Issue 1 - June 26, 2013

sputnik

the

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 - Issue 1 // www.thesputnik.ca

News

2

On Campus

4

Features

6

A&E

8

Sports

10

Opinion

12

Partnership with Laurier likely page 3

Golden Hawks graduate page 2

Bonnaroo page 9

Wilfrid Laurier’s MLSB team page 10

Beauty as told by Disney page 12

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

NEWS

Nathanael Lewis // news@thesputnik.ca | @sputniklocal

Golden Hawks graduate Nathanael Lewis News Editor

Over the course of three convocations and two very full days, over 500 students were awarded degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford.

From June 18–19, Students arrived at the West Research and Academic Building to get dressed in black robes and pick-up hoods in the traditional Laurier purple and gold.

Student then walked to Odeon where they were lead in a procession around the downtown core by Professor Bruce Gillespie and Laurier officiates to the Sanderson Centre lead by a bagpiper.

Once seated, speeches were made by both President Max Blouw and Chancellor Michael Lee-Chin.

“Today is a day for congratulation

and achievements,” said Blouw.

Surrounded by friends and family, the students waited patiently to hear their name read by Dr. Kris Gerhardt and walk across the stage, shaking the hand of Chancellor Lee-Chin, to obtain a piece of paper that they had worked years for.

The ceremony was filled with emotions, tears, and hope for the future of all the graduates.

In total, 527 degrees were awarded during convocation by Chancellor Lee-Chin over the two days including absenteeism.

Degrees given out included 201 Bachelor of Arts (Laurier) and Bachelor of Education (Nipissing) double degrees, 245 Bachelor of Arts (honours) degrees and 79 Bachelor of

Arts (general) degrees.

Two of the 527 degrees awarded were honorary degrees given to Eric Walters and Kim Pate.

Eric Walters received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Wilfrid Laurier University for his contributions to education through his teaching and writings.

Walters, now 56, is a Canadian author known for his young adult novels such as Camp X (2002).

Joking about his past teaching efforts, Walters said, “I was a new teacher and they gave me every student no one else wanted.”

Kim Pate, Executive Director at the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS), was awarded with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree

for her commitment to the fair legal treatment of all peoples.

Pate is known for her political advocacy for battered women and her work with the UN. After receiving the award, Pate requested that students think about how they are going to open the eyes of the world around them – saying that they are the change.

After the ceremony, students retreated to the courtyard outside of RCW where they were greeted by refreshments, a photo opportunity with their favourite bird mascot, and their 2013 year books and graduation photo composites from WLUSP. Graduating hawk (Illustration by Rebecca Duce)

Convocation at the Sanderson Centre (Photo by Cody Hoffman)

Break-in spree hits Brantford streets Sylvia Hernandez-Rassavong Staff

Numerous car break-ins have happened in the Brantford area recently. Items stolen ranged from things such as loose change and technological devices to sunglasses and wallets.

“We call them crimes of opportunity,” said Constable Natalie Laing of the Brantford Police Service.

“When someone is walking by and they see something in plain view and it could be something as simple as loose change. It could be a couple of toonies and that could be enough to entice a thief or person to go into your vehicle.”

Police encourage citizens to report break-ins even if nothing is stolen because it is still a criminal offence to break into a vehicle. Reports enable

the police to track occurrences and be able to take appropriate preventive measures.

Citizens should also keep personal documents including vehicle registrations and insurance slips with them at all times. “Never keep anything in plain view,” says Const.

Laing. That includes items like cords and mounts. “If you have a mount there, that’s an indicator that the car is equipped with a GPS. You hide that GPS underneath your seat with the mount in plain view, somebody might think there’s a GPS in there and still go for it, even though you’re trying to prevent it. It’s trying to think like a thief.”

While recent incidents have happened overnight, Const. Laing

says, “With the nice weather coming up, we like to remind people to lock their car doors and windows.”

Look, lock and leave is the campaign that the Brantford Police Service has initiated to remind citizens to be aware. “Look around your vehicle, lock it up before you leave,” says Const. Laing.

Citizens are encouraged to report car break-ins to police even if small items have been stolen and to take preventive measures.

Anyone with information regarding break and enters or thefts from vehicles in Brantford is asked to contact the Brantford Street Crimes Unit at 519-756-0113 ext. 2286.

Geronimo Stilton Fan Convention Stedman Community Bookstore July 6, 11 am - noon Reporting tips and Q&A with Sputnik News Editor Nathanael Lewis

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26 , 2013

NEWS

Nathanael Lewis // news@thesputnik.ca | @sputniklocal Nathanael Lewis News Editor EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Layla Bozich eic@thesputnik.ca

It is not surprising that there is a climbing demand for special dietary planning at post-secondary schools. According to Harris Interactive and the University of Chicago, in North America alone there are now over 7.3 Million people who are vegetarian, 1.5 Million vegans, over 1:133 people are diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and 10% of the population experiences a gluten sensitivity. Both institutes saying those numbers are growing.

ADVERTISING & DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR

Angela Taylor angela.taylor@wlusp.com (519) 884-0710 ext. 3560

With such a growing demand throughout North America, changing the menu at post-secondary institutes to accommodate students just seems natural. But what do schools do when they simply don’t have a meal plan to alter and, more importantly, what do the students do?

PHOTO EDITOR Cody Hoffman photography@thesputnik.ca

At the Wilfrid Laurier University campus in Brantford, ON (LB) – no meal plan is provided for students at all. This forces students to make their own food or go to local restaurants. That is very easy for students who have no special dietary needs – but what about the ones that do? What about students whose tummies are a little bit “special”?

ART EDITOR Rebecca Duce visual@thesputnik.ca WEB EDITOR web@thesputnik.ca

Luckily, there are plenty of options for students attending LB – they just need to know where to look.

COPY EDITORS Jessica Lalonde

SECTION EDITORS Nathanael Lewis, Local News Oren Weiner, On Campus Dillon Giancola, Features Amber Richardson, A&E Kyle Morrison, Sports Cody Groat, Opinion

CONTRIBUTORS Dillon Giancola Sylvia Hernandez-Rassavong Oren Weiner Amber Richardson Anthony Fusco Cody Groat Chris Pimental Nathanael Lewis Kyle Morrison

WLUSP BRANTFORD MANAGER OF OPERATIONS Jordan Johnston allison.leonard@wlusp.com

Everything is Gluten Free, and most things are vegan and dairy free as well. Sophia's Bakery will cater to all your special dietary needs with not a single 'normal' item in the store. It's big seller is it's bread which is absolutely Gluten Free and made fresh right at the bakery.

Burrito Bros has been open just under a year and has made a name for itself already. The small burrito shop does something a bit special – it caters to specialized diets. Vegan burritos, Gluten Friendly tacos, even the guacamole is dairy free – the Burrito Bros is a great place for students to pick up a quick bite if they are in a hurry and don’t want to hurt their stomach.

PHONE (519) 756-8228 ext.5948 202-171 Colborne St. N3T 2C9

WLUSP OFFICE 205 Regina Street Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 PRESIDENT Allison Leonard (519) 884-0710 ext.3565 allison.leonard@wlusp.com ADVERTISING Angela Taylor (519)884-0710 ext. 3560 angela.taylor@wlusp.com The Sputnik is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo. Contact Emily Frost - WLUSP, 205 Regina Street The Sputnik is a proud member of the Canadian University Press (CUP) Opinions expressed in The Sputnik are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the Editorial staff, The Sputnik, WLUSP, WLU or CanWeb Printing Inc. FRONT PAGE PHOTO CREDITS: Main: Cody Hoffman Left: Bonnaroo.com Centre: Wilfrid Laurier Waterloo Right: Rebecca Duce

While Williams does not have anything “free” of anything, they are Gluten Friendly - and they cater to orders and are alright with substitutions and subtractions.

They also have a variety of food exclusively for vegetarians.

Scan the QR codes with your smartphone to check out some awesome online content.

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

ON CAMPUS Oren Weiner // oncampus@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikoncampus

Laurier Brantford introduces two new programs Oren Weiner On Campus Editor

In Laurier’s ongoing pursuit to expand the Brantford campus, the administration took one step further into the process with the addition of two new programs, a Bachelor of Social Work, and Master of Arts in Social Justice and Community Engagement. The additions were officially announced on May 13, 2013.

“We would like to continue to grow Brantford comparable to the Waterloo campus,” said Deborah MacLatchy, Laurier Waterloo’s Vice President: Academic & Provost. “These two programs are really a solid foundation building on existing Laurier strengths.”

Starting in the fall semester of 2013, prospective and current undergraduate students will have the opportunity to study in the new BSW. The four year program, still in development, will offer students a practicum component, much like the one provided under the Concurrent Education program. Robert Basso, an associate professor of Social Work at the Waterloo campus, expanded, stating that the BSW will incorporate Laurier Brantford’s

interdisciplinary curriculum, with one particular focus on the relations between the First Nations and European settlers.

“Social Work will draw on the strengths of many diverse courses offered through partner departments such as Psychology, Criminology, Contemporary Studies, Indigenous Studies and others,” Basso commented.

The Master of Arts in Social Justice and Community Engagement program is only the second graduate program to be offered in Brantford, since its inception. According to MacLatchy, this program is about “understanding when there are inequalities in society, and how they can be rectified through social justice.”

Currently, the Master’s program has only eight students, with the hope that there will be up to 10, along with a total of 18 faculty members from various disciplines to instruct and advise the students.

“This was just a natural fit since it used faculty from all across the Brantford campus,” said Brenda Murphy, the program’s director. “We’re looking to place

students with an advisor in many places of [the student’s] interest.”

Much like the BSW, the MA will have a practical component as well. Students will be learning theory in the fall, followed by 120 hours of community placement work in the winter term.

“One of the most innovative aspects of the program is that it’s the only social justice program in Canada with community placement,” Murphy remarked.

Murphy believes that the structure of the program creates a perfect situation, where students can take what they’ve learned in theory courses and apply it directly to their placements. Placement also gives the students a chance to help the community, which in turn can benefit both parties.

The addition of the MA will also bring in a larger pool of graduate students that can serve as teaching assistants. In recent years, Laurier Brantford’s professors have felt an increase in the need for more teaching assistants, an issue that will be directly addressed with the introduction of the new Master’s program.

“Over time we hope to add more grad programs, which means there will be more grad students to help with assisting professors,” MacLatchy stated.

MacLatchy also feels that the addition of both programs should add an “intellectual vibrancy” to the Brantford community.

The process to bring these two programs began about two years ago, starting with an internal review. After passing the approval of the university, it is assessed by an independent provincial organization called the Quality Assurance Council, followed by the province’s Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities.

As the Brantford campus grows, so should the number of bachelor and master’s programs. Now, at a total of 16 bachelor and two master’s programs, Laurier is gradually working toward attracting more students to Brantford in the hopes of greater expansion.

MacLatchy expressed her delight over the continuing growth. “I think it’s great. It’ll create new opportunities for the Brantford campus.”

Dr. Stephen Haller (Photo by Cody Hoffman)

LORIS continues to frustrate students

Oh LORIS. You’re so frustrating (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Oren Weiner On Campus Editor

As summer season progresses toward the new school year in September, students were once again obligated to register through Laurier’s online program, referred to as Laurier Online Registration Information System (LORIS). However, much like years past, many students were once again left frustrated and disappointed.

“I feel that it’s just a stressful experience for me, as a Concurrent Education student, because we already booked our Nipissing courses, so we have to manoeuvre our Laurier classes around those,” said Jessica Nunns, a fourth-year student. “This past Monday I actually found to be the worst of my experiences so far.”

Using an acronym to stress the displeasure many students feel towards the problematic system, fourth-year Journalism student, Josh Linton, wittingly remarked, “LORIS- Laurier’s Obsolete Registration and Irritating System.”

Registration processes initiated with first year students on May 1, followed by fourthand fifth-year students on June 17, thirdyear students on June 19th, and second-year

students on June 24. Unlike the Waterloo campus, Brantford’s registration is divided only by year level, and not also by faculty.

As a result, students from various programs, in the same year level, find themselves all applying at once, which at times causes a system overload. This year, Laurier decided to release the Course Registration Numbers (CRN), which was expected to speed up the process, and allow students to register quickly, and log off. This would, in theory, prevent a system overload. However, that was not necessarily the universal case.

Nunns further expressed her disappointment with a specific example. “I thought this year would be the best because they released the class CRNs, but as soon as I logged in, typed all of them in, pressed submit, the system crashed, and then signed me out.”

Once signed out of the program, Nunns explained that it took her as long as an hour on LORIS to determine what she was already registered in, and what she needed to register for, all due to the slow processing of the system.

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Another fourth-year Concurrent Education student, Emily Dwyer, experienced the same difficulties, saying, “I didn’t get into multiple classes, and after an hour of being kicked off multiple times, I hadn’t even registered for one class.”

Compared to past years, both Nunns and Dwyer did not see any significant improvement. Nunns commented, “In the past, LORIS has always been unreliable due to the volume of students all trying to log on at once.” She added, “So this year, it was not a surprise that the site would crash.”

Registrar Ray Darling recognized the frustration experienced by students and acknowledged the problem. Darling explained that there are three primary issues with the registration process: the year level, filters on course selection, and system issues. Of the three, it was the system issues that seemed to bother students the most.

“One thing we don’t think is acceptable is the system problems,” Darling acknowledged.

Darling also explained that the system was expected to be 15 times faster than it had

been prior, and from the registrar office’s perspective, it is running significantly faster than last year. On a more positive note, he also expressed some optimism regarding the future of the LORIS registration process, and said that he had heard positive feedback from Brantford’s Service Laurier on the improvement of LORIS traffic.

“We’re constantly making improvements and adjustments,” Darling stated, adding that “it will never be perfect, but we’re trying to perfect it as much as we can.”

One point of common ground between the students and Darling is their agreement over a simplistic solution to the problem at Laurier Brantford: designating more time slots by both year level and by program.

“I think the best solution for the school, if they do not want to spend money, is to have specific time slots for smaller groups of students,” Linton suggested.

While an improvement in efficiency remains to be seen in LORIS, students alike will continue to use its system to sign up for courses.

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

ON CAMPUS

Oren Weiner // oncampus@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikoncampus

Summer programming set for prospective students Oren Weiner On Campus Editor

With a fresh batch of prospective students set to begin their university career, so is the summer programming for their orientation. New students might enter the university realm feeling unprepared for the distinct changes from high school. Enter the Head Start and LEAP (LeadershipEngagement-Academic Success-Purpose) programs, designed to help students make the necessary preparations for postsecondary life.

On the nature of the Head Start events, Craig Chipps, manager of Laurier Brantford’s recruitment services, commented, “We want [students] to feel comfortable around campus, and to know this is going to be home in the next 4-5 years.”

Head Start acts as an early orientation week, bringing prospective students to the campus to get acquainted with their new environment. This year’s Head Start lineup, having already begun with a June 14th session for prospective Concurrent Education students, will include an additional six sessions, through to July 12th.

Of the six total remaining sessions, two will be restricted to only Concurrent Education students, set for July 4th and 7th.

Each date, as Chipps explained, is comprised of a series of information sessions for parents and students alike, one of which is run by Chipps himself.

“Parents have a session with the Dean, to talk about the life of a student, first year structure, academic integrity,” Chipps explained “After that, they have a session with me, to talk about how to support their student.”

While parents are being informed by the Laurier Head Start staff on how to do their part in support of their children, students are given the opportunity to ensure that their schedule is arranged according to their needs and desires. Students and their parents can then reunite to engage in information sessions on any campus subject matter of their choice, whether it is athletics and

recreation, residence information, student life engagement or others. At the end of the day, attendees can enjoy barbecued treats,

more or less engaged in campus life and activities.

“If they’ve [students] never really given

Matt Mente (Photo by Cody Hoffman)

and take the optional campus tour.

For Chipps, sessions like these can make the difference between a student whom is

it much thought, or never seen the campus ahead of time, then it’s going to be more difficult,” Chipps commented regarding

high school-to-university transition. He also inferred that participation in Head Start has a significant impact on students.

“Students who attend Head Start are more engaged,” Chipps stated. “Research shows that students that are engaged on campus improve their grades by one full grade point.”

Students who wish to learn more about potential campus engagement opportunities can also attend the LEAP program in Brantford, later in the summer. LEAP takes the next step toward student involvement in campus organizations. Unlike Head Start, it does not simply serve a university orientation purpose, but rather as both an orientation and a chance for incoming students to develop leadership skills for future campus involvement.

Matt Mente, the Learning & CoCurricular Programming Assistant for Student Affairs in Brantford, stated its purpose “is to prepare them for success in university by focusing on their leadership skills and giving them the tools to succeed both in and outside of the classroom.”

The program lineup will include a series of workshops based on teambuilding and delegation. A personal favourite of Mente’s is the exceptionality lunch, in which team leaders must act out an “exceptionality” or “impairment” over the course of the meal, whether mental or physical. To add to the diversity sessions, there will be a photo scavenger hunt.

“We have a ton of stuff. It’s a really packed weekend,” Mente commented. “Sessions cover everything from teambuilding to goal setting.”

Stressing the value of the program, Mente concluded, stating, “The concepts we introduce students [to] at LEAP are all things that come up again and again at university, particularly when you’re volunteering for any kind of organization on campus.”

The LEAP conference will occur August 9-11, 2013.

The JAVE card: Goodbye, and good riddance!

The JAVE card (Photo by Nathanael Lewis)

Nathanael Lewis News Editor

Starting in fall 2013, students enrolled in Journalism courses will no longer be required to buy a Journalism Audio-Visual Equipment (JAVE) card in order to rent university equipment.

In previous years, any students enrolled in a Journalism class requiring audio-visual equipment would have to buy a JAVE card for $55 per course.

The change to the rental system comes after almost eight years of the JAVE card being in use.

According to Sue Ferguson, Journalism Program Coordinator, the JAVE system was set up ill-informed and soon “[became] a

system that doesn’t work.”

“The [Journalism program] faculty at whole was never keen on the JAVE card,” she said.

The Journalism program at Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford was intended to be a tech-light program with a low reliance on any equipment beyond a sharp mind. The JAVE card was intended originally to be a way of paying off what little equipment was bought and controlling the use of it by students.

“I still like to think that all you need to be a good journalist is a type writer,” said Ferguson. “But that can no longer be the

case in today’s market.”

In February, Ferguson submitted a proposal for an allotted budget for new journalism equipment each year to the Dean, which she hopes will be followed up on in the next budget.

To ensure the security of the university’s equipment, Ferguson has also started the process to get the tech department to implement equipment waiver forms – legally binding students to the full replacement of any damaged, stolen or lost equipment.

According to Sylvia HernandezRassavong, who works at the sign out desk at Laurier, the system will help improve the

quality of service as well as give students an opportunity to use university equipment.

“I feel that it will be better for current and future students that may need to access the equipment,” says Melissa AnneMarie, a first-year journalism student. She explained her own experience with the system included not being able to purchase a JAVE card because of limited availability per term. This forced Marie to go buy her own equipment which cost her much more.

“Making the tech equipment more accessible to all students is a great thing for the university to do.”

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

FEATURES

Dillon Giancola// features@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikfeatures

The weirdest month of my life: My experience with GuillainBarre Syndrome Dillon Giancola Features Editor

It started just over a month ago. I had just finished my first year at Laurier, and a friend and I were driving back through St. Louis and Chicago to my home in Edmonton. It was going to be the perfect start to a great summer, a nice little trip before I got to see all my friends and family.

Nobody likes it when plans are changed by unforeseen circumstances. You get yourself so excited about something, and then you have to forget those expectations and adapt. It could be a flat tire, bad weather, or in this case, a very rare disease.

We drove 12 hours straight form Niagara Falls to St. Louis. We made great timing, and enjoyed the night exploring downtown. The next morning I woke up and my feet were tingling, and felt like they were asleep. I didn’t think too much of it, and just assumed it was because I was cooped up in the car all day. The tingling sensation did not go away, but I wasn’t worried. I thought it would go away once we finished the trip and were no longer driving. Four days later, we arrived in Edmonton. But it did not go away, and it would only get worse.

Now, I know having your feet tingle and losing movement in your toes might not seem that bad, but how about losing your taste? You will never realize how horrible that is until it happens. It was Tuesday night, my second day back in Edmonton, and I went out for some food with some friends. I ordered a Pepsi, and it tasted horrible, so I had another one. The second one was no better. I complained to the waitress and told her the Pepsi was flat.

She told me I was wrong. I settled with a water, and ordered some tacos. They also tasted horrible, and now I started to wonder what was going on. I was also really upset because I just wanted some tacos. But hey, that’s life, sometimes you lose your taste, it happens.

I was beginning to get worried. My symptoms were not getting better, and now most foods had almost no flavor at all. I limped when I walked, and had no strength in my legs at all. My friend Nathan joked that I might have multiple sclerosis, and at the time we thought that was funny. Friday morning I woke up and had trouble moving my face, and by the end of the night I couldn’t say certain words properly. I tried to stay as calm as I could, and decided in the morning I would go to the doctor.

By the morning I had lost almost all movement in my face. I couldn’t smile or wink, and could barely speak. You could not tell when I was laughing, and I wasn’t even able to fully close my eyelids.

I was involuntarily doing the Undertaker’s trademark look, where his eyes roll up into the back of his head. Under different circumstances that would have been awesome, but instead it just sucked because it was creepy and there was nothing I could do about it.

The doctor sent me to see a brain specialist right away. I was in Boyle visiting my parents, so I had a two hour drive to Edmonton to see the specialist. That was easily the weirdest and scariest drive to Edmonton I’ve ever experienced. I tried to stay positive, but hey, I watched 50-50. You think you have a migraine, and boom, the doctor tells you it’s cancer.

It’s a cliché that life is short and

you should live every day to the fullest.

But nothing can ever prepare you for something like this. You start to look back on your whole life, and think constantly of worst case scenarios. The worst part is not knowing what you have and what is going to happen. You just try to live your life like normal, but all the while are aware that something is very wrong. I relied strongly in this time on my faith in God, and on the love and support I received from my closest friends and family.

Luckily, I did not have cancer. They initially diagnosed me with MS, and Nathan and I were no longer laughing. Two days, 10 doctors, and what seems like 100 tests later, I was officially diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved by that or not, seeing as I have never heard of GB in my life. In fact, most people haven’t, and only one in 100,000 people get it.

Guillain-Barre happens when your immune system attacks your nerves. It’s usually caused by some kind of an infection or stomach flu, but the doctors don’t know for sure what caused it in my case. It usually starts with loss of feeling and numbness in the extremities, and soon progresses to paralysis of the face. If not treated in time, it can even result in respiratory problems.

Lucky for me, it does have a very high recovery rate.

So I don’t have cancer, and I don’t have MS; things are starting to look pretty good.

But then the doctor told me it will take eight months to a year for all my nerves to grow back and for things to be normal. It’s hard enough going a week without being able to taste and speak, but now I have to deal with this for a whole year? I lost 20 pounds the first week alone. It’s crazy how

little you care about eating once food stops tasting good.

I only had to spend one night in the hospital, which was awesome. But I did have to get five IV treatments. Eventually I was cleared to not have to come back to the hospital, and while I was thankful for that, I was still very disappointed. I just wanted to work and enjoy my summer, and instead I had to adapt to my new reality. Imagine how thrilled I was at the thought of going back to Laurier like this. I had friends calling me saying they heard I was back in town and that we need to meet up. And I would say, “Yeah for sure. I just got out of the hospital and can’t speak or eat. But sounds good, can’t wait!”

A couple days passed, and I started noticing improvements. By the end of the week I could speak clearly and my taste was fully back! Unfortunately, so were those 20 pounds. By the end of the next week I had 90% of the function and strength back in my legs and feet.

It has now been a month since I finished treatment at the hospital, and save for a very faint tingling in a couple toes, I am as healthy as ever. How did I recover so fast when the doctor said it could take so long? Who knows, but I’ll take it. All I can do is thank God that I’m OK, and keep living life. But the truth is that I am better off for having gone through this. It opened my eyes to how quickly life can change, but also to how blessed I am to have the life and health that I do. The craziest part about it is how fast it happened, how concerned and worry I became, and how quickly it all went away. You may not be able to live every day like its your last, but you can certainly live each day being thankful for who you are and what you have.

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

FEATURES

Dillion Giancola // features@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikfeatures

Rob Ford: A Victim?

Dillion Giancola Features Editor

It seems like any day of the week you can open the paper and find something negative being written about Rob Ford.

If all the reports are true, he must be the worst mayor of all time, or at the very least just a really terrible person. But is there another side to the story? Could he be a good mayor who is victimized by attacks from opposition bent on kicking him out of office?

Starting with last fall, Ford was under constant scrutiny for his role as football coach at Don Bosco High School.

He was criticized for spending too much time with the football program, and that it was taking away from his mayoral duties and causing him to be late for meetings.

He once used a city bus to transport his players home, and was criticized for this act for using city services for personal means, and this is a fair criticism.

However, it could also be seen as a mayor helping out troubled youth in his city, and doing what he could to ensure the safety of those entrusted to him. By using his own money to start the school’s football program back in 2002, it could be said that he was giving back to the community.

Perhaps it could be looked at as a guy that is not letting his job as mayor overwork him or distance him from the people. After all, isn’t a common criticism of politicians that they do not actually look after our interests and are just in it for themselves?

It is just as easy to write about this issue in

a positive light, yet that is rarely the case.

Recently, the Don Bosco school board had decided that Ford is no longer allowed to coach the team. Judy Collins, treasurer of the schools parent council, said that while he was a great coach and the students loved him, “he should focus on city business.” In a television interview in March, Ford described the kids as coming from rough neighborhoods and broken homes. “[Ford] said if it weren’t for him his players would be dead or on drugs and we thought that was over the top,” Collins said. Although Collins raised fair concerns, a school could do worse than having a top public figure donating his time and money to coach football and spend time with its students.

Following football season, a court ruling ordered Ford out of office.

The court found him in violation of the Municipal Conflict-Of-Interest Act after he voted for a ruling that would result in him not having to pay back donations made to his football charity. “The left wing wants me out of here and they’ll do anything in their power,” Ford said in response to this decision. Ford vowed to fight for his job and appealed the decision. He was reinstated, with the appeal judges ruling that he should not have had to repay the donations. In the end, it amounted to nothing but an effort to get Ford kicked out of office. The case they had against him had nothing to do with his policies,

and certainly did not show that he was doing a bad job as mayor. This set the stage for the biggest scandal Ford has faced yet.

Recently, reports surfaced that a video existed that showed, among other things, Ford smoking crack cocaine. Ford quickly faced accusations by two reporters from the Toronto Star, among others, that said they had seen the video. The Toronto Police said that they knew about the video before news about it broke, and conducted an investigation that was said to have placed the video in the police department’s hands. But as of yet, there is still no proof that the video exists, and the police chief has not commented on whether he found a video or not. While this still does not have anything to do with his actual decisions as mayor, illegal activity is worthy of criticism and being removed from office, but only if it is proven to be true.

The last two Montreal mayors were both proven in court to be corrupt, and so their removal from office is justified, but there is no evidence against Ford. The video would almost certainly be evidence enough, but if the video really exists, it would have surfaced by now. In the recent presidential election in the states, a video surfaced of some questionable comments that Mitt Romney made, and then he was forced to address those comments. In this case, unlike Ford’s, there was no doubt

that the video existed, and was able to be seen by both Romney’s opposition and the voters. These allegations against Ford may yet be proven to be true, but nevertheless it is strange that scandals and accusations continue to pile up against the mayor.

These examples are just a sample of the criticism that Ford has faced this last year. Actual policies and decisions he has made as mayor, such as his refusal to increase income tax or put the city into debt, have not been the focal point of such criticism. In fact, they could be seen as the actions of a mayor who is looking after the interests and well-being of his constituents. Ford’s stance against a recent provincial proposal to cut $50 million in housing funding certainly does not scream that he is doing a lousy job and is a horrible mayor. In fact, a recent survey from Forum Research conducted at the beginning of June show that Ford’s approval rating has not changed as a result of the drug allegations.

Only time will tell how Rob Ford’s term as mayor will unfold. Maybe he will be re-elected, maybe the personal attacks will stop, or perhaps he will be found guilty of drug use or other illegal activities. But until then, it would sure be refreshing if the media and those against Ford focused more on what he is actually doing as mayor of Toronto.

Weighing the Facts (Graphic by Rebecca Duce)

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

A&E

Amber Richardson // arts@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikarts

Lighthouse stuns fans at Toronto Jazz Festival Amber Richardson A&E Editor

In 1968, keyboardist Paul Hoffert and drummer/vocalist Skip Prokop began forming one of Canada’s iconic rock bands, Lighthouse. Previously, the band consisted of an entire string section, brass, guitars, keyboards, etc. but they have whittled it down to ten guys, who have been working tirelessly together at keeping Lighthouse alive since 1992. The band combines

classical, jazz, and rock to create a unique and powerful sound. Even in their senior years, Lighthouse members were able to jam pretty hard, even despite founding member Skip Prokop’s declining health condition. As it was announced at the show, Prokop suffered from some sort of heart trauma thirteen weeks ago, and had a pace maker installed in his chest. You would

never know it by his performance, and he drummed and sang his fragile little heart out. The band played hits like Fine China and their most popular track, Sunny Days.

Overall, the show was great, and front man Dan Clancy belted out some impressive notes.

The Toronto Jazz Fest is happening from June 20-29, and will be featuring artists such

by the support and excited to reach new listeners across the country. Short answer? I guess we’re pretty friggin’ excited.

you guys so happy?

as Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, Mavis Staples, Nikki Yanofsky, and many more.

Venues all over the city will be hosting the acts, and fans can peruse the countless vendors and art installations that the fest has to offer. The Toronto Jazz festival has a little bit of something for everyone, and I urge any music fan to check out this lovely gem that Toronto has to offer.

with Amber Richardson At this year’s very first CBC Music Fest, I got an opportunity to see Sherman Downey and the Ambiguous Case perform live. The performance was nothing short of breathtaking, and I immediately googled them to learn that they had just been named Canada’s Best New Musical Act in a contest run by CBC Radio. The band is from Newfoundland, and they embrace the unique, unrivaled charm of Maritimes in their sound. I got the chance to chat a bit with front man Sherman Downey, and he was cool enough to answer a few questions about the band (and himself) for The Sputnik. Want to know a bit about these smashing newcomers? Find out all about them below.

1. You were just named Canada’s “Best New Musical Act.” What the heck does that feel like?

We’re pretty humbled by the response from fans of the band, actually. For those who haven’t followed the CBC Searchlight Competition, about 3000 bands from across Canada entered in a competition where the winner was chosen through a fan-based voting process. We’re overwhelmed

2. How has the East Coast influenced your sound?

The boys grew up in Corner Brook here on the West Coast of Newfoundland and I grew up in a little spot called South Branch in the Codroy Valley also on the West Coast of the island.

I’m pretty sure the guys were all raised on metal and I was surrounded by old country. We’re managing to meet in the middle somewhere! Please don’t imagine we’re a folk metal band, however. There’s a pretty rich cultural influence, which permeates our day to day. There are a lot of go-to instruments in our province; guitars, of course, mandolins, fiddles and accordions - instruments that can sit at an arms reach in the corner of any room. We use those instruments when we write and play and it’s just natural for us to use them on the road. We have a certain loyalty to them you might say.

3. So many artists focus on the crappy part of life, what keeps

Ha! I don’t know - perhaps we’re happy because of the music we play rather than the other way around.

Ultimately, we’re just a bunch of friends doing what we love and as long as we continue to get people out to listen to the little songs we write, we’ll be happy.

If you mean the songs that we’ve released, the top song played now is “Keep Your Head Up”.... maybe because there’s yodeling, not sure. It’s followed closely by “Blue” and “Church Mouse”.

If you mean the songs that I listen to on iTunes? It’s “One Day the Warner” by Al Tuck.

4. Do you have an affinity for bees? If so, why? If not, why the bee?

6. What is one piece of advice you’d give to a struggling musician?

The bee on our first album was painted by the very talented Grant Boland.

We’d decided to call the first album “Honey for Bees” because it’s a sweet and easy-to-remember title. I decided a while ago (despite any confusion that may arise) to write the title tracks for our albums and put them on the subsequent releases. Perhaps having the title track for the first CD on the second release has lent the Bee a bit more longevity. Of course, that’s not a bad thing. Plus, bees are just lovely.

Love what you do.

5. What’s the top played song on your iTunes?

7. If your band was a pizza, what kind would it be?

In the interest of being diplomatic, I texted the boys and asked about favorite pizza toppings.

Andrew: Anchovies Bill: Sausage Neil: Artichoke Paul: Mushrooms Sherman: Bacon That’s one weird pizza, but wrap it up we’ll take it.

Sherman Downey (photo courtesy of Scott Grant)

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

A&E

Amber Richardson // arts@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikarts

Cheery festival goers at Bonnaroo (photo courtesy of Bonnaroo.com)

A weekend at the ‘Roo Amber Richardson A&E Editor

From June 13-16, I had the time of my life at my very first Bonnaroo music festival.

The giant fest took place on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, and about 80,000 amazing folks were in attendance. Among the crowd were hippies, seniors, children, Mario and Princess Peach, and just about any other type of person you could think of. Everyone was dripping with sweat under the sweltering southern sun. While we all smelled pretty friggin’ awful, that somehow didn’t deter anyone from making tons of new stinky friends. The atmosphere

was welcoming and ultra-friendly, the sort you’d find in a close-knit small town—and that’s exactly what Bonnaroo was, a small town that partied and basked in tunes for four days.

The headliners of the weekend were nothing short of electric, with energetic performances by Paul McCartney, Jack Johnson, Bjork, R. Kelly, Macklemore, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and many more. Mumford and Sons were originally on the bill for Saturday night, but due to bassist Ted Dwane’s health condition, they

were forced to cancel their performance.

Jack Johnson was a last-minute savior, and stated to fans, “I’ve got a lot of lyrics and chords to relearn by Saturday night […] We are excited to hit the stage again.” Johnson paid homage to Mumford and Sons by covering “The Cave”, a track off their 2009 album Sigh No More.

My absolute favourite performance pertaining to the headliners, however, was definitely Paul McCartney. As a huge fan of the Beatles, and a much, much younger Paully Mac, I was expecting a mediocre

show. I was also expecting that the 71year old would keel over in the Tennessee weather if he rocked out too hard, but no such mediocrity or fragility occurred.

McCartney wowed fans with solo tracks, as well as a slew of Beatles singles that had everyone dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. After the Tupac hologram at Coachella, I was half expecting Lennon to miraculously appear on stage, but I had no such luck.

How to: Organize your tiny bedroom Amber Richardson A&E Editor

University, while it has its many perks - like living away from home - it also has some downsides, like unbearably tiny bedrooms. If you’re wondering how the heck you’re going to fit all of your stuff into your shoebox of a dorm room, this article is for you.

First, let’s start with the essentials: clothes and shoes. It’s pretty much a fact that you’re going to bring way too many clothes (but you need it, right?) and far too many pairs of shoes. If this sounds like you, your bedroom runs the risk of being disaster central. For your clothes, put as many away in drawers and wardrobes as possible. Chances are, you’re going to have out-of-season clothes, costumes, togas, etc. there as well. For the clothes you don’t wear all the time, grab some under-the-bed boxes and store your extra clothes under there—it’s not like you will be using the space for anything anyways. For shoes,

The Sputnik wants you!

run to a nearby department store and pick up an over-the-door shoe rack. I bought one for less than 20 bucks and it holds 36 pairs of shoes … that’s 72 shoes that are no longer littered all over my floor.

If you love jewelry and dolling yourself up from time to time, like myself, you probably have too many accessories and too much makeup as well. For the sake of your sanity, and to avoid untangling your favourite necklaces come party time, I’ve devised a few tricks to keeping your accessories organized. First, necklaces are probably the hardest accessories to keep organized, so build a necklace holder. I just used a slab of wood, painted it to my liking, and screwed in some cupboard knobs. Ta da! Looks cute and all of my necklaces are in plain view and untangled. For bracelets, I took a plastic tube (paper towel roll works too), set it on a base, and just stacked my bracelets on top of one another; this can also

be done for watches. Earrings and rings are easier to store, so I just put them all in a decorative bowl. If you don’t have extra space to store your makeup, I recommend buying a metal sheet (cookie sheet works), covering it in fabric, and attaching magnets to your makeup to stick on to the board.

This can be super decorative, and it keeps your makeup contained and off your desk!

Another pesky and bulky accessory that is difficult to store are sunglasses. I have about a billion pairs, and until recently, I stuffed them in various drawers and purses. All you have to do to perfectly organize them is buy a frame (a large one) and tie some string from one end to another. Hang the sunglasses on the string, and you’re set! You will never break or lose another pair ever again (in your room, at least). To organize things like purses and scarves, just buy pant hangers and clip ‘em on. Super cheap and easy way to keep track of all your bags

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Looks great on your CCR!

and sashes.

For books, mags, CDs, DVDs, etc. use shelves if you’re allowed. If you put the shelves close to the ceiling, you can hold all of your extra stuff without it looking like it’s cluttering your room too much, and all you’ll need is a little step stool or your desk chair to get it down. If you’re allowed to put holes in the wall, put your TV up as well, it will free up some dresser or desk space for more deserving things, like frames and snow globes—if you’re into that kinda thing.

If you want to maximize your tiny space, and jam pack as much as possible without looking like you belong on Hoarders, follow these super easy, super cheap ideas and you will be set for the rest of your time at university!

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

SPORTS Kyle Morrison // sports@thesputnik.ca | @sputniksports

Laurier students enjoy another summer of Major League Softball

Nicole McAlary’s (bottom right corner) team poses for their team photo before a game. The team name is Front Row Orange and is sponsored by Front Row Restaurant, a local sports bar in Waterloo. (Photo courtesy of a Laurier Waterloo student)

Chris Pimental Staff Everyone can appreciate a good combination of softball, cold drinks and friends.

Many workplaces are known to participate in such events by entering in leagues together or holding tournaments to promote team morale. A group of 500 students at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo are also partaking in these events this summer.

Years ago a group of students at Laurier came together to create a softball league they named Major League Softball (MLSB).

The students created the league as a way to keep them occupied during the summer months that they were stuck at school for mandatory courses - offered only on the break. Since the majority of university students return to their hometowns on summer vacation, that left the other percentage of students with little to occupy their time

and to fix this issue they decided to create a softball team.

There are 32 teams in the league, with about 16 to 22 players on each team. Much like in Major League Baseball the students are divided into two separate leagues and play on either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. There is a cross over with the leagues, called interleague play, which happens in the playoffs at the end of the summer or tournaments on select weekends. Each team plays twice a week for ten weeks. They also each participate in an all-star game. MLSB will also organize many events throughout the summer such as a Blue Jays game, a rafting trip and a camping trip for the all-star weekend.

Laurier is in no way affiliated with the league and the school’s logo will not appear on any of the documentation, sports-

wear or league logos. This leaves the cost up to the students. There are nine convenors chosen for the league and each of them are in charge of finding sponsorships, moderating rules and the basic up-keep of the league’s websites which include standings and scores.

Sponsorship money usually comes from local businesses in Waterloo, mainly businesses that have contributed to the league in the past and will usually feature their logo on the teams’ jerseys. In return the teams are expected to support the businesses at least once a month by going to visit them. This is an easy request for the teams, especially when their team sponsor is a local bar.

Nicole McAlary is a fifth-year thesis student who is playing in the league for the first time. McAlary found out about

the league through friends in the business program at the Laurier Waterloo campus.

McAlary figured that joining the league would be beneficial to her because she figured it was a great way to meet new people and get some exercise. McAlary enthuses that her experience in the league has made this summer one of the best she has ever had. “We are a tight knit group of fun and friendly people who know how to make the most of a quiet town for the summer,” she said.

The Major League Softball team seems to have completed their goal of giving students in a school town something fun to do during the quiet time of the year. Many believe that the MLSB should continue to grow and provide a fun activity for students in the summer time.

Living a lie no longer: NBA centre paving the way for fellow gay athletes Kyle Morrison Sports Editor When Jason Collins walked down the streets of Boston in the city’s gay pride parade on June 9, for the first time in his life he could embrace who he was and confidently show to the world that he is a gay professional athlete.

Professional sports exist within a testosterone-driven environment, in which athletes are praised for their superior physicality over their opponents. When one thinks of the stereotypes associated with homosexuality, these usually do not mesh.

But things changed on May 1, when the NBA centre announced to the world that he is gay. Collins, who is now a free agent, but last played for the Washington Wizards in 2013, became the first active athlete to come out as gay in one of the four major professional sports leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL), and with this announcement can maybe one of the biggest taboos in sports be put to rest.

Sports and athletics are certainly the

least conducive environment to the acceptance of homosexuality. There is such a great fear of one’s manhood being threatened when talking about gay athletes; the fear of being looked at in the shower and being around them naked in the locker room, for example. Your teammates become your brothers on the battlefield, who you live and die with. Being gay unfortunately alienates you from the group and creates massive tension in the locker room.

The thought exists that all this time, someone you showered with, celebrated victories with and gone out to bars with could have been looking at you the whole time wanting to have sex with you. So, for the sake of the team, gay athletes have been willing to live a lie rather than live freely simple as who they are.

Collins was no different. As with the groups of gay athletes that have not come out to the public and their teammates, Collins was living a lie. “When I was young-

er I dated women. I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way,” he told Sports Illustrated.

Collins has changed public opinion and gained a huge outcry of support, even from President Obama. With each magazine and television interview his story has reached sports fans and non-sports fans alike across the globe. These are all positive steps, but will Collins’ coming out change attitudes within locker rooms across the board in basketball, hockey, baseball, football and soccer? When will this become a non-issue?

After all, there has not been a shortage of homophobic events occurring within the sports world within the last year.

Granted that was before Collins’ announcement, but athletes, like regular people, who are ignorant and intolerant won’t simply go away. However, the question is whether or not Collins is a big enough name to create the kind of sway an athlete would need to create widespread change

and show how little it matters. Imagine what would happen if LeBron James or Peyton Manning or Sidney Crosby came out as being gay?

We are one star away from showing athletes everywhere that not only are gay athletes of course no different than straight ones, have no less desire to win or skill to do so, and nine times out of ten have more skill than opponents. But sports have to start somewhere, and every cause for change needs its trailblazer.

The mental toll it takes on someone to supress who they are and pretend to be something they are not is immense, compounded greatly when added to the physical and mental toll it takes to be a professional athlete and it will be interesting to see free of that burden, how Collins performs as a basketball player in the 2013-14 season and who will be next to overcome that final hurdle and stop living a lie.

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

SPORTS Kyle Morrison // sports@thesputnik.ca | @sputniksports

Laurier Brantford men’s hockey: A look back at 2013’s championship run

Laurier Brantford Champions (Photo by Lynn Gulliver

Anthony Fusco Staff The Laurier Brantford men’s extramural team took part in their first ever Challenge Cup this past season. Despite facing some ups and downs over the course of their schedule, the guys were able to pull it all together at the right time and bring home the Challenge Cup and earn the title of OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) champions.

The tournament started off with the Golden Hawks taking on Flemming College, based out of Peterborough. The Hawks would take with game with a solid 2-0 shutout victory. Up next for the boys was a game against St. Lawrence College, who at the time were the top rated team in the tournament.

With that game tied 1-1 after three periods, it was time for a shootout. The Hawks would go on to eventually win the game

by a score of 2-1, taking out the top seed in the process. The guys would use that momentum in their next game against Sault College. They took an early lead, but Sault came back in the third. It took a late goal by Laurier captain Dave Howe to secure the win and send the boys into the semi-finals.

The semi-finals came on fast and Laurier continued to ride high on their wave of momentum as they scored four goals and shutout their opponents from Trent.

The finals were played between Laurier and Seneca College. The Hawks came flying out of the gate and score a goal right at the beginning of the game. A goal in each of the final two periods would secure a Hawks victory and their first ever Challenge Cup. The Golden Hawks men’s hockey team is the first squad from Laurier Brantford to be crowned champions of this tournament.

There were many players on the roster that should pointed out and will be key if the boys want to make a run at defending their title. Captain Dave Howe scored some clutch goals for the team, and assistant captain Andrew Pawluk played incredible hockey in each of the five games.

Goalie Ben Brenner was also highly praised by Howe who said, “Brenner stuck out this tournament as usual, it’s tough to not show respect for a kid who gets three shutouts in the Provincials.” Brenner’s excellent play resulted in the team getting shutout wins in three of their five games in this tournament.

The Hawks head into next season with some big shoes to fill. They are the defending tournament champions and will lose many of their veteran players this off-season. Players such as Kelan Herr, Dylan Par-

nell, Andrew Pawluk and Tanner Rutland will be greatly missed by the Hawks squad.

They each brought a lot of unique things to this team that will now have some holes to fill.

Returning player Blake Ralston said despite this, the boys will need to pull together and play their absolute best to defend their right to call themselves the champions. “We are losing a lot of the older players who made up the backbone of the team.

Despite this, there is a lot of good young talent that can come up and fill the gaps admirably.”

The Hawks will be a younger squad this coming year. New leaders will rise and new talent is waiting in the wings. The Golden Hawks team taking to the ice will be new and different, but will be determined to defend their championship title.

(Photo by Lynn Gulliver

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The Sputnik // Wednesday, June 26, 2013

OPINION

Beauty is Cody Groat // opinion@thesputnik.ca | @sputnikopinion

Cody Groat Opinion Editor

a beast

I think a lot of people were pleased, as was I, with Disney’s decision of making one of their latest princesses a little different than the “traditionally beautiful” previous ones. Now, I know that sounds weird, seeing as they’re cartoon. But think, the characters (even in Disney films) are meant to look good. Their names even implying it sometimes, such as Prince Charming from Cinderella or Belle from Beauty and the Beast. There’s the bright red lips of Snow White, the elaborate dresses of Cinderella, the off-the-shoulder look of Jasmine and if Walt Disney Productions isn’t trying to make a statement with Jessica Rabbit from the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, then I’m actually a car.

The Disney princess I’m writing about is 16 year old Merida, from the 2012 film Brave. Surprisingly for me, I haven’t seen this film yet. Judge all you want, but I’m a Disney fan, straight and simple. This Scottish teen didn’t have many, if any, of the of the cliche princess attire seen in the cartoon films we all love. A good ol’ Google search gave me an idea of what she looked like. A fairly bland outfit, a bit heavier looking than the other princesses (but still in no way something that today’s society would call “unattractive”), and absolutely wild hair. I mean, I thought I had uncontrollable hair, but Merida wins. If I were to look at her individually, there wouldn’t be a second thought. She’s a cartoon character in a movie! That’s all! But then you line her up with the ten other official members of the Disney Princess media franchise (being; Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel (given legs and a flowing dress), Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan (full dress, hair ornament), Tiana and Rapunzel) you start to see that she sort of stands out.

Previously I used the phrases “she didn’t have many” and “gave me an idea of what she looked like”. These were fully intentional, because someone in marketing at Disney must of thought that her standing out wasn’t the best idea, so they changed her appearance. I found a photo of her after her Disney makeover. This featured unruly hair turned into flowing curls, an elaborate dress, paler skin, makeup, and believe it or not, even a slimmer figure! They turned a character that children loved, that children fully accepted as-is, into what adult society deemed more “princess” like. To me, and apparently

●●●

many, this was an unacceptable move. This could have many long-term effects to children currently in love with the Disney franchise, in my opinion, in matters such as selfesteem and what you are expected to look like. How could these effects come about? Well obviously Merida before wasn’t good enough, that must be why they changed her, right?

To me, it was just sad. Because to me this wasn’t “the magic of Disney”, it was a marketing decision, a way to get more money, without looking at the principle of the matter. I have now read that Merida was designed the way she was on purpose, to contradict the typical look for a reason. So, as I said, other children could relate to the characters of their childhood.

The creator of the character (among with others such as female empowerment group A Mighty Girl) spoke their outrage, and a petition was formed on website Change.org, getting over 200000 virtual signatures to change her back. The result was a statement by Disney, stating that the change was only for her “Disney princess coronation ceremony”, and that she would revert back to normal for other appearances.

Has the damage already been done?

Has the company already made a point, and have they officially started stereotyping “beauty” in their characters? At this point, maybe it’s hard to tell. Although, Disney’s next princess, Anna (to be seen in the 2013 film, Frozen) features the same looks that everyone who watches Disney has come to know.

So maybe the company is going to stick to tradition, stick to the good ol’ princess look of before, and not use their power of media to make a point that could benefit the self-esteem of thousands of children.

Disney princesses are being redrawn (Illustration

by Rebecca Duce)

What is TV teaching your kids?

Cody Groat Opinion Editor I swear, shows I watched growing up in the ‘90s had so much more depth and life lessons than the ones my nine- and tenyear-old brothers are watching these days.

I’ll admit, I only started watching Boy Meets World this year (the rather sad experience of my roommate and I watching every single episode in about four months), but during those four months I think I learned more from George Feeny than I did from all my profs put together. That show taught me the fundamentals of life, the challenges and experiences of some youth who face parental abuse, the experiences of alcoholism in a household, the challenges of a death in the family, and just how much you can rely on your family (or alternatively, your next door neighbour/ the only teacher you’ll ever have).

Then, you have a show such as the (not as loving-family sensed) Malcolm in the Middle, which I did grow up watching.

Although this show contains a lot more trouble making, yelling, and well ... hornier parents, it as well teaches amazing morals to grow up on, such as ... well, they’re there.

Trust me.

The thing is, these are both live-action shows, and some people wonder if cartoons can have the same effect for even younger children. It’s my full belief that they can indeed. Take for example the episode of Arthur called “George and the Missing Puzzle Piece”, which aired April 5th, 2010.

In this episode, George (the moose), meets

a rabbit character named Carl. He notices something “odd” with his new friend, some things such as rather straightforward and abrupt honesty, and an occasional inability to handle new experiences. George learns from Carl’s mother, and eventually learns more from The Brain, that Carl has something called Asperger’s Syndrome (which, for those who may not know, is a form of highfunctioning autism). After watching this episode, I feel that they handled the topic really gracefully, and in a way that children can learn acceptance of unique circumstances they may not be used to, through familiar characters. As they explained in the show “it’s like being on a different planet, like Earth but different. Although you’re speaking the same language, it may seem like someone is speaking gibberish.” Among with many other tidbits of knowledge related to the world of someone diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Recently, the long-running, classic children’s show (that both myself and my mother grew up watching), Sesame Street, depicted a new character in a unique circumstance. Their new character, Alex, has a father who’s in jail. Some people, and media outlets, didn’t know how to take this. Some took it rather maliciously, while others praised everyone on the Street, I’m with the latter. To me, it’s just the next step in using children’s media outlets and familiar characters to teach valuable and sometimes difficult lessons. I really don’t

feel that having a show such as Sesame Street depicting a character with a parent in jail as anything that oversteps boundaries, seeing as (as a Pew Charitable Trusts report reads),in the United States, one in every 28 children have a child in jail.

I decided to do some research, and found out that the incarceration episode actually has a full tool kit on the Sesame Street website. This kit provides such tools as “tips for parents” and lessons on “expressive feelings.” I decided to take some time and read through some other tool kits, to see what exactly kids were being taught these days. Some I could expect, such as “Healthy Teeth, Healthy Me”, or “Learning [and Math] Is Everywhere”, these basic lessons have always been taught in television, and I’m glad they are still to this day. But then, with the incarceration one, there are others that are more ... unique. “A is for Asthma”, “Families Stand Together” (through tough financial times), and the one that I found the most unique, “Hurricane Kit”. This one, as the name implies uses the Sesame Street characters to show the best way to stay safe during a hurricane, and how to help the community or your family during the aftermath.

Is this lesson needed? Are any? Does youth media have an obligation to teach children lessons? I kind of want to say yes, they do. Although, some ignore this (as far as I can find) unwritten rule and, quite frankly, air what I think is total garbage

and call it television. Sure, you have shows on television like South Park (which is animated) and teaches the total opposite of what children should see. But, just because it’s cartoon doesn’t mean it’s for children!

The shows actually meant for children, like Sesame Street, Backyardigans or Super Why are the perfect venue to get children involved in ways that can aid even their adult life (as long as that physical activity is squeezed in too)!

Then, there are the shows that are for the slightly older child, such as my previously mentioned Boy Meets World and Malcolm in the Middle (okay, I’ll be honest and say I watch both of those still). These shows, again, don’t need to teach these lessons, but may have an obligation in my eyes. Today, the shows my young brothers are flicking through really have none of the lessons that we grew up with, which to me is a pity. Not to sound old beyond my years, but it seems like they’re being forced to much random garbage for laugh value, or else gore to supplement. I guess in a perfect round about end to this ... last week the Boy Meets World spin-off, Girl Meets World, was picked up

by Disney channel, with most of the same writers from the original series still present.

Maybe, just maybe, there’s some lessons on television left for my brothers yet. Maybe a character will even have a parent in jail, or a friend with Asperger’s Syndrome.