gets boost in funds Kitchener hospitals will receive over 2 million in funding MADDY CUTTS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Waterloo Region hospitals will soon be benefitting from over 2 million dollars in funding from the provincial government, announced earlier this year.

The funds come as part of Ontario’s Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund (HIRF), with Grand River Hospital awarded 1,555,561 dollars and a further 524,334 dollars earmarked for St. Mary’s Hospital, the two Kitchener hospitals which service the Kitchener-Waterloo region.

The HIRF was first established in 1999 to assist public hospitals in renewing their healthcare facilities, though it has gone through some evolution over the years in terms of streamlining funding and adapting to new provincial funding opportunities.

Funding for hospitals and hospital infrastructure has been steadily increasing in the past years, with the province of Ontario raising renewal funding from 56

million dollars in 2013-14 to 125 million dollars in both 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The trend continued for the current 2016-17 period, with 175

In order for good patient care, we need to know that the facilities are in good condition, as well.

-Kitchener Centre MPP, Daiene Vernile

million dollars in total funding being distributed to 135 hospitals across the province.

“Hospitals are communicating with us that besides running their hospitals and caring for patients, that they need to start paying

attention to the physical buildings that they’re in and that repairs are required,” said Kitchener Centre MPP Daiene Vernile.

“And in order for good patient care, we need to know that the facilities are in good condition, as well” With many hospitals across the province, including the two located in Kitchener, suffering from aging facilities, the opportunity for the funds help finance projects aimed at improving the quality of facilities and extending their product life has been greatly welcomed by hospital administrators.

“You might call them vintage, you might call them classic, but they need work, they need ongoing work,” said Mark Karjaluoto, director of communications for Grand River Hospital.

“What this [funding] allows us to do, is there might be cosmetic work that people see us do in terms of new flooring, or new painting, or things like that. But then there’s the other work, which, for example, we do upgrades to our heating,

EMILIA ZIBAEI/ CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

ventilation and air conditioning systems.”

Projects vary by facility, but all recipients of the infrastructure renewal fund will allocate funds towards upgrades and modernization that would have likely otherwise been near impossible to carry out.

“Next week we’re going to start repaving the access roads at our Freeport campus,” said Karjaluoto.

“It’s a big project that is going to take four phases and about two months to complete and that will account for nearly 450,000 dollars in spending and that’s coming from this particular fund.”

SHOPPING

SEPT. 19-23

FANI HSIEH/ GRAPHIC EDITOR

Bulk buying set to hit Waterloo SAFINA HUSEIN LEAD REPORTER

Good news for students who love to buy in—a new Costco store will be opening up next month in Waterloo.

The store will be located west of Ira Needles Boulevard on Erb Street.

Ron Damiani, a spokesperson for Costco Canada, explained in an email that the decision to open a Costco store in Waterloo was primarily driven by a high market demand.

Costco’s presence within the Kitchener Waterloo market for over 20 years has given them the ability to pin-point shopping behaviours and shopping frequency.

With this information, Costco was able to evaluate the impact of a new store located in Waterloo, given the high demand.

The new Costco will also provide approximately 200 jobs in Waterloo.

The popular demand for this location has also created a concern

for high volumes of traffic in the Ira Needles Boulevard area-an already congested area in K-W. The proposal to bring a Costco store to this location was brought forth to Waterloo counsellors almost two years ago.

By 2014, counsellors had provided a condition approval for the store, stating that work on the store building and gas bar could proceed; however, neither could open until the necessary construction work was completed.

City of Waterloo officials have been supportive of the Costco development and executed a traffic study as part of the new store’s process for approval.

As a result, Erb Street has been under heavy construction throughout the past summer months in order to implement two new roundabouts.

One will be in front of the upcoming Costco entrance, for added customer ease of access, and the other has been placed near the entrance to the neighbouring regional landfill.

NEWS • 5

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 MENTAL HEALTH

Suicide prevention honoured in Kitchener-Waterloo ceremony International Suicide Prevention Day activities held at Wilfrid Laurier University on September 10

PAIGE BUSH/ PHOTO EDITOR

The butterfly release ceremony marked the end of the event, with plastic insects adorned with participants’ messages and live butterflies avaialble for participants to release into the open air.

MADDY CUTTS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The Kitchener-Waterloo area community came together last Saturday at Wilfrid Laurier University’s campus to honour World Suicide Prevention Day. The date of September 10 was chosen back in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and has been celebrated by the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council, ever since.

Though historically held at Kitchener City Hall, the location was moved this year to allow for a partnership with Mysterious Barricades, a national concert being held at Laurier.

“Mysterious Barricades is a concert that is going to be happening today, so it’s running from 1-2:30, and it is a cross-Canada, so it’s running 18 hours,” said Elisa Brewer-Singh, program coordinator

with the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council.

There shouldn’t be any reason why, like with any illness, you don’t deserve to get the help when you need it.

-Georgina de Barros, multicultural outreach worker with K-W Counselling Services

“It started in St. John’s Newfoundland at sunrise. We’re sort of at the point where it’s cascading over to us, so we’re about to go live and then it will continue on afterwards until sunset in British Columbia.”

The concert, meant to bring

awareness to suicide prevention on a global scale, was held in 13 locations across the country, of which Laurier’s Waterloo campus was a chosen site and broadcast across the world.

Mysterious Barricades was just one of the events held in Waterloo, which also included a BBQ, speaker series by the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council on this year’s international theme of ‘connect, communicate, care’ and an information fair where community and school organisations were invited to hold booths.

“I think the time has come to think of mental illness like any illness. Where, when you’re feeling the symptoms, things don’t feel quite right, you seek the help that you need,” said Georgina de Barros, multicultural outreach worker with K-W Counselling Services.

“There shouldn’t be any reason why, like with any illness, you

don’t deserve to get the help when you need it, you deserve proper care and the proper time. So I think events like this really show everybody that there’s resources out there, that there’s no need to be

We need to get our priorities straight as students and make sure that everyone is getting the support they need.

-Karen Kipper, co-president of Bridging the Gap

embarrassed or ashamed.”

The day was ended with the annual butterfly release in the Quad, a symbolic event which

brought together the Laurier and K-W communities in honour of the lives lost and the hope shared by participants for a brighter future.

Though this is the first time the event has been held on Laurier’s campus, the importance of student involvement in prevention and awareness is not lost.

“If we’re students recognizing that the policy on campus is not suitable for every student and the wellness centre is overwhelmed and students aren’t accessing the support that they need, then students really need to sort of engage with each other and sort of demand that change and demand that it’s important,” said Karen Kipper, co-president of Bridging the Gap, an on-campus club with aim to bring about changes regarding mental health.

“I think we need to get our priorities in check as students and make sure that everyone is getting the

6 • NEWS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

RESEARCH STUDIES

WLU is jumping into cold water SAFINA HUSEIN LEAD REPORTER

The Wilfrid Laurier University’s Cold Regions Research Centre will be taking part in numerous exciting efforts throughout the coming school year.

Since 1987, when the centre was created, the Cold Regions Research Centre has grown in size and has expanded in their research, training, capacity building and their ability to engage in local communities.

William Quinton, associate professor and co-director of the Cold Regions Research Centre, explained that in 2010, the Cold Regions Research Centre began to largely focus their work on the Northwest Territories when the territorial government entered into a partnership with Laurier.

“There are a lot of unknowns in the territory which makes for a lot of uncertainty. The government of the Northwest Territories was quite keen on helping that uncertainty by investing in science,” said Quinton.

This unique partnership allowed the Research Centre to form a connection with the government, while allowing the researchers to provide expertise and assist with challenges that the Northwest Territories were facing, in regards to water and climate.

A multi-million dollar grant the Centre received a number of years

ago supplied infrastructure, which could be implemented in field sites in the Northwest Territories.

“What’s big and exciting is a new research program that Laurier is engaged with,” explained Quinton.

The Cold Regions Research Centre, along with McMaster University, University of Saskatchewan and University of Waterloo, received a grant by the Government of Canada consisting of approximately 78 million dollars.

“Laurier, being the smaller university in that group, speaks to Laurier’s strengths as the Cold Regions Centre as a university that is well known for cold regions and water science,” said Quinton.

The grant will allow the four universities to focus on understanding how systems work in cold regions, what the impact of water is, and more.

Led by the University of Saskatchewan, Laurier will take a larger role in the cold regions area of study, whereas students from Saskatchewan may focus more on mountains and prairies.

The award not only furthers Laurier’s position as a global leader in cold regions and water science, but it also allows researchers to work extensively in areas regarding the Northwest Territories, which has not been previously possible.

The project, called ‘Global Water Futures: Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change’, will be the largest funded university-led

KIRA GELBARD/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

Centre for Cold Regions and Water Science on Lodge St.

water research program, as well as one of the largest water science collaborations in the world.

Although the Cold Regions Research Centre has a vast presence in Western Canada, it was their goal this year to be more active within Ontario.

As a result, James McLaughlin, forest soils research scientist from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, will be partnering with Laurier and the Cold Regions Research Centre as a visiting research fellow.

The Cold Regions Research Centre Visiting Fellowship, established in 2016, was created to allow members of the research community to work within the centre.

Quinton explained that bring-

ing McLaughlin to Laurier for the visiting fellowship was a specific and very deliberate attempt to link up with the Ontario Government for their research activities.

“The Ontario far north has very little research because it’s so inaccessible. It’s very remote and, logistically, very expensive to operate in,” Quinton said.

Through the centre’s partnership with McLaughlin, they hope to connect with the Ontario government to explore different ways in which they can collaborate with one another.

“I just felt that it would be an excellent match to bring in more people with the expertise that I need and give [the Research Centre] an opportunity to connect

with the Ontario Government,” explained McLaughlin.

Starting October 3, McLaughlin will be residing in Laurier. He plans to give various talks and speeches, work with undergraduate and graduate students, as well as numerous individuals conducting research at the Cold Regions Centre.

McLaughlin’s time as visiting fellow will be spent focusing on conducting and hopefully applying research in Northern Ontario.

“They’re making a lot of headways [at Laurier] and a lot of the research that’s being done at the Cold Regions Research Centre is similar to what I’m doing in the Hudson Bay Lowlands,” said McLaughlin.

ORIENTATION WEEK

Orientation Week goes up in flames Laurier sets fake dorm room on fire to show the risks associated with neglecting fire safety

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

EMILIA CURCIC NEWS EDITOR

On September 6, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Safety, Health, Environment and Risk Management (SHERM) and the Waterloo Fire Department hosted a burn room demonstration. The demonstration was held during Laurier’s Orientation Week in front of a crowd of

3000 students.

The room was set up to mirror a typical residence dorm room and was used to show how quickly a fire could expand in the space. A similar demonstration was done last year during Fire Prevention Week held at Laurier.

John Percy, public education officer for the City of Waterloo Fire Rescue Services, stressed the

importance of visual cues when spreading awareness.

“It’s an opportunity to…meet as many first-years as we can and to get that message across. But more importantly to say here’s a visual indication of the importance of how quickly a room will burn, importance of a working smoke alarm and having a home fire escape plan,” said Percy.

Having organized the burn room before, both SHERM and the fire department were able to plan more precisely and better predict the exact outcome of the demonstration.

“You know practice makes perfect: the prep time, what had to be done, how the fire was going to grow, how quickly. We had a good comfort level, we knew how it was going to go,” said Percy.

The demonstration also used the cooking trailer to show the risks associated with leaving an unattended pot on the stove, which is the leading cause of fire, according to Percy.

“If you’re cooking, you need to stay in the kitchen. If you have a fire, take an oven mitt and just slide a lid over it. Take away the oxygen and put out the fire, that’s the proper way to put a fire out…As human beings, we think we put water on fire. If you do that with grease it will actually really explode,” said Percy.

“If you’re going to be under any influences of drinking or drugs please do not cook. Especially if you come from the bars, after an evening. Because people do get

hungry, we don’t want people cooking at that point because they could fall asleep or forget about it.”

If you’re going to be under any influences of drinking or drugs, please do not cook.

-John Percy, public education officer for the City of Waterloo Fire Rescue Services

Philip Teskey, emergency management and fire safety officer for SHERM at Laurier, stressed the importance of fire safety on and off campus.

“Really, we want them to learn those key messages we put across, our fire alarm procedures, if you’re off campus to make sure that you have working smoking alarms,” said Teskey.

NEWS • 7

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 ACADEMIA

Religion and culture now online Laurier offers the first completely online undergraduate degree in their faculty of arts EMILIA CURCIC NEWS EDITOR

Wilfrid Laurier University has been making serious advancements in the development of online learning. Starting in September 2016, Laurier will be offering its religion and culture degree completely online.

It will mirror the in-class degree already offered at Laurier under the same name.

Students will be completing the degree full-time, with the same fall, winter and spring semesters as if they were taking in-class courses.

The core requirements will also be identical.

Religion and culture will be the first degree in the faculty of arts to be offered completely online.

According to Meena Sharify-Funk, associate professor and chair of the religion and culture department at Laurier, the religion and culture department is second to psychology when it comes to offering the most online courses at Laurier.

“We have, of course, the in-class and over the years we’ve developed online courses. Then we realized that we’ve developed actually a lot of online courses, more so than

Courses offered online will include students from both the inclass and the online degrees, giving them the opportunity to communicate with people from all over Canada and potentially the rest of the world.

“It does actually extend our borders in infinite ways,” said Sharify-Funk.

SERENA GILL/CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

any other arts department,” said Sharify-Funk.

Students will have access to all of the same online courses offered under the religion and culture department as any other student taking the degree in-class. However, not all of the courses offered on the academic calendar have been converted to online formats.

“It’s been a work in progress, to get to the point where we could develop our core courses. Currently RE207, which is the core course

in second-year and 407, which is our capstone course, those two are being developed as we speak. They will be offered come... 2017,” said Sharify-Funk.

In the meantime, students have begun the first semester of the degree.

Laurier’s push for online learning stems from the need to reach a wider geographical region of students, according to Sharify-Funk.

“Why Laurier is interested in online learning, of course, is to at-

tract as many students as possible from within the local region, as well as outside of the region and to be competitive in that market of online learning. I know that when I was talking with the recruitment office and I mentioned that we have the first complete online degree in the faculty of arts and they were just so excited because up North, with a lot of the aboriginal communities, there is a great interest in online learning,” said Sharify-Funk.

Tri-Cities’ largest selection of concentrate products!

10% student discount from September 1st-April 30th

We realized that we’ve developed actually a lot of online courses, more so than any other arts department, - Meena Sharify-Funk, chair of the religion and culture department at Laurier

“There is, of course, an opportunity to connect with communities we could’ve never dreamed of before. I think the more that we can internationalize knowledge and have a diversified body of students, the better.”

8 • GAMES SUDOKU

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 SPOT THE ANDY

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, In the great green room there was a telephone And a red balloon And a picture of the cow jumping over the moon.

And there were three little bears sitting on chairs And two little kittens and a pair of mittens And a little toy house and a young mouse.

And a comb and a brush And a bowl full of mush And a quiet old lady who was whispering, “Hush.”

Good night, room. Good night, moon.

Good night, cow jumping over the moon.

Good night, light and the red balloon.

Good night, bears. Good night, chairs.

Good night, kittens. Good night, mittens.

Good night, clocks. Good night, socks.

Good night, little house. Good night, mouse.

Good night, comb. Good night, brush.

Good night, nobody. Good night, mush.

Good night to the old lady whispering, “Hush.”

Good night, stars. Good night, air.

Sincerely, Good night, noises everywhere.

Dear language profs, I’m not taking your intro level class if the textbook costs over $350 and all I’m going to learn is basic phrases. I signed up for your course as an elective and honestly thought it was a joke when the book list came out. There’s a reason only 14 poor souls are still signed up with 60 spots still remaining.

Sincerely, A fourth-year student just trying to graduate.

Dear girls, Give that guy a chance when he has the guts to approach you.

Sincerely, One shy guy Dear Life, Ads promoting plastic surgery should not be in our student newspaper. The students are already beautiful without surgery. The Cord should believe in natural beauty, rather than build more insecurity in our students.

Sincerely, Jessica “Cat Tunes” Nunes Dear 2016-2017 Cord team, As a former cordie, I can say unequivocally that you have done the 90 year history of this paper proud with your oweek issue.

Sincerely, A grateful grad Dear Life, Why is cheese so immaculate yet so expensive?

Sincerely, Poor cheese lover Dear Life, I’ve been visiting the advisors office more in the past week than I have in my entire degree to make sure I’m on track to graduate. I mean, better late than never, right?

Sincerely, Stressed Hawk

GAMES • 9

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

NEED MORE CORD? VISIT THECORD.CA FOR MORE CONTENT, PHOTOS AND VIDEOS.

FULLY AWAKE FULLY ALIVE

A WORSHIP GATHERING OF YOUNG ADULTS SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18 6:45PM - 9:30PM CREEKSIDE CHURCH (660 Conservation Drive) FREE FOOD FREE BUS FROM CAMPUS www.creeksidechurch.ca/vivid

12 •

Arts & Life

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 ARTS & LIFE EDITOR MANJOT BHULLAR arts@thecord.ca

HYGIENE

Societal pressures to shave are stressful NICOLE STUMPF STAFF WRITER

We see it everywhere. On our favorite television shows, in the movies we watch and constantly in advertisements. Women’s skin without any body hair, other than their eyebrows and on their scalp.

There is no denying that women in our society face a certain amount of pressure to have hairless skin. Women are constantly bombarded with methods of hair removal such as lasers, waxing and shaving. What is driving this force to have women without any hair on their bodies?

Shannon Dea, associate professor of philosophy and the undergrad advisor for women’s studies at the University of Waterloo, sat down with The Cord to offer her insights behind why women participate in hair removal.

Looking through numerous commercials and advertisements, there is an unconscious demand that women should look younger. Everything from creams to

tightening skin, to hair products that cover gray hair, is marketed towards women to take years off their appearance.

Hair removal is a part of this pressure to look younger. “One of the unconscious motivations behind the pressure to have women remove any hair on their bodies is to make them appear younger and more delicate,” Dea said. Hairlessness is generally associated with youth, so women remove their body hair in an effort to remain eternally youthful.

When anyone goes out into the world, they are judged by their appearance. People make assumptions based on appearance of what someone’s social status is, what their job is or how clean they are.

Body hair is not exempted from this judgment.

There is also no denying that hair and hygiene have a strong relationship to each other. “One of the first judgments that are made about women who do not shave their body hair is that they are unclean,” said Dea.

This is not always a correct assumption to make about another person, as Dea suggests that someone can have body hair and still be very clean.

Sexual orientation is also suggested by the amount of body hair a woman has on her body. When a woman does not shave any aspect of her body, she is often labeled as more masculine or queer.

“This is not a true assumption as there are many lesbian women who do shave their bodies and many straight women who choose not to,” Dea said.

The level of hair that is found on a woman’s body is also seen as a way to signify what their political affiliation is.

“A question that comes up in discussions about feminism is ‘Can I still be a good feminist and shave my legs?’” Dea said.

She further explained to The Cord that many women find themselves torn between wanting to have ‘good feminist credentials’ and the pressure to be presented in a socially acceptable way.

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

“None of those choices make you a good or bad feminist especially since there are lots of different ways to be a feminist and a strong woman.”

Often body hair is also an important issue for those who are a part of the transgender community. This is something that is generally not thought about in mainstream media.

Lack of hair, especially in the face, is important for transgender women to appear more feminine.

“When transgender women are transitioning, they are still growing

facial hair and facing the challenge of removing that hair to look less like a beard,” said Dea. Balding can also be a way that transgender men can appear to be more masculine. Dea mentioned there is some desire among transgender men in developing male pattern baldness, since it is often regarded as a sign of masculinity.

There are complex and numerous reasons as to why women feel the need to shave their bodies However, removing body hair should be a choice, not a demand made by society.

FILM

TIFF flicks that are worth the line-ups TAYLOR DONNELLY CORD ARTS

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is an internationally acclaimed film festival dedicated to showcasing champion films of various genres from all over the world. With the festival wrapping up the week of the 18th TIFF has a reputation for premiering some of the world’s best films. There will certainly be hundreds of highly anticipated and phenomenal films, prominent directors and celebrated celebrities in attendance at TIFF this year so here are a few of my must see picks for the festival.

Loving Without a doubt, I am most eager to screen Loving. Director Jeff Nichols, shares the truthful and inspiring retelling of Richard and Mildred Loving and their courageous love story.

The couple was arrested in 1958 for committing the crime of marriage; their interracial matrimony went against laws in the state of Virginia and they were conse-

quently incarcerated.

The film beautifully tells the story of their bravery as they battle the Supreme Court for their right to love without bounds by colour and succeeds by foregrounding the humanity of the protagonists instead of their legal strife. This powerful story of resistance to injustice and devotion to one another is both epic and simple. The intimate drama featuring performances by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga must not be missed and is an exemplification of the power of love and a reminder of how far the world has come and how much further there is left to go.

La La Land Those who share my passion for musicals (and Ryan Gosling) are sure to revel in the anticipation for the release of La La Land.

Featuring the adorable duo of triple threats Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, this romance musical follows the love story of two ambitious artists as they struggle to pursue their dreams of breaking into Hollywood. Gosling portrays a jazz pianist who dreams to open his own club and Stone is a parttime barista and full-time aspiring actress. The film is set in modern day Los Angeles, infused with a

Hollywood flare that is at the heart of the film. With director Damien Chazelle hot off the successful release of his last film Whiplash, this film is sure to be a knock out at TIFF this year.

Anatomy of Violence Director Deepa Mehta has a reputation for creating provocative films that are truly captivating.

Anatomy of Violence is centered around one of India’s most heinous crimes. In 2012, a student in New Delhi was viciously attacked on a city bus, gang raped, beaten and died weeks later.

Mehta’s film takes a very unique perspective in addressing this event; the film explores the psychological and sociological backgrounds of the perpetrators of this crime and aims to understand how their social and cultural circumstances contributed to their violent attack on an innocent young woman.

The film investigates the men’s perspective not to portray them as innocent, but to demonstrate how systems of patriarchy, violence, poverty and environmental circumstances have created the conditions for this violence. Mehta’s unique focus is an attempt to empathize with the men by exploring

CONTRIBUTED IMAGES

their backgrounds— seeing how they were created by circumstances and culture.

Sing Of course, my TIFF wish list wouldn’t be complete without a little animation! From the creators of Despicable Me, Sing is the story of Buster, a koala bear theatre proprietor who desperately needs new talent to save his

stage. He devises a plan to involve the audience and host the world’s greatest singing competition. The contestants feature a diverse group of quirky, lovable animals. The star-studded cast features Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Reese Witherspoon, Seth Macfarlane and many more.

This whimsical, light hearted and adorable musical comedy is sure to win over the heart and ears for people of all ages.

ARTS & LIFE • 13

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 ORIENTATION WEEK

O-WEEK TRIUMPH: THESE GUYS ARKELL-ING IT! PHOTOS BY: PAIGE BUSH, MARCO PEDRI

KIRA GELBARD LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

We all start somewhere. For the Arkells it was on the Wilf’s stage back in 2009. Now, frontman Max Kerman, accounts the Arkells have officially graduated to the Athletic Complex—a huge accomplishment for the band.

I was able to catch a few moments with Kerman before heading out to perform at this year’s Orientation Week. Curious as to why the band chose to play at Laurier, I asked what draws the band to perform at universities. “Some of my favourite concerts ever were Frosh week concerts,” Kerman said.

“That’s where I met Mike and Nick in the band, so I’m pretty nostalgic for that. So, if we could be that band for somebody else, that’s amazing”.

Standing amongst the crowds, I could definitely understand the point Kerman was making.

Students are a great source of hope and youthful energy, which is what the band feeds off of to play an

exhilarating show.

Throughout the night, every student was on their feet, from standing, to jumping, to dancing.

Everyone was singing along to their hit song off the new album, Morning Report.

The band also played their favourite song, Drake’s Dad. Kerman told the story of how this song came to be, then broke out into their catchy new tune for students to sing along. Feeling the vibe of the crowd, Kerman decided to bring a frosh student onto the stage to help the band play their hit song, Private School.

Kerman explained that he feels he has a responsibility to pass on musical opportunities to others.

Visiting Laurier a few years back, Kerman was originally turned away from using the equipment at the school to write a song. Then, a professor gave him a chance and he ended up writing one of the Arkells’ greatest hits.

Though the Arkells are gaining major traction in the media with their new album, they still look to

other musical acts to be a source of inspiration.

When speaking with Kerman, he mentioned the respect he has for music from the likes of Bruce Springsteen to Chance the Rapper.

During the show, he broke into one of Chance’s latest hits, Same Drugs,

Some of my favourite concerts ever were Frosh week concerts... so if we could be that band for somebody else, that’s amazing.

-Max Kerman, lead singer (Arkells)

as the crowd sang along.

Kerman stressed how it’s important for his influencers to share the same values to tell stories of community, love and family, all

of which are many themes found within the Arkells’ albums.

Playing for the Laurier students, I could feel Kerman’s values translate into the crowd. He emphasized the importance of how tough it can be growing up and how if he could go back and tell himself advice at 20-years-old, he would tell himself to be, “more patient, be patient with friends, yourself, [because] when you’re younger everything seems to be more of a hectic time, [so] when I look back it seems there was a lot of shit going on, [but] I think it’s the nature of growing up, so just know time has a way of smoothing things out.”

Having the Arkells was a great choice as the musical act at Laurier’s Orientation Week. Not only are they great role models, but they understand the crowd. The band knows how tough of a transition it can be for frosh.

Kerman’s connection to Laurier helped to relieve any bit of that pressure through music and by creating a fun and inclusive environment.

The Arkells had a surprise encore outside the John Aird Centre which was an unbelievable surprise for unsuspecting concert goers who were heading home.

Kerman sang a Bruce Springsteen rendition.

Third-year Laurier student Cassy Lim recalls, “it was really cool, as a student, how the Arkells are personally connected to Laurier. Most bands wouldn’t take the time for an hour after their set is done and keep playing.”

This Arkells concert did not compare to any other. As an Arkells veteran, I have attended three Arkells shows but nothing compares to the crazy energy in that room and enormous amount of happiness felt amongst the Laurier students in the audience.

Congratulations on your graduation from Wilf’s to the Athletic Complex, Arkells. It was truly a party. Maybe next year we will get to see you play at your dream venue, Red Rock.

Keep on rocking and putting smiles on all our faces.

If you think you’re alone when it comes to roommate troubles, ask the person beside you in your next lecture and you’ll instantly be proven wrong.

It is unaviodable that even the

smallest conflicts will come up when living with other people, but as long as you play it cool and strategize to work through it, your university years will be that much better.

STUDENT LIVING

Roommate life for dummies BRITTANY DITIZIO SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Another school year is upon us which means that a lot of changes are happening. With first-years moving into dorms and upper-years finding off-campus housing, anticipation is flowing.

Moving into a new house or apartment can be a really exciting thing; you can finally get some freedom from your siblings taking over the bathroom, and your parents won’t make you do the dishes.

It sounds like the perfect college party movie and its bound to be a great adventure—that is, until you move in.

All of a sudden you’re living with fellow students who you know will be the best roomies and who you’re sure will do their part to keep the place clean, but frankly this idea is close to a Disney fairytale.

The dishes will pile up, the garbage will stink and muddy

winter boots will eventually coat the floors.

It’s easy for ordinary people to make excuses as to why their lack of time prevents them from cleaning, but for students, the excuses are like clockwork.

Chances are, we have all experienced roommate issues, but if by some magical gamble you’ve never had a problem, then we envy you.

It’ll happen soon enough.

At some point, arguments will be had and friendships will be jeopardized, but there are endless ways to get through it.

Setting a foundation right from the get-go will make sure everyone knows that they each have an important role as a roommate.

Deciding who gets the biggest room may seem like the hardest issue you’ll have, but rock paper scissors is binding. Making a chore calendar can go a long way and when the lazy roommate insists its not their turn to take out the garbage, just point to the sheet on the fridge.

Schoolwork and tests can be a huge issue when it comes to roommates because noise is often an issue. If you happen to have a Monday morning test and

your roommate decides to have a pre-Phil’s Sunday extravaganza, conflict can surely rise. To avoid this issue, it’s best to either let your roommates know about your upcoming test so they can relocate the party, or plan ahead to study at the library and avoid any possible conflict.

Food can be a sensitive topic when it comes to students; it’s a scarce commodity at times and it shouldn’t be taken for granted — or, well, taken. Sometimes roommates will have issues with taking each other’s food, or borrowing a little bit of something without asking. Sure, a little bit of milk can go unnoticed, but if you run out before you can have any, its time to speak up.

Labeling your personal food items and pitching in on shareable items is a great way to keep all the roomies satisfied.

Roommate life can be a challenging chapter in anyone’s journey, but its completely manageable to work through. I mean, you can’t really yell at your roommate to wash their dishes like you may do with siblings, but a simple reminder to clean up after oneself is harmless.

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

14 •

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Editorial

OPINION EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS editor@thecord.ca

Online degrees only beneficial in special circumstances have conversations to fully comprehend the material.

Communication is a lot more difficult than within the physical classroom setting, both with the professor and with classmates.

So much expression is conveyed through tone, actions and emotions which cannot be seen from behind a keyboard.

This forces the student to be even more accountable for every word choice they make in the classroom setting, which can be difficult to consistently maintain.

Making connections would also be a lot more difficult online.

Friendships develop from faceto-face interactions and engaging personally with peers.

It may not be feasible to meet and discuss content or group work as many students taking online courses are not living in the Waterloo area. The only method of communication is written.

When it comes to references for a job or applying to a master’s program, it’s hard to get a reference from a professor you’ve never met face-to-face.

Students who complete their degrees online are also missing a massive part of their undergraduate experience that can be found through the various clubs, teams, volunteer and job experiences found on the physical campus.

A degree is one thing, but the resume building experiences that come with it are an entirely different—and equally important—aspect of the undergraduate experience.

If you’re lucky enough to get experience in your field, working while taking an online degree, that would be an ideal situation.

However, even most entry level positions need some kind of experience and the best way to do that is to get involved through university experiences.

This is an impossibility in online learning.

Everyone’s learning style is very different. Online degrees can be more feasible for very specific groups of people, but overall the typical, average student should stick to earning their degrees in a physical classroom.

With the Religion and Culture department introducing their online degree, students now have the option to complete their bachelor of arts from Laurier entirely online.

Is an online degree worth the investment?

People who live in areas that are less accessible, all over the world, can now receive a Laurier degree on their own time. Whether this is Northern Ontario to Thailand, online degrees expand the classroom experience beyond the walls of King and Albert.

Online degrees could also be very helpful for mature students.

Learning in a classroom of young people, typically in their late teens and early twenties, must be incredibly difficult for a continuing studies student.

By having online degree options, mature students may be able to integrate more fully into their classes with their peers.

Students with specific mental illnesses may also find an online degree works in their favour. Typing a reply to a classmate may be seen as a lot easier than talking in front of a crowd, for example.

Online learning has an added flexibility, which is beneficial for the life of a young professional.

Taking elective courses with co-op can be a challenge, but by having these courses online, it allows students some variety in their schedule.

However, in a culture that views excessive internet use as laziness, are online degrees less respected than degrees you earn in a classroom? It seems, at this point, like they are.

Students have to be extremely organized in online courses. Without a rigid class structure, it’s simple to fall behind on schoolwork.

Professors won’t be able to remind you personally about assignments and due dates. With the freedom of class schedules comes the responsibility to actually find time in which to do lectures.

Students who learn best by hearing lecture material will be at a severe disadvantage in an online degree.

Some students learn simply by reading, but many others have to

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

DIRECTOR Fred Kuntz

VICE-CHAIR Abdiasis Issa

DIRECTOR Gary Doyle

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

Disabilities aren’t styles MADELINE MCINNIS OPINION EDITOR

Recently, Brazilian Vogue published a feature stating “we are all Paralympians” in an attempt to promote the Rio Paralympic games. As if the statement wasn’t offensive enough already, they photoshopped disabilities onto able-bodied models, removing the female model’s arm and giving the male a photoshopped prosthetic leg.

This disgusting display of ignorance is a giant leap in the wrong direction in a culture that is increasingly attempting to portray diversity in advertisements. Photoshopping fake disabilities is something that cannot be accepted.

The disabled community is incredibly underrepresented on a world stage and the Paralympics are a chance for people with disabilities to showcase everything they can achieve.

Rather than just being seen as their disabilities, as the media likes to portray, the Paralympics give people with disabilities the opportunity to be seen as people beyond their physical bodies.

These athletes are people who take

pride in their achievements and have overcome all the perceived obstacles to compete on the world stage.

No matter the intention of this campaign for Vogue, it is extremely distasteful. People with disabilities face disproportionate levels of unemployment. To run this campaign, Vogue overlooked countless young, disabled talent in support of photoshopping able-bodied models.

I can’t think of any disabled models or actors that have recently appeared in A-list movies or magazines. However, like this example from Vogue, able-bodied people are posing as disabled characters instead.

The statement “we are all Paralympians” diminishes the countless hours of training and dedication the Paralympic athletes put into their respected disciplines. They work just as hard as the able-bodied Olympians, if not harder, to push beyond what people perceive their bodies to be able to do.

No one would ever claim that we are all Olympians. We watch the Olympics and the games are a part of our cultural identity, but in no regards are we Olympians. To treat the Paralympics and the athletes that compete any differently is discrimination. Just because these athletes are disabled doesn’t make them any less accomplished.

I found out about this issue through a friend who is disabled.

Her thoughts were best summarized by her phrase “wheelchairs are not props.” I can write all I want as an able-bodied young woman, but her thoughts ring more powerful than my own. This is her life.

No matter the intention of this campaign for Vogue, it is extremely distasteful.

This is not something she can photoshop and walk away from.

It’s not some fashion trend she decided to try because “we are all Paralympians” according to Vogue.

She, like the Rio Paralympians, won’t let her disability stop her from pursuing her goals.

No one understands the disabled community better than people who have disabilities. Let disabled people speak for themselves.

Let them represent themselves as the people they are.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

• 15

Opinion Fitting in is impossible OPINION EDITOR MADELINE MCINNIS opinion@thecord.ca

KAMIL AHMED STAFF WRITER

In your university career, you will rarely find yourself fitting in perfectly with the rest of your peers, never experience the sensation of isolation or not find yourself questioning your whole entire life.

Frankly, it’s nearly impossible to “fit in,” whatever that even means.

I wouldn’t know, I never really did.

It wasn’t until very recently that I decided that was actually a good thing.

When you were applying to university, filling out that extensive supplementary application or trying to sound super deserving for a scholarship, what was the most repeated and stressful advice your high-school guidance department or siblings alike gave you?

“You have to make sure you stand out.”

Either you did a really good job faking your layered and matured personality or you really are unique. I believe you’re the latter.

No two people have had the same life, same experiences, same company, same priorities, same financial situation, same family dynamic or same strengths and weaknesses to be alike. That’s why we all, somewhere deep, are dif-

ferent from the dude sitting beside you in Orientation Week.

Welcome to university, my friend. If you are anything like me a year ago, you are literally putting all your time and energy into smiling when you miss home or laughing at everything everyone says, even though you didn’t even hear them with all the noise inside your head.

You’re picking up every damn laptop sticker from every club booth, hoping that will get you noticed. You’re putting your all into making friends and in efforts to fit in.

I get it. New place, new experiences, new life. You have to survive. To do that, you think you have to conform. Do you want to know the real, proven and ever lasting way to make friends? Stand out and make the best of this new journey?

Stop caring about what other people think of you.

As Mark Manson so eloquently said in his very influential article The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, the people who are the most admirable are those who don’t give a fuck about embarrassment or fitting in. They only give a fuck about important things, so then people give a fuck about them in return.

It was the last week of second semester in my first-year. I had never been more relieved and stressed at the same time. I stared at the three fat F grades that I had somehow managed to earn.

All the ‘he said, she said’, all the ‘swipe left, swipe right’ and all the ‘why don’t I fit in’ didn’t seem all that significant anymore. I had cared too much about the things that didn’t matter and cared too little about the things that did mat-

Stop caring about what other people think of you.

ter: my grades, my real friends, my values, my goals, myself.

I know it’s so much easier said than done, but there’s people who give a fuck about your experience, like me. So use us to your advantage and remember not only who you are, but also who you want to be.

You have to walk away from the expectation that you have to get things right on the first try.

You should be spending time with yourself, trying to become better, not bitter and spending your time like you should your flex dollars: carefully and steadily.

FANI HSIEH/GRAPHICS EDITOR

Boarding schools are beneficial The boarding school experience prepares children for the real world

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

TARIQUE PLUMMER STAFF WRITER

The topic of boarding schools is undoubtedly one of contention.

However, there is a great deal of misconception about the practice of shipping a child off to a private boarding institution.

What is it about boarding schools that breeds so much strife?

If boarding schools are so bad, why are students still being sent there?

If these residential private institutions are so good, why is the opposition twice the size of the

White House?

The common school of thought is that boarding schools exist to shoulder the burden of troubled students, parents who are too busy to raise their children and students who only want a life of academia and nothing else.

I, however, believe this to be an uninformed response. We must first understand an underlining principle in society: not everything that works for my child will work for yours.

That was to say that boarding schools are not for everyone.

Making an informed decision is priority.

I think boarding schools are better for the child, as it forces them to develop qualities needed to live in the real world.

There are no parents to bail

them out whenever something does not go their way. Boarding schools have that slight edge.

Boarding schools provide a rather special opportunity for students to excel in their academic performance and participate in co-curricular activities, since they live year-round on campus.

A strong, socially developed system has the potential to facilitate teamwork, build character and independence.

Boarding schools also encourage stewardship in the context of responsibilities.

Students learn very early that in order to proceed, they need to manage their own affairs. In essence, this prepares them to be global citizens.

Social pundits are quick to point out the negatives. The fastest

response is the limited relationship between the parent and child.

A strong, socially developed system has the potential to facilitate teamwork, build character and independence.

They say, “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” but the saying forgets that absence can easily

erode a bond. As a result, it kills parent to child connections.

Another con is the child being exposed to bad behavior. Being in an environment in which your parents are absent usually leaves the judgment and assessment portion of characters to their soon-to-mature brain.

The cost of privately boarding a child is almost as tall as the Eiffel Tower, making this level of education inaccessible to everyone.

It would be interesting to see data on whether a young person who attended boarding school is more successful in post-secondary education, than a young person who was taught by the public school system.

But for now, choose a side if you may, but bear in mind that boarding school is not for everyone.

16 • OPINION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Critics are just opinions

LENA YANG/CORD ALUM

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

CHRIS LUCIANTONIO OPINION COLUMNIST

Suicide Squad was released this month and its press screenings spawned numerous negative reviews, reaching an abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score of 26 per cent.

Fans who believe these erroneous claims of bias have created an online petition to silence these critics. This is essentially a mass call for censorship because a film critic had the audacity to say a film sucked.

How did the trust in published media get so low that a film critic cannot print a negative review without sparking accusations of unfair bias? A person whose sole occupation is to judge films based on their quality can’t clash with popular opinion without facing accusations of dishonesty from a vehemently disagreeing public.

The creators of the petition to shut down Rotten Tomatoes claim they are fed up with biased critics “unfair treatment of DC universe films.”

The film hadn’t been released yet when the petition went up, so

rather than accept that the film might actually be terrible, they instead lashed out at the reviewers as “hating on a perfectly fine movie to suit their pro-Marvel agenda.”

What these insane rants against film criticism fail to understand is that a film critic is only capable of giving you his/her personal opinion.

Their reviews are not the “correct” score a film deserves and it is perfectly fine to disagree.

When the majority of critics label Suicide Squad a bad movie, it doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to enjoy it for yourself.

As a hopeful film critic myself, I have disagreed with the likes of Roger Ebert, the acclaimed film critic, many times. His scathing reviews did not match my opinions on some of my favourite films (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Blue Velvet, A Clockwork Orange, to name a few).

However, to claim that critics are somehow biased is insulting to their integrity and their profession.

A film critic’s one and only job is to provide their take on a film.

Implying that they have been dishonest because their opinion does not match yours is ludicrous paranoia stemming from this rampant distrust in media nowadays.

It is no longer enough to say “this critic is wrong,” it has to be

“this critic is lying to me.”

I shouldn’t have to say this but a film critic is not your enemy.

A film critic has a responsibility to the public to give them their honest and unaltered opinion. It’s the last line of defense between a bad movie and your hard earned cash. Most importantly, they promote films that deserve to be seen and talked about.

These critics felt Suicide Squad was a bad movie because of the reasons listed in their reviews, which I’m almost certain went unread by those 22,000 petition supporters.

To make these erroneous claims instead of even considering these critics’ views goes beyond mere cries of upset fanboys. This is the sign that the general public is incapable of believing the media at any level.

To those who signed that insufferable petition (which never would have succeeded, by the way) you are shooting the messenger for a message that you never had to receive or agree with in the first place.

Opinion is opinion and yours is just as valid as the critics who get to have theirs published on a website or in a newspaper. But you can’t say that opinions should be taken away from people just because you don’t agree.

K-W child care needs to grow up GIOVANNI GIUGA OPINION COLUMNIST

I often suspect that every university student, myself included, has thought fearfully about the unknowns associated with graduating, joining the real world, paying all the bills, starting a career and transitioning into a ‘real adult.’

Some young graduates face the prospect of starting careers and families, but how can they balance the two?

A lot of this is reliant on the Waterloo Region, who assists with administering child care services.

As a whole, it is important to first recognize the benefits of providing access to child care has to the individual, the community and the Region.

Access to good, affordable child care ensures that both parents can continue building their careers while raising children, thus ensuring a stronger local and national economy.

The Waterloo area must continue to develop affordable child care for the good of our students.

Recent graduates and young professionals may start to make a household income that would rank them among the middle classes, but large student debt loads and new child care costs may negate these financial advantages.

For lower and middle class families, the Region of Waterloo provides child care subsidies to help offset associated costs.

According to the Waterloo Region Record in 2015, there are over 3,100 subsidized child care spots and no waitlist for applying to receive a child care subsidy.

This is where the region does a good job.

Despite this, I think there are several areas that can be improved to the benefit of our students.

Getting access to a child care subsidy is wonderful; it eases the strain on parents and allows them the opportunity to place their children in a positive and enriching environment.

I think the best way to ensure

this quality is to provide a significant number of government-run child care facilities in the Waterloo Region, which would ensure a high standard of care for children that cannot be guaranteed by unlicensed facilities.

Unfortunately, there is a current lack of child care spots available in these government run facilities.

Not only this, but the 2015 article also showed that a review suggested closing 5 regional child care centres.

In order to ensure high quality child care positions, it is imperative that we advocate for the Waterloo Region to increase the number of available child care spots in government-run facilities, not close them.

Examining the accessibility of child care to students, I don’t have to look far. It should be noted that Laurier has a partnership to offer child care spots with a child care facility.

Student access to these services becomes problematic after the child is over five-years-old, but this case highlights an inherent barrier to child care.

Child care must be universally available for current students pursuing their university careers.

The five-year age limit for child care benefits can be particularly problematic for certain groups of students, such as mature or graduate students, thus imposing a potential barrier to achieving their university education.

There is also the barrier of limited opening hours present in both private and government-run facilities.

With the slow erosion of the traditional 9-5 work culture, especially for students that work evening or night shifts, it is imperative that child care facilities within the Waterloo Region adopt more flexible hours to better accommodate students and young professionals.

Overall, the Waterloo Region’s child care policy must find ways to continue to improve. They must strive to provide child care facilities at an affordable rate at flexible times.

While this may not affect the majority of Laurier undergraduate students, the future is never too far away.

OPINION • 17

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 Talking about current events? You read it on Facebook. Fun facts?

Read them on Buzzfeed. New profile picture? You tag your best friend for photo credits.

Hell, it’s a common fact that Fifty Shades of Grey was a Twilight fan-fiction. It’s natural to pick up information from various places and give them acknowledgement when you reuse them.

LENA YANG/CORD ALUM

Taking ideas is stealing

It’s the easiest thing in the world to avoid.

Just give the original creator credit for their work.

Plagiarism is not limited exclusively to academic papers

MADELINE MCINNIS OPINION EDITOR

Everyone knows that stealing is wrong and we shouldn’t do it.

In the same way, you wouldn’t steal someone’s laptop, their less tangible items shouldn’t be stolen either.

Taking someone else’s creation, whether an idea, research, written

piece or artwork without their consent is stealing. It’s plagiarism and it should be seen equally as wrong as taking someone’s wallet.

In a world where everything is digitalized, it can be hard not to plagiarize. We’re taking in so much information every day that influences our views and ideas.

But that’s not any excuse for the behaviour of stealing from someone else.

Unintentional and lighthearted copying is still plagiarism.

That’s one of the things you should be learning from university.

You can’t pass off someone else’s

ideas or research as your own.

If you’ve graduated and still don’t understand that basic fact, I’m not sure what you actually learned.

Plagiarism is a serious offence from a university standpoint. It could have extreme negative implications on your academic career.

It’s the easiest thing in the world to avoid. Just give the original creator credit for their work.

It’s so easy. We’re constantly giving credit where credit is due in our daily lives.

If you’re trying a new recipe, you’ll say you found it on Pinterest.

Giving credit where it’s due for inspiration doesn’t take away from the integrity of the new piece.

In fact, it gives it more integrity because it’s not hiding anything or perpetuating falsehoods.

So why is it so hard to admit what you’re doing isn’t original when it comes to ideas and creativity?

Do we think it makes us sound smarter if we come across as original? Whittier? Funnier?

I remember walking with some friends last year and one told a joke. “My life is like that Rhianna

song. Work, work, work, work, work, and I don’t really understand the rest.” We all laughed. She followed it up by saying “I can’t take credit. I saw it on Spotted.”

It’s that simple, folks. You can still get the laughs. You can still get your point across. And you can do it all without being a jackass.

When you really like something, you want to share it in your own way. But you can’t just pass it off as your own.

No matter how innocent your intent, when you plagiarize, you’re stealing.

Even unintentionally, you’re taking away from the original creator.

It’s a bad situation and you’re just going to make them feel bad in the process if they find out.

And eventually, you’re going to get caught. There’s no TurnItIn. com for everyday life, but everyone these days has social media.

Eventually someone is going to recognize that joke you made from Twitter or that phrase you stole from Tumblr. They’re going to see through that blog post you stole from an article in The Cord.

Sooner or later, you’re going to get called on your bullshit and it’s going to be a smelly situation.

Get in the habit of recognizing other people’s work. If you like it enough to steal it, you should like it enough to keep their name attached to it.

If you can’t remember it, say where you found it. It’s the least you can do for a couple of likes or a few minutes of laughter.

If you can’t be original, at least be honest.

Colin Kaepernick’s protest is well-founded By sitting during the USA national anthem, Kaepernick is giving a voice to the under-represented DUNIA BUDAWI OPINION COLUMNIST

Colin Kaepernick is a name many people wouldn’t recognize until a few weeks ago, when he made the bold move of sitting for the American national anthem at a football game for his team, the San Francisco 49ers.

Kaepernick’s decision not to stand for the anthem stemmed from his belief that people of colour, particularly black people, in the United States are being treated unfairly by the police and justice systems at large.

Though many will disagree with his method of exposing his beliefs, you cannot deny that this is a pressing issue and a conversation that needs to be held.

The issue of police brutality is one that can be painful and awkward to talk about, so instead, people choose to ignore it and find any reason to pretend it doesn’t happen, or that there is any other reason that people are getting killed besides their race.

It is not unnatural for a person to want to believe that the world they live in is fair, that we are all equal, that we are all happy and healthy and okay.

The truth is that no matter what we believe in as individuals, there will always be a hierarchy to which people fall under. Unfortunately for people of colour, the bottom is

where we currently fall.

It is understandable that people found his actions disrespectful, but at what line are we willing to stop and say that this country is no longer free?

There are many arguments in which I can claim that freedom is restrained, but in the terms of race, it cannot be argued, it is simply a fact.

The United States is a country distinguished and symbolized by its flag and anthem. When I think U.S.A, I think red, white and blue.

I think stars and stripes. The basis of the U.S.A and in turn the basis

If one minority is less equal than the other, doesn’t that defeat the purpose?

of the national anthem, is that all are free and equal. If one minority is less equal than another, doesn’t that defeat the purpose?

I cannot tell Kaepernick that

thankful that it isn’t us.

In the society we live in, the opinion of a celebrity is more important and holds more weight in media than that of a political figure.

Though many will disagree with his method of exposing his beliefs, you cannot deny that this is a pressing issue and a coversation that needs to be held.

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE

he was right by his actions and I cannot tell him he was wrong.

What I can do is commend him for his actions, because it cannot be denied that he caused an impact and sparked a conversation.

I commend Kaepernick for having the guts to raise awareness to an issue on such a public and national stage.

Kaepernick brought attention to the issue in an entirely new light and whether people are talking poorly about his decision or standing behind him, they are talking.

In circumstances like this, if the issue is not being pressed in any manner, it is simply forgotten about.

Think about the many black men, women and children whose names you read about in the news in recent years and then forgot about the next day.

Police brutality is an extremely pressing issue in our society, but when it comes to issues that are beyond our control, if they don’t affect us directly, we tend to forget in a matter of minutes, simply

Kaepernick started a conversation. He stated his opinion and he is not wrong. So why not stand behind him and hope his actions create positive impact in the coloured community?

He didn’t mean any disrespect to the country or the flag by his actions, he simply wanted to state his opinion, which is well within his rights.

His protest is not against the people who fought for his right to stand. His protest is to give an opportunity for those who are being forced to sit.

18 •

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Sports

SPORTS EDITOR ROB FIFIELD sports@thecord.ca

FOOTBALL

LAURIER MEN’S FOOTBALL BLOWS OUT YORK Golden Hawks climb the CIS Rankings to No. 7 overall and are in a tie for first place in the OUA

MARCO PEDRI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

DANIEL JOHNSON STAFF WRITER

The Golden Hawks football team took steps in the rankings this week, earning the seventh spot on the national rankings.

The team had a blow out win last week winning 74-3 against the York Lions. The team is going into their bye week, 2-0.

Head coach, Michael Faulds, is thrilled to have his team on to such a fast start.

“I think we have a lot of confidence; I think we had that even before a 2-0 start. The key is just corralling it and using that confidence and motivation and how hard we work every single day,” Faulds said.

The Golden Hawks team played a complete game dominating all three phases of the game.

They rushed for 575 yards, the second highest game in OUA history. “[It] felt really good, you know, to finally play all three phases that well. Look how many running backs got touches and got touchdowns.

You look at our defence with another defensive touchdown by Malcom Thompson. And then on special teams getting a Carson

Ouellette touchdown late. So when all three phases are rolling like that, that’s a complete team,” said Faulds.

The rushing attack was spearheaded by lead back Eric Guiltinan who posted 180-yards on the ground.

Also, fellow running back Levondre Gordon was the team’s other 100-yard rusher and he, like Guiltinan, had a career high game.

“We just started clicking as the offence for once. We ran the

I think we have a lot of confidence; I think we had that even before a 2-0 start.

-Michael Faulds , head coach

ground after the first quarter; we just got the monkey off our back with E.G. opening up the run game for all of our [running backs] and

just opened everything else up in our offensive playbook,” said Gordon.

Running backs are so vital to the life of an offence.

Their success is almost always correlated with the success of the offence, as a whole. That’s why it’s important to have so many of them.

Not only all good players, but players with different skill sets for different situations.

Faulds elaborated on the different roles of the Golden Hawk back field.

“They all differ. You look at Darian Waite and Osayi, they’re a little bit thicker backs. Eric Guiltinan and Elijah Fera are a little bit shiftier. And then Trey Nicholson and Levondre Gordon are our speedsters. So it’s a great change of pace.”

“Any time you get it rolling in the second half and you can just rotate those guys in, they’re all fresh, they’re all hungry to get some yardage,” Faulds continued.

For the second week in a row, the Laurier football team has been the benefactors of a defensive touchdown.

Last week, it was Godfrey Onyeka. This week, it was Malcom Thompson with the 70-yard inter-

ception return.

Many different things have to fall into place for a big play like this to happen.

It starts with the pressure upfront, forcing an error from the

We just started clicking as an offence for once ... we got the monkey off of our back

-Michael Faulds, head coach

quarterback.

Next, it falls on the defensive back to read the quarterback and make the correct break on the ball.

Lastly, it takes the rest of the defence to lay the blocking to spring him free.

Defensive touchdowns are rare and do so much for the momentum of a game. That’s why Faulds stressed capitalizing on the opportunities from turnovers.

“I know Coach VanMoerkerke does a turnover circuit drill. He does that about once a week at practice. So the guys are constantly thinking if we get turnovers, whether it’s an interception or fumble recoveries, what we can do to make the most of it?” said Faulds.

The offence looks to build off the performance and the defense looks to keep the tempo after two weeks of dominance.

The team looks to leave Carleton 3-0 on September 17th where the two sides will battle it out at MNP Park.

SPORTS • 19

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 FOOTBALL

Fera’s post-injury comeback Elijah Fera returns to the football field for the first time since 2014 ROB FIFIELD SPORTS EDITOR

Elijah Fera, Wilfrid Laurier University varsity football player, knows first hand that success doesn’t follow a straight line.

Fera, a Windsor Ontario native, grew up playing the sport he loved at Catholic Central high school as the school’s running back.

Fera’s high school football career abruptly came to an end when he was unable to attend and complete high school in person.

In a less than ideal situation, Fera managed to stay focused and took it upon himself to complete high school by taking online classes and attending adult school for almost two years.

Fera managed to teach himself

The coaching staff here is very loyal... when I see that kind of respect I knew I had to commit.

Elijah Fera, Laurier running back

the skills and earn valuable credits in order to achieve his ultimate goal of one day attending Laurier and suiting up for the Golden Hawks.

As if life wasn’t already throwing enough obstacles at Fera, he received the tragic news that he had torn his ACL, MCL and PCL. He was told by doctors that he may never be able to play the game he loves again.

Fera had surgery to try and limit the damage and in the process, doctors ended up removing his meniscus.

The physical damage took a hard toll on Fera’s body, as the effects of

PAIGE BUSH/PHOTO EDITOR

Laurier running back, Elijah Fera, has returned to the game that he loves after sustaining injuries.

the injury were long lived, keeping him sidelined for two years and not being able to even run or workout for 6 months.

Before his injury, the last official game that Fera was able to play in was in 2014 when he played for the Essex Ravens of the OVFL. Through lots of hard work, determination and lots of long nights spent catching up, Fera is now studying Arts at Laurier and is also member of the Golden Hawks football team.

When asked about Laurier, Fera’s response was honest and genuine.

“The staff really stuck with me after my injury. Most schools, once they heard I was injured, just didn’t really want to talk to me anymore.”

“The coaching staff here is very loyal. I’m a loyal guy and when I see that kind of respect I knew I just had to commit,” Fera said.

Although playing on mostly special teams in two earlier games— one against Montreal and one

against Queens—Fera noted how special the game against the York Lions was for him, as he finally got to play on offense.

“That last game was my first touchdown and my first time getting actual carries,” he recalled.

Fera picked up 69-yards in 10 attempts and most notably, recorded his first OUA touchdown in a 74-3 beat down against the also undefeated York lions in front of a packed university stadium welcoming the class of 2020.

20 • SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

BASEBALL

Men’s baseball splits double header DREW YATES CORD ALUM

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s baseball team kicked off their regular season with four games last weekend.

The Hawks split their series on Saturday against the Waterloo Warriors, losing 3-2 before winning 9-4 on Saturday and then bounced back on Sunday by sweeping the Guelph Gryphons 10-5 and 3-1 respectively. The games improved the Hawks record to an overall record of 3-1.

“Overall, I think, you never want to split a doubleheader, but we’ve started out worse,” head coach, Scott Ballantyne said last Saturday.

The first game of the weekend was a defensive battle between the Hawks and Warriors, featuring stellar pitching from second-year Christian Hauck and Warriors pitcher, Ryne Weppler.

Deadlocked at one run each, the Warriors took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth and notched another in the top of the run. Outfielder Jonathan Brouse added a home run to keep the game close but the Hawks came out on the losing end 3-2.

The second game ;however, featured much more offense and the heavy hitting style of play seemed to favour the Golden Hawks.

The Hawks answered with four runs in the bottom of the first inning from third-year infielders Matthew Voight and Robert Cant and never let the lead escape.

The Warriors came close in the third inning, cutting the lead to one, but every time the Warriors responded, the Hawks’ offence

replied with runs of their own.

“They played really good defensively, their pitcher threw a lot of stirkes,” Ballantyne said regarding the first matchup.

“We made a couple mistakes and they capitalized on it. I’m really proud that the guys bounced back even though we went down 2-0 in the first [inning] in the second game.”

An important part of the Hawks’ identity has been their pitching depth.

With the loss of pitchers Jordan Petruska, Adam McBride and Andrew Ziedins from graduation, as well as some key outfielder pieces

I think they learned that when you make mistakes, more mistakes than they did, you lose. Then the second game we got some clutch hits.

-Scott Ballantyne, head coach

like Alex Kupchak, the Hawks had to mix and match during their 11 non-conference games to fine-tune before the regular season.

Ballantyne said that the team feels pretty comfortable with how they look, as well as with their pitching depth, a crucial piece that Ballantyne focuses on during the recruiting process.

“We used seven different

pitchers [Saturday], another five or six that can be ready to go for tomorrow and use them,” he said.

“We feel like we have more depth than some other teams [and] as the season goes on it will help us.”

Ballantyne said that pitching will always be the Hawks primary objective.

The Hawks starter, Hauck, threw a no-hitter last year against the McMaster Marauders and division I transfer AJ Padmore from the North Carolina A&T Aggies started the second game.

The Hawks also have a bunch of other guys who Ballantyne thinks can contribute right away, some who are moving in to their second year, while others are fresh recruits and have tons of experience in their summer leagues.

Going forward, Ballantyne hopes that the Hawks take two important lessons away from their matchups this weekend and implement them into their next games.

“I think they learned that when you make mistakes, more mistakes than they did, you lose. Then the second game we got some clutch hits,” Ballantyne explained.

“I think that’s some of the biggest takeaways we’ve talked about and now they’ve got a chance to see it. When you make mistakes, you generally lose and you get big hits you generally win…It’s nice when the stuff you talk about actually comes through and they can see it first hand.”

Next, the Hawks host the Western Mustangs in regular season play.

The doubleheader kicks off on Saturday September 17 at 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Bechtel Park.

MARCO PEDRI/LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

RUGBY

Men’s rugby team off to confident start OWEN MARTIN CORD SPORTS

After opening the season with a perfect two wins from two games—38-24 over University of Toronto and 29-11 over University of Waterloo—men’s rugby head coach, Ian McLeod has achievable expectations and hopes for the 2016 OUA season.

“As a program we’d like to see at least a .500 season. Better than that would be good, but I would expect us to be at least at .500,” coach McLeod said.

Seeing that the team has already started out 2-0, to finish 4-4 after the eight game season seems to be a very realistic expectation for this year’s group. Should they continue with this early season success, the goal of reaching a medal game also seems to be well within reach. They would need to reach the semi-finals of the playoffs to qualify for a medal game.

While this team is led by its more senior level students, McLeod seemed very happy with this year’s recruits and is excited for what they will bring to the future of the

FILE PHOTO

program.

“I think [recruiting] went pretty well. Matt [Fish] is a very good player who I think will get better and better as he grows and gets a little older and stronger. We picked

up Christian Lyle from Sarnia as well who unfortunately got concussed late in the summer, so I’m not sure we’ll see him play this year, but he’s another very bright prospect that I think will be very

good for the team going forward.”

With a strong recruiting class and a perfect start to the new season, things are looking up for the men’s rugby team. McLeod was content with the results so far in

that the program has been moving in a positive direction since he took over the head coaching job three years ago but he also stressed that there is much to improve upon over the final six games of the season and beyond.

“When I got here, the culture was such that I think guys were worried about losing to U of T, Waterloo and those teams and I think we need to change that mindset to a more confident group of individuals who believe they can beat U of T, Waterloo and every other [OUA] team. The whole mindset has to change, we have to start believing in ourselves as a team and a program going forward and I think that’s slowly coming,” he explained.

“We’ve got Queen’s next weekend and that’ll be a good measuring stick for us to see where the program’s actually at and how far we need to go. That’s my job as a coach to make sure we get there,” McLeod added confidently.

Men’s rugby will suit up this Saturday at Queen’s University to face the Queen’s Gaels. Kick off is set for 1 p.m.