Volume 18, Issue 9– January 30, 2019
The Sputnik, We Orbit Around You. News, pg. 4
Features, pg. 6
Arts pg. 9
UX COLLABS ON WHAT FEMINISIM IMPROV CLUB DESIGN WORKSHOP MEANS TO LAURIER HOSTS SHOW
How design thinking can solve the world’s problems
We ask students how femi- Brant improv festival alnism applies to their lives lowed community to join
Sports, pg. 11
Opinion, pg. 12
ALUM NAMED RUNNING ON ALLSTAR CAPTAIN LOW BATTERY
How this coach took this team straight to “gold”
Being forced out of one’s comfort zone can be exhausting
#THANKSDOUGFORD The PC government’s choices are leaving students with more debt and uncertainty and less of a way to manage it. News pg. 3
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“Sex Education” - Thomas Domingos, First Year, Undecided
“You” - Makaila Willmore, First Year, English
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“Prison Break” - Jessie Sidhu, First Year, Human Rights
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SOCIAL JUSTICE
Laurier protests Ford’s OSAP changes The PC government’s changes to OSAP has left many feeling uncertain about their pursuit for education DELLESIA NOAH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Doug Ford’s recent cuts to OSAP funding have lead the Laurier community to come out in protest. Thursday, Jan. 24, students, faculty and residents of the Brantford community gathered in Victoria Park to protest the recent cuts and changes made by the PC government on how OSAP will be distributed and paid back. The protest was co-organized by Hannah Scott and Sarah Wiley, who both study social justice and community engagement at Laurier Brantford.
We are definitely people who have a lot of problems with a lot of the policies of the Ford government. -Sarah Wiley, Laurier Brantford Student
“One of the things I wanted to do was educate. People hear what’s in the media, and that’s not always true. Sometimes there are lies out there,” said Scott, “If people all across Ontario do this then maybe the government can actually listen to us and what we need” Scott continued. “We are definitely people who have a lot of problems with a lot of the policies of the Ford government. We’re activists in the community who like to do a lot of this work,” said Wiley. Some of Ford’s changes include elimination of free tuition for lowincome students. Recently the province’s auditor general warned that costs associated with the OSAP grant program had risen by 25 per cent. As a result , the PC government has reduced the family income threshold required to qualify for OSAP funding. Students from low-income families can still qualify for funding to cover their entire tuition fees but some of the funding will be a loan as opposed to a grant. Wiley and Scott hoped that by organizing this protest they would urge students to look closer at the decisions made by the PC government. “The students who are going to be most affected are marginalized and poor students who don’t have the resources to otherwise afford their education outside of OSAP grants,” explained Wiley. “I think that the government is playing a shell game with what they’re doing,” said Rob Kristofferson, an associate professor at Laurier Brantford. “They’re taking 2 billion dollars that was allocated for OSAP grants saying that that’s too expensive; giving students a rebate that amounts to $360 million and saying that that is adding something to student’s experience when it’s not they’re actually taking away.” Kristofferson believes that these changes will make it less accessible for students to receive post-secondary education.
Ford’s changes will allow for a tuition reduction of 10 per cent for the 2019-2020 school year for both college and university students; college students will pay approximately 340 dollars less a school year and university students approximately 660 dollars less. This means that colleges and universities will have to absorb the loss in revenue. “The university is getting these cuts [but] the tuition cut represents a serious blow to Laurier’s budget. We’re still waiting to hear what the total number is going to be but I’d hazard a guess that it’s going to be over $10 million a year that we’re going to have to find efficiencies for across the university,” said Kristofferson. “So, what are we going to shrink, what are we going to do away with? Those are open questions for the moment.” The PC government also allowed for the elimination of the interest free six-month grace period. A choice that the PC government alleges will “reduce complexity for students.” Wiley described these decisions as a “cash grab from the Ford government.” “It’s also requiring most students -- if they are still going to be getting OSAP -- to get loans which they’re going to have to pay the government back a heck ton of interest, which is not good for anybody,” Wiley said, “ I mean anybody who reads about the proposed 10 per cent tuition cut should know that it’s not anywhere comparable to the money we’re going to be losing from the OSAP grants and it’s really just a sugar coating to cover up the amount of money that they’re taking away from students.”
DELLESIA NOAH/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Students gathered in Victoria Park holding signs that read: Doug Ford, dropped out of college, doesn’t mean I have to.
The university is getting these cuts [but] the tuition cut represents a serious blow to Laurier’s budget. -Rob Kristofferson, Associate Professor at Laurier Brantford
Ford’s changes will leave students with a choice between which ancillary fees they will have to pay. Fees for health services, athletics and other chosen programs will remain mandatory, but organizations, clubs, and groups on campus that inform, educate, and provide for students may be at risk. “Things like student newspapers, student unions and lots of important student leadership groups are going to be de-legitimized, defunded and not have the ability to advocate for students and really hinder the student movement as a whole,” said Wiley. The students gathered in Victoria Park ranged from first-year students -- who would have to deal with the changes to OSAP in their ongoing university careers -- to students in their last year who would be heavily affected by the elimination of the six-month, interest-free grace period. “We’re here today because our provincial government has decided that it does not value making
DELLESIA NOAH/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Students gathered in Victoria park holding signs that read “Doug Ford: For the privileged.”
investments in the future of this province. It does not believe in the value of investing in student futures now, so that society may reap the benefits of our talents later,” said first-year student Cody; as he addressed the crowd gathered in the park. Scott, who is in her last year, describes herself as fortunate to finish at this time, “But there’s people I love who are coming up
in high school who will be coming to university that now don’t know if their education will even be possible. The people who are undergrads at Laurier will now be struggling because they don’t know if they’ll be able to continue their education.” Students weren’t the only ones to speak out at the protest; faculty and employees from campus groups also spoke out as well.
Protesters started at Victoria Park before marching to Will Bouma’s office -- MPP for Brantford-Brant. They could be heard chanting “education is a right, not just for the rich and white,” as well as “hey, ho Doug Ford/Will Bouma has got to go” Will Bouma was seen leaving his offices as protestors were arriving.
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CAMPUS
Laurier UX collabs on design workshop
Prepr in collaboration with Laurier UX sets out to find solutions to social justice issues the world faces DELLESIA NOAH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
From Feb. 1 to 3, Laurier students will be designing ideas for the United Nations’ 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Laurier Brantford’s user experience (UX) program, in collaboration with Prepr -- a non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities for design thinking -- will be hosting Prepr’s United Nations’ social design challenge for students on this campus.
It’s definitely about social change. Design thinking: it is a tool that can be used whether you’re making money or making the world a better place. -Abby Goodrum, Program Coordinator of Laurier’s UX Program
The weekend will provide an opportunity for students to work in teams to come up with critical ways in which they can help to solve social issues like poverty, climate change and injustice. “It’s definitely about social change. Design thinking: it is a tool that can be used whether you’re making money or making the world a better place,” said Abby Goodrum, professor and program coordinator for Laurier’s user
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experience program, about the hallenge. Goodrum pointed out that making money and making the world a better place don’t have to be mutually exclusive in the world of UX design, though. “We take students through the process of ideating and coming up with the creative, innovative ideas to understanding and developing empathy; to really develop the
understanding of users and then intuitively prototyping ideas and working through them together in a group,” she said. Prepr’s involvement and collaboration with Laurier on the United Nations’ social development challenge was born out of the organization’s mission to pay-itforward and provide education. It was in 2013 that the organization started experimenting and delving
into design challenges for students. “We wanted to structure other events where students could actually tackle stuff that they’re passionate about. The United Nations had a challenge that was perfect for that, different aspects for each of these goals can connect them. Our goal is to take passion into learning instead of someone saying you have to read this book, you’re going and seeking that
knowledge because your focused on solving the problems that you care about, because these problems move you,” said Salar Chagpar, co-founder and chief visioneer at Prepr. From these design challenges that Prepr has put on they have developed their own methodology called PIE -- which stands for project leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship -- that they have implemented in all their design challenges. The challenge is an invitation not only to students across our campus but also to high school students who may be interested as well as those in the Brant community. In order to get a larger turn out, the coordinators are not using the term “Hack-a-thon”. “’Hacka-thons’ make you think that you need to code and that scares people away because not everyone codes and not every solution needs to be digital,” Goodrum stressed. The kick-off and closing ceremonies for the event will be held in the auditorium room in the Odeon building, whereas the rest of the days will be held inside the UX spaces in the Market Darling Centre next to Odeon. The UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development has 17 goals, which are calls to action for all countries involved. The goals include: good health and wellbeing; quality education; gender equality; affordable and clean energy; industry innovation; and infrastructure and climate action, among others.
BRANTFORD
City opts out of cannabis shops Brantford isn’t alone in this choice ALEX VIALETTE WEB DIRECTOR
Brantford city councillors voted against legalizing cannabis stores in the city on Jan. 15. The vote will delay the opening of any cannabis retailers for Brantford again, with it originally being promised for October 2018 under the Wynn administration and then April this year by Premiere Doug Ford. Recently elected Mayor Kevin Davis was one of the seven members of city council who voted against opting-in. He hopes that waiting to legalize the stores will help Brantford in the long run. “The decision of Brantford Council was to opt out of cannabis retail temporarily, so that we could negotiate a better deal with the province,” Davis wrote in an email. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario held a lottery this month, where individuals across the province could apply for a license to open a retail cannabis store. The licenses were distributed regionally, with six awarded in the Greater Toronto Area, five in Toronto itself and seven in western Ontario. The Gaming Commission plans to distribute retail licenses in
phases so that the industry is not overwhelmed by demand. This decision was based in part on the demand the Ontario Cannabis Store—which currently remains the only legal method of purchasing cannabis in the province—faced on Oct. 17 and the warning from industry members that Ontario does not have the supply for a extensive retail license distribution program.
The decision of Brantford Council was to opt out of cannabis retail temporarily, so that we could negotiate a better deal with the province. -Kevin Davis, Mayor of the City of Brantford
“The OCS has been truly amazed by the volume of sales,” said OCS President Patrick Ford in a press release on Oct. 19. “It’s way beyond what we anticipated and we appreciate customers’ patience as this exciting new business gets off the ground.”
MADELIN MOSES/PHOTO EDITOR
76 other cities across the province have also opted-out of having canabis retail stores including Vaughn and Markham.
While the Ontario Cannabis Store, the retail cannabis industry and recreational consumers are excited to see legal stores opening in their communities soon, Brantford’s councillors are not the only Ontarians hesitant to opt-in. 76 other municipalities across the province have opted-out of allowing retail cannabis stores, including Markham, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville and Vaughan. “I have spoken to the mayors of other municipalities who have opted out and many of them have cited some of the same concerns that were expressed here,” Davis wrote.
“Collectively, I think we can have more influence and power over how cannabis retail is implemented in our communities.” Critics have raised concerns that the provincial government’s new plan will do nothing to curb black market retailers in cities that did not receive one of the 25 licenses. Concerns have been raised that 25 licenses is far too few for Canada’s most heavily populated province. Additionally, Statistics Canada has reported that legal cannabis costs $3.00 more on average than the cost from illegal suppliers. “We need to show the province
they need to consult with us,” Davis wrote. “The way to do it is to opt out temporarily and try to get a better deal for when we do opt in, in the future.” Local cannabis consumers, however, may not be completely out of luck. Brant County voted to allow cannabis retailers in their region on Jan. 8. This could allow for stores to open in Brantford-adjacent towns such as Cainsville, Mount Pleasant, and Oakhill—all of which are at most a 10 minute drive from downtown Brantford.
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“The Social Shift”screens at Laurier The new documentary was shown for social awareness month JESSA BRAUN SPORTS EDITOR
MITCHELLE EMMANUEL-KALU /LEAD PHOTO
Members of the ASCC speak at “Social Shift” documentary screening
Laurier Brantford held a screening of the new documentary, “The Social Shift”, in S.C. Johnson on Thursday. The documentary follows two sisters and their two friends as they journey across Canada to interview and promote businesses that are about more than making lots of money. “You can make a very liveable wage and also do good at the same time,” said Marie Wright, one of the sisters in the documentary. Wright, along with her twin sister Meaghan and friends Joseph Huyer and Kevin Courtney, traveled 8,500 km across the country in a small RV that they dubbed “The Fridge.” The team started out west and made their way back to their home province of Nova Scotia. Over the course of their six-week trip, they interviewed over 50 people and visited 14 cities throughout nine provinces. “My generation and the one before that have left the world in a very difficult circumstance,” said Robert Feagan, a Laurier faculty member who attended the screening. “The notion of sustainability, which, I think carried some real weight 30 years ago; I did a PhD on it. The momentum behind prevailing social orders made it very difficult, and you know, I feel
for [millennials]. I’m here with the hopes that this can generation enough enthusiasm and passion to kick out the old order and start something fresh and new.”
The reason for being here is to inspire and show that anyone can be a changemaker.
-Alexa Stucke, Member of ASCC
In the documentary, the “Social Shift” team highlights companies that add the value of social change to the world of business. Some of the corporations they interview include Enactus Canada, Bullfrog Power, Made with Local, Stone Hearth Bakery and Credit Unions. These businesses create social change such as hiring former prisoners or homeless folk, selling reusable products and not accepting the lies that in order to be successful one has to be corrupt. For some companies, catering to social change helps to earn more profit. EMBERS Staffing Solutions went from earning $550,000 to
earning $8.4 M. EMBERS reaches out to people and communities that need help transitioning back to work. Lunapad, a company that sells reusable personal hygiene products, keeps 20 million pads out of landfills each year in Canada. According to the documentary, “there’s more to life than making money. It’s about impacting people, impacting the planet.” Laurier’s screening event also included the voices of people on campus who work for social change. Karly Rath and Alexa Stucke talked about their organization, Advocates for a Student Culture of Consent (ASCC). ASCC started in 2014, before the #MeToo movement, as a fourth-year research project. Since their establishment, they helped Laurier develop a sexual assault policy, created a website and run regular events on campus. “The reason for being here is to inspire and show that anyone can be a change maker,” said Stucke. Feagan talked about his experience building earthship shelters. People from all over the world came to work on the environmentally sustainable shelters that were made from tire. Feagan has been going to El Salvador for eight years to build shelters.
CHARITY
Laurier games for Make-A-Wish
Students gamed to support a young boy’s wishes KIKI AFOLABI STAFF WRITER
Laurier gaming club encourages students to game in efforts to help a young boy make his dreams come true. Laurier Brantford’s GameOn club hosted a fundraiser in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the RCW lobby on Thursday, Jan. 17. The “Star Wars”-themed event was held to help raise money for a four-year old boy named Wade, whose wish it is to go to the Bahamas.
I think it is awesome that Laurier held this [event]. It is a lot of fun and is amazing to see storm troopers in Brantford. -Megan, Fourth-year Society, Culture and Environment Student
All donors were given the opportunity to get their pictures taken with members of the 501st legion: a stormtrooper and captain, as well as a chance to win a “Star Wars” pancake maker and toaster. Also available at the event were board and video games at the stand for attendees to play. The theme of last year’s event was
“Doctor Who”. “I think it is awesome that Laurier held this [event]. It is a lot of fun and it is amazing to see storm troopers in Brantford”, said Megan, a fourth year society, culture and environment student who had attended the event. “The Star Wars was popular at the Comic Con event we hosted last year” said Jessica, an executive member of the Game On club, when asked about the choice of the event’s theme. “They were happy to come back here to support our event.” The club’s president, Samantha Gowanlock, who is a fifth year concurrent education student at Laurier Brantford, described the event’s turn out as good, “RCW has more traffic than Market Square where we held it last year,” she added,. “[Laurier] has been great to us. Victoria, the assistant vicepresident, helped us get tables and everything we needed to set up”. “I think it is a good thing we are trying to introduce here at Laurier Brantford”, said Jessica,“It is for a good cause. And hopefully, this is something to be continued in the future.” “We are trying to get our name out there because a lot of people don’t know the club exists.” Jessica added.Game On is a Laurier Brantford gaming club that is open to all. Their meetings are held on Tuesdays at the Grand River Hall basement within the hours of 6 to 8 p.m. every week.
CONTIBUTED BY LAURIER’S GAMEON CLUB
Members of GameOn club poses with a stormtrooper and a captain for the Star Wars themed event .
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WEDNEDAY, JANUARY 30, 2019 FEATURES EDITOR OLIVIA MCLACHLAN features@thesputnik.ca
CAMPUS
What Laurier thinks about feminism
Could you use it in sentence? What equality means to students at a liberal thinking university KOYAL VYAS STAFF WRITER
Feminism is known as the second most hated “F” word in the English language, simply because people do not understand its true meaning. Merriam-Webster defines feminism as “the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes”. However, according to an article on Bustle.com, the terms that are often attached to the words “feminism” or” feminist” are “man-hating” and “aggressive”. The question to ask is how Laurier Brantford students feel about feminism as a whole.
I think they are scared because there are always extreme cases of feminism that stand out to people. -Scott Maxwell, third-year Laurier student
How do they feel about the different movements that are taking place on campus and across the country? A second article from Bustle. com titled “7 Things the word ‘Feminist’ Does NOT mean” made some points that many people, including myself, have done a double-take at. The reason for the article was to help people understand how our society is so misinformed about the feminism movement. The one point that stood out from the rest was about how the word feminist does not translate to the belief that women are superior. This argument was proven as the article went on to explain how feminism was often seen as the celebration of womanhood when in reality, feminism in society is challenging that idea of womanhood completely. This is proven fact because there are many feminists in this world such as Nancy Fraser, a critical theorist and feminist based out of New York City, who are challenging gender stereotypes every day. Fraser is well known for her book “Fortunes of Feminism,” which is about second-wave feminism and the radical movements that transformed society. People like Fraser not only challenge stereotypes from the female perspective, but they stand up for the fact that males do not have to fall into these stereotypes either. They strive to make society a place in which males can be more open with their emotions without any judgement. A handful of Laurier Brantford students were asked about their views on the topic of feminism, and while each student is entitled to their own opinion, the answers were unanimous. Scott Maxwell, a third-year student, was extremely passionate about the topic, saying, “I am totally on board with it [the feminism movement] because I feel that everyone should be looked at as equals whether male or female regardless of race, sexuality or sexual
preference”. Many other students agreed that the idea of feminism and gender equality are connected in every way. Maxwell also reinforced the Merriam-Webster definition of the word feminism when he said: “Change is the first word that comes to mind with the word feminism…. it is a movement that wants change and wants equality between males and females.” Although Laurier Brantford seems to be at a consensus when it comes to thoughts on feminism, there may be those outliers that are 100 per cent certain that feminism means man-hating and aggression. A majority of these thoughts are related to extremist portrayals of the feminist population as a whole. Maxwell spoke about this when asked why people seem to be afraid of the word feminism. “I think they are scared because there are always extreme cases of feminism that stand out to people,” he said. “People always look to that extreme and think ‘I don’t want to be associated with that’ when in reality people need to understand how welcoming it is.” First-year student Emily Sinclair also spoke on this point and explained how the media plays a part in the wrongful portrayal of feminism. “People are scared because of the misuse of the word feminism but just like in any other belief there are individuals who represent it wrong and that should be taken with a grain of salt,” she said. She went on to say,” the word ‘feminism’ is overly visualized in media and other areas so people should not take the words and visuals of certain people’s ideologies as a representation of the whole ideology”.
I identify with the word ‘feminism’ so much. I personally have a lot of interest in these movements... -Emily Sinclair, first-year Laurier student
Sinclair explained how even though feminism movements are being used to unite all types of people, everyone should have their own values and limits when it comes to being a feminist. “Feminism is more a personal thing.” Feminism in media has always been a slippery slope. For starters, we are only starting to see women in healthy, strong, independent roles recently. Notable examples of women in power portrayed in popular media are Faye Dunaway character in “Network” from 1976, Sigourney Weaver in “Alien” and Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise. There are many other examples and many are more recent than the 1970s’ but these roles are notable because at that time, audiences had not seen interesting women in movies who did not rely on the existence of a leading man. While women having their own roles and character development in major motion pictures was a huge step in the right direction
for women in media, we have to remember where that step started: casual abuse from men in classic black and white films. And while it is great to see strong women in awesome movies, these female characters are often sexualized and made to look attractive if they have a good amount of screen time. Women on screen, or rather lack thereof, are only the beginning of discrimination in Hollywood. According to the Centre of the Study of Women in Television and Film, of the 100 highest earning movies of 2018, women made up four per cent of directors; 15 per cent of writers; and 14 per cent of editors.
Four per cent of major movie directors are women, three per cent are cinematographers and eighteen per cent are producers of movies from 2018 -Centre of the Study of Women in Television and Film,
Other answers from students included how invested they were in movements such as the #MeToo. Maxwell referred to the positive effects of these movements. “I can’t say I’m too informed on what Laurier is doing with them… but I believe that having movements like that are good because while it is pushing more for one side it is more for equity because as equal as we think it is now, males have more advantages than females, so we need to support females more to get them to the same stage.” Sinclair also spoke on this point. “I identify with the word ‘feminism’ so much. I personally have a lot of interest in these movements, but I don’t find them as spoken about at Laurier unless I am actively searching for them, so it is not something I see very regularly,” she said. Laurier Brantford is known to be a very left-wing campus, which goes hand in hand with the appreciation of the different feminist movements on campus. “I think that Laurier is more left-wing as a campus, and it shows mostly through the professors and the staff,” said Sinclair. “I think that their support with gender equality, intersexuality and those sorts of topics is expected with their jobs within the university,” she continued. Maxwell agrees that our Brantford campus “leans towards the left” and that it is a “relatively inclusive and welcoming campus”. With these social and political views being so prominent on our campus, Laurier Brantford should be doing more to implement liberal movements to ensure the student voice is being heard and that Golden Hawks are given the opportunity to make changes in the world. The best place to start making a change is here at Laurier Brantford.
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2019 ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR HYRRA CHUGHTAI arts@thesputnik.ca
PROFILE
Guidance from an Indigenous angle Norma Jacobs, program elder, talks about students' need for more Indigenous knowledge and insight HYRRA CHUGHTAI ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
As students at Laurier Brantford, we are all aware of the many resources we have here on campus that help fulfill our various needs. Whether it's through the Wellness Centre, the Writing Centre, or even Foot Patrol, there are many different categories of services available. What most people don’t know, however, is that we also have a program here on campus to help enrich our knowledge about Indigenous values and principles. The program elders come to campus and are hired by Laurier to help assist in classrooms when professors request them. They help provide knowledge and guidance for students’ lives and promote the integration of Indigenous culture into everyday life. There are also opportunities for one-on-one teaching with the elder, where a safe space can be created for a student to help them with whatever need. The opportunity is currently mainly available to social work students, but Laurier Brantford’s elder, Norma Jacobs, wants to open the opportunity to all students. “I’ve always talked about Indigenous perspectives in whatever class I’m invited to. Whether it’s mental health and how our people look at those. Because everything is together it’s not separate, we don’t teach separately about justice or … about you know social well-being or mental health or physical health…” said Jacobs. Jacobs has signed a two-year contract with the Brantford campus and wants to make the most out of her experience here.
I think that those barriers need to be removed. How they look at us as instigators of violence and being protestors, that we are not real people. -Norma Jacobs, Program Elder
MADELINE MOSES/PHOTO EDITOR
Indigenous knowledge and ways of being are now being sought out, especially after relfecting upon the occurrences that happen with Indigenous people today.
She aims to share knowledge with the students about Indigenous people and to be to open discussions about the misconceptions people have about the community. “I think the whole life cycle and that we need to understand one another and as people we all have different perspectives or that we have our own creation stories on how we got to be. As Indigenous people, all Indigenous people have their own stories and they have a culture that is especially for them… that’s how they were to live their lives in relationship to the earth, our mother,” said Jacobs. As we have seen in the news recently, the ignorance of certain groups and the misconceptions that people have about Indigenous people have created barriers between them and the media. Many people refer to minor incidents in the past as a way to leverage their ignorance, and Jacobs believes that this can and should be changed with proper education.
“I think that those barriers need to be removed. How they look at us as instigators of violence and being protesters, that we are not real people. That we are just objectified… Not only students but the universities, not only here in Brantford, but all over the world need to understand that we are a people of peace and that we hold many tools in order to share with others, and to implement it from their own understanding,” said Jacobs. Helping students understand the importance of the land that they are studying or living on can help shape the way future generations can show respect for their elders. There isn’t a reason to believe stereotypes when one has access to resources and education. Especially in today’s climate, it is easy to simply believe whatever you see on TV, but having the resources available to help people become more educated is very important to Jacobs. “I think that now too, a lot of non-Indigenous people do come
forward seeking our knowledge because of the things that they are seeing in the world that is happening today… our knowledge is out there to help and understand what that reciprocal relationship should be about…. The land is not about consumption but a gift to honor the people…” said Jacobs. Indigenous cultures teach people to respect where they live and what was there before them. Learning from where we once lived and where we get our resources is very important and is crucial to understanding oneself as well. “We have so many tools and that’s what our environment is about. Our ceremonies, our language… they are all about having a key to turn and go deeper into those ideas… the tools that were here before us and how that relates to me, how do I become that person by focusing on that energy?... We get our answers from our environment, the things we know from our stories, from our songs, from our language,” said Jacobs. The various requests that can be brought up to an elder need to be
made respectfully. Consideration towards what can be asked and what cannot be is very important when wanting to talk to an elder.
I think that now too, a lot of non-Indigenous people do come forward, seeking our knowledge because of things that they are seeing in the world. -Norma Jacobs, Program Elder
According to the Laurier website on requests of our elders, “when requested, it is important that their input be regarded with respect and one must follow through on the advice of the elders”. The request isn’t only meant to be discussed, but acted upon
as well. There is an offering of tobacco wrapped in a cotton cloth after the elder accepts and understands the request, demonstrating the value of respect. Indigenous cultures highly value respect and recognition. Jacobs wants there to be more educational offerings here at Laurier that show Indigenous cultures and allows students to learn about them. Allowing people to share their own cultural experiences is important and helps the public understand that there is lots more to learn. “I think it’s really important to have events that host Indigenous speakers and knowledge holders because they really have an impact. They have a kindness that can engulf people and conversation because their stories are real, and they can have examples. Many different things that haven’t even been envisioned by the outside world,” said Jacobs.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2019
THE SPUTNIK
ARTS & CULTURE
09
EVENTS
Concerts: hit or miss
Laurier Brantford's lack of artistic culture and entertainment HYRRA CHUGHTAI ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
NAME/POSITION
On January 23, the organizers of Snow Week held a concert for all Laurier students to come out and enjoy at Club Scorpio. Two bands – Mermaids Exist and Valley— performed. As a Snow Week executive, I had the opportunity to go to attend the concert and see if students were interested in the free event. As many know by now, Laurier Brantford has not been very successful when it comes to live events. The ice breakers for OWeek 2018-19 said the concert they held this year only had about 15 people come out to see Tokyo Police Club – most of whom were ice breakers. Some may conclude that it could have been because of the artist that Laurier decided to book, but I would disagree. If you’ve been part of any club or committee on campus, you’ll know that whenever you host an event, it’s always the same few people that show up and the rest of the campus seems to ignore it. The artist isn’t to blame. Having been a part of Snow Week and played a role in planning the event, I was very excited about the concert. I had thought people would show up, because who doesn’t like a free concert? Students could drink, and it was a nice night to let loose early in the semester before the stress from midterms hit.
I was wrong. People don’t show up to anything, no matter what the cost. Our goal was to get more people to show up to this show than the O-Week concert – we failed. The two bands brought their friends and they took up majority of the space. Only around eight to 10 Laurier students came out.
...Laurier Brantford has a hive mind in that either everyone will go to an event or no one will... -Scott Maxwell/Snow Week Coordinator
The low turnout was very embarrassing for us Laurier students. A school known for its school spirit couldn’t even fill up half of the venue. This can be very insulting to the performers as well, as they might feel that they aren’t even worth the students’ time. “…Laurier Brantford has a hive mind in that either everyone will go to an event or no one will. Compare this to something like Thursday nights at Club NV. Everyone goes because they know everyone will be going,” said Scott Maxwell,
Snow Week co-ordinator. When asked why they didn’t show up, the majority of students said they weren’t interested in the performers and that this campus is more into rap or trap music. Another reason given was that the weather was horrible, despite the fact that Jan. 23 was one of the warmer days relative to the blistering winter we’ve had lately. Even if the weather had been horrible, I don’t believe that’s a valid reason; people will go to Club NV in frigid temperatures and not think twice. It may very well be a consistency issue on this campus. Maxwell believes having more frequent artistic events rather than there just being one every few years would help people create a habit of attending. “…Look at some of the most popular events on the campus, like trivia night. Everyone knows that it happens every other Wednesday at Williams … If you can have art-like events like concerts more consistently, like once a month or a semester, and everyone already knows when it’s happening, it will probably have a much better turn out,” said Maxwell. When booking events, vice president, Natalie Rigato also has trouble on deciding who to get. "...It is a little harder for our campus as we are seen heavily as a commuter campus so trying to do night entertainment can be a struggle sometimes...," said Rigato.
Michael Brandolino, lead singer in Valley, playing guitar and singing.
Offering Brantford a glimpse at improv The Brantford improv club hosted their third annual show, allowing the community to join in the arts HYRRA CHUGHTAI ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
The third annual Brant Improv Festival took place at the Royal Canadian Legion on January 18 and 19. The community joined together to showcase their hard work and talent and allowed people to see the creativity that participants were able to bring.
...All of it, of course, is playful and ties in with the overarching goal to bring laughter to the audience. -Martin Smith, Brantford Improv Club Organizer
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Now in its third year of operation, the Brant Improv Club helps raise money for Brantwood Community Services and Desiree’s Angels, a non-profit organization which helps victims of crime and their families. “There is a strong link between these two organizations as Desiree often used the Brantwood facilities,” said Martin Smith, one of the organizers and the host for the event. Smith, who isn’t shy in front of an audience, has had experience
speaking in front of large groups of people. As radio host for local online programs such as Marquee with Martin and BrantNow, Smith feels very at home taking on such a role. “I just consider myself part of the improv team and hope I can keep the audience engaged while moving from one skit to another, or from music to comedy,” said Smith. The Brant Improv Festival doesn’t only include acting. The club wanted to include anyone that had a creative interest and
wanted to showcase it for the public. Being able to connect with the community was very important to Smith and finding ways to do that was essential to making the event enjoyable. “One of our cast members paints and that was the inspiration to include other improvised art forms. It led us to include improv fashion, improv painting, improv yoga, improv singing, improv cooking and, new this year, improv tap dancing. All of it, of course, is playful and ties in with the overarching goal
to bring laughter to the audience,” said Smith. Although the weather was awful the day of the event, there was a good turnout from the community, said Smith. With over 200 attendees, this happened to be one of the more successful years for the Brant Improv Club. Smith believes that creative outlets are needed in Brantford and that we are an artistic community. But with the ever-present need for creative spaces, Smith claims there isn’t a proper venue to host
groups of people. “…I think there is a great need for a mid-sized facility to accommodate local arts that simply can't fill up the Sanderson Centre. I think a facility built specifically for dance, theatre, music and more would help the greater population understand just how strong a talent pool we have in Brantford. We are fortunate to have remarkable singers, actors, dancers and painters. I believe the arts enriches all our lives in ways that are not always easy to measure,” said Smith. Events that showcase creativity are always needed, but Smith claims that creativity shouldn’t be the only factor to bringing people together. The inclusion of different backgrounds and what they are accustomed to is much more important and can promote a stronger community. “I am presently directing a play that will be put on in late March - early April called "Burs of a Feather". As part of the production, we used a local painter [David Wierzbicki] to create original artwork for the poster. We are also involving several organizations with a passion for the arts to be an intricate part of the total production. We hope to put "community" into community theatre,” said Smith. As for the future of the improv club, Smith has nearly confirmed the location for the event in 2020 and hopes to keep things fresh and creative with new challenges.
THE SPUTNIK
10
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2019 SPORTS EDITOR JESSA BRAUN sports@thesputnik.ca
NFL
Students reflect and predict: Super Bowl
A recap of NFC and AFC finals, and a Super Bowl prediction RYAN PRAUGHT SPORTS WRITER
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Winner: Los Angeles Rams Score: 26-23 The New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams both had first round byes, meaning they only had to play one playoff game each prior to this one. New Orleans defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 20-14 while the Rams beat the Cowboys 30-22. The Saints and the Rams were the two best teams in their conference. The game was expected to be a good matchup, but all it did was disappoint. The Saints jumped out to a quick 13-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, dominating the play and putting themselves in good position to run away with the game. Led by 40-year-old Drew Brees, the Saints were feeling very confident that they would be punching their ticket to the Super Bowl. The Rams had other plans, scoring 10 unanswered points to draw within three at the half. Todd Gurley, the Rams’ superstar running back, had a quiet day, only rushing it four times all game. However, he scored with only 23 seconds left in the half to make it a one-possession game. Both teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter. With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the fourth quarter began with the Saints leading the Rams 20-17. Ebose Abure, a first-year student here at Laurier, couldn’t watch the game, but he said he watched the highlights. “I saw everything I needed to see,” he said. The fourth quarter didn’t see a ton of scoring, but there was enough action to keep viewers entertained. The Rams tied it with
just over five minutes left, but the Saints were ready to answer. Then the unthinkable happened -- something that will forever be remembered as the missed call. With the Saints in field goal range and it being third and 10, the Saints elected to throw the ball. Brees tried to hit a wide-open Tommylee Lewis when Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman came out of nowhere to tackle Lewis. The only problem was Lewis didn’t have the ball and it instead fell harmlessly to the ground. What a critical mistake it was by RobeyColeman. Surely, he would regret that… What? No flag . . . How could
It was so clearly obvious that it was pass interference; I am still stunned. -Ebose Abure, Laurier student
you not call that? Instead of a first and 10 allowing the Saints to kill more clock, they were forced to kick a field goal, leaving the Rams with one time out and just under two minutes to tie or win the game. “It was so clearly obvious that it was pass interference; I am still stunned,” said Abure. Ian Linton, another Laurier Brantford student, also watched the game. He too saw the missed pass interference call. “Absolute shenanigans. I believe it was rigged,” said Linton. The Rams would tie the game
with 15 seconds left and send it into overtime. The Saints got the ball first in overtime but then disaster struck again, as Drew Brees threw an interception that gifted the Rams the ball near midfield. “I couldn’t believe it, he literally threw the game away,” said Linton. Rams Kicker would hit a 57yard field goal and send the Rams to the Super Bowl. AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Winner: New England Patriots Score: 37-31 The circumstances were similar for the Chiefs and the Patriots as they too had first-round byes. The Chiefs defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-13 and the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28. This game started out very slow and the first half was somewhat boring as the Patriots entered the game with a 14-0 lead, scoring a touchdown with 27 seconds left in the half. The third quarter saw the Chiefs try to claw their way back as they quickly scored a touchdown to cut the lead in half. However, the Pats added a field goal to enter the fourth with a 17-7 lead, much to the dismay of many football fans. “I wanted the Pats to lose,” said Linton. “My roommate is a Pats fan and I didn’t want to hear him gloat.” “I was rooting for Pat Mahomes [Chiefs Quarterback] to win,” said Abure. “I don’t hate Brady, but I love Mahomes.” The Chiefs scored 14 unanswered points to take a 21-17 lead, but the final three and a half minutes featured plenty of scoring. The Patriots scored a touchdown to take a three-point lead, but the Chiefs immediately responded, scoring a touchdown of their own to reclaim a four-point lead. Then the Patriots marched down the field and, after a penalty erased a
ANUJ KAPAHI /GRAPHICS
COURTESY OF KIRBY LEE
The Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots will face off on Sunday Feb. 3.
game-clinching interception, they scored with just 39 seconds left. Trailing by three, Mahomes and the Chiefs took the field, looking to hit a game-tying field goal. They did just that, somehow managing to get down the field and scoring with eight seconds to spare, sending the second game to overtime. Mahomes never saw the field again as the Patriots got the ball to start overtime and marched down the field where they scored a touchdown, sealing the team’s third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl. Since then, the overtime rules have been questioned by many, including Linton. “The overtime rule is stupid; both teams should get a chance with their offence,” he said. SUPERBOWL PREVIEW Some things just never change, and it is starting to feel as though Tom Brady and making the Super Bowl is one of those things. He will be playing in his third consecutive Super Bowl and his ninth overall Super Bowl appearance. Brady will be playing the Rams in the Super Bowl for the second time, with the last PatriotsRams match-up having taken place in 2002. Much has changed since then, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady are still there 17 years later. To put that into perspective, in 2002, Jared Goff -- the Rams’ current quarterback -- was seven years old and Rams’ head coach Sean McVay was 16. McVay is the youngest coach to ever make it to the Super Bowl. He is 33 years old, which is half the age of Belichick. It’s safe to say its young versus old in the 53rd edition of the Super Bowl. The match-up in 2002 will likely be brought up a few times during the broadcast, but don’t expect the same kind of game. The score of
that game was 20-17, but the Rams and Patriots are both built to score lots of points, so it will probably be a much higher-scoring game. Of course, part of the fun with the Super Bowl is the unpredictability, so who knows . . . maybe it will end 6-3, but that seems unlikely. Some impact players for both teams will be the Rams’ running back Todd Gurley, who had a quiet NFC title game. But with two
Some things never change, and it is starting to feel as though Tom Brady and making the Super Bowl is one of those things. -Ryan Praught, Sports Writer
weeks rest and it being the last game of the season, if he can make an impact, he will. Of course, on the Patriots’ side, who better to have a big game than the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady? People have questioned his play as of late, saying his age is really starting to show, but I imagine that he won’t look like a 41-year old this Sunday. There is just too much at stake for him to let that happen. It will be a high-scoring game, but I bet the Patriots come out on top, as they would like to avenge the loss they had last year. Bill Belichick is the best coach in the NFL. He will be prepared, and the Rams will need to get creative to fool him. After the Philly Special last year, Bill and the Patriots won’t be surprised by it. Patriots win 33-30.
THE SPUTNIK
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2019
SPORTS
11
BRANTFORD
CYO honours past Laurier ball players A Brantford youth basketball tournament took time to celebrate local players who have played for Laurier JESSA BRAUN SPORTS EDITOR
Twenty-two former Laurier basketball players from Brantford were recognized at the annual Paul Mitchell boys’ basketball tournament this past weekend. This was the first time the Laurier Brantford YMCA held a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) event. The Laurier setting, combined with the presence of young, Brantford ball players, made it only fitting to honour local stars who went on to play for the Golden Hawks. 12 of the 22 players were able to make it to the ceremony on Friday evening. Among them was Rebecca Polidori, who was a point guard and shooting guard for the Golden Hawks from 2000-2004. “It [Laurier basketball] was a great way for me to you know, stay in school, prioritize and do something that I love,” she said. Five years old when she started playing basketball, Polidori grew up representing CYO. In high school, she attended North Park and played basketball all four years in addition to rep. “I liked [Laurier’s] proximity to Brantford,” Polidori said. “I liked being close to home, being close
JESSA BRAUN/SPORTS EDITOR
Former Laurier basketball players from Brantford were recognized during a ceremony at the CYO tournament on Friday.
to family and friends and the idea that my family and friends could come and watch. Laurier had a great kin program. It was the right choice. It was a great school.” Polidori had the opportunity to attend two national championships during her last two years with the Golden Hawks. “Top eight in Canada – it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Polidori, who is now a teacher, has two daughters ages four and seven. Both of them play basketball. “I coach and I get them involved and they’re loving it, so that’s all that’s important to me,” said Polidori. “They could be good, they could be bad, they could play on a triple A team, they could play on an A team. But I ask them after
the game, ‘Did you have a good time?’ and they say, ‘Yes,’ they had fun, that’s all that matters. And they’re making friends, so it’s good.” Another former Laurier player in attendance was Mark Polischuk, who had played from 1982-1986 and been a team captain for the Golden Hawks. “We had great players to play
with,” he said. “Just being around those guys for four years was a lot of fun.” Established just over 20 years before Polischuk arrived in his first year, Laurier had only 4,000 students during Polischuk’s time as a Golden Hawk. “It was really small,” he said. “You got to know everybody, and so it was a lot of fun.” Polischuk grew up playing CYO basketball. For his five years before attending Laurier, he played for St. John’s College in Brantford. Friday’s alumni ceremony at the Laurier Brantford YMCA took place in front of over 120 people between games played by the Brantford Hawks. Former players at the ceremony included: Eric Angevine (1995-1996) Meaghan Innes (2002-2006) Rob Innes (2002-2006) Dave Levac (1982-1986) Allan Lovett (2000-2004) Mike McCormack (1981-1982 and 1984-1985) Jesse McDonald (2005-2010) Dan Pace (1994-1997) Andrew Pawliwec (2005-2007) Rebecca Polidori (2000-2004) Mark Polischuk (1982-1986) Christine Petit (McDonald) (20062010)
ALUMNI
Laurier alumna named CWHL All-Star captain Liz Knox captained Team Gold in the CWHL All-Star game HANNAH KASTEIN SPORTS WRITER
On Jan. 20, the Canadian Women’s Hockey League hosted their 2019 All-Star game in Toronto at the Scotiabank arena. The night before the game took place, the team captains – Brigette Lacquette for Team Purple and Liz Knox for Team Gold – selected their starting lineups and completed the rest of their roster by draw. Team Gold captain Liz Knox has a special connection with Wilfrid Laurier University. She played for Laurier’s hockey team in Waterloo and was the first player
of the Golden Hawks’ women’s program to win CIS player of the year. She was also inducted into the WLU Golden Hawks Hall of Fame. She later also went on to represent Team Canada at the 2011 Winter Universiade in Turkey and the 2011 IIHF 12 Nations tournament in Finland. Each team consisted of two goalies, nine forwards, and six defensewomen. The coaches were selected Saturday night. Curtis Joseph, Cheryl Pounder and Olympic speedskater Anastasia Bucsis coached Team Purple. Glenn Healy, Charline Labonte and comedian Gerry Dee were behind
the bench for Team Gold. See both Team Purple and Team Gold’s full rosters below. The 2019 CWHL All-Star Game allowed the best women hockey players in Canada and the United States to showcase their skills. NHL alumnus Doug Gilmour, who is one of the most well-known captains of the Toronto Maple Leafs and who played 20 seasons in the NHL, did the ceremonial puck drop. He joined other NHL alumni Glenn Healy and Curtis Joseph as well as CWHL alumnae Charline Labonte and Cheryl Pounder as special guests at the game.
HANNAH KASTEIN/SPORTS WRITER
THECWHL.COM
Brigette Lacquette (right) and Liz Knox (left) were 2019’s CWHL All-Star captains
Team Gold beat Team Purple 8-4, with Brianne Jenner leading the way in scoring with a hat trick. Brianna Decker gave Team Gold a head start right away by scoring twice in the first period. These were the only two goals in the first period. In the second, Team Purple started to make a push back and scored three goals by Blayre Turnbull, Laura Stacey and Lauren Williams. However, Team Gold was able to keep their lead and after scoring three more goals in the second period had a 5-3 lead going into the third period. In the third period, Team Purple was able to score another goal, but it wasn’t enough. Team Gold put up three more goals on the board, with Hanna Bunton scoring her second of the game. Many young girls’ hockey teams were in the crowd. Lots of them had made signs for their favourite players. “When I was little, I was going to play in the NHL,” Natalie Spooner told CBC. “Now, the girls are like, ‘I’m going to play in the
CWHL.’ That is a huge step already. I hope these little girls that are dreaming of the CWHL, when they’re older they can have hockey as a career and not have to worry about going to work all day and coming to practice at night.”
I hope these little girls that are dreaming of the CWHL, when they’re older they can have hockey as a career and not have to worry about work all day and coming to practice at night. -Natalie Spooner, hockey player
Hilary Knight also had gender inequity on her mind. “Unfortunately the way to get a story now for women’s hockey is essentially talking about the inequity of the sport,” she told CBC.
THE SPUTNIK
12
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2019 OPINION EDITOR AVERY MCISAAC opinion@thesputnik.ca
CAMPUS
Struggling as an introvert on campus
Engaging in activites that force introverts to disburse all of their energy can be unfair and exhausting OLIVIA MCLACHLAN FEATURES EDITOR
Introverts are shy, lonely people who hate big crowds. They like to spend their time alone, they don’t want to meet new people. They’re quiet and unopinionated. In light of Snow Week at Laurier Brantford, I’m writing this to dispel some common myths about introversion like those above. Being an introvert myself, I love to meet new people, talk about my opinions, and party. It is the effect those interactions have on me that makes me an introvert. After having a long conversation or spending the day with friends, I feel worn out. Unlike extroverts, introverts feel like they are running on empty after a lot of socializing. Extraverts feel energized by such interaction and they want to keep socializing rather than have some down time to recover from the stimulus. A common belief about introverts that bears true is that we are very much in our own heads and that we think more than we speak. Introverts are typically more sensitive and intuitive. It is for this reason that interaction tires us out. We are more than happy with internal stimuli. When it comes from external sources in high quantities, we almost can’t handle it. When we find we can’t handle it, our fix is to sit quietly for a little while or lay down to take a break. Even my decision to move into residence was influenced by my introversion. I had to consider
how my mental health, grades and social life would be impacted by not living with my family. The first month of living here was exhausting because I was always meeting new people, going to get-to-know-you events and having to ask a lot of questions because I didn’t know my way around. Orientation week was the most draining part of this process. Obviously, our icebreakers and admission staff wanted to make us feel more comfortable in our new environment. But for an introvert, going to carnivals, live shows and
cheer-offs is work. We don’t hate these types of events and we are often excited to attend. There is just something about too much activity that makes us feel sluggish and sometimes moody. On the other end of the spectrum, extroverts often feel those symptoms when they do not have that kind of stimulus surrounding them. Each personality type has its own paradise and its own hell, and they are complete opposites. Please bear in mind that I am no doctor. I don’t know what about the human brain makes introverts
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one way and extroverts another. But I do have a lot of experience as an introvert and I’ve gathered some helpful things to do when you feel drained. First of all, never let anyone make you feel bad or strange for not wanting to socialize all the time. Also, don’t limit yourself to Netflix and reading in your spare time just because introverts are put in that box. Try to lay out your day and even your week to make yourself more comfortable with your interactions. If it feels like a chore to do some-
thing like going out with friends, feel free to decline and give yourself some ‘me’ time. If you want more people to come to your events, remember that everyone is different and we all feed off different things. You may find your events having better turnouts if you stagger them throughout the day so people can attend one event, have free time, and then go to the next event. One right after the other is guaranteed to wear out the introverts you invited. Please don’t think I’m being selfserving. The extroverts can hang out with friends or talk to new people during those breaks if they choose so they are more fired up for the next activity. The last thing I want is to sound ungrateful or petty because of my experiences. I really enjoyed Oweek and I appreciate how much time and effort went into planning all the activities to make us feel more at home. Sometimes though, I don’t feel valid in declining an invitation to do something when I need to rest. A lot of introverts face this issue; we often feel like the odd one out. To be fair, this is because we may seem rude because we choose not to socialize as often as other people. But trust me when I say we do not mean to come off this way and we really appreciate the invitation. Remember that there are more than just extroverts on campus, in your friend group, in your office and in the classroom. Everyone will benefit.
FUTURE
Fixing the problems of past generations Tackling politics, the environment, and growing up. We don’t have dreams, Huston we have a problem DEBORAH WHYTE STAFF WRITER
Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have a Dream” argued that all ethnicities in America should come together – if not for personal gain, then for the children: the future that would shape America and make it great again. Let’s fast-forward to the present: has the generation that Martin Luther King was addressing made America great again? Or are we still waiting on another generation to put things in order and restore whatever it is that will finally allow us to sleep at night knowing everything is well and good? There have been a whole lot of people complaining about millennials and how lazy and sensitive they are. We all know who the real sensitive people are, but we’d rather not say. So, what about the kids born after the millennials: Generation Z? Well, as a Gen Zer myself, I think it’s safe to say that instead of being called lazy, we’re told we’re not trying hard enough. We’re raised in a century where pain, terror and anger are the norm. Rapid social change causes us to constantly shift our focus from “what are they doing?” to “what
are we going to do about it?” According to everyone and their mothers, we are the change the world needs. Realistically though, we’re busy trying to succeed at everything while social media has us convinced that we’re constantly failing. By communicating with each other – either through messages online, YouTube videos, blogs, vlogs or memes – we’re sharing thoughts and ideas that society deems to be the root of our depression and anxiety, when in reality, we’re learning coping mechanisms for when crap hits the fan, and self-love for when we feel we’re not good enough. But hey, at least we’re strong! And I’m not just pointing at the kids south of the border who are fighting their government to change gun laws. Even here in Canada we’re taking action against the new OSAP plan and fighting for our right to free education. Because after all we’ve seen in this corrupt world, we deserve to have an education that will benefit us, not the government. That’s why we’re fighting. And you know what? That’s something. This generation is something. The Wall Street Journal published an article that said Genera-
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tion Z has lived through recessions, financial crises, war, terror threats, school shootings, and are under the constant glare of technology and social media. This results in a scarred generation, cautious and hardened by economic and social turbulence. The Wall Street Journal also said,
“With any hardship that people endure in life, they either get stronger or it paralyzes them…These hardships have offered a great opportunity for us to get stronger.” We’re told we’re nihilists and have a dark sense of humour. But really, we just want stability in an unstable world.
We want hope, and we want comfort. If the past generations aren’t going to give it to us, we’ll give it to ourselves. Gen Z is a generation of dreamers; dreamers that dream not of the future, but of the present – of the “now”.