Celebra t ing 8 5 yea rs
THE CORD The tie that bin ds Wilfrid Laurier Un ivers ity s in ce 1926
Volume 52, issue 7
thecord.ca
wednesday, september 21, 2011
Uptown expands Perimetre institute unveils stephen Hawking centre doubling space
TIFF in review arts, page 19
ian sPence lead VideoGraPHer
Lindsay Purchase lead rePorter
People flocked by the thousands to the Perimeter Institute (PI) on Sept. 18, eager to catch a glimpse into the architectural masterpiece and intellectual powerhouse. The opening of the Perimeter Institute’s new addition, the Stephen Hawking Centre, provided the public with a rare glimpse behind closed doors. Current estimates provided by the Perimeter Institute indicate that upwards of 11,000 tickets were given out for the weekend’s celebrations, although counting is still underway. “It’s heartwarming to see the interest and the support that the PI
receives, but it also, I think, points to the special nature of this community,” said Greg Dick, the director of educational outreach at the PI. “There’s a thirst to understand the way this world really works, which is really, really good to see.” The addition, which took approximately a year to construct, cost $29 million. Funding was split equally between the provincial and federal government, as well as a private donor. Suzy Parkin was lucky enough to be in town for the occasion. A resident of Vancouver Island, she had heard about the renowned Local, page 9 tayLor gayowsky GraPHics editor
ciGi opens 114,000 sq. foot campus in waterloo, featuring Balsillie school
Inside nick Lachance PHotoGraPHy maNaGer
Justin fauteux News director
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) received quite the gift as it celebrated its tenth birthday over the weekend. While commemorating the tenyear anniversary of the internationally known think-tank on global governance, CIGI was also able to unveil its brand new 114,000 square foot campus, located in Uptown Waterloo, right beside CIGI’s offices in the restored Seagram Distillery. The $66-million facility will house the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA), which is a graduate studies institution formed through a partnership between CIGI, the
University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. “We’re thrilled because we’ve been thinking about this for years,” said Fred Kuntz, vice president of public affairs for CIGI. “This plan has been in the works for half a decade practically …. The building started as something about 35,000 feet just along Erb, and what emerged was something around four times that size with other programs added in, so it’s really the culmination of a long-term dream.” CIGI itself was founded in 2001 by Research In Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie as a think-tank, designed to better equip the world’s policy Local, page 9
Drawing in the crowds
Wireless yet to impress
Taking a look back
Thousands visited Toronto for TIFF — but was it really because of the love for movies or rather the obsession with celebrity
With 40 per cent of Laurier’s wireless network updated, The Cord puts it to the test to find out if students feel the improvment
Opinion, page 23
Campus, page 5
Hawks fall short again
The cost of dropping out
After their second-straight loss to Queen’s this weekend, Laurier’s football team anticipates their next great opponents: Western
Deadlines to drop courses without losing some or all your money are fast approching and can hurt the bank if you’re not careful
In honour of The Cord’s 85th anniversary, In Depth Editor Mike Lakusiak investigates the everchanging campus it reports on
Sports, page 25
Campus, page 5
In Depth, page 14