The Sputnik Issue 10 - January 20, 2016 by WLUSP - The Sputnk

Brantford Students’ Union Candidates / p. 3

Fashion For Freedom / p. 5

The John Scott Debate/ p. 10

Issue 10 | Wednesday January 20, 2016

Scumbags and Cavaliers Brantford’s new brand and style Page 8, Photo by Christina Manocchio/ The Sputnik

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The Sputnik

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Follow DJ Khaled on his journey to success

WLUSP BRANTFORD 202-171 Colborne St. Brantford, ON N3T 2C9 (519) 756-8228 ext. 5948

The Sputnik Team

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dillon Giancola eic@thesputnik.ca PHOTO EDITOR Christina Manocchio photography@thesputnik.ca LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Jamaal Owusu-Ansah leadphotographer@thesputnik.ca GRAPHIC EDITOR Sai Gnanaharan visual@thesputnik.ca WEB EDITOR Jaclyn Brown web@thesputnik.ca NEWS EDITOR Anya Eland news@thesputnik.ca ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Now Hiring

The Sputnik Admin PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER Bryan Stephens (519) 884-0710 ext. 3565 president@wlusp.com ADVERTISING Care Schummer (519) 884-0719 ext. 3560 care.schummer@wlusp.com MANAGER OF OPERATIONS Taylor Berzins manager@thesputnik.ca

FEATURES EDITOR Brittany Bennett features@thesputnik.ca ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Matthew Burley arts@thesputnik.ca SPORTS EDITOR Devon Momy-Gamache sports@thesputnik.ca OPINION EDITOR

Josh Adesina opinion@thesputnik.ca

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp.com Treasurer John Pehar Vice-Chair Abdiasis Issa Director Thomas Lillo Director Rafey Sattar Director Fred Kuntz Director Angela Foster Director Gary Doyle Corporate Secretary Emily Crump

The Sputnik is a bi-weekly campus newspaper intended to engage and inform the community. Started in 1999, the Sputnik 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 Sputnik are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, The Sputnik, WLUSP, WLU or Canweb Printing. All content appearing in the Sputnik bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent. The Sputnik is created using Macintosh computers running Mac OS X Yosemite using Adobe Creative Cloud. Canon cameras are used for principal photography. The Sputnik’s primary font is CapitoliumNews 2, an open source font created by Adobe Typekit Fonts. We also use TisaSans Pro and Adelle Sans. The Sputnik is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ontpress.com or call 416-340-1981.

Josh Adesina Opinion Editor Social media really seems to be the platform that is helping people become relevant these days. We have seen a number of individuals become famous instantly by posting videos and Vines, as well as other content on the internet. One of these highspirited individuals just happens to be DJ Khaled. If you are an Instagram user, I’m sure you have come across at least one meme or Vine with the phrase ‘another one’ somewhere in the picture. Not sure what it means or why Khaled is making waves across the web? Let’s understand together because they don’t want us to understand together. For those of you who are not familiar with Khaled he is a successful DJ and record producer with origins from Miami, Florida. Khaled has been responsible for previous summer hits including ‘I’m on One’, ‘All I Do is Win’ and several others. Khaled has been taking advantage of social media – Snapchat and Instagram to be specific, posting videos of him ranting about his keys to success. He uses the key emoji to represent his ‘major key of success’ for a lot of his captions. I see Khaled as quite the

Khaled has used social media to propel himself and share his keys to success. (Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik)

asshole but you can’t deny his unique personality and confidence. Phrases such as ‘you smart,’ ‘you loyal,’ ‘another one,’ ‘they don’t want you to win’ and ‘don’t ever play yourself’ have all been pushed by Khaled. All you have to do is Google his name to instantly familiarize yourself with his shenanigans. From taking pictures of watering his plants to signing contracts, Khaled has been garnering a lot of attention with his antics. Isn’t it interesting how you can be praised so much for just being yourself? I think it’s phenomenal how an individual can just be themselves and have people reacting across the web. However, the same way social media has its advantages, it also has its pitfalls. Khaled was unfortu-

nate enough to lose $80,000 within 30 seconds of him capturing his credit card on Snapchat, according to Complex. Come on Khaled, you should know better. Nonetheless, Khaled is an example of how you can use social media to captivate an audience on the internet. If you’re a student, and you feel you have a unique way of thinking about things, you should try something similar to Khaled. You never know how much attention you could draw or how much you can help others. On that note, make sure your education remains your top priority in the New Year. Study hard because they don’t want you to get good grades. They don’t want you to graduate with a degree!

Misusing the soapbox Dillon Giancola Editor In Chief Have you ever found yourself reading the paper and saying, “why is it called the Sputnik anyway?” and “I wish it was pronounced ‘Spootnik’ because that sounds cooler and Russian,”? Well I have too. The answer to the first question may seem really cool to you, or you may be disappointed. But it is a question that has been asked a lot recently, so I’ll explain. We are called The Sputnik because Laurier Brantford used to be called the satellite campus of the main Wilfrid Laurier campus in Waterloo. More clever than you

thought? Unfortunately, I cannot take the credit. Also unfortunately is the fact that we were not really named after what the original Sputnik satellite stood for – the great power of the Soviet Union, that beast of progressive socialism, taking the world by storm, placing themselves on the map in all ways, even to be the first to launch a satellite into orbit! Nope, we don’t care about any of that here. But what do we care about and what do we stand for? Are we just a little, small town university newspaper just happy to exist? Nah. Well, not only that. We are aspiring journalists, aspiring entrepreneurs and aspiring teachers. We want to write, photograph and design in a way that both informs and inspires the Laurier student body and surrounding downtown

community. Also, to be honest, we want to be cool, fun, and we want to get better, every issue, every article. That is something you may notice in 2016, some changes to our paper, from what we write about, to how the paper reads, and how the paper looks. We hope you enjoy this ride, and that you are excited. And hey, if you think you can do it better, by all means we are always looking for more people to help out and share ideas. If you are interested in being a part of this awesome team please send us an email. As well, if you want to know some more Russian history, about The October Revolution of 1917 and about my favourite Russian leader Nikky Kruschev and about the real ‘Spootnik’, you can email and ask about that too. Or just to tell me I’m an idiot. Take care!

Wednesday January 20, 2016

News

The Sputnik

Anya Eland | news@thesputnik.ca | @sputnik_news

Students Union Election: Brantford Board of Directors Candidates Content by: Anya Eland News Editor

Alex Vialette Staff Writer

The Sputnik sat down to chat with the Brantford candidates running for the Students’ Union Board of Directors to chat about their plans and why they’re running.

Matt DeSumma

Thanisa Chandran

Nick DeSumma

I am running re-election for the board this year. Last year I focused on representation and advocacy, to mend the communication gap between campuses. I wanted to know what’s going on with Waterloo, and I wanted Waterloo to know what’s going on with Brantford. This year I am going to continue to focus on that, but I also wanted to have more of a leadership mentality, I want to be involved in the training process of directors. I also want to hold the board accountable for their mistakes. Last year there was a lot of flack and criticisms regarding what a board director said on social media, so I want to make sure what a director says and does, does not reflect poorly on the board, to hold them accountable for what they do. I wanted to run again because I just enjoyed the atmosphere and experience. I am a Law and Society, Human Rights student, I have been getting involved since my brother (Nick DeSumma) was in first year; we are twins but he came a year before me so I have always been at the campus and got to meet so many people. I was an icebreaker this past O-Week and I also work for the Writing Centre: Centre for Students Success, so I am a busy guy. My brother got me interested in student politics.

I am running for the Board of Directors and this is my first time. My main goal is to make the student body more aware of the board of directors. As I was going to get my 50 signatures, I realized that no one knows what the Board of Directors is. I feel like if we have more info fairs that will make us more recognized on campus, as well as recruiting students with similar interests in policy research or students who just want to make a difference within the board. I am a second year Law and Society student and last year I was involved with Night Hawks. This year I got more involved, I am the marketing executive on the Law and Society Student Association and the Human and Social Sciences Association as well as a general member with the South Asian Alliance. I have friends from the Students’ Union, so that is kind of what intrigued me to run for Board of Directors as well as my interest for policy and research. I am going into law and feel like this would be a great learning experience as well as campaigning and to have to think critically would be a great skill. As apart of the Board of Directors, relating to my platform, I can talk to them and try to make us more visible to the student body. I have skills in marketing to definitely help out with that.

I am running for the chair of the board. This is my third year running for the board because I have loved it so much and it has been a great experience. Especially since I am running for chair this year, it’s kind of my way of giving back to the Students’ Union for all it has given to me… I just want to help better the Students’ Union and give as much as I can to them. I am a third year concurrent and human rights student. I have been on the Board of Directors since my second year, and I am vice chair of the board this year. I have been a general volunteer, director of communications and marketing executive for Nipissing Student Union Ambassadors. I’ve been an icebreaker and a director on the Brantford Residence council. I’ve been all over the place. I just loved politics coming into university and being in the Concurrent Education program, there is not much of a spot or place for that. So when I found out about the elections, I wanted to be a volunteer for the elections. But since it wasn’t so big for the Branford campus in my first year, I decided to run for the board, kind of put myself out there and here I am today, and I have loved it every year since. After the general elections I hope to get elected to chair.

The Sputnik

News

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Anya Eland | news@thesputnik.ca | @sputnik_news

Preparation begins for winter gala Taylor Burt Staff Writer The Faculty of Liberal Arts Student Societies (FLASS) and the Human and Social Sciences Association (HASSA) of Laurier Brantford are raising money for the SickKids hospital by organizing a formal gala. The Winter Wonderland Gala will be held in Market Square on Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. This is the first gala for Laurier Brantford that includes the entire student body as well as non-students. “It is for a good cause,” said Jananni Puvanendran, president of HASSA. “We haven’t had anything like this in Brantford.” Five dollars from every ticket sold will be going to SickKids hospital. FLASS and HASSA had many different charities in mind, though in the end decided to go with something that united everyone.

“We did look at several charities and because HASSA and FLASS cater to different facilities, we wanted something, that one way or another comes back together,” said Puvanendran. “Whether you’re a criminology student or youth and child student or a journalism student, at the end of the day it’s coming back and helping the community and SickKids.” Both FLASS and HASSA urge students to buy their tickets soon as the last day for ticket sales will be Jan. 22. The ticket price is $25 for students and $35 for non-students. “We are looking at about 150 people,” said Allison Skinner, the president of FLASS. “We are about a third of the way there.” The ticket includes a meal, entrance to the gala and of course a donation to SickKids. “A portion of the ticket sales goes towards the charity and [another portion] also helps cover the dinner,” said Skinner. “It’s a fully catered meal. Appetizer, main course and then a desert, and there is a cash bar available.” Entertainment will also be provided by DJ Cashmere.

Jananni Puvanendran, left, president of the Human and Social Sciences Association and Allison Skinner, right, president of Faculty of Liberal Arts Student Societies, prepare for the Jan. 29 gala. (Christina Manocchio/ The Sputnik)

Sharp jokes sharpen skates for Crystal Formations

Alex Vialette Staff Writer On Saturday, Jan. 16, the Crystal Formations Synchro Skating teams hosted their annual fundraiser Yuk Yuk’s comedy night. The night started off with a dinner, door prizes and had a bar open to sell drinks throughout the night. Because of the bar, the event was 19 and above to get

in. During the dinner, a couple of women went around selling tickets for a 50/50 that was aided by Scotiabank (the grand prize being close to $500). There were 250 tickets sold for the night, which did not fill capacity at the Best Western Convention Centre, but was still a fairly large crowd. “It started off with just a lot of parents when we had it at Lions Park because it was much smaller,” said Brandi Clarke-Rogãl. “We could only have up to about 150 people at Lions, and then it just kept growing. We moved it to the

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civic centre because friends of the parents of skaters went ‘Oh that’s a good show, let’s go to that’ and then we brought it here. Now it’s out to the public so we get anybody because we just put it on Facebook. We get friends of friends of friends of friends come, I don’t even know half the people who come now.” The comedians were hilarious (provided humour is subjective, a Westboro Baptist might not find it as funny). There were three comedians in total and their show lasted close to two hours. Peter Anthony headlined the show,

bringing his Maritimes humour. He followed Adrian Cronk, a Kingston comedian. Michael Harrison hosted the show, giving his small town Saskatchewan routine. All three had fairly impressive resumes and it showed in their acts. The routine was not PG13 by any means, but that’s not to say it was crazy raunchy. The whole goal of the show is to raise money to make the costs of skating on a team lower. With the extra funding, more and more teams can be made. Currently, Crystal Formations is hoping to get younger teams on the ice, with

their youngest member this season being seven years-old. “This is our first year for having younger people in it actually,” said Clarke-Rogãl. “We’ve been trying to get younger teams going so that they foster their love of synchro skating throughout their lives, that’s where I got started. I started skating when I was three and then stopped when I was 16 and came back when I was 30, so for the last 12 years I’ve been on an adult synchro team and I love it because I did it in my youth.”

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Wednesday January 20, 2016

News

The Sputnik

Anya Eland | news@thesputnik.ca |

Shreya Shah Staff Writer

n Friday Jan. 15, Laurier Brantford hosted its first ever fashion and dance show. Fashion for Freedom was presented to a sold out audience at the Brantford Civic Centre. Directed by Dran Ngo, the show was intended to raise awareness and funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. In their mission statement, Fashion for Freedom expressed their hopes for the project: “Fashion for Freedom is a new endeavour that strives to provide students at Laurier Brantford with the opportunity to express various artistic talents. This organization gives students a chance to share common interests for fashion by giving them opportunities to engage in discussions about popular trends and giving students a

chance to design their own clothing. Not only does this club allow for creativity, but also provides students with the opportunity to channel their emotions through dance and fashion. The main focus of this organization is to raise money and awareness for the Canadian Cancer Society through a combination of fashion, dance and music.” Allied with local partners from Brantford and Hamilton, Fashion for Freedom presented an impressive line of clothing and accessories. Models took to the runway showing off leggings from the Purple Puddle, accessories, scarves and jewellery from Sexton in the City, and handmade crocheted tops designed by Anastasia Ribeiro. Inspired by personal tragedy, Ngo explained how the idea for this project came to be. “In the past few years I’ve lost so many people to cancer. Family friends, aunts, uncles, etc.… Sabrina Romano and her mom, Robin Romano, are the reason why we are doing this. Her mom survived cancer and has an amazing story.

I just saw that there was a need to help someone one day, whether the issue is mental illness, natural disaster, whatever it may be, we’re going to find a way to cure that problem” The show, one of Laurier Brantford’s newest traditions, aims to help a different cause each year. Anastasia Ribeiro, one of the designers who handmade different crochet tops, shared that she also got involved with the show because of her runins with cancer. “I’ve lost a few people to cancer myself, and I thought what Dran was doing was very inspirational. I’ve been friends with Dran for a while, we go way back, and he approached me last year, asking if I would do a few designs for him. He needed support and I was excited to help him for a great cause.” Along with clothing and accessories, the show also presented a few stunning dance pieces. Performances were done by the South Asian Alliance and the KAOS Competitive Dance Team. The contemporary, cultural, and hip hop

dance performances were immensely popular with the audience. Fashion for Freedom was also supported by Laurier’s men’s extramural hockey team and women’s basketball team. Faculty and staff also offered their full support, especially the Dean of Students and Wilke’s House Athletics and Recreation. Elizabeth Clarke, a model for the show, got involved in the same way many of the other models did, because of Ngo. “I know Dran from Zumba, and I love his energy. When I heard about his idea I was totally down. All his hard work and energy is what made it a success.” Alyssa Durant, a third year student who modelled for a brand created by Sarah Aitchison, seconded this statement, “I thought it was great that Dran was organizing such a large event and for a really good cause. It was also a great way to get involved with the school. For the first ever fashion and dance show, I think it went really well.” The show, which had been a work in process since March

of last year, was a long and difficult project, made possible by the Fashion for Freedom team. The executive team comprised of students from the departments of Marketing and Promotion, Accounting, Retail and Costume, Tech Management, Head Choreography, Head Models, Secretary and Floor Directing, and Aesthetics. The successful show raised over $1,500 for the Canadian Cancer Society. Ngo expressed how proud he was of all the people who were involved with the project. While the show required a lot of work, the models, dancers, and the backstage crew also had a great time. As Ngo said, “Work hard, play harder, make it the best!”

Top: KAOS Competitive Dance team showing off some gracious moves. Bottom: The Fashion For Freedom crew dance it up. (Jaclyn Brown/ The Sputnik)

The Sputnik

Features

Wednesday January 20, 2015

Brittany Bennett | features@thesputnik.ca |

Where the trail ends down memory lane Brittany Bennett Features Editor Alzheimer’s is a cognitive disease that destroys brain cells, and in effect, deteriorates memories beginning with short-term and slowly progressing to long-term memories. “Everything you’ve ever learned in your life, that’s what you lose,” explains Dr. JoAnne McLaurin, a professor at the University of Toronto that has been researching Alzheimer’s disease for about 20 years now. Alzheimer’s is most commonly seen in ages 65 and over, but can still happen earlier on in life.

“

Everything you’ve ever learned in your life, that’s what you lose.” “There’s a lot of people who are afraid of the disease, which, I don’t blame them. But some people are afraid so they try to hide it for a long time. They use coping mechanisms, they know something’s wrong, but don’t actually go and deal with it. Peggy did that,” McLaurin squeezes her friend’s hand. Her face tenses as she squeezes back. “I know, I know. She’s getting mad. It’s okay.” Peggy Dettmer was diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer’s disease seven years ago, and has been in longterm care for over two years, which had progressed from the assisted care she had been put in the year prior. “We just knew going into college it wasn’t going to work that way, I wasn’t going to be able to do school and be a caretaker for her because we knew it was getting worse,” explains Peggy’s daughter, Erin Somerville. Peggy was diagnosed at the age of 52, the summer before her daughter started high school. The warning signs were there that year. “It’s funny because you don’t think of them until after they’re diagnosed, and then you start looking back and you’re like ‘oh that was weird.’ There were definitely some times where she

said things that had no sense to them,” Somerville admits. Long-time friend, Lorna Reed has known Peggy since they were babies. “Now this is probably one of the most meticulous people. Everything goes back exactly where it should be,” Reed says. “So when we were at the cottage Peg’s asking me, ‘where does this go? Is this yours? Is this mine?’ She had no idea where anything went, and I thought, that’s so not her.” “She was just different,” explains Peggy’s niece, Anna Gremm. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Peggy, it’s okay.” McLaurin gently rubs her friend’s leg. “We left there wondering if there was something wrong, but we had no idea, we just thought it could be anything but something like that,” Gremm adds. “Well hindsight’s 20/20. We can sit here and tell you all these things, but when you’re going through it you don’t always jump to those conclusions.” McLaurin brings her hand back entwined with Peggy’s. McLaurin says that five per cent of Alzheimer’s diagnoses are caused by a genetic mutation, while the other 95 per cent of cases are caused by sporadic, unknown factors. McLaurin and students in her laboratory at the University of Toronto’s Sunnybrook Research Institute have been exploring possible causes of this sporadic form of Alzheimer’s. McLaurin says that although these have not proven to cause Alzheimer’s, comorbidities such as diabetes and high blood pressure can increase the risk factor of getting the disease. Peggy was a very out-going lady. She travelled, she skied, she had annual pajama parties with her large circle of girlfriends, and she happened to be quite lucky when trying her hand at the slot machines. One day she got herself $12 thousand in winnings, and surprised her friend Reed with a cruise trip. Peggy also loved to sun tan, and shop with friends. “For the first like, probably month she was really upset over it and couldn’t understand the details. I mean, she had gone to school. A lot of my family was in denial saying, ‘there was no way she had that because she had degrees under degrees,’” Peggy’s daughter explains. “A lot of people were like, ‘she’s too smart to have Alzheimer’s,’ but it didn’t really have any relevance right? You can get diagnosed at any time.” For the first four years of Peggy’s diagnosis she was

From left to right top: Anna Gremm (Peggy’s niece), Lorna Reed (Peggy’s long-time friend), Erin Somerville (Peggy’s daughter). From left to right bottom: Peggy Dettmer, JoAnne McLaurin (Peggy’s friend and researcher in Alzheimer’s disease). (Brittany Bennett/ The Sputnik)

able to live on her own with the continuous support of her daughter there with her, and two sisters and mother checking in on her. The symptoms began with everyday tasks such as making coffee or lunches, “she couldn’t figure out how many scoops to put in, or sandwiches, like, where does the bread go? Where does everything else go? It just takes everything and makes it like complicated. So like simple things, that we look at like

“

People think Alzheimer’s is mostly just memory, but obviously it’s so much more.” ‘that’s so easy,’ she would find like a really difficult task,” explains Somerville. The progression was slow. The remote control for the TV became a hassle to figure out, remembering how to get home from walks was impos-

sible without the guidance of her golden retriever Jasper, and finally stairs were no longer doable. Peggy sits back in her wheel chair with her head titled, eyes wandering, sometimes watering, searching the faces of her family and friends surrounding her. “Hi honey,” Reed smooches her friend’s cheek but Peggy pulls back slightly. “What’s wrong baby?” Reed breaks off a piece of her homemade butter tart and Peggy immediately begins chewing as the piece is put to her mouth. Peggy has always loved Reed’s homemade butter tarts, sometimes eating them all up before her daughter even got home to have one. “I think a lot of times people think Alzheimer’s is mostly just memory, like they’ll forget things, but obviously it’s so much more than that,” explains Gremm as she rubs her belly. Come this spring-time Gremm will have a new little girl and a new little boy to meet their great aunt Peggy. “I take every day with her as like a memory for me. I never try and take it for granted because I know that some people don’t have their mom, and I mean, as much as the disease is cruel and it did pick away at

my mom, I still have her, maybe not mentally but she’s still here,” says Somerville. “Patience, understanding, I think the big one is everyone’s got to remember they’re still the same person they always were. Right Peg?” McLaurin smiles at her good friend with Reed on Peggy’s other side giving her hand a squeeze. Somerville grins from across the room, her boyfriend at her one side and cousin Gremm on the other. Sunshine beams across their faces as the scent of apple drifts from the box of fritters Somerville picked up from the Farmer’s Market on her way over. Chatter fills the room as if the player piano in front of the window were keeping the conversation in beat. Erin Somerville and Anna Gremm will be doing the “walk for Alzheimer’s: make memories matter” at the end of the month, and want your help to reach their new goals. Visit support.alzheimer.ca and find their team “Sun Life Waterloo” by clicking “sponsor a walker” at the top of the page.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Features

The Sputnik

Brittany Bennett | features@thesputnik.ca |

Julian Panchaud Staff Writer

eet Alexander Kirley, the board game entrepreneur. Kirley’s fascination in board games and other tabletop games came from an old tradition of a “Friday game night” in Kirley’s family. His parents made sure the television went off every Friday, and they would play board games for a sense of human interactivity in gaming. Kirley explained that people “just don’t do that anymore,” that people are losing their ability to hold a conversation which is, as Kirley put it, “a really scary thought.” Kirley believes tabletop gaming offers a unique sense of human interaction that reignites that ability to communicate, bringing people closer together than through the more common form of digital gaming. Kirley is one of three owners orchestrating a project that works to bring the tabletop gaming community back to Brantford. Alongside his two good friends Bill Roloson and Geoff Dungey, Kirley has

used his love for board games to help create a place called the Devil’s Bench Café. Experienced hobbyists and those wanting to explore this world alike can come together, enjoy a coffee, play games in the classic face-to-face environment and build memories as a community. “Bill and I were bike enthusiasts, and while Geoff was away we decided we wanted to do something, to claim something as our own,” and so they played with the idea of opening a board game café together. “This was something we wanted to discuss in person with Geoff, so Bill and I biked down to Ottawa, in a small hurricane no less,” to propose this idea. The name “Devil’s Bench” originated as the name of a gamer clan between the three owners, coming from Roloson’s dog. “Really sweet dog, but a devil dog,” Kirley explained. “Always slept under the workbench though, so we got the name from that. It just rolls off the tongue nicely. It’s really cool to me, how our gamer clan name is something that people wear now on our hats, shirts and sweaters.” The Devil’s Bench is a café

not only dedicated to the vast and wondrous world of tabletop gaming, but also to give people in the many communities branching out of Brantford a place to just “chill out” in an open community of warmth where anyone can come in and feel at home. “To me, if I’m being selfish, the Bench is a place of freedom,” Kirley said. He explained that the Bench is a symbol of chasing a dream, exploring a project and the idea of “being in charge of my own paycheck,” an endeavor becoming more and more challenging in our society. Kirley has made sure the café is a place where no matter what one’s gaming interests are, they can always be themselves, and feel completely comfortable doing so. “People can come in here, talk about Warhammer, talk about Magic or Dungeons and Dragons, and that’s awesome,” Kirley said. The bench is a symbol of that sense of community and gathering, an idea that otherwise “just isn’t in Brantford,” as Kirley explained it. According to Kirley, the Devil’s Bench as a project could have gone either way, for the better or for the worse. “I’m

Alexander Kirley opened the Devil’s Bench board game cafe with two of his good friends that share his love for board and tabletop games. (Christina Manocchio/ The Sputnik)

very happy with how the community has received it,” he said. “Why not try?” Kirley said. “I figure, if you try, and even if you fail, you’re not really failing because you actively pursued your hopes and dreams. You only fail if you don’t try.

Humans don’t live long, if you have a dream, you might as well try and achieve it to get the most out of that life.” Kirley’s dream escalated into a successful place of community shared by others with similar interests.

LaurierUniSnaps: The naked university Dellesia Noah Staff Writer If you’re an avid Snapchat user like many of the other students here at Laurier, you might have come across a particular handle: LaurierUniSnaps. The new anonymous account has gained a following by sharing Snapchat stories of the obscure underbelly of Laurier. In effect, this account has brought up some serious concerns of consent in sharing intimate photos for Laurier students. The account has been particularly notorious for sharing nude pictures on their stories, and the majority of those nude pictures being shared are of females. For as much good as the account has done – such as keeping the Laurier community connected and included in a conversation that is campus wide – it also raises many questions and concerns in regards to these intimate pictures being shared. What happens if a picture has been shared without the subject’s consent? What if a picture is shared of someone who is a minor? Seeing as how the largest demo-

graphic of Snapchat users are between 13 and 23 years of age, this can be a major concern. We all know it is not uncommon for Snapchat to be used for sexting and things of this nature. Because of the setup of the application – the photos disappear after a chosen amount of time – and the age demographic of the users, it makes the use of sexting in this outlet more appealing. Research conducted in the UK has shown that, as of June 2013, 47 per cent of all 18 to 30-year-old users have received nude pictures at some point or another. Senior leaders such as Adam Lawrence, dean of students and Melissa DiLeo, coordinator of student leadership and conduct were only made aware of this issue last week, although the account has been active for at least six weeks. Lawrence actually overheard someone mentioning it outside of a meeting in Waterloo before it was formally brought to his attention. “It is not a conduct related issue right now,” Lawrence stated, “but it could be.” Lawrence was made aware of a post that was shared to this account that allegedly encouraged followers to send in nude pictures of their ex-partners. “For us that’s the type of stuff that’s alarming. That’s the type of stuff that fits into our non-

The Snapchat account LaurierUniSnaps has been consistently notorious for sharing provocative student pictures. (Christina Manocchio/ The Sputnik)

academic code of conduct,” said Lawrence, “when it’s against their will, when there are minors involved, when it shifts toward more the illegal side of things.” When Lawrence and DiLeo heard about this, special constables and Brantford police were alerted. “We want to be prepared if someone comes forward and says, ‘a picture of me was posted without my consent,’” said Lawrence. One of Lawrence and DiLeo’s legal concerns were if someone were to share a picture of themselves to LaurierUniSnaps, and it started circulating somewhere else.

What do you do in a situation like that? Do the creators behind that account now have ownership? “Although it may say upfront this is an account for adults only how do we know this is being held true?” Lawrence asked. “This is the challenge of some of these social media sites that are anonymous. If they made a post that offended or hurt someone how do we address that?” Lawrence referenced the hack made against celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead where an anonymous user

from 4Chan released nude pictures of celebrities without their consent. In an article on Recode, Snapchat was also hacked back in December of 2013, hackers exploited a back-end security weakness in the app and published partial phone numbers of over 5 million Snapchat users. DiLeo and Lawrence stress that if a student feels that their power was taken away by a social media platform like LaurierUniSnaps or any other social media platforms, there is support and means offered for which they can help reclaim that.

Arts & Culture

The Sputnik

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Matthew Burley | arts@thesputnik.ca |

Matthew Burley A&C Editor

As the door opens, the soft vibrations of a hair trimmer can be heard behind rock n’ roll melodies. The turquoise walls are plastered from top to bottom with framed photos ranging from legends Frank Sinatra and Roy Orbison to country star Waylon Jennings. Alongside the picture frames hangs half a dozen t-shirts, slowly swaying from the breeze of the cracked door. A sticker slapped guitar lays patiently behind two rotating barber’s chairs. In front of the chairs stands an armoire with two large mirrors and a collection of hair products, combs and beard oils. As the door closes, a mixture of the scents of pomade and moulding wax settles in the air. You are standing in none other than Scumbags & Cavaliers, one of Brantford’s prominent barbershops. Scumbags & Cavaliers’ doors have been open since April 2014, and they have been a popular attraction throughout their short existence. Owner Mike Rita-Procter has been able to set Scumbags & Cavaliers apart by offering something different from a standard barber shop. Rita-Procter feels that it’s important that customers feel like they are coming for a “visit” and not just a few inches off the top. “Other pop-up shops are generic and give you no reason to go to them. They offer convenience and speed, while we provide an overall experience.” Rita-Proctor sees Scumbags & Cavaliers as a place for customers to “come relax, shoot the shit, and get a nice haircut.” Rita-Procter is proud of his business and wants customers to know that they are walking into “his” shop by putting his unique touch on everything from the atmosphere to the way he cuts hair. The shop has

deep influences from punk, rockabilly and outlaw styles and this is clear to customers when they walk in. “We’ve set an image and separated ourselves. Scumbags & Cavaliers is a brand and style, and it gives people a reason to visit,” says Rita-Procter. This may be why people are willing to wait a while for their haircuts. However, Scumbags & Cavaliers apprentice Craig McIntosh feels that there’s more to it than the branding and atmosphere.

“

Scumbags & Cavaliers is a brand and style.” “His passion is what makes the haircut. If he didn’t have the passion it wouldn’t be the same,” states McIntosh. Rita-Procter’s passion and influences can be seen through some of the products that are carried at Scumbags & Cavaliers. Instead of carrying hair gel, Rita-Proctor advocates for the use of pomade. “Pomade is traditional; Elvis used it, Buddy Holly used it, all the greats used it. But it comes down to manageability, there’s things that quality pomade can do that pharmacy brands just can’t.” Some of the preferred brands are Grant’s Golden Brand and Reuzel pomade. Grant’s Golden Brand was founded by ex-pro skateboarder, Grant Fukuda and Reuzel’s was founded by Leen and Bertus of Schorem barbershop, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Leen and Bertus are two of the industry’s leaders in revitalizing traditional barbering. RitaProcter thinks very highly of the barber duo, and even named the shop after them as Schorem loosely translates to “scumbag” in Dutch. When asked why he carried those brands, Rita-Proct-

er simply answered, “Why wouldn’t a traditional barbershop use the best?” Rita-Procter has experience cutting hair all across Ontario, and spent many years “absorbing the ways that different people work.” His ability to learn with other people is one of the many reasons he has enjoyed having an apprentice, “It’s cool to have an apprentice. I’ve definitely honed my skills through teaching. I’ve learned and relearned and it’s helped passing down techniques to other people.” McIntosh loves being an apprentice because of all the people he has met and all of the techniques he has learned. He sees Rita-Proctor as one of his biggest influences and is constantly inspired by the passion that he displays daily. Perhaps it’s some of this passion that rubbed off onto McIntosh, as he advocated to start working Mondays. As of Monday, Jan. 18, Scumbags & Cavaliers will be open Mondays through Saturdays, giving more people the opportunity to go for a visit. When asked where they see Scumbags & Cavaliers in the next five years, both RitaProcter and McIntosh had big ideas. “I’d love to see it grow; more apprentices, hopefully a bigger shop. And it’d be cool if we opened up a barber school,” answered McIntosh. “In a perfect world,” stated Rita-Procter, “we’ll be in a bigger location. We’ll be a full fledged men’s lifestyle shop and barbershop with a liquor license. Hopefully open up a few more locations ... Lookout Huntsville!”

Photos, Left, from top to bottom: -Scumbags and Cavaliers offers a variety of hair products. These products range from local companies to world renowned brands. -A small snippet of the artwork that is displayed on the walls of Scumbags and Cavaliers. -Scumbags and Cavaliers owner Mike Rita-Procter stands proudly by the front of the shop. -The doors of Scumbags and Cavaliers have been open since April, 2014 and are excited to be open on Mondays as of Jan. 18. -Apprentice Craig McIntosh. (Anna Principato/ The Sputnik)

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Arts & Culture

The Sputnik

Matthew Burley | arts@thesputnik.ca |

The Featured Artist: The Art Hawks Council Matthew Burley A&C Editor The Featured Artist is a Laurier Brantford student who is constantly striving for creative and artistic excellence. The medium isn’t what’s important; it’s the art. This weeks Featured Artist is the Art Hawks Council. Who makes up the art hawks directors and what are all of your roles? I’m Kelsey, I’m the director of training, communication and development. I’m Kayla, so I’m a don this year and I’m the community advisor. I’m Hannah and I’m council chair. And I’m Sean and I’m the director of communication and marketing. What year and program are you in? Kelsey: I’m in first year, Social Work student. Kayla: I’m in third year, Con Ed student. Hannah: I’m in first year, Youth and Children Studies student. Sean: I’m in first year, Game Design student. When were the Art Hawks created? Kayla: So last year was a pilot year where someone came up with the idea to have a first year leadership council based around the arts. Last year it was split into certain arts like drama and dance. It

was basically headed by dons and it wasn’t a full council so this year we decided to make it into a first year leadership council. I hired the council this year with the help of the dons. How can someone join the Art Hawks? Hannah: To join Arts Hawks or any other first year leadership program, it’s an application process. It’s designated only for first years that live in residence so if a first year comes in Fall 2016, there’s an opportunity to apply then. Then you fill out the application and will get an interview if you are successful then you will be interviewed by someone like Kayla or someone from RAC (Residence Athletics Council). What made you want to be apart of the Art Hawks? Kelsey: I know for me in middle school and high school the arts were a part of my life. So when I came to university I was looking for a chance to still be involved in the arts. So when my don told me about Art Hawks it was an immediate, “I wanna be a part of that thing”. What sets Art Hawks events apart from the other Leadership Councils? Sean: Art Hawks is specifically focused on the arts and bringing art related programming to first year students. BRC and RAC have their own niches; BRC is where you plan in the residences and RAC is athletic based, but Art Hawks focuses on the arts and arts programming like coffee houses and movies nights. We

Art Hawks Council members Sean Harrison (top) and Hannah Gamblin (bottom)are excited to see the Art Hawks grow. Look for info on their upcoming masquerade event. (Jamaal Owusu-Ansah/ The Sputnik)

want to focus on that aspect of it. Do you have any upcoming events that you’re excited for? Hannah: One that is currently in the works is the Masquerade Arts Night, which is going to consist of performances which are going to encompass as many art themes as we can. Things like dancing, theatre, singing, and our plan is to have all the money go to an arts based charity. Do any of you have backgrounds in the arts? Like drawing, singing, dancing, etc. Hannah: I have a small, small, small background in dance, but that’s as artistic as I got. But I definitely think with Art Hawks you don’t have to be artistic to do it, as long as you’re willing to try and you have a starting point in it you can develop along the way. Where do you see the Art Hawks at this time next year? What are three things that you think could change for the better? Hannah: I personally would like to see more development as a council. We are the first year, and we’re developing it in our name and we want to see them do it more and plan bigger and better events than we could ever imagine. Have any of you been to other universities besides Laurier Brantford? If so, have you noticed a difference between those students and our Laurier Brantford Students? Sean: Well, we just went to a training session at the Laurier Waterloo campus so it’s not too different, but I noticed with the Brantford campus specifically, I think due to it’s size, has a real community feel. I know a majority of the first year students that go here, but the Waterloo campus is a lot bigger so it’s a lot more separated, so they might not have that sense of community. After you graduate, would you consider doing something like Art Hawks again? Kelsey: I’m in the social working program and I know a part of it is bringing things to different populations of people and helping them out. I would love to do something involving the arts and bringing in the arts and kind of exploring how the arts could help people in different situations, because I’m a big believer in that.

DiCaprio took aim and fired his way towards another Golden Globe win. Could this be the one that gets him an Oscar? (From The Revnant)

The Revnant rocks box office with stunning realism Alex Vialette Staff Writer The running joke of , will DiCaprio ever win an Oscar may have finally been answered with his new film The Revenant. Having raked in 150 million dollars globally since its release on Dec. 25, the movie has received 12 Oscar nominations including best actor in a leading role, best supporting actor, and best picture. In addition, The Revenant brought in three Golden Globes out of their four nominations. One of said awards was for DiCaprio, giving him best performance by an actor in a drama. Although DiCaprio was fantastic, Tom Hardy deserves equal recognition for his role. The Revenant serves as a shining example of his skill as an actor and how he can handle such diverse roles. Just looking at roles Hardy has played this year shows how wildly different he can become between roles. Mad Max: Fury Road was an incredible picture, but side by side comparisons of Hardy as John Fitzgerald versus him as Max Rockatansky make him look like two completely different people. This is where the article is going to get riddled with spoilers, this is your only warning. Gist of it is, the film is definitely worth seeing and has earned all its nominations. The best phrase to sum up the majority of the movie is Leo DiCaprio has terrible luck

in the woods. During his time in the woods DiCaprio shines, as well as where the film in general is packed with action and nail biting moments. The movie starts off artsy and maintains that aspect when Hugh Glass (DiCaprio’s role) has visions of his dead wife. These visions might be better explained in the book, but in the film itself go unexplained and serve as a huge point of intrigue. The film does not shy away from bloodshed by any definition. It starts this off with a Pawnee raid on Glass’ trapping camp. Arrows fly, axes chop, blood everywhere, great scene. This leads to a lull until Glass gets attacked by the bear. This scene was very well done and feels like a real bear attack. This leaves Glass half dead and with huge complications. For example, the scene where he tries to drink water but has trouble because of the hole in his throat. That was a fantastic case of make up effects and one of the greatest points of realism in the film. However, the most realistic scene was the fight between Glass and Fitzgerald at the very end. The camera work, blood spray, acting, everything made it feel like a well filmed Worldstar Hip Hop fight. Between Glass being found alive and the very last fight scene is a bit of a dry spell in terms of action. But the scene itself makes up for it, and ends very well with the Chekov’s Gun Pawnee woman that Glass saved from being raped. Long story short, The Revenant deserves every scrap of recognition it gets.

The Sputnik

Sports

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Devon Momy-Gamache | sports@thesputnik.ca |

John Scott: Should he be allowed to play?

Fans have been given the chance to vote leading to some interesting selections as all-stars. (Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik)

YES, he earned it

Adam Stocker Staff Writer Let John Scott play. The ninth year NHL journeyman defenseman or winger, who isn’t particularly good at either, was voted in as a captain for the NHL All-Star game and automatically into the league’s midseason event celebrating the best players in the league. In the traditional sense John Scott has no business being an NHL AllStar. In no sense is he a good player. Scott is one of the worst skaters in the NHL, a fundamental skill to play hockey that some say Scott does not possess. Outside of his inability to skate, Scott has no real skill outside of fighting. The six-foot-eight Scott tips the scale at around 270 pounds and has just five NHL goals to his name in almost 300 games. So why does John Scott deserve to be an all-star? Because it’s what the fans want. Sure, the fans voted Scott in because they had the ability to. Sure it’s a way for fans to mock the league, but who cares? The allstar game is all about fun. The NHL recognizes that, and it is a driving force when the league elected to shift the all-star game to a three on three format. No matter the number of people who say Scott should not play, the fans want him to play, and because of that, he should. In the millennial era, all-star games mean virtually nothing. Compared to the past eras, where all-star games represented the one time of year, where fans across the country could watch all of the league’s best players. When you look at the demographic of people saying John Scott should not play, they are representing hockey’s old guard, who

lived in an era where all-star games represented one of the league’s most important events. Today all-star games are just fun for the players and fans. With the exception of baseball’s all-star game, the games are meaningless and carry no impact on the season. With expanding multimillion dollar national television contracts, video games and internet streaming of virtually every game, fans are able to watch every game. No longer do fans just get the weekly games featured on Hockey Night in Canada. If someone wants to, they can watch multiple games a day. Some people have made the argument that all-star games should not be made a joke because of their impact when voting on Hall of Fame candidacies. The fact is, all-star games should hold little merit when looking at Hall of Fame candidacy. The reason, all-star games are flawed, and only represent the best players for the first half of the season. They also represent fan favourites that are voted in due to their popularity. For Hall of Fame voters, the season ending all-pro teams are better representation of who the best players were for a given season. Allpro teams are not voted on by fans and will never feature a John Scott on them. So NHL, do the right thing. Let John Scott play in the all-star game, even if he doesn’t deserve to be there on a merit of his skill. Let John Scott be there because the fans want him to play. NHL do not remove Scott from the all-star game because he has been sent to the minors on several occasions this year. Let John Scott remain the captain of a division he no long plays in, since the Arizona Coyotes traded him to the Montreal Canadiens. Give the fans what they voted for, let John Scott play in the NHL AllStar game.

NO, fans are stupid

Devon Momy-Gamache Sports Editor Congratulations sports fans, you have proven to be completely irresponsible and not worthy of having a vote in deciding who goes to all-star games. Sure, we could blame the leagues for this situation, but nobody in charge of the NHL, NBA, or MLB expected us to act like children. The latest example of this ongoing tragedy is NHL fans deciding that John Scott should be an all-star. For some unknown reason, there was a movement to get Scott into an event meant for elite talent, and a way for NHL fans to celebrate the game and attract more fans. Scott is the opposite of an elite player - he has 11 points in 285 career games over eight seasons, including one point in eleven games this year - and has been placed on waivers multiple times. Just in case you think that was an error I’ll mention it again, one point in 11 games. A player with more fights, 38, than points in his career is probably not worthy of being an all-star, unless the NHL added MMA to the skills competition and nobody has told me yet. This situation has gotten so out of control, there are rumors the NHL and Coyotes worked together to trade Scott to Montreal, as a way of preventing him from playing. The NHL later announced he will remain the Pacific Division Captain. This isn’t just an NHL problem. In the NBA this season, Kobe Bryant is leading voting despite having the worst season of his career, and is nowhere near one of the top players in the league. Bryant may be leading the Lakers in points per game, but his advanced stats paint a picture of a man already retired. He has the sixth worst +/- in the NBA at -8.1, and a net rating of -14.1 which is the fourth worst in the NBA for players with a minimum of 24 minutes per

game. And for those who watch him shoot, it’s no surprise that he has the fourth worst true shooting percentage for players with a minimum 24 minutes per game. If the fans want to see a legend play, I can accept it as long as the player still contributes, as does Jaromir Jagr for the Florida Panthers, but Bryant should not even be playing for the Lakers let alone stealing a spot that should be going to a player who’s performance is deserving. When one player gets into an all-star game based on bad fan voting, I can look the other way, but when fans try to vote the entire Kansas City Royals starting line-up into the game, it’s a sign that fan voting has gone too far. The Royals did eventually win the world series, but there is not a single argument that can be presented to even make me acknowledge the idea that Omar Infante was a better player than José Altuve, or that it took until the second last week for AL MVP Josh Donaldson to take the lead at his position. One fan base almost ruined the entire game just because they got excited that their team wasn’t an embarrassment anymore. The biggest and final error with allstar games is the rule that every team should have a representative to make all fans happy. Sorry to say this, but I hope that person got fired and this can be fixed so that the all-star game is actually the best players in the league and not the best players on every team. If you’re team isn’t good enough to have one of the best players in the sport, too bad for you! In the NHL (sorry, Leafs fans), Leo Komarov is not deserving of being called an all-star. The same goes for Brandon Saad of the Blue Jackets. Last year’s MLB AllStar game features elite talent such as Brock Holt representing Boston. Fan voting has ruined the chance for these games to be a true showcase of the best each sport has to offer. But if you all really want to watch Patrick Kane skate circles around John Scott after he fumbles a beautiful pass from Taylor Hall, that’s your choice, I hope you all regret it in a few weeks.

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Sports

The Sputnik

Devon Momy-Gamache | sports@thesputnik.ca |

Laurier’s here to help your fitness resolution Jessa Braun Staff Writer So here we are again, face to face with a new year ahead of us and resolutions we’re determined to stay on top of. Some people may look to spend more time with friends and family. Others might strive to increase their positivity. The majority, though, will be found at the gym. Losing weight or staying fit and healthy is ranked as the most common New Year’s resolution across the Internet. But for a lot of people, the promise of losing weight is just as easily broken as it is made. When it comes to losing weight, the Statistic Brain Research Institute suggests that 75 per cent of those people maintained their resolution until the end of the first week. Fortunately for Laurier Brantford students, the university is here to save them. The new winter 2016 fitness schedule is out to help students keep on top of their health and fitness that they

promised their bodies at the beginning of 2016. And the best part? All fitness classes are free. “I have seen the same people come to my lunchtime classes twice a week, every week, for months now, and believe it or not, their stamina has greatly improved,” said Kristina Simsic, the Cycle Fit instructor. “The atmosphere improves as soon as there are groups of people all working towards one goal,” said Simsic. Simsic teaches classes every Tuesday and Thursday at the YMCA. Laurier Brantford offers a wide variety of spin classes that are good for Golden Hawks interested in throwing themselves at some challenging, high calorieburning cardio. “I find that cycling is the most beneficial cardio workout out there,” Simsic said. “I recommend the spin classes to Laurier Brantford students because they’re fun. You can go with your friends, it’s only 45 minutes long and it requires little effort when you think about it – you just plant your bum on your bike and cycle.” Some spin classes, such as Cycle and Abs, and Pump and Pedal, are combined with strength training. If you don’t

want to give up the cycling but you also want to make time for the dumbbells and medicine balls, give the combined spin classes a go. A majority of Laurier’s fitness classes are solely strength training. The variety ranges from workouts that focus on one section of your body, such as Rock Bottom and Core Strength, to full body workouts like Boot Camp, Tabata, Body Flex, High Velocity, Yoga and Total Body Tone. Going to the gym on our own to do challenging workouts can take a lot of self-determination. At fitness classes, you just have to follow the instructors lead while being surrounded by good company. “It’s a little bit more fun working out with peers in your university and you have people to motivate you,” said Shannen Head, the Tabata instructor. Tabata classes are from 2 to 3 p.m. on Thursdays and introduce a very different approach to working your muscles. An exercise is repeated for a certain amount of minutes, but for those minutes the exercise is performed in an ongoing 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off rotation. Some people want exercise

Laurier students have a chance to use the Wilkes House gym to reach their fitness foals for 2016. (Christina Manocchio/ The Sputnik)

and to break a good sweat, but aren’t fond of the muscle burning sensation. In this case Zumba or Latin Funk are good picks. In these classes you can let loose to some upbeat music that will have you exhausted and energized at the same time. “I like it because it a fun way to exercise and it’s not traditional push-ups and situps,” said Jensen Arsenault, a regular participant at Laurier Brantford’s Zumba classes. “It’s just dancing around to

fun music which is something I love to do.” With all of these options for working out on campus, there’s no excuse to let our “get more exercise” New Year’s resolutions slip between our fingers. Tie up your running shoes and we’ll see you at the fitness classes. Schedules of times and places can be found at the Hawk Desk or on Laurier Brantford’s Athletics and Recreation Facebook page.

Everything old is new again: The LA Rams Dillon Giancola Editor In Chief The Rams are back! Not back as in they didn’t exist for a while, or that they are good again, unfortunately. But back in the sense that the NFL just approved them to move back to Los Angeles, where they were previously located from 1946-94. There are a few different ways to view this decision. Some are excited that a team is back in a huge market like Los Angeles. Others think that the Rams did not deserve the move, that it should have gone to teams like the San Diego Chargers or Oakland Raiders. The city of St. Louis was offering the most tax dollars towards a new stadium to keep the team there, yet the Rams are the ones who got to move. If you are a cynic, the realization that this move was all about money will make you sick. As a long-suffering and loyal Rams’ fan, I’ll admit that they were not an organization

desperate for a change of scenery. Being from Edmonton, I remember how incensed everyone was a couple years back when their wiener of an owner, Darryl Katz, threatened to move the team to Seattle. Even though the fans in Edmonton are far more hockey crazy and the team was definitely making enough money where they already were. Everybody hated Katz, and so did I, though I certainly never cared much for the Oilers. It seems to be that the exact same sentiments exist currently in St. Louis, and who can blame those fans? Making matters worse is that this has been in the cards for at least three years; it was no secret that Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke wanted to move the team. And so the fans had years to mentally prepare themselves for the horrible reality that is losing a professional sports franchise. I had to deal with this myself up in Canada, taking the time to ponder what a move would mean for me and if I would be able to continue to cheer for a team once it moved from a city that I strangely grew to love. I had decided in advance of last week’s decision that I would indeed continue to cheer for the Rams in Los Ange-

The Rams franchise has made the cross country move back to Los Angeles after 21 years in St. Louis. (Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik)

les if it came to that. But it really got me thinking – what do I do about the past? I definitely did not become a Rams fan because of the city, it was all about Kurt Warner. But soon the city became a part of that. I started to cheer for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. I went for a road-trip there and said how St. Louis was cool because they had good BBQ and blues music there, even though I would not have cared if it wasn’t for the Rams. I even pretend that the city is more cool because that is where Joe Buck is from. Beard and all.

And now what? I guess I will try to hold some affection for St. Louis, while now trying to shift my focus to LA. Who knows if this is possible? I have been to LA before but it failed to mesmerize me. Can I still maintain the same level of affection for this team if I don’t also show affection to the city? I sure hope so, but I have no idea. And that is why being a sports fan is so weird. You cheer for the team that is in the city you are from, unless there are no teams in that city – oh the inconsistency! Oh well, all I know is that

I am very excited about this new era, and cannot wait for the 2016 season to start so I can cheer on my beloved Los Angeles Rams. I also really feel bad about the fans from St. Louis, and have no idea if the majority of them will continue to cheer for Chris Long and co. or not, nor do I blame them if they cannot do so. But for myself, the NFL, and Canadian Rams’ fans everywhere (there is probably about 43), this is a very exciting time. Honestly, they will probably win the Super Bowl next year.

The Sputnik

Opinion

Wednesday January 20, 2016

Josh Adesina | opinion@thesputnik.ca |

The Cosby dilemna you didn’t know existed Arnisa Morina Staff Writer Accusations of Bill Cosby drugging and sexually assaulting over forty women have raised legal and moral questions for me. As a student expecting to begin law school next year, I can’t help but question the facts of this case. I’m going to play devil’s advocate and say things about this case that many people are afraid to say. Fortune Network estimated that Cosby is worth an estimated $400 million. This raises suspicion as to why these women have decided to come forward now. I understand that experiencing sexual assault is difficult to report, but why is the alleged assault being reported over forty years later?

Cosby admitted to drugging the women but argued that the sexual acts were voluntarily by both parties, and I don’t think that there is enough current evidence to prove otherwise. Cosby has given over $100 million to black causes and although this does not excuse his actions, he definitely deserves the benefit of the doubt. Following the accusations, Cosby has been stripped of various forms of sponsorship, stand-up comedy shows and reruns of The Cosby Show have been canceled. It is unfair that this has happened due to allegations that have not been proven. We can’t convict someone and make a decision on a case based on statements from victims without direct evidence. Although, this type of evidence is difficult to uncover given that the alleged sexual assaults took place over 40 years ago. I think the Cosby case shows that society and people continue to be tainted by

The shame that has been thrown at Cosby seems unfair compared to previous entertainers who were just as bad (Sai Gnanaharan/ The Sputnik)

racism. For example, 7th Heaven’s Stephen Collins, who is white, admitted to molesting and exposing himself to children and yet the show continues to be aired. Why is it that only The Cosby Show has been canceled and his image destroyed over unproven allegations? This angers me because Cosby’s legacy and good deeds have collapsed

over these allegations but Collins has not experienced the same negative judgment and backlash from society. Personally, I question why self-admitted child molesters are allowed to be shown on television but shows starring individuals who are yet to be proven guilty are not allowed? I think that everyone should be equal before the law and be

judged under the same rules that do not differ based on one’s race. I am in no way condoning Cosby’s actions because rape should never be tolerated in any nation. However, unless it can be proven that the sexual interactions were forced, it is wrong to assume one’s guilt without proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

land to be restored to its owners, according to Koin6 Public News, as the government has attempted to seize the land for some time. There was also a fire, and according to some it was started by the protesters as an act of terror. Others thought it was the people who owned the land stopping another fire with their own fire. The long and short end of it is some American people said “stop being mean Mr. Government.” The American government said “nu-uh” and now we

have an armed protest. Most of you don’t care about this issue, and that’s fine. But what’s important to note is the media’s rapid demonization of the protest despite its lack of violence by those who view themselves as Liberal. Despite the fact that the protesters are in the middle of nowhere, the only problem is that the protesters are white Conservatives with guns. When the Ferguson uprising was happening the media always tried to classify the looting and

burning that accompanied the protesters as “peaceful.” But fast-forward to now, and they are quick to jump the gun. These two different reactions by the media could be due to a number of reasons. One might be race, the other might be political leaning. The media is left wing and is sympathetic to a left-leaning protest. The only other option is that these ranchers turned protesters actually remembered their right to bear arms. They aren’t being bullied by

the government like the Ferguson protesters were. That makes the government mad. The government likes being a bully. It makes them uncomfortable when you can defend yourself against it. They are mad because these people might actually get what they want. At the very least I hope ‘Black Lives Matter’ takes a page out of this playbook and peacefully protests while armed next time.

was $48,000 and the average one year tuition in Ontario was $2,500. In 2011, the same family was making an average of $54,000 and tuition had risen to $6,500. You certainly can agree that these numbers aren’t rising proportionally. Middle-incomes have risen about 12.5% while the cost of tuition has risen about 160%. How did we end up with such a large increase in tuition rates? In the 1990s, the Ontario government relinquished control over regulated tuition and universities were free to raise their costs to competitive rates compared to those internationally. The post-secondary student financial aid budget must then have been raised to compensate for this deregulation of tuition. The assumption is semi-correct. While the current government has subsidized 30% of average tuition in the form of

a grant for those families who make less than $160,000, and OSAP has been adjusted to inflation, to date there has been no real correction in the upfront price paid by students who are covering over 50% of universities’ operating budgets. As tuition continues to rise at a faster rate than incomes while provincial contributions remain stagnant, students are forced into working more and longer hours and/ or taking on larger amounts of debt. In 2003, the average repayable debt for an undergraduate was $20,875. Our student members reported ten years later than they had an average debt load of $26,887. The Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP) has increased its own caps to address the rising tuition costs, but unfortunately its calculations do not accurately reflect

the costs students incur as a result of their post-secondary education. This is a triple negative problem: students are faced with high, rising tuition bills; cannot make enough money to cover all the necessities; and are forced to take out larger amounts of student financial assistance. Over the past half-decade, tuition has been allowed to rise by 3-5%. At Laurier, the typical raise has been 3%. If you are in your fourth year, your tuition will have risen almost 10% since your first year. This is faster than inflation, faster than government contributions and faster than students can afford. Over the next three days, in partnership with the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), the Laurier Student Union is campaigning for a fully-funded tuition freeze. “Fully-funded” might sound

like a confusing qualifier, but it’s an important one. We at the students’ union and OUSA are asking that the government continue to fund universities, so that they are able to provide the high-quality academic experience we have right now, while reducing the contribution that comes from the pockets of students. We are asking that the government cover that 3-5% increase to make university more affordable for you. We want to tip the scales back so the government is responsible for maintaining the publicly funded system. While we recognize that students should have a financial stake in their education; we want a cost-sharing model that’s fair for everyone and reflects Ontario’s values. We’re asking for a time out on unfair cost-sharing, a time out on mounting debt, and a time out on tuition hikes.

Oregon protesters angered by land ownership Tristan Wright Staff Writer At the time of this paper coming out, militants in Oregon have taken over a wildlife refuge while carrying arms. They were upset over federal regulations and would like the

Time out on tuition - letter to the editor Laura Bassett Contributor

There is a common misconception that the average student is able to pay for their education by working hard before they go away to school. One could argue that if a student worked full-time over the four month summer at the current minimum wage, they could just make enough to cover the bare cost of tuition. However, the reality is that students are not just covering tuition; they are paying for rent, food, transit, and a slew of other costs associated with “being a person”. Even the industrious, hardworking student described above can’t cover these costs without being in the red. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, in 1990 the after-tax income of a middle-income family